“It’s confirmed that they’ve been secured.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Still, we need to make thorough preparations.”
“Of course, all precautions are perfect.”
After verifying the appearance of the reporters sent via smartphone, I slipped the phone back into my inner pocket.
The sight of someone with a black burlap sack over their head, their limbs bound, was somewhat pitiful—but considering how much valuable information these two held, I separately asked Mr. Deok-bae to transport them as safely as possible.
Judging from the transmission through the radio, they may be a little frightened, but there’s no physical threat to them whatsoever. I already instructed beforehand that if they become too unruly, sleeping gas could be used. So, there’s virtually no chance of them escaping.
“Hmm…I think that’s enough about hair color and eye color…”
To begin with, I’ve never appeared with Yoon Seong-ho at any official events. Since Lee Seol-hwa was at home until she was embedded with the ‘magic-eye,’ she took all the official appearances, while I was held captive in the lab for experiments during that time.
After Lee Seol-hwa ran away and I was embedded with the ‘magic-eye,’ I had to pose as Yoon Seong-ho’s daughter, leading to Yoon Se-ah’s disgust which made her shut herself inside the academy dormitory. Upon conducting a reverse image search, I actually found that I haven’t appeared at any official events recently, and not a single picture of me has yet surfaced.
So, if someone who looks completely unfamiliar with the outside world suddenly inherits 60% of the shares and becomes the new owner of Yuseong Group… naturally, journalists would have no choice but to suspect.
‘That girl is not really Yoon Seong-ho’s daughter, is she?’
‘Genetic match reports and my telekinetic abilities should be enough to explain the difference in hair and eye color.’
Most of the questions won’t concern this; the majority will be directed at Mr. Deok-bae regarding how the company will be run in the future. Still, this preemptive measure prevents any questions that might have been asked by the people currently trapped in the van.
‘Rather, should I just dye it?…’
‘Eye color? Well, there’s always colored contact lenses; it could work…’
‘…No, dyeing’s unnecessary.’
If I dye my hair, I’d have to keep dyeing it regularly. Some people’s magical power naturally produces hair colors such as Kang Ayul’s red. For those who wield telekinesis, like me, hair is generally in the purple spectrum.
‘Colored contact lenses are bothersome to switch out frequently, so I’ll just stay this way.’
Why ruin the good image of Yoon Se-ah? Besides, if I suddenly changed my purple hair to white, it could lead others to suspect that I dyed it, creating unnecessary questions.
“Alright, shall we go? Frontal assault.”
[“Ground floor”]
-Whoosh…
The moment the elevator doors opened, countless camera flashes started blinking.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, miss.”
And, walking confidently through all those lights, the interview began.
…
…
…
[Yuseong Group, transitioning to professional management for the time being…]
[Sudden death of the president, too smooth an emergence of the successor…]
[Yoon Seong-ho’s daughter was also the Student Council President of Raon Academy?]
[Kim Deok-bae, the interim president, is just a figurehead while the real power lies with Yoon Se-ah?]
‘…Seems like it went well.’
The press conference was a success, perfect.
Unexpectedly, there were a lot of questions at the beginning about my background. Once I revealed that my psychic powers destroyed the notebook of the reporter asking about my origin, the origin-related questions ended quickly after proving that my ability is psychokinesis.
After that, Mr. Deok-bae announced that he will manage the Yuseong Group with professional management until I graduate from the academy… Still, some perceptive reporters seemed aware that I already have control of the Yuseong Group.
‘Well, if reporters can figure it out, … I won’t even be able to escape to the academy and slack off.’
Information spreads fast among the extensive guild networks. It’s possible that direct contact might come to me without even going through Kim Deok-bae.
And through a peaceful method, I managed to get the USB containing the secrets of the Kim family from their journalists.
‘They handed over the USB begging for their lives before I could even hypnotize them with the magic-eye. Still, it was good not having to use the magic-eye.’
The journalists, realizing that they’d face dire consequences if they returned to the Kim family’s broadcasting station, declared they wouldn’t go back.
They said they’d transfer to broadcasting stations with acquaintances, so there seems to be no need to support or unnecessarily help them.
-Ding!
[Hello, I’m the guild leader of the Spiral Guild, Ryu Seong-ho. First of all, I am truly sorry for what happened to your father…]
“How rude from the start.”
I hadn’t expected a personal text from the guild leader right after the press conference.
‘So, I’m really Yoon Seong-ho’s daughter in this context?’
To summarize the content, it was about continuing to trade with the same price that my father, Yoon Seong-ho, previously agreed on. Upper-grade potions for 1500 per bottle, and mid-grade for 500 per bottle.
‘And he included the part “As a cadet of the academy that protects Korea, I believe you won’t recklessly play with the lives of heroes for money” as a stress point…’
A threat disguised as a threat—collaborating with most guilds to boycott Yuseong Group potions if refused.
Ah, he also mentioned that his younger sibling was scheduled to enter the academy next year and offered me an impolite suggestion to introduce them if desired.
“Haha, while saying that, to offer an ingredient price for what’s essentially a potion is just too greedy, not to mention messing around with employees’ lives.”
Is the Spiral Guild leader insane?
It’s like going to a ramen shop, throwing a bag of instant ramen for 850 won and a 500ml water bottle, and asking for free ramen.
“Mr. Deok-bae.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Have you looked into our overseas suppliers?”
As soon as I said that, Mr. Deok-bae pointed at a file folder lying in the back seat, as if he was waiting for this moment.
“This is a list of companies eager for Yuseong Group’s potions. They offered to take care of transportation themselves as long as we prepare the goods.”
“Great job.”
I slowly opened the folder and started reading the letters from overseas guilds.
Starting with pleasant condolences about the incident with my father, they asked if we could supply them with as many upper and mid-grade potions as possible, regardless of price.
It’s a very appealing offer, even worth withstanding public backlash, as the Korean government and domestic guilds insist that selling potions overseas equates to national losses.
“Frankly speaking, given that even the U.S. can only manage to barely use the lower-grade potion formulas due to Yuseong Group’s exclusive patents and the governmental pressures Yuseong Group had to endure, it’s hard to understand how one could sway domestically.”
The three guilds—Vultures in the U.S., Golden Lion in the UK, and Musashi in Japan—are all guilds that one can have 100% trust in for now.
‘These are all the strongest guilds in their countries. If I hint about establishing contact with overseas guilds, it’ll likely reduce resistance… Above all, despite the fact that Korea is the world’s number-one power in this scenario, Vultures is an exception.’
Thomas Andrea, the Guild Leader of the Vultures Guild, is the most powerful Defender in the world. She’s the insane woman who singlehandedly dealt with the X-grade Gate incident on Jeju Island, which required three S-grade hunters from Korea to barely suppress.
‘Thomas Andrea is nearly perfect, except for the fact that she might become a villain driven mad by money.’
There’s a reason why Thomas Andrea goes mad for money.
It’s because when she desperately begged Yoon Seong-ho for secret acquisition of potions during a guild crisis, he responded that he would think about it if they paid 100 times the price.
‘Damn, Yoon Seong-ho.’
For the purpose of establishing friendships with the American guilds and for the reason of preventing the fall of Thomas Andrea—a righteous woman not yet driven to villainy—I must establish trade relations with the Vultures Guild before she becomes money-obsessed.
“So, how much inventory do we have now?”
“We currently have 14,600 bottles of mid-grade potion and 3,000 bottles of upper-grade potion.”
‘That’s more than I thought?’
Apparently, the inventory piled up pretty significantly due to the guilds colluding on fixed prices.
“Prepare 8,000 mid-grade potions and 1,500 upper-grade potions. Tell the Vultures Guild they must personally come to the Incheon Port for inspection and pick-up, and domestic guilds offering below 30 million for upper-grade and 16 million for mid-grade will be ignored.”
“Are you sure? Our domestic image might drop to an irreparable level.”
At my somewhat radical move, Mr. Deok-bae spoke with a tone that indicated a slight concern.
“It’s not my business, anyway. If anything, we can relocate to the U.S. The Korean guilds make at least 1 to 3 billion per each Gate operation. They’ll stumble a bit, but to minimize the impact, we’re opening a trade channel with Vultures.”
“Indeed, you’re wise.”
‘The government and domestic guilds keep trying to control us through price-fixing… Time to show them who holds the real power.’
Now, the only thing left is… investigating the lab, right?
“By the way, thinking about it… Mr. Deok-bae was once a researcher under Yoon Seong-ho, right?”
The hand on the steering wheel of Mr. Deok-bae briefly trembled.
‘Does he think I’m going to punish him?’
“Don’t worry. I don’t discard useful things. Just help me with the lab guide, and after that, you can continue to serve as the acting president of Yuseong Group.”
“Thank you for your leniency, miss.”
Afterward, as soon as we arrived at the main house, Mr. Deok-bae offered me a detailed explanation of the lab structure.
“Wow, the storage room as large as two soccer fields was impressive.”
Apparently, they stored virtually all common materials there, and they had even built their own functioning farm to eliminate the need for external material purchases, with unmanned robots automatically stocking the warehouse. Amazing right?
‘The way Yoon Seong-ho secured self-sufficiency to avoid catching attention is truly remarkable.’
“Thank you for your hard work. If there’s anything you think is important, please send it to me. Do with other matters as you see fit.”
“Understood, miss.”
I instructed Deok-bae that he should handle the company matters unless something very important comes up.
‘Might as well, since I’m lazy.’
After all, I’m already managing things by giving subtle hints here and there; I shouldn’t be doing actual work.
‘So, let’s familiarize myself a little with potion-making, shall we?’
Until the day agreed for research with Eve and my eye, I didn’t take even a single step outside the lab.
