Chapter 2

"Far East Construction, ranked 31st in the business world, has filed for conciliation today."

"Samyang Foods announced that it will file for conciliation for four subsidiaries today."

"Today, Pasteur Dairy, which once sparked a high-end milk trend in the country, has filed for its first bankruptcy and conciliation."

And...

"Finally, the 6th largest business group in the country, JaeKyung Group, has begun to waver."

Now I understand.

Before I closed my eyes, the worries and concerns that plagued me were turning into hallucinations like this.

"Today, JaeKyung Group announced that it will quickly reorganize a total of 11 subsidiaries, leaving only aviation, food, and wool, starting with construction."

What the hell is this!

"Breaking news. The chairman of JaeKyung Group, Son Hongmyeong, was found dead this morning at 8 o'clock, hanging in his bedroom."

Stop it!

I don't know what this is, but stop saying such nonsense!

"Son Hongmyeong, the eldest son of the late Son Jungsil, the founder of JaeKyung Group, has served as the chairman of the group since June 1993, following the death of his father. Over the past five years, he has led JaeKyung Group. After the government applied for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the group's financial situation rapidly deteriorated, leading to a major restructuring, including the separation and sale of subsidiaries. It is believed that he felt responsible for these decisions and made an extreme choice. Attention is now focused on who will succeed him as the next chairman of JaeKyung Group."

How long have I been listening to such nonsense, like a weak novelist's fantasy?

When I heard that two planes had been hijacked and crashed into the 110-story World Trade Center in New York, I almost laughed.

This endless brightness, this immeasurable space, how long do I have to stay here? I don't know, but I was hoping these nonsensical voices would stop.

Am I not going to the afterlife?

Or is this the afterlife?

Just then...

I could feel that the news and the voices of various anchors, coming from an unknown direction, were getting faster.

They were definitely getting faster.

At the same time, the flow of the place where there was no sense of space was also speeding up.

I had known for a while that I was being pushed forward by an unknown force, but the resistance was suddenly getting stronger.

Then, a dot-like object appeared far away.

A dot.

Finally, there was a direction in this unknown realm.

As expected, I was getting closer to that direction against my will, and the news announced by the faster voices was passing by like the scenes I saw before I closed my eyes, rapidly.

The dot was getting bigger.

It was proof that I was getting closer to the dot due to the unknown force.

At first, it looked like a small dot, but gradually it began to look like a door to another world in this infinitely bright world.

Is that it, the afterlife...

Instinctively, I knew I would cross that door against my will, and at that moment, I felt a terrifying curiosity about whether my consciousness, which I still had, would continue to exist outside or disappear completely.

Death, which everyone must experience at least once.

Although it's a bit regrettable that it came a bit early, I didn't want to defy fate.

And at that moment!

A force much stronger than the formless pressure that had been pushing me here until now began to pull me toward the door to another world.

* * *

"Huff! Huff! Huff!"

It was a moment.

The intense light began to envelop me, and as soon as I closed my eyes, I could feel my senses coming back.

When I opened my eyes again, I was...

lying in a strange place, a room that looked like a high-end hotel room.

* * *

Aren't you scared?

It's definitely a hotel room.

And from a space hidden by the wall, the sound of a toilet flushing was coming.

I was more curious than bewildered about what was happening.

Something is wrong.

Very wrong.

Feeling my body, I checked if my arms and legs were still attached.

This body... it's not mine.

"..."

The sound of someone moving was still coming from where the toilet had flushed, and I quickly felt my body and face with my hands.

This is definitely not my body.

The skin... is too young.

"I know, I know. I'll be there in 20 minutes."

Soon, a young woman's voice started coming from where the toilet had flushed.

"Just go ahead. I'll leave separately."

I got out of bed, hearing only the unfamiliar woman's voice.

It's definitely a hotel.

This is a hotel.

It seems to be a high-end suite.

But something feels off.

Quite a bit.

Is that a TV?

It looks like a TV, but it's the thinnest TV I've ever seen, and it's attached to the wall.

After a while, I finally stood in front of a full-length mirror attached to the entrance.

What the hell is this...

"What's happening to me? Why is this happening?"

A face I've never seen before.

In the mirror, a man who looked too young was reflected, and the young man in the mirror was making the same expression I was.

And a moment later.

"Are you awake?"

The owner of the woman's voice.

She was approaching me in a very strange outfit, as if trying to hide her face with a black hat, sunglasses, and a black mask.

If I had met her on the street at night, I would have been mistaken for a thief.

"Can you skip work?"

"Work..."

"Just now, while you were sleeping, your phone rang several times. I didn't wake you up on purpose."

"Phone?"

Phone? What is she talking about?

"It's over there. I thought you might need to charge it. It should be charged by now, it's been over an hour."

The woman pointed to a black object that looked very similar to what she was holding, connected to something that looked like a wire.

A moment later, a loud noise and a light came from the object the woman was holding, and she put it to her ear, annoyed.

"I'm going, I'm going. 20 minutes. I just agreed to meet the manager at the shop in 20 minutes. Stop rushing me. Bye."

A mobile phone?

A walkie-talkie?

But how can it be so thin and small, like a child's toy?

"I'm leaving, brother."

"..."

"What? I'm leaving. I'll call you later."

Just as the woman was about to open the door.

"Wait, just a moment."

I stopped the woman.

I needed to understand what was happening.

Is everything still hazy from the anesthesia?

Everything is clear and vivid, but I don't understand anything.

"Why?"

"I...?"

"I have a shoot tonight, remember? I need to go to the shop to get my hair done and pick out clothes. If you have something to say, say it quickly."

"Who am I?"

The woman snorted.

"Here we go again. Mr. Son Jeonghoon."

Son Jeonghoon?

The woman took off the black mask she was wearing and approached me.

Is this heaven?

The woman's appearance was unrealistically beautiful.

"Meeting you like this is just a fling, nothing more."

"A fling?"

"I'm not meeting you because I want something from you, like other girls who need sponsors. It's just a casual fling, do you understand?"

No, I don't understand at all.

"I don't care that you're the second son of JaeKyung Group or whatever. I know it's a joke, but such questions are subtly annoying, so be careful in the future."

JaeKyung Group?

What does that mean? Am I... could I be my own grandson?

I quickly turned my head to look out the window.

Since I can see Namsan Tower in the distance, this must be Seoul.

But it's not the Seoul I know.

The buildings I know are not in their usual places, and unfamiliar, very tall buildings are densely packed.

"Are you thinking too highly of yourself? You should consider who you're talking to. Admittedly, this side of you is sometimes cute, which is why I've kept up with it. Anyway, I'm leaving. Check your phone soon."

"Wait, miss, wait."

"Miss?! Hey! I'm really busy, so stop joking around."

"What... year is it now?"

"Are you being serious? Stop it. This is making you less attractive."

"That's your problem, but what year is it now!"

"What, what? Why are you like this?"

"What year is it here?"

"It's 2022."

"2022?"

"Move, you scared me with that serious face, Mr. Lee..."

The woman finally pushed me aside and opened the door, and I was too confused to stop her from leaving.

I just stared at the Seoul outside the window, which looked like it was mocking me, so different from the Seoul I knew.

Rumble... rumble... rumble...

"What is this?"

A buzzing sound was coming from somewhere.

Startled, I looked around to find the source of the sound.

Rumble... rumble... rumble...

The device the woman had called a 'phone' was lighting up.

The buzzing sound was coming from there.

"..."

Is it okay to touch it?

It was truly strange.

I hesitated to touch it, but when I looked closely, the screen was showing moving text.

Slave 3

The text 'Slave 3' was displayed, and below it, green and red lights were on. Under the green light, it said 'Call', and under the red light, it said 'End'.

A mobile phone?