"Son. It's good to see you back at the main estate."
"You're right, Father. I really should have visited more often."
In a high-end restaurant on the middle floor of the building, Shin Gi-Deok and Shin Man-Soo were having a meal and chatting casually like any ordinary family. Then, Shin Man-Soo asked.
"...Why don't you quit that lowly job as a sanctioner and finally come back home."
At his father's words disparaging his profession, Shin Gi-Deok laughed it off.
"A lowly job? That's a misunderstanding, Father! A sanctioner is an honorable profession that contributes immensely to Korean society. Above all, when I am engrossed in my work, my heart grows warm and I feel truly alive."
"You feel warmth from slaughtering people like a butcher?! How the hell did you turn out like this!"
Unable to hold back, Shin Man-Soo slammed his fist on the table, but there was no change in Shin Gi-Deok's expression.
"If you're asking how I turned out like this... Watching you beat Mother to death when I was young was the defining moment, I'd say."
At those words, Shin Man-Soo raised his voice even more to hide his embarrassment.
"That was nearly ten years ago!! How long are you going to hold a grudge over something so trivial!?"
"Haha... A grudge? I'm actually thankful, you know? Mother was a shackle to me as well. But the moment you killed her, Father, I felt absolute catharsis! And I finally realized what I truly love doing!"
"You monster..."
"Ah, and today, I'm planning to euthanize the shackle known as you. No need to thank me. We're family, after all."
As Shin Gi-Deok snapped his fingers, the private soldiers who had been guarding Shin Man-Soo pointed their rifles at him all at once. Shin Gi-Deok had already contacted the private soldiers and bribed every single one of them!
However, Shin Man-Soo kept his head down and chuckled. Had he lost his mind? Not at all!
"Well, you probably thought you were being clever... but you're too naive!"
This time Shin Man-Soo snapped his fingers, and the private soldiers immediately turned their muzzles toward Shin Gi-Deok. The expressionless faces of the soldiers were now full of mockery and ridicule aimed at the son.
"Did you get your hopes up, son? No matter how much you pay them, all I have to do is pay them more!"
"Oh, dear. To think the soldiers I bought would betray me. I 'really' had no idea."
At that exact moment, the bodies of the private soldiers exploded simultaneously. The electronic barrier activated automatically, saving Shin Man-Soo, but he was left completely disoriented.
"Wh-What happened!?"
"It's nothing much. I figured they might betray me, so I slipped 'nano-bombs' into their drinks. They drank it right down, relieved thinking it wasn't poison."
"You crazy psychopath bastard!"
"Don't get the wrong idea. If they hadn't betrayed me, I wouldn't have detonated them. They purely brought this upon themselves."
Shin Gi-Deok pulled out his beam sword and tried to slice his father in half, but the electronic barrier protecting him blocked the strike.
"Damn it, soldiers! Get in here and kill this bastard!!"
The remaining forces rushed in and surrounded Shin Gi-Deok. Taking advantage of the gap, Shin Man-Soo frantically began to run toward the rooftop.
"Look here. Most of your heavy hitters just died in that explosion; are you really still going to fight? If you work for me from now on, I might just spare your lives."
"You arrogant little...!"
The soldiers replied to Shin Gi-Deok's proposal with gunfire. After effortlessly blocking the attacks with a mana barrier, Shin Gi-Deok blinked out of sight and instantly reappeared behind one of the soldiers, blowing his head clean off.
"I hope the other three are doing their jobs well... In the meantime, I should have a little fun!"
***
The regular staff on the first floor had no idea what was happening upstairs. In fact, they would never know.
"Ugh!? My body...!"
Suddenly, their bodies convulsed, and they collapsed, foaming at the mouth, unable to get back up. The private soldiers, who always wore gas masks while on duty, were unaffected and immediately realized this was an enemy attack.
"Damn it, enemy reinforcements on the first floor too...!"
Before the soldier could finish his radio transmission, his body slumped down helplessly along with the crack of a gunshot. The one who shot him was Kim Yong-Soo, holding an automatic rifle.
"Fuck... Did they even hire Seo-An-Dang...!"
"I'm here too, you know?"
Carbon-coated swords flew through the air and accurately lodged into the soldiers' vitals. Of course, it was Yu-Han.
"Hey, Poison Moth lady? Got an extra gas mask? What are you gonna do if I get poisoned too?"
"...Block it yourself with magic. Or just die."
Kim Yong-Soo gave a stern reminder to the two who were bickering.
"You haven't forgotten, right? The client's objective is to 'eliminate every single witness without exception'..."
Yu-Han picked up the rifle dropped by a dead soldier.
"I really love classified jobs. I get to shoot a gun for the first time in a while. Swinging a sword around every day like a caveman gets pretty damn tiring, you know."
Smiling, Yu-Han began to channel his mana into the rifle.
***
Meanwhile, Shin Man-Soo was heading up to the rooftop via the EV. But the lights went out and the EV ground to a halt. It seemed they had cut the power from below.
"To think they couldn't even hold off four measly people...! Have the heavens truly abandoned me?"
Shin Man-Soo blew the doors away with magic and began to climb the stairs. It had been almost ten years since he had last climbed stairs to get anywhere.
"Damn it... Why are my steps so heavy...! I mean, I do smoke and drink frequently, lack exercise, and have high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia, but I don't think that's the cause...!"
Looking back at his ankle, Shin Man-Soo discovered a hand tightly gripping his leg. A pale woman was holding onto him, trying to drag him down into the dark.
And Shin Man-Soo knew exactly who it was. It was his dead wife.
[Why did you kill me...! Our family made you a lawmaker!!]
"You gave me a child and did your part, wasn't that enough!"
[I won't forgive you!!]
'Is this... black magic...!?'
Shin Man-Soo was certain. For the record, the standard for black magic in Korea is simple: any magic that Koreans dislike or can't understand is treated as black magic.
Regardless, Shin Man-Soo gathered his mana and decided to repel this specter with sheer willpower.
"I need more money and power!! I will absolutely live a stable life, enjoy golf and yachts, take a new wife, and live in peace!! A mere specter cannot break my iron will!!"
It seemed even this vengeful ghost couldn't withstand Shin Man-Soo's resolute determination. Shin Man-Soo had personally proven an old Korean proverb that the living are scarier than ghosts.
'I used too much mana... But, once I reach the rooftop, my helicopter is there!'
Struggling onto the rooftop, Shin Man-Soo threw open the door to his autonomous helicopter. As he sank into the plush leather seat, he was certain of his victory.
'I can just hire as many private soldiers as I want later! How dare they mess with a lawmaker... I will definitely bury those four! I'll hold Kim Je-Hyeon and the Seo-An-Dang pest accountable too!'
Carrying his inflated dreams, the autonomous helicopter took off. But... there was one crucial detail he had overlooked. That a 100% autonomous helicopter comes with the risk of being hacked.
"!?"
The helicopter staggered wildly in the air, and then the engine completely died. It began to plummet straight toward the surrounding buildings. No matter how much he protected himself with magic, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to survive that kind of impact.
"Farewell, Father. I will inherit and manage your wealth and power with care, so rest in peace..."
Having stepped onto the rooftop at some point, Shin Gi-Deok pretended to wipe away a tear while watching the helicopter crash in a fiery explosion. Soon after, the other three arrived on the rooftop as well.
"Oh, have you already eliminated everyone? You guys truly are incredible experts. It was a real honor working with you!"
"Skip the praise and just give us the money."
Yu-Han coldly shot down Shin Gi-Deok's pleasantries. The other two clearly agreed with that sentiment.
"I'll transfer the payment immediately! More importantly, to celebrate, I'd love to personally treat you all to pufferfish sashimi. I actually have a license to prepare pufferfish. Anyone in?"
"""Pass."""
The three spoke in unison and immediately turned to leave. Watching them walk away, Shin Gi-Deok sighed.
"I guess they think a murderer like me would poison the food... I really hope this prejudice shatters someday! Maybe then they'll understand my sincerity..."
***
That night, Alice was wide awake, deep in agonizing thought. Yu-Han was definitely out committing dishonorable acts. But since she had never believed Yu-Han was a saint who went around doing good deeds, that wasn't exactly the core problem.
What Alice truly couldn't stand was the fact that she was benefiting from his very actions.
"..."
At that moment, the center's entrance opened, and Yu-Han walked in. Alice hurriedly rushed over to him.
"What is it? Again."
"...Who did you kill this time?"
"All the employees and private soldiers in Shin Man-Soo's building. Well, there were probably plenty of innocent civilians among the staff."
"So, a sanctioner really is just a murderer, right? And I'm no different..."
At Alice's words, Yu-Han spoke coldly.
"Obviously. If you dig deep enough, this industry is practically just contract killing."
At those harsh words, Alice hung her head low. Seeing her reaction, Yu-Han added.
"Wanna quit even now? Since you're a robot, you can easily change your hair color and face, and just live comfortably under some other identity."
"Who said I'm quitting?"
When Alice looked up, her eyes weren't filled with despair at all.
"I'll get stronger than I am now... and make it so you never have to do things like that again!"
"...But as long as you're a sanctioner, you still have to kill people."
"At the very least, I won't become like that guy Shin Gi-Deok!"
Yu-Han completely lost interest at Alice's ridiculous boldness.
"I prided myself on being good at spouting nonsense, but looking at you now, you're spouting even worse bullshit than me."
"Just wait and see if it's nonsense or not!"
"Huh, I shouldn't have even stopped by. What a waste of time..."
As Yu-Han and Alice bickered, there was someone quietly eavesdropping from the shadows behind the wall. It was Kim Ga-Eun.
'Alice C... Why do I get the feeling that you're far more suited for Yu-Han C than I am...'
With eyes filled not with anger but profound sadness, Kim Ga-Eun quietly bit her lower lip...