Orphans Are Good at Fortune-Telling (3): The Password to Betrayal
Hong Si-yeon's face hardened. That was only natural. In the past I had seen, he had served her since she was a child—the man she had thought of as a father.
"H-how can I believe those words?"
"A lot of people think fortune-telling is nothing more than the Barnum effect." Truth be told, I used to think the same. If I hadn't possessed the ability to see the past and future, I would have called anyone who threw money at fortune-tellers an idiot.
"But fortune-telling has been built on countless statistics and scholarly traditions since ancient times..." I rattled off the nonsense I'd read on the internet. Naturally, Hong Si-yeon didn't seem to hear a single word.
"I can't believe it... Why would Executive Director Jang...?"
"There should be ledgers inside Executive Director Jang Gu-hwan's safe."
"......"
"It's definitely locked. The password is 381127. As for the key... unfortunately, Executive Director Jang Gu-hwan will have it. It's on the same keyring as his car key, so try to get your hands on it."
"......"
"Also, please check the contract documents you signed with the Chinese company Taujing."
I told her exactly what I had seen in her future. As the story continued, Hong Si-yeon's eyes grew wider and wider. Her gaze flicked toward Hong Su-yeon. The younger sister stared at me with a shocked expression before frantically shaking her head.
"I didn't tell him anything! I swear!!"
"...I'll look into it. If what you're saying is true, Mr. Kang Noah... I will repay you properly."
With a face drained of all color, Hong Si-yeon hurried out. Hong Su-yeon glanced back and forth between her sister and me, gave a quick bow, and followed after her.
Alright. Time to grab a coffee on the way and grind some serious game time today too.
When Hong Si-yeon returned to the company, she ignored the employees greeting her and headed straight for the executive director's office. A secretary sat outside the door.
"Could you go buy me some coffee?"
"Yes, understood."
The secretary left without any suspicion. The moment she was gone, Hong Si-yeon slipped into the executive office.
"Oh my, our young lady has arrived."
Seeing his warm, grandfatherly smile made her wonder if Kang Noah's reading could possibly be right. It had been over ten years. For all that time, he had acted as a father in place of her late dad. The idea that such a person would betray her was truly...
'Still...'
"I wanted to talk about the China deal."
"Of course. Ah... but what should we do? I have an outside appointment today."
"What a shame. Then let's talk next time."
She casually moved closer to the desk. The car key was sitting there, along with another key. She quietly pocketed it while he remained focused on his documents.
"It's a meeting with Taeyoung Construction, right?"
"Yes. Haha. We have some things to discuss regarding the materials we'll be receiving from China this time."
"Would you like to take my car?"
"Oh my, the president's Maybach?"
"Yes. When I came up earlier, I noticed the tires on your car looked a little flat."
"...Really? Is that true?"
"Yes."
"Huh. Well then. Understood. That works for me."
"I'll let Driver Yang know."
"Haha. Then I'll be on my way."
Jang Gu-hwan stood up. As he glanced around the desk as if looking for his keys, Hong Si-yeon smiled sweetly.
"Are you looking for something?"
"I thought I left my car key right here..."
"I'll have the secretary look for it. It must have fallen somewhere."
"Hmm. You think so?"
He scratched his head with a gentle smile and left. After seeing him out and returning to her own office, she waited until she saw her Maybach pull away through the window before heading back to the executive director's office. It was empty.
"......"
The key in her pocket. She inserted it into the safe. Could it really be true? Would that password actually work? With her mouth dry from nerves, Hong Si-yeon barely moistened it with sticky saliva and entered the code.
-Beep-beep-beep. Click.
It opened. It really opened. The more she realized Kang Noah's fortune-telling was real, the colder her heart grew.
"...It was... true."
It was all true. Jang Gu-hwan had been committing corruption for a long time. It wasn't just kickbacks. He had been systematically siphoning off company assets, and this time he had even received millions of dollars from the Chinese company he had insisted she trust.
Not only the fake contracts but other evidence of corruption—most of it was inside the safe.
"....Sigh."
Her head throbbed. She let out a heavy sigh and stood up.
"...Why did you do this..."
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and picked up the phone.
"Yes, Prosecutor Yoo."
What she chose was to dispose of the traitor. Unlike the future Kang Noah had seen, where she had given up on everything.
Today was Dungeon Day. Since it was the day raids reset, I was busy hunting with the guild's slackers until the raid party recruitment really picked up.
-Ring ring!!
There it is. Hong Si-yeon's number.
"Hello."
-...Have you been well?
"Yes, I've been well. But from the sound of your voice, it seems President Hong hasn't been doing so great."
Of course she wouldn't be. She'd just seen the ugly truth behind someone she'd trusted like a father.
"Did everything get resolved?"
-We're still cleaning up the mess. I don't really know how to handle it all. But the future I saw was one where the company would shake violently, so it won't be resolved quickly.
-Can we meet?
"Uh..."
I have a raid coming up soon. I thought for a moment, then glanced at my computer.
"It's a bit difficult right now. How about we meet tonight instead?"
-Tonight...?
"Yes."
-What are you doing?
"Deonsa."
-...Excuse me?
"You don't know Dungeon & Saga?"
-So... you're postponing our meeting because you're playing a game?
"Yes."
-Is that... really that important?
Dungeon & Saga had been my only joy back when I lived under the director who forced us to play yut, egg-spitting, baduk, and every dirty card game imaginable. It had been with me for half my life—of course it was important.
-I understand. Then I'll see you later tonight.
"Yep."
Good. Time to jump into the raid.
Today's raid was fruitful too. Other people would keep spinning the wheel until their class-specific gear dropped, but I could change the drop table with a few careful actions and time my entry for when my items would appear.
Whew. I got shoulder pieces today, so next week I'll aim for the shoes.
"Get in."
Whoa. Isn't this that car? The one the delivery guy rear-ended so hard he lost his mind and collapsed. I heard it's over a billion won... As expected of our President Hong!! I believed in you!!
"You didn't have to come pick me up yourself."
"You're an important person. And my benefactor, too."
"I'm grateful you think so. By the way, where are we going?"
"Would you like to get a drink?"
A drink?
"I haven't drunk much before."
When you live in an orphanage, you see the older kids secretly drinking. I'd tried it a few times out of curiosity, but it tasted weird so I never drank much.
"You're still young."
"Well, I'm only twenty."
I'm a fresh-faced young man who just left the orphanage.
"You really are very young."
"Are you saying I don't look young with this face?"
"Of course not."
A deep, gentle smile curved Hong Si-yeon's lips.
"They say you learn to drink from adults. Let's go."
She took me to a bar somewhere in Seoul. It looked ridiculously expensive. Stepping into a place I'd only seen in dramas felt awkward.
"Welcome, President Hong. Oh? And this friend is..."
"My guest, Master."
That was the end of it. The bar's dignified master didn't ask any further questions. We sat down right away.
"The usual for me... and prepare a cocktail for this gentleman."
"Understood."
The middle-aged master immediately began mixing the cocktail. Wow. I'm seeing something I've only watched on YouTube in real life.
"This is Kahlua milk. Even people who are weak to alcohol can enjoy it."
"Ooh..."
One sip and I could tell it was good.
"Then... let me start with my thanks. Thank you, sir. Thanks to you, I was able to protect my company and my family."
"When you say family..."
"The people who work at my company. And... my grandmother and my younger sister as well."
"I see."
"Now, let's get to the main topic."
She handed me the prepared documents. It was complicated, but the conclusion was simple—an offer to let me live in an officetel in Jongno-gu whenever I wanted.
"We'll take care of the tax issues on our end. Just sign here."
"There's a tax issue too?"
Can't I just move in and live there? When I asked, Hong Si-yeon smiled brightly.
"I plan to register you as an outside director for our company."
A signing bonus of a full billion won. On top of that, a high monthly salary paid on time every month, along with bodyguards and a vehicle provided.
"Me? Why?"
"There's no problem with you simply living in my officetel. But I can't repay you with only that, can I?"
She would pay me a proper salary as an outside director. And apparently I wouldn't even need to do anything specific. It wasn't a bad deal for me, but I wondered if that was really okay.
"To be honest, it's also because I want to keep our connection going."
"Very wise of you."
I knew the value of my ability. Being able to read the future. It meant I might even be able to rule the world. But that alone wasn't enough. To fly farther and higher, I needed money and power to protect myself.
"You'll also need the right network of connections."
"That's true."
"If you want, I can build that network for you."
"Hmm..."
It wasn't a bad deal. The reason I'd used my ability without holding back at the hotel was partly because I was looking for good clients. I'd planned to get an introduction from Han Yu-na too, but having multiple channels couldn't hurt.
"President Hong's offer isn't bad, but I don't want my actions to be forced in any way."
"Of course. This isn't a slave contract."
To be honest, with this much money it seemed like plenty of people would beg to become slaves. Anyway, the important thing was that I had now gotten on the same boat as Hong Si-yeon.
"When can I start as director?"
"You can move in whenever it's convenient for you. The place is empty, but it already has furniture and such."
"That's good to hear."
Basically fully furnished. Then I just need to bring my computer. I could probably move in today if I wanted.
"If you need, I can arrange a moving company for you."
"No need. I don't have much stuff."
"Oh? Really?"
"Yes. It's only been a short time since I left the orphanage."
"You were an orphan?"
"You didn't know?"
I thought she'd at least run a background check.
"Did you think I would have investigated you?"
Instead of answering, I took a sip of the Kahlua milk. Man, this is delicious!
"You drink it well. Would you like to try some other drinks?"
"What kind?"
A smile bloomed on her lips.
"It's called a Screwdriver..."
. . .
"This tastes good too."
"...D-does it?"
The alcohol tasted better than I expected. Not just the cocktails, but the whiskey Hong Si-yeon was drinking too.
The master was so impressed he even explained that I couldn't taste the soju flavor because it didn't pair well with my palate. As expected of an elite orphan—my tongue really is high-class!!