Chapter 2
Pyeongchang-dong Mansion.
Pyeongchang-dong, renowned as the most affluent neighborhood even among wealthy districts, had become even more of a wealthy enclave after the ‘Dimension Arena’ appeared in the world.
Those with means used their resources to acquire new materials and byproducts pouring out of the Dimension Arena, building ever larger, sturdier, and more lavish mansions.
And among them, the owner of the grandest mansion, built in the safest and most expensive location, was naturally Choi Chul-ho, the chairman of Shinhwa Group—a major corporation that divided the Republic of Korea in two.
“It’s been a while, everyone.”
“Yes, Father.”
“It would be stranger to see a busy man like you frequently, wouldn’t it?”
“Dad! Is it true that Ohsung preempted the new material bags and jewelry that were supposed to go to the department store this time?”
In Choi Chul-ho’s residence, others were present besides him.
His three sons and one daughter.
But despite the phrase “three sons and one daughter,” the conversation at the table was only among four people including Choi Chul-ho.
To be precise, excluding the third son, Choi In-gyun.
Although he was seated at the table, In-gyun couldn’t say a word, his mouth tightly shut.
And Choi Chul-ho and the other siblings took this for granted.
The dynamics at the table extended to the kitchen as well.
“Sister-in-law, move this to the table.”
“…Yes.”
“Ah, right. There’s this too.”
A woman with a modest charm, sandwiched between two women who clearly seemed formidable, was carrying dishes with a deflated demeanor.
When the two women’s instructions overlapped, the woman couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“Well, the eldest madam spoke first, so…”
“What? You’re saying you’ll listen to the eldest sister-in-law but not me? Fine, I understand.”
“…No. I’ll do it right away.”
“Good~ Work hard~”
Unable to withstand the sharp glares, she had to carry the heavy dishes with trembling hands.
A situation where a woman who was clearly the wife of someone’s son in this house was treated worse than a maid.
Yet this terrible reality was considered normal, and it extended to the children as well.
“I heard Ho-sung, you got promoted to Platinum this time?”
“As the son of the Shinhwa Guild Master, this much is basic. I’m aiming to reach Diamond tier quickly, following my father.”
“Well, the second eldest uncle’s collection is impressive. With that, Diamond should be easy, right?”
“It’s all about the gear.”
“You guys only talk about D-rank and A-rank whenever you meet. Aren’t you bored?”
“Nope, not bored. It’s always new.”
“Ugh, you’ve only aged. Still a kid at heart.”
A man of moderate height with a shabby impression.
A man of tall stature with a handsome appearance.
And a woman whose attire reminded one of a princess from a movie.
The three chattered away cheerfully, but there was one man who couldn’t join their group.
“Sigh, I wonder if Grandfather really intends to bring that worthless family into the main house.”
“Isn’t he still Unranked?”
“What does Unranked matter? Look at his older brother’s situation—it’s obvious.”
“Ah, what was it again? That…”
“Incompetent Trash Picker?”
“Right, that. Man, if I were him, I’d have died of shame already. Seriously.”
“…!”
Unable to utter a single word even as his family was being disparaged right before his eyes, Shin-hyuk’s younger brother Shin-woo could only clench his trembling fists.
Just then—
“…Young master Choi Shin-hyuk has arrived.”
A low voice echoed through the mansion.
At the appearance of Shin-hyuk, who could be called today’s protagonist, everyone fell silent—whether at the table, in the kitchen, or in the rooms.
Within that silence, the sound of light footsteps echoed.
Tap, tap—
Though they were merely footsteps, they carried a sense of power.
Everyone couldn’t hide their curiosity at this fact.
“It’s been a while, Grandfather. Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, and Aunt as well.”
“…Are you really Shin-hyuk?”
“Yes, Father is Choi In-gyun, and Mother is Lee So-yeon.”
“Bold of you. Sit down first. You should eat first. Don’t they say Koreans run on rice?”
At Shin-hyuk’s powerful response, interest flickered in Choi Chul-ho’s eyes.
He had greeted his grandfather and other family members—whom he used to fear—first.
That alone meant Shin-hyuk could endure a certain amount of pressure.
So when Choi Chul-ho gestured toward the table, Shin-hyuk began to walk, then stopped.
“…? What are you doing. Come and sit.”
“Before that, it seems there’s something I need to do.”
“Something to do?”
With those words, Shin-hyuk walked toward the kitchen and gently took the plates from his mother’s hands.
“Shin-hyuk… Mother can handle—”
“I’m about to become a player, so let your son use some of his strength. Mother, go to the table too. It doesn’t look like you’ve eaten yet.”
“No… well… I…”
Lee So-yeon, Shin-hyuk’s mother, couldn’t hide her bewilderment at his sudden actions.
Moreover, when Shin-hyuk suggested they both go to the table—a place she couldn’t go without Choi Chul-ho’s permission—she didn’t know what to do.
“Heheh, yes. My daughter-in-law hasn’t eaten yet either. Come here. Let’s have a meal together.”
“…Thank you, Chairman.”
“Now then, shall we eat?”
With Choi Chul-ho’s laughter, it seemed Shin-hyuk would finally sit at the table—
“I’d like to greet with my younger brother and then eat.”
“Younger brother… Ha! Fine, let’s see him greet us.”
“Choi Shin-woo. Come here and greet Grandfather.”
“Hyung, that’s a bit—”
“Choi Shin-woo.”
“…Grandfather, have you been well?”
“Yes. I’ve been well. You sit and have a bite too.”
“What? Yes… yes…”
Shin-hyuk’s actions of caring for his family to the very end further piqued Choi Chul-ho’s interest.
In the end, Shin-hyuk and his family were all seated at the table, eating together.
Despite having called them to eat, Choi Chul-ho asked Shin-hyuk another question.
“I hear my grandson is becoming a player this time?”
“Two days left.”
“I see… Players are good. This grandfather is also Platinum, so I know the drill. But I hear my grandson’s reputation is—not so good?”
At Choi Chul-ho’s mischievous smile and question, Shin-hyuk calmly scooped a spoonful of rice and stuffed it into his mouth.
Then he scooped some soup, chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and only then answered.
“That’s right. My predicted tier is Bronze. Considering that the tier assigned by schools is typically one level lower than the measured tier, the actual tier I’ll be placed in is likely Iron.”
“Heh, Iron… You do know that would be a disgrace to our family, don’t you?”
A chilling voice echoed, as if the laughter just moments ago had been a lie.
Moreover, the mention of “family disgrace” just uttered meant that if Shin-hyuk were placed in Iron, he could even be erased from the family register.
‘I was actually disowned in the past. Never set foot here again.’
Having already experienced it once, he could be certain of this.
Nevertheless, Shin-hyuk didn’t care.
“Grandfather. Do you know about gambling?”
“Gambling? Of course. What are you trying to say?”
“In gambling, there’s something called an underdog bet. And they say when an underdog bet hits, it’s a jackpot. In reality, that’s true.”
“Right, right. Underdogs are good. But you know very well that underdogs don’t hit often, which is why they’re called underdogs, right?”
When Shin-hyuk answered a question with a question, Choi Chul-ho readily responded.
His answer about underdogs.
It was also a metaphor for Shin-hyuk.
When the lottery ticket called the placement exam is scratched, will the underdog named Shin-hyuk hit or not?
That was what it was about.
Shin-hyuk grinned at Choi Chul-ho, who was staring intently at him from the head of the table.
“How about taking a chance on that underdog?”
“What should I believe in to bet? No, to begin with, I don’t expect anything from you at all.”
A heavy answer.
It’s harder to satisfy someone who expects nothing than someone who expects something.
Moreover, since Choi Chul-ho’s expectations for Shin-hyuk and his family were at rock bottom, it was even more so.
Meeting Choi Chul-ho’s gaze, Shin-hyuk immediately began his bet.
“Ohsung Group.”
“…!”
“Lee Ju-ho, the son of the Ohsung Guild Master, is participating in this placement exam. Since he’s the same age as me.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
A bet that immediately invoked the name of Ohsung—practically a sworn enemy to Choi Chul-ho.
Looking at Choi Chul-ho, who had become somewhat serious at the mention of Ohsung, Shin-hyuk said:
“I’ll make sure it’s Shinhwa’s name that’s talked about in this placement exam, not Ohsung’s. To be precise, I’ll make firewood out of them.”
“Firewood… How? The eldest son of the Ohsung Guild Master has a predicted placement tier of Silver. The upper tier, as I recall. Meaning, he’s likely capable of at least scraping into Silver tier. And with the influence of Ohsung Group behind the Ohsung Guild, even that alone would keep newspapers and news buzzing all day. And you say you can make firewood out of them?”
Choi Chul-ho’s sharp question—he had already been researching all the talents participating in this placement exam.
An ordinary person would have only broken out in cold sweat under the pressure of facing a massive wall, but Shin-hyuk was different.
“Yes. It’s possible.”
“…If it’s true, it might be worth betting on an underdog. But if the conditions are absurd, I’ll refuse.”
Choi Chul-ho nodded and acknowledged the immediate answer.
Even as he drew a line, Shin-hyuk responded as if it didn’t matter.
“To make Lee Ju-ho, who will reach Silver tier, fade into obscurity, wouldn’t I just need to reach Silver tier myself? In fact, it would shine even brighter. If I, who has been at the bottom throughout high school—last in practical skills, Incompetent Trash Picker, the only predicted Bronze tier—am proudly placed in Silver tier.”
“…Heh, are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
A resolute answer.
Choi Chul-ho nodded in response and added:
“Fine, you’re right. But that’s only assuming you get placed in Silver tier. Are you saying Shinhwa Group’s PR team should be allocated because of that slim possibility?”
“I certainly wasn’t planning to do it with empty words.”
“Then what will you bet?”
Meaning: I’ll bet on the underdog named Shin-hyuk—what will you bet?
Hearing those words, Shin-hyuk looked at his parents and younger brother seated with him, then spoke.
“I’ll bet my family.”
“…Bet your family. What do you mean by that?”
“If this venture fails, you may expel me and my family from the Choi family. No—we’ll expel ourselves.”
“…!”
The unexpected words shocked Shin-hyuk’s parents and younger brother, who stared at him in surprise.
But their gazes were of no interest to either Choi Chul-ho or Shin-hyuk.
“…Hmm. Then let me ask the opposite. If you succeed, what do you want?”
Success compensation.
Despite his grandchild saying he would expel himself from the family register, Choi Chul-ho didn’t ask about that—he asked about the success compensation. At this cold attitude, Shin-hyuk smiled and said:
“Likewise, I’ll bet my family.”
“What family this time?”
“Please accept my family back into the Choi family. That’s the success compensation I desire.”
“…”
Both failure and success—betting his family in both cases.
At that, Choi Chul-ho rested his chin on his hand, closed his eyes, and fell silent.
But only for a moment.
“…Kyahahahaha! Fine, good. I can’t refuse when my cute grandson is preparing a show for his grandfather. Go ahead. Both failure and success will happen exactly as spoken here today.”
With laughter that echoed through the grand mansion, Choi Chul-ho gave his permission.
Shin-hyuk, smiling calmly as if he had expected this all along, looked at his parents and younger brother who were staring at him with dazed expressions and said:
“Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”
