Arena Chapter 55:
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 **** 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?