Nano-Fortress and Black Cards
These days, after sending Eric and Liam to Ansan to fortify it, I've been watching the news to gauge the state of the world, and time flew by in a flash.
"We're back, Boss."
It hadn't been long since I sent them to Ansan, but they returned faster than expected.
I could see the Pelican cases in Eric and Liam's hands.
"How'd it go? Did you see the real thing?"
Curious whether they'd checked the actual product or just brought the boxed version, I asked. Eric answered with a disappointed look.
"Unfortunately, it was still packaged. Would've been better if we'd seen it on-site."
Maybe because he couldn't inspect the real item at the factory, Eric's expression was darker than I'd anticipated.
"Then should Eric do the honors of opening the box?"
At my words, Eric's somewhat disappointed face brightened up.
"Really? I can do it, Boss?"
His expectant expression quickly reverted to a stoic poker face.
Liam, who'd been watching Eric's face change, shrugged in exasperation and walked over to my side.
"The whole way back, he was staring at that damn case like it was his lifeline. Anyone would've thought there was a gold bar inside."
"It's more precious than gold, Liam."
Eric shot back as he unlocked the case.
From the looks of it, I half-expected some dramatic hiss of steam or smoke when it opened, but it just clicked open plainly with no effects.
Inside the surprisingly plain box, nestled between black cushioning foam, were five transparent rollers.
...That's it?
To my disappointed question, Athena protested as if wronged.
This is the pinnacle of nanotechnology—a layered nano-crystal structure.
Maybe scratched by my disappointment, she started rambling in my head about how advanced the tech embedded in the black roller was.
I tuned out Athena's noisy chatter and handed the roller to Eric, asking him to demo it.
"Since you've already opened it, why don't you apply it too, Eric."
"...An honor. Just use it like a regular roller?"
To Eric's question, Athena replied through the office speakers.
Just use it like a normal roller.
Without hesitation, Eric grabbed the end of the film, pressed it against the office window glass.
No adhesive, yet the film stuck smoothly to the glass like magnets finding their match. Then it slowly spread across the entire window, seamlessly blending in transparently.
...No clue how that works.
Visually impressive, but no dramatic change yet.
The other guys seemed to think the same—blank expressions.
Then Jacob walked up to the window and knocked on it.
Tap. Tap.
It was full-pane glass, so I expected a resonant tong tong ring, but instead, it thudded dully like hitting a solid wall.
"Carlos, wanna give it a full-power punch?"
Curious about its performance, I asked the burliest-looking one.
Hearing my order, Carlos clenched his fist and slammed it into the glass with full force.
Thud.
Just a duller thud—the glass didn't even shake, perfectly intact.
"This is the real deal. Can I put it on my living room window too?"
Of course, Liam. Once I finish coding it, it'll block not just sound but specific frequencies too. No eavesdropping possible, no matter what call you make inside or what bug they use outside.
Athena's confident reply drew silent awe from the four operatives.
Master, there's more features too.
With Athena's words, the outside view sharpened a bit more.
Seen those interrogation rooms in movies or dramas? Same principle. One-way visibility—from outside, you can't see in at all.
Not intentional, but I'd ended up with something straight out of a prosecutor's office.
Though obviously orders of magnitude better than standard one-way glass.
What else does it do?
Scenery projection. Have Jacob slide his hand left across the glass?
Scenery projection. I could guess what that meant.
"Jacob, put your hand on the glass and slide it left."
At my words, Jacob placed his hand on the glass and swiped left.
Suddenly, the tiresome Gangnam skyline was replaced by the heart of New York.
"Oh. With this, I could stay here all day without getting bored."
Jacob muttered to himself, clearly pleased with the feature.
Main function is obviously bulletproof and blast-resistant, of course. Carlos's punch was just a taste. On impact, the molecular structure rearranges for immense strength and toughness. Stops bullets easy, even tanks a shell once.
Coat the house with this, and I won't die in my sleep.
"Bulletproof, one-way mirror like interrogation glass, and now screen projection?"
A true all-purpose glass coating.
She must've explained via their earpieces too—no one questioned my mumbling.
Leave the one from this case for communal use. Personal ones are set aside—one each. Grab yours.
Thorough as always.
After finishing the glass coating on my section, I returned the first roller to its spot.
As I put it back and looked around, I spotted a small, luxurious-looking box I'd missed earlier, distracted by the big cases. The team had just wrapped their sections and gathered nearby.
"Whose is this?"
Just in case it belonged to someone else, but no one claimed it.
Can I open it?
Athena confirmed it was made for us.
Opening the gift-like box revealed five distinct cases inside.
Expectations soared with the two-tier packaging. Inside each case: a single black card with gold accents, and four identical black ones with silver accents.
What the hell? Credit cards?
They resembled those black cards for the ultra-rich with insane annual fees, but the texture felt far more premium.
Everyone, gather round.
Athena's voice echoed through the office, drawing the guys over from fiddling with the windows.
Silver-embossed cards are for you all. Paychecks go to linked accounts—swipe to spend.
The magic word "paycheck" lit everyone up. They snatched their cards and pocketed them quick.
Master's is the gold-embossed one. Unlimited limit is standard, right?
I'd gotten one of those no-limit black cards from Nutube videos. Phone payments or transfers are fine, but whipping out a card feels next-level.
Nice. Card looks badass.
I admired it briefly before stashing it in my wallet.
Glancing sideways, I saw Eric staring holes into his card.
"Boss, if I lose or break this card, do I get a replacement?"
Not from me, but probably yes.
"Most likely?"
At my reply, Eric looked determined.
"Then mind if I disassemble it? Structure's killing me."
Tell him no, even if he dies trying. Think of the effort to make those cards—absolutely not.
"No can do. Intentional damage means pay cut."
I was gonna say yes, but Athena's tone was too firm.
Craving a solo dinner at home, I sent everyone off and headed back.
Reinforce the car's interior with the roller before getting in.
If it required meticulous work, it'd be a pain, but just swipe it across the glass and it spreads itself—super easy.
Once home, do the outside of the door and windows too.
"Makes sense for windows, but why the outside of the door?"
No fancy glass features, but reinforcement works fine.
Fair enough—no rule saying it only works on glass.
"What about the car body panels?"
You can, but might need replacing more often than you'd think.
Not manual full-body work anyway—that level of hassle is nothing.
Finally coating the rear window, finishing the car exterior and house fortification, a swell of pride hit me.
"What’s there to be proud of? I barely did anything."
Athena seemed overly focused on my safety, but like she said before, better safe now than regretting later.
Got the unlimited card, so I wanted to test it, but hit a snag.
"Huh...? No card number?"
No number or CVC like any card I'd seen. And I didn't know the PIN either.
"How do I use this?"
Planned some in-game spending for the first time in ages, but couldn't.
How much you dropping?
After a moment's thought, I replied.
"Uh... 100,000 won?"
First time dropping that much on a game at once.
Without even processing, "Payment Complete" flashed briefly on the monitor, and the payment window vanished like magic.
"What? I didn't pay."
I did. Buy whatever.
Felt like getting an allowance from a parent. But as the boss, it kinda shattered the hierarchy.
Bought the skins, but game lost its appeal—I quit right away.
"Feels like a total waste. First time I've felt this way..."
Blowing billions never felt wasteful, but buying skins and bailing hit different—post-nut clarity vibes.
"Might as well donate it."
Technically, you donated to the game company. Or wanna do real charity?
Remembered a Nutube short from last night: sponsored a Somali kid, he became a pirate.
"Find a legit spot, and I'll donate any amount."
Money's gone beyond rotting—it's meaningless now.
Somehow, I'd become the type who could toss million-won bills at Gangnam Station intersection for kicks out of boredom.