abcnovels
Chapter 161:
Chapter 161:
Chapter 161:
Chapter 161
The high-rise building in Gangnam District was the symbol of the Twilight Veil Clan.
On the top floor, the clan leader Do Kang-joon had a deep frown on his face.
His eyes were darker than the night sky, revealing his blatant emotions.
‘How annoying.’
It was just yesterday that the Collector Association dropped a huge bomb at the press conference.
No, could it even be called a bomb?
What they launched at them was nothing less than a nuclear missile.
Do Kang-joon felt an unprecedented sense of crisis because his scheme had been exposed.
‘I got support from them, but the mission failed, and on top of that, the association branded us publicly.’
Do Kang-joon felt a headache.
‘Where did it all go wrong?’
There was no end to the reasons.
It wasn’t easy to climb up to this position. But lately, bad things happened too often to the Twilight Veil.
The Parallel World that boasted a massive amount of byproducts they tried to secretly own disappeared.
And he was still caught by the association’s dogs and had to go back and forth to court every day, busy with legal disputes.
‘As if it wasn’t enough that some fearless bastards started to rise up, now this happens.’
He bribed some reporters and subtly suggested to join hands with other clans that had victims.
He planned to somehow shift the blame to the association and divert people’s attention.
If only the association hadn’t made the first move at the press conference.
“…”
Do Kang-joon looked down at the window that showed the cityscape at a glance.
There were people protesting under the building that represented the Twilight Veil.
They were waving pickets and shouting something.
He couldn’t hear them because of the soundproofing, but Do Kang-joon’s excellent eyesight could easily read what they wrote.
‘These lowlifes who can’t even look me in the eye normally.’
He grimaced and snorted.
What made him more annoyed was that public opinion was too unfavorable for them.
The people outside were only a fraction of those who cursed the Twilight Veil.
The internet opinion was beyond repair.
“Sera-gan.”
As Do Kang-joon called his name, one of his tellers appeared.
Do Kang-joon examined his condition.
The teller who should have been unharmed by Genesis’s protection had bruises and wounds all over his face.
“How is Agael?”
“…You still ask me that after seeing my state?”
“That’s none of my business. Just answer my question.”
As Do Kang-joon spoke harshly, Sera-gan glared at him.
Do Kang-joon didn’t avoid his gaze.
He pressured him back, as if to say what he would do if he stared at him.
‘This pathetic human.’
Sera-gan was furious that even Do Kang-joon ignored him.
She could understand being treated badly by Agael, since she was her boss and had authority over Genesis, but Do Kang-joon was not.
‘He acts so cocky just because he made a contract with her.’
Sera-gan wanted to tear Do Kang-joon apart and kill him.
She would have done it if she had the power or the protection.
Sera-gan had neither.
Sera-gan cursed Do Kang-joon in his mind.
“Your silence is long. Did I give you too little time? Or was my question too hard?”
“…Agael is currently holed up in her room after being very angry.”
“She must have calmed down a bit after throwing a tantrum once. Contact her.”
Do Kang-joon’s imperative tone narrowed Sera-gan’s eyes.
What now?
How dare he tell him to contact Agael?
Sera-gan’s heart said so, but he couldn’t refuse.
‘Damn it. Why did she favor such a guy?’
No matter how annoying and lowly he was, Do Kang-joon was Agael’s direct contract collector.
Do Kang-joon was the first merit who helped Agael take over the Twilight Veil clan and exert influence.
He had the right to contact her. He just didn’t have a direct way to do so, so he had to ask Sera-gan, Agael’s assistant, instead.
“…Do as you please.”
Sera-gan opened a Genesis network window and contacted Agael right away.
Agael answered as if she had been waiting.
[Didn’t I tell you not to bother me until I calm down?]
“Agael. It’s me.”
[Ah. Our contractor. Yes, you did. You said to contact you through Sera-gan.]
Agael’s face didn’t show, but her voice alone was enough to guess her state.
Her voice was sticky and dragged on, revealing the smell of losers.
How pathetic. Do Kang-joon thought to himself.
[Yes. I know why you contacted me.]
“Do you have a solution?”
Do Kang-joon tried to hide his anxiety. But he couldn’t suppress the nervousness that seeped through every word he uttered.
“The Association bastards have attacked our players. I managed to deny their accusations completely, but the situation is not getting any better. Especially after we got caught using the World of Thought secretly last time.”
[What about the other clans?]
“They shook us off like ghosts. They are not fools either. They know it’s risky to join hands with us in this situation.”
[Sigh.]
Agael let out a sigh.
Do Kang-joon frowned at the sight of Agael, who couldn’t come up with a proper solution.
“We can’t just sit still right now.”
[Shut up for a moment. I’m thinking too.]
‘Isn’t this all because of your reckless actions?’
Do Kang-joon desperately swallowed those words.
He couldn’t afford to break ties with Agael in this situation where their foundation was crumbling.
That would be crossing a bridge of no return.
Do Kang-joon saw the bridge he had to cross in front of him.
There was no other way but there, but he didn’t cross it.
This was a kind of line.
Do Kang-joon silently waited for Agael to speak.
[Phew. For now, just try to buy some time and hold on. I’ll try to find a way too.]
“…Okay.”
Agael ended the call with Do Kang-joon and felt a headache coming on.
***
She wobbled her small legs.
Even the fairy wings she possessed had lost their light.
“Damn it. Damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it damn it.”
Agael tore her hair.
Anger surged up.
She felt a sense of failure and anxiety that came with it like a winter storm.
The one who should have died didn’t die, and his scheme was completely exposed.
The one who actually suffered damage was the Twilight Veil clan, not her, but Agael couldn’t be at ease.
‘No way. This is the position I worked so hard to get. If this gets out…’
The department she belonged to, Pentagram, was based on the principle of survival of the fittest.
They rewarded success, but they had no mercy for failure.
Pentagram was a department that extremely reflected the philosophy of Celestial Corporation.
‘What should I say to the others?’
Agael bit his nails.
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door.
Agael’s body flinched as he lay down.
‘Damn.’
Agael realized who had come and twisted her face.
There were few who dared to visit the controller’s room like this.
Knock knock.
The knocking sound continued.
It was useless for her to pretend she didn’t hear it.
The other party had already known he was there and came looking for him.
Agael eventually allowed the guest to enter.
“Really, I don’t know why you have to lock the door so tightly. What’s so urgent?”
The teller with a soft voice wore a hat on his cobra head.
He took off his fedora and smiled at Agael.
His forked tongue flicked once.
Agael snorted as if she felt goosebumps.
“Shut up. What are you here for? Manager Shamath.”
“Agael. You look terrible. You used to smile all over your face and act relaxed, at least in the past.”
“I don’t think I can afford to relax in this mess.”
“That’s true.”
Shamath nodded as he looked at the controller’s room that had turned into a disaster area.
Agael glared at Shamath.
“Enough, get to the point.”
“Haha. Don’t be so harsh. It looks like I did something wrong.”
“…”
Agael closed her mouth, feeling stung by many things.
Shamath shrugged his shoulders.
“Ahh, this is really… Agael. How did you end up wasting our jointly nurtured talents so foolishly? And your Twilight Veil clan, there’s been a lot of rumors lately. Even in my White Night Society, the rumors were everywhere.”
“…It’s just a matter of time before those pigs bark a few times and quiet down.”
“That’s too optimistic for the situation that doesn’t look good at all.”
Shamath smiled slyly.
He had already known what kind of situation Agael was in and came looking for him.
Agael also felt that and didn’t hide her true feelings.
“Are you blackmailing me now?”
“Haha. Agael. Don’t be so defensive. We’re classmates, aren’t we? We entered the same class, and joined the Pentagram department together as tellers.”
“Shamath. Hearing the word ‘classmate’ from your mouth makes me sick.”
Manager Shamath smiled gently even at Agael’s blunt words.
“Agael. What you’ve done now, if the director finds out, what do you think will happen?”
At the mention of the director, Agael’s face lost its expression.
“You…!”
“Don’t look at me like that. Did I do something wrong? No, I didn’t. You’re the one who messed up. We came this far, trying to secure a spot for ourselves in this fertile land called Earth. How do you think I feel when you suddenly turn your back on me, working for the neighboring country?”
“Enough! Just tell me what you want.”
Agael did not trust Shamath.
She did not trust anyone from the Pentagram department.
They were all selfish bastards who only moved for their own interests.
Even if they were supposed to be allies, they were always looking for a chance to stab each other in the back and climb up the ladder.
Agael shivered with humiliation.
She had fallen into the trap of Shamath, who had always been eyeing her.
“This is why I like you, Agael. You’re quick to the point. I’ll help you deal with the troublemakers that have been bothering you lately.”
“…What do you need?”
“Well, the White Night Society has grown too big to operate in China alone. They need to expand their reach to other regions, don’t you think?”
“You want me to make those Chinese bastards come over here?”
“It’s possible now, while the Twilight Curtain is ‘still’ intact. And I’ll help you too. But in return, you have to give me some of your shares in Korea.”
“You snake.”
“Kuku. Isn’t this how we’ve always been?”
Agael bit her lip.
This was a blatant unfair deal, and a way to rob her of her shares.
The moment she agreed, Shamath would rise above her, who had been his equal until now.
Agael did not want to see that happen, but she had no other choice.
“You’re hesitating. I’m better than her, right? Or should I call her? The one who’s in charge of Japan? She’s a fanatic follower of the director, you know. If she finds out about this, it won’t end well for you.”
“…Fine. Fine!”
Agael had no choice but to agree.
She had been cornered too much to refuse.
It was karma.
She had been using the regular employees for her own schemes, and now she was getting a taste of her own medicine.
“I’ll help you get rid of those who annoy you. I have a plan already.”
Shamath’s slit pupils gleamed eerily.
***
‘The situation is getting interesting.’
Korea was noisy because of the Twilight Curtain’s antics.
It was like a tree with many branches that made a lot of noise even with a slight breeze.
The Twilight Curtain had made such a big fuss that the achievements of White Flower Management in the World of Ideas were overshadowed.
‘Well, people prefer bad news over good news anyway.’
Yu-hyun did not care much.
He had already gotten everything he wanted from the World of Ideas. Plus, he had the reward money and the bonus for the third exploration team to look forward to.
‘And besides, it’s not like White Flower Management’s reputation is not spreading.’
The number of reporters who were lurking around had increased significantly, but there were also collectors who wanted to sign a contract with White Flower Management.
However, Baek Seoryeon did not accept them easily.
The collectors who could join White Flower Management were only decided by Yu-hyun’s choice.
Yu-hyun checked the list of candidates just in case, but he did not find anyone interesting.
‘They’re just opportunists who want to ride on our fame.’
But their existence proved that White Flower Management’s fame was rising.
‘I should start looking for the third one soon.’
He wondered where he should start searching.
Then, he got a call.
‘Who is it?’
Yu-hyun checked the unfamiliar number and recognized the owner’s face.
‘Kang Yura.’
Kang Yura was a strange existence for Yu-hyun.
She was not someone precious to him, but she was not a complete stranger either.
She had taken over the place of Yu-hyun in his previous life.
In a way, she was another version of himself.
‘What does she want?’
As soon as Yu-hyun answered the call, he heard an ‘Ah’ sound from the other side.
-Oh! Oppa, you picked up.
“Uh, Yura. Long time no see.”
-Yeah. Long time no see, oppa. How’s Geomhu unnie doing? I saw the news. It was amazing, right? You succeeded in the third exploration team ‘just like that’.
She spoke in a rapid-fire manner that was typical of a female student.
“Thanks, thanks. What’s up?”
He doubted that she called him just to say hello.
As expected,
-Ah, well…
Yura did not hide her excitement and said with enthusiasm.
-I awakened as a collector!
“What?”