Chapter 7 - Plan to escape

Seon, having witnessed the cruelty of the individuals in charge, began to exercise caution. He ceased his excursions outside the orphanage and devised a plan to incapacitate the nanny and the dean with the same substance they administered to the children. One day, he stealthily entered the dean's office and successfully located the capsules he had inadvertently observed previously. After verifying the shape and color of the pills stored on the dean's shelf, he discreetly mixed them into the grounded coffee beans. Given the close relationship between the dean and the nanny, who often shared a cup of coffee daily, Seon carefully added a measured amount of the pills—neither too many nor too few. Once this task was accomplished, Seon blended in with the other children, pretending to be another student under the influence of the drug. This was particularly timely, as the orphanage was undergoing renovations in anticipation of the arrival of an unknown wealthy young master. As Seon awaited the right moment, he noticed that the dean and the nanny, affected by the drugs, began to forget essential daily routines, such as prayer times, and occasionally even missed the mind control sessions, which were the primary purpose of the institution. This lapse provided Seon with an opportunity to sneak outside once more. Time was of the essence for Seon, especially with the impending increase in drug dosages. Despite the dean and nanny's forgetfulness, their obsession with success meant they likely had numerous backup plans. Therefore, Seon needed to act swiftly. After sneaking outside, he approached the owner of the local supermarket, posing as a servant from a wealthy household. He began by complimenting the quality of the vegetables and fabricated a scenario in which a rich family found ordinary items to be a novelty.

He subsequently collected a substantial amount of information by employing a combination of persuasion and intimidation towards the owner, who revealed that a villager visits the city biweekly to trade market products for his own goods. He then returned to the orphanage, where he observed the dean laughing excitedly in the corridor while conversing on the phone, which he found suspicious. He discreetly followed the dean, evading the surveillance cameras. After several days of exploration, Seon Soon adeptly identified the blind spots, allowing him to avoid the risk of climbing onto the roof unless absolutely necessary.

The Dean of the orphanage suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the room as he picked up the phone. Seon stood quietly nearby, watching intently as dean started speaking on the phone. "Master, we are happy to announce half success toward our mission. Please send a new batch soon so we can record the effects of the drugs. We've already used the doses on the children, and they've reacted as expected. Now, we need fresh subjects to observe the effects on ordinary people. Once we have that data, we can compare the dosages between the addicted and the fresh subjects. Then, we can insert our people for the grand mission, which will take place in three years. Before then, we'll be prepared for all sides. This time, we will definitely overthrow Captain Jane and Eastern Crops."

Seon didn't hear any response from the other side of the phone. They weren't speaking on speaker mode, and the silence didn't bother him. The only thing that mattered was the plan moving forward. The names Captain Jane and Eastern Crops were the two key pieces of information Seon had picked up today. He didn't know who they were exactly, but from the way the Dean spoke, these people were powerful—potential enemies of the Dean or whatever the young master was. Seon's focus remained on the mission. The rest didn't matter.

After listening to the conversation, Seon quietly slipped away to his usual place for thinking—the lecture hall. As he sat there, processing the information, the pieces began to fall into place. From what he'd overheard, the Dean and the mysterious, nameless young master were conducting these experiments with one goal in mind: to go against someone named Captain Jane and Eastern Crops. They were planning something major in three years. But none of that was Seon's concern. What mattered was how he could use this to his advantage.

Seon had made up his mind. He would somehow find a way to get the information about the drugs to Captain Jane. Not that he trusted them completely, that they would come and save the people here. He didn't need to understand the details of their plans; he just needed a distraction—a commotion big enough to give him a chance to escape.

As for the other kids in the orphanage, there was no hope for them. They had already been turned into human weapons, their minds stripped of independent thought and replaced with obedience. Seon had once entertained the idea of simply staying here and living among them until his time came, but deep down, he knew it wasn't the right choice.

He couldn't ignore the growing feeling that something more awaited him. For reasons he couldn't explain, he'd always held onto the belief that someone, or something, was waiting for him outside of this place. He had once thought there was nothing wrong with the orphanage, that his memories of arriving here were fine. But now, after learning about the cruel realities hidden within these walls, he was starting to doubt his memories. A sense of unease had been creeping in, growing stronger by the day. There was something—someone—he needed to remember. And that feeling made his determination to survive burn even brighter.