Chapter 140

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Translated by Sylph

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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I accessed the bank app I had installed in advance.

‘By now, it must have been deposited.’

I heard yesterday that the settlement money would come in.

Actually, the contract was to settle quarterly, but since the company was a mess last year, it had been briefly deferred on the condition that legal interest was attached.

So now in April, last year’s settlement and this first quarter’s settlement were deposited all at once.

If I were a regular office worker, it would have been a gap enough to sue the company, but there were no people in urgent need right now and the contract period remained long, so it passed without much noise.

But there is no one who hates money.

Thanks to that, on Monday, April 22nd, I wasn’t the only one looking into the settlement money as soon as the schedule ended.

“U-heok!”

A sound of someone gasping for breath was heard from the next bed. It was Bae Sejin.

‘The amount must be large.’

I thought it would be. Because the results were so good and we even did a concert.

‘Still, it doesn’t quite feel real.’

I habitually pushed the representative account of the app and checked the new account.

And I doubted my eyes.

[Daehan General Deposit]

[1,146,193,520 won]

‘…1.1 billion?’

1.1 billion??

An amount that I wouldn’t be able to touch even if I did organ trafficking was floating on the screen.

“…….”

I was speechless.

Was this an amount possible to receive after working for 9 months?

It was true that I rolled while being unable to sleep and being in a state of great pressure. And in the long run, it was also an amount where the hardships since had accumulated.

But if I could receive 1.1 billion, it’s a business that’s too profitable and scary.

‘No matter what, 1.1 billion is… beyond imagination.’

I felt like I should check the settlement statement. I checked the mail opened for company reception.

How the address leaked, all sorts of strange emails were piled up like bombs, but after roughly filtering them, I was able to find the settlement statement email.

I scanned it quickly.

“……Whew.”

It was 1.1 billion, indeed.

And I also knew the cause.

‘There are no trainee costs.’

It means that the company’s preliminary investment costs were not captured. Thanks to that, as soon as profit occurred, it was settled as a pure profit.

Albums, events, advertisements, digital music, concerts…….

Furthermore, because the proportion of participation in production was large, the royalty fees were also quite a bit.

‘Kim Raebin must have received more.’

Just then, a scream was heard from the next room. It seemed Kim Raebin was on the phone.

Perhaps someone in his family called in surprise.

‘It’s a mess.’

It was an amount where it was normal for it to be a mess. It still doesn’t quite feel like my money.

“D-Did you see it??”

Bae Sejin spoke to me with his face turned red. He must mean if I saw the settlement money.

“…Yes. Just now.”

“With this much, I can buy a house in Seoul, right?? If I, if I include a loan…….”

It depends on what kind of house it is.

But Bae Sejin seemed excited as the early achievement of his plan to prepare his own house with good security approached step by step before his eyes.

But the calculation was wrong.

“That’s the amount before taxes are taken out.”

“Uh, …eh?”

“Since it’s a high amount, the tax rate will be high, so don’t think about spending it all and make sure to consult with a tax accountant before filing the comprehensive income tax in May.”

“……R-Right.”

Bae Sejin affirmatively nodded blankly, then flopped down back onto his bed.

It seemed he had returned to reality a bit.

And I also came to my senses a bit while advising Bae Sejin.

“I thought hyung would be used to settlement money.”

“This kind of amount is a first…….”

Bae Sejin buried his face in a hamster body pillow.

He has been using that usefully since a while ago.

“W-What happened…?”

Even Seon Ahyun, who was washing, poked his head out of the bathroom after hearing the noise.

“Checking the settlement.”

“A-Ah.”

Seon Ahyun smiled as if relieved. He didn’t even seem particularly curious about how much it was.

“Do your parents manage it for you?”

“Ye-Yes! I also receive, pocket money…….”

Judging from the fact that he handed over a department store gift certificate as a birthday present last time, that pocket money would also be a considerably high amount.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t used that gift certificate yet.’

As soon as the award ceremony season ended, we prepared for the concert and the new album, and since it was immediately the activity period again, I lived while forgetting.

‘Just in time, tomorrow morning… well, there’s no schedule.’

That was the only time during the next two weeks, including weekends, that time would be free during the day.

Let’s re-confirm first.

“We don’t have any schedule tomorrow afternoon, right?”

“Ye-Yes! Right, why…?”

“I’m going to go out for a bit.”

“…Shopping? Is it the bank?”

Bae Sejin cut in. It seemed he guessed because I said I’m going out as soon as I received the settlement.

I nodded.

“Yes. Shopping.”

“…Then want to go out together? Since I also have to stop by the bank.”

“Hmm… about that.”

“What?”

I stroked the back of my neck.

“Because I’m thinking of going to a dessert shop.”

“……?”

“About… seven places.”

“…??”

* * *

So the next day, Tuesday. I ended up wandering around the city of Seoul leisurely alone.

……No, I was planning to wander, that is.

“M-Moondae-ya. It’s the blue sign over there, right?”

“I think you can drop us off at the first alley on the right, driver.”

Once I opened it, as many as two tails were attached.

Seon Ahyun and Kim Raebin followed after being delighted.

-I, I wanted to go out too…!

-Desserts? Next week is my sister’s birthday, and it seems like it will be a very good opportunity to pick one of the presents.

…Well, so they said.

For reference, Bae Sejin was dropped off at the bank on the way. It was a gain because the taxi charter fee was saved.

‘Though I didn’t have to worry about taxi fees anymore.’

It was a bit strange since it was the first time in a very long time that I didn’t have to worry about money in my life.

And not long after, the taxi driver stopped the car at the first destination.

“Now, we have arrived~”

“Thank you.”

When I got out of the car, the two who had been shining their eyes brightly in the back seat also followed out quickly.

“I-It looks delicious, right?”

“Expectations are high.”

Three men wearing masks and even pulling down hats didn’t seem like a very common sight entering a professional dessert shop… well, whatever.

‘There were not many people on the street.’

It seemed so because it was 9:30 AM on a weekday.

The two members and I entered as the first customers of the shop that had just opened.

“Hello…… Heok.”

“Hello.”

And as soon as our eyes met, I was seen through. I felt it before too, but now it seems masks are useless.

“Uh-uh, uh… Heok, wow……. I’m listening to your songs very well, heo-uh.”

“Thank you. Please pack one of each kind of dacquoise.”

“Ye-Yes?”

“I’d like to request packing one of each flavor.”

“A-Ah, yes!”

I was sorry, but there was not much time.

I exchanged handshakes and signatures for the packed dacquoises.

“U-heo-heok.”

…Still, it’s a relief that they seem joyful.

And I turned to the two who were standing in a daze.

“Aren’t you guys picking?”

“Ah!”

The other two also ended up picking dacquoises along with handshakes in the confusion.

I immediately went to the counter.

“Please charge it together.”

“Ah, yes!”

Both were startled.

“I-It’s okay!”

“If I sort by settlement amount, it’s right that I buy… No, I don’t mean to show off, but that, in the sense that it’s okay……”

I chuckled.

“It’s fine. I’m the one who suggested coming out.”

“Hyung…….”

“M-Moondae-ya…….”

If I had brought Cha Yujin or Big Sejin, they would have shamelessly eaten it up, but these two guys were sitting there being touched.

The two smiled widely while receiving the packed dacquoises.

“Now, I’ll eat well!”

“Thank you.”

And the moment we came out of the shop, Kim Raebin finally realized something.

“Ah, I have to buy my older sister’s birthday present.”

“It seems okay to pick that slowly. Because there are many shops left.”

“Yes?”

The two blinked their eyes.

“Th, that, because we bought it here, didn’t you pick it?”

“I thought you had found many candidate groups in case you didn’t like them…….”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“I’m going to buy from all seven places.”

“……!!”

And I really did that.

So when it became noon, both guys ended up sitting in the taxi while sagging.

I organized the boxes and put them down at my feet.

All seven. I bought all of them successfully. I already tasted one each too.

In the middle, there was an unexpected event of hugging a person who ran over while waving an album, but it was smooth.

‘The last one was a bit close.’

Because the person whose eyes met at the counter screamed loudly, I only greeted as soon as I received the macarons and ran away from the shop like a thief.

“I-It’s the end, right…?”

“Yeah. The end.”

“Heu-aaaaaa…….”

Seon Ahyun melted down. It seemed he was exhausted from meeting many people.

I told him to just go back to the dorm in the middle, I don’t know why a guy who doesn’t even eat sweets much anyway to manage his body stuck around persistently.

‘Is it because of a sense of alienation?’

Knowing Seon Ahyun’s personality, he might have disliked being left out alone while going around in a group.

Anyway, coming out following me in his spare time was… a thankful thing regardless of the utility.

“Are we going home now?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

I turned the taxi toward the dorm.

And at the dorm we arrived at, instead of going up together, I only entrusted the desserts.

“Tell the people in the dorm to share and eat.”

“Uh, eh?”

“Because I suddenly remembered something to do.”

I sent the two guys home and got back into the taxi.

And I set the navigation again.

“Department store?”

“Yes.”

After I finished my business, I returned home to the dorm about an hour later.

띠리링-

When I opened the front door and entered, I met eyes with Cha Yujin, who was eating dacquoises in the living room with his cheeks bursting.

“…….”

“It’s delicious! Thank you!”

“Well… sure.”

Since he’s not a guy who gets fat and he also likes sweets, he could be seen as the right person.

“What’s the most delicious?”

“This one.”

It was a strawberry macaron. I remembered the shop name on the wrapper.

“I enjoyed the snacks, Moondae-ya.”

“For what.”

“Moondae didn’t buy them for us as a smokescreen because he got a girlfriend, right? Hyung trusts you~”

“Are you crazy.”

After I greeted Ryu Chungwoo, I hit the back of the chuckling Big Sejin and returned to my room.

Beyond Bae Sejin, who was reading a book on the bed, Seon Ahyun, who was knitting a scrubber at the desk, was seen.

“M-Moondae-ya. Did you finish your work well?”

“Yeah. And this.”

“Ye-Yes?”

I held out what was in my hand.

“It’s a bit early… but it’s a birthday present.”

“Uh, u-uh!?”

Seon Ahyun was startled. Bae Sejin abruptly raised his upper body.

“It’s Seon Ahyun’s birthday…?!”

“N-No…?!”

The two being flustered side-by-side was like some skit.

“It’s two weeks later, but I’m giving it now because there’s no time to go out until then.”

“Ah……”

Bae Sejin lay back down in relief. Seon Ahyun nodded his head vigorously.

“I, I see, thank you…!”

“Don’t mention it.”

……Let’s not specifically say that I used the department store gift certificate he gave in that present.

“C-Can I open it?!”

“Of course.”

Seon Ahyun opened the package immediately. And he froze at the coat that appeared.

“…! Is, isn’t this too expensive……”

“It’s not.”

The guy who gave the gift certificate is saying all sorts of things.

I put another shopping bag I bought from the department store under the bed. It took a bit of time because the shopping bag size was large.

‘…I think I chose well, though.’

I briefly regretted whether I should have rather taken Seon Ahyun with me, but what was already bought couldn’t be helped.

Bae Sejin glanced.

“What’s that?”

“A present.”

* * *

And on Sunday of that week, the broadcasting station at dawn where the pre-recording of TeStar’s last music broadcast for this activity was held.

The fans of TeStar who arrived at the scene ended up receiving one large box each.

[TeStar sings.]

[Midnight and Loviewer ♡]

“…??”