Chapter 730
The sudden knock echoed, drawing everyone’s attention to the door.
Even the cleaning staff of the Ares Guild knew all the key figures were gathered in the conference room for an important discussion.
So in this situation, someone knocking could only mean one of two things:
Either it was a matter of utmost urgency, or they’d already submitted their resignation.
And unlike Seok Gojun, who would’ve cursed first, their new Vice Guild Master didn’t even twitch an eyebrow despite the interruption in the middle of a favorable flow.
“Come in.”
Click.
A middle-aged man appeared through the half-opened door. The head of the secretarial office approached Choi Min-woo and bowed.
“I apologize for interrupting the meeting, Vice Guild Master.”
Choi Min-woo replied calmly, “It’s fine. If there’s a good reason.”
The head of the secretarial office swallowed hard.
It hadn’t been long, but he already knew his employer was strict about rewards and punishments.
And the report that had come in from the lobby security team just a minute ago was not something he could handle on his own.
“We have an important guest.”
With a trembling hand, he held something out.
Choi Min-woo’s eyes darkened as he looked at what he’d been handed.
This is…
Countless thoughts flashed through his mind the instant he recognized it.
But his hesitation was brief, and Choi Min-woo made his decision.
“Where is the guest?”
“Still in the lobby…”
“Escort them to my private office. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Understood.”
As the head of the secretarial office left as if he’d been waiting for that order, Choi Min-woo turned to the executives seated around the table.
“It seems we’ve finished the most urgent matters. What do you all think?”
“Pardon?”
“Vice Guild Master, are you saying…?”
“If you would be so kind, I think we should end the meeting here.”
A few executives stared at him, stunned. No matter how important the guest was, this was too much.
How could they end the meeting like this when even the overseas branch managers were present?
Creak.
“Vice Guild Master!”
The moment one executive—gathering his courage—shot to his feet.
Bang!
A sudden roar swallowed his voice whole.
Jin Taekyung, his palm imprinted on the alloy table, muttered,
“Are you laying eggs or something? Why do these buggers keep flying in? Should we renovate the conference room again?”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Please continue. Vice Guild Master, what were you saying?”
The executive who’d stood up alone turned a stiff face toward Choi Min-woo, then spoke with determination that he wouldn’t back down this time.
“Since it’s come to this, I’d like to say something.”
Some executives’ eyes gleamed at that resolve. Choi Min-woo nodded calmly.
“Yes. Please speak.”
“Then… can I leave work early?”
“……”
“Actually, today is my wedding anniversary…”
The other executives looked at him with icy eyes.
He was a divorced man who’d gotten divorced three years ago.
—
Team Leader Choi, as I know him, is a very reasonable person.
Even if he had the power to crush someone, he knew when to step back.
And he always tried to wrap things up in the calmest, gentlest atmosphere possible.
In other words, he wasn’t the type to send dozens of executives away with a few words unless it was something truly important.
That was why I couldn’t help being curious about the identity of the guest who’d suddenly arrived.
“It’s because of that person, isn’t it? The important guest.”
The moment the doors of the private elevator shut, I asked. Team Leader Choi replied,
“It’s half and half. I called the executives together to appease them. There was no reason for trouble from the start.”
“Well, most of the executives who are still around are pretty friendly.”
“Even if there were some dissatisfied ones, there was no reason for the guild to oppose this public release.”
“Because Cheon Tae-min… no, because your maternal grandfather is still alive and well?”
“Yes. The reason the Ares Guild’s standing hasn’t been what it used to be is because my maternal grandfather has been absent. In that sense, your suggestion to use his reputation was the best option for all of us.”
Indeed, the existence of someone named Cheon Tae-min was like a cheat key.
With just his name, he could draw the attention of the entire world, and he was a giant who could make the jackals lurking in the dark retreat.
It was like…
‘Yes, like the Martial God.’
The thought brushed the tip of my tongue, then scattered.
Team Leader Choi continued in a low voice.
“But unlike the Ares Guild executives, it must have been unwelcome news to someone else.”
“Someone else…?”
Team Leader Choi reached out and handed me something.
“The owner of this business card.”
The elevator doors opened. Following his directions, we crossed an empty hallway as our conversation continued.
“A business card? This?”
I frowned as I examined what I’d received.
It was definitely business-card sized, but it was hard to believe it could be called a business card.
It gleamed with platinum, and it didn’t even have a name, title, or number on it. The only thing I could guess was that the owner had obscene amounts of money.
“This is heavier than I thought. So it’s not just plated—this is real platinum. Is the other party some Middle Eastern royal?”
“If they were, I would have ended the meeting and come.”
“Then?”
“Look closely at the edge.”
Following his words, I studied it again. Only then did I notice the two birds engraved on the front and back.
“This is…”
“Can you tell what kind of birds they are?”
“I don’t know.”
“They’re ravens.”
“Ravens?”
“Their names are Huginn and Muninn.”
“No, what kind of ravens have names? A raven is a raven.”
“People who aren’t interested might not know. They’re beings that appear in mythology.”
“Mythology?”
“Yes. Ancient Norse mythology.”
Thud. Thud.
Our footsteps echoed unusually loudly. Team Leader Choi continued as he looked at the office door approaching.
“Huginn and Muninn. Those two ravens are symbols of a certain god in Norse mythology.”
“Who?”
“Odin.”
“It’s a name I’ve heard a lot. Isn’t it?”
After a brief silence, I nodded.
I’d never heard the names Huginn and Muninn before today, but Odin was different.
‘Yes. Very different.’
Not just because he was a famous god I’d heard somewhere, or because he was a character in a hero movie I’d loved as a kid.
The name Odin was known to everyone, regardless of country.
Because that Odin was…
The world’s best guild—recognized by everyone.
Thud.
The last step.
Beyond the door blocking our path, I could feel immense, neatly organized energy.
Team Leader Choi’s calm voice slid over the quiet hallway.
“Let’s go.”
Click.
The door finally opened, and the person standing in front of the fireplace slowly turned around.
===
At first, everyone thought it was a minor incident.
They were busy—buried under urgent problems that needed immediate handling—and the incident had “happened and ended in the blink of an eye.”
But it was anything but minor, and the first to realize it was the youngest employee in the [Evidence Storage Room].
“Um, Supervisor. I think something’s missing from the evidence?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“No, I checked the count, and it looks like one is missing…”
“Hey, check again instead of talking nonsense. We haven’t taken anything out of the storage room for over a week.”
The supervisor frowned, legs crossed as he stared at the inventory chart.
It wasn’t until thirty minutes later—when the youngest employee returned, scratching the back of his head—that he finally spoke again.
“Supervisor, it really seems to be missing. One item related to Seok Gojun has disappeared.”
“Hey, I told you earlier. The storage room’s been locked for a week. I’m already pissed because the stock is at its lowest, so stop talking—”
The supervisor, snapping irritably, suddenly cut himself off.
“What did you just say?”
The youngest employee answered, face subdued.
“I told you. It’s really gone.”
“No, not that. The part right after. What did you say?”
“Huh? Oh… the item related to Seok Gojun?”
When those three syllables came out again, a chill ran down the supervisor’s spine.
Seok Gojun.
Not just anything—evidence related to the Seok Gojun case was missing.
“Hey, door. Door! Open the storage room right now! And the kids—no, not yet. Don’t call them yet!”
The supervisor sprang up and rushed into the evidence storage room.
And after searching for hours with the youngest employee, he finally realized.
‘This is bullshit…’
It was gone. It had really disappeared.
That clueless kid’s report hadn’t been nonsense, and the fact that the stock he’d bought the day before yesterday had hit rock bottom no longer mattered.
Because if this got out, his entire life would hit rock bottom.
‘What the hell is this?’
Half out of his mind, the supervisor stared blankly around the evidence storage room.
It made no sense.
The last time he’d checked the items was just last week.
Yet in a storage room no one had entered for an entire week, one item had vanished without a trace.
Even the anti-theft magic attached to each piece of evidence and the alarm magic spread throughout the storage room hadn’t gone off.
‘And it just had to be evidence related to Seok Gojun…’
Even if any item disappeared, he’d already have to write a report.
But if evidence tied to Seok Gojun disappeared, it wouldn’t end with simple discipline. Even if the truly important materials had already been collected higher up, the case itself was enormous.
‘…I’m going crazy.’
The supervisor’s vision darkened.
No matter how long a civil servant’s career was supposed to be, his would be cut short unless it was forged from steel.
He couldn’t bring himself to tell the truth when he pictured his tiger-like wife and rabbit-like children waiting at home.
‘Okay. I’ll bury it. For now, I’ll bury it and see how things go.’
If he could placate the youngest employee, who still didn’t know anything, he might be able to come up with something later.
Having made up his mind, the supervisor called out into the vast storage room in the kindest voice he could muster.
“Are you there?”
“Ah, yes. I’m here.”
“Where have you been? Come here for a moment. I have something important to tell you…”
And the moment he turned around, the supervisor saw it.
The youngest employee—eyes shining.
And behind him, the security team leader standing like an iron tower.
“What is it? I heard there was a problem.”
“Supervisor Kim?”
‘Shit. I’m screwed.’
Barely swallowing the curse, the supervisor spoke in a desperate voice.
“It’s gone.”
“Pardon?”
“The necklace that came in as Seok Gojun’s keepsake. It’s gone.”