AMRTB 02

The Master Who Returned to Bronze, Episode 002

Pyeongchang-dong Mansion.

Pyeongchang-dong, already counted among the wealthiest neighborhoods, had become even more affluent after the “Dimension Arenas” appeared in the world. The haves used what they had to acquire the new materials and byproducts pouring out from the Dimension Arenas, building even larger, sturdier, and more extravagant mansions.

Naturally, the owner of the grandest mansion, built in the safest and most expensive area among them, was Choi Cheol-ho, the chairman of Shinwa Group, one of the two conglomerates that divided South Korea.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you all.”
“Yes, Father.”
“It would be stranger to frequently see someone as busy as you are.”
“Dad! Is it true that Oseong Group preempted the new material bags and jewelry we were supposed to supply to the department store side this time?”

Such people were gathered at Choi Cheol-ho’s residence. They were his three sons and one daughter.

However, despite being called three sons and one daughter, the conversation at the table was conducted only by Choi Cheol-ho and three others. To be precise, it excluded the third son, Choi In-gyun. Although seated at the table, In-gyun just kept his mouth tightly shut, unable to utter a single word. And Choi Cheol-ho and his other children considered this natural.

The dynamics at the table extended to the kitchen.

“Sister-in-law, take this to the table.”
“…Yes.”
“Ah, right. This one too.”

A woman with a simple charm, sandwiched between two women who looked strong-willed at first glance, was carrying dishes with a cowed demeanor. When the instructions from the two women overlapped, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.

“Um, the elder madam spoke first, so…”
“What? Are you saying you’ll listen to my elder sister and not me now? Fine, I get it.”
“…No. I’ll do it right away.”
“Good~ Work hard~”

But in the end, unable to withstand the sharp gazes, she had to carry the heavy plates with trembling hands. A situation where the wife of this house’s son was being treated worse than a maid.

Nevertheless, this terrible scene, considered normal, also manifested among the children.

“Hosung, I heard you ranked up to Platinum this time?”
“That’s basic for the son of the Shinwa Guild Master. I’m trying to reach Diamond tier quickly like Father.”
“Well, Uncle’s collection is impressive. With that, Diamond should be easy, right?”
“Just carried by gear.”
“You guys only talk about D.A whenever we meet. Isn’t it boring?”
“Nope, not boring. It’s always new.”
“Ugh, you’ve only grown in age. You’re still a kid.”

A man of moderate height with a sly impression. In contrast, a tall man with a handsome impression. Next, a woman dressed like a princess from a movie. The three chattered away, but there was a man who couldn’t fit into that group.

“Haa, I wonder if Grandfather really intends to bring that insignificant family into the main house.”
“Isn’t he still unranked?”
“What does it matter if he’s unranked? Look at his older brother, it’s obvious.”
“Ah, what was it again? That…”
“A useless scrub?”
“Right, that. Right, if it were me, I’d be dead already. For real.”
“……”

Shin-woo, Shin-hyuk’s younger brother, couldn’t utter a word even as his family was brutally disparaged right in front of him, merely clenching his trembling fists.

It was right then.

“…Young Master Choi Shin-hyuk has arrived.”

A low voice echoed through the mansion.

With the appearance of Shin-hyuk, who could be called today’s main character, everyone fell silent, regardless of whether they were at the table, in the kitchen, or in rooms.

Within that silence, the sound of low footsteps echoed.

Step, step-

Despite being just footsteps, they carried a sense of power. Everyone failed to hide their bewilderment at this fact.

“It’s been a long time. Grandfather. Uncle, Second Uncle, Aunt.”
“…Are you really Shin-hyuk?”
“Yes, my father is Choi In-gyun, and my mother is Lee So-yeon.”
“You’re bold. Sit down first. We should eat. Koreans run on rice, don’t they?”

A flicker of interest passed through Choi Cheol-ho’s eyes at Shin-hyuk’s powerful answer. He had proactively greeted his grandfather and other family members, whom he usually feared. That alone suggested Shin-hyuk could bear a certain weight now.

Thus, when Choi Cheol-ho gestured to the table, Shin-hyuk began to move but then stopped.

“…? What are you doing? Come and sit.”
“I think I have something to do first.”
“Something to do?”

With that, Shin-hyuk walked to the kitchen and gently took the plates from his mother’s hands.

“Shin-hyuk… That’s for Mom to—”
“Your son, who’s about to become a Player, wants to use some strength. You go to the table too, Mother. It seems you haven’t eaten yet.”
“No… That…”

Lee So-yeon, Shin-hyuk’s mother, couldn’t hide her confusion at his sudden action. Moreover, at Shin-hyuk’s suggestion to go to the table together—which she couldn’t even approach without Choi Cheol-ho’s permission—she was at a loss.

“Hehehe, right. My daughter-in-law hasn’t eaten yet either. Come here. Let’s have a meal together.”
“…Thank you, Chairman.”
“Settled? Now, shall we eat?”

With Choi Cheol-ho’s laughter, it seemed Shin-hyuk would finally sit at the table, but—

“My younger brother will also greet you and eat with us.”
“Younger brother… Ha! Fine, let him greet me once.”
“Choi Shin-woo. Come here and greet your grandfather.”
“Tongue. That’s a bit—”
“Choi Shin-woo.”
“…Grandfather, have you been well?”
“Yes. I have. You sit down and have a spoonful of rice too.”
“Huh? Yes…”

Choi Cheol-ho’s interest deepened further at Shin-hyuk’s appearance, looking after his family until the very end.

Eventually, the situation arrived where Shin-hyuk and his family were all seated at the table to eat. Amidst this, despite having called them to eat, Choi Cheol-ho posed another question to Shin-hyuk.

“My grandson is becoming a Player this time, I hear?”
“In two days.”
“Right… Being a Player is good. This old man is Platinum, you know. I know all there is to know. But my grandson’s reputation seems… not so good, right?”

Shin-hyuk calmly scooped a spoonful of rice into his mouth in response to Choi Cheol-ho’s question, accompanied by a mischievous smile. Then, after scooping some soup, chewing, and swallowing, he finally answered.

“That’s correct. My predicted tier is Bronze. Considering the tier assigned by the school is usually one level lower than the standard, the actual assigned tier would likely be Iron.”
“Huh, Iron… You know that’s a disgrace to our family, don’t you?”

A voice cold enough to make one doubt the smile from moments ago rang out. Moreover, the phrase “disgrace to the family” he just uttered also implied that if Shin-hyuk were placed in Iron, they could erase that disgrace.

‘In the past, they were actually removed from the family register. They could never come here again.’

Something he could be sure of because he had already experienced it once. Nevertheless, Shin-hyuk didn’t mind.

“Grandfather. Do you know about gambling?”
“Gambling? I do. What do you want to say?”
“In gambling, there’s something commonly called a long shot. And they say if a long shot hits, it’s a jackpot. That’s true in reality too.”
“That’s right, that’s right. Long shots are good. But you know they’re called long shots because they rarely hit, right?”

When he answered a question with a question, Choi Cheol-ho readily replied. The answer about long shots. It was also a remark alluding to Shin-hyuk. The question of whether the long shot named Shin-hyuk would hit or not when scratching the Placement Exam lottery. Regarding that story.

Shin-hyuk gave a faint smile toward Choi Cheol-ho, who was staring at him intently from the head of the table.
“How about you bet on that long shot once?”
“What should I bet on? No, originally, I have no expectations of you at all.”

A heavy answer. It’s harder to satisfy someone who expects nothing than someone who expects something. All the more so because Choi Cheol-ho’s expectations for Shin-hyuk and his family were already at rock bottom.

Meeting Choi Cheol-ho’s gaze, Shin-hyuk immediately made his bet.

“Oseong Group.”
“…!”
“The son of the Oseong Guild Master, Lee Ju-ho, is participating in this Placement Exam, right? He’s my age.”
“…What are you trying to say?”

He had mentioned a bet involving the name Oh Seong, which was like an arch-rival to Choi Cheol-ho. Looking at Choi Cheol-ho, who had become somewhat serious at the mention of Oseong, Shin-hyuk spoke.

“I will make sure the name Shinwa, not Oseong, circulates after this Placement Exam. To be precise, I will provide you with fuel for the fire.”
“Fuel for the fire… How do you mean? The eldest son of the Oseong Guild Master has a predicted placement tier of Silver. I hear it’s even top-tier. Meaning, he could potentially reach the very top of Silver tier. With the influence of Oseong Group backing the Oseong Guild, even that would keep newspapers and news buzzing all day. And you say you can create fuel for the fire with that?”

Choi Cheol-ho’s sharp question, as he was already fully aware of the talents participating in this Placement Exam. An ordinary person would have sweated cold under the pressure of facing a massive wall, but Shin-hyuk was not ordinary.

“Yes. It’s possible.”
“…If that’s true, it might be worth betting on a long shot. But I’ll refuse if the conditions are absurd.”

Choi Cheol-ho also nodded in agreement at the immediate answer. However, drawing a line, Shin-hyuk responded as if it didn’t matter.

“Lee Ju-ho, who will rise to Silver tier. To tarnish that name, wouldn’t it be enough if I also reach Silver tier? It would shine even brighter. Especially if I, who was dead last in practicals all through high school, a useless scrub, the only one with a predicted tier of Bronze rolling on the bottom, get confidently placed in Silver tier.”
“…Huh, are you serious?”
“I am serious.”

A resolute answer. To that, Choi Cheol-ho shook his head and added.

“Right, you’re correct. But that’s only if you get placed in Silver tier. Are you saying we should assign the Shinwa Group’s PR team because of that low probability?”
“I naturally had no intention of doing it empty-handed.”
“Then what will you stake?”

The meaning was: I will bet on you, the long shot named Shin-hyuk, so what will you bet? Upon hearing that, Shin-hyuk glanced at his parents and younger brother sitting with him and spoke.

“I will stake my family.”
“…Stake your family… What does that mean?”
“If this attempt fails, you may remove me and my family from the Choi Family register. No, we will remove ourselves with our own feet.”
“…!”

At this unforeseen statement, Shin-hyuk’s parents and younger brother looked at him with startled faces. But neither Choi Cheol-ho nor Shin-hyuk paid attention to their gazes.

“…Hmm. Then let me ask the opposite. What do you want to receive if you succeed?”

Reward for success. Despite his grandson saying he would have his family removed from the register with his own hands, his cold demeanor inquired not about that but about the reward. Shin-hyuk smiled and said.

“Similarly, I will stake my family.”
“What family this time?”
“Please accept our family back into the Choi Family. That is the reward for success I desire.”
“……”

The statement of staking his family on both failure and success. Choi Cheol-ho rested his chin on his hand, closed his eyes, and fell silent. But only for a moment.

“…’Hahahahahaha!! Fine, good. I can’t refuse when my cute grandson is preparing a trick for his grandpa. Go ahead. Both failure and success will be realized exactly as stated here.”

With laughter that made the grand mansion ring, Choi Cheol-ho gave his permission. As if he already knew it would happen, Shin-hyuk nodded calmly with a smile and said to his parents and younger brother, who were looking at him with dazed faces.

“Let’s eat. I’m hungry.”