Chapter 57 : The Abyss Devours the Stars

“Y-Yes?”

It was such an unexpected response that all Go Jiheon could manage to say was that.

Isn’t a large corporation supposed to wield enormous funds and treat explorers like pawns?

Baek Yuseong had rebelled, so he thought Chief Choi would just say, ‘I’ll take care of it properly,’ and that would be the end of it.

“Seems like your ears have gotten dirty.”

But instead, Chief Choi said that and stood up from his seat.

He shattered a teacup with his bare hand, yet his hand remained unharmed.

As expected of Chairman Lee Udo’s right hand, his Gift and physical abilities were extraordinary.

A chill ran down Go Jiheon’s spine.

The man rose and walked over to the desk against the wall.

He picked up a tissue box from atop the desk, opened it, and took out a file.

Returning to the sofa, he sat down with it.

“Um, Chief Choi, I’m afraid there’s some misun… misun-”

“No, there isn’t.”

“…What?”

“My tone isn’t cold because there’s a misunderstanding.”

With that, Chief Choi’s voice was so cold it was as if ice was dripping.

Thud.

He threw the file he was holding in front of Go Jiheon.

“We were already reviewing contract termination. The reason I kept time free after you said you would come to meet us was because of this.”

“W-What did you say?”

“Compared to when we first signed the contract with you, your content planning methods have changed a lot.”

Unlike the earlier anger in his tone, Chief Choi’s voice was now completely businesslike.

That made Go Jiheon feel even more afraid.

He grabbed the file with trembling hands.

On the first page was the title, ‘Contract Termination Agreement.’

Behind it were the terms previously negotiated between Old Daily and Cheonghwa.

“The publicity we wanted from Old Daily was nothing special. As you know, it was just to expose the new products in videos and show that our pioneering projects are progressing competitively.”

“In exchange, we gave quite a lot in advertising.”

Since signing the contract, 35% of Old Daily’s advertising revenue had gone to Cheonghwa and its affiliates.

Thanks to that, Old Daily’s shareholders were raking in enormous profits.

Although the Miracle Channel was growing and earning substantial income, it still couldn’t compare to the money coming from Cheonghwa.

“But we made it clear not to damage the reputation of Cheonghwa and Blue Expedition.”

Blue Expedition is the group that manages Cheonghwa’s explorers and pioneering projects.

Yuseong belonged there, and besides him, there were several Blue Expedition explorers on the Miracle Channel’s programs.

“Damaging the reputation… what is that…”

“In my eyes, Old Daily seems to have been too greedy.”

Flipping through another file, there were plenty of screenshots of videos uploaded to the Miracle Channel.

No one knew when they were taken, but there were definitely suspicious scenes.

They were from the time Go Jiheon was appointed head of the clip content team and had pushed the channel expansion by creating excessive content.

If Cheonghwa wanted to find faults, they would surely find plenty.

Chief Choi clicked his tongue, clearly frustrated.

“If you had brought a proper plan this time, none of this would have happened… damn.”

According to the contract, if one party terminates the contract due to the other’s fault, a penalty fee applies.

The amount was manageable for Cheonghwa, but for Old Daily, it was enough to cost the heads of a few key people their jobs.

Go Jiheon was likely among them.

He begged desperately.

“T-This termination came out of nowhere. Aren’t we partners? We’ve benefited a lot from Cheonghwa, and Cheonghwa’s pioneering business has benefited from us…”

“Partners? What are you talking about?”

Chief Choi cut him off.

“Hm?”

“Strictly speaking, this is a contractual relationship. Don’t you see?”

Chief Choi politely pointed to a clause in the contract with his finger.

It read:

Cheonghwa Electronics (hereafter ‘Party A’) and Old Daily (hereafter ‘Party B’) hereby agree to the following…

Chief Choi’s fingertip seemed to emphasize the words ‘Party A’ and ‘Party B.’

Go Jiheon swallowed hard.

Chief Choi suddenly seemed terrifying.

Truly, he was the iron-fisted man of Chairman Lee Udo.

And despite his young age, he was the head of the chairman’s direct agency (Dance #).

Just as Go Jiheon thought, Chief Choi was indeed Party A.

But what he had misunderstood was that Party B was not Baek Yuseong but Go Jiheon himself.

“Take it with you. Our lawyers will contact you soon.”

“Hah…”

And the consequences born from that misunderstanding were unbearably severe.

Go Jiheon’s head exploded.

In an instant, his career was thrown into a tailspin.

***

On the way home.

Yuseong sat dazed in the back seat of a taxi, staring out the window.

Although he had a car, he had no one to sit in the driver’s seat, so he took a taxi.

But if the taxi driver didn’t bother him with conversation, taxis weren’t bad at all.

There was no better place to sink deep into thought than the back seat of a taxi.

Just a moment ago, a sudden message had arrived.

It was from Chief Choi, containing an abrupt apology.

It said they were sorry on behalf of Old Daily for their rude demands.

It also stated that from now on, there was no need to cooperate with their plans.

“So, they heard after all.”

Meanwhile, Chief Choi seemed to have reviewed Old Daily’s plans.

He was intelligent and sharp; Yuseong could understand why he was so furious.

“Lee Yulhee was the one, wasn’t she?”

Before subduing the Serpent, Yulhee had said something that suddenly came to mind.

She mentioned that the person in charge had changed.

At the time, Yuseong thought it didn’t concern him, but reality was different.

Go Jiheon and Old Daily had truly crossed the line.

“That person didn’t cross the line, at least.”

By contrast, Yulhee was somewhat annoying but kept proper boundaries.

“Well, I guess that’s to be expected in these times. At least people’s attention is still somewhat decent.”

Since Regression, everything had gone smoothly.

He hadn’t felt it, but the world’s perception of food wasn’t always so kind.

Especially when it came to eating monsters, most people found it disgusting.

For now, many still remembered the past, so it was okay, but over time, culinary culture would be forgotten.

“Or maybe the future could change because of me.”

One difference since Regression was that many people now viewed Yuseong’s eating habits favorably.

That made him think it would be good to have a channel that could properly introduce culinary culture.

Old Daily seemed impossible for that.

While he was lost in such thoughts, the taxi crossed the Hangang Bridge.

The towering Phoebus Hotel by the riverside caught his eye.

“The General Assembly too…”

Before Regression, he didn’t know how revered it was, but now there was an organization called ‘Sung Euihoe.’

It consisted of wealthy people interested in food who shared ingredients, and thanks to a gifted expert named Han Seoryeon, they had a food storage that maintained freshness.

Chairman Lee Udo, noticing Yuseong’s interest, had recommended that he join.

However, the requirements were not easy.

First, one needed recommendations from five General Assembly members.

Even if Lee Udo and Chairman Park Gyeongjae recommended him, he still needed recommendations from three more big names.

Furthermore, ordinary salaried workers were ineligible; one had to operate their own business.

After all, it was originally a gathering of entrepreneurs.

“…Well, I guess I’ll manage somehow.”

Either way, this wasn’t something he could handle right now.

Lost in such thoughts, the taxi finally arrived at his destination.

“We’re here, sir.”

Yuseong paid the fare and got out.

In front of him stood a modest two-story house that looked plainly visible.

After making some money, he had moved here.

The money Yuseong had earned in a short time was not small.

Cheonghwa also supported housing for its affiliated explorers.

Yet Yuseong refused all those offers and moved into this remote house.

It was modest, but he liked it immensely.

He had spent all his earnings setting up equipment for cooking and even prepared a basement storage to keep ingredients.

It was a resting place on Earth he had never dared hope for in his previous life.

As he was about to enter, he suddenly noticed a farmer’s box by the doorstep.

It was a Styrofoam box, and inside, a faint chill lingered.

“A delivery, huh.”

Yuseong picked up the box and brought it inside.

The sender indicated on the delivery tag was…

“…Lee Yulhee?”

What could Yulhee have sent him?

Without hesitation, he unwrapped the package.

Opening the Styrofoam lid revealed an ice pack first.

That explained the chill in the box.

At this time, there were hardly any refrigerated deliveries that needed to be packed like this.

Most were medical supplies or the like, and Yulhee surely hadn’t sent him organ or medicinal items.

“This is…”

After removing the ice pack, the contents became clear.

Yuseong’s eyes widened.

It was something he hadn’t expected at all.

In fact, it was something he had been desperately trying to obtain recently.

He had almost given up because it was so hard to get…

“Someone bought wasabi roots…”

What he held was fresh wasabi root, also called horseradish.

There were at least ten roots inside.

Wasabi was a spice.

Unlike other spices like pepper or cinnamon, it was not classified as food for humans but as a seasoning.

Therefore, even after the Great Calamity, the seed itself didn’t disappear and continued growing deep in the mountains.

The problem was not knowing where.

Fresh wasabi wasn’t usually hard to get domestically.

But these were fresh roots that didn’t look canned or processed at all.

Moreover, they even included a grater to shred the roots.

Yuseong held a wasabi root up to his nose.

Taking a breath in, the sharp yet refreshing aroma spread pleasantly.

It would go perfectly with the greasy belly meat of the Serpent.

Fresh wasabi and the processed wasabi products sold in stores were incomparable.

Most products on the market were powders mixed with water to a paste, usually dark green.

Fresh wasabi was grated directly from the root and had a pale light green color.

Both were spicy and pungent, but fresh wasabi gave a bright, lively fragrance.

It was an excellent spice not only for seafood but also for meat.

“How did Lee Yulhee get this…?”

Anyway, this wasn’t something an ordinary journalist could get.

They looked like top-quality products, only someone who knew the mountains well or had a lot of money could have sent these.

Indeed, a handwritten note was included in the box.

『Since you said you’re resting after coming up to Earth this time, I’m sending this. I didn’t get it myself; it’s from a foreign fan who saw your videos. Well then, bye.』

“Fan?”

He found it amusing that he even had fans now.

Anyway, whoever sent such precious goods wasn’t an ordinary person.

Yuseong fell silent for a moment, then took out his smartphone.

He called Lee Yulhee.

Soon enough, she answered.

— Hello? Whale here. You called first.

“I received the package safely.”

— Oh, it’s not from me, it’s from fans. Actually, this is the first time we got ingredients as gifts. Usually, it’s in the form of sponsorships. That wasabi was going to be thrown away by the company, so I sent it separately.

“I see.”

She had almost thrown away such precious fresh wasabi.

Anger flared up again at Old Daily’s behavior.

— Thanks to you, Yuseong, the channel’s income is incredible. We’ve gotten sponsorship money too. Don’t you know how much?

Yulhee spoke nonstop without being asked.

Not only the channel revenue but the sponsorships received under Yuseong’s name were tremendous.

Among the fans were wealthy overseas residents who even expressed willingness to send spices or food products from their regions.

Actually, the wasabi was the first thing they sent.

— So, seeing you struggle to grow the channel even though you’re making so much money, don’t you get pissed? You could live comfortably just by taking a portion of that money.

“So, are you going back to your original work now?”

— No. I’m thinking of quitting.

“Quit?”

— Yeah. I’m going to help my mom at her shop. I’m tired of this kind of work.

“But didn’t you say you like this work?”

— What? Are you mocking me as ‘Whale’? It’s fine. People can’t always do only what they want.

Yuseong wasn’t mocking her; he just softened his tone because he was considering some possibilities in his mind.

— Yuseong?

When Yuseong remained silent, Yulhee called his name.

But he kept thinking.

Fresh wasabi—people passionate about his culinary tastes.

A stable and regular income, that alone could afford him a cold storage as good as Lee Udo’s.

The perceptions of people still wary of food, and a tool that could change that.

“Lee Yulhee.”

— Why are you so quiet? Yes?

He thought he’d come up with a good idea.

“Don’t quit; join this job with me.”