Song Hyeon-su, unable to figure anything out from my expression, soon let out a deep sigh and said.
"Grandfather hasn't been meeting with anyone much these days. But since he meets with you so often, I was curious about what you two talk about. He doesn't even give his grandsons much time..."
"Is that so?"
He frowned slightly as if feeling sorry and nodded his head.
"It seems like he got hurt a lot by people after losing in this presidential election. So unless it's something really important, he seems to just stay alone in his study. He only shows his face when we all eat together."
It was an understandable statement. Having nothing else to say, I put on a similarly sorry expression.
"There wasn't any special talk."
Song Hyeon-su nodded in easy acceptance, as if he hadn't expected much in the first place.
"Really? Then that's fine. When do you have time? Let's have a drink together."
"I will make time as soon as possible."
"Let's meet up at least once before I go study abroad."
"Yes, then I will be on my way now."
"Right, you said you had an appointment. Go on."
"See you again, brother."
I left Chairman Song's mansion and headed to the appointment location. The appointment location was Yeouido this time as well. More people than usual were coming out of the buildings around the brokerage firms in Yeouido.
The roads were also so packed that it was hard to tell if they were parking lots or streets.
"Phew... This is an absolute battlefield."
I barely managed to find an empty spot to park the car and catch my breath. I organized my thoughts while waiting for Han Gyeong-yeong. 'How many shares does Grandfather have again?'
Recalling my memories from before my regression to estimate it, I shook my head from side to side. 'If I inherit all of this, I will be able to properly intervene in the fight for the Ilseong succession.' Just then, the passenger seat door swung open.
"What are you doing?"
Han Gyeong-yeong asked as he hopped in.
"Ah, you're here? It was crazy today, right?"
"Wow, I really thought I was going to die from being crushed by people even before the market opened. A few people even got hurt. It was literally a war zone."
"Hahaha, I bet. Imagine how anxious they must be."
Han Gyeong-yeong slumped back against the seat with an exhausted face.
"That's true. If you hadn't told me, I would have kept holding onto my shares too. Then I would have been stuck in that crowd, making a fuss to sell."
"So, what about the Ilseong shares?"
"Wow! Don't even mention it. Starting from Ilseong shares, then Daehyun, Useong, Seven. They all plummeted. It didn't matter if they were large conglomerates or not."
"No, I mean, so did you buy a lot?"
"Yeah, I scraped up all the money I had and bought them. Since I bought a bit of everything, it's not as much as you'd think."
"You did well. I will give you another 10 billion won, so buy with that too."
Han Gyeong-yeong clicked his tongue with a stunned face.
"Phew... Whenever I talk with you, it feels like 100 million won isn't even money. How do you just casually toss out 10 billion won here, and 400 billion won there?"
I let out a soft chuckle.
"So, do you hate it?"
"...Everyone was selling today, but when afternoon came and I was the only one turning around to buy, people started snooping around me wondering what was going on. But no matter how much I bought, the prices showed no signs of going up. 10 billion won doesn't even make a dent in this market."
I nodded my head. Throwing a mere 10 billion won into the market when everyone else was selling couldn't possibly stop this downward trend. Not that I had any intention of stopping it anyway.
"Take a good few days of rest once this is over. Go somewhere for a trip."
"Hey, what is there to rest for? It's just getting fun."
Waiting for the traffic congestion on the road to clear up a bit, I drove the car slowly and arrived at Han Gyeong-yeong's house. I spoke casually to Han Gyeong-yeong as he loosened his tie.
"Brother, get ready to go to America as soon as this is done."
"That fast?"
"Yeah. Let's do it quickly. Since I can't go to America often, I am really putting my trust in you and leaving it in your hands. You have to do well. Do not break my trust. I'm counting on you."
Seeing my expression, Han Gyeong-yeong let out a sigh so deep it seemed the ground would cave in. It was a sigh that showed a sense of responsibility rather than feeling sick of it or tired.
"Got it. By the looks of it, I will break even just by doing exactly what you tell me to do. What do I need to do?"
"Establishing the company I mentioned last time. It will be an investment company, but we won't accept outside investments. I will fund it entirely with my own money."
"Okay."
"And... there should be a guy named James Han struggling on Wall Street. He is a Korean-American, and starting with recruiting him..."
I told him the names of the people we needed to recruit. I was planning to head over to America myself once the company establishment was finished.
"So I should just do that much and wait until you come?"
"Yeah. As soon as I head over, I will deposit the 400 billion won into the company and assign everyone their tasks. I will step in personally for the important investments, but you need to hold down the fort well over there."
"Don't worry."
I patted Han Gyeong-yeong on the shoulder.
"I will let you fly around in a private jet later, so suffer just a little bit more for now."
Just the sound of a private jet made Han Gyeong-yeong grin as if imagining it alone was great.
"Alright! Let's try and take the world!"
I also smiled at his words.
The Republic of Korea, which had been thrown into chaos for several days, recovered surprisingly quickly. The plummeting stock market also turned back into an upward trend, contributing to reducing people's anxiety. However, Myeon District's Private Loan Market was completely frozen.
Grandfather had already cleared out most of his anonymous accounts, so he did not suffer a massive loss. Quite different from how it used to be. On the other hand, the other loan sharks in Myeon District were stamping their feet in panic.
'The Myeon District bosses are the same.' The four, no... now three Myeon District bosses under Grandfather must also be at a loss on what to do.
"It's been a while."
I stepped into the appointment location, the former office of Hammer. The three bosses who had arrived earlier and were waiting all stood up at once to greet me.
"Have you arrived, Young Master."
Smiling slightly at this completely different reaction from before, I took the seat of honor. The bosses remained standing restlessly and waited.
"Sit down. My neck hurts."
"Yes."
After confirming that everyone had sat down, I stared at the faces of the bosses one by one for a few seconds. Twin Blades, Kim Ho-sik, avoiding my eyes. Bandit, Shin Seong-il, bowing his head.
Viper, No Ik-seon, not avoiding my eyes as if to protect his pride to the very end. Their individual personalities were obvious just from seeing this.
"The reason I wanted to meet with you bosses is, as you already know, because of the real-name financial system. Isn't Myeon District's Private Loan Market completely frozen right now?"
When I brought up the topic, everyone looked at me with stiff faces. I smiled leisurely.
"Things are difficult for the bosses here too, right?"
"No. The Chairman organized everything beforehand, so fortunately there are no major damages."
Right, the bonds loaned out using Grandfather's money probably didn't have any major problems. But their stomachs must be burning since they are about to lose all the side stashes they've pocketed all this time. Their efforts to pretend otherwise were both pitiful and funny.
"Hey now, why are we acting like this between professionals? You were all running one or two side gigs without Chairman Cheon knowing."
No one could properly answer my direct words.
"There is a reason why I came alone today without Manager Ha. I came to have an open conversation with you bosses. I understand you all. When you handle rice cakes, it's only natural to get some bean powder on your hands. Still, you're about to lose all the money you worked so hard to make, so your insides must be burning right now."
Except for Boss Shin, the other two made uncomfortable expressions. From that expression, I knew that Shin Seong-il hadn't made a side stash for himself. No Ik-seon, the oldest among them, took the initiative and opened his mouth.
"Do we really have to talk about that right now? Right now, when our heads are already aching because of the real-name financial system?"
Kim Ho-sik also nodded his head slightly and timidly, as if agreeing with those words. I sneered inwardly.
"Boss No, I am not trying to hold you accountable. If I were going to do that, would I have come alone? None of you are unaware of how Hammer disappeared, right?"
When the names Hammer and Yu Ji-kang came up, their pupils trembled. It was an obvious fear.
"...Are you threatening us?"
"A threat? If I wanted to threaten you, it would have been much easier to visit you one by one."
When I asked back as if questioning why I would even need to 'threaten' them, No Ik-seon, who had asked sharply, lowered his tail.
"I don't know why the mood keeps flowing so strangely. I came to give you all a choice."
"A choice?"
"Yes, a choice. A choice between who you will follow, my maternal uncle or me."
When I brought up the succession issue, the look in their eyes changed. Though Boss Shin had an expression that showed he was not interested at all.
"What do we get if we choose the Young Master?"
No Ik-seon was continuing to lead the board. Thinking of cutting him off at this point, I spoke firmly.
"Boss No. If you think I won't be able to succeed my grandfather just because I don't get your choice, then you can go back right now. I came to give you an opportunity, not to be chosen by you. Do you understand?"
They turned their heads and exchanged glances with each other. The first to speak up was Shin Seong-il after all.
"Then I will take my leave now. I just have to follow whoever the Chairman points out as his successor, this is just giving me a headache. May I go now, Young Master?"
I nodded my head and said.
"Yes. There won't be any disadvantages, so you may go."
No Ik-seon and Kim Ho-sik stared with flustered faces at Boss Shin as he got up from his seat. He got up from his seat and bowed his head to greet me.
"I will see you again next time. Young Master."
I quietly watched him leave the office as if there was nothing to even think about. 'Why would that man, who has such high loyalty to Grandfather, betray me? No matter how much I think about it, I don't know the reason.
The one Grandfather pointed out as his successor was me.' I couldn't understand it, but Shin Seong-il was a problem to think about after meeting him separately later. For now, I decided to focus on the other two people.
"And the two bosses?"
The two couldn't answer quickly and pondered for quite a long time. I crossed my arms and leaned my back against the sofa as I waited for them.
"...No matter how much we are in a position working under the Chairman, we are also people who have rolled around the Myeon District floor long enough. Without our support, it won't be easy for you, you know?"
To think that a bad move was played after such long consideration. These bastards keep forgetting even though I spoke to them in a way they could clearly understand back then.
"Do you have the same thought, Boss Kim?"
"Yes."
Oho, so the two of you are going to form an alliance? I wiped off the smile that habitually hung on my face. As the atmosphere sank, the two froze like frogs in front of a snake.
"Phew... Why do you always try to crawl over me when I speak nicely? Boss Kim, Boss No. Do you think whatever you do will have any influence on what the Chairman chooses? Why do servants keep coveting the master's dining table?"
At those words, the faces of the two men rotted away.
"I told you last time too. If you are servants, act like servants. Whether you pocket extra money or not, I can moderately understand and overlook such things. But trying to sit at the same dining table as the master is crossing the line."
"Aren't your words a bit too harsh?"
No Ik-seon, whose face was gradually turning red, blurted out. But that was the end of it.
"Boss No, do you have to taste it to know if it's shit or soybean paste? Why, did my maternal uncle offer you something? Well, he probably said he'd let you be independent or something."
Boss No flinched greatly at the word 'independent'.
"Do you think independence granted by others is true independence? If you don't become independent with your own strength, it will just end up being the exact same thing."
I continued speaking without hiding my sneer.
"Let's say you support Boss Cheon and push me out, and Boss Cheon succeeds Grandfather. It's a probability of less than one in ten thousand, but let's just say that happened. Then would Boss Cheon really just leave you alone to be independent and live well? Do you think he'd just leave the people who overturned the master's dining table alone?"
Passing No Ik-seon, who had turned red but couldn't answer, I looked at Kim Ho-sik.
"Twin Blades, you have the same thought? Did I not speak properly back then?"
"..."
"Just eat and live off what I give you. At the very least, I have no intention of tossing you aside after using you like my maternal uncle does. No, I will pull you out into the light and make you proud in front of your children."
Kim Ho-sik showed a reaction to my words.
"Into the light, you say?"
"How long are you going to make a living off high-interest private loans? You have to go out into the light and do business proudly. That is what I plan to make happen. As an official lending company, receiving only proper legal interest rates."
"Then it wouldn't be private loans anymore, would it?"
I looked pitifully at the hesitant Kim Ho-sik.
"Leave that kind of thing to the neighborhood punks. You guys should start hearing yourselves being properly called 'Boss' now too. Right?"
"...Is there a way?"
I smiled crookedly and held out my fingers.
"Exactly five years. Endure it for just five years. Then you guys can come out into the light. That is the one thing I can promise. You don't even believe that nonsense about letting you be independent anyway, do you?"
Seeing the two men not answering, I got up from my seat.
"Think about it and contact me. Ah, you can go and tell Boss Cheon too. Though if you do, we won't be seeing each other while laughing together like this again."
Just as I was about to leave the office, No Ik-seon called out to me.
"Young Master, can we really go out into the light?"
I smiled without a shred of hesitation and said.
"Of course!"
< Servants coveting the master's dining table? > The End