Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed – Chapter 33

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Middle levels.

Among the districts within the business zone,
If you were to choose the most famous and the one with the highest human traffic, undoubtedly, the name “Center Plaza,” the central business district, would pop up.

It housed the headquarters of various corporations, and it was teeming with franchises of various businesses like cafes, restaurants, and accommodations.

It was only natural.

And now I was sitting inside a high-rise building at the very heart of that Center Plaza.

Turning my head slightly, I could clearly see the entire, vast urban ecosystem beyond the transparent glass wall.

The giant holographic dragon, which usually appeared to be in the sky, was now swimming very low, as if it were underwater.

I wondered how such a difference in appearance could be caused by a mere difference in height, but a height of several hundred meters was something else.

This was the headquarters building of Black Monolith Corporation, also known as “Monolith Tower,” and I was on the 152nd floor.

Considering that the building had a total of 153 floors, this was practically the top floor.

From the outside, it looked like a giant obsidian tower that didn’t reflect light, but the inside was very different from its outer impression.

Even in the hallways, elevators, and restrooms, luxury decorations were commonplace.

“Real” plants in every corner enlivened the space.

The air inside was so clean that I felt no discomfort even though I had my mask off.

Being on the 152nd floor, and in the reception room, the final stage before meeting the chairman, the space itself felt like another world.

I forced my trembling hands, jittery with nervousness, to move.

I lifted the teacup that was placed on the round table made of natural wood.

One sip.

I savored the tea.

Its aroma and taste lingered in my mouth.

The savory and subtly sweet flavor was exquisite.

I didn’t know its name, but I guessed it was definitely not ordinary green tea.

Since I was also hungry, I filled my stomach with the fine pastries and tea.

It was best to eat now while I had the chance.

They were probably incredibly expensive.

It was the magic, so to speak, of cyberpunk.

The moment words like “natural” or “real” were attached to food or items, the prices easily jumped several times over.

I’d be a fool to miss this opportunity just because I was nervous.

I wouldn’t be a true citizen of Neon City if I did.

“Haa…”

Still, I let out a short sigh.

…Maybe I should have looked for another way.
I started to regret contacting him.

Even if I didn’t do anything, the people around me would be tracking Smile John at this very moment.

I acted on a whim, carried away by the momentum.

I regretted it belatedly.

I should have just stayed home and played games.

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Around the time I was wondering if it would be okay to take the pastries home, the automatic door with its luxurious patterns opened wide.

A man with neatly slicked-back black hair entered.

He had the impression of a spirited young man, but

This was cyberpunk, a world where you couldn’t guess someone’s real age based on their appearance.

Thinking back, he was older than me.

Roughly twice my age, I recalled.

The Chief Secretary of Monolith Corporation.

A true power broker within the corporation.

Just—, what was it again?

I couldn’t remember his name.

He approached me.

“We’ve met a few times before, haven’t we? It’s a pleasure. I’m Justin Borg, in charge of the Chairman’s secretarial affairs.”

Right.

That was his name.

I stood up and casually accepted the handshake he offered.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too. I’m Lee Shiun.”

“Of course, I remember you, Mr. Li Shun.”

“….”

I didn’t mind much.

It was a world where people rarely pronounced my name correctly on the first try.

Even though we’d met several times already, the mispronunciation couldn’t be helped.

Or maybe the translation module he was using was too sensitive.

Anyway, his name was Justin Borg.

He was also one of the characters that appeared in the game.

He held the position of “Chief Secretary,” directly serving under the Chairman.

Because of this, he could wield power beyond his given authority.

He probably had more influence than the presidents of most subsidiaries.

“You could have contacted me instead of directly contacting the Chairman.”

“…Ah, I was preoccupied and didn’t think of that. I apologize.”

“No, it’s nothing for you to apologize for, Mr. Shun.”

He replied with a smile, but

This man

Objectively disliked me.

No, not just me, it was more accurate to say he disliked everyone living in the lower and mid-levels.

It was easy to understand if you considered it a deeply ingrained sense of superiority.

He lived in the upper levels, so it made sense.

Because most people living in the upper levels lived with the same mindset as this Chief Secretary.

They were practically the nobility of the cyberpunk world.

But since this was a somewhat formal setting, the Chief Secretary of a megacorp wasn’t foolish enough to show such open disdain.

Even if I was just an ordinary mercenary, I was currently the Chairman’s guest.

He couldn’t openly display a hostile attitude towards me.

Incidentally, I learned this through a sub-quest in the game.

It was a quest to uncover hidden private lives,
and it was memorable in many ways.

That’s why I still remember it even after 10 years.

Well, anyway, even if I knew his true nature,

I hadn’t actually suffered any harm from him.

He had never openly antagonized me.

That’s why we could converse with smiles now.

There was no need to build walls.

In short, we were just acquaintances who knew each other’s faces.

The Chief Secretary asked me a light question.

“By the way, are you still working as a mercenary these days?”

“Ah, I’ve been taking a break recently, but the guys you saw with me before are still working.”

At some point, the tea I had finished drinking had been refilled.

It seemed the Chief Secretary’s hands moved quickly.

“Haha, our offer still stands. We’d like to recruit you for our corporate security department. We also mentioned the possibility of a contract as a private mercenary.”

I replied while sipping the expensive (probably) tea.

“Well, thank you for the offer, but the guys I’m with still dislike belonging to any organization.”

“No pressure. I just wanted to let you know that our offer remains open.”

He was truly a professional.

How many people could hide their emotions like this?

Smiling and offering a recruitment opportunity
To someone they disliked.

It made me think that this was the kind of person it took to be a Chief Secretary.

A circular light appeared in his mechanical eye. It was a sign that information was being transmitted through his visual interface.

“The Chairman says he’s finished with his morning work. He says you can come up.”

“…Ah, then we should go quickly.”

I was about to have another cup of tea,

But before I knew it, the tea I hadn’t drunk was already in his hand.

Well, I had to go right away when the Chairman called.

I briefly checked my condition.

Nothing wrong, right?

My mask was off, of course, and I had changed into a neat suit.

Incidentally, it was the expensive suit Catherine had bought me for the concert.

Even when going out, I wasn’t brazen enough to wear a bulletproof coat to see the Chairman.

Still, I had to be careful.

I walked towards the giant circular elevator in the center of the room.

This was the only elevator that went directly to the Chairman’s office, traveling between only two floors.

Soon, the elevator doors closed.

Judging by the vibration, it seemed to be ascending at a very slow speed.

[Heart rate detected at 150 bpm. I recommend deep breaths.]

I took a deep breath at her words.

It would be inhuman not to be nervous here.

Maybe if I had a cybernetic heart, but I still had a perfectly normal heart.

Since this elevator led directly to the Chairman’s location, there were no surveillance cameras.

“Of course, I’m nervous.”

Thanks to that, I could answer Eve comfortably.

Then several small screens popped up on my visual interface, with short lines of text next to them.

Judging by their content, they seemed to be news articles.

People of various genders and appearances were pictured.

[Based on information retrieved from the Netspace, it appears there are multiple individuals holding the position of Chairman at Black Monolith Corporation. I find this peculiar.]

“That’s right, there are multiple.”

Indeed, many different people had been publicly observed acting in that role.

[However, Black Monolith Corporation has officially stated that they have only one Chairman. I find this contradictory.]

“There’s only one, too.”

[Inconsistency detected.]

My answer was simple.

Just then, the elevator doors opened.

It seemed to be true that the entire floor was used as his office.

The view of a very spacious room unfolded before my eyes.

All the walls were made of glass, and at a glance, I could see all of Neon City.

And in the center, there was a huge executive desk.

A man was sitting there, working.

His neatly slicked-back white hair suited him well.

His face was marked with several scars, and white smoke billowed from the cigar he held in his mouth.

The middle-aged man, the Chairman, acknowledged me.

And then he crushed the barely-smoked cigar somewhere.

In a cyberpunk world, there were few who could casually discard a barely-smoked cigar made with natural tobacco leaves.

“Well, this is a surprise.”

“…Yes, it’s been a while, Chairman.”

He nodded once.

I slowly walked towards him.

The number one megacorp.

The person at the very top of a company boasting nearly a million employees.

His known age easily exceeded three digits.

Even in this world, he had a lifespan that easily surpassed what was scientifically considered possible.

There was a reason for that.

“You’re in that body today.”

“Well, I have been lately. It’s easier to work in, and I can smoke as much as I want.”

“Haha.”

Brain uploading technology.

He possessed the wealth and technology to change bodies whenever necessary.

For the record, this person was a woman when I first met him.

I heard that his birth sex was also female.

He was the most famous genderfluid individual in this cyberpunk world.

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