"Once that delivery guy entered the penthouse, screams were heard! Clearly, that guy is the culprit!!
The valet parking attendant shouted at the top of their lungs.
I was taken aback and yelled,
"What are you saying? I saw the criminal! A man dressed in a black suit. We need to find that guy!"
"Don't lie! No one else except you has entered the penthouse! No one else is capable of doing such a thing!"
"No way...!"
The inside of the penthouse began to stir.
"Isn't that person Maemi? The delivery driver causing controversy this time..."
"Sounds like it, doesn't it? Even at QuickEats company, they were trying to protect him, but now he's gone so far as to take a life..."
"That's why you shouldn't trust those dunce. They're bound to cause trouble!"
No one believed me. Cold sweat trickled down.
'No, it's not true...' It felt like an illusion. Everything around me turned into eyes. I could only see the forms of shadowy figures and their eyes. Those eyes, which seemed like they could end my life at any moment.
I wondered. Were those the looks they had been giving me all this time? I could easily ignore the online posts insulting the delivery driver. But back then, when I was surrounded by real people, it truly felt like I could die.
Was this the Chungdong City? Was this the society? Was this the world I had been living in?"
Two burly police officers were approaching me.
"Sir, you'll have to come with us for a moment. We request your cooperation."
As they finished speaking, they grabbed my arms.
"Let go!"
I swung my arms widely, pushing them away.
"Don't resist!"
"We need to remove the mask. So we can tell who you are!"
They rushed towards me.
At that moment, a low voice reached my ears.
"Stop. Looks like you're about to kill another person."
It was the boy.
And everything stopped.
The police officers who were trying to restrain me, the staff, and the medical personnel, all stopped what they were doing.
And they stared at the boy.
There was a strange power in the boy's words.
"You almost ended one person's life, just relying on someone else's opinions and biases in your minds. Those who had even a hint of doubt chose to remain silent. Ah, nowadays they call it the neutrality, right?"
The boy sipped his hot cocoa.
"Whether you're exceptionally good-looking or wealthy, if you lack your own judgment, what's the use? You're nothing more than a minnow carried away by the current. None of you have the right to insult this delivery friend."
After finishing his words, the boy approached the fallen man.
Medical staff tried to stop the boy.
"You shouldn't come closer. He still has electricity running through his body."
"Step aside."
The medical staff flinched.
Silently, unknowingly even to themselves, they cleared a path for the boy.
The boy looked down at the fallen man with warm eyes.
"Ah, Seth Ndlov, my friend. I've already used two miracles for you. Be a bit more careful out there."
The boy placed his hand on the man's body.
Without realizing it, I, the two burly police officers, the staff, and the medical personnel were all now watching the boy in awe.
"Let's see now, this time, we'll wake up on the count of one, two, three. One, two, three!"
"Bang!"
"Ahh!!"
The medical staff stumbled back from the fallen man, startled. I, along with the staff who were relatively farther behind, couldn't understand what was happening.
"What? Why are you all so surprised?"
"Incredible... Unbelievable! Seth must have woken up!"
The penthouse quickly turned chaotic.
Then, the man's voice was heard, "Nivle, I do have a slight neck disc issue, could you fix that for me?"
It wasn't the dying voice I had heard just a moment ago. The man was standing perfectly fine, speaking.
The boy chuckled and said, "Hahaha... Go get your disc treated separately, Seth."
It was hard to believe. I alternated my gaze between the boy and the man.
"Who is that boy... Who on earth is he!?"
Seeing me like that, the boy shyly spoke, "I am Love!"
"Seth, are you alright? Who did this to you?"
A police officer approached the man and asked.
"I'm not quite sure. When I was alone in the bedroom, suddenly someone was right behind me, holding a knife."
"Not sure? Then could it be this person!?"
The police officer pointed at me and shouted.
The man said, "This delivery driver? This man? You guys really don't know anything. This man saved my life! The one who stabbed me was wearing a black suit. If it weren't for this delivery driver, I would have truly died."
Everyone murmured.
"So the delivery driver isn't the culprit!"
"I thought so, but there wasn't enough evidence."
"Then who was the one who first said the driver was the culprit?"
The valet parking attendant's face turned red. He quickly slipped between the staff members, shut his mouth as if he had been caught, and hid away.
"Chungdong city, and this hotel is a complete mess! I'll remember this incident for a long time. Anyway, the situation is over. I want to be alone, so everyone, get out!"
The man shouted in an annoyed tone. The staff, medical personnel, and valet parking attendant all left the penthouse, looking bewildered.
I kept glaring at the back of the valet parking attendant's head until he disappeared. Well, what's the point of getting angry at just one person?
After everyone left, I also tried to leave through the window. That's when the man called me.
"Wait a moment, Nivle, and the delivery guy! Let's have a quick chat before you go. Have you had lunch?"
Inside the penthouse, only the man, the boy, and I remained. The man looked to be around thirty years old. With slightly brown-tinted black dandy-cut hair, a handsome face that could rival an idol's, basketball-player-like height, and well-defined muscles that seemed like they were about to burst out, he was someone who could easily overpower a burglar if they were to break in. He was dressed in a clean white T-shirt. He opened a bottle of wine and poured it into two glasses.
"Want a glass?" he asked me.
"I only drink cola." I politely declined.
"Too bad. Wine and salmon salad make an amazing combination!"
The man and the boy opened the lid of the salad I brought and started eating it deliciously.
"What's your name, delivery guy?"
"Maemi."
The man said as he ate his salad.
"Maemi? Um... well, I'll believe that it's not your real name."
Gurgle...
It was a sound from my stomach.
It's natural for me to be hungry since I only had a few pieces of gimbap at 2 PM. The man had just taken about half of the salad and put it on the lid. Then he handed me a fork along with it.
"You should not skip meals, Maemi."
I started eating the salmon salad. I had never realized that a salad could taste this good. The man then began to speak to me.
"I'm Seth Ndlov. I hold various positions, but for now, I'm the CEO at Giant Farmers."
I froze in the middle of eating my salad.
"Giant Farmers?? CEO!?"
Finally, it made sense about why everyone was acting so respectfully. This man, Seth, was the CEO of a major corporation.
Giant Farmers was a formidable seed company that held sway over global food production. Imagine if a single corporation controlled the chicken we eat, the salads we consume, and even the pet food. Can you believe it?
I'll spare you the detailed explanation about the corporation since it might get tedious. But seriously, it was a massive and imposing corporation.
And considering what Seth, this man, had received, as well as the VIP treatment he was getting with the penthouse and numerous medical personnel, I couldn't help but believe his words.
Seth pointed to the boy with white hair and said, "And this boy is my BFF!"
"I'm Nivle Krenov. I'm an angel who descended from heaven."
I spoke to Seth, "Huh? Did I hear that correctly?"
Seth also replied with a playful tone, "I'm somewhat skeptical too. But he's been saying that since we first met. And I've been indebted to him in significant ways a few times, like just now. So I'm acknowledging it as well."
I nodded my head and said, "I see. But how did you really do that just now, Nivle?"
"I simply used one of the miracles granted to me. I can only use it three times in my lifetime, and I've already used two on my friend Seth."
"Miracles, huh... That's not really an explanation. Tell us honestly. Do you have a tiny electric shocker or something?"
"Hahaha!"
Seth and I burst into laughter in front of Nivle.
However, Nivle remained there with his characteristic smile, not displaying a hint of discomfort.
"You don't need to believe if you don't want to. You'll come to accept it eventually as time passes."
Then he took a sip of hot cocoa again.
"Mmm, it's sweet!"
Anyway, Mammi and Krenov, thanks for saving me. I'll definitely have to repay the favor."
After a hearty laugh, Seth was the first to speak.
But I replied with a bitter smile, "There's no need to thank me. Somehow, I feel like it's all my fault."
"What are you talking about?"
"Lately, there's been a violent organization interfering with my deliveries. They all wear black suits, and whenever I'm around, they show up without fail, shooting their guns."
"Black suits? Does that mean the person who stabbed me is also a member of that organization!?"
Seth leaned towards me.
I explained the situation to Seth and Krenov. About Inertia, about Julia, and about what happened.
Without realizing it, I had been talking for about 30 minutes, not even considering taking the next delivery call.
After hearing my story, Seth expressed strong empathy.
"Man, my heart aches for you! So, you did nothing, and just because the boss there took a liking to you, everything got messed up."
"That's right! It's not just me who suffered. Jeonga got punished, citizens were startled and fled... They're such a nuisance. Wait, where are you going, Seth?"
Seth stood up from his seat while listening to me.
"Do you know where their operation base is? Guide us. Let's the three of us destroy that place."
"Hahaha... You're joking, right!?"
Seth stared at me intently.
"Does it sound like a joke? These guys are going as far as shooting in the city, and you've been through a dangerous situation too. Most importantly, I almost died too, so we have to seek revenge."
"This is absurd! There are so many of them and they even have guns!"
"I have a way, don't worry. The biggest problem is your mindset, Mammi. Are you in or not?"
Until that point, I had considered myself crazy enough. But this, this was true madness. Look at that expression, saying such things like it's nothing. Is this the gut of a CEO of a major corporation?
Nivle spoke up, "I don't like revenge. Revenge only begets more revenge. But if it's about preventing harm from befalling the entire citizenry, that's a different story."
He smiled gently.
"Let's go together. I believe that with you guys, we can ensure the safety of the citizens and resolve everything."
"Ugh, seriously. If you put it that way..."
I reluctantly replied, "Fine, let's go. Do you have a car?"
Seth shrugged as if it was obvious.
"A car? It's in the hotel basement. We have three cars, 300 million each and two cars, 1 billion each. What do you want to ride?"
Have you ever seen such a foolishly wealthy person?
"At least we need to take something inconspicuous! Rent a car now!"
Whether we would be able to go for revenge was uncertain.