The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 18. The Youngest Grandson of a Chaebol Family (2)

“Haah…….”
“Hm.”

The moment Ha Tae-woong’s figure vanished, those left behind exhaled deeply, all at once.

They’d been suffocating—over a single high school student.

Damn it. Who was he trying to kill?

Principal Ahn Jong-wook studied Jo Hee-jung—the nouveau riche trying desperately to climb—with a cold gaze.

A woman thrashing about like a duck in water, scrambling for admission to high society’s inner circle.

She’d scattered bribes in all directions, angling for a spot on the parent board.

The principal himself had received department store gift certificates and dinners from her several times.

Her spending habits were generous, befitting a woman with real estate assets—he’d held out hope.

But what was this?
A rotten, filthy rope that would only drag him down.

“Teacher Park Dong-geun.”
“Yes? Yes, Principal.”

Park Dong-geun, whose wits had been half-scattered, flinched at being called.

“Before coming to my office, was there anything else that happened?”
“That is…… nothing in particular really…….”

“You damn bastard. How dare you brush off a teacher like that?”
“I mentioned I was recording.”
“Recording? And what the hell do you think you can do with that?”
“I’ll try whatever I can.”
“You nouveau riche punk, where’d you get the guts to mouth off?”
“Heh.”
“Did you just laugh at me?”
“There’s nothing to cry about, is there?”
“You bastard!!”

Whoosh.

“What? You! Are you—bleeding?”
“I’m warning you. If you throw another punch, I’ll counterattack in legitimate self-defense.”

Before Park Dong-geun finished speaking, a recording file began playing in the principal’s office.

The audio was vivid—Park’s voice spewing profanities and throwing punches, Ha Tae-woong’s reply cutting through it all.

“……!!”

Park Dong-geun’s face twisted hideously.
Meanwhile…….

“Teacher Park!!”

The principal’s shout—a rare and terrible cry—burst out.
The evidence playing on the lawyer’s smartphone was undeniable.

Evidence that had passed from Ha Tae-woong’s hands to the lawyer’s.
If it reached the press, as Ha Tae-woong had threatened…….

They were all finished.

The principal’s face drained of color.
His stomach churned violently.

They’d caged and tormented a lion cub—the worst possible blunder.

“Principal, what do you intend to do?”

Cold air radiated from Lee Gyeong-ja, the school administrative officer.

She was one of the few who’d been given a chance by Ha Tae-woong.

She had to handle this with maximum care—avoid any further displeasure at all costs.

“I’ll convene the Teaching Staff Discipline Committee.”
“If I’m being honest…….”

Lee Gyeong-ja’s gaze shifted toward Park Dong-geun.
Her mind raced, searching for a way to offload all blame.

“I’d say at least six months of suspension is warranted.”
“We’ll proceed with that.”
“Urgh…….”

A groan escaped Park Dong-geun’s lips.
He clenched his eyes shut.

Ha Tae-woong was new money.
That’s why Park had dismissed him without hesitation—and until now, he’d faced no consequences.

His carelessness had caught up with him.

The promotion he’d been counting on was lost.

Six months of suspension.
And since it wasn’t paid leave, his salary would be slashed entirely.

“The core issue now is the criminal settlement. How do you all wish to proceed?”

Swish.

Kim Jung-ryul settled onto the sofa and posed the question.
He withdrew a business card from his wallet and set it in the center of the table.

Lawyer Kim Jung-ryul’s gaze was fixed on Jo Hee-jung.

Jo Hee-jung, who’d been sitting subdued, looked up at him.

“Today’s incident was impulsive. It’s not really a criminal matter, is it? And Ha Tae-woong did hit my daughter…….”
“If you respond like this even after being given a chance, can you truly handle what comes next?”

Kim Jung-ryul’s tone was cold, utterly devoid of emotion.

“Jo, what are you doing? You’re not only bringing trouble down on the principal—you’re dragging me into this too!”

Lee Gyeong-ja’s face reddened as she raised her voice.

Even as a mid-sized firm, Law Firm Jeong-ryul carried considerable weight in Seocho-dong.

Nearly all the firm’s members were former prosecutors from the criminal division.

In criminal matters, their capacity matched that of major firms.

Moreover, they served as legal counsel for Ha Ryun Group’s foundation.

The moment Kim Jung-ryul called Ha Tae-woong “Young Master,” the game was over.

They had to close this case as quickly as possible.

But Jo Hee-jung, still missing the hint, wouldn’t stop talking.

“I’m so, so sorry. But…….”
“Shut it!!”

Lee Gyeong-ja snapped at Jo, who was trying to make excuses.

In a crisis, there was no room for propriety or decorum.

“…….”

Jo Hee-jung bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Senior.”
“This is a formal setting.”
“Yes……. Lawyer.”

Kim Jung-ryul’s adherence to principle had activated.
Lee Gyeong-ja had momentarily forgotten, but Kim Jung-ryul was known in these circles as a principled man.

She’d sensed it from their few private meetings.

Lee Gyeong-ja herself was a Seo Guk University graduate.
Her husband had a law degree and held both attorney and accountant licenses.

That husband had introduced Kim Jung-ryul in private as his senior.

Personally, her husband was intimidated by the lawyer.

He’d described him as a fiery circle senior from university—the type who would wield a prosecutor’s blade even against the president’s own son if justice demanded it.

If word of today’s events reached her husband, it would be catastrophic.

“We’re all busy. Let’s keep this simple.”

Lawyer Kim Jung-ryul made the proposal first, his face bearing its characteristic blankness.
It had the form of negotiation, but the weight of a pronouncement.

“Settlement money for the assault committed against Ha Tae-woong: five hundred million won.”
“……!!”

Jo Hee-jung’s eyes widened to saucers.
Not tens of millions—hundreds of millions.

“And……. settlement money for your daughter’s ongoing school violence against other students: also five hundred million won.”
“Five hundred million??”

Jo Hee-jung’s ears refused to believe what they’d heard.
Even a real estate tycoon with money wouldn’t have that much in cash on hand.

“Amount before tax.”
“Before tax too? Lawyer, this settlement…….”
“Shall I report this to Chairman Ha?”

Lawyer Kim Jung-ryul looked at Jo Hee-jung over the rim of his glasses.

“Hic.”

Jo Hee-jung was at a loss.
Shock had brought an involuntary hiccup.

No matter how refined her pretensions, her true level remained that of the common class.

“If you prefer, we can take this to trial. Though if the media gets involved, money will be the least of your concerns.”

The threat carried crushing weight.
Her husband’s business—which already skirted the line between legal and illegal—could be placed in serious jeopardy.

These days, with YouTubers so active, high society had learned to watch their step.

“You know Chairman Ha’s temperament, don’t you? Once he marks you as an enemy, he leaves no room for mercy.”

Lawyer Kim Jung-ryul applied one final pressure.

“I’ll do it! I’ll settle, I’ll settle!!”

Jo Hee-jung waved her hands frantically, responding in desperation.
All things considered, it was a bargain.

This was the price of slapping the youngest grandson of a chaebol family.
By that measure, a billion won was cheap.

“Then I’ll prepare the settlement agreement immediately. Everyone here will sign as witnesses.”

Lawyer Kim Jung-ryul produced the pre-drawn settlement documents.

“…….”

Those who’d been observing in silence suddenly felt the spell break.

The moment of a goblin’s enchantment.

Scratch-scratch.

The lawyer was drafting a billion-won settlement right before their eyes.

* * *

A tiger cub, that’s what this was…….

As he drafted the settlement, Kim Jung-ryul thought of his client.

The youngest grandson of Han Og-ja, to whom he owed his gratitude.

Han Og-ja’s youngest son—who’d defied the marriage his family had arranged—was cast out penniless.

The only one in the brutal Ha family who seemed remotely human.

Han Og-ja had inherited a scholarship foundation from her father-in-law and nurtured it carefully.

She poured her full support into students of promise whose circumstances prevented them from pursuing education.

Kim Jung-ryul had entered Seo Guk University’s law program through Han Og-ja’s support, and had even become a prosecutor.

He’d wielded his blade in service of justice, a true prosecutor.

But advancement had its ceiling.

Even with Ha Ryun Group’s backing, he could never rise to the apex of the prosecution.

He’d founded a law firm with like-minded junior prosecutors he believed in and followed.
Even modestly, he was doing what he could for the world.

Han Og-ja had recently passed.
She was like a mother who’d opened the second act of his life.

He’d calmly carried out her testament.

But upon reviewing the Ha family once more, they proved true to their reputation.
They were indeed ruthless.

They’d even obstructed the execution of her testament—money that barely registered to a conglomerate.

They’d resorted to methods no human should employ.
Kim Jung-ryul had nearly died in the process.

An intentional traffic accident.

The group’s secretariat must have been behind it.
His crime: not complying with the Ha family’s orders.

There was no physical evidence.
His long experience and suspicions were sufficient certainty.

He’d survived, but not without disability.

Had he died then, today would never have come.

Fear had gripped him, but he’d steadied himself and fulfilled Han Og-ja’s testament.

That was yesterday.

He hadn’t expected to meet Ha Tae-woong again this soon.

The Ha Tae-woong that Kim Jung-ryul had understood was a timid character.

But meeting him in person proved the rumors vastly different.

The boy had a knack for business.
His handling of matters was meticulous and delicate—far beyond his years.

He understood human psychology and deftly managed the push and pull of pressure.

He carried the scent of a veteran who’d mastered the give-and-take after a decade in society.

He had a gift for turning adverse situations to his advantage.

The law office wasn’t far from Cheongwha High School.

Even the settlement amount had been set directly by Ha Tae-woong.

Intrigue stirred within him.
Kim had used an unprompted honorific, but Ha hadn’t flinched—he’d taken it in stride.

And he’d extracted a billion won with startling ease.

South Korea’s upper class—drowning in wealth, yet forever hungering for more.

Corrupted by money, stingy with compassion—he’d coerced the settlement through legitimate means.

-This will be interesting.

Kim Jung-ryul felt a thrill run through him.

Yet Ha Tae-woong had orchestrated the entire board and, with words alone, made them dance exactly as he wished.

“Read through the settlement, fill in your name in formal characters, and sign where indicated.”

After filling in the necessary sections, he slid the agreement across.

“Settlement funds transfer immediately.”
“Immediately?”
“You should have that capability, shouldn’t you?”
“…….”
“Can’t you manage it? Yet you had no problem striking the Young Master?”

Jo Hee-jung was utterly flustered.
How many people in all of Korea held a billion won in cash?

And fewer still could arrange that sum in liquid form within a single day.

“If it’s short, I’ll make up the difference.”

Lee Gyeong-ja, too, was eager to wrap this up quickly.

“And.”

Kim Jung-ryul swept his gaze across the principal and teachers before speaking.

“If word of today’s unfortunate incident leaves this room…… you will all be held accountable for whatever follows.”

A parting warning that doubled as a threat.

A final detail Ha Tae-woong had made sure to emphasize.

Brilliant.

His perspective was too vast to believe he was merely a high school student.

If this story leaked, the backstory of Ha Tae-woong—the son expelled from the Ha family long ago—would surface.

The son of a cast-out heir.
Every behind-the-scenes detail would be exposed.

Silencing them was part of meticulous operations.

Kim Jung-ryul found himself genuinely looking forward to working with Ha Tae-woong going forward.

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