After receiving his first mission, Valentin knew the system wanted him to help the male lead.
Since it was already morning, Valentin dressed up in his usual black suit, cooked a light breakfast and headed out to complete his mission. He had received the memories of the previous host of his body, so finding the way to the male lead's current house was easy.
After his parents' deaths, Seojin lived with his uncle and aunt. They were a distant relative of Seojin's. Valentin parked his black car in front of their house and pressed the doorbell. They lived in a neighbourhood known for being inhabited by rich people.
"Seojin, go get the doorbell!" a woman yelled inside.
A dangerously skinny boy opened the door with a dirty mop in his hands. The dark bags under his eyes highlighted his tiredness. The boy returned to his mopping duty after letting the man in.
Seeing the familiar face in the entry, the woman rushed to the door and welcomed the man.
"Oh my, good morning, M. Judge, what brings you here?" The aunt led him to the living room and prepared some tea.
"I'm here to talk about the trial," Valentin said.
"Yes, sure, please go ahead."
"The court has decided to keep Seojin under their watch before the trial. We think that it might be safer to keep him with us," he lied.
"It's a bit sudden, but we will cooperate with you," the woman replied. She glanced over at the boy cleaning the kitchen and murmured, "Everything is going according to plan, right?"
"Yes, madam, no need to worry."
The aunt nodded and called the boy over. She was glad to get rid of the leech. They were forced to take him in after his parents' funerals.
"You'll be leaving with the judge. Don't cause any trouble," she warned.
Seojin left the house along with Valentin without any baggage. During the ride, they stayed silent. As they arrived in the mansion, Valentin ordered the maid to take care of the kid.
[Ding!
Congratulations on completing your first mission.
Reward: Ability to force someone to say the truth (duration: 1 hour)]
The man snickered as he walked to his bedroom for a nap. This was the perfect reward for his plans. All that transmigration sucked his energy, he had to rest a bit.
When Valentin woke up, it was already the afternoon.
Seeing the young master of the house, the maid reported, "Sir, the boy you brought home hasn't eaten anything while you were sleeping."
Valentin told her not to worry. He headed to the kitchen and cooked a quick meal. Even in his past life, he cooked for himself because he was picky about food. He set up the table with white rice, warm soup, vegetables, and meat.
Going upstairs, he knocked on the door where the boy was staying and told the boy to come downstairs to eat. Reluctantly, Seojin followed him into the kitchen. He wanted to know why the judge brought him to his house. The boy sat on the long kitchen table and stared at the food blankly. Since his parents' death, he hasn't seen good quality food. He only ate food that was perished and often stayed on an empty stomach because he wasn't allowed to eat.
Seeing that Seojin was looking at the food hesitantly, Valentin said, "You should eat or the food will get cold."
Sitting face to each other, Valentin could see the boy more clearly. His black hair slightly covered his pale blue eyes. The purple and dark bruises on his arms were also noticeable. Sensing the man's gaze, the boy hid his arms under the table.
"What do you want from me?" Seojin asked vigilantly.
"I want to help you," Valentin responded honestly. "Don't you want to get revenge?"
The boy snickered, snatched the metallic knife from the table and pressed it to the judge's neck. "Don't lie to me. I know you were bribed by my uncle." His hands weren't trembling, and he aimed for the most fragile part of the neck.
'Weird,' Valentin thought. Seojin became a killer in the novel, but he didn't know that his actions would trigger him to have thoughts of killing this early. Maybe it was a butterfly effect, since he interfered. Valentin did find the boy amusing, though. If it were someone else, maybe he wouldn't be so willing to help them.
Surprised that the judge didn't flinch from the knife near his neck, Seojin put the utensil down. From what everyone said, he thought the judge was a coward, but it seemed like everyone was wrong. Was it just an act?
"You can kill me later if I lie to you, but don't you think I'll be useful to you? Not to boast, but I'm one of the richest in the country. I have a high status, too," Valentin said.
With his unlimited wealth, he was the richest on earth.
Seojin looked at the man in front of him hesitantly. He was certain that the judge had been bribed by his uncle. But it didn't seem like the man was lying to him about helping him. He had no choice but to wait to see whether the judge was truthful or not.
"How will you help me?"
"Just stay and watch. I'll send the people who killed your parents to prison," Valentin promised.
Not having eaten for days, Seojin gulped the food down. He didn't care anymore. He just wanted to forget that he was now alone in the world. Why did the killers let him live?
After finishing eating, the boy returned to his room and slept. It was the first time he had slept in such a big room. It was unfamiliar but comfortable. He hoped that what the judge said was true. He hoped to have someone he could trust and rely on.
Noticing that the boy didn't have any luggage or necessities, Valentin asked the butler to go buy clothes and washing tools for Seojin. Sitting on the sofa, Valentin scanned through the novel again and thought about the next steps. When the butler finally arrived home from his commissions, Valentin placed the bags beside Seojin's door.
Since he was given the mission to help the male lead, he had to do his best. He had to be the back support of the boy who lost his loved ones.
[Warning!
The assassins haven't fully completed their mission. They will come back again to kill Han Seojin.
Mission: Prevent them from killing Han Seojin.]