Chapter 29: The Passage of Time, Part 7

Three months have passed since I returned home, and we are now in mid-April 2014. After the family reunion and the beginning my relationship with Seunghae, not much has happened. We informed Seonhwa that we started dating and to my pleasant surprise, she took it much better than I expected.

It seems the two sisters had already been discussing the matter during the time I was training with the master, so it was not really a surprise for Seonhwa.

I continue to maintain my training pace, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to break new limits; I practically don't know how long it will take to break the next one.

I have also kept up my part in ensuring the progress of Eun Yuri. She is definitely a genius when it comes to magic, having trained for just over a year and already mastering magic as well as I did after my first decade.

But of course, it's not as if it were totally unexpected. After all, I did not focus solely on training my magic and had no one's guidance; I had to forge my own path. But even so, that doesn't change the fact that she is a genius in magic, and as long as she focuses exclusively on that path, she will eventually surpass me in magical mastery.

Setting aside what has happened, let's focus on the present. Today, I received a business letter. Normally, I receive a large number of letters and emails, whether business or romantic, and I actually had to program a filter application to separate and discard all those that did not have keywords of interest to me.

As for those sent by physical rather than digital means, well, I had to create an exclusive department of The Shadow to function as a filter. Yes, I put my subordinates to work as my secretaries so as not to bother with paperwork.

What can I say, I don't want to face the greatest enemy of the Kages, and I don't have shadow clones to be willing to fight that battle.

But back to the business letter, there was nothing very detailed in it, just that it had a very promising and lucrative proposal for me and wishes for a meeting to discuss the business proposal. It was difficult for me to decide whether to accept or reject a meeting to negotiate. But in the end, I decided to accept.

The reason is simple, the person who sent the invitation for this business meeting is someone I did not really expect to meet before entering Lost Paradise, but also someone I can't neglect once I am on their radar.

And so, I received the person who asked me for a meeting to offer me what they consider a deal I would regret not accepting, or so the business letter said. Obviously it was not in a threatening tone, but in the tone of being such a good deal that I couldn't refuse or I would regret doing so.

As I mentioned before, the reason I accepted this meeting is because of the person who made me the offer, not for anything they could offer me. After all, I am among the top 5 wealthiest people in the entire world, and the best part is that no one knows it except me.

And so, the person I was waiting for arrived; one of my bodyguards guided her to my private study, and when she entered, I stood up to greet her, "Welcome Miss Yun, I've been expecting you. Please take a seat. Would you like something to drink or a snack perhaps?" I am currently in business mode. The person before me is one of the most difficult and complicated to deal with according to the novel.

Yun Seohui, the current executive vice president of Sinyoung Pharmaceuticals, which is a recently founded company that has been in operation for a year, but their rate of growth and expansion is enormous and shows no signs of stopping soon. They are becoming popular for introducing new, very good, and revolutionary health products to the market.

But the truth is that they are a company formed by one of the first people who entered Lost Paradise, and using the healing products from that place on Earth, was able to gain great benefits.

This brings us back to Yun Seohui; she is beautiful, though not to an exaggerated extent. She has black hair cut at neck level, black eyes, and facial features that are slightly above average based on the country's beauty standards.

But she has an air of seriousness or coldness, as some like to call it, which gives her a bit more appeal. For a certain group of people, that air is somewhat attractive; it makes us feel a small curiosity to see if that expression can be changed to a less serious and more affectionate one.

And the last thing that adds more points is that she is clearly elegant; it is evident at first glance that she has practiced a lot to refine her movements to the point that they look very attractive. Everything points to her being a beautiful, successful, professional woman whose life is perfect.

But all that cannot deceive me for two reasons. The first is that I know about her from the novel, where it is explained that she was a victim of the terrible and inhuman upbringing by her father, who sees people not as people but as objects with economic value.

And he raised her to be the same, without a hint of affection, care, or display of human emotions. She is practically a robot in a human body. In the novel, she is described as a human doll because she is not capable of feeling emotions based on experience, as she has not experienced them.

The emotions she appears to show are actually acting based on the circumstances and the people she is with, but not because she feels those emotions; rather, she fakes them like an actress on a stage.

And the second reason is even simpler; by activating my [Nine Eyes], I can see it. Just as described in the novel, she is a chaotic mess, her colors constantly changing: Green, Yellow, Gold, then colorless.

The Orange and Black colors do not show because in my current situation there is no way she can be a real threat, but the yellow still shows, which means that depending on my actions, I can push her into a situation where she might have the means to become a threat in some way or her life could be at risk depending on my actions.

The Yellow color always requires quite a bit of scenario thinking to decipher correctly. Unfortunately, I learned that the hard way with what happened with uncle and auntie. The colorless state means that it is one of the three colors that I still cannot see because I have only managed to unlock six of the [Nine Eyes].

And the reason why so many colors are shown is simply explained by a simple description when using observation, that description says that her mentality is actually that of a small child. In the novel, her mentality was estimated to be that of a 5-year-old child at best.

If you think about it, when you meet a small child, the possibilities of how they will interact with you are unlimited and easy to change, that explains why the [Nine Eyes] make me see her in ever changing colors.

But it must be clarified, her mentality being like that of a child does not mean that she is as naive or ignorant as a child is. In terms of knowledge and human interaction she is clearly an adult and the proof is in how her entire appearance and act can deceive most people.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Seol Jihu. I will accept your kindness and ask for an orange juice, as for snacks it is not necessary, I have already eaten, thank you very much," said Yun Seohui with impeccable professionalism.

I nodded in response and sent for her drink to the house kitchen with a maid who took no more than a minute to bring it back and serve it.

"Well then let's hear your proposal, I'm all ears," I told her, waiting to see what she has to offer me. I already know more or less what her company really wants from me, but I still have to finish verifying it and also have to fully understand the person in front of me. Actually, the important part is just to understand this person and decide what to do with her.

"Of course. This is my proposal, please review it, if you have any doubts I will gladly clarify them," she said as she passed me a folder with papers.

I began to read them and almost laughed. This is a job offer, I thought that at least they would offer me an association and not employment. It seems they think quite lowly of me or are very ambitious, but judging by the salary they offer me, it is surely more of the latter than the former. The salary is huge, and I mean it, it is more than you would pay an executive in another company.

"It's an interesting offer I must say, a very well-paid job, but unfortunately, I have to decline," I said seriously and returned the folder to her.

At all times since our meeting, I have maintained the [Nine Eyes]. When she passed me that folder, her colors were mostly Green and Yellow, but the moment I refused, her colors changed a bit. The Green and Yellow are still there, but now the Green looks paler and almost completely eclipsed by the Yellow.

"May I ask why? If it's the salary, it can be rectified; if it's another reason, I would like to know so we can see if it can be changed," she said, feigning professionalism and concern for not completing the task her company had imposed on her.

But in my view, she looks more like a child who went to the toy store with their savings to buy a new toy and realized they couldn't afford it, now desperately looking for a way to acquire it, whether it is more money that is needed or some other way to have it.

For the same reason, I have to be careful with how I proceed; one false step and I could turn her into an enemy like a tantrum-throwing child.

I activated my [Physical Reinforcement] to the possible maximum that my ability can be executed without inflicting self-harm and focused all my cognitive capacity on this situation.

Based on everything I know from the novel and what I have personally seen now, I was able to confirm it. This person, as adult as she appears in her physical age and as intelligent and professional as she seems, is really a child mentally, and that is why I must treat her as such. But she is not foolish or ignorant like any child; that is something else, only her mentality is like that of one.

She is also a sharp and highly perceptive person; the moment I lie, she will know or suspect it, and at that precise moment, any chance I have of truly gaining her trust will be lost forever, and in the worst case, I will earn her enmity.

I have to be honest with my intentions and actions. I must dodge the serious issues without making her suspicious, and break through her shell to reach the most integral part of her being and somehow gain her trust.

One false step will ruin all possibilities. But I can see the path.

"It is quite simple really... I am just not very interested in working. I am currently living my life very satisfactorily and I don't want to change that in the short term," I said honestly, I really enjoy my current life and it is true that I wouldn't like to change anything in the short term.

Not finding lies in my words and seeing that my motives were really simple, her colors shifted to be more oriented towards Green than Yellow.

"I understand, but it really is a good offer and a unique opportunity, if you don't accept now, in the future you may not have this type of opportunity again, please reconsider," she said quite expectantly.

"You're right, it's a very tempting offer and just because you asked, I will reconsider and agree without objection, but with one condition. There are people who do certain things to decide their Fate in situations like this, some are guided by benefit, others by chance or luck by leaving the decision to a bet...

I will do something similar if you agree. I offer you a friendly match in a game of my choice, if you win I will accept the offer, if you lose I will reject it," I said resolutely.

She did not seem to like my idea. She likely found it annoying and insulting, but as I said it sincerely and without any intention of mockery, she understood that it is more like a ritual than an insult.

"I could agree, but if it is a game of your choice, it will surely be one that you are familiar with and dominate, so my chances of winning will be very low and I don't see that as fair. It's like you are telling me that you will reject it anyway. I don't see why then I have to continue with this," she said grumpily.

"You're right, so instead of it being a complete rejection and to balance things out, you will have as many attempts as you want to challenge me, as long as you win once I will accept your offer, and if you lose you can try as many times as you want until you give up," I told her. This is the key part of this entire situation. She came to recruit me no matter what, and to do that, we are going to play. If her mentality is like that of a child, sooner or later she will get caught up in the game and fun rather than work.

But losing over and over again is not pleasant for anyone, especially for a child, and I cannot let her win because that would simply be condemning myself. So, the key is the game, one where the journey is enjoyed more than the result, where it is full of mini-games that I can use to let her let loose and have fun, and as long as I win the overall game, there will be no problem.

That is why I chose a classic of this era, a game that really fascinated me and that I used to play with the whole family in the past. Mario Party. Or rather, Mario's Party.

"Can I challenge you as many times as I want until I choose to give up? Well, I can accept those conditions," she said thinking that now she has me in the bag.

She does not seem to be at all familiar with console games, I had to explain to her how everything works step by step, but as it was a new experience, she was clearly curious and did not get bored by the explanation. Then we started to play. She chose the princess as her avatar and I went for the ghost, I always liked it, it's fun.

As she is not very familiar with console game concepts, at the beginning she was very bad and got quite frustrated, but I started advising her and she got used to it, as time went by she began to have fun and laugh, yet she didn't even realize it. It seems that the different environment and relaxing situation finally began to get past her guard.

When the first game finally ended, she was sad, not because she lost, but because of the end of the game, so I said to her, "Well, it was a good game. You are good for a beginner, and as I said before, you can challenge me as many times as you want, and if you win just once then I will accept your offer,"

Upon hearing me, she was surprised and remembered the original purpose behind the gaming session. She almost seemed embarrassed that she forgot why she started the game, but she also remembered that she could challenge me until she gave up and that is what she did. We started several games, in each one she improved more than the previous one, but she still could not beat me and she didn't get too frustrated by it either. She was so happy and enjoying herself so much that she completely forgot about winning or losing, like a child who goes to the amusement park for the first time.

Several hours passed without us realizing it; she was so distracted that she stopped worrying about maintaining her posture and elegance long ago, and her hair was even disheveled because sometimes she would get up to celebrate victories in the mini-games.

We had fun until finally one of the maids came to notify us that dinner was ready. The expression Yun Seohui put on when she realized we had been playing all afternoon without noticing the passage of time was something surely no one who knew her would have ever seen.

She herself couldn't believe we spent the whole afternoon playing.

"Well, I think we got a little carried away with the game, I really had fun. If you want, you can stay to have dinner with us, Miss Yun," I said kindly.

She was still surprised but composed herself a bit after hearing me and then excused herself to leave. I told her that my offer still stands, she can come to challenge me whenever she wants, and if she wins, I will accept her business proposal. That cheered her up, although she still pretended to be professional and said she would return.

I went out to head to the dining room when I was intercepted by Seunghae, who was giving me a questioning look and said, "Is there something I should know, Oppa? Is she a potential partner?"

"It's complicated. Have you eaten?" I asked.

"Yes, originally we were going to wait for you to eat all together, but since you were in a business meeting, we didn't bother you. But we didn't think you would be in there for so long Oppa, don't change the subject. What did you do in there? I respect your privacy and trust you, but I couldn't help myself and passed by outside your study a few times and heard laughter, so try not to evade the topic and answer me."

"Alright, if you've already eaten, then there's no need to go to the dining room, I'll answer you, follow me," I said and returned to my private study. The place was a bit messy considering that Yun Seohui became more restless as we played, sometimes even throwing the chair to celebrate her victories, and the funny thing is that she had so much fun that she did not even realize how improper her behavior was.

We arrived and sat down, instead of explaining something, I played a video from the camera in my study.

"Oppa, I trust you, I don't need a video of what you did, just tell me what happened, I just want to know why it took so long and why the laughter?" she said, feeling a bit guilty for asking for an explanation to begin with.

"It's not that, just watch this part of the video and tell me what you think," I said and showed her when Yun Seohui entered the study and began to make her business proposal.

"Wow! That Unnie is amazing and cool, she looks like one of those businesswomen you only see in movies and dramas," she said, amazed by the style and behavior of Yun Seohui, who in her business acting mode could really fool anyone.

But then I fast-forwarded the video and began to show her when we started playing and how she began to act. Of course, I fast-forwarded some things so she could see the changes in a short time and asked her, "And now, what do you think of her behavior?"

"Is that the same Unnie? She looks like a child playing and having fun without a care in the world. Did you know her before Oppa? Is she some hidden friend you have?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, I already knew a little about her before because I researched, but essentially today I met her for the first time. Like you, I was surprised by her professional performance at the beginning, but I felt that it was just that, a performance. In reality, she gave me the impression of being a little girl rather than a grown woman, so I tricked her into playing to see if it was just my mistake or if she was really acting, and you saw the result," I said seriously.

"Is she mentally ill?"

"Not exactly. It's a problem of upbringing. She was raised only by her father, who is a horrible person that sees others as objects, including her. She never received love or the opportunity for healthy fun. She was not raised as a human, but trained as a business machine. Since she can remember, instead of games and fun, she was likely given economic and political challenges, corruption, and all that," I said sadly.

"So, did you teach her how to have fun to help her?" Seunghae asked.

"That's the idea, but doing it once won't change anything. I gave her the opportunity to come back and play, hopefully, she does, and from there I will look for a way to help her. If you want, you can join us next time. As we gain her trust, she will surely open up to us and we can help her more," I said, and Seunghae was happy to participate and help.

And so, when we least expected it, a week later Yun Seohui came back to challenge me. This time Seunghae also joined us, and the fun multiplied.

We played for several hours until we had to say our goodbyes, and from that moment on, at least once a week we would have a game meeting. Clearly, as our meetings increased, the purpose of recruiting me was forgotten, and Yun Seohui came more than anything to play. Then we changed the games to other activities and had fun in different ways. Our meetings were quite therapeutic for her.