Chapter 684: It Was Going Well, But
[Yujin Freight 24-Hour Express Delivery 77–82–82]
The LED boards stuck to both sides of the truck’s cargo box flashed to life.
The more I looked at it, the more my chest swelled with pride.
Sure, it wasn’t technically real, but I was basically starting work with my own truck.
Before dungeons appeared, I never even dreamed about owning a whole store – I just wanted a truck. It could be my vehicle and make all kinds of jobs easier. Even if I hadn’t gone into small freight, I probably would’ve done fine buying and selling out of the back of a truck. Believe it or not, I’ve got a bit of a knack for sales.
And when I turned around, a fancy three–story commercial building filled my vision.
Some people start from a truck, and some people start from a three–story building, huh.
Really makes you want to grab a torch.
There wasn’t even a sign up yet, and the interior work was still ongoing, but people passing by were already looking over in curiosity.
I’d be wondering too, if some super expensive–looking place was going in near me.
The location and the building itself were basically one big billboard.
“Alright, let’s get this unloaded.”
Anyway, a client is a client.
The cargo door rattled open.
We didn’t need a ladder or hand truck.
Small and light, Yerim hopped up into the back and started flicking wine boxes out one after another. Liette caught them and stacked them, and then Yuhyun and Noah lifted them up and carried them off.
I was more or less forced to handle quantity and condition checks only.
I felt a little bad just standing there watching, but if I jumped in, I’d only be in the way.
Back in the day, people used to say I was good at this kind of work. Heavy lifting takes strength, sure, but technique is just as important.
“Third floor, Hyung.”
Moon Hyunah walked over to us.
“The elevators are over here.”
“Y–yeah. Let’s go, guys.”
The cargo that had filled the entire truck was now lightly cradled in four people’s hands.
The balloon people passing by let out little noises of amazement, and the back of my neck got a bit hot.
I lift pretty well too, you know. I’m not just here to stand around.
We split into the two elevators that went straight up to the third floor.
Because of the weight limit, only Yerim and Noah could ride the first one up.
“Manager Song~ Show them the storage room!”
At Hyunah’s call, Manager Song stepped out from the back. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up, and he had an apron on, like he’d been in the middle of organizing things.
“Manager Song, you’re working the bar too?”
“Yeah. Took my measurements and ordered the clothes.”
Moon Hyunah and Manager Song – they were going to be popular.
They were the type who attracted people in totally different ways.
Just looking at this place, it was obvious business was going to be great.
“You’re not planning to half–ass it for the sake of the world, right?”
“We can’t give anyone an excuse to come after us. We have to do it right.”
Fair point.
If we deliberately tanked it, they might just void the match and replace Hyunah with someone else.
For us, it was a big advantage to have someone on the board who knew the whole messy backstory. We couldn’t risk losing that.
Even if the bet ended well, we had to think about what came after.
“Hyung, we moved everything.”
Taking off his work gloves, Yuhyun came over.
Their speed was honestly criminal.
Normally, you’d need four full–grown guys with dollies going back and forth three, four times to move that much. We just waited for the elevator a couple times and we were done.
“Nice work. Want some water?”
“I want wine!”
Yerim shot her hand up.
“They say you’re an adult here once you turn fourteen!”
“Yerim, Korea follows nationality–based law. No matter what country you go to, you’re still a minor.”
Yerim grumbled, and Manager Song brought out glasses of ice water.
He handed me a glass, cold enough that the glass itself felt chilly.
“Are you doing okay, Manager Song? He’s not giving you a hard time or anything?”
“Yes. I’m alright.”
He said that, but it was hard to believe.
This was the same Seong Hyunjae who’d made it extremely clear that pre–regression me and current me were different people.
I’d bet money he’d said something to Manager Song along the lines of, “The Song Taewon you knew is dead.”
Or is he just like this to me.
After finishing my water, I went down to the restaurant on the lower floor.
On the unfinished dining room tables, shopping bags were piled high.
“Mr. Han~!”
Mari, in a bright, voluminous dress, spotted me and waved happily.
“Over here! There were so many clothes I liked!”
Off to the side, Samir was sorting the shopping bags.
He looked less like a prince and more like a valet, but since the other party was a self–proclaimed princess, it kind of still felt like prince work.
“I’m going to wear this in the kitchen. Cleanliness is important, so it’s white!”
“It’s a little… flashy, though.”
“As long as it’s clean, what’s the problem? It doesn’t even drag on the ground!
Even if you’re S–rank, really long clothes just get in the way.”
Even after calling off the wedding with the prince and breaking away from her mother, Mari’s taste hadn’t changed.
Well, no reason it had to.
If she liked it, that’s what mattered.
“The dress is pretty, I’ll give you that.”
“Do you want to try one on? Should I buy you one?”
“That’s, uh… how much are we talking?”
If it was expensive, I could always resell it later. Live frugally, live well.
“This one was 3,000 woy? I’m not sure I’m saying that right.”
If it’s 3,000, that’s 3 million won, right?
One outfit costing that much is…
Well, they’re S–ranks. Figures.
“What about a suit instead of a dress… though I guess the dress is more expensive… Yerim, want to get yourself a dress?”
“I don’t like frilly stuff~.”
“There was this lemon–colored dress I couldn’t buy because it was men’s sizing, but I think it’d look great on you!”
No, it absolutely would not.
And wait, men’s size? Right, that’s how this world rolls.
“…How much was it?”
“3,500.”
Wow, that’s what, several times our daily pay?
My resolve wavered.
It’s not like I had to actually wear it. I could just say thank you, grab the receipt, and go straight to returns…
“Your taste is really–”
“The owner’s here! So, you thinking long–term contract? If you sign for the long haul, of course I’ll give you a discount!”
I cut in loudly.
Money is good. The fashion is what’s weird.
Right then, a message window popped up.
[Today’s Dice!]
What, are we just going to keep rolling dice forever?
I mean, that is how board games usually work, but still.
[You’ve started a business – what fate awaits you?! Please roll the dice!]
No choices this time.
Seong Hyunjae rolled first.
[2!]
A board similar to a yut board appeared in midair.
Mini Hyunjae and mini me stood at the starting line, and mini Hyunjae moved two spaces forward. The tile he landed on spun around.
[To congratulate you on your grand opening, you receive 5,000 UI and a potted plant!]
Five million won, huh. Not a fortune, but not bad.
I rolled my dice too.
[2!]
Huh? Same number.
Mini me scampered two spaces and stopped right behind mini Hyunjae, glaring at him.
So what happens now?
In yut, you either capture the other piece or stack with it. Are we going to fight?
[When the same number is rolled, the Chain Team gets to choose!]
Oh, right. That’s how it worked.
The winning team chooses which team has to roll again.
I looked at Seong like, Well?
He picked up his own die. Guess he was going again.
[5!]
Mini Hyunjae kicked mini me and– hey!– skipped three more spaces ahead.
Mini me flew apart in pieces.
The tile mini Hyunjae stood on spun around.
[A famous figure has taken an interest in your business!]
“A new restaurant, huh! It already looks amazing!”
The restaurant door slammed open and a bunch of balloon people poured in.
Some had cameras and immediately started filming Seong and a fancy, well–dressed balloon person.
“What’s this place called?”
“It’s Sesung!”
Mari stepped in front of the camera and shouted.
Well, it was the Sesung Guildmaster’s place.
“Sesung! I’ll remember that!”
[Your business will be featured on the front page of tomorrow’s paper! Congratulations!]
The balloon people swarmed back out of the restaurant.
And right in front of me, poof – a wad of bills and a flower pot appeared.
Wow… I mean, I’ll take it, but wow…
[The dice will appear once a day at random!]
With that message, the dice and board both vanished.
“I should thank you for giving me that opportunity, Mr. Han.”
With an annoyingly elegant motion, Seong turned toward me and smiled.
That, uh.
“You are unbelievably obnoxious. Enjoy your success.”
“We’ll sign a three–day contract to start.”
“Yes, sir~.”
Just you wait, Seong. I’m going to make it big too.
“You really do have strong employees here, I’ve heard. Could you safely move the sculptures in this gallery up to the exhibition hall on the third floor? A lot of them can’t go in the elevator.”
“We’re technically vehicle transport, but transport is transport! You heard him, Liette? Be careful.”
“Don’t worry, babe~.”
We didn’t get some big celebrity promo like Seong did, but thanks to the wine wholesaler’s recommendation and my membership in the transport association, new jobs came in fast.
“We need this there in thirty minutes!”
“Got it~ Yuhyun! Let’s move! Noah, can you take Yerim and Liette on the high–rise appliance deliveries?”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
The scooter shot down the street.
We wove around traffic lights, cut through crosswalks; even during peak traffic, it was no problem.
We were faster than a motorcycle.
“This one’s really urgent! No way you can get it there exactly by three, right?”
“Let’s see, the roads are… We can do it!”
There’s no such thing as can’t.
We can do anything~.
We just have to take a straight line.
“Yuhyun, that building!”
“Yeah, Hyung.”
With one arm, he scooped me up. With the other, he grabbed the scooter. Then he kicked off the ground.
His feet lightly stepped along the narrow ledges dividing the building’s floors, and in the blink of an eye we were on the roof.
We sprinted across the rooftop, and as we stepped onto the edge, he threw a wire. The end of it wrapped around a pillar on the opposite building’s roof.
He set me down and I grabbed the taut wire.
Snap – the wire tightened, and Yuhyun dashed across it with the scooter in hand.
Putting just enough strength into it that I could bear the load, I zipped along and hit the opposite rooftop fast.
The instant his feet touched down, he wrapped the wire around my body.
Then he yanked, hard, as he unhooked it from the pillar.
Whoosh– my body cut through the air and I landed on the far side in one go.
Catching me lightly, Yuhyun took off running again.
And yes, we made it on time.
After finishing the rush delivery, we headed for the high–rise building.
From afar, I could see a ladder rising from the truck.
It was technically a ladder, but it looked flimsy – barely wide enough for one person to climb. Yerim was using it to slide cargo upward.
‘If Yerim or Noah just flew up there, they’d get flagged as an illegal flying object.’
But if they acted like it was an automatic ladder truck, there was no problem.
Even if Noah spread his wings and pushed the load upward, the balloon people didn’t think anything of it.
We offer safe delivery even to sky–piercing skyscrapers~.
Without me, Liette was loading, and Yerim and Noah were lifting. Work was going smoothly.
Watching them with satisfaction, I felt my phone buzz.
“Yes, this is Yujin Freight! Fast, accurate, safe delivery! You can trust us with anything~.”
Man, we were busy.
How many orders had we done just today?
Normally, it’d be impossible to haul this much in one day, but other than me, my whole team was S–rank. They didn’t get tired.
Don’t work normal people like this, seriously. Respect labor laws.
[Today’s Dice!]
We were just about to wrap this job and go get dinner when another message window appeared.
[The Chain Team has rolled a 3.]
Since we were separate, they didn’t show me what happened.
I rolled my die.
[5!]
Mini me started hopping forward.
I chased mini Hyunjae, who was six spaces ahead, and came to a stop right on the space behind him, chest puffed out.
[A special opportunity has been granted to your business!]
Gasp.
Was fortune finally smiling on me too?!
The board and dice vanished, and my phone started ringing.
“Yes! Yujin Freight!”
[We need something very important and extremely valuable transported tomorrow. You will be generously compensated.]
Something important and extremely valuable, generous pay.
A luxury cargo job.
The pay was one thing, but–
‘Yujin Freight’s reputation is going to skyrocket.’
The corners of my mouth crept up.
Nice. Time to catch up to Seong.
I’ll get my kids living in a penthouse too.
[Just look at this crowd!]
Seong was on the morning news.
Restaurant Sesung.
In front of a simple sign with just the two letters for “Sesung”, a long line of people stretched down the street.
The sign for the third–floor wine bar read “Breaker”.
[Owner of the restaurant that took over Diaun Street in a single day, Seong Hyunjae. We met him in today’s bright and lively morning segment!]
Whether it was the celebrity buff or yesterday’s dice buff, one way or another, Seong was absolutely killing it.
Look at that nice–guy smile.
Everyone, that’s all an act.
[This is Mari, one of the founding members of Sesung!]
[Hi, it’s Mari~.]
She looked delighted.
The kitchen was packed with balloon staff hired by Seong.
The camera panned over the busy kitchen, then spun around to the dining room.
Balloon people were eating with intense focus, making happy noises.
Compliments about how delicious everything was popped up all over the place.
“It’s okay, we’re going to do even better!”
We had a huge job today.
Time to work hard.
“Special trucks? Of course we’ve got those!”
“Yes, don’t worry about safety! Our staff are veterans!”
“If anything goes wrong, we’ll compensate you fully!”
I bragged with confidence.
And I really did have confidence.
If not for that damn–
[Here’s today’s dice!]
Dice.
[Oh no, you’ve suffered business losses. Everyone has days when luck just isn’t on their side.]
Why today, of all days.
Right after the message window vanished, several black cars surrounded our truck.
Balloon people with weapons climbed out.
“We’ll be taking this cargo.”
“Uh, see, it’s not actually mine. So how about you just take this instead–”
“Open it.”
At the bark of the one who looked like the boss or field captain, the truck’s rear door clanked open.
It was a thick, special door with a key and fingerprint lock – when did it turn into auto–open…
Clink.
Yuhyun pulled the fork out of his lunch box.
Noah’s and Liette’s nails sharpened. Yerim hefted a potted plant.
Yerim, not Pongpong.
We could easily wipe them all out.
[Hand it over according to the dice result!]
A warning window popped up.
I raised a hand to stop Yuhyun, who looked ready to plant the fork in the boss’s head right then and there.
Let it go. Just this once.
“Whoa, it’s really here!”
“How much is all this worth!”
Auction items – art pieces, jewels, rare relics – flowed out one after another.
It was the kind of job a rookie hauler would never, ever get to touch otherwise.
Our chance to lock in a reputation.
Their guys shifted everything over to their own trucks and– thunk, the cargo door closed.
“Good luck with the rest of your day.”
The boss chuckled and climbed into his car.
My phone started shrieking.
[How are you going to compensate me for this!!]
News travels fast, huh.
I’d planned on becoming the honest and diligent king of the transport industry, but it couldn’t be helped.
I hung up more or less in the caller’s face.
“Let’s go after them.”
I pressed the remote.
The truck shifted, transforming into a military model.
Yujin Freight is changing class.
–TL Notes–
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