Maverick (Blank)
Chapter 26: Kaelan (13) End
[Viera]
Jarvis closed his eyes, bowing his head. "Alright, I will remember." He stood up straight again and left the room.
Joe approached. "Why prioritize the brand ambassador over Davea's name?" Mr. Dos sat back down in the black chair. "If it's true that behind Davea is the Kuhaku Group, that will be a problem."
Joe raised his left eyebrow. "Isn't that person also part of the Kuhaku Group?" Mr. Dos shook his head. "The first generation is finished. Now, it's the second generation."
Joe tilted his head slightly. "I understand. What about the Family Gathering later?" Mr. Dos sighed and looked at the engraving reading 'Underring. Top 11 Organization'.
"I don't know what rank Underring will be in later." He clenched his hand. "I will destroy the Kuhaku Group, no matter what."
Mr. Dos leaned back. "This was our shared dream. Seven people, and now only I remain, huh, haha!" He threw his glass hard against the wall. "Just watch. And I hate that kid who looks down on me."
Mr. Dos's gaze sharpened. "You also have business with me, Kiki Axela..."
Joe bowed his head slightly, turned his body, and left the room with one hand raised. "In that case, see you later." He left Mr. Dos alone.
Time kept moving forward without a single hesitation. Now, another week had passed until only one day remained before the NGNL Collaboration Event began.
Currently, a girl in a long yellow dress was seen stepping towards a room.
[CEO's Room]
The door opened, and the girl greeted with a joyful heart. "Good morning, Sis Kiki!"
A woman sat in a comfortable chair behind a wide desk. The walls had a mix of white, gold, and brown. The place was very clean, and expensive lavender flowers scented the room.
"Oh my, Viera, you startled me."
Kiki, the CEO of NGNL, a famous game creation and marketing company currently ranked in the global top 10.
"Sis Kiki, let's have breakfast."
Kiki raised the corners of her lips. "Let's go, let's go. Viera is so enthusiastic today." As Kiki stood, her head felt so dizzy she almost fell, only one hand supporting herself on the desk.
"Sis Kiki!" Viera quickly approached and supported Kiki. "Are you sick, Sis Kiki?"
Kiki chuckled softly. "No... just a bit dizzy. Let's go have breakfast, Viera." The girl led Kiki with her out of the room.
Viera and Kiki walked and sat facing each other at the dining table. "Are you really okay, Sis Kiki?" Kiki rubbed her head. "Maybe I've just been a bit short on rest lately."
"Hope you get better soon. And tomorrow, I'm finally going abroad." Viera's teeth showed as she raised her hands. "You're so happy, Viera."
"Of course! I feel like I've been trapped at home. Dad is so sensitive." Kiki rested her cheek on her right hand. "Well, have fun then."
Viera narrowed her eyes with a smile, eating the food in front of her: bread with cream on top and a strawberry. (Viera, have you forgotten it already?)
Kiki looked at her more intently. (I don't know how the past will chase your future.) They would eat together before her departure tomorrow.
---
Elsewhere, in a penthouse, Rama walked out of the elevator. "Hey, Uncle Robenson, I'm finished." Not a single sound reached his ears.
Rama began walking slowly around the living room, looking at the various decorations on each side. "Uncle Robenson likes collecting small statues."
After finishing his round, Rama sat on the living room sofa, lifting his feet. His fingers scratched his temple. "Oh dear, even though I'm finished."
The place was so quiet, but Rama's eyes stared sharply at the surroundings. (Hmm... Something's off.) Rama stood up again. He started climbing the stairs and headed to the upper floor.
The room was dark, silent; only his footsteps were heard. Several large tables were on each side of the corridor, filled with equipment and even medicines.
Rama navigated the corridor and passed a slightly hollow table. A gaze from those eyes smiled. The darkness made vision very limited.
As Rama stepped, a quick step followed him from behind. Rama raised one hand to block it and lifted his left leg to protect his body. All his movements were precise—a kick aimed at his leg and a punch at his hand; all attacks were met with defenses created by Rama.
Click.
The lights turned on by Mr. Son. A woman was seen in front of Rama. A kick was launched, but the woman managed to dodge. "Damn you, Lizie."
The woman named Lizie stuck out her tongue mockingly. "Wlee, were you scared, Rama?" His eyebrows raised slightly. "Tch, I wasn't scared."
Mr. Son clapped. "Wow, a small reunion. Too bad only two people." Lizie pursed her lips. "Yeah, two are dead, one is on a mission, three are missing." Mr. Son patted his back. "The world has gotten a bit tough, huh."
Mr. Son passed them. "Let's sit in the living room." The two followed behind. "Hey, Rama, you look old, huh?" Rama laughed. "You're also 29 and still wearing braces."
Lizie pulled down her left lower eyelid. "Let me be. Still pretty like this, wlee." Rama raised his middle finger. "Ugly." Lizie jumped and tried to grab Rama's hair. "You're also ugly, old, single, still a virgin, undesirable, stupid, show-off, already 30 years old." Rama, who had been dodging while listening to various hurtful words from Lizie, now narrowed his eyes. "You b*tch—"
Everything stopped by a sip from Mr. Son. Both fell silent and looked at each other, slightly lowering their heads in respect. "Sorry." Mr. Son sighed. "Rama, how about Kaelan?"
Rama explained, "Ah, him... Pretty bad."
The conversation started with Rama reporting about spying on Blank. Meanwhile, in front of a small rented house on a hill, Blank was mimicking Kaeri's movements in his yard.
Thump.
"Ugh..." Blank used a small stick as a training tool. He accidentally hit his own head and rubbed it. "Oh dear, how could Brother Kaeri use a knife like that? One wrong move could kill you."
Blank walked to the porch and sat on the floor. "Huh... I've been training for 2 hours." Blank began staring at the twilight sky. (I know now. I'm sure Brother Kaeri is also part of Mr. Son's group. Maybe the person who gave me this flash drive too.)
Blank stretched his body. (But seriously, why are Brother Kaeri's movements so difficult?) Blank looked at the small stick he held. (I tried holding a real knife, but huh...)
His memory returned. For over a week, he had trained every day, practicing every movement Kaeri made. But when he held a real knife, his hands trembled non-stop, and he didn't dare use it, so he only trained with sticks. (At least I somewhat understand if using wooden weapons.)
Blank stood up, trying to remember other movements as well. His body began to move. "Both hands hold the target's head, the right foot jumps and bends, then aim for the head." Blank tried a bit to get used to it. After finishing, he took a small towel beside him and wiped himself. (Could it be that Brother Kaeri is also on a mission right now?) Blank scratched his head. (Huh... Who would have thought I'm the child of a spy agent? This isn't an easy life; it's a life to be hunted by others.) Blank looked at his palms and clenched them.
[10 Days Ago]
Blank played a video of a young Kaeri, 18 years old, fighting a large man on an open dirt field. (So Brother Kaeri has been in this organization for a very long time.)
In the recording, Kaeri positioned his left foot back. A quick kick aimed at the man's face, but with just a slight head movement backward, the kick missed and returned to the ground.
The left foot returning to the ground pushed quickly forward with the body tilted, forming a T shape. But once again, the kick was caught by the large man.
Kaeri used his right foot to jump and bent his left knee. The right foot shot out, targeting the left side of the large man's forehead, but one right hand managed to block Kaeri's kick.
With both feet held, Kaeri straightened his left leg and bent his right, bringing him closer to the large man. Both hands grabbed the head, making the large man's grip loosen.
The left leg bent and kicked with the knee into the large man's nose, hitting the target precisely. The large man stumbled back. The two stared at each other.
The sound of applause began. Several teenagers, including Lizie and Rama, and other teenagers relaxing outside the training area were watching.
Blank watched intently. "This is the guy from earlier. So, he really is Brother Kaeri's friend." In the recording, there was also a 13-year-old child watching, wearing round glasses with curly hair. Blank held his chin, eyes narrowed. (Why does he look like Brother Reynald? But the hair is completely different.)
The first video ended. Blank closed his laptop and leaned back in his chair, his eyes looking at the ceiling of his study room. "So it's true. Brother Kaeri is 100% the same kind of agent as that guy."
His hand slammed the table hard. "But why hasn't Brother Kaeri contacted me again? Where has he gone now?" Blank grabbed his hair. That was the first moment Blank saw a video of Kaeri. Now he had begun following training with the movements Kaeri used.
[Back to the Present]
The door opened. Carpets covered the floor. A little boy was reading a book and taking notes. More than 5 books were stacked. "Alex, you're studying seriously, huh."
Alexander looked up. "Of course! I've summarized 2 books all day today." Blank chuckled slightly. "Why do you want to come to my small house? I haven't moved yet; it's still 2 weeks away."
Alexander shook his head. "They said after this you're going away for a week. I want to play here first." Blank rubbed his face. "That's true. Will you also visit the library often?"
From previous days, Blank often took Alexander to the library to study together, until finally Alexander began reading and summarizing books on his own.
"Of course. It's not far from home either." Blank raised the corners of his lips high. "Haha. Oh, tonight, do you want to watch fireworks? There's a good spot around here to see the city." Alexander was startled. "Really?"
That night at 11:45 PM, Blank and Alexander were sitting on the grassy field of a hill. The entire city could be seen.
They were waiting for the New Year's fireworks while eating cup noodles prepared with hot water.
"The air is a bit cold. Good thing we wore jackets and made these cup noodles, Alex."
Alexander curled up, slowly swallowing the noodles. "Yes, but the spot is nice." Alexander's body trembled slightly.
"Haha, that's true."
The two chatted together to keep each other warm for several minutes. Then Blank reached into the large bag he brought. A tripod and camera were taken out.
Alexander lifted his body. "You like documenting things, Brother."
"Who knows, it might become a memory, haha." While setting up the camera, Blank pressed a button to start recording a video.
"Come here, Alex." Blank pulled Alexander's hand towards the center angle of the camera while checking his watch.
"Okay... three... two... one..."
Boom boom boom.
The sound of fireworks and lights in the sky began to shine. From one end of the city to the other, they showed their brightness in the night with colorful trails of fire.
"Woaaa." Alexander's eyes sparkled. His hand pointed. "Look, Brother, it's so crowded over there!"
Blank smiled with his eyes completely closed. "Happy New Year, Alex." Alexander returned the same smile. "Happy New Year to you too, Brother!"
(I hope the world can always be peaceful like this someday.) Blank thought to himself.
Blank opened his phone and looked at the calendar. He pressed the date January 1st. The schedule he would carry out on that date was written clearly. He was ready to continue his life story. (Tomorrow, we begin again.)
[Event: NGNL Collaboration Viera x Emma 12:00 PM]