Returnee's S-Rank Management Guide

Chapter 115 : The Stirring of Evil (蠢動) (1)

The Stirring of Evil (蠢動) (1)

"... Huh?"

For a moment, Alencia wondered if she had misheard what Jung-woo just said.

What did he mean by "this is where we part ways"?

With a flustered face, Alencia urgently looked toward PD Jung, but he too seemed caught off guard, eyes wide open as if he hadn't expected those words either.

But for some reason, PD Jung didn't ask Jung-woo anything.

'Does he mean, "let's wrap up filming for today"...? That can't be right...'

She was confused.

Jung-woo kept his mouth firmly shut without giving any explanation.

"W-what do you mean? What do you mean this is where we part ways?"

"I'm sorry. I'll make sure you're fully paid for the past three weeks..."

"That's not what I'm asking!!"

Flustered, Alencia strode straight up to Jung-woo and gripped his wrist tightly.

"I don't get it at all, okay?! Why are you suddenly saying things like this? Didn't you clearly say the contract period was a month in the beginning?"

As Alencia spoke, she even wondered if maybe Jung-woo was giving up because she had fallen far short of his expectations.

Looking back, the term was indeed a month, so there was only about a week left at most.

But given her current state, honestly, S-rank was practically impossible.

"Is it because I'm not good enough?"

"That's not it. You've done perfectly well, Alencia."

A lie. She wanted to say so, but Jung-woo's eyes truly weren't blaming her.

Maybe it was just that she wanted to believe that.

The hero from the 'fairy tales' her mother used to tell, hadn't abandoned her after all.

Alencia struggled to sort through her confused mind.

Standing there, frozen while gripping Jung-woo's wrist, she finally opened her mouth.

"... Fine."

Alencia let go of the wrist she'd been holding so tightly.

Even if she tried saying something more here, Jung-woo wouldn't tell her anything.

That's the feeling she got.

"I'm leaving."

Without even gathering her things, Alencia turned on her heel and hurried out of the room.

The incident happened so suddenly that none of the staff even thought to stop her.

People stood blankly, watching her retreat, and one by one their gazes fell on Jung-woo.

"Um, manager Park... What exactly do you mean by this all of a sudden?"

PD Jung, having confirmed that Alencia had completely left, spoke to Jung-woo with a flustered look.

This was a major disaster.

They might have to scrap all the footage they'd shot in such good spirits just moments ago.

"Whatever the circumstances, breaking a contract this way is..."

At first, PD Jung had many doubts about Alencia as well.

To begin with, she was the daughter of a notorious scammer who'd made international news, and on top of that, she'd bounced between streaming channels without much to show for it.

But after filming together for three weeks, his perspective had changed.

"You know how hard Alencia has worked, manager Park."

She had an unusual ability, unlike any other Awakener he had seen.

For the past three weeks, she'd followed Jung-woo's words alone, even though the methods were tough and unreasonable.

She complained a bit, but nothing that even counted as real grumbling.

Maybe that's why he felt all the more pleased about her performance on this Challenger's episode.

"That's exactly why."

"... Sorry?"

PD Jung looked at Jung-woo, stunned by his answer.

And the other staff were the same.

Only Yeon-ji was looking up at him, arms crossed in a cynical attitude.

"Hey, mister. Could you stop beating around the bush and say something straight? Right now, I'm going through hell and about to get axed from the broadcast, you know?"

"Ahem."

At Yeon-ji's words, radiating clear displeasure, Jung-woo finally cleared his throat.

Only then did the serious atmosphere enveloping his body seem to fade a little.

"I just got a little angry. Because there's someone here who refuses to see the Alencia you all have seen."

If Alencia's effort had been totally hidden, that'd be one thing.

But in both the making-of films and in Alencia's own broadcasts—

All of her hard work over the past three weeks was there.

'He must have seen all that, and yet he said those things.'

Jung-woo didn't like the man who had invited him, Leon, at all.

Frankly, he wanted to settle things with him right then and there.

But he couldn't let himself do that.

'This might be Alencia's chance to break her shell.'

The video left by Alencia's mother, Sarah Walker.

More than anything, Alencia needed to see it.

In fact, he was even more resentful that Leon had kept it hidden from Alencia all this time.

'And the truth in that video as well.'

If it was Alencia, she'd surely be able to figure it out.

Jung-woo believed as much.

"So you don't have to worry. She isn't the type to give up so easily."

Alencia would never give up just because of words like these.

Jung-woo knew that much, at least.

If she had truly been planning to quit, she wouldn't have left so quietly.

She was certainly, at this very moment, off to confront the true culprit.

The reason why Jung-woo was forced to say such things in the first place.

'She probably already has a guess.'

After all, in Denver, there was only one person who could interfere with Alencia's affairs.

If Alencia found out where Jung-woo had gone during the filming of Challengers, she'd head straight there.

"But doesn't it seem unusually noisy outside?"

Deciding to trust Jung-woo and wait for Alencia as he said, PD Jung Jun-su finally noticed the commotion outside. Until now, he'd been too distracted by Alencia's situation, but people were all murmuring to each other while staring at their phones.

"PD Jung! Look at this!!"

Right then, one of the staff hurried over, showing their phone to PD Jung Jun-su.

A breaking news headline had just burst onto the screen.

"M-monsters are moving in Mexico!!"

A new Demonic Zone had formed in Mexico.

The breaking news was reporting that a massive monster wave had been observed there.

"M-manager Park, that's dangerous, isn't it?"

Yeon Kyungho asked me in a trembling voice after checking the news.

'Some gift he's prepared.'

The so-called gift that Demon King's son, Damian Herta, had prepared, I already knew it was somehow connected to Mexico. I just hadn't expected things to erupt like this.

"Have the monsters of a Demonic Zone ever moved in such huge numbers before?"

"Once, a few years ago. So S-rank hunters from all over the world gathered for a subjugation operation."

That was the Demonic Zone conquest Ah-yeon and Baek Hojun participated in.

As the external monster waves grew, world leaders convened and dispatched S-rank hunters.

The massive Demonic Zone straddling the border between Germany and Austria, 'Sichelmond'.

Because of the flood of monsters pouring out of there, both countries suffered horrific casualties.

"The monsters moving out of the Mexican Demonic Zone are moving faster than back then."

Jung-woo put his phone away as he said this.

"Unlike last time, when monsters rampaged indiscriminately, this time they're moving with a clear destination."

I recalled what I'd seen in the news just now.

Right now, the monsters were "moving" somewhere. Crossing the American border, which soldiers were trying to block, heading ever northward.

***

'I'm bored.'

Ah-yeon was sprawled wide on her huge bed, lost in thought.

Strangely, she wasn't in the mood for games today, nor did she feel like doing anything in particular.

'Living Together is going well, and the recent game show we joined had a good response too.'

Ever since Jung-woo had left for America, thankfully, things had been progressing smoothly without incident.

Living Together, which Ah-yeon and Soo-ah were participating in, was getting especially positive feedback.

Various celebrities and entertainers had appeared as guests before, but it was the first time a hunter had participated.

In particular, Ah-yeon's laid-back lifestyle was getting a great reaction from netizens.

"Are all S-rank hunters like that by default?"

"Looking at Lee Soo-ah, I don't think so."

"That's the life I always dreamed of."

"But was Shin Ah-yeon always like this? Wasn't she completely different three years ago?"

Lots of posts like that were popping up—whether it was praise or criticism, it was hard to tell.

Maybe because of that, even World of Acrather—the game Ah-yeon often played—had offered her an advertisement deal.

'I'll have to ask Jung-woo oppa about this later.'

Personally, she wanted to try her hand at a game ad at least once.

And World of Acrather—didn't Ah-yeon show 'that side of herself' in Dungeon Exploration?

"Unni!"

That's when Soo-ah's shout echoed from the first floor of the mansion.

'Is she calling because of him again?'

Ever since Jung-woo left for America, Ah-yeon and Soo-ah had been faithfully watching every video uploaded to HSN's official Nuytube.

They were just brief making-of segments, but even in those short videos, it was clear that Alencia was improving day by day.

She herself might not realize it, but even at the beginning, when she was scared of her own powers, Alencia was gradually growing more accustomed to them.

'Saintess.'

She felt unlike the typical Saintess you'd see in fantasy novels.

In fact, she seemed far closer to being a 'god' than a Saintess.

Of course, she was still nowhere near godhood, but in terms of ability, it was close.

"She definitely was a Saintess."

By chance, Ah-yeon had glimpsed her through Jung-woo's memories—a cheeky girl pushing her face right up to Jung-woo's, flustering him completely.

Judging by their conversation and relationship, Ah-yeon was confident the woman had been a Saintess.

That's why, for some reason, Ah-yeon found herself paying more attention to Alencia.

"Unni, why aren't you answering when I call?"

"Huh?"

While she was lost in such thoughts, she saw Soo-ah hurrying up to the second floor with an anxious face.

'What's wrong with her?'

Unlike Ah-yeon, Soo-ah was always composed.

She used to become aggressive when fighting, but even that had eased a lot lately.

Which made it all the more rare to see her like this.

"America..."

With a worried face, Soo-ah said to Ah-yeon,

"We need to head to America right now."

Only then did Ah-yeon notice the smartphone in Soo-ah's hand.

On the screen, monsters were pouring across the Mexican border into America.

Ah-yeon had seen that sight once before.

It was the most horrific dungeon she had ever experienced—the Demonic Zone.

That's exactly how the monsters looked when the king of the Demonic Zone moved.

***

"Leon!!"

Alencia shouted, breathing heavily.

Given all the turmoil she'd been through lately, she felt like she deserved credit for not swearing on the spot.

'What exactly did you say?'

Just as Jung-woo expected, Alencia hadn't simply given up and walked away.

She believed there must have been a reason for Jung-woo to say such a thing, and set out to find it.

And Alencia managed to uncover the reason quickly.

A staff member had told her about it when Eugene called for Jung-woo.

Using that information, Alencia tracked down the car Jung-woo had used, barely managing to pinpoint the direction.

The Polaris Research Institute.

If that's where Jung-woo had gone, there was only one person he would have met.

"What brings you here, Alencia?"

"Don't play dumb."

Alencia strode roughly up to Leon, who greeted her with his usual casual manner.

"I know you're involved in this."

"From the looks of it, he must have done as I asked."

"Asked?"

Alencia frowned at Leon's cryptic words.

"Did you really tell him to stop working with me?"

"Yes."

"But why?!"

"Because that's the will of your mother, Sarah."

The word 'mother' made Alencia flinch before she could help it.

She never imagined her mother's name would come up here.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

It's bullshit that you as a parent prevent your child to pursue their dreams when you didn't even explain why.

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】