Chapter 33 – Magic Boy (11)
[Chapter 2 – Verse 5] Breaking a Rock with an Egg!
“Oh! Jellyfish! Hello!”
As my vision flipped, I saw a cylindrical tank teeming with immortal jellyfish.
Proof I’d successfully infiltrated Choi Kang-min’s dream.
I decided not to rush and instead watch the jellyfish while waiting for the room’s owner.
‘Oh! Right! The letter… It made it through.’
The letter Dr. Seo Hye-joo sent to her future self.
I was dying to know its contents, but reading it first would be rude, so I kept it tucked in my pocket.
“…This is boring.”
I wanted to check the latest news online, but the office computer was password-protected, leaving me with nothing to do.
Tap.
“Hm?”
While snooping around the desk with the computer, my eyes caught the title of a stack of documents that brushed against my hand.
<Kang Moon-soo Certification Report>
“…”
My name. How could I not look?
Flip—
The first page was about reissuing my ID card.
‘It’s still in progress even after I vanished?’
With time flowing three times faster here, quite a bit had passed.
Yet Vice Director Seo Hye-joo hadn’t given up and was diligently handling my identity verification process.
I was a bit touched.
“Hm…”
I skimmed through more of the documents.
‘As expected?’
No shocking revelation that I was a mutant.
Just an ordinary human.
The bulk of it was scientific data confirming my genes perfectly matched those of ‘Lawyer Kang Moon-soo,’ who died 15 years ago.
“…Mr. Kang Moon-soo?”
“Oh!”
“Where have you been— No, how did you get in here? I don’t recall giving you the password or an access card.”
Vice Director Seo approached like a ghost, without a sound, and questioned me.
“Uh… Through a fourth-dimensional door, let’s say?”
“If anyone else said that, I’d call it a joke, but coming from you, I have to believe it.”
Already calm, Vice Director Seo sank into a plush sofa, assuming a relaxed posture for conversation.
“Where have you been all this time?”
“Before I explain, please take a look at this.”
I handed her the letter from Dr. Seo Hye-joo.
“What’s this?”
“You’ll understand when you read it.”
With a curious expression, Vice Director Seo opened the sealed envelope and began reading.
“…This is?”
“I don’t know the contents.”
“…”
Frowning, she pursed her lips and focused on the letter.
‘What’s written in it?’
I was curious.
If it were me, what would I say to my ‘self 13 years in the future’?
Surely not just trivial pleasantries.
Stocks, wars, environment, politics, disasters…
Questions to prepare for an uncertain future, perhaps?
“…It’s full of shocking information.”
“Is it?”
“For one, I understand why you only lack memories from your lawyer days. And a world without monsters like Magic Boy. I miss that. It was like that here 20 years ago.”
A world without Magic Boy.
It seems Dr. Seo told her future self everything.
“If you have any other questions, I can explain.”
“I’ll ask if something comes up later. This letter covers pretty much everything I’d be curious about in detail.”
“Oh!”
She knows herself best, I guess?
It meant less work for me, which was great.
“If you’d told me earlier, I wouldn’t have wasted effort… I’ll need to restart my research. I got the first step wrong. It wasn’t resurrection, was it?”
“Sorry.”
“I understand. It must’ve been hard to trust me. But this means you trust me now, right?”
“Yes.”
Can a single letter change a person this much?
The way she looked at me and the overall vibe became strikingly similar to the ‘real’ Dr. Seo Hye-joo.
“My 13-years-ago self wrote that if Magic Boy disappears, the world would return to the fairness and reason of 20 years ago.”
“That’s true.”
“The hero protecting humanity is actually the mastermind behind all threats… A self-orchestrated act. Not even surprising.”
“You believe it?”
“If I don’t trust myself, who would I trust? Thirteen years ago was when my ambition and confidence were at their peak—a dark history. Just thinking about it is embarrassing.”
“Ha, ha…”
Proving it wasn’t a joke, her face flushed red, and she fanned herself to cool down.
Then, casually,
“I’ll help you.”
She gave me the answer I wanted.
“Thank you!”
“Is it certain that Magic Boy is Chairman Choi Kang-min?”
“Absolutely. He himself said he’s been hiding it with magic.”
“And right after, you were killed?”
“Yes.”
Plus, I experienced hell.
“Hm… That’s incredibly dangerous. Magic Boy, the symbol of power, and Chairman Choi Kang-min, a political titan. An unbeatable combination.”
“That’s why I’m not fighting head-on.”
“If it gets out that I’m helping you, I won’t be safe.”
“…”
Her sharp words weighed heavily on me.
“I don’t like this world, but I can’t risk my life.”
“…I understand.”
“So, the support I can offer is untraceable cash and information.”
“That’s more than enough.”
In a capitalist society, what can’t money solve?
With money, I can secure food, clothing, and shelter even without an ID. And information on top of that!
In other words, I’m getting all the support I need.
“We’ll discuss how to deliver the cash later…”
Scribble—
Vice Director Seo, pen in hand, drew pentagons, hexagons, and lines on a blank sheet, then filled it with densely packed letters and numbers.
“Is this… a chemical formula?”
“Yes. It’s the formula for a new drug developed two years ago. It turned the world upside down.”
“What kind of drug?”
“Memorize this formula perfectly, and I’ll tell you.”
“Oh…”
Even a slight mistake in a chemical formula can produce a completely different result, so half-hearted memorization won’t do.
“We’ve talked long enough. I have work to get back to, so I’ll step out. Memorize it in the meantime.”
“…Vice Director?”
“The bathroom’s inside. If you’re thirsty or hungry, help yourself to the fridge.”
“No, I mean this formula. Is it something a human can memorize?”
“I did.”
“Oh, okay.”
I stared at the paper filled with shapes and letters with a sinking heart.
***
Culture and environment vary, but kids are generally pure, untainted by society.
Requests, secrets, trust, responsibility, betrayal…
They don’t think about these things before acting.
For example,
- Why are you bullying me?
- I dunno. Your brother told me to.
…Such an absurd scenario is entirely possible!
The client’s identity is a ‘secret’ that must never be revealed, but they don’t see it as ‘betrayal.’
- Everyone! Answer honestly when friends or adults ask you questions!
That’s what elementary and kindergarten teachers drill into them.
In other words,
‘Brother, I won’t let you push me around like before.’
Despite his father’s meticulous information blackout, Choi Kang-hoon had long known what his half-brother Choi Kang-min did.
But not wanting to fight the brother who acted kind on the surface, and lacking the courage to confront him, he held it in.
Now?
“I hope my brother wakes up soon.”
He’s no longer running away.
“You’re a truly admirable brother, Master Choi Kang-hoon.”
“He’ll surely be proud when he wakes up.”
The warm atmosphere was set by the escorts seated in the driver’s and passenger’s seats.
“But I’m worried. If I dragged him into this and something happens to him…”
When Choi Kang-hoon heard that Kang Moon-soo’s heart had stopped, he was so shocked he could barely breathe.
“He’ll be fine.”
“Trust him. Isn’t he the man you acknowledged?”
“Right?”
But even their comforting words couldn’t ease his worries.
What if Kang Moon-soo died?
What if he got trapped in the dream forever?
All sorts of negative thoughts swirled, and Choi Kang-hoon even felt disgust at his own selfishness.
‘But I can’t give up.’
He couldn’t bear to watch Choi Kang-min, that hypocrite, escape without so much as an apology.
Especially after hearing the ‘absurd future’ Kang Moon-soo casually mentioned, he couldn’t accept it.
Magic Boy Choi Kang-min.
A story of sending his brother to prison and living happily as a hero for 20 years.
Even if it was just a dream, it was utterly unacceptable.
“…I hope my brother’s treatment goes well.”
If his half-brother, who turned away from reality for seven years, opened his eyes, Choi Kang-hoon would welcome him with open arms.
‘Brother, come back soon. It’d be a shame if you left like this.’
Choi Kang-hoon prayed as he looked at the approaching Elmolance Hospital.
***
While P’s aptitude test results are important, school grades can’t be ignored either.
When aptitudes are the same, companies use grades and school records for secondary evaluations.
What I’m trying to say is…
“Am I getting dumber…?”
I was never top of the class, but I consistently ranked high. If it weren’t for part-time jobs, I might’ve even been first.
For someone like me to stare at a chemical formula for eight hours and still not memorize it—doesn’t that seem like a problem?
“How did you pass the bar exam?”
“I didn’t pass it!”
I couldn’t help but snap at Vice Director Seo’s jab.
“But your brain’s the same, isn’t it?”
“Ugh…”
I had no comeback!
“The cash is hidden at the location marked on this map.”
Swipe—
She handed me a roughly hand-drawn map.
‘A mountain…?’
A circle marked halfway up a high-altitude area, complete with contour lines.
Looks like I’m going hiking out of nowhere.
“Feels like a treasure hunt.”
“A small treasure. It’s got my precious salary.”
“Thank you.”
“If you have any questions, ask now. Whether you succeed or fail, this will be our last meeting.”
“Hm… Nothing for now.”
Most information can be found online anyway.
And the most critical detail—Magic Boy Choi Kang-min’s schedule—can only be checked in real time.
“Then get ready. When I give the signal, the hallway’s security cameras will stop for 30 seconds. Turn right at the corner and head down the emergency stairs.”
“You’re thorough.”
Her intent to hide that I’d left the vice director’s office was clear.
“I can’t escape to the past like you.”
“…Thank you.”
All I could do was repeat my thanks.
“17:58. Get ready. Two minutes left.”
“Yes.”
“…”
“…”
“Oh! Right. What’s the effect of the drug made from this formula?”
I struggled for eight hours, tearing my hair out to memorize it. If it’s something trivial, I’ll be disappointed.
“Sigh… Too bad. I wanted to make my past self, trying to steal future achievements, suffer a bit.”
She was clearly trying to dodge the question.
“Come on.”
“Really curious?”
“Yes!”
With a bold reply, Vice Director Seo handed me a mask and cap to cover my face.
With a sly smile, she said,
“It’s the secret to my youth.”
“What! Does that mean—”
“Time’s up. Hurry and go.”
“Ugh…”
Swallowing my disappointment, I quietly slipped out of the vice director’s office.