I’m Not That Villain

31 – Newcomer (2)

Renata Lyudmila.

I met the president of the company from which I purchase materials. To be precise, it’s a place that’s hard to even call a company.

Why is that?

Because it’s a one-person operation, run solely by her.

“…According to the map, it’s here…”

Lily glanced up at the address.

I did the same. It was my first time actually coming here.

She and I silently looked up at the building for a while.

A three-story building. Lower than the adjacent shopping mall. Even the first and second floors housed a café and a Chinese restaurant, respectively.

And on the third floor…

There was a place that looked like her office.

The exterior of the building was old. Even the café on the first floor looked half-closed, with the lights off. The second floor was the same.

Honestly… it’s a bit of a remote place. It looks much worse than other places.

Is it because of the location? Or…

“It’s a dilapidated building. The building itself is old.”

“Can you see that?”

“I researched it beforehand. For safety. The building itself is excessively old. It’s a wonder it’s still standing, let alone safe. Seeing it in person, it’s even worse. Do you see that crack over there?”

I squinted my eyes. Oh. I see it. Now that I look, it’s not just the exterior that’s old.

There are small cracks everywhere. Seeing that, I could tell at a glance.

“The interior must be even worse. Thanks to that, the price must be cheap.”

“Old buildings tend to smell and have various functional problems. Even if you temporarily wallpaper and decorate the exterior, it quickly becomes a mess. Besides… it doesn’t seem like a place with a lot of foot traffic. It’s in a very remote location.”

“You know a lot about this?”

“I learned. For the safety of my clients. The characteristics of old buildings are something to consider even in terms of escorting.”

I stepped onto the stairs. Well, of course, there was no elevator.

There were traces of dust everywhere, but even so, the peculiar dinginess of an old building couldn’t be completely erased.

Mold and grime visible here and there. In the strange stench whose origin I couldn’t identify, I stood in front of the door on the last floor.

There was a sign.

In Korean, it read ‘Pabrika,’ and below it, a short phrase in Russian.

I knocked lightly on the door.

I heard hurried footsteps from inside.

“Oh, welcome!”

Renata Lyudmila.

The owner of the material sales company, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time, greeted me.

Still with a violent figure and face. But compared to that, her eyes looked slightly gentle as she stepped aside.

Lily peeked her head out. She glanced around the office.

I also took a quick look at the office beyond Renata.

Clean… very clean.

Contrary to my expectation of some mess, the interior was neat.

I quickly scanned the serene and tidy interior. From the furniture to the sofa.

There was nothing to criticize. But if I had to point out something curious…

Everything was made of wood.

Really.

“…….?”

Every piece of furniture in sight was made of wood. Everything was wooden, with bedding or soft sofas placed on top…

All designed in an antique wooden style. It felt like the scent of nature was coming from the room. No, this was really…

The smell of nature?

“…Sniff sniff?”

“Oh, how is it?!”

“Setting aside everything else… what kind of deodorant are you using? This smells like a forest…”

“I really love camping. So I decorated it like a remote cabin. How is it?!”

Her eyes sparkled like a child seeking praise.

Lily quietly murmured.

“It feels like I’ve entered a home, not an office. I feel like a bear might pop out.”

“Agreed.”

“But still, to some extent, it feels like an office…”

“It feels like a hunter’s cabin. There aren’t any wild animals, right?”

“Totally agree.”

“…Ugh… Does it not suit me that much…?”

Even though she looked at me with eyes that seemed ready to shed tears, my answer remained the same.

“It’s a bit much to call it an office…”

“…I worked so hard on it…”

“It is pretty. Really.”

“R-really?”

“But that’s all.”

“Ugh…”

“But I do like the vintage feel. It would be comfortable to work here, like being at home.”

“R-right?”

“But it doesn’t really fit the name ‘office’.”

“Ouch…”

“But this table is really nice.”

“R-really?!”

“Except for that, everything else is just…”

“Ouch…”

It’s fun to tease her. Oh. No, that’s not why I’m here.

Still, even putting everything else aside, that thing bothered me.

Why is there a fireplace over there? And it’s even got firewood in it.

“Does that thing actually work?”

“Y-yes! The chimney is open! Do you want to see?”

“Don’t you have a boiler?”

“We do, but… the fireplace is useful in its own way!”

Madness.

I didn’t say anything more about the interior. Well, it doesn’t really feel like an office, but if you think about it, it’s not that bad.

It is quite pretty. The structure itself. It feels more like being invited to someone’s home. I sipped the tea Renata had brought out.

“…It’s salty.”

“N-no way?! I checked two, three times…! I kept checking to make sure I didn’t put salt instead of sugar… There’s no way…!”

“Just kidding.”

“…”

“Well, shall we move on to business?”

He broached the subject properly.

The reason he had deliberately sought her out was to use her as his delivery person.

“Let’s discuss business. Did you receive the files I sent?”

“Oh, yes. I received them. But…”

She tilted her head.

“Why me?”

“Because you’re convenient.”

“…?”

Well, whatever.

She was going to be his business partner, so it was better to be frank.

He got straight to the point.

“I personally highly value Ms. Renata’s work ethic. You’ve never been late, and you’ve never messed anything up. Right?”

“Well…that’s true…hehe…”

Renata scratched the back of her head, looking embarrassed.

He smiled brightly.

“And honestly, I really like you?”

“M-me…? W-what aspect…?”

“You’re diligent and hardworking. You’ve come to this isolated place and are slowly expanding your business. Farming from scratch isn’t something just anyone can do, you know?”

“A-am I…really that amazing?”

“Hardworking and diligent. Very good. Yes. Ms. Renata, you’re quite remarkable. And besides…”

Why had he chosen her?

He calmly explained his reasons.

“I’ve observed you, and your driving skills are amazing.”

“Hehe. W-well…driving is really my hobby…I go for drives when I’m bored…I even dreamed of being a racing driver when I was little…”

“If your material transport skills are so artistic, how good must everything else be? Right?”

“…Hehehehehehehehehehehe.”

Of course, she wasn’t without flaws. Her actions were clumsy. To put it nicely, she was…

Clumsy. Yes, absolutely.

But surprisingly, she was perfect in her work. You’d think she’d miss something, but she never did.

She knew her weaknesses and dealt with them accordingly. That was what I admired about her. Beyond just technical skills, she felt like a reliable acquaintance.

“So, I want to work with you, Renata. I have no intention of being satisfied with the present. You read the documents I sent, right? You know what I’m currently doing.”

“I did read them… Is all of that true? The famous person causing a stir on social media these days is really you, Seo-Jun Lee?”

“Of course. I’m quite famous. Isn’t it because I’m capable that I became famous?”

“…There were quite a few criticisms too. Maybe a lot.”

I looked at her, smiling as she spoke her mind. Renata hesitated. I pointed to myself.

“…Yes.”

“In terms of ability, I’m the real deal. Unmatched. It might sound a bit arrogant, but… I’m outstanding.”

“Wow…”

Renata, who had been rolling her eyes, clapped awkwardly. I spoke bluntly to her.

“So, I have no intention of settling for the present. I want to expand my business and earn much more money. Much more than now!”

“…So?”

“So what? It was written there. Delivery service. You collect the items coming to me, I repair them, and then hand them back to you. Then you distribute them to the original owners.”

“Hmm…”

“I don’t have a car, I’m not familiar with Seoul’s geography, and I can’t collect items as meticulously as you can. It’s more efficient for me to just stick to repair work during that time.”

Renata Ludmila’s lips twitched.

Her slightly raised shoulders symbolized her mood.

“Is that… so?”

“Of course. You’re amazing, Renata.”

“That’s… right! I am… I am amazing!”

I gently flattered her, and the purring cat listened to me quietly until the end.

“If I can fully focus on repairs, I can handle several times the current volume. My income would also increase several times. So, if you take on the distribution, I’ll give you a percentage of my income.”

“……! How much?”

“Well, let’s see. Helping with the flood of orders would be exhausting, so…”

I said decisively.

“30%. How about that?”

“30%… that much?!”

“Yes. 30%. Since you’re doing the legwork for me, I should give you that much.”

“…….”

Renata rolled her eyes. She looked curious about how much income would come in.

So I said it plainly.

“Special equipment. It takes about an hour on average to fix one. If it’s in bad condition, that’s about right, but if it’s a simple malfunction, it can be cut down to 30-minute intervals.”

“That… fast?”

“I can understand the structure as soon as I see it, and I recently made tools to help with the minor things. So now I can work very quickly. If orders come in, I can get to them right away, so if there are orders, well… I can handle 10 a day.”

“Then the income would be…”

“The one-hour standard is for complete breakdowns, but most items come in much better condition than you’d think. For those items, it’s about ten to twenty. And the turnover rate is quite amusing; usually, special equipment gets a re-repair request after about a month. I checked it myself. So there’s no shortage of work.”

Renata flinched.

“Even if you handle just five a day, that’s at least 50… if you work all month, that’s 1500…!”

“Of course, you wouldn’t work all month, right?”

“Even without weekends, that’s 1100…! Considering that’s the minimum… and you’re giving me 30% of that?!”

“Of course. 30%.”

I scratched Renata’s chin. She panted and lay on the rug with her belly up.

I liked her posture of surrendering to money. Hehehe. But you know, who am I?

Would I just do good things for others?

“But instead… there’s something I need you to promise, Renata.”

“W-what is it…?!”

“It’s not difficult. Really. Just something simple…”

There’s a reason I’m giving you 30%.

Since ancient times, they say.

Joy doubles when shared.

Sadness halves when shared.

The same goes for danger.

If we split it in half, the attention on me gets dispersed.

“You just need to disguise yourself as ‘Black Whale’ and act on my behalf. Since you’re doing delivery, you can also do role-playing. Right?”

“……?”

“The disguise itself will be easy. I always wear sunglasses and a mask, and even a hat, so just covering your hair with a wig cap should do. No one will recognize you if you don’t speak. If you wear thick, loose clothes, everyone will be fooled. Of course, there will be some dangerous situations when delivering my items…”

Nothing in this world is free, Renata Lyudmila…

With great money comes great responsibility…

That’s the way of the world!

“I’ll take care of the security separately.”

But don’t worry.

I have no intention of killing the deliveryman I finally found.

“Very meticulously.”