Second Sister

by Chan Ho-Kei

“Correct. But do you know who found them?”

  Chung-Nam shook his head.

  “The first person to identify the suspects, from photos of the scene, was a Reddit user.”

  Chung-Nam took a moment to process this. “People online found the culprits?”

  “The Feds won’t admit this, of course.” Szeto Wai grinned. “But even before they started circulating any pictures, quite a few people on Reddit had already pointed out that the two men with backpacks, one in a white cap and one in black, were likely suspects. They came to pretty much the same conclusions as the police, and probably had an easier time—everyone online is very happy to talk and exchange information, batting ideas around until they reach a logical conclusion. The FBI, on the other hand, only has finite resources to carry out their investigation.”

  Chung-Nam hadn’t thought things like this happened outside of movies or novels.

  “These days, people have forgotten what the function of news is,” Szeto Wai went on. “News is a mechanism by which people can understand what’s happening in their society, and something that satisfies our human curiosity about the world. Most important, it’s a weapon that allows us to live without fear. Journalists report on political scandals not to provide fodder for watercooler gossip, but to inform us that our rights are being infringed, that our shared wealth is being stolen by some selfish bastards. Murder suspects are named to remind us to be alert and to show that justice is being done. The internet has woken up a desensitized generation, reminding them to pay attention to their rights, their duties, and their surroundings. No longer will they allow information to be stuffed down their gullets like ducks being fattened. Instead, they use their own eyes and ears to decide what’s true and what’s false.”

  Szeto Wai shook his glass so the melting ice tinkled. “I believe you now understand why I think GT Net is worth investing in. When the entire population has been turned into reporters and their firsthand accounts can be found on your website, people will naturally be willing to pay for access. For any VC, this is the most ideal, effective type of investment, with the highest returns.”

  Chung-Nam realized that he’d been looking at this far too narrowly. He’d thought GT Net wasn’t commercially viable, but he’d failed to spot its enormous potential. He had always regarded himself as the smartest guy in the room and looked down on everyone around him. He’d been unpopular all through secondary school and university, but he put this down to people being jealous of his talent. He graduated with excellent results, which he threw in their faces. In front of Szeto Wai, though, he realized that all this was a lie. A good degree was just so much scrap paper, and he seemed worldly only because his coworkers were so pathetic. Like many office drones, he’d been full of dreams that he’d reach untold heights and achieve great things. Most people overestimate their abilities. Their dreams run through their fingers, and after twenty or thirty years they’re left lamenting that they’ve achieved nothing, that the world has not bent itself to their will.

  In this moment, Chung-Nam felt a wave of inadequacy. This man before him was extraordinary—not because of his fancy clothes or posh watch or expensive car, but because he was unquestionably the real deal, someone with an impeccable eye and a nimble brain. Chung-Nam had ingratiated himself with Szeto Wai because he wanted access to power; now he was starting to realize that there was a lot he could learn.

  He might as well take this opportunity to find out all he could about future tech trends. “What impact do you think the cloud will have on the internet, Mr. Szeto?”

  Szeto Wai didn’t hold back, but answered all his questions. They moved on to big data, wearable technology, and the great firewall of China. Most of their conversation had nothing to do with GT Net—Chung-Nam wanted to expand his horizons as much as possible.

  “Excuse me—I need the restroom,” Chung-Nam said. After more than an hour, he could no longer contain himself.

  “Over there.” Szeto Wai pointed at a corner by the bar.

  The bathroom was empty. Chung-Nam quickly peed, then washed his face at the sink. The person in the mirror looked reborn. He hadn’t got what he wanted, but he knew this game of chess was almost over. Szeto Wai had come up with quite a few—really, quite a few dozen—ideas for how to turn GT Net into the dominant web service of their era. Chung-Nam lacked Szeto’s vision, nor did he have a partner with a mind as sharp as Satoshi Inoue’s. There was no way he’d ever build anything as accomplished as Isotope or SIQ, but he believed he could be a more than capable lieutenant, and that he’d triumph under Szeto Wai’s leadership.

  He broke into a broad grin. His reflection smiled too, humoring him.

  On his way back from the bathroom, Chung-Nam saw that there were many more customers than when they’d arrived—he’d been too absorbed in their conversation to notice. There were now only two or three empty chairs in the place, and every table was occupied. On the balcony, several foreign-looking guests chatted away happily as they smoked cigars. As he passed one of the tall tables, a young woman happened to meet his eye. She looked away after less than a second, but she left a deep impression on him—reminding him of a particular Japanese starlet, with willow-leaf brows, almond eyes, and oval face, not to mention the faint curve of her scarlet lips. The resemblance was uncanny, apart from her hair, which was straight where the starlet’s was wavy. Her sleeveless black dress came down to her knees, yet even without showing too much skin, she emanated a fierce sensuality that was at odds with her doll-like face. Next to her was a short-haired woman in her early twenties with equally striking features, though neither the plunging neckline of her pink minidress nor her fashionable Korean cosmetics could make up for the gulf between her and her companion.

  Chung-Nam got back to his seat just in time to see the waitress setting down two fresh glasses of Jack and Coke. “I saw your glass was empty, so I ordered you another,” said Szeto Wai.

  “Thanks,” said Chung-Nam, smiling, his mind still on the woman. Without meaning to, he turned around and glanced behind him.

  “Someone you know?” asked Szeto Wai.

  “Oh, no, no. I just thought she looked like a Japanese actress.” Chung-Nam tried to pull himself together and stop making a fool of himself in front of Mr. Szeto.

  “Which one—black or pink?”

  “Black.”

  “Ah.” Szeto Wai smirked, guessing what was on Chung-Nam’s mind. “So that’s your type.”

  “Uh … I suppose.” Chung-Nam took a sip of his drink to cover his embarrassment. He wasn’t sure if this turn in the conversation would be another danger zone.

  “Go say hi.”

  Chung-Nam almost choked—he hadn’t expected this. Could it be another test?

  “Relax, Chung-Nam.” Mr. Szeto chuckled. “Let’s not make this all about work. We’re at a bar—you ought to take it easy. Let your hair down, have a bit of fun.”

  “Just go over and talk to her? I’ll get shot down,” said Chung-Nam. Striking out was no big deal, but having it happen in front of Szeto Wai would be a disaster.

  “Out of every ten women who come to a bar, nine want to be chatted up.” Szeto Wai leered. “Especially the ones at the bar or the high tables—that’s a signal that they’re willing to be approached, because a man can just saunter over, stand next to them, and start talking. I reckon those two are ours for the taking.”

  “I’m not you, Mr. Szeto. Women aren’t interested in me like that.” Chung-Nam had tried to pick girls up in bars, but the attempts always ended so badly, he’d finally given it up.

  “Nonsense,” said Szeto Wai sharply. “This has nothing to do with looks or wealth or status. If you don’t have confidence in yourself, obviously you’re going to fail.”

  “Fine, I guess I’ll buy them a drink—”

  “Oh my god, you’re hopeless.” Szeto Wai grabbed his hand before he could summon the waitress. “You know what you’re saying when you buy a woman a drink? You’re telling her, ‘I have no luck with women, so I’m b
uying five minutes of your time with this beverage.’”

  “I thought that was the most normal way to start a conversation in a bar.”

  “Forget it. Come with me.” Looking amused, Szeto Wai grabbed his glass and stood up. Chung-Nam was startled, but then he did the same without a second thought.

  “Pardon me.” Szeto Wai had arrived at the two women’s table and was ignoring their skeptical looks. “I’m from New York and don’t know Hong Kong very well. My colleague here insists he’s seen the two of you in a magazine, but I don’t believe it’s that easy to bump into celebrities in a city of seven million people. Help us settle a bet: Are you models or film stars?”

  “Of course not!” The women burst into giggles. “Your colleague is too kind.”

  “See, Charles? You owe me dinner,” Szeto Wai called out. “Ladies, could you recommend a restaurant? The more expensive the better—that guy’s paying. If I don’t name a place, he’ll probably take me to some hole in the wall and tell me it’s a cult favorite.”

  And just like that, the conversation flowed. The women reeled off French and Japanese restaurants in Central. Chung-Nam watched as Szeto Wai casually placed his glass on the table, and as they talked, he naturally slid into the empty seat by the short-haired woman. This was blowing Chung-Nam’s mind. He’d always thought that picking up girls in nightclubs was all about being suave and plying them with drinks, yet Szeto Wai’s understated method was clearly much more successful.

  “I’m Wade, by the way, and that’s my friend Charles over there,” said Szeto Wai about five minutes later. He probably didn’t use that English name very much, Chung-Nam thought.

  “I’m Talya with a Y,” said the short-haired woman. She pointed at the beauty in black next to her. “And this is Zoe.”

  “That’s a coincidence—one of my coworkers in the States is named Talya. Her dad’s British, but her mom’s from a famous Jewish family, so I always assumed it was a Jewish name …” Szeto Wai paused, sizing up Talya. “You’re not from a famous family, by any chance?”

  “No way!” Talya giggled. Even Zoe was smiling now. “What do you do in the States, Wade?”

  “Something to do with the internet,” he said vaguely. “Charles too, though he’s based in Hong Kong. He’s a great director of technology.”

  The women reacted to that. A moment ago, they’d only had eyes for the debonair, witty Szeto Wai. Chung-Nam hadn’t managed to insert himself into the conversation, and he might as well have been invisible. Now, though, they were looking at him with interest.

  “Only at a small firm,” said Chung-Nam, forcing a smile. He wasn’t sure if Szeto Wai was being mischievous by emphasizing his fake job title, or if this was a tactic he used: offering someone else up as a distraction to keep his own status hidden. After all, if he said, “I’m a multibillionaire entrepreneur,” that would probably scare off some women while attracting gold diggers.

  Over the next hour, Chung-Nam felt a sort of satisfaction he’d never before had with a woman. The conversation was frivolous—which nightclubs and restaurants they liked, gossip about this or that celebrity, random American jokes that Szeto Wai tossed out—but it was the women’s reactions that pleased him. He was aware that he had nothing interesting to say, yet they stared at him with fascination, smiling along with him, eyes gleaming with admiration. If he were alone, Chung-Nam thought, they’d probably have lapsed into awkward silence after ten minutes, but Szeto Wai was a master of repartee. Soon the atmosphere had warmed up so much, they could have been mistaken for old friends having a get-together.

  “I know a psychological test that’s quite accurate, want to try it?”

  Every time things quieted down, Szeto Wai came up with something to draw the women back in. He focused his attention on Talya, leaving the field wide open for Chung-Nam to flirt with Zoe.

  “Blue? That means you’re probably not too popular,” said Szeto Wai to Zoe. The test had consisted of choosing colors.

  “There are different shades of blue,” said Chung-Nam, defending her. “I bet you were thinking of light blue, so pale it’s almost white.” Talya had chosen white earlier, and Szeto Wai said it meant she was good in social situations.

  Zoe laughed, but Chung-Nam felt he was having trouble connecting with her. As they chatted, he liked her more and more. Apart from her looks being exactly to his taste, she was easygoing and well-mannered. He started to feel a rare stirring of true emotion. Should he work harder to win her over?

  “I’m getting another,” said Talya, draining her glass. She raised an arm, but it was after eleven now, and there were more customers keeping the servers busy.

  “I’ll go to the bar,” said Zoe, jumping to her feet. Chung-Nam noticed that her glass was empty too.

  There was a crowd at the counter. Having trouble attracting anyone’s attention, Zoe squeezed her way to the front. Just as Chung-Nam was hesitating over whether he should help, Szeto Wai was already striding over and having a word with the bartender. A short while later they came back with two glasses of honeydew-green margaritas.

  Chung-Nam kicked himself for his hesitation. Szeto Wai and Zoe took each other’s seats when they came back—Szeto Wai had been between Chung-Nam and Talya before, but now he had one woman to either side and was giving Zoe more of his attention. She’d clearly made an impression on him at the bar. As for Talya, now that she was next to Chung-Nam, she kept trying to whisper in his ear.

  “So you’re a director of technology. Have you ever met Steve Jobs or Bill Gates?”

  The tenor of the evening had changed. On the surface, the conversation seemed as warm as before, but Zoe was now shooting meaningful looks at Szeto Wai and bestowing her tinkling laugh on him. Meanwhile, Talya was leaning closer and closer to Chung-Nam, making sure he had a good view of her cleavage. He stayed friendly, but it was turning him off.

  “I should head home,” said Zoe at around 12:50.

  “It’s still early,” said Chung-Nam, hoping to buy more time so he could win her back.

  “Zoe lives quite far away. It’ll be after two by the time she gets home,” Talya interjected.

  “Where?” asked Szeto Wai.

  “Yuen Long.”

  “I’ll drive you home.”

  “Thanks.” Zoe agreed without even thinking about it. Her face was flushed. Watching, Chung-Nam understood that he’d missed his chance. He had only himself to blame.

  Szeto Wai stood and gestured at the waitress, who nodded and spoke a few words into her mouthpiece. This probably wasn’t for the bill, Chung-Nam thought—Szeto Wai’s tab would go straight onto his credit card—but for Egor to bring his car around.

  Talya and Zoe headed for the elevator. Chung-Nam started to follow, but Szeto called him back.

  “You forgot your briefcase.”

  Indeed, it was still at the table they’d been sitting at earlier. He hurried back for it.

  “Thanks.”

  “Pissed off?” said Szeto Wai unexpectedly.

  “What?”

  “I took the one you wanted.”

  “It’s fine, Mr. Szeto. If you like Zoe better, of course I’d—”

  “I’m not particularly into her.” Szeto Wai shrugged. “I just wanted to make you understand that ambition alone isn’t enough. You have to use the right methods to achieve your goals.”

  Chung-Nam froze. He couldn’t find anything to say.

  “Why do you think I ignored Zoe to start with and made up some nonsense about her being unpopular? I was negging her to get past her defenses. You can use the same tactics in the business world. If you want to replace Kenneth as CEO, you’ll have to understand all these theories. Striking out tonight is nothing—all you miss out on is a fuck. But mess up in business, and you could be saying goodbye to the career it took you all these years to build.”

  “Un-understood.” So this had been another of Szeto Wai’s tests, and Chung-Nam had failed. He knew how manipulation worked, he just hadn’t dared pull the trigger at
the critical moment, and he wasn’t sure that his methods would have been effective with Zoe anyway.

  “Don’t get too stressed out,” said Szeto Wai lightly. “Talya’s pretty hot too. Just make do with her for tonight.”

  “Make do?”

  “Bag her up and take her home. She’s into you. Haven’t you realized?”

  “They’re not like that, are they?”

  “Didn’t I tell you they were ours for the taking?” Szeto Wai smirked. “I don’t care what you do, but I guarantee that Zoe isn’t making it home tonight.”

  All the way down in the elevator, Chung-Nam’s heart was churning. He’d known Zoe for only three hours, but he still didn’t believe she was the sort of girl who’d jump into bed with a man she’d just met. To talk about her in the same breath as any woman he’d ever met would be an insult.

  When they got to the street, he knew he was wrong.

  “This is your car?” Zoe asked. Zoe and Talya were slack-jawed at the sight of the Corvette. They walked over like kids who’d just spotted some candy. Zoe’s expression told Chung-Nam that his goddess was no more than a vulgar creature who’d happily prostrate herself before money and power, handing over her body for a little piece of it.

  Well, this was reality, after all, Chung-Nam thought bitterly, smiling grimly at his earlier naïveté.

  Szeto Wai took the keys from Egor and said to Chung-Nam, “Hey, remember when you asked if I was a regular here?”

  Chung-Nam thought back to their interrupted conversation. Szeto Wai had said he came here “when he needed to.”

  “This is what I meant by needing to.” Szeto Wai glanced at Zoe, who was peering through the windshield, trying to make out the car’s interior.

  Chung-Nam could only watch helplessly as he opened the door and ushered Zoe into the passenger seat.

  “Sorry I can’t offer you a lift, it’s a two-seater,” said Szeto through the window. “See you next week, Charles.”

  The flame-red car zoomed off, leaving Chung-Nam writhing. He swore to himself that he’d strike it big and leave a trail of women in his wake, rather than remain the sort of loser who kept getting dumped on like this.