622

 [Chapter 165]

[Hope at the End of Despair]

Eun-ha told Seo-hyun, who was eating lunch, that all the people joining the clan he was establishing had been decided.

"Is that so?"

Then Han Seo-hyun wiped her mouth and asked back as if it wasn't a big deal.

Then she said─.

"─Then contact them to set a date and meet once within this week."

"We should all see each other's faces since we'll be family from now on."

"That's not all. We need to coordinate in advance how to run the clan, and decide on a clan name too."

"I guess so."

Recently, Han Seo-hyun had been busy processing documents that needed to be filled out to establish a clan.

But while she was filling in the blank items, she couldn't fill in the important items.

Which area will be designated as the base of operations?

Where will the clan hall be built?

What is the clan's name and purpose for creating the clan, etc.

These were items that couldn't be filled without the clan members putting their heads together.

Above all─.

"─Shouldn't we decide together who will take on sub-lord roles, and who will sit in executive positions?"

"That's true too. Do we have to appoint at least 2 people as sub-lords with our numbers?"

"From what I've seen, it would be better to have one sub-lord per party the clan will create. I don't think we need to limit executive positions like that though."

"Since they're all founding members, there's no need to set limits."

"So tell the people that."

"What?"

At her words as she held out documents.

Eun-ha nodded.

Soon she spoke crossing her legs.

Eun-ha tilted his head.

Han Seo-hyun said─.

"─Tell them to invest if they want to be treated as executives."

"What?"

"The clan is being created with your money, how can they try to take executive positions for free?"

"..."

"The same goes for sub-lords."

"You're telling the kids to pay money now?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Eun-ha asked back dumbfounded.

Han Seo-hyun answered raising her eyes.

She spoke tapping the table with her finger as if telling Eun-ha to keep it in mind.

"If you're thinking of distributing official positions based on friendships, you should create a party, not a clan. New recruits will keep coming in next year and the year after too, were you planning to run the clan relying on friendships?"

"..."

"How do you think new recruits will feel later. That those people are just treated as founding members, executives, sub-lords because they were friends with you. Then the clan will run really well."

Han Seo-hyun criticized sharply.

Eun-ha couldn't refute what she was saying.

Her words were right.

He had been thinking too lightly.

"Even 1 jeon is fine. Tell them to invest even a little if they want to be treated as founding members. I'll give them shares accordingly."

"Whose shares will be given out?"

"If the investment amount gathers exactly, we'll have to restructure. I think it would be better to give out up to 1% maximum."

"...Alright. I'll leave that to you."

"And considering Alice Group, it would be better to appoint Ha-yang, who has the most shares among the members, as a sub-lord."

"Well, that makes sense. Then it would be better to have at least 2 sub-lords including Ha-yang."

Eun-ha agreed with her opinion.

Afterwards, the two put their heads together and organized the discussion.

First, invest even 10 won if you want to be treated as a founding member.

Second, founding members who invest above a certain amount will be appointed as executives, and will be able to be involved in the clan's affairs and have a voice in meetings afterwards.

Third, sub-lords will be elected from among the executives, and elected sub-lords must invest an amount equivalent to 2% of shares. Sub-lords will be given voting rights afterwards.

"Is this enough for now?"

"Let's think about the details then. Quickly pass it on to people."

Eventually after confirming the contents, Eun-ha immediately conveyed the contents to his friends, no, clan members.

""""...!!""""

That day, the clan members who received the contents had fire dropped on their feet.

They say most of them started frantically borrowing money and running around busily.

☆

Though they said even 10 won was fine.

Actually, no one paid just 10 won.

All the clan members knew.

That this was their only opportunity.

─We shouldn't skimp on money.

The stock price will keep rising from now on, when else would we buy if not now when it's cheap?

Invest and buy shares.

The shares that are worthless now will have tremendous value in the future.

Though most people in the industry predicted that the clan Eun-ha would create wouldn't withstand competition between clans.

The friends who had watched Eun-ha more closely than anyone were certain that the future they predicted wouldn't happen.

Rather, it would thrive.

Within 5 years, Noh Eun-ha would prove it.

By raising his clan to S-rank.

And if that happens, of course they as founding members would enjoy tremendous benefits in the future.

Surely, they would become founding contributors.

In that sense, they tried to claim their share in the future he would create.

"─Hey, you're keeping the money grandmother left well, right?"

Among the people who heard the news, Jin Pa-rang was the first to find Eun-ha.

He came down to the 2nd floor noisily and spoke to Eun-ha who was resting at home.

"Invest that money in the clan as you see fit."

"Huh?"

"It's money grandmother prepared for me. How could I use it carelessly?"

"So you'll invest it in the clan?"

"Of course. I may not know other things, but I know very well that you won't go completely bankrupt. So I'm saying I'll invest grandmother's precious money that needs to be treated carefully in your clan."

"...Hyung, you're not dreaming of revenge against me or something, right?"

"What are you saying?"

"There was a similar development in the drama I'm watching with Eun-ae recently..."

"Stop watching dramas. You might become Kim Min-ji?"

After finishing his business.

Jin Pa-rang quickly left.

Eun-ha decided to accept Jin Pa-rang's opinion and invest grandmother's money in the clan.

Exactly the maximum amount clan members could invest.

After that, the person who expressed intention to invest in Eun-ha was Noh Eun-ah.

"Of course I should invest. How much money do you think I've saved while working at Regulus Clan?"

"Noona... You don't have to give this much..."

"It's fine. Use it to create the clan. Don't worry, I'll get it back later."

When he said he'd only take the maximum amount.

She insisted on refusing and entrusted her salary account to him.

Eun-ha had no choice but to accept her money.

Afterwards, other people also expressed intention to invest in Eun-ha.

Ariel was ridiculous.

"This is all my assets. It's money I saved up bit by bit without drinking. Got it? I put in effort!"

"Yes, yes, I got it. You did well."

"There's no soul in your words! If I did well, praise me! Don't you know praise makes Ariel grow too!?"

"How much can a tiny thing grow. You did well, you did well. You can't be an executive, but I'll treat you as a founding member."

Ariel says she scraped together all her assets.

She brought a fish tank full of coins and a bank account with sponsorship coming in.

Eun-ha tried to give the fish tank back to her saying he was grateful for the thought.

Then Ariel said─.

"─Hey! This is my heart! How can you return this!?"

"Thank you for the heart full of coins. But I don't accept coins, so bring it stuffed with bills next time."

"Noh Eun-ha! How can you do this!? Don't do this to me! I'm telling you to take my heart!?"

"Okay, you keep your heart."

No matter what Ariel said.

Eun-ha who had become used to dealing with her threw her out like grabbing a cat's neck.

Besides this, there was also an anecdote involving Jin Seo-na.

She called him.

[How much do you need? Noona has a lot of money so I'll stuff it in. In return, make me an executive. As for the sub-lord position, um, I'll decline on my end.]

After becoming KK Pharmaceuticals' direct descendant.

Jin Seo-na's spending increased.

Eun-ha who received her call burst out laughing.

"I'll write your name at the top of the executive list. As Puppy. Good, right?"

[@#$%^&*!@#$%^&*!!]

To this, the fox poured out curses at Eun-ha in incomprehensible sounds.

Of course, Eun-ha didn't listen and let it go in one ear and out the other.

☆

Invest even 10 won if you want to be recognized as a founding member.

Han Seo-hyun's message spread through Eun-ha made Yu Do-jun's mouth corners rise to his ears.

If many people want to be executives, there will be many who lack money, right? If I lend to those kids at low interest rates, it's good for me, good for them, good for both sides, right?

Yu Do-jun knew how to read the flow of money.

Of course, he knew that while Eun-ha's clan might be undervalued now, it would be highly valued enough to break through the ceiling in the future.

Actually, he was someone who believed there was no product with 100% guaranteed returns when it came to investing money.

But he could be 100% certain about things related to Noh Eun-ha.

There's no way Eun-ha will fail.

Even if he seems to have no plans, he has plans in his head?

So he immediately accepted as soon as he received Eun-ha's proposal to sponsor the clan.

Unfortunately, the maximum amount Yeongwon Group could invest was about 10% of the total shares.

To this, he racked his brains to gain more profits.

He would lend money to friends and take a certain portion of the profits from the shares they would get.

"R-really, I don't have to pay interest for the first 5 years? I just have to pay back the principal?"

"That's right. Would I lie to Eun-ha's friend?"

The general direction was set.

Yu Do-jun immediately analyzed which of Eun-ha's friends lacked money and couldn't get executive positions.

Then he approached friends among them who he judged would at least not make a loss.

The reason Jo A-ra appeared in front of him drinking coffee luxuriously in the Sky Lounge was also because of this.

"Really? You're not scamming me? I'll examine every letter of the contract carefully!"

"If I play with the contract, my neck might fly off to Eun-ha later? Why would I play such a prank on you?"

"Anyway, I'm reading it carefully?"

"Okay, read it."

Though it would be fine to take the contract home and read it carefully.

Jo A-ra didn't know that and sat across from Yu Do-jun reading the contract.

She really glared and read each letter one by one.

"Ugh... Why are there so many letters?"

"It's a legitimate financial product guaranteed in Yeongwon Group's name, so there are many clauses. By the way, this is only issued to Eun-ha's friends."

"Ugh... Why are the interest rate conditions written so complicatedly?"

"Tell me if you need calculations. I've calculated for now..."

Memento Magia

Jo A-ra glaring at the contract while twirling her curly hair with her finger.

Soon she activated her artifact to double her computational ability.

"That's not an artifact Eun-ha gave you for that..."

"Can you be quiet? It's distracting."

Yu Do-jun was dumbfounded.

Jo A-ra now flipped through the contract at a fast speed.

"Have you read it all?"

"Whew... There don't seem to be many unfavorable clauses for me?"

"It's not that there aren't many, you can consider there are none at all, friend?"

Not long after, she closed the pocket watch lid.

Yu Do-jun was incredulous.

Jo A-ra ignored his words as if it didn't matter.

Then she carefully opened her mouth.

"You know... If I move my main transaction bank to your bank in the future, can I receive benefits?"

"Eun-ha said he'll pay clan salaries through Yeongwon Bank in the future. I'll suggest giving special treatment to people who joined Eun-ha's clan at the group level."

"Really?"

Jo A-ra was very frugal.

They say she signed the contract after receiving confirmation from Yu Do-jun.

Afterwards, Kim Min-ji and Choi Eun-hyuk came to sign the contract and left.

Ariel came but...

I'm sorry but I can't lend to her because she's unreliable.

He lent to Kang Si-hyung and Bong Gu-rae too.

But he didn't lend money to Lee Cheon-seo and Ariel.

The former's skills weren't reliable.

The latter was somehow uneasy.

His intuition told him.

That if he lent money to Ariel, he might not even recover the principal.

Anyway, the person who came after that was Hoshimiya Kaede.

"Oh, you came. Hou, you came to borrow money too, right?"

"..."

Hoshimiya Kaede.

She looked down at Yu Do-jun drinking coffee with a blank face.

To this, Yu Do-jun invited her to sit across from him with a gentle face.

She had no choice but to sit down.

"How much should I lend?"

"..."

Yu Do-jun asked lightly.

She just opened and closed her mouth.

Her voice wasn't heard well.

So Yu Do-jun leaned his body over the table.

She opened her mouth again─.

"─Give me money, quickly."

"...You didn't come to borrow from me, but to rob?"

Clumsy at asking favors.

They say Hoshimiya Kaede unintentionally threatened him as soon as she opened her mouth.

☆

The day the clan members meet for the first time.

Eun-ha set the meeting place as Cafe Happiness run by Ha-yang's mother Min Su-jin.

""""..."""""

Clan members gathered at the cafe.

The clan members who sat down with drinks one by one exchanged introductions.

Even so, they were already somewhat acquainted with each other.

The atmosphere was friendly.

Until administrator Han Seo-hyun appeared.

"─As a result of discussing with Eun-ha, we decided to elect 3 people as sub-lords. From now on, I'd like the people whose names I call to answer whether they'll take on the sub-lord role."

Most of the clan members weren't very close with Han Seo-hyun.

In the first place, she didn't try to get close to anyone except Eun-ha.

Since she became the administrator, the clan members naturally couldn't help but find her difficult.

Her cold impression towards others also played a part.

Anyway, she who took office as administrator proposed that they speak casually to each other in private gatherings among founding members.

And she began calling out people to be appointed as sub-lords on behalf of Eun-ha.

"Jung Ha-yang, Mok Min-ho, and Sae unni. These are the people the Clan Lord recommended as sub-lords."

All the clan members' gazes turned to Eun-ha.

Eun-ha nodded.

3 people is appropriate with our current numbers.

Actually, even 3 is a bit many.

Though I'm worried about noona, she'll do well.

Jung Ha-yang who would get 10% shares inevitably had to become a sub-lord.

Also, Mok Min-ho needed sub-lord authority to command the remaining party that Eun-ha wouldn't lead.

Lastly, Eun-ah was thought to be the most knowledgeable about the industry's workings among the clan members.

There were also candidates like Ryu Yeon-hwa and Han Chang-jin, but considering the harmony among the clan members, there was no one more suitable than his sister.

Also─.

'─You never know. Even if it's fine now, there might be differences of opinion between you and the sub-lords later, right?'

'That might happen someday. If the number of people increases more than now...'

'You need to have people who will unconditionally support your opinion in preparation for that. In that sense, Ha-yang and Sae unni are reliable because they're bound by marriage and family, right? And me too.'

'Adding you and me, at least 4 votes are secured.'

When people gather, conflicts are bound to happen.

Though they're united by camaraderie now, who knows what will happen in the future.

Strangers will keep increasing.

Eun-ha agreed with her opinion.

"Yes, I'll do it."

"I'll do it too."

"Me too!"

Meanwhile, Jung Ha-yang, Mok Min-ho, and Noh Eun-ah.

The three decided to accept the sub-lord positions.

There were no opposing clan members.

They applauded and cheered.

"Then I'll announce the executives now. Please answer when your name is called."

The applause subsided.

Soon Han Seo-hyun decided to announce the people who would become executives.

Then the clan members closed their mouths.

They focused on her with eager eyes.

""""..."""""

There was no limit on the number of executives.

Kim Min-ji, Choi Eun-hyuk, Kang Si-hyung, Jin Pa-rang, Hoshimiya Kaede, Bae Su-bin, Jin Seo-na, Byeok Hae-su, Ryu Yeon-hwa, Bruno, Han Chang-jin, Jo A-ra, Cha Eun-woo, Bong Gu-rae.

The above were 14 executives excluding Yu Nam-hoon, Yeo U-bi, Ariel, and Lee Cheon-seo.

But those who didn't become executives decided to receive extra points in future performance evaluations compared to clan members joining later.

Only then did the clan members sigh in relief.

Thus the topic moved to something else.

"The order has changed but let's start soliciting names for the clan from now on."

""""..."""""

"I'd like people with opinions to speak freely."

""""..."""""

Naming the clan.

It could be said this was practically the reason why the clan members gathered here.

The clan members all lit up their eyes at once.

They had been waiting for this moment.

Excitement filled their eyes.

Just then─.

"─Me."

"Clan Lord Noh Eun-ha. As Clan Lord, please speak first."

Noh Eun-ha raised his hand high.

His friends' gazes turned to him.

Han Seo-hyun smiled slightly and gave him permission to speak.

"It's a name I've been thinking about since before deciding to create a clan."

Infinitely serious.

Noh Eun-ha spoke in a solemn tone while gauging the clan members' eyes.

The clan members showed curiosity.

"I don't think there's a name more fitting as a clan name than this."

""""..."""""

"That is─."

After looking around at the clan members' faces once he continued speaking.

"─Mistflower Clan."

""""..."""""

Noh Eun-ha spoke with a serious face.

The clan members looked at him while Han Seo-hyun standing in front immediately─

"─Dismissed."

"...What?"

She flatly dismissed Eun-ha's suggestion. 

Eun-ha who had a serious face showed a flustered expression as if he hadn't expected it to be dismissed. 

"You know mistflowers have a flower language related to love but also related to death too? Do you want to use a flower related to death as your clan name?"

"..."

Sighing deeply as if frustrated. 

Han Seo-hyun frowned. 

And the clan members─

""""Of course.""""

Nodded vigorously they say.