Whispers at Raymond National Park
Raymond National Park. Sharing its name with both the capital of the Ellemental Kingdom and the royal castle of Raymond, this park was undeniably one of the capital's most iconic landmarks. Spanning 314 square kilometers, the vast green space wrapped a massive lake in dense woodland. In terms of size alone it rivaled a provincial city, offering a rare pocket of nature amid the capital's forest of towering buildings and concrete.
"Haa..."
On a bench inside Raymond National Park, Laila stared blankly at her smartphone screen and let out a heavy sigh. She had come to attend the Church's charity event being held in the park. Once again, there was no reply.
The deliberate silence continued without pause. At first she had been grateful simply for the ability to send messages, whether they were ignored or not. But as time went on, it was only human to begin wanting more.
She wanted even a short answer. She wanted to exchange at least a few words. She wasn't asking for the world. Just a minute of conversation would have been enough. She didn't expect to become lovers or even close friends, but she at least wanted to reach the level of casual acquaintances.
Does he really have no interest in me at all?
As a celebrity who received her fans' love and returned it in equal measure, this was the first time Laila had ever developed feelings for someone as a woman. Perhaps that was why the melancholy settled on her shoulders like rain-soaked clothes.
"Are you all right, sis?"
Kyun approached with a worried frown. "If you're not feeling well, should we call it a day? It's not like you absolutely have to be here."
"I'm fine. It's for a good cause."
With crime suddenly on the rise and the world growing darker by the day, the event was meant to spread hope to anxious citizens. Hosted by Kindness, one of the seven factions that made up the Church, the program included free performances by celebrities, communal cooking, and sharing meals together.
Having once been a victim of the increased crime herself, Laila had gladly volunteered to take part in the meaningful occasion. Still, she could hardly skip the event over a single unanswered text.
Get a grip, Laila.
They said even the sturdiest tree would fall after ten strikes. If she kept approaching no matter how much he pushed her away, surely some kind of progress would follow. It was time to stop dwelling on it and focus on the event at hand.
Having forcibly lifted her spirits, Laila moved her fingers across the screen with renewed determination.
It must have been read immediately; the number 1 beside the message vanished in seconds. Yet no reply came even after a long wait. Her eyes threatened to droop, but she caught herself and sprang to her feet. Laila strode forward with brisk, deliberate steps. Kyun watched her slender back in silence and gave a quiet shake of his head.
"Never thought I'd live to see sis struggling over a guy."
They said the one who falls in love first always loses. In Kyun's eyes, she was already the most magnificent loser on the planet.
A smartphone store sandwiched between an apartment complex and shopping buildings, indistinguishable from any other. Kain walked in wearing the white short-sleeve T-shirt and black sweatpants he had thrown on at home. With only a broken smartphone and his wallet in hand, he immediately addressed the clerk in front of him.
"Smartphone. Latest model. The most expensive one."
"Excuse me?"
The clerk blinked, startled by the abrupt demand with no greeting. Under normal circumstances he would have recovered in three seconds and launched into professional salesman mode, but Kain gave him no such breathing room and pressed on.
"I don't care about subsidies, contracts, or any of that nonsense. Give me the most expensive plan. Take as much commission as you want. I won't complain."
"Um, well..."
"Your only job is one thing. Don't bother me and activate the phone as fast as possible."
He thrust the broken smartphone and wallet forward.
"The ID and card are inside the wallet. Fill in whatever information you need."
"......"
"And if you handle it properly, I'll throw in extra for your trouble."
A storm had just blown through. The clerk looked back and forth between Kain's face and the offered wallet, still trying to regain his composure. He checked the contents. Could this be related to something criminal? Was this one of those burner phones he'd only heard about? Growing anxious, he kept comparing the ID photo to Kain's face.
"This is really you, right?"
The face matched, at least. Still, it could be a forged ID, so he didn't drop his guard.
"What a pointless suspicion."
Kain immediately understood what the clerk was thinking and frowned. If he wanted a burner phone he would have asked Pride directly instead of coming all the way here. Still, he could understand the man's caution, so he answered curtly.
"It's me. My phone broke, so I'm replacing it. Stop talking and do what I told you."
The more he listened, the ruder the customer sounded. No matter how much he sold phones for a living, he still had his pride as a man. No amount of money was worth dealing with someone this rude.
"Will ten million shillings for the service fee be enough? Ask one more annoying question and I'll cut it in half."
"I'll have it activated right away! Please wait ten minutes—no, five minutes!"
The amount Kain offered was far too large to get angry over. The clerk's eyes sparkled as if his tail would have been wagging furiously if he had one. Ten million shillings meant how many performance bonuses? And that was purely the service fee on top of the regular commission. In other words, the total was ten million plus alpha.
It's a VIP!
The clerk broke into a wide grin and began typing furiously on the keyboard. Watching him, Kain clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and dropped into a chair behind him.
The clerk who was here before wouldn't have asked unnecessary questions.
He had been here when they activated Arina's phone. Had he transferred to another branch? Kain had no idea the man had been promoted to headquarters after the two excellent transactions he had completed with Kain two years ago and recently. All he could do was lament the clerk's absence.
"......"
Arina, who had watched the entire scene from behind, sighed and shook her head. She had nagged him countless times, mixing in plenty of scolding, not to speak to others that way, yet he never listened. Instead he would spout absurdities like, "In that person's head I'm probably remembered as an extremely good person rather than the truth." What irritated her more was that she couldn't deny it. Kain had proven time and again that while money couldn't buy everything in the world, it could certainly buy a favorable impression.
If a single word could repay a thousand-gold debt, then a thousand-gold coin could easily buy a single word. Having seen that result repeatedly, Arina now found herself leaning toward resignation rather than intervention.
"After the phone is activated, where are we going?"
"Home."
Kain answered Arina's question without the slightest hesitation. The whole reason he had gone out was to activate a new smartphone. There was no other purpose, so returning straight home was perfectly natural.
"But we've come out after such a long time. On the way back, could we take a little detour and walk through the park before heading home?"
"......"
Kain turned to look at her. A pair of earnest, longing eyes were fixed on him. She wore a white off-shoulder top with frills and blue jeans—one of the outfits he had swept up for her at the Grant Department Store before she entered Benedict Academy. Despite the short time she'd had to prepare, she had clearly dressed with care.
"Sure."
If he refused, she would follow him home, but she would remain gloomy until evening. He had refused to tolerate even one unnecessary question from the clerk earlier and maintained a blade-sharp attitude of indifference toward others, yet for some strange reason Kain always showed a softer side when it came to Arina.
"Really?"
"We'll have lunch while we're at it. Adding a walk after that would make it too late."
At Kain's words, Arina beamed as if she had gained the whole world. All he had done was agree to one meal out and a few minutes of walking, yet she looked overjoyed. Raising a child really is difficult.
Unable to understand her reaction, Kain pushed his slipping glasses back up his nose. He gave her everything she asked for without shortage, yet she seemed to cherish the time they spent together far more. They didn't even have long conversations while together. Fundamentally lacking in social skills, Kain simply could not comprehend why Arina valued emotional connection over material things.
If only everything could be solved with money like it was for that clerk, the world would be so much easier.
Take good care of my daughter. His sister's final words circled endlessly in his head like a curse. Was he truly keeping that promise? Was this really all right? Because he understood himself with cold objectivity, the resulting distrust in his own character weighed heavily on Kain's shoulders. At the same time, the turmoil in his heart made him let out a small, wry laugh.
Who in the world could make him feel such a sense of responsibility? Even in death, she's a truly annoying woman.
If his sister were still alive, she would surely be scolding him for his current behavior. With that thought, Kain asked the delighted Arina, "It's almost time for vacation, isn't it? Where should we go?"
The beach or a valley would probably do. From what he had seen online, people tended to visit those places during summer. Honestly, he couldn't understand why anyone would leave a cool air-conditioned room to go somewhere under a scorching sun, but...
"......!"
Seeing Arina's eyes widen in surprise, he decided it didn't matter if he didn't understand. She probably just wanted to make memories. Like that little kid.
"Think about where you want to go for now. I don't have anywhere particular in mind."
He would go wherever she wanted. Arina pinched her own cheek in a daze, finding it hard to believe those words had come from Kain. The moment she realized it wasn't a dream, she shot up from her seat and cried out.
"Really?! You're not lying, right?!"
"Have I ever lied to you?"
"Last time you said you were going to sleep in the bedroom but ended up in the study."
"That wasn't a lie. I simply broke a promise."
The two were clearly different. Being caught on such nonsense would only make him feel unfairly accused.
"But in the last two years you've never once suggested going anywhere to have fun."
"That's why I'm suggesting it now."
Mentioning two years made the guilt sting even more. If he died, he would definitely get an earful from his sister. She had asked him to watch over her, yet he had done nothing but watch with his eyes.
"Well, it's after vacation starts anyway."
"Yes."
"Focus on your studies first. Given your personality, if your grades come out low you'll be distracted by worry and won't be able to enjoy yourself properly."
The Arina Kain knew was not the bold type who could shrug off poor grades and have fun anyway. She would probably carry the weight of second-semester worries in the back of her mind even during the trip.
"Yes, of course."
Kain's words gave Arina clear motivation. If she got good grades, she could go on a trip with him during vacation. The mere thought made her clench both fists in excitement.
"All done!"
Just then the clerk's voice rang out. Kain glanced at Arina, who was still steeling her resolve alone, then stood and walked over to the counter.
"Let me explain about the device and plan..."
"No need. I'm sure you handled it properly. Send the details by text later."
It was easier to read than to listen. It would also be simpler to deal with any problems that arose later. In this world, the greater the return, the greater the risk. If the clerk had made even the slightest mistake, the road ahead of him would be anything but smooth. Pride, Kain's fanatical follower, would take care of it without Kain needing to lift a finger.
"Yes, understood."
The clerk answered energetically, completely unaware of the dangerous future that awaited him. Kain turned on the new smartphone, opened the banking app among the transferred applications, and looked at the clerk.
"What are you waiting for? Give me your account number."
The clerk hurriedly recited the digits. A cheerful notification tone sounded, and he broke into a bright smile.
"Thank you for the smooth transaction! May you be blessed! Hyung-nim!"
"Who are you calling hyung-nim?"
I never had a younger brother like you. Raising one niece as family is already more than enough. What would I need a younger brother for? Receiving a deep 120-degree bow from the clerk that continued even as they left the store, Kain asked Arina, who still hadn't managed to hide her excited expression.
"What do you want to eat?"
"How about banquet noodles? There's a place right over there."
"It's close. Sounds good."
Without further deliberation, the two stepped into the restaurant to decide on their lunch menu.