Chapter 55
Chapter 55
Having seen Mom off, I entered Wall Street.
Not because there was work at the office. It was because of the condition Mom had set in exchange for agreeing to go to Korea.
To hire a bodyguard.
I had only been injected with the necessary information and lacked practical experience, so I accepted the condition to ease Mom's natural worries.
I was certain that I couldn't have sent Mom to Korea without accepting that condition.
So, I was now facing this man.
"Please wait a moment."
A badge proving he was the branch manager of Pinkerton's New York branch gleamed on his chest.
Pinkerton.
Founded in 1850, this company was, quite literally, a living history of the private security industry.
Back in the days of the Wild West.
They made a name for themselves tracking down train robbers and outlaws.
Now, they had transformed into a massive organization providing cutting-edge security services such as personal security, corporate security, cyber security, and global crisis response in the face of modern, complex threats.
The image of macho detectives in hard-boiled genres was based on them.
While the branch manager carefully turned pages, looking for the right person I had requested.
I began to observe.
It had become a habitual hobby.
Observing a person, reading their style, behavior, lies, tone, posture, and the expressions on their face.
Reading the past, seeing the present, and predicting the future.
The branch manager was wearing a neatly pressed suit, and his movements were impeccably clean. Even when turning a page with one hand, there was no excess.
He wasn't just a manager who sat at his desk.
Certainly, as this branch focused on physical security services rather than cyber security.
It seemed natural for such a person to be the branch manager.
And, being based in Wall Street, he seemed to have heard a lot about my reputation.
The branch manager mentioned the recent oil price crash, creating a pleasant atmosphere before suddenly changing the subject.
"As you can see, all important information is managed in an analog manner."
The branch manager lightly tapped the thick directory.
He was indeed a perceptive person. He pointed out exactly what I had been observing.
Then, an interesting word popped out of his mouth.
"You don't have to worry. Unless there's Physical Hacking, there's no chance of VIP information being leaked to the outside."
Judging by his expression, he meant it as a joke.
Physical Hacking?
Physical Hacking!
If I didn't know what hacking was, maybe, but to me, there was no greater humor.
It was truly a funny joke. A small laugh escaped my lips.
That's right. Breaking someone's head open and stealing information was also hacking, in a way.
"If you think about it, even sneaking in wearing a mask and stealing documents… that's hacking too."
In that it was an act of breaching security and stealing the information within.
Many hacker groups spread malicious Ransomware and extort institutions for Bitcoin, but in reality, the easiest method might be Physical Hacking.
Without a network approach.
Just kidnap a Bitcoin whale, imprison them, and use violence until they reveal their seed phrase.
No amount of Multi-Sig security measures can stand against direct violence and intimidation.
Hacking the person themselves.
And perhaps that crazy bastard was already planning such a method.
The thought made me grind my teeth again.
'Ah… that crazy bastard.'
The branch manager pretended not to notice my expression and continued flipping through the directory.
The warm atmosphere quickly faded, and then his lips opened.
"You requested not only simple security but also to be trained and prepared for real-world situations.
Among our personnel, there are only a limited number who can meet all those conditions. Here are some agents we can recommend."
The branch manager took out several profiles one by one and handed them to me.
"Please take a look."
In fact, showing profiles of multiple agents like this was almost unheard of in this industry.
The basic practice was to select the most suitable agent according to the client's request.
And share only the minimum profile.
Yet now, the branch manager of Pinkerton's New York branch was laying out several profiles in front of me.
This meant that they were not only meeting my requirements but also treating me as a special case.
They were taking a risk too.
Naturally, I should express my gratitude.
"I hope I'll have the opportunity to reciprocate the trust you've shown me. Shall we take a look then?"
The branch manager smiled gently at my words.
The files on the table contained people with different backgrounds and experiences.
There were agents with extensive counter-terrorism experience, agents from special forces, and civilian security experts who had protected top executives of multinational corporations like Exxon Mobil.
Each had impressive careers.
But the person I wanted wasn't just someone to act as a shield.
I slowly flipped through their profiles, stopping at one file.
"Logan Steel."
As I read the name aloud, a confident smile spread across the branch manager's face.
"Agent Logan is a former U.S. Army Special Forces, Green Beret. He also served as a Close Quarters Battle (CQB) instructor, demonstrating exceptional ability in training new recruits.
He has extensive experience in VIP security, and it would be hard to find someone better at teaching defense and crisis response techniques."
A person's face contains the history of their life.
The integrity and sense of responsibility visible on his face matched the era of 2001 when he enlisted in the military.
The chaos and anger after the 9/11 attacks, the sense of responsibility that the young men of that time must have felt.
Also, the clear wrinkles and prominent cheekbones that made him look older, and the subtle shadows under his eyes, were the history of a life spent fighting and surviving in extreme environments for years.
In particular, I liked the heavy and serious light in his eyes.
'People like this rarely stab you in the back.'
After checking Logan Steel's photo once more, I said.
"Good. I'll take this one."
* * *
It had already been two days since Shiva submitted her resignation to MIT and joined this small office.
The place, which wasn't big to begin with, had become even more cramped by separating the server room and the CEO's office.
The so-called security team's area was just a few desks arranged along the wall of the central hall.
Behind the desks, a small passage led to the door to the CEO's office.
But Shiva actually liked this humble environment.
It certainly didn't look like the office of a mid-sized Hedge Fund.
"Being here like this makes us feel like founding members, doesn't it?"
Shiva said out of the blue to Sword, who was working on the server.
Sword stopped typing and looked at Shiva.
With her small frame, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, Shiva was wearing a lively smile.
It was the look of someone enjoying the stage of their dreams.
"We really feel like founding members. Don't you think?"
Shiva smiled brightly again.
Sword quietly took his hands off the keyboard and stared at Shiva for a moment.
He frowned slightly as if lost in thought, but soon a low voice came from his mouth.
"I'm warning you, don't get cocky."
"So sudden? I'm taken aback."
Shiva deliberately put on an innocent expression and retorted.
"I'm saying that because you're acting like a founding member or something. Are we in a position to do that?"
"Don't worry. You're not the only one who's desperate. I'm putting my life on the line here too."
"Okay. You can think however you want. Anyway, I'm warning you clearly. If you cause any trouble… I won't go easy on you just because you're a woman, so be careful."
"Ha! It's like you're saying exactly what I wanted to say."
"I'm telling you not to show that side of yourself in front of the CEO."
"You're the one who shouldn't touch things you shouldn't and get the CEO in trouble."
"What?"
"Sword, you already have a record. O.F.F.I.C.I.A.L.L.Y."
Shiva blinked playfully, emphasizing each syllable.
Sword's eyebrows twitched, but he held back from further rebuttal.
The tense atmosphere between the two was fleeting.
Before long, they were looking at each other and smiling. It was because they had confirmed that they wanted the same thing.
No matter what anyone said, this place was a golden opportunity for both of them.
This Hedge Fund company, founded by a young representative manager who had emerged as a rising star on Wall Street, was filled with limitless possibilities that surpassed the world's evaluation.
They were the ones who had directly experienced it.
Wasn't John von Neumann called the greatest genius in human history?
A genius who mastered calculus at the age of 8.
But now, to the two of them, Hyun-woo was the one who deserved that title.
The ability of Hyun-woo that they had confirmed went beyond simply reading and analyzing data and code.
It was in the realm of instantly modeling it in his head and simulating it in various ways.
He wasn't human.
He was a bio-computer.
Even if Feynman came back to life, it would be impossible.
No, even Feynman would have admitted that it was beyond the realm of humans if he had seen it with his own eyes.
The fact that a single human brain could process such complex information in real-time was truly unbelievable.
But the two of them had seen it with their own eyes.
A superhuman who had transcended the realm of humans.
It was a company founded by such a person.
And in the heart of Wall Street, the center of world finance.
Even if they had become regular employees at Google, even if they didn't have a criminal record.
They wouldn't have been able to receive the possibilities and opportunities they had found here.
This place wasn't just a company.
A new stage to design the world.
It was too obvious how the journey that started in this small office would grow on the grand international stage of world finance!
It was when the two of them were thinking that way and secretly vowing allegiance and dedication again.
There was a knock on the door. But it was the weekend.
'There's no way we'd have a visitor.'
Sword wondered and got up from his seat.
"Who is it?"
In response to Sword's question, an answer came from outside.
"I came because there's a meeting today. My name is Logan Steel."
Sword paused for a moment and then opened the door.
The man standing outside the door caught his eye.
A black mask covered most of his face, but the deep, heavy eyes revealed above the mask exuded an aura that overwhelmed people at once.
Sword was also a man called a giant, but the man was even bigger.
The man, Logan, took a step inside and slowly scanned the room.
Logan's gaze lingered on Shiva for a moment.
Shiva straightened her back without realizing it and adjusted her posture.
Even more so for Sword, who had a criminal record.
As soon as Logan's gaze brushed past him, he swallowed hard and began to imagine the man's identity in an ominous way. Like Interpol.
"It seems the CEO isn't here."
Shiva quickly replied.
"It's the weekend. But you said it's because of a meeting?"
Shiva tried to remain calm.
But because Sword was so nervous, her voice trembled along with his.
Logan looked at Shiva for a moment and then nodded slightly.
"It's okay. I'll contact him directly."
While manipulating his phone, Logan slowly looked around the office again.
The first impression of the AlphaMind office that he felt wasn't much different from the first impression that the security team of four had felt.
Until he arrived, he had imagined a large and stylish office using several floors entirely.
But that wasn't the case at all. It was too small compared to the reputation that had spread on Wall Street.
From the first impression, he felt a sense of incongruity.
In fact, Logan didn't like this dispatch mission itself. It wasn't the first time he had received a request to train someone while providing security.
There were cases among the wealthy who didn't know what to do with their overflowing money.
And in those cases, it was always obvious.
At that time, a reply from Hyun-woo came to Logan's phone.
[ You went to the office. That's not the place. I'll send you a new address now, so come here. ]
Logan paused when he saw the returned address.
It was a familiar place. But it wasn't a place a Hedge Fund manager would call him to on the first day.
Triple Canopy New York Training Center.
It was a training facility operated by Triple Canopy, a world-renowned private military company, and it was operated privately.
Especially since it was currently empty due to Corona.
Soon, an absurd smile was drawn on Logan's lips.
'It seems this VIP is serious.'