After a while of chatting, Jaemin stood.

  "I should get going."

  He muttered.

  Kim Min-soo didn't stop him—just nodded silently.

  Jaemin turned and left.

  FWUIP-PING!

  TING!

  [Your FOCUS is ready to update. Do you wish to update?]

  [Y/N]

  He blinked.

  "…Yes, I do."

  The screen dimmed. The interface shut down.

  A second of static silence.

  Then:

  [FOCUS has been updated.]

  [Reinitialising system...]

  A calm, synthetic female voice echoed in his ears this time—not just text.

  "Welcome back, Han Jaemin. FOCUS synchronisation: complete. Version 3.02 is now online. Entity recognised: Han Jaemin. Title: Diviner. Verse: Legion Commander."

  Then nothing. The screen went black again.

  Jaemin stood there.

  Jaemin sighed.

  "Should I even be surprised by these things now..."

  He muttered. At this point, weird was normal.

  He turned sideways to exit—but paused.

  Two men were walking in.

  The first one, tall, sharp-suited, with a calm smile on his face, cleared his throat.

  "Ahem. It's a delight to finally meet you, Mr. Han. I'm Kwon—"

  "Hyun-Woo."

  Jaemin finished in his mind, already recognizing him.

  "—Hyun-Woo."

  The man said.

  "Pleasure to meet you, our new Special Coreborn."

  He extended a hand. Jaemin pulled one hand out of his pocket and shook it.

  "I was under the impression that only the officials knew about my Core."

  Jaemin said calmly.

  "Well, we're one big family, Mr. Han."

  Kwon Hyun-Woo replied.

  "The point is, the public doesn't know—and that alone shuts the ruckus."

  Their handshake ended.

  Behind him, Kang Daesang stood still, his fingers twitching slightly.

  He remembered clearly. The Dysgenesis Rift. The way he treated Jaemin then. He hadn't apologized. And now, he wasn't sure if Jaemin would even acknowledge him.

  "Oh..."

  Kang Daesang muttered under his breath, seeing Jaemin extend his hand toward him.

  Kang quickly stepped forward and shook it.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Mr. Han."

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Kang Daesang said, a little stiff.

  Jaemin held eye contact.

  "I feel the same way... I hope you were able to recover after the rift mess."

  That made Kang Daesang smile—just faintly.

  "We were. Thanks to you, at least some of them survived."

  "Great."

  Kwon Hyun-Woo clapped once.

  "We all know each other now, so we can skip the formalities."

  His tone turned direct.

  "Have you decided on joining a Covenant?"

  He asked.

  "No."

  Kwon Hyun-Woo's lips curled into a smug, self-satisfied smile.

  "Well, then I—"

  "But I am in plans of getting in one soon."

  "Oh."

  The smile shattered instantly, as if someone had drop-kicked his ego off a ledge. Behind him, Kang Daesang barely held in a snort, his hand subtly covering his mouth as he glanced away. Watching Kwon Hyun-Woo take the L was... too good.

  Jaemin adjusted his collar and turned.

  "Now, I have somewhere to be, so excuse me."

  He took a step.

  "MR. HAN!"

  He turned—Kim Min-soo stood by the hallway, one hand raised, eyes slightly wide.

  "Yes?"

  Kwon Hyun-Woo and Kang Daesang both bowed out of courtesy. Kim Min-soo did the same in return, before shifting his gaze back to Jaemin.

  "Mr. Han... someone wants to meet you. Right now."

  "I'm sorry, but I have somewhere to be."

  Jaemin replied flatly, starting to turn again.

  "It's the Chairman."

  Jaemin paused. Like his entire body stalled mid-step.

  "He wishes to see you. Now. Please… for my sake, don't keep him waiting longer."

  A long exhale escaped Jaemin's nose. He turned back toward them with the same neutral face but sharp, unreadable eyes.

  "Forgive me. But I'll only be able to spare a minute or so."

  It was as if time stopped.

  Even the air felt like it dropped a few degrees. Kwon Hyun-Woo blinked in disbelief. Kang Daesang's brows raised.

  A "minute or so"? To meet the president?

  There were people—Coreborns, politicians, and military commanders—who begged for five seconds in the same room as President Seo Jinyoung.

  Kim Min-soo, ever the composed one, was stunned too—but regained himself quickly.

  "…Very well."

  He nodded, then gestured forward.

  "This way."

  Jaemin followed.

  As they passed by them, Kwon Hyun-Woo stood still, cigarette slowly burning between his fingers. Then, with a flick of annoyance, he dropped it. Crushed it underfoot.

  "I wonder what interesting thing this man holds… that piqued our beloved Chairman's interest."

  He muttered, not hiding the curiosity in his voice.

  Kang Daesang rubbed his chin.

  "I wonder what the President must be thinking…"

  Neither of them spoke again.

  They just stood there, watching the corridor where Han Jaemin had walked—like they'd just seen the beginning of something they weren't ready for.

  ****

  Jaemin stepped into the room.

  The door clicked shut behind him.

  Kim Min-soo didn't follow.

  The office was… quiet. Smaller than he expected. Compared to the grandeur of every government, military, or association chamber he'd walked through, this one was almost minimalist. Clean. Elegant. Like a polished blade—precise, functional.

  "Han Jaemin..."

  The voice came from across the room.

  Seo Jinyoung turned from the window. A genuine smile graced his aged face—creased with time, marked by a single, clean scar running along his forehead. He wore a sharp black suit, immaculate. His posture is straight. Despite his years, there wasn't a shred of frailty in him. If there was exhaustion, it was buried deep—beneath layers of discipline and will.

  Jaemin offered a small bow.

  "It's a pleasure to meet you, Chairman Seo Jinyoung."

  "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Han."

  They stepped forward. A firm handshake was exchanged—brief, no nonsense. Then they both sat, facing one another with only a coffee table between them. The silence that followed wasn't awkward. It was measured. Like two chess players waiting to see who'd move first.

  Seo Jinyoung was the first to speak.

  "First of all—congratulations on acquiring a Special Core and becoming one of our elite Coreborn."

  His tone was respectful but grounded.

  "Of course."

  He continued.

  "This would've been celebrated far more publicly—something grand—but the circumstances… didn't exactly give us that luxury."

  Jaemin gave a small nod.

  "Sorry about that. I wasn't exactly sure how to approach all this either…"

  "Don't be."

  Seo Jinyoung smiled.

  "We'll have that celebration soon enough. In time."

  A pause.

  "Now then… What Core do you possess?"

  Jaemin didn't hesitate.

  "The Core of Shadows."

  "Oh?"

  Seo Jinyoung raised a brow—interested, but not intrusive.

  "That's good to hear. A difficult one, too. I trust it's not giving you any… instability issues?"

  "It's stable."

  Jaemin replied without missing a beat.

  "You've got nothing to worry about."

  Of course it was. He wasn't just holding a Special Core. He was holding two… and something else. Something redacted. Something that defied classification. But that wasn't information he was planning to share anytime soon.

  Seo Jinyoung gave a thoughtful nod.

  "Good."

  He said simply.

  "That's very good to hear."

  "Um, it might sound very rude to you, Chairman."

  Jaemin said, keeping his tone as polite as possible.

  "But I need to head somewhere. I'm in a bit of a rush."

  Seo Jinyoung raised his brow slightly, then smiled—genuine, but unreadable.

  "Is that so? But I've got things I'd like to discuss with you."

  He leaned forward just a little, elbows gently resting on his knees.

  "It's fine. We shall discuss them… on our way."

  Jaemin blinked.

  "I'm sorry?"

  He asked.

  "Well, wherever you're headed, I'm coming with you."

  Seo Jinyoung replied smoothly, straightening his tie.

  Then, with a knowing look, he added.

  "It might sound very rude to you, but I've heard you're a slippery rascal—disappearing for weeks… just to show off your magic tricks."

  Jaemin couldn't help it—a faint smirk pulled at the edge of his mouth.

  Seo Jinyoung mirrored it with one of his own.

  "So then."

  He continued, rising slowly from his seat, his hands tucked behind his back.

  "Where are you headed, Mr. Han?"

  Jaemin stood too, his expression now quiet again.

  "To the hospital."

  He replied.

  "To meet someone."