I Become a Mafia in the Academy

Chapter 17:

Okay, Ill accept the termshuh, what?

As if he hadnt expected my refusal, he wiped the smile off his face and looked at me with puzzled eyes.

I turned to him and explained once again.

I appreciate the offer, but Im afraid I have to decline.

Youre really going to decline, does that mean you dont need our agreement form?

No. Thats not what Im saying. What Im saying is thatId like to make you another offer.

Anotheroffer?

I pull out my cell phone and dial the number at the top of my recent call log. After two beeps, you hear a voice.

Han Seo-joon, did you get that?

-Yes, Im waiting outside the door right now.Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m nov𝒆lb(i)n.c(o)m

Come in.

-Okay.

As I ended the call and put the phone in my pocket, the stale door we had entered through opened and Han Seo-joon walked in.

Young master, here you go.

Placing two briefcases on the desk in front of me, Han Seo-joon bowed and headed straight out the door. The board games club president, who had been watching the scene in disbelief, let out a hollow laugh at Han Seo-joons departure.

Whats with that guy?

Does it matter?

I unlocked the lock on the briefcase without turning around.

Inside the open bag lay numerous files. Pulling out a few of them and scattering them over the board game box, I looked at the president and started talking.

Board game club. Bronze ranked, located on the basement floor of the club hall. The ten million credits that come out once a month are not enough to buy all the board games that come out every year, so the amount of money borrowed through the economic club at rates close to loan sharking has piled up and piled up, and has now swelled to fifty million.Is that right?

Wait, how can you, a freshman, know that.?

You do realize thats not the point, right? Besides, last year there was talk of an adjustment to the base grant because there were no new membersYou really are off the deep end.

Oh, no, thats not!

Well, that doesnt matter anyway, what really matters is why Im telling you this.

I snapped my fingers and refocused his attention and he stared at me, wide-eyed, as if realizing something.

No way, youre buying the agreement. Is this it?

I grin at him.

Thats right.

Buying a consent form with money, what kind of nonsense is that.

Fifty million credits.

What?

Thump.

Churrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

The other briefcase opens and bills spill out of it.

The club president could only stare open-mouthed at the sight that defied common sense.

Uh, uh.

Id like to make a proposal to the board game club.

Not just any proposal, an offer they couldnt refuse.

I have fifty million credits here right now. Warm, hard cash that I just withdrew from my account.

Nowwhat are you talking about.?

Oh, by the way, the debt the board game club owes right now is also fifty million credits. Isnt this a wonderful coincidence that you can pay off all of their debts by handing me an agreement form?

Slowly, I lean down and whisper in the club presidents ear.

Isnt that wonderful?

If the person doesnt take you up on your offer, give them the money. If they still refuse, ask yourself if you didnt give them enough money.

I dont know who said this, but its a great quote.

The club president, who had been looking at me with a blank expression, reached a trembling hand toward the desk.

At the same time, he pulls the stack of bills towards me and looks at me with pity in his eyes.

In the end Ive decided the fate of the club just because of money

Hmm, Im disappointed if you think so. Do you see this as mere money? What Im offering you is an opportunity, a chance for the board game club to survive.

Oh, and by the way

I stared down at him with a nonchalant expression.

Dont even think about negotiating. If you dont accept this offer, Ill just go to another club and thats that.

Violence wasnt the only way to intimidate people.

You can use the situation and the psychology of the other person to make them realize what a great opportunity this is, and what happens if they dont take it.

Thats how you make someone fear you, not with violence, but with context and atmosphere.

Can I just fill out this agreement?

Yes. Then you can take this bag and go pay your debt.

Wait a minute. Ill be right back.

Yes, Ill be waiting here slowly, so you dont have to be in a hurry.

When I finished talking to the president of the board game club and returned to the kids, everyone was looking at me blankly.

Why are you all looking at me like that?

Im sure I didnt make a mistake or anything, but why are they doing this?

Uh Mr. Eugene was a nicer or scarier person than I thought.

Boss, you almost lost me.

I cant believe youre thinking about buyingthe agreement form with money.

The kids, watching my methods from behind, had different reactions.

At first, I thought you were just blackmailing them with moneybut if you think about it, its a no-lose proposition for the board game club. Fifty million credits is a lot of money, is it really okay to spend that much?

Big money?

Fifty million credits is about 50 million won in Korean won.

Maybe its because the average cost of a single piece of equipment in the game is 100 million credits, but I didnt feel any loss when I handed over 50 million won to them.

Most of all.

Its just a little bit of pocket money, so it doesnt matter.

Its ?

Its really just pocket change for me, Eugene Han Corleone.

The Corleone family is one of the worlds most powerful underworld families. Thanks to them, my bank account was richer than I could have ever imagined.

Best of all, the fifty million credits I spent this time was a fraction of what my father paid me for dealing with the Blunts, so its hard to say that my wealth has actually diminished.

These guys who couldnt possibly know that just stared at me in disbelief, not knowing what I was talking about.

Freshman.

When he was done filling out the consent form, the president approached me with a briefcase in hand.

Here, he says, is the bronze club agreement you were talking about.

You did it faster than I thought, thank you.

I take the envelope from him and casually hand it over to Jin-woo.

Since youre spending so much money to get us, a bronze club, to sign an agreement, Im guessing youre serious about?

Yes. Just as you think.

The president chuckles at my answer.

I never thought Id see the sight of a freshman forming a club again in this school, and although I cant say anything about giving you the agreement form in this waysince you took our clubs agreement form with you, do your best.

Saying that in a sincere voice, the president extended his hand to me so I took his hand and nodded my head.

Im sure you wont have to worry about it.

That was the end of our work here.

After leaving the board game club behind, we headed straight to the first floor, the lobby of the hall.

I didnt think it would be so easy to get a bronze agreement, but how are you going to get the silver agreement?

Kim Young-jae asked.

It had taken me less than an hour to get the agreement form for the board game club and I still had plenty of time, so I said, pacing slowly.

The silver club should be easier.

Huh?

Well, youll see.

Our next stop, the silver club, was located on the fourth floor of the clubhouse.

Wow, its definitely a different level up here. This place is so clean, its gleaming.

Jin-woo was the first to get off the elevator, looking around.

Boss, what club are we going to this time? We took out the board game club, so were going to the archery club or the shooting club? What is it?

No, its not a big club like that. Im going to a business club.

Business club?

As we exited the elevator and turned the corner to the right, the first thing we saw was a luxurious black door with a sign next to it that read, International Trade Club.

International Trade Club? What is this place?

Ive heard of it!

Kim Se-ah raises her hand as shes heard something about this club.

Its the club that delivers overseas products that arent available in the Academy or the surrounding market through their own routes, quickly and accurately Theres nothing they cant get for money, right?

Huh? How do you know that, let alone the boss?

I heard that they pay a good salary here too, so I looked into it.

Seeing Kim Se-ahs unexpected appearance, Jin-woo let out an exclamation of admiration. I smiled and said,

Its not exactly everything, but its a place where you can get most things.

As Kim Se-ah had said, this [International Trade Club] was a kind of trading post, a place where you could get anything for money.

In the game, it serves as an accessible shop inside the Academy, but theres one thing youll learn about the International Trade Club while traveling the Academy route.

Dont waste any time, lets go in.

What? Just like that?!

Kim Se-ah is confused as I walk straight into the door without any prior preparation.

As we open the door and step inside, we are greeted by a huge space with an office-like atmosphere and cold air blowing through the air conditioner.

No, it was a cold atmosphere that greeted us.

I told you to bring in the real thing, but you brought in the fake, what are you going to do about this damage!

Im sorry, president!

Sorry? Sorry? If youre sorry, youre out of the club, Ill pay for the loss from your salary, do you understand?!

Im sorry! Im sorry!

A shrill voice was heard as we walked in the door and as if sensing our popularity, the woman who had been berating the club member turned to us with a sharp glare.

What are you doing here? Its not club opening time yet.

This is her way of telling us to leave.

Im not here to buy anything.

What?

Im here to see the president of the International Trade Club.

What? Wait, by the color of your nametag, you look like a freshman Hey, do you know what youre doing here? Is our president some kind of dog that has to come when you call?

Not a dog.

What?

I smirked at his confusion and made a gesture of shaking the bell.

Can you look at me for a second?

What are you doing?

Then, pushing past the club member who was about to yell at us, the woman approached with the bell.

The woman, dressed in a black suit and a cadet uniform that had been modified to create a similar atmosphere, approached me with an expressionless face.

Its been a while. Right?

?

The beautiful womans hair was pulled back into a ponytail, revealing a stark white neckline.

She stepped in front of the bewildered club member, leaned down toward me, and spoke in a calm voice.

President of the International Trade Club. Lee Haru sees the young master.