The Facility Tour
"Do you... happen to need a janitor?"
After racking her brains, that was the absolute best response So Rihwa could muster. The Tang Family Group was an enterprise easily counted among the top five across the vast Central Plains. Even if their flagship arm was FourRiver Therapeutics—formerly known as Tangmun Pharmaceuticals—their other subsidiaries were massive conglomerates in their own right, demanding staggering credentials just to get a foot in the door.
"What nonsense are you talking about? A full-time regular employee, of course."
"...I'm sorry, but I haven't even finished compulsory education," Rihwa admitted, lowering her head in embarrassment. Having emerged straight from the deep mountains, she had never attended middle school, the minimum compulsory education in the Central Plains. Granted, she had graduated high school in her past life, so she was hardly uneducated, but what difference did that make here?
This was an era where an address mattered far more than the memories made within a home, where shoe size carried more weight than the paths one's feet had walked, and where a simple checkmark for marital status erased a lifetime of moments spent with those once loved. The modern world standardized everything into numbers and elevated that metric to absolute social consensus. And in such an era, the current So Rihwa possessed not a single shred of paper to prove her worth to society.
"That doesn't matter," Tang Munhyeon replied smoothly. "Haven't you heard? Over in South Korea, when the nation faced a crisis, major corporations scrambled to offer special recruitment to soldiers who voluntarily postponed their military discharge."
He continued with a measured, dignified cadence.
"Not just the Tang Clan, but every organization needs good people. And truly good people are exceedingly difficult to recognize. You can never discern character from a mere resume. The only reason we demand cover letters and resumes in the first place is that they serve as the sole screening filter available to us. A candidate from a prestigious university is simply statistically more likely to be diligent, upright, and intelligent compared to someone who isn't. Purely for that single probability."
"He's totally right, Rihwa. Think about how many chaebol heirs are complete scumbags even after receiving the highest levels of education," Dang Riah chimed in from the side. Both Eon Yehyang and Tang Bedeuro nodded along in agreement.
"Yet right now, I see in you the potential of a truly good person, Miss Rihwa. Good doesn't even begin to cover it—you are remarkable. Watching you stand tall without blaming the harsh storms of this world instilled a fleeting sense of reverence even in me. I honestly lack the confidence that I could maintain my dignity under such circumstances."
"...You flatter me far too much, Chairman."
"I am merely speaking from the heart."
Rihwa found herself squirming, unsure where to look. Whether the Tang family was simply exceptionally kind-hearted or remarkably naive, they seemed to vastly overestimate her.
"Besides, even graduates from top-tier universities need to be trained from scratch on the job. Whatever knowledge they acquire before entering the company proves utterly useless anyway."
"...Um."
From the godforsaken slums of Sinseong-gu to a full-time employee at a mega-conglomerate. As web novel titles went, that one didn't sound like it would sell particularly well. That was how completely surreal the offer felt to her.
"I understand this is bewildering for you. You aren't originally from Sichuan, so uprooting your entire life wouldn't be easy," Tang Munhyeon said gently. "Take your time to think it over tomorrow while touring our facilities."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea, darling," Eon Yehyang added warmly.
With the matriarch of the household chiming in with such grace, Rihwa couldn't bring herself to refuse outright. They were merely asking her to take a look; turning down even that would be cold-hearted.
"Understood..."
"Splendid. A wise choice. We'll arrange the tour tomorrow morning, then. We have plenty of spare rooms, so feel free to pick whichever one you like for tonight. You can ask the housekeeper."
"What are you talking about, Father? She's sleeping in my room," Dang Riah cut in before Rihwa could utter a word.
Then again, Rihwa figured sharing a room with Riah would be far more comfortable than spending the night alone in such an unfamiliar mansion.
"Is that so? Then by all means. Just don't stay up too late. Miss Rihwa has a big day of touring ahead of her."
"Sir, yes sir!" Riah replied with a playful salute.
Having never served in the military, her form was delightfully awkward, but what could you expect?
"Well then, see you tomorrow morning."
Tang Munhyeon and Eon Yehyang stepped out of the reception parlor, clearly intending to leave the youngsters to themselves. Rihwa assumed Tang Bedeuro would follow his parents, but he lingered by the doorway, shifting hesitantly and glancing between them.
"My dearest, only sister..."
"...?"
The moment Bedeuro opened his mouth, Riah's expression soured as though she had just bitten into fermented stinky tofu. When she glared back in utter contempt without bothering to answer, he hurriedly scrambled to speak.
"I mean, well, we're all around the same age, right? I don't know what you two have planned, but wouldn't three people be much more fun? Like, playing board games or whatever..."
"Hey."
Riah tilted her head with a chilling crack of her neck, fixing him with a deadpan stare. The lethal aura leaking from her eyes made Bedeuro visibly flinch.
"The Seventh Commandment: Thou shalt not commit adultery."
"Wh-What?! Where the hell did that come from all of a sudden?!" Bedeuro squawked, horrified by the explosive accusation.
"You've been sneaking glances at Rihwa this whole time, and it's thoroughly disgusting me. Staring like that counts as visual adultery in my book."
"That's insane! Miss So is going to get the wrong idea!"
"Denying it three times wasn't enough for Peter, so now you're going for a fourth?"
"Cut the bullshit, would you?!"
Even as he yelled, Bedeuro couldn't bring himself to meet Rihwa's eyes. Rihwa had been so absorbed in her conversation with the chairman that she hadn't paid any attention to him, but Riah had clearly observed his every micro-expression.
"Stop scheming and get lost before I bury you."
"...I wasn't scheming..."
Seeing him getting berated so ruthlessly made Rihwa feel a twinge of pity. Whenever Riah wiped the expression from her face, she radiated an intensely frosty aura, which made the dressing-down look even harsher.
"...I hope we might have a chance to get acquainted later, Miss So," Bedeuro mumbled politely.
"Ah, yes. Of course."
Feeling somewhat bad for the battered brother, Rihwa offered him a gentle smile. The sight stunned Bedeuro into another daze, but the moment Riah raised a fist and advanced a step, he bolted out of the parlor like a frightened rabbit—though not without bowing respectfully to Rihwa on his way out.
"Rihwa, no. You can't go smiling at a Human-Faced Spider like him," Riah chided. "It'll only encourage bad habits."
"...Ha, haha."
Calling her own flesh and blood a 'Human-Faced Spider'... Her treatment of her older brother was beyond ruthless; it bordered on savage.
"That's right. Keep those smiles just for me."
Now that only the two of them remained, Riah's arctic glare melted back into glorious springtime. It was genuinely fascinating how two such extreme expressions could exist on a single face.
"Should we wash up first?"
"Ah, yeah, sounds good."
"Let's do that. The bathtub in my en-suite bathroom is huge, so there's plenty of room for both of us."
"...Wait, what?"
Whether Riah failed to hear the question or simply chose to ignore it, she grasped Rihwa's hand and tugged her toward the second floor. Practically dragged along, Rihwa found herself led helplessly upstairs.
"It makes sense to start with our flagship business first. Unless, of course, there's a particular subsidiary in the Tang Family Group you're curious about?"
"...No, anywhere is fine with me."
"Haha, of course. I suppose it's hard to speak openly in front of me."
It wasn't just that; it was hard to say anything right now. To begin with, she still couldn't comprehend why she was riding in a limousine alongside the patriarch of a multi-billion-dollar corporate titan.
"Wait, Father, the chemical division is packed full of researchers. If Rihwa goes there, she won't understand a thing," Dang Riah interjected from beside her.
"...Hmm, is that so? There are administrative positions, of course, but our pharmaceutical arms do predominantly hire specialists."
As expected, Riah provided the much-needed assist. Earlier that morning, Bedeuro had clearly hovered around, looking desperate to join them, but Riah had hissed at him like an enraged cat with its tail stepped on, leaving just the three of them in the limousine.
"Driver Jang, change our destination to Tangmun Chemical Industries."
"Understood, Chairman."
I don't know anything about chemical industries either, though. In her previous life, Rihwa had been a humanities student whose primary academic interest was language arts. A twinge of regret washed over her—I should've chosen STEM back then—but it was far too late for that now.
"Honestly, pharmaceuticals don't have much to look at anyway," Riah said with a grin. "Tangmun Chemical is way more fun to see."
"Ah, right..."
Riah seemed genuinely thrilled to give her friend a tour. Rihwa smiled back, though her expression felt stiff and awkward. To be precise, things had become intensely awkward ever since they had bathed together the previous night. For someone who had lived as a hopelessly single virgin in their past life, the spectacle had been... far too stimulating.
Under Driver Jang's smooth handling, the limousine glided effortlessly toward Tangmun Chemical Industries. After roughly two hours on the highway, they arrived at a district known as Shuangliu, southwest of Chengdu.
Given that it housed chemical manufacturing complexes, the facility was situated well outside the densely populated urban core.
"Well then, let's head in."
Driver Jang parked the vehicle, swiftly walked around, and opened the door for Tang Munhyeon. The chairman stepped out with practiced elegance, followed closely by Riah. Rihwa exited last, offering Driver Jang a polite bow. In return, the chauffeur smiled warmly and dipped his head in acknowledgment.
"I sent a message ahead during our drive, asking them to set aside a few demonstration samples," Tang Munhyeon remarked.
"It's been a while since I visited the chemical plant myself," Riah noted.
"And what business would a fashion design student have in an industrial park?"
Her father's gentle scolding made Riah pout slightly. Clearly, majoring in fashion design had not been the career path Tang Munhyeon envisioned for his daughter.
"Welcome, Chairman," a man greeted as they approached.
"Yes. Division Head, what about the request I mentioned?"
"Everything is prepared in Performance Testing Chamber Alpha, sir. You only need to observe."
"Excellent."
The Tang father and daughter, accompanied by Rihwa, followed the Division Head into what was called Testing Chamber Alpha—or more accurately, an observation gallery overlooking it. Beyond a massive pane of thick, reinforced glass, a variety of military-grade weapons were neatly arranged in rows.
"Tangmun Chemical also serves as a defense contractor," Tang Munhyeon explained. "This facility develops and manufactures advanced weaponry. It's a venture I follow with great personal interest, especially given an ongoing project we're currently researching."
Well, if any clan could become a national defense contractor, it'd definitely be the Tang Clan. Rihwa nodded in understanding. After all, countless martial arts novels depicted the Tang Clan as masters of metallurgy and blacksmithing as well as poisons.
"There is no need to be frightened," Tang Munhyeon added reassuringly. "The glass in front of us is specially reinforced; it wouldn't shatter even if an artillery shell hit it directly. Though, of course, this chamber is only used for small arms and infantry munitions."
"I see."
Naturally. Why would anyone install fragile glass in a weapons testing facility? Folding her hands politely in front of her, Rihwa observed the display.
"Allow me to present them one by one," the Division Head said.
"Proceed."
"First is the D2. It is currently the standard-issue service rifle distributed throughout the Central Plains Armed Forces."
After giving a brief summary, the Division Head spoke into his radio to coordinate with the personnel inside the firing range.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Despite the thick reinforced glass, the gunshots rang out with crisp clarity. For Rihwa, whose martial senses were exceptionally honed, the concussive sound was loud enough to make her eyelids twitch. Had she not fired real rifles during her mandatory military service in her previous life, she would have jumped out of her skin.
The weapon demonstrations continued from there. Just as Riah had promised, the spectacle was undeniably entertaining. Who would have thought she'd live to see the Central Plains military's cutting-edge arsenal tested right before her eyes?
From automatic firearms to specialized explosives, Rihwa watched in a daze. It felt like watching a live-action war blockbuster unfolding right in front of her.
"Lastly, we have the hand grenade currently under development—the Myriad Blossoms Rain," the Division Head announced. "As the name implies, this weapon was conceived by analyzing the profound principles behind the Tang Clan's ultimate secret technique, the Myriad Blossoms Rain. It is a drastically improved munition compared to standard grenades, boasting a shrapnel dispersion radius at least twice that of conventional ordnances."
...Wait, wasn't 'Myriad Blossoms Rain' originally used by Hong Qigong, the Nine-Fingered Divine Beggar of the Beggars' Sect? The inner martial arts boomer within Rihwa screamed in protest. Of course, voicing that wuxia trivia directly in front of the Tang family head would probably get her volunteered as the next live test target for the grenade, so she wisely kept her mouth shut. Still, naming a grenade 'Myriad Blossoms Rain' was amusing in its own right.
"This has been one of my greatest personal interests lately," Tang Munhyeon remarked, his voice brimming with pride. "The Myriad Blossoms Rain. Even as an explosive ordnance, it embodies the aesthetic heritage of our Tang Clan."
He was clearly immensely proud of this prototype.
"Commencing test," the Division Head called out.
Following his command, a researcher inside lobbed the Myriad Blossoms Rain upward.
KABOOM!
Just as the division head had described, the moment the grenade detonated, a lethal cloud of clustered shrapnel burst forth in an all-encompassing blanket. The blast completely obliterated the target scarecrow, shredding it until not a single trace remained.
"Well, what do you think? Isn't it magnificent?" Tang Munhyeon laughed heartily. "We didn't bestow the name 'Myriad Blossoms Rain' lightly."
Rihwa stared blankly at the pulverized crater where the grenade had gone off.
To her trained eyes, enhanced by internal cultivation, the explosion had unfolded in vivid slow motion.
Granted, Rihwa had never witnessed the true Myriad Blossoms Rain in real life either. She had only ever read about it in web novels and legends. Yet as a true martial artist, she could state one thing with absolute certainty.
That grenade did not contain even a shred of the true essence of Myriad Blossoms Rain.
There was no trace of martial refinement woven into the dispersion of shrapnel—no Hardness, no Softness, no Swiftness, no Dominance, and no Heaviness. The transcendent martial comprehension granted to her as compensation for the Nine Yin Severed Meridians made her entirely certain of it. What they had built was nothing more than an overpowered fragmentation grenade.
"...That," Rihwa murmured softly.
"That isn't the Myriad Blossoms Rain. Not in the slightest."
At those quiet words, the eyes of the Tang father, daughter, and Division Head snapped wide in utter shock.