Company (1)

I sat in the back seat of the broker's car and looked out the window.

Moving someone else with magic was quite a hassle.

I couldn't even use Sandworm.

It was on a completely different level from moving just my own body.

In the end, I took the car to Seoul at the broker's suggestion.

"Boss."

The broker suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Have you ever thought about studying?"

"Studying?"

I repeated.

It was a completely unexpected question.

"Yes. I spoke with Mr. Jeong Man-ho a while ago too... He was worried as well. He said it seemed like you weren't even going to school, Boss."

"What, you talk about stuff like that with him too?"

"Sometimes."

I let out a dry laugh.

The broker continued with the same serious expression.

"Of course, your legal status is that of an adult, so you have no legal obligation to do so..."

He seemed to choose his words for a moment.

"Still, right now you're at the age when you should be learning and spending time with friends. Isn't it a little sad that your world is filled only with the tower and the internet?"

There was genuine concern in the broker's words.

The look of a guardian, not merely a partner.

Of course, I was utterly baffled.

"I graduated from high school too, you know?"

"Of course, on paper."

"No, I really did graduate."

"Can you do calculus?"

"Uh, I'm in the humanities track."

"Do you know the quadratic formula?"

Naturally, the only thing that came to mind was some website name.

"Hmm, I forgot since it's not something I ever need in life..."

"But you do know the multiplication table, right?"

I suddenly got angry.

Why was he investigating my academic background?

"No! That's not something you need in life! Do you need the quadratic formula when climbing the tower?"

"Sigh... That's exactly the problem."

At my answer, the broker merely let out a small sigh.

But sensing that I was getting uncomfortable, he didn't press the issue any further.

"..."

An awkward silence filled the car.

I didn't have anything to say.

The broker focused on driving, and I just fiddled with my smartphone screen.

Checking the gallery to see whether any new best posts had appeared was all I had to do.

***

A little while later, we arrived at the very hotel buffet I had come to with Chohogi a few days ago.

"By the way, what brought this on all of a sudden? Coming all the way to Seoul just to eat."

"I just didn't really get to eat properly last time, and I wasn't happy with the photos either."

"...?"

It was exactly as I said. Last time, I had been too busy cleaning up after Chohogi to know whether I was eating with my mouth or my nose.

This time was different.

There was no staff member blocking my way, and no one sticking their fingers into the chocolate fountain.

This time I paid up front with confidence.

The staff member's expression changed subtly at the strange sight of a child paying for one adult as well, but I didn't care.

We were quietly shown to a window seat.

I turned on the camera first.

"..."

The broker watched silently, but now with a look that said he was used to it.

I ignored him and began creating a work of art on the plate.

First, color coordination was important.

First, I arranged pieces of well-cooked steak. Beside them, I added green asparagus and white cauliflower to fill in the empty space.

"This should be good enough, right?"

Click.

After taking one shot, I changed the composition.

This time, an aerial shot from above.

To get the perfect shot, I stood on the chair.

I heard people clicking their tongues around me, but I didn't care.

Click. Click.

Only after several more flashes did I nod in satisfaction.

This was good enough.

"Aren't you going to eat?"

The broker finally asked.

Only then did I pick up my fork.

But my interest had long since drifted away from the food's taste.

'What should I title this? I need to post it at dawn...'

Thinking that, I nibbled at the food.

For a while, only the sounds of plates and utensils clinking filled the space between us.

It was the broker who broke my reverie.

"Boss, I have something to tell you about the company's operations."

"Yes?"

I looked up, halfway through peeling a shrimp.

The company? What was this all of a sudden?

Wiping his mouth with a napkin, the broker continued.

"This might not be something to discuss at a place like this. But I thought you should know."

His expression was serious. I shrugged.

"It's fine. Go ahead."

"Right now, our company, One Star Management, is not in a normal state."

"Why not?"

I asked because I was genuinely curious.

I'd been told there were no problems on paper.

The broker must have already taken care of everything perfectly.

He gave a wry smile and answered,

"Well, because the company has only two employees: you and me."

"Ah."

I nodded only then.

Come to think of it, that was true. I was the representative, and the deputy manager who handled the actual operations. That was the entirety of our company.

What he said was true.

I had never intended to run a company properly in the first place.

It was nothing more than a nominal company to pay the broker a legal salary.

"Do you know what other people think our company is?"

"Well..."

"They think it's Mr. Jeong Man-ho's shell company for tax evasion."

"Pff—!"

I nearly spat out the orange juice I was drinking.

Jeong Manho. The former owner of the Daejeon Tower, and now a neighbor who showered me with all kinds of gifts.

It was an absurd misunderstanding, but I could see how it might sound plausible from the outside.

A-rank hunter Kim Hanbyeol had been kept off the books and was unknown to the world.

In that situation, a company called "One Star Management" suddenly appeared and was entrusted with management rights for the Daejeon Tower.

And that company had formed a close cooperative relationship with Jeong Manho, the old guard of Daejeon.

Anyone would think Jeong Manho was behind it.

I didn't really care.

"So, is that a problem?"

"No. There's no real problem. If anything, it helps prevent unnecessary interference from the outside. I'm just telling you so that you also know the company's situation."

"I don't really have any intention of growing the company."

That was my honest thought.

At my firm reply, the broker fell silent for a moment.

Grow the company—hire more employees, expand the office, and increase the business.

Just thinking about it gave me a headache.

I hated complicated things like that. I didn't really know much about it either.

I already had more money than enough.

Even if I sold only the magic stones I'd scavenged from the tower, I could live comfortably by myself.

My goal wasn't to become the best CEO in the country.

It was to get attention on the internet, and to eat delicious food like this from time to time.

'And to take care of the people around me once in a while. That much is enough.'

"For now, let's keep things as they are. Just the two of us, me and you."

At my answer, the broker remained silent for a moment.

He set down his knife and fork and looked at me with serious eyes.

"Boss."

"Yes."

"If you don't mind, may I ask what your goal is?"

It was an unexpected question. My goal?

Getting onto the monthly best list?

"I'm not asking about big things like the company's vision or future plans. I'm simply curious about what you personally want to achieve, Boss."

The broker's gaze was serious.

He seemed to want to know what I was thinking and what I was moving toward.

I fell into thought for a moment. My goal.

The goal when I first awakened was clear.

To get attention on the internet and make it onto the best posts.

In fact, that goal still hadn't changed.

But was that all?

The people in the Mage Gallery, the man in front of me. Sharon, the elves, and the dwarves I'd met inside the tower.

Unbeknownst to me, countless relationships had become tangled together.

I was no longer alone.

"Well..."

I couldn't answer right away. No clear answer came to mind.

Seeing my silence, the broker soon smiled awkwardly and shook his head.

"No, I asked something unnecessary. That was too heavy a question. Please forget I said anything."

He tried to change the subject.

But I could read faint expectation along with concern in his eyes.

It seemed like he wanted me to have some clear goal of my own.

I poked at the food left on my plate with my fork and muttered quietly,

"For now, I'll just keep climbing the tower. I mean, I don't have anything else to do..."

That was the only answer I could give right now, and the most certain one.

And so our brief conversation about the company came to an end.

We went back to eating in silence.

But unlike before, it was no longer an awkward silence.

It was closer to a feeling of comfort.

I glanced at the broker.

He was still silently cutting his meat, as always.

I, too, quietly brought the sushi on my plate to my mouth.

Now that I'd finished taking proof shots, it was time to enjoy the taste a little.

***

In the car on the way home.

I leaned my head against the window and closed my eyes.

Since I was full, sleepiness was crashing over me.

Seoul's dazzling nightscape flashed past outside the window.

The broker drove quietly without turning on the radio or the navigation.

In the quiet car, I suddenly looked at the hands on the steering wheel. Familiar, steady movements.

Half asleep, I murmured,

"I can drive too."

"Don't be ridiculous."

The broker's reply was like a blade.

I flared up and opened my eyes.

"I have a license, you know?"

Of course, it was a complete lie. But I said it without the slightest hesitation.

The broker let out a helpless laugh.

"Even if you showed me your S-rank hunter certificate, I still wouldn't let you touch the wheel."

"I even tried it once before."

At my words, the broker's expression stiffened for a moment.

"What? When?"

Apparently shocked enough to drop the honorifics, his voice turned sharp.

I yawned and answered casually,

"Last time, when I went to Incheon..."

"When did you go to Incheon?"

Only then did I realize I'd misspoken.

"I'm going to deal with Park Sangcheol. Ah, didn't I tell you?"

Screeeech—!

The car slammed on its brakes.

I barely managed to steady myself as I lurched forward.

"Hey, drive properly, will you?"

Even at my words, the broker gave no response.

He turned to look at me, still gripping the wheel.

"...You mean Chairman Park Sangcheol?"

"Yeah. That guy was bothering you and Mr. Jeong Man-ho, wasn't he?"

"Oh, my head..."

The broker let out a deep sigh.

He leaned his forehead against the steering wheel and stayed motionless for a long while.

His shoulders trembled slightly.

I couldn't tell whether he was laughing or crying.

"Boss."

"Yes?"

"From now on... before you go somewhere and 'deal with' somebody, could you tell me first?"

His voice was close to a plea.

I nodded.

"Yes, I will."

Only after hearing my answer did he start the engine again.

The car resumed gliding smoothly down the road as if nothing had happened.

I leaned my head back against the window again.

I did think his reaction was a little over the top.

But thinking that, I drifted off to sleep.

***

"Boss, we're here."

The broker called carefully, but Kim Hanbyeol didn't move at all.

Apparently, the child was fast asleep.

After some hesitation, the broker seemed to make up his mind and got out of the car.

When he opened the back door, the child's defenseless face was revealed in the streetlight.

A perfectly ordinary, adorable little girl's face.

He hesitated for a moment. Should he wake her?

But waking a soundly sleeping child somehow didn't feel right.

"Haa..."

With a short sigh, he carefully bent down and slipped his arms under the child's body.

'She's light.'

The moment he lifted the child, he was startled before he knew it.

A body as light as a feather, so light it was hard to believe such destructive power was sleeping inside it.

Where in this tiny body was that destructive power sleeping?

Carrying the child in his arms, he entered after keying in the front door password with practiced ease.

An utterly ordinary home, the sort a child living alone would have.

The broker carefully laid the child down on the bed.

Then he pulled up the blanket and covered her up to the neck.

A faint sleepy murmur leaked from the child's mouth as she tossed in her sleep.

"Up... vote..."

He let out a snort of laughter before he knew it.

All the complicated thoughts he had been having until just now felt as if they were melting away like snow in the face of that one sleepy mutter.

"Sleep well."

He whispered softly, then quietly closed the bedroom door and stepped back outside.