Chapter 98
Translator: MJK
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: My Wise Little Master
Inside the cafe, the secretary kept trying to drag Jung Ha-yoon out.
"Come out right now! The assemblyman is calling for you—why are you dragging your feet?!"
He grabbed her arm roughly.
The customers cried out in surprise, and terror washed over Jung Ha-yoon's face.
At that moment.
Thud.
Someone snatched the secretary's wrist.
It was Kang-hyun.
His grip wasn't rough, but it was heavy and firm enough to halt the secretary's movements in an instant.
"Sir."
Kang-hyun looked down at the secretary with cold, sunken eyes.
The secretary strained desperately to shake off Kang-hyun's hand, but it didn't budge an inch.
"Sir, your behavior is incredibly rude."
Kang-hyun's voice was calm, but the force clamping down on the man's wrist was unyielding.
The secretary's face flushed red.
When brute strength failed, he started yelling.
"H-Hey! What are you all doing? Call the police! How dare you lay hands on the assemblyman's man?!"
He must have thought flaunting his authority would scare them off, because he began shouting at the people around him.
But this wasn't downtown Gangnam or the National Assembly in Yeouido.
This was the hangout of the Naru-dong mom cafe members—the most fearsome gossip network in Korea.
"Oh my, look at that guy. What a thug."
"What kind of mess is this first thing in the morning, harassing a young woman? Is he a gangster or something?"
One mother clicked her tongue and opened the floodgates, unleashing murmurs from all around.
"Isn't that car Assemblyman Park Min-cheol's? I saw it on the news."
"Yeah! Oh my god, a National Assembly secretary causing a scene in a cafe? Film it, quick!"
Smartphone cameras swiveled toward them all at once.
Naru-dong was a neighborhood where rumors spread as fast as in any school district.
As the atmosphere turned hostile, the secretary's eyes wavered.
Bzzz—
The rear window of the sedan parked out front, which had been slightly cracked open, slid smoothly shut as the situation turned against them.
Vroom!
Then, abandoning the secretary, it heartlessly started up and drove away.
"W-Wait, Assemblyman?!"
The secretary stood there like a dog that had chased a chicken, staring blankly at the receding taillights.
Only then did Kang-hyun release his grip, brushing off his hand as if shaking off dust.
"Looks like your boss left. Aren't you going after him?"
"Y-You... just you wait!"
The secretary's face burned crimson as he slunk away.
Jeers and applause rained down on his retreating back from the customers.
"Boss, that was awesome!"
"Wow, you're so strong. Did you see how that jerk couldn't move?"
"I thought you were just great at making coffee, but you've got some real guts too!"
In an instant, the cafe turned into a fan meet cheering for Kang-hyun.
Jung Ha-yoon stared up at him in a daze.
She'd thought he was just a cafe owner who made delicious coffee, but he didn't flinch even in the face of power!
...Just what is your real identity, boss?
Admiration beyond mere curiosity began to flicker in Jung Ha-yoon's eyes.
Inside the speeding black sedan.
Assemblyman Park Min-cheol yanked off his tie roughly and gnashed his teeth.
"That idiot!"
His anger was aimed at the secretary, but the real root cause lay deeper.
Park Min-cheol turned on his tablet with trembling hands.
The screen was plastered with news articles that churned his stomach.
[Special Feature] Xiao Family Naturalization Imminent? Korea's Hunter World Poised for Greatest Boom Since Dangun.
[Analysis] Experts: "Gorani-man's Economic Value Surpasses Mid-Sized Corporations... A Walking Conglomerate."
[Column] World Hunter Federation's Eyes on the Korean Peninsula—Centered on One Man.
"Gorani-man, Gorani-man! Damn it! The whole world's obsessed with Gorani-man!"
Park Min-cheol hurled the tablet onto the seat.
He was anxious.
His political footing was narrowing with each passing day.
"My approval ratings are already stagnating, and now some mystery guy shows up stealing the spotlight with all this national prestige and hero nonsense."
In the current mood, if Gorani-man endorsed any random person as his pick, it could flip the presidential race.
Hell, he could run himself and win.
"And now even the president is jumping in."
According to his intel sources, the Blue House was even reviewing special legislation for Gorani-man.
National merit awards were a given, along with tax exemptions and privileges bordering on extraterritoriality.
A living god, propped up by the entire nation.
"If the Xiao family naturalizes too, it's over. Their massive funds and S-Rank hunters backing Gorani-man—he'd become Korea's undisputed top power!"
Park Min-cheol bit his nails.
The tower of power he'd built over a lifetime was shaking because of one beast-masked fool.
At this rate, he might end up not just missing the presidency, but relegated to a forgotten old man in the back room.
"Somehow... I have to pull that guy to my side. Or drag him down."
Greed and malice glinted in Park Min-cheol's eyes.
In the break room of Jungjin Law Firm.
Jung Ha-yoon sighed as she sat down, and senior attorney Kim Mi-so approached with a worried look.
"Jung, you okay? I heard there was some incident at the cafe this morning."
"Senior, the rumors are already flying?"
"Of course. They say Assemblyman Park's aide caused a scene. You didn't get hurt, did you?"
"The cafe owner stepped in and saved me. Otherwise, I might've really been dragged off and suffered who knows what."
Jung Ha-yoon shuddered, as if the mere thought was horrifying.
"He was ready to stuff me in a sack or something. He yanked my arm so hard, I thought my bone would snap. Total reckless thug who doesn't care about laws or anything."
Terror and disgust laced her voice.
The fact that she'd nearly been so powerless in broad daylight—as a lawyer no less—seemed to have left a trauma.
"But the owner pinned that hulking secretary with one hand and chased him off. The guy was flailing helplessly—it felt so satisfying."
"Wow, that owner's no ordinary guy."
Jung Ha-yoon recalled the moment again.
That unflinching boldness in the face of power, those overwhelming eyes.
He's definitely not just some barista. He looks gentle on the outside, but he's tougher than your average veteran hunter.
Curiosity and a vague trust toward Kang-hyun began to sprout in Jung Ha-yoon's heart.
"But the vibe from Assemblyman Park's side seems seriously off. For his secretary to lay hands on a lawyer in broad daylight."
"Exactly. His mentality's not right. His approval ratings are tanking lately."
"Do we really have to take this case? Can't we drop it?"
"Our boss's mentality isn't right either."
Jung Ha-yoon shook her head.
"Blinded by headquarter performance pressure, he's clinging to any rotten rope he can. Never mind when it might snap..."
The two exchanged bitter looks.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Then.
"Sniff sniff. Hey... Jung, what's that smell?"
Kim Mi-so twitched her nose.
A fresh, sweet fragrance lingering in the air kept nagging at her.
"Oh, this? It's the lychee ade from that cafe."
"Lychee? You mean that icy fruit lump from buffets? But why does it smell so good?"
"That's what I thought too. But... what I've had before wasn't real lychee."
Jung Ha-yoon's expression turned deadly serious in an instant.
The anxiety from moments ago vanished, replaced by the gleam of a true foodie.
"It's like rose petals exploding in your mouth. No trace of that frozen fishy smell—just juicy flesh bursting with an elegant sweetness no sugar could mimic."
"Come on, you're exaggerating."
"I'm serious. You have to try it to understand."
Jung Ha-yoon's eyes shone earnestly.
No matter how she thought about it, it was too good to keep to herself.
No, it was criminal.
She wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
Koreans had been duped by frozen lychees all this time!
Meanwhile, the Naru-dong local community and Saint Mary parents' group chat were flipping out over one thing: the taste.
Title: No-sign cafe in front of school... Is the lychee ade for real?
I lined up at opening and tried it.
OMG... I was shocked.
The lychee I knew was just that meh fruit rotting in buffets,
but this? One bite and I felt like I was in Southeast Asia—no, heaven.
The flesh is alive, the aroma is insane.
Definitely not artificial syrup!
Kids try it once and refuse all other juices. Take responsibility, boss ㅠㅠ
For real. I'm a fruit hater, but first time seeing this quality lychee in Korea.
Way better than premium fruits at department store food halls... Where does he source them?
My kid's super picky with fruit, but he brought this home and nearly ate the cup too.
And the rumor spread to the notoriously picky Saint Mary parents.
That popular cafe drink lately—good as kids' snack?
Don't even ask. Forget organic— the taste is on another level~ My kid says it's better than mango bingsu from hotel lounges.
Tried it too—the aroma... Thought it was perfume at first. But no, pure fruit scent. 100% air-shipped fresh. Frozen can't match this.
OMG, quality even hard to get in Gangnam, and a neighborhood cafe has it? Sending the driver tomorrow. Perfect for tea time.
Kang-hyun's lychee ade had swiftly risen to dessert-tier status, with even Cheongdam-dong daughters-in-law lining up for it.
The shock of fresh tropical fruit, rare in Korea.
That was what drove people wild.
That afternoon, in a Hannam-dong mansion.
Choi Mi-ran fussed the moment her son Lee Min-jun returned from school.
"My baby, back from school? Hungry? Want a snack?"
"Nah, I'm good. Had something super tasty at school."
Lee Min-jun beamed as he set down his bag.
"Tasty? You mean cafeteria food?"
"No. The new transfer student brought snacks, and they were amazing!"
"Transfer student? What'd she bring?"
"You know, that red thing from buffets. Lychee!"
At that, Choi Mi-ran's brow furrowed deeply.
"Lychee? You mean that cheap frozen fruit?"
The lychee Choi Mi-ran knew was the low-class offering at bargain buffets.
To dare feed such a thing to her precious son.
"Who brings something like that to school and acts all high and mighty? What if you get a stomachache!"
"No, Mom! It was really good! Smelled amazing, melted in my mouth!"
Choi Mi-ran didn't hide her displeasure.
Wait, lychee?
The group chat lychee buzz from earlier flashed by, but she didn't connect it.
"It was so good, her brother’s a farmer."
"A farmer?"
Choi Mi-ran scoffed.
"Figures. Some country bumpkin kid. I get the picture."
Orphan with an unemployed guardian—turns out it was a rural farmer.
The levels didn't match. At all.
"Min-jun, listen to Mom. Don't hang out with kids like that. You'll pick up bad habits."
"Why? So-ye's super pretty and nice..."
"If Mom says no, it's no!"
Choi Mi-ran raised her voice, but Lee Min-jun pouted and stormed to his room.
Lying on his bed, he brooded.
Mom doesn't know anything.
So-ye was kind.
And that lychee was truly delicious.
Her smiling face, offering more as he ate—it kept coming back to him.
Can't just take without giving back...
Good kids repay what they receive, right?
He wanted to return the favor.
What would So-ye like?
Rustle rustle—
Lee Min-jun rummaged through drawers for a while, then opened his most treasured box.
His eyes landed on a sparkling keychain.
[Limited Edition Bearbrick Keyring (Diamond Edition)]
The collab limited jewel edition Bearbrick all his friends were raving about lately.
Studded with top-grade pink diamonds, platinum-plated body.
A luxury keychain, limited to 100 worldwide.
"This is it."
The cute bear would surely delight So-ye.
Price? Just one of Mom's bought toys—no big deal for him.
Besides, experience taught Lee Min-jun one thing.
Bring expensive toys or limited consoles, and kids flock like clouds, dying to be his friend.
If I give her this, So-ye will be my best friend, right?
The pure logic of a wealthy young master, devoid of malice.
I'll give it to her at school tomorrow!
Heart pounding, Lee Min-jun tucked the keychain into his bag.
The fact that the little bear plush was worth nearly an apartment in Gangnam meant nothing to him.
The next morning, in Class A, Year 4 of Saint Mary International School.
Lee Min-jun bolted to So-ye's seat the moment he arrived.
So-ye was chatting with the mini Bunny dangling from her bag.
"So-ye! Hi!"
"Oh? Hi, Min-jun!"
So-ye greeted him with a bright smile.
Lee Min-jun's heart raced.
Time to repay yesterday's delicious lychee—and bribe his way to desk-mate status.
"Here, I brought this for you."
Lee Min-jun pulled yesterday's gift from his bag and set it on So-ye's desk.
The diamond eyes sparkled under the fluorescent lights.
Every kid's gaze snapped to it.
"Whoa, isn't that the limited Bearbrick?"
"OMG, that's crazy expensive!"
Exclamations erupted, and Min-jun puffed up with pride.
Expensive stuff always works.
So-ye would be thrilled, thank him, and boom—besties.
Lee Min-jun waited smugly for her reaction.
But.
"..."
So-ye just stared at the shiny keychain, not touching it.
Moments later, she looked up at him.
Her eyes held not joy, but awkwardness.
"Min-jun, sorry. I can't take this."
"...Huh?"
The smile vanished from Lee Min-jun's face.
An unexpected response.
Never rejected once in his life.
"W-Why? It's super expensive! The eyes are real diamonds and..."
"I know, but... my brother said no taking super expensive stuff. Sorry!"
It hit Lee Min-jun like a smack to the head.
All his friends had loved gifts before.
The pricier, the happier—the closer they'd get.
But not this time?
Money... can't buy everything?
Lee Min-jun's eyes shook like an earthquake.
His surefire strategy failing—his first true trial, shattering his young mind.
Pfft.
The mini Bunny on her bag, playing dead, had its mouth corner twitch ever so slightly upward.
Bunny inwardly admired So-ye's firm refusal.
As expected, my little master isn't swayed by cheap rocks. Excellent taste.
Proud of her wise owner, Bunny side-eyed the dejected Lee Min-jun.
Poor kid.
Thinking money buys hearts—humans are so foolish.
[Mini Bunny reclassifies Lee Min-jun from dangerous to spoiled young master.]
[Alert status deactivated.]
Bunny's eyes lost their killer glint, reverting to dumb button eyes.
The simple truth that money can't buy hearts—a lesson ten-year-old Lee Min-jun learned bone-deep today.