Drawing the Line
The chairman's office, located on the top floor of Samhyeon Enterprise. Its master, Chairman Jeon Sihyun, sat in a massive leather chair, gazing out the window. The office was a luxurious space with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Through the glass, the cityscape unfolded before him. The buildings, cars, and people looked like miniature decorations. Looking at them, Jeon Sihyun smirked.
"Here is your black tea, Chairman."
His secretary, Go Seah, bowed slightly as she handed him the teacup. He took it and took a light sip. The warm aroma of black tea drifted past his nose, yet the scent carried a strangely cold chill. He glanced over at Seah.
She was his secretary, but also his partner in crime, assisting in his covert misdeeds. Her talent for covering up crimes was extraordinary; she had miraculously engineered the perfect cover-up for Do Hajun's murder, ensuring they wouldn't get caught.
"Your skills are impressive. How did you manage to keep it completely hidden?"
"South Korea relies on a mere fifteen hundred private detectives to conduct criminal investigations. In truth, its investigative power is less than half of other nations—it is a foolish place. Committing a perfect crime here is hardly a challenge."
"I see."
The world of [Kang Daehyuk Detective Agency] was a place where private detectives held sway over public authority. Even the top dog here, Kang Daehyuk, was an idiot. The other detectives were so incompetent they might as well not exist.
'It'll be easy to commit crimes here. Even after I clear the scenario's completion conditions, I should drop by from time to time.'
Sihyun spoke as the thought crossed his mind.
"After Do Hajun's death, what happened to his company, TC Group?"
"We have acquired TC Group, Chairman. It was made possible by the company's plummeting market value."
"Excellent."
Seah's face flushed with a delicate pink as she looked up at him.
"In that case..."
What she wanted was simple and primal.
Later that evening.
Adjusting his slightly disheveled suit, Jeon Sihyun stepped into the elevator with Go Seah, heading down one floor. Seah smoothed down her messy hair and spoke.
"The general board meeting with the executives will begin in fifteen minutes. I have listed all the expected agenda items in the documents, so you can simply skim through them as you lead the meeting."
"Got it. Well, since you handled it, I'm sure there won't be any issues."
Working with Go Seah over the past few days had taught him one thing: she was a highly reliable perfectionist. Aside from her excessive dependence on him, she was incredibly useful.
Ding. The elevator doors slid open. They walked down the hallway until they reached a set of massive double doors. Sihyun took a deep breath, staring at the entrance. Just then, Seah grabbed his hand. She leaned in, planting a soft kiss on his lips, and whispered.
"Don't be nervous, Chairman. It won't be difficult at all."
"..."
Frowning slightly, Sihyun pushed the doors open and stepped inside. A sizable crowd of executives turned their heads to look at them. Sihyun walked over to the head of the table, taking his seat at the center of power, and surveyed the room.
There were white-haired old men, obnoxious-looking young punks, and nerdy brats who looked like straight-A students. A diverse cast of characters stared back at him. Sihyun flashed a cold smile.
"Well then, let us begin the board meeting."
It was tedious. All he had to do was sit in silence, occasionally nodding along as they bickered and debated things he knew nothing about, but it was still mind-numbing. He had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.
"So... what are your thoughts on this, Chairman Jeon?"
"I think it sounds good."
"Then we shall proceed with this plan..."
It would have been helpful if he knew a single thing about the AI industry, but Sihyun was completely clueless. From what he had gathered, the original Jeon Sihyun of this world hadn't known much either; it was just a background setting he had inherited.
'Boring.'
Caressing Seah's thigh beneath the table, Sihyun idly killed time.
As the meeting drew to a close, the executives began to flatter Sihyun under the guise of discussing the upcoming holiday season.
"Chairman... there is a highly exclusive party happening recently. Would you be interested in attending?"
"Oh? What kind of party?"
"Well, it's a bit difficult to speak of it openly here..."
Just then, a younger executive burst into hearty laughter.
"Are you trying to sneak off to that place again? Haha!"
"Honestly, you're hopeless..."
Another executive let out a deep sigh. Sihyun, suddenly intrigued, asked,
"What kind of place is it to warrant such a reaction?"
"Well... you see..."
A balding executive offered an awkward smile.
"Have you heard of a place called Highteen Wine? Quite a few highly successful individuals frequent it. It's incredibly hot these days."
"Highteen Wine?"
Naturally, he had no idea. Sihyun wasn't a native of this world; he was merely here for amusement and to fulfill the 'scenario's completion conditions.' However, that didn't mean he wasn't curious.
"Go on, explain."
"Well... about that..."
The balding executive gestured to a nearby staff member. Immediately, the recording and filming of the meeting were halted. Staff members shut down the computers and confiscated them to prevent any stenography. As the regular employees looked on in confusion, security guards quickly escorted all non-executive staff out of the room.
Before long, only a select few executives remained in the spacious room. They were the exact individuals Sihyun had internally flagged as looking particularly sleazy. They smirked, their eyes gleaming.
"Now... only those of us who have visited Highteen Wine are left."
"We figured it was about time we introduced you to it, Chairman Jeon."
"We all know you have a taste for beautiful women, Chairman! Great minds think alike, don't they? Hahaha!"
"..."
This didn't smell right... What exactly were they trying to say? Sihyun remained silent, closely observing the sleazy executives. They stared at him, practically drooling like dogs staring at a treat. They looked utterly unhinged.
"You see—"
One of the executives, a man whose face was heavily scarred by burns, mimed cupping a pair of breasts as he spoke.
"Highteen Wine is a paradise! You can enjoy the bodies of beautiful women to your heart's content! And not just any women—fresh, young college girls!"
A younger executive among them thrust his hips forward in a vulgar gesture.
"It's not like those places filled with spoiled, leftover women in their thirties. That place is teeming with fresh college girls..."
A grotesque-looking man practically drooled as he chimed in.
"You have to experience it yourself to know just how exquisite the bodies of those young women are!"
"..."
Sihyun merely maintained his cold smile. He remained silent, quietly observing them. Sensing a strange, creeping unease from his silence, one of the men laughed nervously and tried to sling an arm around Sihyun's shoulder.
"Haha... are you nervous? Well, that's understandable. Even if you have a reputation for loving women, Chairman, you probably haven't had the chance to 'sample' so many at once."
"Everyone in the world knows that young women are the absolute best!"
"So, just trust us this once and become a member of Highteen Wine..."
Sihyun slowly stood up from his chair. Tensing at his sudden movement, the executives instinctively took a step back. Sihyun took a slow, deliberate step toward them.
"So... what you're saying is this."
First, he needed to clarify the situation.
"A playground for the elite called Highteen Wine. You want me to become a member."
"Y-yes, exactly."
"And that place... is a den where you rape women against their will."
"N-no, it's not like that! Those girls want something too... They have debts, you see. To pay them off..."
"Haha..."
Sihyun chuckled. Relieved, the executives began to laugh along.
"Hahaha!"
"I knew it, Chairman! You're going to join us after all!"
"We knew you would! No man on earth dislikes women!"
"...Hahahahaha—!"
Sihyun burst into uncontrollable laughter; the sheer absurdity of it was too much. They must have thought he was an easy mark. Regretting his past docility, Sihyun simply stared at them, focusing his mind. It was time to use Single Flash.
Sihyun took a slow, deep breath, channeling all his focus into his physical senses. He watched their movements with absolute precision. Then, he began to see the faint white lines slowly tracing through the air. Focusing his entire being on those lines, Sihyun thought:
'Sure, I have a hobby of killing and raping women who have committed minor sins. That's a fact.'
But even he had a line.
'I have a line I never cross.'
A true criminal always has their own code, a boundary they respect. And these bastards had just crossed it.
'Targeting innocent women is something I will never tolerate.'
Sihyun's gaze locked onto the starting point of Single Flash—the absolute center of all the white lines. He slowly aligned his body with that focal point. Instantly, his body moved on its own.
Flash!
It happened in the blink of an eye. Like a burst of pure white lightning, Sihyun's body surged forward, delivering devastating blows to every single executive in the room. Striking their nerves, joints, and skulls with pinpoint accuracy, he left them completely paralyzed and crippled.
One of them tried to push himself up with a trembling body, but...
"My body... my body... I can't move! Ahhh!"
Panic seized him as he realized he had been permanently crippled. He thrashed in desperation, but his limbs refused to obey. With his sphincter and other motor nerves completely severed, a foul, filthy mess began to leak from his lower body, pooling onto the floor.
Sihyun slowly stood over them. One of the men, whose jaw was still functional, shrieked in terror.
"You... you're no different from us! Why are you doing this to us?! You... you're a monster who rapes and buys women too—"
"Of course. I won't deny that I'm a bad guy."
Sihyun smirked, stepping closer to the man. He drew a dagger and lightly slit his throat.
"But even so, I'm not the type of person who believes it's right to torment the innocent."
Blood sprayed wildly from the wound. When the man began to scream in sheer terror, Sihyun casually punctured his vocal cords to silence him.
Sihyun spoke softly.
"That... is the line I draw."
Call it old-fashioned or hypocritical, but there were some things that simply should never be done.
"So, congratulations on spending the rest of your lives as cripples, dear members of Highteen Wine."
Sihyun turned his gaze to the corner. A single man, the only one left untouched, was shivering violently. Sihyun asked him with a pleasant smile,
"And as for you."
Sihyun smirked, his voice dripping with mock warmth.
"I'd appreciate it if you told me everything you know about this Highteen Wine."
The man nodded frantically, looking as if he were ready to write a doctoral thesis on the subject just to save his skin. Sihyun smiled in deep satisfaction.
Off the coast of Incheon lies an island called Deokjeokdo. While parts of it serve as a tourist destination, a short walk to the less populated areas reveals a desolate, eerie landscape. It was the perfect place to bury or dispose of bodies.
Thud... Thud...
They poured cement into large drums, stuffed the bodies inside, and rolled them off the edge into the deep sea. With that simple process, the corpses would sink to the ocean floor, remaining hidden for eternity.
Sihyun opened the lid of one of the drums—the one containing the man who had spilled all the secrets about Highteen Wine. Encased in wet cement, the man began to weep the moment he saw Sihyun. Only his head remained exposed, resting precariously above the gray sludge. He could do nothing but stare at Sihyun in sheer terror.
Sihyun spoke.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I've found a very entertaining game to play. From now on... I plan to torment every single member of Highteen Wine you just betrayed."
When the weeping man began to shriek, Sihyun casually slammed the lid shut. Instantly, the world became blissfully quiet.
Sihyun turned to Go Seah, who was busy rolling the drums into the dark water.
"Let's push this one in too."
"Yes, Chairman."
Once the last drum disappeared beneath the waves, Sihyun checked his wristwatch.
"Is it about time?"
"Yes. It is time for the party to begin."
"Excellent. Let's go see just how wonderful this place really is."
Highteen Wine. It was time to uncover the truth behind this twisted party.