Absolute Regression

Chapter 467: Make Sure You Collect What You’re Owed

Hui was truly moved.

He was grateful that Geom Mugeuk was willing to share money for his sake, and he was also thankful that the Cult Leader had issued a direct order for him to receive it.

On top of that, he was touched by Geom Mugeuk calling him the highest-paid escort martial artist. Hui had thought he wasn’t someone driven by vanity, but the way that compliment lifted his mood suggested he might have some vanity after all.

But among all the things that made him feel good, the one he appreciated the most was the Cult Leader’s final words.

‘So make sure you get as much as you can.’

It was something that didn’t suit the Cult Leader at all. To tell someone to demand money—especially as much as possible—was not something that person would normally say. And yet, he had said it for Hui’s sake.

Yong Jamyeong felt the same warmth in that sentiment.

If the Cult Leader had any greed for money, he would’ve visited more than once to claim it.

And yet, he had proudly told his son to collect as much money as possible for his subordinate’s sake.

Yong Jamyeong looked back and forth between Geom Woojin and Geom Mugeuk. Every moment with them felt new and astonishing. Just the Young Cult Leader’s response was proof enough. Who could have imagined that the Young Cult Leader would give such a reply, before meeting these two?

“Don’t worry. Who do you think your son is? Am I not the incarnation of material desire? I’ll make sure to collect it all.”

Geom Woojin nodded and then said to Yong Jamyeong,

“Let’s go.”

“Yes, Cult Leader.”

Leaving Geom Mugeuk behind, Geom Woojin and Yong Jamyeong began walking again.

Yong Jamyeong looked back.

At some point, Geom Mugeuk had started walking in the opposite direction. Unlike the playful manner he had just moments ago, his back now seemed calm and composed.

When Yong Jamyeong turned to the front again, Geom Woojin had already walked quite far ahead.

Yong Jamyeong quickened his pace to walk beside him.

“In my life, I’ve seen many incarnations of material desire. But this is my first time seeing one with such pure eyes.”

Though Geom Woojin didn’t respond to Yong Jamyeong’s joke and only kept walking, Yong Jamyeong could feel it. He could feel the pride Geom Woojin had for his son. He had sensed it once before during their earlier conversation, and now he felt it again.

Which meant that Geom Woojin wasn’t hiding such emotions from him.

Yong Jamyeong thought that this must be the same kind of emotion he had felt when he expressed his honest intention not to pass down the family business to his child.

Just who could one possibly show this kind of emotion to?

It would have to be someone who wouldn’t repeat such words carelessly, no matter what was said.

The kind of trust that allows you to share private, secretive things has nothing to do with how long you’ve known someone.

Though they had only met for a day, there are people one can trust instantly, while there are others with whom it’s hard to speak freely even after ten years. ʀᴀNО𐌱Εś

Yong Jamyeong was glad that the Cult Leader trusted him.

It was the kind of trust that could be felt even without words.

A bond so rare that one might encounter it only once or twice in a lifetime. He had already liked the Cult Leader, but now, with this emotion added, Yong Jamyeong found himself liking Geom Woojin even more.

He must have been lonely.

As someone who had lived as a member of the Greatest Trading Company Under the Heavens, he had never been able to confide his worries comfortably to anyone outside of profit or connections, nor had he had anyone he could lean on without reservation.

Whenever he saw someone, his first thought would be: “What is it that person wants from me?” That was the kind of life he had led.

To someone like him, this Heavenly Demon now approached—not as a benefactor—but like an older brother.

As they walked, the two shared various conversations.

They were men who had reached the peak of their respective fields—one in power, the other in wealth—the ultimate forms of desire.

The very pinnacle of the pinnacle.

Perhaps that was why they got along so well.

Yong Jamyeong had thought the Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult to be a man of few words, but that wasn’t the case. When he had something to say, he spoke with ease, and he even asked questions.

They talked about children, about the world of commerce, about the martial realm, about how he felt when he received the Cult Leader’s handwritten letter. Truly, they talked without noticing the passage of time.

Yong Jamyeong felt that this might be the last time in his life he would get to take a stroll and chat about casual matters with the Heavenly Demon. That’s why he treasured this moment.

Before long, they arrived at the market street, and Geom Woojin stood still for a moment to watch the people passing by.

“Do you know what my son wants most from me on this journey?”

“What is it?”

“To stand here and watch people.”

Yong Jamyeong looked at Geom Woojin with a puzzled expression, as if asking what he meant, but Geom Woojin gave no reply. After a long while, Yong Jamyeong heard him mutter softly.

“Indeed…”

Even what was meant to follow that “indeed” remained a mystery.

* * *

The next day, Geum Arin came to see Geom Mugeuk again.

“Let’s talk.”

“All right.”

Geom Mugeuk didn’t invite her inside—he stepped out instead.

Unlike before, when she had kept her distance, today she walked a little closer, showing that her wariness had lessened.

This time, they didn’t go toward the market street, but instead headed to the opposite direction, toward the fields.

With nothing obstructing the view, the open field stretched all the way to the horizon.

The two of them stood silently for a long time, watching the grass and grain sway in the wind.

It was Geum Arin who spoke first.

“Two million nyang is too much.”

She was asking for the price to be lowered. Geom Mugeuk could tell that she had made up her mind. Everything was proceeding just as planned.

“Not just for you—it’s an unreasonable amount for anyone. That’s also why we decided to partner with the Galaxy Trading Company.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Geum Arin reluctantly opened her mouth. It was something she didn’t want to say, but there was no helping it now.

“If you lower the price, we can manage it too.”

Then Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,

“Are you asking me to lower it by about one hundred ninety-seven thousand nyang?”

It was a joke referring to the thirty thousand nyang she had returned last time.

“Please set it at one million nyang for us.”

One million nyang. She had come in offering half the original amount. He could have considered it if all he cared about was getting into their inner circle. Unfortunately for her, Geom Mugeuk had been given a top-priority command: to collect as much as possible.

“Didn’t I tell you? We also need a reason to reject the Galaxy Trading Company. What do you think they’ll say if we take the exact same one million nyang deal to someone else?”

“They’ll probably assume you’ve partnered with someone better.”

Geom Mugeuk turned to look at the woman standing beside him.

“Are you someone better?”

She didn’t avoid his steady gaze.

“How would I know? I’ve never talked with the Galaxy Trading Company Head. But you’ve met him, haven’t you? Who looks like the better person?”

It was a question, but the confidence behind it suggested she had already decided the answer. It was her boldness speaking.

“At the very least, you’re more shameless.”

At that response, Geum Arin thought things might go better than expected. She began to feel certain that he had some interest in her.

“Whether it’s one million nyang or two, you’re not the one who makes the final decision, are you?”

“Why do you keep assuming I’m someone’s subordinate? Because I’m young? Because I’m a woman?”

Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

“That’s not why.”

Then he revealed the unexpected reason.

“It’s because I get the feeling you haven’t staked everything on this organization.”

At those words, Geum Arin flinched. It was true. She hadn’t staked everything on this secret organization. In fact, she wanted to finish this task as soon as possible. She had hated the assignment from the beginning.

‘He read that from me?’

He was someone incredibly perceptive.

Smarter and more eloquent than anyone she had ever met.

Geum Arin realized the time had come to play her trump card. Her life was on the line—this was the greatest gamble of her life.

“The organization you’re trying to destroy… is the one I lead.”

It was a life-risking move.

If her honesty didn’t reach him, she could die right there.

She had expected him to be shocked, but Geom Mugeuk didn’t even flinch. In the end, she was the one who was surprised.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

“How?”

“There’s already been quite a bit of investigation into your group by the Galaxy Trading Company.”

He claimed that the information about her had been acquired through the Galaxy Trading Company.

Geum Arin stared at Geom Mugeuk with trembling eyes. If he’d heard it from the Galaxy Trading Company, that meant he had already known the last time they met?

“Why didn’t you kill me? It’s a job worth a million nyang.”

She acted composed, but tension gripped her.

To her, Geom Mugeuk was the kind of unpredictable person who could easily draw his sword and say, “Well, I was just about to kill you.”

At least in that regard, she had seen him correctly—because once again, he gave an answer she couldn’t have expected.

“Because I thought you might be willing to pay more.”

Truly, it was one surprise after another.

At the very least, she never expected to hear such words from this man—doing it for more money?

“Why are you so surprised?”

“I didn’t think you’d say something like that. You seemed… refined. Ah, that’s not sarcasm, it’s a compliment, so please don’t take it the wrong way.”

At her honest words, Geom Mugeuk retorted.

“Being disinterested in money makes someone refined? Then being interested in money makes one vulgar and crude? That’s not something a merchant should be saying.”

“That’s not what I meant. I just meant it was unexpected.”

“If you hesitate to ask for more money because you think someone will dislike it, or think it’s low-class—that kind of thinking, to me, is just tiresome avoidance of reality. When it comes to making money, you need the kind of courage you didn’t even know you had. Even if a coin has fallen into filthy water, you should roll up your sleeves to get it.”

Geom Mugeuk was speaking like the incarnation of greed, but in truth, his life before regression had been far removed from money. His life had been entirely devoted to martial arts and rare materials for techniques.

“I take back what I said.”

“You should. I’m talking instead of drawing my sword in front of someone worth a million nyang. That’s quite refined, wouldn’t you say?”

It wasn’t a moment for laughter, yet Geum Arin found herself laughing without realizing it. She quickly straightened her face and changed the subject.

“Do you think you can get more money out of me while treating me like a subordinate?”

“You’re a subordinate, but you’re also something else.”

After a pause, Geom Mugeuk said,

“I believe you’re the blood relative of the Golden Dragon Family Head.”

She wasn’t surprised that Geom Mugeuk knew something about her. Somehow, she had assumed he knew everything.

“If I weren’t a blood relative, I wouldn’t have been able to offer such a deal in the first place?”

“That’s part of it, but there’s a bigger reason.”

Once again, Geom Mugeuk had read her precisely.

“You don’t have the hunger for money.”

“!”

That, too, pierced right to the core.

How could someone raised as a blood relative of the Golden Dragon Family possibly hunger for money?

He had seen that she had lived a life of abundance from an early age, never having to worry about money.

“How do you *see* something like that?”

She didn’t say “know,” but “see.” It was because the gaze in this man’s eyes somehow felt like it could peer directly into a person’s heart.

“Offer two million nyang and join hands with us. I’ll handle the matter of cutting ties with the Galaxy Trading Company neatly myself.”

She truly wanted to give it. That’s why she wanted to bring someone like this to her side.

“I told you that it’s not going to happen.”

“If two million nyang isn’t possible, then a million nyang was never possible to begin with, was it?”

A statement that struck right at the heart. Whether it was one million or two, the thunderbolt that would come down was the same in the end.

“Please try to understand my position.”

Despite her pleading, Geom Mugeuk was firm.

“Do you think the situation of the one giving money is ever easier than that of the one receiving it? So don’t try to appeal to the receiver’s emotions. I consider that the worst tactic in a deal.”

Geum Arin bit her lip hard. She agreed with that. It was just that this was a matter involving an enormous sum, and she had no choice.

No matter what, she had to bring this man to her side. She was more certain of it after today’s conversation. If he became her enemy, she would surely die. He was the kind of man who could make someone feel that way without ever even drawing his sword.

“Make sure you collect what you’re owed in full.”

A contract offering two million nyang?

How would her father respond? Surely he wouldn’t go so far as to kill his only daughter… would he?

The real problem was her brothers. Especially her second brother, who saw her as a thorn in his side—he would drag her to hell over this. Could this man really stop her second brother?

Her gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk’s clear and profound eyes.

Can I really trust you?

Did he read that question in her eyes?

“For the duration of the contract, I’ll absolutely be on your side.”

“Well, that’s only natural, isn’t it?”

“It’s exactly that ‘natural’ thing people fail to keep, which leads to all kinds of trouble.”

And he wasn’t just speaking. He meant it.

“Can you keep the promise of being truly on my side?”

“You shouldn’t trust my words. You should trust your eyes—as a merchant.”

Her eyes shifted to the field.

It’s because I trust you too much.

How long have I even known you? How much do I really know? And yet, this man instilled trust. He stirred instinct and summoned intuition. They told her to choose him.

The wind rustled the grass, making it ripple like waves. Her heart swayed with those waves. And before making her final decision, the last thought that surfaced was this:

—Make sure you collect what you’re owed in full.

Did you say that knowing what I was about to collect?

And so, Geum Arin made a decision that would change her life.

“I will send over the contract as soon as possible.”