Chapter 686: I Changed Jobs (2)
Mini me went in for a dropkick, mini Hyunjae rolled away to dodge, then as mini me landed he hooked my leg and flipped me – and the text for the square below popped up.
Come to think of it, whatever comes up will apply to Seong Hyunjae the same way. Even if it’s something bad this time, at least it’ll feel less unfair.
[Your hard work finally pays off and your business flourishes! There is no one left in the industry who doesn’t know your name!]
Pop, pop! The message window sparkled with little fireworks. Wow, that was really good – a seriously nice bonus.
“We’re sorry we didn’t recognize you before!”
“We’ll follow Yujin Freight unconditionally!”
The Guinders bowed their heads to me in a line.
Hold up. I never said I wanted to be a mafia boss. Yeah, I meant to shake down the parasites in this town while I was recovering my stuff, since there were so many people making a living off bleeding others dry.
You hearing this, system? There are things like bounty hunter and all that! Why are these bastards pledging allegiance to me?!
“The new king of the East!”
I am not doing that.
It’s not like I’ve lived a spotless life with nothing to be ashamed of, but at least I’ve never picked the pockets of people weaker than me. If I was forced to borrow something for a bit, I paid it back with a hefty bonus. I only ripped off people I could rob with a reasonably clear conscience – or ones who came at me first.
Still, now that it’s come to this…
“Bring me all the ledgers.”
Might as well do some housecleaning.
“What kind of crazy bastard just outright steals someone’s store? You Guinder punks really are mafia!”
“You didn’t build the bridge or maintain it, you wouldn’t even stoop to picking up an empty can off the ground, so what gives you the right to charge tolls? Spit it all back out!”
“Protection fees, my ass. If you idiots didn’t go around starting fights, there wouldn’t be anything that needs protecting!”
“Quit strong–arming people! Stuff you can buy piled up at the supermarket, and you’re selling it for twice the price?!”
“You smuggled in all kinds of crap too. Illegal trade is banned! Pay your taxes!”
If Manager Song could see me now, wouldn’t he be proud? This was the very picture of a model law–abiding citizen in a nation of laws.
This place might not be the real world, but the idea of “succeeding” by playing the villain and exploiting regular folks left a bad taste in my mouth. On top of that, Yerim was here, and both Yuhyun and Noah were still on the young side. And Liette… well, she didn’t seem like the type to bleed people who had nothing. Just… she did give off “might eat people” vibes.
‘Even if it’s fake, it feels gross now.’
After everything I’d been through, it was even harder to just ditch ethics and morality and run wild. As for the Guinders – they had it coming. Just look at that mountain of weapons. No way we’re talking about one or two victims here.
“Hey, honey~ There’s a place called the Northern Union that sent people over to congratulate you. What do you wanna do?”
“Tell them, very politely, to shove it.”
I’m not teaming up with you lot.
I stared at the sunlight pouring through the floor–to–ceiling windows and let out a small yawn. Sitting next to me, helping check the ledgers, Yuhyun gave me a worried look.
“Hyung, go upstairs and sleep. You still can.”
“I’m fine. I’ll finish sorting this and grab a quick nap.”
We were in the house of the biggest Guinder boss in the area. The homeowner had gone pop and flown off somewhere far, far away. Look at that landscaped garden – all of that was built on the blood and sweat of ordinary folks.
“Did you really stay up all night?”
Yerim, whom I’d sent upstairs with the excuse that she needed sleep so we could take shifts, came down the stairs and asked. Noah appeared behind her.
“I should be helping too… Is there a lot left?”
“No, it’s almost done.”
“But Mister, won’t it be hard to win the bet if you give everything back? I feel like we should at least keep a little. Look at this.”
Yerim turned on the TV mounted on the study wall. She flipped through channels, and an ad came on.
[Welcome!]
Mari, wearing a glamorous dress, smiled and bowed. Then two huge woks appeared in her hands, and flames roared up around them. What the heck was this even advertising?
“Mari unni got super popular. As a chef in a really flashy suit.”
Yerim changed the channel, and now Mari was on a studio show.
[This is the dress I took an order for just yesterday from Miss Soreindang! Perfect, isn’t it!]
[Wow, not a single drop of sauce splashed on it!]
[Even though it’s that white and that voluminous! Amazing. That’s some serious talent!]
…Why does this world measure cooking skill by how clean your clothes are afterward? I mean, sure, a good chef should be clean, but this is more circus trick than cuisine.
[I heard Sesung’s food is also famous for its taste.]
[Yes. It’s made with the boss’s recipes. The menu changes every single day~.]
Archive footage showed the Sesung restaurant building and Seong Hyunjae. Impressive, honestly. Still, with just one restaurant it’s tough to rake in huge money, so we could totally c—
[They say the tycoon Miamem, who was moved by Chef Seong Hyunjae’s cooking, invested a fortune to create a chain of restaurants.]
[Supposedly, all the buildings around Sesung now belong to Chef Seong Hyunjae. The area revitalization investments have already more than doubled property values.]
Mm…
“There is going to be a pretty big gap, huh.”
Even with dice buffs, less than a week after landing in this world he’s already launching a chain? And buying up buildings on top of that? Did he buy them with the initial billion? And then they doubled in value?
“Don’t worry. I’ve got a plan.”
I didn’t want to be the guy hugging dirty mafia money in this world, but our own world matters too. So…
“Good afternoon, boss~.”
Sesung’s break time. With all the customers gone, the place was empty when we walked in. You’re not supposed to sit on tables, but just for today, I hopped up, parked my butt on one, and crossed my legs. Liette blocked the entrance, while Yuhyun and Noah stood on either side of me. Yerim, who was supposed to wait in the car, had somehow slipped in and was peeking over my shoulder.
Yerim, I told you not to come in.
“Han Yujin–nim! I got a regular show!”
Mari greeted me cheerfully. She was in a dress again today. Turned out in this world, big fluffy dresses were formal wear for everyone, men and women alike. The more frills, lace, and flashy decorations, the more formal it was. People who could move gracefully and quickly in those cumbersome dresses were showered with praise.
“Congratulations, Miss Mari.”
Accepting her greeting, I turned my head. I saw Seong Hyunjae slowly coming down from the second floor. Samir emerged from the kitchen as well.
“You suddenly cut off our trade. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Let me introduce myself properly.”
I pulled a chocolate cigarette from my breast pocket.
“As of today, I’m Yujin Freight, now in charge of the eastern sector.”
Nice and sweet. I bit the tip of the chocolate cigarette and smiled at him. I don’t plan on fleecing the honest common folk of this town, but you’re neither honest nor common, so I’m going to make good use of my newly changed job on you~.
“Mister Seong, you started up your business in this town and didn’t even say hello.”
Seong Hyunjae’s lips curled lazily. Mari, who didn’t understand what was going on, tilted her head, and Samir leaned over and whispered an explanation to her.
“My apologies. I didn’t recognize you.”
“As a greeting,”
I raised my hand and spread all five fingers.
“Fifty percent. I’ll just take exactly half of the profits you’ve made since you started up~.”
See, I’m leaving him a lot.
I peeled the wrapper down and snapped off half the chocolate with my teeth. I obediently handed the remaining half to Yuhyun. Shouldn’t eat too much sugar.
“After that, I’ll only take thirty percent.”
Very reasonable of me.
Seong Hyunjae walked toward me. His dress shoes clicked on the glossy floor.
“My dear Mister Han Yujin.”
He inclined his upper body slightly toward me. At the same time, I lifted the muzzle of the revolver to his jaw. It was an ordinary gun with a small caliber, so even if I pulled the trigger it wouldn’t do more than scratch him, but still.
“For old times’ sake, I can at least help you with job placement. As it happens, we’re short a cleaner at the restaurant. A housekeeper would also be nice. The house is quite large.”
“Big house, lots to protect. We’ve only got one truck and one potted plant.”
“The villa?”
“Sold it. Thanks to you, the price went up a bit.”
It wasn’t near here, but it was in the same district, so it got a bump too. And with all the ownerless houses scattered around the East, there was no reason to stay cramped in a little villa.
“Given the nature of my current job, this isn’t cheating, right? It’s literally a job where you’re allowed to shake people down and smash things.”
I was going to rob exactly one person – Seong Hyunjae – and then wash my hands of it.
“Forget regular tributes. Just hand over fifty million.”
I’d use that to start a new business.
At some point, Mari had a big frying pan in her hands. Samir had picked up a kitchen knife. If we fought here, it’d only hurt their side.
Seong Hyunjae straightened, looking down at me, and opened his mouth to speak when–
[If a business dispute arises between participants, the winner is decided by dice!]
A message popped up.
Why. Why dice again?!
“That’s how it usually goes in board games.”
“Damn it!”
Maybe we should just bail.
No. I didn’t really have much to lose anyway. I had to go for this.
[The side that rolls the higher number wins!]
A white die and a black die appeared. Seong Hyunjae picked his up first.
No way he’s getting a 6 again. He literally just rolled a 6. Please, please, please…
[1!]
“Oh, hell yes!”
This was in the bag. He rolled a 1. As long as I didn’t roll a 1, I’d win. I couldn’t stop the grin stretching across my face as I picked up my die.
“Get exactly half ready to hand over.”
[1!]
“We’re screwed!”
Yerim and Mari both let out a wow of amazement. Liette burst into peals of laughter.
Hey, you’re on our team.
Yuhyun and Noah flailed, trying to console me. That bastard Seong Hyunjae picked his die back up with an elegant flick of the wrist.
“Since the numbers match, I’ll go again.”
“How do you even roll a 1 here, how!”
There’s no way this is real. A 1? It’s rigged, obviously. How can this possibly—
Without mercy, he tossed the die.
[5!]
…Everyone, never gamble. Don’t leave your life up to luck. Guys, I’m sorry.
[Honey Team is arrested by the police! Do not resist!]
“It’s the cops!”
Police cars swarmed to a stop in front of the restaurant. Balloon cops poured out and rushed inside.
“Are you all right, sir?”
One of them asked Seong Hyunjae while pulling out handcuffs.
“Thank you for your quick response. I was quite frightened, but now I feel much safer.”
That bastard said, shameless as ever. Then he held his hand out toward me.
“For you, Mister Han Yujin, I’ll always keep a position open. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
I chucked the revolver at him as hard as I could. He didn’t even bother dodging; it just thumped off his chest and dropped to the floor. The cops made a big fuss as they snapped the cuffs onto my wrists.
“Don’t cuff the kids! I’m the boss!”
“Yeah! My little brother’s kind and cute!”
And that was how we got dragged off to the police station. They shoved us into a cell and slammed the door shut.
Ah, my life.
“I was trying to do it right this time… Sorry.”
“No, hyung. It was a good idea. We just had bad dice luck.”
Seriously, why did it have to be a 1. Anything but 1 and we’d have been fine. I could’ve cleaned out Seong Hyunjae and started a new life. But 1. Why. Just, why.
“Can we fight back now? Want me to take care of the cops and bust us out?”
Yerim snapped her cuffs with a crunch as she spoke. Getting out would be easy, but…
“Yerim, even if they’re balloon dolls made for a bet world, they’re still people of this place. The Guinders attacked first, they were hurting people, and they responded with gunfire instead of giving back what they stole. The cops aren’t like that. If we’re being fair, we’re the ones in the wrong this time.”
“It’s just… it feels like a game.”
Well, yeah. Especially with them being balloon dolls. It’s more like shooting targets at a carnival game.
“If it were really a pure game where they only did the actions they’re programmed for, maybe it’d be less of an issue. But these balloons aren’t like that. They’re not exactly like us, living people, but still. If we get numb to this kind of thing, we’ll end up like those Transcendents, playing land–grabs with other people’s worlds.”
“Ugh, I don’t want that.”
Transcendents probably didn’t start out casually sacrificing people. They just got more and more numb. Then one day it hits them – oh, the people down there are just like us – and they end up freaking out like the newbie. Some of them were probably twisted from the start, sure.
“Liette, you be careful too.”
“I don’t usually bother weak kids~. Yerim, in any world, it’s better to leave normal people alone. It’s more convenient for us.”
“Convenient? I mean, sure, it’s annoying if we cause trouble and get arrested…”
“Not that. Life’s easier when there are lots of people. If everyone disappears, you have to get your own food, build your own house, and haul your own water! You don’t get water just gushing out when you turn a faucet. How annoying would that be? So it’s good to protect people who are working hard to live.”
What she said made sense and also sounded completely off at the same time.
Not “killing people is morally wrong,” but “if people disappear, my life gets more annoying, so that’s bad.” Her whole frame of reference was just different.
And as for Yuhyun…
‘Looks like he doesn’t really see the difference between balloon dolls and people.’
He didn’t seem to understand why Yerim felt differently about the two. To him, they were probably the same. Maybe he just registered that they were a bit tougher than non–awakened humans and disappeared cleanly when killed, and that was it.
“Anyway, we can’t stay here, so let’s head out.”
Quietly slip away and then… what now? Any genius business ideas?
Noah and Liette unsheathed their claws with a soft slide. The thick wall sliced apart like it was made of paper, and the street outside came into view. A passing balloon stared at us with wide, startled eyes.
“Hello there~.”
“Ah, yes, hello.”
“We’re doing some wall repairs, so please walk past carefully~.”
If you act brazen enough, even suspicious behavior becomes something people just blink at and move on. I wondered if the truck was still parked out front of the restaurant. Hopefully that bastard Seong Hyunjae hadn’t messed with Pongpong.
We strolled down the street like we were just citizens out for a walk. Along the way, a poster on a wall caught my eye.
[Harbor Love Party – The Sea Route Is the Path of Life!]
…Politics, huh. I mean, I’m already basically the king of the eastern sector, though.
–TL Notes–
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