Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Slum Ga-eul
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"The most important thing in this operation is self-hypnosis."
💬 Live Chat — Anonymous [What's that?] — Anonymous [Like a secret agent who loses their memory, infiltrates enemy lines, and snaps awake on a keyword?] "Fuck off, that's way too cliché."
— Anonymous [lolololololol] — Anonymous [Fucking hilarious lololol] "Like this. I'm pretty."
— Anonymous [That's true tho] — Anonymous [Cheating with straight facts] "I'm a total cutie."
— Anonymous [True lololol] — Anonymous [Fr lol] "I'm fucking adorable."
I repeat it to myself, slowly making my way forward.
— Guild Leader Bitch [Our guild leader's finally lost it lololol] — Anonymous [Protect the leader] My target: the seat next to Herman.
I skip over with bouncy steps and hook my arm through his.
"Grampy~"
— Guild Leader Bitch [Why'd Guild Leader Bitch's tongue get so short all of a sudden] — Anonymous [Fucking gross] "Urk."
— Anonymous [Operation total fail in the shittiest way] — Anonymous [Fucking hold it in for at least a second lololol] — Anonymous [Dry heave one-shot kill lol] "Hm?"
Herman, caught in this bizarre situation, is dazed for only a moment. Then, like the veteran he is, his eyes shift instantly to those of a kindly grandfather.
"Yes, Ga-eul. Having fun?"
"Yesss~ It's a blast."
Herman, who always calls me 'Miss Ga-eul,' jumps right into this baseless role-play. Seeing him smile warmly and pat my head, I almost can't tell if it's acting or real anymore.
"You full?"
"I stuffed myself with Dennis and Grandpa Kamar."
"Hoho. Good girl."
As I'm chatting and laughing with Herman, I feel an intense gaze from up ahead.
"Ahem, Mr. Melville. Mind introducing me to this lovely lady?"
I look frontward to see a spry old man beaming at me and a strung-out junkie with a face like death.
"I was wondering where that fucking lethally cheesy smile came from..."
— Anonymous [Aaaah crazy bitch, act! ACT!] — Anonymous [Act, you psycho! Operation Cute Overload!!] I mutter under my breath, and Herman's face stiffens slightly. Even so, the old man's eyes are locked on the whale badge pinned to my chest.
"My dear friend."
"Ah, I see. You two look so perfect together, I thought you were family."
Everyone knows Herman Melville never married even in old age, yet this guy's spouting nonsense.
"Hoho, she's like a granddaughter to me."
"Oho, is that so. Pleased to meet you. I'm Kundong Chaopha. I run a modest food and beverage business in Thailand."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Ga-eul."
"Out of the blue, but do you have a fiancé? If not, how about my son? Not that I'm biased, but he's quite capable. Looks-wise, he takes after me—no need to mention that, and also..."
The junkie's dad starts yapping, and things escalate fast. If I let this go on, my brain might explode.
As his endless intro drones on, I point at the junkie like I've just noticed him.
"Huh? Gramps! That guy's the one who was snorting powder off his nose earlier, hitting on me, then got chewed out by Dennis and chased off!"
"Wh-what? No!! I don't even have drugs!"
The junkie flails his hands in panic.
"You piece of shit, so what was that powder up your nose, flour? Fucking asshole."
— Anonymous [K powder lmao] — Guild Leader Bitch [Leader bitch got split personality fr? lol] Both of them stare at me like I've gone insane out of nowhere.
"You fuckers put drugs in your drinks too, right? Selling noodles with poppy powder sprinkled on—fits you to a T."
"Ga-eul. Calm down and tell me the details."
Herman soothes my 'agitation,' so I catch my breath and speak.
"I was out smoking earlier, and that bas—... that guy comes up with powder all over his nose, calling me pretty and grinning like an idiot."
"Hmm, and then?"
"Yeah, so I politely asked, 'Why you acting all lethal when you're a total shitstain?' And he goes, 'You know who I am? One flick of my finger and your life's over...' Boo-hoo."
— Anonymous [Phew crazy bitch lololol] — Anonymous [Guild leader got too honest after Dennis scolded her] — Anonymous [lololol no in-between] "Whoa, and that's how he answered your question?"
"Yes. Then he puffs out his chest like a retard asking if I know who he is, and there's a badge just like that guy's on his chest."
Dennis's eyes shift to Kundong Chaopha, and the father-son duo freezes stiff.
"M-my son wouldn't do that."
"Wouldn't he now. How about changing from Kundong to Condom? Looks like he was born wrong anyway."
Kundong Chaopha glares at me furiously, eyes twitching.
I cling tighter to Herman's arm.
"Eek. Don't glare like that—you make me wanna pull it out. Gramps, I'm scared!"
"I'll protect you, so don't worry. And teasing him this much should be enough."
Herman pats my head kindly, making my heart flutter.
"Hm, wasn't teasing. If Dennis hadn't shown up right then, I'd have smashed that junkie's limbs. Too bad."
My sweet tone hushes even the bystanders.
"Right, junkie? You owe Dennis your life, so hit his bakery every day and buy $100 worth of bread. Or die."
"..."
"Answer me."
"O-okay."
— Anonymous [Innovative psycho lololol] — Anonymous [Damn, that's our boss? Chest swelling with pride] — Anonymous [Leader's chest always majestic] — Anonymous [Fr lol] Baseless situation, baseless braindead chat spam from viewers.
"Dizzy..."
"Feeling sick?"
"Huh? No. But Gramps, can't you snatch their company? A firm run by a cokehead's gotta be a total dumpster fire."
"Oho. Interested in investing?"
Herman's eyes sparkle brighter than ever at my question.
"Nah, I know jack shit about that. Just asking."
"If you're talking hostile takeover, it's simpler than you think."
"Huh? Isn't investing all complicated?"
"Kuhuhu."
Herman suddenly laughs like Dennis. Guess hanging with my sis rubbed off on him too.
"Setting ethics aside, nothing simpler. Whoever has more money wins."
"Wins? So it's a fight?"
"Exactly. Attack with money, defend control with money—pure cash war. What could be simpler?"
The baffled reactions around us make it sound off, but seeing the near-dead duo, it doesn't apply to Herman.
"Plenty of attack methods. Bribe third parties for shares, ambush at the shareholder meeting for control. Or threaten with a public buyout. But all with money."
"Hm, no clue."
"Wanna play a simple game with me?"
"Game?"
"Fifty-fifty odds of winning or losing. If we keep betting money on this game, who wins?"
"Fifty-fifty?"
"Kuhahat, no. The one with more money wins."
"Ah..."
— Anonymous [Enlightened lolol] "I'll double the bet every loss. No matter how unlucky I get, with infinite betting limit, you'll run out first."
"True."
"Different scale, but point is, in a money fight, the richer wins. Petty tactics mean nothing against overwhelming capital."
Calling a brawl with Thailand's Hi-So conglomerate 'petty tactics' is insane. His kindly smile makes me blink often, but he's Herman Melville.
"So just go gamble and double forever?"
"Hoho, that's why casinos cap bets and lower payouts."
— Anonymous [What's this about?] — Anonymous [Martingale strategy, double bets infinitely to eat house edge] "No free lunch in life then."
— Anonymous [Could farm infinite points that way?] — Anonymous [How'd the chairman make bank] — Anonymous [One-shot Han, raise it up!!] — Anonymous [Stream points have bet limits too lol Chairman's legit] Chatting with Herman, I notice the space around us frozen in silence.
Uncomfortable with all eyes on us, I force a topic toward him.
"Oh yeah, Gramps. Let's go smoke."
"Hoho, sure."
— Anonymous [Grandpa-granddaughter talk like that? Unreal] — Anonymous [lolololololol] As I turn to head out for a smoke, the chairman—who'd vanished—reappears with Grandpa Kamar, watching us.
"Chairman back?"
"Yeah. Leader didn't cause trouble, right?"
"Nope. Think I'm a walking disaster?"
— ??? [Nope — Anonymous [Told chairman to leash the leader but where you been] Bickering with the chairman, we head to the deck. I pull out a smoke and light up.
"Gramps, want one?"
"Don't mind if I do."
As I hand Herman a cig, a familiar face shows up.
"Gramps? When'd you two get so chummy?"
Arthur arrives with Baekseol on his shoulder.
"Arthur got close to Baekseol too."
"Khm. Same as me, huh. That guy's got walls a mile high wherever he goes, yet you befriended him."
"Kuhahat. Took us some doing too."
"Ga-eul!!"
Dennis and Isabelle show up with a bottle of wine.
Out for a smoke, and suddenly the party's reassembled.
"More people now—wanna move back to that table?"
The little deck table gets rowdy again.
"Gramps, how's my cig?"
"Hoho, splendid."
"What about those guys?"
"Warned 'em plenty. They'll get it."
"Yup."
Is Herman keeping up the act, or am I actually comfy with him now? He just smiles amiably, but his gentle hand says we're closer for sure.
"By the way, Ga-eul lives in the slums?"
"Huh? Slums...?"
"Your mouth's awfully rough."
— Anonymous [lololololololol] — Anonymous [This is the slums tho lolol] "Gotta go racial evolution to protect family. Otherwise, survival's tough."
"Whoa, you've had it rough. Want to emigrate? I'll help."
"Hahat. No thanks."
— Anonymous [Weak don't survive here] — Anonymous [Survival of fittest! Strong eat weak! Crush the meek! Hellfire! Hellfire!] — Anonymous [Powerless justice is incompetence! Kill! Hang! Heads on pikes! Heads on pikes!] — Anonymous [These psychos lololol] — Anonymous [What battles Pascal been through] ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ (Next Episode Preview)
- Check this out!! Ga-eul, you said you filmed in the army, right? It's trending on real-time search now. Something about Army Idol?
"What idol?"
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Sis, where'd I see this pic?"
- Obviously from Isabelle's SNS. Internet's blowing up. All about Ga-eul.
"Oh fuck, for real."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Herman!! Help!!! Immigration!!!!"