Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Mai-ryeon (3)
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Ha, this wasn't the original plan.
After parting ways with Mai-ryeon on the way home from school, I climbed into my car and let out a sigh.
'This is going to lower my dependency level too much.'
The original plan had been to meet her in elementary school and then have a dramatic reunion around middle school.
You know, the classic mysterious girl from childhood and the dramatic reunion!
That sort of thing...
I'd planned to play with her occasionally for a few months and then vanish.
MS was set to establish its Korean branch in November this year. Pygmalion Soft would get busy then, giving me a perfect excuse to part ways with Mai-ryeon.
Then, I'd let her temper in the fires of school bullying just enough, swoop in with a grand appearance right before she hit her breaking point and her personality twisted completely, and save her.
"That's great. I was a bit surprised to see the young lady finally making friends her own age."
Of course, I kept this delicate plan secret even from Lee Si-hyeon... so she, unaware of my intentions, said it casually without a second thought.
We hadn't built that level of trust yet.
'...Well, this works too.'
Expecting to fully control that Ellen Marshall was overly optimistic anyway.
And crucially, Nanny would love it. Si-hyeon was already looking at me with wide-eyed surprise...
Yeah, let's think positively.
It didn't matter if Mai-ryeon stayed in Korea or America. In her original history, she didn't truly shine until the 21st century, by which time I'd have swept the world with the butterfly effect.
No one knew if she'd become the Ellen Marshall I remembered. Staying at Pygmalion Soft might even be the safest way to draw out her value.
I was just grumbling because it was a hassle...
'Taking care of a kid is such a pain.'
Asking someone with my mental age to play with a child like that was unreasonable.
I wasn't a kid myself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ A few months later.
After school, we gathered as usual and lounged around at Pygmalion Soft, playing games. Today's game was Street Fighter.
I scowled and yelled at Mai-ryeon.
"Hey! That's cheating! We said no special moves!"
Daring to use Hadoken? Nope, not on my watch.
I casually input the command and mashed the buttons.
→ ↓ ↘ + Punch
Pow!
With the satisfying click of the special move activating, Mai-ryeon's character flew across the screen.
Ah, that's Shoryuken for you. The game balance was still broken, so one clean special move hit and it was lights out.
K.O.
I crossed my arms smugly and nodded.
See that?
That's me.
"That was a mistake, a total accident. It didn't even hit you."
Mai-ryeon made lame excuses and declared the match invalid.
"What excuse? I saw you mashing the lever."
"No way! I still don't even know how to input commands properly. You think I play games by tearing apart machines like some people?"
Mai-ryeon pointed at the arcade cabinet I'd half-destroyed and shouted.
I raised an eyebrow and shot back.
"Are you blaming me for breaking this game?"
I'd bought it thinking of SF2, only to realize it was the first one. The disappointment was massive. It wasn't bad, but compared to the sequel, it fell short.
Since I'd already bought a bunch, I used them as command practice dummies. The controls were trash.
I shook my head and rattled the box on my desk.
"Sigh, no can do, my dear Mai-ryeon. I prepared a special gift for today, but now I can't give it to you."
"...What's that?"
"Super Mario 3. Straight from headquarters in Japan. Not out in Korea, of course, and Japan won't see it for another three months."
I proudly shook the Famicom cartridge with Super Mario 3 ported to it.
A god-tier game that would sell 17 million copies in the future and rank among the all-time greats. Connections pay off in moments like these.
"Nah, pass. And I'm your older brother, right? Why are you talking down to me?"
"What? I don't even use polite speech with adults. As if you're some big brother."
I only used "oppa" for family, and never for that guy.
The Ellen Marshall from my past life would laugh from hell if I did.
I shook my head and pulled out the Famicom to start playing. It was too fun to give to Mai-ryeon.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Nearly an hour later, as she stared holes into my screen, Mai-ryeon hesitantly tapped my shoulder.
"...Um, sis. My bad, let me play a bit."
"Fine."
-Flick.
I'd just died to Bowser, so I clicked my tongue and handed her the controller.
'Ah, I was so close to clearing it this time.'
She stared so intently it broke my focus. Ever since becoming a girl, I'd grown sensitive to people's gazes and slipped up.
It wasn't a bad feeling—more like thrilling, in various ways.
Positive looks, negative ones, gazes filled with desire... none felt unpleasant.
I loved the emotions people felt just seeing me—joy, fear. They could call me an attention whore, and I'd have no rebuttal.
Beep beep.
I glanced at Mai-ryeon, who was starting the game with sparkling eyes, and asked casually.
"You got no interest in finance or anything? You dug into me owning Daeha Securities, but your reaction was so meh."
I'd opened up expecting enthusiasm once we got close, but her indifference bruised my ego a bit.
I'd been making bank with Alpha Fund lately...
"Do you live life just to get attention? It's just a boring topic for me. I'd rather talk space or rockets... stuff like that. Girls probably won't get it. I wanna start a company like X-Space someday."
"...No one would get that. Why X? It's not a porn site."
"Sounds cool."
Figures, from someone who'd get booted from their own company multiple times.
I'd sensed it in my past life too, but that naming sense was beyond me. Even after becoming an otaku, I couldn't fathom it.
I watched her play quietly, then checked my watch and closed my eyes briefly.
Time to work.
"Ah, I've got business today, so head out first. Take that as a gift."
Mai-ryeon, deep in the game, tilted her head.
"For real?"
"Yeah, important guest."
She usually listened at times like this, so she packed up without protest. Hated seeing her dad, I guess. Kinda grateful for that.
Anyway, time to greet the guest.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After messing around with Mai-ryeon, I headed to Pygmalion Soft's president.
A glance in the mirror showed a girl with an expressionless face. My chest was starting to develop, hips widening, my posture taking on a properly feminine curve.
Overall, quite the beauty.
The boys at school leering at me made sense now. Like I said, not unpleasant, so no point hiding it.
Just... realizing how much I'd changed.
"Ahaha."
I let out a light laugh, and the girl in the mirror smiled back softly.
'Yeah, smile. Time to work.'
With a natural business smile, I entered the president's office. There was Pygmalion Soft's president, Song Hyeon-jae, and...
Alpha Fund's manager, Ha Young-il.
"Ha Young-il, first time seeing you here. How's Korea after so long?"
"Hm, honestly? Not as great as I'd hoped. Haha, guess I'm too used to America. But seeing you makes it better."
"Important guest and all... gotta treat you right. Felt like you look down on me without backup. We're tied to Alpha Fund, after all."
Being a minor, I always had a proxy for external meetings.
Normally I wouldn't show, but I wanted to see this person with my own eyes.
Couldn't help it if they gave me weird looks. This opportunity was too good to pass. That's why I called Ha Young-il too.
"President, everything legal's set, right?"
Song Hyeon-jae, looking tense, nodded slowly.
"Yes. Corporate setup fully approved, headquarters equity agreement done. They're just here to confirm."
Thirty minutes passed in silence as we waited for one person.
The star of today's meeting.
"Ah, they're here."
-Creak.
The door opened, and a very, very familiar white face appeared.
He smiled naturally, glancing between Song Hyeon-jae and Ha Young-il.
"Oh, I heard, but it's still surprising. Our company's majority shareholder happens to be tied to the Korean subsidiary we're setting up."
Ha Young-il smiled and shook his hand.
"No coincidence. That's why I got into IT. Haha, welcome to Korea, Mr. Bill Gates."
At those words, a tingling sensation shot through my body. Unlike Mai-ryeon, a legend existing not in the future but right now stood before me.
Bill Gates.
Favorite of conspiracy nuts.
The billionaire who'd been the world's richest for a solid 20 years, long before Mai-ryeon.
Genius of computer science.
Silicon Valley's demon, MS founder, the pioneer who shot software companies to prominence.
He'd come to Korea.
To meet me, no less.