Choyun muttered under his breath, just loud enough for himself to hear.
"Sneak Peek."
The air shimmered.
A translucent purple window unfolded before his eyes.
[ Target Information ]
Name: Myeong-soo
Overall Rank: E
Intelligence: B
Potential: D
Choyun's gaze lingered on the numbers.
"…As expected."
His expression didn't change, but a quiet sense of confirmation settled in.
His intelligence is low.
"It's simple, Mr. Secretary."
My voice was calm—almost bored.
"He's been ignoring us. Every time I ask him for money, he brushes me off like I'm not even family. I've had enough of that old man."
The secretary's eyes narrowed slightly, but I continued before he could interrupt.
"So one day, I took his private journals. Along with them, I gathered everything else—his secret donors, the people he bribed, and the deals he's been hiding for the past ten years."
I met his gaze without hesitation.
"I think that's more than enough to finish him."
For the first time, the secretary's expression cracked. Surprise… and something close to admiration.
"…You're selling your own grandfather?" he asked slowly.
I shrugged. "He sold us first."
The man studied me for a moment before speaking again.
"So, what do you want in return?"
"Nothing big," I replied. "Just a few million won. I'll finish high school by next year, and after that… if you could help me find a job, I'd appreciate it."
The secretary suddenly laughed.
A low, amused sound.
"Good. I'm in a good mood today."
He pointed toward a suitcase resting beside the desk.
"Fifty million won. It's all there. It was meant for someone else—but if you really have that information, it's yours."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming.
"Bring me what you promised… and the money is yours."
I activated the card.
"Silver Tongue"
The world didn't change—but the man in front of me did.
"But first, I need to know about your party. If you really want to help me eliminate that old man, then I need to know how strong your party actually is," I said calmly.
"Tell me everything — your party's internal dealings, every dirty thing you've done over the years… and most importantly, everything you know about Gu Mayor Ma Tae-san."
The effect was immediate.
Myeong-soo's pupils dulled slightly, his posture slackening as the influence seeped in. His loyalty to Ma Tae-san wavered, overwritten by the fabricated trust the system had planted inside him.
To him, I wasn't a threat.
I was an ally.
"I… I have everything," he said slowly. "The slush funds. The illegal zoning permits. Even recordings involving the chairman of the construction union."
He reached for his laptop, fingers moving with mechanical precision. Files opened one after another—names, numbers, transactions. Then he pulled a silver pendrive from his pocket, his hand trembling as the data transferred.
"Here," he said, extending it toward me. "Everything you need to understand our power. Now… where are the journals?"
I took the drive.
The cold metal rested heavily in my palm.
The weight of the 15-day quest eased slightly.
"I'll bring them to your office tomorrow," I replied, my voice returning to its usual calm, detached tone. "You made the right choice, Secretary."
With that, I turned away.
Suitcase in hand.
Leverage secured.
And one step closer to owning Gangbuk.
I passed the bodyguards without a word, my face a mask of indifference. I didn't look back until I was safely inside the car.
"Alfred, go home. Quickly," Choyun said. He pulled out his phone and dialed.
"Grandfather , I got it."
On the other end of the line, my grandfather fell silent.
I could almost picture the look on his face—confused, doubtful. He probably thought I was joking.
But I didn't have time to explain.
"Come to my house," I said flatly. "We'll discuss everything there."
There was a pause.
"But… your mother," he said carefully. "She won't allow me to—"
"It's fine," I cut in. "I'll handle her."
And with that, I ended the call.
Back in the private room at The Azure Terrace, the air seemed to clear.
Secretary Myeong-soo sat blinking, the smoke from his cigarette stinging his eyes. He felt a strange, lingering warmth in his chest, but his head was pounding.
"What...?" he whispered, looking at his open laptop.
He remembered meeting Kim Rak-hun's grandson. He remembered talking about the journals. But the middle of the conversation was a blur, like a dream he was trying to grasp as he woke up.
'Did I give him anything?' he wondered, checking his pockets. His silver pendrive was gone.
"Wait," he muttered, standing up unsteadily. "Why was he here? Did I... did I drink that much?"
He walked to the door and looked at his bodyguards. "Did that kid leave?"
"Yes, sir. About five minutes ago. You told us not to disturb you," the guard replied.
Myeong-soo rubbed his temples. He felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of exhaustion. His mind felt like it had been scrubbed with sandpaper. He had been in this game for twenty years, but for the first time, he felt truly old.
"Maybe Rak-hun was right," Myeong-soo sighed, leaning against the doorframe. "Maybe it's time to retire. My memory... it's failing me. I don't even remember the deal we made and I even gave that suitcase to him ."
He shook his head, unaware that he had just handed the keys to his master's kingdom to a boy who was barely seventeen.
On the highway, Choyun stared at the silver pendrive.
'Silver Tongue is powerful,' he thought. 'But it's a temporary shadow. It hypnotizes the logic, but it doesn't rewrite the soul like a Brainwash card would. I need to move fast before he realizes what's missing well even if he know now he can't do anything and if he tell someone about this he will be the one to die by his master's hand.'
looking out at the lights of Seoul, the map in his grandfather's office flashing in his mind.