The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 11 (11/840)
< Please grant me just one favor next time. >
#11
Please grant me just one favor next time.
During the four days in Seoul, I had many conversations with Chairman Cheon. He talked about how things could have been resolved more easily if we had done this or that.
Indeed... As someone who had climbed to his position by stepping on many people, Chairman Cheon's advice was helpful in many ways.
In my past life, he had never given me such advice even once...
On the last day.
Cheon Suhan came to Pyeongchang-dong with his daughter alone, knowing that Chairman Cheon especially favored the youngest of the family, Cheon Jiyoung.
"Father, we're here. I brought Jiyoung."
"Grandfather!"
Jiyoung ran over and hugged her grandfather.
"Yes, Jiyoung, you came? Why are you so thin? Are you growing taller? Are you eating well?"
"Yes! Grandfather."
"Did you come because you were worried I might be lonely?"
"Dad told me to come!"
"Is that so?"
I was scratching the goosebumps on my arm while watching Jiyoung act cute to Grandfather from the second floor.
'What a grown-up girl, acting like a fox...'
Although she was the only cousin I had a soft spot for, I couldn't help but feel a chill when she put on an act in front of Grandfather or me.
"What are you doing?"
"I was just talking with Muhyuk."
"Muhyuk? Is he here?"
"Yes, he's upstairs."
"Oh!"
"Go up and see him. I need to talk with your father. We'll play later."
"Okay! See you later."
As Jiyoung was climbing the stairs, our eyes met. After a brief hesitation, she ran over with a bright smile.
"Muhyuk!"
Wow... I can see your expression changing.
"Yeah, it's been a while."
"Brother, when did you come?"
"I came four days ago. I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Tch, you always say you're leaving tomorrow."
"Next vacation, we can go to an amusement park or something. Ah, you're not that childish, are you?"
"Huh?"
"Do you want to play with the toys in the room? There are a lot of toys there."
"..." No. I just want to talk with you."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the study, Chairman Cheon and Cheon Suhan were having a private conversation.
"What happened with what I mentioned last time?"
"Well..."
"Don't tell me you haven't taken care of it yet? Do I have to do everything myself?!"
When Chairman Cheon got angry, Cheon Suhan stammered an excuse.
"Brother is being stubborn..."
"Tsk tsk. That brother of yours. How long are you going to follow him around? Didn't I give you separate authority? Why do you keep following him?"
Cheon Suhan remained silent like a honey-eating bear.
Chairman Cheon clicked his tongue in disappointment.
"Is it because you're not the eldest son? What does that matter? If you keep giving in to your brother, do you think he'll take care of you after I'm gone? Money makes even brothers and parents strangers. Don't you understand that?"
"But... Brother is so capable..."
"Don't make excuses. Think carefully. You might end up with nothing. I now have three options, not two."
"Father!"
He suddenly looked up at Chairman Cheon, who had been listening silently.
Chairman Cheon smiled at the aggrieved Cheon Suhan.
"Why? Isn't Misuk's child not my blood? Why do you think you're the only one who gets opportunities?"
"But..."
"I've given you plenty of opportunities. You're the one who missed them. How many more chances do you need?"
"..."
"Go home and think about it."
Cheon Suhan lowered his head weakly.
"Go home first. Jiyoung will stay overnight and I'll send her back tomorrow."
"Yes, Father."
Feeling dismissed, Cheon Suhan left the study weakly.
Alone, Chairman Cheon sighed.
"The younger one is too weak, and the older one is too greedy."
After frowning for a while, he suddenly spoke to someone outside.
"Min-hoon."
The head of the household, Mr. Ha, who was waiting outside, bowed respectfully and entered.
"Yes, Chairman."
"Find out what the older one is up to. I can't trust him."
"Understood."
"And..."
That day, Chairman Cheon gave many instructions to Mr. Ha.
Meanwhile, after leaving Chairman Cheon's house, Cheon Suhan headed straight to his brother Cheon Suman's office in Myeong-dong.
"Brother!"
"What is it? Why did you come without saying anything? I thought you were going to see Father."
"I did. Ugh... The old man, how much nagging... He asked about the political funding this time."
Cheon Suhan slumped onto the sofa opposite Cheon Suman.
Cheon Suman frowned.
"How can you ask for the money back when it's already been given? It's been six months."
"I don't know. He keeps asking me why I keep following Brother. So I just left."
"What... Why is the old man always making a fuss?"
"After he's gone, will you take care of me? You won't pretend you don't know me, right?"
"Hey, we're the only brothers. How can I abandon you? I'll make sure you have a place to live and eat. Don't worry."
"Really, you're the only one I trust."
The faint anxiety in Cheon Suhan's eyes didn't disappear.
* * *
"Brother!"
"Hmm."
"Are you staying in Busan?"
"Yeah. Until I enter university?"
"When you enter, you'll come back, right?"
Talking alone in the room, I was reminded of the past.
In the past, when I was ignored and despised by Cheon Suman, Cheon Suhan, and the cousins, and couldn't rebel, Jiyoung approached me without hesitation.
Later, I found out she was a fox, but it didn't change anything.
Even when I lost everything and went into hiding, she contacted me once a month.
"Will you show me around if I visit Busan?"
"Huh? Yeah. If you come, we can talk."
"Okay, I'll come soon."
"Sure, anytime. I'll introduce you to my friends. They're nice."
"Tch, fine."
"Hahaha."
I stopped my hand, which was about to touch Jiyoung's head, without realizing it.
I didn't do this before...
Maybe because my mental age is similar to Cheon Suhan's, or because she's my cousin but feels like a young niece.
"What's with your hand? Why?"
"Stretching! I was just stretching!"
"Lady, young master, it's time for dinner."
Fortunately, the aunt's voice saved me. I avoided Jiyoung's scrutinizing gaze and went out of the room.
The next morning, when I woke up, Jiyoung was already gone.
The first thing I did after arriving in Busan was to meet Prosecutor Yoon Chang-ho.
When I got out of Mr. Ha's car, Prosecutor Yoon's car was already parked in front of the house.
As I moved to Prosecutor Yoon's car, the driver got out.
In the quiet car, Prosecutor Yoon, who had been unable to speak, finally managed to say:
"Muhyuk, I'm sorry."
Prosecutor Yoon looked worn out, as if he had been through a lot.
"Prosecutor, please speak freely. I feel uncomfortable otherwise."
"..." Is it okay?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll do that."
Although his tone changed, Prosecutor Yoon's uncomfortable expression didn't change much.
'Interrogation isn't difficult.'
Still, it might take some time to improve our relationship.
I said in a seemingly casual voice:
"Although we're involved in a bad situation, I know you're not related to it. But our grandfather isn't the type to distinguish such things."
"Ah... That's true."
"That's why I told our grandfather I wanted to talk to you directly. I don't want to argue over something you didn't do."
Prosecutor Yoon's face brightened for a moment but then darkened again.
"But I also need to say something to our grandfather... So, Prosecutor."
"..." What?
"Next time, just grant me one favor. I won't ask for anything unreasonable. What do you think?"
I pressed the point, seeing his hesitation.
"It won't be something bad for you. I might not ask for anything again in my life. I just need to say something to our grandfather. I want to get along with you, like an uncle or a close friend."
After some thought, he nodded.
"..." If it's something I can do, I'll do it.
"Then I'll tell our grandfather that. He might want a clear answer or say something else, but you'll have to accept it."
"Understood. That's fair."
Finally, Prosecutor Yoon seemed relieved.
"I hope we meet under better circumstances next time."
"Sure. Let's do that."
"Then I'll get out first. I need to prepare for school tomorrow."
"Right, you're a high school student."
"Yes. You're from Korea University, right?"
"Of course, isn't that obvious?"
"I'm aiming for that university. If I get in, I'll treat you as my senior."
Saying this naturally, Prosecutor Yoon's expression softened.
"That would be nice. But, are you staying in Busan instead of going to Pyeongchang-dong? I'll keep an eye on you."
"I'll stay in Busan until the college entrance exam. But I can't use my one favor with the branch manager for such a small thing. You're going to Seoul soon, right?"
"Hahaha, that's true. Understood. See you next time."
"Okay."
I got out of Prosecutor Yoon's car and went home, where my grandmother had prepared dinner and was waiting for me.
"Are you back? How are you?"
"Grandma!"
Seeing my grandmother after a few days, I couldn't help but smile.
"Come on, take a shower. I'll warm up the doenjang-jjigae, hurry up."
"Okay, Grandma."
The smell of my grandmother's doenjang-jjigae tickled my nose.
"Ah, the smell of our grandma's doenjang-jjigae is always good."
"Brat, have you been eating well? You're only saying nice things to me."
"Let's eat quickly."
"Sure, let's eat."
Dinner with Grandma was as delicious as always. Being with her made me feel like the incident with Hong Jin-pyo was a long time ago.
The next day.
Ming-su, who had run over from a distance, tapped my back.
"Hey, Muhyuk! It's been a while?"
"You often played with my grandma? Thanks."
"Shut up. Your grandma is like our grandma. Don't say such silly things and let's go."
Soon, Hyun-seong joined us. The three of us were going to school together after a long time.
At the school gate, the new student advisor, the Viper, was there. We passed through without any particular comments this time.
"Ah, it's so much easier without the bald vulture. Don't you think?"
"Ugh... Ming-su, you kept saying that while I was away from school. My ears were ringing."
"Hahaha."
The two of them kept bickering, but it felt good to be in this atmosphere.
The school, which I hadn't visited for a long time, had changed a lot. The teachers and students treated me differently.
The teachers were cautious, and the students... were even more afraid of me than before.
It's too troublesome to explain. Let's just live our own lives.
The only person who hadn't changed was the Viper, who had been my homeroom teacher since my first year.
"Muhyuk, are you okay? You need to work hard to make up for the time you missed. If your grades drop, you'll be in trouble, got it?"
"Yes."
"And since you caused trouble, you need to be punished. You fought, so you'll clean the second-floor bathroom for a month. Any objections?"
"Understood. Can Ming-su and Hyun-seong help me?"
"That's up to you. Take responsibility for the cleaning and inspection. Got it?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good, it's been a while since you've been to school. Study hard. I'll see you at the end of the day."
When I told Hyun-seong and Ming-su that they had to help me clean the bathroom, Hyun-seong didn't react much, but Ming-su was in a frenzy.
"Are you crazy? Muhyuk! You can do it alone, why are you dragging us in? Did you really get sick in the hospital? Should I make sure you're properly admitted?"
"I don't care. If Muhyuk wants to do it, he has to. Ming-su doesn't want to, does he? I'll tell the Viper."
"No, it's not that I don't want to, but why..."
"I'm sorry. We're friends, right? We have to do it together. Isn't that right?"
"Of course."
When I teased Ming-su, Hyun-seong and I were in perfect sync.
"Ah, if I do this, I'll be the weird one again! Hey! Muhyuk, Hyun-seong! Let's go. Where are you going?"
"Hahaha."
Hyun-seong and I burst out laughing at the same time.
A year passed, and the college entrance exam day was approaching.