Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 154

Episode 156

Seriec City, a major metropolis within the Elheim regional government, served as the world’s financial heart, teeming with financial institutions. Home to 9.8 million people, it boasted abundant human resources, a bustling stock exchange, and various government financial support facilities, making it an ideal hub for financial operations.

A sleek black flying car sliced through the Seriec City sky, descending gracefully onto the rooftop of a massive building emblazoned with the sign ‘LHN Financial Group.’ It landed smoothly in the rooftop parking area, and a man with wind-swept brown hair emerged. It was Julien. He glanced around, muttering to himself with a touch of irony.

“So, this is the headquarters of LHN Financial Group.”

LHN Financial Group: a colossal financial entity that had risen to the undisputed top spot in the world of finance, encompassing lending, investment securities, insurance, and more. Julien had come to this place to meet a former classmate from his school days. However, his face betrayed no hint of the joy or anticipation one might expect when meeting an old friend.

‘Ugh, someone I really don’t want to see.’

Julien frowned, briefly recalling his childhood. He was here seeking a favor, but the thought of seeing his old classmate’s face after so long filled him with a sense of revulsion. If his own situation weren’t so dire, he would have avoided this meeting at all costs. His friend’s sly and even cruel nature had terrorized the entire school throughout their school years.

“Tch. No choice. I’m in a tough spot right now, so I have to get help.”

He spotted an entrance door and headed straight for it. As he approached, the door slid open automatically, and two burly men in dark sunglasses and black suits emerged. The earpieces they wore suggested they were security personnel.

“Who are you?”

Julien responded immediately.

“I’m Julien from Hyena Entertainment. I’m here to see Ms. Aula Valbar, an old classmate.”

The security guards’ expressions and postures stiffened. Aula Valbar was the granddaughter of the head of LHN Financial Group. A classmate of hers was no ordinary visitor. His surprisingly young appearance raised suspicion, but they reasoned he could have undergone cosmetic surgery.

“U-um, are you here to see the Chairman’s granddaughter?”

Julien shook his head vehemently. There was no way the Chairman of LHN Financial Group would readily meet someone like him.

“No. I’m here to see his granddaughter.”

The security guards relaxed slightly. Chairman Valbar had many children, and therefore, many granddaughters. If it was one of them, they didn’t need to be so cautious.

“Ah, I see. Which one specifically? Several of the Chairman’s granddaughters work within the headquarters…”

“I’m here to see Aula, the head of the Information Control Department.”

The security guards’ faces turned ashen. Aula was infamous within the company for her ruthless personality.

Early on, a staff member had argued with her over an unreasonable work-related issue, and she had summarily beheaded him on the spot—a notorious incident. While this alone might have painted her as a terrible boss, Aula had also pressured every company the former employee tried to join, effectively ruining his career and driving him to near destitution through various schemes. Eventually, the employee had begged for forgiveness on his knees, which finally stopped her, but the incident instilled great fear in the other employees. Crossing her meant risking complete ruin.

A security guard glanced at a nearby CCTV camera. One of the Information Control Department’s tasks was to monitor the behavior of employees within the company. Officially, it was for maintaining confidentiality due to the nature of the financial industry, but the thought that Aula might be watching made him tense.

“A-are you really Director Aula’s classmate?”

“Of course.”

His confident demeanor prompted the security guards to guide him respectfully inside the entrance.

“Alright, please come in. I’ll escort you to the Information Control Department.”

Just then, a woman’s voice, distorted by electronic noise, came from the CCTV microphone.

– Hey. What are you guys doing?

The security guards swallowed hard, staring at the CCTV camera with extreme tension. They knew this voice, which was heard whenever employees showed lapses in maintaining confidentiality. Though it was their first time hearing it, rumor had it that no employee who heard this voice escaped unscathed. At the very least, they would have to write a letter of apology.

“Ah, ah, well, this gentleman said he was Aula’s classmate. Or, is he not?”

– He is my classmate.

The security guard, looking somewhat relieved, bowed deeply.

“Ah, so we were about to escort him respectfully.”

– Respectfully? Then why haven’t you followed the security procedures? He’s clearly not on the list of approved visitors.

The security guards exclaimed ‘Oops!’ and hastily pulled out their electronic notebooks.

“W-we were just about to do that. It’s just that the weather outside is cold, so we brought him inside first. He didn’t seem like a dangerous person.”

– Is that so? Are you sure?

“Yes, of course.”

– Fine. Then complete all security procedures and bring him to the Information Control Department.

“Yes, understood.”

The security guards, letting out a long sigh, checked Julien’s name in the electronic notebook. Confirming that he was not on the internal visitor list, they immediately spoke up.

“You’re not on the visitor list. Will you undergo the security procedures? Or would you prefer to return the way you came?”

Julien glared at the CCTV camera, gritting his teeth. He was furious that she had made him suffer this humiliation by not adding him to the visitor list despite having made an appointment. However, he was the one with the urgent problem.

‘She wants me to bow down and enter. Cocky bitch. She hasn’t changed at all from the old days.’

Having experienced Aula in his school days, Julien knew exactly what she wanted. If he wanted a favor, he had to swallow his pride and come crawling; otherwise, he should just leave and not bother her.

Julien, in no position to back down, suppressed his trembling voice and said,

“Ugh. Fine. I’ll go through the security procedures.”

“Very well. Please place all electronic devices, including your electronic notebook, on the table and spread your arms.”

He took out all the electronic devices from his pockets and placed them on the table. The security guards confiscated them, placed them in a cabinet, and began a thorough body search.

Only after undergoing various identification checks was Julien finally able to board the elevator.

“Mr. Julien, this way.”

The security guard led him to a steel door on the 6th floor of the building. With only a speakerphone and a handle, it appeared to be a manually operated sliding door rather than an automatic one.

The accompanying security guard spoke into the speakerphone.

“Mr. Julien is here.”

With a clunk, the door opened, and an office worker came out to greet him.

“Welcome, Mr. Julien. The Director is waiting for you.”

Julien, glancing at the departing security guard with a slight nod, followed the office worker into the Information Control Department.

The interior was quite different from other offices. Instead of electronic documents, the desks displayed what appeared to be interior views of various spaces within the building, and employees sat rigidly, intently watching the screens.

Julien smirked at this sight.

‘She used to act so high and mighty in school, and now she’s just a security guard supervisor?’

However, these sarcastic thoughts remained unspoken. He feared Aula’s nasty temper, but more importantly, he was aware of Chairman Valbar’s close relationship with her, which was widely rumored in business circles. For reasons unknown, the Chairman doted on his granddaughter Aula. This meant that if she moved, she could influence LHN Financial Group. He couldn’t afford to say anything unnecessary that might antagonize her.

“Alright, come in.”

The wooden door with an elegant pattern opened to reveal a silver-haired woman sitting at her desk, flipping through electronic documents. She was about 165 centimeters tall [approximately 5’5″], and despite wearing no makeup, her fair skin and red lips were striking. Her figure was slender and delicate, and her eyes, visible through the black-rimmed glasses, were deeply transparent. She was quite beautiful, but Julien acted as if he had no interest.

“Aula. How can you treat a friend you haven’t seen in so long like this? Do you even know how humiliated I was just now?”

Aula raised her eyes sharply and said,

“Friend? Can someone who doesn’t even contact me except for the once-a-year alumni gathering be called a friend? Besides, we weren’t even that close, were we?”

Julien immediately shut his mouth. Her words were entirely accurate, and her voice carried a distinct chill. Once Aula held a grudge, she wouldn’t stop until you were on your knees, begging for forgiveness. Standing on ceremony here would only make his life miserable.

He waved his hand and said,

“Alright, alright. It’s all my fault. I’ll contact you more often in the future.”

Aula, lowering her eyes calmly, spoke.

“Alright. What favor did you come to ask? If you’ve come to me for help, it must be something quite difficult.”

“Well, let’s sit down and talk about it calmly. Don’t you have a chair or something?”

Julien looked around. However, despite the spacious room, there was no seat for him to sit on.

“Just stand and talk. In my office, everyone except me has to stand.”

Julien grumbled and approached her.

“Hey. Would you do this even if your grandfather came?”

“My grandfather isn’t so free that he would personally visit his granddaughter’s office. And there’s no one else I would offer a seat to.”

“Hmph. What about your father, then?”

“My father is the same. Everyone except my grandfather is a competitor vying for the LHN Group’s succession. If I bowed my head just because he’s my father, I would be immediately eliminated from the succession race.”

Julien looked taken aback. Her willingness to confront even her own father, with whom she shared blood, seemed incredibly cold. As rumored, the LHN Group was indeed a ruthless place.

“That’s harsh.”

“Harsh? LHN Financial Group is a company that handles money. If you don’t have a cold heart, you can’t run the company. If you readily give money to friends and bow down to relatives, you can’t become the owner of LHN. It seems you’re not desperate enough to keep talking nonsense. If you don’t have any business, just leave. I’m busy.”

Julien was furious at her dismissive remarks, but he held back and approached her. He couldn’t leave this office until he had achieved his goal.

‘Oh, I left my notebook behind…’

He reached into his pocket for his electronic notebook, but his expression turned troubled. He needed the data on the notebook to explain the situation, but it had been confiscated by the security guards earlier.

“Oh, what should I do? I left my electronic notebook with the security guards. I’ll go back and get it now, so can you explain to the security guards? They’re very strict.”

Aula stopped him as he turned to leave.

“No need to go. Just give me a rough idea, and I can find out everything here.”

“Hey. How can you find my data? Just so you know, my electronic notebook has a special security chip, so no one but me can turn it on.”

“It doesn’t matter. There’s no way I wouldn’t have the information that someone like you has. In fact, our information is much more accurate, so you might as well discard your data.”

Julien hid his trembling hands behind his back. He couldn’t show her his current emotions.

“Sigh. Fine. I’ll just explain it roughly. There’s someone I want to destroy.”

Aula snorted softly, immediately closed the electronic documents, and brought up a screen filled with strange symbols. With a light touch, she tapped the virtual keyboard a few times and immediately spoke.

“Are you talking about Oh Beom-seok, the chairman of the God’s Knights team?”

Julien, startled, widened his eyes. He had never told her about his animosity with Beom-seok.

“How do you know that?”

Aula pointed to the coded screen with her thumb.

“I know because it’s here. It says that you and Oh Beom-seok were engaged in a proxy war during the conflict between the Black Society and the economic organizations.”

Julien rubbed his eyes, staring intently at the displayed virtual screen. However, all he saw was a collection of strange letters and symbols.

“What? It’s not there.”

“Of course not. You can’t see it. You can’t verify this information unless you look at it with the special glasses I’m wearing now.”

Julien nodded. He had vaguely heard about such devices in the newspapers. They were designed to prevent outsiders from seeing the information displayed on the screen and were popular in special industries where security was paramount.

============================ Author’s Notes ============================

Have a good weekend, everyone. I’ll see you again tomorrow.