Laying the Foundations
I'd fixed up Carlos and Eric's bodies, but there was one pressing issue at hand. Housing for them. I had two places of my own, but unfortunately, there was nothing for these guys.
"Gotta find a place for these fellas to crash..."
We were on our way back to Seoul after the treatments, but my head was throbbing from worrying about their digs. Money wasn't an issue—I could snag something anytime if I wanted. But even throwing cash around, snatching up an entire building like an apartment complex was tough when no listings popped up. Especially for Jacob; with his son Ethan, it made sense to keep him separate from the others for the kid's sake.
"Any listings in the same building?"
Sadly, no. There's a jeonse listing in the next building over, but nothing for outright purchase.
I wasn't in a position to be picky between jeonse and buying outright, so for now, we'd grab the jeonse to tide things over.
"Not too far from our building, right?"
Yep, right next door.
Right next door? No big deal.
"Lock it in. Put it under the company name, and if you can onboard these guys through the company too, do it."
Registering in Korea could be risky, so I'll handle it through an overseas shell corp.
"You got this."
Even rushing the contract, they'd probably need to crash in a hotel for a couple days.
Up all night, maybe? Dragging my exhausted body home, I prepped straight for bed.
"No alarm. If the phone rings, just mumble something and hang up."
Jacob and the rest of the team were already at their booked hotel, so now I could crash without a care.
Shower done, I hit the sheets, and it finally sank in—I was home. Savoring the feel of fresh linens for the first time in ages, I drifted off.
Closed my eyes... opened them. Sixteen hours later.
"Whoa... first time I've ever slept 16 hours straight?"
My old record was 12. Weird sense of pride in smashing it today.
"Everyone else up?"
Yes, they're already up and having lunch.
Athena pulled up what looked like CCTV from a restaurant I'd never seen.
"Whatcha eating? Budae jjigae?"
Bingo. You should eat too, Master.
These guys older than me had way more pep.
"Eh, ramen sound good?"
Bit late for cooking or delivery.
Starved from the long sleep, I wolfed down two packs of ramen in no time and headed to the parking garage to fire up the Panamera.
"What's on the agenda today?"
Slept too long—brain felt rusty, thoughts sluggish.
Just three big things, then you're free. The office interior's done, so head there and stash the gear from the US.
"The other two?"
Then to the factory in Hwaseong—the team picks up special gear we produced here instead of shipping from the US. Bulletproof mods, dangerous stuff.
Stuff that'd make any guy's heart race, but heading out of Seoul again? Already a drag.
"Last one?"
Piece of cake. Show 'em the jeonse place, pick furniture for it, done.
Route seemed a bit messy.
"What order makes us look efficient?"
House tour, office gear-up, factory last. Sound good?
Order didn't matter much—Athena'd handle the driving anyway.
"Works for me. Tell 'em to head here after lunch."
Engine idling, but house tour first meant walking, so I killed it and waited. Music on, ten minutes later, an Escalade that looked tight in the spacious lot glided up.
"Good lunch, Boss."
Jacob, the other three, and his kid Ethan hopped out.
"Athena brief you on the schedule?"
Jacob nodded. "Yeah, got the word over lunch."
If Athena already looped them in, no need for me to recap.
Realtor meeting us there?
Nope, waiting on the first floor of the next building.
Made sense—dropping premium for four jeonse units? Realtor probably saw us as VIPs above the president.
"Realtor's waiting downstairs. Let's roll."
Up from the basement garage to the first floor, over to the next building—middle-aged woman at the entrance.
"Oh! Come on in! You must be the ones. So young and handsome..."
I wasn't that hot, but she laid it on thick right away. No need to be prickly, so I flashed a casual smile and piled into the elevator with her.
How much extra did we offer to get this reaction?
Double commission, full payment today. To her, you're priority number one right now.
Double commission and instant payoff? We were her lottery ticket. Gangnam luxury realtor—didn't bat an eye at the four hulking strangers.
Sharp businesswoman. Kinda wild she didn't flinch at Carlos's mug either.
Guy looked straight-up violent, yet she stayed chill. Not normal.
Daydreaming as the elevator dinged at the fifth floor. Realtor rang the bell, we stepped in—place about half the size of mine, welcoming us.
"Mind if we look around?"
"Of course! Take your time."
She'd barely finished when the four spread out, inspecting every inch.
They get Korean?
No translation from me, but they're moving fine.
Real-time translation via earbuds.
Forgot amid yesterday's chaos—I hadn't even introduced Athena to Eric and Carlos.
Jacob and Liam must've filled 'em in good.
Yeah, they were pretty shocked.
Not my pad, so I checked the view from the living room window. Tour wrapped—Jacob approached.
"All checked out, Boss."
"Whaddya think?"
He grinned. "Heaven compared to that shithole warehouse. Better than the place Ethan and I had before he got sick."
Positive vibes lifted my mood too. Chatting lightly with Jacob, the other three wrapped up and joined.
Same reactions—satisfied looks all around.
Master, the other three units are identical layouts, just different floors.
Was gonna hit the next spot, but Athena read my mind with key info.
"Four units total today, all same building, same layout, different floors. Thoughts?"
They exchanged glances; Liam spoke. "Same layout? No need to see 'em all."
I turned to the realtor staring daggers—deal sealed written all over her face.
"If the rest match, no point touring. We'll take all four."
"Oh my! So decisive for someone so young. Let's head to the office for papers..."
"Got a packed day—our law firm's handling the docs. Payment wired immediately."
Her face lit up like she'd ascend to heaven.
Instant payoff that sweet?
Blood pressure off the charts—unreadable.
Bowed out past her 90-degree bow, led the team back to the garage.
"Docs and cleaning done, you can move in tomorrow. Pick your furniture and send the list—I'll have it stocked."
Eric blinked, confused. "We pick the furniture? Not you calling the shots, Boss?"
"Your place—why would I? No budget limit, go wild with what you like."
No cap? Their eyes lit up—Eric's practically beaming rays.
Uh oh. Set a limit for Eric?
That gleam screamed "gaming rigs for days."
Big Escalade there—no need for my ride, so I hopped in.
"Houses done—time to work, Eric. That US gear's dying for its master."
Eric's eyes sparkled; he straightened up. Others buzzed more than at the house tour—tactical toys from their specialties had 'em hyped.
To the Centersquare Office in Yeoksam-dong: the empty shell was gone, replaced by a slick 600-pyeong modern setup.
Glass walls framed Gangnam's flashy skyline on Teheran-ro.
"Interior's killer. Looks like a thriving corp from outside," Liam said, impressed.
Athena chimed from the speakers.
Appearances deceive—inside's all sorted. Come check it out.
"Boss... those special vaults?"
Eric pointed, stunned—five vaults sized for the team.
What the hell? First I'd seen 'em too.
Special vaults. Spare gear and valuables go there.
Fresh intel for me, but I played it cool. "Yep. For spare gear."
The other three clustered around.
"Enough sightseeing—unpack."
Lots to do. Carlos and Liam hauled black Pelican cases from the Escalade to the table—Liam's disassembled US kit.
"Eric, assembly time?"
"Hour tops. Thirty minutes."
Eyes blazing, he grabbed tools. Disguised GPNVG-18 night visions, tactical drones, and more reformed like magic under his hands.
Power hummed to life, faint beeps shattering the office quiet in a satisfying way.
Fast hands. Could do it blindfolded.
Lifelong pros—blindfolded for sure.
True—army drilled me till I could do my jobs eyes closed. These guys trained harder; probably legit.
"Gear squared away, then to my factory for the extras."
Carlos clenched a massive fist. "Factory... anything I can use?"
No heavies from the US for his expertise.
"You bet. Gear for all that'll blow your minds."
Eric half-zoned out at "factory"; Carlos looked ready to sprint there. Seeing those giants kid-excited? Worth every penny—my lips curled up involuntarily.