Chapter 864: Improving (4)

Becoming a lawfully-recognized entity? That was easier said than done.

It might not sound all that complicated on the surface. After all, one only needed to register the organization with the government, and that would be it.

However, register as what, exactly? Should the Assembly declare itself as an organization of hand-to-hand fighters that subsisted on collecting rent from various real estate around the country?

'...Reporters will show up here if that happens.'

...Which might lead to some "amusing" situations, at least.

Before Kang Jin-Ho could say something, Lee Hyeon-Su beat him to the punch and began bucking like an unruly stallion. "Maybe you didn't get enough sleep last night?!"

Lee Hyeon-Ju frowned coldly. "Chief Lee. Please state your intentions more clearly. Unless you wanted to shoot breezes with me?"

"Sounds like you did get some sleep last night. Then, why does it sound like you are still dreaming?" Lee Hyeon-Su groaned loudly. "That's enough from you, okay? That's enough."

"I'm not joking, Chief Lee."

"Yes, yes. I know. So, let's stop there, okay."

Lee Hyeon-Ju sharply replied, her expression reddening. "...Listen here, Chief Lee. Do you think I'm saying all this for some brownie points?"

"Probably not," said Lee Hyeon-Su, his expression cold. "But it sure doesn't sound like you've given this matter any thought at all."

"Chief Lee!"

"No, no. No need to shout. Let's get this out of the way, shall we? Reality is not a fantasy. Goofy ideals simply don't work in the real world, okay?"

Before Lee Hyeon-Ju could argue back, Wiggins butted in first. "Since you stopped translating and started quarreling with Miss Lee, should I play some games on my phone until you two are done?"

"...My apologies, sir."

Wiggins shrugged, then turned his attention to Kang Jin-Ho. "My lord. I'm sure what Miss Lee said sounds like a baseless suggestion, but it's not as nonsensical as you think."

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. "Mm?"

"Truth be told, martial societies in other nations are also seriously weighing their options regarding this very topic, my lord. Honestly, I believe the Korean martial society should've started this discussion a long time ago."

"What do you mean?"

"Almost no other country in the world boasts a higher rate of credit- and debit card usage than South Korea. As an example... Despite being Korea's close neighbor, most Japanese still prefer paying cash rather than with their cards."

Lee Hyeon-Ju quickly chimed in. "Most fast food outlets in Japan didn't accept card payments, although I heard things are beginning to change."

"...Really?" Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again. Japan had this image of being a technically advanced country, so he couldn't help but feel weirded out by this revelation.

"Out of three East Asian countries, South Korea is at the top of the list in terms of electronic payments, sir. The second place is, surprisingly, China. However, the current trend is already moving away from physical card payments to smart payment systems."

"...S-smart? What?" Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes furiously.

Wiggins slowly shook his head. "My lord, you don't need to concern yourself with it. Just know that the overall trend is marching toward the full-scale adoption of electronic payment systems. Once that happens, the days of traceless transactions will be over for good. Every transaction will leave behind a footprint in the future."

"Mm...!"

"Knowing this inevitable future is just around the corner, the martial societies of other nations have been trying to find ways to circulate funds as legally as possible. As I've said before, the South Koreans should've started thinking of solutions much sooner, my lord. To me, it feels like we're very much late to the party. And so..."

Wiggins glanced at Lee Hyeon-Ju and Lee Hyeon-Su, then grinned brightly.

"Miss Lee's recommendation isn't wrong at all. As a matter of fact, you could even say she's gotten a better grasp of our situation better than some of us."

A subtle smirk floated up on Lee Hyeon-Ju's face. On the other hand, Lee Hyeon-Su's face cramped up instead.

"N-no, master! Hold on!"

Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su wouldn't be Lee Hyeon-Su if he accepted that unkind evaluation without a fight.

"What do you mean, she's gotten a better grasp?! That's not reality, but a daydream! The martial world should not interfere in the surface world. We stay as far away as possible from the other side. That is the unwritten rule!"

"Really? Even though we interfere regularly?"

"...!"

Wiggins chuckled softly. "We must not interfere? If we had been serious about that, we would have completely closed off any and all avenues of contact between the two worlds. However, martial artists and regular people already live side-by-side. Not only that, but some regular people are already fully aware of our existence, now don't they?"

"M-mm!" Lee Hyeon-Su could only weightily groan, unable to argue back.

Kang Jin-Ho stared at the trio, his expression unreadable. It felt like the discussion had veered slightly away from the realistic problem of paying taxes and into something far grander in scale.

Then again, they were talking about redefining the boundary separating the Martial Assembly from the surface world. It was indeed grander in scale than worrying about paying taxes or not!

"Wiggins," said Kang Jin-Ho.

"...!"

"Now that I think about it, weren't you attending Jaegyeong's business management course? Doesn't that mean you're naturally interested in this topic?"

"Well, uh... Mm, ah? Y-yes, of course. Of course..." Kang Jin-Ho faltered, then hurriedly nodded away.

Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su didn't miss the tiny beads of cold sweat on Kang Jin-Ho's forehead.

Even though Lee Hyeon-Su glared weirdly at him, Kang Jin-Ho desperately pretended not to notice anything.

Lee Hyeon-Su tutted away. "Don't you know that our Assembly Master only attended the course for half a semester? What would he know about business management in that case? He probably only skimmed the surface."

Lee Hyeon-Ju tried to come to Kang Jin-Ho's defense. "Even if that's true, you must've signed up for that course because you were interested. Weren't you, sir?"

"Y-yes. Of course," Kang Jin-Ho hurriedly replied as more cold sweat soaked his back. For obvious reasons, he couldn't reply that he just applied to the first university course on the list, which happened to be business management.

He had the grades, and the university had already been chosen. Worse still, Kang Jin-Ho never really thought at length about earning a degree or something from the university to assist him in his career.

All he did was submit his application to the first course he saw on the university's list. That was it.

At the time, he figured it'd be great if what he learned could help with the cafe's operation. No wonder he had zero vision of what his future could be back then!

Lee Hyeon-Ju continued to lay out her case. "We can declare the Assembly as an investment firm."

Lee Hyeon-Su countered again. "But, what investment can we even make?"

Lee Hyeon-Ju glared at him with eyes reserved for looking at an ugly insect. "An investment firm doesn't only make investments. To make it simple enough for Chief Lee's tiny brain to comprehend... We can register as a fund manager."

"Fund manager?" Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

"Contrary to what you believe, Chief Lee, a corporate body doesn't necessarily have to manage a factory to produce goods. Who do you think owns all those high-rise skyscrapers in Gangnam?"

"...The mighty Land Gods?"[1]

"Wanna die?!" Lee Hyeon-Ju shot a sharp glare full of venom, forcing Lee Hyeon-Su to quickly shrink into his seat. This was why a man shouldn't try to run his mouth on things he had no idea about!

"Those buildings all belong to corporate bodies, okay! Uh-whew! In any case! Plenty of investment companies use corporate bodies to raise funds to buy and operate buildings. And they use the revenue earned to sustain their operations."

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. "Mm..."

"The Assembly already owns a lot of real estate, to begin with. That is why I think we should use that to our advantage and change the Assembly into a legitimate entity. I can't speak for other departments, but... At least when it comes to the flow of our funds, we will have a lot more breathing space."

Kang Jin-Ho stared quietly at Lee Hyeon-Ju before narrowing his eyes. "Let's summarize everything, then."

"Yes, sir!"

"Tell me the advantages."

"First of all, we can legitimize our current assets and funds coming through our corporate bodies. By doing so, we will be able to recover all the funds we couldn't until now."

"Mm...!"

"Secondly, it'll become possible for us to make investments of our own."

"Investments?"

"Yes. We currently possess an extensive portfolio of real estate and assets, but our situation stops us from shuffling them around. Because... Well, we can't freely sell or buy, you see?"

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. "I guess so."

"However, becoming a legitimate business entity will open all those previously locked doors, sir. We could sell off all of our ambiguous, unprofitable assets and reinvest the revenue into high-value stocks and real estate. This step is absolutely crucial in ensuring the future of the Martial Assembly, sir."

"I see. And?"

"And, well..." Lee Hyeon-Ju smirked triumphantly. "You will now get to carry around a business card with your name on it, sir. Which should be a significant factor to consider. You will no longer be the Assembly Master, but the Chairman of a company, sir.

"Can you picture yourself among family members and distant relatives during the holidays? You'll be like confidence personified, sir. I can promise you that your parents will dance around in pure joy."

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned loudly again. Now thoroughly irritated, he decided to rebuke Lee Hyeon-Ju one more time. "Listen here, Miss Lee! Are you trying to make fun of us?! Be more serious, will you!"

"No, hold on," Kang Jin-Ho raised his hand and stopped Lee Hyeon-Su. And then... His super-sparkling eyes locked on Lee Hyeon-Ju. "Run that by me again. What was that about my parents dancing in joy?"

Lee Hyeon-Su grimaced.

Goddamn it...

Yup. She got her man.

1. The author used a portmanteau of "landlord" and "god" in Korean here. ☜