The Soul-Harvesting Puppeteer - Chapter 49

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 49
‘Though circumstances had soured things between me and the Seongsong Group, creating an enemy of them, I still owe them a debt of gratitude for their support all this time. There’s no reason to harm the Chairman and become his sworn enemy over this.’
Of course, Han Eol’s decision to release Lee Kang-hyun had another reason behind it.
Unexpectedly, the Soul Color that Lee Kang-hyun projected toward Han Eol wasn’t unfavorable.
Instead of the Blood Red Color signifying hostility, a subtle Pastel Tone seemed to bubble up from Lee Kang-hyun’s essence.
‘What’s this? Has the Chairman lost his mind? Why is he suddenly acting like this?’
Han Eol’s eyes narrowed.
“Ahem. Cough, cough.”
Lee Kang-hyun cleared his aching throat with a false cough and asked Han Eol a question.
“Were you planning to commit this crime and then flee to the Highlands without any cleanup?”
“…… Well, what else can I do? If I want to live, I have to cross over to the Highlands.”
Han Eol answered curtly.
At those words, Lee Kang-hyun’s expression shifted oddly. The Soul Color he radiated toward Han Eol deepened into a richer Pastel Tone.
‘Is he a pervert? Why does he keep acting strange?’
Han Eol glared at Lee Kang-hyun with half-lidded, suspicious eyes.
Lee Kang-hyun pressed further.
“You’re crossing to the Highlands to stay alive? Keh-heh-heh. That means you feel the Highlands are safer than Midland, doesn’t it?”
For a moment, Lee Kang-hyun had the strange illusion that Lee Hyun was standing behind Han Eol.
Lee Hyun—his aunt—was precisely such a being.
A visionary like Lee Hyun, who found the Highlands teeming with Demonic Beasts more comfortable than the human world of politics and scheming.
In truth, Lee Hyun was the person Lee Kang-hyun feared most in this world and the one to whom he most desperately wished to seek forgiveness.
‘It was because of me that my aunt abandoned the Seongsong Group. I disappointed her by killing so many of our blood relatives in my struggle to seize the company.’
Lee Kang-hyun carried this guilt with him at all times.
As Chairman, he could never reveal such weakness to anyone, yet he was not made of pure iron—he could bleed, he could weep.
Was it for this reason?
Lee Kang-hyun found himself projecting Lee Hyun’s image onto Han Eol’s form.
‘Now that I think about it, I was always dissatisfied that this boy resembled neither me nor Myung-woo. But now I see—there’s something of my aunt in him after all. That seemingly gentle impression at first glance, yes, but also the way he creates seas of blood without hesitation beneath that virtuous face.’
In his younger days, Lee Kang-hyun had ventured into the Highlands in Lee Hyun’s company.
That was when he first witnessed his aunt’s terrifying power.
His aunt, who was too soft-hearted in all things to properly command even her own servants, had slaughtered thousands of Demonic Beasts in a single breath—the shock of that moment never left him, even haunting his dreams.
‘My aunt’s blood has skipped a generation and flowed into this boy, Han Eol. It must be so.’
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Lee Kang-hyun’s heartbeat suddenly quickened.
‘Why does he keep acting strange like this?’
When the other man began snorting and trembling with excitement, Han Eol felt deeply uneasy.
A moment later, Lee Kang-hyun asked in the gentlest tone he could muster.
“A short while ago was merely the first meeting between grandfather and grandson. Would you mind telling me why you suddenly went berserk like that?”
It wasn’t just his expression. Lee Kang-hyun’s tone was also mild.
For him to speak this way was truly a rare sight.
Moreover, he didn’t hesitate to use the words ‘grandfather and grandson’!
In fact, Lee Kang-hyun was a man who addressed even his own children by their titles.
Naturally, his children called him ‘Chairman’ instead of ‘father.’
Han Eol shot back with eyes full of suspicion.
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m trapped, so I naturally have to escape.”
“Trapped? Why would you be trapped?”
Lee Kang-hyun was utterly baffled.
But Han Eol’s suspicion did not ease.
“You left me alone in an enclosed space. What guarantee is there that you didn’t spray poison gas or nerve gas in there?”
“What? No, why would I spray poison gas or nerve gas at my own grandson? You’re my grandson. Did the HR Director not tell you the whole story?”
Lee Kang-hyun raised his voice in frustration.
Han Eol matched his volume.
“Grandson? Ha. Does that even make sense?”
“Why doesn’t it?”
“Please. Who do you take me for a complete fool? How could the grandson of the Seongsong Group Chairman have grown up in an orphanage on Old Earth?”
“What?”
“It might make sense if it was an orphanage in Midland Seoul, but Old Earth doesn’t add up. So naturally, the HR Director’s story has to be a lie.”
“Hm.”
Lee Kang-hyun’s words caught in his throat.
Chapter 5
But upon reflection, Lee Kang-hyun realized that Han Eol’s claim wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
‘I suspected this fellow’s identity and conducted a blood relationship test, but while I was doing so, he must have been suspecting that I wasn’t his real grandfather either. Looking at it this way, this boy seems to have picked up my personality quite a bit. Heh, heh, heh.’
Han Eol’s unexpected remark actually improved Lee Kang-hyun’s mood. Now he was absolutely certain that Han Eol was his grandson.
“Ahem, well, there were circumstances. In any case, you are my grandson. On my desk at Su Byeok Won just moments ago, there was a Blood Relationship Test Result sitting there. According to that report, the probability of you being my grandson was 99.97 percent. In other words, what 99.97 percent means is that the probability of you being my bloodline is 100 percent.”
“Tch, who would trust a piece of paper like that? Seongsong General Hospital would gladly issue falsified results at a single word from the chairman.”
Han Eol had struck at the heart of the matter.
Lee Kang-hyun felt exasperated.
“Why would I manipulate the results? What benefit would that give me?”
“How would I know? I have no idea what the Seongsong Group intends to do with me, or whether you plan to capture me for biomedical experiments.”
“You, you—surely not?”
Lee Kang-hyun’s conscience smarted.
The Seongsong Group did in fact have a history of conducting biomedical experiments on certain Supernatural Ability users.
Especially those who had awakened particularly unusual Supernatural Abilities.
‘Now that I think about it, this boy’s Supernatural Ability was reported to be nothing special. His various ability scores were also unremarkable.’
But the truth was otherwise.
Lee Kang-hyun’s security detail had been carefully selected from the Seongsong Group’s Supernatural Ability users—only those with superior combat capabilities.
Yet moments ago, Han Eol had dispatched one of those bodyguards as easily as handling a toy.
‘And that’s not all. I compressed high-pressure water in my hand and struck at this boy, only to shatter my own hand instead. My palm strike can pulverize steel like tofu.’
Lee Kang-hyun stared down at his right hand, where bone gleamed through the flesh, and arrived at a profound realization.
‘Incredible. This boy has been hiding his true power from the start. He must have reasoned ahead to avoid being used by the Seongsong Group only to be discarded. So from the moment he was summoned to Su Byeok Won, he would have harbored grave suspicions. Sensing that his Supernatural Ability had been discovered, he naturally tried to escape.’
Lee Kang-hyun was by nature deeply suspicious.
The children who had inherited his blood mostly shared the same disposition.
So if such a suspicious person had spent their childhood on Old Earth and then suddenly ascended to Midland—
Then surely he would act much as Han Eol did.
Lee Kang-hyun immediately grasped the logic of Han Eol’s actions.
‘Indeed, when you first bring a wild cat into your home, it’s full of suspicion and wary of everything. I failed to consider this boy’s circumstances properly.’
Lee Kang-hyun had in fact never considered anyone else’s circumstances before.
His position had allowed him that luxury.
‘Still, he’s truly exceptional. Heh, heh, heh. He has my meticulous nature, quick judgment, and decisive action—and on top of that, he’s awakened a Supernatural Ability as formidable as his aunt’s. This is truly the perfect combination.’
What had been Lee Hyun’s shortcoming?
Despite her tremendous Supernatural Ability, her gentle and mild temperament was the limiting factor.
If Lee Hyun had been as ruthless as Lee Kang-hyun—
Then by now, Lee Hyun would hold the chairman’s seat of the Seongsong Group, and Lee Kang-hyun would contentedly serve as vice chairman beneath her, supporting her throughout his life.
‘If my aunt had possessed an iron will, I would gladly have supported her. That would have been the path to elevating our Seongsong Group.’
Contrary to the world’s perception, Lee Kang-hyun had not killed his blood relatives and seized the chairmanship out of personal greed. He believed that only by acting with such ruthlessness could he protect the Group.
And the results had proven him right.
Had Lee Kang-hyun not stepped in at that time, the Seongsong Group would have fractured into pieces through internal conflict, and then been picked off one by one by the vultures circling around them.
‘Perfect. This boy is truly my real grandson.’
Burst!
In that instant, Lee Kang-hyun’s soul blazed with intense Pastel Tone light.
This degree of affection was unprecedented—save for the example shown to Han Eol by the Spirit Constellations not long ago.
“Lee Han Eol.”
Lee Kang-hyun suddenly called out Han Eol’s name.
And he addressed him with the Lee family surname as well.
Han Eol had always known that his surname was Han and his given name was Eol. And even in this moment, his understanding remained unchanged.
But Lee Kang-hyun firmly believed Han Eol’s name to be Lee Han Eol, and he spoke with unprecedented warmth, his voice trembling with emotion.
“You are indeed my grandson. You may be uncertain now, but in time you will come to understand. That noble blood of our house flows through your veins.”
“…….”
Han Eol said nothing.
Then Lee Kang-hyun abruptly drew closer and seized Han Eol’s wrist with his undamaged left hand.
“So trust this old grandfather and come back with me. Come with me.”
Lee Kang-hyun’s words were sincere.
The warmth of Lee Kang-hyun’s hand holding Han Eol’s was likewise undeniable truth.
Han Eol gazed at the man’s soul and read his emotions.
Then Han Eol wavered slightly too.
‘What? Am I really his biological grandson? But the birth dates differ by two years, and that R-shaped Pendant isn’t even mine—so why does he keep insisting? How could the blood relationship test result possibly exceed 99.9 percent?’
Everything felt confusing to Han Eol.
‘Of course, if this were true, there would be nothing bad about it for me…….’
Han Eol asked carefully.
“If that’s the case, what happens to the things I’ve done?”
Han Eol had not only killed a bodyguard but kidnapped Lee Kang-hyun to this place.
By now, Seongsong Group’s security forces were likely converging on this location, tracking Han Eol.
Indeed, in the distance, he could faintly hear the sound of boats and airships drawing near.
‘Damn it. They caught up fast.’
Han Eol turned to gaze at the blue mist, his eyes wavering slightly.
‘Should I head into the Highlands now?’
Lee Kang-hyun, reading the anxiety in Han Eol’s heart, thumped his own chest with his hand.
“What do you mean you did something wrong? You didn’t do anything.”
“But…”
“Even if you had done something, what of it? Don’t worry about a thing. I’m your grandfather—who in Midland Seoul would dare lay a hand on you? I’ll cover everything, so you can rest easy.”
Lee Kang-hyun persuaded Han Eol with complete confidence.
This was no longer the age of law and order before the Great Transformation. In Midland Seoul, the owning family of Seongsong Group enjoyed extraterritorial rights—they were beings above the law, and any act they committed could not be punished by it.
Only Lee Kang-hyun possessed the authority to bring the owning family to account.
Therefore, the security officer who died from Han Eol’s sudden acceleration would be processed as a workplace accident, and his surviving family would receive substantial compensation.
All those who witnessed today’s events would fall silent.
‘That will be the end of this matter.’
So long as Lee Kang-hyun, the chairman of Seongsong Group, desired it, there could be no irregularity.
Recognition I
Chapter 1
“An irregularity has occurred. An irregularity has occurred.”
Lee Min-gyu, the fourth generation of Seongsong Group’s owning family, muttered listlessly.
His thick hand covered a glass tumbler that held an amber-colored liquid alongside ice.
As Lee Min-gyu slowly swirled the glass, the amber liquid created intricate eddies between the transparent ice cubes.
Lee Min-gyu downed the harsh whisky in one gulp, then set the glass down loudly.
At that, a woman in revealing attire clinging to him like a glutinous rice cake speared a piece of fruit with her fork and placed it in his mouth.
Another woman seated across from him delicately wiped the corner of his mouth with soft cloth.
Though these two women appeared at first glance to be bar hostesses, they were in fact Supernatural Ability users.
“Phew~. That’s strong.”
After downing the spirits in one shot, Lee Min-gyu grimaced for a moment, then turned his gaze to Lee Min-chul, who sat at the head of the table.
Lee Min-chul, seated directly beneath an ornate chandelier, was the fourth generation of Seongsong Group’s owning family and the eldest son of the renowned Pioneer Corps Commander Lee Sung-woo.
Lee Min-gyu, for his part, was a distant cousin of Lee Min-chul and known to be his right hand.
Lee Min-gyu uncrossed his legs and tossed out a casual remark.
“You alright?”
“With what?”
Lee Min-chul replied, pushing his glasses up with his forefinger.
Not a thread of disorder could be found in Lee Min-chul’s appearance.
Yet Lee Min-gyu sensed it instinctively.
‘The bastard’s quite rattled. Hehe. Now he’s starting to look human.’
The Puppet Master Who Harvests Souls
Author |
Junon
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Samyang C&C Co., Ltd.
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Editorial Department
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The contents of this book may not be used in any form or by any means without the written permission of Samyang C&C Co., Ltd. – Dreambooks.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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