Chapter 3
According to my ability, this old woman didn't owe a single won.
Her maximum repayable amount was almost identical to her total assets.
That meant most of her wealth was liquid.
In other words, she probably owned more cash and marketable securities than real estate.
Having a large amount of usable assets also meant she could react quickly during a crisis.
On top of that, her Trustworthiness score was 100%.
That meant she had never once gone back on her word or used dishonest methods in financial dealings.
Simply put...
She was a monster.
An incredible one.
"Oh-ho. Look at this brat. You really are a con artist."
Grandma finally smiled.
A few wrinkles appeared on her forehead.
The corners of her eyes rose slightly.
Her lips curved gently.
There was something strangely warm in that smile.
She wasn't mocking me.
She wasn't suspicious of me either.
She was testing me, but she hadn't rejected me.
"You're flattering me."
I gave a short answer and lowered my head.
"You're unemployed?"
The question was sharp and direct.
But strangely, it wasn't unpleasant.
She was simply checking.
This old woman was evaluating me.
Maybe she was looking at me as a possible family member.
Or perhaps even as someone she might raise like a disciple.
Depending on how I answered, the direction of my future could change.
If I lied, she would probably notice immediately.
The person standing in front of me wasn't someone I could easily fool.
I thought for a moment.
Should I simply admit that I was unemployed?
Or should I give some vague answer?
In the end, I spoke honestly.
"Yes. I'm unemployed right now. But I'm planning to start something soon."
"Is that so? Fine. Let's see what you can do. I like the look in your eyes, brat."
With that, Grandma slowly stood up.
Her movements were slow.
But there was strength in every motion.
Then she looked at me one more time.
Her gaze felt strangely familiar.
Like someone who only offered trust after seeing through everything hidden underneath.
"Have you eaten?"
"...Not yet."
"Then come eat with me. Just because you're unemployed doesn't mean you should starve."
"...Yes. Thank you."
And just like that, I followed her.
The entire day felt absurd.
But maybe this one day would change my entire life.
"If you really are my grandson, we'd just have to come all the way back here again. Let's save ourselves the trouble."
Grandma lightly slapped my back.
"What?"
"I'll make a place for you at my office."
And just like that, I was suddenly employed.
"Really?"
"My line of work is a little rough, but making money is easy enough. Are you coming or not?"
"I'm coming."
The answer came without hesitation.
There was still a real possibility that this old woman was my grandmother.
And even if she wasn't, I had clearly been given a job opportunity.
Private lending was dangerous.
But it also had a strange appeal.
It was a business built around dealing with people and looking deep inside their lives.
Their emotions.
Their desires.
Their weaknesses.
You had to pull all of it out of them.
A successful loan shark must have an incredible eye for people.
In that sense, her decision to hire me might not have been simple kindness.
At the very least, she had seen potential in me.
"What's the salary?"
"There is no salary in this business. You work on commission. You get thirty percent of whatever money you collect."
Thirty percent.
The potential income was far higher than an ordinary job.
But in reality, better conditions usually came with greater risk.
Then the debts I'm assigned will probably be ticking time bombs.
Debts that were difficult to collect.
Dangerous debtors.
A world where physical pressure might come before legal procedures.
"Am I going to be collecting debts?"
"Everyone starts there. Don't like it?"
My mouth suddenly felt dry.
I immediately knew that what came next wouldn't be easy.
This world wasn't like a cleanly edited scene in a movie or drama.
I might have to beat people.
Break things.
Threaten them.
Pressure them until they paid.
Could I really do that?
Violence. Threats. Extortion. Is there really no other way?
I had many thoughts.
But I didn't feel like running away.
Instead, my desire to seize this opportunity grew even stronger.
"Grandma, I told you I'm good at judging people and reading faces. Someone like me shouldn't be collecting debts. I should be reviewing loan applications."
"This business has rules too. Trying to skip five years of work is rude."
"So it's absolutely impossible?"
"If you're capable enough, nothing is impossible."
"Then test me."
Grandma laughed.
It was genuine.
The emotion came before the words.
"Hohoho. Look at you. Your personality is just like mine. Your mother... Hmm."
The moment she mentioned her daughter, her expression changed.
Sadness.
Regret.
Lingering attachment.
She looked as if she wanted to say something.
But in the end, she closed her mouth.
A brief silence followed.
I lowered my head.
It wasn't an uncomfortable silence.
Rather...
It felt like something was slowly connecting.
A new line was being drawn through my life.
"I'll change my clothes and come back."
I immediately went back inside.
I took out the cleanest, neatest clothes I owned.
I smoothed out the wrinkles with my hands and put on sneakers instead of dress shoes.
They were old.
But that wasn't important right now.
What mattered was where I was going.
Maybe I've finally found someone I can rely on.
Even if I wasn't her grandson, if she decided to test me simply because she found me interesting, I might still get a job.
So what if she's a loan shark?
With the ability I had, private lending might actually be the perfect profession for me.
Jo Sun-ja's private lending office in Yeongdeungpo.
With fifty billion won in assets, I naturally expected an impressive office.
But the moment I opened the door, I saw something completely ordinary.
One room.
One desk.
An old calendar on the wall.
A wooden ceiling fan.
There were several documents on the desk.
One of them was a waiver giving up rights to one's own body.
This old woman is seriously dangerous.
It basically meant that if you couldn't repay your debt, they'd take your organs.
She really was a witch.
She sat there smiling, but she gave off the feeling that she could chew through someone's bones.
I slowly looked around.
Surprisingly, I couldn't sense the smell of money or the shadow of power anywhere.
The file folders were worn.
The chairs and sofa had faded after years of use.
The air smelled of old dust and even a little mold.
There were only account books and contracts for lending small amounts of money to ordinary people.
No matter how I looked at it, it was hard to imagine that a woman worth tens of billions of won worked out of this place.
But that made the power hidden behind the shabby appearance even more frightening.
She's been sucking the blood of ordinary people. What a tiny pond she's playing in.
Contrary to my expectations, it didn't feel like gangsters or organized criminals frequently came and went.
There was only an old building.
A worn sofa.
And Jo Sun-ja.
"Sit."
She spoke casually.
But there was strange weight behind that single word.
Feeling her eyes on me, I carefully sat down.
Jo Sun-ja quickly scanned my expression.
I was nervous inside, but I acted as calmly as possible and leaned back against the chair.
The backrest creaked.
She heard it and smiled faintly.
Maybe because I had talked like a swindler earlier, she seemed genuinely interested in me.
"Yes, Grandma."
I answered naturally.
"You said you wanted to be tested, right?"
"Yes."
"I'm bored, so let's do it. Manager Park."
"Yes, Boss."
The man called Manager Park rose from his seat.
His large body moved heavily, almost like a bear.
He looked much younger than Jo Sun-ja, but he didn't possess the same overwhelming presence.
Manager Park glanced around briefly.
His hand trembled for just a second before becoming still again.
He seemed familiar with this kind of atmosphere.
But at the same time, he was clearly paying close attention to every word the old woman said.
It reminded me that everyone had to be careful around Jo Sun-ja.
"Tell the people waiting outside to come in."
"Yes, Boss."
Manager Park opened the door and left.
Grandma turned back toward me.
"The office looks pretty shabby, doesn't it?"
I smiled.
"It's not even a reservoir. It's just a puddle."
Grandma stared at me.
But she didn't get angry.
If anything, amusement appeared in her eyes.
She gave a light nod.
Maybe she liked my answer.
Or maybe she simply appreciated the fact that I had spoken honestly instead of flattering her.
I let out a small breath and lightly touched the corner of the old desk.
Even this worn desk looked like proof of all the years she had lived.
During the brief silence, I calmed myself.
The truth was, the reason I could act this boldly was because I was confident I didn't need to depend on Jo Sun-ja.
I already had a cheat ability that was practically an instant-win button.
Even alone, I could survive.
I already passed the high school equivalency exam.
If I had behaved myself at the orphanage, I probably would have graduated normally and entered society like anyone else.
But I couldn't control my temper.
Back in high school, one of the younger kids from our orphanage was beaten and bullied by his classmates.
They mocked him for coming from an orphanage and hit him almost every day.
Eventually, I couldn't stand it anymore.
I beat them up.
And afterward, no one defended me except the orphanage director.
I still remembered that day clearly.
The director personally knelt in front of the parents of the kids I had beaten.
I could never forget that sight.
He wasn't even my father.
Yet he stood on my side without asking for anything in return.
From that day onward, I understood that some bonds were thicker than blood.
Whenever I fought against the world, I remembered that hand.
Back then...
I realized something.
A father wasn't only the man who gave you life.
The orphanage director had been my father too.
