Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Family Care Service (2)
What's going on?
Why is Yu Ji-a following me……
We only met once and exchanged greetings, that's all…… Or so I thought.
I was the one who sent the request first.
That was shortsighted of me.
She had so many followers as a powerful influencer that I'd just pressed it out of fan sentiment, but as the representative of ‘YuBaek’, she might have accepted it for the sake of managing her players.
After all, she was Baek Jin-woo's family.
"Haha, well, yeah."
In the end, Baek A-jin, who had nothing to say in front of her friends, scratched her head.
"Well, yeah……?"
"Hey! Well, yeah-yeah-yeah? This isn't something that can be explained with that kind of reaction!"
"How do you two know each other? Are you close?"
"Are you insane? Why didn't you say anything until now!"
Baek A-jin had always drawn a lot of attention, but her friends' reaction that day was nothing short of explosive.
Baek A-jin felt a mix of pride and discomfort as her shoulders involuntarily rose.
She had made a promise with her brother, and reminded him every time they met.
For now, he had asked her not to go around telling people about her own existence.
Seriously.
He should've stayed moderately famous if he didn't want people talking.
She told her friends she'd just happened to meet her once, and that the person seemed to have taken a liking to her.
Not a single friend believed it, but what could she do—it was the truth.
And.
The meeting with Yu Ji-a came about much sooner than expected.
[Yu Ji-a: A-jin? Could we perhaps…… meet for a moment?]
A direct DM had arrived from her!
"Kyaaah!"
That day.
Baek A-jin let out a sound like a bird.
She was just that happy.
* * *
Hannam-dong.
Baek A-jin, who had boldly taken the entire day off, waited along the road for someone.
It wasn't long before.
Skreee!
A sleek car pulled to a stop right in front of her.
The premium line of Daeseong Motor.
It was Yu Ji-a's car.
"Get in."
"Oh, yes!"
Baek A-jin, tense as could be, climbed into the passenger seat.
She's pretty frugal.
She'd assumed a chaebol granddaughter would drive an expensive foreign car with a chauffeur.
A domestic car, and she's driving herself?
Well.
Cars probably aren't that important when you're that wealthy.
Whether domestic or foreign, none of it would be all that expensive to them.
In reality, Yu Ji-a owned enough cars to count as a personal collection, but there was no way Baek A-jin could have known that.
"So."
Baek A-jin asked.
"You want to meet our family, right? Without my brother. Just among ourselves."
Yu Ji-a and Baek A-jin had exchanged quite a few messages before meeting in person.
"Yes. Jin-woo is so busy these days. I first asked whether I could send gifts to his family under the YuBaek name, and he said it was fine."
"Wow, but you're delivering the gifts in person?"
"Yes, because I'm the representative."
From those few words of Yu Ji-a's, she felt it.
How Yu Ji-a intended to treat Baek Jin-woo. How genuinely she thought of him.
A typical company would just send a courier package and call it done.
That was why she'd agreed.
And because she was curious about the gifts.
"I told Mom and Dad not to go to work today. Said I had someone to introduce them to."
"Fufu, thank you."
"I don't want to talk badly about our parents, but they're really something. They still have no idea how famous their son is."
"Really?"
"Yes. When it comes to being oblivious, they'd lose to absolutely no one in the world."
The 2 of them chatted lightly as they made their way to the house. To the villa complex—the neighborhood where Baek Jin-woo used to live.
* * *
Walking through a narrow path, and catching sight of a terribly run-down villa.
"……"
Yu Ji-a was honestly surprised.
There are still people living in places like this.
It might have seemed ordinary to some, but for her, a chaebol who had never once experienced it, the life of true common people was unfolding right before her eyes.
Spider webs strung across the entrance.
An old, dusty bicycle left abandoned and neglected.
The savory smell drifting from every corner.
Ding-dong!
The door opened, and 2 people greeted them with smiles.
Baek Jin-cheol and Hwang Myeong-hui.
They were Baek Jin-woo's parents.
"Oh my."
Hwang Myeong-hui in particular was startled the moment she laid eyes on Yu Ji-a.
"My, what a pretty young lady! Are you one of Jin-a's friends?"
"Haha, Mom. She's not a friend."
"Hmm? Not a friend?"
Baek A-jin had only told them she had someone to introduce. So their parents had no idea who Yu Ji-a was.
Yu Ji-a stepped inside and greeted them politely.
"Hello. I'm Yu Ji-a, representative of YuBaek."
"YuBaek?"
"Yu Ji-a?"
As their parents looked on in puzzlement, Baek A-jin let out a sigh.
Just as expected.
They don't know anything.
She was a figure impossible not to know for anyone who followed the news.
"Hoo, Mom."
In the end, Baek A-jin began to explain.
She had made up her mind about this from the moment she decided to bring Yu Ji-a here.
To tell them everything about what kind of player her brother was.
Friends might not need to know, but family should.
Her brother, who said he'd tell them soon, had been doing nothing but clearing Dungeons nonstop, and the fact that he'd already allowed gifts to be sent under the Yubaek name meant he must have been prepared for this moment too.
She turned on her phone and showed them all the videos and articles she'd collected about her brother.
She had it all neatly organized—Baek Jin-woo's relationship with YuBaek, and information about Yu Ji-a as well.
"Is, is that really true?"
"Our Jin-woo…… Is this famous of a player? Oh my goodness, his face is plastered all over the news?"
"A new South Korean record? Pfft, how is that even possible?"
Their parents, who at first hadn't believed it, had no choice but to accept it once they checked the materials themselves.
Yu Ji-a bowed her head once more.
"Yes, and that is why I have come to visit you both—as the representative of YuBaek, who takes care of player Baek Jin-woo."
"……Goodness."
Baek Jin-cheol let out a quiet breath.
He now knew clearly who this young woman was.
Part of the Daeseong Group.
No matter how oblivious you were, you couldn't live in South Korea without knowing Daeseong.
A chaebol among chaebols.
A company that fed the nation!
Honestly, Baek Jin-cheol was flustered.
He was too shocked to even know how to react.
How could someone so distinguished come all the way here in person to such a humble place?
"Sir. In accordance with the contract with your son, our company is obligated to take sincere care of you both."
"Of us?"
"Yes. Would you mind reading through this?"
Yu Ji-a held out a pamphlet.
A care system for family members, designed by YuBaek themselves.
From security, to a new home, regular living expense support, and medical support……
"My goodness."
"What on earth is all this?"
Hwang Myeong-hui's eyes went wide.
She nearly fainted in shock when she read that monthly living expenses of 10,000,000 won would be provided.
Is this real? Is this a hidden camera?
How hard had it been all this time.
Running 3 jobs just to keep the family together, her wrists had nearly given out.
Her skin was full of wrinkles.
No one does grueling work because they want to.
She had simply moved to survive.
"Is, is this truly real?"
"Yes, there's no need to be too surprised. Compared to the profit we gain through player Baek Jin-woo, this is a modest amount of support."
"Goodness……"
It felt like a dream.
It couldn't be helped.
How could it make any sense that a son who had been comatose and bedridden for 3 years woke up and immediately became one of South Korea's most recognized players?
If she told her friends right now, they'd just laugh and tell her to stop talking nonsense.
"Ah, and…… Beyond this, I've prepared personal gifts."
"Gifts?"
"I heard that you, sir, are quite fond of Summoner Beasts."
"Oh, that…… I suppose you're talking about my Pebble Golem."
Baek Jin-cheol scratched his head.
He was a little embarrassed.
It felt like just yesterday he was swelling with pride over his E-Rank Pebble Golem……
"First, let's step outside!"
* * *
The playground in front of the villa complex.
The first thing Yu Ji-a took out there was.
—Auwooo-woo-wooooo!
A Shadow Wolf, roaring magnificently.
"Whoa! What is that!"
Baek A-jin was thrilled.
A B-Rank Summoner Beast worth 500,000,000 won!
Her brother had said he'd give it to her, so she'd been looking forward to it, but when no word came, she'd honestly given up.
500,000,000 won was easy to say.
But wasn't it an amount some people would never even touch in their lifetime?
Honestly, she already felt like she owed her brother a lot just from the 20% cut she got for selling his Runes.
"It's my personal gift. Jin-woo told me about it. He said A-jin would love it."
"Really…… Is it okay for me to keep this?"
"Of course."
Yu Ji-a smiled warmly and handed gifts to Baek Jin-cheol and Hwang Myeong-hui as well.
"This is……"
The Summoner Beast Hwang Myeong-hui received was a B-Rank Rainbow Snail.
"What is this?"
"It's hard to come by—I had to work to get it. The skills have descriptions, so take your time reading through them."
The Summoner Beast Baek Jin-cheol received was a B-Rank Diamond Golem.
"It's about the same size as a Pebble Golem, but the strength is in a completely different league."
"My, my, my…… Thank you. All of this because of that boy of mine."
He couldn't tell exactly how much it was all worth, but it seemed considerably valuable.
Honestly, a mix of being overwhelmed and being genuinely happy coexisted within him.
When Baek Jin-cheol felt that way, he usually just cracked a joke.
"You won't come asking for a refund later, will you?"
"Haha, I'd give you even more before that ever happened—there's absolutely no chance of that."
The gift presentation came to a close.
"Stay for a meal, won't you. It's about time to eat anyway."
Hwang Myeong-hui grabbed hold of Yu Ji-a and pulled her inside.
"Mom. What meal!"
Baek A-jin tried to stop her, but.
"Shall I? Actually, my stomach has been growling since a while ago."
Hehe.
Yu Ji-a stuck out her tongue slightly as she smiled, and the atmosphere softened pleasantly.
* * *
At that same time.
Baek Jin-woo was still out clearing Dungeons alongside Explosive Dragon Sorcerer.
Lately, he'd been focused entirely on this, leaving him no mental bandwidth for anything else.
[Summoner Beast: Explosive Dragon Sorcerer]
[Tribe: Human]
[Grade: EX-Rank (Suppression Seal)]
— A balance-breaking element was detected under specific conditions. Quarantined.
[Level: 42]
[Stats]
Strength: 20, Intelligence: 85, Stamina: 20, Agility: 20HP: 22,000, MP: 500Critical Hit Rate: 55%Critical Hit Damage: 185%
[Skills]
— Dragon Burst: Expels dragon-shaped flames forward.
Her Runes were decently enhanced now, and her level had risen nicely.
He'd set her up with good Rune options so her damage output was reasonable, but.
"Dragon Burst Art: Chain still isn't close?"
—You know, right. Since I'd learned it before, I thought leveling up would be enough…… Still, I'm slowly getting the feel for it.
Explosive Dragon Sorcerer was quite passionate.
However.
Her damage was up, and after using Dragon Burst so relentlessly, her proficiency must have filled up considerably…… But strangely, the skill still wasn't appearing.
She needs to learn Dragon Burst Art: Chain quickly before we can move to the next stage.
He also needed to switch to intermediate Weekly Dungeons soon, and above all else……
Tower of Trials.
Baek Jin-woo's eyes lit up.
He had to start challenging the Tower of Trials soon.
Rachel said she's at Floor 29 right now, wasn't it?
Getting there would be out of the question, but.
Floors 1 through 10 were within reach with his current strength.
If Explosive Dragon Sorcerer learns Dragon Burst Art: Chain, that is.
He could compensate for lacking damage with control, but if the damage deficit was too severe, clearing became impossible.
The one and only solution to overcome that was Explosive Dragon Sorcerer.
The Tower of Trials was a Dungeon Baek Jin-woo absolutely had to clear.
The rewards, befitting its monstrous difficulty, were exceptional.
They were peculiar rewards of a completely different caliber than anything else, and even Veteran Players didn't know the details.
It couldn't be helped.
Each Floor could only be harvested once, and the reward contents changed every time—with so few players left in the game, the sample size was simply too small.
One thing was certain, however.
Unique rewards that couldn't be obtained from regular Dungeons or Weekly Dungeons would appear.
Whatever comes out, it'll be a big help to me right now.
For that to happen, Explosive Dragon Sorcerer had to learn that skill quickly.
—Don't worry, Jin-woo! I'll definitely learn it and eat fried chicken with beer afterward!
"Yeah, yeah. Take it easy. When you rush, even what you could do starts to fall apart."
Whoooosh!
Today as well, the flames of Dragon Burst painted the Dungeon bright.