Episode 49 — An Impure Offer

Episode 49 — An Impure Offer
The next day…
“Are you busy today, Kenny?”
Rae’s voice broke the silence like the sound of a pin dropping on marble. The long dining table in front of her felt too wide, too tidy, too quiet.
At the other end of the table, Kenny stirred his tea slowly, as if waiting for something to dissolve. Something more than just sugar.
“A little,” he finally replied, without looking at her. “A few meetings with investors. And... preparing for the second phase of Dreamland....”
The soft clink of his spoon stopped when Rae looked at him. Just a stare, but it was enough to make Kenny glance down into his cup, as if the answer was hiding at the bottom.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Rae?”
Rae stayed silent, her gaze sharp and steady.
Kenny sighed. “Haa... You want to know what you asked me yesterday, don’t you?”
“Yes.... Tell me.”
“Alright, but... it’s still early. Just eat first, I made some toast. Let’s talk in the back garden later, okay? Enjoy your breakfast, Rae.”

About an hour later…
The morning breeze moved the small leaves in the back garden. The wooden bench they sat on had already warmed slightly from the sunlight that slipped between tall buildings surrounding Kenny’s house.
Birds chirped in the distance, faint but not enough to distract them from the conversation that was about to begin.
“See? Talking in the garden like this feels more calm, doesn’t it?” Kenny said.
“Fine. Just tell me already.”
Kenny sat on the right side of the bench, leaning slightly forward, his hands resting on his knees. He looked more relaxed than usual, but Rae knew it was just the mask of someone carefully choosing their words.
“Blackwood Dreamland is not just a property project, Rae,” he said, getting straight to the point. “We want to change the face of the city. Cleaner, more orderly. Old buildings torn down. Poor areas turned into art and business districts.”
Rae sat still. Her eyes looked out at the garden, but her voice was calm and cold. “By evicting the people who live there?”
Kenny didn’t answer right away. He looked up slightly, staring at the blue morning sky. “Evictions are hard to avoid. But... do you know who controlled those places before, Rae?”
“What do you mean? Obviously the people who owned the land, ordinary citizens like my parents,” Rae replied.
“No... not the people. But syndicates. Drugs dealers, weapons, human trafficking. Sure, your folks may hold the land certificates, but were you ever able to protest the chaos happening there? That’s what I meant by ‘control.’”
Rae went silent and swallowed hard.
Kenny slowly turned to her, his voice calm. “Rae, I want more foreign investors to come into our region. Into our country.”
“Why? You want to sell our country?” Rae snapped.
“No! I don't.... The more foreign capital we bring in, the less room there is for local mafias to operate. You yourself said back during one of your protests, ‘this city needs to be rebuilt from the roots.’ Isn’t that what you were fighting for when you marched on the streets?”
Rae fell quiet again... but her mind didn’t. Inside her silence, thoughts kept turning. Kenny’s words were like a dull saw, they didn’t hurt all at once, but slowly wore down her certainty.
And for a moment, she saw herself from years ago…

Crowds filled the city center. Loud chants echoed, but what rang louder was the anger rising from everyone’s chest. Rae stood on top of an open truck, holding a megaphone, her face full of fire.
“Don’t let fake development steal our rights!” she shouted. Behind her, a huge banner waved with the words:
“Reject Corruption Disguised as Development!”
She still remembered the heat in her chest that day. She still remembered Vina’s voice saying, “Never trust someone who speaks sweet words while stepping on others.”
And now, sitting in this elegant garden, Rae thought:
'We used to think anyone who spoke sweetly was the enemy. But what if the enemy speaks our truth... then who’s really wrong?'
She didn’t say anything in return. She simply stood up and walked back inside, quietly carrying Kenny’s logical words with her, turning them over in her mind.

Night slowly crept through the house. The soft lights made the living room look warm, but the air still felt cold on Rae’s skin.
Kenny was sitting on the couch, reading a stack of documents on his lap. In the window, Rae’s reflection appeared faintly, standing still, staring out.
“If you really want the truth,” she said, her voice quiet but clear, “then why did you kidnap me?”
Kenny didn’t answer right away. He closed the folder slowly and set it aside. The sound of the papers was like dry leaves falling in winter.
“Because you’re stubborn,” he finally said. “Because you’re the last person who can’t be influenced... and the last one who can’t be bought.”
His words floated like smoke, hanging between them....
Rae turned around. Her face wasn’t angry, but it was sharp. “And you think that’s a good enough reason?”
Kenny stood slowly and walked a few steps closer. The side lamp lit up half his face, half in light, half in shadow.
“I needed someone like you to be a witness,” he said. “But I don’t know yet... if you’re a witness I can trust, or just an enemy waiting for the right moment.”
Rae didn’t respond. But her chest rose and fell slowly. She knew those words weren’t a sweet talk. They were a warning.
And also... an invitation.

“I’ll give you all the documents about Dreamland,” Kenny said. His voice was low, almost a whisper, but every word sounded like a key, which ready to unlock doors that were never meant to open.
Rae didn’t move. She didn’t step forward or back. Only her eyes shifted, scanning Kenny’s face like she was trying to read something behind his steady gaze.
“I’m talking about things you’ll never see in the news or government archives. Blueprints, money transfers, names. Even the things that were only whispered in the darkest corners of executive meetings.” He leaned forward a little, just enough to make his voice feel closer.
“I’ll show you everything... but after that, you can’t pretend to be blind anymore.”
Rae swallowed, slowly. Her throat was dry. But her voice stayed calm. “And you’re sure I won’t just burn it all and drag you to the court?”
Kenny gave a little smile. But it wasn’t relief. It looked more like a gamble. “If you’re still the same woman I saw years ago on that protest stage... maybe you would.”
Then he slipped something into his jacket pocket, a small black flash drive, barely visible. His hand returned to his side, relaxed.
“But if you’ve changed... you’ll open the first file. And then the next. And the next.”
He took half a step back. “This isn’t about right or wrong, Rae. It’s about knowing and speaking... or staying comfortable while fighting from the inside.”
Rae blinked. Once...
Then Kenny turned and walked toward the long, dim hallway. But just before his shadow disappeared completely, he stopped, still with his back to her.
“Oh, and one more thing...” His voice was light, almost mocking.
“If you open those files, make sure you’re alone. Don’t trust anyone. Not even me....”
His footsteps echoed again... then faded away.
Rae stood still. Quiet...
Her hand clenched, then slowly relaxed. Her eyes looked toward the door Kenny had just walked through.
She took a deep breath.
'So... where do I go now?'
Through this door... or back to the old road that never saved anyone?
She didn’t know.
But she knew one thing: 
tonight, she wouldn’t sleep before deciding which side she would stand on.
And that would be the beginning of something...
...something she might never be able to stop.

To be continued...