When we came down to the front of the villa, a bizarre little car was parked near the curb.
Beep!
Its lights flashed cheerfully.
It was none other than Taejin's red microcar—the infamous one.
He unlocked it with a flourish and waved me in. "Hop in!"
The side of the car was plastered with a massive decal of an anime girl in armor, holding a glowing sword. A character from that Japanese RPG he was obsessed with: Blade Dream Saga.
"Can I peel this off?" I muttered, embarrassed.
"Nope. Limited edition wrap. Had it imported from Japan," he grinned.
I sighed. Not my car, not my decision.
He jumped into the driver's seat like it was a Ferrari. I climbed in behind him, ducking my head like I was committing a crime.
The red otaku-mobile buzzed across Dongho Bridge, headed for Gangbuk.
"Where are we going?"
"Summit View Hotel."
A five-star hotel at the foot of Namsan. When we pulled up, the contrast couldn't have been more absurd. Parked out front were Bentleys, Rolls-Royces, Ferraris—then Taejin's anime-wrapped box of shame.
The valet stared, trying not to react. The expression on his face screamed:
What in the actual hell...?
We were disrupting the whole aesthetic.
The valet bowed stiffly. "We'll park it... sir."
"Thanks!" Taejin beamed and stepped out with zero shame.
I, on the other hand, crouched as I exited the car, hoodie pulled low, trying to erase myself from the public eye.
Why am I the one embarrassed?!
Inside the massive revolving door, a tall woman in her early 30s waited near the hotel lobby café. Black high-waisted skirt, white blouse, silver-rimmed glasses. Hair tied up, heels clicking against marble.
Minimalist. Sharp. Elegant.
That was Elena Rowe.
Taejin waved. "Hi! Long time no see, sis!"
She glanced at her watch. "I said 4 p.m. You're three minutes late."
"It's just three—okay."
Taejin shut up immediately when she gave him that look.
Her gaze shifted to me.
"Eren came with me," Taejin said quickly. "He said he wanted to say hello, so I brought him."
I shot him a glance. Really?
I bowed. "Good to see you again, Elena. You've been well?"
She smiled. "Discharged already?"
"Just recently."
"When are you graduating?"
"I enlisted after freshman year. Still have a while to go."
"You should apply to Golden Gate after you finish."
"If you'll have me, I'll try."
Golden Gate was one of the top global investment banks. Getting in from K University? Nearly impossible. Maybe one Korean applicant makes it per year—if that.
We followed her to the café on the second floor. A quiet space by the windows, mostly occupied by well-dressed foreigners.
Taejin and I stood out like a sore thumb. He wore a tracksuit. I was in jeans, sneakers, and my usual padded jacket.
At least I didn't look like I was heading to a convenience store.
Still, I couldn't help noticing the contrast.
If strangers saw the three of us, they'd never guess Elena and Taejin were siblings.
But look closely—same jawline, same sharp eyes.
He just hid it under the weight and the poor fashion choices.
A waiter handed us menus.
Taejin gasped. "₩25,000 for a coffee? Are they serious?"
He closed the menu like it was radioactive. "I'll just have water."
Elena calmly took the menu from his hand.
"Eren, coffee?"
"Yes, thanks."
"Two lungos and a lemonade, please," she told the staff.
Once the orders were in, I asked, "When did you land in Korea?"
"Just now. Straight from Hong Kong."
She looked tired. Something weighed on her.
Then her eyes went to Taejin.
"I heard Pinnacle Vault filed for bankruptcy. Are you okay?"
Taejin smirked.
"Lucky timing. Sold everything right before the collapse."
"You sold everything?"
"Yep. Transferred it all into OTK Corp's account. Around 9.3 million dollars."
She blinked.
"…You did what?"
Elena sat back, stunned. She double-checked.
And then, finally, she smiled. Relief spread across her face.
She'd clearly been worried this entire time.
"You were really concerned about him, huh?" I said.
She turned red.
"W-what? Of course not. I'm not stressed over some anime-obsessed manchild."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Sure."
Our drinks arrived, cutting the tension.
Elena scribbled something onto a notepad and slid it to Taejin.
"What's this?"
"A name and number. The manager of Golden Gate's Gangnam branch. If you're ever moving large sums into a domestic account, go through them."
She added, "Just say you're my brother."
Transferring money from Keora Cay into Korea involved tax filings and legal routing. Even for Taejin's ₩500 million, it had to be handled properly.
He tucked the note away.
"But wait," she said. "You were planning to sell slowly. Why the sudden dump?"
"I don't know. Just had the urge."
Elena narrowed her eyes, but I cut in.
"You came here just because of Taejin?"
"Absolutely not," she said quickly. "I'm here for work."
Golden Gate didn't even have a full branch in Korea—just a small securities unit. The market wasn't large enough to justify a major footprint.
"How long are you here?"
"About ten days. Corporate acquisition due diligence."
"Ten days?!" Taejin's eyes widened.
"You don't like that?"
"No, I love that. Stay longer!"
She smiled faintly.
"We're staying upstairs. The whole team's in the hotel."
"This place must be expensive."
"It's covered by the company," she said like it was nothing.
Must be nice.
Vrrrr!
Her phone buzzed on the table. She excused herself and stepped away to answer.
She returned a few minutes later, face neutral.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. Just something about the OPEC meeting schedule."
Taejin jumped in.
"OPEC… that's the oil factory thing, right?"
I nearly groaned.
"Elena, please explain it before I lose brain cells."
She chuckled.
"OPEC—Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. They're meeting in Kuwait to discuss production cuts."
"Production cuts?" I repeated.
And then—it happened.
A hologram appeared.
Right in front of me. Transparent. Flashing.
My breath caught in my throat.
Taejin's voice broke the spell. "Hey. You okay?"
I blinked. The image vanished. Just like that.
Elena noticed too.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine. Just spaced out for a second."
Taejin stared at me knowingly. I ignored him.
"What exactly is this meeting about?" I asked Elena.
"Deciding whether to reduce oil production. That'll affect global prices."
I sat in silence.
Because what I'd just seen—the hologram—was the same phrase, crystal clear:
"OPEC Confirms Historic Production Cut."
I saw it... before it happened.