The Baby Seizes Fortune - Chapter 79

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 79

Several messages had been exchanged with a user named ‘Anonymous’.

[Even in the passing wind, the sound of changing seasons can be heard.

The second hand silently makes the red apple drift away.]

‘Is this related to an affair?’

But for that to be the case, this wasn’t Gochan-hyeong’s personal email but an official email used by his aide, and while the content was poetic, it wasn’t romantic.

‘Or maybe it’s a code. Orders, something like that.’

Watching them exchange seemingly meaningless phrases, I suddenly thought of Ri Ji-han.

She should have met her family by now – was she safely defecting from North Korea?

She said she’d contact me when things were finished, but I hadn’t heard from her yet.

[If I send that to you, you will be able to grab the horns and climb onto the bull’s head.]

‘Bull’ – something suddenly came to mind.

In the future, Gochan-hyeong would seize party control and change the party’s mascot to a bull.

‘The National Party?’

There was a reply email from the aide.

[Please confirm the talent. The clock’s second hand and that are precise.]

Roughly speaking, this meant they had sent money to this anonymous person.

To receive something that would help them climb to the head of the National Party.

Though Gochan-hyeong had become a first-term assemblyman, the party leadership already had a firmly established power structure that would be difficult for him to climb.

‘Then perhaps it’s something that could prove their weaknesses.’

I was starting to get a sense of it.

[With the matador and assistant’s Achilles together, you must catch the season precisely.]

Achilles meant weakness, the matador who would climb onto the bull’s head was Gochan-hyeong, and the assistant was… perhaps Gi Seung-cheol.

The anonymous someone was warning them.

That the item also contained their weaknesses, so they had to receive it carefully without missing it.

My eyes flashed. Something very important to them, important enough to write in code.

This email had arrived three days ago.

[On the golden sea’s birthday, it lies beneath the shadow of a black still life.]

‘This is…’

I pressed my forehead.

The previous messages I had somehow managed to decode by substituting future symbols I alone knew and interpreting a few words.

But the golden sea’s birthday.

Golden sea – what could this mean?

If this day hadn’t come yet, if I could go first and retrieve that item, I might be able to catch Gochan-hyeong and Gi Seung-cheol’s fatal Achilles’ heel.

“But what is it supposed to be?”

Woof-

[૮₍ •ﻌ• ₎ა]

Noah was also staring at me blankly, as if unable to guess.

I tried the seawater recollection technique that Hee-jae had taught me, but it had no effect.

‘There aren’t really any items in the Karma Shop that could solve this either…’

Sigh.

And just as I was holding my head in my hands, an annoying sub-quest popped up.

[Sub Quest: Unstoppable Force – Stop the villains’ purpose of retrieving items from a secret location to fulfill their selfish desires.]

[Quest Reward: 30% asset increase]

[Quest Reward 2: 10,000 Karma Points]

[Failure Penalty: Asset freeze for 3 years]

A 30% asset increase would be about 600 million won.

Since my assets had surpassed 2 billion won.

If I completed this quest, five-year-old Gu Chaea’s assets would reach a whopping 2.6 billion won!

‘But isn’t the penalty too harsh?’

If my assets were frozen for three years, I’d miss the opportunity to multiply my wealth several times during the upcoming volatile period of the dot-com bubble.

The dot-com bubble was an economic phenomenon where growth expectations for internet companies in the late 1990s became excessively inflated, causing stock prices to soar before collapsing in early 2000 – a chance that any 90s returner shouldn’t miss!

Anyway, I absolutely had to succeed in this sub-quest too.

* * *

“Golden sea?”

On a bench in the newly created Waldorf Garden at Somang Preschool,

Hee-jae and I sat side by side talking.

In front of us, the Rabbit Class children were planting flowers with small flower spades.

Teacher Noh Ji-hye was guiding the children with a particularly vigorous voice.

“Yeah, can you think of anything?”

I asked Hee-jae with the feeling of grasping at straws.

“Well. I know about the Egyptian golden river myth.”

“Golden river?”

“The story of the sun god Ra crossing the golden river. Or, if it’s golden sea, there’s also the golden city beneath the sea.”

“Hmm.”

“What’s this about? Another treasure hunt? Or catching spies?”

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

“This time it’s not spies, but I need to figure out what the golden sea is.”

“Let’s do it together. I’ll help you look.”

Hee-jae said without hesitation, even though he’d nearly experienced danger last time.

“If you help me, it’ll be really good.”

“Chaea!”

“Chaaeaaa!”

During our conversation, two children came running over and stood in front of us.

It was Haedeun and Haesoo.

The future Blake Han and Clara Han, looking grubby, giggled and said.

“We’re all done too. Let’s play together.”

“Should we play hide and seek? Teacher said we can play when we’re all finished.”

“Oh, well.”

‘Right now I need to think more about the email.’

Just as I was looking for an excuse to avoid the children’s innocent play request, Hee-jae said to Haedeun and Haesoo.

“Your father’s company anniversary is coming up soon, right?”

“Anniver…”

“Sary?”

“Yeah, Grandfather got an invitation, but he can’t go due to overseas schedule, so just me and one executive are going.”

“Ah, birthday.”

“Yeah, it’s Daddy’s company’s birthday!”

Haedeun and Haesoo nodded as if they finally understood.

Is this what conversations in the upper class of golden spoon kids sound like?

‘But…’

Light bulbs began turning on in my head one by one.

[On the golden sea’s birthday, it lies beneath the shadow of a black still life.]

Golden sea.

If I don’t overthink it and just convert it to Chinese characters.

Geumhae. .

Haedeun and Haesoo’s father’s company, Geumhae Construction!

Geumhae Construction’s birthday is… the founding anniversary!

When I suddenly stood up and looked at Haedeun and Haesoo, both children’s eyes widened.

“Wow, Chaea’s eyes got really big.”

“Huh? They really did!”

Hee-jae tilted his head.

“Chaea?”

“…Find it.”

The date and location where an anonymous person would hide ‘something’ that likely contained Gochan-hyeong and Gi Seung-cheol’s Achilles’ heel.

Noah’s eyes sparkled as if agreeing that my thoughts were correct.

[૮₍ ✧ﻌ✧ ₎ა]

“Haesoo. Are you having the founding anniversary party at your house?”

“Yeah. Our house.”

“Chaea, do you want to come too?”

Haedeun leaned forward with excited eyes.

I answered immediately.

“Yes!”

“Then I’ll ask Mother for an invitation for you.”

“Right. Our mother told us to get along well with you, Chaea.”

The twins were simply delighted that I said I would come play at their house.

“Geumhae.”

Hee-jae, who had roughly caught on to the situation, smirked and muttered.

“So this was the golden sea?”

I nodded toward Hee-jae.

Things seemed to be going better than expected.

Quest completion, let’s go-!

* * *

The 29th founding anniversary party was held at the Geumhae Construction estate located on a hill on the outskirts of Seoul.

Passing through the entrance gate and following the gently curved driveway, the mansion’s lights spread out between old pine trees.

The walls were high, and at the main gate, attendants in black suits greeted guests with polite yet stern faces.

I got out of the car that Seok-min had driven, wearing a purple dress with lace trim and holding Junho’s hand.

“It’s huge, wow.”

Junho, formally dressed in a white shirt and dark gray suit pants that highlighted his tall and solid build, admired the magnificent 3-story mansion.

Haedeun and Haesoo had told their parents they wanted to invite me, and their mother sent an invitation to Junho.

Saying she was a fan who enjoyed watching the sitcom and asking him to attend.

“Assess the situation.”

I whispered to Noah.

[Geumhae Construction 29th founding anniversary party. Assessing situation… Approximately 45 attendees, 12 attendants, checking routes… ૮₍ •̀ᴥ•́ ₎აᕗ]

Just then, noisy voices could be heard from behind.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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