Chapter 69

< I hope you two get along well. >

#69

I hope you two get along well.

Song Hyunji approached me as if she was about to share a secret and whispered,

“Actually... Grandfather said if I don’t listen, he’ll marry me off to someone else.”

“I understand, but could you please step back a bit?”

Then, Song Hyunji glanced at me and took a step back.

“What? Were you getting nervous or something?”

“No.”

I pretended to be calm, but my heart hadn’t settled yet.

“Brother?”

“Let’s continue what we were talking about.”

I quickly changed the subject.

Song Hyunji lifted her chin and said in a commanding tone,

“I want to fall in love. I don’t want to marry someone my family picks for me. Grandfather just suggested I meet Brother, so I did. I’m trying to buy some time. When I find a guy I like, I’ll run away.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha, you’re telling me you want to use me right in front of me?”

“Hmm... But now that I’ve met you, you’re not bad. I might not need to look for someone else.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you.”

She was so straightforward that it felt almost bold.

“What do you think?”

“I just met you today. What are you talking about?”

I had no interest in dating or marriage. I was too preoccupied with avenging those who had killed me. I had successfully eliminated my uncles, but it wasn’t a complete revenge yet.

After all, the Cheongpung Society, a formidable enemy, still remained.

“Hey~ You flinched when I got close just now.”

Her straightforward and confident demeanor was somewhat appealing.

But this wasn’t the time to dilly-dally.

“I guess that’s natural. Who wouldn’t be startled when someone suddenly gets close? It’s not like it was a secret conversation.”

“It’s fun, though.”

Song Hyunji giggled, seemingly teasing me on purpose.

“Fun?”

“Yeah.”

She’s such a fox, a fox.

I felt like if we kept talking, I might get dragged into her schemes.

“Anyway, it was nice meeting you. See you next time.”

“Where are you going? You have to answer. So, what do you think of Brother?”

“What? Do you like me?”

Even as I asked, I could see in her eyes that she was confident I would say yes.

She knew exactly how people perceived her.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Wow, really? Don’t back out! Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”

I smiled as I watched her pout.

“Thank you.”

Satisfied with the result, a smile spread across my face.

Song Hyunji looked at me and asked,

“Did you exchange contact information?”

“Oh, right. Brother, give me your number.”

Even if I refused, she was still from a wealthy family.

This was an era where pagers were more common than mobile phones, yet she was asking for a number as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Song Hyunji, who had been watching us exchange contact information with a pleased expression, gestured to me.

“Hyunji, you can go now. I have more to talk about with this one.”

“Okay, Grandfather. I’ll come again.”

Song Hyunji gave Song Chairman a light hug. While he chuckled, she winked at me.

“Brother, see you next time!”

And then she disappeared like the wind.

Is she cool or what?

“Immature, isn’t she?”

“No, she’s not.”

“Still, she’s the granddaughter I cherish the most in our family. Maybe it’s because I’ve spoiled her, but she never reads the room. Even as an adult, she’s still so carefree...”

“I think that’s what makes her more likable. It seems like you like her too, Chairman.”

“I do, I do.”

It was surprising to see the usually strict Song Chairman show such a soft side toward Song Hyunji.

I was about to ask whose daughter she was, but I stopped myself. It wasn’t information I needed to know.

However, Song Chairman brought it up first.

“I have a hidden child.”

Song Chairman had only married once but had many affairs and children. It was a well-known story.

His wife was often praised as the epitome of a devoted wife in Korea.

Three of his current children were illegitimate. Yet, he mentioned another hidden child.

Song Chairman nodded as if understanding my surprise.

“Having many children is well-known, but there was one no one knew about. Her mother strongly refused, so she couldn’t be registered... Anyway, she’s that child’s daughter. Her parents are both dead, and she lives with her grandmother.”

Despite his calm tone, a hint of bitterness was evident in his expression.

“I might cherish her even more because of that. She’s like her mother, who had no greed, and Hyunji has no greed either. I want you to take care of her even after I’m gone. You’ll understand what I mean.”

Song Chairman seemed to be anticipating the events after his death.

“I understand. I’ll treat her like a younger sister and take care of her. Don’t worry too much.”

Song Chairman nodded a few times after hearing my answer.

The old man’s expression, which had been bitter, changed.

“I’ve heard rumors that you’re recovering funds. What’s going on?”

The rumor that Chairman Cheon of Myeongdong was recovering funds had already spread widely.

Except for the chaebols I hadn’t yet recovered from, most of the funds had been recovered by me.

After the IMF crisis, I left the best companies to survive, but even those companies didn’t want more loans.

It was an era where banks and finance companies lent money at low interest rates, so unless it was an emergency, people didn’t borrow from loan sharks.

“I’m generally restructuring our debts. I haven’t touched the top chaebols yet. Daehyun won’t have any problems. If we recover now, the company will go bankrupt.”

“Huh? What? Daehyun, the great Daehyun?”

Song Chairman laughed loudly, seemingly finding it absurd.

However, it was true that Daehyun was struggling to get loans due to government pressure.

Thanks to Grandfather’s continued provision of urgent funds, there was no cash crunch, but it was difficult to make aggressive investments.

Of course, Daehyun was still the top chaebol in Korea.

Even the Ilseong Group, which would later make Korea known as the Ilseong Republic, was no match for Daehyun at the time.

The anecdotes about the founder of Ilseong and Song Chairman of Daehyun were often retold even after their deaths, showing the extent of their influence in this era.

However, the IMF crisis was inevitable.

No major Korean company could avoid the foreign exchange crisis.

“I also want to secure cash assets. Grandfather, you said you’re retiring. It’s easier to settle old loans this way.”

“Hmm... Are you doing this because you think the Korean economy will go bankrupt, as you mentioned before? Don’t you know how prosperous it is now? Even if you leave it alone, the interest will keep coming in. Why hold onto cash assets?”

He had a point.

This was an era of unprecedented prosperity.

Low interest rates, low oil prices, and a low exchange rate.

Korea was growing rapidly.

But in a few months, due to negotiations with powerful countries like the United States and Japan, the dollar would strengthen, and the yen would weaken.

The era of prosperity would come to an end.

“I think the Korean economy is too abnormal. Corruption and the close ties between government and business are too severe. The debt ratio is also too high. It might explode all at once. No, I think it will definitely happen. I just don’t know when.”

“Hmm...”

Song Chairman placed his hand on his chin, focusing on my words.

“But that’s not why I’m recovering funds. I plan to run the loan business differently from Grandfather. The recovery of funds now is part of that preparation. Grandfather’s power will disappear when he passes away.”

“The times have changed. But that doesn’t mean the money from the Cheon family will disappear. That’s power.”

Money is power, and he was right to some extent.

But having money alone wouldn’t allow me to achieve my revenge.

The Cheongpung Society isn’t an opponent I can fight with money alone.

“In Grandfather’s and Chairman’s era, money was power. But it’s not the same now. Don’t you think things are different from back then? You must feel it the most.”

“Huhuhu.”

Even during the harsh military regime, the heads of major corporations thrived by paying bribes.

They were the pillars of the Korean economy, and many powerful figures bowed before them at hearings and national audits.

But not Chairman Cheon.

That was because Grandfather only had money.

Without Grandfather’s records, all that wealth would have been torn apart and taken by the powerful.

The IMF crisis was the last chance.

The opportunity for me to gain power... the opportunity to face the Cheongpung Society.

The Cheongpung Society must be in a frenzy.

On March 1, 1995, the 50th anniversary of Korea’s liberation, the demolition of the old Japanese Governor-General’s building was announced, along with a special address by the President.

Given the intense reaction from Japan,

the Cheongpung Society is doing everything it can to stop it.

Time passed, and finally, the movements of powerful countries like Japan and the United States began. The yen started to weaken.

― This... monster.

Han Kyungyeong’s reaction was perhaps inevitable.

We had bet on the weakening yen faster than anyone else. We would likely make more profit than any other hedge fund.

< I hope you two get along well. > End