Earth's Worst Chairman (4)
Yu Seo-yeong was enjoying a matcha latte at the company café on the 53rd floor. She had the kind of look that screamed she'd down double-shot Americanos like water, but surprisingly, she had a sweet tooth. And she didn't hate green tea either. It didn't take long for the mildly bitter yet not cloying matcha latte to become her go-to order.
Slurp. She took a light sip through the straw, letting the familiar flavor spread across her tongue. Savoring the sweet-bitter taste, Yu Seo-yeong thought to herself,
'In the end, I sent it off.'
What? Asking that was pointless. She knew exactly what info the Chairman wanted from her anyway.
'Seong Ha-yun's work schedule.'
Work schedule or not, it was basically the time Seong Ha-yun finished her guild duties—and even that varied day by day, sometimes skipping altogether. But on Mondays and Thursdays, when Seo Han-gyeol swung by the convenience store, she was always there without fail, or so Yu Seo-yeong had observed.
She'd sent over Seong Ha-yun's timetable from yesterday's recon, so by now...
Yu Seo-yeong shook her head after a moment's hesitation. She wasn't the type to dwell on things beyond her control. Better to just finish her matcha latte.
"Hey. Not that it's actually a 'hey' kind of situation."
"...Seol Hwi?"
The convenience store was empty. It was late afternoon, edging toward evening—the usual time Seo Han-gyeol dropped by. Seong Ha-yun had been killing time with a mobile game at the counter when she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Good to know you recognize me. At least Atlas hasn't hired a blind dog as their hunter."
Seol Hwi didn't wait for a reply. Seong Ha-yun knew better. Just look at the way that woman eyed the goods—her own value was hovering near zero in those eyes.
But Seong Ha-yun hadn't lived an easy life either. Seol Hwi seemed to be holding back her mana and ability output, not planning an all-out assault. In a straight 1v1, she'd lose for sure, but...
'If she's not here to fight, that's a different story.'
With a stiff expression, Seong Ha-yun slammed the hidden panic button under the counter.
Then—
Clang-rattle-shudder!
"Hah? What's this little trick now?"
Seol Hwi furrowed her brow at the sudden noise. The glass wall facing the street—steel shutters poured down over it, sealing off the inside from the outside completely.
Seong Ha-yun flashed a grin and spoke up. Seol Hwi had backed off a step? No way was she squandering this golden opportunity with a grand slam out of the park.
Her fellow lunatic with the buzzcut—Crazy Buzz for short—would've yelled, 'You're insane thinking of fighting a 1st-rank hunter!' But if she'd said, 'Even if it kills me, I won't let her look down on me!' then she wouldn't be the crazy bitch she was.
That's right. No normal person would moonlight as a convenience store clerk while heading a major corp's strategic division!
Sure, as someone with full scheduling authority, there was some leeway, but blowing precious free time on cashier duty still seemed off no matter how you sliced it. Of course, that's exactly why this crazy bitch had climbed to division head at such a young age.
Seong Ha-yun kept smiling sweetly while unleashing her ability full-throttle behind the counter.
Crackle-freeze...
"Pulling off some interesting tricks."
Frost began creeping over the store shelves and steel shutters. Seol Hwi's eyes gleamed with interest.
"A composite type messing with matter and reactions, huh. Supercools moisture in a set area, then channels mana into any water touching the target for instant freeze... Fascinating."
"..."
Some hunters turned their faces or abilities into content, half-celebs really. But Seong Ha-yun? The opposite. She'd burrow underground out of sheer contrariness when everyone else chased the spotlight. Otherwise, why bother dealing with asshole customers just for "fun experiences"?
Anyway, she hid her high-rank status so well that insisting otherwise would fool anyone.
'What a monster.'
Seol Hwi had pieced together her ability's mechanism from "cold" vibes alone in that split second. Terrifying insight.
But,
"Customer, if you don't have business, mind heading out? This is a store for buying stuff, not hearing the Chairman vent~."
Seong Ha-yun matched her aura without flinching. She'd weathered a similar shock just days ago from some ex-Gray agent popping up like, 'Ended up as a knight order training director somehow, haha.' Compared to that, a celeb like Chairman Seol Hwi was(?) manageable!
Seol Hwi bared sharp fangs in a grin at Yu Seo-yeong's report. Unexpected behavior piqued her curiosity a bit.
But if Seo Han-gyeol's surprises thrilled her positively, Seong Ha-yun's were the polar opposite.
'Where does Atlas's mutt get off...'
Even if the Chairman herself asked nicely, would she listen? And this lowly cur dares yap in her face?
The shock from the audacity was brief. Boiling rage soon filled Seol Hwi.
But she wasn't ordinary. Years of experience let her express fury with elegance.
'A place to buy things?'
Fine, then. She'd play along.
Seol Hwi tossed a card in front of the beaming Yu Seo-yeong and said,
"Gimme one."
"...What'll it be, customer?"
No matter that she'd seized the space first, the gap between 1st and 3rd rank was crystal clear. Feeling her supercooling vapor dissipate fast, Seong Ha-yun forced a smile despite her nerves.
Seol Hwi replied,
"The convenience store."
She'd buy the whole building—put down the barcode scanner and scram.
But Seong Ha-yun wasn't ordinary either. Brain spinning in a flash, she politely pushed the card back with both hands.
"Never thought I'd hear a drama line like that in real life. Thanks for the rare experience, customer~."
But then,
"Our store's directly owned by HQ, so you'd probably need to talk to someone else for a sale."
Her trump card: play dumb.
'Picked a franchise direct-op for low hassle.'
Who knew it'd be a godsend? Profits were secondary; she just wanted normie interactions hassle-free. Hence, max hands-off franchise direct model. Building and sales contracts? HQ's call.
Sure, to Seol Hwi and her Nebula nest, it'd be pocket change not worth lunch.
"..."
At least, not right now. Seol Hwi's sharp mind clocked Seong Ha-yun's game instantly, her face souring.
Seong Ha-yun seized the moment, pulling out a pack of dakgangjeong she'd stashed for Seo Han-gyeol from under the counter.
"Oh, right. Wanna check out a trendy snack while you're here? This is dakgangjeong—fried boneless chicken chunks in batter. And see this [1+1] sticker?"
She pointed with a smile; sure enough, the sticker was there.
"That's a freebie deal—one buy, one free! Figured a Chairman like you never heard of it, so I explained. Hehe."
"...Hah?"
Seong Ha-yun: Perfect mental scrape—critical hit!
Seol Hwi was dumbfounded by the absurd attack. Not from the shock itself.
How many bloodbaths had she unleashed building Nebula? Purges? Uncountable.
No, the real jolt was, 'What the hell makes this girl act like this?'
It was like beholding an incomprehensible creature. Atlas division head, even if a three-legged lizard next to Nebula—surely she knew the gap, yet she scratches like this?
'Crazy bitch?'
The public saw both as untouchable lunatics, but Seol Hwi, who'd never tasted failure, lacked that crazy intuition somewhat.
And here, power and backing aside, Seong Ha-yun matched her in raw madness:
'Now's my shot! When else do I get to rile up Chairman Seol Hwi?!'
She was beating drum and gong solo—add feng shui chants and she'd be a one-woman parade! No thoughts of mortal peril or aftermath; her head was all 'First on Earth Online to unlock "Scrape Seol Hwi" achievement!'
'Ah, so this is her type.'
Seol Hwi was getting the vibe from Seong Ha-yun's emperor-of-the-sky antics. Some folks came out short a screw or two, clueless about life's value.
'Let's see if she laughs with both arms Lego'd off.'
"Seong Ha-yun, you're quite the bold one."
Angel smile outside, devilish carnage within—Seol Hwi at her finest. Whatever, I don't know the details. Rip off the arms like Lego and think later.
Crackle-zap.
Invisible sparks flew between the two women.
"What the? Why's the convenience store...?"
Seo Han-gyeol, here for his routine snacks, tilted his head at the massive steel shutter over the store.
Seo Han-gyeol. Ten minutes to forced crash-landing into chaos...!