Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: Foundation
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“Are you talking about a foundation?”
Just from asking once, Jin Tae-san, Cheon I-ryeong, Lee Jae-hoon, and the others had all gathered in my office before I knew it, their eyes gleaming brightly.
Jin Tae-san made sense, but why was Cheon I-ryeong here too?
“I just meant something small on a personal level... just looking into it for now.”
“If it's something you're doing, I should lend a hand. Every time you make a move, the association grows, so maybe it's time to really expand things properly.”
“Pardon?”
I hadn't done much at all...
This time, I'd just gone to call in the injured, and then they started fighting among themselves, somehow ending with a victory for the association.
Cheon I-ryeong looked at me and showed me her tablet's inbox, laughing as if utterly exasperated.
“Miss Iroha, do you know what this is? They're all inquiries about joining the association.”
Names I'd never heard of before, mixed with lists of mid- and small-sized guilds I'd vaguely come across, scrolled by one after another.
This many?
“They're still wary of the federation's eyes, so there are a lot of feelers about conditions... but since the association launched, they've been surging explosively. Freelance hunters are joining one after another too.”
It was like a timely rain of reinforcements for the association, which had been overwhelmingly outnumbered in hunter manpower.
Now, we finally had enough strength to barely stand up to the federation.
Just being able to go shoulder-to-shoulder with the guild federation, which had been at the top of the ecosystem, made the association's growth trajectory unparalleled.
“One of my secretaries used to work at a foundation. We should leave this to the experts, so I'll call her in.”
Jin Tae-san made a call, and moments later, a woman with pink hair that starkly clashed with her black suit entered.
“You called for me?”
“Seong Ji-na used to be a foundation office manager, right?”
“Yes, but it wasn't a big position. It was just a small foundation.”
“Perfect. Miss Iroha here wants to start a small foundation too. I'd appreciate it if you could help her out, Ji-na.”
“A foundation...?”
Seong Ji-na turned her gaze toward us at Jin Tae-san's words.
She shot Cheon I-ryeong a look of envy, wide-eyed admiration at me, and when her eyes reached Lee Jae-hoon, it turned to puzzlement.
“...A thug?”
“...You're that woman from yesterday?”
The two's startled voices suddenly reminded everyone of yesterday's mishap.
Lee Jae-hoon, who had been mistaken for a thug trying to hit on me(?), wore the same dumbfounded expression as back then.
“No way, that girl from yesterday is... Huh?!”
Seong Ji-na's eyes, which had been fixed on my hair, turned back to me and widened dramatically.
“Oh, do you two know each other?”
“No, we don't.”
“Not at all.”
Both shook their heads firmly, but Jin Tae-san looked intrigued instead.
Meanwhile, Cheon I-ryeong and Seol A-yun, unaware of yesterday's situation, showed interest.
“This secretary is a thug?”
“What did he do to...”
“It's not like that! It was just a misunderstanding. Miss Iroha, please explain.”
“Me? I have no idea what you're...”
A sudden mischievous impulse made me play dumb and dodge, turning Lee Jae-hoon's face even more entertaining.
It was like the face of a group project member whose name got left off while the presentation wrapped up without them.
In the end, Lee Jae-hoon had to explain yesterday's situation himself, but the memory of the blond thug was so vivid that the women sided with Ji-na instead.
“Yeah, he did seem a bit thuggish yesterday.”
“It was so natural, I thought he might not even be from your side.”
“What are you all talking about?”
As if paying back all the nagging Lee Jae-hoon had done over time, Cheon I-ryeong started teasing him in earnest.
After the commotion died down, Jin Tae-san arranged for Seong Ji-na to assist as a foundation operations expert.
Then he glanced at me and broached the topic again.
“With just your personal funds, Miss Iroha, it might be tough, no?”
“I'm planning to keep it small, so it should be fine...”
I had a decent amount in the bank right now, and the mana grass farm was growing steadily like a money printer.
But those unaware of my situation looked a bit worried.
“Of course, I'm thinking of redirecting government budget again, but it's not feasible right away. If I revive support for vulnerable groups without immediate results, there'll be opposition.”
The current administration's policy was focused on survival and, beyond that, new growth.
Maintaining social infrastructure so citizens could focus on daily life, while discovering new growth engines through magic stones, was the main goal.
Naturally, interest in vulnerable groups who couldn't contribute strength right away had faded, leaving budgets and policies virtually nonexistent.
It was saying that even Jin Tae-san alone couldn't push through everyone's opposition.
“But I do know someone who would definitely take interest in what you have to say, Miss Iroha. With that person, not only the necessary funds but even influencing government officials afterward would be possible. Would you like to meet them?”
“Who is it?”
Someone influential enough to provide funds and sway the government.
And they'd be interested in my story?
“Garam Group's Chairman Han Jae-cheol.”
Han Jae-cheol was a chaebol counted among the world's elite.
Originally just known in Korea, after the gates appeared, he dove into magic stone new energy and munitions businesses, amassing record-breaking wealth.
And he's going to connect me with someone like that?
“They're interested in you too, Miss Iroha, so setting up a meeting won't be hard. You'll just need to talk directly, though.”
I pondered Jin Tae-san's words, wondering if meeting Han Jae-cheol was the right move.
With my own money, supporting Angel Nursery or nearby ones would be plenty... but knowing the director's personality, she'd try to share it all again.
If we're doing this, better to go big and proper.
Waiting for my money to multiply would take time, and even with my money-printing cheat, it couldn't compare to what a conglomerate rakes in.
“Hmm... alright, I'll meet him once.”
“Understood. I'll contact you once the schedule is set.”
I was curious why a conglomerate head wanted to meet me anyway, and figured it couldn't hurt, so I agreed.
“Ji-yeon, instead of this, you should rest too. Your complexion looks awful lately.”
“...I'm fine, Mom.”
Angel Nursery director Lee Mi-hye gripped Min Ji-yeon's hand tightly, her chest aching deeply.
Even after becoming a hunter that others envied, Min Ji-yeon's hands somehow grew rougher by the day.
Especially lately, with dark circles and a dazed look, her fatigue seemed beyond measure.
Yet she still came every dawn to help with the nursery work, so all Lee Mi-hye could do was embrace her with warm comfort.
“I'm sorry, Ji-yeon... But really, it's okay. Areum's been taking good care of the younger ones lately, and the neighbors have been helping a lot too.”
“Then you should rest, Mom. What's all this?”
Min Ji-yeon sighed at the pile of wire bundles in the corner.
Side work brought home because she couldn't leave due to the kids... She had thought becoming a hunter meant no more suffering for her mom and siblings, but reality was far harsher than she'd imagined.
Sometimes, she couldn't understand Lee Mi-hye, whom she followed like a mother.
Why seek out hardship? She could just use her hunter earnings for her siblings and herself.
That transcendent devotion, even sharing their meager funds with other children, was a value too distant and hard for Min Ji-yeon to grasp.
As Lee Mi-hye said, just donating money formally and washing her hands of it would be better... but still, Min Ji-yeon loved this place with her mom and siblings.
Ring ring— her phone buzzed.
While tending to the kids, Min Ji-yeon glanced at the screen showing today's gate schedule and felt a wave of dizziness.
'It's increased even more...'
Yesterday, she'd handled four gates alone, even using light healing on minor wounds.
The federation called it a show of not skimping even on small things for their family members.
And today: two B-rank gates and four C-rank.
A grueling march, two more than yesterday.
And scattered all over the place.
The brutal schedule glared cruelly from the screen, tight even moving across Seoul every two hours.
“Unnie, you otay?”
“...Yeah, I'm fine. Did you put on your socks?”
“Yeah! I know how to put on socks now!”
“Hehe... really? But we say 'put on' socks.”
“Put on~? Shoes are put on!”
“Our Si-young knows that too? Good job—”
“Yeah! I got a sticker!”
Min Ji-yeon smiled brightly and hugged her proudly sticker-showing little sister.
'Let's hang in there... It'll get better if I just endure a little longer.'
Min Ji-yeon had grown up watching Lee Mi-hye care for countless children without a single complaint.
Lee Mi-hye, who devoted herself silently to the kids through unimaginable times.
She, who had witnessed that, couldn't crumble at this level.
With that resolve, Min Ji-yeon busily prepared the kids for daycare, finally relaxing after the last one.
Lying quietly on the worn wooden floor, she closed her eyes briefly, tracing the grain with her fingertips,
Then—
Ring ring—
The phone startled her awake.
“Unknown number... who is it?”
A guild calling about today's subjugation? She shamefully hoped it might be postponed as she cautiously answered.
A stiff, businesslike voice.
But not guild-related.
At the completely unexpected purpose, Min Ji-yeon could only ask back.
“A merger?”