Chapter 53…
“Sigh… I knew things would end up like this. You two are exactly the same.”
“H-honey…”
“…Mother?”
The moment Baek Miran walked in, the tension that had been thick enough to cut suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon.
Heh, as expected—Director Baek is the perfect counter for those two.
I sank deeper into the backrest, stifling a laugh.
My hidden card—just in case—had been Baek Miran.
I had long known that Seo Gyeoul was intimidated by her mother.
And I also suspected that Seo Byeongcheol, the Commissioner, was completely whipped…
Ghost Signal.
I had been able to participate in that operation thanks to Baek Miran’s recommendation.
And the moment I heard the one overseeing the entire mission was Commissioner Seo Byeongcheol, I became certain.
That rigid, principles-first type allowed an unverified rookie onto his project?
That meant he either trusted Baek Miran absolutely or loved her enough to bend his principles…
Or both.
In any case, her influence over those two was enormous.
And she was proving my deductions right before my eyes.
“Seo. Byeong. Cheol.”
“H-honey, this is an official setting…”
Miran walked toward her husband one step at a time, like a predator cornering its prey.
Seo Byeongcheol awkwardly stepped back.
But Baek Miran kept advancing.
“Official setting or not, is this the time to care about that?! And on top of everything, you put our Gyeoul in danger! What would’ve happened without Advisor Kang?!”
“T-that’s…”
“And YOU! You’re not even a Player, yet you reassigned the bodyguards I put on you to go handle the accident site?!”
“No! It was just temporary, I had something to—”
“Don’t even THINK about lying! I just heard everything from your secretary! What if you got attacked?! What then?!”
“…”
“Do you even care how worried sick I am about you?”
Her tone was firm, but the atmosphere had already softened and turned light-hearted.
Even I, an outsider, could tell—this was nothing like the argument moments ago between father and daughter.
There’s no emotional rift here.
She was reprimanding him, yes, but mixed within it were concern, affection, and frustration.
I watched their fight like it was some curious spectacle.
Either way, thanks to her appearance, the mood had shifted instantly in a positive direction.
“Have I ever once made an important family decision without considering your opinion?”
“…N-no.”
“And have I EVER criticized how you raised Gyeoul?”
“That too… no…”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Well… who knows?”
“Because I trust you.”
“…”
“No matter how stubborn, rigid, or hopelessly inflexible you are, I know you love our family and want to protect us.”
Seo Byeongcheol bit his lip at her words.
She gently took his stiff hands in hers and continued.
“So just this once… can’t YOU trust me and follow my lead?”
Silence followed.
He seemed to already know what she wanted to ask.
She had arrived calling out my name—so it was obvious.
“…”
He nodded.
Finally, Seo Byeongcheol gave silent permission.
And Miran, as if waiting for that exact moment, pulled out a neatly printed document from her coat.
“Also, seems like my stubborn family forgot something important…”
It was someone’s certificate of employment.
Both father and daughter’s gazes froze on the name written there—Kang Siwoo.
Then Miran glanced sideways at me before explaining.
“That sly fox is a consultant at our research institute.”
“…?”
“He works for the Inexplicable Beast Research Institute.”
“Oh—right! That’s true!”
Gyeoul was the first to catch on.
A moment later, Byeongcheol slapped his forehead.
“Then Mr. Siwoo is also a public official?!”
“Correct. A quasi-public official—but still the consultant for our institute, which is the best in the world. Not a normal position.”
“Then…”
Baek Miran looked at her husband.
His face was red—almost beet-colored.
He seemed to realize what he had overlooked.
But she didn’t scold him any further.
“In the blink of an eye, the Gate Administration Bureau is in ruins.”
“…”
“That was only half a day ago. So no one blames you.”
“…Thank you.”
“What are you thanking me for? Family helps each other—that’s normal.”
Even with a single word, so many emotions were carried in Seo Byeongcheol’s voice. And Miran accepted it cheerfully.
They were a well-matched pair.
“…”
He lifted his head and closed his eyes.
A minute passed.
When he opened them again, he had regained the sharp, commanding gaze of the leader who once led the Hunt for the Apostles.
I realized the time had finally come.
“Then… may I hear information about him now?”
At my question, Seo Byeongcheol answered firmly.
Determination radiated from his voice.
“Before that… may I ask you one thing?”
“Of course.”
“I know full well you’re a talent capable of jumping over level differences.”
“Thank you for acknowledging me.”
I didn’t bother with false modesty.
Not appropriate for the situation—and this was the moment to show confidence.
“But he… has accumulated experience on an entirely different level. He’s a Player who’s been active since the early days of the Towers.”
“Oh…”
My interest was piqued.
The Towers appeared 30 years ago.
Meaning his career was longer than even mine after regression.
However—
But 30 peaceful years versus my 10 years in the era of catastrophe… whose experience is thicker?
Obviously mine.
In knowledge of towers, beasts, gates—I was leagues ahead.
And that man had spent 30 long years stuck on Earth, whose Tower was still only at the 100th floor.
What did that imply?
His skill as a Player was mediocre.
Could he be a hidden master?
Even that had limits.
The Tower simply didn’t allow stagnation.
To grow, you had to climb.
But he may be cunning…
He survived for decades despite weak ability.
And not only survived—he rose high enough to threaten both Hawks and Doves.
Even if his Player skill was low, his human cunning was undeniable.
“Even so… do you believe you can win?”
“Yes.”
I answered short and firm.
No need to embellish.
No need for unnecessary words.
“…”
Seo Byeongcheol quickly wrote up two sheets of official paperwork and stamped them.
Slide—
Then he pushed them toward me.
“This is…”
I checked the document.
A formal contract listing the mission and the reward.
When I looked up, he replied, as if waiting.
“Just knowing who the opponent is isn’t enough. Only after hearing the full context—and thinking seriously—should you decide whether to sign. Gyeoul.”
“Yes.”
Called by her father, Seo Gyeoul began explaining right away.
“Allow me to report concisely. The government’s current condition is far worse than it appears.”
“Well, one of the nation’s two supporting pillars is half-collapsed. Makes sense.”
“Yes, exactly. And it’s all because of him. In truth, he was even ostracized within the Hawks.”
“…Why?”
“Because he was a gray-zone opportunist.”
In other words—someone who played both sides.
A Hawk in affiliation, but neither fully Hawk nor otherwise.
So he was testing the waters for years, waiting for the right moment.
And the recent conflict over the Bluestone business became his opportunity to rise.
“He suddenly started pushing extreme policies, and before anyone realized it, he quietly eliminated people on BOTH our side and the Hawks’ side.”
“Ah… so that’s why…”
“We had no time to respond. By the time we moved, our limbs were already cut off.”
No wonder the Gate Administration Bureau and Tower Strategy Bureau were helpless.
And no wonder Korea collapsed so fast in the timeline before my regression.
“Furthermore, we can neither move rashly nor counterattack.”
“Why?”
“Because he holds a position that lets him constantly monitor us.”
Swish—
Gyeoul waved her fingers in the air.
Moisture froze into floating letters.
[National Ability Security Agency – Deputy Director of Division 2: Park Jonghwan]
She quickly brushed her hands to erase the letters, worried someone might be watching.
The Ability Security Agency…
An intelligence and enforcement body that gathered, analyzed, managed, monitored, subdued, and eliminated domestic Players.
No wonder she needs me.
Her opponent held a perfect vantage point.
The Doves were certainly under surveillance—so using someone freer like me was ideal.
But I’m not completely free either.
I had massacred Smile and his elite team.
Even if “the best assassination is annihilation,” the opponent was the Ability Security Agency.
It would be foolish to assume no information leaked.
No—in fact, it definitely did.
Their intelligence ability was top-tier.
One must always prepare for the worst.
“You’re still safe.”
Perhaps reading the concern on my face, Seo Byeongcheol spoke.
“Even with our limbs cut off, we still have one final trump card. We shifted all of it into intelligence warfare. That should buy us at least one day.”
“…But sir, earlier you said…”
I tilted my head.
He originally had no intention of giving me the mission.
Even without me finishing the question, he looked aside at the person responsible.
She answered herself.
“That was my unilateral decision.”
It was Seo Gyeoul.
Like father, like daughter.
Such stubborn independence.
But somehow… I didn’t dislike it.
“I’ll make sure I live up to that expectation.”
Scribble—scribble—
I signed the contract immediately.
Thus, I boarded the same ship as the Seo family.
“Please take care of us.”
“We should be thanking you! Oh, and this…”
Miran reached into her white coat and pulled out a small metal case.
I took it and asked,
“What is this?”
“I heard your reward got postponed because of the terror incident. Think of this as compensation.”
Click—
I opened the case.
Inside were five syringes.
Each filled with a transparent liquid.
“Thanks to your advice last time, my research went unbelievably smoothly. These came out as by-products.”
“Ah…”
I had left her a note with research advice before leaving the institute.
Seems it helped.
“Calling it a ‘by-product’ isn’t fair—it’s a revolutionary invention. I named it Angel’s Tear.”
Angel’s Tear…
I wondered why she named it that, but she continued, answering my unspoken question.
“Any beast injected with that can break free from the heartbeat sound of the ‘Heart of Malice.’”
“…!”
“Knew it! I knew YOU would understand its value.”
Of course.
This item didn’t exist in my previous life.
My advice had become the butterfly wing that created this miracle.
Back then, humanity only managed to create the ‘Beast Confusion Loudspeaker’ right before destruction…
The seeds I had planted were sprouting far faster than expected.
The future is definitely shifting around me.
And I wondered—what kind of fruit would these changes bear… and what kind of future awaited me?
