Chapter 31
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Recruiting Team Members! (2)
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"V...!"
He almost blurted out "Vice President!" without thinking, but Kangyul grabbed his arm tightly right next to him, forcing him to shut his mouth.
Jang Deokcheol glared at Kim Min-a through the rearview mirror.
'The V-Vice President is a chauffeur?!'
"Pardon? What did you say?"
"The s-seat's so soft! The car seats, I mean."
"Ho ho. You must be into that sort of thing? The young master's dad specially picked out a top-notch car for the kids. I don't know much about cars myself."
"I see."
Kim Min-a rubbed the seat absentmindedly, glancing around nervously.
'What in the world... How is the Vice President a driver?'
It was completely at odds with the image of the Vice President who commanded everything at the company with such charisma.
And right now, he just looked like an ordinary chauffeur.
"We've arrived, Madam."
"Thank you, Driver Jang."
Kim Min-a stared blankly at Jang Deokcheol until Park Jeong-a got out, finally snapping back to reality.
Kangyul patted Kim Min-a's arm.
"Kim Min-a, snap out of it."
"Ah... Yes! Got it."
The café was charming and beautiful, perched up a short flight of stone steps.
It had an outdoor terrace, and seasonal flowers bloomed vibrantly everywhere.
"I come here often because of the view. It's so rare to find natural scenery like this in Seoul."
"Wow, you're right. It's gorgeous."
Park Jeong-a chuckled as Kim Min-a gaped at the surroundings.
"What would you like, Teacher?"
"Americano for me."
Park Jeong-a ordered three Americanos and one lemonade.
She added a few slices of cake as well.
"Driver Jang, the teacher and I will chat over there for a bit, so have some cake with Kangyul."
"Yes, ma'am."
'...Ugh. They're going off to talk alone?'
Kangyul's heart skipped anxiously, but Kim Min-a seemed unfazed.
Her eyes widened at the cakes the server brought.
"Wow, they're so pretty."
Kangyul shot Kim Min-a a worried glance as he headed to the opposite side with Jang Deokcheol.
"Ugh, what could they be talking about that's taking so long?"
Kangyul sprawled out on the large sofa.
"President, it's not even been 30 minutes yet."
Jang Deokcheol tried to reassure the anxious Kangyul.
But even 30 minutes felt like an eternity to Kangyul.
He had no idea what they were discussing, but the occasional laughter from Kim Min-a and Park Jeong-a suggested things were going well.
"Kim Min-a's smart, so she'll handle it fine. Don't worry too much. Anyway, try this cake. It's not too sweet and really delicious."
Jang Deokcheol poked at a carrot cake slice with a fork in a way that didn't suit him at all.
His relaxed demeanor only frustrated Kangyul more.
'Ugh, I'm the only one stressing out here.'
But soon, the sound of chairs scraping signaled the end of their talk.
Jang Deokcheol and Kangyul hurried over to Park Jeong-a and Kim Min-a.
The mood between them was warm and friendly.
"Teacher, this was so much fun. Let's grab coffee again sometime."
"Yes, Young Master Kangyul's mother."
Kim Min-a glanced at the worried Kangyul and grinned.
'...What's with that smile?'
"It's later than I thought. I'll head straight to the office, Mom. Kangyul, listen to the teacher."
"Okay."
Park Jeong-a planted a quick kiss on Kangyul's cheek and left without another word.
The moment the car vanished from sight, Kangyul bombarded Kim Min-a.
"Kim Min-a, what took you two so long?"
"Nothing much. Just girl talk, you know?"
"Girl talk?"
Kim Min-a nodded.
"Turns out your mom is the president of a fashion brand."
"Yeah, Oent, right?"
"Yes, Oent! The outfit I'm wearing is Oent. She noticed and asked if I liked this style, what I liked about it, stuff like that."
'Oh. So it wasn't about me—just some fashion chat?'
Kangyul let out a sigh of relief.
Seeing this, a mischievous glint sparked in Kim Min-a's eyes as she teased him.
"We also talked about you, President."
"About me?"
"Yeah. She said back in kindergarten, you brought home the kid you liked and had a big fuss."
Kangyul tilted his head, then remembered An Sojeong and chuckled.
"It wasn't like that. I was just helping her out."
"Pfft, that's not what your mom said. Apparently, when that girl went abroad, you couldn't even eat properly for a while?"
"...That was because I stayed up all night with Bitcoin... Ugh, whatever. Let's just head to the office."
Kangyul walked ahead, ignoring Kim Min-a's giggling.
Im Honggyu was waiting by the roadside car, waving.
'Mom sure shares everything.'
Kangyul felt a twinge of embarrassment, but relief that it had gone well overshadowed it.
"President, ride together!"
Kim Min-a followed Kangyul into the car.
The moment Kangyul arrived at the office, he fired up the computer.
With Im Honggyu there too, he figured they could practice Sudden Attack as a full four-man squad.
"Im Honggyu, you have the maps down, right?"
"Yes, I've practiced them all at home whenever I could."
"Good. Everyone, log in."
Kangyul logged in from the president's office computer, while Kim Min-a and Im Honggyu used the office ones.
They all wore the headsets Kangyul had bought them.
President, you're here! Been waiting right on time.
Sorry I'm late today due to some stuff. Shall we start right away?
Kangyul created a room and invited the team.
Tteut, hi^^
Yeah, hurry up. President's waiting.
Late cuz of President today. It's fine, right? >_
No chit-chat, let's get started!
'Why hasn't Im Honggyu joined yet?'
Honggyu, sent you the invite. Hop in quick.
Yes! Coming in now!
Im Honggyu joined the room immediately.
But his ID wasn't the one Kangyul remembered.
Sorry for being late. Had to handle something urgent.
'Charming Man Honggyu? That's a couple ID with Kim Min-a, no question.'
What the—? Why's your ID matching mine?! You did that on purpose!
Huh? No, it just ended up that way.
They'd been hanging out a lot lately, bickering playfully, and it looked like feelings were budding.
Im Honggyu even appeared often in "Meerkat's Horror Games."
His stoic demeanor contrasted perfectly with the easily scared Kim Min-a.
Kangyul nodded, envious of their youth.
'That's the age for it.'
Okay, save the lovey-dovey for later. Let's grind hard!
It's not lovey-dovey!
Kangyul ignored Kim Min-a and hit start.
Kangyul, Hot-Blooded Man, and Kim Min-a were all pretty skilled.
Their teamwork improved with every practice, boosting their clan war record.
The problem was Im Honggyu.
Why do you keep carrying that M16? It's trash.
I was top marksman in the army with this M16.
Then go shoot it in the army! This is Sudden Attack. That's a training gun. Switch to AK-47. That's the meta!
His aggressive rushes were fine, but his aim was disastrously bad.
Death cams showed him sometimes just scraping walls and dying without hitting enemies.
'...He's not even carrying his weight.'
Even Hot-Blooded Man whispered privately, asking if they really had to keep him on the team.
'First, let's just gather a squad.'
Kangyul recruited clan members while playing.
He'd wanted "Midas Clan," but it was taken, so he went with "Midas A."
Requirements were high: Major rank, 60%+ K/D, 5+ hours daily playtime. Few applicants.
Even those who tried out usually fell short.
'Just need one good one...'
Midas A clan master, can me and my friend try out?
Sure. Rifle? Sniper?
I can do both. Friend's a sniper main.
'Hmm. I can test sniper, Kim Min-a on rifle.'
Kangyul made a new room and invited [Snape] and [Charming Girl Min-a].
Hi. Inviting my friend too.
Nice to meet you.
Kangyul chuckled at their IDs.
'Harry Potter's the sniper, Snape's rifle?'
They tested sniper first: 5 rounds each at A and B zones in 3 Supply Depot.
Decent sense and solid skills.
'Way better than Im Honggyu, like a billion times.'
Then Snape's rifle test.
"Whoa, insane!"
Kangyul let out an involuntary exclamation.
Kim Min-a was great, but Snape toyed with her level.
Every shot looked like a hack—headshots galore.
'But why's their win rate only 60%?'
The answer came right after the test.
We've just been practicing together, so K/D didn't go up much.
They both lived near Midas Corporation too.
You're in. Let's crush the tourney! ^^
Yes! Thanks!
We'll work hard!
Kangyul felt much more relieved with the new recruits.
But Snape's next words made Kangyul jump in shock.