A Cry for Help

Kim Hye-in sat slumped on the floor, her face blank and empty. Her posture was like someone who had given up, collapsing weakly.

“Ah… aah…”

A pained groan escaped her. Tears streamed from her eyes. Unable to hold back her emotions any longer, she dropped to the floor and began to sob.

I watched her quietly. I didn't offer words of comfort, nor did I approach her with false empathy. I simply observed. What was needed wasn't some cheap pity.

So, Kim Hye-in sat on the floor for a long time, crying.

The next day.

I sat in the president's office and stared quietly at the desk. What caught my eye was a USB device. It was the recording of the conversation between Park So-jeong and the Big Stone Guild master that Kim Hye-in had brought.

And in front of the desk...

“……”

Kim Hye-in stood unsteadily. Her cheeks were pale, and her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Her appearance was that of someone who hadn't slept all night, only crying. Had she eaten at all?

I felt a strange discomfort at her completely different appearance from her usual self. Just as I was about to pick up the USB and turn my gaze away from her face...

“Help me.”

“……”

A cracked voice suddenly rang out. I blinked, thinking I might have misheard, then looked up again and stared at her. As if to confirm if what I heard was correct.

Honestly, it felt a bit too sudden. Help me? Not out of resentment or curse, but asking for help?

Looking at the red, swollen eyes again, even though she was standing still, her eyes were trembling slightly. Like she was having a seizure. Yet she didn't even realize she was trembling.

“Had she been crying all night?”

I thought, and thought again. And no matter how much I thought, I couldn't come up with a way to save her brother myself. She wasn't an S-rank like Jo A-young, and she didn't have any special power in her hands. How could she face the alliance alone?

In the end, after agonizing all night, the conclusion she reached was just to ask for help from me. So, she was standing in front of me, having abandoned her pride to ask for help.

When I didn't answer, Kim Hye-in bit her lower lip. Looking at her trembling lips, I let out a small sigh.

“If you really want to save your sister, just wait quietly.”

“……”

As if she didn't even have time to think of an answer. She didn't respond.

“Even to fulfill your wish, we must bring them down as soon as possible... I'll use this.”

With those words, I picked up the USB. And it felt uncomfortable looking at her face, so I tried to turn my head. Right now, I needed to focus on bringing down the Belves Alliance. I couldn't let my emotions sway and ruin the plan. There were already many things in motion.

But at that moment.

“Help me...”

“……”

“Please...”

An agonizing voice came. I couldn't completely turn my head and instead glanced at her sideways.

“……”

Tears were welling up in her eyes.

“Ah.”

Seeing that teary face, the face of someone else kept overlapping. This person who had been abandoned by the world, trapped in the basement in a miserable state. And Jo A-young's face, crying as she thought there was no hope.

“...Really.”

A strange emotion surged from the corner of my heart. I tried to calm my heart and looked at her.

“From next week, come back to the secretary's office... And...”

I was about to say not to move rashly regarding this matter. I was about to warn her. But just as I was about to spit out those words, my throat felt clogged and my breath was blocked. I couldn't bring myself to say it out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠loud, seeing those teary eyes.

“...No.”

In the end, I swallowed the rest. Kim Hye-in finally lowered her head. Then, without a word, she turned and left the president's office.

Click.

“...Haa.”

Even though the door closed and I was alone, the teary face of Kim Hye-in kept overlapping with Jo A-young's face in my mind. I tried to shake my head to dispel the thoughts, but I couldn't. I looked at the USB in my hand again. The remaining tasks were just to gather the evidence that Kang Chanyong would bring and bring down the Belves Alliance.

“That's right. That's the most reliable...”

Even as I thought that, without realizing, I picked up my phone. And kept tapping to call someone.

“Hello.”

From the other end, Kang Chanyong's voice.

“I heard you are going to the alliance meeting tomorrow.”

[Ah... yes! As the president said, the evidence...]

“A new thing has come up that I need you to look into.”

[Yes? What... Ah, do you have more evidence to prepare?]

“......”

[President?]

“Could you look into the place where the Belgriff Guild is conducting human experiments.”

[...Yes?]

“I need the exact address.”

Kang Chanyong was a bit bewildered and fell silent for a moment.

[Yes! Understood. It would be good to know in advance to prevent them from backing out.]

“Please do me a favor.”

Click.

I hung up and placed the phone on the desk as if throwing it.

“...Crazy.”

Sighing repeatedly, I ran my hands over my face. It was the time when I had repeated several times that it would be advantageous to look into it as Kang Chanyong said.

Click.

The door opened, and Jo A-young entered. She had been busy investigating the nursery fire incident and had just returned.

But she suddenly stopped in her tracks and stared at me.

“...Is there something worrying you?”

She asked in a concerned voice, sensing my mood immediately.

“No.”

Wanting to hide my feelings, I answered briefly and tried to turn my head to avoid her gaze.

“......”

Jo A-young, who had come close, bent over and brought her face closer. Then she asked again.

“Is there something wrong?”

Why? It was just a normal question like asking about my well-being, yet there was a pressure in her voice. As if she wanted to share her worries with me too.

In the end, I let out a small sigh and began to spill everything. Kim Hye-in had been under Park So-jeong because she was trying to treat her only sister, her younger sister, who had a rare disease. But Park So-jeong had used Kim Hye-in's story as a weakness to use her as a tool. Not satisfied with just exploiting her, she had sent the younger sister to the nursery and then stolen her away. The nursery where the fire incident had happened. And the situation where the stolen child was used as the first experimental subject for forced awakening had been confirmed.

After spilling all the stories, on Jo A-young's face, there were really subtle ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and complex emotions intertwined.

“......”

She had been driven out without any reason, just because she was Park So-jeong's person. She hadn't explained the reason. But since she had also been used, her heart must have been uneasy. The pity and guilt in Jo A-young's eyes. And the anger towards the Belves Alliance. The will to burn again was clearly conveyed.

The next morning.

Despite the fact that I had told her to come to work from next week, Kim Hye-in was at the desk in front of the president's office early in the morning. Her face was still haggard, and I was worried, but I didn't say anything. With a light bow, I entered the president's office. Since Jo A-young was pushing the investigation hard, I thought there might be another staff member at the desk. But when I saw that Kim Hye-in was holding the position, a strange feeling arose.

“...Lunch time, right, probably.”

Thinking about how much information Kang Chanyong could get from there, while thinking about that, I flipped through the documents on the desk and moved the mouse repeatedly to organize the materials. Time had passed, and it was now 1 o'clock. And as if waiting, the vibration rang.

“Then...”

Nodding my head, I immediately sent a message to lawyer Kim Jin-wook.

[It seems we can start.]

That evening.

Kang Chanyong held an emergency press conference.

“Our Big Stone Guild can no longer ride in the same boat with these rotten demons! The Belves Alliance is not an organization for awakened beings, but an organization for experimenting on awakened beings! A terrifying group that conducts human experiments on orphans!”

His confession of conscience was broadcast live nationwide. Its impact was beyond imagination. News articles alone were updated dozens, hundreds of times, and the community was boiling hot.

Also, in the community, real-time posts were continuously coming up.

Only after checking the community reactions did I get up from my seat and start packing my coat. Now that all preparations are over...

“Shall we go.”