Epilogue: Some Gamer (2)
Conel's explanation that came afterward was pretty shocking.
Ryu Seonghong, the colonel, had recruited the people for this terrorist attack—half with a huge sum of money from an unknown source, and the rest by invoking the daughter of the dictator Kim Minhee...
"Kim Minhee died in prison about a month ago."
"Died in prison? She's dead?"
"That's the pretext they used to recruit those babbling about North Korean military grievances. It was classified info in Korea, but they spun it as propaganda... Do you really think that guy acted alone?"
"Uh..."
"I was going to meet him in person and ask, but on the day he was captured, he dropped dead from some unexplained cause."
...Something stank. It was so serious that it scared me from digging deeper.
"So that suspicious EMP back then too?"
"It's called 'Eraser,' a weapon that selectively disables military gear. MI6 claims it was stolen from them and denies any collaboration."
"...How do you even know that?"
"Well... B2, it's actually someone you know."
Someone I know? My acquaintances are just family and the private room crew.
"You wouldn't pretend not to know FoxBunny7, right?"
"Oh... that motormouth guy? Wait, what? That dude's..."
"His tastes are a bit unique, but he's a highly capable white agent."
Hold up. I racked my brain. Remembering our recent chats in the Chasefield X private room, I mentioned one.
"...Did FalconV make it into South Sudan okay?"
"Hm? Inspections were too tight, so he rented a plane in Uganda and parachuted in successfully."
"Ah..."
"Falcon's an excellent operative. Minor mental issues aside."
What the hell was going on? I started asking about friends whose names popped into my head and the 'real-life' exploits they claimed to have done.
"That one's Kazakhstan..."
Conel's answers came without hesitation. Before I knew it, my idiot private room buddies had transformed into MI6, CIA, DEVGRU, Delta Force, GIGN types—the kind that pop up in the news occasionally.
...Is this for real? I wanted to ask if it was a joke, but Conel's face was dead serious.
"More interest in your comrades than I thought. I figured you were only into the ops themselves, B2."
"Well, yeah..."
I'd thought the special forces roleplay was just a phase. I'd gotten sick of my own act pretty quick.
As we chatted more with Conel, a weird feeling crept in. This talk felt more detailed and explicit than our Korea University cafe terrorism debrief.
Why was Conel telling me all this? I soon found out.
"B2—no, Lee Suo."
"Yeah..."
"The reason I'm telling you this is because I see it as a small atonement for shattering your everyday life due to my mistake."
It was a strange moment. Oddly calm, I replied.
"So you finally believe I'm just a civilian?"
"...Sorry about that."
"But hey... does this mean I'm gonna get whacked? Sniper shot or poison in my coffee...?"
Conel waved her hands in genuine fluster—the first time I'd seen her rattled today.
"No way! If higher-ups knew, there'd have been discussions, but I never reported it, and even if it had come up, I'd have blocked it with my director-level authority."
"Director? Weren't you a section chief?"
"Vanguard Investment is sort of a subsidiary."
The grown-up talk made me shrink a bit. As I clammed up for that reason, a quiet spell fell. When my little espresso ran dry, Conel started a new story.
"I've met someone like you before."
"Like me?"
"I... really liked that person. That's why, when we first met... In Korea, they call it 'rose-tinted glasses,' right? I made a foolish mistake."
Her meaning was a bit off from the idiom, but I didn't correct her.
"Lee Suo, you've killed before."
"Well... brain death's no different from killing."
Conel was talking about a past I didn't regret. The guy I fought deserved to die. But instead...
Conel spoke as if she knew exactly what had happened to me.
"The person I knew was like you—inhuman physical abilities, insane focus beyond human limits."
"Him too?"
"You've realized it already, right? That you're way different from normal people. And that it's a huge problem."
I shut my mouth at that. It was something I'd never even told my family.
"Three years ago... in college, that's when I knew for sure. The problem too."
"You too, huh? That guy reveled in killing. Went out of his way to find life-or-death fights."
A bizarre murder impulse. To hide it, I'd used my injury trauma as an excuse for three years of unemployment. Until I found my life game... Chasefield X.
Conel looked wistful, recalling some tragic past.
"Even if Chasefield acts as a suppressant for you, it can't fully seal it away."
"Yeah?"
"That guy got addicted to killing too, became someone who couldn't sleep without a battlefield, and met his end."
Horrifying story. Was that my fate too?
"Suo, I want to help you."
Conel suddenly grabbed my hand. Her pale hand was callused.
"Does Chasefield... bring back old feelings?"
"It's different somehow."
"My fault too. I thrust that intense terrorist experience on you. Still... I need you."
Conel's words were a bit disjointed, like she was finally venting to a long-lost someone.
"I started Chasefield wondering if it could treat that person. And met you there."
"Not gonna say it's fate or some cheesy crap, right?"
"No, this is my chance. To fix a tragedy if it happens again."
...Couldn't follow it all. One thing clear: she cared deeply for that guy.
Conel released my hand, took her smoothie with both hands, and bowed her head.
"You can refuse. We can pretend none of this happened, and you go back to your life. Just think it over."
"Mm... What about the private room?"
"Security-wise, you'd be banned, but I'll recommend alternatives."
"Harsh for a shut-in like me."
I joked, but she was dead serious. She reopened her briefcase and pulled out a single sheet.
Annual Salary: $3,000,000 USD
Position: Special Operative (Entry-Level)
Performance bonuses and incentives apply based on missions.
"This is my proposal—and our organization's."
An employment contract. Kindly written in Korean.
I instinctively checked the amount.
...3 million. Not bad for a new grad salary. But for a job risking your life, a tad low?
"This is the annual pay I can offer you."
"3 million? Wait... is your group starting everyone as interns?"
I asked in genuine shock. Conel looked apologetic.
"Too low? Your skills definitely warrant $3 million USD, but this is base pay, with performance bonuses..."
Chomp! $3 million dollars—over 4 billion won!
I grabbed Conel's—no, the boss's—hand.
"I'll work hard! Conel—no, ma'am!"
"Y-you're accepting?"
Conel was flustered by my sudden shift but happy. When I signed with a flourish, she hugged the paper.
As she tucked it away lovingly, she suddenly eyed me.
"But Suo, you're really just a civilian, right?"
"...What're you getting at?"
"Sorry if that's rude. But the guy I knew... ah, my acquaintance... he was elite too, but a trained special forces operative."
Conel seemed to recall something—probably my antics at Korea University.
"Not sure a normal guy could pull that off. Maybe even better than my acquaintance."
"Dunno... Would've been nice to meet him."
Conel looked regretful too. Then suddenly.
"Are you fooling me even now?"
"Huh?"
"Pretending to be a civilian while hiding secrets...? Actually spending three years in the shadows...?"
"You're going too far! I'm a civilian! Just on leave from school!"
"I'd correct the 'leave' part. In Korea, isn't that called 'unemployed'?"
Conel assaulting me linguistically with a straight face. I told her about the cool term "home security specialist."
She eyed me suspiciously.
"This is just between us. Everyone else thinks you're a covert agent active for three years."
"I am a real civilian. But then Shai too?"
"Sorry, unavoidable."
Conel packed up her papers. She reached into her suit's inner pocket, placed a paper on the table, and stood.
Vanguard Investment
Employee: B2.L
"What matters to us isn't your background. It's your skills."
I picked up the paper. A new business card.
"Ah! Conel, this!"
"You kept it safe, huh? Thanks."
I handed back her card, which I'd luckily brought. Before leaving, Conel stood before me and offered a handshake. I took it thoughtlessly.
"Wilhelmina Artein."
"Hm?"
"My real name. Unfair if only yours gets out, right?"
I couldn't help smiling. Conel was hilarious.
"I'm Lee Suo. Nice to work with."
"You too."
And just like that... I landed a $3 million-a-year job.
A few days later, my heart-pounding first day started.
But...
"Assistant Lee! Bring those files I asked for!"
"Yes! Coming right now!"
Somehow... I'd become a newbie at a pharmaceutical company.