Chapter 18 : The Birth of Woo Min Company?

Ding dong—

It had only been an hour since I contacted Dohyun.

He arrived in what felt like an instant.

Through the intercom, I saw Dohyun holding gifts in both hands.

“What did you bring this time?”

“Oh, Woo min, I couldn’t come empty-handed when visiting your place.”

True to his word, his crooked arms were loaded with various sets of presents.

He carefully placed them all down in one corner of the room, then scanned the surroundings.

There were Phoenixes, of course, as well as rabbits and squirrels I’d never seen before.

Just as Seo Rin had described.

The number of Beasts tripled, and the cuteness increased sixfold.

“First, I have a few urgent things to explain.”

Dohyun hurriedly sat down and pulled out several documents from the guest room.

One of them was a contract for renting a legendary-tier item.

“The acorn that the squirrel Beast has is actually a legendary-tier item purchased recently at the Gyeongmaejang.”

“What? Really?”

The acorn-shaped pendant hanging around its neck was a legendary-tier item?

“In fact, it was stolen this afternoon.”

Our Toto had been hanging out with a thieving squirrel Beast?

I hadn’t thought of that at all.

Well, it’s still young, so I guess it can happen.

But it needs a stern lesson—no stealing ever again.

If that’s the case, then I’ll have to pay for it.

A legendary-tier item must cost at least hundreds of billions.

I already had a lot of expenses, and at this rate, my wallet’s going to break for sure.

“But don’t worry. I have everything figured out.”

Dohyun shook his head and began explaining the contract contents.

To summarize, the pendant Toto has was legitimately rented.

However, because of the data leak incident, there’s been some confusion in the system, so the paperwork aligns with that.

“Can it really be done this way?”

“Of course. What are the police going to say about a system leak? Sure, I’m the chief of data management, so I’ll write a disciplinary report, but it doesn’t matter. I’m already used to writing one every day anyway. Hahaha.”

He laughed boisterously.

Is writing disciplinary reports something to brag about?

Still, somehow it felt reassuring.

He was willing to sacrifice himself for me.

“Alright then. It’s really okay?”

“Absolutely. I guarantee it.”

Dohyun was a kind-hearted man even the skeptics had to admit.

He wasn’t the type to lie.

There was nothing questionable about the contract itself.

It simply proved that the item had been rented this afternoon.

No reason to worry at all.

After signing the bottom of the contract with my name, Dohyun’s expression brightened considerably.

“Then let’s move on to the main topic.”

“Aren’t you rushing a bit?”

How long has he been here? Not even a minute and already no rest.

A large dark circle shadowed his tired face.

“Oh, where’s the time to rest? I have to finish quickly so you can be a bit more comfortable, Woo min.”

He’d just finished a night shift, and yet he was still worried about me.

This won’t do. Dohyun needs to try the Slime Special Course too.

“No, you can’t. This is how we make a living, so we have to pace ourselves.”

“Huh?”

Dohyun looked flustered and waved his hands.

No time for rest.

We had to organize the documents quickly and return to headquarters.

All paperwork had to be completed by tomorrow morning, including those disciplinary reports.

There were countless tasks to do.

But—

“Lie down right now.”

“Fine. Just 30 minutes, then think about it, Team Leader.”

Neither Woo min nor Seo Rin’s nagging could be resisted.

It was helpless.

Exactly 30 minutes.

Huh, what is this feeling?

All the fatigue in my body was melting away.

A suddenly appearing slime?

There was no time to care about that.

The full-body massage led to a scalp massage.

I felt like my soul was drifting out of my body.

This place was like a martial arts paradise.

Gentle lotus ponds and peach trees stretched out before me.

Then suddenly—

Seo Rin looked startled, staring at something.

“Se-senpai, your hair—”

“Hmm? Why?”

My eyelids heavy, relaxed, I looked at Seo Rin.

She looked utterly disbelieving.

What about my hair was so unbelievable?

“Here, the mirror.”

“This is me, isn’t it?”

Of course, the reflection was of myself.

But something was different.

“Hahaha, it’s so full now.”

Dohyun’s hair was thinning day by day as he aged.

His temples were deepening, and his hair was getting sparse.

Between constant night shifts, he never had time to care for it.

Hair loss medication?

He had been taking it for a long time.

But the rate of hair loss was faster than the medication’s effect.

Yet now, look at the reflection in the mirror.

It was like seeing him in his twenties.

Shiny black hair.

Thick and voluminous.

At this rate, wouldn’t hair loss hurt more than just being embarrassed?

“What do you think? Satisfied?”

Satisfied?

I was beyond words—this was madness.

Between fatigue recovery and the hair loss clinic treatment, it only took 30 minutes.

Maybe my clear head was helping.

Good thoughts were bubbling up.

“This is it.”

Dohyun suddenly stood up from his seat, grabbed Woo min’s hand, and shook it vigorously up and down.

“W-what’s this about?”

“The massive trade of Magic Stones you asked about.”

Dohyun tossed his fuller hair aside and pulled out the remaining documents.

“First, let me explain briefly. Do you know how much Magic Stone our country consumes per month?”

“Write it down? About 1,000 tons, maybe?”

It had been just over ten years since the Tower appeared.

Magic Stone was an essential core material in modern industry.

Its energy efficiency was a staggering 80%.

One Magic Stone could replace dozens of nuclear power plants.

“The correct answer is 20,000 tons. The Magic Stone managed by the World Association is about 1,000 tons for general companies. Private entrepreneurs barely get 1 ton.”

We were diving into a complex topic.

This was the core of Magic Stone transactions.

Most Magic Stones were managed by associations in each country.

Players bought and sold Magic Stones through them.

However, players only made up about 0.01% to 0.03% of the global population.

That meant the amount of Magic Stone produced each month was fixed.

So, trading volumes were limited.

1,000 tons per company, 1 ton per individual.

If they exceeded that, the excess was exported to other countries; if insufficient, imported.

Our country was a net importer.

“So the amount of Magic Stone we can distribute to Woo min right now is barely 1 ton.”

One ton was nowhere near enough to buy all the listings in the store.

At most, it covered ten Beast food draws.

So let’s do this.

“D-do what?”

“A company. How about Woo min Company? We create a business item for players.”

Not a bad idea.

Once a business entity existed, the supply of Magic Stone could stabilize.

Besides, the business items weren’t bad either.

The Slime Massage Clinic, Hair Loss Clinic—after asking some help from Somi, we could create several items.

Nowadays, to make money, you had to target player certificates, not just anyone.

A bracelet rental business?

We could monopolize the profits without borrowing the Association’s help.

“This isn’t the end. If we establish a business, payments would be made in Magic Stone. That means tax benefits and additional Magic Stone supply.”

Oh!

As expected from an Association team leader.

His brain didn’t match his muscular body.

No wonder he was put in charge of the management team.

But there was a small problem.

“I’m not very good with business.”

My parents warned me since I was young.

Our family had no connection to business.

We should never get involved.

If we did recklessly?

It would be obvious we’d go bankrupt.

But Dohyun shook his head.

Who said you had to do it yourself? If it was business, just find a competent person to handle it.

“You don’t have to worry. We just find someone competent yet timid and easy to manipulate, put them as the temporary CEO, and that’s it.”

“Is there such a person? People tend to become greedy once they’re in a high position. I can trust you or Seo Rin, but a stranger?”

It was reasonable to doubt.

But Dohyun already knew a very suitable person.

“You’ll like this person, Woo min. Meet them once and decide.”

***

If you were to name the top company in South Korea, naturally, it would be Seopung Enterprises.

Cars, semiconductors, trading, credit cards, insurance, department stores, home appliances—there were easily dozens of subsidiaries.

Recently, they’d been aggressively expanding into Magic Stone-related businesses.

Founded by the first chairman, Seo Pung, it was widely recognized as the nation’s best company.

He was also the grandfather of the famous player Seo Yumin and had raised five sons and three daughters before he passed.

All showed remarkable business talents.

The eldest son, of course, had inherited Seo Pung’s brain, regardless of gender.

But apparently, not the temperament.

Among the five sons and three daughters, the youngest, Seo Pildu, the seventh child, was one who fled from fierce sibling rivalry.

He was the same age as Dohyun.

Now just past 40, a middle-aged man.

Since childhood, he possessed exceptional business acumen.

Was it family background? Even when he studied abroad, he never missed the top spot.

But there was one thing he lacked: ambition.

His father’s company, Seopung Group, was caught in a fierce fight among the siblings.

Seo Pildu was content just to be recognized somewhere.

Anyone could think he was spoiled, a second-generation chaebol whining.

Yet no matter how firm his heart, he felt small in front of his brothers and sisters.

He was now just a director at a trading subsidiary.

In reality, no more than a rich, insignificant man.

But he too was Seo Pung’s blood.

Like his thinning hair, his desire to fully unleash his ability churned deep inside.

“Maybe I should just hit them all hard.”

Spending idle time like this, all my education would be wasted.

I didn’t study abroad for nothing.

If I sold off some company shares and ran my own business, my siblings would welcome it with open arms.

But selling inherited shares wasn’t easy.

They’d all line up to buy from him.

Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

On days like this, he craved a glass of soju.

Maybe he should call Dohyun.

His closest friend and colleague since studying abroad.

Before getting married, they often met to drink, but lately, they hadn’t seen each other much.

He fiddled with his phone, reluctant to call.

Then—

“Achoo.”

His nose itched.

Was someone talking about him?

At that moment, his phone vibrated loudly, something it rarely did.

It was Dohyun, his old friend.

They said true friends had a connection, and Dohyun was no exception.

“Ahem.”

Clearing his throat in a serious tone, he tried to sound as busy as possible.

“Hello?”

On the other end, Dohyun’s excited voice came through.

“Hey, what are you doing right now?”

“Working night shift.”

“Jeez, probably griping about life again.”

Ouch.

He knew me way too well.

“Quiet. So why are you calling?”

“Want to start a business with me?”

“A business?”

“Among the people I know, no one’s smarter in this field than you.”

His shoulders rose with unexpected praise.

He’d been wanting to start a business lately anyway.

“Okay, I’ll listen. What kind of business?”

“Didn’t Seopung Enterprises start making player-only Magic Stone products recently?”

“Isn’t that what every big company’s doing these days?”

“Exactly. So I say you do it. Use the skills you learned studying abroad; I’ll lay out the groundwork for you.”

“Uh huh.”

An exciting proposal.

My heart raced for the first time in a while.

To finally unleash the abilities I’d held back.

“Hey, but I’m still part of Seopung Group.”

He was part of Seopung’s bloodline.

He couldn’t just leave on a whim.

“I know. That’s why I’m suggesting this. How long will you keep living under your siblings’ shadow? You want out of Seopung Group too, don’t you?”

“You’re not ambitious like me, but we need someone capable, honest, and a bit timid.”

What was this? Praise mixed with insults?

Not wrong, but somehow it stung.

“Are you sure about this?”

I had enough money to live on for life.

Social status? I’d given up on that long ago, watching my siblings.

I might get scolded by my wife, but the words I really wanted to hear were coming next.

“So, you’re absolutely necessary.”

Those words stopped Pildu’s heart from skipping a beat—it started pounding again!