The Second Meeting
The Director finally left after her inspection. Maybe my resolve had put her in a good mood, which is why she had stayed so long here. But now the test subjects in the Meeting Ground—after all the reorganization—looked like this:
“Are you all doing well?”
“G-Great!”
“We’ll finish even faster!”
They were so drained from tension that their eyes had changed completely. A mixture of fear and respect stared back at me. I hadn’t wanted to get close to the Director, but what was the point of saying so? They wouldn’t believe me anyway, so I simply supervised the work.
“The cleaning is finished!”
“Is there anything else you need?”
“No, this is plenty. Thank you very much.”
To give them extra space in case the two ever fought, I had widened the room. Unlike before, I had completely blocked out each other’s scent. I didn’t need to drag it out—I simply arranged for Liberty and Gloria to meet. First I brought Liberty into the lab.
“Hic… cough!”
“There, there. You worked hard this time. Thank you.”
“Nng…!”
Liberty had hated the idea of meeting Gloria, yet she was forced to do so because I asked. I should buy her a little gift later. Next up was Gloria.
She had been listening to my words lately, but the path to the lab was strangely quiet after all the incidents. It felt like we were the only two people left in the world as we reached the Meeting Ground. No researchers had come to watch this time either.
I stepped into Liberty’s opposite room with her. The clean interior held only a single chair. Gloria looked around slowly, then sat without being told. She spotted the black curtain and asked me,
“When does that open?”
“Ten minutes from now.”
I got the usual “just hurry up already” look, but Gloria simply slumped in her chair and waited patiently. I left the lab to give them time to adjust, as before. Sweat beaded on my palm as I gripped the remote. I held my breath, praying they wouldn’t fight.
With a trembling hand I pressed the button. The curtain slowly rose. As it vanished completely, Gloria and Liberty stared straight at each other’s faces. The fight from last time must have lingered—both wore the same disgusted expressions. But miraculously, they didn’t fight!
‘Thank goodness…’ This really was a success. Liberty bared her teeth and growled at her rival while Gloria scanned her up and down with clear displeasure. I had planned to end the meeting right away just in case, but Gloria’s tiny mutter broke her arrogant mask and she frowned. I was left speechless.
“A few livestock are fine.”
Gloria had already decided to treat Liberty like a pet.
*************
The meeting had been cold, but it had gone perfectly. I lowered the curtain immediately and wrapped things up. “I’ll take Liberty to you first, Gloria.”
“Hurry back.”
“I’ll be right back.”
She didn’t seem bothered at all; Liberty simply lay on the floor. I scooped her up and sprinted to the holding cell, petting her head and showering her with praise. “You stayed calm this time. Good job.”
“Keng!”
Even though Gloria’s muttered words must have hurt her feelings, Liberty didn’t mind. I promised to buy her a gift and hurried back to the lab. If another researcher peeked while I was gone, it would be a disaster. But the ninety-nine percent of my worry that never happened—there wasn’t a single bug around the Meeting Ground.
Still panting, I found Gloria again. Her face was tense.
“You’re too weak, aren’t you?”
“Hahaha… Well, I haven’t been working out lately…”
She clicked her tongue at the truth, but she walked to the holding cell without causing any trouble. We were alone again in the corridor when the thought struck me.
‘If I only think about today, Gloria probably won’t care about Victory at all.’ Of course she’d treat her like a pet, but the plan might move faster than expected. Gloria surprised me by asking about the next meeting first.
“Who’s the next one?”
“A rabbit mutant named Victory.”
“Sounds super weak.”
“But she has acceleration powers, so she’ll be fast.”
Gloria took some interest after hearing Victory’s ability. We should arrange the next meeting. We returned to the holding cell. She sat on the bed at once and waved me off.
“I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Don’t be late.”
With her growing vocabulary, I greeted her and left the holding cell. After caring for Victory and Liberty, I sat at the computer to finish the Director’s request before dinner. There it was—Lee Sera, Red Cat, the mutant I had been planning to sponsor all along. The report was packed with information on other mutants. To check if the Director had returned to her office, I called the secretary’s room.
[She has just returned to the Director’s office.]
“Does the Director have another schedule right away?”
[No.]
That was lucky—I could finish the report quickly. I scheduled the meeting and headed straight to her office. The bulky security director stepped out of the inner room.
“Hmm? Mr. Maxwell?”
“Good afternoon, Security Director.”
“Nice to see you. But why here…?”
“The Director asked me to bring the sponsorship report in person.”
“Ah… so this is the follow-up from the meeting room.”
The security director looked at me with pity, then suddenly handed me his business card. He had a mixed, complicated name.
[Black Cell]
[Security Director: Yoon Carter]
“My subordinates speak very highly of you, Mr. Maxwell. If anything happens later, please contact me.”
“You’re too kind… Thank you so much.”
“No, I should thank you for tolerating Director Aileen’s stubbornness.”
The way he called her “Aileen-ah” now made me realize he was probably from the Black Rock family, just like the Director. I had accidentally picked up one of her missiles. My fatigue vanished and warmth filled my heart.*************
The moment I left the security director, I entered the Director’s office. It was always bleak, but the sponsorship report flowed naturally. Most mutants ranked at the bottom, so the Director frowned.
“I picked them myself, and I still have to sponsor these? It’s like throwing money into the ground.”
“They have high floors but low ceilings, after all. Maybe invest elsewhere.”
“Tch… Whether they succeed or not, it’s not my problem.”
Fortunately, she approved the papers right away. The only issue was that the sponsorship was under Black Cell’s name, so she hadn’t noticed my involvement. She handled it surprisingly well.
“Maxwell, later when you go to the Hero Academy, make a big splash, okay?”
“I’ll make a giant sign and take a photo.”
“Mmm~ Perfect.”
The report was done. I was about to leave for the children when she gave me one more piece of news.
“Now that the new recruits are settled and adapted, it’s time to restart the experiments. Do you have any good ideas?”
“It would be best to ask the lead researcher, ma’am.”
I stepped back a pace—clear overreach—but she closed the distance in a single breath.
“That guy can’t even come near me. If the Director summons him, he makes every excuse and dodges.”
It was unbelievable that such a thin-skinned person was leading inhumane experiments. This was actually a chance for me. I had been aiming for the Director’s line, after all. I would voice the desire she had never shown anyone.
“…I suppose I have no choice.”
“You look like you have something in mind.”
“It’s only an idea so far.”
“Still, tell me.”
“Research to turn non-powered individuals into powered ones.”
A silence fell over the office, as if time had stopped. She was so overwhelmed with joy she couldn’t control her expression. She pretended to think for a moment, then rested her chin on her hands while her smile twitched. In that strange atmosphere, she said softly,
“That… is wonderful.”
She was the most radiant witch in the world.
She had maintained a perfect image, hiding her inferiority complex from the family and the outside world. But when I spoke her true goal, something astonishing happened.
“Mr. Maxwell, may I ask what you discussed with the Director yesterday?”
“Secretary Min Chaerin? Why—”
“It’s not that. The Director told me not to work overtime today.”
A workaholic had given the order for everyone else to go home first. I suddenly had the perfect excuse with the Director. She was even friendlier than before.
“Turn non-powered into powered?”
“Quite the subject.”
“It’s worth new research. Who suggested—”
“The documents say Mr. Maxwell recommended it.”
“Ah… if it’s that person…”
A new memo arrived for the researchers.