Vroooom

…

A cute-looking tiny white hatchback was struggling to drive up a hill.

Lee Hyeon-Ju furrowed her brow while depressing the accelerator.

‘Is it already time to change my car?’

The road leading up to the Martial Assembly HQ was as steep as it could get. As Lee Hyeon-Ju had been with her favorite ride for practically forever, it was easy to notice how it had started struggling more and more lately.

“Urgh… This unnie is still having financial issues, okay? Please hold on for two more months. Please!”

Lee Hyeon-Ju never had to worry about her finances in the past. But the events of the past few months taught her what it meant to be frugal.

In a way, she was responsible for bringing this situation upon herself.

She had all the right to claim Lee Jung-Geol’s massive wealth as her inheritance. Sure, all of her grandfather’s ill-gotten hidden funds would’ve been returned to the Assembly, anyway. However, what about the wealth he had accumulated legitimately? Lee Hyeon-Ju had all the right to inherit it.

However, she shoved all that money into the Martial Assembly's coffers without any regret whatsoever. That was because, to her, money wasn't important.

What could she do with all that money, anyway? Fool around for the rest of her life pretending to be happy?

‘What a laughable notion that is.’

Humans couldn't do that. No, wait. Maybe some people could do that, but not Lee Hyeon-Ju. She'd rather use her own skills to prove her worth instead of letting the fatness of her bank account speak on her behalf.

If she had gobbled up Lee Jung-Geol's wealth back then… Would she have gotten a job in the Assembly? No, it would've never happened.

Lee Hyeon-Su would've never stopped monitoring her, and Lee Hyeon-Ju would've wallowed in shallow luxury for the rest of her life. It'd be a life far removed from the martial world.

The mere thought of that alternative reality sent a chill down her spine.

Lee Hyeon-Ju only got to earn her freedom by unhesitantly discarding everything. And now, she went beyond simply enjoying her freedom to gain a high-ranking position in the Assembly. She even earned a sense of pride, a sense of fulfillment, from her work, too.

...If it weren't for one minor thing ruining her vibe, that was!

“Why do I have so many credit card expenses to pay?!”

Her wages disappeared as soon as they were deposited into her bank account, only leaving behind a hint of what things could have been. There were many goodbyes in this world, but nothing would be as painful as this particular type of goodbye!

To think it’d be a flitting goodbye with the one she ardently wished to meet! What a tragedy this was. Yes, it had to be a tragedy!

It wasn’t as if her annual salary was pitiful, either. Among her peers doing similar work as her…

‘Actually, I don’t think anyone in my age group is doing similar work as me…’

In any case! The amount of money being deposited into her account every month easily dwarfed what fairly successful people in Lee Hyeon-Ju’s age group received. The problem with this arrangement was, though…

Lee Hyeon-Ju's spending habit was also far worse than that of her peers!

She'd freak out at the monthly credit card bill and hurriedly pore through the statement, but the conclusion remained the same every month. Her problem lay with her mouth, which couldn't keep her sweet tooth in control, and her eyes which couldn't look away from pretty things.

Her hand obediently swiping her card was guilt-free in this situation!

“How am I supposed to get by this month, I wonder…?”

A layer of warm, salty moisture quickly clouded her vision.

At least there was a small respite from this financial storm. And that was the Martial Assembly providing breakfast, lunch, and dinner for free. At least Lee Hyeon-Ju didn't have to worry about where her next meal would come from.

Considering her wasteful spending habit, not paying for her meals wouldn’t have left much of an impression on her strained bank balance. Still, it was better than nothing.

Lee Hyeon-Ju parked her car at the Assembly’s parking lot and exited the vehicle. The first thing she did was scan her immediate surroundings.

“Hmm…”

There weren't that many black luxury sedans here. That could only mean all the 'important' folks who loved to waste fuel in big cars hadn't arrived yet.

‘They all deserve to get the boot, though!’

Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su unleashed a cruel reign of terror and suppression on the existing directors and elders of the Martial Assembly. However, those working for these elders and directors—in other words, leeches that clung to their bosses to suckle on all the delicious honey—weren't as heavily restricted in comparison.

There were two reasons for that, one each for Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su.

Kang Jin-Ho's reason was simple enough. He might be ruthless toward the leaders and heads of groups but was comparatively milder toward the people under them. As an example, one only had to look at how he utterly destroyed the Yeongnam Group's brain trust but accepted the Yeongnam martial artists without any discrimination.

Technically speaking, it wasn't the case of Kang Jin-Ho not being ruthless, but more like he didn't really care about the underlings.

Since he didn't care, these mid-level folks had not been reined in properly yet.

Unlike Kang Jin-Ho, however, Lee Hyeon-Su quite clearly remembered that these people were accomplices to those elders and directors. However, he still left them alone because… He had no one else to replace them with!

The painless operation of a large organization like the Martial Assembly required a massive number of people capable of handling administrative affairs. Unfortunately, the Assembly's 'unique' quirks meant it couldn't possibly hire many talented but still jobless people from the surface world.

‘Yup, it’s the stagnating pool of water.’

Lee Hyeon-Ju also understood that getting rid of these leeches was currently impossible. Hence, her reluctance to criticize Lee Hyeon-Su. Even so, her belief still didn’t change. No matter how long it took, these people simply must be eliminated. That would help the Martial Assembly progress even further into the future.

“Fuu-woo…”

Lee Hyeon-Ju turned her head and stared at the Assembly HQ.

‘What a weird place that is.’

The Martial Assembly transformed into a rather weird place after Lee Jung-Geol was kicked out and Kang Jin-Ho seized power. Should she say this place had become a melting pot containing a messy concoction of the darkness of society and a shonen manga-level of youthful cliches?

Even as things were changing at a breakneck pace, the circumstances of grown-ups and tacit approval of darkness accompanied the rapid reformation of the Assembly.

Lee Hyeon-Su could only smile wryly at this somewhat grotesque reality.

Rumble, vroom…!

That was when a black sedan rolled into the parking lot. It slid to a smooth stop next to her, then the driver's side window whirred down to reveal a familiar face.

“Oh, hey, Department Director Lee Hyeon-Ju. Been a while, eh?” The driver smirked weirdly as he greeted Lee Hyeon-Ju.

She noticed the way he deliberately emphasized the words 'department director.' Even a hopelessly slow-witted person would've realized this man was being sarcastic.

“...Yes, it has been a while, Department Director Choi.”

When Lee Hyeon-Ju greeted him back, Director Choi’s strange smirk deepened. He began scanning her from top to bottom in silence. That gaze alone displeased her to no end.

“Hmm. You look good these days, Department Director Lee. Did something nice happen to you or something? Even though eeeeveryone is having a tough time lately.”

“Yes, it's been good, although it can be better.”

The weird smirk on Director Choi's lips suddenly disappeared. He wordlessly stared at her for a few seconds, then chewed his next words out. “How is your life after betraying those who stayed loyal to your grandfather? His disciples and people who were like your uncles and aunts? Is the grass really green on the other side, eh? What will your grandfather in the afterlife say after seeing you like this?”

Director Choi went for Lee Hyeon-Ju’s jugular without any warning whatsoever. However, she didn’t get flustered. To get taken aback by this level of verbal assault, she… She had gone through far too many things for that.

“I’m sure my grandfather would’ve told me to stop wasting time with trash and get to work.”

“What did you say, you brat?!”

Clack!

The door was practically shoved open, and Director Choi angrily climbed outside. His imposing figure towered over Lee Hyeon-Ju as he glared at her from above. “What was that? Trash?!”

“Yes, that’s what I said. Is there a problem, Director Choi?”

“...Listen, brat. It sounds like you don’t know your place because the higher-ups are sheltering you, but here’s the deal. That ain’t gonna last forever. You hear me? Why do you think we’re still using you? It’s to tell the whole world that Lee Jung-Geol’s granddaughter is sticking with us and eats the pet food we feed her so she can bark like a loyal dog! Do you understand that, you dumb little girl?”

Director Choi gritted his teeth menacingly.

“The only thing we feel when we look at you is pity, yet you think you’re the hot stuff and do whatever you please! Do you even understand the situation you are in?!”

“Yes, I do,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju without much care.

“You ain't gonna last for long here. Mark my words, you're gonna get devoured soon, okay? When you're about to get shoved inside a pot, it'll be too late to sob and beg and say you shouldn't have done that back then. Do you get what I'm telling you?”

“Yes, I do,” said Lee Hyeon-Ju, this time her voice growing colder. “What can you do about it, though? Because I know my reality all too well. I'd even say it's actually you who doesn't understand the situation.”

“Say what?”

“Director Choi… You’re more naive than your age suggests.”

Director Choi’s expression crumpled.

However, Lee Hyeon-Ju continued to mock the older man. “Do you honestly think our current higher-ups would’ve employed me when I have no abilities and no other redeeming qualities? If it was up to you, would you have hired me?”

“…!”

“I'm Lee Jung-Geol's granddaughter, so it's worth hiring me to use me as an advert? I don't see anything wrong with that. Wouldn't you say that's a pretty attractive achievement on my resume?”

Lee Hyeon-Ju’s cold voice left Director Choi speechless, and he could only stare at her in silence.

“That’s how our world operates, Director Choi. A company will only hire people based on their qualifications and potential usefulness. And then… The company will use them. And pay them accordingly. The Assembly recognized my qualifications and usefulness, so they hired me. And I get paid a lot of money for providing my services.”

“…”

“You need to wake up to reality, Director Choi. The era has changed. It's no longer the same era where you can get a cushy job because you belong to the clique of someone important, okay? Anyone occupying a position they are not qualified for will get kicked out. That's the era we live in now. Wouldn't you say that's how things should've been all along?”

Director Choi's lips trembled painfully, then some words finally tumbled out. “You… You're totally brainwashed, aren't you?”

“Think whatever you want, Director Choi. People who can’t win in logic usually resort to

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attacks. So, what’s next? I’m too stupid to understand? Or I’m too young to know how society really operates? I’m being lied to? Or I’m a woman, so I don’t belong in the men’s world?”

Contempt was the only emotion remaining in Lee Hyeon-Ju’s cold glare locking on to Director Choi.

“Stagnant water must be replaced, wouldn’t you agree? Especially water that has no plans to willingly enter a purifier.”

“…!”

“In consideration of the times I used to call you my uncle… Allow me to give you another piece of advice, Director Choi. Stay like that, and you’ll get the chop sooner rather than later. And you’ll never be able to return to our fold. Because that era has ended now. If you wish to avoid that pathetic fate, you should sober up and do your job more effectively.”

𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Lee Hyeon-Ju didn't wait for Director Choi's response and coolly turned around to leave. She could hear the heavy, angry panting of a grown-up man behind her, but… Why should she care? When that man didn't have the balls to attack her, anyway!

“You…!” Director Choi finally yelled in anger. “You! Don’t think you’re some hot stuff, okay?!”

Lee Hyeon-Ju dismissed Director Choi’s warning.

‘Yes, sure, sure. Whatever you say.’

“One day, you will regret what you did! You hear me!”

Lee Hyeon-Ju didn’t bother to respond. It wasn’t worth her time.

‘What a loser.’

The changing of an era always produced drop-outs.

People usually believed that these drop-outs were weaklings who didn't receive a good enough education, but that wasn't always true. Even those so-called weaklings with no power and no education could try their hardest to keep up with the changing times.

The group of real drop-outs actually consisted of those who boasted abilities that were neither here nor there.

People who angrily asked why they had to change when things were already pretty good for everyone, and people who simply had no choice but to give up something of theirs just to stay relevant… These were the first types of people to fall behind and disappear into obscurity as the era changed.

...Exactly like Director Choi, in other words.

Lee Hyeon-Ju raised her head and stared at the Assembly HQ. That building hadn't changed since she first set foot inside. Nothing about its facade had been altered until now. And its coordinates were the same as before.

Even then, it gave off a different vibe now. This place was supposed to be familiar, yet it wasn't. A home that didn't feel like one.

However, Lee Hyeon-Ju didn’t shy away from this disharmony. Yes, it was different now. It had definitely transformed into something else. But she was ready to acknowledge this transformation and accept it. And then… cling to it even more fiercely. Only then would she be able to make this change her own, too.

She swore to work tirelessly until she could finally shake off the label of 'Lee Jung-Geol's Granddaughter' and be acknowledged as a capable person in her own right. As a martial artist named Lee Hyeon-Ju!

“Fuu-woo…”

Her journey would not be easy. However, that was exactly why it was worth it.

Even if Lee Hyeon-Ju got her start because she was Lee Jung-Geol's granddaughter, that didn't matter to her now. Regardless of her beginning, people would acknowledge her as Lee Hyeon-Ju the person and martial artist once she produced good results.

“Okay, then! Let’s do my best today, too.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju strode inside the building in cheerful steps.