chapter 36
35 – Assassin (1)
It had been a month since she started working.
I was completely captivated by Renata’s neat deliveries. No, the collection rate was completely different from when I used public transportation.
Thanks to her, I was able to handle the surge in orders completely. The exchange of order slots also went smoothly, and as a result, I was able to earn an enormous income.
Even just repairing specialized equipment, I handled two hundred cases a month.
And as a result, I earned a total income of 29.2 million won.
“…Pfft.”
Money, you see.
It multiplies!!!
No, this side job is really no joke. I mean, seriously. Haha! Although I worked quite hard, does this even make sense? Really.
Moreover, I confirmed once again that any weapon that leaves my workshop returns to my workshop after about a month.
Ah. The golden egg-laying goose egg…
“Hehehe… Hehehe…”
Of course, I worked hard this month to hit a high point…
How much is this! Really!
My monthly income surpassed ten million won and hit twenty million won, which felt a bit strange. I felt like my true worth was finally being revealed.
Anyway, the important thing is that it’s time for settlement. I took 30% off the 29.2 million won.
I didn’t think of playing tricks with money. That competent delivery person. They even take bullets for me, so of course, I should pay them accordingly, right?
About 9 million won slipped away from the income. Renata Lyudmila, who had been looking at me with expectant eyes since morning, looked at her bank account and her hands trembled.
“Oh… Oh oh oh…”
“Why? Is it too little?”
“Huh… Huh ah ah ah!!! Mana! So much mana!!”
Her broken pronunciation symbolized her joy. And hearing that made me happy too.
Indeed, money is sweet beyond measure.
“But from next month, the earnings will be a bit less. I worked hard this month to hit a high point, so you don’t have to come in on weekends from next month. It was tough working without a break for a month, right?”
“Mr. Lee Seo-jun…”
I don’t speak with words.
I speak with money!
I handed over an additional prepared envelope.
“I added fifty thousand won more. Thank you for your hard work this month, and I look forward to working with you next month.”
“!#$!#$!%!!!!”
Renata, who screamed, hugged the envelope and rolled around. Yes. This is the taste.
This is the taste of controlling people with money!
Ah. As my position changes, my mind becomes more relaxed. I handed another envelope I had prepared to Lily, who was quietly watching.
“…….?”
She blinked. Tilting her head while wearing a maid’s uniform, she looked at me again.
“What is this?”
“What do you think? It’s a bonus.”
“…I’m not employed by Mr. Lee Seo-jun.”
“Then just consider it pocket money. Since I’m older, it’s a kind of tip from a senior to a junior?”
“…….”
“I don’t know exactly how much you get from the black market, but isn’t a million won quite a bit? Buy something you like.”
Lily took the envelope with a swipe.
Still, she rolled her eyes as if she didn’t understand.
“Why… are you giving this to me?”
“Because you did a good job, Lily.”
“…I just did my job.”
“Besides that, you’ve helped me a lot personally in various ways.”
I smiled broadly.
“We’re partners, right? Please accept it as a token of my appreciation for your continued support.”
“…Okay.”
Lily hugged the envelope tightly.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
That’s right. I missed that simple thank you!
Ah, a clean settlement for the month. But there was one more person left. I quietly approached Orb, who was sitting on the desk, as if it were someone else’s business.
“…Master?”
Really.
The things I gained from developing this one, and the help I received from it, were beyond words.
Clearly, I created it, but lately, it feels more and more like an equal.
“Scarlett. I thought about it separately, and money isn’t really necessary for you, is it?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“So I prepared something else.”
I placed the box I had wrapped myself in front of her.
“…This is…”
“I made this little by little while you were out on business. Here. I’ll unwrap it for you myself.”
I slowly unwrapped the packaging. From the box inside, I showed her the item prepared for her.
“As much as possible, you know. I wanted to make a humanoid body, but… that was a bit too much? There were too many things to consider. So, I’ll prepare that gradually. The appearance wasn’t my idea, okay? I referred to the bodyguard’s opinion over there.”
“Cats are justice. Because they’re cute. Much better than dogs.”
“Besides, since you’re a female… I thought a cute body would be better than a cool one, so I referred to various things… I hope you like it.”
I glanced at Scarlett’s reaction.
Inside the completely unwrapped package was a body that looked endlessly like a cat. A simple body prepared solely for her, without any combat functions.
“It has no combat functions. No other functions either. It can only move purely as a body. I made it thinking it would be nice to have a body you could link to and rest in when you want to relax or when you’re tired. Do you like it…?”
“……”
Scarlett’s body glowed faintly. She extended a line for the first contact and connected with the cat-shaped body I had prepared.
A slight sparkling spark. And then, the cat started to move immediately.
The small kitten looked around its body. Standing up on two legs, it carefully examined its entire body, then soon jumped towards me.
A voice mixed with a slight mechanical sound trembled. Just like a real human.
“I… like it. Really…”
“That’s a relief.”
A satisfying reaction. I patted the kitten on my head. The way it clung to me was indescribably cute.
“Nice, Kim Lily. That was excellent advice. The cat is really cute.”
“I want to hold it too.”
Scarlett roughly swatted Lily’s outstretched hand with her front paw.
A silent refusal. And then she rubbed her head against mine again.
Lily rubbed her hand where she had been hit.
“…Heeing.”
What is this. This sense of superiority.
What on earth is this!
Hahaha!
“Anyway, everyone.”
I glanced over the now considerably increased number of people.
Renata Lyudmila, still hugging money and crying.
Lily Bennettwater, staring intently at the cat on my head.
And now, Scarlett, the AI who has become a full-fledged individual.
“Let’s work hard this month too.”
Doesn’t it seem like we’re finally a proper organization?
. . .
“Uheuhihik”
Renata Ryudmila could assert.
Today was the happiest day since arriving in Seoul…
It’s the second day!
“Lee Seo-jun is a god…!”
“That’s true. The master is truly like a god.”
External hard drive.
The scarlet cat, seemingly pleased with its cat-like form, was licking its fur next to the seat, having completely climbed onto the object.
“…I heard that it’s just called an external hard drive… Is there really a need to groom the fur?”
“Who are you, a mere lower creature, to question anyone?”
“…Huh.”
She had been devoured by the hierarchy of artificial intelligence.
Renata sighed deeply. But the next moment, she thought of her bank account and broke into a broad smile again.
“Hehe.”
Money, you see.
It allows you to do anything.
The material sales market might seem like a blue ocean at first glance, but in reality, it wasn’t a blue ocean at all. There needed to be a certain level of penetration in the client base, and even that was not properly established these days, making it hard to earn brokerage fees.
If it had been a company that produced materials from the start, it would have been better, but what she was doing was merely acting as a broker, paving the way for foreign material sales companies to enter Korea. Nothing more, nothing less.
The brokerage fees weren’t as large as she had thought. The more she set them high, the more she had to raise the price of the materials she had to sell, so she couldn’t even do that.
Still, she tried her best to squeeze in and expand her client base by working hard…
But the income, which had been gradually decreasing, soon dwindled down to a net profit of one million won, making it difficult to even cover the office rent.
Then, it was like rain in a drought. Suddenly, her income jumped more than nine times!
Moreover, her car! Her pretty bluebird had also been completely remodeled!
“Hehehehehehe.”
What on earth was Lee Seo-jun doing?
To be honest, she wasn’t that curious. She was just incredibly happy that he introduced her to such a god-god-god-god-godly job.
Moreover, he subtly laid the groundwork, didn’t he? If the current business increases, then the income could also rise accordingly.
Even after expanding the business, I can still continue with the delivery work, right? Later on, I might just deliver different items and make over a thousand a month, right?
A thousand a month!
An annual salary of over a hundred million!
“Mr. Lee Seo-jun is… a god!!!”
This is truly a blue ocean!!!
And now they guarantee weekends off. This time, I’m going camping. I have plenty of money, so I’ll buy a ton of tools and enjoy a leisurely happy life by myself.
…Should I just completely get rid of the office? Hmm. No, I should rather make it a side job. Since Mr. Lee Seo-jun said he needs a material supplier, of course, I should be in charge of that, right?
“The work is safe, the money is good, there’s no hard labor, and I don’t have to deal with people…”
“…Inferior creature.”
“Hehehe. I’ll do anything for Mr. Lee Seo-jun. Yes, boss. I’ll work hard. Please give me a higher salary. I’ll work really, really hard…”
“Inferior creature!”
“Hiccup?!”
Renata hastily slowed down. She looked ahead, thinking she might have caused an accident, but the road was still stable.
“Why, why?!”
“There’s a car that’s been following us for a hundred meters. We’ve been tailed for ten minutes.”
“…What?”
“Changing the navigation.”
The cat and orb sitting in the passenger seat slumped down. The navigation system rebooted for a moment, then quickly displayed a new route.
“We have a tracker on us. Get ready to shake them off immediately.”
“A tracker?!!”