Chapter 36: The First Hand Reaching Out

Click—

— Hello.

“…….”

To my surprise, Kim Seokhwan’s irritated voice rang through my ear the moment the call connected.

Just as expected, he clearly disliked the fact that I had suddenly called him out of nowhere.

From the sounds around him, it seemed he was briefly excusing himself from whoever he was with while adjusting his phone.

— What do you want.

“…Um, Kim Seokhwan-ssi.”

— If you’ve got business, stop hesitating and say it already. I’m busy right now.

Then why answer at all?

If it were me, I would’ve simply blocked the number permanently instead of answering while busy.

“I’m sorry, but could you spare me a little time? I have something important to discuss regarding the transfer.”

— You grabbed someone busy over something like that just to ramble pointlessly? Maybe you’ve got free time, but I don’t. If you have something to say, contact the case officer separately and submit it in writing.

“…That’s not it.”

— Then what is it.

As expected, Kwon I-yul was moving through the Center quietly and subtly enough that even Kim Seokhwan — who stood just below him in authority — hadn’t noticed anything.

If the other team members opposed my contract renewal, then Kwon I-yul probably intended to manipulate the paperwork so that he could still keep me beside him personally.

I already knew he was selfish and controlling, but now that I understood the extent of his plans, Kwon I-yul became even more terrifying.

Like a coiled snake lazily circling its prey, he had long since prepared to tighten around my throat the moment the time came.

“I think Kwon I-yul noticed something. No… rather than noticed, he suddenly approached me today carrying renewal documents.”

— …….

“He explained the new terms in detail — triple the current pay and various guaranteed benefits if I extend the contract. Since he hasn’t mentioned any of it to the other team members, I think this contract is separate from the team agreement itself.”

Worried someone might be monitoring me nearby, I slipped through the emergency exit into the dark stairwell and lowered my voice.

Then Kim Seokhwan muttered harshly under his breath.

— That f*cking monster bastard.

He sounded utterly fed up.

Or maybe simply exhausted by Kwon I-yul’s existence itself.

“Kim Seokhwan-ssi….”

— Han Jaeyoon. Where are you right now.

“I just finished meeting with Kwon I-yul and I’m currently sitting near the benches outside.”

— So you’re not doing anything urgent then. You know where my office is, right.

“…Building B, 26th floor, Room 102. Correct?”

— Yeah. That’s right. Stay there until my meeting ends. I’ll contact you. And be careful not to run into that bastard Kwon I-yul again.

With that, Kim Seokhwan hung up immediately after saying only what he wanted.

These lunatics even shared the same terrible phone manners.

“Ah….”

A sharp pain suddenly tore through my stomach.

The effects of the painkillers I had taken that morning were beginning to fade.

“Hurry… hurry….”

As powerful as narcotic painkillers were, their side effects were equally brutal.

The nausea flooding up now was incomparable to anything before, and I could barely control my limbs properly.

Usually, I ended up trapped in bed for one or two hours after taking them.

Fortunately, once the medication slowly wore off, I could still move around without putting too much strain on my body.

But that only applied while my dependency on the drugs remained mild.

‘Once you leave the Center, exposure to brainwaves will decrease significantly, so the pain should lessen compared to now. However, there’s still a possibility you’ll experience symptoms similar to cancer-related pain.’

‘Cancer-related pain?’

‘Yes. Unlike ordinary pain, it can involve numbness, burning sensations, itching, muscle contractions, and many other symptoms. There are a lot of variables involved.’

“Ugh….”

I swallowed several individually packaged pills all at once with warm water from the lounge dispenser, grimacing as the bitter tablets burned across my tongue and slid down my throat.

Until Kim Seokhwan finished his meeting, I would probably have to rest on the lounge cot for a while.

My entire body shook violently as reality twisted and tangled around me in waves of disorientation.

“What the hell happened?”

An hour and a half later, I found myself sitting inside Kim Seokhwan’s office.

It was smaller than Kwon I-yul’s office, but far warmer and more human.

Kim Seokhwan twisted his neck tiredly, looking exhausted from accumulated fatigue.

As I carefully explained everything from beginning to end, his already sharp expression darkened further and further.

Maybe he was genuinely furious, because curses kept spilling from the mouth of a man who normally didn’t swear often.

“So that’s the only reason you came asking me for help?”

“…Yes. There isn’t much time left.”

“If I help you get out, are you confident you can escape properly?”

“I already arranged transportation by ship. It took some effort convincing the broker, but….”

Removing his glasses and setting them on the desk, Kim Seokhwan crossed his long legs and fell silent in thought.

“Then first we need to remove the chip implanted in your body. I’ll handle the authorization process, so ask that doctor you mentioned before to remove it. Kim Kyungwoon, right?”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“And I heard you already submitted an industrial accident claim to management and finance earlier. What for? Are you sick?”

“…You knew about that?”

“There are eyes everywhere inside the Center. Even without going through Sugyeom hyung, there are plenty of ways to know what you’ve been doing. Anyway, answer the question.”

For a moment, I debated whether I should tell Kim Seokhwan about my illness.

But in the end, I simply muttered that I wanted to secure whatever benefits I could before leaving the Center.

Whether he was pretending to help or genuinely unconcerned, Kim Seokhwan accepted the vague explanation without suspicion.

As if my stubbornness matched his expectations exactly, he nodded indifferently.

“You can forget severance pay. Incentives too. If we’re going to get you out without Kwon I-yul noticing, then formal resignation procedures don’t matter anymore. The only option is sneaking you out quietly.”

“…I know. Even just helping me this much is already more than enough.”

“You don’t need to act so submissive. I’m doing this because it benefits me too.”

Come to think of it, I still didn’t fully understand why Kim Seokhwan was willing to oppose Kwon I-yul just to help me escape.

Like he said before, was it really only because I caused instability within the team?

Because without me around, even Park Soochang and Kwon I-yul would focus better on work?

“I’m sorry, Kim Seokhwan-ssi. I’m grateful for the help, but… could I ask why you’re willing to go through all this trouble for me?”

“So that tiny little head of yours was seriously worrying over something like that?”

“…….”

“The reason’s simple.”

My hand drifted unconsciously to the back of my neck where the chip was implanted.

The symbol of five tiny connected dots was both the mark of the Center and proof that I belonged to it.

“With you around, the team keeps breaking apart. Park Soochang, Kwon I-yul… those calculating bastards lose their minds whenever Han Jaeyoon is involved. I can at least understand Park Soochang because he has his own reasons. But Kwon I-yul? I genuinely can’t tell what the hell he’s thinking.”

“…Did something happen to Park Soochang in the past?”

“You’re leaving the Center anyway, so what’s the point in explaining now? Stop worrying about useless things and focus on your own future.”

The expression on Kim Seokhwan’s face turned strange as he defended Park Soochang.

During the three years I worked with the team, I didn’t remember ever doing anything serious enough to provoke him or earn his hatred.

So what exactly was it?

“Just think about it simply. I’m helping you because I hate disorder. Literally. Without you around, controlling those problem children becomes much easier.”

“…….”

“…And maybe I wanted to repay you a little too.”

“…What?”

“No, nothing. Forget it. It was meaningless.”

Kim Seokhwan briefly called someone who sounded like a high-ranking official from the Center administration.

After the conversation ended, he nodded with satisfaction and told them to continue their work.

Even though Kwon I-yul had already interfered beforehand, maybe things really were being handled properly after all.

“I know exactly what you’ve been worrying about this whole time, but when it comes to influencing the Center administrators, I’m actually above Kwon I-yul. The Center ultimately operates under state authority, and that authority belongs to the military.”

“…….”

“So even a crazy monster who fears nothing can’t move recklessly in front of the military.”

Suddenly, I remembered Kim Sugyeom talking about Kim Seokhwan’s background earlier.

His grandfather had once been the head of the military, most of his relatives were former generals, and his brothers were currently division commanders themselves.

Compared to someone like Kwon I-yul, Kim Seokhwan’s background lacked absolutely nothing.

At the same time, I couldn’t help thinking once again that in life, nothing mattered more than the circumstances of your birth.

Tap—

“Take this.”

“…What is this?”

“Originally, I planned to give it to you after your transfer process finished, around the time you left the Center. But things turned out differently.”

Just like Kwon I-yul had pushed a contract toward me earlier, Kim Seokhwan now handed me a small envelope.

Inside it was a check issued by an international bank.

An enormous amount of money worth hundreds of millions.

“It’s compensation for everything you contributed to our team. You just happened to get lumped together with those idiots, but unlike them, I make sure people are properly paid for their labor.”

“…….”

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