Chapter 109
Translator: MJK
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Something's Off About This Cafe
Saint Marie 4th Grade Class A classroom.
During break time, the kids' eyes were once again subtly drawn to one spot.
The transfer student sitting by the window, reading a book: Jang So-ye.
'She shines.'
At the very back of the classroom.
Min Ji-ah rested her chin on her hand, observing So-ye.
Min Ji-ah.
The youngest granddaughter of the Daesung Group chairman, Korea's second-largest conglomerate, and the sole heir mentioned as royalty.
The school chairman was her aunt, and even the cafeteria chef tailored the menu to her tastes—her influence in the school was absolute.
She knew that just twitching a finger could turn the school upside down, but she couldn't care less about that.
She just enjoyed observing interesting things.
"Hey, isn't her brother a farmer? Doesn't she smell like dirt?"
"Shh, she'll hear you."
Kim Se-ra's clique whispered from the back.
So-ye pretended not to hear and turned the page, but she couldn't fool Min Ji-ah's piercing gaze.
'She's acting like it doesn't bother her.'
She could see the tips of So-ye's fingers trembling as she turned the page.
Yet So-ye never let it get to her.
If anything, she smiled even brighter and tried harder to be nice to the other kids.
Min Ji-ah liked that about her.
'And... most of all, that.'
Min Ji-ah's eyes drifted to the lunchbox peeking out of So-ye's bag.
Lately, So-ye's desk filled the air with delicious smells every lunch period.
The other kids had started bringing their own lunches because of her.
Ding-dong-dang-dong—
The lunch bell rang, and So-ye rummaged for her lunchbox.
As soon as she popped the lid, the sweet and savory aroma of braised short ribs flooded the classroom.
The kids swallowed hard, sneaking glances.
Drag!
At that moment, Min Ji-ah stood from her seat and strode straight to So-ye's desk without hesitation.
So-ye looked up with wide, startled rabbit eyes.
"Hi?"
"H-Hi..."
Min Ji-ah plunked her own lunchbox down on So-ye's desk.
It was a top-grade lacquered bento box.
"Wanna eat together?"
"M-Me?"
"Yeah. Those side dishes look too good."
The haughty Min Ji-ah was the one inviting her to eat together?
The kids froze mid-bite, holding their breath.
Every eye in the room locked on Min Ji-ah, the pinnacle of school power.
Clack!
Min Ji-ah lifted the lid of her lacquered box, revealing an array of dishes: grilled lobster, braised abalone—meals fit for a five-star hotel chef.
"Let's swap. I'm sick of this stuff."
Min Ji-ah picked up a lobster leg and placed it on So-ye's rice.
Then she stared intently at the braised ribs in So-ye's lunchbox.
"In exchange... can I try one of those?"
"Sure! Eat as much as you want!"
So-ye quickly picked up a piece of meat and handed it over.
Min Ji-ah popped it into her mouth.
"...!"
Her eyes went wide.
It was nothing like the heavy hotel food she ate every day.
It melted smoothly the moment it hit her tongue, and the more she chewed, the sweeter it got.
Above all, it carried a warm comfort, like something Mom had made.
"Whoa..."
Min Ji-ah was genuinely impressed.
"This is seriously good. Way better than anything my family's chef makes—like a hundred times better."
"Really? I'm glad. My brother made it."
"Your brother's a genius? I'll trade all my lobster for this."
Min Ji-ah settled right in and started devouring So-ye's lunchbox.
So-ye munched happily on the abalone Ji-ah had given her, smiling.
Once the school idol Min Ji-ah was eating with So-ye, the other kids—who'd been watching warily—swarmed over.
"Me too! Can I join?"
"So-ye, I brought king crab—gimme one rib!"
"I got Hanwoo bulgogi! Let's trade!"
In an instant, So-ye's desk turned into a buffet overflowing with gourmet delights.
Kim Se-ra's group watched from the corner, grinding their teeth, but they didn't dare butt in where Min Ji-ah was.
"That hit the spot."
After finishing, Min Ji-ah patted her belly and looked at So-ye.
Then she whispered in her ear.
"Your brother's a farmer, right?"
"Yeah."
"Liar. No farmer grows stuff this good. Your brother's a wizard, isn't he?"
So-ye just grinned without a word.
Min Ji-ah loved that smile.
It was genuine—no pretense, no calculations.
'Anyone who messes with her from now on is gonna regret it.'
Min Ji-ah vowed, staring at So-ye's empty lunchbox.
She decided she'd come empty on the side dishes starting tomorrow.
Without realizing it, So-ye was drawing love and attention from the school's subtle power players.
Seoul Gangnam, MK Group headquarters—top-floor chairman's office.
Chairman Lee Jin-seong's eyes were fixed on the tablet PC screen on the table.
A single chart showed a sharply rising curve.
"...It's like a dream."
"Yes, Chairman. Phantom Guild's Asia branch just announced their full withdrawal."
Executive Director Shin Seung-ah stood before him with a faint smile.
"At the same time, about 70% of Phantom's released A- and B-Rank hunters chose contracts with our MK Sphere. Even those we thought would go to Valhalla turned our way."
"What do you think the reason is?"
"Thanks to Hunter Yu Jin-hyuk's perfect comeback. The image of a guild that doesn't abandon the injured and takes responsibility to the end has earned deep trust from the hunters."
"Ha ha..."
Perpetual third place.
Despite pouring in massive capital, they'd always been blocked by the giants Valhalla and Phantom—stuck as the eternal runner-up, or rather third.
Phantom's relentless assaults, backed by foreign capital, had been MK's biggest chokehold.
Yet that empire crumbled overnight.
And MK hadn't even lifted a finger—the rival imploded on its own.
"Director Shin."
"Yes, Chairman."
"Do you think all this is coincidence?"
"What..."
"Yu Jin-hyuk recovering from an incurable disease. Phantom, our tormentor, getting atomized just for messing with a single gorani. One person stands at the center of all these miracles."
"...Gorani Man, sir."
"Exactly. Him."
Lee Jin-seong rose and walked to the window.
"Do you know how much we've poured into beating Phantom over the past five years? Trillions of won. And we still couldn't. But he did it in one go—what we couldn't achieve no matter how much time and money we threw at it."
A walking disaster.
No—living power itself.
"MK filling Phantom's void isn't because we did well."
"...Simply because he showed us favor."
Both Lee Jin-seong and Shin Seung-ah knew it full well.
"Thinking about it gives me chills. If we'd been arrogant like Phantom and upset him? I might be the one packing my bags right now, not Jayden."
"..."
She felt cold sweat trickling down her back.
How fortunate it was that she'd approached Gorani Man with utmost respect and courtesy from the start.
Any rudeness, and MK Group might have been trampled under that gorani's hoof.
"Chairman, one more thing to report."
"What is it?"
"The Xiao family... they've commissioned a massive remodeling project from our MK Construction for their Korean settlement. They've also sounded us out about depositing their China-sourced funds and artifacts in our bank."
"Whoa..."
Lee Jin-seong was speechless.
The Xiao family's wealth rivaled or exceeded MK Group's entire assets.
Landing such a whale client was, in the end, thanks to their Gorani Man connection.
"So, our leap to second place is all thanks to him."
Lee Jin-seong was convinced.
The hunter market's landscape would soon be decided not by who had the strongest hunters, but by who stood closest to Gorani Man.
"Director Shin. The half of my fortune I promised—7 trillion won."
"Yes. Already transferred."
"Never regretted it, but today it hits different. That wasn't an expense. It was the best investment."
Lee Jin-seong smiled brightly and gave the order.
"From now on, anything involving him takes absolute priority—no questions of company profit. Remember: the moment we cross him, MK's future ends."
"Understood."
"And... look into gifts for him. Something he'll like."
What could please him?
"Farm tools would be too small-time."
Lee Jin-seong shook his head, eyes gleaming.
"We need something bigger. He's serious about farming, so a massive gift that helps—like launching a personal satellite for climate control, or building a dedicated mana power plant. How's that?"
"S-Satellite?"
"That's the level of sincerity we need. Rack your brain, Director Shin. Come up with a project only MK can do—one that'll make Gorani Man go, 'This is useful.'"
"...Yes, sir. I'll prepare something beyond imagination."
Shin Seung-ah nodded solemnly.
She vowed to make it cooler than any project before.
The day Phantom Guild fully withdrew from Korea.
I-hana was packing her things and leaving the guild building.
Waiver of penalties plus a full year's salary—she'd come out ahead financially, but a corner of her heart felt empty anyway.
"Sigh... Officially unemployed now."
Of course, plenty of guilds coveted her skills, so job worries were nil.
But the hollowness from her home disintegrating overnight lingered.
'Still, thanks to him, I got everything I could.'
Suddenly, Kang-hyun's face from the cooking class flashed in her mind.
Believing his one comment had let her hold out and snag a fat severance instead of getting kicked to the curb broke.
"My benefactor, that's what he is."
Gratitude was gratitude, but first, she needed to fill the void in her stomach.
Unemployed meant she'd have to job-hunt to cover food costs, but today, only something delicious would satisfy her.
She pulled out her smartphone and logged into her favorite private community: Gourmet Hunter Guide.
A goldmine site sharing only real foodie intel.
[Title: Anyone been to the no-sign cafe in Naru-dong? (5/5 stars)]
No name. Menu was just Americano and lychee ade—dunno if it's changed. But the taste is insane.
Downside: Owner's hot but busy and rarely around. Part-timer's scary.
"No sign, only two menu items? Smells like the real deal."
When down, nothing beats good food.
I-hana turned her car toward Naru-dong without a second thought.
The moment she opened the door, a bear of a man—not the owner—stood at the counter.
'...Part-timer? Scary-looking, just like it said.'
She shrugged it off and went to grab a seat.
But then—
Zzt!
A bizarre sensation wrapped around her entire body.
Her mana sensitivity—B-Rank overall, but S-Rank level for detection—kicked in.
'...What the?'
She slowly scanned around, following the energy.
'Gasp.'
She realized this very space was the eye of a massive mana vortex.
'Ancient barrier runes on the floor, and beyond the ceiling... oh god, two S-Rank beast-level auras holding steady?'
I-hana broke into a cold sweat, glancing up at the ceiling.
It felt like she'd walked into a legendary dragon's lair of her own accord.
'What the hell is this place? Gotta check it out more...'
The instant she instinctively drew up mana to scan the building's structure—
Thud.
A massive shadow blocked her view.
She looked up. The man loomed over her.
"Ma'am."
The beast of a man spoke in a low, rumbling bass.
"Will you order?"
"...!"
"One order per person, please."
With those heavy words—
The mana vortex that had been churning through I-hana's senses vanished in an instant.