Chapter 35
Before heading into Choi Kang-min's dream—a dead ground and enemy territory if there ever was one—I huddled up with Uncle in the real world for a strategy session. How could we convince everyone it was the right call? Uncle summed it up in the simplest terms.
"Just hand the company over to the second son."
"You think that'll work?"
In the dream, Choi Kang-hun had spent a full twenty years behind bars. We weren't even sure if his mind was intact, and all the company's vested interests had long since shifted to Choi Kang-min, hardening like reinforced concrete. Overturning that seemed impossible.
"We'll figure out how together from here on out."
"Ah, got it."
"Haha! Don't take it so seriously. I was just spitballing. I have no idea how inheritance laws will change in thirteen years, but yeah, it'll be tough to flip. Unless the former chairman—that's me—isn't alive anymore..."
"Uncle. Do you have to stay alive?"
"What're you saying?"
"Can't you do it with a will?"
"I haven't even thought about a will since the eldest turned out like that. If something happened to me in an accident, the second son would naturally take over."
No will existed. And even if one did, Choi Kang-min would've gotten rid of it ages ago.
So,
"We'll just make one now."
"...Moon-soo. Isn't asking this old man to drop dead already a bit much?"
"Don't misunderstand. I plan to use it in the dream."
"What the hell are you talking about..."
Uncle furrowed his brow, still not grasping my intent.
"The first time I entered the dream, my smartphone was in my pocket."
"A smartphone? What about the smartphone in your— Ah! I get it!"
Snap! Uncle smacked his knee in delight as realization hit mid-sentence.
"If we slip the will into your pocket beforehand, it'll come with you into the dream."
"Brilliant plan!"
"Right?"
"But it'll fail."
"Kek! Why?"
"For a will to have legal force, you need a third party to verify it's your true intent. A handwritten one is an exception, but even that requires proof you wrote it yourself."
"...Yeah, makes sense."
But I had no intention of giving up just because it was tricky. Uncle felt the same.
"I'd love to call in my advisors..."
"You confident you can explain it to them?"
"Wanna come with?"
"Pass."
One thing I'd learned from diving into Choi Kang-min's dream: Don't stand out! The doctors' fascination with me as some 'special human' had been a nightmare.
'Can't repeat that mistake!'
But wasting time with no plan wasn't smart either. So,
"Uncle."
"You've got that 'eureka' look."
"Yeah. Can you tank the company in an instant?"
"...You think it's a corner store? I'd get booted by the shareholders first."
"Trust me?"
"Hm?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course. You've guarded my treasure for over ten years."
Uncle's voice held steady as he smiled faintly at me.
"Though that trust depends on the issue at hand."
He added the caveat.
"We're filming a video right now."
"A will?"
"Yep."
"A video without witnesses has no legal power."
"That's fine. We're not going to court—we're blasting it online."
"......"
Uncle's jaw dropped when he heard my plan.
"Just in the dream, of course."
"That's why you asked if I trusted you."
"Yes."
"...It's a gamble needing more than trust—guts. But I can't weigh it against my son's life."
Uncle sighed.
"If it's too uncomfortable..."
"Let's do it. My shares are a big reason Kang-min is trapped in that dream."
"Then let's start filming—"
"Hold up! If we're doing it, let's do it right. Use a high-quality camera."
"Got it. We were prepping a full gift set to drive Choi Kang-min insane."
* * *
The fallout from that hard-won video was massive!
"Going smoothly."
This was a hotel in a resort area a bit outside the city. I lounged bored on the terrace overlooking the beach, fiddling with a futuristic smartphone.
(Kang-min-ah. How long do you plan to run from the fact that you egged your friends on to bully your little brother Kang-hun?)
"Bet he's freaking out."
Too bad I couldn't see Choi Kang-min's face when he watched it. But what could I do? Face-to-face, he'd toy with me like a bug again. Hiding in the hotel to monitor things was the play.
I'd planned for a cheap single room at first, but Seo Hye-ju Vice Director hooked me up with more cash than I could've dreamed, so I upgraded.
'When else will I live like this?'
A shame it was just a dream, but that's what made it possible. In reality, the past self convincing the present never happens.
"Whoa!"
Sploosh~ I dove onto the bed, and the cloud-white mattress caught me soft as a dream.
'Money really is the best!'
The Sports University dorm bed wasn't bad, but this was another level. Comparing them felt like an insult. Time to enjoy it to the fullest.
(If anything happens to me, I bequeath all my assets to my second son, Choi Kang-hun. May this video reach the hands of the just.)
The video I uploaded spread like wildfire across media outlets. Even the news picked it up! Sure, some called it fake, but we'd prepped for that.
(You'll doubt this video's authenticity. So I'll reveal info only executives know. The safe holding classified docs has the code...)
I dumped secrets no outsider could know. How could they not believe it?
Even I was shocked filming it with Uncle—the level of detail was insane.
"What a guy."
I'd suggested it, but if I were him, I'd have picked another way. Too risky!
And that was the result. As risky as it was, it worked like a charm.
「Questions for Chairman Choi Kang-min!」
「Heir is Second Son Choi Kang-hun!」
「Major Shareholder Confirms: Video is Real.」
「Stock Market in Turmoil...」
Uncle's company wasn't some mom-and-pop shop, so the world was buzzing. Like a dead man exposing his killer.
Only possible in a dream.
"Wonder how Choi Kang-min will react."
Ding~♪ I munched popcorn microwaved in the hotel kitchenette and watched the show.
* * *
Twenty years had passed with his vast fortune in the wrong hands. Ignore it? Or return it now?
Even those indifferent to scandals perked up at a global conglomerate's succession drama.
"...Call the legal team."
Top-secret info was pouring out like a waterfall—stuff too old and useless to matter after twenty years, but not to the execs who remembered.
If that video online was real? This wasn't simple anymore.
"Chairman. The inquiry lines are—"
"Didn't you hear me? Get the legal team! Now...!"
"Understood."
The situation—the public opinion—was turning against him hard. As the Magic Boy who could eavesdrop on conversations halfway around the world, the crisis hit home.
'Whoa! How could he...'
'Killed his dad to 'discipline' him!'
'Isn't he nuts?'
'Poor little brother Choi Kang-hun.'
He'd always had haters jealous of the chaebol heir, but this was outright condemnation. Folks who'd long resented his arrogant rule backed by the Magic Boy were stirring the mob like fish in water.
"No... This can't be..."
Thud.
Legs giving out, Choi Kang-min collapsed to the floor.
Bad press? The superhuman 'Magic Boy' could force silence defending 'Chairman Choi Kang-min,' just like he'd framed his innocent brother twenty years ago.
The real problem was elsewhere.
(Kang-min-ah. Were you happy shoving your sins onto your only brother and jailing him? Grow up, you fool.)
"Father..."
More shocking than Dad's venomous words was the wrinkled forehead on the video—older than the last image in his memory. Proof Dad was alive and well somewhere.
In other words, 'it was a dream...?'
If what that villain 'fake Kang Moon-soo' said was true? He'd been a vegetable for seven years.
"Ha, ha, ha..."
Soul-less laughter escaped the Magic Boy Choi Kang-min, fearless even of nukes.
Obsession? Clear evidence dangled before him, yet he couldn't believe.
Taste, touch, sight, sound, smell... Everything he'd felt for twenty years had seemed utterly real.
"...Kang Moon-soo."
The culprit behind it all. Hatred twisted Choi Kang-min's face as he uttered the name.
'If only I hadn't known.'
If Kang Moon-soo had never shown up! Ignorance is bliss sometimes.
And wasn't this that moment?
Beep— Picking up the receiver, Choi Kang-min barked at his secretary.
"Find Kang Moon-soo."
"Pardon? He's already dead..."
"Find him! Use any means necessary, right now...!"
"...Yes, Chairman."
Click! Slamming the receiver down in fury, Choi Kang-min transformed into the Magic Boy.
Adult to child. But the innocent smile he'd maintained for image was gone.
'Kang Moon-soo!'
Whoosh~ To hunt the culprit himself, Choi Kang-min rocketed into the sky.
* * *
To dodge Choi Kang-min's surveillance net hunting me, I couldn't show my face. But eating meant pulling down the mask sometimes, right?
So I avoided restaurants with cameras or crowds.
'My life's a joke... Got money but can't spend it!'
Delivery beat dining out, but wasn't foolproof. Cooking? Microwaving convenience store frozen meals was it. Ramen if I stretched.
Anyway,
"Ugh! So heavy."
I'd loaded up on frozen and instant foods from the hotel's basement convenience store. This stash should last at least ten days, right?
Click—
Screech—
I swiped the card key and entered my room. But,
"Hm~ Hm~♪"
"......"
Stop.
A woman's humming from inside halted me in my tracks.
'Who? How?'
Not hotel staff. Female, so not Choi Kang-min. Unless he could turn into a 'Magic Girl' too.
"Kang Moon-soo-ssi."
"......"
She even knew I was here and had broken in.
'Run?'
Caught off guard, I hesitated.
"Gonna stand at the door forever? Come in already."
"...What?!"
Curious about the intruder, I headed toward the voice—and gasped in shock.
'That weird customer?'
The woman in wizard robes who'd visited the convenience store before sat cross-legged on the bed. Black pointed hat pulled low again, hiding everything but her slim jawline.
More than that—
"Our second meeting."
I knew instantly without her saying. She wasn't from this world.
"Surprised I'm here?"
"How'd you get in?"
"Oh my! Did you think you're the only special one?"
"Ahem!"
Nailed on the head, I clammed up in embarrassment.
Shaman. Maybe since hearing how rare it was—practically mythical—I'd subconsciously thought I was unique.
"I'm pretty pissed right now."
"I'm pissed you barged in uninvited."
"So bold. But you barged in first, didn't you?"
"Me? Must be mistaking me for someone else..."
I'd never broken into anyone's home in my life.
"Here."
"This is my room."
"This world."
"Hm?"
"You waltzed in and messed everything up, didn't you? Still gonna deny it?"
"......"
A chill ran down my spine. Instinct screamed this wizard woman was dangerous.
"Oh! Looks like the protagonist's almost here. I'm out."
"Wait! Protagonist? What're you suddenly— Huh?"
I tried grabbing her as she said her piece and vanished again.
'Where'd she go?'
I rushed to the terrace, scanned around—nothing.
'No way?'
Remembering Song Seon-yeong's suicide method, I leaned over the railing to check below.
"......"
Gone. Vanished. If she'd jumped, there'd be a body...
"Gasp!"
"You...!"
Coincidence? Inevitable? Our eyes locked with the Magic Boy soaring over the hotel parking lot!
...Busted.