What Even a Saint Would Think? (4)
The next day, starting with the post Baek San-a uploaded, testimonials about Tamma Drink began popping up one by one on the gallery.
Writer: MoeEeEeEeEng*
Tamma?
I think I bought it at the convenience store because it was one-plus-one.
The taste is just a normal, decent energy drink.
But do fixers always like superstitions this much lol. Kinda weird.
The drink she created during her second liberation, infused with her droplets, was literally a demonic beast repellent.
During her unliberated days, the beasts didn't know how terrifying Baek San-a was, so they would charge at her. But her second-liberation blood would be pure terror to them.
Animals have sharper instincts than humans, so their survival instincts made them stay far away from Baek San-a's blood.
I had an older brother I know analyze the ingredients and he said it's just a normal drink.
But when I aimed it at a demonic beast, it suddenly glitched out and collapsed.
(Video)
Why does it work lololol
I seriously can't wrap my head around it fuck lololol
MoeEeEeEeEng <<
What if this guy was pretending to die on purpose to promote the drink?
What if the first post was actually an ad?
I think we need to investigate this.
Whoever swept up all the Tamma at the Future Convenience Store Seoul Northwest Branch, who the hell are you?
Why did you buy everything, you bastard!!!
What a nasty mindset, wanting to hog all the good stuff for yourself, you son of a bitch.
Deep underground at the Happiness Convenience Store, the headquarters of the Changro organization.
The absurd results achieved in just about a week left all the employees speechless.
“The production volume of Tamma Drink can't keep up with consumption…! Trading volume is exploding in real time on the Onion Market as well…!”
Secretary Park, who assisted the Chairman's closest aides, was utterly stunned.
“This is exactly why I hate anomalies. They're completely unpredictable.”
“You're telling me. I never thought this would actually work.”
Watching Baek San-a sleeping soundly on the bed in the surveillance camera footage, fanned by the maids, Secretary Park muttered with clear displeasure.
“She's… she's seriously terrifying.”
If she had truly decided to wipe out humanity, wouldn't all humans on Earth have gone extinct by now?
Every time she created the substance to put in the drinks, she resonated with the barrier.
If an ordinary human body faced that power, wouldn't it cause them to bleed from all seven orifices?
Her fellow secretary enlarged the screen to fill it with the image of Baek San-a sleep-talking with her mouth open and muttered.
“But why is she helping us? She was the one who destroyed the Ganghwa Island base herself.”
“How should I know? Honestly, I still don't understand why the Chairman reached out to this monster in the first place…”
“There must be some kind of understanding between anomalies that look human.”
“…No way. The Chairman is still close to being human. That thing is scary because you can't tell what it's thinking at all.”
As if she'd heard their conversation, the blood demon who had been sleeping blinked her eyes open.
The moment she let out a groan and stretched, the maids who had been trembling in wait hurriedly swapped with the ones inside the penthouse.
The girl called the blood demon giggled and quietly received the maids' service.
The blood demon's favorite breakfast.
Garlic bread, garlic bacon, and garlic scrambled eggs were presented.
The blood demon devoured the food while sweating buckets all over her body.
When the Chairman had asked why she ate things with garlic in them, she had answered that it was an old habit.
To become a strong blood demon, she apparently had to train with garlic, crucifixes, and sunlight.
After finishing her meal, she enjoyed a bath in lukewarm water.
Even while the attending maids lathered her with bubbles, she hummed a languid tune.
Once that was done, it was time to start work.
Secretary Park hurriedly entered the penthouse with the prepared sales data.
“Current consumption is outpacing production. The voices demanding increased production are gradually getting louder.”
“Really~? That's good then.”
“So I'm asking… would it be possible to increase production of the ingredient that goes into the drink?”
The blood demon tilted her head.
Then she pouted her lips to convey the opinion of 'impossible'.
“By impossible, you mean…”
“We're short on materials. Blood. If you want to increase production, you'll have to get me more demonic beast blood~. If you're in a hurry, why don't you catch some of the heron flock that the Chairman controls?”
“Ah, that… seems like something you should discuss directly with the Chairman.”
“I see. Then I'll talk to him when he comes later. By the way, is garlic steak possible for lunch today?”
“We'll procure it as best we can! Please let us know if you need anything else in the future!”
“Pffft, thank you~.”
Secretary Park rushed out of the penthouse and caught her breath.
Soon, the raw materials needed for Tamma's manufacture were transported into the penthouse.
After the fairly large organization members busily set everything up and left, the blood demon submerged herself in a bathtub full of demonic beast blood and began her work.
She had warned that if they valued their lives they shouldn't enter, so they raised a barrier modeled after the Administration Bureau's barrier and waited in a state of extreme tension.
Everything was proceeding smoothly.
If there was a problem, it was that it was going too smoothly….
It was true that the anomaly ingredient Baek San-a created was incredible.
Thanks to it, Changro's grand plan had been advanced by several years.
But she was uneasy.
How could she not be anxious when a stone that had suddenly rolled in was occupying such an important position?
'What if she betrays us later? What if she was actually a person from the Council of Five?'
The Chairman had even left instructions to treat the blood demon like his own sibling.
What if Changro ended up completely destroyed because of this….
“…Ah. I need to work. Work.”
Carrying that uneasy feeling, Secretary Park submitted her regular report to the Chairman.
An astonishing order came down to her.
A-line.
Separate from the B-line completed with the ingredient purified by the blood demon, this was a 'trap' product that mixed the existing drug that had been distributed in the underworld into the drink.
The public's perception of Tamma had already gone beyond positive and turned fanatical, and the Tamma Drink made by the blood demon was performing exactly as expected.
Even so, the Chairman decided to take out insurance.
Just in case the blood demon made an ingredient different from what she had requested.
This was a natural preparation for anyone who had survived long in the underworld.
So that there would be no problem no matter who betrayed them or how.
The blood demon who deliberately hid among humans instead of outside the barrier.
She didn't know why the blood demon was engaging in this uncomfortable symbiosis, but it was clear that she absolutely could not let her identity be discovered by humans.
Therefore, this threat would work.
Secretary Park clenched both hands tightly, filled with a sense of elation.
'As expected of the Chairman…!'
The Chairman was someone who had started his career in the back alleys and risen to this position.
He was different from those mediocre types who became fixers and only jumped into the world of evil later.
To suspect such a Chairman…!
Secretary Park bowed deeply toward where the Chairman would be right now.
Once again pledging her loyalty.
Pffft.
“…Huh?”
For a moment, it felt like the blood demon's laugh brushed past her ear.
But the blood demon looked busy making the substance to put in the drink inside the barrier.
“What was that…. Did I hear wrong?”
Maybe it was an auditory hallucination because she had been overly conscious of her lately?
Or was it because of her recent lack of sleep?
“Ugh, focus. Focus.”
Whichever it was, she had to shake it off quickly and handle the work the Chairman had entrusted to her first.
Because every minute and every second counted to achieve Changro's great cause.
* * *
At the same time, at the fixer office where Baek San-a was staying.
Cheong Ha-rin had been pacing in front of the room where Baek San-a stayed for several minutes now.
It was because a note stuck on the door read 'Do Not Disturb' in handwriting so messy that even a kindergartener would cry.
When she peeked through the crack in the secret door, she was completely still under the blanket.
“Why hasn't she come out of her room for a whole week?”
Kim Rok-hee, who had just arrived at the office, let out a chuckle.
“She probably got up at night and wandered around, right? She's good at taking care of herself, so don't bother her unnecessarily.”
“That's true, but… I haven't seen her for a week, so I'm really worried. I wonder if she's eating properly…”
“Puhaha…! Instead of worrying about whether that kid is eating, I think you should worry about losing the bet, Cheong Ha-rin. Sawayo has been provoking you nonstop on the gallery since yesterday? She's demanding you show the results quickly.”
“Ugh…”
Cheong Ha-rin scratched her cheek, hit right where it hurt.
In reality, she had been training with Kim Rok-hee for several days, anxiously wondering when the enemies would attack, but they showed no interest in her and had been completely silent for a whole week.
“Th-they must be scared of my reputation…!”
“Pfft…”
“W-why are you laughing!”
“No reason. You're just cute…”
After laughing to herself for a while, Kim Rok-hee took out three bottles from the paper bag she had brought.
It was Tamma, the drink that was so popular among fixers these days.
“Ah, this! Everyone says they can't get it even if they try. How did you get it?”
“The uncle from the Two Soul Office gave me some to try. I helped him out before.”
“You two always seem to fight on the gallery… but it looks like you actually get along pretty well…”
“Well, even if we're archenemies online, the offices are on good terms. I wish that uncle would just speak a little more nicely, though.”
“Ahaha…”
“I'm going to the bathroom for a bit, so go ahead and drink.”
“Yes!”
It was right when Cheong Ha-rin was about to open one bottle and take a sip.
'Wait a moment, Harin.'
Rubina stopped her.
Cheong Ha-rin glanced around to check if Kim Rok-hee had really gone to the bathroom before speaking to herself.
“Why?”
'I can feel that person from the drink.'
“…That person? San-a?”
'Yes. I'm certain.'
“Huh? It's not like San-a dipped her finger in this drink or anything, how could that be…”
'Try putting the IV needle in the drink.'
Wasn't San-a supposed to be sleeping in the inner room right now?
She couldn't understand it, but Cheong Ha-rin did as Rubina instructed anyway.
And not long after the needle touched the drink—.
Bang!
“Kyaa!”
The drink bottle exploded.
“Wh-what the…?”
As Cheong Ha-rin, now covered in sweet carbonation, wiped the drink off her face with her hand, a familiar voice rang out.
“Oops, wrong coordinates.”
It was the usual Baek San-a, wearing pajamas slightly wet with juice.
After looking around to check if they were alone, she spoke to Cheong Ha-rin.
“Housekeeper-nim. You've rested for a whole week, so it's about time to start working, don't you think~?”
“Yes…? Work?”
“It's a chance to uproot all of Changro's branches spread across Korea at once~.”