Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 246
Chapter Title: Han Se-yeon's Sudden Appearance
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I was a bit surprised by Han Se-yeon's sudden appearance.
……Why was Han Se-yeon here?
This was JWK's executive office.
Me sitting there casually reviewing documents looked every bit like a JWK employee, no matter who saw it.
And the sharp Han Se-yeon wouldn't miss that.
Just then, Yang Tae-min blinked as he looked back and forth between me and Han Se-yeon.
"Huh? Do you two know each other?"
At Yang Tae-min's question, Han Se-yeon nodded slightly.
Yang Tae-min looked momentarily shocked that we knew each other, then seemed to remember something and opened his mouth.
"……Come to think of it, there was some kind of scandal with you two before, right?"
"It wasn't quite a scandal……"
We were best friends. Drinking buddies. Articles like that had come out.
There were a few that forcibly linked us for sensationalism.
Thanks to that, I'd racked up a nice chunk of points from angry guys.
Han Se-yeon seemed to recall that too, glancing at me cautiously before turning to Yang Tae-min.
"Um, President Yang Tae-min?"
"Yes."
"……So what brings Wizard Kim Jin-woo here?"
At Han Se-yeon's question, Yang Tae-min turned to me.
It was a look that said, 'How should I answer?'
But with Han Se-yeon right there, I couldn't just blurt it out.
Sigh.
No helping it.
"President Yang. Could you step out for a moment?"
"Step out? Oh! Of course. I'll get going…… Actually, I'll just head home, so you two talk comfortably!"
Having misunderstood something, Yang Tae-min bowed his head and scurried off.
A heavy silence filled the room for a moment.
To change the mood, I stood up with a light laugh.
"Long time no see. We were supposed to meet this Saturday, but I didn't expect it'd be like this."
"……Yeah. I never imagined I'd run into you here."
"Have a seat here."
I gestured to the chair across from me.
Han Se-yeon nodded and sat down opposite me.
Silence fell again.
I was wondering if I should offer her a drink when Han Se-yeon spoke first.
"Is JWK your company, Jin-woo?"
True to her straightforward personality, she cut straight to the point without beating around the bush.
How should I answer? After a moment's thought, I decided on honesty.
I'd planned to reveal I was JWK's owner eventually anyway.
As the company grew, hiding that I was the boss would hit its limits anyway.
Though the timing was much sooner than expected.
"Yes, that's right. It's my company."
Han Se-yeon's expression wavered.
Her fingers, stacked on her lap, fidgeted before she spoke again.
"I'd had my suspicions. JWK—it's your initials, after all. But I never thought it was really your name……"
Han Se-yeon murmured quietly, clearly shocked. Seeing that made me feel a pang of guilt.
"I didn't hide it on purpose. I planned to tell you when the time was right. I just haven't been ready yet."
A faint sadness crossed Han Se-yeon's face.
Did she feel tricked? Was she disappointed in me? As those worries crossed my mind, she spoke.
"……Did JWK choose Hansung Pharmaceuticals over Hansung Magical Engineering because of me?"
Hearing that, I understood the source of her sadness.
She thought the contract she'd won against her brother, Han Se-jin, was due to personal favoritism, not her own merit.
I felt relieved inside.
"As President Yang said, JWK chose Hansung Pharmaceuticals because we saw potential there. I think Hansung Pharmaceuticals has more promise than Hansung Magical Engineering."
"What's your basis for that?"
"Because Han Se-yeon is in charge of Hansung Pharmaceuticals."
"Pfft."
She let out a small laugh at my half-joking, fully sincere words. The sadness from before was long gone.
"That puts my mind at ease."
Han Se-yeon leaned back in her chair, looking relieved.
"By the way, what exactly are you, Jin-woo? When did you start the company?"
"That's……"
But Han Se-yeon cut me off.
"This'll take a while, so save it for drinks on Saturday. Seeing you today doesn't cancel our plans, right? This is business. Saturday's for hanging out."
I chuckled lightly.
"Got it. But what brings you here at this hour?"
"Oh! I had something urgent to discuss about magic stone and workshop business. I called President Yang, but he didn't pick up, so I came in person. I was passing by nearby anyway."
You always schedule meetings in advance.
For someone like Han Se-yeon, who knew that rule well, to show up unannounced meant it wasn't just business.
What had driven her here?
Seeming to catch my suspicion, Han Se-yeon spoke first.
"Actually, ever since I announced I'm gunning for control of Hansung Group, the atmosphere inside the group has been tense."
"Tense how?"
"People are agonizing over whether to side with me or my brother…… And Father's health has worsened, so I want to show him what I can do, even if just a little."
So it was about the Hansung family after all.
I could roughly predict what lay ahead for Han Se-yeon.
The full-blown succession battle.
The Hansung siblings' war was about to begin.
A political struggle that would shake the world economy, drawing in even Jaun and the demons to cause chaos.
"I get the gist."
Han Se-yeon stared straight into my eyes, focused on my words.
"So, you want JWK's help?"
10 p.m.
After finishing all her mentally exhausting work, Han Se-yeon returned home.
She tossed off her outer clothes haphazardly and flopped onto the sofa.
As always, the silence of the house bothered her, so she grabbed the TV remote.
Beep.
[Why the hell did you do that?]
[…You asking because you don't know?]
Turning on the TV, a movie scene played.
A young man and woman in a serious conversation.
She didn't know the exact situation, but their rising voices suggested an emotional fight.
Not much into movies, Han Se-yeon quickly tuned it out and stared at the ceiling.
So much had happened today.
Company stuff, Hansung Group stuff, brother stuff, father stuff…….
"……Kim Jin-woo."
But the thing that lingered most in her mind was what happened with Kim Jin-woo.
'What the heck?'
The hidden owner of JWK, which had bolstered Hansung Pharmaceuticals with the magic stone supply contract, was none other than Kim Jin-woo.
Kim Jin-woo.
The only person she could confide her ambitions in, ambitions she couldn't tell anyone else. The one who comforted her through tough times……
How could such a coincidence happen?
It was like something out of a movie or drama.
She'd secretly wondered if JWK's favoritism and the initials meant a connection to Kim Jin-woo, but to think it was true.
"……But why is he so good to me?"
It didn't make sense. They were close, sure, but in a deal involving huge money?
He said it wasn't favoritism but belief in Hansung Pharmaceuticals' potential, but honestly, she didn't buy that it was 100% sincere.
"Why to me……
That was when.
[Why did you do it? You really don't know?!]
The young man on TV shouted as if answering her own words.
Startled, Han Se-yeon looked at the screen.
The man, overcome with emotion, kept yelling.
[You really don't get it? You think he did that out of simple kindness? Of course he did it because he likes you!]
Han Se-yeon blinked at the TV screen.
All sorts of thoughts flooded her mind.
She knew the "likes" in that line didn't mean simple fondness.
It probably meant romantic feelings between man and woman.
To her, who'd lived her life consumed by twisted ambition to seize control of the Hansung family no matter what, it was a story from an alien world.
Han Se-yeon recalled the past year with Kim Jin-woo.
"……Favor."
The thought suddenly struck her.
Was there a hidden meaning in the favor Kim Jin-woo had shown her?
Lost in such fantasies, Han Se-yeon buried her face in the sofa.
[The character 'Han Se-yeon''s interest level in you has increased.]
[The character 'Han Se-yeon''s interest level in you: Lv. 3]
[You have acquired 3,000 points as a reward.]
"What?"
Back at the dorm, staring at Gretel who still hadn't woken, Han Se-yeon's interest level rose.
The message popped up without any warning, catching me off guard.
"……Because of JWK?"
That seemed like the reason.
But if that was it, shouldn't it have gone up when we were together at the company earlier?
"Hmm……"
Well, this wasn't the first time something random like this happened, so I'd just let it slide.
Turning off the system alerts, I looked back at Gretel.
"……Ung-a."
Gretel slept on with her angelic face.
She was breathing, so not dead, but she wouldn't wake at all, like she was.
"……You okay?"
Worried, I gently stroked Gretel's bud.
Then it happened. A faint light rose from Gretel's body, and a message appeared.
['Immortal Hell Demon Tree Gretel' has awakened its latent power!]
[You have acquired the unique trait 'Rapid Growth (S)'!]
"Huh? What?"
Rapid Growth?
Curious, I immediately checked the effect.
[Rapid Growth (S)]
Description: The demon tree expends all its mana to grow rapidly in a short time.
►Sprouting Power
For 10 minutes, the demon tree's body grows. Upon completion, all stats double and traits strengthen. After the 10-minute duration ends, it reverts to sprout state for 3 days.
Cooldown: 30 days
"Whoa. Jackpot."
Rapid Growth.
A kind of 'buff' skill that made her stronger for 10 minutes.
With a 30-day cooldown, it felt more like an 'ultimate' than a buff.
The "grown" form it mentioned was probably the childlike one from eating the millennium ginseng, but the 3-day sprout state afterward was unclear.
Maybe it meant reverting even further to a baby form.
"……Hmm."
Hard to picture. Wonder what it'll look like.
Could it get even cuter than now?
"Ung-a."
Then Gretel stirred and opened her eyes.
"Gretel, you okay?"
Gretel sat up sleepily, looked at me, then smiled faintly and nodded.
Good, she looked healthy. The mana I faintly sensed felt stronger than before.
As I relaxed, something on Gretel's head caught my eye.
A small golden fruit, barely visible, had formed there.
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