Why Is a Foreign Company Here?

Why is a foreign company here?

What the hell is the government playing at?

Gates are a matter of life and death for the public, so governments try to keep them under tight control. That goes for every country—except a handful of third-world nations where Awoken are so scarce they barely have a choice.

And even setting safety aside, the web of vested interests is thick enough on its own. Which is exactly why ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠governments want foreign hands kept as far away as possible.

Letting a foreign firm get so much as a toehold in the acquisition of a domestic gate-related company? Unthinkable.

Which is why I was about ready to lose my mind.

It wasn't a language problem. Language I could handle with my ability, no trouble at all.

It even reshaped what I said so the other person could understand. I just spoke Korean like always. Hell, it was advanced enough that I could talk to the monsters inside gates. Some kind of… system?

Anyway.

"Hello. Excuse me—are you here for the acquisition as well? Your company name…"

"Yes. It seems you are too. I'm Ananna, CFO of Mahad."

"Mahad?"

"You haven't heard of us? We're an Indian company."

An Indian company eyeing a Korean firm? And how had they even made the shortlist of preferred negotiation partners in the first place?

I forced a polite smile and started asking her questions. A CFO was practically executive-level…

Her skin was a shade darker, but she was strikingly beautiful. Her features weren't as bold as the heroines in Indian films—more like a Korean beauty who'd gotten a deep tan. Mixed heritage, maybe?

"I'm curious how you passed the government screening."

I urgently summoned Hong Eunyoung and Lee Sangsoo. The biggest obstacle of this entire acquisition had just walked into the room. If I was going to beat a company called Mahad—one I'd never even heard of—I needed information. Fast. Get over here already.

"That's not the sort of thing one discusses in a crowded place like this. What about you, Mr. Kang Junghyeok? This is my first time meeting a Korean Transcendent in person. A pleasure."

She took my hand. A slender hand.

Ananna Prasad. Her full name came through. And she wasn't an Awoken.

"Where… exactly are you looking right now?"

"Ah… sorry?"

"This hand. Would you mind letting go?"

I'd zoned out reading the information, and she called me on it immediately. She looked me straight in the eye as she spoke, and I felt like I could fall into those pupils. Whether it was my own preconceptions about Indian women or something else, there was something deeply mysterious about her. I wasn't even sure she was fully Indian—but the name made it clear she wasn't Korean.

"My apologies. If you'll excuse me, I need to step out for a moment. May I request another ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠conversation shortly?"

"Of course. I'd welcome it."

Ananna gave a little shrug of her shoulders and headed back toward her entourage. She was in a women's business suit, but even that couldn't fully hide an extraordinary figure. My eyes drifted, unbidden, to the sway of her hips.

Damn—

She must have felt my gaze, because she turned her head and looked right at me again. First impression: suspicious creep. She already knew my name, which meant she'd probably heard the "Pervert Transcendent" rumors too… damn it.

I managed an awkward smile. She returned a light one of her own. What did that smile even mean? Mockery? Confidence in her own body? Or just professional courtesy?

Then I felt a poke in my side.

"You called?"

"Let's step outside for a minute."

"You call me over and then—"

"I have something to say. Not the kind of conversation for a room full of people."

I hustled Hong Eunyoung and Lee Sangsoo out of the conference hall and started searching for Mahad on my phone while firing questions at both of them.

"You don't know Mahad? They're huge. Think of them as the Indian version of Shinbaram Corporation."

"That's right. If they're bidding, we're at a serious disadvantage. Their capital is on a completely different scale. The only reason they haven't bought Shinbaram outright is government interference—and even now, they're one of the major shareholders holding more than five percent of Shinbaram stock."

The more I heard, the more hopeless it sounded. Now what?

"Why do you think the government included them in this open bid?"

"That I don't really…"

"Maybe they got something from Mahad's side? Could be money, or something else entirely. Mahad monopolizes the auction of every piece of loot coming out of the gates in India and the surrounding countries."

"Hmm… then flip it—why would Mahad want to buy Shinbaram's Dungeon Raid Division?"

"Hard to say… Even if they did, they couldn't just ship the remaining Awoken off to India. The current government would refuse, and so would most of the Awoken themselves. Though a few might be tempted by the money."

All of it was guesswork. The truth stayed hidden. That was all I could get out of the two of them.

Which meant I'd have to ask Ananna herself. And there were less than thirty minutes left before the open bid started.

"Any information on this Ananna woman? She's a stunning beauty, and ridiculously young—looked like she was still in her twenties."

"Ha… you can't even wait five minutes… You really are hopeless with women… Hyaah—! W-where do you think you're touching right now?!"

"You looked jealous, Eunyoung, so I just… Ah. I made a scene in front of Na-yeon's father. My apologies."

"Haha, it's fine. I already figured out what kind of relationship you two have."

"We are not that kind of relationship! And jealous of what, exactly?!"

"Why are you the one getting angry? If anyone should be angry, it's me."

Na-yeon's dad swallowed hard. Behind his glasses, his eyes rolled over Hong Eunyoung's chest and hips. I appreciated the help with the deal, but ogling what was mine was off-limits. I might treat her like a slave, but I wasn't handing her over.

"Ananna Prasad… it says here she's the only daughter of Mahad Prasad."

"And who is Mahad ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Prasad?"

"Think about the name. He's the founder of Mahad. The man who holds a hundred percent of that massive company. One of the richest men in Indian business, and apparently close with the Indian Prime Minister—at least according to what's online."

"Don't tell me… a company that size is family-run?"

"Yes. India's new-money chaebol, basically. They started as a no-name automotive OEM subcontractor. After the gates appeared, they exploded. A company that used to take subcontracting work from Korean carmakers is now one of the top five conglomerates in India. The Prasad family owns every last share."

"Hmm… I'll need to talk with her myself. Good work. You two proceed as planned."

"What? Are you sure? If they're an elephant, we're a fly buzzing over elephant dung…"

"Are you trying to mock me with that analogy?"

"No!"

"Don't worry, either of you. Do you know who I am? I'm Kang Junghyeok. Transcendent Kang Junghyeok."

"Pervert Transcendent… Hnngh—!"

"Quit fooling around and do your job."

"Would you stop doing that in front of Na-yeon's father?!"

"For someone protesting, you seem to be enjoying it quite a bit… Finish the work well and I'll give you a very generous reward. Look forward to it."

I left the two of them behind and re-entered the conference hall. Then I went straight to Ananna and requested a private meeting. With the open bid about to start, there was no time for etiquette—I walked right up to her.

The moment I suggested the two of us speak quietly alone, a pair of burly Indian bodyguards closed in fast. She waved them off, and they stepped back at once.

"Sorry. My father is a bit overprotective."

"India's like that too?"

"India is worse. Much worse than here."

We exchanged small talk as we moved. Right next to the conference hall, the hotel had prepared several small rooms for exactly this kind of situation. A staff member guided us into one of them. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠When the bodyguards tried to follow, Ananna ordered them to wait outside.

"I was rude earlier. My apologies."

"It's fine. For a Transcendent, you're actually rather well-mannered."

"Pardon? Are Awoken in India just as badly behaved?"

"Heh. Of course. People are the same everywhere. Though there are polite ones too, naturally."

Time was short, but diving straight into business felt awkward. Still, I had a pretty good idea why this woman had shown up.

"Please don't take this the wrong way—you're an extraordinary beauty, so I was wondering if you might be…"

"Mixed?"

"Yes…"

"Not half. How should I put this… My grandfather was Indian. My grandmother was British. My father is Indian-British mixed. My mother is Chinese. And then I was born."

"Ah… that's quite the combination…"

"I'm happy with it. I take after my mother, so my nose is a bit small, but my skin is much lighter than the Indian average."

We spent several minutes on this kind of pointless small talk, feeling each other out. The real question was who would bring up the actual business first.

I decided to make the first move. There really was no time left.

"Why did you want to meet me?"

"Excuse me?"

"I know. You came here to meet me."

"What makes you think that?"

Neither confirmation nor denial. She wanted to probe further. Fine. Tug-of-war wasn't my style.

I'd say it straight.

"A giant like Mahad has no real need to acquire something as small as Shinbaram's Dungeon Raid Division. It's not even particularly promising, and as a foreign company you'd face endless restrictions. There's even less reason for a CFO-level executive to personally show up for a minor acquisition. So there's only one explanation. You came to meet me—a Transcendent."

"Isn't that quite a leap? I'm well aware of Korea's situation. Small gate-related companies have been flooding the market lately. You could gather them all up and build something big, couldn't you?"

"That's absurd. The government would never allow it, and no matter how many C-rank and D-rank Awoken you collect, you'll never become a major corporation. That's why the domestic conglomerates are eyeing each other and only picking off the real gems one by one. And Mahad is a foreign firm on top of that."

"Well, let's assume you're right. But even then, claiming I came here just to meet you still feels like an enormous leap, doesn't it?"

"You know about my ability, don't you? The people who contact me wanting a meeting aren't limited to Korea."

"You're overestimating yourself. India has plenty of Transcendents, and some of them work for our company."

"I have the ability to enhance the mana of Awoken—and Transcendents. Why keep deflecting? What's your real purpose? If you want to build a relationship and make use of my ability, this kind of attitude isn't welcome. I prefer honesty."

"……"

"One of Korea's major corporations once tried to kidnap me. They paid for it dearly. I'm perfectly willing to cooperate if the compensation is right—so why are people always so desperate to force the issue? I hope Mahad isn't like that."

"You're right. I came to meet you."

I finally dropped the serious expression and broke into a bright smile. Ananna, on the other hand, kept a prim, haughty look—as if she didn't want to admit she'd lost the exchange.

Not that I thought I'd won. We were only just getting to the real conversation.

"Before I hear your reasons—how far did your background check on me go? I find it extremely unpleasant."

"I was only curious about the exact nature of your ability. Please don't misunderstand."

"Fine. But if I catch you digging into me again, you'd better be prepared for the consequences."

"…Understood. I know full well how strong you are. And that you have a strange ability."

I had the initiative now.

So what did an Indian company want from me?

Time to find out.