What Am I Doing Here...?
Seol Hwi suddenly asked herself. What... am I doing here?
She had commissioned the background check on Seo Han-gyeol on a whim. He was her secretary, after all—her most prized possession, deserving of the finest treatment. Just in case. If there were any trivial issues around him, she could resolve them...
The report from Team Leader Yu Seo-yeong was exactly as expected. An ordinary high school graduate, a literature major from a prestigious university, vanished for a few years, then reappeared out of nowhere.
A green disguise if I've ever seen one. So ordinary it was suspicious. Team Leader Yu Seo-yeong's hunch had merit. No one from Atlas, desperately chasing Nebula on broken legs, or some mad group of knowledge-obsessed lunatics would use such an obvious cover. This crude, brazen camouflage screamed Punishment Enforcement Bureau.
Even for Seol Hwi, who wielded unchecked authority in the capitalist world, openly clashing with public power was unappealing. She had collected whatever she desired without fail, crushing all obstacles. But if Seo Han-gyeol had to return to the PEB someday...?
An unpleasant sensation stirred. He's mine.
She knew it herself. He performed his duties diligently, never once uttering words with that possessive nuance toward her.
That's why she had gone to the convenience store alone, without a single escort. An impulsive decision, or so she thought.
But Seol Hwi desperately averted her eyes from the truth. After decades without emotions, she couldn't name the feeling that colored her heart like drizzle soaking through thin clothes.
Seong Ha-yun, with her animalistic instincts, struck Seol Hwi's sore spot perfectly.
"Chairman. Why'd you come out alone? Sure, Nebula would've handled it fine, but hey, there's size and scale to consider, right?"
"......"
"You can't hide it forever."
No matter how tightly controlled, rumors always leaked. And when it involved Nebula's chairman moving personally, they spread even faster. The fact that Seol Hwi had visited a mere convenience store without escorts would reach the ears of political and business elites one way or another. And if they dug for the reason, "Seo Han-gyeol" would quickly surface.
"Seo Han-gyeol."
The name slipped from Seong Ha-yun's lips after some thought. For the first time, Seol Hwi's mask cracked.
"...Aha."
Seeing it, Seong Ha-yun finally flashed a triumphant smile.
"Chairman. You know what Atlas is up to these days, right? Of course you do."
"I've seen enough of the second-in-command's desperate flailing. It's amusing, in its way."
"Ha, you think Nebula's world lasts forever?"
Seol Hwi replied indifferently to the sarcasm.
"At least until you're old and rotting in your coffin, it will be."
"......"
"I'm serious about it being amusing. A second-in-command's tantrum, outcome predetermined, is rare entertainment. Should I thank you for the eye candy?"
Seol Hwi flung Seong Ha-yun's earlier barbs right back. Now Seong Ha-yun's head heated up—power gap widening, life on the line—as she locked eyes and growled.
"...Chairman. Funny how you're more tuned into Han-gyeol's commute than company business. Or is this part of your brilliant management philosophy?"
Crack.
At "Han-gyeol" from Seong Ha-yun's mouth, Seol Hwi's lips tightened reflexively.
"I'm not some chairman slapped with the title, rotting in a hospital bed."
"I'm no business expert, so I wouldn't know,"
Seong Ha-yun. A 3rd-rank hunter, head of Atlas's strategic division. Considering her chemistry degree from Yeonhui University, calling herself clueless was pure provocation.
"But this feels less like strategy and more like obsession. Management philosophy? Nah, closer to mental illness."
"Watch your mouth. You think Atlas will pick a fight with me over one 3rd-rank hunter?"
Seol Hwi tabled her deliberations. First, she needed to tame this insolent hound.
At last, she spread her mana. Frost flowers on the counter and shutter warped into indescribable shapes. Not even deploying her ability—just raw mana—and Seong Ha-yun's power crumbled helplessly.
Utterly different from Seo Han-gyeol's method. If his had been the perfect chess move leading to checkmate, Seol Hwi's was...
"Cat got your tongue? Well, a mutt needs to know its place to live long."
"......"
No regard for pieces or board. So what if the opponent seized advantage with pawns and knights, pierced with a bishop? Screeeeech!
Just flip the damn board.
The shutter and store structure crumpled with a sharp screech. Seol Hwi smirked, brushing off the inorganic scream like background noise.
"Why bother talking business with an ignorant outsider? It's simple at its core. Buy cheap, sell dear. Or cherish the rare to create greater value. Why do I treat Seo Han-gyeol so well?"
Because he's that precious. That exceptional.
"Unlike a rock like you. So quit harassing my valuable employee and pack up quietly."
Thus, Seol Hwi crammed her fraying emotions—named after the label peeling from her heart—into a box labeled "value preservation" for her perfect acquisition and secretary.
But in Seol Hwi's blazing red eyes, Seong Ha-yun read something beyond mere preservation... a dark, viscous undercurrent too murky to dismiss.
"Why should I? This is my store."
Dangerous. That was a historic bomb. Barely locked now, but still a ticking time bomb.
Suddenly, Seong Ha-yun realized she didn't need to protect Seo Han-gyeol this much.
But whatever.
At least she understood herself perfectly. She wanted to. So she would.
What I want right now.
Seo Han-gyeol. Leaving Seol Hwi near that man for long was trouble. So chase her off.
"And Han-gyeol's my convenience store buddy? We ate chicken skewers, drank beer. We click, and he's my type."
"......"
"Why hand over a great friend and scram on your say-so?"
"Ha."
Seol Hwi sighed softly. Too many fools couldn't tell courage from recklessness.
She'd grant Seong Ha-yun's wish.
"Refusing a toast and chugging the penalty drink, eh? Fine. 'Atlas 3rd-rank Hunter Seong Ha-yun Hospitalized for 3 Months After Unfortunate Attack.' That work for a headline?"
The situation plunged deeper into chaos.
Seong Ha-yun gritted her teeth, rallying her ability. Worthless paper against Seol Hwi's sincerity, but without it, she'd be in real peril. The space twisted oddly under the two elite hunters' mana.
Crackle.
Finally, a rainbow rift split the air from the pressure.
"Sleep it off. Cool your head."
"No thanks, granny?"
As a 1-meter ice blade formed in Seong Ha-yun's hand...
Knock knock.
"???!"
"?!?!"
A knock rang out. Their superhuman senses confirmed it simultaneously.
Chief Seo? Wait, when did he get here?
Right! Han-gyeol's due any minute!
For once, the women's thoughts aligned.
Stall first.
Not now!
"One moment, Chief Seo."
"Oh dear! The fire shutter's stuck! Just a sec!"
While Seol Hwi twisted her lifetime of destructive mana toward repair in a full-body contortion, Seong Ha-yun swiftly retracted the frost flowers everywhere. Chaos incarnate, like onomatopoeia made real—though as top hunters, they made no noise.
In a flash of impromptu teamwork, they tidied up. As Seong Ha-yun raised the shutter for Seo Han-gyeol,
"Uh, w-welcome~!"
"Hm. Chief Seo comes here often? I just popped in for a drink."
Not pristine, but passably intact(?). The subtly wrecked fixtures and tense air between them screamed something happened!
Seo Han-gyeol clocked it instantly. Hesitate now, and it was game over. Seol Hwi saw him as the "cold-blooded secretary" from his act; Seong Ha-yun as a regular uncle. Image clash imminent.
Switching to secretary mode on reflex, he pondered where to start untangling this puzzle when—
"Had a little friction with the clerk here."
Seol Hwi said it casually, but her trembling voice betrayed it was anything but little.
Seong Ha-yun wouldn't squander the miraculous opening.
"Y-yeah! It was a 1+1 deal, but out of stock, so I promised for next time."
"! Right."
"Ahaha..."
"Hahaha..."
Soulless laughs. Then Seol Hwi abruptly brushed past Seo Han-gyeol.
"Let's go. See you later."
"Yes. Tomorrow."
Low, clipped tone. Now just hearing it made his breath catch, heart race. Was this really just wanting to keep a useful secretary?
But showing odd behavior now... If he learned she'd nearly vaporized a store just to sabotage their budding friendship, his reaction terrified her.
...Scary?
This me?
She bit her quivering lip hard. The pain was good.
"...Fine."
Better this way.
Our Seo Han-gyeol watched the chairman stride past.
Damn, did she catch me stealing the tea bags from the pantry? Came to the store herself? Busted...
Only the pilfered tea bags and coffee mixes from pantry raids danced in his vision.