Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Gifts and Tteokguk
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-Hey, aren’t you going to give me an IOU?
“You said you didn’t need one yesterday.”
-…Can’t a deal made while drunk be canceled?
“Can it?”
-A contract made in a muddled state of mind is not valid. Isn’t there some law like that?
“Sounds plausible. You should look it up.”
-…You’re really going to pay me back?
“I gratefully accepted the 10 million won as a wedding gift, and I’ll repay the 300 million you lent me within the year. You got all that recorded, right?”
-…Tch. You’re damn quick on the uptake.
“Depending on the profits, I’ll even pay you a handsome amount of interest.”
-Pfft! If I entrusted it to an asset manager, I’d get at least 7%. See if you can match that.
“……”
-…Hey, hey, don’t feel pressured. Just give me back the principal…….
I ended the call with an embarrassed Kim Sung-hoon.
Of the 300 million won I received from him, I used 230 million to buy unlisted shares of SJ Enter.
I bought up every share available, regardless of the price, but this was all I could get. Not only was the over-the-counter market not very active, but with Fire Emblem hitting it big, there was no reason for anyone to sell unless they were desperate for cash.
I invested the remaining funds in the other three major entertainment companies.
After all, they were the ones who would benefit most from the growth of K-culture.
My plan was to rescue the Fire Emblem members before they fell into Gyeon Sang-jin’s trap, causing his company to suffer from a financial crisis, and then make that company mine. Of course, this would require SJ Enter to make some risky investments and a lot of other help, but with the system I have, shouldn't it be possible somehow?
“*Sigh*… Haa.”
I exhaled the air I had drawn deep into my lungs as I looked at my account, which already exceeded 500 million won.
For a moment, I wondered again if it was right to dream of revenge for something that hadn't even happened to me. But seeing tragic cases like Choi Yoo-kyung, who suffered because of Gyeon Sang-jin, I steeled my resolve.
This isn't personal revenge; it's for justice and the greater good.
It’s fine to have at least one dark hero who beats up bad guys. And it’s even better if that hero is me.
It was a long-awaited break, but I couldn't rest easy. Then again, since this was also my side job and hobby, it wasn't much different from playing.
I opened the emails I had received as the sound maker, Beat Room, one by one.
-Inquiring about the commercial copyright for the sound sources you uploaded.
-Contacting you after hearing ‘So do I.’ I’m producing an independent film and would like to insert it into the climax scene.
-We would like to commission a Newtro pop track that reinterprets nostalgia for the past with a modern sensibility. A MIDI project with over 16 tracks should suffice.
-This is Dpst Entertainment. We are recruiting exclusive composers and would like to recommend you for an audition.
-Requesting a dance-pop track with country-folk and EDM sounds. Please provide a quote for a live session and mastering.
⋮
The number of sound sources sold and commissions received was steadily increasing.
If I greedily accepted everything, I could pull in 20 million won this month alone.
I could feel my name value growing.
I hoped it would one day reach SJ Enter.
With a cheerful heart, I began the MIDI grind.
* * *
The Lunar New Year holiday began.
It was a period when most people in the entertainment industry, including those at broadcasting stations and production companies, could take a well-deserved break. Consequently, it was also a busy time for the popular plastic surgery clinics in Gangnam.
Wanting to offer some comfort to the members of Answer, who couldn't go home for the holiday, I headed to a department store.
Crowds of people with excited expressions bustled about cheerfully.
I was reminded of my deceased parents, my only blood relatives, but I didn't feel as desolate as I had during Chuseok.
Because I had the people at JD Enter and Answer who cared for me.
*Bzzzt.*
It was a call from Choi Yoo-jun.
-Hyung, are you going anywhere for the New Year?
“No.”
-Then come to our house. My sister makes really good tteokguk.
“Ah, I was actually planning to make tteokguk for Answer.”
-Oh! Ah, I didn’t think of that…….
*Bzzzt.*
This time, it was Lee Yoo-ah.
-My mom said to come over for tteokguk tomorrow if you’re not busy…….
“I’m planning to make tteokguk for Answer tomorrow. Please tell her I’m grateful for the thought.”
-Ah… Answer is so lucky…….
I should add Choi Yoo-jun and Lee Yoo-ah to the list of people who care about me.
Since I’m thinking about it, I should splurge on some New Year’s gifts.
Every day I thought about giving myself some financial therapy by spending money, but I was too busy to even find the time. The biggest splurge I’d managed was ordering some accessories.
I entered a jewelry shop.
“Welcome, sir.”
A female employee in her twenties, wearing white gloves, greeted me politely.
“I’m here to pick up some necklaces.”
“Um… I didn’t recognize you before, but you’re Answer’s manager, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
A smile spread across my face without me realizing it.
It was so gratifying whenever I met people who knew Answer.
“It’s such a shame. I think you would have been a perfect fit for Fire Emblem.”
“Thank you.”
My image was Answer’s image, so I always had to be courteous.
“Please wait a moment.”
The clerk opened a drawer, took out four small boxes, opened each lid, and lined them up for me to see.
“Please check them. We used an Extra Bold font to create a look that’s distinct yet not too heavy.”
The custom-made necklaces featured small pink sapphires.
The words
We are the
answer
were engraved on the brilliant pendants. In particular, a cute 0.23-carat diamond was embedded in each of the four spots where the letter ‘e’ appeared, giving them a look that was both lively and luxurious.
I planned to give Seol-ah the necklace emphasizing W☆, Seul-bi the one with ar☆, Ro-si with th☆, and Yi-na with answ☆r.
“They turned out beautifully.”
“I believe the excellent result is thanks to your outstanding taste, sir.”
Her shift from personal conversation to a professional customer service tone wasn't awkward at all.
“Due to a drop in the price of gold during production, you can either re-pay with a 130,000 won deduction from your 8.5 million won pre-payment, or receive a 150,000 department store point payback. Which would you prefer?”
The unexpected payback felt like found money, which put me in a good mood.
Since I was planning to splurge on New Year’s gifts anyway, getting an extra 20,000 won in points was a hundred times better.
“I’ll take the points.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll credit the points to your account.”
After packaging the necklaces in a shopping bag, the clerk crouched down and took something out.
“This is the best service I can offer… I’m not sure if you’ll like it.”
Returning to a quiet, personal tone, the clerk offered me a navy blue jewelry box.
It was a set of cufflinks that looked to be worth at least two or three hundred thousand won.
Was she charmed by my looks?
Or was it the halo effect of being associated with Fire Emblem?
Whatever the reason, it felt good.
“I like them. I’ll be back again.”
“Have a good day, sir. I’ll be rooting for you!”
The clerk’s bright smile made me feel incredibly happy, even after spending nearly ten million won.
I went to the grocery market.
Perhaps because it was a day for cooking, it was less crowded than the other stores.
I grabbed a small department store cart and headed to the event corner selling gift sets.
As expected of a department store, there were even expensive gifts displayed, costing over a million won, that you wouldn't typically see in a regular supermarket.
What should I get for Yoo-jun's family? Cooked food or cosmetics might not suit their tastes… Maybe a high-end beef jerky set?
The beef jerky, worth around 300,000 won, was a premium gift made only from top round cuts, with all the tough membranes removed.
For Yoo-ah's family, since her parents are there, some high-quality nutritional supplements.
My mood lifted as the cart filled with gifts like the beef jerky and supplement sets.
Even though I wasn't spending the money on myself, it felt strangely good.
Finally, after withdrawing a stack of 50,000 won bills from an ATM and stuffing my wallet, I felt a surge of confidence, as if I had become someone important.
* * *
My eyes snapped open as the day began to break. Was it because my body was itching to deliver the gifts I had bought in a splurge of excitement yesterday?
“Is everyone awake? I’ll be at the dorm by 7:30.”
-Okay. Come on over.
“……”
For some reason, they didn’t even ask why I was coming to the dorm. I felt a bit let down, having already prepared an excuse for my tteokguk surprise. Well, it’s good that I don’t have to lie.
At first, the members were wary and suspicious of me even setting foot in the dorm, but now, there was no sense of awkwardness.
I quickly took a shower and started rummaging through the kitchen. The dorm didn’t have a pot large enough to cook tteokguk, so I had to bring one from my place.
I packed the rice cakes, meat, green onions, radish, garlic, and other ingredients I had bought yesterday, along with the shopping bag containing the necklaces.
“I’m off!”
For the first time in a while, I smiled and greeted the photo of my parents.
The once-stifling Seoul cityscape had become quiet, feeling new, almost like another dimension.
I arrived at the dorm.
As I reached the fourth floor, I could hear the cheerful laughter of the Answer members.
What’s going on?
*Ding-dong*
“It’s Min-jun.”
As soon as I rang the bell, the laughter stopped, and I heard the light footsteps of someone running on their tiptoes.
It was undoubtedly the sound of Seul-bi’s footsteps, lean yet full of muscle.
I felt a little impressed with myself for being able to guess even something like this.
“Oppa!”
It was Seul-bi, wearing shorts and a t-shirt despite the winter, with light makeup on.
And the delicious smell of jeon.
A cute little boy who had been jumping on the sofa stared at me blankly, while Ro-si and Yi-na acted as a fence to keep him from falling. Seol-ah was in the veranda, where the drying rack had been moved, busy pan-frying jeon.
What was this scene?
“What’s with the pot… Are you here to make us tteokguk?”
Seul-bi opened the lid of the pot I was holding, her face lighting up with a wide smile.
“So you’re the manager!”
The person who came out of the kitchen was Seol-ah’s mother, who I heard ran a business at Hwagae Market.
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“Thank you so much, Manager-nim. To think you’d come to make us tteokguk yourself.”
“Not at all. As their manager, it’s only natural for me to….”
“Oh, my! What kind of manager comes over on his day off to cook tteokguk? Come on, everyone, eat up.”
“We’ll eat well!”
“I’ll eat well!”
Everyone burst into laughter again at the cuteness of Seol-ah’s younger brother, Yejun, who was mimicking the members.
Yejun stuck his tongue out goofily as he looked at his older sisters.
Breakfast was a spread of various jeon and tteokguk.
The visual of the tteokguk was mouth-watering, generously topped with egg garnish and seaweed flakes.
I took a spoonful of the large, hand-torn pieces of beef along with the broth.
The meat was tender without any gamey smell, clearly high-quality Hanwoo that had been boiled thoroughly and torn by hand.
The savory gomtang broth was perfectly complemented by the refreshing taste of radish and dried pollack.
Moreover, the rice cakes were not tough, lacking the usual preservatives, which meant they were definitely freshly made at a mill recently.
“Mmm! This is delicious.”
“It’s delicious, Eomeonim!”
“Yes! It’s really yummy!”
Seul-bi, Ro-si, and Yi-na reacted almost simultaneously.
“I’m glad you all enjoy it. Is it to your liking as well, Manager-nim?”
“You’ve created the perfect combination by balancing the potentially heavy gomtang base with the refreshing flavors of radish and dried pollack. It’s a happy taste that reminds me of family.”
For a moment, I thought of my late parents.
“How did you know all that?”
Seol-ah’s mother asked with a look of wonder.
“Our manager-oppa is good at all sorts of things. Isn’t it amazing? It’s like he’s lived a few lives already, you know?”
All the members nodded seriously at Seul-bi’s proud words.
Only I felt a pang of guilt.
The meal began in earnest.
The still-hot mini pajeon and yukjeon were better than what you’d find at most famous restaurants.
Seol-ah cut the yukjeon into small pieces on Yejun’s plate, and he deftly picked them up with his toddler chopsticks.
“Oh, my, our Yejun is eating so well all by himself.”
“Hehe.”
The four-year-old boy, who looked just like Seol-ah, beamed at the praise and ate even more heartily. The sight was enough to awaken paternal feelings I never knew I had.
I finished my meal, matching the pace of the members.
“Have another bowl. There’s plenty.”
“I’m fine, Eomeonim.”
“Well then, I should start clearing the table.”
“Oh! I’ll do it!”
Ro-si shot up and picked up the tray.
“Oh, for goodness’ sake! Do you think I came all this way to make my pretty daughters do the dishes? Helping me is playing with Yejun while I work.”
While her mother cleared the table, I took the shopping bags out of the pot.
“This one’s for you, Seol-ah, this one’s for Seul-bi…”
Recognizing the jewelry boxes, the Answer members’ eyes widened.
“What is this?”
Seol-ah asked, her voice tense.
“You won the most popular program in a monumental way, didn't you?”
“……”
“Open them.”
The Answer members swallowed hard, some licking their dry lips in anticipation.
“It’s pwetty!”
Yi-na quickly held up her necklace and said.
“…You little baby who doesn’t know anything… this is expensive.”
Seul-bi grumbled at Yi-na.
Did she recognize the pink sapphire and diamonds?
“You always say I don’t know anything. What, are they real rubies and diamonds or something?”
The sunlight pouring in through the veranda made the necklace Ro-si was holding sparkle brilliantly.
The shocked eyes of everyone, except for Yi-na and Yejun, turned to me.
“Where would Oppa get the money for…”
Seul-bi’s voice trailed off.
Why is everyone so surprised over necklaces that only cost two million won each?