The Business Plan
Wang Chung watched as various products featuring his young master, Bukjin, were selling like hotcakes everywhere. The most popular items depicted Bukjin with his clothes torn, half-naked. Some products, even after a bit of artistic embellishment, showed Bukjin completely nude.
Wang Chung's dazed expression hardened.
"What?!"
Inside Juk-won. Bukjin stared at the small product modeled after him that Wang Chung had brought, his expression dumbfounded.
'Damn it... do merchants in this world have no conscience? And isn't the speed at which they produce these goods ridiculously fast?'
It was only this morning that Bukjin had participated in the Strength Trial, yet by the evening of the same day, countless products modeled after him had already flooded the market.
'Damn it! Not only are they infringing on copyright and portrait rights, but they're also churning out these fake knock-offs!'
Bukjin examined the products Wang Chung had brought and discovered that some of them were of surprisingly high quality. For instance, one of the best-selling items, a Ryuyeongseok , was a silver stone the size of a fist. It contained the profound principles of a Hyeonmun Jinbeop (Mystic Gate Formation).
Because of this, if one infused Hyeongi into the stone, a vivid image of Bukjin lifting the cauldron half-naked during today's martial arts competition would clearly appear. Although the playback was only for a very brief moment, it was enough to make Bukjin feel utterly mortified.
"Who's selling these things? I'll cut them down!"
Bukjin immediately summoned his Deokgeom sword, grabbed it, and tried to rush out.
"Young Master, p-please calm down!" Wang Chung quickly blocked Bukjin, saying.
"These are all just the doings of unscrupulous merchants in the city. They're nothing but rats. That is, even if you go after the merchants, you won't find the real producers above them."
"Did this kind of thing happen during previous Academic & Martial Arts Competitions?" Bukjin fumed, asking.
Wang Chung replied, "In the past, products featuring popular star athletes were also released onto the market. It's all just a marketing ploy by peddlers looking to seize an opportunity and make a quick buck. However... the fervor was never as intense as this year."
Wang Chung, who had been carefully observing Bukjin's mood, hesitated for a moment before speaking cautiously, a fearful look on his face.
"Young Master, this year, you have truly garnered an indescribable amount of attention. Because of this, merchants are mobilizing every resource they have to develop products related to you. Even the famous Lady Im Jin is being overshadowed by your popularity."
"Huh?"
Upon hearing that, Bukjin's anger suddenly subsided for some reason. Bukjin rubbed his brow, pondered for a moment, then asked, "So... you're saying my popularity is immense right now?"
"Yes, it's sky-high," Wang Chung said, nodding definitively. Wang Chung added silently in his heart, 'It would be strange if you weren't popular after such a provocative and scandalous event, lifting a 10,500-geun cauldron half-naked in the martial arts arena. Young Master, you must have planned it, right?'
Hearing Wang Chung's words, Bukjin began to grin.
"How interesting."
'Turns out I've become Unmong City's top celebrity! If I were to produce and sell my own products in this situation, wouldn't it be a huge hit? If I miss such a good opportunity, I wouldn't be worthy of being from Earth!'
Wang Chung cautiously watched Bukjin's expression. When it seemed Bukjin's anger had subsided, he asked, as if testing the waters, "Young Master. Well, you see... I have a business plan that could earn us a lot of money. Would you perhaps be interested?"
"Business?" Bukjin asked, rubbing his brow. Then, he suddenly remembered the small statues, nude drawings, and Ryuyeongseok that Wang Chung had just shown him, and he shouted, "But where did you get these damn messy things?! Did you forget I told you to buy medicinal herbs?!"
Wang Chung quickly explained, "Y-Young Master! It's not that. Actually, I went to the gambling house in the city for the past two days. And I earned a little money..."
As he spoke, Wang Chung pulled out a pouch from his sleeve. Inside were 20 gold coins.
"Oh?"
Bukjin's expression brightened as he took the pouch. "A gambling house? Oh my, Wang Chung. You gambled?"
Wang Chung then put on a serious expression and said, "My name, Wang Chung, contains the character for Loyalty. Of course, I have one hundred percent! No, one thousand percent confidence in the Young Master I serve. Therefore, without the slightest hesitation, I bet all my money on the Young Master winning, and I won! Young Master! These 20 gold coins are a token of my loyalty to you. I dare not hide anything from you."
Hearing his words, Bukjin praised him without reservation. "I thought you were just a useless fellow, but you had such spirit?"
Wang Chung quickly replied, "Young Master, my name has the character for..."
"Ah, I know! You can stop talking now. Just hearing about the 'loyalty' character in your name makes me shudder."
Bukjin took the gold coins Wang Chung offered and fiddled with them. Then, as if a sudden whim struck him, he tossed the money pouch back to Wang Chung and said, "It's fine. It's money you won, so you use it as you see fit. Although I am quite shameless, I cannot take wealth from my subordinates. What do you take me for?!"
Wang Chung's face showed confusion. He doubted his ears, wondering if he had misheard. Even as he took the money pouch back and put it into his sleeve, he wore an expression of disbelief.
'Did the Young Master eat something bad?'
Wang Chung was anxious, wondering if Bukjin had somehow discovered the 170 gold coins he had buried in the backyard. 'Or is he testing me on purpose?'
Wang Chung's heart was so uneasy he couldn't bear it. At that moment, Bukjin's heart was, in fact, incredibly frustrated.
'As expected, I can't charge my smartphone unless it's money I earned myself! Damn it! How unfair! That idiot Wang Chung's gambling money came from me!'
Bukjin was currently very anxious. After being scammed twice in a row by Geomseol Mumeong, he now only had 15 gold coins left. It was barely enough to keep his smartphone powered for three days. Currently, Bukjin's smartphone was running two advanced training apps, Byeokhae Samgeom and Eoryong-byeon, so the power consumption was higher than usual. Because of this, he was spending a large sum of gold coins every day. At this rate, he was bound to go bankrupt.
'Should I really sell my body?'
Bukjin's notoriety had skyrocketed thanks to lifting the immense 10,500-geun weight in one go, and he thought that in this situation, he might be able to fetch a good price. Frustrated, Bukjin said to Wang Chung, "Tell me! What is this business you speak of?"
Wang Chung, who had been anxious and at a loss after getting the money pouch back, finally breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing Bukjin's question. Wang Chung cautiously approached Bukjin and whispered something into his ear.
"Good heavens! What a devious fellow! You're no ordinary person!"
Upon hearing Wang Chung's brilliant business plan, Bukjin couldn't help but be overjoyed.
"To come up with such an outrageous idea... it's a good plan."
The two seemed to hit it off and immediately began working on something. After about an hour of commotion, they completed something.
"Wang Chung! I have always trusted you implicitly! And in this world, we rely on each other for our lives! We cannot overcome this harsh world without working together! You must never disappoint me!" Bukjin said in a grave voice.
"Young Master, rest assured! We will definitely make a huge fortune!" Wang Chung said confidently. Then, he picked up the prepared items and left Juk-won, heading towards the entrance of the 3rd Academy.
When Wang Chung arrived at the 3rd Academy entrance, Gong Gong, the bald strongman, was already there with about 30 street thugs. Gong Gong was delighted to see Wang Chung.
"Brother! Over here!" He quickly waved to Wang Chung.
Wang Chung handed the prepared items to Gong Gong and said, "Brother, it's time to prove your worth. If you handle this well, you'll make a hefty sum! Now, what you need to do is... take the people you brought... like this... and like that..."
After Wang Chung finished giving all his instructions, Gong Gong immediately set to work with the people he had brought. A wide, joyful smile spread across Wang Chung's face as he saw them off.
'Hahaha! No one can match my wisdom, Wang Chung! Huh?! The figure quietly following behind them... why does it resemble the Young Master?'
Wang Chung witnessed a disguised figure, strikingly similar to Bukjin, stepping out of the 3rd Academy gate behind the departing group. The figure moved very cautiously and secretly towards the bustling downtown area after leaving the academy grounds.
'What is the Young Master going to do?' Wang Chung's mind was filled with an unknown curiosity. After a moment of thought, Wang Chung began to follow Bukjin.
Wang Chung saw Bukjin enter wealthy and famous merchant houses, shops, and street stalls in the downtown area, conversing with the owners about something. After quickly finishing his conversations, Bukjin soon came out and headed elsewhere. What was even stranger was that Bukjin would sometimes be forcibly kicked out and then curse. And at some shops, the owners would come out very kindly to see Bukjin off.
No matter how much Wang Chung thought about it, he couldn't understand what Bukjin was up to. Eventually, Wang Chung gave up chasing Bukjin and returned to Juk-won first to prepare a late-night snack for him.
Bukjin returned to Juk-won late at night, humming a tune. Bukjin first checked Agwang's homework once, then instructed Cheong-cheong and Cheon-cheon to increase Agwang's homework load again so that Agwang could read and write as quickly as possible. Hearing this, Agwang shed tears of unknown meaning.
Then, Bukjin went to the garden and began concocting poisons. After about two hours, Bukjin finished making a hundred geun of Dragon Blood Insecticide and twenty geun of other poisons, which he installed in various mechanisms and traps in the garden. Satisfied, Bukjin ended his day and went to his bedroom to sleep.