Matan’s Shooter

These were people whom he would never have been able to approach if not for Middle Earth.

Just the fact that he was having a meal with them felt like a novel experience to Leeha.

“What?”

“Huh? Why?”

But depending on how one listened, it could be interpreted differently.

Ram Hwayeon was staring at Leeha more sharply than before.

“So? Are you saying you dislike it?”

“Huh? No! What, what are you talking about all of a sudden? Why would I dislike you, Ram Hwayeon?”

Leeha protested loudly as if he didn’t understand what she was saying, which made her demeanor soften.

She had cautious expectations.

“Well… then?”

If he didn’t dislike her, then what would his next answer be?

Ram Hwayeon was expecting that. Even Ram Hwajung’s knife paused for a moment, probably because she had the same thoughts as her unni.

“Huh? Then? What do you mean by then? I said I don’t dislike you.”

The problem was that only the involved parties didn’t realize it. As Ram Hwayeon glared at Leeha, Ram Hwajung split a lobster in half.

“Eat. Stupid.”

“Huh, what? Okay, okay—”

Leeha chewed on the lobster that was pushed into his mouth. Ram Hwayeon sighed and shook her head.

“Ugh, never mind. By the way, the suit you wore when you came here was already dry cleaned, so you should change into it tomorrow. That tuxedo you’re wearing now—”

“Ah, I borrowed this size, and it fits well.”

Leeha mumbled, chewing his food, and looked at his attire once again.

Despite being given on short notice, it fit perfectly on him.

Ram Hwajung tilted her head as she looked at Leeha.

“Yeah. Oppa’s size. Last time. Fi—”

“Hwajung!”

Ram Hwayeon hurriedly called her name, making her clam up.

Of course, there was only one reason why the suddenly prepared clothes fit him so well. Ram Hwayeon had jotted down all of Leeha’s sizes at the tailor shop when she bought him clothes last time.

‘There are several suits prepared for fitting… silly. If only he had come a few days earlier.’

Was the tuxedo he was wearing now a problem?

They had even prepared summer suits using various fabrics for the hot summer! With a boiling rage, Ram Hwayeon looked at Leeha.

“Huh? Hehe, is something on my face?”

Leeha wiped around his mouth with a napkin.

Even with his silly actions and foolish smile, objectively he seemed immature, yet her heart still fluttered.

Ram Hwayeon took a sip of her white wine.

It was a sudden drink that even surprised Ram Hwajung next to her.

“How have you been recently?”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you’ve been busy running around Middle Earth… You don’t know anything about Shin Nara?”

That was what she barely managed to ask.

Even in Ram Hwayeon’s network, she couldn’t find Lark and Shin Nara. But could Shin Nara just disappear like this?

‘What was all that talk in Fibiel’s palace then? Could she really be wandering around with a man like Lark suddenly?’

Ram Hwayeon shook her head precisely for that reason.

Knowing that Shin Nara wasn’t someone like that instinctively, she wondered if Leeha knew something she didn’t.

But Leeha knew nothing as well.

“No, nothing at all. I haven’t contacted Nara for a long time. Whenever I check my friends’ list, her location is always hidden. What is she doing and where? According to Bobae of Byulcho Guild, they are friends, right? Anyway, Bobae said it was clear that she was moving around with Lark. Hmm…”

Lark must have noticed that Tiamat had awakened.

So where could Shin Nara be, moving around with that Lark?

Most importantly, what would Shin Nara be doing there?

“Really? So, even you, Ha Leeha, can’t contact her?”

“That’s right. It’s frustrating.”

Leeha was just talking about Middle Earth, but Ram Hwayeon’s expression brightened noticeably.

Suddenly, Ram Hwajung, who had been quietly listening, lifted her head.

“Oh.”

“What’s up, Hwajung?”

She put down her fork and knife.

At that moment, the restaurant doors burst open.

“C-chairman! We haven’t finished cleaning the floor yet—”

“It’s fine.”

As an elderly man in a white suit walked in quickly, several men in black suits followed behind him in a rush.

His demeanor showed that he didn’t care at all about his surroundings.

No one, including the restaurant manager, could stop his strides. Leeha thought Ram Hwajung had an animal-like instinct.

Ram Hwayeon was so shocked that she almost spat out what was in her mouth, but with superhuman restraint, she swallowed it all.

“If you had spit it out, I would have been very disappointed, director.”

He mercilessly pulled a chair from the nearby table and sat at Leeha’s table.

Ram Hwayeon bowed politely to him.

“… Of course, chairman.”

“Ha ha, yes! How have you been, young sniper?”

“… Y-Yes! It’s been a while. Good to see you, chairman Ram Long.”

Leeha also hurriedly greeted him.

The head of the Ram Long Group, a person who controlled the economic landscape of Hong Kong, stood before them.

Judging by the atmosphere, it was clear that this meeting was not planned.

* * *

Leeha had no idea what was happening for the past 15 minutes.

After the aides of Ram Long, dressed in black suits, moved a few times, only the Ram Long family remained in the vast restaurant floor.

‘Everyone must have made reservations, but were they all driven out?’

This wasn’t something that could be achieved through mere power or authority.

The aides of Ram Long were adept not only at negotiation and intimidation but also at offering appropriate compensation, and the mere name of Ram Long made people hastily leave the place.

“So, how’s the business?”

Ram Long only opened his mouth to speak after enough time passed for the surrounding commotion to settle, enjoying his wine.

However, Leeha could not understand his question at all. Business? What kind of business was he referring to?

“Business? What business am― I doing?”

“Hm? Hahaha! Director!”

As soon as Ram Long opened his mouth, Ram Hwayeon promptly spilled out words.

“The qualitative factors of the influence and authority Ha Leeha holds within Middle Earth have become more solid. In terms of quantitative factors, the cash flow from the currently operating city shows a growth rate of over 7% compared to the previous month.”

“Good, good. Isn’t it doing well? For a one-man business, it’s excellent. That’s what a startup is like, isn’t it?”

“Compliments. Strange.”

Ram Hwajung murmured quietly.

It was a statement that only Leeha could hear.

According to his knowledge, Ram Long wasn’t the type to praise others. What meaning did referring to Middle Earth as a ‘one-man business’ and asking about it hold?

‘On top of that, why does Ram Hwayeon know so much about Citadel Grown?’

Even Leeha hadn’t checked how much it had grown compared to the previous month!

Leeha thought that this father-daughter duo was truly terrifying. Ram Long stopped laughing heartily and gazed at Leeha.

Even Leeha, who had experienced many ups and downs as a sniper, felt a chilling sensation from his gaze.

“I have to thank you. While our Director worked tirelessly day and night, thanks to you, our investment returns were quite lucrative. I hear things have been rough on the ‘inside’ lately too.”

“… Pardon?”

Leeha couldn’t understand his sudden words.

Inside? Inside where?

“Ordinarily, I would never have invested. Hahaha, a program that can’t be controlled by the company! That’s just a gamble, a half-baked probability game.”

“… Th-That’s right.”

“But precisely because of that, I invested. In a game made of gambling and probabilities, there was a person who transcended gambling and probabilities. What kind of result would emerge? How much more could our profits increase? It’s quite intriguing.”

Ram Long’s eyes were sparkling.

Leeha noticed that the eyes of the chairman of the Ram Long Group, nearing old age, shone like those of a child. That he could speak so purely about ‘money.’

Was this ambition or not?

Leeha couldn’t decipher the true intent behind Ram Long’s gaze.

Perhaps it was because he still couldn’t understand his words.

“… It seems like you are saying something good… but I apologize. I don’t understand any of it.”

“What? You don’t― Hahaha! Really? You mean you didn’t understand anything I said?”

Ram Long laughed heartily.

By now, Leeha was bewildered.

Ram Long had been talking by himself all this time and suddenly said he didn’t have to understand? What was there to understand?

‘Talking about Middle Earth all of a sudden, and why would I have any connection with this guy― Wait, Middle Earth?’

Leeha thought he might finally understand Ram Long’s words.

What had Ram Long been talking about from the start?

“Oh? Are you talking about, Middle Earth?!”

Ram Long had been discussing Middle Earth.

When Leeha spoke as if he understood, Ram Long suddenly gave a satisfied smile and looked at Ram Hwayeon.

Ram Hwayeon bowed her head deeply, looking uncertain of what to do.

Ram Long looked at her and spoke.

“It must be because this isn’t an act, right? No, even if it were an act, to this extent, one should know to pretend to be duped. Isn’t that right, Hwayeon?”

“… If that’s Father’s wish.”

“Heh, this guy.”

The titles of Director and Chairman were replaced with family terms. The atmosphere grew noticeably softer, but the content remained just as perplexing.

Ram Long once again looked at Leeha.

“Yes. It was about Middle Earth and Goople.”

“Yes. Goople is the company that created Middle Earth. Recently—”

“You met with the Operations team?”

“—Huh? What? Oh?”

For a moment, Leeha’s mind was struck by lightning.

What were the words Ram Long mentioned?

‘A program that the company can’t control,’ ‘investment,’ ‘gambling and odds.’

And the Operations team staff?

How did Ram Long know that?

Even Ram Hwayeon couldn’t hide her shock hearing about meeting the Operations team staff, but how could Ram Long know something Ram Hwayeon didn’t?

As Leeha pieced together Ram Long’s words, he recalled someone else’s words.

『Maintaining the right amount of tension in a stable condition is ideal, isn’t it? From the company’s perspective, they’re the industry leader, but they also have to manage their market share and consider the users’ perspective. Company revenue and, more broadly, the stock price are also important. The influence of extreme shareholders is quite significant.』

As GM’s voice replayed in his mind, Leeha finally realized who the ‘extreme shareholder’ was.

Seeing Leeha’s eyes widen, Ram Long laughed heartily once again.

“Ha ha ha! Indeed, you are a sharp shooter! So, how much have you figured out?”

“You invested, right? And a huge amount—”

The reason Ram Long didn’t discuss this openly and needed to clear the whole floor to talk with his family!

“Correct. I own 4.88% of all issued shares of Goople.”

Since meeting Leeha, Ram Long’s first directive to his son was the acquisition of Goople shares.

Considering the time that had passed since then,

“There’s no other institution, except for the primary shareholders, that holds more than I do.”

Ram Long Group had become a shareholder with enough influence to affect Goople as a whole.

Leeha stood up from his chair without realizing it.

* * *

Seeing Ram Long claim he could influence Goople, Leeha was shocked.

Then he quickly harbored doubt.

Ram Long Group held 4.88% of Goople’s stock.

“Four point eight-eight percent—is that a lot?”

Was that a significant amount?

Seeing Leeha’s bewildered expression, Ram Long looked dumbfounded.

“W-What?”

“Ha Leeha!? If you don’t know, just stay quiet!”

Only when Ram Hwayeon hastily pulled him back to his seat did Ram Long begin to laugh heartily.

“Not knowing, ha ha! There is a limit to not knowing! It’s enormous! Director!”

“Y-Yes, chairman!”

“Explain to him what holding 4.88% of Goople stocks means.”

Speaking generously, Ram Long poured himself a glass of wine.

Ram Hwayeon quickly realized that her father wasn’t entirely in a good mood.

Making one or two mistakes or lacking knowledge about economics could be seen as cute, but this level of ignorance!

“Ha Leeha, do you know the current market capitalization of Goople?”

“Market capitalization is… the total issued shares multiplied by the current stock price, right?”

“Exactly. It’s almost equivalent to the company’s current value. Goople’s current market capitalization in US dollars is…”

Ram Hwayeon quickly pulled out a pen from her pocket.

Leeha couldn’t read the number written on the napkin at a glance.

USD 2,305,554,309,174.

“What in the—? What is this? One, ten, hundred thousand, ten thousand—”

“Approximately 2.305 trillion dollars.”

“2 trillion!? Goople is worth 2 trillion—”

Though Leeha was astonished by the staggering figure, his shock was premature.

“2 trillion ‘US dollars.’ If you consider the exchange rate with Korea, you multiply it by about 1,100.”

TL’s Corner:

I honestly just want this to end.