[Don’t move a muscle. Stay right there.]
Click.
Haram hung up right after saying his piece.
“That little bastard’s been hanging up on me lately like it’s his goddamn habit.”
Jo Jeongjae was slightly annoyed, but his good mood far outweighed the irritation, so he didn’t dwell on it. He was confident. From today onward, Kim Haram’s prize money would start trickling over into his hands, little by little.
The reason Haram had been acting out with all sorts of antics lately was obvious. The kid had suddenly come into a large sum of money and now probably felt like he could do whatever he wanted.
“Kids these days don’t know jack shit about how the world works.”
The contracts hanging over Haram and the other riffraff in that dorm weren’t the kind of things one could just walk away from easily.
“And you, Jeongeun—you of all people should know better~”
Flinch.
Go Jeongeun, who had been standing silently in a corner of the CEO’s office, trembled slightly.
A fresh bruise on his face stood out starkly.
“You’re not seriously expecting Kim Haram to swoop in and save your ass or something… are you?”
“…..”
When Go Jeongeun didn’t answer, Jo Jeongjae let out a soft scoff, almost a sneer.
‘Kim Haram…’
Go Jeongeun thought to himself. What exactly was he expecting from Kim Haram?
‘I don’t know…’
It was true that he’d been briefly overwhelmed when Haram’s personality suddenly changed overnight.
After hearing from CEO Jo Jeongjae that Kim Haram had won the lottery, he had started looking at him with more envy than before.
But could that really be called expectation?
t was just envy. Nothing more.
Sparkle sparkle.
His head hung low, gaze pointing down. At the end of his line of sight, the phone tightly gripped in his hand was lighting up with a flurry of new notifications.
[Kim Haram: Hey 8:32 PM]
[Kim Haram: You don’t move either. Stay put and behave until I get there 8:32 PM]
[Kim Haram: If it looks like they’re about to hit you, dodge. What are you, stupid? Just standing there and taking it 8:33 PM]
But… this feeling rising up now—
[Kim Haram: I’m coming soon 8:33 PM]
—it might just be expectation after all.
‘Piss off… I already got hit…’
A faint smirk flickered across Go Jeongeun’s lips.
*****
He drove like lightning and arrived in front of the company building.
He’d nearly died from the tension every time a massive vehicle like a dump truck or bus got too close.
He had no intention of experiencing regression or possession a second time.
“Let’s go.”
Ji-won quickly followed after me with brisk steps.
“You messaged Go Jeongeun earlier and told him to stay put, right?”
“Yes. I don’t know if he saw it… but I also told him to dodge if it looked like he was going to get hit.”
“…You?”
I never asked you to say that.
No wonder you took my phone and held onto it for a while.
So that’s what you were scheming, Ji-won, huh?
“Well, whatever. Good job.”
Better to get hit less.
As we stepped into the elevator together, I laid out the next steps.
“I’ll go into the CEO’s office alone.”
Ji-won looked at me with worried eyes.
“It’s fine. Once I go in, I’ll send Go Jeongeun out of the office first. You just stay with him and keep him safe.”
“Yeah!”
“…No, wait. There’s no way he’s in good condition. You take Jeongeun and head to the nearest hospital first. You know the emergency room at K University Hospital nearby, right?”
So it was him.
Ji-won paused for a moment, as if thinking something over, and then opened his mouth like he’d realized something.
“…Got it. We’ll get treated first.”
Smart—quick on the uptake.
The elevator came to a stop almost instantly, and we quickly walked over to the CEO’s office.
“Wait for me just a bit.”
As planned, I left Ji-won outside and walked into the office alone.
“Hey~ Haram! So we finally meet again like this~ Man, it’s been rough, really rough~”
As soon as the door opened, Jo Jeongjae greeted me through a cloud of thick cigarette smoke.
Disgusting. Like rotting garbage. My gaze shifted immediately to Go Jeongeun.
He was huddled in a corner, shoulders hunched. A fresh-looking bruise stood out on his face.
“…Did you hit him again?”
“Well, what can I say? Would’ve been better if he’d just listened from the start, right?”
Jo Jeongjae shrugged his shoulders with a smug, sleazy expression.
This bastard. No matter what, he’s still a trainee planning to be an idol, and you hit him in the face?
“Hey.”
With long, firm strides, I walked straight toward Go Jeongeun and spoke.
“Uh… huh?”
Go Jeongeun looked flustered as I pushed him toward the door.
“Wait outside. Ji-won’s out there—go straight to the hospital with him.”
“What the hell are you two doing?”
Before I knew it, Jo Jeongjae had come right up behind me and grabbed my shoulder.
“Get your hand off me. You’re filthy.”
“What? Filthy? Ha… ha!”
A vein visibly popped on Jo Jeongjae’s forehead. What, you gonna try hitting me too?
“Go. Now.”
I shrugged off Jo Jeongjae’s hand and firmly pushed Go Jeongeun out through the door. Through the narrow gap before the door closed, I saw Jeongeun’s eyes, full of worry….What’s that look? Not like you. Just worry about yourself.
“Hah… This crazy bastard actually sent him out?”
Now, it was just me and Jo Jeongjae left in the room.
“Haram… Have you completely lost it? Just because you’ve got a little money now, you think you’re untouchable?”
Now that we were alone, it was time to take care of the business I’d been putting off. Of course.
“You bastard, you think contracts are something you can just throw money at and—”
“Excuse me, Mr. Jo.”
Jo Jeongjae, who had been rambling on to himself, abruptly shut his mouth.
“You really have no idea what kind of situation you’re in right now, do you?”
The bulging vein on his forehead grew darker and more pronounced.
Would be nice if it just snapped right there.
“Do I really look like I’m strutting around just because I’ve got a little cash?”
I wouldn’t deny that those few bucks were part of my confidence—but Jo Jeongjae was missing the most important point.
“Get a grip.”
Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t Kim Haram anymore. I was Seo Jimin.
“Your days of treating me like a pushover are over, Mr. Jo.”
I stepped forward and took a seat on the head spot of the sofa. My legs crossed naturally—guess this is what it feels like to sit in the top seat.
“Sit down. Let’s have a talk. I’ll let you choose how you’re going to get wrecked.”
Jo Jeongjae, with veins bulging on his forehead and a dumbfounded look on his face, suddenly burst out laughing.
“Pffft… Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha! In all my life—ha! What the hell is this?!”
Jo Jeongjae, who had been bending over laughing until his waist hurt, suddenly straightened up and glared at me.
“Alright then, you little shit. Let’s talk.”
Uh-oh, that vein still isn’t going away, huh? Jo Jeongjae strode over and sat down right where I had been on the day I first possessed this body.
“Nice—our seats are reversed from last time.”
“Heh… Can a person really change this much? Money really is terrifying, isn’t it?”
He sneered arrogantly.
“So what now? You’re gonna ask me to cancel the contract in exchange for some cash or whatever? Let’s hear it—how much are you offering?”
“Keep talking nonsense like that and I’ll just leave.”
You think I’d let you off that easy?
“This little bastard… I’ve been holding it in, but—”
Still full of arrogance, Jo Jeongjae reached out to grab me by the collar. Oops. I casually dodged it.
“Man, your patterns are so predictable.”
His hand left hanging awkwardly in the air, Jo Jeongjae started spitting out words like bullets.
“You fucker… Do you even realize what happens if you keep acting like this?! That bastard Goh Jeong-eun will be out on the street soon, and those half-talented friends of yours will waste away thanks to you, never able to show their faces in this industry again! Huh?!”
In the end, it was the same line he always used. If I were the Kim Haram from before I possessed this body, I might have wavered.
It’s your fault. You ruined the others.
Thanks to that, things became perfectly clear. Jo Jeongjae, even now—even in this disastrous situation—
Still looked down on me. On Kim Haram.
“Hah…”
Even better, actually. There’s nothing easier to strike than a careless, exposed back of the head.
“Jo Jeongjae.”
His eyes, mid-rant, turned to me.
“How much do you think I’ve got?”
“Are you seriously taking me for some dumb fuck…?”
Jo Jeongjae let out a sigh and leaned back into the sofa.
“37 billion won. You think I didn’t look into that before trying to bleed you dry? If you were thinking about skimming anything off the top, just forget—”
“I’ll give it to you. That money.”
Only then did a flicker of surprise cross Jo Jeongjae’s eyes.
“I said I’ll give it to you. But—”
I leaned my upper body slightly toward him, interlaced my fingers, and smiled.
“Let’s have a little competition. If you win, I’ll give you double that amount.”
Double?
Jo Jeongjae’s mouth moved soundlessly, lips parting in disbelief. Yeah, you’re getting tempted, aren’t you? Hard to resist, huh, dumbass.
“Can you feel it? Double. That’s 74 billion won. You could seriously live the rest of your life without lifting a finger, right?”
“……”
Jo Jeongjae stayed silent for a moment before he finally managed to speak.
“…What’s the game?”
“It’s super simple.”
Like a magician explaining their trick with a bright smile, I spread my arms wide.
“Listen closely.”
“I’m currently on . There’s going to be a small change there.”
I pointed at myself, twirling my finger in the air.
“And it’s going to cause a massive ripple effect.”
I mimed the swirling motion gathering into a pop—a silent explosion. Jo Jeongjae’s pupils dilated, then shrank again.
“And I’ll be right at the center of that impact.”
No matter what anyone says, I’m going to debut again.
“And you, you’re going to use the money I give you—to buy me.”
“Buy you back…?”
I nodded with a pleasant smile.
“That’s right. If you manage to buy me back there, I’ll gladly return to this seat.”
Of course, there’s no way a bastard like you will succeed. Not that you’d even understand, even if I told you.
Jo Jeongjae’s pupils, which had shrunk tightly, now trembled violently.
JoJeongjae’strait‘CorruptCEO’isfluctuatingwildly!!Jo Jeongjae’s trait ‘Corrupt CEO’ is fluctuating wildly!!
His composure was starting to crack. Yeah, I know. I know how trash like you thinks. You’re probably already imagining a life of luxury off my money, just wasting your days away.
“Do you really think you’ll be able to outbid everyone else and snatch me up again? What if… my value skyrockets too high?”
Jo Jeongjae’s trait ‘Wage Withholder’ is shaking intensely!!!
“But here’s the thing.”
Let me show you what happens to parasites bloated with greed.
“Honestly, don’t you think 37 billion is too much? Who in their right mind would spend that kind of money on a mere idol?”
Jo Jeongjae’s traits ‘Corrupt CEO’ and ‘Wage Withholder’ are creating an explosive synergy!!
“Well then, doesn’t that already decide what you need to do, bastard?”
Fwoosh—
With those final words, a dark, murky aura began to seep out from behind Jo Jeongjae. I wasn’t even sure if it was just my imagination or a visual cue from the system—but either way, it didn’t feel out of place.
Good. It suits him perfectly.
> Trait Name: Sin of the Seven – Greed
> Rank: Unique
> Status: Active
> Effect & Description: – Do you really need an explanation? Human greed knows no bounds.
– Greed. Greed. Greed. Greed.
This person won’t stop until they have everything they desire.
– You have been designated as the first target of this Sin of the Seven.
– *We hope you survive.*]
Wow, it’s grown so well.
Almost excessively so. His glowing, fervent eyes were downright unsettling.
“…Fine. Let’s do it—this competition.”
“I knew you’d say yes.” I was feeling pretty great myself, having achieved exactly what I wanted.
“Well then.”
I casually reached into the depths of my coat—or wherever that might be—and pulled out a stack of documents.
“We’ve got quite a few papers to go through, you know? I’d appreciate your cooperation, President Jo.”