Ch.91013 Work Record – Too High a Price (5)

“Did you want those kids to fear you more than their leader?”

That was the first thing I heard upon entering Eve’s room at the top of the stairs. I was setting down Little Malice on the bedside table when I heard those words and waved my hand dismissively.

“Not at all. I don’t exactly… enjoy scaring people, you know? They might have been frightened in the moment, but once that kid cools down a bit, they’ll realize I’m just some neighborhood mercenary with a bit of strength.”

“And then they’ll have to accept that their faith in their beloved leader was shaken because they were intimidated by a somewhat strong mercenary. I wonder what kind of excuses they’ll come up with.”

Eve smiled with what seemed like amusement. I smiled back as I placed Little Malice down. Next to it lay the pistol she usually kept tucked at her waist.

“I’m not hoping for anything grand. I’d just be glad if there was even the slightest crack in that faith of theirs. Even if I didn’t contribute anything to suppressing the coup… I’ve certainly learned something.”

The Chairman only had conviction. He only showed me what the administrator privileges that the Hollowwood Creek fanatics kept babbling about actually were, and everywhere else, it was just his words and presence.

A fanaticism about efficiency, a deep belief that what one enjoys shapes who they are, and the ability to push forward with those values without caring about others’ opinions. Everything about him seemed exactly like a merchant prince.

His unaged body must have added another piece of persuasiveness to his logic. He was surely over a hundred years old, but thanks to that efficient body, he could move just like a young man.

His very existence was ideological. And with that presence, he could impress people. I was inspired by that and could pick up my pace a bit, and I just hoped those kids would do the same.

Today, with the city full of watchful eyes, I had to spend my time indoors. I sat on the edge of the bed next to Eve, who was half-lying back comfortably.

Her fingertip lightly touching the tip of my nose was something I could have avoided but didn’t want to. Desire spoke louder than necessity.

“Arthur, you might be the only person who can sincerely say something as cliché as ‘It’s okay if things get better little by little.’ So, how do you see me? Do you think I’m getting better bit by bit?”

I lightly tapped the floor with my toes. From the floor below, it would be the ceiling.

“If this is helping, then yes. How does it feel to you?”

What had been just fingertips touching my face eventually became her whole face burying into my shoulder. I was sitting at the edge, and Eve was sitting in the middle of the bed, but in reality, it was quite the opposite.

“I don’t know. It just feels like I’m mechanically taking people in, letting them stay for a few days, and sending them out… Yes, that’s right. Those people probably just think of me as a woman who provides them a place to stay for a few days.”

Beneath one layer of coldness, there was festering inside. Rather than festering, it was more like a barren wasteland she had escaped from. A wasteland where water only flows across the surface, and sunlight is nothing but painful.

“If that were true, would that woman who provided a place to stay have remained silent when the person she brought in hit her kids? With this at her waist…”

I reached out lightly and touched my Little Malice. The lettering carved by the sharp fingertips of the Special Operations Division still had shavings clinging to it.

“Seeing what you carry, they must have realized at a glance that you’re not just some ordinary mercenary.”

“There are probably about eight people in this city who would call a freelance mercenary with a Special Ops Division pistol at their waist ‘not just some ordinary mercenary.’ You, and the Night Watch colleagues who remember you as their rookie. Yeah.”

The security team had been showing excessive trust. I much preferred being treated as “not just some ordinary mercenary” by the Night Watch. Eve buried her face a little deeper into my chest.

She kept her ear against it for about thirty seconds, as if listening to my heartbeat. My heart had barely beaten about nine times. At first in a stable rhythm, then gradually picking up pace.

Even if my body contained some 1,300 unknown bioengineering technologies, it still felt like my own body. It was something I could enjoy. I leisurely raised my hand to the back of her neck and stroked it.

Only then did Eve realize she had been resting her face against my chest without moving for quite some time, and I pleasantly watched as her cheeks began to flush.

While I could enjoy this embarrassed face, I could certainly enjoy more. Honestly, I had imagined what she might look like freed from guilt and shame.

Both my body—made by Belwether but now mine—and I could enjoy that sight. But at that moment, the bed that held two people would be left with one person and one manufactured tool.

Even though I don’t know much about Hollowwood Creek or cults, I could tell something from the way that old cult leader called Eve’s name and his attitude toward her.

And considering that one of the cult leader’s lovers was placed in front of the founder’s house, I could understand something more. Eve escaped that surveillance city alone. That’s no ordinary feat.

There was clearly a security vulnerability. If it was created by that cult leader bastard, it’s obvious. The chairman of that mega-corporation had reason to let Eve go, and reason to pursue her.

He had targeted her while she was in Hollowwood Creek, but Eve escaped just before, so he hadn’t gotten his hands on her yet. So he harbored only fantasies and desires, wanting her return alive.

Understanding the desire and turmoil made the cult leader’s intentions clear, but knowing and empathizing are different things. The courtship dance of an old, ugly beast was simply disgusting.

Wanting anything more from Eve, whose soul was still bound to Hollowwood Creek, would only remind her of the cult leader.

I wanted to avoid that. Everything my body desired could wait until after she had cast off the burden on her soul.

Just because desire could enjoy something didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy patience as well. It would be good to develop a hobby. I’ll befriend a weapon maker and ask them to forge a harpoon for me.

It’s for the cult leader. Just as the whale that took my life was pinned to the wall with a harpoon, the whale that took Eve’s life would be pinned with a harpoon too. Wishing for someone’s death no longer felt shameful.

I had dipped my finger into the sugar jar of vengeance. I hadn’t buried my face in it and gorged myself. But I hadn’t forgotten its sweetness either. I would never forget, and if I tasted it again, I could enjoy it again.

Of course, this time the wait would be longer. Belwether was a branch, and Hollowwood Creek was the headquarters and another mega-corporation. I couldn’t even think of a way to bring it down and kill the cult leader yet.

Opportunities are brief. When opportunities are brief, the time for patience is also brief. If you don’t seize that brief moment, it passes naturally like flowing water. After a moment of silence, Eve’s voice returned to its usual tone.

“You’re not teasing me inappropriately today. That’s not bad. What are you doing for Christmas, Arthur? From what President Yoon was saying, it sounds like it might be a holiday.”

“I’ll probably… visit the Panacea Meditech branch. I was born there, and even though Belwether bid on me, the Panacea Meditech people did their best too. I visit them every year.”

When I graduated from Belwether’s security team training university, Panacea Meditech was the first to send congratulations. They hadn’t forgotten the finger they almost had to cut off.

“Right, you said Belwether sent you a plant with a message to be patient if anything happened to you, in case they tried to harm you. Can I come along?”

This time I nodded without hesitation. Panacea Meditech was a good company, after all. After letting out a natural giggle, I said:

“It doesn’t sound like a date though. Aren’t you going to find out how I was made, the manufacturing secret?”

“Sharp one. That’s right. I wanted to see what kind of people at Panacea Meditech could create a person like you in this era. Still, on the way back, maybe dinner…”

To me, this end of the century was an ultra-high-speed era. Everything was too fast. To keep up, I had to run even faster. I had run enough and was just catching my breath now.

What kind of era was it for Eve? I noticed the redness rising from the tips of her ears as our eyes met briefly. I stroked it with my fingertips and smiled.

“Let’s eat proper food, not pseudo-food. If I ate pseudo-food even on Christmas evening, I’d feel like the coming year would be unfortunate.”

Eve’s grumbling voice was delightful. Enough to be satisfied with letting the opportunity slip through my fingers.

“I wish you’d let me finish, Arthur. It takes away the meaning of my courage. Yes, I feel the same. That day, you choose, Arthur. I won’t push it off on you, so don’t worry and just come along.”

“It seems too late for you to show your older side, but to be precise… I think it’s been too late since your noise-canceling function was turned off.”

The redness that had almost faded from her ears now spread to her cheeks. After covering her flushed face with both hands, she said:

“You’ve moved another step away from being the cool, aloof senior this time too. That’s why you shouldn’t have said you wouldn’t tease me this time.”

Eve knew I wouldn’t back down, so she lightly hit my chest and then crossed her arms. I could feel her cheek leaning slightly against mine. She was as soft as the touch of her cheek.

“Just when I think you’re not a bad guy, at times like this I want to shout at you to just go home… Ugh. But if I did that, I’d obviously end up exhausted and going to your place instead. You cunning guy.”

“I usually let you win, don’t I? I just enjoy pushing you a little when we’re alone. Ah, what do you enjoy, senior?”

Enjoyment is perhaps everything. It makes a person a person, and a life a life. Would my voice, having learned how to enjoy, sound like Mr. Günter’s? I couldn’t tell.

From Eve’s response, it seemed not at all. I decided it was just an occasional needless worry.

“Times like this. When the path is straight, there’s only one direction to go, and going in that direction is enjoyable. If I didn’t like moments when everything is that simple, would I be getting teased like this by someone years younger than me?”

“At least I’m less annoying than Kay, right? That’s good enough, isn’t it? Better than Vola too.”

“Vola would definitely say it’s meaty talk if she heard my worries… And being better than those two doesn’t mean you’re good.”

We spent the last of the holiday with such frivolous talk. By evening, the disciplinary committee date was set for the two Special Ops Division members who were arrested and left me with Little Malice, and the city’s surveillance network had thinned by several layers.

Now only CCTV surveillance remained, which could at least be excused as public safety. It was time to go back. Having taken one more step back to normal life today, I needed to take another step toward everyday life tomorrow.

I would leave home in time for Belwether’s working hours, go to the company, and perhaps train in virtual reality until evening. It would be good if I could also see the nationalist training manual that Chance had.

I used time as an excuse to wait. I took Little Malice and my Belwether-made pistol from among the guns laid side by side on the bed and tucked them at my waist. Eve also got up from the bed where we had been talking for a long time.

She put on an aviation jacket to block the smog, then spread her arms and lightly hugged my waist before letting go. She said, as if making a request:

“I won’t be drunk today, so call me when you get home. I’ll definitely remember today, so don’t ask me tomorrow morning if I forgot. Okay?”

“I really did contact you yesterday! When the surveillance network thins again and those people need help getting out of the Greater Los Angeles area, call me. Have a good night.”

This time I tucked Little Malice, now without Xantan, behind my waist and the Belwether-made automatic pistol with its full fifteen-round magazine at my waist. As I was about to leave the bedroom, Eve lightly grabbed my collar.

Patience always needed a reward. And that one sentence was always a sufficient reward.

“The time I spend with you is always… good because it’s lukewarm enough to feel safe. I hope you understand what I mean. I’d be even better if you didn’t. Get home safe, Arthur.”

I waved as she came to see me off at the door, then got on my bike. Reconnecting with Chance, I rode along Sepulveda Boulevard toward downtown Los Angeles.

Night wasn’t darkness. It was just light of a different color than day. I entered between the lights of skyscrapers glowing with their own signature colors. The city was dark yet bright. I connected with Chance.

“Chance, can you order some bullets for this Special Ops Division pistol at my waist? One box should be enough to keep at home for now.”

“Affirmative. I will place the order. Also, I recommend ordering a few household drones next month. Indirect connections are not difficult, but activities are limited with just the current single server computer.”

“Ah, damn. Hearing that reminds me that I agreed not to take a penny after suppressing the branch coup. And I also remember that it was my choice.”

A small loading icon appeared in the corner of my HUD view, indicating Chance was thinking about what to say. Soon Chance’s answer came back.

“Do you regret it?”

I spoke without needing to think about it. I had told Mr. Günter I would say “I should have gone to headquarters” about a million times. Starting from the very next day, I’d need to say it twice to meet the quota.

“No, just a pointless lament. If I had gone straight to headquarters, I wouldn’t have had a day like today. Days like today are several times better than the scenery at headquarters.”

I entered the apartment complex where building winds were gusting and parked my bike. Noticing it was parked a bit crookedly, I lightly lifted it with both hands to straighten it, then plugged in the charger.

By tomorrow morning, the city would return to normal as if there had never been a coup. Belwether had preserved its ownership of Los Angeles. The coup was suppressed, and the security team regained its efficiency.

Once again, the city won. Once again, Belwether won. Regardless of the gamblers’ odds, the house always wins. But the city’s disinterest in people’s lives also meant it didn’t interfere with happiness.

Reflecting on today is something to be enjoyed. Only after being satisfied with today can one finally give some attention to the fantasy of tomorrow. The weekend where I learned enjoyment ended like that. For me, Friday is Monday.