Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Office
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The first thing Kim Jin-seong heard upon opening his eyes was Dong-hoon's retching.
"Urk! Urk!"
The sound coming through the gap in the bathroom door sounded utterly miserable.
Jin-seong sat up and touched his forehead.
His head throbbed like it was about to split open.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember how they'd ended up in the motel last night.
Goni was sprawled face-down on the bed beside him, still fully clothed and snoring away.
Jin-seong headed to the bathroom and gave Dong-hoon's back a light pat.
"Dong-hoon, you okay?"
Dong-hoon's face was ghostly pale. He gripped the toilet with one hand and wiped his mouth with the other as he spoke.
"Hyung-nim, I really feel like I'm dying..."
Jin-seong let out a wry chuckle at the sight. His own head was pounding from the hangover too.
"Hang in there. I'll grab some sports drinks and hangover remedies."
Jin-seong patted Dong-hoon's shoulder and stepped out of the room. Goni was still blissfully asleep, oblivious to the world.
Jin-seong threw on a hoodie and slippers and headed to the nearby convenience store.
The morning air brushed coolly against his skin.
The bright fluorescent lights in the store felt like they were fanning the flames of his hangover.
Jin-seong picked out two hangover relief drinks and a few bottles of sports drinks. After checking out, he returned to the motel and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Dong-hoon, drink this. You'll feel better."
Dong-hoon opened the door and took the hangover remedy with a weak hand, chugging it down.
"Hyung-nim, looks like we went way too hard last night. I feel like death."
Jin-seong woke Goni up.
"Goni, get up and have some hangover remedy."
Goni, half-asleep, downed the drink and finally came to his senses.
He clutched his head and muttered,
"Whoa... we must've gone way too hard last night."
The three of them pulled themselves together and headed to a nearby cold noodle shop.
It was Goni's recommendation—cold noodles were the best for shaking off a hangover.
As they stepped inside, the rich, refreshing aroma of the broth whetted their appetites.
The shop owner greeted them warmly and handed over the menu.
"Three double portions of water cold noodles and a plate of dumplings, please."
Jin-seong placed the order, clutching his rumbling stomach.
Soon, three bowls of icy cold noodles and steaming, appetizing dumplings arrived.
"Ahh... this broth is so refreshing."
Dong-hoon scooped up some broth with a spoon and sipped it as he spoke.
Jin-seong took a big swig of the broth himself, and a cool wave washed through him from the inside.
He grabbed a clump of chewy noodles with his chopsticks and shoved them into his mouth.
The icy broth with floating bits of thin ice paired perfectly with the springy noodles, clearing up his stuffy gut in an instant.
"Goni, you're right—cold noodles are the best."
Jin-seong grinned as he said it, and Goni gave a thumbs-up while chomping away at his noodles.
"Told ya, cold noodles are king for hangovers. Try the dumplings too."
Goni placed a dumpling on Jin-seong's side plate.
The dumplings were freshly steamed, steam rising invitingly. Jin-seong bit into one.
The plump, savory filling was mild yet hot, making a perfect match with the cool noodles.
As their stomachs settled, the three began to regain their energy. Goni chuckled,
"Booze is great while you're drinking, but the next day? Pure hell."
Dong-hoon nodded with a laugh, and Jin-seong joined in.
With full bellies and quenched thirst from the cool broth, brightness returned to their faces.
They shook off last night's hangover and fatigue over cold noodles.
In the car back to Sangju with Goni and Dong-hoon, Jin-seong laughed about the drinking session from the night before.
"Last night, I totally hooked up in the bathroom, you know?"
Goni and Dong-hoon reacted with shock and jeers in unison.
"Whoa, this guy's the only one who had all the fun."
"Hyung-nim, you really knew how to party on your own, huh?"
Jin-seong shrugged with a laugh at their reactions.
The drive back flew by as they swapped stories.
Before they knew it, they were in Sangju.
Once there, the three gathered at home to discuss future plans.
"Once I get back to Daegu, I'll handle the office lease right away. I'll set up the computers and everything, so you two just pack your stuff and get ready."
Goni nodded at Jin-seong's serious tone.
Jin-seong decided to open up about what had been weighing on him and showed Goni the master agent admin page on his phone.
"Goni, check this out. I'm settling this much volume every week, but I'm still only getting 30%. I talked to Seung-woo about it, but even smaller guys are getting 35%. I don't get why I'm not bumped up."
Goni clicked his tongue as he looked at Jin-seong's phone.
"That's Seung-woo being greedy as hell. Trying to squeeze every last bit out of you. He's been like that since we were kids. He only looks out for his close buddies and screws over the ones actually grinding and making money. He'll get his one day."
Jin-seong vented his frustration at Goni's words.
"I wonder if it's because I'm far away that he's not taking care of me. It pisses me off. Is this right?"
Goni replied with conviction,
"No way. From what I see, you should absolutely be at 35% or more. That's normal. Seung-woo's the one skimping out."
Jin-seong sighed and said to Goni and Dong-hoon,
"Let's pool our strength from the Gyeongsan office. It'll be way better working together."
Goni and Dong-hoon exchanged glances and nodded.
A unique office structure was taking shape under Jin-seong's line in the master agent network—the oldest and most substantial one.
Of course, it was Jin-seong's code they meant.
Goni and Dong-hoon hadn't spun up their codes yet, so they were relying purely on Jin-seong's Hani code for now, but the upside was Seung-woo couldn't say shit to Goni.
As Jin-seong hurried to leave for his busy schedule, Goni grabbed him.
"Hey, at least grab a coffee at the tea house before you go."
Jin-seong checked his watch, hesitated briefly,
"Yeah, a quick coffee should be fine."
The three headed straight to the tea house. The familiar hostesses greeted them warmly, just like last time.
"Oppa, you're back again? Come more often~!"
Jin-seong smiled at the cute welcome.
"Gotta stop by here every time I'm in Sangju."
Dong-hoon and Goni's moods lifted from the warm reception.
They sat down, sipped hot canned coffee, and talked future plans.
The atmosphere was bright and relaxed.
Jin-seong thought how nice it would be to have more time like this with people on the same wavelength.
Jin-seong was checking out one-room apartments near Yeungnam University in Gyeongsan.
Under the soft afternoon sunlight, the real estate agent enthusiastically introduced places.
"This one's a two-room, good layout. Lots of students around, super convenient for living."
Jin-seong nodded and stepped inside.
The first place was too cramped and stuffy.
The second was decent but lacked parking, which bugged him.
Jin-seong carefully checked a few more.
The last one was a two-room right next to a clean apartment building.
As soon as Jin-seong opened the front door, he scanned the interior.
"The living room's a bit small here, but one room is huge. I think you'll like it."
The agent smiled as she spoke. Jin-seong began inspecting the inside.
The living room was narrow, basically just a hallway, but Jin-seong cared more about the rooms. He opened the door to the large one and was impressed.
"Whoa... this room is massive. Almost as big as an apartment living room."
"Right? The master bedroom is so spacious, it's bigger than two one-rooms combined."
Jin-seong envisioned desks and computers in the big room.
Four desks and four PCs would fit easily.
Perfect for him, Dong-hoon, and Goni to work together.
Jin-seong moved to the smaller room.
It was cozy.
Big enough for a bed and maybe one or two more on the floor.
Ideal just for sleeping and resting.
Jin-seong nodded, satisfied.
"I like this one. The layout's perfect for me. Let's sign the lease here."
The agent beamed.
"Great. Price is reasonable, matches what you want. I'll get the contract going."
Jin-seong followed her out with a light heart, thinking,
'Finally, my own office.'
His steps felt even lighter.
Jin-seong scrutinized the lease agreement, calculating quickly in his head.
Deposit 2 million won, monthly rent 270,000 won.
He hesitated, then cautiously asked the agent,
"Ma'am, I'm not planning to stay long—just one year. Any chance of a one-year contract?"
The agent looked troubled.
"Normally it's two years here. Landlord might not like one year."
Jin-seong thought for a moment and made a counteroffer.
"How about this? I'll up the deposit and pay a full year's rent upfront. I'm moving to something bigger after a year anyway, so just one year would be great."
The agent looked surprised at first, then smiled brightly.
"That should make the landlord happy. Let me call him quick."
She whipped out her phone and dialed. Jin-seong watched quietly.
A few minutes later, she hung up beaming.
"Landlord's good with it. Deposit 3 million and one year prepaid, and we're set."
Jin-seong sighed in relief with a smile.
"Thanks so much. Let's do it."
He paid the 3 million deposit and full year's rent in cash on the spot.
It stung handing over that much at once, but the thought of his own office cheered him up.
"Oh, and ma'am. I'm moving in three days—could you arrange cleaning before then? I'll cover the cost extra."
She nodded readily.
"Cleaning service usually runs about 70,000 won. I'll handle it."
Jin-seong handed over another 70,000 in cash without hesitation.
His wallet felt noticeably lighter after all the cash transactions, but his mind felt refreshed, like he'd set a new goal.
"Thanks to you, it went smoothly. Appreciate it."
Jin-seong thanked the agent, shook her hand lightly, and left the office.
"Gotta hustle even harder now that I've spent like this."
Muttering to himself, Jin-seong reaffirmed his resolve. With thoughts of finally chasing his dreams for real, he walked off in high spirits.