“Please, go out with me!” I asked the girl in front of me. I bowed as deeply as I could with my arms stretched towards her—offering a bouquet of flowers. “I-I know we are friends, but I actually like you!” my voice—to my shame and humiliation, cracked at the last words. I’m a university student now, why is my voice still breaking damnit?
We were both standing outside in the snowy campus, I didn’t mean to make a scene, but this was the only time I could find courage to speak so I took the opportunity. To my relief, nobody really cared about the nerdy guy proposing to a girl in the middle of campus.
Yeon furrowed her eyebrows into a sad expression while scratching the back of her ear, I could hear my heart shatter to pieces before she even opened her mouth. “Jacob... I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in relationships at the moment.”
I fixed my posture to stand back straight and dropped my shoulders in defeat, exhaling from my mouth with a broken heart. “Well... I wanted to try at least...” I could do nothing but smile.
“I didn’t expect you to just approach me and say something like that...” Yeon fixed her glasses—she is so beautiful and smart; I should’ve known she was way out of my league. “But, sorry... I need my sole attention on my career at the moment.” her worried smile gazed at the sorry sight I became after being rejected.
Scratching my head, I avoided eye contact to hide the embarrassment—trying to not make a fool of myself any further. “Yeah... um... you are not... uh.” I kept stumbling on my words. “You won’t stop talking to me or anything, right?”
“Jacob...” she looked surprised—an expression that made me feel somewhat guilty, it didn’t seem like she had any intentions of ending our friendship after all. “I’m not mad at you or anything, we can still be friends.” Yeon smiled at me.
I sighed in relief, happy to not have lost a friend in such a desperate and impulsive action. “Thanks... so uh... what now?”
Yeon rubbed her forehead with a sigh, “you are a lost cause...” she said, deciding to take the conversation to a different topic instead. “I have classes in an hour or so, do you have time for breakfast?”
“Y-yes, of course!” I jumped at the suggestion. Even if we didn’t become a couple, hanging out with Yeon during break was always my favorite part of the day. “I have money, so food is on me!”
She crossed her arms with half closed eyes, glaring at the mountain of nerves in front of her—me. “Do you?” she asked.
I ransacked through my pockets, pulling whatever remaining money I had left. “Yes! Just enough for something...” I counted the coins in my palm, praying to the goddess for some cash. “Half decent...” I had none.
Unsurprisingly, Yeon found some amusement in my antics as she shook her head with a warm smile. “I’ll pay for it,” she said. “You told me you were almost kicked out of your apartment last week, remember?”
Born to a poor family here in Kaldstein, I never really had much capital to go inviting girls out for a date—not that I ever had the courage anyway. Yeon in the other hand, was born in wealth and had plenty of suitors to brag about—although she never did, she seemed bothered every time anything related to it was brought up in fact.
She was always a down to earth person with a strong personality and focus, I count myself lucky that we met—that strong resolve I lacked was probably what drove me to her in the first place. I was always the lonely kid at the front, the nerdy one the others would prank by spitting paper balls at his head through a straw—until I met Yeon that is, she was some sort of guardian to me when we were younger.
“Ha-ha... don’t remind me.” was all I could say—I should probably get a job to pay rent, so I don’t leave everything to my parents.
Leaving my awkwardness behind, we both left campus into the cold streets of Kaldstein—ready to start the day with the always necessary breakfast.
Yeon and I continued our friendship all the way throughout university, life wasn’t easy but we both had a dream that kept us going through this journey—to make the world a better place. My love for the planet has always been present ever since I was a little boy, my parents used to recycle a lot due to our situation, so that’s probably were it all started for me.
That passion was shared by Yeon, although in a different way than my own. I wanted renewable energy, to conserve water, keep the streets and the oceans clean—I wanted a green planet. Yeon in the other hand, had great interest in war and all sorts of conflict like crime, poverty, corruption and inequality—all of these problems that still plague our world to this day. Regardless of those differences, we both wanted the same thing, and those ideals brought us together.
A decade and a half later, I established myself in the scientific field after graduation. I moved to the Gladean Empire after receiving an offer a few years back, one that I simply could not refuse. During my time in college, I researched ammonia production as well as the agricultural field—looking for ways to improve efficiency while reducing the energy consumption of the current method.
Thanks to many sleepless nights and hard work throughout my years in university, I was given a chance to put my knowledge to the test by the empire. I explained everything about my research and how it would not only be able to feed the masses, but produce fertilizers efficiently without harming the earth.
This project would grant me recognition beyond my wildest dreams, as well as multiple awards all over the world. The implementation of our new method for ammonia production was a success, and I couldn’t help but shed tears of joy at the news. It was a dream come through for me, and to think I would achieve it at my age—I wasn’t that young of course, but not that old either.
The method was named after its inventor—me, giving birth to the ‘Foley process.’ I didn’t plan on stopping here of course, the planet is always in need of our care—and as a full grown scientist, it was my duty to care for it until the end of my days.
A year later, after the implementation of the ‘Foley Process.’ I enjoyed a peaceful life in the comfortable space of my own home, making the most of my summer vacation. While not short in funds, I always enjoyed living a humble life in a fairly small house somewhere in town—at least when it wasn’t necessary for me to live near the laboratory.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Being who I am, I decorated the interior to the brim with plants and ecological posters—I even painted the walls green. Some may call it an obsession, but I call it natural beauty—whether it makes sense or not. I looked at one of my awards hanged in the wall while sitting in front of my desk, it was a gold plaque I received from the emperor himself—quite a tall guy he was.
“Protecting the earth, one step at a time.” the words came to my mind as I drank my water. To think I’m actually helping make the world a better place—it really is a dream come true.
Suddenly, the loud ringing noise of my phone caught my attention. I took it from my desk, and spit the water all over my documents as I set my eyes on the name displayed on screen, ‘Yeon Ki-Joon.’
Swallowing hard, I pressed the answer button and proceeded. “Yeon?”
“Hello, Jacob... It’s been a while.” she was as casual as ever with me.
“Yeon, it’s really you!” I beamed at her—a dumb smile plastered in my face. “I-it’s been so long... I didn’t expect a call from you.”
“I know, I’ve been extremely busy these past few years.” she replied calmly. “I could’ve been more punctual with this, but I wanted to congratulate you for the Foley process. I always knew you had it in you.”
Scratching the back of my head, I couldn’t help but blush at her words. “Ha-ha... thanks, it really feels like a dream come true.” An awkward silence dominated the call for a few seconds, sweat fell down my forehead as I struggled to keep the conversation going. “Um... Yeon?”
“I’m sorry, I’m really happy for you, Jacob.” she told me, and my nerves began to shoot up. “But I actually called for a different reason.”
“Uh... what reason?”
“You received an offer to join a company named ‘Chimera’ not too long ago, did you?” she sounded serious. I had no idea how she found out, but she wasn’t wrong.
“Y-yes, I did... how did you know?”
“I talked to Mairead, she was hired by the same company and suggested you do the same, correct?”
“My sister? Yeah, she said they had an important project that would be of my interest.”
“Reject it,” Yeon demanded immediately. “Whatever you do, do not accept that offer.”
“Ah... a-are you sure?” I was stunned by her words, and my nerves were starting to get the better of me. “Yeon, we haven’t talk in so many years... and now you appear with these strange demands out of nowhere... I-I don’t know what to think.”
“I know, but it’s for your own good.” her voice became softer. “I actually need your help with something, but you will have to trust me.” she finished the call, promising to stay in contact more often.
A year later, at the airport of Kaldstein city.
“I’m happy to see you again, Jacob” Yeon smiled at me like she always used to—I, of course, returned the gesture
“Yeah... thanks for waiting for me.” I said, scratching the back of my grayish hair. “You wanted me to meet someone, right? Where is he?” I asked curiously while looking around the airport.
“Not here,” she shook her head.
Wasting no time, she guided me towards the exit and into the parking lot where we would take her vehicle. Driving back to the snowy city of Kaldstein I found myself feeling quite melancholic, remembering the old days of my life in this cold place. Yeon and I used the extra time to catch up with each other—I was delighted to have met her again, and she seemed happy to see me too.
“I see...” I smiled brightly—sitting in the front passenger sit. “Looks like you kept busy all these years,” I chuckled.
“Not as much as you it seems,” Yeon returned the smile. “You made the news many times with your antics.” she glanced at me from the side.
“Do you regret not dating me now?” it was, of course, a joke.
“As if,” we laughed and continued our lively conversation.
A couple of hours later—already at night, we arrived at a humble house in a small peaceful neighborhood—its front was quite unique compared to the others, as it was decorated like a beautiful garden brimming with flowers of all types and colors—these all seemed to grow in the winter, whoever was in charge clearly knew what they were doing. Leaving the car, I followed Yeon to the wooden front door—where she would stop to block the entrance.
“I like what you did with the place, didn’t know you were the flower type.” I commented, assuming it was her house she took me to.
“I’m not, this isn’t my home.” she corrected me.
“Oh... then...”
“Jacob, what I’m going to show you right now is of utmost importance.” she looked at me in the eye with a humorless expression. “Even if you don’t accept my offer, and would rather go somewhere else instead...” she paused for a second. “I need you to keep this a secret from everyone, even Mairead... understand?”
“...” I opened my mouth, but no words came out from it. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I swallowed hard before giving my definitive answer. “I understand, no one will know of this. I give you, my word.”
Yeon opened the door and I nervously walked my way inside, the place was decorated just as gracefully as the outside—the living room crowded with flowers like an indoor garden. Taking our shoes off, Yeon and I walked through the entrance and into the living room.
I found myself playing with my hands at the sight of what awaited me, the atmosphere felt tense and I swallowed dry with sweat rolling down my forehead—unable to formulate any words. A silver haired man was seated in a couch with one leg crossed on top of the other—resting his head on his fist. He bared his teeth with a devilish grin, his eyes cloaked in a dark shadow that my vision couldn’t get past to.
“You want to save the world, Jacob?” Yeon said—my nervous eyes sliding to the side to look at her face. “So do we... we need your help.”
Cerberus HQ, CEO’s Office: 936, January 9th, Tuesday, 10:00 AM.
Sovereign sat with his feet placed on top of the desk, lying back on the chair with his hands holding the back of his head. “Phew... what an arduous day of work today.”
“And it’s about to get worst if you don’t sit correctly,” Yeon casually stated—sitting in front of his desk with me next to her.
“Right, right, sorry...” the man displaced his feet from the table.
They fought over good manners and acceptable behavior for a few seconds, but I couldn’t focus on their words as a greater issue battered at my mind.
“Why the long face?” Sovereign beamed at me with a smile—standing up from his chair and walking around the desk to stand next to me. “Lionheart’s first operation in the Deadlands was a success, just as I said it would.” he proudly stated.
“No, no I just...” I thought for a moment, expressing my actual concern. “About me becoming Arwen to lead the company... maybe we could find someone else?” I suggested, praying to the goddess for a good sign. “I might go to prison if I get found out, you know?”
Sovereign pat me in the back a couple of times, an enthusiastic smile enveloping his face. “That’s the best part! Everybody will call you the boss and think you are cool,” he expressed. “Famous scientist Jacob Foley, once a saint, now a sinner... isn’t that right, Ki-Joon?”
“Not really.”
“Don’t listen to her, Jacob.” Sovereign pat me in the back again. “I’ve been scheming these operations for years now, what could possibly go wrong?” he said nonchalantly.
“How did I get myself into this...?” my pain only grew further from this day onward.
END OF CHAPTER