Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 141

Late morning. Bum-suk groggily opened his eyes, blinded by the strong sunlight pouring in through the window. Esther was nestled in his arms, sound asleep, and he could feel the sensation of her moist vulva against his lower body. They had fallen asleep the entire night with him still inside her.

Seeing Esther naked under the blanket, Bum-suk felt a surge of lust and began to slowly enlarge his ‘love muscle’ [a euphemism for his penis]. Just as he was about to start moving his hips, he heard a rustling sound from behind and subtly turned his head.

‘What? What is it?’

Bum-suk’s eyes widened in surprise. It was Susan, sitting with her back against the wall by the bed, her upper body slumped forward, face buried in her knees. It was clear she wasn’t sleeping, but awake. He carefully pulled his ‘love muscle’ out of Esther’s vulva and raised his upper body.

“Susan, are you okay?”

She didn’t answer, keeping her face hidden. There was a slight twitch, indicating she had heard him, but her silence was unsettling.

‘Oh, no. Is the curse of the 3P [three-person] play coming? Damn it.’

Hugging two women at the same time without reaching maximum favorability [a term likely referring to a relationship or game mechanic where positive feelings are quantified] could lead to significant problems. It was a matter of pride for the woman, causing her favorability to drop sharply. In the worst case, Susan might leave him. However, what happened last night was her own doing. Although she had borrowed the courage of alcohol and he hadn’t explicitly refused, the primary issue lay with Susan.

With a brazen face, Bum-suk sat next to Susan and casually put his arm around her shoulder.

“Susan, I had a lot of fun yesterday.”

Susan immediately slapped his arm away.

“Get away!”

Taken aback by her cold reaction, Bum-suk slowly backed away. The situation seemed more serious than he had thought.

Just then, Esther rubbed her eyes and sat up. The noise had woken her. Bum-suk, worried that she might react similarly to Susan, looked at her with concern.

“Chairman, you’re awake.”

Seeing Esther approach with a bright expression, he felt relieved.

“Ah, Esther, you’re awake.”

She hugged Bum-suk tightly and pouted slightly, wanting a morning kiss. He glanced at Susan and gave her a light kiss.

“G-Get out!”

Susan snapped harshly. Esther glared at her.

“Sister, what’s wrong with you!”

Susan raised her head, her face like a demon, and shouted.

“Are you asking because you don’t know what happened last night!”

“Of course, I know. Why wouldn’t I? I know perfectly well, so why are you acting like this! It’s absurd; you’re the one who shouldn’t be angry!”

Susan pressed her lips shut, as if she had nothing to say. She remembered everything from last night clearly and knew exactly what she had done wrong. She often caused trouble when drunk, but the worst part was that she remembered everything perfectly the next morning. Thanks to that, the image of herself in Bum-suk’s arms, moaning with pleasure, was vividly etched in her mind.

“Still, you should have stopped me!”

“What? When have you ever listened when I tried to stop you! And honestly, do you even know how much trouble you caused me last night! You said strange things and almost made me break up with the Chairman! I’m the one who should be angry, not you!”

Susan squeezed her eyes shut. She knew she had been too much for Esther last night. She had revealed her scandal in front of two lovers sharing affection, which was truly a terrible thing to do, especially since it was about a lewd incident caused by her own drunken behavior.

“Okay, I’m sorry. But please, can you leave with the Chairman? I need some time to think.”

“What? Get out? This is my room, you know.”

“I know! But I’m asking you a favor; can’t you do that for me!”

At this point, Bum-suk had to step in. He thought that if things went wrong, the fight could escalate and damage their relationship.

“Wait, wait. Susan, let’s think rationally.”

“What is there to think rationally about!”

Susan’s glare at him was particularly sharp. She felt resentful that someone who was a modified human and a gladiator hadn’t resisted her and had taken her virginity. If Bum-suk had just restrained himself, today’s events wouldn’t have happened.

“That’s not what I mean… I’m saying that things are getting too emotional, so let’s have a calm conversation.”

“So, you’re saying that someone as calm as you caused that incident last night! Why did you hug me!”

Embarrassed, Bum-suk wiped the sweat from his forehead and said.

“T-That’s because Susan, you wanted it so much, and I sincerely understood that. If I had known you would be this angry today, I would never have let anything like yesterday happen.”

As always, he was good with words. Susan bit her lip, got up abruptly, and stepped off the bed, picking up her clothes from the floor. As she was about to put on her panties, she saw the pink fluid coming from her vulva and squeezed her eyes shut. She remembered the lovemaking with Bum-suk last night. At the time, she had moaned with excitement, but now she was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even lift her head.

She quickly gathered her clothes, put them on, and ran out of the room.

‘What to do? This is a big problem.’

Bum-suk was deeply concerned about Susan, who had stormed out in anger. She was not only the team doctor but also the director of the newly established medical corporation. If she were to resign, it would be very difficult for him. Moreover, she was so capable that he doubted he could find another doctor like her.

However, since it had already happened, there was nothing he could do. For now, he had to soothe Susan and keep her on the team. Then, he could raise her favorability and maintain a good relationship.

Bum-suk sighed deeply, took Esther’s hand, and headed to the bathroom. His desire to hold her had vanished due to his worries about Susan, so he wanted to wash up and start the day. However, human nature didn’t go anywhere. As they washed each other, his lust resurfaced, and he laid Esther down on the bathroom floor and started having sex with her right away.

Several days passed after that incident. Bum-suk was very busy with the Hestia acquisition. Miri’s transfer had created a gap in the mid-tier’s power, and the most efficient replacement was Hestia. Although the Fire Lions team was in the Central League and she was only playing on the second team, she was a gladiator with outstanding skills who could be an ace on a top-tier team if she came to the Area League [likely a professional sports league in this fictional world]. She would definitely be a major factor in increasing the team’s strength. However, one frustrating fact was that he could never step forward himself.

He looked at Esther, who was standing in front of his desk, and asked.

“So, how is the Hestia acquisition going?”

“Yes. Currently, Inspector Lexter’s offer is 24 million Krang [fictional currency], while the Fire Lions team is asking for 28 million Krang.”

“That’s a difference of 4 million Krang. What’s Mesa Combatz’s offer?”

Esther turned a page of the electronic document and replied.

“It’s not certain, but according to recent media reports, it’s 22 million Krang.”

“So, it’s 2 million Krang less than our offer… With that difference, there’s a good chance she’ll come to us.”

“Yes, of course. Moreover, Mesa Combatz has made part of their offer conditional. About 5 million Krang, which they would give if Hestia plays in 10 games this season.”

That made it even more likely. The Fire Lions team was in urgent need of funds to acquire new gladiators. That’s why they were selling the promising Hestia, and if they offered 5 million Krang as an option, it would be difficult for them. The money coming in immediately after the transfer would be only 17 million Krang, which would greatly diminish the meaning of selling Hestia.

“Then, it’s even more necessary to focus all our efforts on Hestia. Even if I were the Fire Lions team, I wouldn’t have any reason to accept Mesa Combatz’s offer.”

“Yes. And the Fire Lions team is very angry that they announced the specific acquisition negotiations to the media in advance and have closed the negotiation channel with Mesa Combatz. Considering this, it’s very likely that they will sign a transfer agreement with us.”

Bum-suk chuckled.

“Haha. Well, they must be angry because they suffered a loss in negotiations with us. We knew the competitor’s offer price, so it must be difficult for them.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Good. Then, how about we raise our offer to 25 million Krang and end this negotiation at once?”

Esther shook her head, indicating her opposition.

“No. I think it’s better for us to wait as it is.”

“Really? Why?”

“The transfer deadline is in a few days, so the Fire Lions team will be anxious. They need to raise funds quickly to reinforce their gladiators, and we are the only suitable source of funds. So, I don’t think we need to be anxious first.”

“But the transfer deadline also applies to us. If we’re too late and can’t acquire Hestia, the spring season will be difficult.”

“That’s true, but our team is currently in 7th place in the league with 9 wins, 3 draws, and 7 losses. This means that even if we start the spring season with the current team members, there’s no risk of relegation. On the other hand, the Fire Lions team is ranked 15th in their league, only 2 points ahead of the 18th-place team, which is in the relegation zone. If they can’t acquire useful gladiators during this transfer period and reinforce their team, they risk being relegated. The urgent fire has fallen on their feet [a Korean idiom meaning they are in a desperate situation], so I don’t think we need to rush.”

Bum-suk clasped his hands together and went into deep thought. He had to choose whether it was better to wait as Esther said or to spend more money to secure Hestia.

Hestia. In Bum-suk’s eyes, she was truly a desirable item. Her growth potential was quite high, and her swordsmanship was excellent, making her valuable both now and in the future. Even if he added 1 million Krang to the 24 million Krang, it would still be worth buying. However, Esther’s opinion was not wrong either. 1 million Krang was not just pocket change, and he couldn’t waste it. Moreover, the Fire Lions team wanted 28 million Krang, which was a gap of 4 million Krang. If he became anxious now and raised the negotiation price, they might misunderstand the situation and try to hold out for even more money.

Ring. Ring.

While he was tapping his desk with his fingers, conflicted, the intercom on Bum-suk’s desk rang loudly. He paused his thoughts and operated the device to display the communication screen.

A skinny, red-haired man with a welcoming smile was on the screen. Bum-suk felt like he had seen him somewhere, but he couldn’t quite remember, so he asked.

“Yes, this is Oh Bum-suk. Who is this?”

– Hello? This is Ethan, the trade manager of the Fire Lions. Do you perhaps remember me? Didn’t we meet before this season regarding Hestia’s transfer?

Bum-suk rolled his eyes. He was taken aback by the sudden call from the Fire Lions. Since he had entrusted Hestia’s acquisition to Inspector Lexter of the Blue Bird team, he had no direct contact with their team.

“Hmm. Ah. Yes. Nice to meet you. But what’s this about?”

– It’s about something I need to discuss with you in person.

Bum-suk made a troubled expression and said.

“Well, it’s not difficult to have a conversation, but what’s the reason for wanting to meet?”

– I was wondering if you’re still interested in Hestia.

At those words, Bum-suk felt his heart sink. This inquiry had completely messed up all his plans.

Currently, Bum-suk planned to acquire Hestia through Lexter. First, the Blue Bird team would acquire her, and then GodKnights would re-acquire her. But now, the Fire Lions, Hestia’s current team, had contacted him about the acquisition. If he refused here and proceeded as planned, a big problem could arise.

‘What to do? If I refuse here and the Blue Bird team brings Hestia in a few days, they’ll look at us with suspicion.’

Then, he had no choice but to express his approval. But the problem was that he had previously called Hestia’s price up to 30 million Krang in his negotiations with them. If the Fire Lions had contacted him with this amount in mind, a difficult situation would arise.

“Yes. I’m very interested, but…”

– Oh? Is that so? Then, let’s meet soon and have a serious conversation.

At that moment, Esther quickly added background noise from the side.

“Chairman, our team recently invested a lot of money to acquire Agelia. We’re a bit short on funds to bring in Hestia.”

It was the right help at the right time. With this, Bum-suk didn’t have to offer 30 million Krang as it was. Due to the Agelia acquisition, the GodKnights team was no longer able to pay the price they had previously offered for Hestia.

Bum-suk smiled slightly, expressing his gratitude to Esther, and looked at Ethan on the screen.