NOVEL WEB Chapter 18 - Yoo Ji-ah (2)
Chapter 18: Yoo Ji-ah (2)
While waiting for a reply from headquarters, Baek Jin-woo was reorganizing his summoned creatures.
Ding!
A message arrived.
– I’d like to give you a reply regarding the matter you mentioned last time. Shall we meet to discuss the details? I’ll send you the address. It would be great if you could come on time.
It was from Yoo Ji-ah, whom he had met once before.
“Oh, already?”
Baek Jin-woo smiled.
He had only poked at it, half-expecting it not to happen, but were they really going to buy it?
It was intriguing.
13 billion won wasn’t small change, yet they were moving so swiftly over just a piece of information.
The knowledge about the Weekly Dungeon Core Unit was really just low-level information to Baek Jin-woo, which made it even more surprising.
“I should go, definitely.”
The meeting was set for 6 p.m. that evening.
The location was a place called Daeseong Group in Gangnam.
A quick search revealed it was an ultra-luxurious Korean restaurant with private rooms.
“…Wow, what kind of menu is this?”
A brief glance showed the basic course menu starting from 1 million won.
It was the kind of place an ordinary person like Baek Jin-woo would never even think of visiting.
How delicious could the food there be?
Slurp.
Baek Jin-woo swallowed his saliva and checked the reviews.
‘Surely, people are complaining about how expensive it is.’
But to his surprise—
It was all praise.
Apparently, the top-notch chefs selected by Daeseong Group prepared special high-end dishes.
What?
The kind of world-class cuisine you must try at least once in your life?
“Wow.”
Baek Jin-woo was amazed.
The people at headquarters were really putting in some effort, weren’t they?
This made him more inclined to provide information.
To be honest, he had expected the worst-case scenario.
‘They could have just taken the list of creatures I provided and quietly used it for their own research.’
They might have figured things out eventually through research.
But seeing Baek Jin-woo play in person would be the clearest and most reliable source of information for them.
‘Of course.’
Even if they did that, it didn’t really matter to him.
After all, that information?
It was just the tip of the iceberg.
If the headquarters lost Baek Jin-woo’s trust, that would be the end of their relationship.
If he were to make deals, it would be with large private guilds instead.
“I wonder.”
What would the headquarters say?
Baek Jin-woo was looking forward to the evening.
* * *
Time passed.
6 p.m.
“Whoa…”
Arriving at Daeseong Group, Baek Jin-woo was momentarily overwhelmed.
He was greeted by a vast, open hall, reminiscent of a five-star hotel.
‘Is this really a restaurant?’
It looked more like a place designed for entertaining high-ranking officials.
“Welcome. Do you have a reservation?”
Approaching the counter, an employee greeted him in a refined tone.
“Yes.”
“May I have the name under which the reservation was made?”
“It’s Yoo Ji-ah.”
“…!”
In an instant, the staff’s expressions changed.
Their previously soft movements became more formal and precise.
What’s going on with them?
“Are you Mr. Baek Jin-woo?”
A man, who appeared to be quite senior, approached and took over the escorting.
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Please follow me. I will guide you to the VIP room.”
Whoa, VIP?
That wasn’t mentioned in the reviews.
The staff led him to an elevator inside the building.
After what felt like quite a long ride up, the doors finally opened with a ding!
“Please enjoy your time.”
Baek Jin-woo didn’t even notice the courteous farewell from the staff.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, he was captivated by the breathtaking view of Seoul’s nightscape stretching out through the glass windows.
‘Wow.’
The VIP room in Daeseong Group was located on the top floor and could only be used with permission from the Daeseong Group’s family.
Of course, Baek Jin-woo had no idea about that.
Yoo Ji-ah was already there, waiting.
“Welcome.”
“Huh, are you alone?”
What about the bearded man?
Didn’t he come?
“Yes, today’s matter is not with headquarters but with me personally, Mr. Baek Jin-woo.”
“Uh? I wasn’t informed about that.”
Baek Jin-woo became cautious.
At the same time, he tensed up.
‘That woman…’
She definitely wasn’t just an ordinary headquarters employee.
“Ahem, to avoid any misunderstanding, I should introduce myself first. Please, have a seat.”
With a soft expression, Yoo Ji-ah eased Baek Jin-woo’s tension.
She then explained briefly.
Who she was, how she had been involved in the establishment of the Talent Management Team, and how she had come to this point.
“Huh.”
Baek Jin-woo was surprised.
To be honest, it was quite fascinating.
‘The granddaughter of Daeseong Group?’
Would he ever have met someone like her in his life?
‘Either way, it’s a huge gain for me.’
What Baek Jin-woo needed most was connections.
Connections that would yield a lot of money in exchange for information.
And.
There was no place in Korea with more money than Daeseong.
‘There’s definitely potential here.’
Baek Jin-woo and Yoo Ji-ah’s eyes met.
Did they realize it?
That they were looking at each other with the same intent.
“Shall we start with dinner?”
“Sure.”
Thanks to that, the atmosphere began to warm up.
* * *
“Anyway, to conclude, it seems difficult to expect any support from headquarters. Congressman Park Chang-seok tried his best, but… many opposed it, and the purchase of the low-level summoning scroll last time was already a bit of a stretch.”
“Hm, so that’s how it turned out.”
Munch, munch.
Baek Jin-woo nodded coolly as he swallowed the food.
‘Damn, this is delicious.’
The taste, something he had never experienced before in his life, made it hard for him to focus on what was being said.
“Well, it’s fine. If that’s the will of headquarters, then so be it.”
Information?
If they don’t want it, then fine.
As for money, he could always gather it himself.
Anyway, Baek Jin-woo would continue to grow, and the speed at which he acquired items would only increase.
It might take some time, but his position as the world’s number one was already secured.
‘Thanks to the EX-class summoned creature.’
With that in hand, even if the former JinuGod returned, Baek Jin-woo would be confident.
In fact, just raising the Explosive Dragon properly would make being the world’s strongest a trivial matter.
“By the way.”
After devouring one of the steaks, Baek Jin-woo put down his fork.
“Shall we get to the main point? I doubt the granddaughter of a conglomerate would treat me to such an expensive meal without a reason.”
“Huhu, that’s right.”
While Baek Jin-woo ate, Yoo Ji-ah had been watching his eyes the entire time.
Her grandfather once told her.
When you look at someone, you can figure out a lot just by observing their eyes.
‘It’s true.’
They were clear, without any cloudiness.
Neither evil nor good, just neutral energy radiated from him.
‘And.’
That confidence.
Yoo Ji-ah was intrigued by Baek Jin-woo’s boldness.
Who could eat so comfortably knowing her background?
She had met many of her peers in various social circles.
Most of them were either uncomfortable or obviously trying to curry favor, crushed by the weight of Daeseong’s name.
‘He’s refreshing.’
At this point, she decided it was worth a gamble.
If Baek Jin-woo turned out to be a fraud?
She’d simply lose 13 billion won and the cost of setting up the company.
For Yoo Ji-ah, that wasn’t even a significant loss.
But if he was the real deal?
The value extracted from him could reach hundreds, no, thousands of billions of won.
It was a no-brainer.
“Actually, I called you here to make a proposal.”
So, she decided.
To share her thoughts.
* * *
Words were a fascinating thing.
Even when saying the same content, the way someone said it could make you feel uncomfortable, or, depending on the person, it could resonate with you.
Yoo Ji-ah’s words were the latter.
Her voice was soft, and she explained in a way that made things easy to understand.
‘This is good.’
A one-person management team.
Baek Jin-woo found her proposal satisfying.
In fact, he felt more comfortable with the business world than with headquarters.
‘Corporations only care about money.’
The essence of a company is to pursue extreme profit within legal limits, and that was exactly what Baek Jin-woo wanted.
‘And.’
As she explained, Baek Jin-woo discreetly searched Yoo Ji-ah on his phone.
He figured there should be some information available since she was a conglomerate’s granddaughter.
But to his surprise—
[Indeed, Daeseong family! Yoo Ji-ah, earned her Stanford MBA early! Achieved entirely through her own merit!]
[Yoo Ji-ah, aiming to become a global CEO? “No interest in participating in management.”]
[Yoo Ji-ah, enters the Player Headquarters with top marks!]
[The genius of the century, Yoo Ji-ah! Yoo Byung-cheon is smiling!]
‘She’s really famous, huh?’
Crazy.
Baek Jin-woo clicked his tongue internally.
Her face, her family background, and her abilities—she had it all!
An elite of the highest order.
So much so that even fictional “perfect daughters” would have to bow their heads and cry.
“By the way, if it’s a management team, would you also handle asset management?”
“Pardon?”
Yoo Ji-ah was slightly taken aback by Baek Jin-woo’s sudden question.
‘Asset management?’
Was that really the issue now?
“If you’re from Daeseong, wouldn’t you have access to your company’s financial team? That alone could help grow wealth immensely.”
“Well…”
Even if Baek Jin-woo was a genius in the 「Battle of Summoners」, in reality, he was just an ordinary young man in his early 20s.
His concerns were all about money.
And support.
‘He’s cute.’
Fortunately, Yoo Ji-ah found that endearing.
After all—
She was already intrigued by him.
At this point, even the sight of him devouring his meal was appealing.
“Of course, we handle asset management. Once the company starts fully supporting you, you’ll receive numerous investment proposals. After all, we’ll be dividing the profits, so the more the company earns, the more you’ll get, Mr. Jin-woo.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You just need to focus on your player activities.”
“Sounds good. I’m already interested. Although I haven’t known Yoo Ji-ah for long, you seem like a really good person.”
If someone was willing to invest 13 billion won in him, what else could they be but a good person?
Money never lies.
Do rich people just spend money freely?
No way.
Rich people are actually more frugal and careful with their spending.
“So, what would the profit split be?”
“I’ll explain that properly in the next meeting with the contract. I assure you, you’ll find it more than fair.”
“Next meeting?”
“How about tomorrow? I’ll come to that open space.”
“Open space?”
A meeting in an open space?
“The summoned creatures you requested. You need to check them.”
“Oh, without even signing the contract, you’re buying them already?”
“Yes, well. The staff are already in the process of purchasing them.”
“What?”
“Let’s just call it a gift. Even if you don’t sign, I’ll still give you the summoned creatures. Consider it a present.”
Gulp.
Baek Jin-woo’s throat tightened.
Was this the power of a conglomerate family?
Her scale was massive!
It was clear now.
Yoo Ji-ah was definitely a good person.
At least to him.
* * *
The next day.
As usual, Baek Jin-woo showed up at the vacant lot near his parents’ house.
A secluded spot between hiking trails.
Baek Jin-woo referred to this place as his “Nest.”
Few people knew about the Nest.
Baek Jin-woo, a few employees from the Talent Management Team at headquarters, and his sister, Baek Ah-jin.
In fact, the Nest was a spot the Baek family had discovered during their childhood walks.
Whenever he had a headache, he would come here to stretch and breathe in the fresh air—a place that brought peace to his mind.
‘What’s my brother up to these days?’
Baek Ah-jin, who had been dealing in rune sales, suddenly grew curious.
In the past, he’d call frequently and ask questions, but now, there was barely any contact.
‘I heard he even moved out of Mom and Dad’s house to live on his own.’
It was a bit strange.
She knew he had registered as a player and was earning money from it, but…
Honestly, wasn’t it odd?
Her little brother had a C-rank summoned creature, and yet he never asked for help?
She could easily run a few dungeons with him if he wanted.
She didn’t understand why.
So, she decided to take a break from farming for a day and walk the trail early in the morning.
She wanted to walk the path her family used to frequent.
The good thing about this trail was that it was always empty.
It wasn’t a well-known hiking path.
Trudge, trudge.
As she walked, letting her body relax—
‘Wow.’
She spotted someone who instantly caught her eye.
‘She’s an incredibly pretty unnie.’
The strange thing was that her outfit was totally inappropriate for hiking.
Full makeup, like she was about to attend a formal event.
‘But what is she doing here?’
Usually, it was only elderly folks from the neighborhood who walked this trail. This wasn’t a place someone like her would visit…
And the strange thing was, their paths seemed to be oddly aligned.
‘Wait.’
That face—
She looked so familiar.
Being up-to-date with trends, Baek Ah-jin often browsed social media in her free time.
Pretty unnies recommended by the algorithm were her usual viewing.
Which is why something about this woman’s face seemed familiar.
She resembled someone she had seen online…
‘Gasp?’
Suddenly, Baek Ah-jin froze in shock.
‘That woman… she’s Yoo Ji-ah.’
The envy of all women!
The one person even the nation’s goddess, Jang Ah-young, called a close friend—the flower of the conglomerate world!
It was definitely Yoo Ji-ah.
‘Why is she on such an obscure hiking trail?’
Although she quickened her pace to keep up, curiosity got the better of her, and Baek Ah-jin started following her, pretending to walk the same route.