Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The Company's Branch Chief
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The director's office at Yongwol Clinic, a Korean medicine clinic run by Yi Chenlian.
Pour—
Yi Chenlian poured green tea into a teacup and gazed intently at the full moon visible through the window.
A full moon.
Every time he saw the rising moon, his mood lifted.
Just like that full moon, how much struggle had it endured before floating high in the night sky?
He had started as a mere mercenary and risen to this position.
To the role of "branch chief" in an organization known by countless names—Illuminati to some, Freemasons to others.
It was called by dozens of names, but the members themselves referred to their organization simply as this.
The Company.
Even becoming the regional branch chief of The Company brought immense wealth and honor.
'Honor, or is it fear?'
Those who knew Yi Chenlian's true identity devoted everything to him.
Not out of respect or reverence, but fear—that was what brought him his wealth.
But those unaware of his identity simply saw him as a kind-hearted Korean medicine doctor.
That wasn't so bad either.
There was pleasure in enjoying an ordinary life.
Sipping tea after finishing his clinic duties in the evening was one such simple joy.
Slurp—
Yi Chenlian quietly savored his tea and began admiring the serene garden view.
But.
"……?"
His brief moment of leisure and solitude didn't last long.
Lou Wilson had come in person to report.
"It's Wilson."
Creak—!
Lou Wilson entered the director's office and bowed his head.
"It's been a while since I've seen you at this hour."
Lou Wilson gave an awkward smile at his response.
"You told me to report directly once we located Steven Gibson's birth mother."
"Right. It's that important."
Yi Chenlian set down his teacup and furrowed his brow.
To "control" Steven Gibson from the shadows, they needed to manage every aspect of his life.
His birth mother could become a variable.
'Hmm…'
As Yi Chenlian pondered, Lou Wilson asked,
"What should we do?"
"It's not the birth mother that's the problem—it's this man named Lee Daehyuk."
Yi Chenlian had grasped the situation perfectly.
They should use the birth mother if possible.
But they couldn't predict how Steven Gibson would react to this incident.
And then there was this variable, Lee Daehyuk….
There were plenty of issues to consider.
"Ah, why don't you have a cup of tea too."
Yi Chenlian, calculating the unfolding situation, poured tea into the empty cup across from him.
"Thank you."
Lou Wilson bowed lightly in thanks and picked up the teacup, but he couldn't bring himself to drink.
Not the fragrant tea aroma, but the scent of blood seemed to assault his nose.
At that moment.
Yi Chenlian's soft voice rang out.
"Right, now that I think about it, the day we first met, we had tea too."
"…We did."
Lou Wilson recalled his first encounter with Yi Chenlian.
Tremble—
His hand shook with terror.
Back then, Yi Chenlian—far from being branch chief, not even recognized as a proper organization member—had served as the torture executor.
Not figuratively, but literally: he tormented those who had fallen out of favor with The Company.
Lou Wilson had been caught by him, subjected to all sorts of torture… and in the end, become like this.
'A dog.'
Even after all this time, his body trembled instinctively.
The humiliation was etched into his very being.
Did he notice the trembling?
Heh—
Yi Chenlian let out a sneer and said,
"You know, thinking back, you've always avoided asking questions. Aren't you curious? Why we're fostering that man's illness."
"I'm not curious."
Lou Wilson drew a firm line.
He was merely their lackey.
If he crossed that line, then one day, with even the slightest mistake…
'I'd be discarded.'
Lou Wilson knew his place.
Yi Chenlian, staring at him openly, chuckled.
"From now on, just like always, don't question, don't think. That way, at least… you'll enjoy endless wealth and glory until you die of old age."
Yi Chenlian's tone was gentle, his gaze warm.
Yet Lou Wilson trembled with humiliation.
That tone, that gaze.
It was exactly how he looked at the dog he kept at home.
But even so.
Grip—
"……."
Lou Wilson shivered with humiliation but had no choice but to clamp his mouth shut.
Just as he said, he couldn't afford to think.
Not if he wanted to survive.
"……."
"Your reaction's lackluster."
"……."
"Keep surveilling Steven Gibson's birth mother. Protect her if she seems in danger, provide every convenience. But don't let her meet Steven Gibson until I say so."
If they had to meet, it would be on a stage prepared by The Company.
"Understood."
As Lou Wilson gave a curt reply, Yi Chenlian lifted his teacup.
"Go back and rest."
"Yes. You too."
As Lou Wilson rose with a brief farewell, Yi Chenlian.
"……."
Watched his retreating back with an expressionless face, without taking a single sip of his tea.
Yi Chenlian's—no, The Company's—intentions were clear.
To dominate the global economy using every method and resource at their disposal.
Like the villains from graphic novels.
But in reality, there were no heroes to oppose them.
Most, like Lou Wilson, had closed their eyes in fear and become minions.
'And it's not exactly evil. Someone has to maintain order.'
The countless murders, tortures, and all their crimes were necessary evils, means to preserve the world economic order.
Steven Gibson was just a slightly different case.
'He was going to die like that anyway.'
Even left alone, Steven Gibson wouldn't have lived a full life.
In 2004, after pancreatic cancer surgery.
He had avoided surgery thereafter, believing meditation and acupuncture could cure him.
Because he had become immersed in Buddhist Zen philosophy and believed in some spiritual something.
And The Company had approached that very Steven Gibson.
To seize Apple through him.
For now, it was just bugging him to extract new product information.
But as time passed, Steven Gibson would grow increasingly dependent on The Company—no, on him.
Like a fanatic devotee to a cult leader.
'Well, to him, I'm no different from Jesus.'
Without the special drug "Heaven" he had provided, Steven Gibson wouldn't have endured the pain.
Heaven.
Not a simple narcotic, but a special "sedative" developed by The Company through endless research.
The drug taken by African rebel mercenaries or Afghan terrorists before heading into battle.
It blocked ordinary pain, calmed the mind, and had no addiction symptoms.
Even standard drug tests couldn't detect it.
For the user, it was the gift of a perfectly safe paradise.
'Yes, this is a gift. Our gift to the world's genius.'
Far from guilt, his eyes gleaming with greed, Yi Chenlian picked up his teacup again.
***
Cupertino Kaiser General Hospital, near Apple's headquarters.
By the bedside of Steven Gibson, lying in a hospital bed.
"……."
Stood Michael, lips pressed tight with a look of utter loyalty.
Lee Daehyuk, sitting on the folding sofa and staring at Michael, clicked his tongue inwardly.
'Disgusting.'
To an outsider, it was a perfect performance of a "bodyguard," enough to move anyone to tears.
Without psychometry, he himself might have been misty-eyed right now.
But.
'That bastard's not the real issue.'
Ultimately, the problem was the secret organization behind Lou Wilson and Michael.
'…….'
Through psychometry, he had learned a great deal.
He could even guess the secret organization's goal in using Steven Gibson.
If Steven Gibson was dying from some disease…
Someone might make the exact opposite decision: to let him die.
He didn't feel any particular human affection for Steven Gibson.
He wasn't a friend or acquaintance—just a stranger.
But Lee Daehyuk knew better than anyone the world the iPhone would create.
That's why he thought saving him and becoming a "friend" and "business partner" would be more beneficial.
On the other hand, for those unaware of the iPhone's potential?
Without personal ties, who would truly care about Steven Gibson's health?
'Some… no, that secret organization would want him dead.'
Rumors of Steven Gibson's health issues would deliver a fatal blow to Apple's stock.
And that secret organization would short-sell.
For trillions of won, perhaps more.
Even without short-selling, there would be eyes and ears planted by the secret organization around Steven Gibson, besides Michael.
They had likely profited immensely from Apple's internal information so far.
"…Now I get it."
Even back in his Kim Gunwoo days, Lee Daehyuk had questioned Steven Gibson's death.
No matter how he thought about it, something felt off.
There must have been warning signs, and even immersed in the spiritual world, the death seemed too pathetic.
But now it was clear… there was a shadow behind that suspicious death.
'What to do?'
Simply getting Steven Gibson surgery wouldn't save him.
At minimum, he had to deal with Michael and the other secret organization plants around him.
'Trouble just keeps piling up.'
Lee Daehyuk unwittingly bowed his head.
Things had gotten more complicated than expected.
But it was about saving a life.
'Alright. Let's do it.'
He wasn't a hero, but he couldn't just watch someone die right in front of him.
And probably…
'I've become a target too.'
To those manipulating Steven Gibson, Lee Daehyuk's existence must be a thorn in their side.
So until he gathered solid evidence for a decisive strike, he had to play dumb.
'Alright. Time to shoot a Hollywood action flick.'
As Lee Daehyuk resolved himself.
"Urgh."
A groan came from Steven Gibson on the bed.
"You're awake?"
"Ha. Mr. Lee, you followed me here too?"
Steven Gibson, lying in bed, let out a hollow laugh upon seeing Lee Daehyuk.
He remembered collapsing from sudden abdominal pain.
But he hadn't expected Lee Daehyuk to be here.
"I'm grateful, but it's a bit embarrassing. As I get older, I collapse like this from overwork now and then. I'm fine otherwise. Michael, go get some water."
Feeling parched, Steven Gibson gave the order. Michael glanced at Lee Daehyuk and left the room.
Creak—! Click—!
"……."
Even after the door closed, Lee Daehyuk didn't speak for a while.
He wanted to shout that Michael was feeding him drugs.
But.
'He wouldn't believe it.'
"You said it happens now and then, but that's no simple overwork. Since you're at the hospital, get some tests."
The doctors had examined Steven Gibson and dismissed it as overwork with no special treatment.
Still, Lee Daehyuk hoped he'd at least get checked.
But Steven Gibson shook his head firmly.
"I'm fine, Mr. Lee. No time for that now. And even if there's something wrong with my health, it can't be now."
Steven Gibson's eyes were desperate.
The iPhone had just debuted to the world.
He had to hold on until that masterpiece—destined to change lives worldwide even after his death—took root.
'That's my mission.'
Steven Gibson knew he was a genius.
Geniuses had a mission to advance the world.
"Mr. Lee, I'll take care of my health after fulfilling my mission. Don't worry."
"…Okay."
Lee Daehyuk could only reply weakly.
Persuading Steven Gibson with words wasn't going to work easily.
'Alright. I'll do it my way.'
If words failed, force would do.
Clear out his surroundings one by one starting with those closest—it'd be straightforward.
Creak—
Michael entered with a PET bottle of spring water and handed it to Steven Gibson.
"Here."
"Thanks, Michael."
Michael had already unscrewed the cap. As Steven Gibson took the bottle, a bright smile lit his face.
Gulp gulp—!!!
Lee Daehyuk watched Steven Gibson chug the cool water refreshingly.
"……."
His gaze shifted to Michael.
Unlike Steven Gibson's warm look toward Michael.
Lee Daehyuk glared at him murderously.
'Alright. This bastard first.'
Boss, Become a Chaebol