142 – 142. Chaeryeong Min (2)
Wish Stone.
It is in the form of a red jewel with a golden haze flowing inside. As the name implies, the effect is to grant the user’s wish, and there is no limit to the scope of the wish. Therefore, So Won-seok was the most valuable artifact in name and reality among all the artifacts that appeared in ‘The Age of Superhumans’.
As if to prove this, in related episodes, not only various guilds and national institutions, but also all kinds of villain organizations, including the Dawning Corps, coveted the Wish Stone.
The strongest power, mighty power, eternal life, etc.
The wish stone had the power to grant any wish. However, that doesn’t mean Sowonseok was truly all-powerful.
To be precise, there is no limit to the wishes that can be wished on the wishing stone, but the wishing stone will never completely grant the user’s wishes. Also, the way they grant wishes is maliciously arbitrary.
For example, in the past, a man tried to achieve immortality with a wishing stone. And as a result, he got a body that could live for thousands of years, if not perfect immortality.
However, because the cell’s vitality and regenerative power became so strong, he lived with malignant tumors like cancer all over his body. Even if the tumor was cut out, a new one grew right away, and even if he tried to commit suicide due to the pain, he couldn’t even die. This was a representative case when warning about the danger of Sowonseok.
As such, wish stones are never perfect and carry a great risk in using them.
However, it is true that to some extent, the wishes that were initially desired come true. There was nothing you couldn’t do if you wanted to use it.
In addition, the world was overflowing with wishes that could never be fulfilled without a wish stone. Among them, there were many who would use the Wish Stone even if they took that risk.
That’s why Sowonseok used to be mentioned as the most valuable artifact in the world of superhumans. In terms of amount, hundreds of billions or more. The most valuable and rarest artifact that turns even Talisman into ‘something’.
By the way.
‘Why does Min Chaeryeong have that?’
Ahn Suho’s pupils trembled. At the very bottom of Min Chaeryeong’s status window, his eyes are focused on the words ‘Possessed Artifact: Sowonseok’.
-Titling!
Then, the detailed information of the wish stone appeared in front of my eyes, just like when I was browsing my status window.
Most of them were explanations about Sowonseok itself, which Ahn Suho knew. However, there was a description in the very last line that could never be overlooked.
[ Currently, the ‘Wish Stone’ has already been used and settled in the user ‘Min Chaeryeong’. ]
The wish stone has already been used. In other words, Min Chae-ryeong has already made a wish on her wish stone and got the result.
There was nothing that could be known just by that fact. It wasn’t even that anything changed. Unless Chaeryeong Min’s wish was something that happened recently, the Min Chaeryeong that Ahn Soo-ho met would have been ‘Min Chaeryeong after she had already made a wish’ from the beginning until now.
However, even if nothing had changed, it was inevitable that my head would become complicated.
How did Min Chaeryeong get the wishing stone?
More than that, what the hell did Min Chaeryeong wish for on the wishing stone?
Could that wish be related to the ‘dream’ I just talked about?
So, is it somehow related to Kang Ha-neul?
The questions continued one after the other. Anxiety and nervousness at the unexpected situation fills his brain. His expression hardens and his mouth starts to dry.
In the meantime, Min Chaeryeong smoked the last cigarette. She said curtly as her butts held her heaped paper cup.
“Let’s go in slowly. The other kids will be waiting for you.”
“…… All right.”
Ahn Suho fixed his expression. Min Chae-ryeong doesn’t notice his own agitation. Whether the effort had worked, Min Chae-ryeong headed to her store without further questioning.
“…… Come to think of it, I heard that Kang Ha-neul is going to an amusement park with 1 and a half kids tomorrow.”
At that moment, An Su-ho’s heart sank. A look of surprise crosses his face.
“Why?”
“No. It’s nothing.”
When Ahn Soo-ho shook his head with an awkward expression, Min Chae-ryeong looked at him blankly, then shrugged his shoulders in a tone that seemed to have lost steam.
“Really? Then it’s done.”
“… ….”
“Anyway. I will act together with the other students, so there won’t be any dangerous situations, but just in case. You don’t have to work tomorrow, so I thought it would be nice to follow along.”
“…… I was still trying to follow.”
Min Chaeryeong knew that Kang Ha-neul was going to an amusement park with Ryu Tae-hyeon and the others. However, she was in fact originally Kang Ha-neul, so she did not want to go to the amusement park for fear of being caught up in the incident on the day. Then, after hearing that Ahn Su-ho was going to an amusement park that day, he changed his opinion and wanted to go with him.
However, Min Chaeryeong did not know the inside story. So, she thought, Kang Ha-neul was just going to an amusement park with her friends. Ahn Soo-ho tried to correct that part, but he just kept his mouth shut because he thought he had to repeat the story about the original episode and the beginning of silver.
“What is it? It’s okay if I didn’t say anything. Is it because it’s your girlfriend’s business? Are you very thorough?”
“I was worried when I heard about the amusement park. You never know what will happen if Haneul goes outside.”
“That’s right. I warned Na Ju-yong separately, so it’ll be okay for a while……. Because you don’t know what the world will be like.”
“I agree.”
“Then what are you going to do on the day? Are you trying to intrude on where the students are playing?”
“That’s what I need to ask for your understanding. Fortunately, most of the kids I’m going to play tomorrow have gone face to face with me-“
-Tiririririri!
At that time, Min Chaeryeong’s cell phone started ringing loudly. Her hand, which had been reflexively directed to her trouser pocket, stopped.
-Tiririririri!
Her cell phone was in her trouser pocket. But it wasn’t that way that her bell was ringing. She glanced towards Ahn Su-ho, hesitated for a moment, then took out another cell phone that had been ringing inside her coat.
“…… Would you like to go in first?”
Min Chae-ryeong was conscious of Ahn Soo-ho and answered her phone call. On the other hand, Ahn Su-ho did not think much of her. It wasn’t unusual for an office worker to have a separate cell phone for work and personal use.
“Then I will go in first.”
However, Ahn Su-ho did not know. The cell phone that Min Chaeryeong had just taken out was not for that superficial purpose. The cell phone was connected to the back of her Min Chae-ryeong, and was the cell phone she used when working in the dark.
“…… I would have told you to text me for business or reports as much as possible. Why are you calling on your own?”
As Ahn Suho entered, Min Chaeryeong spoke in a cold voice. The opponent on the other side of the phone was her subordinate. Even though they were subordinates, they were different from the subordinates of the guards, although they formed a connection in the shadows.
– Sin, sorry! However, it was so urgent that I had no choice but to contact you directly by phone.
“Urgent work?”
Anxiety appeared on Min Chaeryeong’s face at the report.
As in the Special Countermeasures Department, Chaeryeong Min’s authority and status were absolute even in the shadows. Her men followed her orders with their lives. Rather, the subordinates of the shadows obeyed her all the more because they knew her cruel side.
However, what kind of urgent work is it that such a subordinate ignores orders and calls?
“How urgent is it that you call-“
-Park Ji-hyun ran away.
“…… What?”
In the next moment, deep wrinkles were engraved between Min Chaeryeong’s forehead.
***
After receiving a call from her subordinate, Min Chae-ryeong headed straight to the safe house. At the dinner party, she just threw her card and said, “I have an urgent matter, so take care of it and disband.”
From nob le mt l dot com
Lee Tae-ho’s face darkened at that action, and Jo Yu-ri and Bae Young-woong sang joy, but Min Chae-ryeong had no time to care about such a reaction.
-Tiriling.
As soon as she unlocked her complicated security device and stepped inside, she was greeted by her men who had called her earlier. She was an unregistered woman who was widespread in the slums of Uijeongbu, and was a subordinate to Min Chae-ryeong, temporarily called by the pseudonym “Noah.”
“Why are you alone? Who is Kim Ho-cheol?”
“…… Dead.”
Min Chae-ryeong frowned at Noah’s answer. Noah was taken aback by her small reaction. She looked at her Min Chae-ryeong and said softly.
“Let’s go underground. I will explain as we go.”
“…… Okay.”
The two headed to the underground facility where Park Ji-hyeon and Yoo Hyeon-ho were confined. As they were going down the stairs, Noah opened her mouth.
“I came 30 minutes ago, as usual, to change guards. However, no matter how long I waited, Kim Ho-cheol did not come out to the entrance. There is no sign of intrusion from the outside, so I went down to the basement to look for it somewhere inside the house…….”
As the two went down to the basement, a long corridor lined with tightly locked iron doors continued. Min Chaeryeong’s gaze turned to the only wide open iron gate among them.
The place where Park Ji-hyun was imprisoned.
As the two headed to the room, a man collapsed in front of the wide open iron door. It was Min Chae-ryeong’s subordinate, Kim Ho-cheol, who was in charge of the supervisor at a time that preceded Noah.
“…… It was already in this state when I found it. When I saw that there was not a single drop of blood left on her body, I immediately realized that Park Ji-hyun had attacked her.”
As they said, Kim Ho-cheol’s body was dried up like a mummy. However, Min Chae-ryeong’s interest was not in that direction.
“Why is he here? Why is the door to the confinement room open?”
“That… ….”
After a moment of hesitation, Noah handed over the tablet he was holding. He said it would be faster to see it in person. Noah played the CCTV video connected to the confinement room.
In the video, Park Ji-hyun, who is secured with a belt on the bed, is reflected. He was naked, with no strings attached to his body.
Park Ji-hyun was breathing calmly and did not move. No matter how long such a still image had passed, the door suddenly opened and Kim Ho-cheol entered the confinement room.
“…… I must have told no one to enter the confinement chamber. Why did you come in?”
“………… You will know when you see it.”
Noah turned her head away as if she was ashamed to speak. Immediately after, in the video, Kim Ho-cheol climbed on top of Park Ji-hyun with a happy face and began to unfasten the buckle of his pants. Deep wrinkles are engraved between Min Chaeryeong’s forehead.
“Ha. What is this…….”
“………… When I looked up past videos, every time Kim Ho-cheol took on the role of surveillance, the video record was empty for about an hour. Perhaps this has not happened once or twice.”
In the CCTV screen, Kim Ho-cheol, who was consumed by s*xual desire, was triumphantly shaking his things. No matter how hungry she was for women, Min Chae-ryeong would not let her go if she was caught. Kim Ho-cheol didn’t seem to care about that at all.
At that time.
“Ah.”
The moment Kim Ho-chul released the restraining belt that was entangling Park Ji-hyun’s body, Park Ji-hyun’s body, which hadn’t even moved, sprang up like a spring. Park Ji-hyun, holding Kim Ho-cheol tightly, stuck her teeth into his neck.
Kim Ho-cheol collapsed under the bed as if passing out. Park Ji-hyun’s vampirism has the effect of attracting and incapacitating her target. At least in the case of Kim Ho-cheol, he managed to catch his spirit and crawled to his entrance, but his fate was fixed unless he could get rid of Park Ji-hyun, which was clinging to his neck.
– Took.
It wasn’t long before Kim Ho-chul collapsed once again. It was exactly where his body was now. Even after Kim Ho-cheol collapsed, Park Ji-hyun clung to him for a long time. As if not even a single drop of blood was left on his body.
Five minutes passed like that. The video ended with Park Ji-hyun trudging out of the confinement room after she had finally finished vampirizing.
“… ….”
Noah sneakily examined Min Chaeryeong’s complexion. She kept her mouth shut and stared at her tablet screen with a calm expression. At first glance, she looked calm, but Noah sensed that a storm of anger was brewing beneath the calm.
‘Kim Ho-chul, you crazy bastard. If a woman is hungry, she’d rather go to a brothel! Why lust for a half-corpse that doesn’t move…… !’
Noah was going crazy wanting to kill Kim Ho-chul, who had already died.
“Noah.”
Then Min Chae-ryeong finally opened her mouth. Surprised by her subdued voice, Noah stammered at her words and answered.
“Contact Inspector Park at the Sokcho Police Station with my name. I want you to check all the CCTVs around this safe house right now. And call Seoha and tell her to come here right away.”
“Yes, yes!”
Noah felt an indescribable fear at the rage and annoyance revealed in his plain language. While she was making calls here and there with her trembling fingers, Min Chae-ryeong let out a deep sigh as she looked at the now-empty bed where Park Ji-hyun was restrained.
“Haaa. Seriously, these days, there is no such thing as one.”
The time taken on the CCTV video was 2 hours ago. In two hours, Park Ji-hyun would have had enough time to run away. It’s almost unreasonable to catch him now.
Jihyun Park’s escape wasn’t such a big crisis. After all, the information of the Dawning Corps was obtained from Hyun-ho Yoo, and since he was a criminal of the Dawning Corps, he would not be able to report himself due to confinement.
Revenge? If you come to take revenge, it’s rather good. Because new sources of information are increasing. No matter how many criminals came, Min Chae-ryeong was confident that she could overcome them.
But.
‘I am strangely anxious. Strangely…….’
Her sense of unknown danger touched her instincts. Min Chae-ryeong let out a deep sigh once again at her anxiety creeping over her.
Without even imagining how today’s work will affect the future.