The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 62
While Lee Min-chul treated Han Eol with warmth, Lee Min-seo also formed a favorable impression of him.
Yet her nature was that of a wary cat, and meeting Han Eol for the first time today, she couldn’t bring herself to approach him as readily as her brother did.
“How are you adjusting to the new place? Is the director treating you well? Your uncle, I mean?”
Lee Min-chul shifted the conversation.
Han Eol paused thoughtfully before answering.
“Well. They seem to be making an effort to treat me kindly, but… I still feel a bit distant from the director. Your aunt, though—I’m more at ease with her.”
“Really?”
Lee Min-chul was genuinely surprised.
Chapter 4
Han Eol was the director’s child from outside the family.
At least, that’s what Lee Min-chul and Lee Min-seo understood.
‘But he’s more comfortable with his stepmother than his biological father? That doesn’t make sense.’
That was when Lee Min-chul’s bewilderment took hold.
“That’s strange, though. Your aunt might just seem kind on the surface, you know?”
Lee Min-seo spoke without thinking.
“Hey. Min-seo. Watch your mouth.”
Lee Min-chul was startled and yanked his sister’s wrist.
This was a remark that could easily be misunderstood as Min-seo speaking ill of Ju Yeon-hui behind her back.
Lee Min-chul’s anxiety spiked.
‘Damn. What if Han Eol tattles to Director Lee about Min-seo’s rudeness?’
Then a chill could descend once more between Lee Myung-woo and Lee Sung-woo—the brothers who had finally begun to reconcile.
No, it seemed certain that conflict would erupt between them again.
“Ugh.”
Lee Min-seo also realized her mistake and became visibly flustered.
But Han Eol didn’t take Min-seo’s words all that seriously.
“Your aunt’s kindness isn’t merely on the surface.”
Han Eol answered while wiping his plate clean.
“Well, of course not. She’s such a virtuous person, after all.”
Lee Min-chul seized the moment and tried to wrap things up on a positive note.
Han Eol tilted his head slightly.
“I can’t really speak to her virtue just yet. But it’s true that your aunt is being kind to me.”
This was something Han Eol had confirmed by seeing Ju Yeon-hui’s Soul Color, so it couldn’t be wrong.
Moreover, the reason Han Eol could speak so openly with Min-chul and Min-seo now was partly because he sensed they bore him no ill will.
For instance, the siblings’ souls showed no trace of the blood-red that signified hostility, the vermillion that marked anger, or the purple that indicated jealousy. In Han Eol’s eyes, their souls were suffused only with blue.
Blue meant fear.
‘So they’re afraid of me right now? But why?’
Han Eol couldn’t fathom any obvious reason.
And it wasn’t as if Min-chul and Min-seo appeared weak, either.
That much was certainly not the case.
Within Lee Min-chul’s soul, as Han Eol perceived it, a bright golden bolt of lightning traced a perfect circle.
That circular band of lightning was Lee Min-chul’s Spiritual Form.
As for Lee Min-seo’s form, it was a spear whose tip split into three prongs, and that spear was now twined about with the lightning, flashing brilliantly.
‘Are they both Lightning-type users?’
Come to think of it, their father, Lee Sung-woo the Pioneer Division commander, had a Spiritual Form like a single-eyed golden tuft of cotton—each strand of that tuft thrumming with the fierce power of lightning.
‘Blood truly doesn’t lie.’
Han Eol recalled the Spiritual Form of Lee Sung-woo he had witnessed before, and inwardly nodded.
In any case, the blue in the souls of Min-chul and Min-seo as they faced Han Eol had been quite pronounced, but was gradually fading.
Soft pastel hues were slowly filling the space where that blue had been.
Han Eol tilted his head once more.
‘That’s odd. The director, his wife, the chairman—and even these cousins here. Why are they all being so kind to me? Do the wealthy naturally treat poor people much more generously than the poor treat one another?’
Back in the Old Earth era, it hadn’t been like this. The souls of those Han Eol dealt with were often stained with black, red, vermillion, purple, and all manner of negative emotions. And each time, Han Eol had responded with wisdom or cunning.
That pattern had continued even after Han Eol came to Midland.
Take, for example, Kim Hui-in and Jung Min-jun, whom Han Eol had met during his time in the 1st Division.
Yet the Shinseong Group’s owner and his family showed no trace of negative emotion toward Han Eol.
‘I can’t make sense of it.’
Han Eol was curious about why this phenomenon was occurring.
The courses finished, and finally dessert and tea were served.
“Phew, I’m so full. There’s not a shred of room left in me now. Just look at this.”
Han Eol leaned back in his chair and tapped his distended belly with his palm, producing a hollow thump-thump sound.
Heh.
Lee Min-seo burst out laughing at Han Eol’s playful antics.
Lee Min-chul chuckled as well.
“Haha, I’m glad you enjoyed the meal. If you’d like, next time we can try a different restaurant. There’s a place that does seafood really well.”
“Yes, of course. Next time will be my treat. I got a card from your wife, after all.”
Han Eol pulled out a Black Card from his pants pocket and showed it.
“What? You carry just the card around without even a wallet?”
Lee Min-seo’s face went blank.
Han Eol shook his head.
“No. She bought me a wallet too, but it’s just too inconvenient.”
Now that he mentioned it, Han Eol wasn’t wearing a watch either.
“So you hate anything bothersome? You don’t like watches?”
This time Lee Min-chul asked the question.
“A watch is only necessary when I enter the Highland.”
Once Han Eol brought up the Highland, the conversation naturally drifted in that direction.
“By any chance, are you free two weeks from now? There’s a gathering happening in the Highland’s 9th Continent around then.”
Lee Min-chul brought it up first.
“A gathering?”
At Han Eol’s question, Lee Min-seo offered a brief explanation.
“It’s nothing major, but my brother and I started a social club. It’s called Cobalt Link.”
“Cobalt Link?”
“Right. Most of the members are people around our age from our family circle. We usually meet regularly once every three months, and the next gathering is November 22nd. It’ll be held at our family estate in the Highland.”
That was Lee Min-seo’s explanation.
Chapter 5
Today was November 7th.
So there was just over two weeks left until the next gathering.
“What do you say? Would you like to come?”
Lee Min-seo gauged Han Eol’s reaction.
‘They have an estate in the Highland?’
Han Eol felt a spark of curiosity.
But he wasn’t particularly fond of crowded social events. It seemed far more profitable to visit the 5th Continent one more time during that slot instead.
Still, it didn’t feel right to flatly reject the offer from these siblings. Han Eol wasn’t some antisocial hermit ignorant of social conventions.
“Do I have to decide today? About attending the gathering, I mean.”
Lee Min-chul answered Han Eol’s question promptly.
“Of course not. Just let us know by four days before.”
“Will do.”
While they were conversing, the Head Chef approached to greet them.
“How was the meal, if I may ask?”
The blue-eyed chef in his fifties asked Lee Min-chul’s opinion in Korean that sounded surprisingly native.
But instead of answering, Lee Min-chul only looked at Han Eol.
Naturally, the Head Chef’s gaze shifted to Han Eol as well.
“It was truly delicious.”
Han Eol wiped his mouth and gave a thumbs up.
“Oh, thank you.”
At the praise from a VIP who had rented an entire floor, the Head Chef’s face brightened considerably.
It was the day after Han Eol returned from meeting his cousins.
A new approval notification appeared on Han Eol’s Intranet.
― Request Number: 20570814
― Request Details: Defensive Armor Crafting
― Current Status: Crafting Complete
* Special Note: Unclaimed within 2 weeks will be transferred to a third party rather than the original requester
This was an approval posted by Rihanna, the young master craftsman of the Equipment Repair Workshop.
“Oh my, it’s finally finished.”
Han Eol’s eyes gleamed.
To be honest, defensive armor at this level held little meaning for Han Eol now. His body itself possessed absurdly high defense power, making additional armor unnecessary.
On top of that, since Han Eol possessed both the Energy Barrier and Spirit Barrier, the value of defensive armor would plummet even further.
But Rihanna’s armor was the first custom-crafted piece Han Eol had ever commissioned, so it held its own special significance.
There was no way he could just ignore it.
‘Still, they finished something I commissioned back in August already? They said it would take about a year at first, but it got done quite quickly.’
Han Eol recalled his meeting with Rihanna.
Then a thought struck Han Eol’s mind.
‘Wait. According to the 1st Division’s records, I’m officially dead, aren’t I? Could it be that Rihanna hasn’t heard the news of my death?’
Han Eol scratched his temple with his index finger, then began tapping at the keyboard.
Master Rihanna,
I can receive it immediately.
When and where would be convenient for you? Please let me know a time and place that works.
Han Eol’s message was sent to Rihanna’s intranet email account.
A reply came at once.
Let’s meet near Gangnam Station this evening.
This is work that normally takes a full year, and I poured myself into it like a madman while cutting off all contact with everyone around me.
So you should buy me dinner.
Something very expensive.
This was the reply Rihanna had sent.
‘Ah, I see. She was so absorbed in crafting the Defensive Armor that she didn’t hear about my death. Well then. I really do need to treat her to something nice.’
Han Eol typed out a response, setting their appointment for 6:30 in the evening after Rihanna’s shift. Then he searched for expensive restaurants near Gangnam Station.
Recommended establishments popped up on the screen in quick succession.
But no matter how many reviews Han Eol read, he couldn’t figure out which place would truly satisfy her. Too much information was becoming a problem.
‘I think it’s better to just ask someone directly.’
Han Eol’s circle of acquaintances was small.
He wondered if there was anyone he could ask about this sort of thing, but one person did come to mind.
Chapter 6
“My goodness. An appointment with whom? Could it be a woman?”
Ju Yeon-hui clapped her hands with delight at Han Eol’s request for advice.
Her enthusiasm was so overwhelming that Han Eol found himself taken aback.
“Well, yes, the person is a woman, but… the relationship you’re probably imagining in your head right now is absolutely not what this is.”
“Hehe. So it really is a woman? Who is she? Won’t you tell me?”
Ju Yeon-hui leaned in close to Han Eol.
“Well, you see… there’s an item creator named Rihanna who I knew from my time in the 1st Division. About three months ago, I commissioned her to make a Defensive Armor, and she just contacted me saying it’s finished.”
“Rihanna? The name sounds familiar. But an item creator? You’re not friends with her, or anything more than that?”
“No, no. It’s nothing like that with her. It’s purely a client and creator relationship. Besides, I don’t really have any friends.”
“What? You don’t have any friends?”
“Hehe. That’s what happens when you grow up as an orphan, scraping by on your own.”
“Ah.”
Ju Yeon-hui’s face suddenly went rigid.
“I’m sorry.”
She truly felt sorry for Han Eol.
Han Eol waved his hands dismissively.
“No, no. Don’t say things like that. Anyway, is there a restaurant near Gangnam Station you could recommend? It seems like Rihanna worked hard on the armor, so I’d like to show my appreciation.”
“Oh, right. That was what you came to ask about. Let me think… where would be good?”
Ju Yeon-hui pondered for a moment, then opened her phone and called her secretary’s office.
“Could you make a reservation for two at Sushi Zen for 6:30 this evening? Yes. That’s right. Just mention my name and the reservation will go through right away.”
After hanging up, Ju Yeon-hui pulled a business card from her wallet and handed it to Han Eol.
Gallery Yeon
Director Ju Yeon-hui
This was the title printed on Ju Yeon-hui’s business card.
‘Come to think of it, wasn’t the gathering of pioneers that Master Ju Hyung-seon created called Team Yeon? This is similar.’
Han Eol recalled what he had read in Ju Hyung-seon’s study.
As he did so, Ju Yeon-hui added an explanation.
“I’ve made a reservation at Sushi Zen. When you show them this business card, they’ll take good care of you.”
“You must be a regular there?”
“Hehe. I suppose you could say that. Though I’d say I’m more of a patron than a regular.”
Ju Yeon-hui smiled enigmatically as she spoke.
The Soul Harvester’s Puppetry
Author |
Juno
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of (주) Samyang C&C – Dream Books.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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