Chapter 143 – Chaos – Part 3

Chapter 143 – Chaos – Part 3

It was 2 AM.

Sitting across from Lee Hyerim in a Coffee Shop, Woojin brought his fork to the Cake.

“Oh my…”

Lee Hyerim watched Woojin, resting her chin on her hand.

Of course, a gentle smile played on her lips.

“Is it good?”

Woojin, who had been discharged from the military in his uniform, hadn’t changed at all.

“What’s there to say? It’s great!”

“Congratulations on your discharge again. You went through a lot, didn’t you?”

“It was a good experience, even trying Dopamine Fasting.”

“Dopamine Fasting?”

Woojin nodded and brought a sweet drink to his mouth.

When people go to the military, most experience physical changes.

Those who were overweight lose weight, and thin people gain weight.

Food isn’t stimulating, internet access is limited, and things like games, shopping, thrills, and gambling are all restricted, so Dopamine rarely surges like it does in society.

In short, the military was an environment where one could break free from various social temptations and addictions.

However, excessive Dopamine fasting is not good.

It could hinder motivation, enjoyment of achievement, and learning.

One needs to be well aware of this hormone, Dopamine, and know how to use it naturally.

“But shouldn’t you go home?”

It was the first time Lee Hyerim had met Woojin at this hour.

The same went for Woojin.

“Once we finish this, we should head in.”

“Do you want to eat more? Is there anything you want to eat?”

“Home-cooked food.”

Lee Hyerim slowly nodded her head.

There were many times she envied Woojin.

Because Woojin had someone to welcome him back.

But now she also had someone to welcome her.

Because Woojin had returned.

Soon, Woojin, who had devoured the cake in an instant, spoke.

“Hyerim, when construction begins, artifacts will be discovered. The artifacts retrieved from the site awarded to SH Construction have been buried at the GH Construction Site.”

He buried them with a significant distance between them.

So that artifacts could continue to be found.

Lee Hyerim slowly nodded her head.

“You were doing well while I was gone, right?”

“Of course, I was living quite dissolutely.”

She went to clubs and threw parties constantly.

But that was all for show to others.

An act to turn the tables all at once.

“You did well.”

Lee Hyerim unconsciously let out a laugh.

Her older siblings’ harsh words became even more severe, and she even heard her father tell her to behave properly.

Such a dissolute life.

It wouldn’t have been strange for anyone to point fingers, but only Woojin, who knew her true intentions, smiled.

But wait?

Woojin is smiling?

He really did show a slight smile.

I’ve seen faint smiles a few times, but that kind of smile was new.

“You must be happy about being discharged? You’re even smiling so much.”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“Was I?”

“Yeah.”

Woojin turned his head towards the window and looked at his reflection.

And he tried to smile.

It was an expression made even considering micro-expressions.

“Yeah. Just like that.”

Woojin carefully observed his face once more.

Come to think of it, he had smiled a moment ago.

Then it must have been an unconscious phenomenon.

It was also the brain reacting due to hormonal action.

Most people live that way.

Am I also naturally accepting that now?

Am I also now…

Woojin turned his head and looked at Lee Hyerim.

“Hyerim.”

“Yes?”

Woojin made another slight smile.

“I think I’m becoming ordinary.”

“Woojin…”

“Huh?”

“You…”

Lee Hyerim wanted to say this.

‘You’re not ordinary…’

But she couldn’t say that to Woojin, who pursued ordinariness.

“I am ordinary. Very much so.”

Woojin, who saw her micro-expression and gestures, said,

“You can consider it a white lie, can’t you?”

“I’m serious!”

“Okay, let’s say you’re serious.”

“I really am!”

“Yes, okay.”

Woojin turned his gaze back to the window.

He just needed to not be consumed by his unconscious.

Woojin felt a slight sense of pleasure at his own reaction, similar to how people react to hormones.

Woojin calmly felt the secretion of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin.

–

The next morning.

Woojin, looking at the dining table, exclaimed in surprise,

“Bomi. Is your leg okay!?”

“My leg?”

“It looks like the table leg is about to break.”

Bomi, who had hugged Woojin when he came home in the early morning, looked blank.

Looking at Woojin checking the table legs, Bomi suddenly remembered a conversation she had with her brother during his 100-day leave.

‘I received a lot of praise. For being good at wasted effort.’

‘Wasted effort?’

“Yes.”

“Praise for Wasted Effort…”

Bomi, who thought that if he had become a Sergeant and had more free time, he might have even made the joke from a little while ago, asked.

“Big brother, after you became a Sergeant, did you tell a lot of funny stories to your juniors?”

“No, I just ran away from the Administrative Officer. Everyone does that when they become a Sergeant.”

“Run away?”

“Yes, Ordinarily.”

Just then, Mom brought the stew and said,

“What are you two doing standing? Let’s eat.”

As Woojin sat down, a feast was laid out before his eyes.

Ribs, japchae, rolled omelets, homemade kimchi, grilled fish, pumpkin pancakes, and various seasoned vegetables.

“I will eat well.”

Woojin started to eat a little bit of everything, surprised.

Home-cooked meals were indeed the best.

–

Lee Siyoung, who had entered the Restaurant with Woojin, was in a good mood recently, feeling like her mouth was splitting open in a Righteous Path.

This was because the stock price of GH Construction, which Woojin had told her about, was soaring.

She gathered everything she could and bought shares of GH Construction.

She even sold all her hotel shares and invested in GH Construction.

She planned to buy back more hotel shares after making a profit.

Soon, the two sat down, and after ordering, Woojin looked at her as if Observing her and said,

“The market capitalization of GH Construction, SH Construction’s competitor, is increasing. Shouldn’t you be upset?”

“SH Construction isn’t mine, so why should I be upset?”

Her gesture was reflected in Woojin’s eyes as he lightly nodded his head.

She was rubbing her hands as if scrubbing them with a wet towel.

It wasn’t a matter of holding the wet towel and wiping her right and left hands in order, but rather slowly rubbing them as if scrubbing her hands.

This is an unconscious expression of satisfaction.

Woojin straightened his shoulders.

It was an expression of confidence, as if he could carry many burdens on his shoulders.

Woojin always calculated and acted, even in such unconscious conversations.

“Is there anything you want? I’ll get it for you as a thank you.”

“I have everything I need.”

Lee Siyoung chuckled.

Indeed, Woojin didn’t seem to lack anything due to money.

“And you’re in front of me.”

“…!”

Lee Siyoung felt her face flush at Woojin’s casual remark.

“What, what are you talking about?”

As she avoided his gaze, Woojin’s sharp jawline caught her eye.

Perhaps because he had been in the military, he seemed even more masculine.

Despite his appearance, he never once called her ‘older sister.’

He would logically list the many harms of Confucianism, and she couldn’t argue with him.

Not only that, he knew five languages and almost everything else.

He also considered stocks to be a part of the Righteous Path.

What would it feel like to stand by the window of a tall building and look down with a person like him?

Just then, the food was placed on the table, and Woojin spoke.

“What are you thinking about?”

Lee Siyoung flinched and replied,

“What am I thinking about? I wasn’t thinking about anything.”

Woojin held his wine glass with his long fingers and checked her expression again.

Then he spoke about what she was most interested in these days, what she wanted.

“Stop selling GH stock now. It’s too high. You need to consider variables.”

“I think it’ll go up more? It hasn’t even started, has it?”

“Sell it.”

Woojin answered briefly, then brought the red wine to his lips.

Because humans are human, Desire Ira always carries a burden.

They want to use and possess.

Whether one becomes a slave to lust or a person who can control Desire is purely up to them.

Among these two, Lee Siyoung was…

one could say she belonged to the former.

More precisely, he made her that way.

Even when he was in the military, he recommended stocks, making it easy for her to make money, and then made her sell, intentionally showing her several times how the stock price would soar even higher.

What did Lee Siyoung think after watching that?

She probably didn’t think much.

Only, next time, just a little more.

Just a little more.

“Since you say so. I’ll sell it then.”

“MG Club? I heard some woman was throwing money around there, isn’t that your younger sister Lee Hyerim?”

Her brow furrowed.

“Who is my younger sister? Our blood is different, that vulgar girl’s Cheat Sheet and background are different from mine.”

Woojin nodded, looking at her tensed hand.

He heard that when she was young, she used that hand to cut Hyerim’s hair so well, just for fun.

“Don’t talk about that kind of girl and bring down the mood, let’s just toast.”

Woojin lightly clinked his wine glass against the one she offered.

–

After parting ways with Woojin, Lee Siyoung began to inquire about GH Construction from various angles.

She listened to the stories of the most renowned securities firm Staff Members one by one.

And I could be sure.

‘I’m optimistic because there are still many positive factors remaining.’

‘We predict it will go up by more than 20,000 won.’

‘It seems we’re still far from the market capitalization we envision.’

Their words reinforced Lee Siyoung’s concerns.

There were even times when the stocks Woojin recommended went up further after she sold them.

Her comprehensive thoughts led her to action.

She was going to borrow from loan sharks.

Just a little, a very little.

Just like that, a month flew by.

In that short time, the flow of money due to the construction moved in hundreds of billions, even trillions of won.

With the money flowing, the construction site was also bustling.

The excavator moved with a loud noise, no.

“Stop! Stop!”

The worker watching the excavator shouted loudly.

The excavator operator blinked and asked the worker who was watching the pit.

“What? Did you find gold?”

“This… isn’t this an Artifact?”

“Huh?”

The excavator operator quickly climbed down to the ground and looked into the pit.

Broken pottery, perhaps from when the ground was dug, and earrings and hair ornaments that looked like they belonged in a museum were clearly visible.

It seemed like the corner of a small display cabinet was also visible.

“F-first, let’s bury it again!”

If this was an Artifact, the construction, everything, would come to a complete halt.

“Bury it quickly. Quickly.”

The excavator started moving again.

However, there was a worker who captured the entire scene on his cellphone as he passed by.

Pretending to be using his cellphone.

He, who had secretly saved the discovery and re-burial of the artifact on his cellphone, muttered.

“What a pain this has been for a month. Phew.”

After all, he had been doing manual labor for a month, which wasn’t even his job.

He scrolled through the video and then casually took off his safety helmet.

His name was Choi Gibae, and his profession was Reporter.

Choi Gibae left the construction site without any regrets, as if he wasn’t thinking about his daily wages.