Chapter 167. A Gentlemanly Handling
Chapter 167. A Gentlemanly Handling
The meeting room buzzed with more energy than ever.
Especially the self-satisfied smile worn by the CEO at the very head of the table.
"Ten million dollars. You're saying the contract was finalized for that amount?"
He leaned back calmly, folding his arms across his chest as he asked again.
His eyes were sharp, and the corners of his mouth were twisted.
He was like a predator sinking its teeth mercilessly into the nape of someone's neck.
"Yes. That is 140 billion won in Han currency."
The presenter nodded cautiously.
A smile lingered on his face as well.
"The moment he heard the figure... he seemed to mull it over, then signed immediately."
The CEO tapped his fingers against the tablet resting on the table.
Then, the personal information of the streamer 'Han' appeared on the screen.
"What a... heartbreaking family history."
The income he earned each month went toward supporting his family's livelihood.
It might only be 140 billion won to them, but to him, it was an astronomical sum.
A figure of 'rescue' he had never once held in his hands.
"Well, the world is unfair by nature."
The CEO made the remark with a sneer, glancing around the room.
"But now I'm hearing talk of renegotiation?"
His voice dropped slightly, and the atmosphere froze over.
"...Yes. Some are voicing the opinion that the amount might have been excessively low..."
"Renegotiation?"
"..."
The CEO smirked.
"This isn't like making plans with a friend. Do you think something like that is even possible?"
Laughter rippled through the meeting room.
The other executives nodded as well, letting out wry smiles.
The CEO tapped the tablet again.
"The amount Song Hoon won in the auction last time."
The transaction details from the Baekdu Mountain Gate appeared on the screen.
150 billion won.
This time, it was a mere 14 billion.
A tenth of the price.
Moreover, since the full payment was made immediately upon signing the contract, the goods absolutely had to be delivered.
"He signed the contract, and we've already transferred the money. We haven't committed a single illegal act. Is there any problem on our end?"
When the CEO looked around and asked, the executives answered in unison, "No, sir."
"Or did one of us visit him holding a knife and threaten him to sign?"
The contract had been crafted within the bounds of the law, but far outside the bounds of morality.
A penalty clause was already included.
Liability for damages in case of breach, recovery of goods or payment in kind if repayment was impossible.
It was a trap impossible to escape, just shy of violating public order and decency.
"Well... If he breaches the contract and pays us back, that's a good outcome in its own way."
Satisfaction filled his eyes.
For him, either way was a win.
Receiving the goods was a jackpot, and if the contract was broken, he'd collect the penalty.
"Even a simple calculation yields more than ten times the profit. And if we utilize this byproduct, it will increase even further."
---
The streamer 'Han' was originally a young man who sang songs.
Coming from a less-than-affluent family, he jumped straight into the workforce right after graduating high school.
He was an office worker who spent his free time uploading cover songs to Nutube as a hobby.
By a stroke of luck, the algorithm picked him, giving him a chance to grow.
He streamed in whatever time he could squeeze out between daily life and work, and gradually, requests for collaborative streams started coming in.
Slowly, but surely, he grew.
'It's fun... Talking with people and singing.'
A few days ago, a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck came his way.
A gate collaborative stream with the Unknown Hunter.
Inside, he obtained the byproduct of an S-rank monster.
'M-Me too...!'
This news spread to various corporations, and one day, an official quietly paid him a visit.
The document read:
- Upon signing the contract, the full payment (USD $10,000,000) will be remitted at once. Goods inspection will occur after future delivery.
In that instant, his heart raced.
'The current exchange rate was... Whoa! 14 billion won...!?'
The thoughts that flashed through his mind were simple.
The mortgage on his house.
His younger sibling's part-time job.
Replacing his parents' old compact car with a new imported model.
'W-We could even go on a family trip together...'
He was someone who had been at odds with society since his youth.
He wasn't blinded by the money sitting right in front of him.
He quietly read the contract over and over.
'Payment in advance. And I hand over the goods later? What would they do if I ran away...'
The terms were overwhelmingly favorable to him.
The only worst-case scenario he could imagine was if Song Hoon didn't hand the item over to him...
After thinking it over for a moment, Han shook his head.
'He's not that kind of person...'
And so, he signed the contract.
At that moment, after waiting an hour, the sum of 14 billion won really did appear in his account.
The man sitting across from him smiled, offering a handshake.
"Haha, it took a little time due to international transfers and other tax processing... but anyway, thank you for the deal."
---
With a joyful heart, he turned on his stream.
The viewers—not many, but the ones who had stuck with him from the very beginning.
[Ah... Congratulations]
[Yeah, don't just stay home all the time, go spend some money]
[You always said you wanted to buy your parents a new car, now you really can lol congrats]
Just then, a donation message popped up.
[ HanAudioPls has donated 5,000 Watts! ]
- But isn't 1.4 billion a bit low? When Song Hoon did it, it was 150 billion...
Han narrowed his eyes.
Looking at the nickname, this wasn't just a simple troll.
This was a viewer he'd been chatting with for a long time.
"That's a bit different... That one was a boss monster, and mine is a normal monster corpse. And its condition was a bit poor, too..."
In fact, that's what he'd been told and understood during the contract signing.
Even as a gate novice, he knew the value of a boss monster differed from that of a normal monster.
[ HanAudioPls has donated 5,000 Watts! ]
- Even so, isn't a 10x difference a bit weird? I'm not in this industry either, so I don't know for sure...
Upon hearing this, Han paused for a moment.
Those words kept circling his mind.
Something felt off.
The contract was finalized.
The money was in his account.
'No... but still, it's 14 billion won...'
14 billion won.
That was an amount an ordinary person could never touch in their lifetime.
But perhaps...
Unbeknownst to himself, a suspicion began to bloom that he might have sold it for a pittance.
This wasn't greed.
Some might say he should be more than satisfied with receiving 14 billion won.
But that was only true if he'd been paid a fair price.
"Ah, no, it's fine... F-First, today's content is the song you requested last time...!"
Pretending to be calm, he continued the stream and wrapped it up without a hitch.
Yet, the suspicion continued to spread in his heart.
"D-Do I know anyone around me who knows this stuff well..."
There was no one.
It couldn't be helped; this wasn't some lower-grade gate, but an S-rank gate's goods.
Not only did such goods rarely appear, but even when they did, they were traded privately in their own exclusive circles, making the information inaccessible to an ordinary person.
"..."
In the end, he shut his eyes tight, placed his hands on the keyboard, and began composing an email.
---
The foundation's main building, main conference room.
The floor was silent; only long, tense breaths filled the air.
There, curled up in a chair, sat a man—the streamer 'Han'.
Attorney Kim Tae-hyun, who had been tapping the papers with his finger, slowly shook his head.
"Haa... It's legally flawless. Truly... to a relentless degree."
His gaze flicked toward Han.
Within it lay a mixture of pity, anger, and deep exhaustion.
"They cleverly exploited your ignorance of the byproduct market. Under normal circumstances, this could constitute an unfair contract. But because of the uniquely scarce supply of S-rank monster corpses... an average market price simply does not exist."
Han hesitated before opening his mouth, asking carefully.
"...Then, the amount I should have actually received... approximately, how much would it have been?"
"Most likely... at minimum, you should have received two or three times this amount. If you had put it up for auction, it could have been far more. Considering not just the simple value of the item, but the connection to the Chairman..."
Han's lips trembled, and he dropped his head deeply.
It was a disaster brought on by ignorance.
He blamed himself for signing the contract presented to him without verifying anything.
— Tap, tap, tap...
Song Hoon was tapping his fingers on the desk.
As if lost in serious thought, he muttered to himself.
"So... they took advantage of him not knowing the market price and swindled him for cheap?"
At his words, Attorney Kim Tae-hyun nodded silently.
"And on top of that... they legally blocked off any potential future disputes, worried there might be talk?"
Finally, Song Hoon let out a long sigh.
"Ha... You people just never learn."
That instant.
"No, you must not!!!"
Attorney Kim Tae-hyun shot to his feet, shouting.
His face had turned pale as a ghost.
"Chairman! If you oppress them with force, there will surely be a tremendous backlash! They will say you are wielding overwhelming power recklessly...!"
At those words, Song Hoon chuckled.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it in a very gentlemanly manner."
Song Hoon looked at the young man with his head bowed down and spoke.
"Break that contract. I'll take care of the penalty fees."
---
— Kwoong...!
It was as if an illusion of the building itself shaking occurred.
"C-CEO... On the rooftop right now...!"
"...?"
At the words of his panicked-looking secretary, he headed to the rooftop with his staff.
There, a single massive bone fragment lay.
And on that bone, a note was left along with the streamer 'Han's' contract.
- Use this for the penalty, and donate the change to an orphanage, attaching the receipt.
"...?"
---
"Hey, Max... About that gate we went to the other day..."
"Reina, you know about PMCs made up of hunters..."
"Chen, does China ever use PMCs?"
He called everyone he knew.
Just like a friend calling a friend to share his worries...
- Seriously, how can a major corporation try to swindle an ordinary(?) citizen...?
They listened to his trouble counseling(?) with the utmost seriousness.
My friends(?) listened intently, chiming in as if my troubles were their own.
- Tsk tsk... To think a company that swindles citizens is still thriving... The world is truly going to the dogs...
He had merely shared his troubles with friends. He absolutely never oppressed them with force.