Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Deal at Hanseong Pharmaceuticals
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Hanseong Pharmaceuticals, 32nd floor director's office.
I sipped my tea while waiting for someone.
After about three minutes, the door swung wide open, and a beautiful woman in a white coat stepped inside.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Han Se-yeon, Director of the Development Research Division at Hanseong Pharmaceuticals.”
The woman smiled and extended her hand to me.
She looked far too young for a director at a major corporation—early twenties, at most.
She was Han Se-yeon, the late-born youngest daughter of the Hanseong Group chairman.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Jin-woo.”
I shook her hand and smiled back.
Han Se-yeon was a significant character in the original story.
It wasn't just because her older brother, Han Se-jin, would join forces with demons far in the future and rise as a villain. She had her own impactful storyline.
“I saw the news. You stopped a demon's rampage at the festival site. I heard the damage was minimized thanks to you, Wizard. You did an outstanding job.”
“No, I just did what needed to be done.”
“Ah, please have a seat.”
Han Se-yeon and I sat facing each other across the table.
She brushed her black hair back over her shoulders, as if it was bothering her.
“I heard you obtained a special herb from a hidden floor. Could I take a look right away?”
“Yes, here it is.”
I pulled the Sacred Herb and its seeds from my bag and placed them on the table.
“Hmm. I've seen countless herbs, but this is a first. Sacred Herb, was it?”
“Yes, that's right.”
Han Se-yeon nodded and examined the Sacred Herb with an intrigued expression.
How much time passed like that?
The smile faded from Han Se-yeon's lips.
“I'm sorry, but this isn't a herb. It lacks even the basic mana stem that's essential for any medicinal ingredient.”
She was right—the Sacred Herb wasn't technically a medicinal herb. It was merely an amplifier that boosted the effects of actual herbs.
“But it's unusual. I can feel an energy quietly surging inside it. It seems like mixing it with something else might trigger a reaction…”
As expected of one of the top five genius pharmacists in the future?
I inwardly admired her as I watched.
She had grasped the essence of the Sacred Herb at a glance.
Her rise to director at such a young age of 21 wasn't just due to nepotism.
She was inherently talented as a pharmacist.
“Exactly. This herb amplifies the effects of medicines.”
“It amplifies the effects of medicines?”
“Yes, probably up to 20% at most.”
“…No way. If that's true, it would shake the entire pharmaceutical industry. But how do you know that? Have you studied pharmacology?”
If I said no here, my credibility would crumble completely.
“Yes, I have some knowledge of medicines.”
“Really? Hmm. But to proceed with a deal, we need to verify if this herb truly has that effect. And check for any side effects, of course.”
“Naturally. But I'm short on time, so I'd appreciate it if you could test it right now.”
Han Se-yeon looked at me.
She soon nodded and stood from her seat.
“Alright. Let's do it right away.”
Thirty minutes passed.
Han Se-yeon returned to the room after finishing the amplification test with the Sacred Herb. Unlike before, her face was flushed with excitement.
“Did you confirm it?”
“You're right, Mr. Kim Jin-woo. The medicine's effects were truly amplified. It was tricky to handle, so I couldn't boost it to the max, but time will solve that. This is an incredible herb.”
Then she glanced at me and added,
“But if you got it as a reward from the Tower of Proof yesterday, how did you figure out its effects so quickly? You were busy subjugating that demon yesterday too.”
“As I mentioned earlier, I've studied medicines a bit.”
She gave me a suspicious look at my words.
“That doesn't sound like just 'a bit' of study. The energy woven into this herb is quite complex. Even our chief researcher would probably take two days to figure out its effects.”
I smiled at her words.
“Must've been good luck. Enough chit-chat—shall we talk business?”
“Alright. Do you have any specific conditions?”
I met her gaze directly at her question.
“0.005% of Hanseong Pharmaceuticals stock, and a VIP membership for the underground auction owned by Hanseong Group.”
“…Pardon?”
Han Se-yeon stared at me with a blank expression.
“You're joking, right?”
“I'm serious.”
“Excuse me? 0.005% stake? Do you know how much that's worth? And what's this about an underground auction ticket? We don't have memberships for illegal auctions like that.”
“Once the Sacred Herb is commercialized, the stock price will skyrocket, so stock is better than cash. That way, the deal feels worthwhile. In exchange, I'll provide you with information you need.”
“Information I need?”
Han Se-yeon let out a scoff.
“Sorry, but Hanseong Group knows everything.”
Her voice brimmed with confidence.
It made sense for her to act that way. Hanseong Group subsidiaries included the nation's largest information guild.
But the information I planned to offer wasn't about money flows.
It was information that would stir someone's desires.
“Han Se-jin.”
“Pardon?”
“I'll tell you the dirty secret of Han Se-jin, your brother and vice president.”
For a moment, panic flickered in Han Se-yeon's eyes.
But she quickly masked it with a twisted smile.
“Enough with the jokes. What would I do with that? My brother's secrets? You have no idea how close-knit our family is…”
“Han Se-yeon.”
I stared straight into her eyes.
“You want to take over Hanseong Group, don't you? Even if it means destroying your family.”
[Character ‘Han Se-yeon’ is wary of you.]
[You acquire 1,000 points as a reward.]
Han Se-yeon's expression, which had hidden her panic, ultimately hardened coldly.
“…Who the hell are you?”
The fierce greed flowing through the Han family bloodline.
That was the driving force behind turning Hanseong Group into the world's top corporation.
And Han Se-yeon.
I knew her blood carried a greed stronger than anyone else in the Han family.
“Shall we make the deal?”
She glared at me silently in response to my question.
Her hidden desires had been exposed for the first time, so she must have been shocked.
But in moments like this, one must appear even more composed. That's how you take control of the negotiation.
“What's my brother's secret?”
“Shall we make the deal?”
“Is it enough to bring him down?”
“Probably not on its own. Han Se-jin has immense influence in Hanseong Group. But if you aim to claim the group, it will definitely be a powerful weapon.”
“…I'll hear it first and decide.”
“Decide now. I promise you won't be disappointed.”
“Hoo.”
Han Se-yeon let out a breath.
“Fine. But no stock. If you need money, I'll give money. If you need power, I'll lend you power. I need the stock myself to take over Hanseong Group later.”
In the end, she abandoned hiding her true nature and confessed honestly to me.
Every member of the Han family was twisted in some way. Family meant nothing when it came to their greed.
“Then I'll drop the stock and suggest something else.”
Truthfully, stock or money didn't matter much to me. It was just bait to steer toward a better deal. What I really wanted was the power held by Han Se-yeon, the youngest daughter of the Han family.
“An advance of 500 million won, the underground auction VIP companion pass. And please make potions I request. Also, later, procure some items that would be hard for me to get on my own. Of course, I'll pay for the items.”
“You want the youngest Han daughter as your errand girl? Well, that's not too hard. But in exchange, you'll only get the errand girl for exactly one month.”
The deal closed more easily than expected.
The one-month contract term was a bit annoying, but I could extend it later with more information.
“Agreed.”
“Oh, by the way, the underground auction membership isn't transferable. But companions are allowed, so is that okay?”
“That's fine.”
“Great. Then tell me. About my brother's secret that you know.”
Evening, 5 PM.
Han Se-yeon sat with a grave expression, pondering the conversation from earlier.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
Kim Jin-woo.
He had pierced through her ambitions, which she had never revealed to anyone.
Not only that, he knew the dirty secret of Han Se-jin, the number two in Hanseong Group.
Thinking about it, it was strange.
A C-Rank Wizard who had never been in the news before had conquered the notoriously difficult hidden floor of the Tower of Proof in a single day, and single-handedly subjugated a rampaging demon.
On top of that, he had the guts to negotiate something close to blackmail with a member of the Han family.
Was he not afraid of making an enemy of the Hanseong family?
“Hmm. Something's off…”
“What's off?”
As she muttered to herself, the door opened, and a man appeared.
“Oppa.”
It was her brother, Han Se-jin. She hadn't verified it yet, but after hearing his secret from Kim Jin-woo, his smiling face looked even uglier than usual.
“You said you'd join the family dinner today? Dad will be thrilled.”
Han Se-jin looked around the room and grinned.
“Se-yeon, how's the company treating you?”
“The work is tough, and dealing with people is exhausting.”
Han Se-yeon made a pitiful face, pretending to struggle.
It was to make Han Se-jin not see her as a rival, acting like she had no ambition for company management.
“I don't get why Dad gave you company shares when you're still so young. I'll take good care of it and hand it all over to you, shares included. Running a company is too much for you without experience. But since you're smart, Se-yeon, when I become chairman, I'll make you vice president. Heh.”
Han Se-jin laughed shamelessly, unaware of her true feelings.
Han Se-yeon thought to herself as she looked at his face.
‘Bullshit.’
“Calculation complete.”
I stepped out of the convenience store holding a black bag of snacks.
Looking up at the sky, it was already pitch black, with only the streetlights illuminating the surroundings.
A lot had happened over the weekend. Conquering the tower, subjugating the demon, forming a deal with Han Se-yeon.
Things unimaginable compared to my life before regression.
“Whew.”
In the distance, the massive building of the Magic Academy came into view.
I removed the mustache from my upper lip and brushed my hair forward as usual. I took off my glasses and stowed them in my bag.
I also changed into my usual dorm casual clothes.
I'd entrusted the sale of the Red Dragon's Soul to Han Se-yeon as a proxy, so there was no risk of drawing attention anymore.
Finally, I felt like I'd returned to my true self, ‘Kim Sun-woo.’
“Huh? Senior Kim Sun-woo!”
Lost in thought, I heard a familiar voice nearby.
Turning around, Choi Seo-yoon approached with a delighted face.
“Hello! Where have you been?”
“Just had some business in Seoul.”
“Seoul? What kind of business?”
“None of your concern.”
“Tch.”
Choi Seo-yoon pouted, her excitement deflated.
“What about you? What kept you out so late?”
“Me? Well, you won't tell me, so I won't tell you.”
She grinned playfully.
Honestly, I wasn't that curious, so I just nodded vaguely.
She must have visited her family home.
Choi Seo-yoon was the only daughter in the Choi family, one of the nation's top five prestigious magic families.
As expected from a magic noble house, she was heavily influenced by her family and minded their watchful eyes.
There were a few other students from magic noble houses at the Magic Academy besides Choi Seo-yoon.
Yoo Ah-ra was a prime example, and her family had various episodes surrounding it.
“But Senior, what's in the bag?”
“This? Just some snacks.”
“Snacks? Like chips or something?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Choi Seo-yoon approached with a curious look.
“What'd you buy?”
With that, she reached into the bag.
“Hey, hey. What are you doing?”
Startled, I yanked the bag back. Her hand slipped out of the bag.
But in her hand was one of the small cans from inside the bag.
“…Senior, what's this?”
Choi Seo-yoon narrowed her eyes at me.
“…Uh, it's a carbonated drink. Cider or something.”
“You expect me to believe that? This is beer.”
Ah, busted.
What now?
I'd planned to unwind with some cool beer after a long weekend.
“Hand it over first.”
When I reached out, Choi Seo-yoon stepped back a pace.
“Senior, if you get caught with this on school grounds, it's at least a warning. You know that, right?”
“I know. And now you're gonna get me caught? So give it back quick.”
“…Wow, scary. I didn't know you were this kind of person, Senior.”
This kind of person? What did she mean?
A grown adult having a beer—what's the big deal?
Sure, my current body wasn't legally an adult yet, but only two years left.
As I tussled with Choi Seo-yoon, voices of students came from nearby.
Oh no. If this kept up, those students would spot my precious beer can.
I reinforced my body with mana. Then I swiftly closed in and snatched the beer can from her.
“Eek!”
Surprised by my quick move, Choi Seo-yoon let out a short scream. At the same time, nearby students' gazes turned our way.
I quickly hid the beer can back in the bag before they could see.
Fortunately, they didn't spot the beer.
“Phew.”
I sighed in relief.
Glancing at Choi Seo-yoon, she was staring at me warily.
“Wow, I never knew it, but Senior Kim Sun-woo is actually a really dangerous guy?”