As people with billions upon their names, conglomerates had a dedicated team to manage their security. Some outsourced it from security companies, and some made a team by themselves by recruiting people. More often than not, however, these 'guards' not only functioned to maintain their safety.
Just as a king needed to be seen as a mighty but clean figure, so did the conglomerates. The path they took to reach their level of wealth was built upon stepping on others, and yet, they shouldn't be seen as such. For that, they needed skillful people to do their dirty deeds and solve annoying problems.
Was it one or two years after her mother's death? As she took care of a problem that the second son caused with gangsters in B-city, she knew about the existence of Ryu Hajin. He was one of a few people accompanying her at that time, and that was the one and only time they were ever together in the same space.
Seul-ah would hear about him from time to time while working in the main house, but she never saw him face to face again. That was why she couldn't even remember who this man was working for--her older sister? The third wife? The family in general? She only remembered that one day, the man was no longer working for the family despite being so good at his work.
Rumors said that the first or third daughter--or was it the first wife, even?--took him as a kept man instead of a hunting dog for the family. Seul-ah had no idea how much truth was in that rumor, but looking at the man's picture...well, she could understand why such a rumor could come out.
Perhaps that was why the first son never let her meet Ryu Hajin. If she recalled correctly, the man shouldn't have come to accompany her at that time, but one guy suffered from food poisoning and he was free.
"This man..."
Seul-ah muttered while clicking on the strikingly blank profile, making it the sole box displayed on the screen. The odd was as blank as his profile, which meant no one had put anything on him. While it was still an hour before the game began, half of the tables were already filled, and betting had started to be placed.
For Seul-ah, who knew Ryu Hajin's capability, it was bewildering.
"Ah, that one is new," Lee Sol stroked his chin while looking at the screen over Seul-ah's shoulder. "It seemed like he was living abroad and only came here last week."
So that was it. "Then this must be his first night," Seul-ah said.
"You know well, Miss," Sol nodded. "In fact, we only accepted him yesterday, so there was not enough assessment. We shouldn't have him tonight, really, but he insisted."
"Mm..."
That explained why his profile was so plain. Several martial arts were listed as his specialty, but before any real result came out, people would see it as a mere claim to entice the audience. Not to mention, if he came from abroad and was new in this place, the other participants would probably ignore him just so he wouldn't be able to display his skill in front of the patrons, making sure no one would bet on him.
Ah...a little smile came to her lips as he looked at the man's picture. It was taken like a careless mug shot, but no one could deny that the man was objectively good-looking. Even people who prefer other type wouldn't say he was ugly.
Kind of making Seul-ah wonder why he picked this path of violence when the man could easily have any job in this country that worshiped visual beauty.
Oh, well...
Seeing the smile on Seul-ah's otherwise stony face, Lee Sol cleared his throat. "May I give you advice, Miss?"
"Are you telling me not to pick him?" Seul-ah tilted her head, curling her lips in a smirk.
The manager smiled sympathetically. "It doesn't matter if this isn't your first time, but I suggest betting on a safer candidate."
"And what's the fun in that?" she shrugged.
Lee Sol raised his brow, and Seul-ah had to admit she quite enjoyed the look of utmost confusion mixed with curiosity in the manager's eyes.
"I'll go with this man," Seul-ah placed the tablet back on the table as if she had no interest in perusing the other participants. Even if she did look, she had no idea who would win, so it didn't matter.
The only thing she knew was how strong Ryu Hajin was in her memory. Granted, this was a few years before that, and there was a possibility that the man only grew stronger because he spent a lot of time in this place. It was risky no matter what, but...
Looking down at the broken jade on her necklace made Seul-ah want to believe in a bit of superstition; that it was fate that brought her to Helios that night. Perhaps...perhaps it was so she could amplify her earnings by betting on the only person she recognized that night.
And because of that, she decided to change her approach. Initially, she only wanted to bet a little bit. The bet itself was only a prerequisite so she could make a shadow account and had a secret vault to keep the bundle of paper on her coat secured. But she changed her mind.
Besides, if she wanted to get the attention of the owner, she should be bolder.
Seul-ah took out her mother's purse and placed it on the table in front of Lee Sol. "We'll go with this, and...how much is your most expensive bottle of wine?"
She also needed to move the money inside her account--and using it to purchase an ultra-expensive drink in an upscale bar after her mother's funeral would be very interesting for the people at home, right?
The manager sighed. "We have a nice one made when your grandfather's found the company."
"Oh, dear grandpa..." Seul-ah chuckled. At least, she was rather fond of him.
Lee Sol looked at the young woman keenly and asked once again. "Are you sure, Miss?"
"Do I look otherwise?" Seul-ah tilted her head and smiled. She didn't dislike it; the manager seemed to be really concerned about her wasting all of her money.
"No," he smiled helplessly. "But...may I ask why?"
"Why?" Seul-ah leaned against the armrest, looking at the manager with a playful smile. Perhaps he thought she deliberately wanted to burn all of her money? Well, the more curious he was, the better for her. So Seul-ah smiled innocently and replied with a vain, naive tone. "Because he's pretty?"
"Pfft--"
Suddenly, they could hear the sounds of people muffling their laughter and snickering in mockery. Of course, no one bet on a fight by choosing the best-looking one--unless it was best looking by the visual of their muscle, perhaps. But Seul-ah put on a nonchalant face as if she was incapable of hearing the buzz around her. Lee Sol, who could see her serene face, only chuckled in resignation.
He wanted to take care of a new interesting client so she would want to come again next time, but...oh, well.
"Are you betting everything on him, Miss?" he asked while taking the hefty purse.
Suppressing her anxiety as much as she could, Seul-ah replied after sipping on her wine. "Of course."
"Very well," Sol flicked his finger to call a staff over. "We shall process your account before the game begins. Please enjoy our complementary refreshment meanwhile."
"Thank you."
A meticulous staff in a suit that looked more like a lawyer than someone operating an illegal fighting ring came to help her setting an account and a vault. She was given electronic keys for both of them, which could only be accessed with her bio-metric and voice recognition. An interim report of the account's situation would be given once a week in a code that she had to remember, or she could come to the bartender's table directly to check it.
It was very thorough, and while they were setting it, Seul-ah even forgot that everything she was doing there was against the law. Hmm...perhaps it was deliberate. People would come often if they didn't have to feel guilty about it.
At any rate, she was thankful because she didn't have to feel stuffy about doing this right after escorting her mother's ashes to the columbarium. She also didn't have to worry about indigestion when she filled her stomach before the game started. Seul-ah even felt good enough to observe the arena while waiting, leaning on the railing to have a better view.
Was it because it was a familiar face? She recognized Ryu Hajin immediately. Even from afar and sporting a buzz cut, the man still looked striking. Not as handsome as the one in her memory, however, when the man already gained more muscle, grown his hair, and wore the suit that her household provided. Still, the high nose bridge and the sharp jaw were objectively attractive, even if the cold eyes were a bit scary.
Yeah; those grey eyes that looked like a frozen deep lake while looking at her. Seul-ah remembered those during the night they spent together on that business trip to B-city. They looked at her with curiosity and for a second or two...pity. At that time, she wondered why since she didn't think anything was wrong with her life. Perhaps if they interacted more at that time, she would realize why he looked at her with a pitiful gaze and snapped out of her situation faster.
In this new past, however, the cold gaze only retained slight curiosity, perhaps wondering why a girl in a butterfly mask was looking at him for so long.
But Seul-ah wanted to see those eyes that once looked at her with pity, to remind her that she was once trapped in a quagmire and that she shouldn't ever let herself step into one again. Even while staining herself in dirty mud, she shouldn't trap herself in it.
And for that, she needed this man to be the champion.
Seul-ah parted her lips and told the man down there silently.
Win.