Chapter 5. Night of the Negotiator
The black sedan was quiet.
The inside of the car felt like a completely different world from outside.
The smell of leather seats.
The low hum of the engine.
Streetlights sliding past the windows.
Kim Do-yoon sat in the back seat with his hands resting on his knees.
Only a short while ago, he had been on the school rooftop.
Before that, he had been inside a sewer in another world.
And now...
He was sitting inside a car provided by the chairman of a major medical foundation.
It did not feel like a single day.
It felt as though several different lives had suddenly overlapped.
Do-yoon looked at his reflection in the window.
There was still blood and dust on his face, but his features looked somehow different.
His jawline was sharper than before.
His eyes no longer looked dull.
Even the blemishes on his skin had begun to fade.
He had not suddenly become handsome.
But there was no doubt.
He was changing.
The power of the other world remained in his body even after returning to reality.
That realization made his heart beat faster.
The young lawyer sitting in the front passenger seat quietly spoke.
"Kim Do-yoon."
Do-yoon raised his head.
The lawyer looked to be in his early thirties.
Neat suit.
Thin glasses.
Calm voice.
He had introduced himself earlier.
Seo Ji-hoon.
A lawyer on the legal team of the Han Myeong-jae Medical Foundation.
"You don't have to answer any questions I ask from this point onward."
"What?"
"More precisely, you can speak with me before answering anything."
Do-yoon looked at him.
Seo Ji-hoon had a document envelope resting on his lap.
"What happened at school today is complicated."
"Han Seo-yeon collapsed."
"You gave her an unknown liquid."
"You were on the rooftop with Park Tae-seong."
"And there was blood on your clothes."
Do-yoon's fingers stiffened slightly.
Seo Ji-hoon noticed.
But he did not press further.
"I was instructed to protect you."
"But in order to protect you, I need at least a minimum amount of information."
"What if I don't tell you?"
"I'll protect you anyway."
Do-yoon narrowed his eyes at the unexpected answer.
Seo Ji-hoon spoke calmly.
"Those are Chairman Han Myeong-jae's orders."
"But the less you tell me, the less complete my defense can be."
Do-yoon looked out the window.
People were walking along the roadside.
Students eating cup noodles in front of a convenience store.
Office workers looking at their phones at a bus stop.
Delivery motorcycles.
Only a few hours ago, Do-yoon had belonged entirely to that world.
Someone protected by no one.
Someone who had to endure everything alone.
But now...
A lawyer was sitting beside him.
The change felt unreal.
Do-yoon spoke quietly.
"It was a potion."
Seo Ji-hoon's hand stopped for the briefest moment.
"A potion..."
"Medicine that heals injuries."
"Where did you get it?"
Do-yoon did not answer.
Seo Ji-hoon waited a moment, then nodded.
"You don't intend to explain that part yet."
"No."
"All right."
"Then this is how we'll handle it."
"You happened to possess an experimental treatment whose source cannot be disclosed."
"You used it in good faith during an emergency."
Do-yoon frowned.
"Will that actually work?"
"It would be difficult if the other party were an ordinary person."
"But Han Seo-yeon survived."
"And Chairman Han Myeong-jae is coordinating the incident."
Do-yoon repeated that word inwardly.
Coordinating.
He liked it.
Reality did not move according to the truth alone.
The shape of an incident changed depending on who was controlling it.
Until now...
Do-yoon had always been the one being controlled.
The people bullying him were turned into kids who were merely joking.
The victim, Do-yoon, was turned into an oversensitive student.
But this time...
Someone was controlling the situation from Do-yoon's side.
Seo Ji-hoon continued.
"There's one thing you need to understand."
"Today's incident cannot be completely buried."
"There are too many witnesses."
"And CCTV footage exists."
"Then what happens?"
"There are two options."
Do-yoon looked at him.
"First, we deny everything."
"You know nothing."
"Han Seo-yeon's recovery is explained as coincidence or the result of early emergency treatment."
"Is that possible?"
"It is."
"But if the students who saw the potion start talking, rumors will spread."
"What's the second option?"
"We classify it as confidential research material."
Do-yoon narrowed his eyes.
"Research material?"
"An emergency stabilizer currently being developed by a research institute under the Han Myeong-jae Medical Foundation."
"You had some connection to the foundation through a scholarship screening process and happened to be carrying a sample."
Do-yoon nearly laughed.
It was a lie.
But it sounded convincing.
No.
It sounded so convincing that it was frightening.
"So that's how reality gets rewritten."
Seo Ji-hoon did not deny it.
"Reality remains as records."
"What matters is who writes those records."
Do-yoon carved those words into his mind.
Records.
CCTV.
Written statements.
Hospital records.
School documents.
Until now, Do-yoon had possessed no records.
Bruises disappeared.
Insults vanished into the air.
The teachers' neglect was never written down.
Now...
He needed records.
And he needed to use those records as weapons.
The car entered an underground parking garage.
Han Myeong-jae Medical Foundation Central Hospital.
Do-yoon was overwhelmed by the size of the building.
Glass walls.
Bright lights.
Medical staff moving busily.
A quiet but heavy atmosphere.
It was a place where human life and money moved together.
The car stopped.
Seo Ji-hoon got out first.
"The chairman is waiting."
Do-yoon stepped out.
His legs wobbled slightly.
The damage from the sewer still remained.
He had used most of the potion on Han Seo-yeon, so his own injuries had not been properly treated.
Seo Ji-hoon noticed.
"Are you all right?"
"I'm fine."
"You don't look fine."
"I'm used to it."
Seo Ji-hoon's expression stiffened for a moment.
But he said nothing.
Do-yoon entered the hospital.
The hallways were white and clean.
The complete opposite of the sewer in the other world.
Yet strangely...
Do-yoon felt that the two places were similar.
In the sewer, monsters bared their teeth because they wanted to survive.
In the hospital, people revealed money and power because they wanted to survive.
The methods were different.
But everyone wanted the same thing.
To live.
They took a private elevator to the top floor.
When the doors opened, a hallway resembling a luxury hotel appeared.
It was completely different from the ordinary wards.
The floor gleamed quietly.
Expensive paintings hung on the walls.
Seo Ji-hoon opened the door to a small conference room.
Han Myeong-jae was sitting inside.
Beside him sat a middle-aged woman.
Pale face.
Red eyes.
Neat clothing.
The moment she saw Do-yoon, she stood.
She was probably Han Seo-yeon's mother.
The woman approached him.
"Are you... the student who saved our Seo-yeon?"
Do-yoon awkwardly lowered his head.
"That's what happened."
The woman's lips trembled.
Then she suddenly grabbed Do-yoon's hands.
"Thank you."
"Thank you so much."
Do-yoon froze.
Gratitude.
He had almost never had someone hold his hands like this.
People usually pushed his hands away.
Avoided him.
Looked at him as though he were dirty.
But this woman was holding his hand with both of hers.
Do-yoon did not know how to respond.
Han Myeong-jae quietly spoke.
"Honey. Do-yoon is injured too."
The woman finally noticed his blood-covered uniform.
"Oh my goodness."
"Shouldn't he be treated first?"
Han Myeong-jae nodded.
"That's why I brought him here."
Do-yoon became tense.
"I don't need treatment."
Han Myeong-jae looked at him.
"We need to check your condition."
"You mean you want to examine me?"
"Only as far as you agree to."
"And if I don't agree?"
Han Myeong-jae remained silent for a moment.
"I won't force you."
Do-yoon looked into his eyes.
It did not seem like a lie.
But he could not fully trust him either.
At that moment, the inner door of the conference room opened.
Han Seo-yeon entered.
She was wearing a hospital gown, but color had returned to her face.
She looked completely different from the girl who had been dying in the school hallway.
She stopped when she saw Do-yoon.
"Kim Do-yoon... right?"
Do-yoon nodded.
"Yeah."
Han Seo-yeon slowly approached.
"Did you really save me?"
Do-yoon hesitated.
Han Myeong-jae.
Seo Ji-hoon.
Seo-yeon's mother.
All of them were watching him.
Do-yoon answered briefly.
"I happened to have some medicine."
Han Seo-yeon clearly did not believe that was the whole story.
But she did not ask further.
She quietly lowered her head.
"Thank you."
Do-yoon awkwardly looked away.
Strange.
That was the second time today.
Someone had thanked him.
Twice in a single day.
That alone made him feel as though he had entered the wrong world.
Han Myeong-jae spoke.
"Seo-yeon, go outside with your mother for a moment."
"Dad."
"It's fine."
"We're only going to talk."
Han Seo-yeon looked at Do-yoon one more time before leaving.
The door closed.
The atmosphere in the conference room changed.
The mood of grateful parents disappeared.
The atmosphere of negotiation settled in.
Han Myeong-jae placed a document on the table.
"Kim Do-yoon."
"I owe you."
"Then repay me."
Seo Ji-hoon's eyebrow moved slightly.
Han Myeong-jae, however, smiled.
"Good."
"Clear and simple."
He pushed the document toward Do-yoon.
"First."
"Our legal team will handle the school-related problems."
"If you want, we'll gather evidence related to school violence and proceed with criminal or civil action when necessary."
Do-yoon looked at the document.
"Second."
"For the time being, we'll provide a vehicle and protective personnel whenever you travel."
"Officially, you'll be under the Han Myeong-jae Medical Foundation Scholarship Protection Program."
Protective personnel.
In other words...
Bodyguards.
Do-yoon's heart pounded.
"Third."
"We will not directly contact your mother until you want us to."
Do-yoon's expression changed.
"Don't involve my mother."
His voice sounded colder than even he expected.
Han Myeong-jae slowly nodded.
"That's why I included the third condition."
Do-yoon looked at him again.
This man was dangerous.
But he was not stupid.
He understood which boundaries should not be crossed.
"In return..."
Han Myeong-jae lowered his voice.
"I want something too."
Do-yoon had expected that.
"The potion."
"Is that what it's called?"
Do-yoon paused.
Had he said too much too easily?
But it was already done.
"That's what it's called."
A small light appeared in Han Myeong-jae's eyes.
"Can you get more?"
"Yes."
"How much?"
"Not a lot."
"Regularly?"
Do-yoon did not answer.
He could not give away too much information.
Han Myeong-jae thought for a moment.
"Fine."
"I won't make unreasonable demands from the start."
"One sample bottle."
"That's enough."
"And what do I get?"
"You decide."
Do-yoon stared at Han Myeong-jae.
Money.
Of course he needed money.
But if he demanded a huge amount immediately, it would attract attention.
A massive amount of money entering a minor's bank account would create problems.
Before money...
He needed a structure.
Do-yoon slowly spoke.
"A company."
"What?"
"It doesn't have to be under my name."
"But I need a legal way to receive money."
Han Myeong-jae's gaze became serious.
"Are you really a high school student?"
"That's exactly why I need it."
"If I simply receive money, people will become suspicious."
Seo Ji-hoon spoke for the first time.
"We can structure it as foundation scholarship payments, research cooperation fees, or patent consulting fees."
"But because you're a minor, there are legal guardian issues."
Do-yoon thought of his mother.
Working at a restaurant every night.
Always looking exhausted.
Always apologizing to him despite everything.
He could not tell her all of this.
Not yet.
"Please handle it in a way that doesn't inform my mother."
Seo Ji-hoon replied,
"It will be difficult to hide everything completely."
"But if it's structured as a scholarship, it can look natural."
Han Myeong-jae nodded.
"For now, we'll register you as a special scholarship student."
"Living expenses."
"Medical support."
"Academic support."
"To outsiders, that explanation will be enough."
Do-yoon thought about it.
Not bad.
The most natural explanation for why a poor student suddenly began living better.
A scholarship.
But that was only the beginning.
"And make sure the school can't touch me anymore."
"I've already given instructions."
"Park Tae-seong."
Han Myeong-jae's eyes moved slightly.
"You know his name."
"Look into his parents too."
"Why?"
Do-yoon remained silent for a moment.
He could not keep hiding everything.
A negotiating partner had to receive at least some information.
"He's been bullying me for a long time."
Han Myeong-jae closed his eyes briefly before looking at Seo Ji-hoon.
Seo Ji-hoon immediately wrote it down.
"I'll investigate."
"I'll decide later whether I want him punished."
Seo Ji-hoon looked up.
"Direct retaliation is not allowed."
Do-yoon looked at him.
"I know."
"Do you really?"
"Yes."
Do-yoon remembered the dagger.
Its tip buried in the concrete beside Tae-seong's face.
Not stabbing him had been the right choice.
In reality...
Documents were stronger than knives.
Recordings.
CCTV.
Statements.
