―Wow! What is this, what is this situation!
- Underdog, this is truly the underdog's rebellion!
- Who would have expected that!
The usual light-hearted tone of the commentator was somehow overflowing with surprise. It wasn't a fuss or a viral thing. Everyone watching the game was gripped by a thrill.
― The true bottom of the league! The 'Just Dream' player who was certain to be relegated!
― Defeat 'Strongberry', who was considered the champion of this season!
The audience was turned upside down by the announcement from the commentator. It was a once-in-a-season, no, once-in-three-years match. Even the antis who looked down on Just Dream were applauding.
"Wow! This is the best!"
"Mom! When I grow up, I want to be a squeaker!"
The cheers that erupted from both sides pierced the eardrums. The decibels were deafening. Chelsea's bodies swayed in the heat that filled the entire stands.
Chelsea, who had just found her bearings, looked at the terminal.
[Win!]
[19,009,291,322C]
I almost dropped the device. The mobile device weighing less than 200g felt as heavy as a steel bar. It was a weight that encapsulated the bright future that was about to unfold.
It was only then that Chelsea realized.
"Whaaaaaah!"
I succeeded in betting my life on a bet with a betting rate of over 90%.
Chelsea became the king of capitalist society. The scenes passed by like turning the pages of a paper book.
After spending all her luxuries, she went to work wearing sunglasses and a mink coat.
"Chelsea! Are you crazy? Absent without permission and late to work? Is company life a joke?"
As if she had been waiting, Echidna started nagging,
chuck!
"Don't come any closer."
Bodyguards in pitch-black suits blocked Echidna. Chelsea took the handkerchief offered by one of the bodyguards with an elegant gesture. She wiped the spit droplets off and threw the handkerchief on the ground.
And sigh.
"It's shallow."
"What…!"
I kicked open the door to the president's office, leaving the speechless, trashy director behind. Kim Lee-hyun was inside the room. His face, looking up from his documents, was as dry as ever.
"SP? Hand over that thing you brought."
"Okay, miss."
Kim Lee-hyun jumped up when he checked the paper bag the bodyguard handed him.
"Resignation letter…!"
He knelt down in front of Chelsea, his face pale. He quickly became tearful and grabbed her trouser leg. This time, even the bodyguard didn't stop him.
"Chelsea, I was wrong. Without you, our company would be ruined!"
"I guess you don't know that. I'm not that much of a devil myself."
"Oh, you're not stopping, are you? Huh?"
"The boss has to choose."
As Chelsea nodded again, the bodyguard shoved the documents towards Kim Yi-hyeon. Kim Yi-hyeon's eyes rolled as he received the papers, and his hands began to shake more and more.
"You want to acquire our company for… 15 billion…?"
"Let's choose whichever one you like."
Again, again, again.
The sound of her high heels hitting the floor was clear. Chelsea sat down with her legs crossed on the president's chair that Kim Lee-hyun had been sitting on just a moment ago.
"Either you let me go or you'll make me your boss."
"Ugh! What should I do...!"
I couldn't help but laugh as I looked at his anguished appearance.
"Ohhohohoho―!"
and,
Ring ring ring!
"Phuhuhu... Ugh!"
Chelsea woke up from a deep sleep.
I sat up in bed and looked down at myself. It was just a plain boxy T-shirt with tiny holes here and there. There was no expensive mink coat or anything like that on.
"What the hell is this dream?"
The gap between dreams and reality made me feel empty. But it didn't last long. They say that the reason we dream is because we can't sleep well, but I felt refreshed.
That wasn't all.
"3rd place! This is crazy!"
A lottery ticket that only won 5th place or a blank will now win 3rd place.
"Hey, Chelsea! Wait a minute."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Take the bread. It's baked well today, hehe."
"You're just going to give it to me? That's suspicious."
"Have you been living a life of deception? Say what you want."
"I didn't say no. Thank you very much!"
Wouldn't the unscrupulous bakery owner who sells discarded food give you freshly baked bread?
"으갹!"
Until I witnessed the annoying Echidna fall over on her way to work.
'What are we doing today? Should we quit work and play Toto?'
It was a strangely lucky day.
So much so that I thought about it like this without thinking.
'I wish every day was like today.'
It was a foolish wish.
I had forgotten. What kind of life had I lived for the past 20 years? That there had never been any luck or blessing in the life of a human named Chelsea.
"...Say it again."
I heard the news as soon as I got to work.
"Who came yesterday?"
"Gemma Putty. Age 46."
A name that is stuck to my heart like soot.
"They claim she's your mother."
* * *
Around lunchtime.
'The atmosphere was quite tense.'
Kim Yi-hyun, recalling the conversation from a few hours ago, swallowed a sigh. There was no commotion. Chelsea simply listened to the conversation in silence.
He showed little reaction on the outside. Although he is not as sensitive as Asterique, his emotions are easily expressed on his face in normal times, but he kept his expression blank as if he had cut off all his emotions.
However, Kim Yi-hyeon recognized the fragment hidden inside.
'It feels like you're not even angry.'
The spark had long since died down. He had long since passed the stage of anger, and was now left with only resignation and depression. He was like candle wax that had been left to drip down and solidify again.
'That makes sense.'
Kim Yi-hyun also knew to some extent about Chelsea's family history. Chelsea may not know it, but her past was already widely known to the general public.
Of course, it was a story within the game. A side story. Like most agents, Chelsea's past was also consumed as content by users.
The point in time itself is after Cilicia has been occupied by Legion. Chelsea is set to participate in the annihilation battle that opens as content. It unfolds in a way that crosses between the present and past flashbacks.
'That means he was already dead at that time.'
Chelsea's parents only appear in flashbacks. Whatever life they lived in the past has no direct impact on Chelsea in the present.
Not now.
―Gemma Putty, Citizen 5th Class. This is quite precarious.
"It's close."
- He has a history of various mental illnesses, including depression, delusional disorder, anorexia nervosa, and insomnia. He appears to have been prescribed several medications, and he also shows signs of addiction to them.
What a sight. Kim Yi-hyeon clicked his tongue.
"Do you have a criminal record?"
-It looks like you've committed some petty crime.
"How come you haven't become an outlaw yet?"
- It was right before that. There may have been some considerations due to the number of troops.
The more I listened to Kabak's explanation, the more my head hurt. Even though he was my colleague's family, I didn't feel happy at all. Because I remembered Chelsea's side story.
'It's a mess, just like a picture.'
A father who earns little but spends lavishly. A mother who loves her husband but is dependent on him and has no interest in her children. A daughter who had to grow up faster than others because her parents were immature.
'Looking at his actions, I wonder if he's mature.'
In any case, Chelsea's desire to succeed is bound to be extraordinary.
'Aren't there any kids from ordinary families?'
In a way, it was an obvious statement.
Isn't that right? Why would someone who grew up in an ordinary family become an agent? It's common for them to have lost their family to disasters or monsters, or to have been orphans in the first place.
Or maybe he abandoned his family.
"But you collect data quickly."
―Of course, we've already organized the citizen information of Dustborn long ago. The same goes for family relationships. Furthermore, Chelsea is a Cilicia, so there must be a lot of records.
"You're surprisingly honest."
―Wouldn't it just hurt our feelings if we try to cover up things we both know?
"That's true."
Kim Yi-hyeon smiled blandly. As expected, it was a well-known fact that the council had been investigating the members of Dustborn. Perhaps it was still ongoing.
It wasn't a problem to be upset about.
As I just shared with Gemma Putty, the council is providing many conveniences. Of course, it is because of the achievements, but if it had not gone through the sieve, it would not have been as trusted as it is now.
'By the way, how do you respond?'
I couldn't hear Gemma's business right away. Yesterday, Kim I-hyeon answered the phone, but when Chelsea said she was out, Gemma ran away.
He left a message saying that he would come back soon and that the three of them should meet again.
'It's even more unpleasant because I feel like I know what's in your head.'
Why did you have to come to the company? Why did you try so hard to involve a third party who has nothing to do with your family?
―I'll send you the materials on Gemma Furty and Brandon Furty. Please check them.
I opened the file that was sent to the confidential contact. Two civilians' information appeared on the screen. A woman with pink hair like Chelsea and a man with a squat expression.
As I looked through the records, I couldn't help but sigh.
'I understand this one thing.'
There will never be a touching reconciliation.
* * *
Suddenly, an old memory came back to me.
It was a rainy day. It had been two months since she started working as a bounty hunter. Chelsea had shot and killed her first person and had her first big buck.
She didn't have a single penny left in her hand.
-Eat this and you'll fall asleep.
I remember the sight of him hastily picking up the wad of bills that had been thrown away. There was blood on the bills. It was the blood from a wound that had burst and had only been treated with first aid. The first murder was not easy.
It was such a heavy sum of money, but it seemed light to them.
-I don't think of you as family.
―Never again, never again…! Don't interfere with my life.
-If you even pretend to know, I'll kill you.
Chelsea became a legal murderer, and a bitch who didn't know the gratitude of those who gave birth to her and raised her. It wasn't so bad. As long as she had a gun, they couldn't dare come near her.
I just think about it now.
They say everything has an expiration date.
"Didn't I tell you?"
Eyes that lost their guns. I looked into those fucking pink eyes.
"Don't ever come into my life again."
There was absolutely no hope in her cold words. She didn't expect anything from Gemma. She was just unhappy with the current situation.
"I don't know how you found out about this place. Since I cut ties with you guys, I've been living well. I don't starve, I don't beg, I don't search through trash bags, and I don't sleep outside for fear of getting beaten up."
"...."
Crackle crackle.
The sight of her biting her nails in silence was even more irritating. It seemed like she wasn't even listening seriously. I didn't want to waste my emotions on her, so I got up.
"Sorry to bother you, boss. I'll kick you out."
"Do whatever you want."
I was grateful for Kim Yi-Hyeon's consideration, but I was also ashamed. It was the time when he tried to force Gemma out.
"Wow, wow, our daughter."
"What are you talking about all of a sudden? That's it."
I thought it was an attempt to elicit sympathy, until I saw the corners of its eyes curling like a snake.
"Our daughter, ah, ah, don't you miss her?"
"Ha. You were going back and forth in the past too, but finally―"
"Your brother."
Unlike before, the pronunciation was clear and crisp.
"My husband took my daughter away."
"…What did you say?"
"She's only six years old. They took her outside."
Chelsea hesitated at the news, which was new to her.
"But, my husband isn't coming back."
There was a light in her eyes, the same color as her own. It was desperation and certainty. The certainty that Chelsea, if she were my father, would not abandon her little sister.
"Can you come find me?"