Chapter 80
Chapter 80
I Won’t Ask About the Means or the Method
***
***
Baek Seol’s day began early in the morning. She woke up before the sun had even risen, then loosened the stiffness in her body from the previous night by doing yoga and meditation together.
Just like her name, her snow-white skin was something she took pride in—completed through effort added on top of a natural constitution.
Those who stood above others were bound to devote great effort to self-management.
From facial expressions, diet, knowledge, and connections, all the way to emotions.
Even before presenting the nameplate that marked her as a member of a megacorp, it went without saying that she had to become an idol solely through the name Baek Seol.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a restrained sigh, Baek Seol checked the time. 6:11 a.m. She was one minute later than usual.
“Im Sol, could you bring me some tea?”
Normally, she would have rushed over before even being called, yet there wasn’t even a reply.
“Im Sol?”
When she stepped outside, a teapot was sitting alone on top of the trolley. It seemed the secretary she favored had gotten busy with something urgent—so urgent that she had left even the preparation unfinished.
“How sloppy.”
Well, what could she do?
As the master, the only option was for her to show magnanimity and understand.
In any case, she didn’t have the leisure to enjoy a relaxed tea time. Simply pouring a cup and drinking it quickly would be the best.
Drip.
After savoring a sip, Baek Seol realized something was wrong a beat later. It wasn’t the tea leaves she usually drank. No, it wasn’t even tea.
It was just boiling water.
She wanted to stamp her feet and shout at any moment, but Baek Seol did not even frown and maintained her dignity.
“Not bad.”
That was the best answer she could give.
Im Sol, who appeared belatedly, widened her eyes like lanterns.
“Miss, that’s boiling water. I prepared it before steeping the tea leaves……”
“That’s why I said it’s not bad. I felt like drinking something hot today.”
“I-Is that so.”
Im Sol nodded as if she were fed up, but Baek Seol, who failed to notice that reaction, felt quite satisfied that she seemed to have maintained the dignity of a superior.
“More importantly, what happened? Leaving your post without even saying a word—unlike you.”
“I received a call from the chief secretary.”
“From Alfredo?”
“He said Chairman Baekdu is calling for you, miss.”
“Father?”
If anything, it was unexpected.
Father—Baek Seok-do—had already shut himself away for a year. He had refused contact with the outside world. Even family was no exception.
The only way to know Baek Seok-do’s intentions was through the work-related instructions that came down through Alfredo’s mouth.
There was no way that man would suddenly call her now just to strengthen family ties.
In any case, she couldn’t refuse.
In Baekdu, the chairman’s orders—Baek Seok-do’s orders—were absolute.
Canceling her day’s schedule, Baek Seol headed straight to the mansion, where she encountered someone she did not want to meet.
She had skin as white as hers and a large physique.
His facial features, sculpted without a single flaw, had gone beyond the realm of personal preference. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call him the forefront of humanity—someone modified as far as the gene pool allowed.
He was Baek Ryang, her older brother with an eight-year age gap.
“It’s been a while, oppa.”
“You were summoned too.”
His tone sounded less like he was speaking to a younger sibling and more like he was questioning a subordinate. It was clearly an attitude of disregard, and Baek Seol’s smile was about to crack, but Baek Ryang turned his back first.
“Do you know why Father called us?”
“Well, I’m not really sure about that either……”
“Useless.”
“Couldn’t the same be said for you?”
Unable to hold it in any longer, Baek Seol shot back, but Baek Ryang simply walked ahead indifferently.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Im Sol quietly stepped back. Having been chosen as Baek Seol’s secretary since childhood, she knew well.
Whenever Baek Seok-do summoned his two children, troublesome matters always followed.
***
Baek Ryang and Baek Seol.
With his two children standing before him, Baek Seok-do gazed toward the distant mountains.
“Was it 23 years ago? I met a fateful love in a colony.”
By Pioneering Power standards, that was eleven and a half years.
As could be seen from Baek Ryang and Baek Seol, Baek Seok-do had children late in life. If Baekdu had not risen to the ranks of a megacorp, he had even considered entrusting everything to a professional manager.
Without that level of resolve, he would never have survived the turbulent era, so in a way it was only natural.
But ironically, that very thing became the beginning of his lingering attachment.
“You could say it was love at first sight. But I had nothing I could promise her. At that time, I was completely absorbed in running the company.”
In the end, it could only remain as a one-night dream.
That was something both of them had agreed upon.
“Then, sometime later, I heard the news that she had become pregnant. I tried to find her, but by then she had already disappeared from my sight.”
Baek Ryang pressed his throbbing forehead.
Baek Seok-do did not have long left to live. Hadn’t he even refused life-prolonging treatment?
So Baek Ryang had expected him to hurry and begin the process of management succession. But what was this? To hear a secret that wouldn’t even appear in a cheap romance novel.
Baekdu wasn’t exactly harmonious, but at least it had been peaceful without a complicated family tree.
And now, out of nowhere, a half-sibling.
“Even if we say we can’t accept it, you won’t listen anyway, will you? What is it that you want, Father?”
“I didn’t raise you to be this tactless.”
Yes, the old man had deliberately exposed his own disgrace. There was no need to ask what his intention was.
Bring them here.
Baek Seok-do had been saying exactly that from the beginning.
“What is the name of this half-sibling?”
“I don’t know.”
Well, if he had known, he would have already brought them here.
“Do you at least know the place of birth?”
“I believe it to be the Hyphen Colony.”
“That place is…….”
Wasn’t that where the Black Shower had occurred? The spot where the cluster of shuttles had fallen still had a deep crater left behind. Moreover, after that incident, the council that governed the place had vanished.
With the existing infrastructure completely destroyed, the environment for investigation would be extremely poor.
Even if someone lived there, they probably wouldn’t be normal.
In many ways, it was one obstacle after another.
In the worst-case scenario, the child might already be dead. The problem was that until proof of that was found, the investigation would never end.
That was probably why even Baek Seok-do had not searched recklessly and instead watched the situation.
“You look displeased.”
“Not at all. I was simply thinking about how to conduct the search.”
Baek Seok-do shifted his gaze from Baek Ryang to Baek Seol.
“On the other hand, Seol, you’re strangely quiet.”
“It’s because this is something you ordered, Father.”
“Yes, you have always supported me.”
Rather than that, it would be more accurate to say she was in a position where she had no choice but to bow her head. With Baek Ryang openly hostile, the only pillar Baek Seol could rely on was Baek Seok-do.
Leaning on his cane, Baek Seok-do stood and stroked Baek Seol’s head.
“Perhaps there is a difference in perception between you two and me. No matter how much I love the past, that does not mean I deny you.”
There was only one reason he was worried about a child he had never even seen.
“It’s simply that I can clearly see my own blood being humiliated and disgraced by people who don’t even know who he is, and it infuriates me. Well, that may just be my personal sentiment. To you, it probably sounds like a story from a distant land.”
Therefore—
“I will transfer 3 percent of Baekdu Robotics’ shares to the one who brings that child to me first.”
Baekdu Robotics was the holding company. In terms of land, it was a strategic stronghold capable of controlling the head of the megacorp Baekdu.
In that instant, the calculation finished, and Baek Ryang’s eyes gleamed.
“Yes. Ryang, you could rise to become the largest shareholder, and for Seol, it will become an opportunity to enter the competition anew.”
With a hollow laugh, Baek Seok-do sat back down.
Competition was the most ideal structure for growth.
It was also the realization that had run through the entirety of his life.
“I won’t ask about the means or the method. I simply want to see that child as soon as possible.”
***
After stepping outside, Baek Ryang spoke without even turning around.
“I’ll warn you in advance—don’t look for them.”
“You want to monopolize Father’s favor for yourself?”
Ha. Letting out a short scoff, Baek Ryang added,
“Do you not understand the situation? What if that kid turns out to be a boy? Then in an instant, another legitimate successor candidate will appear.”
Baek Ryang brought his face so close that their breaths almost touched and growled.
“It means even the inheritance that should have gone to you will be taken away.”
“Well, I think 3 percent of Baekdu Robotics’ shares would be more than enough compensation. And it’s not only me who would be in trouble, right? What about you, oppa?”
“I……”
Baek Ryang, who had spoken that far, shut his mouth. The question had been asked so naturally that he had almost responded without thinking.
“You’ve grown a lot, Baek Seol.”
“Pardon? If I were still growing at this age, wouldn’t that be a problem in its own way?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Completely deflated, Baek Ryang stepped back. Come to think of it, his younger sister had always been like this. On the surface she looked perfect, but once in a while she would say or do something as if a screw were loose.
“Anyway, just do as I say. Then that kid will never appear before us.”
Baek Ryang was already considering what would come after, even before finding the child.
“You’re not saying you plan to eliminate an innocent person, are you?”
“My sister has quite the frightening imagination. I’m merely talking about the possibility that the kid might already be dead.”
“That’s the same thing.”
“Believe whatever you want.”
As if he had nothing more to say, Baek Ryang disappeared while maintaining his ambiguous attitude. Of course, Baek Seol was not someone who would fail to see through his true intentions.
This was a chance to become the largest shareholder of Baekdu Robotics in one move. And yet he would eliminate a potential competitor simply because he didn’t want them nearby?
That was nonsense.
Baek Ryang would do everything he could to find the half-sibling and bring them before Baek Seok-do.
And if that happened, Baek Seol would never get another opportunity.
She might be married off to another company as if she were being sold, or perhaps she would be disposed of by Baek Ryang once he decided she had served her purpose.
Either way, it was not a pleasant future.
The best option would be to conduct a large-scale investigation with the support of the megacorp Baekdu, but that would surely reach Baek Ryang’s ears. Within the company, there was not a single person who was not effectively his hand or foot.
At times like this, the person to make use of was obvious.
“Im Sol.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Find a fixer. Someone whose name isn’t known, but who is highly skilled.”
At the absurd request, Im Sol narrowed her eyes.
“You mean something like an experienced rookie, miss?”
“Is that a saying? I must have grasped the essence exactly.”
“That’s… not what I meant.”
Im Sol let out a sigh where no one could hear it.
***
A few weeks ago, a murder occurred in a capsule hotel.
Tiny rooms and poorly soundproofed walls. Frequent thefts and quarrels. The stress born there created a vicious cycle, and in the end one of the Parasites who could no longer endure it opened fire with a gun, causing a tragedy.
Kevin, the owner of the capsule hotel, reported it without delay, but the Public Enforcement Corps that arrived on the scene did not enter until the criminal had exhausted all his ammunition.
Because of that, it went without saying that there were nearly ten casualties.
Unfortunately, Kevin’s younger brother was among them.
He could not help but be furious. Because of the inadequate response of the Public Enforcement Corps, who had only cared about their own safety, innocent victims had been created.
He tried to take legal action, but the case was not even indicted.
The Public Enforcement Corps remained silent internally as well.
The two investigators who had responded to the scene were not even referred to a disciplinary committee.
Not only were they not suspended, they did not even receive a pay cut.
Kevin seemed to tremble with rage at such an unreasonable reality. But as an ordinary citizen, there was nothing he could do. Even after putting up posters and staging protests, the situation did not improve.
In the end, Kevin hired a fixer with the feeling of grabbing onto even a rotten rope.
And the result was plain to see.
As if the heavens had not yet abandoned him, the investigator who used to sneer at him every time they met was now sprawled on the ground, groaning.
“Cough, cough.”