DB Vol 2 Part 19

Sang-cheon, like everyone else, had moments of falling into sudden hope while buying lottery tickets for a long time. At such times, he would imagine what he would do if he won the lottery. However, even though he had now hit the jackpot, he couldn’t think of anything he should do.

“This is a debt repayment confirmation issued by our side. We’ve also directly resolved Director Hwang’s debts with other companies and received confirmation here in these documents. You shouldn’t have any more problems due to debt.”

Chief Jung came in person, laying out the documents one by one, then took out two bankbooks.

“The amount left after repaying the debt is in this bankbook, and this bankbook contains the payment for the original owner of the Alpha Seed.”

Sang-cheon absent-mindedly reached out and opened his bankbook. The number was long. It was the first time he had seen such a long number in a bankbook since the account number. It still didn’t feel real, and his mind wasn’t working. Belatedly, he managed to say what he should.

“Th-thank you. Thank you for even clearing all my other debts…”

“I heard you had quite a lot of trouble because of those unscrupulous loan sharks. Of course, it’s only natural that we help.”

Why ‘natural’? Sang-cheon looked at him, puzzled. He had already handed over the Alpha Seed, so there shouldn’t be any more business between them. This doubt soon became reality. Chief Jung stared at him and got to the point.

“So, we look forward to your continued cooperation.”

“Continued?”

“Yes. If you happen to get your hands on another Alpha Seed, we hope you’ll sell it to us.”

Ah. Another Alpha Seed. At the same time, Sang-cheon recalled the magical event Won-woo had shown yesterday. In fact, right now in Sang-cheon’s office was the result of that magic Won-woo had shown. This time, not in a ziplock bag but wrapped tightly in a box and hidden away, was one Alpha Seed. At the time, Won-woo could have made a hundred Alpha Seeds if he wanted, but Sang-cheon and Seona strongly objected. The reason was simple.

‘This doesn’t put any strain on your body or anything, does it, Mr. Won-woo?’

When Seona asked sharply, Won-woo shook his head.

‘No. I could make even hundreds.’

Hundreds! Hearing this, Sang-cheon felt dizzy and almost fell off his chair. It was the moment the greatest billionaire in Earth’s history was about to be born right before his eyes. But unlike the weak-hearted Sang-cheon, Seona kept confirming.

‘And there’s no other danger while making hundreds?’

Sang-cheon, who had been holding his forehead, straightened up immediately upon seeing Won-woo’s awkward smile.

‘What is it? What’s dangerous?’

When he asked urgently, Won-woo hesitated before answering.

‘The maximum power a seed can absorb is 37, and it needs to be 37 to create an Alpha Seed. But occasionally, the seed explodes before reaching 37.’

‘And what happens if it explodes…?’

‘Well, everything explodes.’

What do you mean, everything? When Sang-cheon and Seona frowned, Won-woo smiled brightly.

‘Everything in that place explodes. Whether it’s a building or people.’

The moment they heard this, Sang-cheon and Seona couldn’t help but stand up and shout simultaneously.

‘Never make them again!!!’

‘Don’t even touch the seeds!!!!’

“Director Hwang?”

Startled, Hwang Sang-cheon snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. Won-woo had laughed loudly at their reaction and said it was fine, that such incidents were rare, but Sang-cheon had removed the seed from his sight entirely. Throughout his life, Sang-cheon knew how dangerous the trap of probability could be. Even the lowest probability could become 100% for just him in life. Misfortune doesn’t follow probability.

“Does Ji Won-woo have more Alpha Seeds?”

“Ah, no.”

Sang-cheon quickly shook his head, but Chief Jung looked at him expressionlessly for a moment before pushing up his glasses.

“Of course, I fully understand your desire to contact more sellers and get a better price for such a rare item.”

“No, that’s not it. I don’t have such intentions.”

“Then is there another reason?”

“…Well, because there aren’t any more.”

Sang-cheon turned his gaze away, hoping he would stop asking. Fortunately, Chief Jung nodded, but he didn’t forget to mutter loud enough for Sang-cheon to hear.

“That’s a shame. If there were more Alpha Seeds, our pretty and cute little miss wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Sigh, to think that at such a young age, unable to receive guiding, she’s developed mutism and even rejects all people…”

Chief Jung turned his head and rubbed his dry eyes as if wiping away non-existent tears. But it worked on Sang-cheon.

“What little miss are you talking about?”

“Ah, our family head’s daughter… sniff“

Chief Jung made a pig-like sound as if sniffing up non-existent mucus, but Sang-cheon focused only on what he had said earlier.

“Did she develop mutism because of guiding? But doesn’t she have a Guide sent by the Ji family? Isn’t that why the vice family head… went to prison?”

“That’s right. Our vice family head sacrificed himself for his beautiful niece whom he cherished more than his own eyes.”

In fact, it wasn’t so much sacrifice as getting into prison after fighting with his sister and losing his temper. But Chief Jung exaggerated Gye Yoon’s sacrifice and squeezed out tears as if wringing a dry cloth. Of course, when not a single drop came out, he turned his head again and covered his eyes with his hand.

“But the Guide sent by the Ji family only abused their power and didn’t provide proper guiding. And then, they finally got drunk, caused a disturbance, and fell… sigh“

“What happened when they fell?”

“They cracked their head and died.”

Chief Jung announced the conclusion nonchalantly. Sang-cheon had been frowning at the Guide’s misdeeds but then went “Huh?” in surprise. However, Chief Jung didn’t give him time to dwell on other thoughts.

“So our young miss is suffering from unbearable pain at such a young age.”

Oh my, the poor child. Sang-cheon nodded and then carefully asked,

“But what does the guiding problem have to do with the Alpha Seed?”

As if he had been waiting for this, Chief Jung informed Sang-cheon of their plan to use the Alpha Seed to find a Guide. And finally, he made a request.

“If you have more Alpha Seeds, please sell them to us.”

Ah, well… While it was truly sad that the child was suffering so much, Sang-cheon hesitated to hand over another Alpha Seed made by Won-woo. He was worried they might become suspicious about the seed’s origin.

If anyone found out that Won-woo could create Alpha Seeds, it was obvious that everyone would be desperate to get their hands on him. So it was better to say there were no more Alpha Seeds like this. He had to repay Won-woo’s kindness at least in this way.

“I’m sorry. I’d like to give you more to help the young miss if I had any, but I can’t get any right now.”

When Sang-cheon shook his head, Chief Jung nodded but couldn’t hide his inner disappointment. He had expected that Sang-cheon, being a soft-hearted type, could be persuaded by appealing to his emotions. He felt that Sang-cheon probably had more Alpha Seeds but was hiding them.

But he couldn’t push further here. While Sang-cheon was soft-hearted, he was also stubborn. Reluctantly giving up, he didn’t forget to make one last attempt, lacing his words with lingering attachment.

“Then if you ever get your hands on more in the future, please remember us. We’re not interested in using Alpha Seeds to raise ranks. Our only purpose is to obtain a Guide with a unique wavelength.”

Sang-cheon was nodding and saying “Yes” when he suddenly paused. Wait, if their goal is a Guide with a unique wavelength, they don’t need Alpha Seeds, right? Because Won-woo can Guide all wavelengths directly. And regardless of grade! Realizing this belatedly, Sang-cheon’s face turned pale as he tried to hide his shock and astonishment.

“Director Hwang, are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, I, I have a stomach ache…”

He must be in shock from receiving such a large sum of money. Chief Jung nodded as if he understood and stood up. At that moment, Sang-cheon asked as if he had just remembered something. “By the way, can’t the vice family head… come out of prison now? I haven’t heard from him in days.”

“This is a secret, but since you’ve already met him, Director Hwang… Yes, he’s out. And you probably won’t hear from him for a while, so don’t worry about it. He’s not in prison, but he’s forcibly asleep now because it’s difficult to suppress his outbursts.”

As Chief Jung spoke offhandedly while checking a message on his phone, Sang-cheon’s expression hardened.

“Forcibly asleep?”

“Drugs.”

“…Ah, is the situation that bad?”

Unlike the surprised Sang-cheon, Chief Jung answered as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“When the pain is severe, we often administer drugs to force him into sleep. He’ll probably wake up in about a day. This time seems particularly difficult. But it’s better than going crazy with pain and going rampage.”

“Is it… better?”

Chief Jung glanced up and gave a look that said it couldn’t be helped.

“If an S-rank Esper goes on a rampage, the damage is severe.”

He lowered his gaze back to his phone and quickly scrolled through the screen.

“Oh, by the way, the reason we cleared your other debts this time was on the vice family head’s orders. He said that even if you paid them back, those bastards would just threaten you to take on more debt. It’s unlike the vice family head to be so kind, so you might not believe it, but it’s true.”

“…”

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

As he had to check on urgent matters, Chief Jung walked to the door without taking his eyes off his phone screen. Because of this, he didn’t see the expression on Sang-cheon’s face as he stood there.

Won-woo received the call just as he had finished exercising and returned home. As soon as he saw the name on the screen, he called out to the other person in a cheerful voice.

“Yes, Director Hwang.”

But there was no response from the other end.

“Director Hwang, is something wrong?”

[No, it’s not that… Um, I, uh, I wanted to ask a favor…]

“Sure, feel free to ask.”

However, despite Won-woo’s words, Sang-cheon hesitated for a long time before asking this,

[Won-woo, could you possibly Guide an Esper for me?]

***

When Sang-cheon contacted him, Chief Jung thought that what he had been waiting for had finally arrived. He could tell at a glance that there was another Alpha Seed. As the saying goes, “old acquaintances are the best,” he thought Sang-cheon would feel most comfortable dealing with them among all possible contacts. Chief Jung took pride in this. Plus, they would offer the best conditions. However, he inwardly clicked his tongue at Sang-cheon’s demands.

‘This meeting is a one-time thing. There won’t be any more. Let’s write a contract. You won’t request or mention any further meetings. No forceful visits or making a fuss. If you violate this contract, I’ll use all my power to retaliate against the Gye family.’

Sang-cheon’s voice was trembling with tension, and Chief Jung barely suppressed a laugh. He was about to say that he knew Sang-cheon had more Alpha Seeds without needing to be so serious, but he agreed for now.

‘Alright. We’ll write a contract. But how do you plan to retaliate?’

‘I once got my hands on a C22 bomb that uses monster seeds as an explosive. I’ll modify it with 37 times the firepower to destroy the Gye family.’

Chief Jung’s smile disappeared at this too-specific retaliation plan. Sang-cheon’s voice continued to tremble, but his firm resolve was evident.

‘If I see even the slightest sign of breaking the contract, I’ll strap explosives to my body and charge in. Of course, I’ve prepared for the possibility of failure. I guarantee that if you underestimate me for being an ordinary person, you’ll end up shedding tears of blood later. I’ll use all my knowledge, devices, and connections to make sure you pay the price for breaking your promise.’

Only then did Chief Jung realize how serious Sang-cheon was, and he was dumbfounded. Is this really necessary just to inform us about one more Alpha Seed? While it’s understandable given how extraordinary Alpha Seeds are, it still seemed excessive. And it didn’t end there.

“…Given these circumstances, the Vice Head needs to go.”

When he said this to Gye Yoon, who had just woken up and was still under the influence of the drugs, Gye Yoon frowned as if trying to focus.

“Hwang wants me to come and go as he pleases?”

“He didn’t say ‘come and go,’ he only said ‘come.’ He said he had an urgent matter to discuss and that it had to be you, Vice Head. I suspect he might be proposing a deal for another Alpha Seed.”

“Shit.”

Gye Yoon sat up, roughly running his hand through his hair.

“Did that guy set up an Alpha Seed farm or something?”

“It’s more likely that they came from Ji Won-woo.”

Gye Yoon stopped running his hand through his hair and stared expressionlessly at the floor.

“Just how many did he steal?”

“Probably not many. You know how tightly the Ji family keeps Alpha Seeds in secure vaults with impenetrable defenses.”

“But he still managed to steal them?”

“…That’s right.”

This puzzled Chief Jung too. For a D-rank Guide to accomplish what even A-rank Espers with teleportation abilities failed to do. Even considering his knowledge of the Ji family, it was remarkable. Then Gye Yoon pointed out another crucial issue.

“What about the Ji family? If several seeds were stolen, Ji Geun-oh would have killed at least a few people by now.”

“Well, there’s no sign that they’re aware of any seed theft. Ji Geun-oh has been busy dealing with the recent Guide voting rights issue. If he knew seeds were stolen, he would have rushed back to the Ji family to tighten internal security.”

They still don’t know about the theft…

“Maybe he stole some seeds that Ji Geun-oh had hidden away.”

Chief Jung nodded, seeming to agree.

“That’s why we should get our hands on all the seeds Ji Won-woo stole before the Ji family notices the theft.”

Gye Yoon got up without replying and walked to the bathroom. Chief Jung followed him, repeating like a nagging parent.

“Director Hwang specifically wants only you, the Vice Family Head, to come. You need to go.”

“You go.”

“No, he said if it’s not you, Vice Head, the meeting is off.”

Despite Chief Jung’s words, Gye Yoon showed no intention of going and just grabbed his shirt with both hands to take it off. After removing his top, he quickly took off his pants too, leaving only his underwear. But even that came off in front of Chief Jung. His height of over 190cm and solid muscles were imposing enough, but what stood out more were the scars.

The scars covering his left shoulder and back looked like twisted skin from burns. Nine years ago, when he went to the Eastern Center, Ji Geun-oh was scheduled to visit. Gye Yoon’s target was Ji Geun-oh, but luckily, he couldn’t come due to schedule changes, and only the Espers he used like his limbs suffered.

Because he unleashed such enormous power, Gye Yoon couldn’t immediately escape from the fire of the building he had destroyed. Afterward, these scars remained as a painful lesson for Gye Yoon. Chief Jung briefly looked at the scars before quickly speaking.

“As you suggested, Vice Head, we’ll use the Alpha Seed bought from Director Hwang to find a Guide for Miss Hwan. We’re currently in contact with two places.”

Whether he was listening or not, Gye Yoon stepped under the shower and turned on the water. The sound of the water was loud, but Chief Jung knew that Gye Yoon could hear every word he said clearly.