n

nThree months have passed by since the end of the ‘Great Devil War’.

n

nThis war had forever changed faiths, cultures, values, and ways of living for people all over the world. As this event had an influence as big as the ‘Great Change’, the world was moving with cooperation and reconciliation transcending borders. This was because they still shared common enemies in the ‘New Evils’ and the devils ‘Leraje’ and ‘Vassago’.

n

nOn the other hand, as if to reflect this peaceful international atmosphere, here in Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province, many apartment buildings were lined up in a complex. They were a part of ‘Healing City’, created under the sponsorship of Colored Paper Charity Foundation, where Yi Byul was its leader.

n

nIn these hundreds of apartment buildings, tens of thousands of war victims were staying. Around them were hospitals, schools, convenience stores, playgrounds, and others.

n

nThis 10-square-kilometer plot of land used to be a forest inhabited only by monsters. Now, it had transformed into a welfare city inhabited by 100,000 children and 30,000 adults to take care of them.

n

nYi Byul’s terrifying wealth was truly funding an entire city.

n

n“Ahaha, then… would it be possible to see the Foundation Head?”

n

nHowever, hyenas naturally flocked to money. Countless businessmen gathered to meet the person who single-handedly possessed trillions of Korean won. They added the words ‘potential investor’ to the Foundation Head, just because she was rich.

n

n“No.”

n

nOf course, the Foundation Head refused most meetings. But 2~3 lucky businessmen succeeded in meeting the Foundation Head. By coincidence, of course. Although the Foundation Head drew a hard line saying she wasn’t interested in investing, these few meetings made the rumors spiral out of control.

n

nThe rumors were related to the Foundation Head’s appearance.

n

n“We didn’t come here to ask for investments. In fact, we wanted to donate too—”

n

n“Then give it now.”

n

n“Uh….”

n

nThis being the case, Droon treated a son of a young chaebol coldly. The man wearing a luxury business suit was ‘Sim Hawon’. As the successor of Bingjung Corporation, he would have received appropriate treatment in most places. But in this place, he was no one extraordinary.

n

nOf course, given his status, Droon wasn’t the only one who came out to greet him. Yi Yuri, who was his fiance, was next to him.

n

n“…Well, I was expecting as much. Director Kim?”

n

nDirector Kim gave Sim Hawon a check, and Sim Hawon showed it to Droon. Although the check was for an astronomical amount with nine 0s, Droon didn’t bat an eye. After all, the Foundation Head had enough wealth to buy this man’s business and have more than enough leftover.

n

n“How is it? I heard that the Colored Paper Foundation has been full of vitality lately, so we prepared this. I was thinking—”

n

n“Thank you~”

n

nAt that moment, Yi Yuri, who had stayed silent until now, suddenly stepped up. She smiled brightly, then snatched the check out of Sim Hawon’s hand.

n

n“…What?”

n

nSim Hawon blinked his eyes and stared at Yi Yuri. Meanwhile, Droon praised her with his gaze.

n

nYi Yuri spoke as she put the check into her pocket.

n

n“We’ll put it to good use. We were thinking about getting more medicine, you see.”

n

nFor the record, Droon and Yi Yuri were heads of security, teachers, and doctors simultaneously. They had reached adulthood and became someone who could support others while relying on each other.

n

n“Uh… well, kuhum.”

n

nSim Hawon let out a dry cough. He fought a strong urge to spit out, ‘Arrogant little brat—’

n

n“Then can I see her? The Foundation Head, I mean.”

n

nDroon laughed at this question before replying.

n

n“…We’ll think about it.”

n

nHis voice was laced with playfulness and a little bit of mischievousness.

n

nAfter all, the check had nine 0s.

n

n*

n

nAfter slipping away from Sim Hawon, Droon climbed a small hill behind the housing area.

n

nA sky so blue that it looked like it was painted and green grass that swayed with gentle breezes. He saw a woman with long, flowing hair amidst this beautiful scene of nature.

n

nShe was kneeling in front of a tombstone, staring at it fixedly. Her dark hair fluttered in the air like clouds.

n

nHer slim jawline, tall nose, pair of eyes that shone with a black light, and her thick, beautiful eyelashes. It looked like she came straight out of a painting.

n

nDroon walked up and sat down next to her.

n

n“Why are you staring at this tombstone every day?”

n

nShe tilted her head up slightly. She remained still, as though she was thinking about something, before shaking her head.

n

n“…It’s not every day.”

n

n“It’s practically every day.”

n

nA gentle breeze blew. She spoke while straightening the hair that continuously fluttered in the air.

n

n“…Who knows.”

n

n“This person is already dead. He was an evil person too.”

n

nDroon couldn’t understand why she was so tied to this tombstone carrying the name Yi Yeonjun. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t understand. Would he be able to if he got older?

n

nThe woman smiled faintly and shook her head.

n

n“It’s not this person. I’m looking for someone else.”

n

n“…And who’s that?”

n

n“I don’t know.”

n

nDroon furrowed his brows and glared at her. However, she spoke gently with conviction.

n

n“But I’ll find out soon. Finding someone is my specialty, after all.”

n

n“…What?”

n

n“Yep, I’m going to remember soon. I believe I will. Without a doubt.”

n

nSpeechless, Droon stared at her - Yi Byul. As if she had completely parted from her past, she had changed too much.

n

nNo matter how rude he was to her, she didn’t react. She only smiled gently. Although her face stiffened for a moment when he flicked her forehead, she still smiled like a fool and said it was okay. Of course, this was only a punishment for a game they were playing.

n

nDroon didn’t hate this new Boss. Of course, it would be a lie if he said he didn’t miss the past at all, but he knew they couldn’t go back to the past.

n

n“Then… let me try it too.”

n

nDroon smiled playfully and glared at the tombstone. Boss smiled faintly and offered him a seat.

n

nIt was then.

n

n“Ahaha~ Here you were. Aigo, I finally found you.”

n

nA clear voice swelled up from behind and entered their ears. Droon pretended to be surprised and looked back.

n

nThe successor of the Bingjung Corporation, Sim Hawon, was walking up the hill.

n

nYi Byul spoke.

n

n“Droon, did you bring him here?”

n

n“Eh? No, no, no. I would never. He must have come here on his own. But how…? Does he have good intuition?”

n

nDroon shot up and walked up to the man. He planned to chase him away. However, the man had already seen Yi Byul, and his entire body went stiff.

n

nHe stared at Yi Byul in a daze. Then, he murmured in a fleeting voice.

n

n“…So the rumors weren’t false. My god. How can there be such a beautiful—”

n

nHowever, Yi Byul didn’t give him a chance to finish. Her shadow extended out in the form of a tentacle. It wrapped around the dazed man’s waist and dragged him away.

n

n“Uaaaaah—”

n

n“Oh, looks like my noona hasn’t lost her touch….”

n

n“This place is off-limits to non-administrators. He must not have read the sign. I sent him there so he could read it.”

n

nLooking away from the screaming man, Yi Byul turned back to the tombstone.

n

nSomeone who was more important than Yi Yeonjun. To search for him, to remember his name, she began to think once again.

n

n**

n

nIn Seoul’s Dongjak-gu Heukseok-dong was a mansion Yoo Yeonha personally built. It was fairly big and fancy from the outside. But considering Yoo Yeonha’s wealth, it was rather plain.

n

nIn this mansion’s main room, Yoo Yeonha was listening to a tape Hassan-i Sabbah recorded last night.

n

n—Essence of the Strait has gotten too big. We should have suppressed them when we could…. But that doesn’t matter now. They will fall from grace soon enough.

n

nKim Sukho’s voice rang out.

n

n—How can you be sure?

n

nThis was Yi Yukho’s voice.

n

n—How? …In various ways. Their Heroes suddenly killing civilians, Djinns being amidst their affiliated Heroes, corruption in the Essential Pharmacy’s new medicine, and so on….

n

n—Hm? There are Djinns among their Heroes?

n

n—Hahaha, friend, when did you get so naive? If there aren’t, we’ll just have to make them. The new hunting dogs I found made contact with the New Evils. Using them, we should be able to deal with them easily, just like last time.

n

nThe moment Kim Sukho said this, a new voice cut in.

n

n—…Essence of the Strait won’t be so easy. Especially that young woman, Yoo Yeonha.

n

nIt wasn’t Yi Yukho. This voice belonged to the power behind the curtains - Yoo Jangwon.

n

nKim Sukho cut in again.

n

n

n—What are you worried about? Yoo Yeonha is too young. Plus, Yoo Jinwoong has deep relations with us. Chae Joochul doesn’t seem to be looking at them favorably either, so Yoo Yeonha will lose everything before she realizes what happened. It’s time to snap the neck of a baby hen not knowing her place and crowing.

n

nThe recording ended there.

n

nYoo Yeonha was truly thankful that she had contacts with Hassan-i Sabbah. Who else but him could record a secret conversation happening at the highest floor of the Tower of Heroes?

n

n“…Baby hen, he says.”

n

nBesides that, Kim Sukho sure knew how to infuriate someone.

n

nYoo Yeonha clenched her teeth.

n

nShe could understand where his confidence was coming from. Since he’s ruled over Korea for dozens of years, he most likely didn’t place anyone on his eyes.

n

nBut this arrogance would be their demise. After all, twisting the neck of a rooster wouldn’t stop the sun from rising.

n

n…No, they wouldn’t be able to do even that.

n

n“Sechan-ssi?”

n

nYoo Yeonha called Jin Sechan.

n

n—Yes.

n

n“How is the preparation for the party going?”

n

nYoo Yeonha asked with a smile.

n

nJin Sechan replied while chuckling faintly.

n

n—It is going smoothly.

n

n“Great.”

n

nThis was related to the scenario Yoo Yeonha scripted.

n

nShe slowly turned her head and spoke to the women who were staring at her from the couch.

n

n“Next Saturday, I will host a party at the Yoo family’s mansion. It will be called Post-War Societal Leaders’ Ball, or something like that. I’d like to go with a name that does the job but isn’t too snobby,”

n

nYoo Yeonha wanted to take care of this matter in one fell swoop.

n

nThe coup d'etat would have to successfully round out all corrupted executives to become a revolution. Not only the chairman but anyone who was involved in the corruption had to be arrested.

n

nThis party would become the stage for their punishment.

n

nYoo Yeonha pictured the revolution she constructed in her head.

n

nWhile they were enjoying the party, Yoo Jinwoong’s whistle-blowing would reveal the Association’s corruption to the world. Even if the executives somehow found out and tried to escape the mansion, they would be caught immediately. The reason was rather obvious.

n

nThe Chameleon Troupe would play a pivotal role. As the past hunting dog of Chae Joochul and the Association, they would expose the evil deeds committed by Kim Sukho and the corrupt executives.

n

nPushed to the corner, Kim Sukho might call the New Evils or his new hunting dogs. Regardless, the ‘Heroes of the Generation’ - Aileen, Kim Suho, Yun Seung-Ah, etc. - would suppress them.

n

nIt was a perfect plan.

n

nIt seemed flawless so long as she didn’t let her guard down.

n

nBut there was one thing she was worried about - Yoo Jinwoong.

n

nThat was her father.

n

nShe had already talked to her father. He had committed grave sins. The Kwang-Oh Incident wasn’t the only time he acted as Chae Joochul’s hunting dog. As such, it might be impossible to pardon him with her power.

n

nBut her father had told her that he would gladly accept his punishment. He had already resigned from his position as the guild leader, and he had even given up the coveted position as a Master-rank Hero with the excuse that ‘he felt his limit during the Great Devil War’.

n

nAs such, she couldn’t fail.

n

nShe had to succeed and make amends.

n

nYoo Yeonha spoke with determination.

n

n“Distribute the invitation letters. Only to the 300 people on the list. Since they can bring two people with them, about 900 people will participate.”

n

n—Understood.

n

n“Place our Heroes around the mansion. Confirm everyone’s invitation letter before letting them in, and once they do, do not let them leave again.”

n

n—Yes, of course.

n

n“Don’t forget to make sure ‘Electronic Manipulation’ is working. Jamming them won’t do. We need to make sure the Internet they see is different from the one we know. For that, you will have to set up a broadcasting station and a base station. You don’t have to worry about the cost. Feel free to use however much you want.”

n

n—Understood. I will do as you say.

n

nWith that, Yoo Yeonha ended the communication line. Then, she turned to the two women sitting on the couch.

n

n“A grand party will be held.”

n

nA satisfactory reply rang out.

n

n“Hehehe~ Great~ I’m a big fan of parties~”

n

nIt was Jain. Jin Seyeon was also sitting next to her. Unlike the brightly smiling Jain, Jin Seyeon seemed deep in thought.

n

nJain asked.

n

n“Is Yun Seung-Ah coming too~?”

n

n“Probably?”

n

n“Hnng…. I’m not really good with her.”

n

n“Won’t you be disguised anyways?”

n

n“I don’t know how, but she can see through my disguise~”

n

nKkeeung~ Jain stretched her arms and legs out. Then, she murmured in a tired voice.

n

n“This is interesting~ It’s perfect as the Chameleon Troupe’s last mission~”

n

nA bittersweet smile emerged on her face.

n

n**

n

nThe plan progressed smoothly.

n

nThe VVVVVVIP party Yoo Yeonha hosted already became a noteworthy event among the society’s elites.

n

nAlthough the elites amongst elites like Chae Nayun were personally invited, ordinary elites were in the position of begging the ones with invitations. After all, only 300 people had been invited, with each invitee only able to bring two guests.

n

nJonghak said he won’t be coming.

n

nChae Nayun received Yoo Yeonha’s message from her Hanok. Although Shin Jonghak said he wouldn’t come, she wasn’t worried. Knowing his personality, he was likely waiting until the crucial moment to appear and steal the spotlight.

n

n“Huu….”

n

nRegardless, now was the time to focus on herself. Chae Nayun turned off her smartwatch and took a deep breath.

n

nIn front of her was a door, the sliding kind made out of wood.

n

nBeyond it was her grandfather, who had far too many sins.

n

nChae Nayun had something to tell him. She had written down what to say to practice them dozens of times.

n

nBut at the moment, she couldn’t remember a thing.

n

nNo, she didn’t need to.

n

nShe decided to convey her feelings as his granddaughter, the feelings that would come out from the bottom of her heart.

n

nAlthough her grandfather didn’t have emotions, that might just make convincing him easier.

n

nPreviously, he said he only felt 1% of his emotions. And 1% of emotions was, of course, meaningless.

n

nBut when it came to his feelings towards his family, wouldn’t 1% of his emotions equal at least 2% of emotions towards other things?

n

nIf that really was the case, she was in an advantageous position.

n

nChae Nayun planned to bet on this possibility.

n

nKnock, knock.

n

nChae Nayun knocked on the door. After about three seconds, the sound of a brush being put down rang out. Was her grandfather practicing calligraphy?

n

n—It must be Nayun.

n

n“Yes.”

n

n—What are you doing here?

n

nHis voice was warm but carried something else.

n

nChae Nayun clenched her fists and spoke after taking a breath.

n

n“There’s something I need to say, Grandfather.”

n

n—Hoho, is that so?

n

nChae Joochul spoke like a normal grandfather, one that was proud of his granddaughter for coming to see him.

n

n—Then come in.

n

n