Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: My House Turtle Runs at 100 km/h
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Crash!
Returning home, Yoo Jihyun dove onto the bed like she was jumping into a pool.
Flop!
"Aaaahhh!!"
Her feet kicked wildly at the air, tearing into the blanket like a maniac.
Wham!
Thud!
Slam!
Bam-bam-bam!
The poor down comforter screamed under its owner's furious kicks.
"She's insane! Insane! Yoo Jihyun, you crazy bitch! Are you really out of your mind, huh!?"
She buried her face in the pillow and wailed.
"Kyaaahhh!!"
Her strategy had clearly been the 'turtle' approach.
Slowly soaking in, like getting wet in a drizzle.
Turning Woojin oppa into a helpless idiot who couldn't do anything without her.
But the result?
"What kind of turtle sprints at 100 km/h!? That's faster than a rabbit—it's a cheetah, a cheetah!! Aaaah!!"
The version of herself who'd come onto Woojin just moments ago wasn't a cheetah—she was a 25-ton truck with busted steering.
And instead of making him a helpless idiot, she'd just pinned him down with brute force, turning him into a ragdoll that couldn't move.
The memory was vividly etched in her mind.
Out of her mind from the booze, shoving Woojin oppa onto the bed.
Climbing on top and binding his hands with sheer strength.
And the outfit? Oh, the outfit.
Short shorts that barely covered her ass, and a single spaghetti-strap tank top.
Dressed like that, straddling his thigh, trying to seduce him.
"That's basically stripping naked and jumping him! You're insane, Yoo Jihyun! Are you really crazy!???"
Just thinking about it made her face feel like it would explode.
She gulped dryly.
"If Dad hadn't come home... I might've really... really gone all the way..."
All the way? What end?
"Kyaaah!"
She clawed at her hair.
"Get out! Get out of my head right now, you lewd demon!!"
Panting with her hair a mess, she gasped for breath.
"Huff... huff..."
Her heart pounded like it was broken.
Unable to calm down, she gnawed at her thumbnail.
"What do I do... what am I gonna do..."
That was when it happened.
The finger she'd been biting brushed the spot where her lips had met Woojin's.
And then, the hallucination hit.
*Smack*
"!!!!!"
That tiny sound from when their lips touched—why did it echo like thunder in her head?
It had been just an instant, but they had definitely connected.
Woojin's lips were hotter and softer than she'd imagined.
As that memory resurfaced, her shameful thrashing stopped dead.
Instead, boom!—her face exploded into a ripe apple's glow.
"I don't know..."
Clutching the pillow, her eyes glazed over dreamily.
And then she started giggling like a madwoman.
"Heh heh... hee hee hee..."
The kiss with Woojin oppa... had been good.
That was the problem.
Whoever said first kisses aren't a big deal?
The insane fluttering, their gazes locking, breaths mingling, the warm, soft touch of lips.
It was driving her crazy.
"What do I dooo... Mommm... I think I'm really losing it. Aaaah!"
Then, another worry crashed in.
'But... didn't I use too much strength?'
She was a level 40 hunter on the cusp of second awakening. Woojin oppa was a level 12 production class.
Excited and unable to control her power, she'd crushed him—so his thigh or wrists must be bruised for sure.
"What if I hurt him bad...? He'll definitely see me as some lip-smashing monster..."
Good, embarrassed, worried.
Jihyun's heart was on a rollercoaster.
"I... should apologize, right?"
But how could she face him!?
Another one-two punch landed on the pillow.
Thud!
Slam!
"No! The more this happens, the bolder I gotta be. What do I say tomorrow? Oppa! Starting today, our first day...?"
First day my ass.
"Kyaaahhh!!"
Yoo Jihyun rolled around the bed, hugging the pillow.
A night of complex feelings—blissful, embarrassing, suicidal.
Storm Valkyrie Yoo Jihyun. Romance experience: 0. But kiss experience: 1.
A historic count-up in her life, this night.
Sleep? No chance.
While Yoo Jihyun was like that, things at Woojin's place were still deep in serious talk.
"Of course, it's a radical method."
"You know that and you're still bringing it up?"
"Yes, exactly because I know, Chairman. 'Public Tender Offer' for a 'Hostile M&A'. That's the core."
Yoo Daeho rested his chin, deep in thought.
A radical, risky idea. But it looked feasible—that was the problem.
Provided one condition: a 'explosive stock price surge.'
"In the end, it's all about the 'product'. Your brother's creation has to be revolutionary enough to flip the market."
He didn't jump the gun.
"Are you certain? Not just an improvement, but a paradigm-shifting 'innovation'?"
Sangjin smiled and spoke.
"Chairman. What if... there's an air purifier that turns smoke-filled indoor air fresh like Himalayan air in one minute?"
"What?"
"A lotion that keeps skin smooth all day with one application, toothpaste that whitens teeth instantly, a washer with no stubborn stains, a vacuum with 'zero' noise?"
Yoo Daeho's eyes widened.
This sounded like sci-fi movie stuff.
"Is that... technically possible?"
"Not with technology. But with my brother's 'Enhancement', it is. Haven't you already grasped the 'Goblin Towel' he made? Does that even make physical sense?"
Unleashed by 'Sincerity Lv.6', Sangjin held nothing back.
Maybe this was his true self.
Glug!Clink!
Sangjin downed his drink roughly.
"Kya! Think about it. If such transcendent products launch exclusively from 'DH Electronics' and 'DH Life Health', what happens? Money floods in from around the world. DH Electronics' stock skyrockets through the roof. Funds for hostile M&A? Peanuts."
"If it goes that way..."
Time to decide.
His long-honed business instincts stirred.
This could work.
Apply this power to appliances and cosmetics? Beyond innovation—'magic'.
Yoo Daeho paused, then spoke heavily.
"Fine. High risk, but higher reward. Worth the gamble."
"Gamble? No. There's no losing scenario."
'Where does this kid's confidence come from...'
Yoo Daeho's eyes gleamed with curiosity at Sangjin.
"But I need to see prototypes first. We'll continue after."
Sangjin grinned.
"Naturally."
On the surface, three men bonding.
But Sangjin's mind was calculating separately.
'Kuhuhu... This is pure profit for us.'
Helping Yoo Daeho wasn't just because he was his brother's potential father-in-law.
Woosang Shop's goods were great, but limited by production, permits, legal hurdles.
How long could they survive as small-scale crafts?
'If we hijack DH Group's massive, cutting-edge production lines and legal team... for our brother exclusively?'
Brother just enhances.
Production, distribution, marketing, after-sales? DH handles it all.
No sweat off our backs.
DH gets Woojin's power to conquer the business world; Woosang Shop swallows DH's trillions in infrastructure for free.
'Looks like win-win, but we're the super A-side. Kukuku.'
Of course, Yoo Daeho gets management scraps.
But once they taste brother's enhancement, DH can't let him go.
More addictive than drugs.
Sangjin hid his sly smile, innocently offering Daeho a glass.
"Chairman, cheers. To DH's—no, our future."
"Isn't celebrating too early?"
"You'll be shocked. Hahaha!"
Sangjin's villainous laugh filled 1103.
Clink!
Toasting, Yoo Daeho whispered to Woojin.
"He's... not a half-brother, right? Totally different vibe."
"...No, Chairman. He's good at heart."
"Ahem! Forget I asked."
Woojin resolved to hold back on enhancing top-shelf Andong soju next time.
The next morning.
Woojin dragged his groggy body to the kitchen.
"Ugh, I'm dying."
Yesterday's drinking went till dawn, leaving his head throbbing.
He opened the fridge, pulling out the hangover cure he'd bought and enhanced yesterday.
Gulp!
After chugging the +5 hangover cure, his head cleared instantly.
Hangover cures needed at least +5 for immediate effect.
'But... how do I face Jihyun...'
He had to go to 1104 for breakfast as usual, but his feet wouldn't move.
Avoiding would look weirder.
Better to face it head-on.
Beep!
Unlocking the neighbor's door, he entered to find Jihyun in the kitchen, apron on, preparing breakfast as usual.
"...You're here? H..."
'Honey' nearly slipped out, but Jihyun barely caught it.
She'd already envisioned grandkids in her fantasies last night.
"H-here! Sit!"
"O-okay."
As Woojin sat, she whipped her head away.
Her ears were beet red.
Woojin awkwardly spoke up.
"Sleep well last night?"
"You'd know if you did...?"
"......"
"......"
Awkward silence.
Only the clatter of dishes rang loudly.
Jihyun paused mid-stir.
The memory of touching Woojin's lips kept resurfacing, making her hands shake.
Woojin stared at her back, recalling the same scene.
Gathering courage, Jihyun turned to him.
"Um... Oppa! A-about last night..."
Her eyes widened.
The clear handprint bruise on Woojin's wrist!
Where she'd pinned him, it was purpled.
Startled, Jihyun grabbed his hand.
"!!!"
Woojin flinched at the sudden grab.
But yesterday's chaos didn't repeat.
Jihyun stroked his bruised wrist.
"W-what do we do...! D-does it hurt a lot?"
Only then did Woojin notice the bruise.
As a player, it barely hurt, so he'd missed it.
"I-it's fine... doesn't hurt much."
But Jihyun's face was that of a traitor who'd sold the country.
"S-sorry... I was too rough... Should've handled you gentler..."
Handled gentler? What?
Realizing her slip, Jihyun waved her hands.
"N-not like that!"
To any onlooker, hilarious.
A delicate girl apologizing for roughing up a big guy.
Watching frail Jihyun, Woojin wondered if it was real.
Their eyes met.
Gazes instinctively dropped to each other's lips.
Jihyun's fantasies stirred again.
'H-he's staring at my lips, right...? N-no way... round two after yesterday!?'
The awkward vibe overflowed into something subtle.
That's when—
Beep!
Bang!
The front door flew open, cold air and a familiar voice rushing in.
Whoosh!
Jihyun and Woojin separated at light speed.
"I'm back! Food! Outside stuff's inedible!"
Eileen Benedict, now hooked on Jihyun's cooking.
She'd prepped for gate raids all night, timing her return for breakfast.
Tired, she removed her sunglasses and strode into the living room.
"...?"
Her steps halted.
The atmosphere was off.
Subtle, but distinctly sticky and awkward—different from usual.
Her sharp senses caught it easily.
"Huh? What's this? This creepy vibe?"
First, Kim Woojin at the table.
Usually a casual 'Hey?', now avoiding her eyes, chugging water.
And Jihyun, frozen with ladle in hand, awkward as hell.
Meeting Eileen's eyes, she nearly dropped it.
Face red as a beet.
"...What? That face—like you've raided gates five times straight?"
"W-what? Wash your hands if you're back."
Eileen sniffed.
Faint, luxurious booze scent from Jihyun and Woojin.
And the lingering weird vibe underneath.
Her blue eyes narrowed.
"In the one day I was gone... what happened?"
Their reactions exploded at her icy question.
"Wh-what do you mean, happened!?"
"Oh! The soup almost boiled over?"
Eileen crossed her arms at their overreactions.
"Hoo... Look at these two?"
One hundred percent.
Something major went down while she was away.
She sat in front of Woojin, crossing her legs seductively.
"Oppa, explain. You have one minute."
"E-explain what!?"
"Same booze smell from you and Jihyun. And..."
Eileen leaned in, sniffing his lips.
Woojin flinched back.
Lips kept getting sniffed since yesterday.
"W-what are you doing?"
"Ha!? Why does Jihyun's cherry lip balm smell come from your lips too? Explain convincingly."
"!!!"
Jihyun and Woojin's eyes bulged.
They hadn't wiped their lips properly, savoring the thrill.
Even washing face or brushing teeth, they'd avoided that spot.
A subconscious ritual of first-kiss victims.
They didn't know.
Eileen Benedict had a nose beyond imagination.
One minute flew by.
"No answer?"
Shing!
Eileen drew her divine sword.