I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 118

"...Looks like you haven't been starving out there."

The elderly man clicks his tongue as he watches Ji-yoon run towards him with her arms wide open.

His snow-white suit, neatly combed silver hair, and sharp eyes seemed to describe his personality.

"...Grandfather?"

"If you're going to hug me, do it properly. Why are you hesitating so much?"

He looked down at her with a displeased expression, then lifted Ji-yoon onto his lap.

"Hehe!"

"Hmm, you've gotten heavier. Looks like you've grown a lot."

"Is Ji-yoon heavy?"

"This old man is strong, so it's fine."

"Grandfather's strength is the best!"

An unimaginable scene was unfolding before our eyes.

Who would have thought that Han Jin-wool, known as the iron-blooded businessman, would show such a side?

When we met in the game, he always had a cold expression or an intimidating aura, but now he seemed nothing more than a grandfather awkward at showing affection.

"It's been a while, Grandfather."

"...Oh?"

Han Jin-wool, holding Ji-yoon tightly to prevent her from falling, turns his gaze towards us.

"...Yes, Yoojin. You've changed quite a bit."

Perhaps because this is our first meeting since I entered this body, he seems puzzled by my significantly changed personality.

"I've enrolled in the Academy now, and I can't keep acting immature forever."

"Hmph. It's good that you've come to your senses now. I hoped you'd follow your mother into business... but I hear you've decided to follow your father's path?"

He glances over me as he says this.

"Yes. Succeeding the family business is a matter of discipline and rules."

"Ha! Knowing your father, he's not the type to force his children into anything."

"I've chosen this path because I believe it's the right one for me."

To survive in this world as 'Yoojin Han Calione', this was the best option.

And it's not all that bad.

"If you believe your choice is right, then that's all that matters. And..."

His gaze now shifts towards my side.

"It's been a while, child of the Inomiya family."

"It's good to see you again, Chairman. I'm glad to see you looking healthy."

"Healthy? I'm practically on my deathbed from old age. But I'm not too displeased. Now, everyone, take a seat."

And so, the three of us settled in Han Jin-wool's study.

Meanwhile, Ji-yoon made no move to leave Han Jin-wool's lap, as if it were her rightful place.

"Grandfather, should Ji-yoon sit somewhere else?"

"Hmph! It's too bothersome to move. Just stay here."

"Okay~"

Well, as long as she's satisfied, it's fine.

As we took our seats, I placed the items I had put in the Cube before getting out of the car on the table.

"Hmm? Is this a Subspace Artifact?"

He tilts his head as two neatly wrapped boxes appear on the previously empty table.

"Yes. I prepared them since it's been a while since we last met. I hope you will accept them."

"...Why such a big deal about visiting an old man? You could have come empty-handed."

Despite saying that, Han Jin-wool keeps glancing over here.

Of course, considering the original personality of Yoojin Han Calione, he wouldn't have bothered with gifts. This is practically the first time his grandson has brought a gift.

Since Han Jin-wool doesn't have any direct descendants, this would mean even more to him.

"But I couldn't come empty-handed. Not knowing what you might like, I discussed it with Haru and we chose them together."

Haru looks at me with wide eyes in response.

I quietly bring my hand to my mouth as I continue talking with Han Jin-wool.

Actually, I had a rough idea of Han Jin-wool's tastes and asked Haru to prepare accordingly, but it felt awkward to say it that way, so I framed it like this.

"Hmm. To think that little you would bring a gift... Well, let's see what you've got."

The prepared gift was a box the size of a bowling ball, but light enough for a child to carry easily.

Curious about what was inside, he immediately untied the string at the top and opened the box.

"...What's this? Ha!"

His expression turns into a smile as if he finds it amusing.

What appeared from the box was a rolled-up scroll.

"Is this a painting?"

"Yes. Please unroll it and take a look."

At my words, he takes the scroll out of the box and unrolls it fully.

The painting inside depicted a strong sense of traditional ink wash.

It showed a medieval fantasy city with an exotic feel, creatures flying in the sky, and a landscape that looked unlike anything on Earth.

It was a work that broke common sense, blending Eastern and Western elements to create a mysterious atmosphere.

"I heard you've been collecting paintings by new artists recently, so I prepared this. I hope you like it."

I said this while trying to hide my smile as much as possible.

Han Jin-wool, as if entranced by the painting, stared blankly at the frame. I could see his eyes trembling slightly.

Yes, there's no way he wouldn't like it.

In the future, he'll treasure that man's paintings so much.

A painting by 'Kim Hwang-seo', who will be known as one of the greatest artists in the CS universe in the future.

The title of the work is 'New Heaven and Earth'.

Of course, even he was still a newcomer at this point, so I could get it at a bargain or at a very low price.

"Hmm. You know about paintings too?"

"That's why I sought Haru's help."

"Then, what about the other box...?"

In response to Han Jin-wool's question, Haru answers this time.

"It also contains another work by the same artist."

"Haha... I searched high and low for a painting with a similar style in Jongno a while ago, but couldn't find it in the Korean market. You've found it for me."

Just as Han Jin-wool said, it was practically impossible to find his paintings in the Korean market.

'He was doing odd jobs in Japan at the time.'

Due to economic hardship, he went to Japan, where reconstruction projects were underway, to find work, somehow saving up money to barely afford materials... He couldn't even produce new work.

Even a conglomerate's chairman like Grandfather wouldn't be able to check all these details.

'Thanks to Haru having connections in Japan, it was easy to get in touch with him.'

All of this was possible because Haru was involved in international trade.

We also bought the paintings he had at a low price, allowing him to focus on his work, and it was an excellent investment in terms of future value.

Considering that these paintings will become golden geese, it was a perfect buy at the bottom of the market.

"Yes, I will cherish these gifts. Thank you so much."

Is it the power of gifts?

Han Jin-wool's initially stern expression seemed to soften a bit.

Yes, I brought some paintings and treasures from the game, so I had to prepare something like this...

The paintings I prepared this time were by an undiscovered new artist, so it wasn't too difficult to acquire them.

I knew about Kim Hwang-seo's whereabouts through various quests.

He might use the money I gave him to make a comeback and start painting again.

"A gift? Grandfather! Ji-yoon also has a gift!"

"Hmm? You too, Ji-yoon?"

Perhaps seeing Grandfather happy with our gifts made Ji-yoon raise her head and bounce her legs.

Grandfather looks at Ji-yoon, who is still in his arms, with a surprised expression.

Ji-yoon then opens her rabbit bag and pulls out a beautifully laminated piece of paper, handing it to Grandfather.

"Ta-da!"

"...What's this?"

"It's a 5-minute massage coupon from Ji-yoon!"

"Huh?"

"When your shoulder hurts, it's free for 5 minutes~?"

No matter what───

"Kuhaha! Kuhahahahahahaha! Yes, yes! It's so good! Kuhahahahaha!!"

I can't beat that.......

Even with my gift, I couldn't break down Han Jin-wool's iron mask, but it crumbled completely with Ji-yoon's coupon.

* * *

After brief greetings.

We followed Grandfather to the dining room inside.

The entire table was filled with Korean side dishes and dishes, as if they had started cooking to match our arrival time.

"Looks delicious!"

Ji-yoon, who seemed very hungry, naturally ran to the chair where the most meat was gathered and sat down.

Seeing that the height of the chair was adjusted separately, it seemed that the food was arranged with the thought of that place being Ji-yoon's designated seat from the beginning.

Thus, I ended up sitting between Haru and Ji-yoon, and across from Grandfather.

The meal started as soon as Han Jin-wool picked up his chopsticks.

Perhaps because we don't see each other often, he began asking about our recent situations while we ate.

"So, you're the second place at the academy?"

"My skills are lacking, but yes."

"I've heard so many surprising things about you recently. Sweeping through the academy's first records and even stopping a terror attack, how could I not be amazed?"

After saying that, he moistened his throat with the tea on the table and looked at me again.

"At first, I thought about taking the initiative because you only said you were coming and then fell silent, but hearing your stories, I couldn't bring myself to do it."

I guess I did use the Hanwol Group's name quite a bit up until now.

It wasn't that I couldn't understand Han Jin-wool's feelings. Even I would feel... disappointed if one of the few family members only contacted me and never showed up.

"...I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. I couldn't attend your celebration due to my own recent circumstances, so let's call it even."

It seemed like he said that to comfort me, but his expression remained stoic.

"Hey, are you saving the sauce on your lips for when you're hungry later?"

"Hmm? Hehehe!"

...Maybe he just can't express it.

Then, suddenly, I decided to ask about the curiosity his story had sparked.

"By the way, Grandfather, may I ask if something happened?"

"Hmm? Ah, you mean not being able to attend your celebration? It's not a big problem, so don't worry."

"Perhaps, did you get robbed or something?"

"...How did you know?"

As expected.

I brought it up half-jokingly, but it seems my guess was right.

"On my way here, I noticed the behavior of the servants and the sharpness of the mansion's security. It felt like... they were watching each other."

Grandfather's eyes widened in surprise at this.

"...Did you notice that?"

"Yes."

I guess that's how I could tell.

Actually, I just took a shot in the dark.

When playing games with a detective theme, it's almost routine to get requests to catch thieves in wealthy areas.

And among them was one from Han Jin-wool, one of the richest people in that area.

I asked about the timing out of curiosity, but I didn't expect it to be true.

"...It seems like the culprit hasn't been caught."

"Yes, the treasures kept in the mansion have tracking magic attached, so if they leave the mansion, their location can be immediately known, and even if the magic is undone, there should be some last trace left... but for some reason, even the experts couldn't find them."

Saying that, Han Jin-wool then looked at me, Haru, and Ji-yoon and smirked.

"Well, the experts think it's still somewhere in the mansion, so it's hard to call it a theft, and we decided to just consider it lost. They weren't that expensive anyway."

Indeed, as he said,

considering the wealth of the Hanwol Group, most items wouldn't be a big deal.

And judging by the atmosphere, it didn't seem like the large storage in the depths was robbed, so it's less likely to be something very expensive.

But.

"May I know what the lost item was?"

"Hmm? It was definitely an artifact used during the Western frontier era, I think?"

"Eh?"

...Did they touch what I was planning to take?

Those bastards are all dead.