Chapter 24: Let’s Form an Alliance to Help Each Other

“Myeong-su, go wait in the car first.”

I tossed the car keys to Myeong-su.

Catching the keys, Myeong-su hesitated before walking towards where the car was parked.

“Where are we going?”

“Let’s take my car.”

“Lead the way.”

I followed behind Cheon Ji-soo.

As she got into the driver’s seat, I opened the passenger door and climbed in.

“I didn’t expect you to acknowledge me at school.”

“What’s with the attitude? We’re family.”

What bullshit.

You’re the worst of them all.

Hiding my true thoughts, I continued the conversation.

“So what did you want? I’m waiting for a friend.”

“What’s the rush?”

I saw curiosity in Cheon Ji-soo’s eyes as she glared at me.

“Why so prickly? No one’s going to eat you. Is that any way to talk to your older sister?”

“Fine, sis. What do you want?”

Cheon Ji-soo sighed, seemingly exasperated by my attempts to distance myself.

“We don’t need to be so formal with each other. I’m not interested in Grandfather’s business, and I don’t care if you’re learning from him or whatever.”

“Yeah, I don’t care if you get involved in Grandfather’s business either. What I care about is why you suddenly called me out here.”

“……”

Cheon Ji-soo seemed to be contemplating whether to speak or not.

She’s probably going to propose an alliance.

She did that before too.

And then she stabbed me in the back good and proper.

“Well… I’m interested in the Il-seong Group.””

“Good for you! Work hard. Someone like you should be able to find a place there. I’ll be cheering you on. Is that all you wanted to say?”

“Hey!”

She raised her voice, probably due to my continued sarcasm.

“What!”

I raised my voice in response.

I was planning to accept her alliance proposal.

This time, I’ll use her thoroughly and then stab her in the back.

In my previous life, I learned that no matter how much money you have, you can’t beat the chaebol after the real-name financial system is implemented.

To do that, I needed the power of the Il-seong Group..

“I told you I’m not interested in Grandfather’s fortune, right? You can inherit Grandfather’s business, and I want to take over the Il-seong Group. So help me out. Leet’s form an alliance.”

“An alliance?”

“It’s obvious that it’ll end up being a fight between our brother and you, right? From what I can see, you have a higher chance of winning. If I give you inside information about Dad and our brother, your chances will be even higher. What do you think?”

I couldn’t help but sneer.

“You don’t actually think that lunatic Cheon Ji-soo can do anything, do you? Aren’t you overestimating him a bit too much just because he’s your brother?”

“…Don’t underestimate him. He’s still the eldest grandson of the main family line. You’re from the maternal side, while Cheon Ji-soo is the eldest grandson of the paternal line. If he gets support from the Il-seong Group, you never know. Doon’t be too confident.”

“Ha! Cheon Ji-soo? That guy?”

“Hey! Are you even listening to me?”

I had been sneering every time I saw her face, but there was no point in antagonizing her further.

“Okay, let’s say you provide information. What do you want from me? An alliance means give and take, right? What do you want me to do?”

“Get Grandfather to help me. And… not right now, but maybe in a few years or even decades. When the time comes, I want you to support me. I mean when Grandfather passes away and you’ve taken his place.”

I pretended to ponder, drawing out the moment.

Cheon Ji-soo waited silently, not uttering a word as she watched me close my eyes in apparent deep thought.

“…I don’t understand. If Cheon Ji-soo becomes the successor, couldn’t you just ask him for support then? He’s your brother after all, wouldn’t he help you?”

“Ha~ Cheon Ji-soo? The moment he becomes Grandfather’s successor, he’ll try to swallow Il-sung whole. He’s got morre ambition than talent. I know him better than that.”

“But can I really help you take over the Il-seong Group? Wouldn’t a merger be more likely?”

No matter how smart or capable she was, Il-seong Group was still Cheon Ji–soo’s maternal family.

As the chairman of Il-seong Group, there was no reasoon to disrupt the succession plan already in place.

The only variable was the fact that the Il-seong Group chairman cherished Cheon Ji-soo’s mother the most among his children.

However, the chairman of Il-seong Group was….

A man without blood or tears.

If it posed a threat to his management rights, Seo Yong-geon, the king of Il-seong Group, was the type of maan who could even abandon his daughter.

“I don’t plan to take it all. I’m not that lacking in judgment. But I’ll take at least half. It’s Mom’s rightful share after all.”

“…You’ve got big dreams, sis.”

“Anyway, what do you think? Are you interested?”

“Hmm… Isn’t this too much of a loss for you, sis? That’s what makes me uneasy. I’m the only one gaining anything right now, while you’re just getting a promise.”

That must have stung.

After the chairman of Il-seong Group collapsed from a heeart attack, that’s when she started making her moves in earnest. She rebelled against her uncle, the successor, and eventually entered into a battle for shares.

And in the end, it was me, having inherited Grandfather’s position, who tipped the scales in her favor, allowing her to secure one-third of Il-seong Group’s affiliates..

That’s when our alliance fell apart.

The woman who, along with the Cheon Su-man and Cheon Su-han brothers, pushed me into the abyss.

That was Cheon Ji-soo.

“You’ve got nothing to lose, right? Let’s trust each other as family, okay? Can’t you trust your big sister?”

“Pff- Hahahahaha!”

I burst out laughing reflexively at her unexpected ‘Can’t you trust your big sister?’ line.

Wow, this woman can even say things like that?

“Why are you laughing?”

Cheon Ji-soo frowned.

“Nothing, it’s just that ‘Can’t you trust your big sister?’ was a bit funny. I’ll think about it for now. It’s not something I can decide easily.”

“What’s there to think about? Are you really going to pass up such a good opportunity? You said it yourself, I’m the one losing out here.”

“That’s right, you are losing out. But this is the first time we’ve really talked, isn’t it? How can I trust you and join hands right away when you suddenly make this kind of proposal?”

Of course, I also want to make her sweat a little.

“I’ll think about it. I’ll give you an answer as soon as possible. Oh! And don’t worry, I’m not planning to tell anyone else about this. I’m not that stupid.”

Cheon Ji-soo stared at me silently for a while, as if she hadn’t expected me to say I’d think about it.

Finally, she sighed.

“Sigh… Alright, give me an answer as soon as you can. I can’t wait forever. If you drag this out, I’ll have no choice but to look for other options. You know what I mean, right?”

“Yeah, I got it. We’re done talking then? I’ll contact you later.”

As I was about to open the car door and get out, Cheon Ji-soo added from behind me.

“Wait a moment. I’ll give you one gift.”

I let go of the door handle and turned to look at her.

“What?”

“It seems Dad is plotting something with the Myeong-dong bosses. I don’t know the details, but be careful when you meet the Myeong-dong bosses.”

Talk about being late to the party.

I stared at Cheon Ji-soo blankly, too dumbfounded to respond.

“What? You think I’m lying?”

“No, I was just thinking for a moment if you could really be helpful…”

Cheon Ji-soo’s face contorted at that.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ve already met all the Myeong-dong bosses and wrapped things up. We’ve recovered all of Grandfather’s bank accounts under false names, and we’ve agreed to get reports once a month.”

“What?”

Cheon Ji-soo looked at me with a shocked expression.

Wow, she can make that kind of face too. I’m learning a lot of new things about her today.

“I really need to think about this for a while.”

“…You’ve subdued the Myeong-dong bosses?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t much.”

“…You’re not an ordinary guy, are you?”

A strange smile spread across Cheon Ji-soo’s face.

She must be thinking I’ll be very useful.

Ma! In the past, you and I, we ate together, drank together, went to the sauna together, you know? We did it all! You know?

Ah… except for the sauna, I guess.

‘I know you better than you know yourself. Just you wait, this time…’

I got out of Cheon Ji-soo’s car and headed towards where my car was parked.

I couldn’t help but smile when I saw Myeong-su reading a law book in the car.

Opening the driver’s side door and getting in, I said,

“Hey! Are you studying even in the car?”

“Huh? Hey, Mu-hyeok! Who was that woman just now? She was fucking gorgeous. Introduce me, will you? And why did you meet her alone? You bastard, you keep telling me to study hard and pass the bar exam, but here you are meeting women?”

My ears hurt from Myeong-su’s rapid-fire words as soon as I sat in the car.

With a nonchalant expression, I said,

“She’s my cousin.”

“Oh? Is that so? Sorry.”

Myeong-su apologized quickly.

“Don’t be fooled by her looks. She’s a nine-tailed fox with hundreds of snakes in her belly. She’s not someone you and I can associate with.”

At that, Myeong-su quietly turned his eyes back to his law book.

“I’m hungry. Let’s go eat! Take us away, Driver Kim!”

I shook my head and started the car.

The car slowly pulled away.

After eating with Myeong-su, I returned home and immediately headed to Grandfather’s study.

Standing in front of the door, I said,

“Grandfather, it’s Mu-hyeok.”

Grandfather’s voice came from inside the study.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

As I opened the door and entered, Chief Ha was nowhere to be seen, and Grandfather was sitting alone, leaning back in his chair.

“How was your first class? Was it fun?”

“Yes, I greeted my classmates.”

“Is that so?”

“I met Ji-soo.”

“Ji-soo? Ah! You’re at the same university, right?”

“Yes, we agreed to have a meal together next time.”

“Well done. Get along with your cousins, understand?”

“Yes.”

Grandfather nodded, looking satisfied.

“So, what brings you to see me as soon as you got home? Speak.”

I cautiously began to speak.

“Well… Grandfather, you told me to manage the secret bank accounts, right?”

“I did.”

“I’d like to send some of that money overseas.”

“Overseas?”

“Yes, if you don’t plan to use that money right away, I’d like to invest it overseas.”

Chairman Cheon leaned forward, taking his back off the chair.

“Oh? Investment, you say? Are you confident? You remember what I said when I entrusted you with those accounts, don’t you?”

“Yes, you said it could be the last money if I mess up.”

“Even if you just maintain the current state, there’s nothing to lose. Why do you want to move it overseas?”

Even now, moving money overseas wasn’t easy, but it would become even more difficult after the implementation of the real-name financial system.

With Grandfather’s power now, it should be easy to move money overseas.

“In my opinion, I think this government will continue to implement policies that are unfavorable to you, Grandfather. Even if you’re not the target, you, as a major player in the underground economy, will suffer the most damage. So I thought we might need to move funds overseas in advance.”

“Hmm…”

“Wouldn’t it be easy to launder the money cleanly and send it to the U.S. using the subsidiaries of the large companies you’ve lent money to, Grandfather?”

Then, Grandfather, who had been looking at me with an interested expression, spoke.

“Yes, it would be easy. But you still haven’t explained why we should do this. Moving money overseas because of a real-name financial system that hasn’t even been implemented yet? Is there a reason we should do this?”

I answered calmly.

“You entrusted it to me, so shouldn’t you trust me and help me with whatever I do with that money? Isn’t that right?”

It was a brazen statement, but sometimes the direct approach was the best method.

“Hahaha! Interesting, very interesting. Even your maternal uncles always cower and can barely speak in front of me, but you, Mu-hyeok… I don’t know if you’re fearless or just overflowing with spirit. Either way, I like what I see.”

That’s right.

That’s how I used to be.

Always intimidated and barely able to speak properly in front of Grandfather.

He seemed to think of me as the successor, but he was never satisfied.

“Alright, what do you want me to do?”

“Please move 400 billion won to a U.S. account.”

“And?”

“Please don’t ask me about that money until the year 2000. I’ll handle it myself.”

“What? Don’t ask about 400 billion won?”

“Yes.”

After thinking for a while, Grandfather eventually nodded.

“Alright, let’s give it a try. But you won’t get a second chance. Whether you multiply that money or lose it all, you just need to return 400 billion won to me. Understand?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll tell Chief Ha to handle it. It’ll be moved to the U.S. cleanly, without any problems.”

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

I never thought I’d be having this kind of conversation in Grandfather’s study.

My changed behavior had also changed Grandfather.

Now…

I needed to find someone to manage my account.

‘Right about now, that person must be… running from loan sharks, right?’

Grandfather didn’t say anything more about the secret funds.

Instead, he was curious about my college life.

When I finished talking with Grandfather and left the study, Chief Ha was entering the house.

“Chief Ha.”

“Yes, young master.”

“Um… could you find someone for me?”

“Someone?”

Chief Ha stopped, looking a bit puzzled.

“Please tell me. However, it might take a while depending on the information. The more information you have, the faster we can find them.”

I explained as much as I could remember.

Chief Ha took out a notebook and wrote down what I said.

A few days later.

Chief Ha gave me the address of the inn where he was staying.

He asked me curiously,

“Han Gyeong-yeong? This person has a lot of debts. That’s why it wasn’t difficult to find him. But why…”

“Hahaha, he’s a useful person. Thank you, Chief Ha.”

Hearing that, Chief Ha didn’t ask any more questions.

Han Gyeong-yeong.

The man who would later be known as the ‘super ant’, a god of stocks.

But right now, he was just a stock addict drowning in debt.

Soon, he would become my man and multiply my wealth.