The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 51 (51/840)
< Now, I'm going to do it properly. >
#51
Now, I'm going to do it properly.
Chairman Cheon, who had been lost in thought while looking out the window in his study, turned his head at the knock on the door.
"Chairman, it's Myunghoon."
Director Ha bowed and entered. He stood near the door, waiting for Chairman Cheon to speak.
Chairman Cheon, who had been looking out the window, sat down in his chair after a moment.
Director Ha spoke, seeing the look in his eyes.
"About the matter with Young Master's friend..."
Chairman Cheon, who had been listening silently, asked a question as soon as Director Ha finished speaking.
"Did Yoon Changho use the card he received back then?"
"Yes, it seems he used it for personal matters."
"Hmm..."
Chairman Cheon's fingertips drummed on the desk for a long time.
"Is that all he managed to do with that card? Just get a small company and catch the related people?"
He muttered, looking a bit dissatisfied.
Director Ha shook his head.
"It's not completely over yet. Please wait a little longer."
"Muhyuk is just pretending to be tough. He's still immature. He should have taken everything, even his life."
Tsking, Director Ha defended Muhyuk.
"The people who carried out the act have been sent to the salt mines. It's a place they can never escape from, as it's under our management."
"Yes, that's how it should be. We need to give them a pain worse than death. Taking his company and making his son the same way doesn't mean the revenge is over. If he thinks it's over, he's mistaken."
"The times have changed, haven't they? A lot has changed from your time, Chairman."
Director Ha's words made Chairman Cheon frown.
"The times have changed, but some things remain the same. Once an enemy, always an enemy. We need to instill a sense of fear. Muhyuk doesn't understand that yet."
However, not long after.
News came that Jo Hyungu had committed suicide in prison.
A satisfied laugh echoed from Chairman Cheon's study.
"Yes. This is how it should be. This is my grandson."
Director Ha stood silently, bowing his head.
* * *
Jo Hyungu was treated worse than an animal in prison. He was frequently beaten by the guards and even assaulted and bullied by other inmates.
But no one helped him.
And when his name disappeared from the media, it was time.
"Manager Ma, please finish it. Handle it quietly as a suicide and take everything his family owns, down to the last grain of rice."
Manager Ma followed my instructions faithfully.
He bribed the guards and used someone inside to hang him in the bathroom.
While handling this matter, I had many thoughts.
In the end, I needed to be ruthless.
I couldn't die pointlessly like I did in my previous life.
Hyungsun, after removing his cast and taking a leave of absence from school, went to Busan.
"Stupid kid, he says he needs to sort out his thoughts. Just leave him be. He'll come to his senses and return on his own."
Mingsoo's words echoed in my ears. He must have said it out of concern for me, but it didn't resonate with me at all.
The bitter taste in my mouth was unavoidable.
I had been preparing for the bar exam and tried not to think about the matter.
Time passed quickly, and the bar exam was approaching.
After class, as I walked out of the lecture hall, someone tapped my shoulder.
"Ma!"
It was Mingsoo.
I asked with a nonchalant expression.
"Have you prepared well for the bar exam? What about the others?"
"Yeah, they're all brimming with confidence. They're all worried about you. You haven't been coming to school much. Have you studied?"
Seeing Mingsoo's confident demeanor, a smile finally appeared on my face.
"I'm always prepared."
The first stage of the exam covers the basic three laws—Constitution, Criminal Law, and Civil Law—and a chosen subject. Unlike the second stage, which is an essay exam, the first stage is multiple-choice. Assuming one has studied diligently, most law students pass the first stage by the time they graduate.
"Ah, you unlucky guy. Speaking of which, we're all meeting up for dinner. Want to join us?"
I nodded.
As we walked out of the school, Manager Ma was waiting for us.
I usually came to school without Manager Ma to lead a normal student life, but after handling this matter, I had been moving around with him.
We got into the car, and Manager Ma started the engine.
We soon arrived at the family restaurant where we were meeting.
Inside, everyone was already waiting.
"Hey, Kim Muhyuk! It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Oh Hyunwoo, Yoon Jae-ha, and Han Minkyung greeted me warmly.
I smiled and took my seat.
"Sorry, I haven't been able to attend many of the gatherings I organized. Now that I have some free time, I'll try to attend as many as possible."
We ordered our food and started discussing the bar exam.
"Everyone confident about passing the first stage? I am. Let's all pass the first and second stages on the first try and go to the training institute together."
Seeing Oh Hyunwoo's confident demeanor, I thought I had made the right choice in selecting him as the president.
"Muhyuk, this isn't the time to smile. You're the biggest problem here. Have you studied? I heard you even lost the top spot in the department to Minkyung recently."
Minkyung gave a slightly awkward smile at my words.
I shrugged.
"Well, I haven't been able to attend classes much, so that's fair. But I'm confident about the first stage."
Everyone teased me, saying I was unlucky.
Mingsoo's voice was the loudest.
"Didn't I tell you? Worrying about Muhyuk is the most useless worry in the world. As long as we do well, it's fine. This guy even said he only wanted to take the first stage and didn't plan to take the second stage. Ignore him."
If you pass the first stage, you get two chances to take the second stage: this year and next year.
The second stage is the true bar exam.
The four-day second stage is an essay exam. Unlike the multiple-choice first stage, it's not a test you can pass just by memorizing the law.
Most people fail at the second stage.
There's also a third stage, but it's an interview, so unless you praise North Korea or the Communist Party, you'll pass.
"Have you all thought about what you'll do if you pass the third stage?"
Everyone stopped eating and looked at me.
"Who knows? We'll see after the training institute results come out, but I'm thinking of becoming a prosecutor."
Oh Hyunwoo seemed to be planning the same career path as in his previous life.
Despite having sufficient grades at the training institute, he surprised everyone by choosing to become a prosecutor instead of a judge.
Everyone's eyes, which had been on me, turned to him.
Yoon Jae-ha, looking surprised, cleared his throat.
"Really? Your family doesn't want you to be a judge?"
Because of his grandfather, who was a Chief Justice, Yoon Jae-ha had assumed Oh Hyunwoo would choose to be a judge.
Oh Hyunwoo frowned and shook his head.
"It's my life, so I should choose. It's separate from my family's wishes."
"Wow, I envy that kind of determination. I don't even have the freedom to choose. I have to join a law firm right away."
Yoon Jae-ha made the same choice as before.
"I'm going to be a prosecutor! No doubt about it!"
"Sure. Everyone in the law department knows you want to be a prosecutor. Stop talking about it. It's annoying."
Everyone naturally ignored Mingsoo's words.
The only one left was Han Minkyung. Everyone turned to her, and she shrugged.
"I haven't thought about it much. I'll decide based on my grades. If I can be a judge, that's fine. If I can be a prosecutor, that's good too. Being a lawyer isn't bad either. First, I need to pass the exam."
Originally, Han Minkyung would become a lawyer and then enter politics after being recruited by the opposition party. But with her current grades, she would likely be at the top of the training institute.
'Becoming a judge wouldn't be bad for me either.'
I sipped my water and observed the situation.
"Oh, look at Minkyung's confidence. She's almost at Muhyuk's level. She's a female Kim Muhyuk!"
Everyone burst out laughing at Mingsoo's words. I laughed along.
Han Minkyung, blushing, said,
"Thanks."
She smiled brightly at me.
"What's with this strange atmosphere?"
Ignoring Mingsoo's teasing, everyone got up from their seats.
"See you on the day of the bar exam."
Time passed, and it was the day of the bar exam.
We met in front of the exam venue and went in together.
When we came out at 5 PM, everyone's faces were smiling.
"Ah, I don't know what will happen now~ I did my best, so it's fine."
Everyone nodded at Mingsoo's words.
"We should all have a drink to celebrate this day."
At Oh Hyunwoo's suggestion, everyone looked at me.
I nodded in agreement.
"Sure. Let's have a drink."
We went to a nearby bar, laughed, and drank together before parting ways.
On the way home,
I gazed out the car window at the night scenery, lost in thought.
I had been pushing away other thoughts to focus on the exam, but now it was time to gather my resolve.
As we approached home, I sighed and shook off my thoughts.
"Manager Ma."
"Yes, Boss."
"Now, I'm going to do it properly."
"Understood."
My grandfather, who saw me for the first time drunk, said nothing.
I bowed and went upstairs to my room.
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, I went to the study to talk to my grandfather.
"I'm going to stop school now."
I met my grandfather's gaze, which was expressionless at my words.
"I can't do everything. I'm going to do it properly. I'm thinking of either drop out or take a leave of absence."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, I'm going to Busan and then do it properly."
"Properly...?"
My grandfather looked at me silently, tapping his fingers on the desk.
In the spacious study, my grandfather and I looked at each other without speaking.
"Alright. But you don't need to quit school. I'll arrange for you to graduate, so just show up occasionally. Since you're doing it properly, I'll see if you're fit to be my successor."
"Understood. I'll stay with my grandmother in Busan for a while and then come back."
I bowed to my grandfather, who nodded, and left the study.
That evening, I went to Busan with Manager Ma.
* * *
"Muhyuk says he's going to do it properly."
Chairman Cheon said, looking out the window.
Outside, the car carrying Kim Muhyuk was leaving the Cheon family estate.
"Is that so?"
"Once he comes back from Busan, start handing over tasks to him. Since he says he's going to do it properly, let's see how he does."
"Understood."
Chairman Cheon turned from the window and walked towards his chair.
"What is Suwan doing?"
"He's quiet. He's just doing his usual work, with no special movements."
"Jae-in and Ji-soo?"
"Master Jae-in is... still the same. I heard Ji-soo is planning to join Ilseong after graduation this year."
"Tsk. The eldest grandson still hasn't pulled himself together? What is Suwan even doing?"
Director Ha bowed his head silently.
Chairman Cheon, looking displeased, added,
"Bring Jae-in and Ji-soo home once. And what is Ji-young doing these days? He hasn't visited in a while."
"I'll contact them."
"No, it's fine. Let's talk about Ji-young later. I need to meet Jae-in and Ji-soo first."
"Understood."
After Director Ha bowed and left, Chairman Cheon sat alone, lost in thought with his eyes closed.
* * *
"Grandma!"
"Is that you, Muhyuk?"
The Busan house was always warm.
Seeing Grandma's unchanged appearance, a smile never left my face.
I spent the day having dinner and talking with Grandma.
I told her I was going to do my grandfather's work properly, but she just patted my back without saying anything.
I didn't contact Hyungsun and spent time with Grandma, sorting out my thoughts, going for walks, and enjoying good food.
What broke my peace was Park Dongsoo.
- Dongsoo! Are you in Busan now?
"Yes, but if it's not urgent, can you call me later? My head is a bit messy."
- Hmm... It's about your parents' case. I heard someone knows something about it.
Sometimes, you get a clue from the most unexpected places.