Chapter 104
Chapter 104
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: House, Construction, and Shares
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"So, Lee Jin-woo apologized to Yu-na?"
"Yes."
Alice was perched on my lap, chattering away about what had happened with Yu-na.
'Lately, she seems to be spending more and more time at my place...'
Recently, she had been coming and going from my house like it was her own.
No... she was practically there every single day.
Yu-na must have softened after hearing his apology, because she went to see her mom, Kim Kyung-sook.
Fortunately, that punk Lee Jin-woo had moved out independently, so he wasn't there.
'Or should I say he got kicked out?'
If he were still there, I wouldn't have let her go.
He knew what kind of person I'd become by now.
'Did he apologize early because he's scared I'll beat him up?'
Anyway, this chatterbox...
Still, it was something worth praising, so I stroked Alice's head.
She got all excited and started stomping her feet.
"Heehee... Un-ho, pet me more~."
Alice coyly demanded her reward from me.
Her behavior on our first night was just the tip of the iceberg.
Alice was far more outrageously lewd than I'd imagined.
I nodded, and she lit up, grabbing my face with both hands before greedily sucking on my lips.
"Mmm... smack. Slurp."
As she did, Alice subtly ground her hips against my crotch to tease me.
'Jeez... treating me like this... and calling it a reward!'
-Ding-dong.
Just as she pulled me into a sloppy embrace, the doorbell rang.
It was probably Jin-ah.
She'd messaged earlier that she was coming over.
Alice pulled away from me with a regretful smack of her lips.
'Whew... that was close. I almost got swept up in the mood again.'
I never thought I'd be thinking like this, but she really needed to show some restraint.
'Jin-ah... what was it again... something about house issues?'
"Excuse me."
Jin-ah stepped inside and flinched when she saw Alice right next to me.
"Hello. I'm Alice Rover."
"Ah... yes... I'm Kim Jin-ah, Un-ho's manager..."
"Oh! You're Un-ho's manager!"
They exchanged introductions, but Jin-ah shot me a look demanding the truth.
It was the kind of piercing gaze that would be hard for any guy but me to withstand.
"Yu-na's friend."
"...Is that so?"
At my excuse-not-excuse, Jin-ah's harsh glare softened a bit.
Alice's growth had come to an end.
To think she'd face such discriminatory stares just because of her small stature...
I could feel the deep-rooted prejudices of an immature Korean society.
And I realized I'd saved one woman's life.
If I were an ordinary person, I wouldn't have been able to endure Jin-ah's—no, society's—scrutiny. Alice would have lived her whole life alone, never even dating a man.
For such a lewd girl to end up alone...
'Not that I planned it, but it feels pretty good to have done something decent for once.'
"What's with that smug look? Like adding another girl to your list is something to brag about."
My thoughts must have shown on my face, because Jin-ah scolded me.
"...Ahem. So. You came about the house?"
I quickly changed the subject.
"Yes. Instead of hunting for a place with lots of nearby delivery spots, close to the company and Awakener Academy, with Han River views, a big warehouse, private parking, and solid security... why not just build a new one?"
I'd mentioned those gripes offhand, but I wasn't about to nitpick everything.
She'd just found the best match for the conditions...
No... I'd told her to find it.
"Build a whole new building?"
"Yes, some great terms came in, so I came to discuss."
"Great terms?"
"Seems to be because of Hero Town."
I knew what Hero Town was. Tourist spots formed around heroes' residences.
Every S-Rank Awakener had at least one Hero Town named after them.
"Where?"
"They're offering land in Seocho-gu. And covering some construction costs too."
You could find ruined wastelands from Dimensional Rifts that never got rebuilt.
Still, this was Seoul.
"Land here's expensive, right? They're just giving it away? Plus construction costs?"
And they want to build me a Hero Town? Do I even have that kind of marketability?
"It's not 'just giving.' Considering your value, Un-ho, it's only natural. Hero Towns aren't mere tourist spots. Your residence directly ties to the city's safety."
I hadn't thought deeply about it, but Jin-ah's words rang true upon reflection.
"Everyone welcomes you living in Seoul for the boosted safety. It's what the government and citizens want. Land prices nearby will skyrocket too."
'The government's dangling generous terms because they get something out of it too. Can't complain about a new build... the issue is it'll take time...'
Still, it was a solid proposal benefiting both sides.
"Tell them if it's shoddy work, they're dead."
"Who'd dare skimp on your house, Un-ho?"
Then Alice shot her hand up.
"Got something to say?"
"Un-ho! Leave it to me!!"
"You?"
"My dad's in construction."
"Ah! That Rover... the company mainly doing Gate pioneering construction? Decent rep in this world."
Jin-ah seemed to know about Alice's family.
In the end, Alice wanted her dad to build my house.
"That okay?"
What power could Alice possibly have?
There were plenty of construction firms even without her dad.
"Of course! Please let my dad handle it! Just wait a sec!"
Alice hurriedly dialed somewhere.
"Dad? You have to build Un-ho's mansion. What? Too busy with current projects? Are you kidding!? You'd refuse to build Dragon Slayer Un-ho's house?"
-Huff! Huff!
Alice breathed heavily in anger.
Her dad was fidgeting on the other end from the sudden call.
And she was on fire.
"You can do it, right? You have to! Building his house is the family honor! Got it? Stake the company's survival on it. Okay, bye."
-Click!
She hung up with a bright smile totally unlike her tone with her dad.
"Un-ho, Dad says it's possible. No worries about shoddy work. I'll take responsibility and oversee it."
'Wait, I don't think I even approved... and why are you overseeing?'
From what Jin-ah said, it wasn't some shady company, and since it was Alice's request, no harm in indulging.
But her dad seemed troubled, so if he refused, we could look elsewhere.
No construction firm bold enough to cheap out on an Awakener—let alone me—anyway.
"Your only connection to Un-ho is that scrap of paper called a contract. Got it?"
Hanna was ranting in front of the company execs.
"That 'scrap' means he holds our company's shares? Just that alone will multiply our value several times. It creates a stronger bond."
Hanna caught her breath and scanned the room calmly.
"That's why I need you execs' support. Any objections?"
"Th-that's..."
Choi Woong-dong thought this wouldn't do.
"Director Choi Woong-dong, you're not objecting, are you?"
Hanna's eyes flashed sharply at him. Cold sweat dripped down Choi Woong-dong's back.
Transfer shares to Park Un-ho?
Choi Woong-dong wanted to scream no, but it was pointless.
Hanna wasn't wrong.
News of Park Un-ho holding shares would definitely boost company value.
It'd benefit him too.
But he couldn't be happy about it.
He nearly blurted, "Transfer? You two just gonna devour the company?!"
But it was meaningless.
Since Park Un-ho was revealed as S-Rank, his allies had all switched to Hanna's side.
"Ob-ject? Haha... for the company's growth, some shares... what's the big deal..."
"Offering company shares?"
"Yes."
Hanna dropping by my house was rare—she was always busy. And her proposal was unexpected.
"What do you want in return?"
"Hehe. We're just grateful if Un-ho holds our shares. That's all."
I vaguely recalled an article about me possibly leaving the company someday.
I didn't care much, but the company would.
'Or maybe she's insecure relying on that flimsy contract...'
She wanted to announce I owned a stake.
It benefited the company too, apparently.
As long as they handled things right tomorrow, I didn't mind.
Hell, stuff rolled in without me lifting a finger these days.
Being recognized as S-Rank made life a breeze. Was it okay to live this easily?
'Though I know it's the gripe of a full belly...'
No downside to taking free shares. Worst case, it didn't affect me anyway.