A Spy Hero?
What did I just hear?
Are my ears playing tricks on me?
"I didn't mishear you just now, did I? Infiltration... Are you seriously telling me to play spy?"
"You heard right. I want you to be a spy inside H Group."
I hadn't misheard.
This woman was completely serious about this proposal.
"Excuse me, but I'm..."
"I know. Anyone who's anyone already knows you used to be Hwangbo Jun."
Well, as the executive director of ACE Group's Strategic Planning Division, she'd obviously know. But why make this kind of proposal to me knowing that?
As I stared at the enigmatic Gu Simin, she spoke.
"The information I want can only be accessed with the biometric code of H Group's owner family. But it's not like I can just walk up and contact a member of the H Group owner family, can I?"
"That might be true... but I've been disowned and erased from H Group, you know?"
The Chairman himself had wiped my existence from H Group.
I said this because Gu Simin's words clearly implied she intended to use my biometric code.
"Your records might be erased, but didn't you know? Once a biometric code is engraved by H Group or ACE Group, not even the person themselves can delete it."
"What?"
In that moment, I learned something I had never known.
The novel mentioned biometric codes, but it never went into such meticulous detail. I had never given biometric codes a second thought, so I had absolutely no idea one was engraved inside me.
Hera, is that true?
Regarding the biometric codes that grant access to the classified databases of mega-corporations like H Group and ACE Group, the claim that they cannot be deleted once engraved—even by the owner—is half-true and half-false.
What does that mean?
Because there is an existence capable of deleting it.
There's a person who can do that?
To be precise, it is not a person.
Then who is it?
Me.
Huh? What does that mean?
You?
I do not mean to boast, but I can confidently say there is nothing I cannot hack.
That sounds exactly like a boast, though.
I'd been wondering for a while now—just what kind of AI was Hera?
In the novel, she was described as an AI that Lee Muhyeok stole from Hwangbo Jun, playing a major role. However, the novel never really showed them bickering or having witty banter like this.
That's why, when I first talked to Hera, she felt completely different from other AIs.
How should I put it?
While other AIs—like ChatGPT or Gemini in my original world—responded naturally but still carried a stiff, robotic undertone, talking to Hera felt like talking to a real human.
Well, whatever.
I already knew the basic rules of AI didn't apply to Hera, but I hadn't expected her to be this proficient at hacking.
And it wasn't just ordinary hacking. To bypass a biometric code engraved by a mega-corp—the absolute pinnacle of technological advancement—meant that almost no one in the world could match Hera's hacking capabilities.
You're actually pretty amazing.
Yes, I am a magnificent AI. Therefore, you should worship me even more.
Anyway, even if I accept her proposal, how am I supposed to infiltrate H Group as a spy when there are people there who would recognize me?
She will likely utilize the Mimicry System secretly developed by ACE Group.
The Mimicry System?
Since she had just bragged about being the pinnacle of hacking, she must have dug up this information beforehand.
But wait, hadn't mimicry systems been around for a while? H Group had plenty of technology to disguise oneself as someone else.
ACE Group's Mimicry System is fundamentally different from existing mimicry technologies. While conventional mimicry can only disguise a user as a person who already exists in the database, the system created by ACE Group can fabricate an entirely new, non-existent identity and allow you to mimic them.
Classic ACE Group. I bet that was developed for military purposes too, right?
Correct. It was also designed to be sold covertly to intelligence agencies like the CIA or MI6.
Well, those intelligence agencies would probably pay a fortune for it.
It would be incredibly useful for espionage, after all.
In that case, calculate the probability of this proposal benefiting me, and what kind of benefits I can expect.
If there was no benefit, there was no reason for me to get involved.
And it all depended on what kind of benefits they were.
Considering the tendencies of ACE Group's Executive Director Gu Simin, the probability of this being beneficial is 89.459%. The benefits Aeri can obtain are a future connection to Executive Director Gu Simin of ACE Group, and a substantial increase in funds.
Hmm...
Not even 90%?
While 89.459% was certainly high, the difference between the 90s and the 80s was like night and day in this world.
A mere 1% difference could lead to drastically different outcomes here. It made me a bit uneasy, but it didn't seem like enough of a reason to reject the offer.
And while I didn't know Gu Simin's exact standing within ACE Group, she was the head of a highly lucrative division, so her position was bound to be secure.
A lifeline like that would be incredibly sturdy.
As for the increase in funds... well, if I helped her, she'd pay me accordingly, so that was a given.
Having finished my thoughts, I spoke to Gu Simin.
"I'll accept the proposal. However, let's put it in writing rather than just a verbal agreement."
"Of course. It's always best to be thorough."
As if she had anticipated my acceptance, Gu Simin manipulated her nanomachines and transmitted a contract to me—or more precisely, to Hera.
Review complete. One clause disadvantageous to Aeri has been detected.
Huh?
Clause 27: Upon successful completion of the aforementioned mission, Party B (hereinafter, Ju Aeri) shall be granted the privilege of future employment at ACE Group.
Why is that disadvantageous to me?
The issue lies in the word 'privilege' regarding employment.
Huh?
Normally, a privilege refers to a special right. However, in ACE Group's terms, this 'privilege' translates to the right to be scouted. Furthermore, ACE Group's scouting team is notoriously relentless until they secure their target. This means Aeri will undoubtedly face endless annoyance, making it a disadvantageous clause.
Ah... I see.
If that was the case, it seemed best to remove this clause. I didn't absolutely hate dealing with annoying things, but being hounded constantly by recruiters was a completely different story.
"I'd like you to remove Clause 27."
"Clause 27? Ah, this? I understand what you're worried about. But don't worry, the scouting team won't bother you."
Can this woman read my mind or something?
Well, since a public figure like Gu Simin was guaranteeing it, I supposed I could trust her.
She does not appear to be lying. There is no need to argue over removing it.
Just as Hera said, I figured there was no need to start a verbal dispute over it.
And so, I signed the contract, preparing to infiltrate H Group as a spy disguised as a newly recruited public hire.
To think she approached me right during the public recruitment season.
I had applied for H Group's public recruitment, passed the final interview, and successfully secured a position.
Because of this, I had to put my stream on hiatus again, which sent my viewers into a frenzy, but they'd understand since it couldn't be helped. Probably?
There were only four successful candidates in total, including myself.
As expected of a sprawling mega-corp, new recruits at H Group had to undergo rotational shifts across various subsidiaries.
My ultimate goal was to be assigned to the Strategic Planning Headquarters—commonly known as the SPH—where the information Gu Simin wanted was stored.
To get assigned to the SPH, I obviously have to get the highest evaluation score during the rotation, and I also need to catch the head of the department's eye.
Only by receiving the top evaluation score would I be granted an interview with the head of the SPH.
Only by becoming the chosen one who caught the department head's favor could I finally be assigned to the SPH.
Though I have to pass the training program first.
As is typical for mega-corporations, new recruits had to undergo a training retreat.
And this training program wasn't some casual team-building retreat; it was essentially another interview, a trial to weed people out.
"Hello."
As I sat in the waiting room before heading out to the training retreat, lost in thought, someone spoke to me.
Huh? This person... looks familiar.
She was someone I felt like I'd seen somewhere.
To be precise, it felt less like I'd met her in person and more like I'd seen her indirectly...
Wait... H-Hwangbo Yeon?!
Hwangbo Yeon.
If I went by my status before being disowned, she would be my cousin.
She was the daughter of Hwangbo Chang, the president of H Heavy Industries and H Construction, who was also the younger brother of Chairman Hwangbo.
Come to think of it, considering her age, she was just at the right age to apply for the public recruitment, wasn't she?
The reason I didn't wonder why a member of the owner family would apply through public recruitment was simple.
The H Group owner family strictly adhered to the famous proverb: "A lion pushes its cubs off a cliff."
No matter if they were second- or third-generation chaebol heirs, Chairman Hwangbo strictly enforced the philosophy of the late founder, Hwangbo Gyun—my grandfather, in my past life—who believed that one must start from the very bottom to truly understand how a corporation functions. Because of the Chairman's uncompromising stance, even family members had to start as entry-level employees through public recruitment.
Ugh... why did it have to be Hwangbo Yeon of all people? She's so annoying to deal with.
"The other two are guys, so I was feeling a bit uncomfortable, but I'm so glad there's another girl here. Let's get along!"
The reason I found Hwangbo Yeon annoying was simple.
She was incredibly smart and highly intelligent, but her actual behavior was as naive and bubbly as a field of flowers.
Even if they had passed the final recruitment, new hires were essentially rivals competing for a spot in the SPH, the core of H Group. Approaching me so warmly like this was proof enough of her naivety.
My corporate life is going to be exhausting.
I could do nothing but let out a heavy sigh.