ALL NOVEL Chapter 4 - Disposing it Smartly
Most of Lumen’s customers are hunters and businessmen. Therefore, it is a must to pay extra attention to the levels of security.
There are times where hunters cause accidents and place the safety of businessmen at risk.
So, there’s a security team, and the mob of people who are running towards Jeong-Hoon right now are that security team.
“Director! Are you all right?!”
As the security team members were rushing to reach Jeong-Hoon, their faces were pale.
This is not the etiquette that the Lumen’s staff should be showing, as staff of the best hotel in the world.
“…Director?”
From their cries, he was convinced why they were here.
“They are talking about me.”
“Really? You were the director of Lumen, Butler Joo?”
“For now, I am registered as a director of Lumen. Your Grace is the president.”
E/N: Notice that he calls Jeong-Hoon ‘president’. This is not a typo. He will refer to Jeong-Hoon in this title for some time.After a brief explanation, Butler Joo tidied his collar while with his foot still on the AP guild leader.
“Y-you were the director of Lumen?”
Because we were speaking in a low voice close to a whisper, the AP guild leader was sweating in response to the word ‘director’ rather than ‘your Grace.’
Lumen is not just any hotel. It is a large company that dominates half of the Hunter industry.
And because the AP guild leader picked a fight against the director of such a company, there was no choice but to be extremely terrified. Basically, what he had done was truly the action of a guild suicide.
“That is correct, I am the director of Lumen. And the person you showed such rudeness towards is our president.”
Just by the fact alone that Butler Joo was the director had made the AP guild leader have breathing difficulties, but his eyes almost seemed to pop out upon hearing that Jeong-Hoon was the president.
He had yelled at Jeong-Hoon asking if he was the great chairman of Lumen, but to think that those words he spit out would come back around and hit him from behind.
“Do you have anything to say?”
Butler Joo had no intention of forgiving him, but he asked the AP guild leader intentionally to at least hear his apology.
But the wide-eyed guild leader didn’t respond.
“Do you need time to organize your thoughts? I don’t have much time to give you.”
“… Hey, Butler Joo? This guy fainted.”
Jeong-Hoon sighed as he saw the faint body of the AP guild leader on the ground.
Jeong-Hoon looked at the young man who had been with the guild leader, internally thinking that the AP guild would be in big trouble if the guild leader had the nerves of a thread.
E/N: The direct translation leads to “small nerves of steel.” This means the AP guild leader wasn’t able to comprehend the situation of him raising his voice/attempting to assault the president of Lumen and wasn’t able to withstand his own shock and fainted.The young man stumbled to his feet and carried the fainted AP guild leader on his back.
“Mr. President, I deeply apologize for the disrespect we have shown in Lumen.”
He spoke with a faint trembling voice, either from nervousness or from the pain, and bowed towards Jeong-Hoon.
“He has the talent of a guild leader more than the actual guild leader himself.”
He nodded in approval at the calm, polite response of the young man and looked around him for a bit.
“Why don’t we call an ambulance? That guy, the guild leader, seemed like he may need to go to the hospital.”
As Jeong-Hoon called out the instructions to settle the case, Butler Joo bowed his head towards Jeong-Hoon and ordered the employees behind them.
“I will escort the president. Call an ambulance for now.”
When Butler Joo said the word ‘president,’ the employees glanced at Jeong-Hoon.
They’ve heard the previous conversation, but they still couldn’t believe it.
“What are you doing just standing there? Go on, move.”
When Butler Joo spoke as if to warn them of their actions, the staff moved quickly.
However, they continued to keep glancing at Jeong-Hoon.
They were the elites of the greatest hotel called Lumen, and yet they were unable to release the tension and nervousness due to the fact that their president was standing in front of them.
Moreover, the fact that it was the president and the director and not them who were the ones to respond immediately to the incident was terror itself.
***
After waking up in the morning, Jeong-Hoon got up to move from the bed to the sofa only to lay down again.
He basically got up only to lay down again, but no one pointed it out.
Yesterday’s training was so hard that he didn’t want to move because he was mentally exhausted.
Rather, he made quite an effort just by turning on the TV subconsciously while lying down like that.
“Have you woken up?”
When Butler Joo appeared behind Jeong-Hoon and asked, Jeong-Hoon nodded and opened his closed eyes.
“Now onto the next news. Whistleblowing within the AP guild has led to an intensive investigation of the guild’s guild leader, Mr. Yang.”
Listening to the news coming from the TV, Jeong-Hoon shook his head to a familiar guild name.
“… Isn’t that person from yesterday, Butler Joo?”
“That’s correct. All we can do as a hotel is to deprive all membership given to the AP guild.”
Jeong-Hoon, who was still half-asleep and in a daze, recalled his memory while sipping the morning tea given by Butler Joo.
Ever since he sent the AP guild leader and the young man off in an ambulance, he hadn’t care much about them after that.
Except, he didn’t expect to see their story appear on the news.
“I’m assuming the whistleblower was the young man who was assaulted by him?”
“… He’s still being treated at the hospital. The whistleblower turned out to be another guild member.”
At those words, Jeong-Hoon turned his head and looked at the butler.
Butler Joo was making an unknown expression, but Jeong-Hoon could read something out of that face.
“It’s a coincidence that a whistleblower stepped out at this time.”
“Yes, it’s a coincidence.”
At such timing, it can’t be helped but see that Lumen made their move from behind.
Lumen is a hotel for hunters and managers.
The only official retaliation that can be made at such hotels is the deprivation of membership.
However, the fact that Lumen can operate with both Hunters and its managers means that it has hidden power.
The part that Butler Joo knew in detail about the whistleblower was because of that hidden power.
Well, this situation had escalated to this point because Butler Joo had used some ways.
“The head of the guild Mr. Yang is currently faithfully responding to the investigation and has pleaded guilty to all charges.”
“… That’s basically a life sentence without parole.”
Watching the charges on the news, Jeong-Hoon, who was tongue-tied, was surprised that the guild leader readily admitted to his crimes.
As a hunter, he will most likely go to a Hunter-only prison.
He has to live there for the rest of his life without parole.
Nevertheless, the guild leader readily admitted.
Except for the assault of subordinates, most of the charges involved are related to corruption. One would think that it’s too strict of a punishment to be given a life sentence without parole, but it’s because the AP guild leader is a Hunter.
Hunters have supernatural powers and they are needed especially at this time.
As a result, they enjoy various privileges, and as much as they enjoy privileges, criminal punishments are also as great.
After all, just by depreviating them from those privileges alone won’t comfort the non-Awakeners. The greater the power, the greater the punishment should be.
Given that factor, if the AP guild leader is convicted, he would be sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Of course, he can always try to use a lawyer to reduce his sentence.
Even so, all it will do is add a possibility to receive a review for parole if he serves his life sentence well. That is, he must be on his best behavior and not cause a single trouble.
From this, it can be seen that punishments for hunters, no, for those with superpowers, are heavy.
To avoid heavy punishments, awakened beings involved in serious crimes spend a fortune in hiring lawyers, but even with that it’s still rare to get away under the judge’s eye.
Under the current circumstances, the AP guild leader will be less likely to be acquitted, but parole could be possible.
“Is that attitude of his just a show to tell the audience that he is reflecting on his actions? The evidence is too certain for him to attempt to escape from his crimes.”
“That will not happen.”
“Are you trying to convict him with the power of this family?”
“No, I’m saying that the other party won’t be willing to do that. Rather, they will be afraid of being released.”
Jeong-Hoon almost dropped the cup of tea at those remarks.
“It’s better than dying. Do you happen to feel sorry for being alive?”
“Wha- I have never thought of that!?”
Jeong-Hoon shuddered at the thought of what would happen to him if he responded to the question with a yes.
“Is that perhaps part of the hidden powers of this family?”
“… This family exists to do what the Lord wants to do.”
Jeong-Hoon has already heard a similar reply, but hearing it now felt completely different for some reason.
It sounded like essential, beyond wealth or power.
“Speaking of which, your Grace. Is there anything you wish to do today?”
Reading his heavy heart, Butler Joo spoke to Jeong-Hoon to change the mood, who in return straightened up and nodded.
“Well, to think of it, there’s nothing at the moment. However, there’s just one thing I’m sorry about.”
Jeong-Hoon, while savoring the morning tea, recalled yesterday’s incident.
There were employees who did not recognize him at all until Butler Joo introduced him as president of Lumen.
It can be understandable that they did not know him, but Butler Joo, the doctor, and the head maid knew who he was even before meeting him.
“Yesterday you introduced me to the other employees as president and not as a Lord, right? Is that a secret to Lumen’s staff as well?”
“Is that what you felt sorry about?”
“No, I just became curious as I was about to talk about it.”
Jeong-Hoon quickly denied it because his intention wasn’t to insist on the title of ‘Lord.’
Jeong-Hoon had thought that the title ‘Lord’ was a bit uncomfortable in the first place anyways.
“That is because not all Lumen’s staff are members of the family. Only those who have a position in the management of Lumen at the very least can be a family member.”
“So Lumen itself isn’t the family but a camouflage to hide the existence of the family. And no one knows about this family except for the key figures who belong in it. Got it, I understand.”
In other words, Lumen consists of employees who do not know about the family and employees who have been members of the family from the start.
It was questionable why the family is hidden away and not revealed to the world, but Jeong-Hoon decided not to care about that matter for now.
He only guessed that the reason was closely related to the ‘dangerous situation’ that Butler Joo had mentioned before.
“Then what is it that you feel sorry for?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. Isn’t it strange that the employees know the director’s face, but they don’t know the president’s?”
Jeong-Hoon didn’t have a desire for fame, but he thought it was an important issue to address.
Although he was told that he can do whatever he wants, he had suddenly become a Lord of a mysterious family and the president of Lumen.
In addition, Jeong-Hoon has yet to adapt to either position.
Due to this, he found himself following whatever Butler Joo says.
It’s not that he didn’t trust Butler Joo, but in order to move about freely Jeong-Hoon felt it was necessary for other people to recognize his position.
“I will prepare for the big announcement.”
What Jeong-Hoon wants.
The fact that the first thing he wanted was to reveal himself as the president of Lumen placed a determined look on Butler Joo’s face.
Jeong-Hoon inherited everything from the family as he became the head of the household, but the inauguration ceremony for his entitled position was never held.
It wasn’t held because it was not important, but because it shouldn’t.
Jeong-Hoon’s uncle, the former head of the household, created many businesses and placed false personalities as its head but never showed himself to the public.
Knowing that he didn’t have much time left, he was satisfied alone to have paved the way for his nephew and heir, Jeong-Hoon.
So, the position of the CEO had been occupied by a mysterious figure in the eyes of the public.
All of this was part of the plan to announce that the original representative had always been Jeong-Hoon.
Instead of viewing Jeong-Hoon as some lucky guy who won the inheritance, he would be seen as a great person who chose to hide himself away from the world from unwanted fame and recognition.
This is why Butler Joo called it a big announcement, not an inauguration ceremony.
“You would be quite busy preparing for that, wouldn’t you?”
“I will make sure to not make your Grace worry.”
“No, that wasn’t what I was trying to say. If you become very busy, I think I can take a break from all this training.”
Jeong-Hoon looked genuinely happy that there was no one in charge of training if Butler Joo became busy.
Because it was necessary, he tried not to show the tiredness, but Jeong-Hoon believed Butler Joo’s training was extremely difficult.
Since yesterday, he has been training on shooting and all kinds of self-defense techniques for several hours, making it even more difficult.
Jeong-Hoon smiled happily at the thought of resting, but Butler Joo shook his head.
“My Lord, allow me to tell you that such a thing will never happen.”
Smashing Jeong-Hoon’s hopes and dreams with his clean answer, the butler replied with a smile.