I Became the Mafia in the Academy — Chapter 19
At my words promising to make the International Trade Club a Gold club, bewilderment surfaced on Lee Ha-ru’s face, which hadn’t shown a single shift in expression until now.
“What do you mean, the International Trade Club is wishing for a Gold promotion.”
Perhaps realizing her mistake, Lee Ha-ru instantly erased her expression and looked at me with her original demeanor.
But having already confirmed her expression crumbling, the corners of my mouth couldn’t help but curl up.
“Are you afraid of the aftermath?”
“The aftermath…… what do you mean──.”
“The International Trade Club preserves its safety through its necessity by establishing trade relations with various clubs.”
In other words, it meant that the International Trade Club, lacking the combat prowess to protect itself, could remain fully intact solely because of that ‘necessity.’
However, that necessity only held true as long as the International Trade Club didn’t reveal its true intentions.
“Recently, you’ve been making plans to hire Bronze-ranked clubs as mercenaries, haven’t you?”
“That is groundless.”
“Right. Then just think of this as my own speculation and listen. There are two ways for a club to promote to the next rank.”
The first is promotion through achievements.
By submitting the club’s activities and achievements to the Student Council for a promotion, only one club can be promoted per quarter. Of course, weakened clubs face demotion.
The second is promotion using a club war.
By declaring war on a club with a higher rank than your own, if you fail, all rights regarding the defeated club transfer to the victor, making it a high-risk, high-return method.
“For a club like the International Trade Club that lacks combat power, you’d naturally hire mercenaries from other clubs for defense. But…… recently, the number of Bronze clubs signing contracts with the International Trade Club has been gradually increasing.”
“That is a wild guess.”
“That’s probably what you want to think. Besides, lately you’ve been spending massive amounts of money preparing to sign non-aggression pacts with other clubs, I assume?”
Allowing another club to intervene during a club war would guarantee defeat, so this was the stage where they were already spending large sums to negotiate with other clubs.
“……That is highly classified information known only at the vice president and deputy manager levels, so how exactly do you know this fact, Young Master.”
“Do you think there’s a whistleblower in the International Trade Club?”
“Other than that, I cannot understand the current situation.”
Naturally, there was no such thing. All of this information was something anyone taking the academy route in CS would know; it was one of the major events that took place during the first semester of the first year.
The Silver-ranked ‘International Trade Club’ hired other clubs as mercenaries for their promotion and waged a club war against a Gold club, but ultimately suffered fatal damage due to the betrayal of the clubs they had signed non-aggression pacts with.
Starting from this event, all the key executives of the ‘International Trade Club’ lose their positions, and ultimately, with all its crucial leaders gone, the International Trade Club is reduced to little more than an appendage of another club.
From a player’s perspective, this event was a branching point to choose whether to build affinity with the ‘International Trade Club’ or with other clubs, but as someone who had become ‘Yu Jin Han Callione’, taking the side of the ‘International Trade Club’ was far more efficient.
Because the International Trade Club, not to mention President Lee Ha-ru’s family, was practically a subordinate organization of Callione.
In other words, I planned to change the future of this club, which was fated to be reduced to essentially slaves.
“Do not ignore the intelligence network of the Callione heir, Lee Ha-ru.”
I activated my bloodline ability to instill a sense of intimidation in Lee Ha-ru.
Whether she had heard about the red haze rising around my body or not, Lee Ha-ru flinched and trembled.
After all, the only person to have shown such a sight until now was my current father and the boss of Callione, ‘Vito Callione’, so my prediction that she would show this reaction hit the mark perfectly.
“Do you think there’s a traitor among your club members? Do you think your security is that amazing? Cut the ridiculous nonsense. What’s important right now is what I, someone who knows this information, am preparing to do.”
Little by little, very slightly. I began to feel the fear flowing from her seeping into my skin.
It was proof that the president of the International Trade Club, Lee Ha-ru, who had only seen me as the greenhorn she knew from childhood until now, was currently feeling fear toward me.
Not missing this opening, I leaned back against the backrest, propped my feet up on the desk, and looked at Lee Ha-ru.
“The Fund Investment Club.”
At the words popping out of my mouth, Lee Ha-ru looked at me with trembling eyes. At her reaction, I gave a soft smile.
“I will have the Fund Investment Club abolished by the end of today.”
“……Abolishing them by the end of today. Do you really think that is possible, even for you, Young Master?”
“It’s possible.”
As I spoke incredibly confidently, Lee Ha-ru’s mouth parted in shock.
“I will acknowledge your intelligence network, Young Master. But abolishing a Gold club is a matter on a completely different dimension.”
“Wasn’t the reason you targeted the Fund Investment Club in the first place because their combat power was lower compared to other Gold clubs?”
“……If you even know that much, then you should know. No matter how low their combat power is compared to other clubs, the opponent is a Gold club. They are an opponent I can barely succeed against even if I risk everything to prepare.”
The Fund Investment Club was also a club that lacked combat power, but compensated for it with their financial power.
In other words, as long as there were clubs allied or contracted with them, you couldn’t ignore their combat power just because they were individually weak.
“But, how do you intend to abolish a Gold club when you are still nothing but a freshman, Young Master. This is impossible, no matter how much you───.”
“Didn’t you just say it with your own mouth.”
“───Excuse me?”
“A freshman. It’s possible because I am a freshman.”
I stood up from my seat just like that and stood in front of the wall where the calendar was hanging.
“What day is it today?”
“……It is the second day since the freshmen enrolled.”
“Yeah, and today is the day the freshmen tour the clubs. If so, where would the members of the other clubs hired or contracted by the Fund Investment Club be right now.”
“Naturally, they would be opening booths in order to…… recruit…… other freshmen? But our International Trade Club also has members out doing the same, and even if we request a club war, it’s unknown when the Student Council’s permission will be granted.”
“If you use the connections of the International Trade Club that has been handling the Student Council’s requests, the permission should be granted by the end of the day.”
“……It might be possible for it to be granted today, but you know full well that our club alone will struggle to face them, don’t you.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Excuse me?”
Turning my body around just like that, I took out the relic I had stored in my Cube, [Midas’s Gloves], slipped them onto both my hands, and spoke.
“Because more than half of the Fund Investment Club’s fighting force will disappear today.”
“What does that──.”
“──Lee Ha-ru. Do you remember what I first said about making you a proposal?”
“……I remember.”
Here, I laid out the overarching proposal that I hadn’t told her until now.
“My proposal is simple. I will personally serve up the Fund Investment Club so that you can swallow them whole by the end of today. In return, I want you and your club to promise absolute backing and support for the club I am going to create.”
The capability of the International Trade Club was the real deal.
By fully mobilizing her family and abilities, she could procure items unavailable in South Korea faster than anywhere else, and in the original story, she ultimately succeeds in promoting the International Trade Club—which had been nothing more than an appendage—to a Gold club.
If I could pull such talent to our side right from the start, it would be an incredibly huge help.
“Become my person, Lee Ha-ru.”
I extended my hand toward her, who was still listening to my words blankly, and spoke.
“Pfft.”
At the same time, she burst into laughter.
“Puh-hub.”
It was the first smile to bloom on her face that seemed as if she were wearing a mask. Bowing her head to wipe away the tears that had somehow gathered in the corners of her eyes, Lee Ha-ru slowly raised her gaze and spoke to me with a still-playful smile.
“Is that, like back then, a confession?”
……A confession. I never imagined she would make a joke here.
Still, it was a joke cracked by none other than Lee Ha-ru.
Considering this a positive response, I gave a small smirk and replied.
“That’s an over-inflated ego, Lee Ha-ru.”
“To think I’d hear such words from you, Young Master…….”
She showed a momentarily surprised expression, then formed a self-deprecating smile again, before taking my hand.
And then.
“I will accept your proposal, Young Master.”
“Good.”
After finishing the handshake with a light shake of our hands, I immediately opened the office door.
“Uh-uh? Huh?!”
At the same time, Jinwoo, who must have been plastered to the door, fell forward toward me.
“What are you doing.”
“Ah, hey. Boss.”
Just as I was letting out a sigh at his pathetic display, Yeong-je shook his head and pulled Jinwoo back to his feet.
“You wouldn’t have been able to hear anything anyway since it’s a soundproof door. He’s been doing that the moment we stepped out of the office.”
“Huh? This was a soundproof door? No wonder I couldn’t hear a single thing.”
No wonder I kept feeling a presence outside the door; it seemed this punk Jinwoo had his ear pressed against it.
Though I had left him be because I also knew it was a soundproof door anyway.
“Uh…… Yujin. Did your conversation end well?”
Kim Se-ah, who was standing behind Yeong-je, carefully asked me. Because the conversation took longer than expected, she must have been worried.
“Yeah, the conversation ended without an issue. In fact, it was quite successful.”
“Ah, that’s a relief! Are we going straight to the Gold club now, then?”
“Yeah. Also, Lee Ha-ru. We will go ahead and initiate the operation, so you can head out as soon as the permission is granted.”
“I will do as you say, Young Master.”
She bowed to me as I exited the office to see me off.
At that sight, Jinwoo, who had been sprawled on the floor, jumped up and clung to me.
“Huh? What is it? What are we supposed to do now?”
“Right. We’ve got the Bronze and Silver consent forms, so we’re going straight to get the Gold consent form.”
“We’re going straight to the Gold club without even getting a break?”
“Yujin did all the work anyway, so what do you mean taking a break?”
Yeong-je let out a sigh as he looked at Jinwoo begging for a break.
“We’re going to the Gold club, right? Since the Silver club is on the 4th floor, is the Gold club around the 7th floor?”
“No, we’re going to the sports field.”
“……The sports field?”
Yeong-je, who had been about to step out of the International Trade Club first, stopped in his tracks and tilted his head.
“Why the sports field all of a sudden?”
“Because the place we’re going to this time isn’t a clubroom, it’s a club booth. And…… over there, we’ll need that guy to play an active role.”
Saying that, I looked at Jinwoo, who was sulking heavily, and the guy looked around before pointing at himself.
“Eh? Me?”
“Yeah, with your help, I think we can finish this task much faster. Besides, it’s probably something only you can do.”
Was it because I suddenly said something to puff him up?
The guy’s drooping shoulders started to rise little by little.
“Something only I can do? If it’s like that, of course I have to help! So Boss, what is it that you want me to help with? Escort? Negotiation?”
“Wreaking havoc.”
“……Huh?”
“We’re going to wreak havoc.”
I didn’t bother adding that I felt like he’d be perfect for it.
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