The Method of Resolving Concerns
I was treated to lunch by the couple, Yuk Dae-jang and Cha Dong-ja. Once the meal was finished, I moved busily. Aunt Sujeong was busy preparing for the move. A large number of people and supplies needed to be transported to Samira’s territory, but preparations were still lacking. It was because time was short.
The Seoul Station faction hadn't even finished cleaning up after their battle with a massive monster wave. Jang Hoseop was in charge of taking a census of the people moving to Samira, and I decided to grasp the current status of the gates in the meantime.
"This way. It's not the latest information, but..."
Fortunately, the leader couple of the Hope Bunker had created a gate status board, just like we had in Samira.
"I should go around and check it myself."
"Yes... would you like me to have someone guide you?"
"I'm fine."
There were no bothersome monsters in this vicinity. I moved quickly on my own, checking the board's information against reality with my own eyes.
'I should bring my Soul Stone here later.'
My Soul Stone was larger than a gym ball. It was a burden to carry around at all times, but moving it wasn't a problem. Since the level 4 Soul Stone had a gate detection function, I decided I would bring it to Seoul Station sometime soon.
"Auntie."
"Ah, you're back."
Time passed, and it became late afternoon. The days were long, so the surroundings were still bright.
"Is it almost finished?"
"Yes. We can leave now."
People were saying their goodbyes to their families. Yuk Dae-jang and Cha Dong-ja were also sharing an affectionate farewell with their daughter. Leading a group that had more than doubled in size since the morning, we began to walk toward Samira.
"Hoseop."
"Yes."
"How do the people seem?"
"Hmm... generally, I don't think there will be any problems."
Most of the people joining Samira this time were ordinary civilians. Once they started working, the Awakened would be able to focus more exclusively on external activities.
"Generally?"
"Yes. A few of them... well, they give off a bit of a 'troublemaker' vibe."
"Ah, I see. That can happen."
It was true that the couple had controlled the people strictly, but they weren't heartless. And as you live life, you realize there are truly many mentally unstable people in this world.
"Just make them adapt. If they can't..."
"If they can't?"
"Then we'll have to make them serve Samira in a different way."
There are many ways to resolve a concern. It would be wonderful to find a wise solution, but sometimes you just avoid the concern or carry it with you. And since the world changed, I found one more method.
"Lee Hyun."
"Yes, Auntie."
"By the way, the conversation you had with Hoseop this morning... was there perhaps a problem with Hoseop's skill?"
During a brief lull in my conversation with Jang Hoseop, Aunt Sujeong asked cautiously.
"I thought there might be a flaw in Hoseop's Lie Detection."
"May I know what happened?"
I hadn't told anyone else about my suspicions regarding Yuri-an. Only Jang Hoseop and I knew. I gave her a brief summary of the story.
"Ah, so it's not certain."
"Yes. It's not like that woman committed a major crime, either. But after hearing what I heard at Seoul Station today..."
The problem was that I felt something was off. It kept bothering me.
"I plan to ask her directly once we arrive at Samira. It would be even better if Yuri-an confesses first."
"Even if she really lied, do you think she'll confess? That would mean she deceived you, Hyung, and you saw how she was yesterday."
At this point, Yuri-an's reaction didn't matter. Regardless, my energy was being wasted because of her.
"It doesn't matter. I'm going to end this concern today."
"Understood. That... ah, never mind. I'm doing it again without realizing."
"Why?"
"Because I feel like you're going to kill her, Hyung. I'd prefer if you didn't."
Aunt Sujeong looked at Jang Hoseop with an incredulous expression.
"No, you've never questioned Lee Hyun's decisions before."
"Yeah. That's why it's strange. Hyung knows it too. I'm just speaking my mind, I'm not really opposing him."
"Ah..."
"I feel the same. I find myself thinking of ways to keep Yuri-an alive."
Auntie looked at me this time.
"Is there such a way?"
"If her skill is truly useful, then perhaps."
"Ah, yes. That's true. Skills are important, after all."
We arrived at Samira’s territory. The people from Seoul Station were busy looking around, their eyes darting everywhere.
"Mister..."
And at the main gate guard post, Yuna was standing with a guard. Her face was stained with blood.
Yuna looked at me with a tearful face. She kept repeating that she was sorry, without any explanation.
"Yuna, calm down. Calm down and... let's move to a different spot first."
Aunt Sujeong wrapped her arm around Yuna's shoulder and turned her around. It was because she was conscious of people's gazes.
"We have to... go to the main building."
"Yeah. Let's do that."
I moved my feet, thinking about Yuna's emotions. Guilt, fear. These two emotions were the strongest.
'That's strange.'
Yuna had no fear. At first, there were times she was scared of me, but at some point, that emotion had completely disappeared.
'Since she went out for external activities today...'
Something must have happened outside, or there was a problem with her. With such speculations, I arrived at the main building. People were gathered in front of the main entrance. There were many people wearing combat gear, as if they had just returned from external activities. And there were others there to organize the scavenged supplies.
As I arrived, people parted to the left and right, clearing a path. At the end of it stood a man.
'Kim Jaeseok?'
He was the man who had joined Samira along with Yuri-an. He had the highest level among that group. The rest of the people who came with her were also standing around Kim Jaeseok.
"Lee Hyun."
"Kim Jaeseok. What is going on?"
"That is..."
Kim Jaeseok hesitated. Behind his back, the main building lobby was visible. Inside the lobby were the residents of the Muhwadong village and my group. Even Seolhee had come down.
"Move aside."
Yuri-an was collapsed on the lobby floor. Blood was flowing from her leg, and Jangsu was standing next to her. Jangsu was very angry. His face was red.
"What is going on?"
I entered the lobby and asked, looking at Jangsu.
"Lee Hyun. This woman deceived Yuna."
As Jangsu spoke, Yuna stepped out in front of me. Taking a deep breath to calm her agitated emotions, she began to explain it herself.
"Yuri-an asked me for a time of repentance."
"Yeah."
"I accepted, and we talked separately during the external activity."
Just the fact that they had such a conversation during an external activity was wrong to begin with.
'Since I didn't tell her exactly about that part...'
They must have used their break time, but she still should have set aside time after the workday was over.
"What did you talk about?"
"That... she said she wanted to get along well with you, Mister, but she didn't know if she was allowed to. She said even having those feelings felt like committing a sin, and asked if it was okay..."
The content of the conversation was even more absurd. It wasn't a time of repentance; it was just idle chatter.
"And then?"
"While we were talking about this and that, Yuri-an said she wanted to check the Square."
Yuna had given Yuri-an administrator privileges and let her see the Square. I couldn't understand why she did that.
'Is it because of... affection?'
But what she said next was even more absurd.
"Yuri-an posted a message on the Square."
"What?"
"She wrote that she is currently in Samira. She wrote that Samira is a good place to live... things like that..."
Yuna's emotions, which had calmed down a little, were agitated again. She watched my expression, worried. I immediately signaled to Hoseop.
"Check it."
"Understood."
After a brief wait, Hoseop quickly found the post and spoke.
"'I am the actress Yuri-an. I am currently in Samira.'"
That was the title of the post Yuri-an had uploaded. The content was just a daily, casual vibe. That Samira is a good place to live and the people are good. So, she urged people to send more rescue requests.
"Finally, she ended it by saying she would share more news next week..."
Fortunately, she didn't mention any classified information. Like Samira's location or information about me.
I finished grasping the content and looked back at Yuna.
"I found out late that Yuri-an posted on the Square..."
The only person who can freely post on the Square is Jang Hoseop. Others have to get permission first. Yuri-an had broken that rule. Yuna was so scared because she had essentially helped her do it.
"I confronted Yuri-an, and while we were arguing, I used my skill to subdue her."
The blood splattered on Yuna's face was Yuri-an's. The hole in Yuri-an's calf was made by Yuna.
"I'm innocent! Lee Hyun, please listen to my side too."
Yuri-an, who had been keeping her mouth shut and glaring at Yuna, crawled toward me. Like someone who was truly wronged. I let out a laugh.
Yuri-an raised her voice and rambled.
"I just wanted to contribute to Samira. Since I'm a public figure in my own way, if I promote it under my name, it would be helpful..."
She shouted loudly enough for the people outside the lobby to hear.
"Lee Hyun. You know my heart, right? You checked the post too."
Yuri-an looked up at me with a sorrowful expression. I could feel her emotions.
'Resentment, grievance...'
Absurdly, Yuri-an truly thought of this situation as unfair. Even Yuna was so afraid because she had broken the rules.
"The rule about not posting on the Square... I just forgot about that rule for a moment while trying to do a good job."
As I listened to her, Yuri-an's momentum gradually revived. She seemed to believe that I wouldn't harm her.
'She must really have something up her sleeve.'
And I couldn't understand my own heart, which felt a sense of pity for Yuri-an.
"It's better this way, actually. I'll share good stories about Samira next week too... Ah! Do you know how much my advertising fee is? I'm doing that for free..."
Yuri-an was right. It was better this way.
'Anyway, it's hard to believe anything Yuri-an says now...'
Now, there was no need to check her skills. I had been feeling uneasy anyway, and she had set the stage for me herself.
"Yuri-an. You broke an important rule. Thinking and judging as you please..."
"You told me to dedicate myself to Samira! I just found something I'm good at."
"And you also lied about your skill. How long did you think you could deceive me?"
I said it definitively. Yuri-an's expression stiffened.
"What do you..."
"I know everything. I gave you a chance, and you use it like this?"
This woman's skill was definitely not in the beauty category. She had been deceiving everyone.
'Did executing Go Mi-hye put pressure on her?'
I naturally tried to guess from Yuri-an's perspective.
"Wh-what do you mean? And the post is already up on the Square. Many people have seen it, and if my post doesn't go up next week, everyone will think it's strange, won't they?"
Yuri-an suggested we just go along nicely. She mentioned how we used Na Sayeon as a model to promote Samira's image, saying she would become an advertising model too. Why was she the one deciding that?
"Are you threatening me?"
The more she acted like that, the more I was convinced my guess was correct. Yuri-an wasn't innocent. The warning I sent during the time of repentance had pressured her, and she had found a breakthrough in her own way. That was the act of posting on the Square.
'It was a good thing I controlled the information.'
People didn't know exactly about the skills of the executives, including me. They only speculated. If Yuri-an had known about Jang Hoseop's skill, she wouldn't have come up with such an absurd idea.
'Well, it doesn't matter.'
What she lied about, what she was thinking when she did this. I didn't have to think about those things anymore. Among the ways to resolve a concern, there is the option of removing the cause of the concern. Sometimes, that is more efficient than coming up with a solution.
"No, it's not a threat. Lee Hyun, why don't you understand my heart? I was just working hard..."
As Yuri-an blinked those large eyes, tears flowed. I reached out my right hand.
"A wrong is a wrong. Come here and take a flick to the forehead."
"What? Ah... yes. As expected... tee-hee-hee. What is this? You were making such a scary face."
Yuri-an was relieved. I stood in front of her.
"I'll really do well from now on. I'll work hard on the promotions too..."
I hooked my middle finger over my thumb and aimed at her forehead. Then, I lowered it slightly.
"This mouth is the biggest problem."
"What?"
I channeled mana into my finger and applied force.
POW!!!
I flicked Yuri-an right in the mouth. There was a sound like a balloon bursting.
Thud.
Yuri-an collapsed on the spot. Her lips were torn, and her front teeth were all shattered.
Yuri-an had fainted. And naturally, I had no intention of letting her off with just one flick.
The problem was...
Slam!
"L-Lee Hyun! Please explain what on earth is going on..."
Should I consider him Yuri-an's follower? Kim Jaeseok, who had been standing outside, ran into the lobby. Without even asking for permission. Behind him, the group that had been with Yuri-an swarmed in.
"Hyung. He's asking for an explanation?"
Jang Hoseop came up to my side and said.
"Why should I?"
"That's true. This is going to become a big problem."
If I didn't explain exactly what happened, they looked ready to start a rebellion. I could feel the hostility directed at me.