Max-Level Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 65

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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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65. Leave It to Me!

 

When I held out a note with additional subway station information written on it, Master snatched it up like an eagle.

 

“Ho, so Subway Line 2 is going into Gangnam Seoul Express Bus Terminal as well?”

 

“I specially selected only the choicest information for you. That’s my goodwill.”

 

“I was just paying attention to whether or not a subway station would go into Gangnam Seoul Express Bus Terminal. How much higher are land prices going to soar? Euhahahaha!”

 

Master looked at the note again and again with a beaming smile.

 

“Last time you had me act as a lookout, so what kind of errand are you trying to send me on this time? Where am I supposed to go and what am I supposed to do?”

 

“Should we first look at the property I want you to broker the sale of before we talk?”

 

Ding.

 

Quick-witted Yoo Jong-tae came in carrying a large box.

 

“Please check it yourself.”

 

“Good!”

 

Master examined the property and his eyes widened.

 

“Good heavens! These are National Treasure-level Cultural Artifacts that money can’t buy! To bring such a pile of the highest-grade art works that were known to have disappeared without a trace during the Japanese colonial period!”

 

A pile, he says.

 

I only selected 7 pieces.

 

“And they’re all authentic pieces! Ho, thanks to you I’m really feasting my eyes today!”

 

Is it okay for his eyes to be rolling back like this already?

 

“Where did you get these?”

 

“I brought them out from an underground vault.”

 

“Kid, I’m not joking around right now. I’m asking seriously, gravely, earnestly. Spill the route. From a black market? From an underground auction? Through a stolen goods broker? Overseas smuggling?”

 

No, even when I tell the truth, you don’t believe me?

 

“You didn’t rob Taeseong Gallery, did you?”

 

“Who are you taking for a thief? Why would I do such a thing?”

 

I shook my head vigorously.

 

“Actually, I’d like you to sell this to Taeseong Gallery?”

 

“What? Sell to Taeseong Gallery? All of it?”

 

Master pushed up his monocle.

 

“Then it would be better for you to sell directly instead of going through me? Taeseong Gallery is run by Taeseong’s Second Daughter-in-law, so she’ll add a very generous markup.”

 

“I’m more interested in money laundering than markup.”

 

“What kind of money laundering does a seven-year-old do!”

 

“It’s not like I can’t do it, right?”

 

I rubbed my palms together and grinned wickedly.

 

“I’m selling my own property, so it would be unfair if I got suspected of some bogus gift transaction.”

 

“Huh…!”

 

“But it would also be a waste to hand it over to another gallery. These are clearly national treasure-level art works. If we’re going to do this, Taeseong should take both the money and the honor.”

 

“Huh…!”

 

Master gaped and let out a hollow laugh.

 

Before that tired old question of ‘Are you really seven years old?!’ could pop out again, I spoke first.

 

“To buy this level of art works all at once, even Taeseong Gallery will have to stretch their budget. But since they’re all such exceptional pieces, they won’t want to miss out.”

 

“Hmm. Kid, from what I can see…”

 

“Let’s stop there between professionals who know the game. Who doesn’t know these are items in absolutely incredible condition?”

 

When this stuff was about to be handed over to me, our house’s Earthbound Spirit underwent Forced Enlightenment, you know?

 

I tapped the pawn shop counter with my fingertips.

 

“Don’t think about ripping me off, think about getting a proper price. That’s what I’m paying you the errand fee for, and all of this will become bank investment funds anyway.”

 

“Mmm!”

 

“The errand fee alone is 100 million. If you took the money, you should earn your keep.”

 

Master finally raised both hands in surrender.

 

“Fine. I’ll take charge and dispose of it through Taeseong Gallery. But it’ll be difficult to cover everything in cash.”

 

“Promissory notes and physical assets won’t work.”

 

Because they could be traced.

 

I haven’t done anything wrong, so it wouldn’t particularly matter if my identity was revealed, but originally money you pocket on the side is better when no one knows about it, and the more the better.

 

Like a married man’s emergency fund hidden from his wife?

 

“But it’s fine to receive land or stocks instead of the cash shortfall.”

 

“Land is one thing, but stocks? Oh ho, you have specific stocks you’re targeting! Could it be Taeseong Construction?”

 

“Wrong. It’s Taeseong Motors.”

 

Taeseong Motors is currently a core affiliated company of Taeseong where Uncle (Elder) sits as president.

 

‘When the oil shock hits, it’ll be the sector that burns the hottest due to fuel efficiency issues.’

 

The oil shock starting from the Middle East will shake the entire world’s economy.

 

Netherlands will receive an embargo and even reduce prison sentences for those using electricity beyond rationed amounts.

 

England will be so desperate for oil supply that they’ll immediately declare an end to Middle East intervention, and France will see the end of their economic golden age, the Glorious Thirty.

 

Japan, which was on a growth trajectory, will likewise see hell gates open.

 

They’ll have to deliberately devalue the yen to survive, and enter such austerity policies that even street neon signs will have to be turned off.

 

‘Due to the second oil shock, global automotive companies will start falling like dominoes.’

 

America’s major automotive companies General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler will never recover from the blow they receive at this time.

 

Only Germany, Japan, and America, who were desperate about fuel efficiency improvements, barely survived, while the automotive industries in England and several other countries almost completely collapsed.

 

‘Our Country also started automotive demand suppression policies like restricting government vehicles to 4-cylinder engines, and couldn’t avoid the automotive industry integration measures that became known as the Fifth Republic’s blunder.’

 

In the past, Uncle (Elder) had to suffer greatly.

 

Taeseong Motors’ losses snowballed to the point where they had to consider selling it.

 

For that reason, Eldest Son had to step down from Taeseong Motors, and it was Second Son who revived Taeseong Motors.

 

‘Unfortunately, that was when Grandfather had stepped down from the chairman position due to the Taeseong Chemical fire accident, so things spiraled out of control.’

 

Through that incident, Second Son rapidly rose and greatly expanded his influence, and the remaining affiliated companies, excluding Taeseong Chemical and Taeseong Construction which had independently separated, began splitting between Eldest Son and Second Son.

 

That’s how Taeseong plummeted from 5th place in business circles to 198th place in just 5 years.

 

It was Taeseong’s dark period when everyone worried it might completely disintegrate.

 

‘Let’s minimize Taeseong Motors’ losses this time and acquire other automotive companies that come out at bargain prices to expand our size.’

 

I know the entire sequence of how the failing Taeseong Motors rapidly rose.

 

So it’s like jumping in with the answer sheet from the beginning.

 

“Originally, it’s common for companies to receive investment or get loans using stocks as collateral in exchange for giving friendly shares to banks, right?”

 

I winked with one eye.

 

“Taeseong Motors stocks, we can strip them away, right?”

 

“Let’s give it a try!”

 

Master also slammed the pawn shop counter.

 

“If a blue-chip client like Taeseong Group starts doing business with a bank that’s just getting started, it’ll have a solid foundation from the beginning. There’s nothing better than stocks for maintaining a cooperative relationship with Taeseong.”

 

This is exactly the symbiotic relationship between banks and corporations.

 

“Besides, Taeseong is famous for never being late on interest payments. It’s not for nothing that other banks also court this prime enterprise! We have no reason to refuse doing business with them!”

 

“Then please sign this first.”

 

I slid the paper across the pawn shop counter.

 

“This is the brokerage contract, and this is the investment agreement.”

 

“Ha, you’ve prepared everything so thoroughly that all I need to do is sign and seal it.”

 

“It’s better to be certain, isn’t it?”

 

This involves my money going in.

 

When it comes to money recovery, I’m someone who has to be absolutely certain, even if my life depends on it.

 

“This is the last matter.”

 

“Are you trying to put up collateral at the pawn shop?”

 

“Please check that for yourself as well.”

 

I took out a golden glinting promissory note from my coin purse.

 

“Do you remember what you said to me at the Hyeonmu Hotel Coffee Shop?”

 

Master had said:

 

-Kid, if there’s anyone who takes your money, grows big, and then stabs you in the back, tell me.

 

-I’m not someone who lets people who just take money and run get away nicely.

 

There’s no way I would put out as much as 100 million won just for brokering a few art works.

 

It would be fair to say this was the real purpose of this errand.

 

It was also something a bit awkward for Uncle Cheol-gu, a KCIA agent, and Yoo Jong-tae, a Taeseong Group bodyguard, to handle directly.

 

“So this is the errand fee.”

 

“Wait, what is this!”

 

Master was shocked the moment he saw the promissory note I handed him.

 

“Just how many houses did he lose? Horse Head got completely cleaned out! Uhahahat!”

 

Soon he started laughing for quite a while, holding his belly.

 

“This is going to be really fun! Leave recovering the loan shark interest and principal from Horse Head to me! Uhahahat!”

 

Our Master likes making a profit for himself, but he enjoys beating down competitors in the same industry even more.

 

Master got excited and rolled up both sleeves.

 

And how fast his action was.

 

He immediately made a phone call right then and there.

 

“Hey, Maljuk Intersection Horse Head! This is Myeongdong Hawk! Listen and don’t be shocked. Your promissory note just came to me! From now on, I’m collecting the debt!”

 

Click.

 

This was truly getting straight to the point!

 

Master only said what he wanted to say and hung up the phone.

 

But the effect was certain.

 

Ring! Ring!

 

Looking at the telephone ringing like crazy, Master giggled.

 

“He must be dying of frustration, right? Oh, twenty years of pent-up resentment is finally going away!”

 

Master laughed happily and clapped his palms together.

 

“Well, then the business is finished… Huh?”

 

“The business isn’t finished yet though? If you want to collect the debt from Horse Head, you need to sign this first.”

 

I smoothly pushed a piece of paper onto the pawn shop counter.

 

“It’s a Debt Collection Authorization Contract.”

 

“Uhahahaha!”

 

Master immediately picked up the crappy ballpoint pen and scribbled his signature and seal.

 

I neatly folded the authorization contract and put it in my coin purse.

 

“You know the commission for debt collection is pretty steep, right? High risk, high return! Originally this kind of dangerous work… Huh?”

 

Master realized that a tiny clause reading 【The agency fee is as promised. Details continued on the back】 had been sneakily written in the middle.

 

Master urgently flipped over the authorization and checked the back, his eyes widening.

 

【All commissions related to debt collection are settled with the 100 million won errand fee paid in advance.】

 

“Ugh! Don’t tell me you’re planning to get this for free… Hey!”

 

Jingle!

Jingle!

Little Customer and Yoo Jong-tae had already fled and were nowhere to be seen.

 

* * *

 

We got into the car without looking back.

 

“Team Leader Yoo, let’s go!”

 

“You’ve fastened your seatbelt, right? Young Master, then we’re departing!”

 

Vroom.

 

Yoo Jong-tae, sitting in the driver’s seat, chuckled.

 

“Elder Songgolmae has already been caught off guard twice now. He seems quite excited this time too, which is fortunate. Maljuk Intersection Horse Head has met his proper match.”

 

Since Master and Maljuk Intersection are long-time enemies.

 

Master would absolutely not want to miss an opportunity like this.

 

Even I would readily accept it if a chance came to beat up Namsan Leech, right?

 

“Where shall I take you?”

 

“Taeseong Department Store.”

 

“May I ask what business you have there?”

 

“I’m going to fill up my mother’s wardrobe.”

 

Grandfather had first revealed us Mother and Child publicly at the official event called Year-End Night.

 

Then, so the other family members wouldn’t feel left out, he invited us to have a meal together as a family later.

 

That’s tomorrow.

 

“It’s the first time meeting the in-laws. She needs to wear pretty clothes, carry a pretty bag, and dress up beautifully.”

 

With the marriage arrangement with Wooguang falling through, Taeseong Chemical was also lost.

 

Grandfather said that Taeseong wouldn’t collapse without some measly Taeseong Chemical, and that in life there are businesses where you invest small and grow big, and businesses where you invest big and ruin small, so he’d consider Taeseong Chemical a business that was grown and then ruined.

 

But there’s no law saying the other family members have to accept it quietly.

 

If they bring up Taeseong Chemical to pressure Mother, my parents will be embarrassed.

 

If voices are raised between siblings, it’ll become a very noisy and awkward dinner.

 

‘There’s no second chance for a first impression. I absolutely can’t stand to see Mother being criticized forever for causing a mess!’

 

That’s something neither I, nor Father, nor Grandfather wants.

 

‘The most finicky and sharp-tempered elder sister-in-law among Taeseong Group’s direct family. I need to shut Aunt’s mouth.’

 

So here we go, to Taeseong Department Store!

 

To target Cha Man-yeong, who is the president of Taeseong Department Store, Grandfather’s only daughter, and my aunt!

 

‘Should I try making an impression?’

 

I have plenty of ammunition.

 

I prepared a thick stack of cash knowing this would happen!

 

Let me try it too, throwing money around!

 

I’m also a proper member of a chaebol family now, aren’t I?

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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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