Chapter 171

― Whoooa! What is, what is this situation?!
– The underdog, the underdog’s rebellion!
– Who would have thought!
For some reason, the normally flippant broadcaster’s tone was tinged with surprise. It wasn’t hype or viral. Everyone watching the game was stunned.
– ‘Justdream’ player who was sure to be relegated!
– We beat the supposed champion of the season, Strongberry!
The announcers’ call sent the crowd into a frenzy. It was a once-a-season, once-in-three-years event. Even Justdream’s detractors applauded.
“Waaah! This is amazing―!”
“Mommy, when I grow up, I want to be a stirrer!”
The cheers that erupted from both sides pierced my eardrums. Deafening decibels. Chelsea’s body shook from the heat that filled the stands.
Chelsea finally regains her composure and looks at her device.
[Win!]
[19,009,291,322C]
I almost dropped the device. A device weighing less than 200 grams felt as heavy as a steel bar. It was a weight that encapsulated the colorful future that lay ahead.
It wasn’t until then that Chelsea realized.
“Waaaaaaaah!”
Betting rate of over 90% Successful bets for life.
Chelsea has become the king of capitalist society. The scene flashed by like the pages of a paperback book.
After splurging on all sorts of luxuries, she went to work in sunglasses and a mink coat.
“Chelsea, are you crazy, AWOL and late to work?”
Ekidna nagged me as if I’d been waiting,
Chuck!
“Do not come any closer.”
Bodyguards in black suits blocked Ekidna’s way. Chelsea gracefully accepted a handkerchief from one of the bodyguards. She wiped away the droplets and tossed the handkerchief to the ground.
And a sigh.
“Shameless.”
“What the…!”
I kicked open the door to the president’s office, leaving the speechless director behind. Inside the room was Kim Yi-hyun. His face was as impassive as ever as he looked up from his papers.
“SP? Hand over what you brought.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kim jumped to her feet as she took the paper bag the bodyguard held out to her.
“Sah, my resignation…!”
He kneels in front of Chelsea, his complexion pale as a sheet. He quickly became upset and grabbed her crotch. This time, no bodyguard restrained him.
“Chelsea, I made a mistake. Without you, we’re screwed!”
“In case you didn’t know, I’m not that evil.”
“Oh, you’re not quitting, are you?”
“It’s your choice.”
Chelsea jawed again and the bodyguard thrust the papers at Kim. Kim’s eyes rolled as she took the paper, and her hands began to shake.
“You’re going to buy my company for… 15 billion…?”
“Take your pick.”
Again Again Again.
The sound of her high heels hitting the floor was clear. Chelsea sat cross-legged in the president’s chair where Kim had been stitching just moments before.
“Miss me or have me as your boss.”
“Bam! How do I……!”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I looked at his anguished face.
“Oh-ho-ho―!”
And,
Follow me!
“Poohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
Chelsea woke up from their slumber.
He lifted his upper body off the bed and looked down at himself. Plain boxers with tiny holes here and there. No expensive mink coat on him.
“You’re kidding.”
The gap between my dreams and reality left me feeling despondent. But it didn’t last long. I was told that the reason for the dreams was because I wasn’t sleeping well, but it was actually refreshing.
That wasn’t all.
“Third place! Crazy!”
It’s like winning a lottery where the fifth or worst ticket wins the third prize.
“Uh-oh, Chelsea, hold on.”
“What? What is it?”
“Take the bread. It’s baked well today, heh, heh.”
“You’re just going to give it to me? That’s suspicious.”
“You’ve been fooled, like it or not.”
“I didn’t say no, thank you very much!”
An unscrupulous bakery owner who sells waste food and gives you freshly baked bread.
“Eek!”
Until Yalmiun Ekidna saw her fall on her way to work.
“What are we doing today, playing Toto with the company?
It was a strangely lucky day.
As much as I would have thought so.
“I wish every day was like today.
It was a foolish wish.
I had forgotten. What life had really been like for twenty years. That Chelsea had never been lucky or blessed in her life.
“…… Tell me again.”
I heard the news as soon as I got to work.
“Who was here yesterday?”
“Gemma Putty. Age 46.”
A name pressed to your chest like a black mark.
“She claims to be your mother.”
* * *
Around lunchtime.
“It was pretty intense.
Recalling the conversation from a few hours ago, Kim swallowed a sigh. There hadn’t been any commotion. Chelsea had merely listened in silence.
Outwardly, he showed little reaction. Her moods usually show on her face easily, though not as much as Asterike’s, but she kept her face impassive, as if her emotions had been cut out.
However, Kim recognized the hidden gem.
“I don’t even feel like I’m Chapter.
The fire has long since been extinguished. The stage of anger had long since passed, and only resignation and depression remained. It was like candle wax that had been left to spill and congealed again.
“That’s understandable.
Chelsea’s family history was no secret to Kim. Unbeknownst to Chelsea, her past was already widely publicized.
It was in the game, of course. A side story. As with most agents, Chelsea’s past was consumed as a piece of content by users.
The time period itself is set after Kilikia has been taken over by the Legion. The content opens with Chelsea taking part in a war of annihilation. It’s told in a way that alternates between present day and flashbacks.
‘Which means you’re dead by then.’
Chelsea’s parents only appear in flashbacks. Whatever life they had in the past doesn’t directly affect Chelsea in the present.
Not now.
-Jemma Putty, Citizen Fifth Class. That was pretty close.
“Close call.”
-You have a history of specific mental illnesses such as depression, delusional disorder, anorexia nervosa, or insomnia. You’ve been prescribed multiple medications, and you may be addicted to them.
That’s awful. Kim Yi Hyun was tongue-in-cheek.
“Do you have a criminal record?”
-It looks like you’ve committed some misdemeanors.
“How is it still not outlawed?”
-I’m sure it’s partly due to my medical history.
The more I listened to Kabek’s explanation, the more my head hurt. I didn’t feel the slightest bit happy for my teammate’s family. Because I remembered the Chelsea side story.
‘It’s a shit house, like something out of a painting.
A father who is a poor man who earns but spends too much. A dependent mother who loves her husband but doesn’t care about her children. A daughter who had to grow up faster than others because her parents were immature.
“The way you’re acting makes me wonder if you’ve grown up.
In any case, Chelsea’s desire to succeed is unquestionable.
“Don’t you have any normal kids in your house?
In a way, it was a no-brainer.
Or not. Many of them come from ordinary families and have lost their families to disasters and monsters, or were orphaned in the first place.
Or that they abandoned their family.
“But you’re fast at collecting data.”
-Dustbourne, your citizenship is long overdue, as is your family history. Besides, Chelsea, you’re Kilikian, so you’re bound to have a lot of records.
“You’re surprisingly honest.”
-Wouldn’t it hurt feelings if we told each other what we know?
“That’s right.”
Kim laughed softly. It was no secret that the Council had been looking into Dustborn’s members. Maybe it was still ongoing.
It wasn’t something to complain about.
As we’ve just seen with Gemma Putty, Congress has been giving her a lot of breaks. Of course, it’s because of their track record, but they wouldn’t be as trusted if they didn’t have to go through the filter.
“How do you respond, by the way?
We didn’t hear what Gemma’s reason was right away. Yesterday, Kim answered the phone, but when Chelsea said she was out of the office, Gemma ran away.
He says he’ll be back soon, and the three of them will see you.
“It’s even more offensive because I feel like I know what’s going on in your head.
Why bother to bring in a third party that has nothing to do with the family.
-Jemma Putty and Brandon Putty, I’ll send you their materials, please check them out.
You opened a file sent to a confidential contact. Two citizens’ information appeared on the screen. A woman with Chelsea’s same pink hair and a man with a scruffy appearance.
I looked through the records and sighed.
“I get this one.
There will never be a touching Chapter.
* * *
Suddenly, old memories came flooding back.
It was a rainy day. It was Chelsea’s second month as a bounty hunter. She’d shot and killed her first man, and she’d gotten her first big paycheck.
There was not a single penny left in her hand.
-Eat this and fall off.
I remember fumbling to pick up the wad of bills I threw down. The bills were covered in blood. It was blood from a gaping wound that I had only treated with first aid. My first kill was not easy.
It was a lot of money for them, but apparently it was light.
-I don’t consider you family.
-Never again, never again…! Get out of my life.
-I’ll kill you if you try to sift.
Chelsea had become a legalized killer, a bitch who didn’t deserve the grace of having given birth to and raised her. It wasn’t so bad. As long as she had a gun, they didn’t dare come near her.
It’s only now that I think about it.
Everything has an expiration date.
“Didn’t I tell you?”
The eyes that lost their firearms. I stared into those damn pink eyes.
“Don’t ever get in my life again.”
There was no hint of anticipation in her words. She didn’t want anything from Gemma. She just didn’t like the way things were.
“I don’t know how you even know this place, but I’ve been living pretty well since you guys cut me off. I don’t go hungry, I don’t do drugs, I don’t go through garbage bags, I don’t sleep on the street for fear of getting beaten up.”
“…….”
Click.
The silent nail biting gets on my nerves more. He doesn’t seem to be listening seriously. I didn’t want to waste my emotions, so I stood up on my butt.
“I’m sorry for the hassle, Mr. Boss. I’ll kick him out.”
“Do what you’re comfortable with.”
I was grateful and ashamed at the same time. I was trying to force Gemma out.
“Ooh, ooh, my little girl.”
“All of a sudden, it’s like, “Oh, this is bullshit, that’s it.”
I thought it was a pity party. Until I saw the snake-like curve of his eyes.
“My daughter, ah, ah, don’t you want to see her?”
“Ha. It’s been a long time coming, but finally-”
“Your brother.”
It was pronounced differently than it was just now.
“My husband took our daughter away from us.”
“…What?”
“He’s only 6. I took him outside.”
Chelsea paused at the unfamiliarity.
“Well, my husband’s not coming home.”
His eyes, the same color as his own, were young with light. It was desperation and certainty. That Chelsea wouldn’t abandon her little brother if he were my father.
“Can you find it?”