Arena

Chapter 55 Outcomes (Part 3)

I make two labor contracts with chairman Park Jin-seong.

One is the real contract outlining our agreement as examinee and sponsor. The weekly wage is $700,000, and I receive that incredulous amount every Monday. There is, of course, the attached option for an increase based on my results.

The other is a fake contract.

This is purely a fake labor contract to show my family. As a contract intended to show my unbelieving mother and noona, I am employed as an entourage/guard/secret service to the chairman with an annual salary of $54,000.

When I take this fake contract home and show it to mother and noona, it’s only then that they believe me. And Hyun-ji’s aegyo gets stronger.

Her son has just been employed by a huge company, yet mom doesn’t seem joyed by it.

“I was going to hand over the business to you and retire…”

“Mom, I’m sorry. Fried chicken must not be in this son’s fate.”

“Oh gosh, I guess then I’ll have to give it to Hyun-ji.”

Hyun-ji who was getting to me coffee, is taken aback.

“Me?”

“Yes, you, since my son just got a big job, the only unemployed person left in this house is you.”

“I’m not unemployed! I’m going to get a job!”

“Hyun-ji, looking at your grades or your TOIEC (400) or your character, employment is kind of out of the question.”

“I can do it! And yeah okay about the grades and my score, but what’s wrong with my character?”

“You hate doing hard work so you wiggle out.”

“What! I will get employed! I can get employed!”

“Think carefully. Let’s say you do get a job, it’ll be at some average small business, making what, $20,000? In that situation, what do you say to just taking over mom’s business?”

“I don’t want to do fried chicken. I’m going to be a career woman.”

As Hyun-ji says the words ‘career woman’ I’m aghast. Noona looks to be too.

Mom sits close to Hyun-ji and speaks in a calm voice.

“Hyun-ji, think carefully, okay? Don’t you like luxury things?”

Nod.

“Don’t you want to drive around in a nice car and spend loads of money and play?”

Nod, nod.

“Then should your choice be to join a small business that who knows will fail when in this poor economy, or the fired up fried chicken store?”

“Well, um…”

I can see the dilemma on Hyun-ji’s face.

“So what if the work is a little hard? What if it is a chicken business? You can spend that hard earned money on nice clothes and nice bags and vacation abroad.”

“Yeah, but I…”

“Think hard. What choice will you not regret in 10 years?”

“Yeah, your brains are bad so just ease your suffering, manual labor suits you.”

Noona coldly agrees.

Then again, mom and noona, someone has to think for Hyun-ji.

I speak up.

“Yeah, Hyun-ji. I’ll leave the fried chicken business to you. Chicken fryer lady in the day, and attractive club-goer at night! Doesn’t it sound good?”

I am the oppa that thinks for Hyun-ji most of all.

“Hu ah ang! I’m going to study! I’m going to study and get a good job somewhere!”

Hyun-ji runs into her room crying.

I laugh and roll around on the floor.

Poor thing, but you reap what you sow. Why not try a little harder?

“I think it’ll work with a little more persuading.”

Says mom with a venomous glint in her eyes.

“When she graduates college, I’ll cut off her allowance. When she needs the money, tell her to work at the store. When she gradually gets used to the store work, eventually she will…”

The student has become the master. Noona has an even more venomous and elaborate plan.

“Oh my, yes, that’s a good idea. Once she tastes money she won’t be able to think about living off a rat’s tail of a salary.”

I look at the 99.99% DNA that is shared between mother and daughter and shiver. I am so glad that their target is not me. It’s as if I can already see the image of Hyun-ji frying chicken.

***

Even on the weekend, I go to the mountain house every morning. It’s because I have to give the flame of life to chairman Park Jin-seong.

However, I can get off work at any time so I have no problem with it. More than anything, the weekly wage is $700,000. There’s no way I’d have a problem with this.

Outside of that, chairman Park Jin-seong listened to every request I made.

I said I needed more 7.62mm bullets for my Mosin-Nagant and he immediately contacted the Korean Arena Research Center and received a couple boxes.

When I said I wanted to learn martial arts he put one of his personal guards on it. His age is 28, younger than me, but he is a national high school boxing bronze medalist and district muay thai competition winner.

“I don’t think you’ll be needing the basic exercise.”

Having seen my body that is enhanced to the human limit, guard Choi Hyuk looks a bit jealous. Then again. Seeing my chiseled and detailed muscles surprises myself too.

“I will begin by teaching you the basics.”

Choi Hyuk adjusts my imitation jab movement.

From the effect of the reflex/athleticism skill, I get the right jab movement.

Following the jab, I learn the straight and basic footwork. I practice those until the day gets dark. At night too I go up Taejo mountain and repeat and practice until dawn.

The next day, Choi Hyuk sees my footwork and jab and straight and is surprised.

“Okay, you are doing it well.”

“Really?”

“But you still need to repeat it every day so that in a fight it comes out naturally as a reflex.”

“Okay.”

That day, I practice by hitting the special sand bag that Choi Hyuk brought until it is ragged. Normally, practicing that hard like that would tear at the knuckles but my fists are fine due to the physical strength buff.

The weekend passes and Monday comes around.

Like always, I give a flame of life to chairman Park Jin-seong and ask.

“The guard, Choi Hyuk. Is it okay that he knows I am an examinee?”

“He knows, so it doesn’t matter.”

Choi Hyuk is not just a guard but he belongs to the 3rd secretary office.

The 3rd secretary office has people that do things that cannot be made open to the public, and martial artists like Choi Hyuk are also included there.

‘Now that I think about it, that Lee Jung-shik guy that came to me that first day said he was the head of the 3rd secretary office.”

Only then am I convinced and I relax and learn from Choi Hyuk.

That day, I don gloves and a helmet and do some simple sparring, and attack Choi Hyuk with the footwork and jab, and straight that I learned.

In terms of skill I am clearly disadvantaged so I am hit more often. But because of the physical strength buff entry level 5, my endurance for one, and my reaction and reflections are far better and I am able to overpower him.

Honestly, even with this difference, in the end we tie, and that makes Choi Hyuk pretty incredible.

Even though I pushed forward, if this were a boxing match, Choi Hyuk probably would have received more points.

“Even if you only learn the defense really well, it looks like there is no way I can win. But you still have a lot to learn so you must try hard.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After that, I learn blocking and practice defending from Choi-Hyuk’s one-sided attacks. I had no idea there were so many kinds of blocking.

Evening comes and I take my favorite horse, my Porsche cayenne, and go home.

‘Wait, isn’t Monday the day I get paid?’

I log into my mobile banking on my smartphone. And then I verify the amount…

‘Huk!’

Is this the feeling of adrenaline rushing my body? When I look at the balance, it is hard for me to maintain reality.

A million.

It has been five days since I met chairman Park Jin-seong and I gave him the flame of life and the money that is there is twice the amount, 10 million.

I am astonished and I call chairman Park Jin-seong.

I was worried that a magnate like chairman Park Jin-seong might not take a call from me, but thankfully he answers right away.

-Hi, whats the matter?

“I am sorry for calling so randomly. Can you talk?”

-That’s alright. If it’s a call from you, I must always receive it. Are you calling because the money you got today?”

“Yes, it is too much…”

-I had a physical today.

In that one sentence is the explanation for why the amount is higher than promised.

Chairman Park Jin-seong speaks in a bright voice.

-I’ve been told the cancer cell metastasis has halted. Not only has it stopped, but, albeit slightly, it has shrunk. We’ll have to watch a while longer, but I’m sure I’m getting better.

“Congratulations.”

-I felt so good which is why I gave you more, so don’t be burdened by it.

“Thank you.”

-No need. But this doesn’t mean I will always give you twice the amount. There’s the thing with the Nordic Exam Group and I am spending a great deal on you too. You understand?

“Yes, of course.”

He did take me out of the research center, and I have been promised aid from the Nordic Exam Group. With all these happenings, the expense incurred for me might be just a bit shy of 5 million already.

-Do not be disappointed. If I am for sure cured, you are my savior. The savior to this Jin-seong Group’s Park Jin-seong.

“I am not disappointed at all. Even now, this is plenty.”

-Mm. Anyway, we’re going to Denmark on Wednesday so prepare well.

“Yes, do not worry.”

-Then I’ll see you tomorrow.

And the phone call ended like that.

I look at the mobile banking screen on my smartphone and smirk.

‘Was making money this easy?’

Money that is hard for people to make in a lifetime, was built in five days. I become suspicious if this is reality or not.

But it is reality.

The value on my screen before my eyes is definitely…

“A million?!”

“Oh geez, you surprised me!”

From behind me is a shocked scream and because of it I’m shocked too.

‘What is this?!’

I quickly turn around.

…It’s Hyun-ji.

In both hands, as snacks for me, are coffee and sweet red bean bun on a tray. This TOIEC 400 pointer baby sister of mine, you are very persistent.

“What, what? How long have you been standing there?”

“Did I just…”

Hyun-ji replies with a blank stare.

“Ah, seriously, you aren’t supposed to just walk into a passionate man’s room with a computer like that. First, you should knock and then close your eyes shut when you come in!”

“But did I just see a million…”

“Yeah right, a million where?”

“That, a million on your smartphone…”

“This? Nah, hahaha. It’s game money. While this oppa of yours was studying for the civil exam, I became not the master civil servant but a master of online poker.”

“But it said Citizens Bank on it…”

“You saw wrong. Come one, thanks for the snacks. Give it to me and hurry on out. Hwi, hwi (shoo shoo).”

Then, Hyun-ji’s brain that had been far flung off in Andromeda, returns.

This bitch, she raises her eyes sharp at me and talks.

“Do you take me for some idiot that can’t recognize a mobile banking screen?”

“…”

“Show it to me. That was 1 million wasn’t it? My eyes aren’t wrong, are they?”

Hyun-ji swiftly takes my smartphone. It’s a maneuver faster than the best jab.

“Oh my gosh… oh my gosh…! It’s really a million bucks. A real million! One, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousand, hundred thousand, a million…! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!”

“What do you mean oh my gosh? Dear child, this is none of your business.”

“Oppa!”

“What, why?”

“Where did you get this money?”

“…Oppa is doing some business with friends.”

“What? Really?”

“Uh, yeah. With the money I made at part time, my friends and I put it together and invested in a shopping mall. I didn’t want mom and noona to worry about me losing money on a venture capital so I kept it secret.”

Another weird ass story flows forth from my lips.

“Then getting hired at Jinseong Group and the Porsche…”

“No, those are real. I did get hired at Jinseong Group. You saw the contract.”

“Oppa…”

“What?”

Hyun-ji’s eyes, it looks like she is in love.

“I love you, oppa.”

“…”

What did she say?