Kang Taemin, who received countless criticisms for failing to open the Don Quixote gate in time.
An ordinary person would have become mentally broken and a shut-in, but he was different.
"Keep going, just lower the price and it's fine."
The bottom line price set by openers collaborating together.
Kang Taemin was breaking that bottom line and gradually lowering the gate opening price.
At this rate, in a few years it would be cheaper than soft tofu sold at neighborhood markets!
Kang Taemin had no regrets.
It was something that just needed to break through once.
He just needed a chance to prove once again that his 'Open' skill ability was still intact.
'I can just say there were special circumstances then.'
If he could just get a chance to open a gate again.
He could quickly regain his old fame.
But that one opportunity wasn't coming.
Not much time had passed since clearing the Don Quixote gate, but this level of absence was beyond calculation.
It should be normal for everyone to be desperate to utilize the absurdly cheating 'Open' skill.
As if trying to settle past karma, not a single contact came from people around him.
While work wasn't coming in, he still had wealth, but he was excluded from high society.
The reason wasn't hard to guess.
'It must be because of Cheon Haeil and Melanie.'
No matter how successful Kang Taemin was, he was just an individual.
But Cheon Haeil and Melanie were figures at the head of huge organizations.
Even if those two didn't say anything about Kang Taemin, a bad image was imprinted.
Of course the upper class had to be mindful of those two, so they naturally expelled him.
Kang Taemin wasn't resentful because he would have done the same in their position.
He was just anxious because with all his connections cut, there was nowhere to bring him work.
"Won't someone come with money..."
An opener who can't open in urgent situations when every minute and second counts is useless.
Though it was an inevitable fate of openers, this was too harsh.
Reporters swarm if he goes outside, but staying cooped up at home makes life miserable.
Emergency food supplies were almost gone so he needed to go out soon.
'What if I develop social anxiety disorder at this rate.'
Though he hadn't become a shut-in, depressing emotions were eating away at him.
Just then, when his once splendid home was darkened with blackout curtains blocking all light.
Buzz buzz buzz
His phone started ringing, emitting bright light.
"It's work!"
The publicly known phone number was fake, and there was a separate number used for work.
He was always prepared to receive calls and dispatch immediately at any time.
"Hell-"
"Hello, this is Kang Taemin. I stumbled briefly due to recent unfortunate events, but my abilities have recovered now and I'm a prepared opener, Kang.Tae.min, ready to soar again anytime. I'm offering the current lowest unit price so you can use my services comfortably. How may I assist you?"
Faster and more accurate guidance speed than a skilled consultant!
Kang Taemin absolutely couldn't let go of this lifeline.
"I'll send the address to your phone, so come right away please."
Click.
"Great!"
It didn't matter what the call content was like.
What mattered was the request address and client name stamped on the phone.
'Baek Taeyang.'
To think he would try to save me again like this after making me fall.
Kang Taemin felt his heart warming as he opened the window.
It was time to take flight again.
++++++++++++++++++
"What did he say?"
"Seems like he'll be here soon? He was talking really enthusiastically."
"We'll take care of any reporters following, so don't worry about that."
"I'm not worried about that part. Just make sure to listen well to what I ask later."
"N-nothing shameless is allowed."
"I know."
When I arrived at the scene, Melanie was already controlling the surroundings.
She had controlled a wide area around, considering the possibility of ordinary people getting involved.
It was really questionable how they discovered a gate deep in the mountains.
Unless someone told them...
'If someone told them?'
Glasses Fatty must know that Yumin and Kim Minsu's relationship was completely over.
No, he would know better than anyone.
Kim Minsu's power-up that Glasses Fatty originally planned was all stolen by me, so he would need separate supplementation.
He may have planned to strengthen the protagonist through this S-rank gate.
The fact that the gate was S-rank but concept type, and difficult to discover, was evidence for that.
Then the biggest question here is why he told Melanie about this.
'Isn't it usually done like closed-door training?'
Obtain a strong reward, hide it, and use it at a critical moment.
That critical moment would probably be when fighting me.
The scenario should be to easily defeat me and 'teach me a lesson' like that.
Why did he announce this so publicly?
Is there a trap I don't know about?
If pretending to be stupid until now was for this moment...
"Do you think a stupid person can suddenly become smart? For example, hiding their true nature."
"That's impossible for Kim Minsu."
"That's what I thought too, right?"
"Yes, I'd like to talk about something more constructive than this."
"Like what?"
"Like Baek Taeyang's responsibility for recommending Kim Minsu as a model."
Melanie was staring at me intently with an angry expression.
Her usually rolled up bun hair looked like Medusa's snakes.
Her sapphire-like eyes sparkled, demanding an answer.
She had her arms crossed with a sullen expression, giving the impression of a chest support.
"You were the one who actively pushed for it."
"You must have made it that way. Don't think you can gloss over this anymore. Do I look like Kim Minsu to you?"
"That's why you agreed to participate in weapon testing. And aren't you the one asking for help with this gate incident?"
"You shouldn't calculate it like that. Shouldn't you connect 'Kim Minsu's Wailing' and Kim Minsu's behavior changes afterwards?"
An intense exchange continued without an inch of retreat.
Since all possible measures were taken before Kang Taemin arrived, all we could do was talk.
But Melanie seemed to see this opportunity as a situation for additional deals, as she charged in with fire in her eyes.
Normally blonde hair shouldn't shine when shaded by trees.
Her brilliant blonde hair was showing off a subtle golden glow, flaunting her righteousness.
It was true that I received a lot of help from Melanie, but it would be troublesome if the initiative passed to her here.
Melanie's leash was essential to make it easier to control Kim Minsu in the future.
"Hunter Baek Taeyaaaang!!!"
Just as I was wondering what answer to give, Kang Taemin's voice was heard from afar.
Though it should be difficult to run in the mountains, he was recklessly pushing his body forward as if it didn't matter.
It hadn't even been 5 minutes since contacting him, but he was already here.
People's attitudes really do change when work is cut off and they become desperate.
"Tch... Let's have this conversation again later, intensely. I absolutely have no intention of letting this go lightly."
"I said I understand, who said otherwise? I'm not that irresponsible."
I waved my hand towards Kang Taemin with a natural smile.
Melanie also waved her hand, displaying social skills, but a disgruntled expression was still on her face.
"I really wanted to see you. This majestic appearance and figure! And the brilliant sense of not letting go of a connection once made! I, Kang Taemin, will truly repent and reform through this opportunity..."
"Hello Opener Kang Taemin, I didn't expect to see you again so quickly. Since the situation is urgent, let's save the small talk for later and please open the gate first."
"Yes, yes, of course, haha. The media all say my skills have rusted and I can't use them, but that's all slander and lies. I'll prove it right now."
Kang Taemin seemed like his personality had completely changed in that short time.
'No, this might actually be his true nature.'
Kang Taemin, whose life of enjoying lavish formalities and luxury suddenly fell to rock bottom.
It must be the personality from before he awakened his skill coming out.
That appearance from when he was desperate to earn even a penny must have manifested through survival instinct.
The bills he always carried in his pocket back then were nowhere to be seen.
Even if all the clothes worn are luxury brands, they look different depending on the wearer's attitude.
Seeing him open the gate with a desperate face really made him look like a different person.
"Arghhhhhh!!!"
Kang Taemin suddenly started screaming while opening the gate.
He was acting as if forcibly blocking a closing door by inserting both hands.
"The gate is... very tigh-!!!"
There was no need to finish the sentence to understand.
'Well, it's Glasses Fatty's consideration, so of course it won't open easily.'
Don Quixote wouldn't open at all.
So even having space for just one person to go in and out was something to be thankful for.
Melanie was flustered and Kang Taemin was screaming in pain.
Melanie was looking back and forth between me and the gate, as if she was thinking of entering with me.
"Alone is enough."
"What...?"
The deliberation didn't last long.
If there was only space for one person to enter, it was definitely right for me to go in.
"Wait here dressed up prettily."
I'll bring Kim Minsu back.
I threw my body into the gate spewing out countless lights.
********************************************
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