Chapter 160
Chapter 160
Both Sungyoon and Jimin stood up and greeted her .
“How have you been, Ms . Grace?”
“I’ve been well . How are you, Mr . Sungyoon?”
“I’ve been well thanks to you . ”
The two of them exchanged a light handshake . Grace then looked at Jimin, who stood next to Sungyoon .
“Is this person the president of your company?”
“Yes . ”
As soon as Sungyoon answered, Jimin took a step forward .
“It is nice to meet you . I am the president of Jungbum, Hahn Jimin . ”
“Grace Elizabeth Victoria Taylor . ”
The two women exchanged a short greeting, and then the three of them went back to the table where they had been sitting . Naturally, Jimin sat next to Sungyoon, while Grace sat on the other side .
“Thank you for accepting our request . ”
Grace expressed her gratitude .
“It’s fine . It’ll be a problem if magical energy appears on Earth . I cannot stand idly . I have to solve this problem if I want safety for my family . ”
“I am glad you feel that way about it . I’ll give you a quick rundown—”
Grace was cut off when the door opened once again .
“Do you mind if I join you, Grace?”
“Grandmother!”
The person who had entered the room was the Queen of England .
As soon as they saw who it was, Sungyoon and Jimin quickly got to their feet .
She was a monarch of a different country, and her political powers were limited due to the constitutional monarchy . However, this didn’t change the fact that she was a monarch .
Moreover, she was the grandmother of one of his party members, and as Koreans, they placed importance in respecting their elders .
But for many reasons, the two of them were at a loss as to how to treat the Queen, who had suddenly shown up .
“Do not be ill at ease . I am only here as this girl’s grandmother . ”
The Queen closed the distance in an elegant manner, and she rubbed the back of Grace, who looked taken aback .
It seemed she hadn’t expected the Queen to show up so abruptly in their meeting . It was similar to the emotions one felt when one’s parents suddenly appeared in front of one’s friends .
“I thought you were going to introduce yourself at the dinner party later on?”
“They are already here, so I see no problem meeting them a bit earlier . ”
The Queen let out a small laugh, a bit of mischief evident in it . It was the sight of a grandmother playing a small prank on her granddaughter . Sungyoon and Jimin had been stiff from being nervous, but when they saw this interaction, they loosened up a little bit .
First, Sungyoon and Jimin introduced themselves .
Grace was so flustered that she was unable to speak for a brief moment . The Queen left her be, and she looked at Sungyoon .
“Are you Mr . Woo Sungyoon?”
“Yes . ”
She possessed the same blue eyes as Grace, and her eyes were clear and luminescent as if they had escaped the effects of time . Those eyes gently turned into the shape of a crescent moon at Sungyoon's answer .
“I am honored to meet the hero who saved my granddaughter . ”
She gave her thanks with grace and elegance . Sungyoon was taken aback when a monarch of a country bowed her head toward him .
“I only fulfilled a commission . I received rewards for my actions too . ”
“However, the fact that you saved my granddaughter doesn’t change . Policemen and firemen are doing their jobs to the best of their abilities . But despite this fact, people admire and respect them for their work . This is the same thing . ”
Since it was the Queen who was saying this, Sungyoon had no objection . He awkwardly accepted her gratitude .
Afterward, the queen didn’t leave . She naturally had the ability to lead the conversation and make people move at her own pace .
Even if she didn’t have true political power, she had spent decades traveling the world . She had met with countless people .
It didn't matter if Sungyoon and Jimin were capable people . In her eyes, they were novices . It wasn’t too hard for her to wrap them around her finger .
“How’s Grace doing? Is she doing good?”
She wasn’t speaking as the Queen . These were the words of a grandmother . As her eyes sparkled, the mischievous elder tried to find ways to tease and embarrass her granddaughter .
“Grandma!”
“What’s wrong? Your grandmother just wants to learn how you're doing at work . ”
The always tough Grace was being made to dance back and forth by the Queen, and she was doing it with a gentle smile on her face . It revealed that the two of them had a great relationship with each other .
The Queen was treating Sungyoon and Jimin as if they were Grace’s friends . That was why they felt a bit more comfortable around the queen .
“Ms . Grace is doing very well . She is very brave and smart . We are clearing the labyrinth much easier thanks to her magic, and she helps our party in many other ways . ”
“Is that so?”
It seemed she felt pleased when he praised her granddaughter, and her laughter became a bit louder .
Grace lowered her head as if she was embarrassed .
“I’m glad she is doing so well . Honestly, I was against Grace joining Mr . Woo’s party in the beginning . She had almost died, yet she was joining some no-name party . I became very angry . ”
“It is understandable . ”
“I became very angry at Russell for taking Grace’s side . However, I became a bit relieved when I heard numerous great stories about Mr . Woo’s party . Also, I couldn’t ignore this girl’s will . ”
The Queen looked at Grace with warm eyes .
‘She’s a good grandmother . ’
Naturally, he thought about his own grandmother, who had passed away .
“I’m sure she is still lacking in various ways, but please look out for her . I leave her in your care . ”
“I can't say yes with absolute certainty because our line of work is very dangerous . However, I will do my best . ”
“Hoo-hooht! You didn’t ask me to blindly believe in you . This makes you seem that much more dependable . ”
Thankfully, the Queen seemed very satisfied with his answer . Sungyoon was able to relax a little bit more .
‘There is no reason to be nervous . It isn’t as if I’m here to ask permission for Grace’s hand in marriage . ’
He knew the woman in front of him was a very important person . However, Sungyoon berated himself for becoming unnecessarily nervous in front of her .
However, he quickly erased those thoughts from his mind . It had unnecessarily made him think about his ex-wife and his in-laws .
The queen turned to look at Jimin this time .
“You are the president of Jungbum?”
“Yes . ”
“You named it after your father Hahn Jungbum . Am I correct? I remember him . ”
“You knew my father?”
Jimin truly loved her father . Therefore, she showed an immediate reaction to the Queen’s words .
“You know that I am friends with Sir Russell, right? When Sir Russell had been young, your father was his rival . So I sometimes heard stories about him from Sir Russell . ”
Hahn Jungbum had been the greatest Connector of Korea . At the time, a weird form of rivalry had been formed between the strongest Connectors of other countries .
“I see . ”
She thought her father had zero ties to this country, yet she was able to find his traces .
Jimin looked overjoyed .
Afterward, the four of them became pretty comfortable with each other, and they continued their conversation . However, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation .
After receiving permission to enter, a man greeted everyone in the room .
“State your business . ”
The Queen was a bit displeased that their conversation was interrupted, so there was a slight edge to her voice . The man who had entered was taken aback by her reaction .
“The Prime Minister called . He wants to speak to the guests as soon as possible . . . ”
“That man always has terrible timing . ”
However, the fate of London might be hanging on the balance right now, so it was difficult for the Queen to reject his request .
“I’m sorry, but it seems the Prime Minister wants to meet you all . It is bad manner to call up guests so soon, but we are in desperate times . Please excuse us . ”
“It is fine . Should we go meet the Prime Minister right now?”
In a flash, Jimin put on her president face as she asked the question . However, the Queen didn’t answer her . The answer came from the man who had come to deliver the message .
“If you give him a call, he said he’ll come here . ”
“Yes . That might be for the best . Anyway, we’ll be having the dinner party . There is no reason to travel far away from here . ”
Before Jimin could say anything, the Queen ordered the man to call the Prime Minister to the palace . The man observed his manners as he left the room .
“Shall we continue to talk until the Prime Minister arrives?”
The queen let out a bright smile . Her guests had come from across the ocean, and she didn’t want to let go of the talking companions she had found . Her smile was full of meaning .
The friendly conversation continued for a long time .
***
“Hoo-ooh!”
Sungyoon laid down on a comfortable bed .
It was a pretty expensive hotel, so the bed was quite nice . As expected, money talked .
‘Still, this place can’t be compared to the hotel in Armstrong city . ’
He couldn't rent a room in the worst hotel on Armstrong with the amount he paid for this room . Still, the luxuries of Earth didn’t matter . He couldn’t avoid the fate of a Connector . He would start to feel the need to go back to the expensive and uncomfortable Moon .
‘I’m so full . ’
He placed a hand on his stomach . His stomach was protruding more so than usual .
He had been treated to a British feast today . Britain was the butt of the joke for having the worst food, but this didn’t hold true for the food served in the palace . It had been a very satisfying meal .
‘I’m living the life of luxury by coming to London . ’
Even if he took up a commission issued by Britain, it was unusual to be invited to dine with the Queen within the palace .
However, Sungyoon was one of the people who had saved Grace . He was also her party member . It was the main reason why he was invited . Jimin was invited alongside him .
The Queen had continued to ask various questions about Grace even at dinner . And the subject of these questions had felt flustered by them .
‘I guess we’ll take it easy and tour London tomorrow . ’
It was too much to expect Sungyoon and Grace to investigate the cave without Tim and Emily . Therefore, the exploration of the cave was scheduled to start a day after the Ross siblings would arrive in London .
They only had to sweep the region near the cave every day, and then they were free to do anything . That was why Grace offered to give Sungyoon and Jimin a tour of London .
‘I’ll have to buy a lot of souvenirs for Shinhae . ’
When he had this thought, Sungyoon suddenly missed his daughter .
So he brought out his handphone and didn't hesitate before calling .
– Dad!
He heard Shinhae’s voice from the phone . Sungyoon’s mouth naturally curved upwards .
“How are things, Shinhae?”
– Good! I played with Jiyoon unni all day .
The little girl went on to describe every detail about how she had played with Jiyoon .
For many, it would be a boring topic . But Sungyoon didn’t miss a single word, and reacted to all the right parts of her story .
‘I’ll have to give Ms . Jiyoon a gift at a later date . ’
She was on break from college, but it was very hard work to take care of someone else’s child .
Moreover, Jiyoon was staying at his house in order to take care of Shinhae .
Sungyoon always put Shinhae above everything, so he felt very grateful toward Jiyoon .
– When are you coming back, dad?
It was as if her bright and energetic voice had been all a lie . Shinhae’s voice drooped a bit as she asked the question .
“I’ll be back in three or four days . ”
It was enough time to finish the investigation . Sungyoon didn’t plan on going sightseeing afterward . He didn't intend to stay here longer than necessary .
“You should play with Jiyoon unni until I get back . Dad will finish work as soon as possible . Alright?”
– Yes .
Shinhae accepted his words without making a fuss .
“May I speak to your Jiyoon unni for a moment?”
– Ok . Wait a moment .
He could hear Shinhae call Jiyoon with a loud voice .
After a brief moment, Jiyoon picked up the phone .
– Hello?
“It is me, Ms . Jiyoon . ”
– Yes, Mr . Sungyoon . What can I do for you?
“I just wanted to say thank you for taking care of Shinhae . ”
– Don’t worry about it . I love watching a kid as cute as her .
Jiyoon didn’t hesitate as she spoke those words . When she had picked up the phone, she already knew what Sungyoon would say to her .
“I will continue to rely on you . ”
– Yes . Good luck with your work, Mr . Sungyoon .
After hearing Shinahe’s voice for the last time, he ended the call .
He wasn’t able to see the little girl, but he had heard her voice . He was pretty satisfied, and it seemed he’d be able to sleep well that night .
After putting the handphone next to him, he closed his eyes .