chapter 22 : The meeting

Suho's POV

Gunner and the guy I talked to, aka Sung Hyun, are both characters from an adult manhwa. Don't ask me why I read that stuff... I was weak, okay? Usually, I'd never be interested in a thug who forces girls to sell their bodies, or a "friend" who plans to steal another guy's girlfriend.

So why am I interested in Sung Hyun despite his... bold behavior towards another man's woman? There are several reasons, but I can narrow them down to two.

First, Sung is an ambitious guy with an incredibly sharp business sense. To evolve in this reality, I don't just need subordinates who are good at fighting, but also at business.

The second reason is his iron mindset. To put it simply, this guy, Sung... isn't normal. When he decides something, that bastard sticks to it. He literally almost died for a woman, and this nutcase went back to the apartment where the would-be killer was staying like it was nothing. A real madman, but I like that madness in him.

Like Charl Choi, I need to find my own geniuses, and this guy is possibly the closest thing to Eugen in Wokers. He just needs a good investor, and I'll be that man.

While I was planning how to make the most of this sketchy manhwa protagonist, I finally caught up with the group of guys who'd left with Sung Hyun.

"Hey, man!"

They all turned around. Of course, Sung Hyun was among them.

"Interested in working for me?" I didn't beat around the bush.

This guy's too talented for me to let him waste time in this farce with Gunner. It'll be much more beneficial to have him on my side as soon as possible.

"Who the hell are you?!" shouted a man accompanying Sung, approaching me.

We weren't at the sports betting place anymore. We were in some alley that must've been a shortcut for Sung Hyun's group.

"Don't just stand there."

I ignored the idiot who'd asked me to introduce myself and approached my target.

"I don't..."

He seemed hesitant, occasionally glancing at the people around him.

"Who do you think you are, you little punk!"

The man finally snapped and attacked me. Of course, I saw it coming and knocked him out with a hit to the chin.

There was an awkward silence before his friends realized what happened.

"You bastard!"

They rushed at me like idiots.

They all ended up knocked out on the ground without even touching me.

I walked towards Sung, who was trembling slightly in fear, ignoring the idiots on the ground.

"If you're afraid of them or anyone else, I can help you... but only if you work for me."

I cast my bait, hoping his fear of Gunner would push him to accept, but... I'd still underestimated his madness for that girl.

"Sorry... I'm not interested."

I just smiled at his answer before giving him my number.

"If you want to become strong, or if you want to work with me to build a company, call me."

After saving my number in his phone, I casually headed to Wang Hao and the others' hideout.

For now, I won't force Sung to follow me. I'll let him get a taste of imminent death with Gunner.

Thanks to this encounter, I've broadened my horizons. There's not just pure fighting stories in this reality but also... questionable ones.

It seems one of the criteria for being included in this reality is a mix of combat and money-related plots.

Kind of like PTJ's general stories.

"This is all really exciting," I thought.

....

"Hey..."

I finally arrived at Cheonung Trading Company after wandering aimlessly around town to clear my head.

I'd drawn too much attention because of Dayun. I needed to be a bit more discreet until I reached Wang Hao.

"You're finally here."

Everyone around me had a tense aura. Seemed like the situation wasn't ordinary.

"Did I do something wrong?" I really hoped this had nothing to do with the mercenaries I'd beaten up with my crowbar.

"There's been some news recently. If it turns out to be true, Seoul's underground world might get extremely agitated," declared Wang, sitting comfortably at the president's desk of Cheonung Trading Company, while Cha Yu-hwa and Xiuren stayed back.

I had a pretty good idea what he meant, but I just played dumb. After all, the rumor about the probable death of Taesan organization's boss was still extremely low-key.

"Can you elaborate?"

I also sat down in a chair, waiting to better understand the situation.

Wang Hao didn't waste time and explained the main points.

He detailed that the alliance between major organizations might disappear, since Taesan's boss was currently suspected to be dead.

It was both an opportunity and a problem.

To get into more detail, if the alliance collapsed, nothing would stop other organizations from encroaching on each other's territory or business.

Basically, it meant an era of chaos, until a new alliance was established or someone took control of current Seoul.

It was time to act if I wanted a piece of the pie in this era of turmoil.

"I see. Looks like this meeting will be really interesting, right, Xiuren?" I couldn't help teasing Cheonung's Butcher a bit.

She growled slightly in response.

"Okay, I get the big picture. So when do we go?"

I'd barely finished my sentence when Wang threw some clothes at me.

"I've decided you'll be by Cha Yu-hwa's side all the time with Xiuren. So, you need to dress properly."

He seemed to want to limit risks for his puppet.

I nodded before going to swap my current casual clothes for a professional suit.

"It's a shame we don't have time to deal with your wild hair," muttered Cha Yu-hwa, looking at me with regular head nods.

"You're talking about my style, but I'm not the one showing off my chest," I replied, unable to hold back my comment.

I gotta say, they had a nice size there.

(Image)

Gyaa!

Cha Yu-hwa immediately took refuge behind Xiuren when she noticed my obvious stare.

"Wang! He's really asking for trouble!" yelled Xiuren, gripping her Kukri knife.

Wang just lit a cigarette before finally turning his back to us.

'Cheonung's youth really seems to be flourishing,' he thought while exhaling a cloud of smoke.

....

It wasn't long before we all left, except Wang, for the meeting.

The old man had explained that due to the coming chaotic era, he had to stay in Cheonung's territory to protect their interests and avoid any unnecessary trouble.

"Nervous?" I said, observing Wang's puppet sitting next to me.

To be precise, she was placed between Xiuren and me.

At my question, she nodded timidly. Honestly, I could understand her stage fright.

Her decisions could drag several people into a war. For a naturally kind girl like Cha Yu-hwa, the current situation must be really uncomfortable.

"Don't worry. With me and Xiuren here, nothing can happen to Cheonung."

After all, I've invested too much in you guys to let your ship sink.

She smiled slightly at me, and, surprisingly, Xiuren's usually aggressive look seemed to soften slightly towards me.

Looks like our future "collaboration" to take Cheonung back from Wang will be doable.