838
[Chapter 210]
[Life is Like Walking on a Blade's Edge (5)]
Eun-ha decided to send Ha Baek-ryeon to Im Ga-eul and meet privately with Choi Jung-hoon.
Ha Baek-ryeon seemed worried about Eun-ha as she went to meet Im Ga-eul.
She grabbed Eun-ha's hand.
'Win, you must.'
'...Yes, thank you.'
Win against what.
Eun-ha chuckled at her odd encouragement.
Then after confirming Ha Baek-ryeon leaving with Im Ga-eul, he headed to the room where Choi Jung-hoon was.
"Did the next Fairy return safely?"
"Yes."
"Sit down."
There was only Choi Jung-hoon in the room.
Eun-ha sat across from him.
They faced each other with a table between them.
Eun-ha glared at Choi Jung-hoon.
To think Choi Jung-hoon would find out that I regressed...
Actually, those who should know probably know by now.
Especially his wives might have guessed.
After living together for several years, they would have realized that he or Noh Eun-ah couldn't possibly see the future.
Excluding the
Among those, his wives might have noticed his regression.
'Tell me when you want to talk.'
'I can believe even if you say you were possessed by a novel character. Whatever it is, you'll be the person I love most, Eun-ha.'
'Tell me anytime if it's hard. I think spouses are beings who rejoice and grieve together.'
Nevertheless, wives like Han Seo-hyeon didn't press Eun-ha.
It had already been 7 years since he married Han Seo-hyeon.
In that situation, the fact that Eun-ha had regressed was no longer important.
They were a community of fate anyway.
But Choi Jung-hoon was different.
"Besides you, who knows?"
"You're boldly saying 'you' now."
"If I'm on my second life as you say, shouldn't I be considered to have lived more than you?"
"Well, that's true."
"So tell me."
"There's no need to be so aggressive, don't worry. For now, I'm the only one who's noticed your secret."
For now.
Eun-ha noticed the subtle nuance.
Choi Jung-hoon meant he could reveal it depending on his actions.
Don't confuse who's the superior and who's the subordinate.
He seemed to be saying with his actions, leaning back on the sofa with his chest out.
Eun-ha sighed.
"What made you think I'm living a second life?"
"It was hard to get this far. There wasn't much I could grasp."
"So how did you figure it out?"
"When you played an active role in the Seoul Disaster, I thought you had the power to see the future."
"..."
"But with the Mana Church's half-soul ceremony terror, it was revealed to the whole world that your gift wasn't
"So?"
"So I thought. Does Noh Eun-ah really have
Choi Jung-hoon spoke calmly.
The story he unfolded after that was something that couldn't be understood with an ordinary person's way of thinking.
It's been 5 years since Pandora Clan announced their gifts.
Choi Jung-hoon says he conducted several experiments over those 5 years to see if Noh Eun-ah or people around Eun-ha had
As I thought, it was Choi Jung-hoon who plotted to reveal Baek-ryeon's existence through the media.
Even the Ain movement wasn't actually meant to attack Pandora Clan, but was a strategy to confirm if someone around me had
Eun-ha inwardly clicked his tongue.
At the same time, he was angry.
Because he touched Ha Baek-ryeon.
Because he tormented innocent clan members to reveal his secret.
"Each time, your responses were strangely a step late. I thought if you really knew the future, you would have dealt with problems before they occurred."
Eun-ha suppressed his anger as much as possible.
He couldn't explode in this place.
That was probably what Choi Jung-hoon wanted.
The more he showed signs of being flustered, the more Choi Jung-hoon would have the upper hand in this relationship.
So Eun-ha didn't fall for the obvious provocation.
He listened to Choi Jung-hoon's story.
Crazy bastard...
As he listened, the story went beyond being outlandish.
The schemes Choi Jung-hoon had plotted for years to uncover his existence all seemed to show his tenacity.
It was obsession.
In some sense, it was madness.
Eun-ha frowned watching Choi Jung-hoon speak in an increasingly excited tone.
"When I thought that maybe you had regressed!"
"..."
"I thought. How could I strike a blow to a regressor who claims the future is theirs?"
"So you plotted this matter?"
"Yes, I thought this plan would definitely be an important turning point in my life. If I could catch you off guard according to my plan, I could have known that you, Noh Eun-ha, aren't an omnipotent being. But I didn't expect to lose like this because of the variable Han Seo-hyeon. I took a big gamble betting my life, but it seems I have no luck with gambling."
"How did you think you could catch me off guard?"
When the story reached its climax.
Choi Jung-hoon dusted off his hands as if he had exhausted everything.
He drank deeply from the alcohol on the table.
That appearance was like a gambler who had bet all his chips and lost everything.
But Eun-ha knew Choi Jung-hoon's eyes were still alive.
So he decided to ask not about the outcome of the gamble, but how he came to set up this game.
Choi Jung-hoon chuckled.
His voice regained vigor.
"Assuming you had regressed, I looked back on the life you've walked. I thought about what kind of life I would live if I regressed, and the answer was obvious. I'd live a more successful life than the previous one."
"..."
"Thinking like that and looking at the ripples you've caused in society so far, a picture emerged. It was a matter of thinking in reverse."
"Thinking in reverse... Tell me."
"I've been curious for a long time. You strangely guarded against me and harbored hostility."
"So?"
"But when I thought about grasping you from the perspective that you had regressed, one answer came to mind. Probably in your previous life, I was one of your enemies. Am I right?"
"...Yes."
Eun-ha frankly admitted it.
Choi Jung-hoon shrugged his shoulders.
So in the previous life, I foolishly turned someone who could regress into an enemy.
He muttered with a bitter smile.
"Assuming I was your greatest enemy, judging by the path you've walked. The situation in the previous life must have been the opposite. The Fairy Government's authority must have fallen due to repeated disasters, and taking advantage of that gap, business groups and people sensitive to the direction of power must have pressured the government."
"..."
"The Fairy isn't just incompetent. She was just unlucky. So Im Ga-eul, who has her own beliefs and is difficult to handle, must have been a troublesome existence to people who prioritized their own greed more."
"..."
"But Ha Baek-ryeon appeared. Then what would those people do? It's simple. After driving out the Fairy, they just need to make Ha Baek-ryeon the Fairy. Corrupt schemers will mold that child to their liking and dominate the political situation. Right?"
"Then, what are you going to do?"
"Yes, I'm glad my assumption is correct. Then in that situation, you must have been in a position supporting Ha Baek-ryeon. Because now you're showing a figure cherishing that child Ha Baek-ryeon. I probably showed the opposite stance to you. Then I could generally grasp how I acted before the regression."
Choi Jung-hoon paused.
He poured alcohol into Eun-ha's glass.
Eun-ha didn't toast.
Choi Jung-hoon clinked glasses alone and drank.
He put down his glass with a thud.
His gaze was fierce.
His eyes flashed.
"─You must have tried to grasp all the economy of this country by putting that child forward. In the previous life, I fulfilled my wish. Right?"
"...Yes."
"The me in the previous life turned someone who shouldn't have been turned into an enemy into an enemy, but I still did it spectacularly. That's why you guarded against me and showed hostility for no reason."
"..."
"Then this matter was really simple. I just had to flip it in reverse."
"..."
"I assumed the worst case scenario and recalled your relationship with business groups. You formed connections with Sirius Group, Alice, and Luminous through strategic marriages. In other words, it means there's a high probability they weren't on your side before the regression. It's questionable whether the top 10 business groups would side with the government in a situation where the government's authority was falling."
"..."
"From that perspective, when I thought about how the conference would have proceeded before the regression, it was obvious. I would have said of course the private sector should operate the railway, and Han Seo-yeon, who's the same type as me, must have said the same. Yeong-won Group... that side's situation is so complicated I'm not sure how they would have acted. Was Yoo Do-jun the group's chairman in the previous life too?"
"Yes, Yoo Do-jun became chairman after beating all his competitors. But I didn't marry the kids for strategy."
"That means Yoo Do-jun completely taking Myeongwang Clan as his blade and revealing the New Humanity Project... can be said to have been achieved by Yoo Do-jun in the previous life too. That guy's a tough one. Strategic marriage... Then was it luck by chance? You were born lucky."
There was no need to lie in this situation.
Choi Jung-hoon had practically grasped Eun-ha's weakness.
Eun-ha could only obediently grade the problem Choi Jung-hoon had solved.
But when Choi Jung-hoon spoke about the future before the regression he imagined, his eyes flashing─
─What should I do with this guy.
Eun-ha also thought about the future.
Choi Jung-hoon had become a dangerous existence.
The situation had become one where suppressing him as much as possible for the stable development of this country had instead become a knife pointed at his own neck.
"Anyway, the rest of the groups would have agreed with my opinion at the conference too. At most, the groups agreeing with the government... There wouldn't have been any."
"No, Yoo Do-jun raised his hand."
"...Yoo Do-jun? That's unexpected. Given that guy's personality, he wouldn't fight a battle he'd definitely lose. No... He would have known we'd win anyway so he acted like that. Since railways ultimately cost a lot, they'd have no choice but to borrow money from Yeong-won, and he must have thought to gain interest. While on the other hand gaining the Fairy Government's favor... Since the future is unknown, did he put his foot in both the business and government sides?"
"..."
"Going back to the story, except for exceptions like Yoo Do-jun, there wouldn't have been any groups trying to side with the government. The business groups would have definitely taken the railway construction."
"Yes."
"In that situation, some groups probably thought like Yoo Do-jun. When others are taking care of my interests, there's no need to clarify my position as left or right."
"..."
"Then Pine Group would have tried to take a neutral stance by abstaining. That's probably why you strangely had no particular contact with Pine, unlike meeting with other group people until now. Pine Group will probably continue to stand in a neutral position and show no interest in the conflict between the government and business groups in the future."
"..."
"That was your flaw. Pine is a group that has enjoyed benefits by taking such a stance. They kept neutrality because it was profitable. But how about this life? Because of you, groups that would have originally raised their voices saying they should construct the railway are divided, and the situation has become polarized between you and me. How would Pine, which hasn't been touched by your hand so far, act in this situation?"
It's simple.
Businesses pursue profit.
Pine Group grasped that one side would enjoy enormous profits due to their choice.
Then, Choi Jung-hoon enticed Pine Group with that profit as bait.
Thus, Choi Jung-hoon's 'Regressor Killing' operation was carried out.
"But I still lost. I didn't lose to you, but to your wife, but the result of losing doesn't change."
It was as Choi Jung-hoon said.
Eun-ha admitted it too.
If Han Seo-hyeon hadn't been there, he would have been caught in Choi Jung-hoon's scheme and lost.
Choi Jung-hoon focused so much on him that he failed to factor in Han Seo-hyeon.
But Eun-ha was curious.
"So why are you confessing my weakness you've finally obtained like this?"
Choi Jung-hoon had clearly lost.
But the future was unknown.
It was just the first defeat.
Someone like Choi Jung-hoon would devise schemes considering Han Seo-hyeon's actions as a possibility next time.
The secret that he had regressed.
That was a weapon for Choi Jung-hoon.
But Choi Jung-hoon didn't even think of hiding that weapon, and openly revealed it like this.
Eun-ha couldn't understand.
Then Choi Jung-hoon chuckled.
"I told you. This opportunity could be a turning point in my life."
"..."
"If I had won this gamble, I wouldn't have feared a regressor. It would have been a matter of making schemes that could catch a regressor off guard anytime."
But I failed.
Although it was due to a variable, the fact that the operation to defeat a regressor ended in failure remains unchanged.
Choi Jung-hoon said so.
By then, Eun-ha could realize why Choi Jung-hoon was revealing everything.
Sure enough─
"─It's the most fundamental error. Why should I be hostile to you?"
"..."
"How much time and cost do I have to invest to respond to an absurd variable like a regressor? The possibility of winning by doing that is ridiculously low. That's..."
"An inefficient thing to do."
"Yes, our thoughts align."
As Eun-ha had thought.
Choi Jung-hoon expressed doubt.
This place wasn't for them to be hostile to each other.
Choi Jung-hoon requested a private meeting to seek a new relationship with him.
Eun-ha finally reached for the glass on the table.
He poured alcohol.
Choi Jung-hoon held out his glass.
"You've gained the power and authority to kill me anytime if you set your mind to it. There must have been plenty of opportunities to kill me so far."
"Yes, that's right. I could kill you right now if I wanted."
"Yet the reason you're not killing me must mean I'm not a subject to be simply excluded, but one to be kept in check. In other words, you've judged that you have something to gain from me."
"..."
It was correct.
Choi Jung-hoon was too capable and dangerous, but he was a talent needed for Ha Baek-ryeon's reign.
So Eun-ha couldn't rashly kill Choi Jung-hoon.
But Eun-ha maintained his expression and didn't say anything to him.
At this place now─
─The one who's lacking isn't me.
It's Choi Jung-hoon.
Eun-ha grasped his position.
Superior and subordinate.
The superior wasn't Choi Jung-hoon.
It was himself.
The reason Choi Jung-hoon was now telling this long story to grab his attention was precisely for this reason.
I am this capable.
I have no intention of becoming your enemy.
He's earnestly pleading to turn my heart.
As Choi Jung-hoon said earlier.
Eun-ha could kill him.
Leaving Choi Jung-hoon, who had noticed the secret that he had regressed, would someday become a source of trouble.
Then he should cut off the source of trouble.
Although he would suffer the loss of losing a talent like Choi Jung-hoon, he could block the variable itself that could change the future.
Knowing Eun-ha's nature like that, Choi Jung-hoon was trying to propose a new relationship by revealing the secret rather than using it.
"If you and I join forces, we can handle this country as we please. If need be, I'd be satisfied even with the second-in-command position."
"I have no such thoughts."
"Then do you want the Fairy Government to completely dominate this country? No, Ha Baek-ryeon is by your side... You want to exclude things that could harm that child's authority when she becomes the Fairy in the future."
"Yes, that's right."
"After that... I don't know yet."
"..."
"Okay, then let's do this. I don't want to turn you into an enemy. So I won't give up my ambition. Even if I can't reach the highest position in this country, I'll be satisfied right below the Fairy. Then can't we have a good relationship?"
The glass Choi Jung-hoon held out could be interpreted with that meaning.
It meant to form an alliance with him.
Clink
Eun-ha stared at that glass for a while before clinking his own glass.
Then Choi Jung-hoon chuckled.
He drank the alcohol in one gulp.
Eun-ha also drank in one gulp.
And─
"─I'll accept the proposal, but I still can't trust you."
Eun-ha finally decided then how to handle Choi Jung-hoon.
☆
How to deal with Choi Jung-hoon.
It was a difficult problem that Eun-ha hadn't been able to decide even after living 27 years.
The usefulness of Choi Jung-hoon as a talent.
And the danger.
He was a complex existence to Eun-ha.
He's not someone I can kill without concern like Hong Jin-woo, but I can't make him my person either.
Murder, threats.
Persuasion, enticement.
None of these were solutions to resolve the existence called Choi Jung-hoon.
Of course, Eun-ha had magic that could brainwash people.
But Stygian Eye is not okay.
Choi Jung-hoon's mind would collapse.
If he was going to use Choi Jung-hoon once, it would be fine to use brainwashing magic.
But Choi Jung-hoon was the only counterweight to Sirius Group.
He couldn't use and discard someone who could check Han Seo-yeon's solo system just once.
For Ha Baek-ryeon to rule this country, Choi Jung-hoon and Han Seo-yeon were needed.
So he had been constantly worrying, but─
─If you come out like this, it's different.
Just as you revealed your inner thoughts to me, I can just reveal mine too.
I can just go all out.
His current self was different from before.
He still didn't have the power to brainwash Choi Jung-hoon, but now Eun-ha had power that could substitute for that.
Not brainwashing, but─
"─How can I trust you when you might betray me later? So I'll put a restriction on you."
"Restriction?"
Put a restriction.
Whatever Choi Jung-hoon's true feelings were, he currently had the intention to form an alliance with him.
So he would make that heart continue to maintain, no, have no choice but to maintain, by putting a restriction.
Eun-ha waved his hand through the air.
Wormhole
Magic that handles space.
Eun-ha put his hand into the rippling empty space.
"...!!"
At that moment, Choi Jung-hoon's complexion changed drastically, and he collapsed onto the sofa.
He clutched his chest.
Eun-ha calmly looked down at him.
He waved his hand again.
Wormhole
Ripples occurred in another space.
The ripples split.
Eun-ha spread the ripples wide.
He moved the space so Choi Jung-hoon collapsed on the sofa could see.
"Can you see this?"
"..."
Eun-ha's hand inserted into empty space.
That hand was revealed in the split space.
Choi Jung-hoon just stared at the space while clutching his chest.
It wasn't just the hand.
Thump thump
There was something bright red.
It was pulsating as if alive, held in his hand.
Choi Jung-hoon instinctively realized.
"..."
"It's your heart."
Although it required quite a bit of control.
Eun-ha had connected the space to inside Choi Jung-hoon's body.
He giggled while tapping Choi Jung-hoon's heart with his finger.
"You, just what..."
"Why? Can't even your brain understand? How is this possible, you ask."
"..."
"Living life twice makes it possible. No matter where you are, if I set my mind to it, I can now grasp your heart. Like this."
"...Kugh...!"
So the heart doesn't burst.
But enough to burden the body.
Eun-ha gently squeezed the heart.
Just with that, Choi Jung-hoon couldn't help but lose his composure.
He frowned.
It's not because of pain.
The mental shock would be greater.
Who could maintain composure when shown their heart right before their eyes?
Even a genius can't overcome fear.
Eun-ha felt ecstasy at making Choi Jung-hoon tremble in fear without using brainwashing magic.
"From now on, I'm going to put one restriction on your heart. Kang."
"Kang!"
Eun-ha called Kang.
Kang sitting by his leg immediately responded to his wish.
Kang lent his power.
Adding Kang's power to the wormhole... Combining these two powers, I can do things I couldn't do before.
Kang's ability wasn't simply to grant lightning attributes.
Just as Buldak could use purification power in addition to basic flames, Kang could also use powers derived from lightning attributes.
It's binding.
In other words, restraint.
And restriction.
Clank!
Kang became iron chains and tangled around Eun-ha's hand.
Eun-ha moved the chains and sent them into the split space.
The chains wrapped around Choi Jung-hoon's heart.
Then the chains melted.
"Cough...! Wh-What are you..."
"Don't worry. It's not physical so there won't be problems in daily life."
"What is this..."
"A restriction."
"..."
"If you ever become hostile to Baek-ryeon, the chains will burst your heart. Even if you die like that, no one will be able to notice the cause of your death. Ah, you know what happens if you tell my secret too, right?"
"...If I become hostile to Ha Baek-ryeon, you say?"
"Yes, since I've put a magical restriction too, you probably won't be able to stab me in the back."
"..."
"Even so, someone like you will try to find loopholes and look for opportunities. That's fine too."
Eun-ha pulled out a tissue.
His hand was covered in blood.
It was Choi Jung-hoon's blood.
Eun-ha roughly wiped the blood with the tissue and continued speaking.
"I can burst your heart anytime if I judge that you've harbored different intentions. I've already input the coordinates of your heart."
"...This is absurd. Do you really think this is an alliance?"
"I don't know what you think, but that's what I think."
"..."
"There's only one way for you to form an alliance with me. You just submit to me."
Form an alliance with Choi Jung-hoon?
That's not even funny.
Eun-ha couldn't trust Choi Jung-hoon.
Because he couldn't trust him, Eun-ha decided to subjugate him after much deliberation.
His current self had enough power to do so.
Eun-ha stood up from his seat.
"Ah, now I feel at ease. I've been worrying about how to deal with you, but thanks to you creating this opportunity, I was able to reach a conclusion. Thank you."
"...Noh Eun-ha."
"I'm leaving. Let's do well from now on."
"Do you think I'll just take this?"
"Of course you won't just take it."
"Yes, I'll submit to you for now, but someday I will find a way."
"Someone like you would. Dream of that day and submit without rebelling. As long as you don't touch Baek-ryeon, I have no intention of interfering."
Eun-ha didn't deny it.
Choi Jung-hoon would someday find a way.
But now he wasn't afraid.
When that time comes─
─I'll be even stronger.
Then I can just put an even stronger restriction on him at that time.
No, at that time I can just kill him without needing to put a restriction.
Such a troublesome guy won't be needed anymore by then.
"You really are arrogant."
"I wouldn't be me without arrogance. But arrogance with basis is confidence. So crawl from now on."
Watching Eun-ha leave through the door.
Choi Jung-hoon evaluated him like that.
Eun-ha snorted.
Only a loser with that much power can walk the path of a loser.