Closed Beta That Only I Played

At my house in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.

"That's how I contacted the government. They will probably contact you sooner or later."

With my father, elder brother, elder sister, Director Sok, Chief of Staff Ahn, and Jungchol Yang, President of Myongjin Oil Refinery gathered in the basement, I gave them a briefing about my dealings with the NIS and the Japanese government about the Seventh Mining Area.

Obviously, the Myongjin Group would have to prepare a lot to investigate and drill the oil field compared to importing crude oil from ExxonMobil and Chevron to South Korea .

When I was done with the briefing, they all remained silent.

"…"

"…"

"…"

None of them said something like, 'Don't lie!' or 'I really don't believe you!' because I had shown lots of surprising performances recently.

But their silence did not last long when my father sitting at the top of the table opened his mouth finally.

"Everybody aside from Juyoung, please leave."

His voice sounded intimidating to me because his tone was constant with no highs or lows. So everybody left the study except for me.

Even after they left, my father did not speak for a while.

Then he finally said, "Juyoung."

"Yes, Dad."

"I know you are my son even though they are gossiping about your total change behind your back."

"...I know."

There was only one reason why I didn't hesitate to get rid of the rebels in Sierra Leone, take over the diamonds and diamond mines from Debius, oppress the strongest power, the United States, and ruin Chaesan Lee. It's all because I had a family who trusted me.

Aside from that, I also came to realize how pointless and trivial it was to be conscious of how people looked at me and pay attention to it to the extent that I was stressed out.

And that's why I also accepted the commision by the NIS related to Japan this time.

When I replied, he said warmly, with a gentle expression, "I don't mean you should continue to hide your capabilities. If you have an extraordinary talent that is different from others, you have to fully make use of it. That's the way human beings behave. In the long run, you will be able to solve everything with your capabilities. That's the case even when it comes to work that doesn't require your capabilities. But it can also be the starting point of tragedy."

"…"

I didn't respond to his words.

As if he didn't expect me to answer, he continued, "I just hope you won't feel lonely now and in the future. I hope you can be happy, and your mother, brother and sister also hope you can stay happy."

On the surface, I am 17 years old.

But I was far from 17 years old deep down.

I experienced many things that no one else could experience for more than 10 years in a world where 'Revival Legend' became reality.. So I felt really lonely, bitter and even sad at the end of the long journey in that world. But I wasn't stupid enough to not grasp my father's point.

So I smiled gently, and replied, "Sure, that's what I'm planning to do. And my goal right now is to be happy."

He was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Alright, I'm glad to hear that."

Anyway, I wrapped up our brief but sincere conversation.

After that, he called back my brother and sister, Director Sok, Chief Secretary Ahn, and Jungchul Yang, President of Myongjin Oil Refinery, who were on standby outside after leaving the study at his request a little while ago.

I just watched them exchanging their views about me silently because it was my greatest happiness to see my family rejoicing that they could or my late grandfather's legacy and will, and also to hear Director Sok, Chief Secretary Ahn, and President Yang talking about the rosy future of the Myongjin Group.

In the world where 'Revival Legend' became a reality, I dreamed of seeing the current scene, especially when I saw my family and Director Sok not hesitating to come to my rescue when I was trembling in fear of the blind alley called death.

***

In Kyungmoon High School the next day.

I didn't bother to make myself stand out among other students.

But they had no choice but to change their perceptions of me because not a day passed without the news media or even the President mentioning the name Myongjin.

And I was an immediate family member of the Myongjin Group chairman.

And I was no longer called the flawed son of the Myongjin Chairman because I got perfect scores not only in the regular exams but also the additional tests.

Of course, their changed perceptions didn't change my behavior, nor was I excited.

Anyway, I was once called the hope of mankind and the last bastion of the earth.

And I was even more capable at the moment than I was back then.

Instead of caring about others, I behaved as usual.

For example, I had lunch with Bora Yon as I normally did.

During lunch time at school.

"You know what? My grandpa said he'd like to see you."

There was more than one person who could be called 'grandfather' on the father or mother's side, but the grandfather she mentioned could only be one person, namely, Junghwan Yon of the Mirae Group.

So, I said, fussing around a bit, as if surprised by her words, "Finally, your grandpa wants to see your future bridegroom…"

I could not finish my words because she looked at me with a solemn face.

Of course, her expression wasn't scary, but cute to me.

But I said, trembling a bit as if she was scary, "Okay. Just tell me the time. I can meet him any time."

"How about this Friday? He said he wanted to have dinner with you."

"Fine."

In the past, I would not have even dreamed of such a situation because even though Myongjin was growing fast, Mirae was still Korea's top business conglomerate.

But the situation is now different.

Then I said, looking into her eyes directly, "By the way, it's already been over two months since we started dating formally."

"Right."

"Then, shouldn't we move along? So far, all we have done is hold hands."

"..."

With an expression a little sulkier than before, she just looked at me.

So I continued without caring about it, "My hands are not bad luck for you. I've never even kissed any woman except my mom and my sister, let alone romantic kissing or hugging."

I told her confidently because my body was completely pure and clean.

But she asked, "Do you think I'm not exactly like you?"

Clap!

As soon as she said it, I clapped my hands and said, "Yeah, that's why we're pure and

clear, right! We're a perfect match!"

I thought I gave her a perfect proposal.

But she didn't seem to think so because she stood up, spitting out one word.

"But not now! And we're still in high school, and freshmen at that!"

I didn't have to grab her when she left after saying that.

Even though I was not completely disinterested when I made such remarks, I said it as a joke, after all.

"Hmm… In the end what I learned from a textbook doesn't work. If I had known that I would come back like this, I would have tried dating in the reality world back then."

At that time, I had gone through numerous experiences, but there was one thing that I had never done, namely, dating her.