Bab 90: Karmic Rule – IV
The plan was simple and straightforward.
Due to the hard work of all the keyboard warriors throughout the day, Sinyoung had hit the top headlines in even global news.
Scandals left and right. Undisputable video of famous celebrities and individuals taking advantage of idols. Tons of reviews about Sinyoung products causing health diseases and terrible side-effect.
Not only that, but the president's daughters had gone missing. Rumors were that assassins targeted them because of the recent events. Some others said that it was revenge for all the harm Sinyoung had done and hushed up.
Sinyoung itself put out a press release saying that Yun Seora and Yun Seohui were currently missing, and the president had made a video speaking about his concern and worry for his two daughters. He also put on some fake tears and actually looked mad that people would target his 'sweet innocent daughters.'
But long story short, Sinyoung was on full damage control.
That was step one.
Step two... Well, Hao was in charge of that part. While everyone was on damage control here, the Triads would quietly capture certain individuals responsible for Roe Scheherazade's misery. Well, the Triads along with a group of my own men who had been granted some useful items to help make things easy.
As for step three... the final step in our plan...
I adjusted my suit and walked behind Seora and Seohui, entering Sinyoung's HQ.
Despite how dark it looked from the outside, there were still a few people running around in the lobby. There was also a familiar receptionist. The same woman who asked who I was when I visited Hannah back in Paradise a while back.
The sliding doors closed behind us.
Seora came to a stop, her clogs clattering against the polished white tile floor. After that, she adjusted her suit and took a look around the lobby.
Seohui came to a stop as well, her heels screeching as they slid against the floor. Unlike her sister, Seohui wore a tight black one-piece dress, giving off the aura of a femme fatale... Or a wicked shade come back from the dead.
And then there was me, quietly standing behind the two. I made sure to keep a short distance between us though to make it clear that I was just here for support and not in charge of the operation.
Silence. Everyone in the lobby coming to a halt.
Half of the people there turned towards Seora and looked relieved.
The other half turned towards Seohui and looked terrified.
Seora swept her gaze across the lobby and then tilted her heads towards Seohui. "Unni. Is it just me or do people look like they've just seen a ghost?"
Seohui laughed and said, "They really do! I'm surprised though. You'd almost think they expected us dead. How weird!"
"Right?"
The sisters looked at each other and laughed.
It was an ordinary sight. Two sisters smiling and laughing with each other wasn't odd.
But the fact that it was Yun Seora and Yun Seohui of all people doing that was.
After all, it was well-known that Yun Seohui was a ruthless woman who held onto Sinyoung with an iron fist. Someone who ran a tight ship and didn't let anyone else hop on board without her permission.
And it was also known that Yun Seora was a rising star who had gained a lot of support in Sinyoung. Someone who was on the fast track to potentially overtaking Yun Seohui in power and authority.
So they should have been at each other's throats. Yun Seohui would never allow Yun Seora to encroach on her power. And Yun Seora wasn't a person who would back down.
That much could be seen by how she bitterly persisted through the Tutorial despite her setbacks and clawed her way up.
But they weren't. The two ladies of Sinyoung were standing there side by side, cheerfully bantering with each other. As if they weren't mortal enemies.
And they weren't. At least, not anymore.
"Well." Seora smiled and then said, "They can think what they want, Unni. We've got work to do."
Seohui nodded. "We do. Especially with our hero here to help us. Isn't that right, Mister Jihu?"
Another silence. And then all of a sudden, everyone turned to look at me.
Between the odd pairing and the out of character banter, it seemed like everyone forgot about me. But with Seohui calling me out, it was impossible for them to not notice.
Like before, the reaction was mixed. But unlike before, the reaction was much more overt.
Half the people immediately bowed and shouted, "Greetings, Master Jihu!"
And the other half immediately started running.
But...
"Nuh-uh." Seohui waved her index finger and said, "You naughty people who betrayed your goddess don't get to run off like that. You have to answer for your sins, you know?"
That was my cue.
Space rippled and the exits were sealed. At the same time, all forms of communication going in and out of the building were nullified.
Seohui slowly walked forward, placing her index finger on her chin. "Hm... Now what should I do with you all...?" She started pacing around the cornered group like a tiger playing with its food. "Killing you would be too easy. But my hero doesn't want me to be a bad girl any more..." She paused and looked back to Seora. "What do you think, my cute little sister?"
Sheer terror. That was what Seohui's former supporters felt. And I could see it in their eyes.
I was sure that they had heard she was assassinated. And I was sure they assumed that as well.
So seeing her here, alive in the flesh and walking alongside not just Seora but me... and also having a mysterious force block them all...
Well, I wouldn't blame them if they thought this was either a terrible nightmare or that Seohui really was a vengeful spirit come back from the dead.
Seora glanced at the group of cowering Sinyoung workers and then clicked her tongue. She turned towards Seohui and said, "Ignore them, Unni. Ants like that aren't worth your time."
"Right, right." Seohui nodded. "I guess that's true. Though it would be so much fun to see them burn... I guess I'll let them scatter."
My second cue. With that, I let space return to normal, along with the flow of communications.
Seora glanced towards her people and said, "Handle the aftermath."
"Yes, Lady Seora!"
A chorus of approvals. And then the group cleared out.
That left just us... and the lone receptionist who was shivering behind the front desk.
Letting out a trembling smile, she said, "H-H-How may I h-help Lady Seora and L-Lady Seohui tonight? A-And Mister Jihu as well?"
Seohui turned to look at the receptionist and giggled. "Well, aren't you like a cute little mouse right now?"
The receptionist started shaking more.
Seora rolled her eyes and said, "Stop messing around, Unni. You're scaring her."
"But isn't she? Look at those cute, wide eyes... It's adorable."
Seora sighed and then turned towards the receptionist. "Unlock the private elevator to my father's office."
"B-But the president-"
Seohui tilted her head and smiled.
Seora frowned.
Facing the combined pressure, the receptionist started to sweat... and then her eyes rolled up in her head and she fainted.
Seora's eyes widened. "E-Eh?" She turned towards me and said, "Oppa! What did I do!?"
Seohui laughed. "She really was like a mouse!"
I sighed and walked around the table. After checking the receptionist's vitals to make sure that she didn't have a heart attack or stroke from the pressure, I adjusted her to be comfortable in her chair and walked back. When I did, I looked at Seora and shook my head. "You underestimate how intimidating you are these days, Seora."
"Intimidating?" Seora blinked. "Me?"
I nodded. "Yeah. And Seohui..."
She smiled at me and said, "Yes, my hero?"
"...You do realize that you're being extra creepy like that, right?"
Seohui tilted her head. "Like what?"
"...Never mind."
Seohui might have become a bit more normal and considerate, but she definitely still had her odd quirks.
Seora looked at the unconscious receptionist and said, "How are we going to get up to the top floor now though, Oppa?" She frowned and said, "This is going to be a problem, isn't it?"
I walked over to the private elevator and tapped it. "Don't worry. Just a minor hiccup."
A wave of static. [Concept Manipulation] reaching out and executing my desired result of the elevator arriving on the first floor...
*ding*
"...And there we go." I bowed and then gestured towards the elevator. "After you lovely ladies."
Seohui let out a bright smile and stepped in first. As she passed me, she laughed. The awkward and genuine laugh that sounded like a teenage girl giggling over her crush.
...It was a bit weird, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't cute.
Was this gap moe? It was probably gap moe.
...Or maybe this was why yanderes were popular? Seohui definitely was one. Though she was more 'dere' than 'yan' these days...
Seora walked in after Seohui with a small pout on her face. When she entered, she turned around to look at me and said, "Oppa isn't fair."
I entered after Seora and then closed the door behind me before sending us up to the top floor. That done, I looked at Seora and said, "Why am I not fair, Seora?"
...She didn't realize it yet, right? I mean, Flone and I were at it for a while, but I made extra sure to clean up properly after Hao showed me that picture-
Ah. Crap. I didn't delete that off his phone.
...Well, Hao wasn't the sort of guy who would send that around.
I'd need to make sure to double check on him later though...
Seora crossed her arms and leaned against the back of the elevator. "Even though you married Miss Kim... I mean, Miss Hannah, I'm not mad at you. I'm just mad at myself for being too slow. And I'm mad that I'm not mad. It's ridiculous."
"Ahaha..." I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well... Um..."
Honestly. What do you say to that?
Seohui laughed and then grabbed my left arm, wrapping herself around me. "Isn't it obvious, Seora?" She looked up at me with a soft smile and said, "My hero is just that special. It would be selfish to try and keep him all for yourself."
A pleasant warmth. The soft scent of lilies drifting towards me from Seohui.
Not only that, but I could clearly see a pure white valley where Seohui was pressed against my arm.
...Dammit. This was going to be a problem now, huh? Now that I crossed that line with Flone...
"Hmph." Seora huffed and then grabbed my other arm. "That doesn't mean it's open season, Unni. And I-I'm doing it with Oppa first. Got it?"
"Can I watch?"
"What do you mean, can you watch, Unni!?"
Seohui blushed and said, "I-I don't really know what to do with that sort of thing, so-"
I cleared my throat. "Let's talk about this stuff later. Right now we should probably go over what we're going to do."
Seora coughed and stepped back. "R-Right. We should focus on that first."
Seohui sighed and reluctantly let go. "Fine. We'll talk about it after we finish everything here."
Seora looked to me and said, "So how do you want to do this, Oppa?"
Alright. Mission 'Change the Subject' successful. Now to just finish Mission 'Change of Heart.'
"Well... Did Hao fill you guys in on how this is going to work?"
Seora nodded. "He mentioned something about you wanting to brainwash that guy into admitting his faults, right?" She paused and then suddenly turned towards Seohui. Her eyes widened and she looked at me. "Oppa, you didn't-"
"Hey!" I held up my hands and said, "I'd never mess with a woman's head like that."
Seohui nodded. "That's right, Seora. My hero never did anything like that." She let out a bitter smile and placed her hand over her heart. "I just... realized the error of my ways. That's all."
Seora didn't look convinced. But eventually, she sighed and said, "That's true. Oppa isn't the kind of guy to do something like that."
I nodded. "Right?"
"...But I also thought Oppa wasn't the type of guy to play favorites and marry a girl behind my back either, so maybe he is?" Seora turned to look at me.
I started to sweat.
...It was going to be messy when she found out about Flone, wasn't it?
Seora stared me down and then laughed. "Just kidding, Oppa."
"...Are you though?"
That didn't seem like just messing around...
Seora smiled and leaned back against the elevator door. "Yeah. Oppa's always composed, you know? So I thought it'd be fun to make you sweat a bit." She paused. "...Though if I'm being honest, I *was* kind of hurt when I found out that you got married already."
"Sorry."
Seora waved her hand. "It's fine. We can sort it out after all of this. But anyway, the plan?"
"Right."
Setting the giant knife of guilt stabbing my heart aside for the moment, I leaned against the elevator door and said, "It's pretty simple. Knowing your father, he's going to try and use some stuff on us the moment we walk out. Maybe some artifacts or weapons taken over from that place with some skimmed off contribution points."
Seohui nodded. "That sounds like him."
Seora nodded as well and said, "That man always did treat Sinyoung as just an extension of his own assets... I wouldn't put it past him to have something like that either."
"Right? So I'll take the lead and make sure things are safe. After that... you two can say some final things to your old man before we have him set things straight and then ship him off to the other place to pay for his sins."
Him and the dozen or so other bastards responsible for Roe Scheherazade's misery.
Seora frowned. "...I don't think I have anything to say to that man anymore after what's happened recently, but... if Oppa says so."
Seohui huffed. "Well *I* have a few things to say to that man." She looked at me and said, "Don't send him off too quickly, okay, my hero?"
"Of course."
Seohui smiled. A pure and bright smile filled with devotion.
I coughed and looked away.
...Gap moe is too strong.
Seora noticed and huffed. "...Unni isn't fair either."
"Huh? O-Oh." Seohui lowered her head and said, "I'm sorry, Seora."
Seora sighed. "...Don't worry about it, Unni."
Seohui smiled again.
And then the elevator chimed.
It was time.
Seora straightened and adjusted her suit, brushing off any wrinkles.
Seohui stopped smiling and then crossed her arms beneath her chest, waiting.
And I turned around.
The moment I did, the elevator door opened. And when it opened, a wave of fire swept towards us.
But that wave of fire stopped.
I walked forward and held up my left hand, gathering the flames down into a small white spark. "No hesitation even for your daughters, Mister President?"
When the flames vanished, a man was revealed standing in the middle of the room.
Black suit. Neatly kept hair and a thin goatee. A body in decent shape...
Some people would call him attractive and confident.
Others would call him sleazy.
I would call him a slimy bastard that didn't deserve to live.
But it didn't change the fact that he was Yun Seojin, the founder and president of Sinyoung. Well, at the least the acting president.
I didn't know if he was actually listed as the president on paper, but that didn't matter.
What did was the fact that he had a small pile of items on the floor beside him that were all reeking of mana.
Yun Seojin hummed and said, "Seol Jihu. And it seems that you've brought my wayward daughters. How-"
"Skip."
Yun Seojin blinked. "What?"
"I said skip... As in I'm skipping the monologue cutscene."
"What in the world are you- Gah!?"
I stepped forward and grabbed his right arm with my left. The tiny white spark I formed from his flames spilled forth, burning his suit along with his arm.
The man cursed and scrambled back, knocking over his pile of artifacts. He reached out to grab one, but I swept my hand through the air and dismantled them all.
"Impossible!" Yun Seojin turned to look at me and said, "You aren't using an artifact! How did you do that?!"
I gave him a cheeky grin and said, "Magic."
"You...!" Yun Seojin growled and then ran back to his desk, ripping open a drawer with his left hand. After that, he pulled out a gun and shot me.
Well, tried to.
Once, twice... three times. The man fired three shots.
They were on point. All of them were aimed at my head and would definitely have killed me if I was an ordinary person.
But I wasn't.
Instead of hitting me, the three bullets were frozen in the air, suspended one after the other in a line.
I smiled and plucked the three floating bullets out of the air before dropping them on the floor. "Well. I can at least say your skills haven't dropped much after hiding out on Earth for a while."
Yun Seojin laughed and set his gun down. "Well. I know when to admit defeat."
I nodded. "You should. Because that secret button you just stepped on to fill the room with gas won't work. Neither will the hidden turrets in the corners of the room. Or the bomb placed in the elevator. Or the secret alarm to alert your private goons equipped with weapons from that other place."
Yun Seojin froze.
A light peal of laughter echoed from behind me. Seohui. She walked forward and wrapped herself around my right arm, smiling. Looking at Yun Seojin, she said, "Tough luck, Father."
Yun Seojin clicked his tongue and said, "So you really sided with him...? I knew you were a liability. And you..." He looked at Seora and said, "To think you'd swallow your pride and support your older sister. Didn't you hate her?"
Seora walked over to my left side. She stared at her father for a bit, mixed emotions crossing her face. But then she sighed and looked over to Seohui. "Unni. We should finish it."
"Right, right..." Seohui nodded and then turned to look at me. "Then, shall we end this play, my hero?"
I nodded. "We might as well. I'm getting pretty sick and tired of having to deal with all of this drama and BS on my vacation." With that said, I turned to look at Yun Seojin.
He narrowed his eyes and said, "You think that this will end so easily? I'm Yun Seojin! The founder of Sinyoung! The one responsible for bringing it to this point! If you think that killing me will be enough to topple all I've worked for, then-"
"Who said anything about killing you?"
"...What?"
My vision filled with indigo light. The color of karmic binding.
Yun Seojin froze.
I smiled.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone