I’m a Young God, Won’t You Raise Me?

Samra did not respond.

But even if he had denied the accusation, it would have been pointless.

The fact that Kang Cheonseo had dared to say it outright in front of Samra meant she was completely certain.

For the first time, I couldn’t control my expression.

‘CEO Cha of Paseong? Me?’

Paseong was the world’s most famous private military company founded by Adepts.

It had earned international renown, boasting an astonishing 90% success rate in its operations.

All thanks to its CEO.

Whenever a Paseong mercenary failed a Trial, the company would ask the client whether they wished to attempt a second incursion.

If they did, the client had to pay an additional fee, and if they agreed, Paseong’s CEO would personally enter the Trial.

To this day, he had never failed a single one.

However, unlike Je Hyuno, Paseong’s CEO was a completely ordinary human who had not been infected with the BT virus.

Even so, his extraordinary success rate was enough that no one questioned his abilities.

Paseong’s CEO kept every detail of his personal information a secret.

The only thing publicly known was the title “CEO Cha,” and no one even knew whether Cha was actually his surname.

Furthermore, he always concealed his face behind a white mask—an item that not only distorted his voice but also reduced the cognitive abilities of anyone who looked at him.

Because of that, even within Paseong, only a small number of highly trusted executives knew what he truly looked like.

‘And one of the few people who does know is the Chairman of Cheongang.’

In other words, only someone on the Chairman of Cheongang’s level was worthy of seeing Paseong’s CEO remove his mask.

Within Archive World, Paseong’s CEO was a character who completely divided the readers.

His personality was so cold that many wondered whether he might actually be a psychopath or a sociopath.

With the exception of a few people he trusted completely, he treated everyone else as nothing more than tools.

He never judged things based on right or wrong, only on usefulness.

His arrogant attitude and cutting remarks frequently caused unnecessary conflicts.

Even so, he was an indispensable existence in confronting the Trials appearing all over the world.

Those who found him fascinating and those who despised him could never understand one another and constantly criticized each other.

I could understand both sides.

But in the end, I was always on Paseong CEO’s side.

It was shameless favoritism toward my favorite character.

And now it turned out he was looking for me.

Knowing that I had caught my favorite character’s attention made me feel both a little happy and thoroughly chilled.

After all, I knew very well how terrifying he was.

‘In that sense… is he a little like Je Hyuno?’

At the same time, I couldn’t help feeling confused.

Considering the relationship between the Trial Response Agency and Paseong, there was no reason for them to be looking for me.

In South Korea, as a general rule, every Trial and every item belonged to the State.

However, the Trial Response Agency couldn’t handle every Trial that appeared in the country on its own.

That was why it established cooperative relationships with private companies.

And its primary partner was none other than Paseong.

In exchange for handling the missions assigned to it by the Trial Response Agency, Paseong obtained ownership of certain Trials and the items found within them.

It also received supplies of vaccines and treatments for the BT virus.

Paseong and the Trial Response Agency also exchanged, bought, and sold information and items on a priority basis.

The two organizations needed each other.

Therefore, Paseong had no reason to become hostile toward the Trial Response Agency.

And yet, they were pursuing the very person the Trial Response Agency was watching most closely—me.

They had to know perfectly well that this could jeopardize the good relationship between both sides.

“Goyo, doesn’t it seem strange to you? Why would they hide something like that? I don’t understand.”

Kang Cheonseo asked me with the faintest smile.

“It seems the Trial Response Agency isn’t treating you very well. Would you like me to fix that?”

“Chairwoman Kang Cheonseo. Any further remarks would constitute actions contrary to the Trial Response Agency.”

“My, how frightening.”

A faint mocking smile appeared on her lips.

Her expression seemed to say,

“An improvised institution like that is awfully full of itself.”

But she voiced no further complaints.

No matter how young the organization was—it had existed for only four years—the Trial Response Agency was still one of the very few means capable of stopping the Trials.

At last, she conceded to Samra.

“Very well. I’ll leave it at that.”

After saying it in a carefree tone, Kang Cheonseo turned to me again.

“Goyo, are you eating properly?”

She took out a card and held it out to me.

It was a Black Card, the kind I had only ever heard about.

“Use it to buy yourself something delicious. Think of it as pocket money from an adult. Alright?”

“Chairwoman Kang Cheonseo.”

“The Trial Response Agency won’t even allow a simple gesture of gratitude. Goyo, because of Samra, I can’t even give you any pocket money.”

Kang Cheonseo feigned regret, saying it hurt her pride, her tone completely playful.

But I felt a chill run through my chest.

It was easy to guess that the Black Card was a trap.

If I accepted it and used it, it would serve to track my location and every one of my movements.

‘Does the Chairwoman want to push me toward Paseong?’

I couldn’t understand what her objective was.

If she intended to sow discord between Paseong and the Trial Response Agency, then the situation was beginning to make some sense.

But even so, I couldn’t see how that would benefit Cheongang.

Precisely because I knew how much Kang Cheonseo valued Cheongang, all of this seemed even stranger.

In the past, her name had been Kang Soyoung.

She trampled countless people to reach the position of Chairwoman of Cheongang.

And on the very day she reached the top, she officially changed her name to Kang Cheonseo.

It was her way of declaring that she was Cheongang.

If someone like her had started a game so dangerous that it could even affect Cheongang, there had to be an extremely important reason behind it all.

“Instead of giving you pocket money, I’ll go get you some Grooming. I have to pick it up personally. Can you wait a moment?”

“Thank you very much, Chairwoman.”

Pushing all those thoughts aside, I immediately answered with a smile.

The most important thing was obtaining Grooming from Cheongang.

Until I understood why Paseong was looking for me, I didn’t want to arouse suspicion in that direction and lose the Abnormal Disaster Management Agency’s trust.

And besides, no matter how much Paseong’s CEO was my favorite character, even through that filter I had to admit that his personality left a great deal to be desired.

Compared to him, Samra could be considered a complete gentleman.

‘Besides, right now I need Samra much more.’

For the time being, remaining with the Trial Response Agency was still the best option for me.

***

Kang Cheonseo personally escorted Samra and Han Goyo to the front entrance.

As she watched Han Goyo politely bow deeply in farewell with satisfaction, the expression on her face turned cold the moment the door closed.

She stared at the closed door for a few moments before turning around and walking down the long hallway.

At that moment, her phone rang, and she answered it immediately.

“Well, look who’s calling.”

The coldness from moments ago disappeared completely. As soon as she answered, she began joking.

“CEO Cha! To what do I owe the honor of receiving a call from an old woman like me?”

The response from the other side, however, was cold.

— Chairwoman Kang. I’m disappointed.

The accusation came without the slightest explanation.

Kang Cheonseo smiled casually.

“You’ve had me under surveillance? How frightening. News reaches you quickly.”

— It’s only natural to be disappointed when you hand over an item that Paseong obtained to the Trial Response Agency. Instead of returning it to us.

“Hmm, I didn’t really have a choice. Besides, I didn’t give it away. I merely lent it.”

— Explain your reason.

“That isn’t something to discuss over the phone. How about we meet in person? It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.”

— ……

The silence conveyed obvious displeasure.

Kang Cheonseo quietly exhaled.

‘What an ill-mannered brat.’

But she wasn’t angry.

On the contrary.

She found the entire situation extraordinarily interesting.

“When you hear the story, you’ll be satisfied. I guarantee its quality. Since our CEO Cha is such a busy man, I’ll adapt completely to your schedule. Whenever you like.”

— It’s difficult for me to come personally. Tell me now—

“I’ve met Han Goyo.”

Kang Cheonseo smiled broadly, knowing the other party couldn’t see her.

“So, how about we discuss it in person?”

And she hung up without waiting for a reply.

Her granddaughter came running down the stairs.

After being confined to the third floor until she was finally given permission to come down, Kang Byeokrin looked utterly dejected.

“Has… he already left?”

Kang Cheonseo shrugged.

“A while ago.”

“Grandma!”

Kang Byeokrin protested in a voice full of sorrow.

How could she do something like that when she knew perfectly well that she was Goyo’s fan?

Of course she knew.

After all, the only reason Cheongang had sponsored an esports team was because of Kang Byeokrin.

“That is precisely why I didn’t let you see him, Rin.”

“Huh?”

“You’re supposed to be Cheongang’s future heir. Do you think you can behave in such an undignified manner? I arranged all of this so you could meet Han Goyo, and you completely fell apart the moment you saw him.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“As long as you’re aware of your mistake, that’s enough. Never forget that one day you’ll represent Cheongang. Don’t do things that make you look ridiculous, Rin.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

After finishing the brief scolding, Kang Cheonseo shook her head.

“Honestly… on the other hand, Han Goyo, at only twenty-four years old, is truly an admirable young man.”

“Right? I’ve always said Goyo is very mature and has a good head on his shoulders.”

“Oh, dear…”

Seeing her granddaughter grinning from ear to ear even after that comparison, Kang Cheonseo looked at her in resignation.

Even so, she couldn’t help smiling.

Up until now, her granddaughter had never disappointed her.

And that was why she had always allowed her that one little indulgence.

Han Goyo.

Whenever Kang Byeokrin kept talking about him, Kang Cheonseo had simply listened to the reports from her assistants.

Today was the first time she had met him in person.

And now she completely understood why he had captured her granddaughter’s heart.

He was decisive and bold, yet without ever losing his manners.

He also seemed quite intelligent.

And on top of that, he was handsome.

If it had been possible, she would have wanted him by her side as one of her own.

‘Although with Paseong involved, that’ll be difficult.’

Not even Samra could have imagined that things would end up becoming so tangled.

As she smiled while listening to her granddaughter’s endless chatter, while at the same time calculating how to obtain the greatest possible benefit between the Trial Response Agency and Paseong.

Booom!!!

A tremendous explosion echoed through the Chairwoman of Cheongang’s mansion.

At that overwhelming sound of destruction, Kang Cheonseo’s eyes widened.

The person who had ripped the front door clean off its hinges walked in as if nothing had happened.

This time, Kang Cheonseo was no longer smiling.

“…CEO Cha.”

A mechanically distorted voice came from the man wearing a matte white mask.

“I’ve come to hear the story, Chairwoman Kang.”

***

After returning to the Trial Response Agency with Proper Appearance, I headed to the Special Mission Team office that afternoon.

We had the briefing for our next mission.

Lieutenant Colonel Je couldn’t attend the meeting, as he would be joining us directly from the location of the next Trial.

It had been several days since I’d last seen Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein.

They were both sitting in the office, but they jumped up so abruptly that their chairs nearly tipped over.

“Recruit!”

Mo Haein was the first to run over to me.

After confirming that I was unharmed, she bit her lower lip before letting it go.

“They wouldn’t even let me into your hospital room.”

“I’m fine.”

I said it to reassure her.

However, Mo Haein immediately replied,

“Of course you’re fine. Precisely because you’re fine, you already escaped from the hospital for another mission instead of staying in bed where you belonged.”

As I repeatedly bowed my head in apology, Kwak Hanmuk also chimed in.

“I thought Chestnut was going to end up becoming Roasted Chestnut.”

After inventing yet another variation in his ever-growing collection of chestnut-related nicknames, he folded his arms and looked down at me.

“Next time, coordinate with us before doing something crazy again, alright, Goyo?”

“Yes!”

I answered immediately at his warning tone.

Mo Haein let out a long sigh.

Just as I was about to become a completely roasted chestnut under the barrage of scolding from both Captains, Samra came to my rescue.

“We will now begin the Special Mission Team meeting.”

Thanks to Samra, I was finally able to sit down, and the briefing began.

Samra started the briefing.

“The second Trial that the Special Mission Team will enter is (Clean! Clean! Clean!). Its difficulty level is four stars. It will be Lieutenant Colonel Je’s first incursion, while Captain Mo Haein and Captain Kwak Hanmuk have cleared it multiple times.”

Clean! Clean! Clean! was a game in which the player was hired as temporary cleaning staff for a massive mansion for one week.

The goal was to clean the mansion to a standard that satisfied the butlers.

Although the method for clearing it seemed simple, it was actually much more complicated than it appeared.

Because it wasn’t enough to simply clean the mansion.

It was also necessary to eliminate the monsters hidden inside it, known as Creatures.

And there was another element that made things even more complicated.

The roulette wheel.

The player’s clothing, cleaning tools, and even the weapons used to fight the monsters were all determined completely at random by a roulette wheel.

If luck abandoned you, you could begin the Trial dressed in nothing but rags while holding nothing more than a lollipop.

And there was something even worse.

The mansion’s two NPC butlers were extremely strict when judging whether the cleaners were suitable to work there.

If they considered you dirty or poorly presented, or if your clothing didn’t fit the mansion’s atmosphere, they would immediately throw you out.

If the roulette gave you an old janitor’s uniform.

You couldn’t even get through the front door.

“CCC? CCC? Really CCC?”

The moment Samra announced that the second mission would be Clean! Clean! Clean!, both Kwak Hanmuk and Mo Haein’s expressions darkened.

As Kwak Hanmuk repeated, “It can’t be CCC…” several times, he looked at me with an exhausted expression.

“The last time, I ended up cleaning while dressed as a maid…”

He told me about that traumatic experience when the roulette had completely ruined him.

But I couldn’t sympathize.

Because I had never needed to accept whatever the roulette decided.

I always got exactly what I wanted.