Reconstruction
"Do-hyun, did you sleep well?"
"Yeah. Hold on, I'm just stepping out for a bit! Where's Byeol?"
"Byeol headed to work early because she had documents to review this morning. I'll prepare your outdoor clothes right away."
"No, it's fine!"
"D-Do-hyun... no, Your Excellency!"
I stepped out the front door in my pajamas and slippers.
"Your Excellency! Good morning!"
"Your Excellency! Did you rest well overnight?"
"Your Excellency! I hope you had a peaceful night!"
The diligent workers had been up and laboring long before I woke. They were cutting wooden fences, drying them, painting something—I had no idea what exactly. Spotting me, they dropped to one knee in greeting.
"Yeah, I slept well. You guys take it easy too."
Han Seol paused her housework, hurriedly dressed properly, and came out.
Reconstruction
According to the info that flowed in, this wasn't so much reconstruction as building reinforcement.
I approached the house on the left and looked at Im Jui's residence. Sure enough, a reconstruction message appeared.
Residence Lv.1
Cost: 20p
"Whoa..."
I'd never realized buildings had levels. This ability was a classic tech tree upgrade—while the replication drones boosted quantity, this enhanced quality.
I currently had 41p. I'd only grasped the concept of points this morning when the ability unlocked, so I had no clue how to earn more. My guess? Killing people or monsters, or taking in lots of residents. Unless someone attacked first, killing people arbitrarily wasn't an option, so it narrowed to slaying monsters or onboarding residents.
But residents already brought tons of benefits, so probably points came from kills.
"Maybe I should hunt down some monsters... Seoul's leftovers are just trash mobs hiding in mountains or apartments, and named ones lurking in the suburbs. Can't exactly head to the Gyeonggi outskirts."
"Your Excellency, is something wrong?"
Han Seol asked with a worried look as I muttered to myself while staring at the Governor Im residence.
"Nah, not that. Just got a new ability, but it's a bit tricky."
Spending points from some unknown source felt unreasonable, but the reconstruction ability's advantages far outweighed that. Fundamentally, with enough points, upgrades happened instantly—no wait times.
"Honestly, the mansion should be top priority for reinforcement, but..."
No reconstruction message appeared on the mansion. It seemed my home required step-by-step unlocks via other conditions.
Upgrading from 1 to 2 cost 30p each for the farm and ranch, 50p each for the bathhouse and hospital.
"Demanding 50 points... what incredible features are they adding?"
The hospital's facilities were priceless even with money, so that made sense. But the bathhouse was more entertainment-focused than the farm or ranch—lower cost-performance—yet its upgrade cost was absurdly high.
With only 41p, I couldn't do much. Only one choice left.
As I stood in front of Governor Im's house in my pajamas, the residents assumed I was about to do something big. They all stopped working, maintaining silence as they watched me. Even the office workers had come out to stare.
"Huh? Don't mind me—get back to work."
"Yes, Your Excellency!"
"We obey!"
They resumed, but kept sneaking glances while sawing wood. Too dangerous.
"No... you'll get hurt just standing there gawking."
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
Reconstructable buildings were residences, farm, and ranch. To use my awkward 41p efficiently, two residences made sense. Points would accumulate naturally over time anyway.
"Han Seol."
"Yes, Your Excellency."
"Tell the residents not to panic if buildings glow. And have everyone inside Governor Im's residence come out—just in case."
"Yes!"
"Master, a new ability?"
"Yeah."
Before I knew it, every resident in the barrier had gathered outside to watch. Han Seol stepped forward and shouted to them.
"Residents! The buildings may glow! It's another miracle like before—don't be startled!"
"Not exactly a miracle..."
I pointed at Governor Im's mansion and intoned,
"Reconstruction."
Whoooong—
White light enveloped the residence, growing brighter like the mansion's reinforcement—intensifying steadily.
"Oh."
Im Jui and the Han sisters, having seen it before, didn't rush to hug me this time. Including Jeong Su-hwan, the four surrounded me at the cardinal directions. The light peaked in a flash, and after about 10 seconds, vision cleared.
"Oh... ooh!"
"Your Excellency!"
"Another miracle..."
The residents knelt in rapture, sobbing collectively like they'd been possessed.
"Everyone, get up... what're you doing."
Han Seol and Han Byeol calmed them down.
"Whoa... this seems taller than my house."
The two-story residence was now five stories. And like my mansion, a new room with a large outer door had appeared.
"Let's check it out."
I entered with the executives. It was reinforced throughout—the new room had an elevator just like the mansion. Floors 3 through 5 mirrored the second floor's layout. And like the mansion, a basement level appeared—nothing special, just pleasantly cool and humid storage.
"Hm... still, this is a huge win."
It now housed 2.5 times more people than before.
Outside, I looked up again.
Residence Lv.2
Cost: 80p
"What? 80 points? Highway robbery."
I nearly cursed at the message demanding 80p for the next upgrade.
"Your Excellency?"
"Ah, nothing. Anyway, three new floors, plus basement and elevator. New residents go here."
"And move Governor Im's office to the top-floor end room. More convenient, right?"
Instead of saving the remaining 21p toward 30p for farm/ranch or another residence, I decided to reconstruct the "West Sector 2" mansion too. With more residents incoming, tents were a worry—but two upgrades added six new floors, equivalent to three extra houses.
"Could tell Ham Seong-hoon to send 300 more?"
"Master."
Han Byeol tugged my sleeve lightly.
"Yeah?"
"This really is a miracle."
I asked Ham Seong-hoon to carefully select 200-250 skilled technicians across fields—no rush, just send those willing to come. That would push residents over 500. I figured 1,000+ for marquis rank, but greedily hoped 500 might do it.
"Your Excellency, bœuf bourguignon."
"Whoa..."
Just looking made my mouth water; the aroma begged me to bury my face in the plate. The Paradise Bathhouse lounge table held this delicacy.
Since the soon tofu jjigae at Paradise Bathhouse, we gathered there two or three times a week for late dinners. Eating alone felt off, so it was me with Han Seol, Han Byeol, Im Jui, and Jeong Su-hwan.
"Smells amazing before even tasting... What's this dish?"
Western chef Joo Yong-cheol smiled and explained.
"Your Excellency, it's a classic French home-cooked meal. A beef stew simmered with various vegetables and wine."
It sounded labor-intensive. Made with Paradise veggies and beef, plus Kim Dae-geon-sourced button mushrooms and onions unavailable here.
I pressed a spoon into the sauce-submerged beef—it sliced like butter.
"Wow..."
Carrot and beef in one spoonful opened heaven. All the flavors of veg and meat condensed perfectly.
Clink. Joo Yong-cheol placed oven-fresh potatoes and bread on our table.
"Your Excellency, I recommend pairing it with these."
"This is insane... too delicious for words."
"An honor, Your Excellency."
"Thanks. Head chef, enjoy the leftovers with your close ones."
"I'll engrave your grace in my bones. Then, I'll taste it with my two assistants who helped today."
"Sure..."
His assistants: Korean chef Im Jun-gu and Japanese chef Choi Jang-min. Im Jun-gu looked unfazed by the "assistant" title that might bruise egos. But Choi Jang-min's face darkened slightly.
Im Jun-gu knew I loved Korean food most, so he ignored the jab. But without fresh seafood, Choi Jang-min felt sidelined compared to the other two.
"Uh...! That udon and smooth egg custard Choi made the other day—what was it called?"
Choi Jang-min replied,
"Your Excellency, it's called chawanmushi."
"Right, that. Both were amazing. Especially the udon—best I've ever had."
One day, Kim Dae-geon brought a box of dark brown sticks. When I asked what, he said "katsuobushi." Unlike what I knew, but grating the sticks yielded the familiar flakes. Choi Jang-min wept upon seeing it.
"Your Excellency! Call me anytime—I'll rush over with food!"
My praise lit up Choi Jang-min's face. Then Im Jun-gu and Joo Yong-cheol smirked at him, darkening it again. Their glances screamed, "Daring to serve udon and egg custard at His Excellency's table and expect praise? Madness."
The chefs' rivalry was intense.
"Alright, alright! Food's getting cold! Head chef, go eat. Executives, grab your utensils!"
"Gratefully, Your Excellency."
"Master! Let's eat!"
I shooed the chefs away and savored the meal with the executives. Bowing as they left, they bickered over culinary philosophies—smiling faces left their camaraderie ambiguous.