Chapter 99
Jeong Ryeogyeong’s smile at the wedding hall was bright and beautiful.
She smiles brightly. She was a woman who suited those words more than anyone else.
Mason had made a silent resolution back then.
‘I have to protect this smile.’
She was Mason’s wife, even if it was a political marriage. He had to make her happy.
However, it wasn’t as easy as he thought.
“Um… Mason…”
Jeong Ryeogyeong spoke cautiously, hesitating.
Mason smiled and spoke gently.
“Why?”
“There’s… something I want to buy.”
“I gave you a credit card. Don’t ask and use it comfortably.”
Jeong Ryeogyeong shook her head.
“It’s not money I earned. I should ask for permission.”
Mason frowned. Jeong Ryeogyeong flinched in surprise, and Mason, flustered, gave a smile.
“No. I just had another thought for a second. So. What do you want to buy?”
“I want to make Chogye Guksu. Can I buy chicken and ingredients?”
“Chicken?”
“Yes.”
‘She’s asking for permission just to buy chicken?’
If she had said she wanted to buy luxury goods or a foreign car, he would have smiled and told her to buy it. But chicken? Even if she bought the best quality native chicken, it wouldn’t cost more than a few tens of thousands of won.
She’s asking permission to spend such a small amount.
It wasn’t like Mason was poor.
He didn’t know the details because he left asset management to professionals, but he had at least a few tens of billions of won.
But she’s asking him if she can spend a few tens of thousands of won.
He could feel how much Jeong Ryeogyeong felt awkward around him.
‘This is how it is.’
Mason felt his breath catch in his throat.
‘The distance between us… is this much…’
Well, it couldn’t be a comfortable relationship.
Jeong Ryeogyeong came here out of a sense of responsibility. The responsibility as a descendant of Mount Paektu. She entered into a political marriage with Mason to fulfill her duty to the people, out of a sense of responsibility to atone for the sins her family committed against the North Korean people.
Political marriage.
He had forgotten, but they were in a political marriage.
Their marriage wasn’t born out of love.
Jeong Ryeogyeong… didn’t love Mason…
“…”
Mason gave a wry smile.
‘What kind of delusion was I under?’
Because of her kindness and bright smile, he had briefly mistaken the distance between them.
Mason and Jeong Ryeogyeong were strangers. No. In a way, they were farther apart than strangers. A political couple bound only by interests, what a terribly twisted relationship.
‘Then… let’s get close from now on.’
However, that wasn’t a reason for Mason to change his attitude towards Jeong Ryeogyeong.
‘Let’s treat her well from now on, let’s love her from now on, let’s make her happy from now on.’
Mason said with a smile,
“Don’t feel burdened and buy whatever you want. Chicken, pork, beef. No, since we’re talking about it, how about buying a chicken farm?”
“What?!”
Jeong Ryeogyeong was taken aback.
“No… I just… need one chicken…”
“It’s better to buy a chicken farm than to make you ask every time you need a chicken. Let’s go see a chicken farm since we’re talking about it. An animal welfare chicken farm.”
“No… I just wanted to make Chogye Guksu for you…”
“Make as much as you want. As much as you want. I’ll eat it all, be it ten servings or a hundred servings!”
Jeong Ryeogyeong nodded with a subdued expression.
“Yes…”
And so, Mason realized.
‘I made a mistake.’
He had chosen the worst answer.
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
After that, the vicious cycle, or rather, the idling continued.
Mason granted everything Jeong Ryeogyeong requested, but she started to speak even more cautiously.
The more Mason told her to be comfortable, the more uncomfortable Jeong Ryeogyeong became.
‘It’s difficult.’
Mason felt exhausted.
‘Making someone happy… is really difficult.’
And Jeong Ryeogyeong, who was constantly watching Mason’s every move, quickly realized that he was feeling exhausted.
The emotional idling started again.
Mason began to get increasingly tired.
“Sigh…”
On top of that, he couldn’t just stay at home as he was already busy.
“Mason.”
Masika spoke to Mason.
“Isn’t it about time you went back to work since your honeymoon is over?”
Mason had three main jobs.
One was the king of the sub-races and the North Koreans.
One was the champion of Korea.
And the last one was the raid leader of the Revengers.
His current task was to lead a raid as the raid leader of the Revengers.
“…Hmm. A raid.”
Mason scratched his head.
“I have to do it. I have to do it, but…”
To be honest, it wasn’t a task of high importance to Mason.
The only reward for being a raid leader was money.
As someone who didn’t have a great desire for money, Mason wasn’t particularly eager.
That’s why Masika couldn’t help but look at Mason with an uncomfortable expression.
“Are you going to retire from the raid team?”
“No. I need money for the sub-races… and above all, hunting monsters is a good deed.”
Mason spoke to Masika.
“Do you have a target in mind already?”
“The government has designated a target.”
“What is it?”
“Chilling Turtle. A level 55 raid boss located in Jongno.”
Masika provided the monster’s data.
Its house-sized body was protected by mountain-like carapace, and on top of that, a glacial ice wall protected even the carapace.
That didn’t mean the parts other than the carapace were soft either. Its log-like legs carried its massive body without any problem, and its head was covered by another carapace like a horned helmet.
A frigid air like a north wind swirled around its body covered in biological armor.
Furthermore, its long, forked tail could be swung like a whip with great speed.
Literally an impregnable fortress.
At a glance, it was a monster that boasted tremendous durability.
“It’ll be a tough opponent…”
“Yes.”
Masika nodded.
“It’s the monster with the highest defense and HP among existing monsters.”
“It doesn’t seem like it’ll be easy to beat it to death…”
All the areas that could be considered vital points were protected by carapace. It was virtually impossible to kill it with brute force, which was Mason’s specialty.
Furthermore, the frigid air was a problem. On top of the core damage that would be inflicted, the frigid air itself could freeze people to death.
It was an ability that halved the combat capabilities of melee combatants.
It was clear why the government had assigned this monster to the Revengers.
The Revengers, with few melee combatants and high-level ranged dealers, were the best raid team to deal with the Chilling Turtle.
“Mason, will you be able to tank?”
“The frigid air is a problem, but the Smart Cells will probably be able to adapt. Probably.”
Masika nodded.
“Just so you know, the territories of other raid bosses are adjacent to this area. The level 52 Mercury Giant and the level 49 Wyvern. If we’re not careful, we might have to deal with three monsters at once, so we need to keep the battlefield narrow.”
“That’s tricky…”
“It’s tricky, so the nomination comes in. It’s not easy taking someone else’s money, is it?”
“That’s true.”
Mason chuckled.
“Let’s get ready to take someone else’s money.”
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
Washington D.C.
Inside a sleek and modern office, a man sat.
A man with a physique so large it was hard to believe he was human, and muscles equally unbelievable.
‘All-American’ Steve Queen.
He was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts that didn’t quite match the office, skimming through documents.
Just then, a man entered the room.
“Steve.”
“Connor.”
The man who casually greeted Steve Queen was a middle-aged man in a neatly tailored business suit, the complete opposite of Steve.
Connor Isaac. His business card read ‘Rolls-Royce Salesman.’
But his real job was a spy. And not just any spy, but the team leader of the CIA’s Player Management Team.
He had a sort of business partnership with Steve Queen, the champion of the United States.
“How’s life treating you these days?”
“So-so, thanks to Mason.”
Steve Queen gave a wry smile.
Once, Steve Queen was called a superhuman and was at the pinnacle of the Player System. Now, he had been robbed of both the title of superhuman and his position at the top.
“Well, the money’s still good, though.”
However, nothing had changed just because he had been robbed of a meaningless title.
He was still the biggest player in the Player System. A powerful figure in the secret society of Freemasons. And… he could still get whatever he wanted.
Nothing had changed.
Except for what didn’t matter.
“Mason Park’s next schedule has been set. He seems to be going on a raid at the request of the South Korean government.”
“Is that so? So what?”
To the indifferent Steve Queen, Connor said,
“An interesting trade proposal came in that we can use in relation to that.”
“Isn’t the CIA’s main job making interesting trades?”
Connor handed a document to Steve Queen, who was brushing it off.
Then, an intriguing look appeared in Steve Queen’s eyes.
“You’ve gotten your hands on an interesting chess piece.”
“Yes. It’s a chess piece that could become a rook or a queen, depending on how it’s used.”
Connor said with a relaxed expression,
“We have something to give him, but nothing much to receive. That’s why I thought of you.”
“You mean a three-way deal?”
“That’s right. You had something you wanted, didn’t you?”
Steve Queen’s and Connor’s gazes met in the air. Their eyes were a mixture of cunning and ruthlessness.
Finally, Steve Queen nodded.
“Yes. There was something I had my eye on. Let’s proceed.”
“Alright.”
Steve Queen handed the document back. However, instead of taking it, Connor looked at Steve Queen.
“As you know, the CIA only acts as a mediator and steps aside. Everything that happens from now on… is your responsibility to clean up.”
“Haven’t we done this kind of deal once or twice? Don’t worry. I’ll take responsibility.”
“Strictly speaking, this is the first time for this kind of deal.”
Connor grinned and took the document.
“It’s your first time screwing someone stronger than you, isn’t it?”
“Didn’t you know?”
Steve Queen.
The strongest man except for Mason Park gave a faint smile.
“That’s precisely why I’m drawn to this deal.”
๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑
Early morning.
Mason, equipped with his armor and hammer, headed for the front door.
Jeong Ryeogyeong came out to see him off.
“Please, be careful.”
“Yes.”
Mason nodded and stepped outside.
And at the same time, he regretted it.
‘Should I have spoken more gently?’
Dealing with people was always difficult. And dealing with his spouse was especially more difficult…
Getting into the car, Mason said,”Let’s go to the terminal.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”