63.
Slender fingers moved across the calculator.
“I suppose this would be the amount? But!”
A fairly large number was displayed, but a hand quickly swept across it, resetting it to zero.
“This isn’t what Yu Jin wants, is it?”
Marilyn put down the calculator and smiled gently.
“I approached you first this time, but usually, the people who show me kindness have fixed desires.”
“What are they?”
“Marriage to me, or a meeting with my grandfather.”
Marilyn still looked young, yet people approached her for marriage? Yu Jin’s gaze must have conveyed his thoughts, as Marilyn puffed her cheeks.
“What? I’m quite popular, you know!”
“I didn’t mean to look at you that way. You are certainly cute, Marilyn.”
At Yu Jin’s words, the pouting Marilyn became docile.
“It feels like being complimented by an angel.”
“Angel? That’s too much praise.”
“There’s a lot I could say, but I’ll stop here. I can tell from our conversation just now. Yu Jin, you’re not interested in me. Then why are you being so kind and helpful? Do you think what I’m doing will be profitable? Probably not. Even my grandfather is skeptical about my work. He said if it goes well, I’ll make a lot, but if not, I’ll fail. So, there’s only one answer!”
Marilyn raised her index finger and wiggled it.
“You’re interested in my grandfather, Tulin!”
“…You’re not wrong.”
“Good. Then I’ll arrange a meeting for you.”
This easily? Yu Jin tilted his head, puzzled. He had heard that Tulin was a difficult person to meet. Countless people had approached Marilyn, but almost none had met Tulin. Yu Jin was aware of this. Still, he wanted to try anything to help the twins.
“It’s okay. I’m not lying. What would I gain by deceiving you?”
Many people had deceived Yu Jin to satisfy their own desires in the past, especially physically. But he couldn’t say that to this innocent young lady, so he kept quiet.
“Actually, my grandfather is interested in you too. You’ve changed a lot recently, haven’t you? Plus, you bought that large building and land at the end of the shopping street, right?”
“That’s true.”
Yu Jin had checked, and it was a surprisingly large property. But Haruna had bought it at an unexpectedly low price.
“How was this possible?”
When he asked in surprise, Haruna answered.
“Originally, another merchant group bought the building to make a bank, but they went bankrupt recently.”
“Why did they go bankrupt?”
“They attempted large-scale trade with the Dragon Continent and encountered sea disasters.”
Pirates, typhoons, monsters – sea disasters come in many forms. And it seems the merchant group that originally owned the building encountered all of these disasters in succession.
“They had bad luck and were ill-prepared. But thanks to that, we got a good building at a low price, so it’s fortunate for us.”
Haruna’s face was calm as she said this.
“Now that we have the foundation, renovating the building won’t take long. We can hire some skilled workers. It’ll cost a lot, but there’s nothing more effective for saving time. The problem is what comes next.”
Haruna continued without pause.
“I’ve discussed this with Keith too, but we’re severely lacking in products. Products that nobles or wealthy commoners would buy.”
They had done everything they could with their current merchant group. They could easily stock common goods, but Jinhyeon had explained that a department store needed more than that. They needed high-end, expensive items that ordinary people couldn’t easily afford, and preferably items that could only be found in the department store.
Yu Jin understood Haruna’s concerns. That’s partly why he had approached people connected to merchant groups. He wanted to help the twins in any way he could.
Marilyn continued speaking.
“My grandfather is curious about what you’re planning to do there.”
“I might be thinking of something useless.”
“I doubt that. My grandfather sometimes does outrageous things, but when it comes to money, he has better instincts than anyone. That’s why he wants to meet you. But I didn’t want to just arrange a meeting because I don’t like that.”
It seemed Marilyn had been testing Yu Jin. Marilyn’s work often received criticism from others. It was because she was too young and her designs were too avant-garde. With her backing, she wouldn’t go bankrupt, but success wasn’t easy either. That’s why Marilyn needed a breakthrough. Someone to help develop her designs or give advice on her business.
“So, have I passed now?”
“Yes! So let’s go meet my grandfather.”
Marilyn gestured to Yu Jin.
“Now?”
In response to Yu Jin’s question, Marilyn made a playful expression.
“He just happened to come visit me.”
Caught off guard, Yu Jin followed Marilyn and soon found himself face to face with a stern-looking old man.
“Are you that rascal?”
He was undoubtedly Tulin, the Golden Hand.
Tulin looked Yu Jin up and down. It was a rude gesture for a first meeting, but Yu Jin said nothing.
‘Just as the rumors say.’
A beautiful but weak young man. He who had been walking into hell changed one day. Some said he changed after returning from death, while others said he would soon revert to his old self. His past was too disgraceful to believe he had truly changed. Until recently, Tulin thought the same.
That was until the twins working for Yu Jin snatched the building he had his eye on. When he rushed to buy the building after hearing the merchant group had collapsed, it had already been sold.
“I’m getting old too.”
A very small minority claimed this: that Yu Jin had been pretending to be a rascal to survive until now, and this was his true self. And now, Tulin agreed with that. The eyes of the Yu Jin standing before him were clear and deep. Not the eyes of a dying fish.
“You certainly have aged.”
Tulin glared at his granddaughter, who agreed without hesitation beside Yu Jin, and tapped a chair with his cane.
“Let’s sit and talk. My legs hurt because I’m old.”
“Of course.”
Yu Jin sat down naturally and looked straight at Tulin. Seeing Yu Jin like this reminded him of the head of the Lucid family. Although Yu Jin was more handsome, Ruhan, the head of Lucid, used to look at Tulin with the same eyes.
‘Pathetic fool.’
The successors he was currently pushing were not proper men. The eldest son, Grain, was good with physical tasks but lacked intelligence, and the second son wasn’t even worth mentioning. They would ruin the family if they became the head, but Ruhan was leaving them be. Even though he had a capable son right in front of him.
‘He wasn’t like this before.’
Ruhan broke after losing his third wife. Thinking about it left a bad taste in his mouth. Tulin smacked his lips and spoke to Yu Jin.
“Well then, tell me now.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Don’t play coy, just speak. I’m a busy old man. If I like what I hear, I’ll act.”
At Tulin’s words, Yu Jin’s eyes widened.
“You will like it.”
Yu Jin opened his lips, and Tulin listened attentively. His words weren’t adorned with flowery rhetoric. However, those plain words had the power to move people’s hearts. With his appearance backing it up, someone with weak willpower would fall for him instantly. It was completely different from Tulin, who often aroused suspicion with his gruff appearance.
‘So the rascal was indeed a disguise.’
While Tulin listened carefully, the conversation ended. And Tulin made a quick decision.
“Alright, I’ll fill in the gaps.”
This will make money! He had that feeling. And Tulin had never hesitated in such situations.
“You won’t regret it.”
To Yu Jin’s words, Tulin confidently replied.
“I’ve never regretted anything I’ve started. I’ll contact you when preparations are ready. We’ll need to coordinate some things.”
“Of course.”
And so, an important deal was struck in the guest reception room of the Count’s mansion.
As soon as Yu Jin got into the carriage and left the Count’s mansion, he let his maintained expression crumble.
“Ugh.”
A groan escaped without him realizing. Did I do well? He wondered, tracing back his memories, and then firmly set his lips. For the first time, he had successfully negotiated a deal with someone using his own strength. There were the contract with Jinhyeon and the promise with Blando, but this was different.
“It reminds me of when I worked for a company.”
The times when he worked like crazy to increase the company’s profits. The hand he unconsciously raised was trembling slightly. This wasn’t because he was scared or tired.
‘It’s satisfaction.’
It felt like he had properly accomplished something for the first time. Yu Jin relaxed his body and leaned back in the carriage.
