The strong night wind on the seashore woke Michael from his unconsciousness.
The cold bit at him as the sun set earlier.
"Ouch! My head hurts so much. What happened to me?"
Michael opened his eyes wide, looking around.
He mumbled, "Today is really strange. What kind of creature did I meet earlier? Is she really in this world? Just thinking about it makes my head spin."
Then, Michael slowly stood up, walking towards the edge of the high sea cliff.
He tried to ignore the incident of meeting the long-eared girl.
He took a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket, pulled one out, and removed his black mask and hat.
His golden blond hair was tousled by the sea breeze.
His face was handsome and masculine, with a scar on his chin, and his emerald green eyes caught the moonlight.
He lit a match, put a cigarette in his mouth, and took a drag.
He exhaled a large puff of smoke, then mumbled, "I still can't believe the creature I saw. Do I need a rest? Maybe I'm so exhausted I'm hallucinating."
He looked at the sky full of glittering stars, accompanied by a bright, full moon.
Michael opened his leather jacket.
He took a glass bottle from his inner pocket.
The medium-sized bottle contained soda with a hint of alcohol that he had bought that afternoon.
He shook the glass bottle, then flicked its neck with his finger.
The bottle broke, but the break was clean, and only the neck flew off. Ceshh! The sound of the foamy alcoholic soda fizzing out.
He drank it, then said, "Relax. It's not the time to think about that woman. I'll wait for a reply from the person from this afternoon, then return to a hotel not far from here."
He rested his hands on his back with his legs straight out in front of him, then shook his head. Crack! His neck bones cracked.
After a few minutes, he threw the cigarette butt into the sea and mumbled, "Argh! I really need a rest this time."
He stretched his body, put his leather jacket back on, and cleaned the place as if nothing had happened.
He walked to the dented taxi, removed the front and back license plates, and threw them off the cliff.
He got in, started the taxi. Brumm! He pressed the clutch, shifted gears, hit the gas, and slammed the steering wheel as he turned.
He returned to the main road and sped towards the hotel he was heading to.
Upon arriving near the hotel, he parked the car near a supermarket.
Many people saw him and seemed surprised, but they couldn't say anything after seeing Michael, who was now without a mask and hat, looking handsome.
He walked towards the hotel, ten meters from the parking spot.
In front of the hotel, someone was already waiting for him.
A beautiful woman wearing glasses and carrying sheets of documents.
As Michael walked closer, the woman opened her mouth, "Was today pleasant, My Lord?"
She saw Michael who seemed to ignore her. The woman thought to herself, 'Oppa must be tired, but why does he smell like garbage?'
She then followed Michael from behind.
Michael asked the woman to his back-right, "Did everything go smoothly? Give me the documents later, after I'm done showering. Follow me to the room."
The woman with glasses replied, "Yes, My Lord. Here is the hotel room key."
She handed him the key.
Michael took the key while walking towards the elevator.
After arriving on the seventh floor, the elevator doors opened.
They walked to room number sixty-six and opened it with the electronic key.
They both went inside.
Michael took off his shoes, walked towards the curtains near the living room, and opened them.
The thick, clear glass showed a beautiful view of the sea and other infrastructure.
The woman closed the door, took off her shoes, and walked to follow Michael.
She asked, "My Lord, there was news this afternoon about the apartment you were staying in. The news spread widely, but rest assured, there is no strong evidence about the explosion. They believe the explosion was caused by a gas leak."
Michael, who was standing in front of the glass bathed in moonlight, spoke in the dark room.
"I had already prepared for that. Were there any casualties?"
The woman said, "It seems there were ten casualties. Seven people had only minor injuries, and the others died in the fire from the explosion. They believe those three people were the ones occupying the apartment."
"You know who those three people are? They were intel agents. I don't know how they came to suspect me, but everything was planned. What do you think?"
Michael explained with a faint smile on his face.
The woman then praised him, "You truly are a genius, My Lord. There were no mistakes at all. You thought far ahead."
Michael took off his clothes, now stark naked, and walked towards the bathroom, leaving the woman in the living room.
The woman was shocked to see her lord undress so quickly.
She had never seen Michael take off his shirt in front of his subordinates.
She blushed, and managed to glimpse "something" that was so big.
The woman thought to herself, 'My Lord, why did you do that so suddenly? I was shocked. I thought you wanted to do something with me, haha! Turns out you just wanted to shower. Oh, damn!'
She moved to the guest sofa and sat quietly, waiting for Michael to finish showering.
Inside the bathroom, Michael mumbled, "I can't forget that long-eared woman, damn it! What's wrong with my body? Why does it feel so much lighter? Not like usual. I have to try to find information about that creature later."
Michael washed his entire body, brushed his teeth, then dried himself with a towel.
He walked to the sink and turned on the hairdryer. Swaaang!
After drying, he looked at his face in the mirror and said to himself, 'I'm getting old now, haha. I never thought I would go through so many things. I must be over thirty. My son must be an adult now. Later, before bed, I'll contact him. Oh, and I'll ask that woman to buy me a new smartphone.'
He put on a thick white bathrobe without underwear, which was folded on a rack behind him.
Michael wore it and walked out to meet the woman with glasses who was waiting in the living room.
Michael sat on the sofa opposite the woman with glasses.
The woman handed him the documents containing reports on incoming funds, stock graphs, and blockchain funds.
The money had been laundered.
The total funds on the blockchain reached ten trillion.
There were also notes about losses in the report.
Michael stroked his chin with his left hand while crossing his legs.
He thought, 'Our losses this time weren't much, only five billion, but that's a small problem. I'm grateful to have loyal subordinates, they must be scattered all over the place. This is very profitable for me. I also got info that one of my subordinates bought a cannabis field in another country. Our stock is still high.'
Then he said, "Good, this is very good. We made a lot of profit. Thank you."
He handed the documents back, crossed his arms, and said to himself while looking at the woman, 'I forgot this woman's name. She's a new subordinate from South Korea, her name is hard to remember since I've only been here for six months.'
The woman with glasses' face blushed.
While holding the documents, she averted eye contact and thought, 'Why is the atmosphere so awkward? Why is My Lord looking at me like that? Is there something wrong with my face?'
Then she replied, "Ahem! My Lord, I also thank you for letting me into your organization. I am also satisfied with the salary you have given me. I'll go now, leave this room, and continue with my work."
She stood up, bowed in respect, and walked towards the door.
Michael said something that made the woman stop, "What's your name? Before you go to work, come back here and buy me a new smartphone and a book on creature encyclopedias."
The woman turned around and said, "Yes, My Lord. I will return later. My name is Ryu Mee-Yon. I'll be going now, please enjoy your rest."
She bowed again, then opened the door and went out.
After the woman left, Michael found the clothes he had worn neatly folded on the table.
The contents of his jacket were placed beside it.
Michael took his pistol, dismantled the magazine, and took out the bullets.
He stood up, walked to the bedroom, and took a small suitcase.
He placed the tools he had brought, along with his pistol, into the suitcase.
He closed the suitcase tightly and carried it to the bedroom.
He opened the closet, pried off one of the wooden sides, and opened a secret compartment inside that contained many tools.
He put the suitcase in, closed the secret compartment, and walked to the living room, carrying a bottle of wine from the refrigerator.
Michael drank the wine, enjoying it while smoking, waiting for Ryu Mee-Yon to return.