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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: The PMC Project
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"Oh, of course, we'll certainly put in some effort. It's your request, Madam Chairwoman, of all people. How could we possibly refuse?"
"Thank you."
A luxurious Korean restaurant.
Deep inside, a middle-aged man in a suit and a woman with long, sky-blue hair were engaged in a warm conversation.
"This is all because Madam Chairwoman Lee Seol-ah thinks of the nation, isn't it? Hahaha!"
At the man's flattering words, she merely offered a quiet smile.
As the meeting drew to a close, she casually addressed him.
"I hear the opposition party hasn't had much success lately, it's been quite a while..."
"Oh dear... We really need to do better."
"I hope things go well this time. Especially... if it's someone as capable as Assemblyman Gam, I'm sure you'll contribute significantly to the process."
As someone with a long history in politics, Assemblyman Gam couldn't possibly have missed the underlying meaning. His face brightened considerably, and he repeatedly expressed his gratitude.
Soon after, Assemblyman Gam departed, smiling gleefully.
Seol-ah Lee, having settled into the back seat of the tinted black limousine, leaned back against the seat, closed her eyes, and fell into thought.
Yuseong Group. And Lee Seol-ah. She had already succeeded in wielding power that was virtually unchallengeable in South Korea.
It was already not an exaggeration to say that South Korea's economy was effectively in her grasp. Based on this overwhelming dominance in the business world, she had gradually begun to devour the political sphere, and it was no exaggeration to say she had already seized half of Yeouido.
In this situation, with the government and assembly members already wary of Lee Seol-ah and Yuseong Group,
by skillfully employing a bit of carrot and stick, she could, to some extent, prevent any political backlash, no matter what Yuseong Group did.
Furthermore, having already secured control of the ruling party some time ago, she had held today's meeting to ensure no dissenting voices emerged from the opposition party either.
"Phew..."
Meeting with various political figures and aligning their narratives amidst her busy schedule was no easy feat for her, but she somehow managed to finish it.
Because it was a request from none other than Ego Stic. From Dayin.
"..."
PMC.
This venture, which Ego Stic had brought up to her, was far more problematic than she had initially thought.
Firstly, it involved a corporation privately—that is, with money—hiring superhumans, and if handled poorly, it could lead to accusations that the company was trying to establish an armed organization.
While it was quite common in other countries, which had already become battlegrounds for superhumans, it had never happened in Korea.
Thus, Lee Seol-ah had to approach it cautiously from the very beginning.
In truth, a bigger problem than the political sphere or the media was the Association, but she believed she could manage it through her strong connection with the Association President. After all, wasn't she a hero herself? If she promised never to withdraw from the Association, pledged various forms of support, and framed it as being for all of humanity, things would likely work out somehow.
Lost in these thoughts, Lee Seol-ah found herself reflecting on a past conversation she had with Dayin.
...
"...I'm going to gather superhumans and create a private company. A PMC, so to speak."
"What?"
That day. On the top floor, the CEO's office at Yuseong Group.
In that place, which had now become her and Dayin's official meeting spot, Dayin had explained to her in a serious voice.
His plan was to hire a large number of superhumans of B-rank or lower—he wasn't even aiming for A-rank—and create something like a security company.
Of course, that would only be on the surface; in reality, it would be a PMC prepared for everything from training to combat deployment.
"Do you know why superhumans are reluctant to become heroes in the Association?"
Because of the low pay, demanding work, and constant criticism.
In South Korea, where heroes are routinely condemned for even a single mistake, living as a hero is not easy. Even A-ranks, despite the high pay, wouldn't bother, let alone B-ranks and below.
Having explained this, Ego Stic then elaborated to her.
Instead of letting such surplus personnel remain idle, it would be better to hire them all at high salaries and put them through training, even psychological education.
Because...
"In the future, public order will become extremely chaotic."
At Dayin's serious declaration, spoken as if he had seen the future and was stating a certainty, Lee Seol-ah found herself unconsciously nodding in agreement. ...Though she had no idea how he knew.
"In other words... before superhumans turn to villainy for money in the future, it wouldn't be a bad idea to just hire them outright. And they'll all have their uses."
In a nutshell, his words boiled down to this:
A day would come when public order in South Korea would collapse due to an unspecified incident, and villains would run rampant.
To prepare for that time, superhumans should be privately hired and trained as a combat force for emergencies.
In truth, when you thought about it, there was no basis or evidence for his words.
Yet, Lee Seol-ah believed him. Because it was Ego Stic—Dayin—whose words had never been wrong so far...
"This is a request that only you, and no one else, can grant."
Dayin had looked her in the eye and said that.
Creating a private organization with superhumans. The moment anyone else attempted it, they would inevitably be crushed by the backlash from the government and the Association. Anyone, that is, except for Yuseong Group, which had practically devoured South Korea.
To Dayin, who was speaking to her so seriously while looking into her eyes, Lee Seol-ah readily agreed to help. Well... since South Korea was practically hers anyway, protecting the country was also beneficial from her perspective. And besides, she had made some mistakes herself. Moreover, she owed Dayin so much...
'Because it's something only I, and no one else, can help with...'
That's right.
This was something only Lee Seol-ah, herself, could do for Ego Stic.
Something that even Ego Stic, whose judgment was so keen he seemed to possess the ability to see the future, couldn't do; something his powerful but ability-focused allies couldn't do; something even Stardust couldn't do.
Because it was something only Lee Seol-ah 'herself' could do.
"Mmhmm..."
Back to the present.
For some reason, recalling that fact brightened Lee Seol-ah's mood, and she unconsciously hummed a tune, tapping her foot in the back of the limousine.
Yes. All that squabbling and effort to take over South Korea had been worth it. If it hadn't been for this, would she really have been able to help Ego Stic with something like this?
From now on, whenever Ego Stic thought of the PMC, he would naturally think of Lee Seol-ah herself.
And little by little, his heart would turn to her...
Lee Seol-ah, who had been tapping her foot in the back of the limousine, seemingly in a good mood, suddenly remembered something and spoke to the driver.
"Oh, right. Please go to this address."
"Understood, Madam."
Right, since I'm in Seoul, why don't I visit Haru for a change?
Thinking that, Lee Seol-ah had the car turn around and headed towards Haru's home.
"Haru..."
I've missed her.
In truth, Haru was almost Seol-ah's only friend. Though Dayin had now come into her life, making her an exception, before that, Haru had been virtually her sole friend.
They had known each other since childhood and spent their school years together...
"I wonder if she'll be happy to see me after all this time?"
In fact, there had been a few minor... frictions recently due to matters related to Ego Stic. But such things wouldn't be enough to drive a wedge between them. From the very beginning, they had been virtually the only ones with whom they could confide their worries. And Haru was the only person Lee Seol-ah addressed informally.
Anyway, she decided to pay Haru a surprise visit at her home this time. Since she wasn't at the Association, she was probably at home. Especially since it had been over three months since Ego Stic last committed an act of terror, Haru probably had nothing to do. It was obvious where Shin Haru, who was either a workaholic or a homebody, would be.
Thinking that, Lee Seol-ah soon arrived at the apartment building where Haru lived.
She soon arrived at the front door.
"Heh heh... I'll give her a surprise."
Lee Seol-ah then naturally began to punch in the front door code to Shin Haru's home.
They were so close that they had long known each other's home passcodes, having been told to come over anytime.
Lee Seol-ah opened the door and stepped inside, calling out in a bright voice.
"Haru, I'm here~!"
What greeted Lee Seol-ah, who had entered with a smile, was...
a slightly dim house for some reason.
Sensing an odd, chilling atmosphere, Lee Seol-ah murmured softly and moved forward.
"Haru...?"
No answer returned.
Wondering if Haru wasn't home, she headed towards the living room.
She instinctively paused at the sight of Ego Stic's photo, taped to the wall.
"...?"
Ego Stic's photo, and the words written next to it.
Why was this hanging here, in Haru's house?
Just as her gaze naturally drifted towards it,
"Seol-ah?"
"Gah!"
At the sudden voice from behind, she nearly shot out ice without realizing it.
Startled, she turned her head to see Shin Haru, her face shadowed.
As Lee Seol-ah's body froze in the sudden atmosphere of dread,
"When did you get here?"
Haru, shaking the water from her blonde hair and speaking with a faint, welcoming smile, then switched on the living room light.
The house brightened once more. Seeing Haru, who now seemed bright, unlike the eerie atmosphere from before, Seol-ah breathed a sigh of relief. Though startled for a moment, Haru was still Haru. Even if she pretended to be the strong and stoic Stardust on the outside, she was, in truth, the kind and warm Shin Haru who only showed her true self to her friends.
"I just arrived... You were showering. For a moment, I thought you weren't home."
"Ahaha, welcome."
Haru welcomed her with a smile.
Seol-ah had been slightly worried about what Haru had been up to lately, but she seemed surprisingly cheerful.
Reassured, Seol-ah, still calming her startled heart, smiled and said,
"I just came to see you, Haru, since I'm in Seoul for a bit. Oh, but Haru, what's this?"
Lee Seol-ah asked, pointing curiously at Ego Stic's photo on the wall.
Shin Haru then replied nonchalantly, her eyes slightly darkened.
"Oh. I was just thinking about how to catch Ego Stic. Of course, it's meaningless to think about it alone like this since he hasn't committed any acts of terror lately. He's probably just playing around at home with his cronies."
Haru said that, laughing "Ahaha-."
...And in that brief moment, Lee Seol-ah, catching sight of the faint dark circles under Haru's eyes and her somewhat soulless laugh, instinctively felt a chill.
...No, wait. Haru wasn't the type to laugh "Ahaha" like that, so readily...
"Haha, really? Um, well, I'm a bit thirsty. Do you have anything to drink here?"
"Oh. Wait a moment. I'll get you something."
Lee Seol-ah, who had barely managed to change the subject, shrewdly noticed Haru's current state, as befitting a brilliant businesswoman. "Hmm. I shouldn't bring up Ego Stic in front of Haru today. The atmosphere isn't good."
Lee Seol-ah, resolving to warn Ego Stic to be wary of Stardust once again, then sat down and began chatting with Haru about this and that.
Perhaps because they hadn't seen each other in a while and were catching up, the atmosphere was pleasant.
...Of course, there was a moment when Ego Stic's name accidentally came up, causing Lee Seol-ah's body to tremble slightly at Shin Haru's impassioned speech, delivered with a fiery gaze, about why she absolutely had to catch Ego Stic and why it had to be her.
Aside from that, the mood was warm and friendly.
To be precise, it was pleasant until a message arrived from the Association during their conversation, stating that an American S-rank hero had been dispatched to Korea to capture Ego Stic.