Max-Level Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 20

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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20. What Kind of Windfall Is This? (1)

I took a taxi with Mother and headed to our house in Hannam-dong.

As soon as I opened the gate and went inside, I was startled.

‘Holy shit! Why are so many ghosts swarming around here?’

[You told them to bring everyone.]

‘…That’s right.’

I had forgotten.

I had told them to bring all the ghosts from this neighborhood and invade the Namsan Leech’s mother’s dream.

‘You remember what I said earlier, right?’

[Of course.]

The ghosts that had crawled out to intimidate me saw the Grim Reaper standing behind me and screamed as they scattered in panic.

The Grim Reaper glared at the fleeing ghosts with a cold expression.

[Everyone stop moving. Any ghost that moves will be considered insubordinate.]

The ghosts that had been making a commotion and flying around in all directions simultaneously froze in place.

The stiffly frozen ghosts only rolled their eyes to gauge the Grim Reaper’s mood.

‘As expected, the absolute authority of the ghost world!’

Yes, this is why I command a Grim Reaper!

‘Then I’ll leave this matter to you?’

[Of course. I’ll mess them up good.]

The Grim Reaper cracked his neck left and right with a crunching sound.

He elegantly fluttered the hem of his black traditional robe and clasped his hands behind his back.

[From now on, spirits will answer this Death Messenger’s questions. Who is the Earthbound Spirit of this house?]

All the ghosts simultaneously looked at one spirit.

The Grim Reaper looked at the Earthbound Spirit and grinned wickedly.

[So it’s you.]

The Earthbound Spirit that was singled out by the Grim Reaper began trembling like an aspen leaf.

[You will follow this Death Messenger. It’s time for a one-on-one interview.]

Why was an Earthbound Spirit called an Earthbound Spirit?

Because it was a soul bound to the earth, unable to move freely.

[From now on, you must confess all the secrets of this house.]

The Grim Reaper grabbed the Earthbound Spirit’s neck with one hand.

Crack. Snap!

The Earthbound Spirit was forcibly pulled out.

Seeing this, the other Ghosts made shrieking sounds and cowered.

They looked ready to flee at the slightest opportunity.

[I warn you. If you’re caught trying to sneak away, you won’t escape Forced Enlightenment.]

The Ghosts immediately became obedient.

None of them could disobey the Grim Reaper’s command.

The Grim Reaper walked steadily, his Traditional Robe fluttering as he gripped the Earthbound Spirit’s neck.

[You must make a Full Confession without leaving anything out. Before I drag you to the Underworld and throw you into the fires of Hell.]

This is very reassuring!

* * *

Mother couldn’t hide her joy.

“Wow, it’s warm and cozy. The feeling is so different from when we stopped by earlier?”

Well, we had driven all the Ghosts wandering Inside the House outside.

······Actually, it was because I had secretly turned on the Oil Boiler when we toured the house earlier.

“Oh my, from the bed to the dining table, everything is European Luxury Imported Furniture! All the appliances are either American-made Products or Japanese-made Products?”

Her voice was excited.

Mother looked around every corner of the house.

“In the closet, there’s even unopened Luxury Bedding Set, plus Curtains, Sofa Covers, and Carpet – everything’s here!”

“The Real Estate Agent told us, didn’t he? The Previous Owner had a stroke the very day he moved in and went to a Nursing Hospital, and his Wife and Children went to study in America and have no intention of returning.”

“My goodness. Even when I heard that, I just thought ‘I see,’ but for it to be like this······. Wow!”

Mother had an expression that said, “What kind of windfall is this?”

“Can we really use all this? The Previous Owner won’t come back for it, right?”

“Of course. That’s why I added Special Provisions when I wrote the Contract earlier.”

The condition that we would take over all Property existing in this house.

‘Even if Gold Bars were discovered in the Garden, they’d be mine.’

This is how terrifying an agreed Contract can be.

No matter how much the owner of the movable property claims their rights, once certified by the Government, they can no longer claim ownership.

“Are you feeling uncomfortable about it? If Mother doesn’t like it, I’ll call someone tomorrow to clear all this out.”

“No! I don’t think that’s necessary? All these things are brand new!”

Mother smiled with sparkling eyes.

“We saved money. Hehehe.”

We had already emptied Mother’s Bank Passbook to buy this house.

Buying everything new from furniture to bedding would have been quite a burden for Our House’s circumstances.

I thought of Father’s Watch.

‘If I take it to Master, I could squeeze out more than eight hundred this time. Should I go sell it again?’

I had to briefly struggle between Mother’s memories and Mother’s hardships.

Slide.

Mother opened the window wide.

“We need to clean first. We can’t sleep in such a dusty place.”

Then she rolled up both sleeves.

“Starting tomorrow, I need to look for kitchen dishwashing work in this neighborhood, so there’s no time. Since we bought this house anyway, I need to sweep and scrub it today to make it a livable Home.”

“You’re going to look for dishwashing work starting tomorrow?”

“That way Mother can buy our Cha Jeong-hyeok delicious things and Christmas presents too.”

Are we short on living expenses too?

‘If only I were seventeen!’

Then whether delivering Newspapers at dawn, delivering jajangmyeon, collecting daily interest at the Market, or selling kimbap in front of the Subway Station, I would have taken responsibility for our family’s livelihood.

It’s frustrating that my age, my body is only that of a seven-year-old.

“I’m sorry, Mother. Because I insisted on buying this house…”

“No! Mother loves this house so much!”

Mother smiled brightly and pulled me into a tight embrace.

“From now on, we’ll live here happily together with our Jeong-hyeok, right? What blessing does Mother have to live in such a big house? It’s all thanks to our son.”

“But…”

“Now we won’t have to worry about monthly rent anymore, right? This is all thanks to our son too.”

“The Bank Passbook made in my name. Please withdraw and use that money.”

“No way. That’s for our Jeong-hyeok’s University tuition, isn’t it?”

Mother held me and spun around in circles.

“Mother will work hard and earn lots of money. So I can buy our Jeong-hyeok lots of delicious food and many nice clothes, right?”

Mother, when will you become rich doing kitchen dishwashing work?

It would be faster to use Father’s Watch as collateral at the Pawn Shop for investment instead.

Should I go to Master’s Pawn Shop tomorrow?

“Jeong-hyeok, shall we clean together with Mother?”

“…”

I looked back and forth between Mother and the corners of the house covered in thick dust.

When the Real Estate Agent broke down the Master Bedroom door earlier, how high did the dust rise?

“Cough cough!”

“Oh my, you’re coughing because of the dust!”

Actually, that’s not it…

Drag drag drag.

It’s because the Grim Reaper came back dragging the Earthbound Spirit by the collar.

The drooping Earthbound Spirit swayed like a jellyfish.

The Grim Reaper spoke.

[There’s an Air Raid Shelter built underground in this Mansion, and there’s a Modern Safe Made of Solid Steel in there.]

There’s no way to persuade him otherwise, is there?

So what choice do I have?

I’ll have to fake being sick.

“Cough cough!”

“Then would you like to step out for a bit while Mother cleans? There’s a lot of dust here, so you’ll keep coughing.”

“I’m sorry, Mother. I’ll come back soon and help you clean. Cough cough!”

I bolted right away.

* * *

‘He hid a safe in the Basement?’

As the possibility of war breaking out again increased, the Government regulated by law that underground facilities be built.

In wealthy houses like this, they would fill them with Emergency Food Supplies and Supplies so they could survive underground for several months, and build Air Raid Shelters sturdy enough not to collapse even if shells fell.

‘I thought he had buried gold bars in the Garden, but the Basement is actually better. With this body, even digging would be tough.’

I opened the Basement door.

Due to poor ventilation, the damp humidity and musty smell permeating the air hit me sharply.

Wooden shelves lined the Basement walls, where they stored Wine, Bamboo Baskets and Tools, as well as all sorts of miscellaneous items.

‘Oh!’

Behind the wooden shelves.

From just one wall of the Basement, a faint golden light was seeping out.

[Turn the third handle there and the Secret Door will open, he says.]

Creeak.

There must have been a mechanical device, as one shelf rotated and opened with a slight sound.

When I opened the Wooden Door disguised as a Basement wall, the golden light seeping out nearly blinded me.

‘Wow!’

There were Supplies stacked full by type, enough for a family of four to survive comfortably for several months just eating the food stored here.

One wall of the Air Raid Shelter was an enormously large Steel Vault.

[This Earthbound Spirit couldn’t let go of his attachment to the Mortal World because of that safe and has been holding out here.]

[My safe! It’s mine! My treasure!]

It was a desperate struggle like a scream.

[Absolutely not! I won’t give it to anyone! Don’t touch it!]

[He refuses to open his mouth even in death. That’s why I dragged him here for now, but I still haven’t figured out the safe’s password.]

I chuckled softly.

‘That’s not really difficult at all? What’s so special about a safe? If you crack it, it opens.’

I rummaged through the toolbox on the basement shelf and brought some useful wire and tools.

‘Hey, Guardian Spirit. It’s annoying to put my ear to the safe, so turn up the sound for me.’

I inserted the wire into the keyhole and gently turned the dial.

‘Oh my, it only has a triple safety mechanism. This is truly a relic from the old days, isn’t it?’

This safe must have cost a fortune back in the day.

But with technological advancement, how sophisticated have locking mechanisms become, and how diverse have lock-picking methods become?

I’m someone who has mastered even 21st-century Lock Picking Technique.

‘I used to make quite a bit of pocket money picking these in my younger days.’

When you work at a Pawn Shop, opening locked safes is nothing.

Thanks to that, I developed the knack and there was nothing I couldn’t pick.

Safes, doors, bottle caps, and even girls’ phone numbers… up to that point.

Click. Click. Clickclick. Clunk.

The safe opened wide.

[No!]

The Earthbound Spirit covered his face with both hands and screamed in despair.

“Sorry, but it’s mine now.”

So you should get lost to the Underworld now.

Inside the safe, golden treasures were piled up like exploding fireworks.

‘Wow! Are these all Gold Bars? Joseon White Porcelain, Goryeo Celadon, Golden Buddha Statue, Eastern and Western paintings, and even US Dollars!’

It was literally a goldmine.

This was also a method often used by the wealthy when mobilizing slush funds.

‘Yes, this is exactly a treasure Warehouse! How much is all this worth?’

So when I said only the real estate documents about this house were flashing like incandescent light bulbs.

There really was a reason for everything!

[Ahhhhhhh…]

The Earthbound Spirit who had been the owner of the safe hung its head as if resigned to its fate.

Then it crumbled apart with a whoosh and scattered away.

The Grim Reaper smiled with satisfaction.

[It has severed its attachments to the Mortal World and achieved enlightenment.]

‘…’

[A poor soul that wandered the nine heavens has found peace. So you too can be said to have accumulated merit.]

‘…That’s good to hear.’

This is killing three birds with one stone, isn’t it?

That soul is happy to achieve enlightenment, I’m happy to accumulate merit and strike it rich, and the Grim Reaper is… well, whatever.

Ding dong. Ding dong ding dong.

It was the sound of the doorbell.

‘Someone’s coming to a house that’s been abandoned for years, even pressing the doorbell? In that case…!’

I closed the safe and quickly escaped from the basement.

“Who is it?”

“This is Kim Yeong-geol, Chief Secretary of Taeseong Group.”

I knew it.

Secretary Kim conveyed the purpose of his visit from outside the front gate.

“I’ve come to offer a bribe to the Young Master.”

Yes, these were exactly the words I’d been waiting for.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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