Life’s Second Round in Epic Mode - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 Suspicious Younger Brother (Part 2)

“As our work-related calls have been increasing lately, using our personal phones as expenses is becoming too costly, and I fear that it may cause problems with tax offices or the media later on. Right now, there aren’t any small businesses like ours that carry work phones. Though, the company can cover the communication fees.”

“Really? Then, we should get work phones. Shall we visit a mobile phone store?”

“If it’s for work, we definitely should get them. It’ll be so cool.”

“I always thought it looked cool when bosses carried their work phones.”

The kids answered without much thought, perhaps due to their innocence.

“Alright, let’s all get one then. Oh, I transferred 5 million won to your account, Director Han, for your monthly allowance.”

“Thank you so much, CEO.”

Director Han bowed with a bright smile, unable to hide his emotions despite being a cold-hearted businessman. He became the outside director of Taco Max for helping with various tasks. Thanks to this, he received a salary from both companies, making him the highest-paid director among them.

“Seeing how quickly you’ve grown this company, I sometimes feel scared.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, you’ve achieved results that are hard to imagine for a human. You’re like Superman.”

Perhaps because of that, Director Han, who had initially maintained a somewhat impersonal attitude, began to appear a bit more subdued in front of Yi Geon. He wasn’t a predator like Senior Gu Ja-hoon but rather showed the typical limitations of businesspeople who were inherently vulnerable to the feeling of being overwhelmed. It was a pattern often seen in his first life.

This didn’t mean Director Han’s abilities were lacking. His educational background from the prestigious Korean University Business School and his proven skills at an investment company were indeed genuine.

“Shall I escort you to the mobile phone store now, CEO?”

“Yes, let’s go, Director Han.”

Yi Geon later regretted his decision a bit, as the Motorola V model, the smallest phone of 1993, was as heavy as a brick.

——

At the entrance of the house in the early evening,

“Mom, I’m home.”

“Oh, my son, you’re home early. But why are you carrying so many bags?”

Yi Geon’s hands were filled with bags beyond count. His mother failed to notice the paper bag bearing the Motorola logo. She would have recognized it immediately if it had been from Ohsung Electronics.

“Oh, these are gifts from the place where I work part-time, Mom.”

“You’re working part-time in the evenings these days? Your grades will drop if you don’t study.”

“My grades have improved a lot. Oh, I haven’t given you my report card yet. Please have some of these first.”

Yi Geon offered tacos as usual. Among them, a few were standard tacos for sale, and most were special tacos made for eating at home. Today, he even brought a set menu with fresh fruit juice.

Oh, I should give some to my sister first.

“Is my sister home?”

“Yes, Jin-i, come out. Geon brought tacos.”

“Okay, Mom.”

His sister came out with her wet hair wrapped in a towel.

She had the kind of looks that could make several men cry just by looking at her.

If she was barefaced to that extent, she could really outshine girl groups and actresses.

However, his sister wore a grave expression.

When she made that expression, it was usually fatal to men.

Only their mother salivated upon seeing the tacos.

“Jin-i, you should eat too. I find these tacos that Geon brings home to be the most delicious these days.”

My mother thoroughly enjoyed the special tacos.

Of course.

They were made with premium tenderloin steak brought in from the hotel, mixed with a homemade sauce and balsamic vinegar.

Natural shiitake mushrooms and basil were finely chopped and sprinkled on top.

Seasoned and stir-fried asparagus and sliced vegetables completed the steak taco.

In fact, it was essentially steak with a tortilla simply covering it.

It wasn’t a regular 500 won taco, but rather one with a 20,000 won filling per piece.

“My goodness, this isn’t beef, is it? It seems to have a hint of grape flavor, and it’s so delicious. I wonder if they make any profit selling it with such expensive beef inside?”

My mother was captivated by the sophisticated taste with the fragrant aroma of balsamic vinegar.

“I’m not sure. I just bring home what the company gives me.”

While I did bring home what they gave me, I was the one who ordered the ingredients and created the recipe.

It was a final product infused with my determination to have beef at home.

“Sister, please try some too. This is a new taco menu item. The meat is very tender, and the juices are amazing when you bite into it.”

Gulp~

Jin-i couldn’t resist salivating despite her serious expression.

My mother, oblivious to this, was immersed in the taste of the hotel steak taco.

That’s how fantastic the special taco tasted.

“I guess we won’t have to bother cooking dinner these days.”

“Fortunately, I don’t have to deal with the smell of grilled fish either, Mom.”

I was delighted to have a break from cooking three meals a day.

However, the smells of beef and fish in the house were only part of our domestic issues.

There were still many problems left unsolved.

If only we could move to a bigger place, it’d be perfect. Sharing a room with my sister makes me so nervous. I feel like I’m dying.

Imagine how embarrassing it would be if I were to have a wet dream.

It’s incalculable. I’d probably want to die.

Moreover, I wouldn’t be able to hide the “tent” I pitched every morning, even with a blanket.

As a result, I led an even more ascetic life than a monk.

My sister must also feel very uncomfortable in many ways, including her attire, compared to me.

“Sister, please try some of this. It’s a new freshly-squeezed fruit juice.”

“Geon, could you come to the room for a moment?”

“Yes? Ah, yes, sister.”

Feeling the serious atmosphere, Geon nervously gathered his belongings.

“Geon, sit down here on this chair.”

“Yes, sister.”

Jin-i wore a grave expression, but her round face made her look far less serious than she intended.

If it were the year 2030, her face would resemble a swarm of sweet buffaloes.

If she had turned on Paprika Labang, her buffalo rush would have won first place in a balloon race.

“Geon, you haven’t joined any violent circles lately and been up to no good, have you?”

“Yes? No, sister. Who am I? I’m your younger brother, aren’t I? If I were to join such a violent circle, I’d be the boss.”

In reality, all the freshmen from the circle in Hwagok-dong were under Geon’s command.

The only difference now was that they could no longer bully others.

“No, it’s just that you’ve been coming home so late. Geon, you can’t hide bad things from your sister.”

Jin-i, looking earnest, gripped Geon’s shoulders.

Listening to a serious lecture from his naïve sophomore sister, Geon couldn’t help but suppress laughter and feel exasperated.

On the one hand, he was grateful that she worried about him doing something wrong.

“No, I’ve just been so busy working part-time. Sister, why would I join such a circle? I have no time to play and I’m busy making money. You’re really too much, sister.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really! I just got my part-time salary too. Oh, and this is a gift for you, sister.”

“A gift? What is it? Show me.”

Inside the bag that Geon handed over were white Adidas tennis shoes, indoor Adidas slippers, a luxury sock set, an elegant women’s wallet, a backpack, zipper accessories, two classroom cushions, high-quality stationery, several sets of premium underwear, 200 Taco 2,000 won gift certificates, and a necklace-shaped, latest beeper adorned with lovely cubic decorations.

“Sister, I thought it might be inconvenient for you without a beeper, so I, your younger brother, got you a brand-new one.”

At that time, unlike the rectangular models worn by the middle-aged, it was a small, cute, pebble-like, latest Tachyon model that could be worn as a necklace.

At a glance, one could tell that it was an incredibly expensive beeper.

“Hey, Yi Geon!”

“Yes? Don’t you like it, sister?”

“Such an expensive gift… Did you spend all your part-time job money on this?”

“Hahaha, aren’t I your brother? This doesn’t even make a dent in my part-time earnings.”

“Geon, seriously!”

“Ouch, sister! That hurts.”

Out of the blue, his sister hit him with a backhanded smash.

Yi Geon couldn’t understand why he had to be hit like that after giving her a gift.

What did I do wrong?

In his previous life, he’d never been hit like this after giving a gift to a woman.

Yi Geon, who considered himself a real alpha male, was utterly dumbfounded by this strange situation.

His sister, who had been hitting him for a while, suddenly turned her head and said in a small voice.

“Thank you, Geon! I really appreciate it. Sob~ I’m really grateful. Sob sob~”

Suddenly, his sister buried her face and began to sob.

“Sister, are you crying?”

“Ahem~ I’m not crying, really!”

Sniffle

“It doesn’t seem that way.”

“I’m not crying, really. I mean it.”

“Sister, please use this tissue to wipe your face. If you hold back your tears and your nose starts running, even a pretty sister like you will look a bit dirty.”

“Argh, seriously!”

“Ouch~”

With her tear-streaked face, his sister hit him lightly with another backhand smash.

“Sister, there’s snot running down your nose.”

“Argh, do you want to die, Yi Geon~!”

Seeing his sister’s flushed face with snot dripping down, he had to admit that she looked quite cute.

“Sister, blow your nose here.”

Yi Geon balled up a tissue and held it to her face, and she quickly blew her nose.

“Ah, our baby knows how to blow noses too.”

“Argh, seriously! Hey Yi Geon~ Huff~!”

Suddenly, the situation seemed funny, and his sister burst into laughter.

“Sister, if you cry like that and suddenly laugh, something bad will happen.”

“What, why?”

“Well, you’ll grow hair on your butt.”

“Hey Yi Geon, you’re dead!”

“Ouch~ Sister, my back hurts.”

“Hehehe~ What if I really can’t get married.. Waaa~”

Frightened by his sister suddenly crying loudly, Yi Geon quickly slipped out of the room.

“Waaa~”

As the sound of her sobbing reached his ears, his mother glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“What did you say to make your sister cry, Geon?”

“Well, I said that if you cry and then laugh, you’ll grow hair on your butt.”

“You really! What an inappropriate thing to say to a woman. Is that something you should say to your sister?”

“Ouch!”

Following his sister, his mother hit him with a backhand smash as well.

In the end, to avoid further trouble, Yi Geon pulled out the gift bag he’d been carrying.

“Mother, before hitting me again, please take a look at this first. Ouch~ It’s a gift. Ouch~”

“What is this? Let me hit your back first.”

“Ouch~!”

Only after his back felt like it was on fire did Yi Geon finally manage to escape the situation using the gift as an excuse.

And that day, Yi Geon made both women cry.

Yi Geon was a terrible guy who could easily make women cry.