Chapter 118:
Chapter 118:
Look at youyou must have been starving somewhere.
An elderly man clicks his tongue as he watches Jiyun rush toward him with her arms wide open.
His pure white cotton suit, graying hair slicked back neatly, and sharp eyes seemed to describe his personality.
Youregrandfather?
A hug is a hug, whats the big deal?
He looked down with a very disapproving expression on his face, then picked Jiyun up and placed her on his lap.
Hehe!
Heh, youve gotten heavier, so I guess youve grown up.
Jiyun is heavy?
Im strong, so Ill be fine.
Grandpas strong!
The scene in front of me was unimaginable.
I couldnt believe that Chairman Han Jin-wol, who is said to be an iron-blooded businessman, could be like that.
Whenever I met him in the game, he always had a cold expression on his face or a certain heavy aura, but now I could only see him as an old man who was not good at showing affection.
Long time no see grandpa.
Ho-oh?
Han Jin-wol, who was holding Jiyun tightly to prevent her from falling, turned to me.
Yes, Eugene, your mood has changed quite a bit, hasnt it?
Perhaps it was because this was the first face-to-face meeting since entering this body, but he seemed to be puzzled by my greatly changed personality.
Well, Ive been accepted into the academy now, and I cant just laze around forever.
Hmph. Im glad youve come to your senses now. From what I hear, youve decided to follow in your fathers footsteps.
He says, his eyes scanning my features.
Thats right. Its a family tradition, a rule.
Ha! I know your father wouldnt be the kind of man to force his children to do anything.
I just decided this was my path.
It was the best option for me to survive as Eugene Han Corleone in this world and its not all bad.
If you believe your choice is the right one, thats all that matters. And.
A sideways glance this time.
Long time no see, child of the Inomiya clan.
Its been a long time, Mr. Chairman. Im glad to see you looking healthy.
All who look healthy are about to die of old age, but Im not in a bad mood. Now, take a seat, everyone.
The three of us sat down in Han Jin-wols study.
Naturally, Jiyun didnt want to move at all, as if grandfather s lap was her own.
Grandpa, is Jiyun sitting somewhere else?
Dont bother moving. Just sit here.
Yeah~
Well, I guess it doesnt matter since he seems to be satisfied.
I sat down and put the things I had put in the cube before getting out of the car on the table.
Huh? Subspace artifact?
I shake my head as two neatly wrapped boxes appear on the table.
Yep. Its been a long time since Ive seen you, so Ive prepared these for you, and I hope youll accept them.
Whats the big deal about meetingthis old man, you could have come barehanded.
Even as he said that, Han Jin-wol glanced over.
He was right, considering Eugene Han Corleones personality, he wouldnt have brought any gifts, so it was actually his grandson bringing him his first gift.
It would have been even bigger for him, since he didnt have any blood relatives.
Still, I cant come empty-handed. I didnt know what grandpa would like, so I talked to Haru and we picked it out together.
Harus eyes widened and she looked over.
I put my hand to my mouth to silence her as I continued the conversation with grandfather.
In fact, I had told Haru to prepare it, given my vague knowledge of his tastes, but it would be awkward to say so, so Id better say it like this.
Heh.
The gift was a box about the size of a bowling ball, but it weighed enough that a small child could easily lift it.
This made him even more curious about what was inside, so he immediately untied the top strap and opened the box.
Is this? Ha!
He grinned in amusement.
What emerged from the box was a rolled-up scroll.
Is that a picture?
Yes. Unfold it.
He takes the scroll out of the box and opens it wide.
The scroll was an ink drawing with a strong vernacular feel.
There are exotic medieval fantasy cities, flying creatures, and skies that dont look like Earth.
It was a mysterious mix of East and West that subverted common sense.
I heard that youve been collecting paintings by new artists lately, so I thought Id bring you something. I thought you might like it.
I said, hiding my smile as best I could.
Han Jin-wol stared blankly into the frame, as if he was lost in the painting but I could see his eyes fluttering.
Yes, he cant hate it.
Hell love that mans paintings in the future.
What I gave him was a painting by Kim Hwang-seo, who would later be called one of the best painters in the CS universe.
The name of the work is Shin Tianji.
Of course, he was still a rookie, so I was able to get it at a bargain price.
Heh. Do you know how to look at paintings?
Thats why I asked Haru for help.
Then the other box is?
This time it was Haru who answered his question.
That one also contains another work by the same artist.
HeheI used to search for a painting similar to this one in Jongno but no matter how much I searched the Korean market, I couldnt find it, so I gave up.
According to Han Jin-wol, it was virtually impossible to find his paintings in the beginning of Korea.
At that time, he was working just in Japan.
Due to the economic crisis, he went to Japan, where the reconstruction project was in full swing, in search of work, and somehow managed to save money to buy materialsbut was unable to produce new works.
Even my grandfather, who is the head of a large company, could not have checked all those factors.
Thanks to Haru having a route in Japan, I was able to contact him easily.
All of this was made possible by dabbling in international trade.
I was able to buy the paintings I already had at a good price and also invest in him so that he could focus on painting.
It was an excellent low-price buy, considering he was a goose that would lay the golden eggs.
Yes, Ill cherish these gifts. Thank you so much.
Han Jin-wols expression, which had seemed stiff at first, seemed to relax a little.
Yes, these are the paintings I took in the game, and I have a few treasures, but I should give him this much.
In the first place, the paintings I prepared for this time were paintings by undiscovered rookie artists, so it wasnt a big deal to get them.
As for the location of Kim Hwang-seo, I knew about it through various quests.
Perhaps, with the money I gave him, he would try to start over and paint new paintings.
Gifts? Grandpa, Jiyun has gifts too!
Hmm? Jiyun, you mean you too?
Jiyun looked up and bounced her legs as if she was worried about grandfathers reaction to her gift.
Grandpa looks at Jiyun in his arms as if this is another surprise.
Jiyun opens the rabbit bag, pulls out a beautifully coated piece of paper, and hands it to grandfather.
Voila!
Is this ?
Its a coupon for five minutes of Jiyuns massage!
Huh?
Five minutes when my shoulder hurts~?
No matter what
Hah! Khhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Hahahahahahaha!
I cant beat that.
Han Jin-wols iron mask, which even my gift couldnt bring down, was crushed by Jiyuns coupon.
* * *
After exchanging brief pleasantries we followed him to the dining room inside.
Korean side dishes and dishes filled the entire table, as if they had started cooking in time for our arrival.
Ill eat!
In response, Jiyun, who looked very hungry, naturally ran to the chair with the most meat and sat down.
The height of the chairs was adjusted separately, so it was obvious that the food was arranged in such a way that Jiyun thought it was her reserved seat.
I ended up sitting between Haru and Jiyun and across from Grandpa.
The meal started as soon as Han Jin-wol picked up his cutlery.
As we ate, he began to ask me about my latest news, as he hadnt seen me that often.
So, youre taking the second seat at the academy?
Im not good enough, but yes.
Ive heard a lot of amazing things about you lately. I hear you broke an Academy record and stopped a terrorist attack, so how can I not be surprised?
With that, he drank the tea on the table to quench his thirst, then looked at me once more.
At first, when you said you were coming and didnt say anything, I thought Id take the initiative, but after listening to your story, I couldnt.
Apparently, Ive sold the name of the Hanwol Group a lot so far.
It wasnt that I couldnt understand his feelings. I would have been verydisappointed if my few family members didnt come to visit me.
Im sorry.
Dont apologize, Ive been having a hard time lately and I couldnt join your welcome party, so lets call it a draw.
It was obvious that he was trying to be considerate, but his expression remained blunt.
Maybe he just cant express it.
I decided to ask him the question that his story had sparked.
By the way, Grandpa, may I ask what happened to you?
Hmm? Alas, I did not make it to your celebration, but that is not a big deal, so dont worry about it.
You mean, like, were you robbed or something?
How couldthat?
I brought it up as a possibility, and it turns out I was right.
Maybe its the behavior of the employees Ive seen since Ive been here, or the fact that the security at the mansion is so tight. Its almost as iftheyre watching each other.
The old mans eyes widened in surprise.
You meanyou noticed that?
Yes.
How could I tell by that?
Actually, I was just poking around.
In the game, it was almost a daily occurrence to be asked to catch a thief in the village area.
Of course, Han Jin-wol was one of the richest people in this area so I thought it would be a good time to ask, but I couldnt believe it was true.
Apparently, they didnt catch the culprit.
Yes, the treasures stored in the mansion are separately enchanted with tracking magic, so their location is known as soon as they leave the mansion, and even if they are disarmed, the last trace should remain, but for some reason, even the experts couldnt find them.
After saying that, Han Jin-wol looks at me, Haru, and Jiyun and smirks.
Well, the experts said its somewhere in the mansion, so I decided to hand it over, thinking that its not stolen and that they cant find it. They werent that expensive anyway.
Hes certainly right.
Considering the wealth of the Hanwol Group, most of the items would be no big deal.
It also seemed unlikely that it was anything really expensive, as it didnt seem like the deepest warehouse had been ransacked.
But
Do you mind if you tell me what the missing item is?
Huh? Apparently it was some kind of artifact from the Wild West, I guess?
Huh?
They touched what I was trying to get?
These assholes searched everywhere.