Chapter 39

This is most likely the last update to this story, for one reason: I'm going to rewrite it as soon as I finish Path To Strength (which isn't too far away). It won't take long, I promise.

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Observing the man sitting behind his desk with a hint of curiosity, Lohan rubbed his chin as his suspicion grew slightly.

With perfectly groomed hair and a handsome face, Lohan could tell that the man in question seemed to care about his appearance.

In the end, the strong man from the elevator turned out to be the one who would be interviewing him.

A rather suspicious surprise.

Lohan stared at him silently, trying to recall if he had seen him in any video about Lookism from his past life.

Nothing came to mind.

Maybe it was just paranoia on his part. After all, even if the man was strong, it didn't necessarily mean he was connected to the Lookism plot.

In fact, it would be normal for strong people to exist without getting involved in the mess that were the big groups, considering that hard training did yield significant results in this world.

"Good morning, Mr. Park." And greeting him, the man seemed polite as he turned to Lohan with seriousness.

"Good morning, Mr...?"

"You can call me Samuel." Samuel gave a small friendly smile, and Lohan nodded. "So, Mr. Park, I'm pleased to say that our scouts have seen potential in your channel."

Picking up some papers from his desk, Samuel began, "300 concurrent viewers in less than two weeks, considering the niche of your type of livestreams, that's impressive. You mentioned once that you only recently started drawing?"

Lohan was surprised. He had said that just once during his livestream, so it was surprising that they knew about it.

It seemed the company really did their homework.

"Yes, I started three months ago."

"Then it seems you have a great talent, Mr. Park," Samuel praised. "To produce drawings of this level in such a short time, our company is very interested in working with you."

'This is a trap.' Lohan narrowed his eyes at that. He had too much experience not to recognize that when a company sets its sights on you, they'll do anything to make you their slave.

He wouldn't fall for sweet talk about his skills.

"And considering your abilities and reach, our company would easily be willing to pay you 8 million won per month."

Yes, he might consider it.

"Well, I can think about it. But I would need to be aware of all the contract details." Lohan said, a small smile on his lips as if he hadn't just rejected the offer in his mind seconds ago.

"Yes, of course." Samuel agreed, and grabbing a paper from his desk, he handed it to Lohan. "We knew you'd be perceptive, so we provided a copy."

'What flattery.' Lohan rolled his eyes and took the paper, giving it a good look.

[Image]

"..."

Lohan's eyes moved over each word, a frown forming on his face the moment he read paragraph 2, his frown only deepening as he finished reading.

'What the hell is this?' His eyes narrowed.

At first, it seemed like a standard contract, but when Lohan saw that by signing, he would be subjected to company training even against his will, he realized that the company definitely had more interest in having him work for them than he had in earning a high salary.

And the penalties were too strict, basically making him a full-time employee without adequate time for rest.

'8 million isn't worth this.' With a sigh, he carefully handed the contract back to Samuel, who looked at him in confusion. 'I'd be practically selling my soul.'

"I don't accept." And declaring it bluntly, Lohan crossed his arms over his chest with a serious face.

"May I ask why?" Samuel seemed surprised for a moment, his gaze hardening as he rested his elbows on the desk.

"It doesn't take much intelligence to understand what's written between the lines; you're basically trying to make me a slave." Lohan declared carelessly, which made Samuel narrow his eyes. "You want to put me in training under any circumstances without even telling me what it's about, and then you want to penalize me if I back out? I'd rather sell my soul to the devil; at least I know what he'll do with it."

Samuel blinked, surprised by Lohan's harsh honesty.

"You are certainly perceptive, Mr. Park." And letting a small, gentle smile spread across his lips, Samuel praised. "Very few people who have sat in that chair have been able to read our true intentions. I congratulate you."

Lohan raised an eyebrow at that, his eyes widening when he heard a click from the door behind him.

"Huh?" And turning around, he didn't react when a bat appeared in front of his eyes.

!

Struck squarely, Lohan fell to the ground with blood dripping from a cut on his forehead, his teeth clenching as he clutched the wound while taking a look at his attacker.

A fat, tattooed man standing firmly with a baseball bat in hand.

"What the hell are you doing?" He got up with a push, his vision blurred from the sudden damage to his head.

"We usually let those uninterested in the contract leave without issue, but your sharp tongue was your downfall, Mr. Park." Rising from his chair, Samuel adjusted his tie as he rounded the desk to stand in front of Lohan. "We can't let someone who read us so well wander around; that would be foolish."

!

Sidestepping as the fat man tried to hit him, Lohan quickly grabbed the attacker's shoulder and flipped him upside down, slamming his neck onto the floor with enough force to knock him out.

"Bastards..." Lohan spat, his gaze turning to a surprised Samuel. "I must look pretty worn out for you to think that an idiot like that would be enough."

Samuel rolled his eyes as he brushed off the initial surprise, a small sigh escaping his lips as he rolled up his sleeves. "Most people pass out with the first hit, I should have noticed..."

!

Widening his eyes as Samuel suddenly lunged at him, Lohan tried to raise his defense.

"Ugh!" But when a fist struck his jaw hard enough to push him back, he realized that the previous attack had affected him more than he thought.

"I'll have to do it myself then." Samuel declared, and grabbing Lohan by the hair, he smashed his face into the ground.

"Son of a bitch."

But with his face firmly pressed against the hard floor of the office, Lohan grabbed Samuel's wrist in an attempt to break free from the grip.

!

But when a punch landed on his face, he realized that he was definitely...

Punch! Punch! Punch! Punch!

He was screwed.

"..."

Sighing, Samuel stood up with a calm face, his hand moving to his pocket to pull out a small cloth, which he used to wipe the blood from his fingers.

"They're getting harder and harder to convince..."