A Contract
“I’m sorry, but we cannot keep you anymore.”
This sentence still repeated in Lee Jae-Yong’s mind as he walked aimlessly. A few minutes ago, Jae-Yong just lost his job. It was a small job, washing the dish in a restaurant, but for a poor commoner like him, although it was laborious, the salary was good.
As he was still wandering absentmindedly, his phone suddenly rang, awakening him. Picking out his phone, Jae-Yong wished for the call to be an employer which he applied recently. But looking at the phone, he let out a sigh as he answered the call.
“What do you want?” Jae-Yong replied in an annoyed tone. The one who called him was none other than Kung Seung-Ho, an old classmate he used to play with back in college. Jae-Yong assumed that Seung-Ho probably wanted to invite him to play a new game, but he was not in the mood right now as he recently lost his job.
“Are you free tomorrow afternoon? I have something I need to tell you about.” Seung-Ho answered.
"It is about gaming? If yes, then I don't have the time." Jae-Yong immediately announced. His assumption was right. Seung-Ho wanted to invite him to play a new game. Only, what he didn't know was that there were various benefits he could gain by playing it.
Knowing Jae-Yong's bad temper, Sung-Ho assumed that it was better for him to share with him the news now instead of waiting tomorrow.
“My father wants to hire you for a job. You should know my father’s business right? The paid is without a doubt satisfying.” Seung-Ho quickly said, fearing that Jae-Yong might end the call at any moment.
“All right. Let’s meet up tomorrow then.” Jae-Yong answered slightly surprised. He never expected Seung-Ho to recommend him a job from his father. He wondered what kind of work Sung-Ho's father would ask him to do.
“Whatever. I’ll probably find out tomorrow.”
Putting back his phone on his pocket, Jae-Yong head back to his home.
Living near the Yongsan's district, it took Jae-Yong around thirty minutes before arriving near his home. He then went to the market to buy groceries before getting home. If he was to return without shopping, there was nothing for him to eat since his fridge was empty.
Coming back to his home, Jae-Yong cooked his foods as he looked for a new job on his phone. Even though Seung-Ho’s father got a work for him, it was probably a temporary work. It was better to search for a new employment sooner than later.
Browsing through the internet, Jae-Yong unexpectedly found many enterprises wanting to hire professional gamers. They were all related to the new game that would open in two years, The Dark Ages.
The Dark Ages was a virtual reality MMORPG developed by World Gaming Corporation, one of the best gaming companies around the world. The game was a fantasy RPG-based game similar to most MMORPG games. It was the most expected MMORPG since 2018. There were many MMORPG games released since 2018, however, none of them was as successful as the legendary MMORPG produced by Blizzard in 2004, World of Warcraft.
The problem with MMORPG games was that they were too bothersome to most of the gamers populace. This was due to the time-consuming one needed to grow up their character. Levelling up, farming equipment, challenging dungeons, challenging raids, there were too many obligations one needed to achieve to reach the top. Casual players couldn’t have enough time to play the game to its full extent.
This was the reason as for why most of the gamers populace didn’t want to play MMORPG games. World of Warcraft was the same too, his era ended right after the release of the Battle of Azeroth, after 2018. MMORPG games were no longer popular since then. At least, until the release of The Dark Ages.
After reading the numerous threads on the internet discussing on The Dark Ages, Jae-Yong soon put his phone away, indifferent about the massive commotion from The Dark Ages. It was not because he was uninterested by the game, just that he couldn't afford to play it.
If Jae-Yong had the occasion, he will undoubtedly want to play the game. Yet, the price of the virtual reality machine was too expensive. A poor commoner like him couldn’t afford to such luxury. He loves to play games, but it was only a hobby and nothing more. After all, you can’t substantially earn money from playing.
Placing the pot Jae-Yong just finished cooking on the table, He then took out a pair of chopsticks from a drawer and devoured his homemade special ramyeon with a delighted expression on his face. It was always enjoyable to eat a delicious meal.
*****
The next day, during the afternoon, Jae-Yong headed to Seung-Ho’s home.
Normally, Jae-Yong always met Seung-Ho in front of a cybercafe or a restaurant near his home. It was because most of the time after they met, they will constantly end up going to the cybercafe to play games. Today was different. He was not here to play around but for business.
Today, Jae-Yong had carefully chosen the best-looking outfit he had in his closet. Wearing a red lumberjack’s shirt and dark brown jeans on him, he looks like a model. He attracted the gazes of quite an amount of teenagers before arriving in front of Seung-Ho’s mansion. They even tried to send him flirtatious glances to lure his attention, but he involuntarily ignored them, giving their friends next to them a burst of laughter.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Arriving in front of Sung-Ho's house, Jae-Yong's eyes widened as he looked at the entrance's gate. There were two white pillars interconnected by a white ceiling above the driveway gate, making it seems like a majestic bridge. The gate was an impressive wrought iron affair with spikes at the top. It opened electronically from inside the mansion. Unless you were some kind of professional thief, the only way to enter was to buzz the intercom and announce your arrival.
‘They literally live in a different world.’ Jae-Yong thought as he slowly recovered from his shock and rang the bell. A few minutes later, Seung-Ho appeared on the other side of the driveway and opened the gate's entrance for Jae-Yong to enter. As soon as he saw Jae-Yong's clothes, Sung-Ho couldn't help but chuckle.
“This is actually the first time I see you without your casual clothes. Honestly, it rather fits you well.” With a faint smile, Seung-Ho said to Jae-Yong as he guided him to the mansion.
“Was that unnecessary?” Jae-Yong asked. Both of his eyebrows were frowning as he showed a dissatisfied expression. It was a habit for him to wear nice-looking clothes before an important appointment. If he knew he could wear casual clothes, Jae-Yong would have never worn such showy clothes.
“Yeah, totally unnecessary.” Seung-Ho delivered the killing blow to him as he looked at Jae-Yong, smirking. It was rare to see Jae-Yong making a fool of himself. There was no way Seung-Ho could miss such an opportunity. Jae-Yong could only blame himself for not inquiring about the details of the interview.
‘I’ll remember that.’ Jae-Yong thought as he bites the bullet. He won't hold back when he will have the occasion to make fun of him. Jae-Yong was such a petty person.
“This is my father’s study. Good luck with your interview.” Seung-Ho said before leaving. He already knew what his father wanted from Jae-Yong. After all, he was the one who recommended him. With a smile on his face, Seung-Ho left as he excitedly imagined Jae-Yong’s shocking face in his head.
“You can enter.” Knocking the door twice, Jae-Yong entered after hearing the deep voice coming from the other side. Entering the room, he saw a man wearing a suit, sitting in front of a desk. He was writing something on the paper in front of him.
Once the man finished writing, he put his pen down and inspected Jae-Yong with his keen eyes. His piercing eyes were examining carefully every inch of Jae-Yong’s body. If it was someone else, he would probably feel anxious from the pressure created from his serious stare. However, that was not the case for Jae-Yong, he remained composed during the whole time, looking back at him with a confident look. He knew that he was being tested.
“Hmm, Seung-Ho was right. I can trust his sense.” The man said as he nodded, satisfied. After a pause, he seems to realise something and spoke again. “Oh right. This is the second time we met, but I’ve never given you my name. I’m named Sang-Chol. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jae-Yong.”
“Pleased to meet you as well. Mr Kung.” Jae-Yong politely answered.
“As a gamer, you should be aware of the new virtual reality game that is going to come out in two years, right?” Given that Jae-Yong was looking at him, waiting for him to explain the job that he would do, Sang-Chol suddenly asked.
“Yes. I looked into it since I was interested.” Jae-Yong answered.
‘Is the job related to The Dark Ages?’ Jae-Yong thought as his body slightly trembled. As a gamer, he naturally wants to play The Dark Ages if he could. Who didn’t want to experience a real adventure in a fantasy world? He was not an exception among the many.
But how could Jae-Yong afford to buy the virtual reality’s machine? He already had a huge amount of debts that he must pay back to the hospital to cure his little sister’s illness. It was already difficult enough to pay back the debts with the insignificant salary he earned. He already gave up about playing The Dark Ages a long time ago.
Discovering that Sang-Chol talked about The Dark Ages, Jae-Yong’s eyes couldn’t help but had a glimmer of hope within them. He deeply wished in his heart that his assumption was right. Noticing Jae-Yong’s eyes filled with expectation, Sang-Chol no longer beat around the bush.
“Your guess is right. I need you to play The Dark Ages.” Sang-Chol said as he observed Jae-Yong’s expression. Seeing his excited face, he continued. “But you should know, nothing in this world is free. Am I right?”
Hearing Sang-Chol's words, Jae-Yong instantly calmed down as he silently stared at Sang-Chol, inquiring him to continue. He knew that Sang-Chol wasn’t giving him this privilege just because he was Seung-Ho’s friend. There must be profits that Sang-Chol could get from doing this.
“There is only a single condition I need you to fulfil if you accept the job.” Sang-Chol slowly revealed. After a short pause, he continued. “I need you to join Sung-Ho’s guild once he created it. Since I will be investing in that guild, the better the rank of the guild is, the higher the benefits I will get. Based on that information, you should have already guessed what you need to do, right?”
Seeing Jae-Yong’s nod, Sang-Chol concluded by saying, “Let’s sign the contract then.” before taking out a piece of paper. Strangely, Jae-Yong didn’t come to the desk to sign the paper. Instead, he was standing still, lost in thought.
“Mr Kang, do you know my little sister’s situation?” After hesitating for a while, Jae-Yong asked.
Figuring out what Jae-Yong was thinking, Sang-Chol declared. “Yes. You don’t need to worry about your little sister’s hospital fees. I will take care of it. Consider it as me investing for you.”
Sighing in relief once he heard his problem being resolved, Jae-Yong requested. “I also wish a virtual reality machine for my little sister.” He was aware how selfish this request was, but thinking about her little sister lying in a hospital bed all day long, he couldn’t help but ask — He wanted her little sister to enjoy the life she couldn’t have through the virtual reality machine.
Jae-Yong little’s sister, Lee Min-Ha had been a frail body since her birth. She had been ill ever seen she was born. Not only does she had a terminal illness, but she had legs disability too. She was truly a girl unfavoured by God. Nonetheless, Min-Ha was always cheerful in front of Jae-Yong. She had never shown him her pathetic side not even once, always worrying about others without caring about herself. She was such a girl.
The room suddenly went quiet. Both of them were looking at each other, deep in thought.
It wasn’t a problem for Sang-Chol to buy another virtual reality machine but…was it really worth investing that much on Jae-Yong? Although his son, Seung-Ho had told him many exploits Jae-Yong did back on the previous game he was playing, there was nothing that could prove that Jae-Yong could do well in The Dark Ages. It would be a huge loss if he was to invest in him if he was to fail.
After a long hesitation, Sang-Chol sighed before saying, “All right.” He decided to trust his son's friend, finally accepting Jae-Yong’s request. Looking at Jae-Yong with serious eyes, Sang-Chol's eyes abruptly turned cold. The atmosphere was so cold that it could freeze the entire room. “However, you should know how much I invested in you, right? Failure is not an option.” Sang-Chol coldly declared.
“Yes! I’ll properly meet your expectations.” Jae-Yong said as he approached the desk and signed the contract. He felt grateful towards Sang-Chol for trusting him. He vowed deep in his brain to repay this favour.