Chapter 121
Do Won-il, who had been silent on the other end of the phone, spoke calmly.
-Mr. Kang Noah. Or should I call you Teacher or hyung, too?
"Do you watch my broadcasts?"
-No.
"Then call me whatever you wish."
-Then I'll call you Teacher. Teacher, why did you help us?
"Your younger brother watches my broadcasts."
-If someone watches your broadcasts, can they receive help like this?
"I help good people who seem to be in danger."
-Why do you do such things?
"I wish the world were a little kinder."
I am an orphan.
Even so, the reason I was able to grow up this well was because people's goodwill helped me.
So I repay that goodwill.
I also don't want to see bastards who live like orphans despite not being orphans.
-...That is truly remarkable. Have you heard this saying? To see a person's true nature, give them power.
"Yes. I know it as well."
-You are no ordinary person, Teacher.
He fell silent.
Then he gave a dry chuckle.
-Teacher. Can you help me?
"You want me to help you become head of the Cheonmyeong Group? That's more than possible even without me lifting a finger."
-That's not it. Honestly, I can secure the chairman's position well enough without your help, Teacher.
He was calm, and I agreed.
In the future, he became chairman of the Cheonmyeong Group even without my help.
Even so, the reason he wanted my help was...
"Culling them, I see."
-That's right. Is there any reason to keep people who aren't loyal to me?
He wanted to borrow my strength to cut down such people.
He made the proposal calmly.
"What you want is for me to join your company, live and work there, and make moves on your behalf."
-Yes. That's right. But please don't think of it as working under me. Hmm... A partnership. A partnership sounds best. If you want, I'll even give you some of the shares I own. They should be worth at least tens of billions of won.
It would be enough even if we were merely cooperating.
A relationship where we could simply trade amicably.
That was all he wanted.
That was why he was fairly confident.
That I would take his hand.
But I smiled and shook my head.
"I'm sorry, but that would be difficult. Being tied down somewhere isn't really my thing."
If I were going to work at a company, I would have joined Sasung.
They would even promise me an executive-level position.
Or I could join hands with the United States or Saudi Arabia.
-That's unfortunate.
He said it lightly, but he didn't seem particularly disappointed.
He had expected me to refuse.
-Then what do you think about me asking for your help when I need it?
"As long as you maintain your current intentions and pay the price, I can help you as much as you like."
He grinned.
-That alone is more than enough. And how should I repay you for this?
"You seem to own a lot of stock, so give me some of it. I'll hold on to it without selling it to anyone else, then sell it back to you when the time comes.
-Thank you.
I had no intention of getting involved in the issue of succession to the Cheonmyeong Group.
I simply wanted payment in return.
"Oh, and one more thing. Are you planning to do business with Spain?"
-Spain?
I told him what I had told Hong Si-yeon.
That Spain was currently struggling with a steel problem.
"Discuss it with Hong Si-yeon."
-Hong Si-yeon. You mean Madam Yang Chun-ja's granddaughter? What is your relationship with her?
"She's a good friend, and also the president of one of the few companies I'm involved with."
-I see. How impressive. You are involved in a company... President Hong, you say... Yes. Understood. I'll do that.
With that, the call ended.
A little while later, Hong Si-yeon's phone rang.
"Hello. This is Hong Si-yeon."
Hong Si-yeon continued the call at her leisure, smiling brightly.
I didn't understand the professional details, but judging by how her expression was brightening, things seemed to be going quite well.
Hmm, I don't have anything to do.
"Won-gyu. What games have you been playing lately?"
"Huh? Oh, I'm playing Love Love Quest."
"A dating sim?"
"To understand love, you have to play dating sims."
"How about playing Dunsa?"
I casually tried suggesting it, but he sighed.
"I tried to play it, but it was hard. I just like clicker games."
"The new class is a clicker game too."
Classes released lately just require you to mash a few buttons, and skills go off one after another.
Do Won-gyu thought it over, then nodded.
"I'll give it a try. But isn't the new character this time a guy? I have a disease where I'll die if I don't play a female character."
"...The previous new character is a girl."
Anyway, I told him about a server and character that would be good for him to start with.
Perhaps he liked the illustration, because he gave a small nod.
"That's good. Now all we need is for things to go well with Spain."
"You can handle it, right?"
"Of course. I know someone there too, so don't worry."
He'd handle things well on his own.
And I could see a future where he did just that.
"I always end up receiving help from you, Noah."
"I receive plenty of help from you too. Don't worry about it."
Hong Si-yeon broke into a radiant smile, apparently pleased with my answer.
"Then shall we have a pleasant drink tonight?"
At her suggestion, Do Won-gyu said,
"Can I leave now? I want to sleep peacefully tonight..."
Do Won-gyu smiled after learning that his brother wasn't trying to kill him.
The anxiety that had filled his face had now mostly disappeared.
"Sure. Go get some rest."
***
An upscale members-only bar.
A luxurious private room that must have cost an incredible amount to enter.
The young man inside was dressed in a way that truly did not suit the place.
20,000-won shorts.
30,000-won T-shirt.
Even the shoes that could barely be called expensive only just cleared 100,000 won.
And yet, even if you combined everything in this room—no, everything in this bar—it wouldn't amount to the value of this man's toenail.
Hong Si-yeon looked at the man before her, her face flushed from the alcohol.
Kang Noah.
He possessed the power to shake the world, but even more than that, he had noble, lofty ideals and dignity.
Under her remarkable grandmother, Hong Si-yeon had seen countless people over the years.
Among them had been princes from other countries, heirs to major corporations, and renowned athletes.
Some had approached Hong Si-yeon because they had fallen for her beauty, and quite a few others had come seeking her grandmother's wealth.
But Hong Si-yeon had never once been swayed by them.
They had no dignity.
Being in a lofty position did not always make a person noble.
But the man before her?
He was an orphan.
There was no way to call him nobly born, even as empty flattery.
Even so, he possessed noble ideals and dignity.
In other words, wasn't he a pearl in the mud?
'They say only those with power reveal their true nature.'
The power Kang Noah possessed was power that could truly shake the world.
Even so, he possessed the noble character to use it for the sake of good.
He was someone Hong Si-yeon had never once met before.
"Noah."
"Yes?"
Hong Si-yeon asked him, her face flushed, as he sipped expensive liquor and picked at the snacks.
"Why are you so noble, Noah?"
"...Me?"
The way he tilted his head was so cute, and he looked so extraordinary.
He looked like someone who didn't understand the meaning of his own actions and ideals.
That only made her more drawn to him.
Feeling like a butterfly approaching the light, Hong Si-yeon took a sip of alcohol.
"You're an orphan. You didn't exactly have a good life. So why did you decide you didn't want to live like an orphan?"
"What? It's not like that's anything extraordinary. Isn't it only natural?"
Because he found her question ridiculous, she thought him all the more noble.
Hong Si-yeon smiled.
To him, this was only natural.
Wanting to make the world a little kinder.
Not living like an orphan.
That made her want him all the more.
"Noah."
"Yes."
"You went to Gyeongju with the princess of the Sasung Group last time, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"And you went to the United States too."
"That's right."
"But you didn't go with me."
"We went to the United States together."
"We didn't go to Gyeongju."
"That's true."
Because she was tipsy, she spoke softly.
She carefully exhaled her sweet breath.
"Han Yu-na... That woman. She was quite pretty. Am I pretty? Or is she prettier?"
Provoked by her playful question, Kang Noah answered without a moment's hesitation.
"You're both pretty."
"Come on. There has to be one that's superior."
"What superiority? It's not like there's a prettiness score."
Snorting, Kang Noah replied, then picked up his glass and took a sip.
"Then can you go on a trip with me too?"
"Of course."
Hong Si-yeon was slightly surprised by Kang Noah's answer.
And pleased.
It felt as though he was allowing her to be by his side, too.
"But do you have time to go anywhere, Si-yeon? Aren't you always busy?"
"What do you mean? I have free time too, you know."
Feeling confident, Hong Si-yeon looked at her phone.
It was vibrating.
When she checked, it was her grandmother.
"Hello?"
-Sweetie, let's go to Europe next week.
She had to accompany her grandmother again.
Hong Si-yeon let out a deep sigh.
"Really..."
"Hahaha. Have a good trip."
"Um... Noah."
"Yes?"
"Would you like to come to Europe with me?"
"Me? Europe is..."
A brief silence.
A smile formed at the corner of Kang Noah's mouth as he looked at the mirror hanging on the wall.
He took out a card.
When Hong Si-yeon carefully turned it over and looked at it, Kang Noah said calmly,
"You'll be caught up in a terrorist attack by the Moon of Allah at Lyon Station in Paris."
"...What?"
"And your grandmother, Madam Yang Chun-ja, will be seriously injured in that terrorist attack."