The Queen's Crystal (Part 2)

The driver's door opened and a man stepped out. He was a cold-looking guy in a sharp suit, horn-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. His gaze quickly found me where I sat in the cafe. It seemed he'd instinctively recognized the person he'd come to meet. Without hesitation he entered the cafe and strode straight to my table.

"Are you the one selling the Queen's Crystal?" he asked.

"Yeah, that's me," I answered with a vague nod. The man snorted and took a seat. Apparently he hadn't expected the seller to be an academy cadet. I could practically read the thought running through his head.

The seller's a damn student? Fuck, I wasted my time.

Well, thoughts are free. He slid a business card across the table with a bright smile.

"I'm Ahn Jun-il, executive secretary to the chairman of Hyodo Group. A pleasure."

"Ha Yeonjun," I replied, accepting the card. I had to double-check what I'd just heard. Hyodo Group was the undisputed number-one corporation in Korea, the titan that had climbed to the top of the business world on the back of magic-stone technology. And they'd sent the chairman's personal secretary to buy my item?

Secretary Ahn folded his hands on the table. "May I examine the item first?"

"Go ahead."

I pulled the Queen's Crystal from my bag and handed it over carefully. The perfectly round crystal gave off a brilliant blue glow. Secretary Ahn produced a magnifying glass and began studying it with intense focus. Even behind the horn-rimmed glasses, his eyes were icy and professional. The appraisal took a full five minutes.

"It's genuine... and in absolutely pristine condition. May I ask where you obtained it?"

Secretary Ahn stared at me, visibly shocked. His expression screamed one question: how the hell did a student get his hands on something like this? I just shrugged. Telling him the truth wouldn't do me any good anyway—he'd never believe it.

"Just lucky, I guess."

"Lucky...?" For a second his face went blank, but he quickly recovered and asked the question that actually mattered. "So, how much are you asking?"

Now we were at the real negotiation. My original target price had been around thirty million won, though I'd planned to squeeze out every won I could.

That was when Secretary Ahn slipped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a hand into his pocket. "I'll be direct. Fifty million. I'll take it at that price."

Fifty million? The number was higher than I'd expected. I flinched internally but kept my face blank. This was negotiation time—I couldn't afford to look eager.

"What do you plan to use it for?" I asked, expression neutral.

"Research purposes only. I'll simply say that the Queen's Crystal is known to interfere with the human mind." Secretary Ahn cleared his throat and lowered his voice before continuing. He explained that Arachne trophies usually went for around ten million won, but the rarely obtained Queen's Crystal was in a league of its own.

Hmm. Fifty million was already well above what I'd hoped for. Accepting right now would be the safe play, but I had no intention of making the safe play.

That was when the message appeared.

The enhanced version of Insight was subjective, but it was incredibly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠useful at times like this. Secretary Ahn's behavior matched the classic signs of lying. Which meant he was probably ready to go higher than fifty million.

In that case, it was my turn to test him. I wasn't the type to just sit there and take it.

"One hundred million," I said.

"Excuse me? One hundred million? Sir, even at its absolute highest the Queen's Crystal doesn't go above fifty million. Are you aware of that?"

Yeah, I didn't care. Secretary Ahn stared at me in open panic, but I simply slipped the crystal back into my bag and stood up. The fact that the chairman's personal secretary had come all this way told me everything I needed to know about the item's true value. Besides, the Queen's Crystal wasn't something you could just pick up on any given day. The seller held all the cards here.

"I won't sell for less than one hundred million. Have a nice day."

I turned to leave. When someone tries to lowball you, you have to show them you're willing to walk away.

Secretary Ahn bit his lip. The moment I started walking, he grabbed my sleeve.

"What about sixty million?"

"One hundred."

"Seventy million..."

"One hundred."

"Eighty mil..."

"One hundred."

I kept walking slowly, refusing to budge from that number. I was certain he'd stop me. Sure enough, he finally slammed the table and shouted.

"Damn it! I lose! One hundred million it is. Please, sit back down."

"Gladly."

Good. If you're Korea's top corporation, you should be able to cough up that much without breaking a sweat.

Every eye in the cafe had turned toward us. I sat down again with a satisfied smile. Secretary Ahn, on the other hand, looked like he'd just swallowed poison.

A moment later he placed a black bag on the table. Inside were thick bundles of fifty-thousand-won notes—exactly fifty million in cash.

"Fifty million in cash, as you can see. I'll wire the remaining fifty million to your account immediately."

"You only prepared half in advance."

"I genuinely didn't think I'd have to pay more than that."

Secretary Ahn shook his head with a completely resigned expression. It actually looked kind of cool. Then again, it wasn't his own money, so maybe that made it easier.

I grabbed the bag and stood up without another word. Just as I was about to leave, he called after me.

"Excuse me—would you be able to acquire more rare trophies like this in the future?"

"What kind of rare trophies are we talking about?"

"Anything at all. Our chairman isn't picky."

I'd seen the chairman of Hyodo Group on the news plenty of times—an unpleasant old man whose face was covered in age spots. Rumors said he lost his mind whenever he laid eyes on monster trophies. After a brief pause, I nodded.

"Sure, why not."

I had no idea when I'd get my hands on more loot, but building a trading connection with Hyodo Group was too good an opportunity to pass up.

Secretary Ahn rose from his chair and pulled out his phone. "Excellent. Could I have your number? And sorry—what was your name again?"

He looked at me while sliding his horn-rimmed glasses down the bridge of his nose. I'd definitely told him earlier...

I opened my mouth and repeated it one more time, slowly and clearly.

"Ha Yeonjun."

*

In the back seat of the black sedan sat an old man. He sipped the finest wine and hummed a cheerful tune—none other than Kang Hyo-do, chairman of Hyodo Group.

Kang Hyo-do. His name alone contained the entire history of Korean business. An unparalleled genius who had risen from nothing to become the richest man in the country. People said money itself seemed to flow from him. Those who met him in person could only marvel at his supernatural talent for acquiring wealth. The Hand of Midas. That was the phrase that defined Kang Hyo-do—in the best possible way.

And right now, Kang Hyo-do was smiling. He usually wore a sharp, sensitive expression, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but today he looked genuinely pleased.

The driver's door opened with a heavy clunk. Secretary Ahn slid into the seat, visibly drained.

"How did it go?" Kang Hyo-do asked quietly.

Secretary Ahn handed over the Queen's Crystal. "He demanded one hundred million."

Kang Hyo-do stroked his graying mustache and murmured, "He's got guts."

He had no intention of scolding his secretary. After all, his order had been simple: buy it at any price as long as it's genuine.

Kang Hyo-do turned to look out the window. A male student who looked like he belonged at Raven Academy was walking away with a money bag in his hand. The chairman's eyes narrowed.

"What did you say his name was?"

"Ha Yeonjun, sir."

"Ha Yeonjun..."

The corners of Kang Hyo-do's mouth curled upward. He watched the boy with the pure, delighted expression of a child who'd just found a fascinating new toy.

"Hehehehe—"

Secretary Ahn caught the smile in the rearview mirror and felt a jolt of surprise. The chairman almost never laughed.

Carefully starting the engine, Secretary Ahn said, "Then I'll drive now, sir."

The black sedan purred to life.

*

A black sedan rolled past me as I waited at the crosswalk. I wasn't sure if it was the same car. Honestly, I didn't care anymore.

I pulled out my phone. A message was already waiting—fifty million won had been deposited into my account. Adding the cash ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the bag, the total came to exactly one hundred million.

"Not bad at all."

It was more money than I'd ever imagined making at once. First thing on the list: a brand-new school uniform. And after that...

"Maybe I'll give half to my sister as a birthday present."

I could already picture how happy she'd be when I told her I'd received a scholarship from the academy. The light had turned green. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and looked up.

That was when my eyes narrowed.

Standing right across the crosswalk were some very familiar faces—the delinquents I'd run into before, along with the man who was clearly their "big brother."