I Became a Cyberpunk Tycoon

Refining (8)

Like other top companies, many people tried to analyze the secret to Hansan's success.

Despite its achievements, Hansan was nothing special.

It couldn't be like General Machina. One couldn't find an engineer and scientist who comes once in several centuries.

The company's business acumen or strategic insight wasn't that remarkable. But they could exert great influence in the weapons market with overwhelming technological prowess, which was entirely dependent on the intelligence and creativity of the company's founder and first chairman.

It was the same with trying to be like Eliteroza, which excelled in biotechnology. Without experiments on fresh bodies, one couldn't keep up with their speed of developing new drugs.

If another company were to grow in scale and capture people like Eliteroza does now, they would inevitably end up in handcuffs, even in a corrupt place like Stella City.

But Hansan was ordinary. They made money in the usual way and gained technology and capabilities proportional to what they reinvested.

If there was one peculiar aspect, it was how the Hansan Group treated the Hansan family itself.

"Strange..."

The section chief frowned while looking at the monitor.

The atmosphere was ominous. Subversive movements were happening within the company.

Though not directly related to him, factional fights within Hansan weren't a positive development.

The emergence of conflicts itself wasn't strange.

People who reluctantly entered the corporation were competitive enough to step on others. Forming groups and ostracizing those who didn't belong wasn't unusual.

But all those conflicts had to occur under Han Sanwoo's control.

Hansan Group was a family-based conglomerate. Direct descendants of Hansan shouldn't be associated with the petty fights of their employees.

Just like teachers don't intervene in student factions. Members of the Hansan family always had to remain absolute figures.

When a member of the Hansan family chose something, other Hansan employees had to follow without doubt, and even if it failed, they shouldn't question them.

"But this..."

He didn't have access to Hansan's confidential information. But he could tell his department head's expression wasn't good.

No one wanted to speak about the conflict currently taking place.

Instructions were getting crossed. People wearing Hansan employee badges were glaring at each other.

Han Sanwoo was involved. He didn't know specifically which agenda and how, but it was certain that this absolute figure had made an appearance. Otherwise, they would have been more openly accusing each other and asserting the legitimacy of their factions.

The absolute influence exercised by members of the Hansan family might seem like a dangerous corporate culture at first glance.

Not a few businesspeople tried to emulate Hansan's control. They thought they could establish authority with harsh words and an overbearing attitude, and most fell apart on their own.

Most directives from the Hansan family were correct. Rascals like Han Sanwoo were exceptional cases, and other members of the Hansan family were leading Hansan from important branches around the world.

Even Han Sanwoo didn't harm the business. A lot of money and manpower were spent on maintaining his dignity, but at least he didn't utter useless words.

He had now made a move. Whichever side, it would bring significant change.

"I still have house payments left; I hope nothing serious happens."

Hansan promised the best treatment for its executives and employees. His salary and welfare benefits were not small either.

But having started a family, he couldn't keep living in the company dormitory. While there was some housing support, to get into company housing suitable for his rank and a family of three, he would have to leave the city center.

"I'm not going to get shot on my commute, absolutely not..."

He wanted to live. Leaving the safe area in Stella City was almost suicidal.

The area with company residences wasn't that bad in terms of public safety, and Hansan's security guards would guard the place like an iron wall, so it shouldn't be dangerous. But it wasn't enough to reassure the section chief.

"Ugh..."

After shaking off distracting thoughts, the numerous tasks still remaining for him came into view. The section chief exhaled deeply.

His daily life wasn't as happy as what he had dreamed of when he was young.

He studied insanely hard and worked insanely hard. He made every effort to enter Hansan.

He entered a prestigious university with excellent grades. He never stopped trying, and never rested for a moment to live up to the expectations of his parents who believed in and watched over him.

When others looked at him making such desperate efforts and found it amusing, he secretly laughed at others. He cursed them, saying they would be stuck at the bottom for life.

"Oh, my eyes..."

But the effort never ended. To compete for promotion against employees with great connections or genius talent, he had to work harder and harder.

Still, not every moment had been bad. He got a beautiful wife and had a cute daughter.

The present moment couldn't be called perfect, but it wasn't an unhappy life to the point of being despised or pitied by someone.

The section chief felt a buzzing vibration. A small purple window appeared somewhere in his field of vision.

"Honey?"

It was a call from his wife. After taking it, the section chief immediately had to suppress his anger with a flushed face.

"I understand. Sorry, I can't come now. I'll finish this work and go to the police station as soon as possible. Got it. Yes, love you."

The section chief tapped his temple twice to end the call, then clenched his teeth and began to focus on his work.

He had a reason to return as quickly as possible.

***

"The water is nice today... What do you think, sir?"

"This is good enough."

Sensual lighting illuminated the dim room.

Women wearing clothes that revealed their figures excessively lined up in front of me.

My secretary's expression had hardened a bit. Despite loyalty and all that, it probably wasn't pleasant for a woman to come to a place like this.

"Anyway, let's have some drinks."

"Understood!"

A middle-aged man with a not-low position within the Hansan Group poured whiskey diligently as if he were my servant.

"Come on, dance a little. Something hot... You guys standing still isn't exciting, not exciting! Don't you see the boss's face getting stiff?"

I wasn't without curiosity. It was inevitable that my eyes would follow when women with good figures were undressing.

But after the possession, I hadn't particularly sought out these kinds of places until now.

I felt like I might miss something. There was no one to enlighten me about what I should do, what I shouldn't do. I feared that if I indulged in immediate pleasure, I might forget that I was in a dangerous situation.

The actual entertainment venue I saw wasn't much different from what I had expected. In a way, it could be described as a classical form of entertainment that might even seem old-fashioned.

Prostitution is legal in Stella City. Without the need for complicated procedures like going for "second rounds," women working in places like this could offer their bodies to men anytime. The people who consumed and spread this kind of indirect entertainment were Hansan's businessmen.

Hansan is a Korean company. Even today, when the connection with Korea has greatly diminished, its roots haven't changed.

Hansan people who had spread their roots across the world began to spread the entertainment style they enjoyed and aspired to here and there. Stella City was no exception.

But perhaps this was better. Once people start selling their bodies in "creative" ways, they can endlessly trample on human dignity.

The dance ended. The businessmen who came in with me frowned seeing my expressionless face.

"Well, she dances well... but the boss's face looks a bit off. Can't you do something more exciting?"

The women who were watching for cues took off their remaining clothes. The door opened, and a new woman entered.

"Ha, Chairman Han Sanwoo! We'll bring in new girls for you!"

Young girls came in front of me. Children with unnaturally large breasts and pelvises.

"Send them away."

"Ah, understood!"

This game wasn't an adult game, so such detailed parts could only be found out by searching through "Han Sanwoo's" mind after the possession.

Desiring young women is a man's instinct. But even in Stella City, child prostitution was a crime.

But they had means to recreate it.

Reduce the body size. Of course, it wasn't possible with just a pill like in detective comics, but it wasn't impossible if you cut the skeleton and transplanted a new body.

An easier method was gathering children from the beginning and feeding them growth inhibitors. It took time, but the effect was certain.

By making adults with children's bodies that way and artificially creating mental purity through drugs or brainwave adjustment technology, they could create "adults who are children both physically and mentally."

I didn't want to see them.

"What are you doing? Let's just drink. Let the women in front keep dancing."

I had no intention of continuing with these people. But participating in this entertainment was necessary.

I needed to confuse Jeong Chansu. He shouldn't easily figure out who was supporting me and who was rejecting me.

I deliberately chose ambiguous people. People who were not suitable for Jeong Chansu to recruit or for me to pull in as "Han Sanwoo's side."

But seeing this scene, I could feel that the "self before becoming Han Sanwoo," who had lived as an ordinary citizen, was getting dizzy.

Time passed. The drinking session deepened.

I drank alcohol without stopping.

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