What the Hell is This?
'What the hell is going on.'
Pretending to be fast asleep while listening to Jin So-wol's story, I still couldn't make sense of it. Turns out, the one she had business with wasn't me—it was Yelena. I'd just thought of her as a freeloading parasite and handyman crashing at the house.
'So she approached our family for her too?'
Come to think of it, I remembered what Sujin had said. Cheonma Bio Farm's contract terms had been suspiciously generous compared to other companies. So had she targeted us from the start with that in mind? Were the otherworld crops just a smokescreen to get close to Yelena?
'That kinda stings.'
In other words, all my suspicions about Jin So-wol up to now had been a complete waste of time. I'd thought she had some shady ulterior motives toward me or Sujin, but I was just a decoy.
"……."
Still, one thing nagged at me. Why go to such lengths just to approach Yelena?
I cracked my eyes open just a sliver and focused on their conversation.
"Your father. Why did you kill him?"
"That's……."
'Ho ho.'
It seemed there was some backstory I didn't know. But she killed her own father? That was news to me.
'Is that why she came to Korea?'
Why would she do such a thing? In a traditionally Confucian country like Korea, killing your own family was pretty shocking. But at the same time, I'd been living with Yelena for the past few months. She could be a bit rude, but she wasn't the type to do something like that. Especially not without reason.
"I… don't… know……."
"Hmm? You don't know? Does that even make sense?"
'Exactly.'
I nodded inwardly in agreement.
"That day… my father suddenly came home with a shocked look on his face……."
"And then?"
"He… attacked me. For no reason at all……."
"Hmm."
"In the end, I had no choice but to kill him……. If I hadn't… I would've been the one dead."
'Damn.'
That was one hell of a grim story. Accidentally killing your own father.
"…I see?"
Suddenly, Jin So-wol's expression brightened a bit at Yelena's response.
"Is that really all? You didn't… hear anything or anything?"
"That's right……."
"Hehe. I see, I see?"
I had no idea what part of that conversation pleased her, but Jin So-wol even flashed a satisfied smile. Then she turned to me.
"So now what……."
"……."
"Can't just get rid of her—the otherworld crops would be a waste too. Hmm."
She furrowed her brow as if pondering, then shrugged.
"For today, I'll let it slide."
"…….."
"Alright. That's settled for her. Park Soo-hyeok."
I'd been peeking with half-closed eyes, but now Jin So-wol approached me.
"…Park Soo-hyeok?"
'Ah.'
"…Yeah."
Basing my act on Yelena's reaction from earlier, I played along. My response was a bit delayed, but Jin So-wol just pouted once and let it go.
"You. You're an awakener, right? The report said so. But I don't see a mana core."
'Crap.'
Come to think of it, Sujin had mentioned that. Awakened people could usually tell with a sharp look. But I didn't have a mana core right now.
"Ah, no, I'm not……."
"Really? Hmm……."
Jin So-wol tilted her head with a puzzled look.
I had to play this off smoothly.
"Uh, I've heard since I was a kid that I was pretty strong……."
"Oh? Hmm. Well, if that's the case. Guess we'll have to look into that executive director you killed again."
Jin So-wol shrugged like it was no big deal. She seemed to see me as just a leech mooching off my sister's place.
"So. How did you grow the otherworld crops? Some special method?"
"That… I don't know……. My sister handles it……."
"Tsk. Figures."
Luckily, it sounded plausible enough, and she just clicked her tongue lightly.
"Fine. Yeah, nothing useful here."
"……."
Should I be happy or not? Sure, getting dismissed meant no more questions, but it didn't feel great.
She finished questioning and returned to her seat. Then snapped her fingers again.
…Snap!
"…Ugh."
Yelena woke up at the finger snap. I mimicked a similar groggy reaction, pretending I'd just woken up.
"Ow. My head."
"Ugh. Feels like I'm gonna puke."
"Oh dear. You must be drunk."
Jin So-wol smiled sweetly at us now recovered, switching back to polite speech like nothing had happened. Impressive acting.
"You both seem pretty wasted. Shall we call it here for today?"
"…Yeah."
I nodded, and she downed the rest of her drink.
"I invited you as guests, so pardon the rudeness, but may I head out first? I have more work."
"Sure, go ahead."
"Thank you for understanding. Well then. I've already paid the bill, so take your time."
She nodded casually, as if we'd been totally transparent, and added:
"Oh, and my earlier offer still stands."
"Uh… you mean the board meeting thing?"
"Yes. See you."
With that, Jin So-wol actually left the annex. Guess she really did have business with Yelena. Not me.
"Tsk."
What was this feeling? A bit miffed, maybe. At least it ended quietly without incident. She didn't seem overly interested in me or Yelena anymore.
'What the hell?'
It felt like she'd been checking if Yelena knew some secret.
"Ugh. Soo-hyeok. My stomach feels queasy. But I barely ate."
"Yeah, figures."
The ability Jin So-wol had used just now. Hypnosis. To use it, one condition was needed: the target's mind had to be weakened.
'Gave us trouble on the battlefield.'
It had been a real pain during the war with the demons. The great battle at Naigel Plains. Humanity's alliance clashed with massive demon forces. Result: crushing defeat for humanity. Regular soldiers couldn't resist the succubi's hypnosis. And with blood and guts everywhere, even the strong-minded got cracks in their resolve.
After that, humanity shifted from large-scale battles to small guerrilla ops led by elite heroes. That's why only the hero party went for the Demon King's head.
That's why Jin So-wol kept pushing drinks. Nothing weakens the mind like booze.
'Wait…….'
Something felt off. The drinks she'd given us earlier. No matter the proof, bodies like Yelena's or mine shouldn't get wasted that fast. Which meant another ability was in play.
The dream demons had one like that. Sleep Toxin.
Nothing special. Just that their bodily fluids contained sleep-inducing components, true to their race name.
Which meant…
"…Urp."
Realization hit, and my stomach boiled. Sure, Director Jin So-wol was pretty, but that was crossing a line. I didn't have kinks like "reward with that" or whatever.
"Ugh."
Maybe I shouldn't have let her off easy? Felt shitty.
"She has two dream demon abilities……."
Maybe she even had that other one. 'That' one.
'That'd be a big problem.'
God, I hoped not.
"Soo-hyeok. Can I eat more of this?"
"Huh? Didn't your stomach hurt?"
"Suddenly hungry again."
The sleep toxin's effects must've worn off—Yelena's appetite was back.
"Hmm."
Might as well make her pay for screwing with us.
Ding-a-ling.
I rang the bell, and Sanghwa staff entered the annex promptly.
"Hey, we haven't finished eating. Can we order more?"
"Yes. Director Jin already paid in advance. She said to add whatever you need."
"Oh, really?"
Guess she figured we'd eat lightly and leave. Time to collect for poisoning us.
"Since you're here, let's order a bunch. This whole roasted duck… holy crap! Why's the duck so pricey?"
"Doesn't look like chicken. More like duck."
"Oh. Is this that Peking duck or whatever?"
I ordered everything that looked expensive. Yelena excitedly dug into the arriving dishes. I filled up too.
"Pack the leftovers. No, this, this, and that too."
"Ah… sure."
The Sanghwa staff looked unsure, but with a director footing the bill, they'd keep quiet for face.
Early dawn. I blew hard on the computer tower in the living room, sending dust flying. The one Sujin bought last year just in case. Looked untouched.
OS was installed, thankfully.
"Holy shit! 2 terabytes of RAM? Tera's after mega, giga, right?"
Back in my day, 60 gigs felt endless. This was over ten thousand times more.
"Ahem."
Shoving aside nostalgia. Felt awkward after so long, but my old Yukang Group third-party vendor skills kicked in quick.
"Alright. Let's see……."
With familiar hands, I started making presentation slides. Conclusion after agonizing since last night.
Jin So-wol being shady aside, her offer was damn tempting. If it panned out, we'd be printing money.
"Heh heh."
The work that started at dawn wrapped up as the sun peeked over the horizon.
"Just needs some tweaks."
Not complex. Just slides proving otherworld crop success. Photos, text—simple.
"Mmm……. What's got you so busy this early?"
Sujin, getting ready for work late, frowned.
"Ah, Sujin. Morning."
"Yeah. Whatcha doing?"
"Eh, nothing much. Made some simple presentation slides."
"Presentation?"
"Yep."
She'd been too busy with gifted beef last night to explain details. Paired with drinks, she was out cold when we got back.
"Know where this bro went yesterday?"
"Huh? You said you two went on a cozy little dinner date without me~?"
"Hey! When did I say that!"
"Heh heh. Kidding. Think you said business or something."
"Well, actually……."
Her eyes went wide hearing the story.
"Ch-Cheonma Group's board meeting invite?"
"Yup."
"Whoa."
Even top Yukang star Sujin couldn't fathom rubbing elbows with Cheonma's global bigwigs.
"Lemme see."
"Ahem. Feast your eyes. Your bro……."
"Uh… that's it?"
"Huh?"
Thought she'd be impressed. Lukewarm reaction.
"Why? Not good?"
"It's just… doesn't pop. Wanna see our company's template?"
"Sure."
Yukang's PPT was next-level. Felt the 20-year gap.
"Content's perfect. But for that crowd, it needs to grab eyes instantly."
"True."
"Nah. I'll ask our GD team? They owe me from last time."
"Nah, can't do that."
Stranger doing it? My pride wouldn't allow.
"Just show the template. I'll whip up something slick quick."
"Heh. Okay."
Presentation slides need the creator's soul. Old boss Kim drilled that in.
'Damn right. Outsourced is fake.'
"……."
Fake? A hypothesis clicked. Fitting every puzzle piece so far.