Chapter 38: We Are Already Bound Together

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A vintage clock swung on the weathered red brick wall, reminding those in the café that it was already nearly ten o'clock at night.

Selecting an inconspicuous corner on the second floor, Karina sat with her chin resting on her hand, her fingers idly twisting a spoon in her mug at a steady, indifferent pace. While waiting for Xia Xing, her thoughts drifted back to their conversation earlier that afternoon.

"I have a girlfriend."
"In that case, I can stop worrying."
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"There is something you need to know, and it concerns your family."

She had only reached out on a whim, but to her surprise, the mention of his family had indeed convinced him to agree to the meeting.

The sound of sneakers treading on the solid wood stairs reached her ears. Karina looked up to see a young man approaching. He wore a loose white T-shirt layered under a grey hoodie, paired with jeans and skate shoes—he looked more like a handsome senior in college than the chaebol heir described in the dossiers.

In stark contrast, Karina was dressed in a black trench coat, her makeup applied with exquisite precision. Though they were the same age, their styles felt worlds apart.

"Last time I saw you, you were wearing a Burberry trench coat and a dress shirt. Why the complete change in style?" She attempted to open with a lighthearted topic, focusing her gaze on his slightly weary face.

"My girlfriend helped me pick it out," Xia Xing said, casually pulling a pen and paper from his bag before sitting down opposite her. "Is there a problem?"

Karina smiled faintly, nodding in appreciation. "She has good taste. She must be a very beautiful girl, right?"

"Yes. But we aren't here to talk about her, are we?" He glanced at the mug she had pushed toward him and waved a hand. "I don't drink coffee."

"I assumed you just didn't like the instant coffee at convenience stores. I didn't realize you weren't into the category as a whole."

"Coffee is bitter, and I don't like the state of mind that requires it."

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Xia Xing shrugged. Since Karina wanted to engage in small talk, he decided to indulge her. Having just finished a short business trip with Shin Ha-ri and rushed back to downtown Seoul, he was truly exhausted; he figured he might as well use this time to recover his energy.

"Is it because you haven't had to rely on coffee to maintain your energy since you were young? There are so many high schoolers in Gangnam, and even civil service exam candidates, who have reached the point of needing medication just to stay focused."

Xia Xing had actually looked into this topic before. Energy drinks similar to Red Bull were once a significant source of profit for Peninsula Foods, but as South Koreans began abusing prescription drugs, these beverages—originally meant as supplements—had become the mildest of common drinks.

Many Koreans, in their obsession with staying slim and keeping body fat at dangerously low levels, would go to clinics to be prescribed appetite suppressants like phendimetrazine. The price they paid was an addiction to these highly potent prescription drugs that was incredibly difficult to break.

Some doctors in Korea, driven by the massive profits from prescribing these drugs—and knowing that once a patient was addicted, it became a long-term, stable revenue stream—were willing to risk penalties or even the revocation of their medical licenses to keep the prescriptions flowing.

Most absurdly, methylphenidate, a drug primarily used to treat ADHD, was capable of temporarily boosting focus by increasing dopamine levels. Consequently, it had become widely circulated among students as a "smart pill." To help their children improve their test scores, many parents actively sought out illicit dealers to obtain it.

As a student at the Yongsan International School and a direct underclassman to Samsung’s "little princess" Lee Won-ju, he had grown up in such an affluent environment that he had never needed to suffer through such things.

Xia Xing smiled helplessly. "Are there really still Koreans who drink coffee to stay alert? Don't they have much crazier methods?"

"That’s true. But in this society, it’s too hard to just be a normal person." Karina mimicked his bitter smile and downed her coffee in one gulp. "Since you don't like coffee, let's go for a walk. The things we have to talk about later might be a bit depressing."

Seeing that Karina was finally ready to get down to business, Xia Xing didn't say another word; he gathered his things and followed her outside. Because she had chosen a location not far from Han River Park, they naturally found themselves walking back toward it. It was truly a legendary place; he had already experienced quite a lot there.

"Tell me, why did you have that sentiment earlier?"

Xia Xing trailed a step behind her, observing her demeanor. Compared to the overly cautious and sensitive state she was in last night, she was now walking through the park quite freely, even lightly skipping over the occasional bump in the path. Strange, though—the park did seem less crowded than the night before.

"I just feel that as long as you're a part of this society, you're bound to feel like you have no control over your own life. Like me—I have to cooperate with my agency to manufacture scandals."

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"Someone like you, a rich young heir, might not feel it as acutely, but you can't tell me you don't feel it at all, right?"

The feeling of having no control—Xia Xing had felt that all too often.

He shook his head. "On the contrary. While it may be a case of 'complaining without cause' compared to those struggling for grades or jobs, they also have things I envy."

"For example, the constraints imposed by your family?"

It was like hitting a key plot point in a game. When Karina turned to look at Xia Xing, she noticed that he looked completely different from before. In that moment, she sensed a dark, melancholic air about him.

Although she knew people were complex and contradictory, she had never imagined that Xia Xing could be someone with such deep, hidden layers. Perhaps... they just hadn't known each other long enough.

Xia Xing had already guessed that Karina knew something about his background, and he was curious about how she had found out. He had held onto the hope that she was merely guessing based on his clothes and was just making small talk.

It seemed he had been wrong; she knew quite a lot.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not some pervert who pries into people's private lives. On the contrary, I'm a victim, too."

"Do you know Dispatch? The one that snapped photos of me and Lee Jae-wook yesterday? They caught a little bit of you in the frame."

"But they managed to dig up all your information anyway. Aren't you curious how they did that?"

"The truth is, we've already been tied together."

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