Episode 43
043. That Would Have Been Nice
Thanks to the synergy between his skills, his Gathering skill level had risen insanely.
With a satisfied smile, Geumson looked around. The Dragonblood Herb wasn’t the only one.
Dozens more grew all over the rocky island.
‘Since I’m here anyway, might as well clear it out.’
Geumson began to focus wholeheartedly on gathering the Dragonblood Herb.
As if in response, messages rose up.
.
.
.
[You have gathered a Supreme Dragonblood Herb.]
[You have gathered a Supreme Dragonblood Herb.]
[Gathering skill has reached Lv.4.]
By the time he had almost cleared out all the Dragonblood Herbs.
His gaze stopped on a small space behind where the lava poured like a waterfall, at the innermost part of the rocky island.
There, a strange structure that looked like a giant bird’s nest.
And at the center of that nest, something resembling an egg lay, glowing ruby-red under the lava’s light.
“That is… what?”
An item even golden hands, who had played Lepione for years including his past life, did not recognize.
golden hand cautiously approached the nest.
From it, a powerful, searing vitality, incomparable to the Dragonblood Herb, could be felt.
An item he was seeing for the first time in his life.
But one thing was certain.
‘What the Corrupted Earthworm was after… it was this.’
Beyond simply corrupting the ore vein, the Earthworm must have been twisting this place’s ley lines to hatch this egg or perhaps absorb it.
Without hesitation, Geumson placed the egg into his inventory.
[You have acquired an Egg of Unknown Origin.]
[An intense fiery energy is felt from the egg.]
“Let’s take it and figure it out later.”
An item even the system didn’t know the exact name of.
After gathering the remaining Dragonblood Herbs, Geumson left the cave without a second thought.
Now, it was time to return to Parakel to receive his reward and report the quest completion to Dussar.
Pssshhhhhhht-
As the capsule door opened, Golden Hand returned to reality.
He stretched, loosening his stiff body.
This login session had been unusually long and grueling.
But he had gained just as much.
“First, I’ll receive the rewards… then I’ll need to plan the next steps.”
Tak-tuk-
Chiiiik-
Geumsun took a cold can of beer from the refrigerator and downed it in one gulp.
The cold carbonation washed down his throat, seeming to wash away the fatigue.
He leaned back comfortably on the sofa, intending to rest for a moment.
That’s when his smartphone, face down on the desk, began vibrating like crazy.
Bzzzzzzzz-
Bzzzzzzzz-
“What now, again?”
Frowning, Geumson picked up his smartphone.
The screen was a complete mess.
[Missed Calls +999]
[New Messages +999]
.
.
.
He tried to dismiss it as unimportant.
Most would be fans begging him to start a stream or mysterious spam anyway.
But among them, one sender stood out.
[Mirae Group Strategic Planning Team]
“Mirae Group?”
Geumson tilted his head.
Why would a conglomerate he only saw on TV news be contacting him?
Just as he was puzzling over it and about to check the messages—
Knock-knock-
“……?”
A knocking sound came from the front door.
No one should be visiting him at this hour.
His only friend, ‘Chang-soo,’ would have just entered the passcode and come in.
On guard, Geumson cautiously approached the front door.
And the moment he looked outside through the peephole, his body froze.
Outside stood a man and woman in perfectly immaculate suits, as if straight off TV.
On their chests were badges clearly bearing the ‘Mirae Group’ logo.
And one of them, a woman with sharp features, spoke.
“Mr. Geumson, we know you’re there. I am Team Leader Cha Yu-kyung from the Mirae Group Strategic Planning Team. Could we talk for a moment?”
Her voice was soft, but it carried a strong will that would not accept refusal.
Geumson swallowed dryly.
Cha Yu-kyung. He was meeting her much sooner than he had expected.
Geumsun hesitated, swallowing hard.
He couldn’t decide if it was right to meet Cha Yu-kyung like this.
But remembering her personality, it was already too late.
Since she had come all the way to his home, she wouldn’t give up.
‘How did they find my address? Anyway… is there no such thing as privacy? Is it public property?’
Indeed, Mirae Group, number one in the Korean business hierarchy.
If they set their minds to it, finding the address of this shabby studio would have been a piece of cake.
He might have unconsciously leaked information while streaming before.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel displeased.
‘I’ll have to move soon. If Mirae Group found out… soon others will find out too, won’t they?’
It was only a matter of time.
He should move before any troublesome incidents occurred.
Click-
golden hand unlocked the door lock.
As the door opened, the silhouettes of a man and woman stood with their backs to the hallway sensor light.
Their appearance was completely out of place in the old, run-down building where golden hands lived.
Like color printouts in a black-and-white film, their presence was vivid and alien.
“Hello, Mr. Geumson. I am Cha Yu-kyung, Team Leader of the Mirae Group Strategic Planning Team. Next to me is my subordinate, Deputy Manager Kim Min-jun.”
The woman introduced herself first and offered a business card.
Her voice was clear, but a steely firmness could be felt within it.
Geumson stared blankly at her face.
The youngest team leader at Mirae Group, a figure mentioned as a future executive.
A woman nicknamed the ‘Iron Lady’ for her sharp intellect and ice-cold rationality, having led numerous projects to success.
At least, that’s what she was called at this point in time.
“Ah… yes.”
Geumson absently took the card.
A baggy t-shirt, training pants with worn-out knees, and messy hair.
To anyone, the typical image of a game addict and an unemployed man.
He unconsciously shrank back at the vast gap between his shabby appearance and their perfect selves.
“Could we come in and talk for a moment? It’s a matter of importance.”
Cha Yu-kyung’s words were a question, but the answer was predetermined.
Geumson nodded silently and stepped aside.
As the two entered, the small studio felt even more cramped.
Snack bags and cup noodle containers scattered here and there, classic game titles and energy drink cans piled like a mountain in the corner.
Cha Yu-kyung’s eyebrow twitched microscopically, but she showed no sign of it.
Instead, she smiled softly at golden hand, who was hastily clearing a spot on the sofa and offering them a seat.
“Please, be at ease. We are fine standing.”
Without a single complaint about the small, messy space, she stood with perfect posture and got straight to the point.
“Our group also holds your value in high regard, Mr. Geumson. In particular, your recent actions have been judged to go beyond the realm of a mere player.”
Cha Yu-kyung’s gaze turned toward Geumson.
Her eyes were sharp, as if not intending to miss a single one of his reactions.
“So, I would like to make a proposal. Our Mirae Group has established a new business division solely for you, Mr. Geumson. The project name is ‘Gold Hunting.’ We would like to specially hire you as a full-time employee of that division.”
“……Pardon?”
Geumson doubted his ears.
Full-time employee?
At Mirae Group?
To him, who hadn’t even held a proper part-time job, Korea’s top company was offering a full-time position.
“Of course, we promise the best treatment in the industry. We will match the annual salary to whatever you desire, and plan to provide a corporate card, a vehicle, and even a premium officetel in Gangnam. All you need to do is focus solely on Repion. Mirae Group will take responsibility for everything else.”
Cha Yu-kyung’s proposal was sweet to the point of being unreal.
Geumson’s mind went completely blank.
He stared at her dazedly.
In that moment, countless thoughts raced through his mind.
‘A full-time employee… a full-timer at a conglomerate…’
A hand-to-mouth existence.
An unstable life, living day by day.
The nights spent sleepless with worry about rent and bills as the end of each month approached.
The days spent anxiously fearing his capsule installment payments would be overdue.
Sure, such worries had faded a bit now, but the anxiety always remained in a corner of his heart.
How long could he keep streaming?
Could he make a living from it forever?
Should he learn some other skill?
At this point, Geumson was always anxious with such worries.
Cha Yu-kyung’s proposal now was an opportunity to blow all those worries and anxieties away in one shot.
‘If I say I work at Mirae Group… Chang-soo’s eyes will pop out, huh?’
His friend Chang-soo’s astonished face came to mind.
Though unlikely to happen, he wouldn’t have to feel intimidated even if he met relatives during the holidays.
‘Our golden hand works at Mirae Group.’
If his mother were alive, how happy she would have been.
‘Blind dates… would pour in like crazy, huh?’
golden hand imagination ran wild.
His own image, dressed in a neat suit.
Sharing expensive wine with a beautiful woman seated across from him in a high-end restaurant.
The woman asks shyly:
‘Mr. Geumson… what do you do?’
Then he would answer nonchalantly, but swelling with pride inside.
‘Ah, me? I just… work at Mirae Group. Does that explain it?’
He could vividly see the woman’s eyes sparkling with respect.
Yes, wasn’t this the successful life every man dreams of?
That would have been nice, if only.
