Chapter 658: Financial Independence
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 658: Financial Independence
"Make some sense, will you?"
Sun-woo spoke with an expression of utter disbelief.
How could someone earn money without working? Especially a fortune like two hundred silver taels. It was preposterous.
Two hundred silver taels was roughly equivalent to twenty million won. To want that kind of sum as passive income—what kind of nonsense was she spouting?
"Why doesn't it make sense?" Yorang asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"There's no way that kind of money just keeps appearing when you haven't done a lick of work. Money is the reward for labor. No labor, no money." Sun-woo spoke with a dead-serious expression.
"But Sun-woo, you don't work either. You just spend all day mating, yet you're the richest person in the Tang Clan," Yorang countered, tilting her head.
"..............."
Upon hearing that, Sun-woo fell into a tight-lipped silence. His head began to throb as he realized how he must look to Yorang on a daily basis.
That brat!
He felt a surge of irritation, mostly because her words weren't exactly wrong.
"That's because I earned plenty in advance," Sun-woo offered as a meager excuse.
Between the money he’d squeezed out of the Rising Stars of Dragon and Phoenix and the Geumcheol Sect, and the Cat's Eye Stone he’d received from Neung So-hwa, Sun-woo was currently sitting on a massive fortune. He had enough to be completely independent of the Tang Clan if he wished.
In a way, he was the closest thing to the "wealthy loafer" Yorang so desperately dreamed of being.
"I want to earn a lot in advance like you! Then I can live however I want, playing and eating without working, just like you!" Yorang continued, her eyes sparkling like stars. Her admiration for Sun-woo’s life as a wealthy idler had reached its peak.
'This is... really...'
Sun-woo looked troubled. He had no idea what to say to Yorang, who was looking at him with such high expectations.
'Financial independence, huh...'
It wasn't that he didn't understand her. Financial independence was the dream of every laborer, after all. The idea of having enough money to live luxuriously without lifting a finger—how could that not be attractive?
Back when Sun-woo was living a corporate life, he had always dreamed of financial independence too. While earning less than two million won a month, he had diligently put money into housing subscriptions, savings accounts, and even tried his hand at stocks.
But even then, financial independence remained a distant dream. No matter how hard he saved or invested, he only managed to scrape together pocket change.
Because he had been in those shoes, he couldn't just dismiss her words. If it weren't for the unique circumstances of the Murim dimension and the fact that he had mastered peerless martial arts, he might still be struggling for money, dreaming the same pipe dream of financial independence.
Besides, did the Central Plains have a stock market? Did they have bank interest? While the concept of investment existed, he was a complete layman and had no direct advice to give. Someone like Geum Jeok-hwa would likely know far more about such matters.
"Yorang, humans experience the reality of being alive through the cycle of eating, sleeping, and working. Being liberated from labor isn't necessarily a good thing."
Sun-woo spewed some total bullshit. Who in the world hated being liberated from labor? If one could live doing only what they loved, there would be no suffering. However, it sounded plausible enough that he thought it might convince her.
"I'm not a human, so it's fine. I don't need labor," Yorang replied with a firm expression.
"..........."
Sun-woo was left speechless. He hadn't expected her to counter him like that.
"Now that I think about it, that applies to spiritual beings too."
"Sun-woooo."
Yorang smiled brightly and spoke. "Why are you saying things that don't even make sense?"
She asked as if she truly didn't understand.
"..........."
"And feeling alive through labor... isn't that just something people made up to make it easier to exploit others?"
...She's smarter than I thought.
Sun-woo flinched. Yorang was proving to be unexpectedly sharp.
"Forget the sweet talk. Just teach me how to make money." Yorang puffed out her cheeks.
"I don't know," Sun-woo admitted honestly. He felt that if he tried to give her half-baked advice out of pride, she would end up causing a massive disaster.
"Why don't you know?! You're so rich!" Yorang raised her voice, unable to comprehend his answer.
"In a way... most of it... was just good luck..." Sun-woo scratched his head.
The massive amounts of money he had made so far were largely due to luck. He had happened to run into the Rising Stars and was able to extort them. He had happened to go to crush the Hwangbo Clan and ended up shaking down the Geumcheol Sect for penalty fees. He had happened to go to the North Sea, where he met Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon, which led to him getting the Cat's Eye Stone.
It was all unintentional. What kind of advice could he possibly give?
"......What?"
Hearing Sun-woo's answer, Yorang's shoulders slumped and her head dropped. She was clearly disappointed that she didn't get the answer she wanted.
Sun-woo looked at her with pity. He hadn't done anything wrong, but seeing her so dejected weighed on his conscience.
"Don't be too disappointed. You have a job, don't you? If you save up patiently, I'm sure you'll achieve financial independence eventually." Sun-woo began to comfort her in a gentle, soothing voice, hoping to lift her spirits.
".....It's impossible." Yorang slowly shook her head from side to side.
"Impossible?" Sun-woo asked back, puzzled.
"I can't save money."
"Why?"
"Because... I spend it all." Yorang spoke with a gloomy face.
"All of it? That much money?"
"....Yes."
"Every bit?"
"...Yes."
"Without leaving a single penny?"
"....Yes."
"Wait, what on earth are you spending all that money on?!" Sun-woo asked, his voice rising in confusion. He couldn't fathom where two hundred silver taels could possibly go. That was enough money to buy months' worth of mooncakes and tang-gwa all at once. Where was she using such a fortune?
"......A woman has many things to spend money on!" Yorang shouted back. It was her defense.
"Liar!" Sun-woo immediately shot her down.
While it was true that women often had many expenses, none of them applied to Yorang.
Yorang was so beautiful she looked as if a god had sculpted her with the utmost care. There was no way she needed makeup. Her physique was so radiant she would shine even in rags. There was no way she was buying clothes. Her natural scent was so sweet it was addictive. There was no way she was buying perfume sachets. She viewed precious metals and gems as nothing more than pebbles. There was no way she was buying luxury goods.
Unlike other women, Yorang had absolutely nothing to spend money on. Unlike those who had to work to look beautiful, her innate beauty trumped everything. She was like an invasive species in the ecosystem of beauty. So what kind of nonsense excuse was she making? It was absurd.
"Tell me the truth. Where exactly are you spending the money?" Sun-woo asked, eyeing her with deep suspicion.
"..........."
Yorang shut her mouth tight. She felt like if she told the truth, he would rain fire and brimstone down on her. A heavy silence began to hang between the two.
After a long period of silence...
".......Snacks," Yorang finally whispered in a voice as tiny as a crawling ant.
"Snacks?" Sun-woo asked, bewildered.
".....Yes..... I spent it on snacks." Yorang nodded slightly, finally revealing the reason for her empty pockets.
"That's impossible!" Sun-woo shouted. The idea was simply ridiculous.
Two hundred silver taels was over twenty million won. How could anyone spend that much money just on snacks? Even if Yorang was a glutton, it was practically impossible.
".......But it's true.." Yorang mumbled.
"Just how many mooncakes and tang-gwa did you eat to spend all that money?!"
".......It wasn't because of the tang-gwa and mooncakes...."
"Then you ate other snacks?"
"Yes.."
"What kind of snacks?"
"Actually.... I asked the Alliance Trading Guild that travels to foreign lands to import snacks for me...."
"You asked them to import snacks?!" Sun-woo asked, his face a mask of absurdity. This was completely unexpected.
"Well.... I got tired of just eating tang-gwa and mooncakes..... and I was curious about what kind of snacks other countries eat.... Hehehe...." Yorang let out an awkward laugh.
"Even so, how can importing snacks cost that much money?!" Sun-woo still couldn't understand.
"That's because you don't know! Do you have any idea how expensive it is to import snacks!" Yorang snapped back, her voice rising in indignation.
"To keep them in perfect condition, they need to be perfectly sealed! And maintaining the temperature is a must! All of that costs money! Money! Besides, they won't seal them properly for small purchases, so I have to buy in bulk! That naturally makes the volume huge, which means I need an extra cargo wagon! In the end, the system is set up so I have to pay for the wagon too!"
Yorang began to vent passionately, her voice full of the sorrows of a foreign snack importer.
"Can't you just eat tang-gwa and mooncakes?!" Sun-woo countered, flabbergasted.
"No! My body has become one that can't live without imported snacks anymore!" Yorang protested loudly.
Before she knew of foreign snacks, she had been perfectly happy with just tang-gwa and mooncakes. But ever since she tasted the imported variety, her body could no longer be satisfied with the local fare.
"Then eat less of them!"
"They won't seal them properly unless I buy in bulk!"
"Then don't eat them at all!"
"I don't want to!"
"Just eat what's available! Why are you being so wasteful!"
"Don't you know the meaning of epicureanism? True joy comes from tasting everything!"
"That's only for people who can afford it!"
"I can afford it!"
"Then stop whining about wanting financial independence!"
"But I don't want to work!"
"You selfish little creature!"
Sun-woo was disgusted by Yorang, who was addicted to overspending yet wanted to quit her job and live on passive income. How could she live her life only looking for a lucky break?
"Selfish?! Who in the world wants to work!"
Yorang felt resentful toward Sun-woo for not understanding her desire to avoid labor. Even if she was being stubborn or throwing a tantrum, shouldn't he at least pretend to understand? Why did he have to raise his voice so aggressively?
The argument between the two began to escalate. After a long bout of bickering...
"I'm not talking to you!" Yorang snapped her head away. She felt that communicating with Sun-woo was utterly impossible.
"Fine, I'm not talking to you either!" Sun-woo also snapped his head away.
The temperature between them plummeted. Since they couldn't see eye to eye, they were both fuming.
They maintained this cold war for a while until...
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone began to knock on the door of the quarters.
'Who is it?'
Sun-woo tilted his head, wondering who would visit so unexpectedly.
"Who is it?" Sun-woo asked, his voice now perfectly composed.
"It is I."
A very familiar voice drifted in from outside the door.
"..........Sohwa!?"
It was the voice of Neung So-hwa.
"Indeed. May I enter?"
"Oh, sure. Come in."
Sun-woo immediately granted permission. He didn't know why she was here, but he had no reason to refuse.
Creeeeeak.
As soon as Sun-woo gave his consent, the door opened, and a woman as beautiful as an ancient goddess appeared.
The granddaughter of the current Emperor and a woman who held the rank of Commandery Princess.
It was Princess Gyeonghwa, Neung So-hwa.
"Oh... Yorang is here as well."
Entering the room, Neung So-hwa gave a bright smile and acknowledged Yorang. It was a reaction born from her being exceptionally fond of the girl.
".......Hello."
Despite the warm greeting, Yorang replied sullenly. She was still fuming from her fight with Sun-woo.
"Has something happened, Yorang? Your complexion does not look well," Neung So-hwa asked, looking at her with concern.