Chapter 200

〈 Chapter 200 Part 1 Section 10-3 〉

New Seoul.

In the wake of Sun Icheol’s downfall, public sentiment in New Seoul was as volatile as a plummeting stock market.

The catalyst that doused this explosive atmosphere with icy water – preventing an outright explosion – was the heroic efforts of the heroes in China.

Xue Hualing, ranked SS, made waves worldwide with her awe-inspiring feats, while many heroes including Hwakwon earned core crystals worth astronomical amounts.

Though Qinghua’s acquisition of two core crystals during the Black Scorpion incident paled in comparison, he successfully recruited key Chinese talent:

Xiao Lin, the second SS-ranked ability user and Divine General. Though still officially Chinese and affiliated with the Round Table, Xiao Lin came all the way to Seoul serving as Qinghua’s personal bodyguard.

Following Sun Icheol’s fall, South Korea began experiencing an unusual string of good fortune.

New Seoul was truly in a state of festive chaos.

* * *

<7:27 AM, Yu-Sung Family Mansion, New Seoul>

“So why have you come all the way to New Seoul? Surely not just to see my face this early in the morning.”

“Just paying a visit. It’s been a while, President Baek.”

“…Please don’t call me president when I’m not one yet.”

Sweat dripped down Baek Sang-woo’s forehead as he watched Yun Yuhwa carefully. Though Baek had facilitated the connection between myself and Yun Yuhwa, he hadn’t officially become president yet.

“Isn’t he supposed to be put forward as Black Market’s official president once we go public?”

“I apologize, but it’s not quite time for that. Mr. Baek isn’t president yet. There’s still much work to be done regarding the matters you’ve undertaken.”

Yun Yuhwa rubbed his temple with his index finger, sounding petulant.

“We cheered in delight at the value of the cores obtained from China, but that joy quickly turned into screams of stress from overwork.”

“Do you know how many bodies I’d need to get everything done? Seven wouldn’t even be enough!”

“Seven bodies you already have.”

Yun Yuhwa frowned – I had clearly struck a nerve.

“Are you joking? Even running my dolls 24/7 can’t keep up with the workload. Do you remember the task you gave me before leaving for China?”

“Of course. That’s why I’m here so early in the morning.”

I examined the proposal Yun Yuhwa placed before me.

During my time in China, Yun Yuhwa collaborated with two senior members of the Blue Wind Sect sent by Qinghua – Ryu Cheonseong of Sky Castle and Architect James Lee – to finalize plans for establishing a massive academy.

“A university…?”

“Yes. We decided calling it an academy might be off-putting, so we’re going with university instead. A university for ability users.”

“It is being built on a university site anyway, so that works. Still…”

I pointed to a red X marked through the name “Blue Wind University.”

“Why was ‘Blue Wind University’ rejected?”

“The name sounds too…offensive?”

“…Guess there’s nothing to be done about that then.”

If Yun Yuhwa says no, then no. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

“So what other names are under consideration?”

“Not decided yet. We have over a month before starting anyway, so we can take our time deciding something like a name, right? Isn’t this what you’re most concerned about anyway?”

Yun Yuhwa handed me another document expressionlessly. Despite being a speed-type ability user, an unsettling coldness seemed to emanate from him.

“Freshman recruitment guidelines.”

“President Baek, could you excuse us for a moment?”

Having sensed the tense atmosphere between Yun Yuhwa and myself, Baek hastily left upon my request.

“…You’re too clever for your own good.”

As soon as Baek left, I dropped all pretenses. Yun Yuhwa immediately cut to the chase without comment.

“Freshman recruitment guidelines? Why not just change it to ‘Seeking a Wife’?”

“…Do you not think you get particularly fussy whenever we have this conversation?”

“Am I not?”

Yun Yuhwa slapped the armrest of his chair, glaring at me.

“You who entrusted me with dozens of S-rank cores, no, beyond that, such important responsibilities – and now you’re eyeing other women!”

Yun Yuhwa placed a cube-sized object on the table, growling.

“…It’s only one out of thirty-two.”

“One out of thirty-two is still one! With where things are headed between you and me, nearly thirty treasures like these will be coming in! How do you even begin to value something like this?”

Yun Yuhwa gave up trying to calculate the economic value of the cube.

“With you and the cube, world domination seems within reach, no, universal domination even!”

“You’re unusually high-strung today. Given how close the cube’s value is to infinity, shouldn’t you be happy rather than-”

“Someone like you!”

As soon as Baek left, Yun Yuhwa leaned across the table toward me, close enough for me to feel his breath. His eyes glinted faintly with madness.

“How can I not be angry when you keep creating other women and lowering my share?”

“Is my heart stock then?”

“Stock it is! What’s the price per share?! Sell them now! I’ll buy them all, markup or not!”

Truly a woman consumed by greed. Worried that the financial value I bring in might go to someone else, she becomes excited to the point of showing obsessive behavior in pressuring me.

The original Yuhwa handles emotions better than this, but Yuhwa remains Yuhwa.

“Don’t worry. As long as you don’t betray me, I’ll stick with you till the end.”

“That’s in a business sense, right? Right?”

“Right.”

“Trash, really.”

“…Why do I keep getting called trash wherever I go? Ugh.”

Yuhwa trembled, tears welling up in her eyes. I gently wiped beneath her eyes with my thumb and patted her back to calm her down.

“Don’t worry. I don’t discriminate against anyone. I’ll treat everyone exactly the same – 6.25% each.”

“…Sixteen? Customer, was I one of sixteen people?”

“That’s right.”

“What about the future where I account for seven out of sixteen because of my puppet mastery abilities?”

“There’s no such future. It’s precisely one out of sixteen.”

Even if there are scenes involving three or four people, those are merely events. Once individual routes are chosen in the original story, they lead directly to endings focused solely on one person.

“Let me make this absolutely clear. I’m an egalitarian who loves everyone equally. I don’t play favorites.”

“What nonsense.”

“It’s true.”

“Fine. Hmph. I’ll just acquire 100% of my share within you.”

Fitting for a woman who dreams of economic world domination. If she could have bought my heart with money, Yuhwa would likely have tried selling all of Yu-Sung Group assets by now to do so.

“Such a pity.”

“Why?”

“Because the major shareholder has no intention of selling their shares.”

“….Unlisted?”

Yuhwa looked astonished, and I gave a bitter smile.

“No.”

“Then?”

“The major shareholder owns 99%.”

“99%? Wait. Didn’t you just say 6.25%?”

“Oh. Correction needed.”

I raised my index finger.

“6.25% of 1%. Your share is 0.0625.”

“……”

Yuhwa bit her lip hard.

“Even 1%…! I’ll acquire it somehow…!”

I found it very Yuhwa-like that she desired even that small amount.

“Let’s see how it goes!”

“Ah.”

She was almost crying.

* * *

While Phoenix was working up a sweat dealing with Yuhwa,

Baek Sang-woo, having slipped away from their discussion, was similarly sweating profusely handling tasks assigned by Yuhwa.

“Yes, the furniture obviously needs to be sourced from that side. Given how much of Yu-Sung’s stake is involved. Everything should use core-processed products. Yes. Please proceed with that. Connect with the facilities team and look for people we can pull from our side. Technicians aren’t keen to come up to Seoul, so let’s try to use as many Yu-Sung people as possible. Understood?”

The practical preparations for the ability user training academy fell to Baek. Even though the building could be constructed quickly, setting up the equipment and furniture inside required many hands. Baek had to ensure the academy would be operational within two months.

“What kind of ridiculous hardship is this?”

Compared to before, his workload had increased exponentially. He barely had time to sleep, but Baek didn’t mind.

“At least it’s better than getting laid off.”

After finishing urgent tasks, Baek leaned against the wall to catch his breath. The morning’s work was done, leaving him with an entire day of new tasks ahead.

“I never thought I’d end up scouting.”

Baek needed to find suitable students for the university.

“Still…”

He reviewed the problematic “Freshman Recruitment Guidelines” once more. Unlike the typical image of a university, the admission criteria for this university was singular:

“Ability talent.”

Anyone with talent could enroll. This was the entrance requirement established by Qinghua and Phoenix.

“…Still, is Seung-hyeong the best candidate after all?”

Unfortunately, he hadn’t heard about Phoenix’s complicated relationships.

* * *

After Yuhwa finally calmed down and regained her composure,

We needed to discuss the use of the cube.

“I can’t use it.”

“Why?”

“It feels like something I can’t handle.”

Yuhwa showed considerable unease regarding the cube. Despite its immense value, she maintained a cautious attitude towards the risks it posed.

“There are many places it could be used, but I don’t think it should be used lightly.”

“…Is that so?”

I felt a sudden chill.

“What happens if someone else finds out about the cube besides us? Both Sun Icheol and Kang So-yeon ended up ruined because they became obsessed with the cube. I don’t want that. Frankly, if I were to become addicted to the cube, what would you do?”

“Kill you.”

“See? That’s why I won’t use this.”

That was Yuhwa’s conclusion regarding the cube. Ultimately, I decided to offer her something else valuable instead of the cube, to which Yuhwa quickly responded.

“Then your heart.”

“No.”

“Tch. Then something else.”

Yuhwa lifted the plan.

“I’ll be the dean here.”

“Huh?”

“Suddenly with the honorifics? Why so surprised?”

Yuhwa smirked, mocking me.

“Does the wild child have a problem causing some trouble?”

“Just a moment, just a moment. You mean you actually want to be the dean yourself? Not someone like Eun Ha-su or Eun Jaemin?”

“Yes. How about Yuha University? The name is simple and nice, don’t you think?”

“…Why do you want to be the dean?”

This situation falls outside the scope of the original material. I needed to understand Yuhwa’s true intentions, but despite reading her magical energy, I couldn’t discern her inner thoughts.

“Anything special?”

Yuhwa lifted her coffee cup casually.

“I’m just planning to poach all the talents Customer is cultivating.”

“You mean hiring them into Yu-Sung Group?”

“Exactly. Don’t think I’m setting up a school just to recruit brides like someone else.”

“…”

She continues to irritate me subtly, but honestly, she’s not wrong.

“I see.”

So I decided to be honest.

“Then I’ll personally go around New Seoul doing sales.”

“If you promise to hire them as group employees, I’ll pay attention too. Who’s there?”

Yuhwa started counting on her fingers.

“Me, Cheon Gaeul, Seok Harang, Xiao Lin, and…”

“…”

Each finger folding caused my throat to tighten. I felt thorns sprouting from my chair.

“Hikari, Yuinah. And I heard from Cheon Gaeul – wasn’t it Huanyong? That illusion magic spirit.”

Yuhwa’s eyes sparkled.

“Why don’t you capture the speed-type spirit?”

“I don’t know where it is.”

Is this what it feels like to have one’s scalp scratched raw? But I genuinely don’t know where the speed-type spirit is located.

“Basically, he’s a wanderer. Can’t stay in one place.”

“How did you manage to convince such a person to become a wife?”

“Why is it assumed she’s my wife?”

“Isn’t it obvious from the flow that Customer has captured all the spirits?”

Yuhwa pinpointed this with bone-chilling accuracy. Maintaining my composure, I took a large bite of yogurt.

“As for spirits, let’s leave that aside. For humans, if Customer wishes, I’ll find out where they are. Rest assured, I won’t cause any harm. Would I willingly make an enemy of someone like Customer?”

“Is that so?”

Still, I felt slightly uneasy. To cover my bases, I mentioned someone Yuhwa wouldn’t easily touch.

“Then how about sending this young lady to Seoul?”

“Who…oh.”

Seeing the profile I pulled out, Yuhwa’s eyes widened in surprise.

“She’s seeing someone else.”

“Huh?”

I was thrown into confusion.