Chapter 111
Terminally Ill, but It's Okay — Episode 111
The VIP room of Pantheon.
A scene that had crossed from deviance into crime.
"The new drug. Isn't this really something? What kind of narcotic has zero aftereffects?"
"I'm telling you, it's a supplement. If anything, your body feels refreshed the next day. Full of energy, too."
"Heh heh, all thanks to Chairman Joo Yeo-hoon."
"Ah, I'm getting dizzy."
From the addicts' conversation, I picked up on the fact that the new drug's effects were the same as a booster.
Different in form, but identical in nature.
It seemed to stimulate vitality enough to overcome even the side effects of a narcotic.
Of course, that greatness was only temporary.
The shock would pile up and pile up until one day it burst—pop—but.......
Because of that severity, the organization was deliberately splitting it into fragments and forcing the experiments, and Joo Yeo-hoon was only handing it out without taking it himself.
The reason the form was different was probably because of Joo Yeo-hoon's status and the special circumstances that came with it.
Because his face was known, it was mixed with a discreet, highly addictive narcotic instead of being made into a conspicuous, powerful tattoo.
It seemed he was using it like a carrot, as a tool to increase his grip on the group and establish his authority.
So at this point, I couldn't help but go over it once more.
Joo Yeo-hoon was originally a total scumbag, a guy brimming with ambition, so if the organization approached him and reached out a hand, it made sense that he'd go along.
But Yoo So-young was different.
The Yoo So-young I knew had self-awareness and pride so towering they pierced the sky, and she was someone who extremely loathed compromising with lowly tools like boosters and new drugs.
"Then in the end......."
Was the white coat not Yoo So-young after all?
But then why had she given off the same feeling as Yoo So-young?
Did Han Soo-hyeok, who had been chasing the organization, know who the white coat was?
As the questions only multiplied, the executive department's day came to an end only well past midnight.
I had secured a weapon to pressure Joo Yeo-hoon, but the day passed with my head in an even more tangled state.
.
.
And the next day, in the afternoon.
I finished class and was on the phone with Viper.
"How much in total can you liquidate right now?"
—First, the funds we can safely use are around 1.5 billion. The rest is tied up or needs additional laundering, so it'll take some time. But why the sudden need for money?
"I was thinking of trying my hand at stocks. I got a pretty good tip."
—Stocks? Hah. When it comes to stocks, I'm practically an expert.
"You know your stuff?"
—Do I ever. I even wear only red underwear. I can see through the financial state of most companies at a glance. Which company are you looking to invest in?
"Well......."
I hesitated for a split second, then came clean. I couldn't fully trust him, but he was still someone close to an ally, so there was no particular reason to hide it.
"G2 System."
—G2 System? Hold on, where's that again?
Viper paused as if retracing his memory, then soon let out an exclamation.
—Ah, that place.......
"A company you know?"
—What source? Don't even dream of investing there. It's a company that could go under tomorrow and no one would be surprised.
That bad? No, he'd been boasting that it would quadruple.......
"Is it really that bad?"
—Of course. The financial structure is a mess, and they keep doing rights offerings like it's nothing. They treat their shareholders like suckers.
I listened to Viper as if spellbound, then suddenly realized one fact.
"Ah......."
So that was what they were trying to pull.
If it were a sound, thriving company, could those bastards even touch it?
To make absolutely sure, I asked Viper.
"Have you happened to hear any rumors?"
—Rumors? Not at all. I'm in five paid stock-reading rooms alone, and there hasn't been a single piece of news related to G2 System.
Then that actually made me trust it more.
Because it meant the retail investors hadn't moved yet.
"I'll take responsibility, so open an account and buy."
—No, Boss Lifespan. I'm telling you, this is really not it. I don't know what tip you heard, but it's 100% a scam. They're running a scheme to bleed retail investors dry! Just buy a club instead. That location is good.
Viper sounded as frustrated as someone who'd eaten ten sweet potatoes without any cider, but my mind was already made up.
I already knew it was a manipulated stock, and as long as I sold one step ahead, that was that.
Those bastards seemed to have set a target price of about four times the current price, so I'd aim for about three times?
Three times 1.5 billion was 4.5 billion.
......Whoa.
Just hearing it made my skin prickle, but the road to wealth was originally a thorny path.
When others shout "No," you need the courage to shout "Yes" alone.
Besides, I had one more thing to rely on.
If someone recommended an investment in front of Joo Yeo-hoon, and to Joo Yeo-hoon at that, then it had to be a sure thing.
The man who opened his mouth had staked his own life and position on the proposal.
—Tsk, there goes another one. It's your money, Boss Lifespan, so I won't try to stop you any further.
"Don't worry. Everything will work out."
—Work out, sure. Just don't come crying later that you're short on money. Half a club's as good as gone.
Viper still looked regretful, but I just chuckled quietly.
Explaining was impossible anyway; it was something I had to push through.
When the time came later, he'd understand everything.
"I'll contact you again when it's time to sell."
"Do that."
The conversation seemed to end there.
Until a new question suddenly popped into my head.......
"Ah, let me ask one more thing. What's the name of the club that Beard owns? The one I'm taking over."
—The club?
Viper paused for a moment as if searching his memory, then continued.
—One is Paradise, and the other is....... Ah! Pantheon.
Huh?
For a second I thought I'd misheard and asked again.
"......Pantheon? You mean that Pantheon in Itaewon?"
—That's right. You know it?
Do I ever.
I'd been chugging beer in front of it for over six hours yesterday.
So those bastards had been guzzling booze and doing drugs yesterday at my club—no, wait.......
Not yet, but at the club that would soon be mine?
"These little shits, really......."
—Why? Did something happen? Want me to send a few guys over?
"No. I was talking to myself, don't mind me."
I refused hastily, then picked my thoughts back up.
Honestly, I wasn't pleased.
Because I had to put my name on a place that was no different from a hotbed of crime.
"Hold on."
But then again, wasn't this a weapon in its own way?
After mulling it over a few times, I started to think it was a decent opportunity.
So I made the request.
"First, prioritize the purchase of Pantheon."
* * *
Saturday, 11 a.m., the day the nest bidding was scheduled.
For Joo A-rin, who had been up since dawn, half a day had already passed.
She had confirmed her expected bid and was fairly confident of success, so Joo A-rin was about to get up with a lighter heart and prepare to head out.
Until the thunderbolt of news came flying in just an hour ago.......
[Miss. Today's bidding. It seems the third young master will also be participating.]
Joo A-rin let out a deep sigh and brought that name to mind.
"Joo Yeo-hoon."
The third child of the Joo family and someone a year older than her. But his behavior was worse than someone younger.......
"Trash."
He was the worst of the worst, so much so that if there were a stronger expression, she would have switched to it on the spot.
He was always desperate to drive her and Joo Seol-hwa out, and he took out the relative deprivation he felt from his outstanding older brothers on the Joo sisters.
He used them as tools to trample the weak and stoke his own sense of superiority.
So if possible, he was someone she did not want to meet.
He was also the person she was most wary of.
"But why......."
Why would that man take an interest in a D-grade nest?
The guild grades of his direct teams "Blood Wolves" and "Dark Clouds" were B and C respectively.
It was a force fully capable of conquering B-grade or higher nests, so there was no reason for him to set foot in a D-grade nest.
"Could it be because of the Magwang Ore?"
A peculiarity suddenly crossed her mind, but that didn't seem to be it.
For that to be the case, a Magwang Ore mine would have to actually exist.
However, according to what she had personally investigated, the probability was a mere 10%—literally just a possibility.
There was a section inside the nest where the mana wavelength swelled unusually, so the Association conducted a rough preliminary investigation.
It was determined to be a kind of crack caused by dense mana concentration, not a mine.
Joo Yeo-hoon was a person who calculated gains and losses thoroughly, so there was no way he would participate based only on an uncertain possibility.
Occupying a low-grade nest was something that affected a team's reputation, after all.......
So in the end, only one possible objective remained.
Which meant she and her direct team, White Snow, were the targets.......
In truth, this wasn't clear-cut either. The timing was too early.
Crushing a sprout that had only just poked its head out would gain him nothing, and would only saddle him with a petty image.
"Then what on earth is it?"
Joo A-rin, who had been sitting still and tapping the desk, let out a sigh deep enough to sink into the ground, then collapsed onto the bed.
Whatever the reason, it was obvious that the bidding had gone down the drain.
The current Joo A-rin could not stand against Joo Yeo-hoon.
Wealth, connections. She had no advantage in any of them, so if he wanted it, she was in a position where she would have to hand it over.
"Ha."
It was just then, as the word "give up" was circling in her head.
~~
A breeze blew in from somewhere, and a refreshing scent carried within it tickled her nose.
Joo A-rin's gaze turned to the diffuser placed by her bedside.
Was it a combination of peppermint and eucalyptus?
.......
Honestly, it wasn't a bad scent.
The non-irritating coolness relaxed her tense body, and as if a damp towel had been laid over her muddled head, it made a person considerably calmer.
At that, the will she had thought was completely broken welled up again.
"I'll have to fight it out."
Giving up like this wasn't something "I" would do.
She was someone who believed opportunities weren't something that happened, but something you made, so she couldn't collapse here.
Joo A-rin got off the bed and headed to her laptop.
She opened the folder related to Joo Yeo-hoon and transferred the materials she had been preparing onto her phone.
Evidence of embezzlement of Y.H Corporation funds.
Status of illegal lobbying by Y.H Corporation.
.
.
It was something she had been gathering bit by bit in preparation for when she had to fight back, and honestly, it didn't feel entirely sufficient.
Some of it was only circumstantial suspicion, and most of it consisted of pretexts Joo Yeo-hoon could slip out of if he cut his tail.
But it would at least open the door to negotiations.
He wouldn't want a fuss over a mere D-grade nest either.
When the file transfer finished, Joo A-rin pulled out her chair to stand up.
......But then.
Was it because of the diffuser from a moment ago?
Suddenly, one file caught her eye.
[Cold Case-8742: The Letter Demonkin Disappearance Case]
In the past, it had only been an annoying memory she wanted to forget.
But it was true that after her conversation with Cheon Seo-yoon, once she had become certain, it felt different.
Because, as it turned out, another victim had been right beside her.
.......
In truth, she had been deliberately suppressing it lately because she was busy, but Joo A-rin had a great many things she was curious about.
What did that person think about this case?
His mother had disappeared when he was young—did he still miss her?
If so, was he investigating further?
Or perhaps, like her, he resented him and thought him worthless.
That person was also at the very bottom of the succession order.
It was a position no different from being abandoned by the family.
The idle thoughts that, once started, continued endlessly.......
Bzzzz.
[Miss. We will arrive in 30 minutes. Come out to the dormitory entrance.]
Those thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind by the message that had just arrived.
[Yes. I'll get ready.]
Joo A-rin resolved to look into it again later and shut the laptop.