Chapter 145

Song Kiyeol began hesitantly, "My sister Junghye might come to you."

I knew he would say that. But he was one step too late. Or to put it another way, Junghye was one step faster.

"I have already met her."

"...Is that so?"

To my amusement, his voice as he spoke his sister's name carried a little affection for her.

"Junghye has begun to have interest in Players and the new culture business."

"I'm sure she has. It could also influence the successor battle, after all."

"Yes. That's why I thought she might come to you, but she was faster than me."

He did acknowledge that Junghye moved quickly.

'But… the Song Junghye I met…'

It was true that there were still ten years between now and the 'Blood and Iron Witch' Song Junghye I remembered, but her level was still too low. She was the woman who bore the official moniker of 'Blood and Iron Queen'. Just looking at her current qualifications, she could never earn such a title.

Song Junghye was different from my expectations, and her brother Song Kiyeol showed slight affection towards her. What was the difference between the Song Junghye I remembered and the one now?

"It seems you cherish your little sister."

"That is an overstatement. Junghye is more of a competitor than a family member."

"..."

I didn't refute him. She was indeed his competitor. But Kiyeol cherished his little sister more than he himself knew. How to put it? A love and hate relationship?

'Though I don't think Junghye feels the same way towards you.'

Both Kiyeol and Junghye felt like rookies to me, but Kiyeol was the better one between them.

'I only saw the ambition to surpass you from her.'

A witch filled with greed. That was what I, an Observer, saw from the Song Junghye I observed. I'd only know for sure after meeting her a few more times, but for now, that was my first impression.

"Having to compete with family must be rough."

"It can't be helped. We were born like that from the moment we entered this world."

Under Song Kiyeol's guidance, I got into the back seat of a black car.

"This is the ultra-luxury sedan made by Mercedes Benz. As a model specially produced for VVIPs, only thirty of these exist worldwide."

He was suddenly bragging about his car? But it didn't quite seem like he was bragging. It was like he was talking about something trivial, like what he had for breakfast this morning. It was indeed roomy on the inside. The back seat could be controlled with a button, and it reclined almost fully horizontal.

"I'm sure you didn't call me inside to brag about your car."

"No. As I'm sure you already know, I am privy to all matters of the Players Association through Taeguk Shield."

It was the so-called first mover's advantage. In the quickly approaching age of new culture, Taeguk Shield was fully enjoying the advantage of having jumped on the bandwagon quickly. If you were to pick the most famous guild in Korea right now, it would obviously be Taeguk Shield. The guild was also the envy of countless Players.

"As such, I am capable of controlling Player-related information to some extent."

"I'm sure you gave your sister a distorted version of the information about me."

"...Yes."

I knew that already. This conversation was well within my ability to predict.

"And you won't be able to maintain that misinformation for long. Did you come here to warn me to be careful of Song Junghye?"

If not that, then—

"Or did you come here to keep the relationship between me and Song Junghye in check?"

I looked straight at Kiyeol. Neither of the two responses were completely to my liking. I wanted a slightly more out of the box and constructive answer.

'How will he respond?'

He came in person to speak to me as soon as I came out from the Gyeonghoeru field. If he only had excuses to give when he said he had something urgent to tell me, I was going to be very disappointed.

"After listening to your words, I thought about it a little."

"..."

"It seems I really do cherish Junghye."

I knew that. I could see things other people couldn't. Through 'observation', I had already taken note of the hint of affection on Kiyeol's face.

"Because of that, I hesitated a little." He looked up at me, his eyes unwavering. "But it is my belief that business is business."

He intended on giving me some kind of info. I nodded, finding Song Kiyeol a little more to my liking.

I gave him a little encouragement. "A fight of intel. A lawful battle for the succession of the company. Guildmaster Song's grandfather will also be happy with a fight conducted without cowardly means."

"...Yes."

Kiyeol had three pieces of information to give me.

First, Song Junghye would try to win me over by 'any and all means'.

Second, if winning me over was impossible, she wouldn't hesitate to resort to violence.

These two were points I already predicted and was brainstorming countermeasures for. But the third point was unexpected.

"Junghye… is looking for the Red Eyes."

"The Red Eyes?"

Song Kiyeol knew about the Red Eyes. He also knew about Ahn Seohye's eyes. If Junghye didn't know about the Red Eyes, it was because Kiyeol kept that information from reaching her.

"You intentionally didn't leak information about Seohye."

"Yes. With my sister's personality, I didn't know what she would do."

Seohye was under the protection of Sungshin's protective services, and the Blood and Iron Witch Song Junghye was a 3rd generation Sungshin chaebol. If Junghye wanted to, she could easily cook Seohye up however she wanted.

"I don't think you need to worry," I said.

"Huh?"

"The Red Eyes, I already have them." I put a light smile on my face. "And you can leak the fact that I have the Red Eyes to Miss Junghye whenever you'd like."

"Mr. Kim Hyukjin. My little sister is…"

I read Kiyeol's state.

State: Affection / Slight Fear / Complicated Feelings

He was probably trying to say that she might be his sister, but even he couldn't predict what she would do. It could also be that it was because he loved her as a family member that he feared her.

"It's alright," I said, cutting him off.

"..."

Kiyeol bit his lips a little. What was it? Was he worrying about me? Or was he scared that his new culture business partner would suffer a mishap? Or maybe he was scared that his little sister would take things too far?

'Whichever one it is, it doesn't matter.'

I was confident. Unless President Song Kiyoung himself took action, I could deal with Song Junghye with my own power, anytime.

"I definitely have the Red Eyes."

I didn't know why she was aiming for the Red Eyes. It could be that a Guardian other than the Shepherd Boy wanted them. If so, what were the Red Eyes, to have Guardians wanting them?

'I should be able to get some good content out of them.'

I said one more thing.

"However, you must also be sure to warn Miss Junghye."

"...Warn?"

"If she wants to win me over, she should do so decisively, and if winning me over isn't possible, she should give up."

"..."

I chose Song Kiyeol, not Song Junghye. But that choice wasn't 'set in stone'. My choice could definitely change depending on the situation. My words were essentially a warning for Kiyeol as well. I was telling him I could also work with his sister, so he should do his best.

"But if she uses inhumane or violent methods, or methods I cannot agree with…"

An ambush without a declaration of war was a cowardly act. Even small electronics came with a big list of precautions.

"At that time, Miss Junghye must also prepare herself."

I thought our conversation would end there, but it wasn't over yet. Kiyeol brought up something else.

"I missed the timing to say this earlier, but…"

What he said next was very amusing.

"So you're saying that this car is mine?"

"Yes. The same goes for the driver in the front. But because of the flawless sound insulation, the conversation we're having in the back cannot be heard in the front. If you have something to tell the driver, you can press this button."

It was one of the many buttons arrayed on the armrest.

"This button is for the massage function."

"This button is for the ventilated seat function."

"This button…"

Like some kind of car salesman, he politely explained the car's many functions.

'This is good.'

I suddenly got a car with a driver. I was feeling the inconvenience of having no car, but Kiyeol solved the issue for me.

After a round of explanation, I said, "But this seems too small a reward for the Gyeonghoeru field strat."

"Naturally, I thought the same." He continued after taking a deep breath. "After meeting Player Kim Hyukjin with my grandfather, I did a great deal of thinking."

He truly had a lot to say. To summarize his words, he believed the value of the information I brought him could not be measured with 'money' alone. In this quickly approaching age of new culture, mere money didn't have much value to me, because I would earn a ton of it anyway, or so he said.

'No. Money's great.'

It was the most clear-cut method of trade, wasn't it?

"...And so, in order to allow Mr. Kim Hyukjin to focus solely on Playing and not have to bother about anything else, I will have Sungshin go all out with our cooperation and support."

Giving me this car and driver was a part of that.

"You can use this car and driver whenever you want to travel in comfort. Oh, right. I have moved the driver into Apt. 904. You can call upon him at your convenience. The associated fees will be undertaken by us. The insurance and all the other minor details will be handled by the insurance team on our side."

Also—

"For your driving pleasure, I have also prepared a few sports car candidates. They can be delivered immediately, with zero wait time. Please pick one from this list."

He showed me a few shiny pictures. I was supposed to pick one of these? I didn't know much about stuff like this, but they had to be about $500k a pop.

"Like this car, all fees associated with the maintenance and purchase of the car will be undertaken by Sungshin."

It seemed he really wasn't lying when he said he would clear my path of annoyances.

"In addition, I will have a Players Association Player License of the highest rank issued to you. Not just that, but I will also issue a separate intermediate rank license in case you wish to hide your identity."

Two cars, identification. It was a pretty decent compensation for information that would have become well-known anyway. Like Song Kiyeol said, the information in my head couldn't simply be converted to money. More than anything, I was pleased with his desire to clear away the hassles to allow me to focus my undivided attention on Playing.

Also—

'He's thought a lot about what I need.'

I could see his sincerity. His sincerity wasn't bad. It wasn't bad, but that was all.

"But do you really think Miss Junghye is unable to offer these things to me as well?"

"..."

I did like his sincerity, but business was business.

"They are things Junghye can offer as well," Kiyeol admitted.

"It seems you have thought to some extent about what I lack. In that respect, I am grateful for your consideration."

That was why I would give him a little more opportunity.

Song Kiyeol hurried to say, "These are an advance sign of my sincerity before the real deal is made."

Essentially, they weren't part of the terms of the deal, but a gift to look good in my eyes. Sungshin was more generous than I thought.

He bowed at the waist.

"Are there any other conditions you would like?"

I couldn't just ignore the fact he had a major competitor named Song Junghye. With Kiyeol's consideration, I could scratch the itches that had always bothered me. There were a few things I still needed.

"I have two things to request from Guildmaster Song."

"Please go ahead."

His attitude seemed to say he would do his utmost to meet my requests.

"After living with Sunhwa, my mom, and my sister, the house feels a little small."

It wasn't hard to get money and buy a house with it. But it was a hassle. There were a lot of things to pay attention to. A house wasn't like a bag of chips you could buy at the supermarket.

"I will have your family transferred to a large condo. I was already thinking of doing so and have had the market inspected. The purchase can be settled as soon as tomorrow."

That was a pass.

"Also, as it is a larger condo, I will also dispatch a helper who can assist with the cleaning or housework."

This too was a pass. Song Kiyeol was pretty quick on the uptake. Picking him seemed like the right choice.

"In addition, for your comfort, I will have the driver I planned on moving into Apt. 904 moved into the condo directly next door."

From the way the words spilled out of his mouth without a hitch, there was no doubt he had already considered this. He had clearly thought of many different directions to this conversation.

"If possible, I would like Seohye moved to the condo next door."

"Miss… Ahn Seohye?"

"Yes. The Ahn Seohye who was almost targeted by your sister."

"That isn't hard to do, but… if this becomes known, it could create problems for you down the line."

Kiyeol's expression changed for a moment. I knew what he was thinking. I was asking him to move a pretty young girl to the condo directly next door. Such an action could easily be construed as something perverted. I wasn't a famous person now, but if I became famous in the future, a very small issue could be blown up into a big scandal. That was how the world had always been.

I didn't bother to explain the details. At this point in time, Seohye's 'barrier' was something I absolutely needed.

"In order to decorate the interior to a decent condition, we will need about one month. In the meantime, for your convenience, I will have Ahn Seohye moved to Apt. 1003."

I could certainly feel Song Kiyeol's earnest care.

"This seems like an exaggerated response to the sale of one strategy."

"This isn't a trade, but an investment."

To be more precise, an 'investment towards me'. He was saying all this care wasn't just for a single strategy.

That response, too, was quite satisfying.

'He's quite something.'

He paid close attention to the little details that escaped me. Since I had felt his sincerity and care, it was time for me to respond in like. A relationship where only one side reaped the profits would be short-lived. Ours had to be a relationship where both Song Kiyeol and I, Taeguk Shield and I, profited through each other. It wasn't very good for the scales to weigh too heavily on one side.

"I will give you one present."

It was possible that this 'present' would create a big butterfly effect. Despite that, it was a present worth risking.

'I'll risk it anyway.'

This present was a bit of a gamble. Like all things, it was high risk, high return. Whenever I judged that the risk was one I could handle, investing was the right choice.

That was how I saw it.

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