Chapter 58

I tried to read the string.

However.

“No! No! Never ever!”

Mr. Big ran over, wiping the moisture from his hands.

Then he hastily spoke, and Kim Gyu-tae relayed his words.

“I can’t ask you to pay. After all, you’re my guest, and you even confessed your love to me. If you want to drink it, I’ll buy it for you.”

But, Mr. Big, this is too much!

“I’ll buy it.”

“No, I can’t let you. I’ll buy it. Absolutely not.”

If you buy this, it will be a huge stretch...

But then again, it’s not a stretch for you, is it?

Instead, I decided to feel grateful.

I had already obtained the hint for 《Professionalism》, so I didn’t need to clear it right away.

“Of course.”

I smiled at Mr. Big, and he nodded in satisfaction.

After that, we enjoyed a pleasant dinner.

I even told him the story of how I acquired the porcelain.

“You bought it for 600 dollars? Hahaha, why doesn’t such luck come to me?”

We also heard the story behind the auction.

“So Paul said, since it’s being bid on from all over, it would be cheaper to just bid 7 million dollars. I said okay.”

Especially, Mr. Big really liked the story of my broken engagement.

“Hahaha, love is unpredictable. It’s for the best. You’re still young, so meet many people and enjoy life. I’ve been divorced about four times, or was it three?”

...Indeed, America is a free country.

After finishing the meal, we headed back to the rooftop.

Mr. Big said he would treat us all the way back to Manhattan, but he wouldn’t be returning.

Rrrrrrrr──

When I first saw the helicopter, I almost had a heart attack.

But now, I’ve gotten somewhat used to it.

“It was a great evening.”

Kim Gyu-tae relayed Mr. Big’s words, and I also expressed my gratitude.

“It was the most enjoyable time I’ve had since coming to New York.”

But I had only met Mr. Big briefly.

Why do I feel so close to him?

I didn’t want to part ways.

So I decided to ask.

I had held back because I thought Mr. Big wouldn’t want to, but I had been wanting to ask all along.

“I want to know who you are.”

Actually, just ‘Quality Conversion’ would be enough!

You’ve told me so much!

If I give it to Tam, it will explode in 10 seconds!

But I wanted to hear it from Mr. Big’s mouth.

Mr. Big, not understanding my feelings, shook his head and pulled out a wallet from the back pocket of his pants.

Then he handed me a business card.

Holding it with both hands, covering both sides.

“Sure, I’ll give you the business card. But don’t open it until you’re on the helicopter. If you see it, I’ll tell them to drop you from the helicopter, hahaha.”

I also extended both hands.

And I took the card, completely covering it.

Meeting someone whose identity is unknown is the most comfortable in the world, and I didn’t want to break that feeling just before parting.

“Of course.”

We moved toward the helicopter.

Rrrrrrrr──

The helicopter noise grew louder as we approached.

To avoid being drowned out, Mr. Big shouted his farewell.

“See you, Mr. Goldenbell!”

“See you!”

I also shouted loudly and got into the helicopter.

The helicopter slowly moved away from the rooftop, and Mr. Big was still waving from his spot.

Rrrrrrrr──

When the helicopter passed over Brooklyn and crossed the East River, I lifted the business card I was holding.

Who could it be?

What kind of person could it be?

[ MR. BIG ]

I flipped the card over.

There was nothing on the back.

“Damn, this guy!”

He really was a funny guy.

Back in the hotel room, I immediately booked a direct first-class flight to Incheon.

The total cost for two tickets was 25,720,000 won.

It felt a bit painful, but I went for it.

“Hahaha! What can I do!”

They say the economy activates when rich people spend money!

Now I’m a consumption expert, a flex expert!

But it wasn’t just a whim.

I wanted to treat Kim Gyu-tae, who had worked so hard, and I also wanted to clear 《Professionalism》.

‘Not showing up?’

But the string didn’t appear.

‘Then it must be at least 25 million won?’

I got a rough estimate.

A 50-year-old bottle of Balvenie costs 62.5 million won in Korean currency.

So, the condition to clear 《Professionalism》 is probably spending an amount between 25 million and 62.5 million won.

I ran to Coco, who was slumped in a corner of the hotel room.

“Coco! Ah, my little treasure! My cute baby!”

All of this was thanks to Coco.

But seeing Coco so sad made my heart hurt.

──Korororo······

I had already planned to give Coco a wonderful gift tomorrow, but now I could clear 《Professionalism》 with it, too.

“Coco, let’s go shopping tomorrow. I’ll let you eat everything we buy. No financial planning. No selling. So cheer up.”

Coco’s light flickered and flew back to me.

It might not be resolved right away, but I have to try.

“Tam, are you okay?”

Tam was flying around happily as usual.

──Pewpewpewpew!

Our diligent Tam, who would disappear for a while whenever it was time to run the 「Macro」, even while in New York.

I have to give Tam a gift of New York-style junk food calorie bombs.

“Phew!”

I threw myself onto the bed.

The soft cushion enveloped my tired body.

Lying on my back, I looked up at the ceiling.

‘...It’s time to go back now.’

It’s been over two weeks in New York.

Two weeks ago, I was so excited about stepping on foreign soil for the first time, and I explored the city non-stop like a puppy.

But now, I missed Korea.

‘People are truly amazing.’

I missed Korean language, Korean food, and Korean people. Even though I occasionally kept in touch, it’s different to see and talk to them in person.

‘...I wonder how Chae-yeon is doing.’

Since that day, she often comes to mind.

Her long eyelashes, her startled rabbit eyes, her pouty lips.

“Enjoy your time while you’re young. Meet many people and enjoy life.”

Huff! I turned my head and buried my face in the pillow.

When I get back to Korea.

I’ll show off all the money I’ve made.

*

The next day, at Christie’s New York auction house.

Today, the <Collection of 20s Metalwork Artists in New York> was being held, a more niche auction than yesterday’s.

[ The third item is Melanie Floyd’s ‘Nameless Nameplate’. ]

I was here today as a bidder, not a consignor, thanks to Christie’s quick registration process.

While it’s possible to buy from anywhere in the world online these days, I wanted to feel the atmosphere of the auction house again.

[ It’s a smooth, rectangular decoration made of silver, but the back is occupied by rough bronze. It’s a piece that captures our struggle to obtain a shiny nameplate. ]

The auctioneer was not Doris Parker.

And he seemed to have less hype than her.

Still, Coco was excitedly flying around the auction house.

──Korororo! Korororororo!

It was good to see Coco regaining energy.

‘Look around. Find something you like.’

Coco flew up to the auctioneer, turning around the piece while observing it, and then came back to me.

──Korororo!

You like it?

──Kororororororororo!

Not as much as when Coco discovered the first porcelain, but it seemed to be quite to her liking.

Good.

This time, I’ll let you feast.

[ The current bid is 23,000, 23,000... This is your last chance. Any more bids? ]

At the call for the last chance, I raised my hand.

[ Oh, the gentleman in the middle bids 24,000! ]

No, no, I shook my head.

And I said firmly, just like the great Michael Jordan last night.

“Thirty thousand.”

I don’t know if my pronunciation was good.

I tried my best, recalling the ice cream commercials I had seen on TV.

[ 30,000, 30,000! What a remarkable decision! It jumped by 6,000 in one go. ]

Phew, at least we communicated.

It’s not easy to be a cool person.

‘I should take one-on-one English conversation lessons later!’

I needed to study English to be able to joke and play with Mr. Big without God-Kyu-tae.

‘I’m a global player now.’

[ Any more bids? It’s a piece of craftsmanship using silver and bronze. Like the bronze that changes color over time, this work symbolizes how each of our days shines in a different color. ]

Any more bids?

Come on, come on.

[ The current bid is 30,000, 30,000... Any more bids? ]

The auctioneer’s arm stretched up.

Clang─!

And the auction hammer hit the floor crisply.

[ Sold! The ‘Nameless Nameplate’ goes to the nameless cool gentleman. Congratulations! Could you please raise your paddle? ]

I raised the paddle I had received when entering.

[ 7777, what a cool number. Excellent! ]

And at that moment.

The message I had been waiting for appeared.

──Congratulations!

──You have completed all the conditions of the tutorial and reached 《Radiant 30s: The End of the Tutorial》!

──From now on, the 《Radiant 30s》 system will be fully operational.

In the middle of Christie’s New York auction house.

That’s how I,

prepared to live a radiant life.

Thanks to you two.

In Christie’s office.

I sat on the sofa, waiting for the payment and transfer procedures. Kim Gyu-tae handled the negotiations.

“Client, would you like the item to be specially shipped to Korea?”

“No, I’ll take it right here.”

I need to feed it to Coco.

“Then you’ll need to pay here as well.”

“Sure, I’ll pay by card.”

“It needs to be at least 4,000.”

“Don’t worry.”

What do you take me for! I’ve been using credit cards for transactions since I started buying and selling graphics cards, so my limit is more than enough.

I handed my credit card to Kim Gyu-tae and focused again on the strings appearing before my eyes.

──Welcome to 《Radiant 30s》.

──All data related to you has been collected during the tutorial.

──The 《Radiant 30s》 system is structured based on this data.

The explanation of the 《Radiant 30s》 system.

But there was so much information that it was impossible to read it all in the auction house.

I glanced at Kim Gyu-tae negotiating with the staff and then moved my gaze.

──Below is the list of tutorial quests you have completed.

[ Trigger Quest, 《First Belief》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅰ, 《Basics of Quantity to Quality》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅱ, 《Introduction to Quantity to Quality》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅲ, 《Application of Quantity to Quality》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅳ, 《Basics of Quality to Quantity》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅴ, 《Application of Quality to Quantity》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅵ, 《Special: Legal Replication》 ]

[ Tutorial Hidden, 《Basics of 「Combination」》 ]

[ Tutorial Hidden, 《Basics of 「Eagle Eye」》 ]

[ Tutorial Ⅶ, 《Basics of 「Macro」》 ]

[ 《Radiant 30s: The End of the Tutorial》 ]

‘Wow, there’s so much...’

I recalled all the events that had happened.

From feeding 20 invitations to Tam, to gathering information, hunting for figures, submitting resumes, and even copying coffee beans.

‘Tam, Coco... you’ve really worked hard!’

Watching the two flying around the office, the system gave me good news.

──As a reward for 《The End of the Tutorial》, all rewards from the tutorial quests will be reissued.

──5 「Lucky Strike」 coupons

──1 「Legal Replication」 coupon

──1 「Combination」 coupon

──1 「Macro」 coupon

Reissuing the rewards I had already received?

“Wow!”

It was like a rain in a drought.

The coupons had been drying up as the tutorials appeared less frequently!

Then a long string appeared.

──The 《Radiant 30s》 system can provide you with shortcuts or a bit of a hint. Or it can warn you if you choose the wrong path...

Oh, a high-end meal.

These days, convenient health food is the trend!

Anyway, it means the system will help me live well.

──The 《Radiant 30s》 quests are divided into five categories.

──《Wealth》, 《Professionalism》, 《Leisure》, 《Relationships》, 《Special》

The four conditions I’ve been focusing on recently.