A New Home (2)
To Baek Jinwoo's mother, Hwang Myeonghui, every single day lately felt like living inside a dream.
Thanks to Yubaek's family care service, a living stipend of 10 million won arrived every month.
Hwang Myeonghui had cut her jobs down from three to one, and with the time that freed up, she had even begun attending alumni gatherings she'd never been able to join before.
"Jeonghye, dear. Your son — didn't you say there was some news?"
"Haha, my son? Well, actually, he just got into Baekho."
"Baekho? Isn't that one of the Big Three? My goodness, girl — why are you only telling us now!"
"Really? He must be doing incredibly well."
Even in the face of the same old child-bragging, Hwang Myeonghui felt not the slightest sting. You might say her expression had gained a certain composure.
Baekho?
She only knew of it thanks to her friends, too. One of the three great guilds representing South Korea, no less?
Baekho, Arirang, Ilwol.
They were such colossal guilds that anyone who didn't know all three might as well be called a spy.
"A player signed to Baekho — don't they call those guys quasi-chaebols? Jeonghye, your family's made it!"
"Hehe, it's not quite that far yet. He's still a rookie, after all. He was specially recruited — they say the guild master himself praised him, said he saw real potential."
"Wooow, the Baekho guild master... isn't he Korea's Rank 2?"
Rank 2, Park Ho. A monster of a player who had also taken third place in the recent national team selection trials.
And for the record, Korea's Rank 1, Kang Geonho, was Baekho's vice guild master!
That was why, of the Big Three, Baekho was the most renowned of all.
Even hearing tales from another planet, Hwang Myeonghui simply smiled, beaming all the while.
Baekho, schmaekho.
My Jinwoo is just... Baek Jinwoo.
Baek Jinwoo. The ripple effect those three syllables sent through South Korea was enormous.
Park Ho? Kang Geonho? Set them in front of Baek Jinwoo and they'd all be one-minute knockouts.
But Hwang Myeonghui never told her friends any of that. She burned with the urge to brag, but she and Baek Jincheol had made a pact: no talking about it anywhere.
All they had to do was quietly cheer their children on from behind as they soared — what was the point of blabbing about it to the world?
"By the way... Myeonghui, it's been ages!"
One of her friends struck up a conversation with her.
To sum up what her alumni thought of Hwang Myeonghui:
Dirt poor.
Son in a traffic accident.
Living in a run-down villa.
The one working herself to the bone at three jobs.
Pretty daughter. Still, not quite daughter-in-law material.
Nothing but negative thoughts, every last one of them.
"Haha, it has been a while, hasn't it? I quit most of my work lately, so I have plenty of time these days."
"Oh my, but what's happened to your skin?"
Skin. At that single word, every alumna's gaze swung toward Hwang Myeonghui.
"Now that you mention it... it's true?"
"You look a little like you did when we were young?"
"...You do seem younger. How is there not a single wrinkle on your face?"
"Oh my, look at your hands. Why are they so silky? Do you just not age?"
It was apparently wondrous enough that the spotlight shifted from Jeonghye, the proud mother of the hour, to Hwang Myeonghui.
"Oh, this thing."
Hwang Myeonghui smiled. Then, with the purest of expressions, she brought out her summon.
"A snail?"
"What is that?"
"A summon...?"
To her friends' reactions, Hwang Myeonghui offered a bit of bragging that wasn't meant as bragging.
"Mm-hm, a summon my son got for me. I think it's something like a cosmetic? My skin's improved so much since I started using it. Would you like to try some?"
Hwang Myeonghui held the snail out to the friend who had spoken to her first.
"Ooh, may I?"
Eyes gleaming, the friend carefully accepted the snail. Then she gently smoothed the little bead of mucus it produced onto the back of her right hand.
"It is nice and moist."
"You'll be in for quite a surprise tomorrow? Your wrinkles will be smoothed right out."
"Really? Then let me put some on the left side too."
"Unfortunately, there's a limit to how much it makes in a day."
Jeonghye, who had been quietly watching the two chatter away, frowned. Her son's moment in the sun wasn't even over yet, and the topic had already moved on — it rankled.
But then.
"Huh?"
Jeonghye tilted her head. That snail. Why did it look so familiar? What was it again?
She rummaged through her memory for a moment — and promptly froze in shock.
Th-the Rainbow Snail?
Among the aunties who loved their luxury goods and spent money like water, the rumor had already spread far and wide: when it came to skin, the Rainbow Snail was the final word.
That a skin clinic built around that very summon would soon be opening at Daeseong.
Snail-type summons were rare in this world, and only one of them bore a shell shimmering with rainbow colors.
"Th-that's impossible!"
In the end, Jeonghye cried out at full volume.
"Hm?"
"What's impossible?"
As her friends looked at her, puzzled, she pointed straight at Hwang Myeonghui's summon.
"That snail! Isn't that a Rainbow Snail?"
"...Rainbow Snail?"
"What's that?"
Jeonghye could have screamed.
"You dense women! Do you have any idea what that thing is worth?"
"How much?"
"Is it expensive?"
"I heard Myeonghui's son gave it to her as a present? Come to think of it, Myeonghui's son... didn't he get hit in an accident?"
"Oh my, dear. You really are out of the loop. He woke up quite a while ago."
Jeonghye watched her chattering friends, then felt a flicker of doubt.
Wait — how does Hwang Myeonghui have that?
Myeonghui was dirt poor. No money. No connections. Below average even among ordinary folk.
And yet?
The Rainbow Snail's current market price, as far as she knew, was 50 billion won. And with only 100 in existence worldwide, the price only kept climbing.
Estimated value: somewhere around 100 billion won?
That was why the quick-witted rich had taken to joking about "snail investment."
...
Sensing that something about the mood had gone strange, Hwang Myeonghui hurriedly unsummoned the snail.
"Oh, it's just a simple gift, that's all. I don't really know what it's worth. It can't be all that expensive?"
A thin bead of sweat slid down her temple.
I'll have to be careful.
Honestly, Hwang Myeonghui hadn't imagined a single friend would recognize this snail. Above all, she didn't even know its price herself.
...
Fortunately, Jeonghye said nothing more.
What on earth does her son do, that he can give away something like that?
She simply kept watching Hwang Myeonghui with narrowed, suspicious eyes.
"It's complete! It's done!"
At the foot of Geomdansan in Hanam City, Yoo Jia threw both arms wide and shouted for joy.
"Wow..."
"Incredible..."
Kim Byeongjin and Hwang Taeseop, who had followed her here, stood gaping in open awe.
The construction firm, having finished every last bit of cleanup, had withdrawn. The land Yoo Jia had purchased had become a world unto itself — buildings rising tall and proud, and a grandly designed entrance!
"It's magnificent, isn't it? From now on, this will be Yubaek's home base."
Yoo Jia murmured the words, packing her ambition into every syllable.
"...Yubaek's home base."
"As the world's finest one-man management company, we'll be hiring only the very best elites from around the globe... and naturally, we must promise them the finest treatment and benefits in the industry."
The very first step of that was housing.
Yubaek provided its employees and their families with spacious homes, free of charge, for as long as they remained with the company. And of course, once they reached retirement age, the plan was to transfer the house to them outright.
"So are we moving here as well, then?"
"Of course."
Yoo Jia smiled brightly and went on.
"Though there are people I need to bring here first, before anyone else."
Yoo Jia named the complex YooBaek City. It had the feel of a small city that only Yubaek's members could enjoy.
Shall we take a quick look at the layout?
At the very center stands Yubaek's 35-story headquarters. In time, this building would be divided into research, legal affairs, sales, marketing, finance, sales support, and more — a whole roster of departments devoted to a single purpose: caring for Baek Jinwoo.
Naturally, the rooftop had been lavishly appointed as the private offices of Yoo Jia and Baek Jinwoo. Only the founding members — Kim Byeongjin, Hwang Taeseop, and their ilk — would ever be allowed to come and go there.
Next. To the north lay a training ground built for one person alone: Baek Jinwoo. There was a wide athletic field modeled on the old empty lot, and everything from a perfectly soundproofed basement to every manner of exercise equipment, showers, and cold-storage facilities. It had been designed on every front so that the summons could train in peak condition.
Next. To the east stood an apartment complex — four buildings in all. The 30th floor at the very top was a duplex penthouse with 489.25 square meters of private floor space, or 148 pyeong. Every other floor consisted of 60-pyeong units, firmly in the large-home category.
Parking extended down to the second basement level, spacious enough for every household to keep two cars, and the community facilities were staggering: breakfast service, housekeeping, valet, laundry, a fitness center, golf, a swimming pool, pet care, shops, and more. Residents could live their entire lives without stepping a single foot outside the complex.
Next. To the west was the bunker. Built for the safety Baek Jinwoo had requested, it was drilled deep into the earth — deep enough to stay safe even under a nuclear strike. Every resident had a room waiting below, and the conditions for fully self-sufficient living were in place.
And last. To the south, a magnificent entrance and garden, and a beautiful walking trail.
"...Wow."
"What is all this?"
"Hehehe."
Yoo Jia had brought Baek Ajin, Baek Jincheol, and Hwang Myeonghui here first of all.
"This is part of the care service I mentioned before. The three of you are as good as VIPs of our company... so we'll be putting you up in the penthouses."
The four penthouses already had their owners decided: first, Baek Jinwoo. Second, Yoo Jia. Third, Baek Jincheol and Hwang Myeonghui. And fourth, Baek Ajin.
Guided by Yoo Jia through the penthouses and facilities, the three of them wore expressions brimming with emotion.
"...Mom, Dad. I think this is the nicest home I've ever seen in my life?"
Baek Ajin marveled.
"Thanks to our boy, we can live out the rest of our lives without ever worrying about housing."
"...Are we truly allowed to just accept something like this?"
Baek Jincheol and Hwang Myeonghui didn't know where to put themselves. The two of them had spent their entire lives in nothing but old villas.
"I've never even seen a house like this in my dreams."
"I suppose our imaginations were never up to the task."
"Still, all the same... we did grow rather attached to our old place, you know..."
Baek Jincheol, mid-sentence, broke into a grin.
"Yeah, right?"
"Mm, dear."
Hwang Myeonghui nodded firmly.
"Don't even say such frightening things. Attachment, honestly."
Attachment? Attachment was nonsense! No matter what anyone said, a new house was the best.
That's right! Their son was the world's greatest player! The news said the state funding pouring into their son alone came to 2 trillion won! Surely they'd earned the right to live in a place like this?
"I always knew our Jinwoo would grow up to be somebody great!"
"...Didn't you once give up on him, saying all he ever did was play games?"
"When did I ever! And what about you? You said you wished he were even half the match of Jeonghye's son...!"
"Hahaha, dear."
Hwang Myeonghui hurriedly clapped a hand over Baek Jincheol's mouth.
"Someone might hear. Let's stick to nice words today, okay? Okay?"
"Okay."
Watching the two tease each other so affectionately, Yoo Jia soon held out the keys, the manuals, the blueprints, and the rest.
"We'll help with the move so it can happen as quickly as possible. Please take your time looking around."
"Hehehe, thank you."
"We're grateful, always."
Watching the couple bow their thanks, Yoo Jia smiled.
Don't mention it.
Compared to the assets Baek Jinwoo would go on to generate, this much was beyond trivial — it was practically nothing at all!
Her greetings done, Yoo Jia was soon bustling about again. With Yubaek expanding in earnest, the work had piled up.
And yet. Yoo Jia threw herself into that work wearing the happiest smile she had ever worn in her life.