Chapter 52: Crushing the Child Rapist

Even after acquiring the album search and manipulation editing features, Yunho hadn't touched the black money stashed away by those in power. He was wary of the consequences. But this money was undoubtedly safe.

The photo he'd discovered showed members of a violent organization burying slush funds, snapped as a report for their superiors. Just to be sure, he'd monitored the involved parties for several days.

'Judging by their status messages and KakaoTalk chats, they have no idea I took the money.'

In other words, it was a perfect crime.

'I can tell Kim Youngae about it now and kick off the beauty center business.'

Kim Youngae's visits had dropped to once a week, maybe twice at most. The upgraded Action Hand worked so well that her migraine cycles had lengthened.

'Can't be helped.'

Though he'd assumed her awakening sensitivity would draw her back more often just to feel his touch, that wasn't the case. Kim Youngae was more chaste and conservative than he'd thought.

No big deal. He'd already pulled her in as an ally—mission one accomplished.

'The "Melting Married Woman at Fingertips" quest can wait. Once her visits hit three times a week, I'll ramp up the conquest.'

Until then, maintaining the status quo was plenty satisfying. He looked forward to the day her iron walls finally ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crumbled.

After the massage, Yunho spoke up.

"Customer Kim Youngae, I've gathered all the capital."

"Already? How much is it?"

"Twelve billion won."

"Twelve billion?"

The ten billion from the field, plus his own two billion minus a bit, topped off with a small loan to hit twelve billion.

"Yes. I worked at a foreign firm before. Used my old connections to pull it together."

Kim Youngae looked stunned by the hefty sum. Yunho continued, "Since you're an investor, I'll be upfront: it's money with a murky origin. But it's not dirty cash. We can clean it through double real estate contracts or something—no major issues."

"I see. You're more capable than I thought."

Yunho suddenly wondered just how deep her pockets went.

"Got it. As promised, I'll match it."

"Thank you. I won't let you down—I'll manage it right."

"I trust you. Oh, you mentioned needing one more ally before?"

"Yes. No business experience on my end, so a finance or management expert would help."

"Someone from my family's business fits the bill."

That's how he met Manager Kim. She seemed sharp and reliable—likely tied to Kim Youngae or her family's wealth. She wouldn't join full-time, just consult as needed.

Anyway, with her, Yunho had assembled his trio of allies.

"Yes!"

He met Shim Uran right away.

"Uran, I scored 2.4 billion in capital!"

"Kyaa! Oppa, you're the best!!"

They signed the commercial lease immediately, then spent the next month—minus work hours—building the beauty center's systems. Scouting buildings, handling business registration... the time flew by.

And Yunho spotted one fatal flaw.

'2.4 billion won't cut it for the scale I want.'

A cash shortage. A killer problem.

After a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠month's research, the verdict was clear: no way to match Esthetic Nonhyeon's level with this budget.

"Yunho, why not start small? Dial ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back the interior quality, and costs drop big time. If we go huge and flop, we can't handle the fallout."

Shim Uran tried persuading him as he stubbornly pushed for grandeur, worry creasing her face. But Yunho wouldn't budge.

'Too small, and I can't apply reality correction without suspicion.'

What would people think of a tiny shop with mediocre gear delivering unbelievable beauty results? Yunho didn't want even a hint of the Desire Fulfillment App's powers leaking into the world.

'Maybe overcautious, but exposure won't end well.'

Minimize risks. He summed it up:

1. To dodge suspicion on reality correction, build a top-tier beauty center with the best facilities.

2. But no money.

'If I had a convincing excuse, I could scale down.'

An idea sparked.

'Pretend I got a makeover and a Chinese partner? Claim ancient 3,000-year Chinese massage secrets...?'

He dismissed it fast. People weren't that gullible.

After prolonged agonizing, realization hit: his current capabilities couldn't execute his vision.

'I need a partner I can absolutely trust with my secret.'

"Yunho, let's just start small, okay?"

"Nah. Prep top-grade facilities and start scouting staff. Money... I'll figure it out by then."

After a pause, he added, "Skip body shaping for now—just skin care. But lease a spot with empty floors above and below for expansion."

"Keeping the luxury concept?"

"Yeah. Otherwise, we can't even launch. Think about it—our regulars as first clients? They're upscale. One dip in quality, whole plan crumbles."

"Fine..."

They settled it. 'Early stage, killer skin results are enough.'

A beauty center erasing facial blemishes in a month? Crowds inevitable. Luxury vibe, but limit to massage and skin care.

'Add others when cash flows.'

They took a unit with empty lower floor for that.

'Prep's done for now?'

The instant he thought about forging an absolute-trust partner, Shim Uran's KakaoTalk pinged.

She explained: tight budget meant skimping on labor costs, but beauty pros' pay scaled with experience—hard to snag talent.

Inspiration struck; he replied.

She sent the list. Yunho scanned profiles, zeroing in on talents.

'More than expected.'

Beauty talents oddly clustered in related fields—probably because artsy talents stood out.

'Perfect. Rookies with short careers—easier to sell appearance tweaks on, cheaper too.'

He filtered: talent first, passion second, via profiles, quirks, status messages.

Done chatting, he reflected. 'Urgent stuff wrapped. Gotta keep brainstorming app uses daily.'

This approach stemmed from early album search days—snapping street pics, observing folks.

'Felt amazing getting album search. Punished that rapist too. Kim Gangshik, right?'

Using WeLike's reality correction, he'd stripped him naked mid-street.

Curiosity piqued, Yunho pulled up his profile.

"...Kidnapped?"

The note about abducting the girl triggered it instantly.