Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Territorial Dispute (8)
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Inside the bright corridor.
Having ended the call by manipulating her optical HUD, the boss of the Sparo Rapido Family—Luciana—slowly lifted the coffee cup placed on her wooden desk.
The coffee, which exuded a heavy, nutty aroma without any particular acidity, had cooled slightly, allowing her to fully savor its deep flavor.
Her faded blonde hair cascaded naturally,
and her deep red eyes stared blankly into empty space, seeing nothing.
A little time passed.
"Pretty bold."
Luciana evaluated her conversation partner from moments ago that way.
A faint smile spread across her lips as she muttered to herself.
"Incredibly brazen."
As she lightly brushed the desk with her slender fingers, numerous hologram displays appeared around the chair she was sitting in.
Slurp.
Luciana took a sip of her coffee while scanning the content on the displays.
Most of it consisted of reports directly or indirectly related to a certain 'grocery store'.
'Black Parade Gang, Dum & Dum, Tojo Clan, etc. Successfully repelled over 12 gang raids without any damage. As a result, security in that area is also stabilizing...'
However.
The very person responsible for this astonishing achievement seemed utterly unimpressed.
- Lately, things have been quiet, huh?
- Yeah, nothing's happening. It's almost boring.
- ......
There wasn't the slightest hesitation in his response.
It even caught Luciana, the one asking, off guard.
If not calling that 'bold', then what should she call it?
"Still..."
As Luciana twirled her finger, footage from the last organization meeting zoomed in largely on the Hotdog Man.
He shattered the teeth of the approaching man, then shrugged nonchalantly as if it hadn't been intentional.
(It really hadn't been.)
At his feet lay an arrogant gang member from Area 50, now probably buried in the landfill there, bleeding from his mouth.
The difference between the two was just one thing.
"I quite like him."
Whether they could take responsibility for their actions or not.
One side had cleaned out Hakuga-gumi's establishments and fake religion in one go, and even now, while fending off countless raids, boldly claimed to be bored.
The other was a walking corpse who picked a fight over something trivial, threw a tantrum even after coming to his senses with all his teeth pulled, and ultimately had to be dealt with.
'...And he knows what an explosion is, too.'
While Luciana was thinking of the Hotdog Man, one of her subordinates approached from behind.
"Boss, what should we do with the standby forces?"
"Forget it."
In truth, Luciana had been assembling forces to aid the homeless clan—led by the Hotdog Man—under attack from Hakuga-gumi.
But.
The man himself said he was bored.
"Can't interfere without reading the room."
"Understood."
It had started as mere curiosity.
Now, it had elevated to the level of genuine interest.
'A dim-witted beast and the Hotdog Man...'
The outcome was unpredictable.
The Hotdog Man had always exceeded expectations, but the identity of Hakuga-gumi's deputy leader, who skulked around like a rat, remained unknown.
'If he shows me another unexpected result this time...'
Maybe she should really have a meal with him?
A freshness unfitting her face appeared on Luciana's expression.
Her subordinate watched quietly from behind and swallowed a sigh.
He was shocked by the boss's excited demeanor.
He bit his tongue to maintain a poker face.
As Luciana slightly raised her hand to her shoulder, the subordinate quickly stepped forward, ready for orders.
"Yes, Boss."
"Then, no troop support...
Luciana pondered for a moment before finishing.
"Can't send nothing at all, so send some money. Something clean."
"Understood."
The subordinate wisely didn't ask for an amount.
As if to ease his tension, Luciana playfully tapped the desk.
"If money could solve all worries and troubles, that'd be nice."
It could resolve most problems.
But peering into a specific person's heart was difficult.
Of course, the truth was a bit different...
Withdrawing support for the mafia as of today.
From today, I become one with the mafia.
Attacks on the mafia are attacks on me—
"What are you looking at?"
I silently held out my terminal screen to Michael as he approached with the question.
Michael straightened his clothes to keep his tie steady and bowed calmly.
And then.
Michael's eyes suddenly widened.
"Ten hundred thousand million ten million.... Uh."
At that moment, Michael must have thought deep down.
Withdrawing support for the mafia from today—
Anyway.
Even Michael, who had lived as a corporate man at a megacorp, trembled in shock for a moment at the massive sum.
Six whole zeros.
One million dollars.
In Korean won, over ten billion...
Wait, what's the exchange rate here again?
Now I'm curious.
I absentmindedly searched for information on Korea on my terminal.
'Here it is. Unified Korea. Exchange rate roughly 500 won per dollar—'
Better stop looking.
At an exchange rate that would make Teacher Kim Gu check his stock account in shock, I quietly closed the tab.
Michael, surprised by the number in my digital wallet, twitched only the corner of his eye while keeping his usual blank face.
"...Seems like support money from the Sparo Rapido Family. Is that right?"
Nod.
"Looks like they really like our organization. The first support was generous, but this second one is even double..."
Nod nod.
"...Are you perhaps catching a cold or—"
"Pfft..."
"Ah, you were just holding your breath."
I was genuinely startled.
What did I even do to get another support payment like this?
It felt like I was being gradually pulled into the organization's quagmire.
Not that I could return the money.
The first support had already been fully used to relocate Liberra's orphanage (home).
"You just had a call with the mafia family boss, right? Or did they ask you for something separately?"
"No. I really don't know why they sent it."
I'd only chatted for ice-breaking purposes.
Even now, it was peaceful enough to be an example sentence in an English textbook.
- Hello?
- Yes, hello.
- I'm Luciana. Is something wrong?
- No. Nothing. That's why it's boring.
- Aha. Got it. I see.
- Pardon?
- Confirmed.
That was it.
No insurance sales, no wedding invites, no loan guarantees.
Just a check-in call.
Nothing special after that either.
I ended the call with a perfunctory Korean pleasantry like, "Let's grab a meal sometime when you're free."
What kind of conversation was I supposed to have with a mafia boss who (probably) lacks blood, tears, conscience, mercy, respect, or whatever else?
'...What do I do with all this money.'
A huge sum had appeared.
But nowhere to spend it.
No student loans left in this world for me.
As I scratched my head, Michael cautiously asked about its use.
"...Um, like last time, are you planning to donate most of the support to the orphanage?"
"Hmm... Should I ask?"
"...Pardon?"
I beckoned to Liberra, who had spotted me from the warehouse and was lingering nearby.
"Kid... no, Liberra."
"...You can just call me kid."
"Ahem, sorry."
She kept reminding me of my little sister.
Quickly skipping unnecessary topics.
"How's the new place? Livable? I should visit for a housewarming, but keep forgetting."
"It's great. Especially since the grocery store's close, all the other kids love it too. ...These days, we even take walks around here together."
"Still, be careful not to get in danger."
"...Yes!"
Liberra grinned, revealing her satisfaction through her bushy hair.
At the same time, Michael's face darkened slightly as he listened beside us.
"...The orphanage is where Liberra lives?"
"Yeah."
"I had no idea..."
He probably thought, 'This crazy Hotdog Man threw perfectly good money down the drain—.'
I patted Michael's shoulder comfortingly.
"I only found out recently too."
Comforting the hairy young man ended there.
I turned back to Liberra.
"No budget shortages or anything?"
"...No. It's actually surplus. I'll return it later. And, uh, repay all the borrowed money too."
"Hey now."
I habitually ruffled Liberra's hair roughly with both hands.
"No other use for it anyway."
If it were before getting Nova's android body, things might've been different, but we (I) had already robbed a megacorp truck.
Plus, I didn't want the dollars I gave turning into AK-47s for Somali pirate kids, so no interest in other charities.
As my dilemma dragged on,
Michael let out a small cough.
"...As I mentioned last time, could you entrust it to me?"
"To invest in stocks like you said?"
"No, different this time."
Good, no blue graphs in sight.
He continued slowly.
"With the organization's numbers growing, even without Hotdog Man's direct help, we need ways to sustain and reinforce the group—"
"Sum it up in one sentence."
Cut him off since it seemed lengthy.
"...I'd like to propose a new business."
Come to think of it.
Organizations usually branched into various businesses.
Even the mafia family apparently ran a dairy management office in Area 49, as Walter mentioned last time.
"Hmm, sure?"
I didn't agonize long and transferred the support money to Michael right away.
"Wait, I haven't finished explaining..."
"It's fine. You're not gonna run off with it."
Considering all the help from Michael so far, this was nothing—
'...Hold on, what has Michael even done here?'
Maybe just complicated things...
Anyway.
Honestly, from my perspective, it was like dumping a hot potato because it was annoying.
Michael's eyes reddened gradually.
"...Boss."
"No boss. Call me Hotdog Man."
"......Hotdog Man!!"
Should've just said call me by name.
Everyone knows this, but.
There's a wide empty lot behind our grocery store.
Thud...
Or rather, there 'was'.
Giant construction drones and heavy machinery had neatly leveled the lot and begun assembling building parts atop it.
There were still plenty of empty spaces left.
But with three buildings already up, it was hard to call it an empty lot anymore.
One was a modest two-story building where Liberra and her family stayed.
Another was Grandpa Walter's new shop with a changed sign: 【Anna's Recycle Shop】.
And the last...
"The bricks are warm.... This is 'HOME'."
"...Sniff, not just food, now homes too."
"Hotdog Man, my sanctuary. Hotdog Man, my life..."
Michael's homeless shelter came into view.
"......"
It was total chaos.
Who could've imagined the empty lot behind the grocery turning out like this?
For the record, I didn't.
Spotting Michael nearby, I sauntered over.
"...So, what business are you planning with all those homeless folks?"
"Ah, I haven't told you yet. No need to worry. It's not begging or anything illegal."
Michael replied with a serene face.
"For starters, I'm thinking of selling canned mineral water customized with paper straws and flashy labels on the outside."
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