CHAPTER 50……………………………………….
“Those muscles… Could the author have put so much effort into describing Pérez’s physique in the AU side story?”
It didn’t feel like the right time to casually admire someone else’s body, but Pérez’s physique was so perfect it was hard not to be impressed.
What caught Ariana’s attention, though, were the slash marks across his body.
The owner of the body opened the shower room door without a second thought.
“……!”
What unfolded was nothing like what she had imagined when she heard the words “chaebol chairman.”
On the floor, a person was tied to a chair, convulsing, drenched in blood from head to toe.
A large tattoo peeked through his white shirt.
“Chairman. Suzuki Gumi has just admitted to diverting the goods,” reported the attendant, bowing and handing over a gold-plated gun.
The person on the floor muttered through gritted teeth, his voice thick with rage:
“You bastard, I won’t forgive you… You’ll… I….”
“You talk too much. You useless son of a—”
The body’s owner snatched the gun and pulled the trigger immediately.
With a bang, the Yakuza fell dead. Ariana was dumbfounded.
Even though it wasn’t her action, every sensation felt vivid, as if she herself had pulled the trigger.
It was quite shocking.
“So much for a chaebol chairman… This reads more like a crime boss. Such collaborations were something you’d see in construction companies back in the ’80s, weren’t they?”
There was no morality to be found here at all.
“Ah, couldn’t even torment him, and he’s already dead.”
Pérez sliced his wrist with the gun, looking mildly exasperated.
A shiver ran through Ariana, though she was probably just a disembodied spirit at this point.
‘This is supposed to be a modern setting… Is this really okay?’
Ariana thought, but her voice couldn’t reach anyone.
Even with murder happening before her eyes, the familiar Earth setting made it feel all the more real, sending chills down her spine.
The owner of the body calmly sat on the sofa in front of the now motionless traitor.
Beyond the large hotel window stretched… Seoul.
The building heights were strangely low, suggesting it was probably the late 20th century.
“Chairman, did the recent decision to halt all investments in Japan come because of their previous betrayal?”
“Who knows… It’s not like embezzlement is a new thing. What I don’t get is, even if we sell all our US assets, we couldn’t buy all of Japan. Do you think that makes sense? How long will America, the holder of currency power, leave Japan alone?”
The body’s owner answered the attendant while dropping the gun magazine onto the plush carpet without a sound.
Listening to the voice that seemed to come from her own mouth, Ariana realized: Pérez was referring to Japan just before the bubble burst.
At one time, Japan had led the world in finance.
Even in the 21st century, the sentiment of longing for the late-century boom remained strong.
“Some say the world will end in the 21st century.”
“Were you interested in the idea of Earth’s destruction?”
“Interest…? Perhaps.”
“From a demographic perspective, there’s India with immense potential, Vietnam with room to grow, and nearby China. Yet you sold all Japanese real estate and decided to invest everything in already dominant America. Why? America has already grown enough, hasn’t it?”
The attendant asked earnestly.
Even with a corpse on the floor, the calm discussion about economics suggested she was used to this unusual environment.
Ariana, watching silently, couldn’t help but be impressed by the odd composure.
‘He sold all Japanese real estate at the peak… Makes sense. Post-bubble, Japanese real estate depreciated like used cars. The Nikkei took over 20 years to recover to its peak.’
“Sense.”
Pérez’s voice was clear, in Korean, but it sounded natural, low, and resonant.
“Sense.”
The corner of his mouth lifted—probably a smile.
If this was true “sense,” then his instinct for making money was undeniably genius-level.
‘Even if he was born on Earth, Pérez would have raked in money.’
It was amusing to judge a fantasy character this way, but Ariana couldn’t just view this as fiction—it felt tangible.
“…Chairman, you have always made wise decisions. I trust and follow you.”
“Hmph.”
“The bodies will be taken care of. More importantly, there are many missed calls. Many women want to see you. What shall we do?”
The owner of the body frowned and spoke:
“I don’t need that in my life.”
“But…”
The attendant hesitated, then lowered her head.
The scene changed.
The next setting was an office, walls covered with monitors displaying charts resembling those in a stock exchange.
Ariana, seeing the won-dollar exchange rate rising rapidly, was briefly stunned.
‘The Korean IMF crisis?’
Even with the exchange rate breaking 1,600 won to the dollar, the body’s owner remained utterly calm.
After all, Pérez had exited the Japanese bubble cleanly at its peak.
This time, a different attendant bowed to the body Ariana inhabited.
“Thank you for your foresight. Converting all assets into US holdings just before such a crisis… If we hadn’t bought dollars on your advice, I would have been in trouble as well.”
“…A storm of blood is about to come.”
Pérez said this as a chaebol chairman.
‘Adult Pérez showing respect.’
It felt strangely thrilling.
The 1997 IMF crisis in Korea left the entire nation traumatized.
The concept of a “lifetime job” faded, quietly paving the way for the modern trend of “quiet resignation,” working without letting your soul get sucked in.
People stopped identifying their company selves with their real selves. By the MZ generation, promotions were burdensome, and side hustles and lifelong self-development were normalized.
During the economic crisis, apartments plummeted, stock markets became worthless, and headlines were dominated by bankruptcies of large conglomerates.
The popular excitement of the 2002 World Cup that followed was a natural aftereffect for a people longing for hope and unity.
“…It’s time to start living now.”
“Pardon?”
Unlike the first encounter with the Yakuza, the body in formal attire now spoke in a measured voice.
Ariana felt more comfortable with the respectful Pérez anyway.
“Prepare mergers with companies on the brink of bankruptcy. This is our chance to make our group Korea’s top in one leap. I heard K&B Corp set up a financial crisis management team—foreign capital is coming in to help acquire Korean companies cheaply. Close favorable contracts and report to me. We have enough capital; now all we need is to hunt companies.”
‘This man… is terrifyingly calm.’
The emotionless way he spoke of “hunting” was chilling.
During the IMF era, unemployment and suicide rates skyrocketed.
A company destroyed in an aggressive M&A didn’t just affect itself—it affected the employees and their families, especially when most were full-time homemakers.
After the IMF, marriage and birth rates plummeted due to economic instability.
Yet the body Ariana inhabited remained calm.
Or perhaps… thrilled.
‘He has zero empathy.’
Her understanding of Pérez increased.
The scene changed again—the final scene of the AU side story.
