I was on the outer road that led to the riverside of the Han River. As I had planned with Jamie, only one government-registered car came down the slope. Hong Ju-Hwan looked at me in wonder for a few seconds, then he beckoned his entourage and left.
Colton Spencer Goldstein tried getting out of the car, but I lightly pushed him back in. Then, he bumped against the door on the opposite side and hit his head on the window. I got in the car and closed the door. The briefcase on the floor was obviously locked, so I smashed the lock and took out the documents.
The ‘Separation of Industrial and Financial Capital’ was a policy that allowed industrial capital to acquire a limited ownership stake when acquiring a bank. Korea had strictly regulated the industrial capital’s financial control, and Colton was planning to attack me first by using that system.
What it meant was if Jeon-il Group was considered an industrial capital, their stake in the former KEB shouldn’t have exceeded ten percent, and if it did, it was definitely illegal. However, this was just the beginning. To accurately determine if Jeon-il was either industrial or financial capital, they had to pinpoint the origin of the capital that was placed in the Jeon-il Group during the IMF crisis. In other words, his plan of attack wasn’t limited to the current Jeon-il Bank. He was about to expose the real capital of Jeon-il Investment, the birthplace of Jeon-il Group, and alter public opinion about Jeon-il such that it became negative.
“You were up to no good.”
I threw a file, and dozens of papers were poured on him. Then, he tried escaping through the door, so I grabbed his arm and he burst into a scream.
Crack.
His bones were breaking in my hand.
“Aaaaahhhhh!”
“No one is coming to help you. Are you going to scream all day?”
His eyes finally turned toward me. He looked at me as if he couldn’t believe my strength, and he seemed very confused. He was putting his brain to work, but no matter how much he thought, this could never happen in the world he lived in. He entered Korea as a state guest, but was now under physical threat in a government vehicle. If the Minister of Economy and Finance and his agents knew this situation, they would have been startled.
“D…do you know… what you are doing right now?” he asked indignantly and complained of pain again.
“I think you are the one who doesn’t know,” I said bluntly.
When I reached out my hand, he swung his hand reflexively. I slapped his cheek, and his head swung back. I searched his inner pocket and took out his phone. Melissa’s number was saved on his phone with the name ‘Cassandra.’
<Cassandra: Did you get there safe?>
<Seon-Hu: I only broke one of his arms, but tonight… I can’t guarantee his life.>
Cassandra became silent immediately.
<Cassandra: Kill him if you can. I’m dying to see what will happen, too.>
“Are you crazy?” Colton shrieked.
His nose was bleeding, one eye was full of blood, and his cheek was swelling.
Slap!
When I evened out his cheeks, his face hit the driver’s seat hard and bounced off. Cassandra must have heard my slap and his moan.
<Seon-Hu: Nothing will happen if just one guy dies. I’ll talk to you later.>
***
(Perspective has changed to the third person.)
Cassandra had tried calling again, but Seon-Hu didn’t pick up.
No…
Seon-Hu’s murderous voice was truly horrifying. He seemed to genuinely think that nothing would happen even if Colton died. Cassandra didn’t know how skilled Seon-Hu was. Although the assassination quest was an S-class and he was under Jeon-il Group’s protection, she was certain that he was just a normal eighteen-year-old kid. Since he had traveled abroad and was fluent in English, she thought he would know the power of the Goldstein family and Colton’s global position.
However, she was wrong. He had to be immature, given that he would actually kill Colton without caring about the repercussions.
Colton dying?
Cassandra felt the shiver down her spine.
The System shouldn’t have matched me with such an immature Asian…
She knew it was too late to complain as Colton had already been captured by Seon-Hu. Then, she hurriedly called Colton’s secretary. She thought that he wouldn’t answer, but the secretary picked up the call instantly.
<Secretary: Hello.>
<Cassandra: Are you out of your mind? Why are you so relaxed?>
<Secretary: Excuse me?>
<Cassandra: What about the chairman, Colton? Why aren’t you with him right now?>
<Secretary: I don’t know what you are talking about. He’s heading to the presidential residence with the Korean Minister of Economy and Finance.>
<Cassandra: I was informed that a major safety concern has arisen with Colton’s safety.>
<Secretary: That can’t be. I’ll check and get back to you.>
A few minutes later…
<Secretary: Who told you that?>
<Cassandra: Just answer my question.>
<Secretary: There’s no problem with the chairman’s safety. I have checked with a Korean official and the chairman.>
<Cassandra: How is he heading to the destination?>
<Secretary: He is in the front car with the Minister of Economy and Finance, and I’m following him in the back with other Korean officials.>
<Cassandra: I’m certain that the chairman is in great danger. Don’t trust Korean officials, and go personally check on his safety. Right now!>
“He’s lying!”
Cassandra got out of bed after kicking the blanket off. She intended to notify her family and the authorities, then save Colton from Korea. This would become an international dispute as soon as the Korean government became involved. World War I had broken out when a young Serbian man had assassinated an Austrian Royal couple who visited Sarajevo, and the same thing was about to happen in Seoul. The only difference from then was that the Korean government could be involved.
‘How can the South Korean government do something that crazy? Even the evil North Korea’s authorities cannot intervene directly…’
“Ah!”
Cassandra’s eyes opened wide, and she checked the quest window again.
[Assassination (Quest)
A threat to everyone is growing quickly.
Mission: Kill Na Seon-Hu.
Time limit: 1 year.
Class: S]
The System must have foreseen this situation. If Colton, a symbol of the EU’s board of directors, was murdered in Korea’s capital city, the aftermath would be intimidating to everyone. Cassandra couldn’t guarantee that her brother’s death would trigger a war, but no one back then had ever thought World War I would happen like that either.
‘I see…’
Cassandra put her thinking cap on, and her face brightened after a while. She saw an opportunity to regain her family’s power that had been partially lost during the Iraq War. She then hastily changed her clothes and left the hotel room. The Bilderberg conference was taking place in the hotel, and there were a number of members there who would support her.
When she got out of the hallway, her phone rang.
<Cassandra: You would never imagine what you’ve done, kiddo.>
<Seon-Hu: Are you not interested in saving your brother?>
<Cassandra: …>
<Seon-Hu: Poor guy. What a cold-hearted sister. Aren’t you curious as to why I didn’t approach you directly and kill you, Cassandra? Because that’s too easy. You should die in agony.>
‘How dare you. You are just an immature Asian kid.’
Cassandra hung up. She admitted that he was powerful enough to make the quest an S-class, but talking about other things with him was unacceptable to her.
***
(This is now back to Seon-Hu’s point of view.)
Colton was fascinated by the supernatural phenomenon that the Healing insignia had caused. Since it was D-class, his broken bone and busted-up face recovered instantly.
“Your cold-hearted sister must have a wild imagination,” I said.
The supernatural power turned the violent beating that had happened in a Korean government vehicle into nothing. Colton wasn’t even blinking as he was bewildered by the scene.
Tak!
I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes, then he began blinking.
“Anyway, even if she attacks the Jeon-il Group, there will be no impact. This country is in my hands,” I said.
He turned his head toward the back window, then he watched the Minister of Economy and Finance and his agents go around the Han River for a long time. Those were the people Colton had called for desperately while I was beating the shit out of him. He asked in a confused voice as if he was convinced, “By the way, the rays of light I saw a while ago… What the hell are you?”
“Ask your sister.”
Well, I wasn’t certain if Cassandra would be still alive by the time Colton could ask her.
“Let me suggest something to you,” I said.
“Go ahead,” he replied.
“I’ll give you the Goldstein family. Although it’ll be in a state of disrepair, I’ll make sure to only ruin it to a certain point. You will be able to fix it again.”
“I’ve witnessed your supernatural ability and your power that can control this country’s government. However, your plan to do something to my family… Stop. There are more things that you don’t know about this world,” Colton said.
I threw his phone at him and took out mine. Joshua answered the call.
<Seon-Hu: Joshua.>
<Joshua: I’m ready.>
Revolucion had succeeded in conquering a dungeon by themselves yesterday, and Joshua had ordered his entire team to give up on the assassination quest no matter what. I could check if he was lying by going there myself, so it wasn’t an urgent matter.
<Seon-Hu: I guess we can start now.>
Colton looked at me as if he was asking whom I was talking to.
<Seon-Hu: Take away the entire fund we lent to the Goldstein family.>
<Joshua: Yes, Master.>
The call was brief, but for Colton, the lingering feeling remained for a long time. He finally remembered one name.
“Joshua… Was that Joshua von Karjan?”
His face was filled with disbelief as he couldn’t believe that it could be Joshua.
“Why would the Karjan family do such a thing? It’s basically harming both families,” he added.
He would be right if the Karjan family was the only one in the offensive line, but they were just the advance party.
“Do you know how the IMF came to this country six years ago?” I asked.
He frowned, “What? Why are you asking this out of the blue?”
“It’s not out of the blue. You’ll soon realize and turn desperate about your situation.”