Part 1 Chapter 11-6

At the time Gwanggeom heard the truth and was suffocating from guilt.

Beacon, Kim Ji-hwa, spent her time tirelessly checking the combat power of the Azure Syndicate members.

“We’ll cover the A-rank combatants with this, and as for Fire Fist, who’s S-rank, the Commander-nim said they won’t use cheats anymore, so….”

“Please eat something and rest.”

At the Palace, Yooishin brought snacks to eat while working and offered them to Ji-hwa. Ji-hwa merely nodded, took a sandwich with one hand, and took a big bite.

“I’ll eat well.”

“No, aren’t you going to rest?”

Yooishin was quite displeased with Ji-hwa’s attitude of working extra hours without rest even after the meeting disbanded.

“We’re not fighting tomorrow, are we?”

“You never know. They might declare war and then launch a surprise attack right away.”

Deokbae, who was watching Ji-hwa’s deployment from the side, picked up two sandwiches. Yooishin’s expression turned grim, but Deokbae didn’t care at all.

“Do you know what people are saying about you these days, Deokbae-ssi?”

“What? Baldy? I’m used to that much, so it’s fine.”

“They say you’re acting recklessly with everyone, just like the Commander-nim. Like a male Phoenix.”

Thud.

Deokbae dropped the sandwich he was about to put in his mouth.

“How could you drop something I made by hand?!”

Yooishin flared up when her handmade food kissed the ground. But Deokbae was dumbfounded by the shock of Yooishin’s words.

“Even if you die and revive, you should’ve acted a bit more moderately. Ugh.”

Ji-hwa, judging that she couldn’t continue with the loud chatter around her, stretched and picked up an iced tea.

“What about the old farts?”

“Architect and Haneulseong went for a drink. They said they’re not really combatants.”

“They’re the kind of people who’d just side with the government if things go south. Ugh, that Haneulseong guy, back in his Gangnam Nuclear Fist days, he used to personally beat up thugs right in front of everyone… Tsk.”

Ji-hwa clicked her tongue and pushed away a 2D caricature doll labeled ‘Haneulseong’. In front of Ji-hwa, numerous dolls mimicking ability users were spread out like soldiers on a map of Seoul.

“That guy, who was reigning as king in Seoul until half a year ago, has fallen on hard times.”

“Weren’t you also a king in Guro? A chicken king.”

“That’s true. It all happened after I met the Commander-nim.”

Ji-hwa poked the blue girl doll placed in Yeouido with a plastic cup.

“So, for the Commander-nim’s sake, I need to prepare diligently for tomorrow, sigh.”

“Relax your shoulders a bit. Huh? Do you think Haneulseong and Architect went drinking by themselves? There’s a truckload of Seoul residents targeting those two. They’re definitely having a wild time, aren’t they?”

“As if. You hate that kind of thing, but you always talk so well when you’re teasing me, huh?”

“There’s nothing more fun than teasing a virgin. Khuhuhu. Hey, Yooishin-ah.”

Deokbae ruffled Ji-hwa’s hair and patted her shoulder.

“Since the Azure Syndicate might be destroyed tomorrow, how about you take her virginity?”

“Jo Deokbae, you’ve crossed a line-“

“That’s good. For Deokbae-ssi’s opinion, it’s quite plausible.”

“Huk.”

Deokbae and Ji-hwa held their breath simultaneously.

“That’s a joke, right?”

“There’s nothing bad about it. It’s not like it’ll wear out.”

Yooishin lifted the frozen Ji-hwa with a flourish. Despite her relatively small stature, Yooishin’s eyes, fixed on Ji-hwa, gleamed sharply like a beast’s.

“Uh, um, uh…. Have a good time…?”

“Yes. I must sacrifice myself.”

Yooishin was clearly smiling. Deokbae suddenly felt awkward, having played the role of a matchmaker.

“Ah, damn it, where are Cheon Gaeul and the others doing?”

“A pajama party.”

“What?”

Deokbae snorted.

“A pajama party at that age…. Ah.”

Deokbae found the answer himself.

“They’re trying to sort out the hierarchy among the wives.”

Before the sparks flew unnecessarily, Deokbae quickly hid himself.

* * *

July 18th, 8 PM, Cheon Gaeul’s Apartment.

Although the executives each had assigned accommodations at a hotel in Yeouido, Cheon Gaeul sometimes commuted from her own apartment, sleeping and waking there.

After discussing countermeasures against the Heroes, Phoenix guaranteed free time to each executive. Gaeul returned to her apartment to rest, preparing food and drinks to consume at home.

“Hmph, don’t forget, it’s an apartment built by our company anyway.”

Eun Yuha, who had followed Gaeul in, sat on the sofa in her pajamas and stroked the wall with her hand.

Gaeul was quite annoyed that some of the money she earned as an actress went to Yuha, but she didn’t upset the mood of the benefactor who had furnished her apartment for free.

“Right. The apartment’s nice. Then why don’t you just buy a separate one?”

“Unnie, you don’t like me, do you?”

“Are you kidding? If you weren’t the Azure Syndicate’s financier, I would’ve half-killed you, seriously.”

Gaeul pointed the cooking knife she was using at Yuha, but Yuha merely bluffed as if she felt no threat. In reality, while Gaeul was an S-rank ability user, the Yuha in Seoul was a doll, not her main body.

“Anyway, why did you come yourself and cause a fuss, instead of sending Eun Jaemin or another doll?”

“Well, I’m good to use as a sacrificial pawn, and there’s no one better for going all out, is there? Believe it or not, I’m the CEO of Yuseong Construction. The CEO.”

“Yes, CEO-nim. Then, befitting a CEO, how about going to a nice hotel in Yeouido instead of a middle-class apartment like this? There’s someone you love at the top floor there, isn’t there?”

“They’re someone you love too.”

Yuha and Gaeul’s gazes met. They glared at each other with incredibly cold eyes, then simultaneously let out a small laugh.

“What are we doing, us rejected ones?”

“Right? What’s the point of comrades fighting each other?”

“Comrades? Could you refrain from using such a term?”

“Ah. Then how about ‘sister-in-law’? Hole sister-in-law. As people who will each get to screw our beloved customer once-“

“Hey, Eun Yuha!!”

Gaeul shrieked.

“Bring your main body here right now! This kid is so filthy I can’t even speak! Were you always like this?”

“Unnie Gaeul, I have all the data of you leaving malicious comments calling me a ‘dog-scoundrel’. How would you like me to sue you?”

“You just can’t let a single word go. Hey, I’m going to talk about something serious, so call your main body. The scoundrel can go away for a bit.”

“Tsk.”

Yuha clicked her tongue for a moment and closed her eyes. A moment later, seven star patterns brightly bloomed in Yuha’s eyes.

“……Honestly, isn’t ‘hole sister-in-law’ an appropriate term? I can use Eun Jaemin or another male doll, and Unnie can transform into a man and screw them, can’t she?”

“As if they’d let themselves be screwed so easily. Haven’t you seen their monstrous doll? Is that even a woman’s body?”

“They said it was a body as an executive brainwashed by Seongju. So that wouldn’t be their true identity, would it? And besides….”

Yuha raised the corners of her mouth with a sly expression.

“Our customer will adjust to what we want, won’t they? I doubt an alien spirit couldn’t do even that much.”

“That’s a possibility, CEO-nim.”

Hikari, who came out of the master bedroom after changing clothes, agreed with Yuha’s opinion.

“The Commander-nim’s body is made of mana. They could probably change into a man if they wished, couldn’t they? It’s possible from an ability-user perspective, and also possible using the Cube.”

“Our customer’s….”

“Male form…?”

Both swallowed hard. At that, a clicking sound came from the screen next to Eun Yuha.

[I can hear both of your mouths watering all the way to Busan. Is it that good? You’re the ones who were determined to go straight for Phoenix even if they were a woman.]

Beyond the screen, a white-haired woman-Seok Harang-was chewing on a piece of squid. The background seemed to be a navy cushion, as if she was lying on a beanbag.

“So, Harang, you don’t like our customer being a man?”

[Unnie-ya. Don’t they say, ‘if the price is the same, choose the prettier one’? When did I ever say I didn’t like it?]

Harang now openly revealed her true colors. Gaeul and Yuha couldn’t help but sigh at yet another competitor.

“Why is it always only difficult people to deal with…. Ugh.”

[Still, we’re better off. Think about the latecomers. They start under much worse conditions than us, don’t they?]

“What’s the point then? Anyway, we’re all just minority shareholders. We’re fighting tooth and nail over a 1% stake.”

The three became depressed.

[When they said they loved themselves before, that was just them speaking as a narcissist, right?]

“It’s just that someone with strong self-love has fallen deeply in love with someone else.”

“If we knew who it was, we could either keep them in check or try to win them over, but there’s just no way to know….”

Phoenix had not revealed who they loved from the future. They gathered fragmented information, sharing what they knew with each other, trying to find traces of the veiled, unknown major shareholder.

“Isn’t it Lee Yuna? They keep singing about wanting to see Lee Yuna.”

“If she were really the major shareholder, they would have gone to find her already. She’s openly attending New Seoul Girls’ Middle School.”

Yuha displayed a secretly taken photo of the middle school girl in front of them.

“Ha.”

“……It’s truly absurd.”

[Isn’t that person really a face-obsessed bastard? Wow, how can they judge a woman just by her face….]

The women in their twenties felt ‘jealousy’ for the first time towards a mere 16-year-old third-year middle school girl. Only 15-year-old Hikari, one year younger, sipped Calpis and examined the profile of Lee Yuna, suspect candidate #1 for the major shareholder.

“It doesn’t seem like a talent the Commander-nim would particularly care about….”

“Do you have any ideas?”

“The Commander-nim judges talent before appearance or body. Everyone already gives them a pass anyway.”

At Hikari’s impartial jab, the three frowned. Perhaps because she was still young, Hikari, with an innocent face, dug into their hearts with her tongue.

“…..Still, I’m better off!”

Gaeul put her hands on her hips, emphasizing her pride.

“……Next year, I’ll be nine-“

“Stop!”

Gaeul quickly declared defeat. 28 years old was certainly not a great age, but unfortunately, Gaeul was the eldest among the shareholder candidates.

“You young brats, really…! Is it good to be young?”

“Yes. It’s great. Very much so.”

[…….]

“I’ll be exactly an adult around 2025. Considering the Commander-nim came from the future, only those who have just become adults-“

Hikari’s eyes widened, and she clapped her hands.

“Ah! Then the CEO-nim, Seolhwaryeong-nim, and Unnie Gaeul will all have to add five years to their age!”

“Hikari.”

Yuha smiled with a gentle expression.

“Won’t you shut your mouth before I cut the power to your lab?”

“……I apologize.”

Hikari quickly tucked her tail between her legs. While she was being materially threatened by Yuha, she couldn’t even dare to meet Gaeul’s gaze, who was looking down at her.

“……Fine. I’m a monstrous human now, so I don’t age anyway. I’ll be in my twenties forever, that’s it.”

“Yes, that must be nice for you. ……Yawn.”

Yuha yawned even as a doll, seemingly tired. The doll lacked caffeine as she hadn’t had coffee, and she looked quite exhausted in many ways.

[Unnie-ya, are you okay? Should I buy something when I come up tomorrow?]

“It’s fine. You can just get something in New Seoul.”

“……Harang, are you coming up to Seoul?”

There was tension in Gaeul’s voice. Beyond being an uncomfortable rivalry over one spirit, their relationship was one where they didn’t know if they would be enemies or allies tomorrow.

[…No? I’ve been given orders to stand by in New Seoul. Ah, maybe I shouldn’t tell Unnie Gaeul?]

“It’s fine if you do. Unnie Gaeul just needs to not tell our customer.”

“…What’s your scheme? Now that I think about it, you didn’t say much during the meeting either.”

Towards the suspicious Gaeul, Yuha’s eyes sparkling, and she smiled brightly.

“It’s nothing much, but I’ve decided to form an alliance with another minority shareholder.”

“Who?”

“…Who do you think?”

Yuha toyed with her left ring finger with a chilling expression.

“Ah. Just in case, let’s check if there are other people. Should I ask our customer?”

“……Wouldn’t Jo Deokbae know everything?”

[That bald uncle? Really?]

“They must have heard from the Commander-nim who all the people are. Their current location is…. Ah, they’re trying to leave Seoul right now.”

The pajama party, exclusively for women transcending factions, ideologies, races, and ages, showed no sign of ending.

* * *

“I feel like malice is surging towards me from somewhere….”

Phoenix, who was conducting a mock simulation with a map of Seoul spread out, shivered.

‘Even if it’s malice, what big problem could it be?’

“……At most, Azhdahak is probably casting a curse.”

Phoenix focused on the simulation, which assumed a battle with the Heroes.