NOVEL WEB Chapter 743
“Chairman Ahn Jun-yong. Didn’t you find anything out while you were with the special investigative committee?”
Four-term member Bae Seong-jun subtly asked Ahn Jun-yong, the strategic planning chairman.
“What do you mean? I handed over all the related materials to the government and the National Assembly when the committee disbanded.”
Ahn Jun-yong frowned, keeping his gaze fixed.
Valpurgis Special Investigation Committee.
In less than two years, Ahn Jun-yong had driven a knife into the backs of both party members.
‘Goldmund Lab,’ and ‘Angel’s Touch Foundation’ are both alternative names for the Valpurgis Korea branch.
Former Republican member Moon Do-kyun, who received lobby funding, helped Goldmund Lab successfully settle in Korea.
As a result, 159 billion won in taxes flowed into the hands of a terrorist organization over the span of ten years as part of the ‘Advanced Bio Global Capability Enhancement Project.’
The public was furious.
Those who celebrated the complete suppression of Valpurgis were merely cleaning up the mess they had made.
“Thanks to you, haven’t you achieved the regime change you’ve always dreamed of?”
Ahn Jun-yong crossed his arms and leaned back.
He claimed that the special investigative committee had more than half the credit for Ahn Ho-kyun becoming the 27th president after Lee Jo-won’s term ended.
“Half my ass! Even without the special committee, the wind of regime change was inevitable. Did you think people would just stand by and let that incompetent Lee Jo-won stay in power?”
“Ha! If I had known you’d think that way, we would have worked a little harder.”
However, the regime change was incomplete.
Valpurgis exploited humanitarian aid activities to secure money laundering and supply routes for test subjects.
In that process, with Democratic Party member Chae In-seop at the forefront, they passed on bio-experiment data to domestic new drug bio companies.
The special committee revealed that they earned hundreds of billions in profits with the release of a new drug for ALS.
Despite winning the presidential election, they were thoroughly defeated in the parliamentary elections.
Let alone local heavyweight member Bae Seong-jun, who barely got elected with 50.1%.
In the extreme standoff of a divided assembly, the disbandment of the Valpurgis special committee was the first thing to pass.
There was a shared understanding that leaving Ahn Jun-yong as chairman was too dangerous.
“Are you upset, member? Back then you praised me so highly, and now you’re treating me like a conspiracy theorist, throwing me away like a hunting dog.”
“Keep your mouth shut until the Supreme Court’s verdict comes out. I’m sincerely advising you. You need to watch your step. A person shouldn’t be led around by power from the start.”
“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll be leaving.”
“…”
Ahn Jun-yong nodded and got into the car.
Veins throbbed in his hands gripping the steering wheel.
“Those damned old farts. They cherish power more than their own lives.”
Amid extreme constraints, it didn’t seem easy for Ahn Jun-yong to re-enter the political arena.
However, he decided to wait for the right moment.
It wasn’t something anyone could do to topple heavyweight politicians.
Even though he might have been backstabbed, he believed that one day he would return to the National Assembly.
[Jan Seol Memorial Park]
“Hello. I’m Ahn Jun-yong, who participated in last week’s opening ceremony of the columbarium.”
“Oh! You’re that young man who was handing out Bacchus drinks?”
“Yes, I’m glad you remember. Did the construction of the columbarium finish well?”
“It was very well done, nice and clean. Haha, thanks to having a good daughter, I have at least one comfort that rivals the old Joseon kings. Want to take a look around?”
“Then let me just say hello quickly.”
[No Seol-ah: 2022. 2. 21 ~ 2045. 6. 11]
Ahn Jun-yong offered a moment of silence and looked around the empty display cases.
This place would be filled with the brilliant achievements of Na-me in the future.
‘It’s disappointing there aren’t any pictures of the mother and daughter together…’
Despite spending a year and ten months with the special committee, she still remained an enigmatic figure.
It was great that Valpurgis had cured No Seol-ah’s ALS.
If you think about it, it could definitely make sense when pieced together.
Yet the lingering question remained, ‘Why?’
‘If they succeeded in curing ALS, why didn’t they continue using her as a test subject?’
No Seol-ah and Valpurgis only crossed paths in 2030.
The orphanage where she lived happened to be supported by the ‘Angel’s Touch Foundation.’
‘Why did she do nothing and not go to university?’
Children at the orphanage are pushed out with 5 million won when they become adults.
No Seol-ah took the college entrance exam normally, but never applied to any university.
Of course, according to her teacher’s words, she didn’t seem to be much of a student.
However, she didn’t retake the entrance exam nor get a part-time job.
Was she completely off the radar?
Not at all.
There were indications that she was occasionally seen at the convenience store near the orphanage.
‘There’s no way she was homeless at such a young age.’
Everything was a mystery.
But rampant speculation is always dangerous.
I had seen a case where a recluse girl had been living at her boyfriend’s house quietly for 2-3 years before her parents reported her missing.
‘When you think about it, Ms. No Seol-ah has the highest chance of being in a similar situation… since she might even be pregnant.’
It’s all in the past now.
Ahn Jun-yong had shared all the facts he had investigated with Na-me in bits and pieces.
Na-me decided to bury it quietly in her heart.
Revealing it would just be fodder for public gossip.
Ahn Jun-yong left the memorial park and headed home.
“Huh?”
He spotted a familiar face near the exit of the parking lot.
‘Isn’t that a lackey of Ok Kyu-pil?’
The person was a secretary of the nine-term member Ok Kyu-pil, who was also like a mentor to Bae Seong-jun, loitering near the columbarium.
“Hello! I’m Ahn Jun-yong. What brings you here? If you’re near the member, I’d like to say hello.”
“!”
The secretary swiftly turned his head and pretended not to hear, escaping.
“What was that?”
Weird signs continued to emerge.
Ding ding—
[Smart Home: Cooling – 18.0°C]
The air conditioner in his personal office was running.
There were no subordinates present.
Recently, his assistants had taken vacations due to a job change.
‘It can’t be…? Just the building management staff…’
His confusion gradually morphed into anxiety.
When he finally arrived at his office in a clunky self-driving car.
Bang-!
“Have you ever seen such bastards!”
His neatly arranged laptop and hologram projector were in a chaotic mess.
[All files have been successfully copied.]
All files were wiped clean.
Was this the result of swapping it for just a year of probation?
“Is a politician a thug or what?”
Crack—
Ahn Jun-yong cooled his head and, with trembling hands, searched for the first person to call.
“Please pick up, pick up… Hello? NoName Wizard?”
Thud—
Ahn Jun-yong banged his head on the floor.
[Hmm? Are you trying to show me a headspin? Well, I’ll take a look.]
“N-no! I’m really sorry! I’ve committed a grave sin!”
Even if he lost all other lifelines, he absolutely had to grab onto NoName.
Ahn Jun-yong desperately pleaded for forgiveness.
* * *
Public opinion on internet communities often starts from political factions or marketing operators.
Just a few days ago, the columbarium articles weren’t stirring much up.
The community was buzzing completely with stories about Seol-ah.
Among them, there were also posts that seemed to be conspicuously manipulating public opinion.
[Isn’t the Valpurgis special committee insane?][7]
They’ve been investigating the families of terror victims for two years without their consent. Crazy abuse of power, lol.
Especially that Ahn Jun-yong, who secretly dug into NoName’s mother’s medical records, sends chills down my spine.
Apparently, Na-me is preparing to sue them too.
[Comments]
-Why would you hand over the sword to such an idiot?
-Don’t you think the leak is also self-initiated?
-Later, loser~
-If Na-me sues, it feels like that’ll seal his fate, lol.
└ Where did you hear about the lawsuit? I’ve checked the Broadcasting Station and fan cafes but couldn’t find it.
-Did he suddenly stop dancing the knife dance?
-Did the disbandment of the special committee make him mad?
“Aah, so that’s why they said to be prepared.”
Sowing unfounded information and subtly sowing discord between me and Ahn Jun-yong.
For a moment, I suspected Ahn Jun-yong, but he truly seemed wronged as he sent photos of the office interior, vehicle dash cam, and movement routes, asserting his innocence.
‘It was indeed I, the bereaved party, who asked for information on Seol-ah.’
Also, the fact that he didn’t disclose Seol-ah’s ALS until the end could also be a mitigating factor.
Much more than that, the desire to obtain information about Seol-ah was far greater.
Just when I wondered if a friend might appear.
[This person presumed to be NoName’s mother, No Seol-ah, seems like someone I know][1749]
I can’t say where, but I went to an all-girls middle and high school with her for six years in the same grade.
(Graduation photo with mosaic processing – No Seol-ah.jpg)
Seeing the photo, she definitely looks a lot like Na-me, yeah.
I heard she participated in the graduation ceremony, so that couldn’t be it for ALS.
But anyhow, she often had to miss school due to health issues.
Thinking back, her nickname was ‘Little Yeon Soo-ji.’ (Because she resembles actress Yeon Soo-ji)
It’s strange that No Seol-ah is someone I know…
The fact that people my age are being put through hell because of terrorists makes me feel uneasy…
Anyway, I suddenly remembered and wrote this within acceptable limits.
Feel free to ask if you have questions.
[Comments]
-Did she study hard like Na-me?
└ Wow, I’m curious about this.
└ Please answer this first!
└ You said you’d answer questions! Where’d you go!
└ (Author) Sorry for the delay, I was cross-validating with friends. She did almost come in 1st or 2nd in the first middle school exam? But I remember she was in the lower ranks in senior year. She seemed to have fallen behind in her studies because she was sick.
└ So she had some talent then, wow.
└ Intelligence in looks and frail constitution… Why is she so much like Na-me?ㅠㅠ
-So who do you think Na-me’s father is?
└ Isn’t she the strongest in the province if she’s Little Yeon Soo-ji?
└ That’s an exaggeration. With that look, there’s no way people wouldn’t know her.
└ (Author) Admittedly, it is a slight exaggeration about Yeon Soo-ji. But they do resemble each other quite a bit. As for her father, I don’t know. It’s not that she doesn’t have a boyfriend; it’s more like she barely has any friends. Whenever she came to school, she talked to a group of otaku.
└ Wow, I can’t even picture that.
└ Since it was an all-girls school, if she didn’t go to any academy, she might not have had a boyfriend.
└ But even her name is so pretty. How does she have a name like ‘Seol-ah’?
-Is it confirmed she doesn’t have ALS? And what do you think about the new scandal that she’s from the ‘Angel’s Touch’ orphanage?
└ That sounds quite plausible.
└ (Author) But for sure, she’s definitely not ALS as she didn’t miss physical education classes. The orphanage is sensitive, so I can’t disclose anything.
└ If you’re not careful, conspiracy theorists will swarm you, yikes.
└ Where are people getting these rumors from anyway?
└ It seems they get their scoops from anonymous communities. Here, you have to use real names when you sign up.
Numerous pieces of information drift through the community.
However, aside from the anecdotes of Seol-ah’s school days, nothing significantly deviating from what I already knew was discussed.
It seemed people were trying not to bring up anything that could get them stuck, as the leaked information might have come from Ahn Jun-yong’s sources.
“Hey, are you not sleeping? If I’m bothering you, I can sleep in another room.”
Before I knew it, the clock pointed to 1 AM.
Saetbyeol hugged her pillow and sat up.
“No, I was just on my phone.”
“You need to adjust your condition since there’s a match tomorrow. It’s better to sleep alone—”
“No, stay with me. That makes me feel at ease.”
“Okay…”
As I was about to turn off my phone, I accidentally came across a post.
[NoName’s Mother. Will delete in 30 seconds.]
Usually, I would pass over something like this thinking it’s just a bait post, but the number of recommendations and comments seemed unusual.
With a glimmer of hope, I clicked on it.
(Graduation photo.jpg)
“Whoa.”
I momentarily held my breath at the sight of Seol-ah on the screen.
Long, straight hair falling gently with a parting.
Slightly lifted eyes and sparkling pupils.
And a facial expression that bore some sense of deficiency.
Her beautiful, flower-like cheeks rested in two hands that looked certainly larger compared to her face.
‘She really looks like me.’
The face I saw in the capsule was almost identical.
Yet in the graduation photo, she was a remnant of a bygone era I couldn’t remember.
But I was all too aware that she was someone who impacted me and all my choices in life.
With a smooth movement—
I closed my eyes.
“I hope you can come watch my match tomorrow.”