I’m Not That Villain

94 – Change (4)

The atmosphere in the room is strange.

Seo Ji-soo inwardly screamed. The reason wasn’t that Lee Seo-joon’s appearance was as handsome as she’d imagined.

*Heukgyeong*.

Wasn’t that the upstart genius that had appeared in the Black Market recently? An unprecedented prodigy. An impossible human said to be unrivaled in repair!

She herself had been curious about him. But since he never revealed his identity, she had, inevitably, given up thinking about it.

But then.

That *Heukgyeong* character was the Lee Seo-joon she used to work with…

Now he even has a dedicated workshop with Hundred Eyes, and possesses unbelievable exclusive equipment manufacturing technology?

What kind of insane nonsense is this… huh…? Truly, what insane nonsense is this…?

The slump that’s been looming over her lately. Even a fantasy workplace that could fulfill the money-making she needs to escape from it, too?

“Giving up makes you an idiot, doesn’t it.

Everyone here knows working itself is hard in the first place!

New techniques! New jobs!

There’s an opportunity a master artisan can’t absolutely miss, so there’s no way I can run away just because it might be difficult!!”

A joyful squeal kept threatening to bubble up, but Seo Ji-su pressed it down, hard. Maintaining a nonchalant facade, she surveyed the oddly charged room.

All of them, she thought.

They’re practically rivals now.

She recognized a few faces, too. In the Black Market, the renowned artisan industry was relatively small to begin with. So very small, in fact, that quite a few who’d crossed her path before were mixed in.

Talented ones, of course, but also effort-type geniuses who had built their skills on abundant experience.

Figures you absolutely couldn’t take lightly.

And there were over 50 of them… but how many were they actually picking? Ten?

The competition was fierce. Absurdly so.

Could she really confidently call herself the best among them?

So Seo Ji-su crossed her legs and muttered inwardly.

Get lost, all of you.

They said it would be hard, didn’t they? Huh? If you’re hesitating, just get out.

All of you who haven’t worked with Lee Seo-joon-ssi before, please just leaveeee…!

“Seo Ji-su-ssi.”

“Yes, yes?”

She answered before she realized it, and hurriedly composed her expression. A male acquaintance she knew, an artisan who managed countless clients, casually asked her.

“Something… you seem to know something. Perhaps you’d be willing to share?”

“Me? Know what? I don’t know anything.”

“…Of course, I’m not expecting to hear it for free. Would I be so shameless? I’ll send a reasonable sum, so if you know something, perhaps you could share…”

A reasonable sum?

Seo Ji-su almost snorted without realizing it. Ah. He doesn’t know. This person doesn’t know.

He’s suspicious because he doesn’t know what kind of person Lee Seo-jun is. Right. Honestly, if someone who knew nothing heard about it, there would be nothing but good things, so they’d have no choice but to think it was a swindler’s sweet talk.

But what to do!

*I’ve* worked with that man!

If I could just pass this interview, I’d almost want to *pay* that man. The moment he picks up a tool properly, there will probably be mountains of things to learn.

So, absolutely no way. Mm. Absolutely no way. Who would be so foolish as to help someone else for just a few coins? I definitely won’t. Yeah. Absolutely.

Seo Ji-su smiled sweetly. She played dumb.

What idiot would show consideration for a competitor?

At least, not me. Yeah.

“I really don’t know anything. Honestly, I was even wondering whether I should even *do* this interview or not, you know?”

“…Really?”

“Of course. Do *you* know something then?”

“If I did, I wouldn’t have come to ask. Haha… Well then…”

He bowed his head politely and then began to move again, as if to find a familiar face and seek answers.

Most of the people inside were like that. Everyone in the room wore ambiguous expressions and wandered around trying to pry information from each other.

Whether a proposal could be trusted.

Did I even know for certain the benefits that lay on the other side of acceptance?

They say Hundred Eyes is crumbling under the weight of war’s aftermath. Was I climbing aboard a sinking ship?

Perhaps that last was my greatest concern.

Before the war, perhaps it would be different. But now, Hundred Eyes has fractured relations entirely with both the Executive Branch and the Black Hand.

Of course, I’d be worried. Because this… This is the sort of thing where one wrong move, one defeat for Hundred Eyes tomorrow…

…and I could sink with them, bound by association.

Even so…

Even so, I don’t care.

If things get truly bad, I’ll make a clean escape! The potential reward outweighs the risk!

-Rattle.

“…Even so, this is a bit much.”

“I came out of curiosity, but it all sounds like the ravings of a con artist.”

“What? Claims he can churn out a hundred pieces of specialized gear in just three months?”

“If he could do that, he wouldn’t be embedded in Hundred Eyes. He’d be making deals with a thriving mega-corporation!”

“More than anything, it’s that last bit that bothers me. We’d have to work under the surveillance of Hundred Eyes…”

“I came hoping, but… I can’t afford to board a ship going down.”

“Is it alright to head back the way we came? There won’t be any retaliation… right?”

Twenty individuals peeled away in a rush. Leaving behind no more than thirty souls.

The remaining applicants seemed to be grappling with their doubts. Yet none dared to rashly make their exit.

As if they couldn’t bear to squander this chance for sudden wealth.

The promised hour slipped away like sand through fingers. Seo Ji-soo, lost in her phone, looked up to find the figure returning into the room.

*My, my. Why hide such a face behind a mask? What a waste. Truly.*

He, Black Mirror – Lee Seo-joon – swept his gaze across the room. Met each waiting person’s eyes, one by one…

Then issued his command.

“Let’s move locations.”

Ji-soo followed the throng rising to their feet, subtly maneuvering towards the head of the line.

“Just a moment… just a moment…”

Having drawn level with Lee Seo-joon, she cleared her throat.

“Um, Mr. Lee Seo-joon… hello?”

He turned to regard her, a brief, assessing glance.

A slight inclination of his head.

“It has been some time.”

“Yes, yes… that it has… I was just wondering…”

“I’ll answer your questions upon your acceptance. Until then, I’d appreciate it if you kept your distance.”

“……..”

Cold.

*My! Cold!*

*That’s it! That’s the ticket!* Seo Ji-soo shivered almost imperceptibly.

Those glacial eyes. Not a trace of warmth, just a businesslike mask!

Who divides personal and professional so flawlessly? *Yes. Just right. Perfectly right.* The polar opposite of Lee Min-ho, wasn’t he?

“…M-Magnificent superior…”

Seo Ji-soo resolved.

To be chosen by him, with skill alone.

. . .

A test to select ten artisans.

The focus specifically on ten held a significant reason.

Minimum process. The ideal number of personnel for a plan even *I* was executing for the first time was precisely ten.

Of course, perhaps a larger number would be needed. Or maybe fewer.

The crucial thing was that this was the first time I was initiating something of this scale, so this undertaking would serve as a foundation for formulating concrete plans.

The first stage of the plan.

The talent to solidify that foundation.

Thus, I couldn’t afford to select mediocre individuals. I wanted those who surpassed basic competence, those who possessed a certain level of technical confidence.

I guided them into the interior of the underground facility, still under construction. The Hundred Eyes headquarters. Those who had come to the ever-expanding underground facility exclaimed in surprise, uttering gasps of admiration.

“Good heavens, what on…”

“Wh-What in the world is going on here? Who is operating these machines…”

“Unbelievable, they’ve even installed rails inside? Are they planning to manufacture specialized equipment like a factory…? But…how…?”

I calmed the murmuring crowd.

Their reactions were not the important thing.

“We will now begin the interviews.”

There were three things to inspect.

Basic skill and character.

To what extent can they handle dedicated equipment.

I started by checking the most crucial: basic skill.

“You must be able to do everything in the foundational fields. Every field necessary for equipment fabrication.”

“Huh?”

“Well, can’t a person not know one or two things? How many places are churning out materials these days…If we have to do even the simplest things ourselves, fabrication time will increase exponentially.”

“Creating something from nothing. That is what we will be doing from now on. Those whose fundamentals in equipment fabrication are shaky, please step aside. I’ll be checking from now on.”

I seated the applicants at makeshift fabrication tables. After checking everything from manufacturing parts to handling metals…

I eliminated ten people.

“Fucking hell! You’re making us even make a single screw!”

“Is this some kind of blacksmith shop! Modifying factory-produced bases is the current trend, this doesn’t make any sense!”

“What’s the point of this outdated method! Ah, I’m not doing it! I won’t do it! Get out of my way!”

The rejected ones spat out curses as they left.

Those who remained stared at me, faces drained of color. Some of them had barely made it through.

Next, to ease the tension, I administered a simple character assessment.

Five more were eliminated here.

The main purpose of the assessment wasn’t to judge whether an individual’s nature was good or bad, but rather, could they follow my orders without complaint.

In the first place, I was now a member of an illegal organization.

Judging good versus bad was meaningless.

“Crazy b*stard! What does a personality test have to do with building equipment?!”

“Don’t you dare cross my path out there! I’ll split your face open!”

To the two men, the most virulent of the rejects, Darko gave a subtle nod.

“If you wish, we can quietly take care of them for you.”

“It’s alright. My standards are simply high, that’s all.”

Barely a dozen remained.

To sift and select even amongst them, I inquired of each, individually, about the complete manufacturing specifications of bespoke equipment. I didn’t forget to test their skills through simple trials.

But alas, what’s this?

“…This is grave, isn’t it?”

A mere two individuals stood out as even remotely useful.

Seo Ji-soo, whom I’d already been eyeing…

And Kim Han-soo, one of the more renowned individual vendors on the Black Market.

The two of them comprised the entirety of my playable cards. The rest were far from veterans, closer in skill to the raw recruits of official, large-scale workshops.

Ah. Yes. Of course, I’d anticipated a certain drop in skill compared to official institutions. But to be this low…

Are these the sort who’ve been churning out that shoddy bespoke equipment?

“…Has something gone awry?”

“Yes. Something has gone awry. The level of skill is far lower than anticipated. Most have barely grasped the fundamentals. Only two are suited for practical deployment.”

Darko’s expression hardened.

“Then the timeline will be further delayed compared to the plan you outlined. I will need to separately report this to the Boss…”

“No. I can still meet it. Three months. That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”

“Pardon? But just now you were clearly…”

“Crude, to be sure, but even so, there are a few here with salvageable potential.”

I crossed my arms, surveying the crowd below.

“We’ll cull a handful of these first, then start with precisely ten. It means more labor for myself, I confess…but to meet the deadline, one must endure. I keep my word, you see. Darko-ssi. Worry not and return to your duties.”