Chapter 105
I slurped down a dinner that seemed light but wasn’t, and came back home.
“I’m back!”
“Welcome back.”
Eun-chae, who greeted us at the dining table, was clearing away the delivered food.
“Did you already eat?”
“Yeah, I heard you guys were having dinner, so I was going to ask what you ate, but I guess I don’t need to. The smell of meat is vibrating all the way here.”
“There’s a new BBQ place nearby. The owner is really good at business. We only planned to eat 10 servings, but we ended up eating over 20. It was pretty good.”
“…Isn’t that more about your stomachs than the owner’s business skills?”
Eun-chae shook her head in disbelief as she wiped the table with a wet wipe, finishing up the cleanup.
“Coffee?”
“Yes, please! Iced!”
“…Why is Gyeoul like that?”
“She must be in a good mood.”
As Jeong Ha-yul said, my mood was indeed very good.
Because of that, my tone and voice had turned high-tension, and of course, Eun-chae noticed right away.
“What happened?”
“My sister bought me equipment!”
“Well, since you joined the Academy, you’ll need equipment soon. Good for you.”
Eun-chae nodded as she poured coffee into a cup.
“Look at this!”
I waved the ESP glove in front of her.
“Wow, looks nice. How much? 200? 300? Ah, but Ha-yul wouldn’t skimp on a gift for Gyeoul. 2,000? 3,000?”
“Oh, close!”
If Eun-chae ever awakened, I bet she’d get an appraisal ability. She nailed the 2,000 to 3,000 range right away!
“How much is it?”
“2,500!”
“Oh, 25 million won seems like a good deal. It looks shiny and nice.”
As if correcting the price of the glove from 250 billion to 25 million won, Jeong Ha-yul stepped in.
“It’s not 10,000 won.”
“Not 10,000 won? What are you talking about? It can’t be 2,500 won.”
“Why are you only thinking down? Think up.”
Hearing Ha-yul’s words, Eun-chae’s hands trembled, and she spilled the coffee beans on the floor.
It felt like watching a scene from a morning drama.
“Ah, no, right? I must be thinking wrong, right?”
“I don’t know exactly what you’re thinking, but you’re probably right.”
“Hey, you crazy girls!”
Eun-chae suddenly shouted.
“2.5 billion? Not 250 million or 2.5 billion, but 250 billion? A 250 billion won gift for a 14-year-old?”
“Hey, it’s okay to buy something expensive for the kid! Why are you so mad?”
Hmm…
The atmosphere…
“What’s going on?”
Kang-woo, who was working in the room, came out at the loud voices of Eun-chae and Ha-yul.
“Hey, oppa! Do something about these guys!”
“What’s wrong now?”
“That glove Gyeoul is holding is worth 250 billion won!”
“…What?”
“I’ll pay it back, okay?”
Finally, I could use the Awakened Ones’ essential skill, Eye Darting.
“Gyeoul, go inside.”
“Yes!”
Maybe Kang-woo saw my eyes darting, so he told me to leave.
This skill is really useful.
I’m glad I learned it now…
“Wait, take your coffee.”
“Thank you!”
Despite being angry, she still took care of my coffee.
They’re such good people.
After taking the coffee, I bowed 90 degrees and walked backward like a Joseon-era court lady, slipping into my room.
Ha-yul looked at me as if asking where I was going…
‘Sorry, I need to survive too.’
As soon as I closed the door, I heard Eun-chae and Kang-woo shouting at Ha-yul simultaneously.
“Are you out of your mind!”
“Hey! Are you crazy!”
“…Was it too much?”
“How could you say that!”
The 250 billion was entirely Jeong Ha-yul’s money, but Ha-yul couldn’t escape Kang-woo and Eun-chae’s scolding.
Maybe because they knew why she was so angry.
Even I think Jeong Ha-yul needs to fix her spending habits.
I still remember her at the auction house, wondering whether to borrow money from a loan shark, the Association, or the Guild.
She was ready to sign over her house deed and even a body waiver to burn 700 billion on a tooth.
Of course, what’s happening now is because of my 250 billion ESP glove…
But that’s more of an investment than a luxury, so it’s definitely not wasteful.
I’ll pay back the 250 billion.
Maybe…?
***
“We just got a call from the auction house.”
“What happened?”
“There was competition, but we won the bid at 700 billion.”
Leviathan’s fang, which was auctioned off for 700 billion.
The owner of that fang was here.
“Glad we got it.”
“Glad… Ha… Now we have no cash left, though?”
The secretary was rubbing her temples as if she had a headache.
But the woman who heard the news was calm.
She was filing her nails and spinning her chair.
It looked like she was used to having conversations like this.
“Money can be earned again, so don’t worry. But who was the competitor?”
“It was a call from the VIP room, so we don’t know.”
“To follow up to 700 billion, they must have deep pockets… I wonder who it was.”
“Exactly. I didn’t think there would be someone as crazy as the Guild Leader.”
Given the auction house’s rules, the transaction must be completed within three days, so it meant someone who could come up with 700 billion in three days.
But neither the woman nor the secretary could think of anyone who could do that immediately.
“But calling the Guild Leader crazy is a bit much, don’t you think? Do you want to get fired?”
“Yes, please. That’s my annual wish.”
“Absolutely not. So, is it someone from overseas?”
The secretary continued the conversation as if it was all familiar.
“There’s been no news of a big player coming in… But they might have used a proxy, so should we look into it?”
If the secretary took charge, she could probably get the information quickly.
It was one of the reasons she was never allowed to resign.
‘My secretary is too capable.’
But no information had come in from the Guild.
And it wasn’t important enough to spend time and money to find out.
“Never mind, it’s already in the past.”
“…Right, the 700 billion is already gone.”
“Oh, what are you talking about? It’ll appear in front of me soon.”
“That’s not money anymore. It’s just a dirty tooth.”
The secretary seemed really annoyed that 700 billion was spent on a tooth covered in tartar.
“If we sell potions, we can make up for the money quickly. And you know how beautiful that dirty tooth can become once it’s in my hands.”
“Are you going to sell stamina potions and hair loss treatments again?”
“What else can I do? I’ll have to make two a month and sell them.”
The stamina potions and hair loss treatments are incredibly popular among middle-aged men.
To maintain scarcity, only a small amount was produced, but with the amount spent this time, there was no choice but to make more.
“You should work as hard when I ask you to make stamina potions…”
“Ah, stamina potions are the most boring. It’s just repetitive grinding. And, isn’t producing a few hundred a month enough?”
“The demand is tens of thousands, how is a few hundred enough!”
“Ah, whatever! I’m not doing it!”
“Ah, whatever! I’m quitting!”
The secretary threw the resignation letter she had in her arms onto Park Seol-hwa’s desk.
“If you keep threatening to quit, I won’t give you severance pay?”
Calmly picking up the resignation letter, Park Seol-hwa burned it with magic.
“I’ll report you.”
As if expecting it, another resignation letter popped out of the secretary’s pocket.
“Hmph, go ahead. Do you think I can’t handle the Labor Office?”
Park Seol-hwa burned it again without a care.
“I’ll tell your mom. I’ll tell your dad too.”
This time, a resignation letter came out of the other pocket.
“…At your age, that’s a bit much.”
At the mention of her parents, Park Seol-hwa paused and looked at the secretary in disbelief.
“…Spending 700 billion on a tooth to win over a middle schooler is okay?”
The secretary didn’t back down.
Having been soulmates since kindergarten, their banter was legendary.
“It’s a gift for Gyeoul, how could I not buy it? Just let it go this once.”
“When are you going to grow up?”
“When Jeong Ha-yul grows up?”
“That means you’ll live like this forever.”
“Can I tell Jeong Ha-yul what you just said?”
“…That would be the only way to leave this company, right? Because I’d be dead.”
“Let’s call it even here.”
Thinking this wouldn’t end, Park Seol-hwa extended her hand first.
“Deal, but you need to cut back on your luxuries. Stop thinking your potions will sell forever.”
“Do you know how many bald people there are?”
“…Millions?”
“This is why you’re the secretary and I’m the CEO. According to the WHO’s 2021 report, there are 1.6 billion people with hair loss worldwide. Of course, that number is growing. Even if only 10% of them buy my potion, that’s at least 160 million people. Do you think my money will ever run out? And there’s the stamina potion too?”
Park Seol-hwa waved her filed index finger left and right, mocking her.
“Fine, you do whatever you want! Spend 700 billion on a tooth, 7 trillion on a tooth, do whatever!”
“If it’s 7 trillion, it must be a Transcendent’s tooth. I’ll have Gyeoul make a weapon out of it. Let’s prepare for a Transcendent raid from now on.”
“You’re really… the craziest person I know.”
