Chapter 58
Inside the Bright Corridor.
Having ended the call through her optical HUD, the boss of the Sparo Rapido Family─Luciana slowly lifted the coffee from the wooden desk.
With no particular acidity, the coffee’s heavy, nutty aroma had gently filled the air, and it had cooled just enough for its deep flavor to be fully appreciated.
Her faded blonde hair fell naturally,
and her deep-red eyes stared blankly into empty space.
After some time.
“Audacious.”
That was Luciana’s assessment of the person she had just spoken with.
A plain smile spread across her lips as she muttered to herself.
“Quite shameless.”
When she lightly brushed a slender finger across the desk, countless holographic displays appeared around the chair where she sat.
Slurp.
Holding a mouthful of coffee, Luciana skimmed through the contents appearing on the displays.
Most of them were reports directly or indirectly related to a certain ‘grocery store.’
‘The Black Parade gang, Dum & Damm, the Tojo Clan, and others. Successfully repelled more than twelve gang attacks without suffering any damage. As a result, security in the area is also gradually stabilizing….’
However.
The person responsible for these astonishing results did not seem particularly impressed by them.
- I was just wondering if things have been quiet lately.
- Well, nothing’s happened. It’s almost boring, actually.
- …….
There had been no hesitation whatsoever before the answer came.
The person who had asked was the one who felt flustered instead.
If one did not describe that as ‘audacious,’ what would be a better word for it?
“But….”
Luciana twirled a finger, and footage of Hot Dog Man recorded at the last gathering of the organizations expanded across a large display.
He had smashed every tooth in the mouth of the person who approached him, then shrugged with a brazen attitude as if he had not done it intentionally.
(In fact, it hadn’t been intentional.)
At his feet lay a cocky gang member, bleeding from the mouth and presumably buried by now in the District 50 landfill.
There was exactly one difference between the two.
“I like him quite a bit.”
Whether or not they could take responsibility for their actions.
One was a person who had wiped out both businesses operated by Hakuga-gumi and a cult, yet proudly said he was bored even while suffering countless attacks at that very moment.
The other was a walking corpse who had picked a fight with someone for a ridiculous reason, then gone on a rampage even after coming to his senses, leaving them no choice but to dispose of him after all his teeth had been pulled out.
‘…And he also knows what an explosion is.’
While Luciana was thinking of Hot Dog Man, one of her subordinates approached from behind.
“Boss, what should we do with the troops we have standing by?”
“Forget it.”
In fact, Luciana had been gathering troops to help the Homeless Clan─Hot Dog Man, who was under attack by Hakuga-gumi.
But.
He himself had said he was bored.
“We can’t just get in the way without realizing it.”
“Understood.”
At first, it had been simple curiosity.
Now, however, it seemed to have reached the level where it could be called interest.
‘A dim-witted beast and Hot Dog Man….’
The outcome was difficult to predict.
Hot Dog Man had certainly shown her many times that he was capable of exceeding expectations, but the identity of the leader of Hakuga-gumi, who was always scurrying around like a rat, was still unknown as well.
‘If he shows me another result beyond expectations this time….’
Should I really at least have a meal with him then?
An uncharacteristic youthful freshness appeared on Luciana’s face.
Her subordinate quietly swallowed a groan as they watched from behind.
The sight of their boss looking so excited was astonishing.
They bit their tongue to maintain an expressionless face.
When Luciana slightly raised a hand over her shoulder, her subordinate quickly approached and prepared to receive her order.
“Yes, Boss.”
“Then don’t send any troops….”
Luciana thought carefully before finishing her sentence.
“I can’t send nothing, so just send over some money, a reasonable amount. Make sure it’s clean.”
“Understood.”
Her subordinate did not commit the foolish act of asking how much.
Perhaps intending to ease their tension, Luciana playfully tapped the desk.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if money could solve every worry and concern?”
Although it could solve most problems.
It was difficult to peek into a particular person’s heart.
Of course, the truth was slightly different….
* * *
As of today, I withdraw my support for the mafia.
From today on, the mafia and I are one.
Any attack on the mafia is an attack on me─.
“What are you looking at so intently?”
I silently held the terminal screen out to Michael, who approached as I asked the question.
Michael straightened his clothes so his tie would not shake, then calmly bowed his head.
And.
For an instant, Michael’s eyes grew round.
“One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand…. Huh.”
At that moment, Michael thought deeply.
From today on, I withdraw my support for the mafia─.
Anyway.
It was such a large sum that even Michael, who had lived as a corporate employee at a megacorp, trembled from the shock for a moment.
Six zeros.
One million dollars.
In Korean currency, that was well over a billion won….
Wait, what was the exchange rate here again?
I suddenly became curious.
Without much thought, I searched for information about Korea on the terminal.
‘Here it is. Unified Korea. The exchange rate is roughly five hundred won to one dollar─.’
Let’s stop looking into this.
At an exchange rate enough to make even Mr. Kim Gu gasp and check his stock account, I quietly closed the tab.
Perhaps startled by the number in my electronic wallet, Michael’s eye corners trembled slightly, though his face remained as expressionless as usual.
“…It looks like support funds from the Sparo Rapido Family. Is that right?”
Nod.
“It seems they like our organization quite a bit. The first support payment was already large, but the second is even twice that amount….”
Nod, nod.
“…Did you perhaps catch a sore throat─.”
“Pffft…….”
“Ah, you were just holding your breath.”
I was genuinely startled.
What had I done to receive another support payment like this?
I felt as though I was being dragged deeper and deeper into the organization’s quagmire.
Still, I could not return the money.
I had used the first support payment in its entirety to relocate the orphanage (home) where Rivera lived.
“It sounded like you just spoke with the mafia family’s boss, or did she ask you for something separately?”
“No. I honestly don’t know why she gave it to me either.”
We had only talked for the purpose of breaking the ice.
Even thinking about it now, the conversation had been peaceful enough to appear as an example sentence in an English textbook.
- Hello?
- Yes, hello.
- I’m Luciana. Is something wrong?
- No. Nothing. So I’m bored.
- Ah, I see. I understand.
- Yes?
- Confirmed.
That was all.
It was not an insurance sales pitch, a call about congratulations or condolences, or a request to stand surety.
Just a check-in call.
Nothing particularly special came up afterward either.
I ended the call with the sort of polite Korean pleasantry people often use as a formality: “If you have time sometime, let’s have a meal together.”
What conversation could I possibly have had with a mafia boss who (probably) had no blood, tears, conscience, mercy, compassion, recognition, or anything else of the sort?
‘…What am I supposed to do with all this money.’
I had come into an astronomical amount of money.
Bluntly put, I had nowhere to spend it.
It was not as if I still had student loans in this world.
As I scratched my head, Michael carefully asked what I intended to use the money for.
“…Um, are you perhaps planning to donate most of this support payment to the orphanage, like last time?”
“Hmm… Should I ask her?”
“…Pardon?”
Just then, I gestured to Rivera, who had spotted me in the warehouse and was lingering nearby.
“Kiddo…, I mean, Rivera.”
“…You can just call me Kiddo.”
“Ahem, sorry.”
Because I kept thinking of my younger sister.
I quickly moved past the unnecessary subject.
“How’s the house you moved into? Is it comfortable? I need to go to your housewarming sometime, but I keep forgetting.”
“It’s really great. The other kids all like it too, especially since it’s close to the grocery store. …These days, we even go for walks together around here.”
“Still, be careful so it’s not dangerous.”
“…Yes!”
Rivera smiled broadly, satisfaction visible through her bushy hair.
At the same time, Michael’s complexion darkened slightly as he listened to our conversation from the side.
“…Was the orphanage where Rivera lives?”
“Yep.”
“I didn’t even know that….”
‘This crazy Hot Dog Man just threw perfectly good money onto the ground─.’ Hadn’t he thought that?
I patted Michael’s shoulder to comfort him.
“I only found out recently too.”
That was as far as comforting the hairy young man went.
I turned my head back toward Rivera.
“You’re not short on budget or anything?”
“…No. I think there’ll actually be some left over. I’ll return it to you later. And, um, I’ll pay back all the money I borrowed too.”
“Now, now.”
Out of habit, I roughly tousled Rivera’s hair with both hands.
“It’s not like I have anywhere else to spend it.”
If this had been before we obtained an android body for Nova, things might have been different, but we (I) had already robbed a megacorp truck.
Besides, I did not want the dollars I gave her to become AK-47s in the hands of Somali pirate children, so I had no intention of looking for another charity.
As my deliberation dragged on.
Michael gave a small cough.
“…I mentioned this last time too, but could you perhaps leave it to me?”
“Are you going to invest in stocks like you said?”
“No, it’s different this time.”
Fortunately, it seemed I would not have to look at any blue graphs.
He continued speaking slowly.
“With the organization’s membership continuing to grow, I’d like to establish a means of maintaining and strengthening the group, even without relying on Hot Dog Man’s help─.”
“Explain it in one sentence.”
Since the explanation seemed likely to become lengthy, I cut him off midway.
“…I’d like to propose a new business.”
Come to think of it.
Organizations often sank roots into various businesses.
Even mafia families─Walter had told me last time that they operated a perfectly legitimate dairy business in District 49.
“Hmm, sure?”
Without thinking for long, I immediately transferred the support funds to Michael.
“No, I haven’t even finished explaining….”
“It’s fine. You’re not going to run off with the money.”
Considering all the help I had received from Michael, this much was hardly difficult─.
‘…Wait a second, but what did Michael actually do around here.’
It felt as though he might only have made everything more complicated….
Anyway.
To be honest, from my perspective, it was basically the same as handing him a bomb because I could not be bothered.
Michael’s eyes gradually reddened.
“…Boss.”
“What boss? Call me Hot Dog Man.”
“……Hot Dog Man!!”
I should have told him to call me by my name.
* * *
As everyone knows.
Behind our grocery store is a wide vacant lot.
Koom….
More precisely, there ‘had been’ a vacant lot.
Huge construction drones and heavy equipment neatly leveled the vacant lot and began assembling the building components piece by piece atop it.
There was still plenty of empty space visible.
But with three buildings already going up, it was difficult to call it an ordinary vacant lot anymore.
One was a modest two-story building where Rivera and her family were staying.
Another was old man Walter’s new shop, with its sign changed to 【Anna’s Recycle Shop】.
Finally….
“The bricks are warm…. So this is what ‘HOME’ is.”
“…Kkh, not content with food, now even a house.”
“Hot Dog Man, my refuge. Hot Dog Man, my life….”
Michael’s homeless shelter came into view.
“……”
It was a situation of complete chaos.
Who could have imagined that the vacant lot behind the grocery store would become this?
For the record, I couldn’t.
Just then, I spotted Michael nearby and approached at a leisurely pace.
“…So what business are you planning to do with all those homeless people?”
“Ah, I haven’t told you about that yet. You don’t need to worry. It’s neither begging nor an illegal business idea.”
Michael continued, answering with a calm expression.
“For starters, I’m thinking of selling canned drinking water with the outside customized using paper straws and flashy labels.”
“?”