Chapter 86
I am single
***
***
When I entered the VIP exclusive suite, I saw Baek Seol standing by the window, looking outside.
She seed to have stabilized, as her expression was much better than when she had been carried in.
As I sat across from her and quietly watched, Baek Seol turned her head.
“I’ll at least say thank you. It would’ve been dangerous without you.”
“Well, I’m honored.”
Even after going through all that chaos, Ga-on remained remarkably calm. Baek Seol, who had exchanged looks with Im Sol, opened her mouth.
“Seeing how you’re not asking anything, it looks like Sol told you everything.”
“For soone whose secret was exposed, you look pretty refreshed.”
“Maybe I needed soone to listen.”
With a bitter smile, Baek Seol brushed her falling hair behind her ear.
Her life had been like a ga of hide-and-seek.
One where she was always the one being chased.
It was a fate where she was bound to lose from the mont she was born.
So, to avoid being devoured, she put on a mask.
And it was the strongest mask among all the people she knew.
There was no need to think hard about it. Her father, a man who wouldn’t even flinch if a bomb exploded right in front of him, was the very embodint of iron.
Baek Seok-do, the owner of gacorp Baekdu, had been the perfect example.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that her confident gestures and ticulous negotiation thods all originated from him.
But in the end, it was all fake.
She realized painfully that it was nothing more than a house of cards.
“I’ll cancel the request.”
“Miss!”
Startled, Im Sol called out urgently, but Baek Seol simply shook her head quietly.
From my perspective, it was nothing but puzzling.
“Now of all tis?”
“That’s exactly why I can decide now. Since it’s already been exposed, countless restraints will co pouring in anyway. The more I struggle, the tighter the noose around my neck will beco.”
No matter how many tis she thought it over, there was only one conclusion she could reach.
“It’s a aningless struggle.”
Her gaze dropped low.
Looking at the shrunken Baek Seol, it felt as though countless faces overlapped. Yes, those who gave up on life and submitted to fate all looked like that.
“Get a hold of yourself, Miss Snow. The reason you’ve ended up standing at the edge of a cliff is because you keep trying to back down even after things have co this far.”
“That’s easy for you to say when it’s not your problem…….”
“It’s because it’s not my problem that I can say it so bluntly.”
I had no intention of trying to understand her. What she needed right now wasn’t comfort.
“Even soone like knows one thing clearly. If you don’t repay what you’ve suffered, you can’t move forward.”
Leaning forward to et her eyes, I muttered,
“I told you in the car—you can’t just keep getting dragged along. It’s also sothing you shouldn’t do to the people who support you. Surely you didn’t change completely in such a short ti. Or are you the type who’s all talk?”
“I…….”
“Don’t run away, and don’t make excuses. If your so-called brother is truly a ruthless madman, then you should show him that sa side of yourself. If you can’t, then kill him and achieve your dream—no, even if you have to die, achieve it.”
“Ah.”
At that sharp remark, Baek Seol felt as if sothing had suddenly cleared in her mind. Until now, everyone who heard about her situation only pitied her.
No one had ever forced her to resist.
So she had never found it strange—the sense of defeat ingrained within her.
Perhaps the aftereffects of the incident she experienced as a child weren’t sothing like claustrophobia after all.
Smack—Baek Seol slapped her own cheek hard enough to make a sound and ca to her senses.
“This isn’t the ti to say weak things. But this is troubleso.”
“What is?”
“Now that you know my situation, you’ll probably use it as leverage to demand higher pay.”
“It’s the opposite.”
The only reason Ga-on could make such an absurd proposal in the first place was because he was a nobody.
But now that Baek Ryang had found out—
“There’s no longer a reason for you to entrust the request to . It would be better to hire soone else.”
“Next ti, it might be a fixer sent by my brother approaching . And I might hire them without even realizing it.”
“Sounds like that’s happened to you before?”
Im Sol cleared her throat as if struck at the heart, but Baek Seol paid it no mind and continued provocatively.
“What, are you scared?”
“As if.”
“Hehe. Right, that’s what I wanted to hear.”
Smiling brightly, Baek Seol held out her hand.
“I look forward to working with you. I’m staking everything on you. To you, I might just be a client you t by chance, but to , you’re my one and only fixer.”
“That’s quite an honor.”
Grasping her hand, as white as her na implied, Ga-on added,
“Since I’ve taken the request, you’re also my one and only client.”
***
Human history, which began centered around the four great civilizations, continued through struggles into the modern era. All to expand their territory, even if only by a little.
It was only natural that countless souls fell to the depths of hell just to draw a single line.
Even after bringing about a catastrophe like the Ice Age due to their unchecked greed, humanity showed no signs of reflection.
Instead, they moved the stage, seeking a new breakthrough.
By migrating to a planet that had not allowed the intrusion of outsiders for billions of years.
Naturally, Mars belonged to no one.
Since there was no entity to exercise legal rights, effective control was possible.
Yes, anyone who settled in and endured could beco a king.
Just like when human history first began.
In so ways, it resembled the Wild West era. Resources were scattered everywhere, and rare minerals could be found without much difficulty.
Since no one could know what lay beneath the ground until it was dug up, it was only natural that a system of infinite competition would accelerate.
Because of that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that outside the colonies was a lawless zone untouched by civilization.
It was truly the wild itself.
Riding in the pickup truck, I rested both feet on the dashboard.
At that mont, the vehicle rattled and shook.
The soil mixed with iron oxide glowed red, and the snow covering it showed no signs of lting.
A road ill-suited for driving in many ways.
Although it had already been over 100 years since humanity settled on Mars, undeveloped areas were still overflowing.
Of course, even if there were nothing but unpaved roads, there was nothing to worry about. Unlike Earth, Mars was a single continent.
As long as you kept the right direction, it was possible to travel around the world with just a single car.
The sa went for the Hyphen Colony we were aiming for.
All we had to do was head east.
Everything was perfect—except for the fact that it would take four sols. Well, if I had to point out one more thing, there was sothing else.
“Miss One Day.”
Naly, the presence of my companion holding the steering wheel.
“One Day? Are you calling ?”
“A day on Mars is called a sol. I thought it’d be a fitting nickna for you.”
“After calling my lady whatever you please, now you’re doing the sa to . Do as you wish.”
Sighing, Im Sol was dressed casually, unlike before. Her hair, which had been neatly rolled up, now hung long.
‘Still, she kept the hairpin.’
It seed she had prepared thoroughly in her own way.
Originally, accompanying Im Sol hadn’t been part of my plan. I had intended to cross the continent with a rented vehicle.
“Is it really okay for you to follow like this? What about Miss Snow?”
“My lady will be fine.”
“There could be more attacks.”
“Until the whereabouts of the half-sibling are revealed, Young Master Baek Ryang will not act rashly.”
“Fair point. If a welcoming ceremony and a funeral were held at the sa ti, that’d be quite the ridiculous scene.”
It wasn’t even worth ntioning that Baek Seok-do would be furious.
“Anyway, the main objective is the search, isn’t it? Two people will be more efficient than one.”
“Efficient, huh.”
“I won’t be a hindrance. There’s nothing I haven’t learned in order to protect my lady.”
“Co to think of it, you said you’ve been assisting Miss Snow since she was young.”
Up to that point, I blinked my eyes.
“Wait, then wouldn’t that make you over forty?”
“……I am single.”
That’s not even an answer.
Seeing how she was clearly displeased, I grumbled and changed the subject.
“By the way, did you look into what I ntioned?”
“You an the mysterious man who attacked us?”
“Yeah.”
The man with two joints missing from his little finger was of great interest to . If my guess was correct, he was soone I would inevitably have to clash with.
“You said the cut surface was rough, so it’s unlikely to be an injury from an accident. It’s probably proof that he was once affiliated with the yakuza and then expelled.”
“Yubitsu, right?”
If the Mafia had vendetta, then the yakuza had yubitsu. It was a way of proving one’s resolve by damaging a part of one’s own body as a form of atonent.
The most common case was when soone wished to leave the organization.
Which ant—
“He’s a fixer.”
“Even for Young Master Baek Ryang, joining hands with the yakuza would be a risky move.”
“You sound like you know sothing.”
Ga-on’s observation was accurate. There weren’t many forr yakuza skilled enough to be hired by Baek Ryang. In fact, there was practically only one.
“If what you saw is true, then the opponent is likely a forr Swordmaster.”
Nasuno Kenji.
Every step of his history had been extraordinary. Before even reaching adulthood, he had inherited the title of Swordmaster and operated in the shadows. At the very least, within the realm of martial arts, he was a genius among geniuses who had established a domain of his own. The school he personally founded was still talked about to this day.
After hearing Im Sol’s explanation, I let out a low exclamation.
“He must be pretty famous?”
“Among the cards Young Master Baek Ryang can play, he would be the best without question.”
“But isn’t the title ‘Swordmaster’ a bit much for a forr yakuza?”
“It isn’t. That title is only passed down within the Miyauchi Group (宮内組).”
It was one of the Four Great Underworld factions, alongside the Lucchesia Family and Ryungyeong. Considering they dominated the underworld, it wasn’t strange for them to be that confident.
“Is he like Sword Demon Yang Hu?”
“A bit different. Not everyone called a Swordmaster is necessarily skilled with a sword. It’s closer to a title passed down to the strongest within the organization. At this point, it can also refer to a master who has reached the pinnacle of a specific weapon technique.”
“So soone like that is on their side?”
“I’ll say this just in case—facing him head-on would be suicide.”
Even Im Sol didn’t know why Kenji, who had been thriving as a yakuza, returned as a fixer. One thing was certain: a major figure who once road the underworld was now seriously carrying out a contract.
“We should avoid confrontation as much as possible and just gather information—”
Before Im Sol could finish, the tire burst.
The dry crack of a gunshot swept past the vehicle a beat later.
Im Sol slamd on the brakes to stop the endlessly skidding pickup truck, but it was already too late.
A massive rock had appeared right in front of us.
Bang!
***
Psssh.
Having fulfilled its role as a buffer, the crushed engine compartnt ca into view, and I gave a thumbs-up.
“Well, at least it didn’t flip this ti. With a bit more practice, you might manage a safe stop.”
“That’s very reassuring.”
Turning her back, Im Sol knelt on one knee and examined the underside of the vehicle.
The bullet that had pierced the tire had also scraped past the brake caliper and disk.
It wasn’t sothing an ordinary firearm could produce.
“A sniper rifle. It seems there are outriders nearby.”
Outriders.
That was the term for criminals operating in uncharted territories where public authority didn’t apply.
In open terrain, they were the type one had to be most wary of.
Since they left no criminal records, even a friendly neighbor or a capable Public Enforcent Corps officer could beco an outrider. But I suggested a different possibility.
“Not sure about that. I think this might be a special guest.”
I pointed toward the horizon with my index finger.
Soon, vans began to appear from beyond it.
Not just one, but five of them.
“They’re people sent by Young Master Baek Ryang.”
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