We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 5

005

First Order (1)

Finally, the moment I had been yearning for has arrived.

How much hardship have I endured until now?

The family’s suffering from moving from a grand mansion to this dilapidated shanty town is beyond words.

I had to sell all of my wife’s expensive clothes and could only afford to buy her 5,000 won [‘ajumma’ – middle-aged woman] fashion from the market.

What about Sujeong?

Her genes are so good that she shines when I take her outside, but the only clothes she has are her kindergarten uniform.

Even that is so old and patched up that I don’t know how many times it has been mended.

What about Sua, who just turned one?

She met a pathetic father and couldn’t even have a proper first birthday party or wear proper newborn clothes. It broke my heart to see her getting thinner when she should be chubby with baby fat.

My wife’s suffering is beyond words.

She gave birth at a local hospital and couldn’t even dream of postpartum care.

Even after that, she was barely surviving on cloth diapers that had to be washed every day and no formula.

Lastly, what about my situation?

After doing this and that today, I had less than 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD] left.

I charged my transportation card and bought a prepaid phone. After making business cards, this is how much I have left in my hands.

Although I have to endure hardship until the money comes in, it seemed that I would be able to breathe a little easier once I received the remaining payment.

The monthly rent was overdue, and winter was coming soon, so I would have to fill up the oil tank. I also had to pay back some of the interest.

Chiiiik!

The meat was cooking on the grill.

I could only afford frozen pork belly right now, but I was still grateful. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had greased my stomach.

“Sujeong! Eat it when it’s cooked! You’ll get sick if you don’t.”

“Hehe, meat! Meat!”

Sujeong ate like she was possessed.

Well, even though Sujeong looks like that, she’s at an age where she’s growing a lot. Seeing her eating with grease on her lips made me feel proud.

I quietly stroked Sujeong’s hair.

My wife is busy grilling the meat.

“Wah!”

When Sua cried, I almost mechanically prepared the formula and put the bottle in her mouth. Of course, based on my experience raising Sujeong, I didn’t forget to drip a little water on my wrist to check the temperature.

Sua stares intently into my eyes.

“What do babies know to look at us like that?”

“They say they recognize everything. They’re bonding with their parents.”

Her sparkling eyes feel very lovely.

Fortunately, Sua doesn’t have heterochromia [different colored eyes]. That means there’s a low chance she’s a mutant genius.

‘Right. It would be difficult to have two geniuses in the family.’

Sujeong also had great charm as a daughter, but I think a daughter with normal intelligence is not bad. Moreover, my wife’s genes are excellent, so all of them have big eyes and distinct features. Even though we are desperately poor, when I take my family out, men are always envious.

Sujeong coughed after eating for a while.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Hey! I told you to eat slowly.”

“Hehe, it’s because I haven’t seen meat in a long time, so my eyes went crazy. Mom and Dad, eat quickly too. Otherwise, Sujeong will eat it all~!”

“You should eat first.”

“It’s okay. I’ll take care of the baby.”

“No. You’re not producing enough milk. You need to eat so the baby can grow up healthy.”

“Honey…….”

“…….”

Sujeong made a slightly uncomfortable expression.

“Your Majesty the Queen, Your Majesty the King. I don’t think it would be wise to have a third child.”

“What, you little rascal?”

“Ahem. I know the atmosphere, you know?”

“You don’t need to know.”

It’s very noisy.

Sujeong was full and went inside the house.

When I told her to watch the baby for a while, she puffed out her cheeks, but after I said I would buy her snacks tomorrow, she left the word ‘Okay!’ and was watching the baby.

Gurgle.

I bought a bottle of soju [Korean distilled rice liquor] today.

My wife fills my glass.

“You worked hard today.”

“What hard work? You’re the one who’s suffering for meeting such a pathetic head of the family.”

“What are you talking about? You’re definitely going to get back on your feet. I’ve never wavered in that belief. Sometimes you get hit by a typhoon in life. How can there be no storms in life?”

“I don’t know how I met such an angel.”

“You call me an angel, but I think the opposite. In Korean terms, you’d have to say I saved the country, right?”

My wife is still beautiful.

She can’t even be compared to those women who are everywhere. My wife is 27 years old. When we got married, everyone said I was a thief, and I still hear that when I go outside. I’ve aged a bit from the hardship, but my wife is still youthful. That’s why they call us Beauty and the Beast.

“Today we’re eating pork belly, but someday let’s cut steak. And let’s drink wine instead of this soju and toast.”

“Why are you doing this? I don’t think soju is bad either. I can’t drink it now because I’m breastfeeding, though.”

“It’s not new, but I’ll make you happy.”

“I believe you.”

Finally, I started grilling the meat.

Sujeong has eaten almost all of it so far, so my wife and I should grease our stomachs for a while.

Wobble, wobble.

My body is shaking.

Am I on a boat right now?

I definitely drank about half a bottle of soju yesterday and passed out.

I tried to keep sleeping without paying attention, but this time my leg throbbed.

“Ugh!”

Something is tickling my face.

When I looked closely, Sujeong was covering my mouth with her hand.

Sujeong puts her index finger to her lips. That means be quiet.

What about my wife?

Every day is a series of hardships. She has to do housework, raise children, and because we live in poverty, there are many odd jobs. So, she keeps passing out every day.

It would be troublesome if my wife woke up.

I nodded slightly.

I slowly get up and go out into the yard.

“Dad. Didn’t you say you were going to train today?”

Sujeong yawned.

She’s just a child, but she woke me up to train with her dad while holding back her sleep.

What a wonderful kid!

I mess up Sujeong’s hair.

“Of course, I have to. Right now, the employee(?) is… two of them?”

“Hehe. I have two too, so there are four.”

“That might be a bit too much.”

“I think you can reach a higher level than that, Dad. Your affinity for black magic is the best.”

“Can I go straight to 2nd Circle [level of magic proficiency]?”

It is said that you can summon about 12 skeletons when you reach the 2nd Circle. Your strength also increases a bit, and your durability becomes stronger.

Twelve skeletons that are slightly stronger than adult women would be enough to call it a company.

“Aja! [fighting!/let’s go!] Let’s cheer up!”

I inject positive energy.

We arrived at the cemetery.

As expected, I saw a sight that I had not seen before.

This place boasts the largest area of any cemetery in Seoul, and as is usually the case, earthbound spirits, vengeful spirits, and demons roamed the cemetery.

Of course, they cannot exert physical force on living humans.

The problem is that if someone who recognizes them appears, they may harass them to the end. Since they can communicate, they try to resolve their grievances.

The same goes for me.

-It’s a human!

-It’s a human who recognizes us!

Eerie.

Ghosts swarm around.

Hundreds of vengeful spirits who could not leave this world rushed at me, and they all had scary shapes or surprised and threatened me.

Of course, my heart is pounding.

No matter how accustomed I have become to black magic, I can’t help but be surprised when terrifying figures unfold in succession.

Sujeong gave me a thumbs up.

“Dad! You’re really amazing!”

“Why?”

“Your sensitivity to black magic is not normal, and your spiritual eye seems special here.”

“You’re saying my spiritual eye is special?”

“So, the ghosts like you?”

“…….”

Should I like this?

“Hehe, I like it so much. You’re the best, Dad!”

Sujeong suddenly hugged me.

No, is this even a matter of expressing affection between father and daughter right now? Ghosts are sticking to me in a cemetery?

“Why are you doing this?”

“When you control spirits, you can put them into the undead. Then it becomes easier to control to some extent. I guess you need less mental power? And later, you can materialize the spirits and exert physical force!”

“Oh, is that so?”

“There are so many other uses!”

Sujeong grinned.

She definitely said that she didn’t have a talent for black magic. It was still at a level where she forced herself to learn it because she was interested, but she says that I have a body blessed by the Demon God.

She said that I was born to learn black magic.

I don’t know if this is a good thing… but since the day will come when I can exert physical force with spirits, it will be useful someday.

The rush of demons is getting worse.

Sujeong can’t stop grinning. Somehow, she seems to have a tendency to feel vicarious satisfaction from me?

“Dad. There’s a magic you need here.”

“What is it?”

“It’s to collect spirits and assist the circle [magical formation]. You can collect and trap spirits inside the circle. Like this.”

Sujeong made hand signs very slowly.

Actually, my head isn’t that stupid either. I graduated from a university in Seoul. I’m a little forgetful as I get older, but this is easy.

I follow Sujeong’s hand signs.

“Acquisition spirit.”

It wasn’t a verbal spell, but I chanted the incantation to assist the spell power of the hand sign magicians even a little.

I followed Sujeong and chanted.

“Acquisition spirit.”

Swish!

“Huh?”

A tremendous current formed at my fingertips.

Of course, this current did not affect the material world, and it seemed to only affect the spirit world, as all the spirits around were sucked into my fingertips.

-Aaaaaaah!

-Ehehe! Ehehehe!

The spirits are freaking out.

I don’t collect spirits that don’t rush at me on purpose.

It’s also Sujeong’s advice that it’s annoying and it’s not good to accumulate karma in that way.

But what about the demons?

I collect and use those guys.

There were many vicious magics in black magic, and it was said that collecting spirits was quite useful.

What if it’s vicious?

I was prepared to sell my soul to avoid starving to death. But if I could raise my level and use it, I could sweep away all the demons and use them.

When I absorbed the demons, they were sucked into the circle.

Dugun! Dugun! [Heartbeat sound]

I felt like the volume of the circle had increased.

The surrounding black magic was coming in quickly. I barely endured the pain in my heart.

“Keuk!”

“Dad, are you okay!? Dad! Can you hear me!?”

Dugun! Dugun!

The fiercely rotating circle split at some point.