A week later. Around 10am.
The scheduled date came and we passed the checkpoint again. Looking back from afar, St. Kitts was still gorgeous even during the day. The contrast with the desolate road made it look like an amusement park in the apocalypse.
Chelsea spat, sticking her head out the car window.
"Eh, eh! I guess I'll come back again!"
"Oh. Don't worry. I won't bring you again."
"I'm really, really sorry, sir. I won't bother you."
The voice was trembling.
It seems that he personally realized the horrors of capitalism. Maybe it was a good shock therapy. Maybe the rest of his long life will be a little more sound.
'If you still can't come to your senses after this….'
At that time, there is no choice but to accept it humbly.
It must be fate or something beyond dopamine addiction.
I sighed inwardly, then noticed something strange.
"Why am I driving?"
I was holding the steering wheel when I came here, and I'm holding it again. Since no one answered, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw that they were pretending not to know anything and fell asleep. Everyone except Arya and Asterike.
Of course, I can't leave it to the two gold diggers.
"Chelsea, answer me you punk."
"Why me? There are juniors here too, huh? And…."
"There's a young lady here too."
"Ugh. Please stop…."
Even though he couldn't say it out loud, Tatalia didn't believe it either. What's difficult about driving on a wide open road? If you only rely on common sense, you could end up in big trouble.
"Edwin was eaten by a worm in the desert."
"It was an unfortunate accident."
"I guess so. I don't want to become unhappy too."
"Me too. I'll just do it."
"Change it later."
I should have tried Turkam too. The empty spot of the unofficial best driver of the Selfrogix Lab was empty.
"By the way, I guess I'll hear something else."
"To whom? Who said that to Hyun?"
"Director of the research lab."
There was a vehicle following behind at regular intervals. It was a passenger vehicle that emphasized durability rather than appearance. The passengers were people from Asus General Trading Company, including Laonis.
'You said you'd stop by soon, and now you're following me.'
After all, Kim I-hyeon and his group are providing guidance and security. There is no time more appropriate than now. Even though there seems to be no reason for the CEO to visit in person.
'We'll talk about this and that.'
Fortunately, this time, it seemed like I wouldn't have to report everything in detail. All I had to do was arrange a seat. The businessmen would work out the details among themselves.
A fierce war of words between veterans who each have ten snakes in their bellies. A battle in the name of negotiation where they pretend to speak politely but badmouth each other so as not to lose even a single hundred credits.
─It won't flow in the same direction. I can guarantee that.
Who is Kushan?
A neurotic who has a seizure every time Kim Yi-hyun gets into an accident? A 4-dimensional pocket that gives you a sling, a helicopter, and an agent just by listing Dustborne's achievements and briefly mentioning the duration of the contract with the lab?
Not at all.
Of course, Kim Yi-hyeon is confident that he can make Kushan feel embarrassed and frustrated at any time. However, the reason Kushan seems to be playing into Kim Yi-hyeon's hands is entirely due to his knowledge of the game.
If we exclude the advantage derived from cheating, the often-worried and personable research institute director transforms into a prickly and mysterious person.
A diverse range of backgrounds and careers. A network of connections that is suspiciously wide for a research institute head stuck in a ruined country. A breadth and depth of knowledge that goes beyond general knowledge.
He is by no means an easygoing person.
'hmm.'
I felt pity for Laonis, who was about to enter into a contract that was disadvantageous in many ways. Unfortunately, since the person in question was not here, my sympathy naturally went to his younger brother.
There was something I wanted to talk about at least once.
"Tattalia."
"...."
"You're not listening, are you?"
Only when Asterike touched her did Tatalia flinch.
"Yes, yes? Did you call?"
"Oh, my. Excuse me. I should have just called you by your name."
"Oh no! I have something to think about."
"Ouch! Sorry for interrupting without notice! You damn mouth."
I took one hand off the steering wheel and slapped my mouth.
"That, that's not it…."
Tatalia's face turned pale. Of course he knew it was a joke, but it was only when someone who was capable of joking could he accept it comfortably. Kim Lee-hyun was known as a serious and cool-headed person in the rap world.
I realized that I wasn't good at doing it, so I stopped.
"I was joking. I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Haha… It's okay."
"I guess things aren't going well between you and your brother?"
"아...."
Personal information that your coworkers don't need to know. Lab agents are especially cautious when approaching their colleagues' family issues. In fact, they usually don't even try to touch on it.
Even though I knew it, I brought it up on purpose.
Did he want to put the reserve agent in trouble? No way. Could his personality be that bad? He just thought it would be better to reveal it clearly since he kept showing off and was aware of what others thought.
As expected, Tatalia slowly revealed the situation.
"I don't hate him. Rather, he's a person I'm grateful to."
A common past story for modern people who are familiar with various mass media. Laonis and Tatalia have the same father, but different mothers. One of the two had to be labeled as an illegitimate child.
The illegitimate child was Tatalia.
"Still, I think I was blessed because my father took care of food, clothing, and shelter for me. But it was a little different from the favor he gave to his family, so he put a condition on it. He told me to leave on my own when I turned 15."
"You've been in rap since then? You must be quite the veteran."
Tatalia shook her head at Asterike's insistence.
"No. My brother bought me from my father."
"Huh? Something about it sounds unpleasant."
This time it was Chelsea. And the speaker shook his head from side to side again.
"I didn't mean it in a way that was too disgusting to even mention. It's just that my brother was a businessman from that time, and out of the three of us living in the same house, he cared the most for me. Thanks to that, I wasn't kicked out even when I was 15."
From then on, it was obvious.
Tatalia was nothing. She was not a businessman, nor was she a flawless and beautiful young lady who had to marry and become a contributor to her family. It was the perfect environment for dreams and rebellion.
"I planned to run away from home meticulously, but I didn't have any worries after I ran away. My brother told me that he never felt poverty, but he did. Thanks to him, I realized many things. That the world is ugly. That my father, who fed me and gave me a place to stay even though he discriminated against me, was a noble man."
Even though he was an illegitimate child born of dirty desires, the fact that he did not bury him in secret made my father a man worthy of universal respect.
That was the world.
"After going through all that, I met Leila. She's so kind and innocent to the point of being stupid, but she's also so fragile and precious that I can't just leave her alone."
From that day on, Tatalia became a reserve agent of the rap.
To this day, she has not become a regular agent.
"But I still can't fire a gun properly. I'm just a reserve agent who can't help anyone. I guess I didn't want to show my pitiful self."
The task of refining my thoughts into words was like untangling a tangled ball of yarn. After untangling it, the shape of the yarn became clear. It was an inferiority complex that had been deeply rooted in me since long ago.
It was a feeling that had no end in sight. Tatalia tried hard to calm her agitated mind. It was no good for her to continue complaining.
It's rare to find an agent who doesn't have any issues with rap.
To some, she may seem like a foolish young lady who has kicked away her luxurious life. In the end, the only person who can best understand the pain she has is herself.
Finally, I asked a question. A question that had been bothering me for a long time.
"Team Leader, did you know everything?"
"I?"
"Yes. So that's why you asked me to come with you?"
Kim Lee-hyeon answered calmly while holding the steering wheel.
"No. It's a coincidence."
"Is that so?"
It was up to the individual to believe or not.
* * *
As soon as I got back to the lab, I had some business to take care of.
1. Give Kushan a brief explanation and then hand over the task to Laonis.
2. Take the materials you obtained and pack them up and go find Tamtam.
3. After the conversation between the two has settled after number 1, ask about the summit.
1 and 2 both went smoothly.
In particular, Tamtam couldn't hide his joy at the news that Kim Lee Hyun had opened the 'exchange'. This was because, due to the special environment of the lab, he had always had to live in a situation where he was short on materials.
"Whoa, you did something bad! I thought you were crazy, but you're actually a lucky charm!"
"Of course. I'm a very rational person, even though I look like this."
"I misspoke. He was crazy, but he was lucky!"
"hmm."
If I say it this way, there is a way. I have informed Laonis's secretary that I will personally keep the materials I have taken in excess of what I need.
The effect was amazing.
"Should I bark? Should I bark? Woof woof!"
"forefoot."
"Wah!"
I was able to have the rare experience of making a proud blacksmith use his dog. However, I stopped enjoying it for a while because the glares from the workshop people were harsh.
"Anyway, I'll ask you to produce it right away."
"It's so good. Don't worry! I'll make it with lots of love."
"A little affection."
"Let's do it with friendship!"
There was a brief traffic reorganization.
"How long will it take?"
"Hmm. If I give your order top priority, maybe two weeks?"
"Two weeks."
"…Why? Too slow? This was also caught in a rush…."
He seemed to be fidgeting, afraid that he might hurt her feelings. Kim Yi-hyun snickered at the sudden change in attitude. He had been friendly before, but now he seemed to be treating her like a VIP.
I don't know how long it will last.
"No complaints. Completeness is more important than duration."
"I know a thing or two. Sticking to deadlines is professionalism, but sometimes, what? Being able to confidently say, 'Fuck professionalism!' That's what makes a man and a craftsman!"
"You're a woman."
"Anyway, you punk."
I feel like I'm already halfway back.
Anyway, I was finally able to entrust the casting to him. Up until now, Kim Lee-hyun had relied on firearms, so he was relatively helpless against strong opponents.
But that will change soon.
'The basic fighting style won't change, though.'
Guns are convenient and powerful in most situations. The problem is when guns don't work or are ineffective. In addition to Helixivir, which is basically poison, you need a special pack for boss battles.
It's a weapon that will scratch that itch.
'If things go as I expect... it'll almost be a counter to the next boss we meet.'
It was a good thing I went to Banjar. I still haven't decided who to give Lazuli's factor to. With just 6-star equipment and one agent, the next 'boss fight' will be much easier.
Before that, I need to take care of the episode right in front of me.
* * *
Laonis was aware that he was a narrow-minded person.
Researchers are generally a quirky bunch. Among them, those who are politically inclined tend to rise to high positions. The title of 'research institute director' already guarantees a certain level of business and political ability.
But even so, the fundamental job is research.
The water they play in is different. Just as politicians who have made a fortune in the political arena are particularly cunning, and businessmen who have won in the war between companies are particularly cruel and cold-hearted.
He had the ability to look down on the head of a research institute whose face he didn't even know. He was ripped off by Kim Yi-hyun, but... that was just because he brought his younger brother and got involved with some strange guy.
It doesn't waver anymore.
Laonis was armed with a polite yet extremely businesslike attitude. Even though he had to have his secretary push him in a wheelchair, he did not lose his upper-class dignity.
And the poker face was shattered the moment he saw the face of the director of the research institute.
"Oh, Mr. Mascherano…?"
"It's been a long time since I've heard that name."
A man whose name is imprinted on Laonis as 'Mascherano'. A person who even her father, who was arrogant in the past and easily put others down, was at a loss.
The corners of his mouth slightly rise.
"It's been a long time since I've seen your face."
It was a smile as if he had caught a fool.