Chapter 9

Mr. Gang stood at the entrance of the massage parlor, took a deep breath, and firmly held the secret letter given to him by his mother.

---

Mr. Gang lay down on the bed after returning home.

It was now 8 PM.

Having started work at 7 AM, he had worked for about twelve hours before coming back.

He had been living this life for about three weeks.

Excluding Sundays, he had been working every week, and one could say he had been quite diligent.

However, he didn't show any signs of fatigue.

On the contrary, he felt more energetic than when he first returned to this world.

This was thanks to the internal energy he had absorbed bit by bit while giving massages.

"Phew."

Since he wasn't tired, there was no need to lie down for long.

Mr. Gang sat up, crossed his legs, and focused his mind on his dantian for a moment.

'Not bad progress.'

Faintly, but he could feel it.

What was once an empty space now clearly held internal energy, like a spring at the bottom of a well.

There was no need to hide it.

All the internal energy there was gathered through the Absorption Technique.

Of course, he had never prioritized personal gain; he had only taken what was necessary for treatment, but the significant harvest remained unchanged.

'Even this much is a significant harvest.'

In the world, a "Jiazi" (甲子) is the standard for a high-level practitioner.

A Jiazi, as the name suggests, refers to the average amount of internal energy accumulated by an ordinary martial artist over 60 years of practice.

Of course, the speed varies greatly depending on talent and effort, and the efficiency of cultivation and mind techniques can also make a significant difference...

However, a Jiazi's worth of internal energy is not easily accumulated and is the standard for being recognized as a high-level practitioner.

By that standard, the amount of internal energy Mr. Gang had gathered was roughly equivalent to one to one and a half years.

It was still insufficient, but considering the period of less than a month, it was an incredible harvest.

Especially considering that the density of qi in this world was much lower than in the martial world, it was an unbelievable growth rate.

'By the way... Now that I think about it, there are really a lot of obese people here.'

Manchongshengqidu (滿充生氣毒).

Literally, a condition where the abundant vitality in the body acts like a poison.

In the martial world, this was a phenomenon occasionally seen in high-ranking officials and powerful families, but here, many customers exhibited this condition to varying degrees.

And most of them were obese.

In a way, it was a natural occurrence.

High-calorie meals led to an excess of vitality, and a lack of exercise caused the accumulated vitality to stagnate and accumulate.

Of course, there were many differences in detail, but the two conditions had a lot in common.

'Well... It's beneficial for me, at least.'

In any case, Mr. Gang benefited from this.

The excess internal energy became his.

The significant amount of internal energy he had gained in such a short time was all thanks to this.

"Hmm?"

Ding!

The clear alarm sound prompted Mr. Gang to check his Kaotalk. He saw a message from Manager Huang.

'What's up?'

They had become somewhat close and had shared a few meals, but Manager Huang wasn't the type to bother him with personal matters.

So, it must be business-related.

Mr. Gang switched to the map app on his screen.

* * *

"Here I am."

A tea house in Sinlim-dong.

As Mr. Gang raised his hand, Manager Huang, who had just arrived, approached with an awkward smile.

"I'm sorry for calling you after work. You must be tired."

"It's fine. I wasn't that tired today."

Mr. Gang spoke in a nonchalant tone.

Manager Huang looked at him skeptically, thinking, 'Is that even possible?'

Today, Mr. Gang had served over ten customers.

The workload was enough to make anyone exhausted.

Honestly, Mr. Gang had insisted he could handle it, so they had assigned him the tasks, but under normal circumstances, they would have turned away half of the named customers.

'...He really looks fine?'

Manager Huang was originally a masseur.

He had learned some massage techniques and, while not an expert, could roughly gauge a person's condition.

Mr. Gang's condition was excellent.

It was as if he had just received a massage rather than given one for over ten hours.

"Anyway, what would you like to drink?"

"I'd like a sweet coffee... but there's no coffee?"

The menu only listed teas, as if to emphasize that this was a tea house.

Moreover, there were so many different types of tea leaves.

"Manager Huang, I think this one would suit you."

Mr. Gang pointed to one of the tea leaves.

It was a tea leaf he had never heard of before, something like a four-character idiom.

"Liuguan Guapien (六安瓜片)? What is this?"

"It's a green tea from China. I think it will suit your taste and be good for your constitution."

"Is that so?"

Why not?

They were here to talk, not to drink tea, so Manager Huang casually ordered the tea leaf Mr. Gang recommended.

"So, what's up?"

"It's nothing bad, really."

In response to Mr. Gang's direct question, Manager Huang scratched his temple.

"I was thinking that Mr. Gang's pay might be a bit low compared to his skills."

"Hmm..."

Mr. Gang thought for a moment.

His current hourly wage was 8,800 won.

For a one-hour customer, he received an additional 18,000 won as a performance bonus.

In other words, he earned between 8,800 and 26,800 won per hour.

In Mr. Gang's case, he effectively earned around 30,000 won per hour, plus the additional benefit of gathering internal energy.

Could he find a better job than this right now?

It might be possible, but it would be difficult.

"It is a bit low, I agree."

But money is always better when there's more of it!

Since the other side mentioned that the pay was low, there was no need to correct it.

"Exactly."

Manager Huang nodded, as if he had expected this response.

Mr. Gang just smiled faintly.

"To be honest, there were a lot of customers looking for Mr. Gang today. How many did you turn away?"

"I saw that earlier."

"Mr. Gang has only been here for three weeks, and already... I think more people will come in the future. Rumors tend to spread faster over time."

Manager Huang's words were not exaggerated.

Today, some customers had even offered extra money to move up their turn.

If this continued, dozens of people might come to see Mr. Gang every day.

But Mr. Gang only had one body.

So,

"That's why I'm thinking of raising Mr. Gang's pay and creating a special course. What do you think?"

"Special course? What kind of course?"

"Just a premium one, basically. The owner is also positive about it."

The so-called Premium Intensive Care Course.

In reality, it was a course where customers could specifically request Mr. Gang for a massage.

The price would be 90,000 won per hour, 30,000 won more than the original price.

"Then... the performance bonus would increase to 27,000 won?"

"No, not just that. If that were the case, I wouldn't be making such a fuss."

Manager Huang shook his head and held up five fingers.

"Exactly 50%."

"Are you saying you'll increase the percentage?"

That would mean 45,000 won in actual money.

In terms of performance bonuses alone, it would be almost double what he currently earned.

"Right. I considered raising the hourly wage, but it's easier to convince the owner to raise the performance bonus. It's better for Mr. Gang too, right?"

Manager Huang was ultimately a middle manager.

Even if he wanted to raise the pay, he couldn't do it on his own and had to discuss it with the owner.

The hourly wage is a fixed expense that must be paid regardless of sales.

On the other hand, the performance bonus is only paid when there are sales.

It's easier to get better conditions by raising the performance bonus when convincing the owner.

Of course, if there were no sales, it would be a wasted effort, but Manager Huang was confident that Mr. Gang would definitely bring in sales.

'Let's do this more efficiently. I'll make sure you get as much as possible... That's what he means.'

It wasn't a bad deal for Mr. Gang.

If true, he would earn more money than before.

It was essentially a raise.

"Will my job responsibilities change?"

"No. We'll just create a larger space for the premium course... and change Mr. Gang's attire a bit. Oh, and we'll need to rewrite the contract."

Mr. Gang quietly looked into Manager Huang's eyes.

The calm, steady gaze.

Even during the conversation, there was no unusual reaction.

It meant he had nothing to hide.

"It doesn't seem like a bad deal."

"Right? I don't think it will be bad for Mr. Gang. Honestly, I'm pushing for this because I want to keep you here longer."

Manager Huang spoke frankly in response to Mr. Gang's comment.

More regular customers meant increased recognition for the massage parlor.

In fact, the daily sales had steadily increased since Mr. Gang joined.

"So... What do you think? Any thoughts?"

"I need to see the contract and adjust my schedule. Even though I'm in my final year, I still need to finish my studies."

"Of course. We'll try to accommodate your schedule. It's a reservation system, so don't worry."

"In that case..."

Mr. Gang thought, 'I'm grateful.'