Chapter 128
Chapter 128
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 128
Chapter Title: Even 13 Regressions is Bullshit
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And the moment he heard that voice, he spun on his heel in a panic.
Kim Jintae was sprinting over, clutching a dress laden with frilly lace. He was in no state to be seen.
= Eek! What the hell is that?
Nathaniel recoiled at the sight of the dress, decked out with a bunch of cheap fake jewels.
Gonghyeok felt an urge to smack the beaming face of the clueless Kim Jintae.
He barely held back and asked calmly.
“Where are you planning to wear that? A wedding?”
“What do you mean? Everyone’s gonna stare if I wear it to the diner! Heh heh heh!”
“Yeah, they will.”
If a 13-year-old girl in a wedding dress showed up to eat with a twenty-something guy, at least ten people would sigh, “This world’s gone to hell,” and twenty more would bash Kim Jintae’s head with chairs and forks.
“Don’t pick out clothes.”
“Huh?”
“Get a clerk to do it or whatever. Just don’t pick.”
As he rubbed his temples to cool off, Kim Jintae raised his voice.
“I’m picking clothes for my little sister—why’s the boss butting in? I’ll buy ten, twenty outfits if I want!”
Does this punk know whose money he’s spending?
“……Don’t.”
A cold steel prosthetic gripped Kim Jintae’s wrist as he clutched the dress.
“Listen when I talk.”
“Gasp! Got it.”
At the ominous tone, Kim Jintae felt his courage—which had fled when he ran away from home—return.
He set the dress down with a aggrieved look and muttered.
“Can’t even pick a gift, can’t see my sister, can’t do anything……”
“Pick something else besides clothes. And go write a letter.”
“A letter?”
“I’ll allow that much.”
“No phone calls or video chats?”
Gonghyeok nodded to Kim Jintae, who gazed at him with sparkling eyes.
“Just don’t step outside starting tomorrow. Unless you wanna die by my hand.”
“Wow! I can’t wait to write it! Thanks for your infinite mercy, Boss!”
Kim Jintae, now knowing his place, bolted to save his skin.
Gonghyeok sighed and headed to the women’s section.
“Nathaniel. Pick something suitable at random.”
= Uh, I don’t know much about this stuff? And I don’t even know her size.
Wish Lilianne were here for this.
As he watched Nathaniel with that thought, she spoke up.
= Hey, can you stop looking at me like I’m utterly incompetent just for picking clothes?
“It’s fine. I value your face and body more than your competence anyway.”
= What an irredeemable bastard.
A shady twenty-something guy muttering to himself in the women’s section drew the attention of a clerk.
“Sir, can I help you with anything?”
“Pick out ten outfits that’d suit a 13-year-old girl and send them to this address.”
He showed her the address of the Spacetime Apartments where Kim Jintae and his sister lived.
She gasped upon seeing it.
“Oh? We just sent 30 outfits to that address, and now ten more?”
= Thirty… outfits?
Nathaniel and Ju Gonghyeok’s faces stiffened.
Suppressing an unprecedented wave of dread, he pointed to a spot.
Where Kim Jintae had set down the wedding dress.
“That one too, by any chance?”
“Oh, no.
Nathaniel’s face lit up at the news that the wildly tacky dress hadn’t been sent yet.
Sensing her relief, the clerk smiled brightly.
“That’s a size 3M dress. A few hours ago, he bought and had sent fifteen size 7M dresses and fifteen size 10M ones.”
= Ahh.
Nathaniel slumped powerlessly, while Gonghyeok nodded solemnly.
“Size 10M—that’s three times stronger, huh.”
= It’s not a +10 enchanted wedding dress, you know?
As the two marveled endlessly, Kim Jintae was rolling around on his dorm bed.
“Hmm, nice. What should I write?”
Kim Jintae pondered with pen and paper in hand.
He had so much he wanted to say.
Nearly dying on the 20th floor mission, suddenly getting dragged to Boss Gonghyeok and scoring an amazing avatar plus a massive stat boost, and seeing his sister’s face in his mind while crying as his limbs got severed.
‘Writing that’ll just make her cry.’
Plus, he couldn’t breathe a word about Ju Gonghyeok.
If he slipped up even once……
He shook off the bitter thought, sat up, and started writing.
‘Seonhwa, big bro’s back from work. But I did such a huge job that folks from another city wanna scout this awesome bro. Gonna be too busy with that to come home for a while. I’ll send gifts instead of hugs, so write back if there’s anything you want. Love from your doting big bro. Muah muah.’
A playful grin filled his face as he wrote the letter.
The next day, they hit a cake shop.
“Man! They’re all so good!”
Kim Jintae raved, stuffing his face with samples.
“Boss, which one’s good?”
“You just said they’re all good.”
He pointed to the cake Kim Jintae had just devoured.
“Package the same ones as……”
“Hold up!”
Kim Jintae blocked Ju Gonghyeok with a stern face.
“Boss, doesn’t whipped cream make you fat? This might not be great.”
“Yeah.”
Splat!
Kim Jintae’s face plunged into a cake.
“Owner. Package five of your bestsellers. Address is District 5, Spacetime Apartments, Building 705, Room 1104.”
Kim Jintae sprang up, face smeared with whipped cream.
“Boss, you’re sneakily ruthless. Take all the cakes here. Knew you’d pull something like this.”
The shop displayed over a hundred cakes.
Gonghyeok glanced around and murmured lowly.
“You think your little sister’s some glutton hunter with a stomach avatar? Or do you wanna see her struggle to toss out all the food waste?”
“No way I’d leave her to deal with it alone! I’ll deliver personally.”
Splat!
Kim Jintae’s face smashed into another cake, sending fragments flying.
“Told you no. If your movements get tracked, your sister’s in danger too.”
“Ah, right……”
Splat!
A nearby cake exploded again.
“Listen when people talk.”
Splat!
“Listen.”
Splat! Splat! Splat! Crunch!
“Listen, damn it.”
“Yes, sir.”
After face-planting into ten cakes, Kim Jintae—still unsatisfied—left imprints on the shop’s metal shelves too.
Nathaniel jabbed Gonghyeok’s cheek as cream and crumbs splattered to the ceiling.
= Hey. Trashing a normal shop like this is a huge nuisance, you know?
“I think so too.”
“Haha, sorry about the mess for the staff.”
Gonghyeok tilted his head at Kim Jintae, who grinned while cream dripped from his chin.
“You’re the one who trashed it—why apologize to the staff?”
“Huh?”
For a split second, ‘But you’re the one who trashed it, Boss?’ nearly escaped his lips.
But he could already picture his fate—and that of the remaining ninety cakes—if he said it.
“Clean it up.”
At those words, Kim Jintae teared up and grabbed a mop from the shop bathroom.
By evening, after single-handedly tidying the wrecked shop, he returned to his dorm and began another letter.
‘Miss seeing Seonhwa so much. Big bro’s got it rough. Boss swings violence at every turn and pulls insane stunts, but I’m the one cleaning up. Wanna rebel in anger, but literally scared my head’ll fly off……(continued)’
He sniffled as he sealed the letter.
Gonghyeok dragged him around to meet numerous executives.
And whenever business wrapped up, they’d pick out gifts.
Next day, a jewelry store; the day after, a flower shop. Letters and packages piled up over time.
Finally, Kim Jintae shouted.
“Ah, come on, Boss! I really wanna see my sister now!”
In a doll shop, Kim Jintae clung to Ju Gonghyeok’s pant leg.
“How long we gonna keep hitting gift shops and meeting execs? You said you’d let me see her after some time!”
He pleaded desperately, but Gonghyeok ignored him, peering outside.
Busy Deus officials hurried past on the street.
“Boss, you listening?”
Gonghyeok nodded at Kim Jintae’s question.
“Yeah, they’re back.”
“Huh? What’s back?”
“Let’s go pick up your sister today.”
Kim Jintae gaped at the sudden reply.
“What happened all of a sudden? You said absolutely not!”
“Met everyone I needed to introduce you to. Time to head to the recruitment division. We leave tomorrow morning.”
Though baffled by the abrupt change, Kim Jintae’s heart raced at the thought of finally seeing his sister.
“Then today I can deliver a gift myself!”
“Yeah, do what you want.”
Leaving Kim Jintae to browse dolls, Gonghyeok stepped out and lit his pipe.
Through the rising smoke, he spotted a procession of hunters.
= Aren’t those the ones we saw a few days ago?
Ignoring Nathaniel’s question mark, Kim Jintae rummaged through dolls, buzzing with excitement about seeing his sister that night.
That evening.
In front of Spacetime Apartments, Building 705, Room 1104, Kim Jintae stood holding a massive stuffed doll.
He cleared his throat.
Time for a humorous opener.
“Ahem, Princess Seonhwa. Your prince has arr……”
Clunk—
“Cut the lame jokes and come in.”
Kim Jintae scratched his head awkwardly at his sister’s icy tone.
“That lame?”
“Your dad jokes give me hives. More importantly, why’re you so late?”
“Hahaha, sorry! Big score on this job held me up. But check out this doll. Cute, right?”
Seonhwa sighed deeply.
“Again! More useless crap? The house is bursting from your gifts! What’s with the dozens of wedding dresses, and those crazy expensive ‘dragon’s eye’ or ‘unicorn horn’ jewels? Expecting me to use magic or something?”
“Puhahaha!”