Hammock Bliss and Hefty Paychecks
"It's so nice and warm."
Right you are!
"Yeah."
The three of us lay side by side in the hammock strung up in the yard in front of the house, basking in the gentle sunlight. Do-cheol was also soaking up the rays with its solar panels fully deployed. It was early July now. Perfect weather for enjoying the sun. Any later, and it'd get too hot to do this.
Sipping sweet orange juice while savoring the cool river breeze of Cha-sun-myeon in Gangwon-do. After days on end at the Hunter Association and Gu-guk Guild surrounded by crowds, being in this quiet spot felt like it was restoring my sanity on its own.
"Is this what they call the 'I' in MBTI?"
"Huh? What's that, Soo-hyeok?"
That's correct! It's an indicator for introverted types who prefer staying home—timid folks, basically.
"Hey, 'timid' is a bit much, don't you think?"
Is it? Big data says I-types are mostly remote workers or shut-ins...
"Ah, shut up. Enough."
Got it!
Do-cheol was ticking away again, probably offended or something. But I'd gotten used to its little tantrums by now. It'd quiet down if I told it to, anyway.
Snap.
"Ahh~ Feels so good."
It had been two days since the Gu-guk Guild dispatch ended. Still early enough to slack off a bit.
"Oppa!"
"Whoa! You scared me."
I was finally enjoying some downtime, and here came Sujin first thing in the morning.
"What's up?"
"Check this out!"
Sujin shoved her phone in my face without warning.
"Ooh yeah."
The amount was so huge it made me whistle involuntarily. How much was that, exactly?
"Seven hundred and forty million!"
"S-seven hundred forty million?"
"Yep! From that dispatch gig! Hehehe!"
Sujin grinned, thrilled at the massive sum flooding her account. Honestly, 740 million won was worth celebrating.
"Why'd they pay so much?"
"Probably 'cause you took down the dungeon master solo? You told me about it."
Sujin had been there for the Masinjeon raid, so she knew the gist. Of course, I'd skipped the part about chomping Abaddon's head in rage.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"Whoa. They give 740 million after taxes. No wonder it's Gu-guk Guild."
"Sujin, this is your bro speaking."
"Heh heh. Still too early to get cocky?"
Sujin didn't stop there. She smirked and showed me two emails.
"Business cooperation?"
I read the email Sujin showed me carefully. In summary, demand for Seondo Peaches had spiked, and they wanted us to secure more supply.
Jackpot. It hit big.
That's why I'd spread those big, plump ones at Gu-guk Guild.
"Heh heh."
"Told ya retiring was the right call! Eheheh."
It'd been just over four months since I returned from the other world. My earnings so far were pushing 1 billion won, by my count. Sujin's smile hadn't left her face, but money was meant to be spent.
"Sujin."
"Yeah!"
"What should we do with the dispatch payout?"
"Uhmm..."
Sujin furrowed her brow; she hadn't thought that far.
"Let's go out to eat, Sujin."
Yelena chimed in from the side.
"Haha! Eating out? We can do that plenty! We've got over 500 million in liquid cash right now."
A bit less than I'd guessed, but about right. Guild fees, taxes, and such would eat up a chunk.
"What can 500 million buy?"
"Pfft. With 500 million, you could eat gold leaf."
"Gold? Why eat gold, Soo-hyeok."
"Sigh, it's just a figure of speech."
Yelena pretended not to hear and scrolled her phone for restaurants.
"This place looks good. Staff keeps slicing meat for you."
Ugh. Meat.
"Ooh! Meat sounds great! Days like this call for some serious grilling. No big expenses yet, so let's splurge. What do ya say?"
Sujin was hyped about meat, oblivious to my bro's preferences. She didn't know how much I favored veggies over meat these days.
Well, before Jellun, I had a normal appetite. Actually liked meat back then.
Sujin picking up my tastes from back then made sense. No one could understand twenty years of force-fed bloody slabs.
"Don't worry, Soo-hyeok. They have good salads too."
"...Okay."
Yelena's words were some consolation.
"Alright then!"
I finished the orange juice from the hammock.
"Do-cheol."
Yes, yes?
"You heard? Demand for Seondo Peaches went up."
Y-yes.
"Once you're charged, let's get to work. Okay?"
Okay...
"Just five trees today. Cool?"
......
"Answer me."
Yes, Master.
"Heh heh."
The restaurant Yelena picked was decent enough. The staff slicing meat tableside wasn't thrilling, but the salads were novel. Plenty of tropical fruits too. A satisfying meal overall.
* * *
"As expected."
A week after the Gu-guk Guild dispatch. After checking several Abyss-type dungeons in Korea, I'd scored one otherworld crop.
Reincarnation Mushroom.
It looked just like the bomb truffle mushroom, but this was the potion ingredient.
"Grew near Death Canyon."
I'd harvested it from a B-rank Abyss dungeon near Jeonnam. Seeing Jellun-native plants there confirmed it.
Dungeons and the otherworld share the same ecosystem.
Their connection was undeniable. But that was the limit.
"Wish I knew a 1st gen awakener."
Lee Shin-yul was 1st gen, but as Korea's No.1, not someone to bother lightly.
"...Ah."
A brilliant idea hit, and I acted on it.
Beep beep boop.
[Hello?]
The call connected in seconds. An irritated voice.
Jin So-wol, Cheonma Group's director.
"Hahaha. Long time no talk. How've you been?"
What do you want?
Jin So-wol growled lowly. Sorry, but I don't scare easy. Tempted to tell her to cut the attitude, but it'd backfire on her type.
Even a cornered rat bites a cat.
Flatter a bit, get what I want—that's it.
"Nothing much. Just checking in after ages."
[......]
"Heard you snagged the most shares after Chairman Cheon, thanks to me?"
[Hmph. Got nothing better to do than dig into others?]
"Dig? It's right there in news searches. Why would I bother snooping?"
[Grr...!]
Her voice trembled—she was at her limit. Time to stop teasing.
"No biggie. If you're in Korea, lunch? Got some questions."
[Questions?]
"Yeah."
Fine. But I pick the spot.
"Heh. Thanks."
Click. She hung up right after. A timid rebellion, but no skin off my nose.
We met at a fugu restaurant in Gangnam. Nothing to do, so I arrived ten minutes early.
Slurp.
I sipped the complimentary green tea while waiting. Its subtle aroma tickled pleasantly—high-end stuff.
"Nice."
Fitting for a Cheonma director. The interior was top-notch too. Outdoor terrace seat, orchids shielding from exhaust. Warm afternoon sun. The leisure felt good.
"Menu's meh though."
Fugu was fish, fish was meat. No sashimi mood, but fugu hotpot caught my eye. That might work.
"Hmph. Early bird, huh."
A familiar voice as I scanned the menu. Long black hair—So-wol glaring daggers.
"Ah, just got here early. Nothing going on today. Haha."
I glanced at my phone. Tick. Right on time as I finished speaking.
"Whoa, spot on! Like you timed it."
"...Not as free as some."
She'd waited in the parking lot till the dot. Too proud to arrive early for me.
Heh.
Imagining her sulking in the car was funny, but I kept a straight face for her dignity.
"So, what're your questions?"
So-wol sat slouched, lips pursed.
"Whoa, easy. Eat first? All for food and survival."
"......"
I ordered fugu hotpot. Pre-Jellun, a treat for client dinners. Casual lunch hotpot at a fugu spot? Yeah, I'd made it.
"Here, have some first."
I picked out fugu slices onto a side plate for her. She eyed it like trash at first, then reluctantly chopsticked some.
"Man, this broth is good."
I stuck to broth and veggies; So-wol frowned.
"No meat?"
"Nah, meat's tasteless."
"......"
Luckily, she liked meat and quietly ate the slices. Once the pot neared empty, I spoke.
"Nothing major. Close with the other Cheonma directors?"
"What..."
Her softened face from the meat soured again.
"Never mind."
I shrugged. Figured as much. Their board behavior screamed bad blood.
"Most Cheonma directors are 1st gen awakeners, right?"
"...Yes."
She nodded curtly.
"So some from Abyss types?"
"Abyss?"
She echoed, then got it and raised a brow.
"That hypothesis. Dungeons and otherworlds share roots."
"Yep."
"Why ask?"
Intrigued, she leaned in.
"Personal curiosity. Would like to meet an Abyss-origin 1st gen if possible."
"Ah."
She rolled her eyes, smirked faintly, leaned back, crossed legs.
"Want me to set up a meet with a 1st gen?"
"Smart as always."
"Heh, what if I say no?"
Classic So-wol. Already posturing.
But expected.
"Then I'll make it worth your while."
I pulled a gift from my bag.
"...What's that? Mushroom?"
She tilted her head, then eyes widened in recognition.
"Th-that's..."
"You know it? Called it Reincarnation Mushroom."
The one Section Chief Kim Ji-seon mistook in Masinjeon. If it distracted her, it was rare. So-wol reacted the same.
Original's safe at home.
Do-cheol grew a clone. Trickier than Seondo Peaches.
"You cultivated this too?"
"Yeah. Experimental, but scalable with effort. Though Seondo Peaches keep us busy—might shelve it."
"Hmm..."
"What do ya think? Supplying Reincarnation Mushrooms too would boost your position big time."
Her lips twitched, conflicted. Annoyed at helping me, but tempted.
"Still no? Fine then."
As I repocketed it, she grabbed my hand.
Only one answer left.
"...Fine. I'll set up the Abyss 1st gen meet."