I was on the outer road that led to the riverside of the Han River. As I had planned with Jamie, only one government-registered car came down the slope. Hong Ju-Hwan looked at me in wonder for a few seconds, then he beckoned his entourage and left.
Colton Spencer Goldstein tried getting out of the car, but I lightly pushed him back in. Then, he bumped against the door on the opposite side and hit his head on the window. I got in the car and closed the door. The briefcase on the floor was obviously locked, so I smashed the lock and took out the documents.
The âSeparation of Industrial and Financial Capitalâ was a policy that allowed industrial capital to acquire a limited ownership stake when acquiring a bank. Korea had strictly regulated the industrial capitalâs financial control, and Colton was planning to attack me first by using that system.
What it meant was if Jeon-il Group was considered an industrial capital, their stake in the former KEB shouldnât have exceeded ten percent, and if it did, it was definitely illegal. However, this was just the beginning. To accurately determine if Jeon-il was either industrial or financial capital, they had to pinpoint the origin of the capital that was placed in the Jeon-il Group during the IMF crisis. In other words, his plan of attack wasnât limited to the current Jeon-il Bank. He was about to expose the real capital of Jeon-il Investment, the birthplace of Jeon-il Group, and alter public opinion about Jeon-il such that it became negative.
âYou were up to no good.â
I threw a file, and dozens of papers were poured on him. Then, he tried escaping through the door, so I grabbed his arm and he burst into a scream.
Crack.
His bones were breaking in my hand.
âAaaaahhhhh!â
âNo one is coming to help you. Are you going to scream all day?â
His eyes finally turned toward me. He looked at me as if he couldnât believe my strength, and he seemed very confused. He was putting his brain to work, but no matter how much he thought, this could never happen in the world he lived in. He entered Korea as a state guest, but was now under physical threat in a government vehicle. If the Minister of Economy and Finance and his agents knew this situation, they would have been startled.
âDâŠdo you know⊠what you are doing right now?â he asked indignantly and complained of pain again.
âI think you are the one who doesnât know,â I said bluntly.
When I reached out my hand, he swung his hand reflexively. I slapped his cheek, and his head swung back. I searched his inner pocket and took out his phone. Melissaâs number was saved on his phone with the name âCassandra.â
Cassandra became silent immediately.
âAre you crazy?â Colton shrieked.
His nose was bleeding, one eye was full of blood, and his cheek was swelling.
Slap!
When I evened out his cheeks, his face hit the driverâs seat hard and bounced off. Cassandra must have heard my slap and his moan.
***
(Perspective has changed to the third person.)
Cassandra had tried calling again, but Seon-Hu didnât pick up.
NoâŠ
Seon-Huâs murderous voice was truly horrifying. He seemed to genuinely think that nothing would happen even if Colton died. Cassandra didnât know how skilled Seon-Hu was. Although the assassination quest was an S-class and he was under Jeon-il Groupâs protection, she was certain that he was just a normal eighteen-year-old kid. Since he had traveled abroad and was fluent in English, she thought he would know the power of the Goldstein family and Coltonâs global position.
However, she was wrong. He had to be immature, given that he would actually kill Colton without caring about the repercussions.
Colton dying?
Cassandra felt the shiver down her spine.
The System shouldnât have matched me with such an immature AsianâŠ
She knew it was too late to complain as Colton had already been captured by Seon-Hu. Then, she hurriedly called Coltonâs secretary. She thought that he wouldnât answer, but the secretary picked up the call instantly.
A few minutes laterâŠ
âHeâs lying!â
Cassandra got out of bed after kicking the blanket off. She intended to notify her family and the authorities, then save Colton from Korea. This would become an international dispute as soon as the Korean government became involved. World War I had broken out when a young Serbian man had assassinated an Austrian Royal couple who visited Sarajevo, and the same thing was about to happen in Seoul. The only difference from then was that the Korean government could be involved.
âHow can the South Korean government do something that crazy? Even the evil North Koreaâs authorities cannot intervene directlyâŠâ
âAh!â
Cassandraâs eyes opened wide, and she checked the quest window again.
[Assassination (Quest)
A threat to everyone is growing quickly.
Mission: Kill Na Seon-Hu.
Time limit: 1 year.
Class: S]
The System must have foreseen this situation. If Colton, a symbol of the EUâs board of directors, was murdered in Koreaâs capital city, the aftermath would be intimidating to everyone. Cassandra couldnât guarantee that her brotherâs death would trigger a war, but no one back then had ever thought World War I would happen like that either.
âI seeâŠâ
Cassandra put her thinking cap on, and her face brightened after a while. She saw an opportunity to regain her familyâs power that had been partially lost during the Iraq War. She then hastily changed her clothes and left the hotel room. The Bilderberg conference was taking place in the hotel, and there were a number of members there who would support her.
When she got out of the hallway, her phone rang.
âHow dare you. You are just an immature Asian kid.â
Cassandra hung up. She admitted that he was powerful enough to make the quest an S-class, but talking about other things with him was unacceptable to her.
***
(This is now back to Seon-Huâs point of view.)
Colton was fascinated by the supernatural phenomenon that the Healing insignia had caused. Since it was D-class, his broken bone and busted-up face recovered instantly.
âYour cold-hearted sister must have a wild imagination,â I said.
The supernatural power turned the violent beating that had happened in a Korean government vehicle into nothing. Colton wasnât even blinking as he was bewildered by the scene.
Tak!
I snapped my fingers in front of his eyes, then he began blinking.
âAnyway, even if she attacks the Jeon-il Group, there will be no impact. This country is in my hands,â I said.
He turned his head toward the back window, then he watched the Minister of Economy and Finance and his agents go around the Han River for a long time. Those were the people Colton had called for desperately while I was beating the shit out of him. He asked in a confused voice as if he was convinced, âBy the way, the rays of light I saw a while ago⊠What the hell are you?â
âAsk your sister.â
Well, I wasnât certain if Cassandra would be still alive by the time Colton could ask her.
âLet me suggest something to you,â I said.
âGo ahead,â he replied.
âIâll give you the Goldstein family. Although itâll be in a state of disrepair, Iâll make sure to only ruin it to a certain point. You will be able to fix it again.â
âIâve witnessed your supernatural ability and your power that can control this countryâs government. However, your plan to do something to my family⊠Stop. There are more things that you donât know about this world,â Colton said.
I threw his phone at him and took out mine. Joshua answered the call.
Revolucion had succeeded in conquering a dungeon by themselves yesterday, and Joshua had ordered his entire team to give up on the assassination quest no matter what. I could check if he was lying by going there myself, so it wasnât an urgent matter.
Colton looked at me as if he was asking whom I was talking to.
The call was brief, but for Colton, the lingering feeling remained for a long time. He finally remembered one name.
âJoshua⊠Was that Joshua von Karjan?â
His face was filled with disbelief as he couldnât believe that it could be Joshua.
âWhy would the Karjan family do such a thing? Itâs basically harming both families,â he added.
He would be right if the Karjan family was the only one in the offensive line, but they were just the advance party.
âDo you know how the IMF came to this country six years ago?â I asked.
He frowned, âWhat? Why are you asking this out of the blue?â
âItâs not out of the blue. Youâll soon realize and turn desperate about your situation.â