Earth Needs the Useless - 1
"So, um... what do you think? Could it work?"
An Roje stared at the blonde girl in front of her—her sister An Ria—with a look of utter exasperation.
"Sis. I'm telling you this seriously: give it up."
"Whyyyyy..."
"I already told you. Making that much money under those conditions was unrealistic from the start."
"But..."
An Roje shook her head firmly.
"Think about it. Setting aside the artifacts, those weren't even top-quality pistols to begin with."
"They still sold like hotcakes!"
"Anyone who wanted one already bought them. And since they can't even use them in exams, no one else is gonna buy more."
Jeong Isu and An Roje hadn't even expected the Gremlin Pistols to sell to so many people in the first place. The results they'd achieved already far exceeded their targets.
"We still made a ton of money, right? Where'd it all go?"
"I, uh, bought a nice chair, got a super expensive custom PC, and some game items..."
"What?"
An Roje's gaze sharpened.
To her, the pistol business hadn't been a massive operation. But from the perspective of someone like An Roje, heir to a global fashion empire, it had just been small-scale. For An Ria, living in this tiny room with no plans for the next venture, blowing that cash was blatant overspending.
"I-I still have plenty left! Savings, savings! But, y'know... I can't live off this forever, right? So, just a little..."
She wasn't thinking about current assets—she wanted stable income.
A bit better...
Roje adjusted her gaze from "pathetic" to "slightly less pathetic."
"You said you make enough from games, didn't you?"
"Well, lately the hourly rate's dropped..."
"How much?"
"Two thousand won."
That was barely side-gig territory—embarrassingly low.
"We just made real money from a proper business this time! Now that I've tasted it, I wanna make loads more—"
"Sis."
An Roje fixed her with an icy stare.
"Be honest. You didn't really earn that money through hard work. You just got it for free because you're my sister—Mom's daughter."
"I-Is that how it is?"
"Of course it is. If I hadn't gotten into the Academy, do you think Jeong Isu would have partnered with me? I couldn't have pitched the business, or helped sell the stuff."
"Ughhh..."
"In the end, it was all thanks to Mom. No matter how you spin it."
"I hate that..."
"Cold truth: you're useless, sis. Isu probably thinks so too."
Ria shook her head vigorously.
"S-Say it nicely! Nice words!"
"You want me to sugarcoat it more? No way. Impossible."
"You're my little sister..."
Ria gazed at Roje pleadingly, but Roje just shook her head.
"Yeah, I am. So?"
"Hnnnggg..."
"Anyway, let's talk rationally. Objectively, the easiest job for you to make money is already set."
"What is it?"
Ria's eyes widened.
"Ask Mom for a branch office."
"What?"
"Employees know your personality—they won't give you real work. You can slack off and still get paid."
"No way."
The playfulness vanished from Ria's eyes. She stared at Roje coldly, emotionlessly.
"Ah, right. You'd hate that."
An Roje didn't push further. No matter how hopeless her sister seemed, she didn't want a real fight.
How did it come to this...?
When they were kids, Ria—not Roje—had been the heir apparent. She lacked business savvy, but her fashion sense and hunter potential more than made up for it. With a solid team, she could've led the group.
Yet somehow, she'd become this shut-in wreck overnight.
"Then just do manual labor or something. Better hourly than your games."
"Is that really all there is...?"
Ria's mood flipped instantly.
"You hate it?"
"It's not the work itself... I just hate dealing with people. It's exhausting..."
"You met Jeong Isu just fine."
Ria had run into him a few times. No real chit-chat—just work talk.
"That oppa doesn't seem dangerous, and he's helped me out a lot..."
"You should be grateful. If he hadn't insisted you needed an 'adult guardian,' you wouldn't have made a dime."
"Right?"
"How about showing Mom even half that gratitude?"
"I'd die first."
Roje nodded.
"Fine. Want me to ask Isu if he's hiring?"
"R-Really?"
"Just putting in a word. Rumors say he hangs around Mukseong Guild... might run his own outfit, so he could use someone."
"You'll ask for me? Awesome!"
"No promises. He might not take you, or know where to put you. Sis, you know Excel?"
"Uh... huh?"
"What have you been doing all day on that computer?! I'll mention it, but if you wanna be a secretary, start studying now!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
Roje pinched her sister's cheek lightly. Ria let out a cute squeal.
For a moment, it felt sweetly nostalgic.
"Ughhhh..."
Work was piling up.
I had to accept that I couldn't put it off any longer.
"Maybe I'm just full... makes me hate it even more."
Mountains of goods waited to be sorted.
"Hiring part-timers feels sketchy, and doing it myself is a pain too..."
My multidimensional trading wasn't exactly legal, so I couldn't let randos in my warehouse. If word got out about what happened there, someone might use it to threaten me later.
For now, I'd have to move it all myself. Annoying as hell.
No choice.
"It's not like I've been slacking completely..."
I'd hauled Lumikite ore, dropped by Mukseong Guild HQ for tea, sold Gremlin Pistols. Volume wasn't huge, but I still had to suit up, schmooze, and grin while closing deals.
"It's all about connections... can't pawn it off, and they're all rich elites—can't skimp on hospitality."
Even accounting for that, I was still lazy. Time to buck up.
"Alright..."
As I started shifting crates, a message pinged.
"Roje?"
We texted nonstop during peak sales, but Gremlins were tapering off.
Why's she asking if I need hires all of a sudden?
Not her—she was a minor, Academy student. Her studies came first.
"Still, sounds important..."
I nodded, playing along. I'd been about to move water jugs, but unavoidable circumstances struck.
"Oh, h-hello..."
A blonde in a deep-brimmed hat mumbled shyly.
"Ria, right? Nice to see you."
"Y-Yes..."
I knew little about her: An Roje's sister, daughter of Maison Etoual owner Charlotte de Anne. Unemployed, for some reason.
Still doesn't make sense. With that look, she'd be a model just walking around.
No reason to be so timid.
Slight social anxiety maybe, but not crippling.
Quiet voice, doesn't assert herself, but not pathological.
"Roje mentioned you might need help. Caught me off guard... Who'd you have in mind?"
I figured some Academy grad or Maison Etoual staffer. Roje might trust me, but Charlotte? She'd want to vet her daughter's associate.
"M-Me!"
"You?"
I paused to process.
Her over a stranger? Fair enough.
We'd met a bit; she seemed decent. No big schemer, not overly greedy, good character.
"I don't know you well, Ria. Mind if I ask what tasks you can handle?"
"I-I'm... pretty strong. Got some hunter potential. And, um, fashion... a little."
"Really? Fashion when—"
"Elementary school..."
"I see."
I nodded with a smile.
"Office work?"
"I'll learn! Work hard!"
"Got it."
Regrettably, I wasn't in a position to train her. Brief office stint for me, newbie level for both.
Business isn't stable yet... fixed costs mounting.
A few water jugs were fine, but container loads? Tough.
Can't ramp up Lumikite blindly, pistols won't sell forever. Profitable haul from Frozenstorm Colony world needs time...
Warehouse, containers, truck—expenses added up. Couldn't hire recklessly.
"Looking forward to working with you starting today, An Ria."
"Th-Thank you!"
Despite headwinds, I couldn't ignore this wildcard.
I extended my hand.