Max-Level Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 9

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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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09. Resolution

It’s definitely a very good method.

‘But Uncle isn’t the type who would readily hand over those documents if I asked for them. And I can’t just forcibly take them either.’

I have no choice.

Should I take a slightly longer route?

I looked Uncle straight in the eyes.

“Uncle, they say courage without power is recklessness. You want to stop the forced evictions? You don’t want to see the slum people get hurt? Then you need to have the power to match. If you don’t have power right now, then bring in someone who does.”

Uncle Cheol-gu’s eyes widened.

“To hit the center of a target, you have to aim higher than that. If you want to stop Wookwang Construction, aim above them. Look at the connections carefully.”

I hoped he would take my words to heart and save his life.

“We should prepare for the possibility that something might happen to you, Uncle. Even rabbits dig multiple escape routes when they burrow.”

I decided to end my meddling there.

‘If he has a brain, he’ll figure out a way to survive on his own.’

My sincerity and goodwill only went that far.

But as I spoke, something suddenly bothered me.

The words that bastard said while torturing Uncle Cheol-gu kept circling in my mind.

-Why was a bastard who should be tracking spies going around digging into Wookwang Construction instead?

-Do you know how many people are in trouble because of you?

-Hurry up and confess who’s behind you. It’s Taeseong Construction, isn’t it? It’s Taeseong Construction, right?

-Clueless bastard. I’m telling you it’s Taeseong Construction.

That bastard must have been one of the people who got into trouble because Uncle was digging into Wookwang Construction.

The KCIA higher-ups intervened to cover for Wookwang.

Here’s the problem.

‘Why is Wookwang targeting Taeseong?’

It was strange.

What were they trying to accomplish by extracting a false confession and pinning Taeseong as the mastermind?

‘From what I know, Wookwang and Taesung were connected through marriage ties and used to help each other out, so why are they at each other’s throats now?’

There’s definitely something hidden here.

If not, then why are those documents glowing with that golden light?

I’m dying of curiosity.

So I asked directly.

“Uncle, what exactly did you mess with at Wookwang Construction?”

“Something related to the subway construction bidding······. Damn it, got me talking again. This little demon really······.”

Subway construction bidding?

Ha, I think I’m getting a rough idea of how this situation is playing out.

I’ve got it figured out!

* * *

“Ma’am, I’m here.”

“Oh, Jeong-hyeok’s Mother. Come in.”

Landlady Grandmother warmly welcomed Jeong-hyeok’s Mother.

“What did you call me for?”

“It looks like we won’t be able to use the coal briquette boiler today.”

Grandmother spoke with a troubled expression.

“Jeong-hyeok’s Mother, you know how things are going in this neighborhood these days. We don’t know when the demolition crew might come barging in to tear everything down. I’m really sorry about this, Jeong-hyeok’s Mother.”

This is all because of the forced demolition.

Both Jeong-hyeok’s Mother and Landlady Grandmother knew it was difficult to spend a lot of money replacing the coal briquette boiler in this situation.

“So here’s the thing. This is your deposit and this month’s rent. You’ll need this to find a place to move to.”

Landlady Grandmother pushed forward a cash bundle.

“It seems like the forced demolition will start soon. It would be better to take Jeong-hyeok and leave quickly before you see anything terrible.”

That was already the plan.

In her cardigan pocket was the housing lottery ticket that Jeong-hyeok had put there.

Jeong-hyeok’s Mother stared down at the stack of bills that Landlady Grandmother had offered.

“What are you going to do, ma’am?”

“Me? Well, I’ll hold out as long as I can.”

The landlady grandmother smiled bitterly.

“I thought that coming this far meant it was time to leave without any regrets. But this isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m being foolish. This house was built by Cheol-gu’s Father’s own hands. Maybe that’s why. My feet just won’t move away from here.”

Grandmother spoke while looking around the house with eyes filled with longing.

“Is it the same for Jeong-hyeok’s Mother?”

“Pardon?”

“I returned your deposit a month ago too. Back then and now as well. It seems like there’s another reason why you can’t just leave. Is it because of Jeong-hyeok’s Father?”

Jeong-hyeok’s Mother couldn’t say anything for a moment.

But soon she shook her head.

“It’s not that. He probably doesn’t even know I’m here.”

Jeong-hyeok’s Mother gathered up the money.

“I was actually thinking of going to the real estate office.”

“That’s a good idea.”

The landlady grandmother firmly grasped Jeong-hyeok’s Mother’s hand.

“Wherever you go, take care of yourself.”

“Thank you for everything.”

* * *

Uncle Cheol-gu habitually took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.

Perhaps because he was in front of me, he couldn’t bring himself to light it and just scratched the back of his head several times.

I also quietly kept my mouth shut and organized my thoughts.

‘Since Subway Line 1, which opened in ’74, was a huge success, the government must be ambitiously pushing forward with Line 2 construction.’

The construction of Subway Line 2, a circular line, passes through Seoul’s major hubs.

For major domestic construction companies, this was something to throw themselves at with burning eyes.

‘It’s not just about winning contracts to increase sales and performance. Land prices where Subway Line 2 passes through will jump hundreds of times.’

The entire land of Seoul had become the stakes in the game.

A big game means there’s also plenty of meat to tear off and devour.

High-ranking political and government officials would probably be involved in droves.

‘The profit margin from buying and reselling land around subway stations would be much greater than the construction project itself. They’d probably distribute hefty bribes to high-ranking political and government officials to make their mark.’

It was obvious why Ukwang was scheming while keeping Taeseong in check.

The marriage alliance between Taeseong and Ukwang hadn’t been formed yet.

‘In the past, it was Ukwang, not Taeseong, that won the subway line 2 construction project.’

One day, just before the subway construction bidding process began, the President reportedly summoned Taeseong’s chairman and flew into a rage.

That’s how Taeseong Construction got game over.

Their competitor Ukwang won the subway line 2 construction project and monopolized the profit margins by purchasing large amounts of land near subway stations.

‘If this involves not only Uncle Cheol-gu’s life but also Father, then the story changes completely.’

Honestly, I was planning to repay the debt for saving Mother’s life by giving Uncle advice to save his life.

This Uncle is lucky.

Now that I know our Father is in charge of Taeseong Construction, this has become something I can’t just pretend not to know about.

I whispered subtly.

“Uncle, just in case, it would be good to keep a separate copy of those documents.”

“What?”

I looked around and spoke in an even quieter voice.

“Who knows? Maybe a secretly stashed copy could throw you a lifeline in a critical moment.”

To save Uncle Cheol-gu’s life and obtain a weapon to defeat our competitor.

This gives me another reason why I need to contact Father as soon as possible.

“Jeong-hyeok!”

Mother is calling me.

“Let’s pack quickly. We need to hurry if we want to get a room at the inn before it gets dark.”

I grinned at Uncle Cheol-gu.

“Just think of it as digging one more rabbit hole. The more escape routes you have, the better.”

I turned around without hesitation and ran to Mother.

Mother was packing clothes in a large travel bag.

“Should I go to the real estate office with Mother tomorrow? To look at apartments.”

“Yes!”

It was the answer I had been waiting for.

“Have you decided where we’ll move to?”

“Well, as you said, how about Apgujeong-dong or Daechi-dong, or maybe Banpo-dong or Seocho-dong.”

It was an excellent choice.

Even within Gangnam, these were neighborhoods where land prices were skyrocketing.

Many of the real estate properties I had desperately scraped together in the past were concentrated in that area.

* * *

We entered an inn in Myeongdong.

“Jeong-hyeok, would you like to watch television here? Mother needs to step out for a moment.”

Mother gathered her coin purse and notebook.

I know what’s written in that notebook.

A single phone number, the only thing written there.

This must be Mother’s business.

“Take care.”

Perfect. I also had something to take care of separately anyway.

Mother has made a big decision, so as her son, I should provide proper support.

“Mother will buy something delicious when I come back. So you have to wait quietly, okay?”

“Of course. Don’t worry and take care of your business.”

Mother left.

I lay down spread-eagle on the warm floor and looked up at the ceiling.

‘What should I call you? Guardian Spirit, Grim Reaper, King Yama’s bonus gift. Whatever it is, come out right now.’

[Call me Guardian Spirit.]

Sure enough, the Grim Reaper rose up smoothly like a shadow.

This was exactly what I needed to take care of.

[How dare you speak informally to me. You’re quite arrogant for a mere human.]

‘Then let’s have a proper conversation, including that attitude of yours.’

[Is there something we need to discuss?]

‘Of course there is.’

There’s one thing I deliberately left unaddressed when I was confronting King Yama.

So let’s properly settle this now.

‘I’ve never once in my life heard of a Grim Reaper serving as someone’s Guardian Spirit. They’d be too busy guiding souls on the Path to the Underworld, so assigning such high-level personnel as a Guardian Spirit? Anyone can see that’s a waste of resources.’

[So?]

‘After the truth was revealed through the Karma Mirror, I was curious about why you were trembling so much. Why did you specifically become my Guardian Spirit? I’ve been thinking hard about the reason.’

No matter how I look at it, it’s strange.

‘Tell me the truth. The false accusation that I sold out my country in my past life, the divine punishment, my wretchedly unlucky harsh life. It was all because of you, wasn’t it?’

The Grim Reaper flinched greatly.

Oh ho, I caught you red-handed!

‘You still can’t stand me speaking casually to you?’

[I shall accept your casual speech.]

My suspicion had solidified into certainty.

‘If you promise to cooperate obediently with whatever I want from now on, I’m willing to cover this up without asking any more questions.’

[I will actively cooperate. I’ll do my best.]

‘Good. Then fly to the Taeseong Group Chairman’s House right now. There’s something you need to do there.’

[Hmm?]

I poked my temples and grinned wickedly.

‘That thing you did to Landlady Grandmother last time. Dream Invasion.’

[I think I know whose dream I need to visit.]

The Grim Reaper also grinned wickedly.

[I’ll be back.]

* * *

Jeong-hyeok’s Mother found the Public Phone Booth at the Neighborhood Entrance.

“Huu…”

She held the Public Phone receiver and steadied her breathing for a long while.

Her whole body trembled slightly from nervousness.

I don’t know how many times I wiped my palms with the handkerchief because they kept getting sweaty.

I gave up my turn to the person behind me in line once, twice, three times.

Only after giving up my turn to more than ten people could I finally muster the courage.

“Alright. I can do this. For Jeong-hyeok’s sake.”

There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for my son’s future.

The resolve to willingly endure whatever humiliation comes my way!

The determination to bear it even if it means losing my child!

Such resolve could be seen in Jeong-hyeok’s Mother’s eyes.

Ring ring. Ring ring. Click.

-Hello?

A thick, strong voice.

She knew very well whose voice this was.

“Oh, it’s been a long time, Chairman Cha. This is Lee Su-jin. I’m calling about your youngest son Seong-jun and…”

-Oh! I was just waiting for your call.

“…?”

Jeong-hyeok’s Mother tilted her head in confusion.

Chairman Cha, famous for his nickname “Flame Bulldozer.”

I had called fully prepared for his fierce temper to unleash a thunderbolt on me.

What’s this? This enthusiastic welcome?

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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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