We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 44

044

The Aftermath of the Dragon Head (2)

“What did you say?!”

Dr. Oh Hye-soo rushes over, visibly excited.

She grabs Han Cheol-soo by the shoulders and shakes him.

“Tell me again!”

“W-Well, the turtle head has been found.”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

Dr. Oh even sheds tears.

Han Cheol-soo couldn’t hide his embarrassment. He had heard that there were many eccentrics in academia, but Oh Hye-soo was a special case.

Wasn’t she the one who politely declined matchmaking proposals because she was ‘married’ to Admiral Yi Sun-sin? [A revered Korean naval commander from the Joseon Dynasty.]

This wasn’t just simple patriotism; it was beyond what people called ‘fangirling.’ Historical fangirling, at that.

People might say, what’s the problem with that? But from Han Cheol-soo’s perspective, there was no bigger headache.

Dr. Oh Hye-soo’s father is Oh Sang-shik, a leading figure in academia. So, even if she grabs and shakes him, he can’t stop her.

“Hahaha. Please calm down.”

“Hic. How can I calm down? The turtle ship’s head, designed by him, has been found! I can’t calm down.”

“Hahaha.”

Han Cheol-soo could only chuckle awkwardly.

‘If I’m not careful, CEO Lee Yoo-sung will have quite a headache.’

As expected, the discovery of the dragon head caused a huge stir.

Even in academia, opinions were divided on whether the turtle ship actually sank at that time.

Ignoring the various opinions that emerged, it was Dr. Oh Sang-shik, known as a leading figure in academia, who strongly proposed the Yi Sun-sin project to the government back in ’73.

He is now old and semi-retired, but seeing him personally directing artifact excavations from time to time, one could tell he was quite an energetic figure.

The chief director of this turtle ship excavation project was none other than Dr. Oh Sang-shik’s daughter, Dr. Oh Hye-soo.

Dr. Oh Hye-soo grew up learning about history directly from her father and is now apparently called an eccentric genius in academia.

From the start, it was Dr. Oh Sang-shik who accurately predicted General Won Gyun’s retreat route, and Dr. Oh Hye-soo took over that research and increased the candidate sites to eight.

It was understandable that Dr. Oh Hye-soo was in charge of this project.

“I think we will be able to find the main body of the turtle ship before long.”

After a long interview.

‘This kind of work is just not my thing. I was just planning to do some exploration and get paid, but I feel like I’ve been caught up in something big.’

“Team Leaaaaader!”

“Hmm?”

A boat that left the exploration ship approached the harbor.

A high-pitched voice was heard, and a slender beauty with long black hair was running towards them.

Some reporters were subtly backing away.

“Isn’t that the wild horse of academia?”

“Y-Yes, it seems so.”

“The wild horse of academia?”

As I tilted my head, someone whispered.

‘There’s a crazy woman in academia. Be careful.’

Something floats and flies towards me.

‘If this goes on, she’ll hug me as I am. Of course, that can’t happen.’

Even if she’s a slender beauty, I’m the head of a household, and frankly, I’ve never seen a woman who meets my standards as much as Lisa.

So, using my developed reflexes, I subtly dodged.

Thud!

“Ouch!”

She rolls around on the floor.

Her clothes are torn, and she’s covered in dirty waste from the pier.

Dr. Oh Hye-soo rushes over, reeking of fish. Then, she blurts out.

“You are our benefactor!”

“Excuse me?”

“You discovered the turtle ship that our Admiral personally designed!”

“It’s just a part of it for now.”

I’m very flustered.

A woman who is overly excited.

Did she cry on the way here? Her eyes were swollen red, and she was puffing out air from her nose.

So, it’s a leveled-up version of when Lee Seo-kyung saw Soo-jung.

‘What kind of woman is this?’

She huffed and said.

“Thank you!”

“Well, I was just doing what I had to do……”

“We’re tracing the footsteps of the greatest hero in history. And you excavated such a great artifact there.”

“Ah, yes……”

‘I just need to avoid getting involved.’

It’s okay with Lee Seo-kyung because she’s not interested in me. But what about this woman?

If I’m not careful, it could create a lot of rumors and unnecessarily upset my wife. I just had a strong feeling about it.

“So, I have to express my gratitude……”

“Stop!”

I held out one hand.

“Yes?”

“I’m married and have two daughters. So, I hope you don’t try to hug me or do anything else that could be misunderstood.”

“This is my expression of gratitude!”

“That’s why I’m telling you not to come after me. I understand well enough. More importantly, aren’t you going to look at the dragon head?”

“Uwaaaaaah!”

“……”

Oh Hye-soo knelt down with an expression as if she were receiving a sacred being.

“Finally…… I found it.”

I felt like I had to leave this place quickly.

I took some time to have a meal with Han Cheol-soo.

The captain disappeared in a hurry, saying he was going home for a while.

I guess the captain will also receive attention. It can’t be helped.

It’s quite a nice restaurant. It’s the kind of place I should come to with my wife alone.

Han Cheol-soo smiled bitterly.

“You must have been embarrassed.”

“Ah, yes. To be honest, I am.”

“I was embarrassed too.”

“What on earth is that woman?”

“She’s called an eccentric genius in academia. She declared that she would live as a spinster for the rest of her life because she ‘married’ Admiral Yi Sun-sin.”

“She’s a strange person.”

“You just have to be careful. I broke out in a cold sweat too. Haha!”

Oh Hye-soo was more than just unique.

She reacted like that just from discovering the dragon head, so what would happen if she discovered and salvaged the main body of the turtle ship?

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

“Still, it might be helpful to your business.”

“How could a woman like that be helpful? Getting involved seems terrible.”

“Don’t you know who that woman’s father is? It’s Dr. Oh Sang-shik. He is a leading figure in academia, and he directed most of the excavation work in the country. Now, he only handles major projects directly, and Oh Hye-soo handles the rest. That means there are considerable interests at stake.”

“Wasn’t excavation work done for humanitarian reasons?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? Who do you think does the construction? When the budget comes down from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, they use private companies to carry out large-scale construction. Of course, the artifacts found there go to the museum, but a huge amount of money is involved.”

I adjusted my posture.

‘Not just money, but a huge amount of money is involved? I didn’t expect that.’

It costs a lot of money to buy an uninhabited island in the metropolitan area. And if you want to develop such an uninhabited island, how much money would be spent?

Experts need to be brought in, and civil engineering and various facilities need to be built. The money that goes into that is beyond imagination.

Even if I successfully carry out the Yi Sun-sin project, the amount would be woefully insufficient.

What if I could get involved in a state-led excavation project?

“Hmm. It’s a good opportunity. That’s for sure.”

“That’s right. If that happens, you have to work with that woman.”

“Just imagining it is terrible.”

“Hahaha. I saw you putting up an iron wall earlier? If you do that, there won’t be any problems.”

“My wife isn’t someone who suspects me unnecessarily. But I want to be as careful as possible, and what if something big happens and she hugs people like that?”

“What do you mean just hug? You’re lucky if she doesn’t kiss you.”

“That’s why I’m saying I’m not very interested.”

I clicked my tongue.

‘Don’t I have anything else to do?’

If I really need money, I can salvage the Seun Line. India transported taxes to the British mainland in the name of taxes, so the amount couldn’t have been small. [Seun Line likely refers to ships transporting wealth from India to Britain during the colonial era.]

Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, there must be a huge amount of gold sunken. However, it’s difficult to excavate the Seun Line right now…….

“Anyway, I think I’ll have to think about that problem later.”

“Haha. I agree. Even I would find it difficult to form a relationship with that woman.”

If Han Cheol-soo said that, she must have really serious flaws.

I decided not to talk about that woman anymore. I was afraid it would ruin my appetite.

Han Cheol-soo changed the subject.

“By the way, you will be receiving a plaque of appreciation.”

“A plaque of appreciation?”

“The Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do was going to present a plaque of appreciation, but the Mayor of Tongyeong seems to have moved first. He said he’s coming right after lunch.”

“Huh……. Why?”

“Didn’t you discover the dragon head? And you safely salvaged it. Ah, of course, you are also being recognized for discovering over 120 artifacts.”

“It’s somewhat political.”

“That’s how it is in this world.”

I feel like I’m falling into a quagmire.

I wanted to buy an uninhabited island and go in as soon as possible.

“……We appreciate your contribution and present this plaque of appreciation.”

“Thank you, Mayor.”

“Wow, you’ve really worked hard.”

“You’re welcome. It’s just the beginning.”

I forced myself to smile so much that my facial muscles were about to cramp.

I actually wonder if I should be receiving a plaque of appreciation at this point.

Even if there is a political intention behind it, I thought this was a bit much. What if I salvage the main body of the turtle ship? Would the president give me a plaque of appreciation in person then?

I took a commemorative photo and came down.

The artifacts were moved to a safe place, and only then did the police lift the control.

At the same time, they rushed in.

“Team Leader! On which route do you think the turtle ship sank?”

“I’m not a historian, so I don’t know.”

“You can ask me about that!”

It’s Oh Hye-soo again, puffing out air from her nose.

I heard that woman is going to be on the salvage ship, so I just need to be careful now.

“……I stand corrected. We are going to search based on Dr. Oh Hye-soo’s data. She has been researching Admiral Yi Sun-sin her whole life, so I think she is very reliable.”

“Can your company’s technology make a discovery!?”

“Ah, well, that is.”

“Please discover it!”

Oh Hye-soo runs out.

It seems she was frustrated with listening to the story from behind any longer.

She stared at me intently.

I could really feel her intense energy. She was full of passion, and something was being emitted, whether it was patriotism or affection for Admiral Yi Sun-sin.

Anyway, all of her actions are based on such emotions.

‘Let’s not just see her in a bad light.’

It might be okay to get a little closer as long as she doesn’t come on to me.

“Of course, we will discover it. We discovered the dragon head on the seabed, so we will definitely discover it and contribute to historical research.”

“Yes! If you do that, I’ll grant you any wish! I can even give you everything I have!”

……I’m canceling that resolution from earlier. I should just keep my distance.