Chapter 124

After introducing Jin Se-ah, Jung Da-bin, Seo Yoo-mi, and Yoon Seong-ryeol, a researcher brought a simple platter of refreshments into the office. Maeng Jin-woo took a sip of his tea and slowly began to speak.

“To be honest… I was quite surprised by the young master’s call.”

With that preamble, Maeng Jin-woo cautiously started his conversation. “People like us are a bit like this. When we hear something, our first job is to question it. Is that really possible? If so, what secrets are hidden within it? Something like that.”

Jun-sang quietly responded, “What are you curious about?”

Maeng Jin-woo replied carefully, “First… the truth is, there are already various types of clothing developed to withstand bullets. Of course, in this case, it was a rocket, not a bullet, but in any case, simply stopping it can be achieved with existing materials. But there’s a problem, isn’t there? You see it a lot in movies. Someone wears a bulletproof vest, gets shot, and their ribs break or something…”

Im Seo-yoon quickly interjected, “Are you wondering how to dissipate the physical energy that is transmitted?”

“Exactly. But do you happen to know what kind of rocket that monster was hit by?”

At Maeng Jin-woo’s sudden question, Jun-sang thought for a moment and replied, “I’m not sure, but it looked like they were firing a round tube from their shoulder.”

“Ah… just a moment.” Maeng Jin-woo went to his desk, brought a few scrapbooks, and spread out some photos in front of Jun-sang. “Is it one of these?”

Jun-sang quietly scanned the photos and pointed to one. “I think it’s this one.”

“Ah… the M72 LAW. Yes, if it’s that, even though it was first made a long time ago, it’s light and easy to use, and there’s a lot of it in storage, so it’s useful. Although its power is a bit lacking for use against modern tanks, it’s still a very useful weapon for suppressing infantry and providing fire support.”

Watching him get excited and talk about various things made it easy to imagine where Im Seo-yoon’s obsession with weapons came from. Im Seo-yoon, also realizing this fact, quickly cleared his throat and urged Maeng Jin-woo, “Um… sir. I mean, Director. We shouldn’t be doing this here…”

Maeng Jin-woo, who had been nodding to himself and thinking while looking at the photos, heard Im Seo-yoon and, as if he had just remembered, stood up and said, “Ah, that’s right. This isn’t the time for this. Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”

Seeing his distracted demeanor, Im Seo-yoon gave a slight apologetic gesture to his party with a troubled expression. Jun-sang and Henes, guided by Maeng Jin-woo, entered the research lab. It looked more like a factory with large mechanical equipment lined up, but Maeng Jin-woo, looking very proud, led them to a corner and pointed to a spot on the floor marked with a yellow line and covered with a mat.

“First… could you show me the sample?”

“Of course.” Jun-sang immediately took out Amungan’s corpse from his inventory and placed it on the floor. Maeng Jin-woo, who had apparently already seen the inventory function through Seo-yoon, was more interested in the monster’s corpse that had appeared than the fact that something had materialized from thin air.

“Ohh! This is it!” Maeng Jin-woo quickly took out a pair of yellow rubber gloves from a plastic bag in his pocket, put them on, examined Amungan’s corpse, and then began shouting at the nearby researchers. “Hey! You over there! Go get a camera! Bring a camera! Call the biology team here right now! Where’s the cutter! The cutter!”

Im Seo-yoon gave a wry smile at his frantic rambling, but as the researchers swarmed in, Jun-sang put Amungan’s corpse back into his inventory.

“Oh, whoa?” Maeng Jin-woo, looking bewildered as the monster’s corpse suddenly disappeared from in front of him, asked Jun-sang, “Did you… put it back?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I showed it to you, but I never gave permission for you to research or dissect it.”

“…”

Maeng Jin-woo’s face fell like a child who had had a toy taken away. It was, of course, a natural reaction, given that he had rushed in to dissect it without permission. In the end, Maeng Jin-woo took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and apologized to Jun-sang. “Whew… I apologize. I have a personality where I can’t see anything else once something catches my eye.”

“It’s fine.” Maeng Jin-woo waved the late-arriving researchers away and then said to Im Seo-yoon, “Young master. Have the contract terms been decided?”

“Not yet.”

“Hmm… I was too hasty. Well, this place is a bit noisy, so let’s go back to the office. I apologize.”

“Understood.” The group returned to Maeng Jin-woo’s office and sat down.

“Ahem… The detailed terms need to be set separately, but first, please tell me your desired conditions.”

At Maeng Jin-woo’s words, Jun-sang thought for a moment and then spoke. “First… I’d like protective suits for myself and Henes made from that corpse’s hide.”

“Full body?”

“Yes, full body.”

Maeng Jin-woo frowned and scratched his chin with his fingers before speaking again. “What else?”

“I want a certain percentage of the profits from the research on this monster’s corpse.”

“Hmm… a kind of royalty, then.” Maeng Jin-woo nodded and continued, “There are usually two ways to do this.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s a fixed royalty, where a lump sum is paid upfront, and a running royalty, where a portion of the revenue is paid as it’s generated. Do you want the latter, Mr. Park?”

Jun-sang answered immediately. “The price for the corpse, excluding the materials for our two protective suits, is separate, and I also want a running royalty.”

“Ugh…” Although he said it in a roundabout way, it was tantamount to asking for both, so Maeng Jin-woo frowned again. “Then… what is the specific amount…”

“You make an offer.”

“…” Maeng Jin-woo fell silent. An offer. What could be more ambiguous than that? In fact, Amungan’s corpse was currently the kind of item whose value could not be easily assessed. The only thing that was clear was that its hide, from a living creature, had a preposterous defensive power that casually shrugged off rockets and bullets. Of course, that alone was a huge deal, but there was no telling what else might be discovered through research. That’s why Jun-sang was demanding both a price for the corpse and a portion of the future profits from the research on it.

Maeng Jin-woo, who had been holding his forehead with his fingers in thought for a moment, let out a deep sigh and said, “It seems I can’t arbitrarily decide on this contract. Could you wait a moment?”

“That’s fine.”

“Then, if you’ll excuse me for a moment.”

As Maeng Jin-woo got up and left, Im Seo-yoon hurried to follow him. Then Jin Se-ah, who had been listening quietly, said to Jun-sang, “Don’t sell it cheap. Unless it’s not worth it, this isn’t something you can easily get.”

Jun-sang chuckled and replied, “If you had to think of an estimated price?”

At that, Jin Se-ah began to explain excitedly, “There are several types of royalties. Trademark royalties, patent royalties, copyright royalties, even design usage fees for character goods are all called royalties. In this case, we could understand it as an industrial property right usage fee.”

“Usage fee, you say…”

“Franchise royalties in our country are usually around 2% to 5%, but that’s because they often get a fixed membership fee rather than a fixed-rate running royalty. Usually, patent or design usage fees are often paid as a royalty of 5% to 12% of the sales.”

“I see.” Jun-sang nodded and asked, “Then how much should I ask for?”

Jin Se-ah glanced at the door and quietly said, “Ask for 15%.”

Jun-sang chuckled. “Are you telling me to rip them off?”

Jin Se-ah smirked and replied, “You don’t like it?”

“Of course not.”

“Hehe…”

Henes, who had been listening to their conversation, cautiously asked, “Um… Se-ah?”

“Yes?”

“I thought you liked Seo-yoon?”

“Wha-wha-what makes you say that?”

As Jin Se-ah stammered in a fluster, Jung Da-bin and Seo Yoo-mi, who had been listening quietly, giggled.

“It’s not like that, okay? You’re jumping to conclusions, really.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Why would I like that sneaky old serpent?”

“Hmm…”

Henes looked suspicious, but Jin Se-ah cleared her throat a few times and said again, “A-anyway… that’s my opinion. The end!” Jun-sang then said to her, “I’ll ask for 16%.”

While it might seem like only a 1% difference, it could be a matter of tens of billions of won later, so Jin Se-ah looked a little troubled. Moreover, since he was also charging a separate fee for the purchase of the corpse, she even felt it was a bit excessive.

“That’s a bit…”

But at Jun-sang’s next words, Jin Se-ah had to keep her mouth shut. “And I’ll give you 1% of that.”

“What?”

“For consulting. Is it not enough?”

“N-n-no, of course not.”

Their ages might not be very different, but Jun-sang had a situation where he had worked independently to earn his tuition and couldn’t even finish his studies properly, while Jin Se-ah was a veteran with many years of practical experience in the financial industry. It was only natural to give a person with ability the respect they deserved. Moreover, Jin Se-ah had shown Jun-sang favor even though she could have just kept her mouth shut without any problems, so it was also necessary to compensate her for that. Considering Jung Da-bin, Yoon Seong-ryeol, and Seo Yoo-mi, who had all watched this unfold, giving up about 1% was not a problem for Jun-sang. The fact that appropriate help would be met with corresponding rewards would be imprinted in their minds, and in a similar situation in the future, he could expect some voluntary help not only from Jin Se-ah but also from the other three. This was killing two birds with one stone.

Maeng Jin-woo and Im Seo-yoon returned to the office after a considerable amount of time.

“I apologize. The conversation ran long…”

“It’s fine.”

Maeng Jin-woo, seeing that Jun-sang accepted his apology without any change in expression, stated the conditions he had prepared. “Um… what do you think about a running royalty of 10%?”

At that, Jun-sang shook his head. “I refuse.” And he immediately stood up.

Maeng Jin-woo, startled, quickly got up and tried to stop Jun-sang from leaving. “W-wait a minute. Why are you so impatient? You have to hear me out first.”

At that, Jun-sang sat back down and said, “I don’t like jokes.” And then he activated Mad Dog’s Dignity, which he had recently acquired. Maeng Jin-woo, whose heart had already sunk and who was sweating profusely at Jun-sang’s immediate departure, was startled when an immensely unsettling feeling suddenly poured out of Jun-sang. He had used Mad Dog’s Dignity to avoid causing a heart attack with a fear-inducing stare or a similar skill, but this skill also induced a status effect. Moreover, this preposterous skill, like an old woman’s curse, did not distinguish between friend and foe.

“Ugh…” Seo-yoon and his colleagues, who were sitting in the office, all felt an intense urge to run away from Jun-sang without even realizing it. Only Henes held onto Jun-sang’s sleeve, her eyes tightly shut. If even returnees with abilities far superior to ordinary people were like this, how could a normal person like Maeng Jin-woo handle it?

“Th-then… how much do you want?” Just the fact that he was asking with a trembling voice showed that this was no ordinary situation.

Jun-sang looked at Maeng Jin-woo and quietly replied, “16%. The purchase price for the corpse is separate.”

“…” The bottom line that they had decided on in their conversation with the group’s executives outside was 13%. Of course, Jun-sang had already overheard that conversation with his heightened senses. Because of that, he was able to know that Jin Se-ah’s advice was not a lie.

“Th-that… even so, that’s a bit much…” As soon as Maeng Jin-woo said that, Jun-sang stood up from the sofa again. Maeng Jin-woo, who was already overwhelmed by the strange pressure emanating from Jun-sang’s body, felt his strength bottom out just from trying to get him to sit back down.

“A-I mean…” Jun-sang, in a calm tone, spoke again to Maeng Jin-woo, who was sweating profusely and grabbing his sleeve. “16%. The purchase price for the corpse is separate.”

“…” In the end, Maeng Jin-woo, realizing it was no use, asked for Jun-sang’s understanding and went outside again. After another long while of talking on the phone, he came back with an exhausted expression and bowed his head to Jun-sang. “Whew… I’ll agree to your terms.”

Only then did Jun-sang deactivate Mad Dog’s Dignity.