Chapter 18: The Notification Sound Rang

“Goodbye... take care.”

“I’ll come again.”

“Right...”

Click.

“...”

The moment the door closed, Kim Gubok and Go Miyoung sighed almost simultaneously.

Their children, who had left home, returned after nearly two years.

They hadn't come looking for their parents, but for the shop.

Specifically, they were looking for the corn they sold—or rather, the owner of that corn.

If the situation hadn't been like this, they would have embraced and shed tears.

They would have told them never to leave again.

That they were their parents—how could they not pay off that miserable debt?

That they could pay it all back now.

But there was no time to even bring up the subject of debt.

Originally, they had planned to approach the matter subtly and secretly, but upon seeing their parents, the words poured out of the children involuntarily.

Kim Jaewon fired the direct hit with his first sentence.

“We... our Guild Leader told us to meet the seller of this corn, so we came...”

The fact that both siblings had become official Hunters was shocking enough.

But the fact that the place they belonged to was none other than the Saeron Guild was even more astounding.

The siblings had awakened one after another three years and two and a half years ago.

Having children awaken in succession was a cause for family celebration, but their abilities were far from combat-oriented.

The daughter, Kim Seonghye’s ‘Clairvoyance,’ was worse than a pair of binoculars, and the son, Kim Jaewon’s ‘Animal Affinity,’ seemed like a power only useful in a pet shop.

It was then that a guild placement broker approached the siblings.

Deceived by the promise of increasing their stats, the siblings were swindled out of hundreds of millions of won by the broker under the guise of training and placement fees.

The illegal loans they impulsively signed for remained as their personal debt.

In short, they had fallen for a job placement scam.

The aftermath even reached the parents.

Every bit of money Kim Gubok and his wife had saved vanished, and they were left saddled with debt.

The siblings, who had left promising to resolve that debt, had returned as members of the Saeron Guild.

Pulling herself together, Go Miyoung burst out in frustration.

“Then you should have come home even when you first joined the guild!”

Kim Gubok comforted his wife.

“They said it was because they felt too ashamed. They planned to come once the debt was fully paid.”

“When would that have been!”

“Since they’re in the Saeron Guild, there probably wasn’t much left.”

Go Miyoung bit her lip and closed her eyes.

Her heart broke when she thought about how much the siblings must have suffered.

She was barely able to calm her heart thanks to her husband's patting.

Still, it was a relief that they had found a place in the Saeron Guild.

However, the task the siblings brought back weighed heavily on the couple’s hearts once more.

They couldn't help but worry at the mention that Bak Gibeom was looking for Go Namtae.

“Is that corn really that incredible?”

“Actually, I felt it too... Honey, I wasn't always this physically fit, was I?”

“Ah...!”

Kim Gubok nodded, looking at his wife anew.

Both he and his wife were at an age where their bodies were breaking down here and there and their stamina was declining.

Yet, despite running around enough to fall ill over the past few days, they hadn't felt tired yet.

There was only one thing to point to as the cause.

While others only ate a single ear of corn, this couple was eating the corn along with white rice and kimchi.

The effects of the rice, in particular, were different.

After eating the rice, they felt so much overflowing power they could hardly contain it.

Since then, even though they mixed it with other rice, the effects were still palpable.

But Bak Gibeom had realized this after eating just a single ear of corn?

Bak Gibeom was a giant among giants, while Go Namtae was a newly awakened rookie.

They couldn't judge whether receiving such early attention was a good thing.

“Should we really connect Namtae with that Saeron Guild Leader person?”

“We can just ask our nephew Namtae directly!”

“The door doesn't open until tomorrow. I don't think there'll be enough time to explain everything.”

“Couldn't we write a letter?”

“Like the ones I used to write to you?”

“Goodness, is this the time for jokes?”

Slap!

Kim Gubok, whose back was sacrificed needlessly, diligently began writing a note again.

-Namtae, actually, our kids came by...

***

Go Namtae, who was packing items to send to Kim Gubok, tilted his head.

“I need to be more systematic about sending these now.”

There was little corn left in the storage.

The harvest volume wasn't high enough yet to keep up with the speed at which it was selling.

Since it was better to have a steady supply rather than sending it sporadically, management became necessary.

[I will manage the inventory and shipments.]

“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you.”

After packing the items to be sent, Go Namtae added one more item to the list.

-Packaging containers, sacks, bags: various sizes.

Since he had regretted not being able to send the tofu because he lacked a suitable container, packaging containers were essential.

Instead of tofu, he specially packed some chili powder.

He also included radishes and cabbages, of course.

As Go Namtae entered the bathroom holding the basket, his cell phone caught his eye.

 the phone sat quietly on the stand above the toilet paper holder.

In the past, it was a friend that never left his hand except during sleep.

Yet, he had forgotten its very existence until now.

“What’s the point? It’s not even connected.”

Go Namtae chuckled, and the moment he opened the mirror, a 'ting' notification sound rang from the phone.

“Namtae!”

At that moment, Kim Gubok was waving happily from beyond the mirror.

‘Was that the sound of Uncle’s phone?’

There was no time to ponder that. Kim Gubok was also in a hurry.

“I've been waiting! I'm glad I hurried. Oh, I have to send this first!”

Kim Gubok and his wife began to move busily.

Being a man of action, Kim Gubok had already installed the conveyor belt he mentioned the day before.

The items to be sent were also prepared at an angle perfectly aligned with the entrance of the crack.

However... there were more items than expected.

Before Go Namtae could say anything, the couple began pushing the items through.

Tightly packed boxes and sacks poured in without a moment’s rest, and the narrow bathroom filled up in an instant.

Go Namtae also had to hurry and push the items out the door.

‘Maybe I should change where I open the door...’

It was a slightly late realization.

Seeing the couple high-five each other with beads of sweat on their foreheads, Go Namtae also began to pour out the contents of his basket.

After pouring everything out, he quickly added one line to the order list.

‘Full-length mirror.’

The door closed as soon as he hurriedly pushed the note in.

The time was quite tight because the items Kim Gubok sent were so numerous.

If not for the conveyor belt, it would have been an impossible amount.

The bathroom and living room had already turned into a mess.

Showing his big heart, Kim Gubok had sent three commercial-sized rice cookers.

As Go Namtae began to organize the items, the Four Auspicious Beasts and Haeul’s family also jumped in to help.

Thanks to them, organizing the goods ended much sooner than expected.

Looking at it all organized, it was even more impressive.

“Wow, he sent all of this before I even asked.”

The seeds in the note he just sent were included, along with various other seeds he hadn't even requested.

Cabbages of various types, radishes of various types, and multi-colored corn.

And sesame, pumpkin, watermelon, oriental melon, eggplant, tomato, green onion, onion, carrot, lettuce, chives, barley, wheat...

It was hard to even count them all.

“Toto, should I put these seeds in the storage? Or would the warehouse be better?”

[If you put them all in the warehouse at once, the energy will be dispersed.]

[Please select only those you will plant within the next few days to keep in the warehouse, and keep the rest in the storage.]

[Current storage synchronization is at 29.7%.]

[Since storage is an innate ability, the storage is better for the purpose of keeping everything in one place.]

The seeds from Earth could only be used after they had 'ripened' while staying in the warehouse.

However, this required using the house’s energy, so a sequence had to be established.

Since ripening occurred in the storage as well, albeit slowly, ultimately all seeds would become usable.

“Wait, what about the garlic? You kept it alone in the warehouse.”

[The garlic seeds can be planted tomorrow.]

“Okay!”

Go Namtae began to separate the seeds to be kept in the warehouse from those for the storage.

“Pumpkins, cucumbers, sesame, and green onions are urgent, so they go to the warehouse...”

He postponed the rest to the storage.

Besides the seeds, there was something else he was happy to see.

“This must have been sent by the Missus, right?”

She had thoughtfully sent various types of coffee.

There was one box of 100 sticks of the mix coffee that was on the list he sent today.

One box of coal-colored black coffee.

And one bag of roasted beans.

Seeing that made him think of another list to add.

“...Should I ask them to get some coffee beans next time?”

He meant for planting, of course.

He was already looking forward to the thought of coffee he grew and raised himself.

While he was at it, he’d add sugar cane too!

When he opened another box, his jaw dropped involuntarily.

On top of the containers tightly wrapped to prevent leaking, there was a note written in round handwriting.

[I'm sorry, I wanted to make the pastes myself and send them to you, but I wasn't confident in those. So I bought them and sent them. Still, I asked around for the most delicious shop and bought them after tasting them myself. Enjoy.]

There was one tub each of soybean paste and chili paste.

Just as the pastes at home were running out, these precious gifts arrived as if they had been waiting.

The others wouldn't eat them, but they were precious treasures that would sufficiently satisfy his palate.

However, the things that took up enough volume to overflow the bathroom were something else.

Go Namtae scratched the back of his head.

“No, how could they even think of things like this?”

The items he had to lift with both arms were boxes of clothes and bedding.

The ‘Boss’s House’ was most perfect.

Therefore, it was a sanctuary that avoided both cold and heat, but the sentiment contained in the new bedding made him feel even warmer.

There was one more box with a note attached.

[I heard they even charge extra delivery fees to where you live, Namtae. So I prepared this. Your Uncle told me the size—is it right? I sent clothes for you to wear comfortably while working. Thank you. See you again!]

Inside were clothes.

Comfortable work clothes, casual wear, bright fluorescent hiking clothes, and socks of various thicknesses and lengths...

“They wouldn't send items here no matter how much delivery fee I gave them.”

Snicker.

As he responded toward the note, Go Namtae discovered an envelope tucked at the very bottom.

“Heh, what’s this now...”

It was the sales revenue Kim Gubok had sent from the past few days.

He knew the price had been raised gradually, but even the first day’s worth, which he had sent for them to taste, had been calculated.

And so, the money calculated as his share was as much as...

“Whoa, is this for real?”

Subtracting the small units, the net profit alone was over 25 million won.

Go Namtae was startled by the profit from just a few days.

However, Toto was indifferent.

[Such an impact is only natural for the Boss’s grace.]

[This is only the beginning.]

“...”

Go Namtae’s eyebrows furrowed as he checked the final numbers.

“Ah, I forgot about this.”

He immediately found the contract, revised the commission section, and left a note.

-Guaranteed minimum industry commission! I’ll sign it only when you get it notarized again and bring it back!

Finally, there was one more sealed letter.

“Wow, Seonghye and Jaewon came back? That’s a relief! The Missus must have cried.”

But as he read further down, there was some unusual content.

“This Bak Gibeom guy?”

Surprisingly, Toto showed active approval.

[I believe you may consider this positively.]

[Of course, the Boss must hold the key!]

[Kim Gubok’s role has become even more significant.]

[The commission the Boss raised will give him even more motivation!]

Go Namtae was already thinking positively.

This was because he felt personally indebted to Bak Gibeom.

Of course, it was a debt only Go Namtae knew about.

But there was no need to give an answer right away.

The other side was the one who was anxious.

‘The side that wants something should bring the terms.’

Go Namtae nodded quite arrogantly.

...Go Namtae was gradually becoming more like a Boss.