Choi Yu-Seong was left wondering as he left Choi Woo-Jae’s study. Did he succeed or fail?

But as he was in the car, heading home, he knew the answer.

‘I guess it’s half a success.’

At the very least, it was clear that he succeeded in making Choi Woo-Jae look forward to what he would do next. But it was Woo-Jae’s last words that were important.

‘Prove that it’s not just empty words.’

Perhaps that was the real intention behind his gift.

‘No, I’m certain that was it.’

The intent was for him to show how he would change through what he was given and the present he had received.

If he only got excited and relieved by Choi Woo-Jae’s gift, then the expectations he’d worked hard to get Choi Woo-Jae to would have disappeared like candlelight being snuffed out from the wind. In a way, the gift was another test by Choi Woo-Jae.

‘I’m not going to make this my first and last gift.’

Of course, Yu-Seong wasn’t the slightest bit unhappy with Woo-Jae’s attitude. This was his first step in restoring his relationship with Woo-Jae.

Like the saying ‘well begun is half done,’ the fact that he is moving forward was important.

‘But I shouldn’t get careless. Considering Choi Woo-Jae’s personality, he wouldn’t test me himself. Kim Pil-Doo… It’s highly likely that he’ll be the one to test me.’

Frowning, Yu-Seong was organizing his thoughts when he heard the siblings calling him.

“I’m really surprised, young master.”

“A gift from the chairman! That’s amazing!”

As if proving that they were siblings, their eyes and expressions displayed the same emotion. The only difference was that Yu-Ri’s cheeks were red with excitement while Do-Yoon expressed the same emotion to a greater degree as his shoulders slightly trembled. The way he was tightly gripping the handle seemed a bit adorable as well.

‘Happy… No, more like amazed?’

The fact that Do-Yoon was amazed as if an infant had spoken their first words seemed overly dramatic, but Yu-Seong’s hard expression melted away at that sight. Although he had a lot to think about - like the fact he was being tested or that he had to do better now - it was an undeniable truth that Choi Woo-Jae gave him a present.

“If I’m being honest, young master, my heart skipped a beat when you came out of the study. I thought you got in big trouble…”

Soaking with sweat and stumbling with a pale face, Yu-Seong had been in such bad shape when he left the study that it had been difficult to talk to him. That was why Do-Yoon and Yu-Ri chose to support him from behind without saying a word.

Fortunately, Yu-Seong’s breathing stabilized quickly and although he still had a hard expression, his face regained more color 30 minutes later. By the time they were leaving the main house, Kim Pil-Doo gave him the present from Choi Woo-Jae.

At that point, the siblings felt like what they had been worrying about actually turned into something rewarding.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask what you discussed with the chairman?” Jin Yu-Ri asked with sparkling eyes full of curiosity and excitement.

'She is definitely different from her brother.'

She was inquisitive and tried to identify her current situation. Considering her keen insight, it was highly likely that Jin Yu-Ri would become Yu-Seong’s most reliable ally in everything he would do in the future.

“...I said I didn’t want to die.”

Yu-Seong responded to her honestly.

The siblings might’ve been excited, but for a split second, a sad look flashed across their faces. They knew better than anyone else how meaningful Choi Yu-Seong’s short words were. Although he may seem like a lucky and blessed rascal, his life wasn’t as sweet as it seemed.

“I’m serious. So that’s why I’m going to ask you two to continue helping me as you have done until now.”

Yu-Seong smiled softly as he read the sincerity in their eyes. If Choi Woo-Jae was a distant ally, the Jin siblings were already his close allies.

That was why Yu-Seong believed he should tell them his true feelings.

“...Of course.”

“I’ll risk my life to follow you.”

The two looked at Yu-Seong trustingly with no intention of resisting.

‘That’s a relief.’

He had woken up in this remote world, but he wasn't alone. He didn’t have to carry all the burden alone.

Although Yu-Seong had a firm personality and knew the original novel’s plot, he wasn’t a perfect human being.

‘It won’t be a problem to rest a little.’

As all the tension left his body, Yu-Seong gradually fell asleep as he finally relaxed.

“I’m…going to sleep just a bit. Wake me up when we arrive.”

He drifted into sleep right after his words, tightly holding on to the wooden box he received from Woo-Jae with both hands.

“Get some rest, young master. You worked hard.”

Yu-Ri smiled softly and covered Yu-Seong with the blanket she had.

“I can’t comprehend the situation since it’s so sudden but…”

“It seems the young master has changed.”

Yu-Ri looked toward Do-Yoon and smiled with her eyes.

“You feel great, don’t you?"

“...It goes without saying.”

“Shall we have a celebration party later?”

“All right. My treat.”

“Not gonna happen! I feel just as delighted as you.”

I wish Choi Yu-Seong was just like today. 

The Jin siblings had the same thought with a deep smile on their lips. Even now, these two had no idea that Yu-Seong’s change had begun to take root.

* * *

In the main house of the Choi family where Choi Yu-Seong just left, Choi Woo-Jae was still in his office surrounded by complete silence. Perched on his table, he held the tea cup Kim Pil-Doo gave him and brought his nose close to the steam.

“The scent is quite good.”

“It’s brewed with the alteine tea leaves acquired from the sixth-class dungeon, sir. It should taste and smell great, but it’s actually not up to par with the cost.”

“It doesn’t have to have a good fragrance since the value of alteine tea leaves lies in its rarity. It’s obvious why people buy this kind of thing.”

Woo-Jae frowned slightly as he took a sip to moisten his throat.

“It’s bitter. I’d rather have some citron tea.”

“The older you get sir, the more you seem to be wanting sweets.”

“30 years ago, I believed that I had to enjoy the bitterness to be mature, but now I disagree. Why taste something bitter when you could taste something sweet?”

Choi Woo-Jae smiled faintly and, after tossing the tea away, placed the teacup down.

“You are being contradictory, sir. Didn’t you give a gift to Yu-Seong?”

Woo-Jae’s lips and eyes rose peculiarly at Kim Pil-Doo’s question. He seemed angry at first glance, but in a way, he also looked like he was smiling.

“Isn’t he my son?”

“You have ten of them, sir.”

“It’s nothing. Every single one of them is the apple of my eye.”

“You’ll only taste bitterness in the end, sir.”

Having brewed the same alteine tea as Woo-Jae, Pil-Doo brought the teacup to his mouth before tilting his head, seemingly confused.

“Are you trying the bitterness once again, sir?”

“As I said, I like sweet things.”

Woo-Jae shook his head firmly as he responded.

Pil-doo’s eyes faintly gleamed through the steam from his tea.

In fact, he had been crossing the line and retreating multiple times in their previous conversation. After all, most of his questions resembled that of an interrogation.

But Choi Woo-Jae didn’t get angry. Instead, he seemed rather pleased.

Pil-Doo was confident that he had been by Choi Woo-Jae’s side the longest.

“...Sir, you must think that the kid is going to exceed my expectations.”

“Haha…”, Woo-Jae laughed and evaded his question. “From the beginning, it was impossible for him to be entirely incompetent. He’s born between me and ‘her.’ If you only evaluated lineage among my children, his descent is as good as Ji-Ho’s. Rather, it was his actions until now that were incomprehensible.”

He spoke of two names that had been spoken in a long time - Choi Yu-Seong’s mother and his eldest son Choi Ji-Ho.

Pil-Doo’s eyes became cold.

He knew very little about Choi Yu-Seong’s mother who had already passed away.

On the other hand, he knew quite a lot about Choi Ji-Ho. Although Ji-Ho was now in the hospital due to a tragic accident, he would definitely have succeeded Choi Woo-Jae if he had grown up normally. Even though he was no longer part of the competition to become Woo-Jae’s successor, there were still quite a few supporters of Jin-Ho within the company because of his outstanding charisma and character.

Honestly, Pil-Doo thought it was absurd that Woo-Jae was comparing such Ji-Ho to the rascal Yu-Seong. Even if Yu-Seong surpassed his expectations, Pil-Doo didn’t think he would win against Ji-Ho. The only thing Yu-Seong would be able to compete in was…

'Once again, lineage comes out.'

It might be what Woo-Jae wanted since he was weirdly obsessed with blood.

“Be cautious. I can see what you’re thinking.”

“...My apologies, sir.”

“Well, I keep you by my side because that’s one of the things I like about you. You still believe you can beat my children and succeed me, don’t you?”

“Sir, I don’t think it’d be impossible if you gave me a chance.”

“There’s nothing to give or not. If my children can’t even handle you, they don’t deserve to succeed me in the first place.”

Pil-Doo smiled in response to the ambiguous words that could be interpreted as a compliment or an insult. He understood the meaning behind those ambiguous words that others wouldn’t easily understand.

“I’m flattered.”

“Anyway, keep an eye on Yu-Seong.”

“Should I observe him or protect him?”

Woo-Jae had given Yu-Seong a present. This wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

And Choi Yu-Seong’s brothers and sisters who paid attention to Woo-Jae’s actions would hear the news right away. There was no way they would stay still.

The Choi Yu-Seong they ridiculed and belittled had received a present. Considering that some of his siblings haven’t yet received a gift from Choi Woo-Jae, it was a shocking situation.

Naturally, not all of them would just let Choi Yu-Seong be.

“Protection? That’s nonsense. He should take care of himself with his own strength. He should taste the bitterness of life unlike an aged person like me, don’t you think?”

Woo-Jae stood up from his seat and shook his head with a smirk.

* * *

Choi Yu-Seong didn’t want to taste the bitterness.

After he returned home, he headed to his room and vowed while staring at the gift from Woo-Jae.

‘Since I have a chance to achieve a real-life rags to riches story, I want to live only tasting sweetness.’

If someone told him that one must experience hardships to truly understand life, he would have proudly raised his middle finger and shouted this:

‘You do the hard work if you want. I want to live an easy and comfortable life.’

He already suffered hardships as an orphan. Even after waking up in Choi Yu-Seong’s body, who was born to a rich family, his life still wasn’t a bed of roses. What’s the point of trying to go through every obstacle?

“I want to go easy. Come on.”

Yu-Seong breathed out lightly and opened the lid of the wooden box he received from Woo-Jae. Right after he checked its contents, a smile appeared on his face.

“As expected.”

The gift inside the box was something that he had expected and wanted. It was a purple stone the size of a child’s palm.

Choi Yu-Seong already knew the identity of this stone which was easily recognizable by its uniqueness.

"The Awakening Stone.”

There were Cracks in this world that were also known as dungeons. The creatures that live inside those dungeons were called monsters, that brought both danger and opportunity to Earth. There was a simple reason why a dungeon that had dangerous monsters could be an opportunity for humans.

‘It contributes to the development of the Earth.’

Sadly, war brings progress. The dungeons within the Cracks, the battle for survival against monsters, and its resulting by-products completely changed the paradigm of human civilization.

Those who stood at the center of that battlefield are the commonly known Players.

‘Normally, most people acknowledge their powers naturally.’

Five years before the beginning of the [Modern Master Returns] novel, the Awakening Stone was first discovered as a dungeon by-product. This stone, as its name suggests, had the ability to awaken a human being’s powers.

It was simply a revolution.

Originally, the Awakening occurred randomly by an inexplicable phenomenon after the Crack had appeared.

However, in a world where Players were highly valued, an object that could artificially initiate the Awakening was created. Many research institutes over the globe immediately began studying the Awakening Stone.

Their main objective was clear - mass production of the Awakening Stone that could artificially produce Players.

If they succeeded, it meant that they would be able to acquire an army of Players that no other military force could stand against. This was viewed as a huge event by nations, as it could decide national power.

But the research had no progress for five years.

‘About five years later, a genius scientist would eventually discover the mechanism of the Awakening Stone in some U.S. research institute.’

And three years later, the U.S. would solidify its position as the world’s superpower by mass-producing the Awakening Stone for the first time.

But this was literally a story of the distant future.

‘I’d be a fool just to sit around and watch.’

Crisis and opportunity came together. There was nothing more appropriate than this expression in Yu-Seong’s current situation.

‘Although I may seem like I’m in a bad position, it’s not that bad as long as I can improve it.’

Choi Yu-Seong was an heir to a conglomerate. And again, he knew the future.

‘Just wait, you American genius scientist.’

He was ready to outrun the scientist as soon as he was prepared.

Yu-Seong's tongue peeked out as he licked his lips.