Chapter 135: Let’s Get This Over With

The public affection Chairman Kim Seong-hak had for his children was well-known.

If someone dared lay a hand on his kids, he wouldn’t hold back from using any means necessary to avenge them.

He wasn’t the kind of person who would hand his son over so easily.

As expected, when his son’s name was mentioned, Kim Seong-hak quickly grew agitated and started shouting.

“What? My son is a precious item? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Chairman, please maintain your composure.”

I was only fanning the flames of his personality.

“Is this really the time to talk about manners? What are you thinking?”

Calmly pouring tea into the cup in front of me, I asked,

“I’ve only met you twice, Chairman, but you seem different than I remember. It’s like I’m talking to a different person altogether.”

I placed the teapot down and smiled.

Kim Seong-hak stared at me in silence, as though he was temporarily at a loss for words.

“It’s just yesterday that I was begging you for money, but now you’re treating me like I’m your subordinate. Just because I’m young doesn’t mean I’m easy to deal with!”

Did he forget how I came to his office in Pyeongchang-dong, humiliating myself as I begged him for help? It was only now that his true colors were showing, now that he thought he had enough power to look down on me.

Kim Seong-hak glared at me, suppressing his anger, as though he was trying not to lash out.

Finally, his voice was strained as he asked,

“What’s the reason for all this? Did my son do something to offend you?”

I set my cup down and countered with a question.

“Chairman, do you think I’d spend this much money to acquire shares in Hyunhwa Group if I had nothing else to do? Do you really think I’d plan a hostile takeover just because your son made a mistake?”

“Then why are you doing this? Chairman Cheon didn’t manage his affairs this way. Mr. Kim, you’re still young, but if you want to survive in this world…”

“Chairman, should you not behave more graciously? You’re lucky that I’m willing to help with your health issues, so stop acting like you’re better than me!”

“What? Since when have I ever treated you like you’re below me?”

Kim Seong-hak yelled, reaching his breaking point.

Suppressing a smile, I asked,

“Do you know a girl named Cheon Ji-young?”

“Cheon Ji-young? Are you talking about Chairman Cheon’s granddaughter?”

“Yes.”

Kim Seong-hak looked puzzled.

“I haven’t seen her face, but I know Assemblyman Kim kept bragging about her when he was still at the peak of his career.”

“She’s his favorite granddaughter. The Chairman cares a lot for Ji-young. Considering what you know about my family, you know why she’s so precious to me. You’ve been more concerned about her than his other grandkids.”

“Yeah, so what?”

I explained,

“Ji-young wants to become a singer. She recently joined an agency to pursue her dream and is preparing to debut.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Just listen.”

Kim Seong-hak flinched when I interrupt him coldly.

“Her debut is being delayed because she’s had to take care of the other trainees. Although I was prepared to take action if she was being mistreated, it doesn’t feel good. I’m not that petty so I was just watching her from a distance.”

“…”

I continued,

“Here’s the problem. Apparently, your son is offering to sponsor Cheon Ji-young. I don’t know if he knew about her identity when he did it, but that’s not the main issue here.”

A few seconds of silence passed before Kim Seong-hak opened his mouth to say something, but then he stared blankly at me.

“What?”

“Your son is offering to sponsor her. Bribing her father probably won’t help. As long as it’s not common knowledge, why shouldn’t I bring this up?”

I shrugged, adding,

“I’m sure you know that his family isn’t any different. I can ignore scandals about celebrities, but I never thought your son’s interest in my cousin would go this far.”

Another silence filled the room.

I’m sure Kim Seong-hak was rendered speechless. I had never asked for anything before, but him being unable to respond only made me want to laugh.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what to think of it. I was shocked and disappointed by the situation. I never would have imagined that the grandson of a chaebols would offer to sponsor the granddaughter of another chaebols.”

“…”

I smirked and leaned back in my chair, satisfied with his response.

“But once I finally regained my wits, it occurred to me that the possibility of trouble was very high. I’m sure you’re aware of how things are done at that level, like offering money in return for sexual favors.”

I smiled coldly as I went on,

“A young girl like Ji-young is always targeted by the filthy rich and powerful in this industry, so it’s only natural for me to worry. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you how spoiled and entitled some of them can get, right? They tend to disregard the little things, they’re only after money and fame, so they’ll do whatever they want to her…”

“…”

I continued, not giving him any time to interrupt me.

When I mentioned Cheon Ji-young, I could feel my anger rising. I could feel some of my cousins seeking adoration and only wanting to live glamorous lives in my mind. Since they were my family, I could only wish for their happiness, but if some powerful man even touched her… No, I wouldn’t let that happen. I just wanted to make it perfectly clear that I wouldn’t do anything to her.

“…”

Even as I spoke, the silence in the room was suffocating. After what felt like an eternity, he finally managed to gather his thoughts.

“I… I was just going to assume that your statement was meant to threaten me…”

He quickly grunted at me,

“You’re asking for trouble, the way you inconsiderately blamed me for your job. I see that you’re caught up in your own little world and think the worst of me. Until here, I was just trying to help you, but if you’re going to act like that, if you think I’m the enemy, I’m going to let you have a dose of your own medicine!”

“Enough.”

I dropped the topic.

Otherwise, one of my cousins might end up very hurt.

Breaking the silence, I smiled heartily.

“I understand that my actions will be harmful to Hyunhwa Group, but in the end, I expect to be compensated for my troubles. Please don’t consider this a threat; I’ll tell you what I want later.”

Hearing what I said almost made him flinch. The atmosphere in the room immediately grew tense.
text: that no longer felt as strange since I started gathering shares of Hyunhwa Group. Although, there was no denying that I was pleasantly surprised that he was finally acting like a reasonable adult.

“…”

But then he finally got angry at me instead.

“Tsk… I expect no less from someone like you!”

Oh? He was surprisingly sharper than I thought.

“Then I’ll just have to take my business somewhere else…”

Huh… My mouth twisted into a smile.

“You think your company’s even worth my time? In my spare time, I’ve already turned down several investment offers that are worth billions of dollars because I’m simply too busy for horseshit like yours!”

I dismissed his remark with a wave of my hand.

“If you want to be dealt with properly, you better back off before I fuck up and ruin your life.”

That made his face darkened.

“In the future, you will run into some difficulties…”

Even if his company went bankrupt, it would still be worth billions of dollars.
text: Your threats won’t do anything. Just trust that I’ll be watching you from the shadows. When the time comes, I’ll be acting as inconveniently as possible…”

Kim Seong-hak raised an eyebrow at me…

Surprised that he couldn’t tell that my threats were only partially joking, I started to think that he had some semblance of intelligence. But then again, I wouldn’t overestimate him.

I laughed at it sarcastically.

But really, how could someone like him be so stubborn? 

Did he think he was smarter than everyone else? The longer he was quiet, the more I was convinced that he wouldn’t listen to me. After his father had been punished, I assumed he would have finally started being more reasonable… But no. Chuckling at the thought of how foolish he was, I pinched the bridge of my nose. If they don’t act quickly, there was a possibility that the company might end up being destroyed by its previous owner! Using my father as leverage, I could easily…

Based on his appearance, he was just over fifty. There was no doubt that he was stubborn… Respected very few people.

Turning back to look at him, I continued, “Understand that as long as I’m around, I won’t allow anything to happen to my cousin, okay?”

“Tch…”

He gritted his teeth before staring at points past my shoulders.

He had clenched his fists… But let it go,… I guess he must be a very patient man.

With this latest turn of events, I sighed as I was about to let my usual anger towards him show. I was used to dealing with stubborn people.

I let out an annoyed sigh as I gazed blankly at the wall…

Lesson learned: next time, don’t take a child’s safety for granted. Sure, I could disregard his loved one as collateral damage, but in the end, my main priority was protecting Ji-young.

I would invite some of his relatives to a luxurious restaurant. No matter how much conversation they went through, they were all just a bunch of useless, spoiled kids.

He nodded in agreement, but he was just wasting my time…

I don’t care how great of a situation this was… When he eventually graduates, I’m sure he would get real threats from me or…

I didn’t even have to worry about him doing anything stupid, especially if he had noticed his weakness, assuming he would continue to rely on it.

In the end, he wasn’t the only one being unreasonable. Using Ji-young as his pawn, he had trapped us both in his line of sight, and only after that did his family’s influence show itself… When I remembered that useless bastard of a husband of his from Hyunhwa even more proof emerged that I wasn’t going to forget everything they had gone through…

I had no shame in putting Ji-young between her moral dilemmas. Knowing that Ji-young was one of the reasons he was likely to go down the same path he had taken without realizing…

He had always been able to call his every one of his family members his own, just as she had found her footing in the idol scene. Now comprising a large amount of the industry, my priority was to ensure… In front of Committee Chairman Hong, Chairman Cheon stood up. Our paths converged… Faithful to the end, it settled down on the rest of the ground… All of Hanka and I could come to it… We departed to resume our plans, which would lead me to my own ends. After that, it’s time to really fight. Whatever his reasons for using my cousin, we would…

Author’s Note: Sorry! I’m in the middle of doing my best to make it seem like everyone else is talking.