Chapter 134  

Having become a world star in just one day, the very first thing that Choi Yu-Seong had to do was to explain the situation to the people around him. In fact, he only had to talk to a select few.

‘Just father, Mi-Na noo-nim, Jin Yu-Ri, and Jin Do-Yoon…’

Of course, Yu-Seong most urgently had to speak to his father, Choi Woo-Jae. Choi Woo-Jae had left a message for Yu-Seong, telling him to call back as soon as he woke up.

Yu-Seong made the call, and Choi Woo-Jae answered within 10 seconds.

- Is it all true?

"It's not a lie, but the thing is… if you tell me to do it again, I wouldn’t be able to do it," said Yu-Seong.

The events during the dungeon racing had been possible because he had used the power of the Lightning Burst. Unless there was another pill of the same level or he tried something so life-threatening that it would cause a Mana Overload, it was impossible for him to even attempt such a performance again.

- It must be related to the fact that you were temporarily declared as mana-deficient.

Fortunately, there was no need for Choi Yu-Seong to explain the situation in detail to Choi Woo-Jae. Choi Woo-Jae easily understood the current situation and, after a short silence, burst out laughing.

- It's interesting. Your brothers and sisters will think that this news is true.

Choi Woo-Jae had a simple reason for saying that. Up until now, Yu-Seong had been somewhat of a minor concern to his brothers and sisters, since he was too young and insignificant to be considered a real threat. However, it was certain that this incident would completely change their thinking.

'They will consider me as a dangerous threat that should be caught right away.’

Some of them would prioritize eliminating Yu-Seong despite the potential consequences from Mi-Na. What would be the best thing Yu-Seong could do in this situation?

“Please help me.”

Choi Yu-Seong didn't hesitate for long, because this wasn’t a difficult decision for him to make. All he needed was a word from Choi Woo-Jae. No matter how much his brothers and sisters fought, no one had enough strength to ignore Choi Woo-Jae’s directive.

- Why should I?

The problem was Choi Woo-Jae’s response, as mentioned above. He had been indifferent to the competition between Yu-Seong’s brothers and sisters for a while. But what would be the outcome if he were to suddenly intervene in their dispute?

- Someone would certainly raise the issue of fairness. Even if you’re performing well, they will claim you are not doing well.

In other words, there was no real justification for it.

Choi Yu-Seong had a small smile on his face as he replied, "I'm not certain if I should say this... but you’re not someone who worries about justification, are you, Father?"

Somewhat taken aback by Yu-Seong's words, Woo-Jae stayed momentarily silent over the phone.

Yu-Seong didn't let the opportunity slip away. He continued speaking. Of course, the words he had spoken were not said without any confidence.

“Not to mention, I am more important to you, or rather, to the Comet Group, than my siblings’ objections, doubts, or anger.”

- Are you saying that your value is higher than that of all of your brothers and sisters combined? Right in front of me?

“Yes,” Choi Yu-Seong confidently replied.

It was inevitable for his heart to pound from the tension of having Woo-Jae as his opponent. However, he had no need to doubt the outcome.

Until now, there had been many direct descendants of the Choi family in the Comet Group who had made a name for themselves domestically. However, there were only a few who had made a name for themselves globally.

‘Ji-Ho hyung-nim, Mi-Na noo-nim, and finally, myself.’

However, Choi Yu-Seong was making a name for himself with the ambition of surpassing the world's top-ranked player. This was a title that the previous two did not hold.

Of course, there were many who had doubts about this. There were also quite a few people who criticized it as being overrated.

‘It's actually true that it’s overrated due to my use of the Lightning Burst.’

However, what could this name bring to the Comet Group? The answer was obvious just by looking at the stock prices of the Comet Group's affiliated companies—they were currently hitting new highs.

‘There’s an increase of 12% on average compared to yesterday.’

In a giant group like Comet Group, a stock price increase of 12% in one day was not a common occurrence, but more importantly, this figure was not at its limitation yet. As long as Choi Yu-Seong continued to grow and consistently perform, this figure would continue to rise within the company. How could this be possible?

“You’ve finished preparing to take down the guilds related to the Cheon-Ji Group, right? And Comet Guild will officially launch within this month as well. You would certainly have left a place for me at this point, Father... "

- Hmm… Choi Woo-Jae let out a short sigh. The tone of his voice alone revealed that he felt both curiosity and appreciation.

"If I continue to progress like this, you can completely swallow the Cheon-Ji Group within two years. You might even be able to do it without any bloodshed."

Humans fought wars because of their own desires. The fight between companies was no different. In such a situation, the idea of not shedding a single drop of blood would be too tempting to resist. Winning without fighting—wouldn’t it be the ultimate strategy?

- You're becoming more and more ruthless as the days go by.

"I learned from you, Father," said Yu-Seong.

Like father, like son. As the father and son exchanged compliments, Choi Woo-Jae chuckled softly.

- Since you're pleading with me like that, I'll comply with your request. But if you can't take responsibility for the consequences… you know what's going to happen, correct?

"Father."

- Hmm?

"Have I ever disappointed you?"

- No, never. Haha!

Choi Woo-Jae ended the call with a big laugh.

Yu-Seong put down his phone, which continued ringing with new calls. He took a deep breath.

'Everyone could make mistakes at some point.'?

However, Yu-Seong was planning to minimize those mistakes as much as possible.

'Because I am desperate.’

As he had said upon first meeting Choi Woo-Jae, Yu-Seong was putting his life on the line in this war called life.

Yu-Seong turned his attention to the sparkling system message. Although the interview with Bernard Yoo had led him to a state of confusion, there was no doubt that he had made a large profit.

‘Star Factor!’

With anticipation for its progress, Choi Yu-Seong's eyes sparkled as he opened the system interface window. He exclaimed, "Wow..."

He quickly picked up his phone and sent a message to Bernard Yoo.

- I'm so grateful to you, do you want a kiss?

The reply that came back was as sharp as a knife.

- ...? Are you crazy?

- I feel crazily good.

- Blocking you.

Even though he had been called crazy, Yu-Seong kept smiling. With a happy tune, he said, "Life has become sweeter recently.”

***

Choi Yu-Seong explained the situation and requested help from Woo-Jae early in the morning. After that, time passed by quickly, and it was soon evening.

And at that time, Yoo Jin-Hyuk slowly opened his eyes and looked around at the unfamiliar ceiling and surroundings with a dazed expression. He slowly sat up. He mumbled, "Nobody...is here.”

Just as Jin-Hyuk tilted his head, the closed door opened, and a small, delicate-faced girl entered. Surprised by the appearance of an unexpected person, he revealed his full astonishment as he quickly clung to the edge of the bed and summoned his powers.

"Oh... You're awake?"

The girl who looked at Jin-Hyuk with a calm gaze was the first to speak.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Chae Ye-Ryeong."

"..."

"Don't be on guard. I heard from the boss a moment ago that we will be together from now on as a family."

"Boss? Family? Where's Choi Yu-Seong?"

"The boss I'm talking about is the one you're looking for. And as for family... don't you know the meaning of that word?" asked Ye-Ryeong.

Yoo Jin-Hyuk's face twisted in confusion at Ye-Ryeong's strange provocation. He yelled, "Do you think I’m stupid…?!"

"Then why did you ask?"

"Choi Yu-Seong is..." "He just left to have a meal after checking on your condition."

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"You're a suspicious one," said Ye-Ryeong, letting out a sigh and slowly shaking her head. "Believe it or not, this doesn't matter to me. I'm not here because I have any special feelings for you; I'm just here because the boss asked me to check on you."

“...”

Did his suspicions ease a little? As Jin-Hyuk slowly lowered his guard, Ye-Ryeong looked at him with a hint of a smirk on her face and walked toward the chair on the other side of the room.

When Jin-Hyuk flinched, Ye-Ryeong said calmly,?"Don't be scared. I won’t hit you."

"You... "

"And no matter how I look at it, I think I’m older than you. Be polite. Or do you want to die?"

"...What?"

Surprised by Ye-Ryeong's sudden fierce words, which belied her innocent and cute appearance, Jin-Hyuk flinched again slightly.

"You're not in middle school? You look like my second younger brother or something."

"I'm 19."

This time, Ye-Ryeong was surprised. She said, "You're older than I thought. But you're still a kid."

Jin-Hyuk trembled as he asked, "How old are you...?"

Ye-Ryeong, sitting comfortably in her chair, shot Jin-Hyuk a sharp gaze. "20 years old. Call me noona."

"...Just a one-year difference."

"So what? What’s the problem?"

Jin-Hyuk could not help but feel perplexed as he forced out the words he wanted to say.

'What's going on? Why am I getting so flustered by this girl?'?

Jin-Hyuk had grown up surrounded by violence and vulgarities, and he had always thought that he would not be easily pushed around by anyone. In fact, even when faced with the subtle pressure emitted by his uncle, a B-rank villain named Yoo Choong-Ryeol, Jin-Hyuk hadn’t been pushed around.

But now, strangely, he couldn't face the small girl who looked about his height.

‘Where does this kiddo think he's going to beat me, his noona… Hmph.’

This was a skill that Ye-Ryeong had acquired from long years of training and raising her three younger brothers as the eldest sister. In front of Choi Yu-Seong and Jin-Yu-Ri, Ye-Ryeong appeared as a gentle lamb. However, how could it be easy for her to raise her three younger brothers alone? Ye-Ryeong had never been pushed around, not even in the fierce fights with the notorious mothers in the neighborhood.

Jin-Hyuk felt a certain instinctual fear towards her, and Ye-Ryeong, who sensed the opportunity, pounced. She urged, "Come on, call me noona."

"..."

It should be impossible for a kid like him to endure this. Contrary to Ye-Ryeong's confident thoughts, Jin-Hyuk's words of resistance came out.

"....I don't want to."

"What?"

"Stupid."

"...What?"

While looking at Ye-Ryeong flustered, Jin-Hyuk laid on the bed and pulled the blanket over himself.

Ye-Ryeong was not an easy person, but Jin-Hyuk also hated to lose.

"You, you...?"

.

"I'm going to sleep, when your boss Choi Yu-Seong… No, Yu-Seong hyung comes, wake me up.”

"What?"

Jin-Hyuk groaned from under the blanket. He raised his voice towards Ye-Ryeong, who was flustered. He moaned, "Ugh… My head hurts… Thanks to someone’s voice, my head hurts even more. Oww..."

Ye-Ryeong couldn't come up with a response to Jin-Hyuk's harsh words. She held her aching head and shook it back and forth, trying to stay determined.

‘What's with this brat… Just you wait, I'll make you call me 'noona' somehow.’

Meanwhile, Jin-Hyuk, hidden under the blanket, also made a promise to himself.

‘I will never call her 'noona,' no matter what. In fact, that girl looks close to my age.’

From Choi Yu-Seong's perspective, it was the moment when the two kids' childish battle of pride began.