Perfect World [EN]: Chapter 104

“Excuse me. I’m Oh Bum-seok, the chairman of the professional gladiatorial team, God’s Knights.”

A blonde secretary, who had been staring at him blankly, widened her eyes and quickly approached. She remembered seeing him on TV before. Even today, Gloria, the chairwoman, had shown a slight interest in him while watching his match.

“Ah, Mr. Bum-seok. How did you get here…?”

“I came to this hotel for an event today and thought I’d stop by to see Gloria.”

“Ah, is that so? Shall I let her know you’re here?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bum-seok replied,

“Yes, please.”

“Okay, please wait a moment.”

She pressed the intercom and attempted to speak with Gloria. After a short while, as if she had received permission, she gently grabbed the doorknob of the chairwoman’s office and opened it slightly.

“Okay, you can come in now.”

“Hahaha, thank you. Then…”

As he entered, he saw Gloria hurriedly rising from her desk. She seemed flustered, straightening her collar before rushing out to greet him.

“Welcome, Mr. Bum-seok. How did you find your way here…?”

“How do you mean? I was here for an event and thought I’d stop by to say hello.”

“Ah, is that so? Come, have a seat over here.”

As he watched Gloria guide him to a nearby reception sofa, the secretary spoke.

“Chairwoman, shall I bring some tea?”

Bum-seok waved his hand. He couldn’t just come all the way here and only receive tea. She was, in a way, his savior, so he should at least treat her to a meal. That’s why he hadn’t touched the well-prepared dishes at the banquet hall today.

“No, thank you. I plan to have tea elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere, you say?”

“Well, that’s for Gloria to decide. Hahaha.”

Gloria smiled pleasantly at Bum-seok’s jest. There was no way she wouldn’t understand what he meant.

“Then, would you like to go out to eat?”

“Yes. If there’s a restaurant with a good view in the hotel, please show me the way. I’ve come to be treated handsomely today, so you should be prepared.”

“Hoh, hoh, hoh. I understand. Please wait a moment.”

Gloria went to the coat rack with a light step and slung the handbag hanging there over her shoulder. She couldn’t help but be excited; this could be seen as her first date with Bum-seok.

She spoke to the secretary, who didn’t know what was going on, in a casual tone.

“Then, everyone, go home. It’s too late today.”

The blonde woman’s face brightened at those words. Gloria, the chairwoman, hadn’t left work until this late hour, so they hadn’t been able to go home yet either. Now, they could finish their work for the day with a light heart.

“Yes, Chairwoman.”

Passing by the secretaries busily tidying their desks, Bum-seok and Gloria headed out. As they walked down the hallway lit by LED lights, she spoke in front of the elevator.

“Mr. Bum-seok, I was very grateful before. You saved my life.”

“Hahaha, no need to thank me. It was all for my own sake.”

Gloria looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Why was that for your sake?”

“It’s very simple. If something had happened to Gloria then, my heart would have been very pained. Losing a woman I love would be a great suffering for me.”

Her face flushed. She didn’t know what to do because he was so openly expressing affection with such an innocent expression.

Gloria, embarrassed and unable to continue the conversation, changed the subject.

“So, um, what would you like to eat?”

“Hehe. I eat everything well. However, I’d like a place with a good atmosphere where we can dine intimately.”

“I, is that so? Then, there’s a sky lounge restaurant in the hotel. Would you like to go there?”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“Then, just a moment.”

She hurriedly pressed the elevator button. She had been so busy talking to Bum-seok that she had forgotten to call the elevator. Soon, the automatic doors opened, and she entered, pressing the button for the top floor.

Before long, the LED numbers indicating the floor rapidly counted up, stopping when they reached the 89th floor.

“Okay, here we are. Let’s get off.”

As soon as they got off, a luxurious restaurant with glass partitions on all sides came into view. Above them, a yellow-tinged full moon shone brightly, and countless small stars twinkled around it. Below, gentlemen and Elves [genetically engineered humanoids designed for companionship and service] were dining and chatting, and several women, perhaps in a group, were laughing and gossiping.

The interior was brightly lit with lights, creating a nighttime atmosphere. Bum-seok and Gloria walked together along the long marble floor. Then, a female hotel employee quickly approached and bowed almost 90 degrees.

“W, welcome, Chairwoman.”

The hotel employee seemed quite nervous. Gloria often came here for inspections, so she was worried about being caught doing something wrong. However, unexpected words came from her mouth.

“Is there a quiet room here?”

“Ah, yes. If you go inside, there’s a VIP room.”

“Is there anyone there now?”

“No, it’s empty right now.”

Gloria smiled brightly and said immediately.

“That’s good. Then, guide us to that room. I have an important guest with me.”

The female hotel employee glanced at Bum-seok and pointed to the right side passage with both hands.

“Yes, I understand. Then, please follow me.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Guided by the hotel employee, Bum-seok and Gloria left the sky lounge restaurant and passed through a long corridor. It was a cylindrical path enclosed by curved glass, and at the end of it, a classic wooden door appeared.

And the moment that door opened, Bum-seok’s eyes widened in admiration at the spacious room that unfolded before him. He marveled at how the glass partitions were made without any seams, forming a single unit. Moreover, the carpet on the floor was plush and extravagant, and because the entire room protruded from the hotel building, there was nothing to obstruct the view in any direction.

“Hoo, amazing. This is my first time in a place like this.”

“Is that so? I’m glad you like it. Come, have a seat over here.”

Guided by Gloria, Bum-seok went to the table in the center and sat on one of the long rows of chairs. Gloria, who took the seat opposite him, said in a calm voice.

“Mr. Bum-seok, what would you like to have?”

“Well, I don’t really like formal things. I just like food that’s light and filling. But a lot of it. Hahaha.”

Gloria smiled at his joking order and said to the hotel employee.

“Bring the kinds of dishes he mentioned until the table is full. And bring three or four bottles of the finest vintage wine.”

“Yes, I understand. Please wait a moment.”

After the hotel employee politely bowed and left, Bum-seok began to speak.

“Ah, yes. You must have been very surprised before? To experience something like that so suddenly…”

“Yes, I thought I was going to die then. I really regretted not having had a child at the time. If I had a child to carry on my bloodline, they would inherit my fortune, so the wealth I’ve accumulated wouldn’t just vanish into thin air.”

He feigned a surprised expression.

According to the information window, Gloria was still a virgin. That meant she hadn’t had a child through artificial insemination yet. Of course, there was also the method of having children through artificial capsules, but this was mainly preferred by men, while women mainly preferred natural childbirth. It was said that it gave them the feeling of having a child. Seeing this, Bum-seok was able to grasp that she didn’t have a child yet.

However, he couldn’t state this fact directly, so Bum-seok had no choice but to pretend not to know.

“Ah, is that so? You don’t have any children?”

“Yes, not yet. I’ve been too busy living my life to even think about having and raising a child.”

“I see. Then, now that you’ve experienced something like that, you’ll have a child soon, I suppose.”

Gloria couldn’t easily answer that. Like other women, she also wanted to have a natural-born baby.

A natural-born baby. It referred to a baby conceived naturally through the love between a man and a woman, and in this era, it could be said to be a natural monument. It was a result of the creation of the Elves and the conflict between men and women. Men only thought of women as part of the social structure and never considered them as objects of affection.

“Well, I’m always putting it off because I’m busy with work. But I should make time to have one soon.”

“Ah, yes. When are you planning to have one?”

Gloria looked at him with a puzzled expression. She didn’t understand why he was persistently asking such personal questions. However, she couldn’t coldly refuse the question of her benefactor.

“Well, not this month, but I’m thinking of next month or the month after. But it could be longer.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Bum-seok nodded calmly. But his heart was very anxious. To have a child, she would have to undergo artificial insemination, which meant that another man’s seed would enter her body. It was a very unpleasant thought, and he had to finish his conquest of her quickly. Of course, it could take longer, but he couldn’t just trust that and sit idly by. So, he continued to try to increase their intimacy by continuing the conversation.

In the meantime, a group of hotel employees came to the VIP room and began to arrange the food.

“Chairwoman, the dishes you ordered have arrived.”

Several dishes with unknown names were mixed together, but they looked very appetizing. There were shellfish dishes drizzled with light brown, transparent sauce, steak with rich broth, seafood mix and sushi with red light, spaghetti, and so on… He was worried about whether he could eat all of these dishes.

Another surprising fact was that an 88-year-old wine was placed in the center of the table. Considering that the current time in the game was 51 years, it meant that it was a high-end wine that was well over half a century old. Considering that the price difference between wines varied greatly depending on the name value and vintage, it was expected to be very expensive.

He picked up the wine bottle and asked the employee.

“No, how much is this wine?”

“Yes, it’s 880,000 krang [currency unit].”

In other words, with 10 bottles of this wine, he could recruit a starting-level gladiator from the Area League. Considering the funds he possessed, it didn’t seem like much, but it was definitely a waste to drink it for a daily meal.

He looked at Gloria with a disapproving expression.

“This is too much of a treat. I’m afraid to even touch it because it might break.”

“Don’t worry too much. It’s to repay your kindness.”

Gloria picked up the wine bottle and immediately removed the label. That meant that the commercial value of this wine had disappeared, and 880,000 krang was flying into the air.

Bum-seok reluctantly put an empty wine glass in front of him.

“Well, then I’ll have a glass.”

Gloria gave the employees a look to leave, then picked up the wine bottle and slowly filled the glass. And when she had poured about half, Bum-seok immediately snatched it and filled her glass as well.

Gloria raised her glass high and said.

“Well, shall we toast then?”

Bum-seok, who saw all the employees leaving with a clatter, picked up his glass and stood up from his seat, then moved to the seat next to her.

“Instead of a toast, wouldn’t you like to drink in a different way?”

“In a different way?”

“I found some information that before the Elves were created, lovers used to drink like this when they drank alcohol.”

She looked curious. It was very interesting that there was a separate way for lovers to toast.

“Is that so? How? Show me.”

“Then I’ll be rude.”

He took a sip of wine and suddenly tried to kiss Gloria on the lips. She was flustered and tried to pull away, but she was held tightly in his strong arms and couldn’t escape. Soon, the sour wine liquid seeped in between her parting lips.

Gloria didn’t know what to do, but eventually she complied with his bold behavior. Bum-seok’s rough expression of affection wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

For a long time, the liquid of the high-end wine rippled in their mouths along with the movement of their tongues.

“How is it? The taste?”

Gloria, with a flushed face, looked at him and said.

“Mr. Bum-seok, as before, why do you keep doing this to me…?”

“Hehe. Didn’t I say before? I fell for Gloria’s beauty.”

She looked at Bum-seok with suspicious eyes. It was because there had been many people who had tried to take advantage of her in this way before. Even though the world had become one where men hated women, it wasn’t as if those who would do anything for money had disappeared.

“Don’t say that. I don’t believe you.”

“What don’t you believe? Do you think I’m lying?”

“Then do you really like me?”

“Of course. I’m dying to hold you. No, I’m going to make you my woman.”

Gloria looked at his expression intently. She was trying to figure out the truth with the insight of her life so far. But no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t find any traces of falsehood.

“R, really?”

“Yes. That’s why I was so annoyed when Gloria said she was going to have a baby through artificial insemination. I felt like I was going crazy thinking that another man’s seed would enter the body of the woman I like.”

“Then you don’t want anything from me?”

Bum-seok, with a sly smile, quietly pushed the food on the table to one side. Now that things had come to this, he was thinking of ending it here with the good atmosphere. He immediately hugged Gloria and placed her on the empty table.