Chapter 148
Chapter 148
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 148
Chapter Title: A Trip to the ER
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I arrived at the office.
The office was dead silent, so I thought no one was in, but the Director was already here.
But her expression was unusually grim. We've been doing so well lately, so why the sudden change? Was it a personal issue?
“Good morning.”
“Hm? Oh. Min-jun, you're here.”
Seeing the dazed look on her face only made me more suspicious.
“Is something wrong?”
“……”
Her red lips parted and closed several times. I was certain now that this wasn't a personal matter.
“Haa… alright. Let's talk for a moment.”
The Director, who always wore slippers in the office, still had on her high-heeled pumps. As if she was completely out of it.
She walked over to CEO Park Jae-yong's office and knocked.
“Come in.”
CEO Park Jae-yong's voice was uncharacteristically serious. Something was clearly very wrong.
CEO Park Jae-yong looked like he hadn't slept all night; his skin was rough, and his stubble was overgrown.
Was there another crisis waiting for us? That couldn't be right.
“Producer Min-jun asked, so I thought we might as well tell him.”
“Right, have a seat.”
I sat on the sofa, but neither the Director nor the CEO said a word.
This is frustrating.
“What's wrong with you two? Is the company going bankrupt or something?”
“…Gasp! Hhkk!”
At my casual joke, CEO Park Jae-yong's face turned pale, and he struck his chest hard, as if he couldn't breathe.
*Thump, thump, thump!*
“Ah! What's wrong?”
He hit himself so hard the shockwaves seemed to fill the office.
“My chest! Hospital.”
In the sudden chaos, I hoisted CEO Park Jae-yong onto my back.
“Ah, no, I can walk…”
The situation was this serious, but the system wasn't giving me any alerts? Had my ability disappeared?
Stats.
[Name: Park Jae-yong (Age 46)]
Height: 180cm
Weight: 90kg
Vocal: 86/87
Dance: 69(94-25)/94
Special Note: Dance -25 due to obesity
⋮
Quest.
-Ongoing Quests.
[Sudden Quest ‘Ro-si's Presence’]
Answer member Ro-si is worried about her presence, and her self-esteem is dropping. A drop in self-esteem can lead to a vicious cycle that further diminishes her presence. Raise Ro-si's self-esteem to 80 or higher.
Ro-si's Self-Esteem 55/100
Time Limit: None
Reward: ?
Failure: Answer's rise will end.
The Ro-si's Presence quest was still incomplete, and my Third Eye was working just fine.
And the reason I could carry the 90-kilogram bulk of CEO Park Jae-yong, who had gained quite a bit of weight recently, without much effort was thanks to the 'Soldier's Spirit' trait.
So why wasn't there a crisis alert?
The CEO, still on my back, kept rubbing his chest and breathing heavily, clearly feeling immense pressure.
The Director opened the passenger side door, and I moved the CEO into the seat…
*Thud!*
“Oof!”
The CEO's head hit the car frame.
“Oppa, are you okay?”
“I'm sorry.”
“Aish! That's why… I said I'd walk.”
How could I let someone walk when they were clutching their chest, saying they couldn't breathe?
“I'll take him. You should stay at the office, Director.”
“R-Right. Okay.”
With the CEO still pounding his chest, I headed for a hospital with an emergency room.
It was rush hour, so traffic was heavy, but thanks to the 'Best Driver' trait I'd bought with points a while back, we arrived at the hospital quickly.
I left the car running and helped CEO Park Jae-yong inside.
“Oh! What brings you…”
Two nurses who had been chatting asked, their faces a mixture of surprise and curiosity at seeing a celebrity.
“He has chest tightness and difficulty breathing.”
“Ah? Yes… this way.”
CEO Park Jae-yong trudged after the nurse and lay down on the indicated bed.
His face was still pale, but the nurse, with a look that seemed to say, "He looks fine, why is he here?", simply attached an ECG monitor to his fingertip and considered her job done.
“…I'll go park the car.”
“R-Right. But ask if I need a blood thinner or something. What if I go into cardiac arrest?”
It was an awkward situation. To us, it was an emergency, but it clearly didn't look that way to the ER staff.
“Damn it. I have to live longer than that bastard Sang-jin.”
CEO Park Jae-yong muttered to himself. Was he thinking about the news of Gyeon Sang-jin collapsing after my counterattack a while back?
“Is that all the treatment he's getting? He said he couldn't breathe and had chest pains earlier.”
“Um… but he's breathing fine now, isn't he?”
CEO Park Jae-yong was looking around the ER, appearing extremely awkward.
Now I felt awkward too.
“…You're right.”
“Should I ask if he wants a vitamin IV?”
“Yes, please do.”
Letting out a dry laugh, I left the emergency room.
“Ah! Wait, you're drawing two vials of blood?”
“Yes. Make a fist, please. Pump it.”
Going anywhere with CEO Park Jae-yong is strangely embarrassing. He's a celebrity and a decent guy, but... it's just embarrassing.
I moved the car to the underground parking garage.
Is it because they're used to seeing people on the brink of death? I guess someone in a truly critical condition wouldn't be able to walk into the ER on their own two feet.
I chuckled to myself, but then another thought struck me.
Is our company going bankrupt?
Why? We were just starting to do well.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a bustling hospital lobby filled with people.
So many sick people. For someone like me who'd rarely had a reason to visit a hospital, it was an unfamiliar sight.
That's when it happened. I suddenly felt an unpleasant aura through my Third Eye.
It wasn't dangerous, but it was a strange aura that seemed to provoke me. I didn't want to avoid it.
My pride wouldn't allow me, a person with a special ability others lacked, to turn away from a mere unpleasant feeling.
In fact, I started walking toward the source of the unpleasant aura.
I rode the escalator up a long way to what felt like a third floor, but was actually the second.
Manager Park, Answer's former handler, and someone in a mask and hat were startled to see me.
“Ah, that bastard. Is he the grim reaper or something? Always walking around dressed in black.”
Even from a distance, I could clearly hear Gyeon Sang-jin's voice.
I was glad I hadn't avoided them.
I'd thought the news of him collapsing after the Reporter Do Chang-ryeol incident was half an act, but it seemed he'd really taken a hit.
This was, after all, the cardiology department.
After a moment of hesitation, the two of them seemed to muster their courage, puffing out their chests and approaching me.
“You bastard. You tricked me and bought our stock?”
“Tricked you? Since when do you need permission to buy company stock? In South Korea?”
It seemed he'd only just found out after checking the shareholder register. He probably never dreamed that the Min-jun on the list was me.
“I wondered why you were acting so high and mighty. Turns out it was all over a measly few billion won.”
You're the one who looks pathetic, calling several billion won 'measly'. Do you think that makes you look more impressive?
“Why? You jealous?”
“Ha! You think you'll even be able to sell that stock? I'll…”
“Already sold it.”
“What!”
I shot a faint smirk at the bewildered expressions on Gyeon Sang-jin and Manager Park's faces.
Since I was planning to block the IPO anyway, there was no real benefit to holding onto the stock any longer.
With the money from selling my SJ Enter stock, I bought shares in Metaverse, the company that made the VR gear and Rhythm Saber.
I was confident that the new mode and DLC I created would be a success, but I also judged that Metaverse's stock price, which had plummeted to a quarter of its peak from $1,200 to $300, was at a serious low point.
Metaverse wasn't a company that would just collapse here. If anything, it was poised to soar through the sky.
“Anyway, did your blood pressure finally burst? What brings you to the hospital?”
“!”
“Chairman. Please don't get excited, calm down.”
My taunt twisted Gyeon Sang-jin's expression, and a startled Manager Park tried to calm him down.
“…Haaah.”
Gyeon Sang-jin took a deep breath, then spoke as he walked past me, giving me a sidelong glance.
“Hmph. You're quite something. Let's see how long things go your way.”
A strange hint of resentment lingered on the corner of his lips.
I said nothing and followed Gyeon Sang-jin and Manager Park back down.
“Aish, that unlucky bastard.”
“He was so obedient as a trainee. Why did he suddenly turn out like this?”
Gyeon Sang-jin and Manager Park had no idea I was right behind them.
“Didn't you promise him some pretty good terms last time?”
“The bastard must have something to fall back on, treating me like this.”
Manager Park glanced back and his eyes met mine.
“Agh! Shibal, you scared me!”
Manager Park jumped in fright, which in turn made Gyeon Sang-jin, who had been fine, flinch in surprise.
“Why, why are you following us!”
“Who's following you?”
The eyes of the people around us were drawn to the commotion, but the two of them were too focused on me to notice.
“I'll go first, then.”
I flashed a cynical smile and walked ahead.
Once I was about ten meters away, I could hear them grumbling about me.
“Is he a ghost or something, that bastard? Makes no sound.”
Their surprised and angry muttering gave me a simple sense of satisfaction.
But I'd forgotten to thank him. Thanks to Gyeon Sang-jin, I turned less than 300 million won into over 2 billion. There was no need to hide it anymore.
“Ah! I forgot to say thank you. I really enjoyed the stock!”
Even from a distance, I could see the sour expressions on their faces.
The frustration that had been building for 15 years—plus one more—finally washed away.
But I had no intention of just breaking even. To prevent more victims and to avenge those who had suffered in the past, I had to completely destroy Gyeon Sang-jin and his people.
“He's such bad luck. Should I go buy some salt?”
“…You think that's a joke right now?”
The voices of Gyeon Sang-jin and Manager Park faded into the distance.
I considered telling CEO Park Jae-yong that Gyeon Sang-jin was here, but decided against it. No need to give unnecessary stress to someone who was already unwell.
The ER doors opened, and I saw CEO Park Jae-yong arguing in front of a wheelchair.
“Ah, I told you I can walk.”
“Still, regulations require you to use a wheelchair.”
I realized why CEO Park Jae-yong was insisting on walking. The person who would be pushing the wheelchair was an elderly man who looked to be in his seventies.
“Hey, hey, Min-jun, you push me instead. They want me to do a stress test ECG.”
The old man looked very troubled.
“Just get in, CEO. This is his job; he's a professional.”
“…Ah. Ahh, right.”
It seemed CEO Park Jae-yong finally understood my intention. If situations like this kept happening, this elderly man would eventually lose his job.
*Vzzz.*
-How's the CEO? Nothing serious, right?
A text from the Director. I called her right away.
-Yeah. Everything okay?
“Yes. He's been fine ever since we got to the ER.”
-He looked like he was in serious trouble... Still, he should get tested.
“I think they already sent his blood for testing, and now he's doing a stress test ECG.”
-The man who couldn't breathe is now running for an ECG?
“Personally, I think it might be an anxiety disorder, like the one Kim Sung-hoon had.”
-…Is it really that severe?
“Sung-hoon hyung said it was.”
-Is that so? Should I send Yoo-jun to Answer then?
“I don't think that'll be necessary, but… I'll let you know how things go.”
At this point, I felt like I could probably head back, but CEO Park Jae-yong didn't tell me to leave. Was he scared to be alone?
“The guardian can wait outside, please.”
CEO Park Jae-yong had already gone into the examination room, so I had no choice but to sit in the waiting area.
On a whim, I decided to check the sales for the Rhythm Saber Answer DLC, but as I was fiddling with my phone, I got a call from the head of Metaverse Korea, the one I'd signed the contract with.
“Hello, Branch Manager.”
-Yes, hello. Maker-nim, congratulations. The number of downloads is increasing rapidly. The head office is very pleased.
“Thank you, Branch Manager.”
-Let's move forward quickly with the additional DLC contract we discussed last time.
This was the real reason he'd called.
The Answer contract was done with JD Enter and CEO Park Jae-yong, who hold the copyright, but since that wasn't necessary this time, it seemed they wanted to sign a contract directly with me.
“Things have gotten very busy for me with Answer's work lately.”
-Aigoo, I'm sure. But you'll be very pleased with the terms this time. As they say, strike while the iron is hot. Let's get you a nice lump sum.
“Even if we sign now, I don't think I'll be able to create it right away, but I'll contact you again.”
-Please call me anytime, even if it's in the middle of the night. I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the contract.
I'd been so busy with work that I hadn't even paid attention to the release of the Rhythm Saber Answer DLC.
Less than a day had passed, but the downloads had already shot past the ten-thousand mark. Even without any promotion, the revenue had surpassed hundreds of millions of won.
Just as my intuition told me, agreeing to a higher revenue share (RS) of 20% instead of a large upfront payment was paying off handsomely.
And more importantly, I wondered just how much the stock I'd bought had risen.