Lee Taeseong mulled over his words.
In other words, what he had just said was essentially a scouting offer. The head of the Japan Branch wanted Lee Taeseong.
“Is that even possible?”
“And why wouldn’t it be? As long as you agree, this can be handled right away.”
“I belong to the Korea Branch.”
“I already know that, even without you saying it. But that’s not a major issue in this discussion. I’m personally acquainted with the Korea Branch Director, so I can talk to him myself.”
It was already widely known that Lee Taeseong was no ordinary Delta-grade administrator. Given the heavy losses suffered in this mission, Hashimoto considered him an invaluable asset.
Even though many administrators had been lost, if he could recruit Lee Taeseong, the gains would outweigh the losses.
To Hashimoto, the value of a single Lee Taeseong was greater than that of 300 administrators.
“You only need to make a choice. You don’t have to worry about the details. If you need money, I’ll provide it. If you need a new identity, I’ll arrange it. If you need artifacts, I can grant you indefinite access to Beta-grade or higher entities. And if there’s anything else you desire, don’t hesitate to ask.”
It was an extremely generous offer.
Although Lee Taeseong wasn’t particularly familiar with the hierarchy or internal workings of Tree, he was well aware of how high the position of the Japan Branch Director was. In military terms, Hashimoto was at least equivalent to a division commander responsible for an entire division.
“Within the extent of my authority, I’ll meet any conditions you set. You’re valuable enough to deserve that much.”
For such a man to personally make an offer like this, it was a decisive move.
To be honest, the proposal was tempting.
Money was essential to survive in modern society. Eating, sleeping, and wearing clothes—all required money.
He had no ambition to become a tycoon, but he did recognize the necessity of securing enough wealth for himself and Sooah to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.
Since Hashimoto mentioned arranging a new identity, it was likely that he would be given a fresh identity as a Japanese citizen rather than remaining a Korean named Lee Taeseong.
Given Tree’s influence, something like this wouldn’t be difficult for them.
“Are you asking me to nationalize as a Japanese citizen?”
“If you wish to remain a Korean, that’s fine too. Citizenship is just a technicality. You would simply be working under the Japan Branch instead of the Korea Branch. Besides, your sister is already affiliated with the Japan Branch, so wouldn’t this be more convenient for you?”
“…….”
Now that he thought about it, Sooah was indeed part of the Japan Branch. He had naturally assumed they would return to Korea together, but if he accepted this offer, bringing Sooah back with him might become even more difficult.
‘It’s also important to consider whether Sooah even wants to return to Korea.’
Frankly, he hadn’t expected such an offer—especially not directly from the Japan Branch Director.
After evaluating his own worth objectively…
‘Yeah, it makes sense.’
He accepted it.
Lee Taeseong was someone who could assess himself with a cool head.
He also understood that, at this negotiation table, he was the one holding all the leverage.
“Would it be alright if I took some time to think it over before giving you an answer?”
Hashimoto, looking visibly exhausted, nodded.
“Of course. Take your time and decide. But I can’t give you too much time, so think carefully. Offers like this don’t come often.”
“……Understood. Thank you for considering me so highly. Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
Lee Taeseong rose from his seat and exited the room.
As he stared at the now-vacant seat, Hashimoto flipped through the documents on his desk.
After scanning the papers for a while, his expression twisted in disbelief.
“……S-grade? I knew about the existence of the Sigma-grade, but this is my first time actually seeing it. Wait a minute… What’s this? Even as an Alpha-grade administrator, I don’t have the clearance to view this?”
And he wasn’t just any Alpha-grade administrator—he was the Japan Branch Director.
If even he was restricted from accessing the information, that meant virtually no one could.
( TL : I read the reviews on NU and this is not a mistranslation. The highest level in the Tree is Sigma which is above Alpha )
[S-Grade Entity Management Report]
No. 0625
No. ■■■■
Entity Name: Returnee Lee Taeseong (=■■■ ■■).
Disguised Grade: Delta (Delta).
*Pending Reclassification.
Grade: Sigma (Sigma).
*Requires Reassessment.
Threat Level: ■■ (Insufficient Clearance to View)
*■■-Grade Hazardous Entity.
Information:
A former special forces soldier who returned after being swept into a dimensional shift. Experienced the Reverse World and returned to Earth, but appears to have lost most of his memories.
Upon his return, the entity’s combat capability was assessed to be at the level of a standard Delta-grade. However…
〈Edited〉
He displayed an unreasonably rapid rate of growth within a short period. Several hypotheses have been proposed regarding the cause of this growth, with the most probable explanation being the “memories” of Lee Taeseong, which were presumed lost.
Tree researchers have suggested that he is an “Irregular,” a claim that is nearly certain.
〈Edited〉
‘Mother’ estimates a 92.75% probability that entity Lee Taeseong encountered ‘■■’ in the Reverse World. The identity of ‘■■’ remains [Insufficient Clearance].
The world he was in is estimated to be at a hazard level of ‘■■’ or higher. Due to insufficient data, the margin of error in the world’s hazard level assessment is 43.945%.
Abilities: [Restricted Access]
Special Notes:
He is the older brother of Tree’s Japan Branch administrator Lee Sooah (=Entity Name: Pure Flame). Since his return, he has displayed an exceptional attachment to his family.
Based on all observations so far, simulation results indicate a 99.999999% probability that he will adopt a hostile stance toward Tree if Lee Sooah is excluded from the organization.
〈Edited〉
Entity Lee Taeseong poses a severe risk of ■■ to Tree. As such, all administrators are [■■].
[Observation Record #■■]
Access Restricted.
[Observation Record #■■]
Access Restricted.
[Observation Record #■■]
Access Restricted.
[Observation Record #■■]
Access Restricted.
[Observation Record #■■]
Access Restricted.
[Observation Record #■■■]
Access Restricted.
[Observation Record #■■■]
Access Restricted.
“Lee Taeseong… Just what kind of anomaly is he that they’re going this far to protect him?”
The fact that security at this level was in place meant even Hashimoto, the branch director, would need upper-level authorization to access the files.
“The more I look into this, the more interesting it gets.”
After leaving the branch director’s office, Lee Taeseong went straight to find Sooah. She, too, was an administrator under the Japan branch so she would have already heard about the operation.
That also meant she must have heard about the death of her mentor, Yukina.
Yukina had looked after his sister in his absence, so the loss must have been devastating for her.
As her older brother, he couldn’t help but worry.
Even after ten years of hardships, which must have strengthened her resilience, in Taeseong’s eyes, Sooah was still a small, fragile girl.
He arrived at the dormitory where the Japanese administrators were staying. If it had been any other Korean administrator trying to enter, the process would have taken quite some time. But for Taeseong, such procedures were no longer necessary.
Standing before the door, he knocked.
The door opened, and Sooah appeared.
“Oppa.”
“Sooah.”
“I heard you came back. You don’t seem injured, at least. Are you really okay?”
Taeseong nodded.
“Yeah. My body’s fine.”
“…Come in first.”
As he stepped inside, he slowly looked his surroundings.
He wasn’t sure if it was because she was Yukina’s disciple or if the Japan branch simply had good accommodations, but the dormitory she was staying in was quite decent.
‘She keeps things pretty tidy and seems to be living well enough.’
Imagining her living here alone while he was away left him with a strange feeling.
When had she grown up so quickly, becoming independent on her own?
A constant feeling of guilt and regret toward Sooah always lingered in his heart.
He was proud of her, yet at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder—had she been forced to grow up too soon, at an age when she should have still been able to lean on others?
‘Well… Having joined Tree in the first place, none of that really matters anymore.’
“Sit anywhere you like, Oppa. Want something to drink?”
After a brief moment of thought, Taeseong replied.
“Got any alcohol?”
“Yeah. What do you want? Beer? Soju? Whiskey?”
After breathing in musty air throughout the entire mission, he craved a cold beer.
But then, something struck him as odd.
“Sooah… Aren’t you underage?”
Sooah, who had been rummaging through the fridge, turned to him with an shocked look.
“Oppa.”
“Hm?”
“Are you a boomer?”
“……”
“I asked, are you a boomer?”
“…No.”
For a moment, Taeseong was too stunned to speak.
Of all the things he had expected to hear from his little sister, this wasn’t one of them.
In reality, the fact that she had alcohol in her fridge wasn’t an issue at all.
He knew full well that nagging someone who risked their life every day over something as trivial as drinking would be utterly foolish.
Even so, he had brought it up—not to scold her, but to lighten the mood, even if just as a joke.
She was pretending to be fine, but deep down, she was undoubtedly hurting.
“Oppa, I’m almost an adult now. And Tree administrators can drink as long as they have a guardian’s permission, even if they’re underage.”
So it’s ‘When in Tree, do as Tree does,’ huh?
What kind of ridiculous rule is that…
“And who’s your guardian?”
“Master.”
A brief silence fell between them.
Without another word, Sooah pulled out two bottles of beer and set them on the table.
“And from now on… I suppose it’ll be you, Oppa.”
Since his return—
No, not just since his return, but for the first time in their lives—
They shared a drink together as siblings.
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Without a word, we drank.
After about ten minutes, Sooah, her cheeks now red, finally spoke.
“I still can’t believe it. That Master is really gone…”
To Lee Sooah, Yukina had been an invincible figure.
Much like how a child sees their father as a superhero.
Downing an entire bottle in one go, Sooah murmured.
“This damn world… After ten years, I finally got my only family back… And now, it takes another from me.”
“……”
“Am I really cursed?”
Taeseong shook his head.
“Not a chance. You did nothing wrong. It’s this world that’s messed up.”
With a faint smile, Sooah gazed up at the ceiling and whispered.
“She looked after me for ten years… And I couldn’t even see her one last time before she left.”
Hearing that, Taeseong hesitated for a moment before finally opening a subspace.
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