Reverse Interview (3)
Ma Hyeok-do swallowed hard, tension etched into every line of his face. This guy's no ordinary punk. If he's really from the PEB, then even Team Leader Yu Seo-yeong couldn't sense his mana suppression—it all makes sense!
But Ma Hyeok-do had his own reasons for not backing down.
BAM! He slammed his fist on the desk, eyes blazing with fury. A dull thud echoed through the lobby, but Nebula's hunters and employees barely batted an eye, carrying on with their routine tasks as if it were nothing. Only Seo Han-gyeol, frozen in place because he didn't have the guts to beg for mercy, flinched.
His face remained a perfect mask of indifference, though.
"I've seen your type before... monsters who don't see people as people, just numbers or resources. But as long as I'm standing here with my eyes wide open, I won't let that happen!"
Even if he hated them, they were all family to Ma Hyeok-do. Yu Seo-yeong, the other team leaders, the deputy team leaders—they bickered constantly, but they were comrades bound by unbreakable bonds.
He could easily imagine a future where all his comrades were expendable in this monster's "calculations."
Ma Hyeok-do knew this was the one chance to put the brakes on him—right now, when the monster had just arrived. Summoning courage for the fight of his life, he bellowed, while Huff... I can't breathe...
Seo Han-gyeol nearly choked on the sudden roar. Fluffy Chungcheong cotton candy that he was, he had zero tolerance for violence or shouting. Still, he knew staying silent now would make him look even more suspicious. In his mind, he cast himself as the world's ultimate psychopath. His acting experience? One college club stage performance. But he gave it everything. If I screw up, I'm dead! This is Nebula! The heart of the most ruthless evil organization!
I can do this. If anyone can!
He fixed Ma Hyeok-do with a cold glare (his eyes just unfocused), and rasped in a low voice (his throat had gone dry). "Inefficient."
"What?"
A merciless expression. Ma Hyeok-do sensed even the curious onlookers from nearby focusing on his words. Innate charisma—that's what this man had.
"I get what you're trying to say. I know how vital traditions are in this organization, so I have no intention of changing everything from day one."
"Then what the hell's inefficient?"
After a brief silence, Seo Han-gyeol spoke again. His voice was chillingly cold.
"Your communication."
"!!!"
"You and I are modern people living in the modern world. We have basic language skills and common sense. I can understand you perfectly without you shouting. Isn't that right? You and I..."
His sharp gaze pierced Ma Hyeok-do. For a split second, Ma Hyeok-do's breath caught. No mana at all, yet there was a killing intent that chilled him to the bone.
"...aren't primitives."
"Guh!"
In truth, what Ma Hyeok-do felt as killing intent was just Seo Han-gyeol's desperate survival instinct. But who was there to tell him?
As Ma Hyeok-do fumbled for words, flustered...
"Sudden mana surge?!"
"Dizzy..."
"Damn it! Anyone with emergency response certification?!"
The lobby erupted in murmurs. Seo Han-gyeol, convinced he was done for, squeezed his eyes shut. But when things quieted unexpectedly, he peeked through slitted lids.
?
What unfolded was a scene hard to comprehend despite seeing it. Amid flying machetes thick as an adult's arm, exploding floors, roars, and threats, Nebula's unflappable employees were now scrambling in panic. Sprinklers burst from the ceiling, security drones wailing wee-oo wee-oo, and Ma Hyeok-do's berserker aura had vanished entirely.
And through the chaos, tap, tap.
Clear footsteps approached, accompanied by the appearance of two women. One was a face Seo Han-gyeol recognized.
The celebrity employee? The woman who'd guided him that morning was bowing her head to someone.
"Sorry for the delay, Chairman."
Yu Seo-yeong had called the woman beside her "Chairman."
The red-haired beauty stared piercingly at Seo Han-gyeol without a word.
"Interesting."
"......"
"But the surroundings are a bit..."
Her delicate eyebrow arched ever so slightly. "Noisy."
"......"
"......"
"......"
I've never seen a woman so beautiful in my life. Plenty of Korean women dyed their hair red, even celebrities. But right now, my mind's filled only with her.
She gazed indifferently at the macho bro, her fiery red hair blazing like flames, ruby eyes gleaming.
"I've been listening for a while, but it doesn't seem like anything important."
"H-Huh, y-yes!"
Macho bro jumped like a turtle tossed into a boiling pot. He hadn't even had strong feelings about it to begin with. I'd resent it too if my colleague got fired overnight... Using words instead of violence? That was practically mild.
Finally, sympathy for macho bro achieved. Amid it all, the stunning redhead gave him a casual chin flick.
"If there's no business, mind stepping aside? I don't have a taste for lingering over 'ordinary' items."
"......!"
One word from her, and bro bolted like his tail was on fire. Crash! Thud!
Watching his undignified retreat, I thought, Ah...
Envy. How nice it would be if I could run like that...
I could run pretty well, too. My eyes welled up again.
The woman clicked her tongue at macho bro's fleeing back. "Tsk."
At the same time, the celebrity employee moved. With a snap! of her fingers, a transparent barrier enveloped the area.
Badass. You seeing this, status window? This is what a skill looks like. Not crap like [Organization].
As I mentally scolded my pathetic status window, a sharp gaze pricked at me. I finally exhaled slowly, the breath I'd been holding.
Huh. Huh. My face still felt cold despite the effort. How scared had I been, Seo Han-gyeol...?
Then the woman claimed the seat opposite me, where macho bro had sat.
Mountains beyond mountains. I hadn't cleared stage 1 boss, and suddenly the final 99th-stage boss appeared. I felt like a level 1 hero facing the demon king.
Her impassive eyes turned to me now. I bit my tongue hard and resolved myself.
Psy! Cho! Path! Dangerous element to fire immediately! Time to become trash! Work, my acting skills! I'd played the heavy role of "Tree A" in college theater—time to show my genius!
Concept time, go!
A low voice emerged naturally. "Pleased to meet you."
"...Huh?"
The woman's eyebrow twitched up, as if everything bored her.
"Forgive the earlier rudeness. I was consulting with field personnel."
"......Ooh. That's unusual."
"What is?"
"Your speech is natural. Most freeze up in front of me. But you... you're the same as always."
Because I've been terrified from the start.
Staring back at the woman who gazed at me frozen in fear, she slowly raised her hand toward my face.
In that brief moment, a torrent of thoughts flooded me. If even macho bro ran crying, how brutal is she? If she grabs me now, does Seo Han-gyeol cease to exist? Waaah, Mom... Should've ditched this interview farce...
But at the last second, she halted. Our faces were just 1cm apart.
"Unique."
"......"
She withdrew casually to her seat. But her gaze had changed.
Like standing before a snake. What was it? The look of an otaku eyeing a rare affection-route pickup? Or a middle-aged auntie spotting a sale on luxury goods...?
Undeniably the most beautiful woman, yet she eyed me like an object.
"Strange. Everyone shows me a price tag, but you... nothing? ...No way?"
No way? No way what?
She muttered without waiting for my reply.
"Too valuable for even me to appraise? An unlisted asset?"
Something about price tags. Maybe my value showed as 0 won and shocked her. Ugh... I'm trash...
Her sharp gaze fixed on me. She was human, definitely human... But for a split second, her pupils cracked wide.
Looked split. Wha.
Like a reptile. Fuck. Reptilian?
Terror rooted me completely. Don't eat me. I taste bad. No exercise, just chicken fat...
Whoosh! Before I could react, she yanked my tie, pulling me to eye level.
Ah. Red. Gem-like eyes. Pupils red~! Oranges yellow~! Eheh. My mind blanked, body going limp from overwhelming fear beyond rigidity.
She smiled faintly. "Bold. Staring right through me instead of flinching. And sturdy."
I'm cotton candy! Chungcheong cotton candy Seo Han-gyeol! The world is beautiful~.
"I like it. Hiring you was a whim, but now I'm rethinking. A product with this durability is special."
Squeeze. Her grip tightened on my tie. Hunter strength—no joke. It crumpled like under a 10-ton press. Bye-bye, pretty tie (X-pang, original 25,900 won).
Blink. She blinked. When her eyes reopened, a qualitatively different flame flickered faintly. Evolved from sale-hunting auntie to dad spotting fine whiskey. She saw me as collection material.
Seol Hwi. Born a ruler, a genius. Eternal sovereign of the megacorp Nebula, the appraiser who valued all things. In her long, tedious life, she'd never assigned worth to employees or secretaries' names. Mere code numbers for management and use. Who lavishes affection on "office supplies"?
But today, she discovered the fulfillment of mere possession. Novel, unfamiliar... but not unpleasant.
Even this indefinable emotion was mere entertainment to Seol Hwi. For the first time, she decided to etch a person's name—not a codename—into her ledger of memories.
"My name is Seol Hwi. Sovereign and Chairman of Nebula. One of only three 1st rank hunters in this wretched Korea, bearer of the epithet [Vault Keeper]."
Her heart, always steady at 60 BPM, veered off course, accelerating slightly. Unknowingly, her lips curved up just a fraction.
"What's your name, secretary?"
"...Seo Han-gyeol."
Seo Han-gyeol looked on the verge of tears. His voice even trembled slightly. But Seol Hwi, savoring this novel thrill, interpreted it differently.
As expected, ambition. Voice shaking with emotion. He must crave something, using Nebula as a tool. Perfect! Someone who sees Nebula as mere means—I'm dying of curiosity!
Fun. Like a drop of red paint plopping into her gray life.
A sharp canine peeked from beneath Seol Hwi's lips.
"Seo Han-gyeol. You're the first whose 'name'—not codename—I've entered in my ledger. Don't forget. From this moment, you're my collection. Your disposal is mine alone; even in ruin, shatter within my vault."
Now, Seo Han-gyeol was her collectible.
"Understood?"
"...Confirmed."
Seo Han-gyeol just... wanted to laugh. Haha.
They were ships passing in the night.