Chapter 174
Before the plane landed, Soo Ah-rin finished her shower and groomed herself again. Jung Si-woo touched her forehead again because she was acting so brave that he thought she would go to war.
“My father will be scared of you.”
“But if I don’t make the best possible impression…!”
Jung Si-woo sent a message to his father that he had arrived at the airport. He got a reply that someone would pick them up at the arrival hall.
“Isn’t your father coming himself?”
“I’ve been getting so much attention since I was a kid, and he doesn’t usually want to be in front of people.”
“Poor him.”
“He doesn’t even have PTSD…”
As they quickly left the arrival hall, the person waiting for them strode forward to welcome them, a handsome man with blond hair and blue eyes.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
As soon as he saw the group, he bowed his head politely, and surprisingly, Korean came out of his mouth.
“I’m John Smith.”
“Yes, yes, my name is Kim Chul-soo.”
“What?”
“No, Oppa. His name is John Smith.”
Kim Chul-soo? Jung Si-woo faced John Smith, who tilted his head.
“You’re the second most famous Ranker in the U.S. after Marina. Don’t you remember we attended the world player representative meeting then? You were right next to Marina.”
“It’s an honor that you remember me.”
“…I’ve seen him a lot. And your real name is John Smith?
“Of course, it’s a fake name, though. My real name is confidential.”
But at least it didn’t change the fact that he was a famous player who was being observed by the world as John Smith. Jung Si-woo didn’t know, but he didn’t know any rankers except for Seria and Marina in the first place. He killed one of the few he knew with his hands not long ago.
“…I don’t have an alias. As you may know, I’m just Jung Si-woo. But why is such a famous player with my father?”
“Mr. Jung has been a great help to us in the past. So some players are volunteering to act on his behalf as a courtesy. I’m one of them.”
Jung Si-woo, who was thinking about his side, tilted his head and asked.
“WPC?”
“No, it happened before that. It’s the United States government.”
“Wow.”
“Let’s talk about the details directly with him. I’ll take you to him now.”
Heathrow Airport didn’t give them much mind. On the contrary, more people glanced back at John Smith, the big shot. But John Smith sneaked off, guiding them to the airport’s underground parking lot.
“Oh.”
“Ah.”
There was a black limousine parked there, and in it was Jung Si-hwan, Jung Si-woo’s father. It was the first time he had seen his face in years, but a surprisingly natural reunion took place.
“Long time no see, son.”
“Long time no see, Father.”
Jung Si-hwan was a typical businessman. Jung Si-woo had a bitter smile at his father’s appearance. He looked tired and worn, and now he wanted to massage his shoulders. He confirmed that John Smith was sitting in the driver’s seat and put his hand on his father’s shoulder.
“You’ve been having a hard time lately, haven’t you?”
“Don’t massage me. Are you trying to kill me? I’m already really tired.”
“It’s okay. It hurts a little, and then it’ll feel good.”
“Dooooooooooon’t!”
From the beginning, Jung Si-hwan had no right to refuse his son’s favor. He was soon exhausted by his son’s massage, which loosened his tight shoulders with exquisite force control. It was almost resentful that it felt so good.
“You’re stuck in front of your son.”
“I don’t know why you didn’t use the word physical, John.”
After bluntly responding to John Smith, Jung Si-hwan turned to Soo Ah-rin, who was on high alert.
“Then you must be Ah-rin. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh, hello, Father. I’m Soo Ah-rin. I’m 23 this year.”
“You’re as pretty as I’ve heard. Si-woo is lucky.”
“No! Si-woo Oppa is…”
When the conversation between the two began, Yong Se-ha naturally became alienated. But Yong Se-ha wasn’t harmed at all because he was already used to that reality. Jung Si-woo tapped him on the shoulder without saying a word.
“John, let’s go.”
“Okay, sir.”
The car drove out of the parking lot. After conversing with Soo Ah-rin, Jung Si-hwan smiled satisfactorily and tapped his son on the shoulder.
“What a good boy. My son must have saved about ten galaxies in his past life.”
“She’s a pretty and nice girl, but she’s also a good supporter. And Se-ha here, too.”
“I’m Yong Se-ha.”
“Oh, yes. It’s nice to meet you.”
The car drove through downtown London. Looking up at the cloud-filled sky, Jung Si-woo sighed lightly. And he asked Jung Si-hwan, who started talking with Yong Se-ha after Soo Ah-rin.
“That’s why it’s so serious, isn’t it?”
“You’re getting down to business.”
“Father, you usually don’t call me from far away.”
When he said something that sounded a little cold, Jung Si-hwan smiled back with a slightly bitter smile.
“Hey, you don’t have to do that anymore. What a disappointing thing to say.”
“…Well.”
Their relationship was originally very good. When he was young, Jung Si-woo often followed his father to his work, and when he saw his father living a different way but full of vitality, he learned that there were many kinds of power in the world. However, by the time Jung Si-woo gradually lost confidence due to his failure to become a player, his father’s work became busier. Naturally, the father-son contact began to decrease. In the end, Jung Si-hwan didn’t know how to treat his son, so he kept his distance.
‘But now that I think about it, the timing was exquisite…’
My father, who became very busy with the rise of the Sky Castle, and my mother, who took a seat in the WPC 10 years later. At this point, you could make an inference unless you were a fool.
“Father, you’ve been working on the Sky Castle for quite some time now, haven’t you?”
“That’s right, from the time I got a request from the United States.”
Jung Si-woo was able to predict what it would be. It would be about the dollar drop in the dungeon.
“By any chance, have you come into contact with the person who created the Sky Castle?”
“How I wish. It’s a problem because something just happened without any explanation. Do you mind if I smoke, guys?”
“Sure.”
“Of course.”
Even now, Jung Si-hwan shook his head and bit a cigarette in his mouth. John Smith, who was driving, flicked his finger and lit it up.
“Fire…”
“Oh, it’s not a fire god-related force. It’s magic.”
John Smith hurriedly said as if to excuse himself as Jung Si-woo tilted his head looking at it. Jung Si-woo smiled back, saying, ‘Did he think I would beat him up like Kim Ha-ryong?’
“I know that much. I can’t feel God’s power at all from you. If you are capable enough to hide from me, the earth would be doomed.”
“As expected, you can recognize it…”
“You are his son.”
“I’m not pretending to be a jackass; I’m a jackass.”
Jung Si-woo snorted and asked his father to follow. His father breathed in some smoke before continuing, exhaling with a sigh.
“I won’t have to tell you what I had to do. You won’t even understand…it was a joint struggle of businessmen to protect society from supernatural forces. There has been too much going on. If the number of players had tripled, the world economy would have ended.”
Jung Si-woo nodded while listening to his father silently. If you think about it, the time when the dollar drop stopped overlapped when the players exploded. He nodded, vaguely thinking that the creator of the sky castle was indeed a clever architect.
“I thought there was a collusion between the president of the United States and the architect of the Sky Castle.”
“Collaborate with those who want their currency to fall? That’s terrible. The president screamed every time a high-level dungeon was cleared. More dollars would pour out of it.”
“Attempting to change the default monetary unit…oh, that’s enough. You don’t have to tell me.”
Looking at his father’s face rotting, Jung Si-woo decided not to ask anything more.
“Anyway, we’re not getting any more dollars from the dungeon, and we’re all relieved. But at a similar time, I started to have a new headache because of the newly emerging currency.”
“Magic stones?”
“Bingo.”
Monsters appeared on the ground, and as the earth changed, research on the by-products of monsters, especially magic stones, was actively being conducted. Right now, B&Y used magic stones to create a space movement gate, and the artificial island created by cooperation with them from the world’s leading companies was also maintained as a magic stone.
Therefore, it was natural that everyone’s attention was focused on the magic stone, especially as everyone wanted a safer and more secure way to trade magic stones. The result was the Magic stone Exchange, which was arguably the hottest place on the planet right now.
“And in recognition of having played a major role in calming the dollar crash, your father has taken over as head of the World Magic Stone Exchange.”
“…”
“…”
Soo Ah-rin and Yong Se-ha’s eyes, pointed at Jung Si-woo’s cheek, were stinging. They never heard of him, but he was one of the biggest influences on the planet right now!
“You’re not even some U.S. exchange office.”
“I’m not in charge of the U.S. exchange, but I’m in charge of the global exchange. That’s right, a representative of B&Y recently came…”
In that part, Jung Si-hwan looked at Soo Ah-rin’s face and said in a slightly quiet voice.
“Do you even pick up men?”
“Father, do you want to have a little squabble with me?”
“Never mind. I was surprised how much she loved the word Si-woo’s father and flattered me.”
It was probably more likely because of Marina Bissett than Ethan Bissett himself. Both siblings were delusional characters. He could have been thinking about the name of the third child that would come out between Jung Si-woo and Marina by now.
“So in the end.”
Looking up at the huge clock tower outside the car window, Jung Si-woo urged his father again.
“What’s wrong with the exchange?”
“Exactly, there’s a problem with the flow of mana analyzed by the exchange. I mean…I want to ask you first because you seem to have succeeded in approaching the nature of heaven without your knowledge.”
Jung Si-hwan turned around and faced his son. Even Jung Si-woo flinched at the indescribable emotion in his eyes. His mouth opened, and an unimaginable question popped up.
“Have you ever heard of a magic stone eater?”
