Kim & Kang Technologies
💻💻The Foreign System💻💻
📲CHAPTER_2
"You're right in time, Kid" Mrs. Min-Ji patted Ji-Ho's head as she stepped out of the building to meet him.
Mrs. Min-Ji was a young widow who lived opposite his place and was nothing more than the age of 30.
Ji-Ho believed it wasn't right to pry into her private life so he never asked her about her past.
She was the only good person to him in this city and the one who paid him monthly.
Enough won to survive the next month.
Because of this, he always made himself available to help her even when his schedule was tight.
"Our working equipment is in the truck so we can leave now," The Young woman told him and they found their way to the red truck at the side of his road.
"You're leaving for school after this run?" She asked, seeing he was wearing his school bag behind him.
"Yes, it's best I leave from work" Ji-Ho replied and forced a smile.
"Is there something bothering your mind?"
When Ji-Ho heard this, he tilted his gaze in her direction and forced himself to lie, "Sure, I'm just nervous about the trip to Kim and Kang Technologies"
In truth, he was scared of what Kim Nana and her friends might do to him today.
Mrs. Min-Ji drove the truck away and midway turned to him to say, "Kim and Kang Technologies is one of the biggest companies in Korea. Do you know why they are that popular?"
"They research the gifted humans... It's a big thing" He responded intelligently and she nodded before continuing, "People believe in the nearest future they'll develop a way to make normal humans like us become gifted"
Ji-Ho's eyes dimmed in shock, "Really? I thought it was more of enhancing the abilities of those who have abilities already"
She laughed cheerfully, "Humans desires and cravings are wild, Kid. Life isn't about money. Money doesn't control the world"
He wasn't understanding what she was talking about so he bit his lower lip and said innocently, "But money makes you above everything. You can control anyone and buy what you want"
A forced smile curved at the corner of the woman's lip, "Power supersedes Money. With Power, money becomes useless. You must have heard of the gifted humans who robbed banks successfully. Have you also heard about elites in society who were assassinated by a gifted person? Money gets you what you want. Power takes what it wants "
" We're here "She added and got down from the vehicle.
Ji-Ho got down too but couldn't wrap his head around what she was talking about.
How can she say money was nothing?
Money places one at the apex point in society, right?
In five minutes, They offloaded the equipment, and Officer Choi himself led them to the yard where they would be working.
'Holy shit!' Ji-Ho whispered. Just as described, the colony was a big one.
The bees were clustered around the branch of a tree and only a few flew around to pollinate the flowers around.
"Did this happen overnight?" Mrs. Min-Ji asked curiously as she looked closely at the colony.
"Yes, Is it a problem?" Officer Choi inquired.
"Not at all. We've moved a Hive bigger than this before" She smiled and nodded assuredly.
They soon got to work.
Dressed up in work outfits to protect their skin just in case the bees get agitated and decide to attack.
Min-Ji was an experienced beekeeper who carefully scooped the bees into the box Ji-Ho was carrying and in about an hour, they were done there.
"Why didn't you first take the Queen as usual?" Ji-Ho questioned as they locked the truck and got into the vehicle together.
Mrs. Min-Ji pulled her hair behind her and responded, "The Queen was buried deep inside the Hive. If you try to forcefully get to it, the colony will mark you as a territorial threat and attack. Taking the Queen first only eases the work as the workers and drones will follow the Queen, and you don't have to scoop them. But then, a single mistake can be catastrophic. A wrong move that marks you as an enemy is fatal even in protective clothing "
"You're really good at this, Mrs. Min-Ji" Ji-Ho bowed his head slightly in respect and she whispered, "You're not bad either, Ji-Ho. Will you let me drive you to school?"
He raised his head, "Um... No, the students are to meet up at the location. I'll grab a cab and be there"
Seoul High had no school bus because it was a school for the rich and gifted.
Students would preferably bring their expensive vehicles and drive around in pride.
A few numbers had their rich parents bring them over but not Ji-Ho.
"Have a nice day, Ji-Ho" Mrs. Min-Ji cheerfully waved at him as she drove away.
Ji-Ho got a cab and off to the location.
In the backseat where he was seated, he pulled out his phone to check the time and was relaxed seeing he had about an hour left.
Casually he checked his WhatsApp messages and was shocked to see an announcement on his class newsboard group.
'Kim and Kang Technologies exploration will begin at 8 am instead of the previously announced time. All students are to be at the venue 30 minutes before the time'
His heart began to pound fast and he felt hot inside the vehicle.
"Hey Kid, are you alright?" The cab man noticed his uneasiness from the mirror.
"Can you drive faster please?" Ji-Ho begged, almost in tears.
He would be in trouble with the teacher who always sought the slightest opportunity to punish him.
The message was sent at 6 am that morning and unluckily for him, he never checked his messages because no one ever texts him.
Only messages from groups would come in.
No one wanted to be his friend because he wasn't rich and had no ability.
The drive took approximately twenty minutes and as soon as the vehicle came to a halt, Ji-Ho jumped out and paid the cab man before running straight for the Kim & Kang building.
He raced up the entrance staircase and made for the glass door when the security team in a black tuxedo and shades at the entrance stepped in his path.
"Stranger... Did you lose your way here?" One of them questioned, with a threatening gaze as he approached the boy who tried to compose himself.
Ji-Ho could feel their aura and instantly understood they were gifted.
"Sorry..." Ji-Ho bowed respectively and said, "I'm a student of Seoul High"
The men stared suspiciously at him and Ji-Ho did not argue with them as he pulled his ID card and flashed it before their eyes.
The man with a baton squinted his eyes as he glanced through the information and soon blurted out, "You're the Ji-Ho kid?"
"You've heard of me?" Ji-Ho scratched the back of his head in surprise.
"Who hasn't heard of the odd human in Seoul High? The only aura you emit is that of poverty and weakness" When he made fun of Ji-Ho, The others burst into laughter and dispersed because he couldn't be a threat.
The leader of the securities sneered at him as he wasn't significant.
Even an ungifted rich man would emit an aura that makes him noticeable and feared.
Ji-Ho here was shabbily dressed and his shoe was that of a bankrupt shoe brand from years ago.
'So poor and empty 'He thought.
"Even without powers, you break rules. Students from Seoul have been here since an hour ago. Hurry after me before I change my mind"
He strolled away.
The young Ji-Ho was used to public ridicule so he wasn't moved and hurried after the head of Kim & Kang Securities.
They got into an elevator and the upward motion soon began.
JI-Ho was nervous as he slowly tapped his feet on the floor of the elevator.
Not long after, the carriage came to a stop and the double door pulled open revealing the one he least expected to see.
It was Jang Mi, a member of the Apex group, Nana's friend.
She was there last night when he was getting his ass whopped.
Her expression turned ugly and she sneered, "We thought you had ended up in the hospital but how can we forget you cannot afford the bills?"
She moved into the elevator and purposely brushed her shoulder over his.
Ji-Ho quickly stepped out and the head of securities bowed respectively before Jang Mi before joining Ji-Ho.
" You're an enemy of the Jang young Miss, so much to know about you in a short time"
He ignored the man and followed silently behind him.
Soon they appeared at the end of the hallway where richly dressed students were hovering around a middle-aged woman whose voice Ji-Ho clearly recognized.
Everyone turned around in Ji-Ho's direction and he bowed in head in embarrassment.
"... This Kim & Kang device can detect a gifted person in close proximity. Can you believe what tech--" Mrs. Lee Hyori, the Science teacher had to pause abruptly because the students' attention seemed to have been divided.
She looked narrowly and her mood turned deadly as she recognized Ji-Ho with the Head of Securities.
" You've grown some nerves, Boy. How dare you arrive late? Even the significant in the society adheres. Young Miss Nana has been here since 7 am. Who do you think you are?" The Science teacher was enraged and from the corner of Ji-Ho's eyes, he could see Kim Nana glaring at him from the corner where she stood with her gang.
" I'm sorry, Miss Hyori" Ji-Ho apologized politely, "I didn't see the message about the change of time early"
She sneered, "Excuses. That's the only thing you have to complement your emptiness. I won't let you spoil my mood. I'll punish you when I see fit"
Mrs. Hyori rolled her eyes at him and continued speaking, "So... We... Where was I? Graagh!" She tightened her fist, "Five minutes break"
The students made to disperse when the teacher shouted, "Wait up everyone! Has anyone seen my drive?" She looked around, "Where did I drop it?"
She ran her fingers over her blonde hair and the students all paused to look at her.
Ji-Ho's eyes squinted for a moment because he had seen the teacher's external hard drive with Jang Mi when she entered the elevator.
Did Mrs. Hyori forget the collect the drive from her?
"You look suspicious, Ji-Ho. You took it, didn't you?" The gossip queen blurted out and he raised his head to see her lips pouted.
Ji-Ho didn't hide his sudden expression so several students got to see it.
"That's right, we all can afford a drive except you"
He tightened his fist in anger, "You all can hate me all you want but never associate me with theft. I just came in here. Moreover, the drive is with Jang Mi. Mrs. Hyori must have forgotten it with her"
Ji-Ho wasn't in the mood to let this matter go far so he told what he knew.
Silent ensured in the room and Ji-Ho wondered why until the science teacher yelled, "You mean Young Miss Mi stole my drive?"
'What? ' Ji-Ho was shocked, "I only saw her with the drive"
"You're such a liar. Why would Jang Mi take the teacher's drive? You must have done it" Jang Mi's boyfriend shouted in rage, he was part of the Apex group and stood boldly behind Kim Nana who had a neutral gaze on Ji-Ho.
This was when Ji-Ho realized he had misunderstood the situation.
The science teacher never gave the drive to Jang Mi who was now returning to the scene.
"What's going on?" She rolled her eyes around because the students' eyes were on her.
Without a word, Mrs. Hyori approached her and snatched the handbag she was carrying.
As much as she despised her student Ji-Ho, he just arrived and couldn't have stolen her drive.
The only one the teachers feared in Seoul High was Kim Nana so Mrs. Hyori could be bold to confront anyone.
The science teacher wasn't insignificant either.
Her husband was a powerful person in society, the director of a known enterprise in the City.
She pulled out the red external drive from Jang Mi's bag and raised it to her face, "I'm disappointed in you. Your parents are not enemies of my family so I'll let this go by but don't think of yourself so high to steal my things. Five minutes break, Y'all"
The science teacher turned angrily from them.
"You!" Jang Mi's boyfriend sneered in Ji-Ho's direction and knowing the deep sh*t he had gotten himself into, he took to his heels.
Mrs. Hyori had turned around and wasn't aware of what was going on.
"Let's deal with that bastard!" Seo Do-yoon, Jang Mi's lover whispered at the gang members and took off after Ji-Ho.
The others followed him quickly except Kim Nana who bit her lower lip and turned her face away.
Jang Mi followed them and the students giggled knowing the loser was done for.
Ji-Ho was almost in tears as he ran down the hallway, engulfed in fear as the voices of his pursuers sounded behind, "Stop right there! You loser! If you don't stop we'll kill you today"
"How dare you expose my woman! You seek death" Do-Yoon accused bodly and pushed his hands forward at a great speed.
A strong force threw Ji-Ho over from behind and he collapsed heavily on the internal balcony rail ahead.
Do-yoon sole ability was telekinesis. An ability to move objects without touching them.
He was at the lowest level of his ability and could not control heavy objects but Ji-Ho was weak and could be thrown easily.
Kim Nana had telekinesis alongside other abilities.
She was a rare kind of gifted who had multiple abilities at a time.
Her telekinesis was on another level.
Ji-Ho groaned as he tried to roll over the rail but his strength could not carry him.
He lifted his head to see the gang of five approaching and couldn't help but look below.
That move was a big mistake as he realized he was hundreds of feet from the ground.
The Kim and Kang building was built in a way that left a void space at the center of the building, one that an elevator passes through to the underground phase.
The fear of height pricked Ji-Ho's heart and his fingers slipped off the rail.
"No..!" He cried with a loud voice as his body fell freely in a downward motion.
Tears flowed freely down his cheek as the strong wind passed through his body.
The gang of five were shocked and rushed over to the rail but he was long gone into the underground phase.
Ji-Ho's fragile body crashed on top of a transformer and his spine twitched out of place.
Blood spurts out of his mouth as he broke almost all of the bones in his body but his suffering was only beginning as the electricity from the transformer passed through his body.
The Apex gang could hear his loud cries from the distance above but couldn't see what was going on.
Ji-Ho entire body was soon electrocuted and he couldn't move even a finger.
His voice was stuck to his throat but he could feel the excruciating pain in his system.
The current from the transformer burnt his body in the blink of a second and he was now nothing but a black skeleton that still had a few flesh and dying organs.
His heart pace was slowly reducing and sparks slowly flashed at points in his body.
"Oh my God!" Exclaimed Mi Cha who had zoomed the underground with her Samsung device and got a view of the roasted body of Ji-Ho.
She was the youngest among the Apex gang and wasn't a gifted human as the others but her father, Park Yoo-taik, was the current governor of the Bank of Korea.
The others looked into the screen and their jaw dropped in shock.
"He's dead" Park Mi Cha stammered with her fingers shaking but she managed to hold her phone still.
The sight was horrific to look upon.
Do Yoon sneered, "He deserves it. Let's leave before someone finds us"
He pulled his girlfriend into his arms and walked away.
The others followed suit quickly except for Mi Cha who took a shot of his body before hurrying after them.
Meanwhile in the hallway to the transformer house in the underground phase...
"Catch that damn insect! The bosses will have our necks... Gragh!" Shouted a chubby man in a guard uniform to the others who were also in uniform as him.
They were equipped with butterfly nets for catching insects.
The guards were gifted beings as they moved at impossible speed, climbing walls and flying midair to catch a lone bee gliding around.
The golden-yellow colored and brown bee was extremely fast as it buzzed and swerved before their eyes.
They were desperate to catch the insect.
"Fvck!"
The guards collided with themselves and cursed only to realize the bee was nowhere to be found.
"Find that fvcking insect!" The leader yelled at the others and they spread around.
Electricity was still sparkling around Ji-Ho's dying body when the insect dived into the room.
It made to fly upward but stood to spin around, moving closer to the body.
Ji-Ho's heart took its final beat and that was when the insect shot backward and passed through his open ribs, penetrating its stinger into the organ.
There was an easy entry as the insect vanished into his heart and the organ glowed yellow instantly.
Almost immediately, the heart sprung to life and began to beat normal, still glowing yellow.
Mysteriously, fresh flesh began to appear on Ji-Ho's body and he dropped from the transformer to the ground.
The old burnt flesh shredded off like scales and all of his dead organs began springing back to life.
In one minute, Ji-Ho was lying naked on the ground with no traces of burn on his skin.
He was fine.
"I found someone here" One of the guards who walked into the room announced and quickly carried Ji-Ho's body to the hallway.
The others appeared from the other rooms and gathered around the body.
"He's alive. What's a naked kid doing here? This area is restricted to non-workers" The leader said and poked Ji-Ho's face with his finger, "Hey kid, get the fvck up!"
He grabbed the boy's neck and turned him over to face him but was shocked by what he saw.
Ji-Ho's eyes were luminous yellow and there was an evil grin at the corner of his lips.
"What the..." Before he could react, Ji-Ho's fist moved incredibly fast and punched his chest really hard.
The fist broke through his ribs and plugged his heart out of position.
A big hole burst at the back of the leader and the organ shot out, smashing against the white wall and there was a burst.
Thick red blood flowed down the wall.
He dropped dead to the ground with a big hole in the chest.
Everyone's eyes almost dropped out of its socket in shock, "Leader....Team Leader Hyeong!"
They staggered back and quickly pulled the pistol behind them.
Ji-Ho groaned loudly and let down his head in pain.
He had woken up with a terrible headache only to realize he was no longer in control of his body.
He was conscious of everything but his brain was issuing out commands to other parts of his body, and he couldn't stop it.
But then, why was he feeling different?
Pur! Pur! The guards opened fire at him from all around and the bullets bore holes into his body but he felt no pain.
What's going on? He fell from that height and was shocked by whatever he felt.
The only pain he felt was the one in his brain and a burning sensation in his heart.
"Attack!" The men roared and plugged at him, grabbing him from every direction.
'Astral Destruction' A feminine voice chuckled inside of his head and he wasn't sure where that came from.
Before he could comprehend what had happened, a very powerful energy surged inside of his system and he felt an explosion within.
Ji-Ho's vision went blank for a moment and all he could see was the color red.
A loud ring voice reverberated inside of his head and ear for about a minute.
Slowly his vision was restored to behold to horror in the hallway.
The white walls were completely painted red with blood trailing down and the smell was surprisingly pleasant to his nostril.
What's going on?
Ji-Ho looked around and his heart began to pound fast on seeing the dismembered bodies piled up and the fast-flowing blood on the floor.
He raised his head to see body parts hanging in the ceiling which was also dripping with blood and that made his breathing hard.
Ji-Ho looked at himself and realized he was completely covered in the blood of these dead people.
No, there was no way he killed these people.
The last thing he remembered was the woman's voice in his head and then....., this?
[Host System Found]
A bright yellow screen appeared before his eyes and he groaned in slight pain.
[Soul Binding Successful]
[Human Avatar Chosen]
What's going on?
This message appeared before his eyes. What are they?
[Avatar/Host: Jin Ji-Ho]
"I'm dead, right?" His mind was in a mess because he was so sure he didn't survive.
He was lost in darkness after crashing here but a hand out of nowhere had pulled him.
Was this what death felt like?
'Oh human, you are just perfect for me?' The soothing voice of the female sounded in his head and now he was so sure someone was talking inside of his brain.
What? Jin Ji-Ho wasn't sure what to think about.
[System Activated]
[Host Takes Control In 1seconds]
Ji-Ho's eyes blinked nervously and instantly all the pain in his body vanished.
"What the fvck!"