By Zephyria 
Cheonggang Mining & Energy, also known as CME, has its headquarters in Central and distributes requests via messenger.
Naturally, unless it’s an unusual situation, no one directly encounters the contract mercenaries. Even in the rare face-to-face meetings, it’s usually the employees who go to the site.
However, Jin Mu-hae has visited Central for a few jobs in the past. It’s a privilege for a mercenary who has handled outsourcing without accidents for so long.
Even so, it only amounted to entering through the back door of the building and staying in the basement for a short time. Thanks to that, he got to see the city without going through troublesome procedures.
“This way, please.”
So, this treatment feels honestly awkward. The Company employee came down to the first floor as soon as he received the call and is guiding them directly.
Mu-hae needlessly adjusted his neat coat collar and followed the suit-clad man. The elevator they boarded was heading above ground, not below.
“It’s our first time meeting in person!”
It’s a completely different person from the employee he briefly saw before. The air reeks of someone with little experience, probably the result of the department’s lowest of the low passing the buck.
The reason was obvious without even needing to think about it. Outside Central, even in areas not included in formal residential districts. Mercenaries are a profession chosen only by the most hopeless guys in those places.
The situation of having to treat someone they had looked down on with respect must be unpleasant for the high-nosed Company guys.
Finding the sight quite amusing, Mu-hae grabbed Joo-oh’s head by the scruff of his neck, who was looking around, and stopped him. He didn’t want them to show off their slum-dweller status to them.
“Please, come in. What would you like to drink?”
“Juice.”
Joo-oh confidently demanded fruit-flavored juice. His arrogant attitude of acting like he’s entitled to food anywhere he goes has never been more pleasing than today.
A reception room with one wall finished in glass, offering a panoramic view of the city. One eyebrow rose askew at the generous treatment of being invited to the headquarters and having an employee assigned to them.
It’s obvious to anyone that they want something. Even though it’s a meeting he agreed to out of necessity, he feels uneasy about what they might ask for.
“You’ve been reducing your work with us recently. It seems your main job is keeping you busy.”
The man casually brought up the topic. He’s cleverly asking if he’s going to quit being a mercenary now that he’s got a position in the defense force.
Mu-hae pushed his share of the juice bottle to Joo-oh and shook his head slightly.
“That has a big impact, but… I won’t quit working right away. I can’t let my skills get rusty, even if it’s just to teach someone.”
Above all, there are hardly any jobs in this city that involve going in and out of the outer districts as much as being a mercenary. If his circumstances were better and he had a decent job, he would have put his father’s keepsake in a drawer and be planning to rob a pawn shop by now.
“That’s good. If a capable mercenary helps us, our work will become much easier.”
He knows there are already several mercenary teams that they outsource to, but the employee flattered them to an almost burdensome extent.
As expected, after stalling for time by taking a sip, he carefully handed Mu-hae a tablet.
On the wide screen was a business plan filled with annoying vocabulary. Written in bold at the very top was ‘Media Promotion Plan for Improving Corporate Image and Raising Awareness’.
“…….”
Promotion? He almost asked out loud but swallowed it down. It was something he never even imagined being proposed by the Company, of all places.
The image of the energy industry in Goryeo City isn’t particularly bad. If anything, the only widespread perception is that the work of mining it is dirty, arduous, and dangerous.
But isn’t that the truth? Both miners and mercenaries are expendable to them. Not only because they can be used and discarded, but because they die and disappear on their own without needing to be discarded.
Reading the following content, it seemed they were aware of that much. They focus on ‘CME employees working hard day and night for the city’ and try to package their industry somehow by attaching a famous mercenary next to them.
“This is an unexpected proposal.”
“We plan to pay you sufficiently. We’ll also consider your schedule and provide as much convenience as possible.”
They’re being humble for Company guys, but the attitude of having considered his circumstances was annoying. Besides, Mu-hae also has something he wants from the Company today, so the more humble he acts, the less he’ll get.
Jin Mu-hae pretended to ponder and tapped the table before nudging Joo-oh’s shin with his toe.
“Hmph. Boring.”
His innocent face spouted out pre-programmed lines like an automaton. He even yawned conspicuously, as if he was about to leave any minute.
“It’s understandable that you’re tired. You got off work late from the defense force yesterday.”
“The Deputy gave me a bonus to get some rest.”
“Deputy ‘Sir’, you mean.”
“Deputy Sir.”
Of course, that never happened, but there’s no way for the Company to verify it. As if mercenary work is now trivial, Joo-oh rattled on about the defense force.
“Annoying. Everyone secretly comes to me and asks to see Jin Mu-hae’s medal.”
“As if you’d bring that to work.”
“Exactly.”
After making the other person sit like a backdrop and chatting back and forth for a while, impatience slowly crept into the employee’s eyes.
Only then did Mu-hae adjust his posture and slyly make his suggestion.
“Ah. Come to think of it.”
“Yes?”
“Thanks to a small article, I’ve been receiving many invitations to excessive positions here and there recently. However, since I’ve worked as a mercenary for a long time, I don’t have any faces to recognize or stories to pretend to know, so it’s a bit difficult.”
“……Ah, yes.”
“When I asked a friend I met in the defense force for advice, he asked if I didn’t work at CME. He said there used to be quite a few friendship gatherings between related people, and since there were many achievements made by the Company at that time, he told me to check the list and use it as a topic of conversation. Being a native of Central, he doesn’t seem to know how mercenaries get their jobs at all.”
“I see……”
The employee’s expression became ambiguous, as if the story was going off track. He immediately understood what he wanted and even showed signs of being troubled.
“I’m sorry, but CME hasn’t officially held many events to promote friendship. From what I hear, it must have been strongly private in nature, and there’s no way the company would have a list of participants for such unofficial meetings.”
“I think so too. Still, since some positions were prepared by the Company, I wonder if there’s any simple record left somewhere since company money was used.”
If he could get even one photo, it would be a great help. Perhaps thinking that it wasn’t a very difficult condition to ask of guys with stiff necks, the employee nodded after some consideration.
“We will review this internally and provide you with guidance.”
Joo-oh, who was shaking the empty juice bottle, wore a satisfied smile.
The employee, who was briefly stunned by the sparkling gaze, excused himself and left the room.
“Found it. All three of them are there.”
“Definitely… it must have been a big event.”
In exchange for work with the Company, Jin Mu-hae obtained a short video from decades ago. Judging from the banner in the recording, it seems the Company held a year-end celebration after achieving great results.
At the end of the five-minute video, there was a scene of related people gathering and applauding. Joo-oh’s eyesight was so good that the two of them were able to easily find the people in Gu-reum’s data.
“Could West Wind be here too?”
I don’t know. It’s hard to be sure, but there’s no harm in narrowing down the suspicious people at an event like this.
Considering the year, West Wind would be in his early 20s at most. Fortunately, there weren’t many attendees in that age range, given the occasion.
Two people sitting at the middle table. One person walking somewhere. Finally, one person near the front seat, next to a man with a fierce impression.
Among the young women, the only one whose identity could be guessed was unfortunately the ponytail in the front seat. It just so happened that the Mayor’s face, which he had seen at the research center, was sitting there.
“Tsk…….”
So, he excluded her from the line of reasoning early on. If she’s that close to the Mayor, she must be a close aide or family. Considering her young age, the latter is more likely.
“Later, when we get the Vegan Society data, we can compare faces.”
“Do those three still meet often?”
“I don’t know. They have different jobs now, so it would be difficult unless there’s something special.”
As Mu-hae answered indifferently, the Company’s document came into view. Joo-oh had read it on his own and pushed it away without even turning off the tablet screen.
[Crystal Blue Twinkle Road]
The page mentioned the lighting ceremony to be held in Central in a few days with a rather important nuance. ‘Cheonggang Mining & Energy’ was brazenly listed in the list of long-time sponsors.
It was obvious what they were up to. Since the energy to light up the sculptures also comes entirely from Crystal Blue, they intend to weave their achievements into the promotional video and tell a story.
‘Something special…….’
Well, it’s not a big event, but it might be a very meaningful moment for someone.
Especially for someone who is obsessed with Blue Energy and wants to commemorate it even more.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly picked up the tablet. A strange and not unfamiliar sensation enveloped Mu-hae’s body.
A bell seemed to ring in his ear, and the world changed around the spot where he was standing.
“……We’re going to Central on Saturday.”
Central at midnight, and a lighting ceremony with the two of them together. Mu-hae turned his head, imagining Joo-oh bothering him with an excited face.
But unexpectedly, instead of jumping up and down, he was just staring at him intently.
The idiot must have been spacing out and didn’t understand the plan.
“Jin Mu-hae. Look at this. There’s a cherry inside the chocolate. Instead of a seed, there’s jam inside the cherry, and it’s blue, so it’s mixed with the cherry juice, it’s so funny.”
“I get it, so stop buying food. Please.”
“We haven’t even gone halfway yet.”
“We’re here to work. Not to play.”
In front of the snack booths lined up as expected in front of the park where the lighting ceremony was taking place, Joo-oh couldn’t seem to leave.
It was a disaster that he had recently allocated part of his income as allowance. This crazy glutton was trying to empty his bank account and taste all the food at the festival.
Mu-hae, who was forced to eat a bite of each sweet, sour, and salty food, eventually grabbed his sleeve and dragged him into the park.
Joo-oh’s help was more crucial than anything else in finding the person he wanted in this complicated space.