A Double-Edged Sword

I wasn't sure what kind of company held meetings in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the middle of the night, but Black Cell was a villainous organization through and through. Work-life balance for the staff? That concept didn't exist here.

The director had said it wasn't a particularly important meeting, so I saw it as the perfect chance to bring up the heroes' struggles and the idea of sponsoring future talents. Yet the conference room I entered, expecting only senior and lead researchers, held…

"Director, didn't you say this wasn't an important meeting?"

"Yeah. What we're having now is just a regular meeting."

The core executives of Black Cell sat firmly in their seats. They turned to me with smiles that laid their thoughts bare.

Heh heh heh, so you've been dragged in too.

Welcome. First time here, isn't it?

We've warmed the seat nicely for you. Come sit down, dear.

The arrival of fresh prey had put everyone in a cheerful mood. Seeing even these top brass unable to go home made it clear just how much absolute power ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the director wielded.

The sociopath who couldn't read human emotions personally pointed out my seat and even pulled the chair out for me with saccharine sweetness.

"There! You can sit right here!"

"I'm still just a first-year junior. I'm not sure someone like me should be attending a meeting of this caliber."

"They say it's better to get hit first, so we might as well get this over with quickly."

My heart plummeted so hard my poker face nearly cracked. I wasn't sure if I'd been handling my career wrong all this time, but my odds of rising to a high position in Black Cell had just shot up dramatically.

Of course, the time limit I faced was far more generous than I'd expected. Perhaps the moment had come to define my path with greater clarity.

The escape route had been cut off long ago anyway, so I was forcibly dragged into the Black Cell executive meeting.

After that, there was almost nothing for a junior like me to do. The director had likely brought me so the core executives would recognize me as part of her faction, and to let me absorb the atmosphere by watching.

I had never imagined becoming a candidate for that sociopath's right hand, but the night meeting unfolded in a strangely fascinating way.

"Director Aileen, here are the latest financial indicators for Black Cell."

"The special agents have been complaining of severe fatigue lately, Director."

"We've caught the internal whistleblower and the new recruits have adapted somewhat. It should be fine to resume the major research projects we had paused."

Naturally, the core executives were reporting directly to the director rather than the president.

"Miss Aileen, I've brought a rather interesting story this time."

"If you're putting it that way, I suppose I can look forward to it?"

"Of course!"

The president was going all out to curry favor with the director. He even called her "miss"? That raised the likelihood he belonged to her family—the Black Rock family.

I had already assumed she was the true master of Black Cell, but it seemed her internal control was even tighter than I'd realized.

In any case, the president brought up an issue that caught my interest as well.

"A child capable of sealing superpowers has appeared in Seoul."

"Is that true?!"

"Oh my… an ability like that…."

The protagonist of this world had finally appeared.

***************

What exactly was the strongest ability in existence? Time stop? Magic, the pinnacle of unscientific phenomena? Or overwhelming physical enhancement? There were many candidates, but the one that countered them all was the protagonist with his power-sealing ability.

Of course, it came with significant drawbacks.

"So… the only confirmed ability is the Control-Type sealing power?"

"If it had even a hint of Superhuman-Type mixed in, we would have had the strongest hero in Korea on our hands."

"And if the target is too powerful, it only mitigates the effect…."

"It even puts a strain on the user's body, apparently."

The protagonist could win against anyone and lose to anyone. Because of that, the child currently spending his early years under the direct protection of the Hero Association had slipped through Black Cell's fingers. The high-ranking officials were bitterly disappointed.

Especially the director. Her mood soured instantly.

"If we had found him first, it would have been the perfect chance to uncover the secret behind superpowers…."

"Director Aileen, opportunities will surely come again."

"Haah. Well, thank you for the excellent information, President."

"Hahaha! This is the least I can do, Miss Aileen!!"

With the president's story finished, the meeting picked up speed. While I listened to various pieces of information and internal Black Cell matters—

"Now it's time to discuss external activities."

"Director Aileen, do you have any plans in mind?"

"Maxwell here will explain that."

Suddenly every core executive's gaze locked onto me and the pressure skyrocketed. Fortunately, the director had dropped a hint before we entered the conference room, so I had already laid the groundwork.

"The proposals I intend to make are likely things everyone present has already considered."

"I see. Then speak freely."

"The simplest option is sponsoring the mutants at the Hero Academy."

It was the safest and most reliable form of external activity. The scope was narrow, and it let us wear the mask of charity toward social underdogs—the mutants. Besides, those who received sponsorship would eventually become heroes themselves.

"We could secure the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠future with the smallest investment."

"If handled well, it could even offset the previous incident where we used the mutants."

"Hmm… Maxwell, do you have any other suggestions?"

"If you're looking for more direct results, selling medicine to heroes at discounted rates would be effective."

I relayed the heroes' complaints I had heard at the academy. Even if we sold powerful drugs like rapid recovery agents cheaper than before, the increased volume would more than make up for it. We could also claim the title of a company that truly stood for heroes.

The suggestions were simple enough that anyone could have thought of them, and the core executives responded with clear approval.

"To be honest, I expected unrealistic proposals. This is quite surprising."

"Or it simply means he sees reality clearly."

"Now I understand why Miss Aileen went to such lengths to recruit him three times."

One of the iron rules of corporate life is to never overstep. By remaining endlessly humble while laying the groundwork, I managed to slip out from under the executives' crosshairs.

The problem was that I had now earned their recognition.

After that, I continued dancing on the edge of a very sharp double-edged sword. The meeting ended on a positive note, and the core executives of Black Cell headed home with exhausted expressions.

Yet I had to move with the director—alongside Secretary Min Chaerin, whose dark circles had sunk all the way to her cheeks.

Our group walked down a long corridor to return to the director's office. As I walked, I glanced out the window. The colorful, beautiful nightscape filled my eyes and gave me a momentary burst of courage.

"Director."

"What is it, Maxwell?"

"Could you tell me why you've been pushing me forward like this?"

Ever since I joined Black Cell, the director had shown me considerable favor. Even though it served her own goals, there was no need to keep extending such goodwill.

But the woman before me was far more dangerous than I had realized.

"Because you possess what I lack."

"Please stop circling around it and just tell me directly."

"To be completely honest… originally…"

The director paused, choosing her words carefully before continuing.

"I simply wanted to obtain intelligence. But your true ability, Maxwell, turned out to be far more than that."

She let out a small laugh and asked me in return.

"Maxwell, is there anyone in this Black Cell currently hostile toward you?"

"There was the late Marlon."

"Exclude that fool."

"…No. There isn't."

"Exactly."

She was a sociopath who struggled to empathize with others' feelings. Yet she had found the lubricant that would make the organization run more smoothly.

"Solve your shortcomings through other talented people. Isn't it a very simple reason?"

Although she had created the company to fulfill her own desires, the capable woman who had built Black Cell into the world's leading pharmaceutical company stood right in front of me.

****************

The long, grueling night meeting finally ended, and I returned to my quarters. The moment I lay down on the bed, a flood of thoughts rushed in.

The director cares about Black Cell far more than I realized.

Having built the company with her own hands, her attachment to it seemed enormous. Of course, she was still a villain. But the future version of her would become unimaginably worse, openly conducting human experiments. Perhaps the collapse of Black Cell was what drove her to that point.

In any case, two choices now lay before me.

The first was to reject the high position the director was offering. The advantage was that if Black Cell self-destructed, my survival odds would rise, and by going into hiding afterward, no one would know who I was. The downside was earning the witch's enmity—she would undoubtedly keep harassing me—and as a mere ordinary researcher I would have no power. I would be swept up in external events and likely die before reaching the time limit.

The second was to accept the position she offered. However, taking that title would drastically raise the chance of being killed by rampaging test subjects later. I would be stepping deeper into darkness, possibly even crushed beneath Black Cell's sinister prestige.

But…

Does that mean I would be able to wield some of Black Cell's massive wealth and power?

If I accepted the position, the special agents would make me extremely safe. I would also gain the ability to command those forces, allowing me to intervene in any external incident. I would gain access to far more information.

Moreover, the children's faces flashed through my mind. Originally I had hoped they would grow up and protect me… but now the roles were reversed.

Then what position should I secure until the time limit ran out?

The board was already set. The dice had begun to roll. I had originally planned to become an internal whistleblower and take the position of "This guy was actually a good person all along." But with the human lie detector Secretary Min Chaerin refusing to quit despite her exhaustion, reaching that goal seemed nearly impossible.

If so, I would go even further.

The sole conscience of Black Cell. The traitor Judas who sold out Jesus.

That was the seat I needed to aim for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from now on.