Chapter 96
Chapter 96
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: Company (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I sat in the back seat of the broker's car, gazing out the window.
Teleporting other people with magic was quite a hassle.
I couldn't use the sandworm either.
It was on a whole different level from just moving my own body.
In the end, I followed the uncle's suggestion and took the car to Seoul.
"President."
The broker suddenly spoke up.
"Yes?"
"Have you ever thought about, say, going back to school?"
"School?"
I echoed in surprise.
It was a question I hadn't seen coming at all.
"Yeah. I talked about it with Mr. Jeong Man-ho the other day too... He expressed some concerns. He said it seems like you haven't been attending school."
"No way, you talked about that with that uncle too?"
"We chat about it sometimes."
I let out a hollow laugh.
The broker continued with a serious expression.
"Of course, on paper, your identity is that of an adult, so there's no legal obligation..."
He paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
"But you're at that age where you should be learning and hanging out with friends. Isn't it a bit regrettable if your world is filled only with the Tower and the internet?"
There was genuine concern in the broker's words.
Not just as a business partner, but as a guardian figure.
Of course, I found it utterly absurd.
"I've graduated high school, you know?"
"Sure, on paper."
"No, really. I did graduate."
"Do you know calculus?"
"Uh, I'm from the humanities track."
"Do you know the quadratic formula?"
Naturally, the only thing that came to mind was a certain website name.
"Well, I don't really need it in life, so I forgot..."
"But you know your multiplication tables, right?"
I suddenly got angry.
Why was he quizzing my education?
"No! Do you need that stuff to survive? Do I need the quadratic formula to climb the Tower?"
"Sigh... That's exactly the problem."
The broker just let out a small sigh at my response.
But noticing my discomfort, he didn't press further.
"......"
An awkward silence filled the car.
I had nothing to say.
The broker focused on driving, and I just fiddled with my smartphone screen.
Checking the gallery for any new popular posts was pretty much all I had to do.
***
A short while later, we arrived at the exact same hotel buffet where I'd come with Superlative a few days ago.
"So, what's this sudden thing? Coming all the way to Seoul just to eat."
"Last time, I didn't get to eat properly, and the photos didn't turn out great."
"...?"
It was true. Last time, I was so busy cleaning up after Superlative that I barely knew if I was eating through my mouth or my nose.
This time was different.
No staff blocking me, no one dipping their fingers in the chocolate fountain.
This time, I paid upfront with confidence.
The staff's expression shifted subtly at the bizarre sight of a child paying for an adult, but I ignored it.
We were quietly shown to a window seat.
I turned on the camera first.
"......"
The broker watched silently, his gaze now familiar.
Ignoring him, I began crafting an artistic masterpiece on my plate.
Color coordination was key first.
I placed well-done steak pieces. Next to them, I filled the empty spaces with green asparagus and white cauliflower.
"This should look good."
Click.
I took one shot, then changed the angle.
This time, an overhead shot from above.
To get the perfect shot, I climbed onto the chair.
I heard tutting from around me, but I paid no mind.
Click. Click.
After a few more flashes, I nodded in satisfaction.
This turned out plenty good.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
The broker finally asked.
Only then did I pick up my fork.
But my interest had long since shifted away from the food's taste.
'What should the title be? Gotta post it at dawn...'
I poked at the food while thinking that.
For a long while, only the clinking of plates and cutlery echoed between us.
The broker snapped me out of my daydream.
"President, I have something to say about company operations."
"Yes?"
I looked up, mid-peeling a shrimp.
Company? What was this out of nowhere?
The broker wiped his mouth with a napkin and continued.
"This might not be the place for it. But I think you should know."
His expression was serious. I shrugged.
"It's fine. Go ahead."
"Our company, One Star Management, isn't in a normal situation right now."
"Why?"
I asked out of genuine curiosity.
I'd heard there were no issues on paper.
The broker would've handled everything perfectly by now.
He gave a wry smile.
"Because the only employees are me, and you, the president. Just the two of us."
"Oh."
I nodded then.
Yeah, now that he mentioned it.
Me, the nominal president, and him, handling all the actual operations. That was our entire company.
He was right.
I'd never intended to run a proper company.
It was just a shell to give the broker uncle a legitimate salary.
"Do you know what other people think of our company?"
"No idea?"
"They think it's Jeong Man-ho's shell company for tax evasion."
"Pfft...!"
I nearly spat out my orange juice.
Jeong Man-ho. Former owner of the Daejeon Tower, now my neighbor showering me with gifts.
It was a ridiculous misunderstanding, but from the outside, it might sound plausible.
A-rank Hunter Kim Han-byeol was registered unofficially, unknown to the world.
Then suddenly, 'One Star Management' pops up and gets delegated control of the Daejeon Tower.
And that company has close ties with Daejeon's fixture, Jeong Man-ho.
Anyone would assume he was behind it.
I didn't care much.
"So, is that a problem?"
"No. There's no real issue. If anything, it keeps unnecessary outside interference away. I just thought you should know the company's situation."
"I have no plans to expand the company."
That was my honest thought.
At my firm words, the broker paused.
Expand the company. Hire more staff, get a bigger office, grow the business.
Just thinking about it gave me a headache.
I hated complicated stuff like that. I didn't know much about it anyway.
And I had plenty of money already.
Just selling the magic stones I'd gathered from the Tower would let me live comfortably forever.
My goal wasn't to become Korea's top CEO.
Getting attention online, eating delicious food like this occasionally.
'And taking care of people around me sometimes. That's plenty.'
"For now, let's keep it as is. Just you and me."
At my answer, the broker fell silent.
He set down his knife and fork, looking at me with serious eyes.
"President."
"Yes."
"If it's okay, could I ask what your goals are?"
It was unexpected. My goals?
Hitting monthly best?
"I'm not asking about the company's vision or grand plans. I'm just curious what you personally want to achieve."
The broker's eyes were earnest.
He seemed to want to know what I was thinking, where I was headed.
I thought for a moment. My goals.
When I first awakened, they were clear.
Get attention online, hit the popular posts.
Honestly, that hadn't changed.
But was that all?
The people from Magic Gallery, the uncle in front of me. Sharon and the elves, dwarves I'd met in the Tower.
Before I knew it, so many relationships had intertwined.
I wasn't alone anymore.
"Well..."
I couldn't answer right away. No clear response came to mind.
Seeing my silence, the broker gave an awkward smile and shook his head.
"Forget it. I asked something unnecessary. Too heavy a question. Please disregard it."
He tried to change the subject.
But I could read worry and faint expectation in his eyes.
He hoped I had some clear personal goal.
I poked at the remaining food on my plate with my fork and muttered softly.
"For now, climbing the Tower. Not much else to do..."
That was the only sure answer I could give right now.
That short conversation about the company ended there.
We resumed eating in silence.
But unlike before, it wasn't awkward anymore.
It felt closer to comfortable.
I glanced at the broker.
He was cutting his meat with his usual unchanging expression.
I quietly brought a piece of sushi from my plate to my mouth.
I'd taken all the proof shots, so now it was time to enjoy the taste.
***
On the drive home.
I leaned my head against the window, eyes closed.
My full stomach made me drowsy.
Seoul's glittering nightscape flashed by outside.
The broker drove quietly, no radio or navigation on.
In the silent car, I glanced at his hands on the wheel. Familiar, steady movements.
Half-asleep, I mumbled.
"I could drive too."
"Don't talk nonsense."
The broker's reply was sharp.
I opened my eyes, indignant.
"I have a license, you know?"
A blatant lie, of course. But I said it without hesitation.
The broker let out a disbelieving chuckle.
"Even if you bring an S-rank Hunter license, I won't let you touch the wheel."
"I've done it before."
At my words, the broker's face hardened.
"What? When?"
His voice sharpened, formality gone in his shock.
Yawning, I replied indifferently.
"That time... when I went to Incheon..."
"When did you go to Incheon?"
Only then did I realize I'd slipped up.
"To take out Park Sang-cheol. Oh, didn't I tell you?"
Screeech-!
The car braked hard.
I barely kept from pitching forward.
"Uncle, drive properly?"
But the broker didn't respond.
He turned to me, hands gripping the wheel.
"... Association Chairman Park Sang-cheol?"
"Yeah. That guy was messing with you and Mr. Jeong Man-ho."
"Oh, my head..."
The broker let out a deep sigh.
He rested his forehead on the wheel, motionless for a while.
His shoulders trembled faintly.
I couldn't tell if he was laughing or crying.
"President."
"Yes?"
"From now on... before you go 'take out' someone, could you tell me first?"
His voice was close to pleading.
I nodded.
"Sure, I will."
Only after my answer did he start the engine again.
The car smoothly resumed gliding down the road as if nothing happened.
I leaned my head against the window again.
I thought his reaction was a bit over the top.
With that thought, I drifted off to sleep.
***
"President, we're here."
The broker called softly, but Kim Han-byeol didn't stir.
She must be fast asleep.
The broker hesitated a moment, then got out as if resolved.
Opening the back door revealed the child's defenseless face in the streetlight glow.
To anyone, it was the face of an ordinary, lovable little girl.
He wavered briefly. Should he wake her?
But rousing a soundly sleeping child didn't sit right.
"Haa..."
With a short sigh, he carefully leaned in and slid his arms under her.
'She's so light.'
The moment he picked her up, he was surprised despite himself.
A body light as a feather—impossible to believe it held power that could shake the world.
Where in this tiny frame was such destructive force hidden?
Holding her, he entered after punching in the front door code familiarly.
The utterly ordinary home of a child living alone.
The broker gently laid her on the bed.
He pulled the blanket up to her neck.
In her sleep, she stirred, murmuring faintly.
"Dogs... cold..."
He couldn't help but chuckle softly.
All the complicated thoughts from moments ago melted away like snow at that one sleepy mumble.
"Sleep well."
He whispered quietly, closed the door softly, and left.