The Serpent and the Signpost
I barely managed to tear myself away from Cha Soyeon’s seductive suggestion that I “clean up the trash first and then sleep over,” and stepped out of her house.
“It’s not that I don’t want to. I just have something I really need to tell the kids today.”
She sent me off with a smile as pure as the Virgin Mary. I hadn’t even done anything, yet every last drop of energy had been drained from my body. No matter what I did, I always felt like Cha Soyeon was standing on top of my head. I hurried toward the dorm, eager to deliver the good news before the day was over.
Red Blossom Dormitory
“Welcome back, oppa. You’re a little late today, huh?”
As usual, Lina was waiting for me at the front door. From the kitchen came a chaotic clatter of pots and pans.
“Ah, my clothes! My clothes!”
I stopped Yeoreum as she rushed past in a panic, trying to change outfits.
They clearly hadn’t expected me, because the living room was far messier than usual.
“You look pretty no matter what you wear, so don’t bother changing. I won’t be here long.”
“B-but…”
“It’s fine. Call everyone out. I have something to tell you all.”
The four of them sat neatly on the sofa, waiting for me to speak. The sight made me strangely nervous, and I cleared my throat.
“Um… this is fresh, hot news, so I wanted to tell you before the day ended.”
“Manager-nim dragging it out like this is making me nervous.”
“Yeah, just get to the point already.”
“Looking at Manager oppa’s face, it seems like good news.”
(Nod, nod.)
“It is good news. The chairman has given permission to add a new member. Once we bring in one more person, we should be able to start preparing for a comeback.”
Just like in the office with our team, silence fell over the room. It only took a few seconds for their blank faces to shift into shock and then bloom into pure joy.
“KYAAAAAAAAAH!”
It was a scream worthy of an idol group—rich with musical training. They clung to one another in a frenzy before all four of them charged at me at once.
Do they even know what Chie looks like? Why are they acting like this?
“Huuuung, Manager-nim… Manager-niiim!!”
“Oppa, thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Manager oppa, I’m genuinely moved.”
“Me too.”
For a long while the five of us savored a joy that rivaled a reunion of separated families.
“We’ve cleared the biggest hurdle, but this is only the beginning. Especially you, Chie—you know you have to audition, right?”
“Yes.”
“Our company is smaller than SN, but our AR team is considered the best in the industry. Team Leader Baek Hagyeong is an absolute monster. He won’t give easy approval.”
“Even a sardine head can be believed if you believe hard enough. Since I believe in you, Manager oppa, I know I’ll pass.”
“Sardine head?”
“It’s a Korean proverb. It means that with enough faith, anything is possible.”
Thanks to Chie, my stock of random knowledge had increased by one.
“Until the audition is over… actually, no. Stop doing part-time jobs starting today. I’ll cover any shortfall in living expenses. They’ve cleared out the basement practice room for remodeling. They’re installing the audio equipment tomorrow, so all of you focus on training Chie, got it?”
“Yes!”
And with that, Red Blossom took its first step toward a comeback.
SN Entertainment Executive Office
“It’s less impressive than I expected?”
“He was just an ordinary employee at a small entertainment company.”
A man sat across from Executive Director Geum Taesang. He had chilling eyes and a knife scar running across his cheek—an overall vicious impression that made you want to avoid him at all costs.
“Graduated from Korea University at twenty-seven… he studied hard, at least. Close with Cha Soyeon?”
“He caught the guy who attacked her with a knife. That’s how he got into Pine Entertainment. Seems like Cha Soyeon took a liking to him.”
“Liking him my ass. What could she possibly see in a pathetic little manager? She probably just acted sweet a few times for the sake of her image.”
He stuck a cigarette in his mouth. The man pulled out a lighter and lit it for him.
“Huu~ I thought he looked like he might be something, but he’s this ordinary? You’re sure you dug properly?”
“Yes. If he bothers you that much, shall I bring him in? If my boys rough him up a little, I bet he’ll spill everything he did there.”
“He claims he handled three hundred people by himself?”
“Does that even make sense? He’s not Superman.”
“I thought it was obviously a bluff too, but when he stood in front of me he felt… different. Even when he spoke softly, I felt overpowered.”
At Geum Taesang’s words, the man’s expression turned strange.
“If even you felt that way, Director, then he’s no ordinary man. Most people can’t even speak properly in front of you.”
“I do have a rather intimidating face. But that bastard looked at me like I was just some uncle from the neighborhood.”
He exhaled the smoke he had drawn deep into his lungs.
“If you’re curious, send the boys to test him. Just make sure the cleanup is perfect.”
“Understood.”
When the man came down to the parking lot, a hulking subordinate opened the car door for him.
“Did the talk go well?”
“Yeah. Tell Viper to gather some useful guys.”
“How many do you need?”
“About ten. Make sure there are no loose ends.”
“Understood. Should I call them to hyung-nim’s establishment?”
“Do that.”
The man grimaced and ran a hand through his hair.
“Fuck, does fighting three hundred people even make sense?”
A few days later, I bought a few cans of beer at the convenience store and headed home.
This house is nice, but climbing the alley every time is brutal.
But I already received the Red Blossom dorm. How can I ask for more?
Women who come to me? What women do I even have?
That was only because she was drawn to my Grace.
The Divine Spirit suddenly cut off. At the same time, I bumped shoulders with a passerby. When had he even appeared?
“UAAAAAGH!”
The man I had bumped into rolled across the ground. I hadn’t even hit him that hard.
“I’m sorry. Are you okay?”
The moment I bent down to help him up, the man pulled something from his coat. Glinting under the streetlight—it was a knife.
With practiced movements, he drove the blade toward my side. There was, of course, no time to dodge.
Right before the blade could sink into my side, it twisted into a bizarre shape and coiled around the man’s arm. Looking closer, it was a disgustingly realistic snake.
“KAAAAAGH! What… what the hell!!”
Screaming, the man flailed wildly to shake it off. The harder he struggled, the tighter the snake coiled, eventually sinking its fangs into his neck. The man’s eyes rolled back as he foamed at the mouth and collapsed.
Is that… Viper?
The man with the knife wasn’t the only one. I heard footsteps and looked up to see people pouring out from deeper in the alley. Each of them held weapons—wooden bats, steel pipes. At least ten of them.
I stood up quickly, but suddenly the entire area went pitch black. An impenetrable darkness had swallowed the alley.
As if to prove the point, they began groping around, crashing into one another in chaos. Watching them, a fierce fighting spirit surged inside my chest.
Strange.
Everything’s already over, but something keeps boiling up inside me. I actually want to go over there and punch them.
“Give me a weapon.”
“Is a fist really enough?”
That’s true, I guess.
I clenched my fists and walked toward them.
A short while later, ten men lay sprawled across the ground. They were unconscious, not even twitching.
It actually worked.
I should have left one of them conscious. I needed to ask who sent them.
Then what should I do?
The darkness that had swallowed the alley gradually receded. Just as the streetlights became visible again, I spotted something like a continuous glowing lane stretching beyond the alley. It looked exactly like the navigation lines on a GPS.
What is that?
Whoa, it really is a navigation system?
Once again thanking God for today’s daily Grace, I followed the glowing markers. The alley led down to the main road.
Do I need to drive? How far is it?
It had become even more like a real navigation system. I climbed into the company van parked in the nearby lot and began following the glowing path.
The only person who would send men like these was Executive Director Geum Taesang. There had been rumors that Gangnam gangsters were backing him, and it looked like those rumors were true. If there was dirty work to be done, they would step forward in his place.
Since things had come to this, it was time to clean up the trash first.