Chapter 66
Chapter 66
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: The Corporation, and Full-Time Employee Choi Yang
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Yoon Haneul, age 6.
The thing the child loved most in the world was her mom.
In Haneul's tiny world, Mom was everything.
The first person she looked for upon waking in the morning, and the last one she wanted to hug before falling asleep at night—it was always Mom.
And the second thing Haneul loved most was strawberries.
The tangy burst of sweet juice from biting into a bright red, sugary strawberry was the greatest happiness in the world to six-year-old Haneul.
When Haneul ate strawberries, her eyes would go wide and her cheeks would puff out as she chewed slowly, her face lighting up with pure bliss.
Haneul was such a cute kid.
Every time she ate them, her little lips would get stained red, and she'd scrunch her eyes into half-moons, exclaiming, "Mmm~ So yummy!" It made anyone watching smile without fail.
The serious look on her face as she held a single strawberry, sniffing it carefully before taking a tentative bite, followed by that beaming grin—everything about her was utterly lovable.
But the price for using strawberries as an excuse with Haneul was brutal.
"Strawberry... where's the strawberry?"
Transparent tears streamed down Haneul's round eyes.
Even as she rubbed them away with tiny fists, she kept searching for the strawberries, her tears falling like chickpea-sized drops without end.
"Waaah... I wanna eat strawberry..."
The moment Chaewon saw Haneul's trembling voice, slumped shoulders, and heartbroken expression, her maternal instincts exploded.
"Aigoo, my poor Haneul..."
Chaewon scooped Haneul into her arms to soothe her, but Haneul's heart, already brimming with strawberry expectations, wouldn't calm down easily.
That's when a sharp sting hit my back.
"Ow!"
Chaewon smacked my back with an angry glare.
"Why'd you have to mention strawberries!"
Chaewon's resentful stare pierced right through me.
Guilt washed over me for making Haneul cry.
"Sorry... I just blurted it out in the moment..."
As I fumbled for excuses, Yura let out a deep sigh and stood up.
"Ugh, seriously... no helping it."
Yura looked at Chaewon with a resigned expression.
"Haneul, how about Mom and Auntie go buy real strawberries together?"
Chaewon gently wiped Haneul's tears as she spoke.
"For real? Real strawberries?"
A spark of hope lit up Haneul's tear-streaked face.
"Yeah, the big, red strawberries Haneul loves. Let's go get some."
Yura smiled reluctantly and patted Haneul's head.
To soothe Haneul, who loved strawberries so much, the two women eventually decided to head to the mart for real.
"Yay! Strawberries! Strawberries!"
Haneul forgot her tears in an instant and started bouncing around excitedly.
Seeing her like that, Chaewon and Yura shared warm smiles.
It was an unexpected outing, but Haneul's radiant grin warmed their hearts.
"We'll be right back then."
Chaewon took Haneul's hand and said to me.
"Gonna buy lots of strawberries!"
Haneul waved enthusiastically as she shouted.
Watching their backs disappear into the warm sunlight, I felt a mix of guilt and relief.
Thanks to six-year-old Haneul, who cried chickpea tears over her beloved strawberries, the chaos settled as Yura and Chaewon took her to the mart.
That left just me and Choi Yang.
With the door clicking shut, the house fell silent.
Haneul's cheerful chatter, Chaewon's hurried footsteps, Yura's grumbling—all gone. The sudden quiet felt awkward.
We sat together at the kitchen counter for coffee time.
We'd never really been alone like this except when working, so an awkward vibe hung in the air.
No conversation passed between us, separated by the kitchen table.
Choi Yang cradled her mug with both hands, staring at the steam rising from her coffee.
I killed time scrolling aimlessly through my phone screen.
The only sound breaking the silence was the ticking of the wall clock.
Warm morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a square shadow on the table.
Silence stretched on.
Feeling the awkwardness, I scratched my neck and blurted out something.
"Uh, yeah... good work. Things went smoothly thanks to you."
My words trailed off awkwardly.
Why was this so uncomfortable?
Given the nature of the job, she'd seen me having sex with Chaewon and Yura a few times, yet here I was, feeling embarrassed.
Back when I lived in a 6-pyeong studio, I didn't know shame or embarrassment.
Day-to-day survival was overwhelming enough; other people's gazes or social face were luxuries.
Existing on cup ramen, losing sleep over rent—back then, just surviving was everything.
But things were different now.
Living in a big house, earning 13.8 billion won, having 'employees' for whatever reason—it gave me a social status, bringing awkwardness I never felt before.
A lot had changed in a short time. With money and a new environment, even my mindset had shifted.
"Whatever. It was just a job I got paid for."
Choi Yang replied flatly. After sipping her coffee, she fixed me with a sharp gaze.
"But boss, how much did you make this time?"
Her blunt question suddenly lifted my mood.
I'd been secretly hoping someone would ask about my results.
Keeping the massive 13.8 billion figure to myself felt stifling.
I wanted to brag. "Hey, I pulled off something huge."
I shrugged, my face beaming with pride.
"Curious? Really curious?"
I leaned forward with a playful grin.
The bravado of a 23-year-old guy was starting to show.
"Wanna hear it? You want to, right?"
I deliberately dragged it out, watching her reaction.
It felt good holding this important info.
"Pfft, you're dying to tell someone."
Choi Yang sighed dismissively. The clunk of her mug on the table deflated my excitement in an instant.
"You can't hold back when there's something to brag about, boss."
Her cynical jab hit home. I flinched a bit.
My face heated up. It felt like a kid caught by an adult, unsure what to do.
The corners of my mouth drooped, and my puffed-up shoulders slumped.
Choi Yang's cold, piercing eyes saw right through me, as if she could read my mind.
Still, the itchy urge to boast didn't fade easily.
The number 13.8 billion was right on the tip of my tongue.
I tapped the table with my fingers, trying to hold it back, but a smile crept onto my lips anyway.
"Hey, that's not it..."
I hesitated, making excuses.
"...Anyway, it was huge. Way bigger than you can imagine."
I couldn't hold it in anymore and spilled.
She was right. My mouth was itching like crazy.
"How much?"
Choi Yang leaned forward slightly, feigning disinterest.
Twenty years old, alright...
Her mouth was cynical, but her body was honest.
Her fingers gripping the mug tensed subtly, and a flicker of curiosity cracked her blank expression.
"Well..."
I grinned meaningfully, drawing it out.
This attention wasn't bad at all.
Even acting all worldly at twenty, Choi Yang looked cute showing interest in money talk. It was age-appropriate.
Pretending to watch the coffee steam while sneaking glances from the corner of her eye, her body leaning in despite the indifferent face—it betrayed her true feelings.
I enjoyed her like that with a teasing smile.
"13.8 billion."
Choi Yang's face froze in an instant.
Her hand holding the mug trembled faintly, shock seeping into her would-be stoic features.
"...What?"
She whispered, her usual cynicism gone.
Seeing her reaction made me even cockier.
The impact of that number was something else.
All Choi Yang had seen were the minor gains during the war—community opinion battles, retail investors trickling in, my occasional scalps.
The real jackpot battles with the whales and the 11.9 billion trade happened while she was crashed out on the sofa after days of all-nighters.
She'd missed the decisive moments.
"1... 13.8 billion?"
Choi Yang stared at me, lips parted, repeating the number.
Her wide eyes blinked rapidly, as if struggling to process it.
Her gaze held pure disbelief and shock.
Her mug hovered frozen in the air, her cool facade vanished.
I was thrilled with her reaction.
My lips curled up, my posture swelling with pride.
I thrust out my chest, shrugged my shoulders, flashing a smug "Impressed, huh?" grin.
The moment she saw my triumphant face, Choi Yang's expression hardened again.
Her shocked-open mouth slowly closed, her surprised eyes turning icy.
Like flipping a switch, her face transformed. The warmth drained from her cheeks, leaving it rigid as plaster.
"Pfft, quit lying. 13.8 billion? Come on."
She scoffed.
Back to her usual cynical look, bored with everything.
Her nose twitched with a sneer, like "You think I'd fall for that nonsense?" She openly wore her disdain.
That signature twenty-year-old expression: everything in the world is boring and predictable.
Sigh... look at this kid?
"Hey, does a 23-year-old owning a place like this make sense?"
I shot back, a bit annoyed.
"Pfft, that's just lottery luck."
Choi Yang shrugged it off casually.
"Lottery luck?"
"Who your parents are is lottery luck too."
She smirked cynically.
What?!
She had a point.
True, but...
If we're talking lottery luck, mine had to be the shittiest.
Parents? Don't even remember their faces.
The vaguest memory is just the smell of doenjang jjigae.
Like a fleeting dream, fragmented snippets barely surfacing.
After that? Just beatings from the orphanage director, that damn old hag.
"That's..."
I was at a loss for words.
She'd nailed it so hard I couldn't counter.
I tapped the table, starting to speak then clamping my mouth shut.
Lottery luck? If it was, I'd drawn the ultimate dud.
Rather than argue, I decided to show her.
Simple: pull up my phone, open the coin wallet, done.
"At least you learned what stablecoins are by now, right?"
"Yeah, the ones pegged 1:1 to the dollar?"
"Right. Count how many stablecoins are in my wallet."
I held out my phone screen. Choi Yang counted the zeros with her finger, murmuring the number.
"100... 60 million... dollars?"
Her voice grew quieter. 106,000,000 USDT glared clearly on the screen.
"160 million dollars... at 1,300 won exchange..."
She started calculating mentally.
"13.78 billion won?"
Her mouth fell open.
"See? Kim Cheolsu Coin performs, right? Feeling the FOMO now?"
I grinned cheekily.
Choi Yang swallowed hard and looked me straight in the eye.
"Boss."
"Yeah?"
"I saw this online once."
"Yeah?"
"Abroad, some girls sell their virginity for cash."
"...Yeah, I've seen that."
"How much for mine?"
How to describe it...
Different from money-ghost Yura.
It was refreshingly pragmatic, like clearing out worthless junk while making bank.
"Whoa?"
"Oh, and I flopped, but... I'm still an idol, technically?"
"...Huh?"
"Obscure as hell, but the group's not disbanded yet. So, celebrity premium, right?"
...Is she like a mini Yura?
Damn, so bold.
For a moment, I flashed back to first meeting Yura.
She'd proposed a deal just as confidently back then.
But Choi Yang was more direct, more businesslike.
She said it flatly, like selling used goods.