If you go against the wind, you can understand its flow.
By going against the flow and tracing its trail, you may come to understand its beginning.
As time passed, information about Lucas began to gather.
“Somebody asked about Lucas? Oh, he’s a really good person. At least as an employer, he’s quite decent. He pays handsomely when a job is done successfully, and he’s proactive in protecting his employees whenever issues arise. Moreover… Well, he’s rich too. Why does his wealth matter, you ask? It matters because when you visit other businesses he owns, you can receive certain services or discounts. This is a pretty important factor.”
“At the very least, he’s someone who reliably protects those within his circle. He knows how to share profits and give generously. You ask about those outside his circle? That’s none of my business, nor is it Lucas’s. There are plenty of people who love to give to charity, so why should we concern ourselves with that? Your Oriental way of thinking isn’t great. The most important thing is the small community of friends, family, and neighbors. The key point is the scope of ‘us.’ If you care about larger communities like nations or all of humanity, you’re just setting yourself up for bankruptcy.”
“He’s a decent guy. In the crazy world of Wall Street, filled with strange individuals, he’s rare. He doesn’t show much interest in women or men, and he doesn’t harass anyone. He doesn’t get involved in other people’s households, and he doesn’t mess around with other people’s spouses or lovers. He doesn’t go around spreading false rumors or making bizarre appearances on TV. Honestly, my previous workplaces were filled with too many peculiar people, so… Lucas feels almost like an angel by comparison.”
Some spoke kindly about Lucas.
“Lucas… hmm. Oriental people tend to keep things to themselves, right? Especially shamans. But since I trust you, I’ll speak frankly. He’s somewhat… Ah, this isn’t about dissatisfaction with my job. I actually love this workplace. The insurance is great, and the pay is good. But as a person… Well… He’s moody and prone to emotional fluctuations. He often displays behavior that borders on paranoia or obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Though he doesn’t take it out on employees, oh boy, I still wouldn’t want him as a neighbor.”
“Hahaha, he’s a devil. Oh, I don’t mean in a Christian sense, of course. It’s just that when you consider his actions, the word ‘devil’ naturally comes to mind. He’s driven countless companies into bankruptcy and reaped enormous profits in return. He’s a master of short-selling and a more ruthless hyena than those so-called ‘value investors.’ He’s also a magician who can turn junk bonds, worthless pieces of trash, into precious gold. Therefore, he’s truly a devil. Considering how he captivates people like me who adore money, he’s even more devilish. Haha.”
Some described him as a good yet unsettling person.
“Lucas? Damn it! Is he one of the Metatron guys? No? A shaman? Oh, hell. Alright, you asked me because you were hired by him, right? Well, you’ve come to the right place. No one can provide more objective and reliable information about that damn Metatron Investment than me. That cursed bastard is like a devil. He has no sense of belonging; he just has this insane obsession with money.”
“A few years ago, Wall Street investments came together to agree on short-selling a certain company. It was a deal that promised juicy profits if successful. Failure? Ha, it was impossible. If it looked like we might fail, we could just change the rules. We control the rules, after all.”
“But damn Lucas—he deserves to fall into hell and burn forever in flames, consumed by his greed for gold—betrayed us. He sabotaged us! Bastard! Because of that, instead of astronomical profits, we had to endure astronomical losses. Meanwhile, that damn guy was the only one to benefit, cashing in on the insurance, and even profiting from our losses. Damn, damn Lucas!”
“Moreover, it’s like he somehow knew about the incoming bullets—carrying some weird artifact around. Many tried to blow his head off with revolvers, but they kept failing! Instead, the CEO of one failing investment firm succeeded in sabotaging his car. The CEO ended up with over 200 years in prison, and Lucas lost an arm. You’ve seen it, right? The crystal arm.”
“That was ridiculously cool, damn it. I’m seriously considering getting some prosthetic limb if another part of my body gets trashed. I plan to make it like an American flag with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds embedded in the design. What do you think? Pretty cool, right? Hahaha!”
Some harbored feelings of hatred toward Lucas.
“Lucas? Oh, he’s a hero!”
“Because of the Wall Street wolves, I had to endure terrible things. We were buried under astronomical debt, lost our home, and were driven to the streets. Many families were destroyed—Yes, families, friends, lovers, relatives. Many people lost those they held dear. In my family, my uncle put a pistol in his mouth and ended his own life. Other relatives also faced serious difficulties. Due to the circumstances, both my parents had to work even longer hours to make ends meet, and I, at a young age, was left to grow up on my own. During that time, I got involved with drugs—though, luckily, with the help of my family, I managed to quit quickly. But I still regret it. If I had quit earlier or never started at all, would I have studied harder and secured a better job?”
“Whenever I reflect on those regrets, I end up thinking: Ah, our family’s hardships, the hard-won stability we’ve barely regained, my own descent into drugs and bad company, the poor health of my parents from excessive overwork, the troubles my relatives faced—all of it was due to those damn Wall Street bastards.”
“So when Wall Street decided to collude and short-sell, I couldn’t help but sympathize with someone’s statement: ‘I’ll burn it all down just to spite them.’ A short, but compelling and relatable sentiment.”
“Yes, I sympathized. Many of us did. So we took action. We pooled what was, individually, not a huge amount of money, and took steps to give Wall Street’s wolves a taste of their own medicine. Losses? Ha, I have a home, a job, no wife, no lover, no kids. If we could bankrupt them, I’d gladly incur any losses. And I could, and I intended to, and I did.”
“Honestly, it wasn’t easy. Those guys can change the rules at will. But then Lucas showed up—like a hero, minus the superhero landing—but he just abruptly appeared and helped us. He restored a missing buy button, rallied the press to support our cause, and even poured in an immense sum of money to back us. He was like a magician, a wizard, an angel.”
“The result? With a hero on our side, how could we lose? Not only did we avoid losses, but we also profited while bankrupting several Wall Street bastards. We shook up the companies involved in this operation and showcased our strength to the world. We succeeded. Lucas was our hero, and so were we. Hahaha.”
And someone else hailed Lucas as a hero.
In some places, he was seen as a good person.
In others, as a suspicious one.
Elsewhere, a devil.
And in some places, an angel or a hero.
The assessments of Lucas varied from person to person, and the emotions people harbored toward him were all different.
But isn’t that true for everyone?
People have multiple facets and cannot always remain consistent.
Thus, the various stories about them bring us closer to understanding their essence, offering valuable clues to uncover their true nature and origin.
Jinseong was gathering more and more information.
And finally, he was able to judge Lucas.
Having compiled all the opinions, evaluations, and his own observations and experiences, Jinseong’s judgment on Lucas was—
“Hmm. A sinner who wouldn’t be out of place being reaped.”
Sinner.
Jinseong concluded that Lucas was a sinner—one who wouldn’t be out of place even if Huele himself came to reap him.
