The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 20

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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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Chapter 20: Acquisition and Exploitation (2)

Wait, what was that sound?

I turned my head and looked around.

No one but An Hyun-ju was here.

I’d heard it clearly, though. In my ear, distinct and unmistakable.
But no matter how hard I looked, there was nothing.

Could it be a ghost……?

“Ah! Good ones!!”

A memory surfaced suddenly.

My grandmother had said exactly that.

That she’d tucked a few good things in for me!

I could see people’s Unique Auras.
That was a benefit of an amazing ability.

When talking to someone, I could sense what they were thinking.
A supplementary ability to understand the other person.

But there was another privilege besides that?

“G, good ones?”

A tremor ran through the hand I was holding during the handshake.
An Hyun-ju looked quite flustered.

My words, by any measure, were easy to misunderstand.
Holding a woman’s hand and saying something was good…….

“Ha ha…… It’s just so good to shake hands directly with you like this, ma’am!”

I covered it up with an awkward laugh.

-Would you like to Acquire Golf Talent, or would you like to Exploit it?

What on earth was the difference?

Both involved equipping talent, but the nuance was definitely different.

-If you Acquire, a Good Connection with the other person continues. However, the Acquisition rate will be lower than if you Exploit.

So what happens if I Exploit?

-Bad Karma is generated. The higher the Exploitation rate, the stronger the Bad Karma.

Now I understood.

-Will you Acquire, or will you Exploit? Five, four, three, two…….

“Acquire!!”

I shouted it without thinking.
There was no need to create Bad Karma with such a beautiful instructor.

-Acquiring Golf Talent.
-Physical ability stats will apply as a bonus effect.
-The Acquisition rate is…….

Yes, what’s the Acquisition rate?

-Life Level is too low for exact numerical calculation.

“…….”

What is this, a game or something?
Why all this talk of levels?

-Karma Points from past life and present life will be deducted.

K, Karma Points?

“…….”

No obvious abnormal reaction appeared immediately.

No light burst forth with a “pop” like in a sci-fi movie.

But.

Whoosh.

An Hyun-ju jumped and snatched her hand back from the handshake.

And a chill crept into her eyes.

I was probably marked down as a pervert or some kind of weirdo…….

“Ma’am, would you teach me some golf?”
“R, right now?”
“Yes!”

Damage control first.
I needed to clear up the misunderstanding.

Holding a woman’s hand and saying “Acquire”…….

It wasn’t even some second-rate anime dialogue I’d seen before.

“Don’t you have midterms next week? Aren’t you studying for the test?”
“Tests are about showing your usual ability. Ha ha ha.”

I laughed heartily, but she stayed expressionless.
Still.

“Ever played golf before?”
“It’s my first time today!”

Even when the people at my old company shunned me, I couldn’t touch golf.

I didn’t have the means to buy a used golf club.

Lessons were something I never even dreamed of.

“I’m busy from five on. I’ll give you a quick lesson.”
“Really? Thank you so much, Ma’am!”

I bowed my head several times.
In a few years, people would line up for lessons from An Hyun-ju.

A golf angel with temporarily injured wings.

“Do you need golf clubs?”
“Yes!”
“Go to the office. There are a few sets in one corner. Pick whichever one you like and take it.”
“Really? I can take it?”

A set of golf clubs didn’t come cheap.
Even used ones worth using required significant money.

And she was telling me to just take it.

“They’re things your seniors left behind. I kept them because it seemed wasteful, so feel free to take them if you need them.”
“Ah…….”

So those were the spoiled seniors from wealthy families!
I’ll use them well.

Genuine thanks didn’t come out of my mouth.
By now, I had the means to own golf clubs like that myself.

But no small spending for bigger goals.

I made my way to the office the instructor had mentioned.

The office was neat.
Just the essentials—a computer and a few items.
A four-person sofa and a water cooler were set up.

“How many sets exactly?”

About a dozen golf club sets the seniors had left behind were piled in one corner.

Just looking at the golf bags, they seemed like high-end full sets.

“Money’s rotting away.”

I shook my head and rummaged through to find one I liked.

Then a black leather golf bag caught my eye.

The golf clubs showing their heads gleamed silver with pearl mixed in.

“Taylor? Isn’t this an expensive one?”

I picked up the golf bag.

“Cheonghwa High is something else! Getting this for free.”

The luxurious Cheonghwa High environment I could never have imagined back when I was a student.

Whoosh.

I shouldered the hefty golf bag and returned to where the instructor was practicing.

“You want to use that?”
“Yes!”
“Good choice. It has innovative technology well integrated, so beginners can use it without issues.”
“Do pros use something very different from this?”
“Once you’re a pro, you use custom-ordered clubs tailored to your individual physique.”
“Ah!”
“Want to try a Driver?”
“Is that okay?”
“Hm hm. Let’s start with a hot experience and talk after.”

An Hyun-ju handed over a Golf Glove with a playful expression.

She wanted me to know that golf wasn’t an easy sport.

“Watch the Swing.”

Smooth.

An Hyun-ju took the Driver and set her stance.
And then.

Whiiiiish!

A clean Swing accompanied by a crisp sound!

Her short skirt fluttered as her body rotated.

Crack!

The Golf Ball flew straight toward the target, struck true.

“Wow.”

Admiration burst out of me!

She hadn’t earned the name “Golf Goddess” for nothing.

Even the Finish pose when her movement stopped was perfect.

Her Golf Wear fit her frame perfectly, and the precise curves of her body formed with each movement.

Cool and beautiful.
It felt like taking a long, cool gulp on a hot summer day.

“Did you see that?”
“Perfect! Beauty and skill—both top-tier!”

Clap clap clap.
Three claps and a thumbs up.

The instructor’s face flushed slightly.
Though she was called ma’am, she was barely in her early twenties, and I had more real-world experience.

A single person, but after so long, she’d heard gallery applause.
Her initially stiff expression had softened considerably.

“Golf is usually defined in five stages: Address, Backswing, Downswing, Impact, and Finish. Now, grab the Driver and set your stance.”

The real lesson began.

“Spread your legs shoulder-width apart and grip the club like this. Memorize my Swing form in your head. You’re a total beginner, so watch out for fat shots. If you mess up, the impact can go all the way through your wrists and lower back.”

She corrected even my fingers, showing me the proper grip.

The way she naturally touched my hand showed kindness.

From what I could sense, her character was good.

Once enough time passed, money could overflow, but private lessons became impossible to get.

Bucket list items from a high school life I’d never imagined.
One of them was being realized.

“Now swing lightly.”

Following An Hyun-ju’s instruction, I swung the Driver lightly through the air.

Whiiiing!

“Huh?”

No hesitation or resistance whatsoever.
Rather, the instructor let out an amazed gasp at my clean Swing.

“Really…… You sure this is your first time?”
“Yes.”
“But…… why is your Swing so natural??”
“Could it be…… that I’m some kind of golf Prodigy?”
“What? Prodigy? Ho ho ho ho ho.”

She laughed brightly at my lighthearted joke.

Though she carried a teacher’s title, she was only a few years older.

I had more real-world life experience.

I’d conversed with women here and there during university and work.

The life skills I’d learned from living among people were part of my repertoire.

Next, I set my stance formally.

“Good form, though.”

It really was my first time.
I was astonished at how naturally the golf club fell into my hands.

Slick. Click.

The automatic ball feeder placed a ball on the tee.
And then.

Whiiiiish!
Crack!

“Huh!”

* * *

The Golf Ball flew straight and true from the clean contact.

Clink!

I’d hit the center circle drawn at the top center of the net perfectly.

An Hyun-ju’s center circle—hard to hit more than a few times a day.

Judging by the ball and Swing and speed, at least 280 meters or more in distance.

And this skill on your first time playing golf?

The stance had been perfect too!!

An Hyun-ju recalled the form of the student who’d just swung the Driver.

Perfect from Address all the way through to the Finish pose.

Tall and lean frame.
Power Swing that didn’t match that build.

Judging from the hip movement and wrist rotation, at least Semi-Professional Grade.

She looked at the student again, carefully.

Second-year Ha Tae-woong.

At first, she’d thought he was joking or perhaps a pervert.

Sometimes parents or children of school board members would overstep boundaries under the guise of lessons.

This school posting itself came because of sexual harassment.

She’d been preparing for the LPGA Tour last year.

Her skill and condition weren’t bad.
She’d held the trophy in several domestic tournaments.

A corporate sponsor had attached itself.

A caddy and tour fees weren’t easy for an individual to bear.
Even with tournament wins, taxes and training costs ate it all—soon you’re in deficit.

Without solid family backing, LPGA was impossible without sponsorships and endorsements.

Thanks to her flawless looks and skill, she’d landed a pretty decent sponsor.

The Shinyang Financial Group—a major financial conglomerate—became the main sponsor.

She’d played rounds with people who’d often sponsored her since adolescence.

Part of the business manual a golfer had to handle.

If not for her father’s business bankruptcy, it wasn’t something she’d have needed to do.

As her family situation worsened, An Hyun-ju earned decent spending money from golf.

The problem started after meeting with the Chairman of Shinyang Financial Group.

The impression burned into her mind was just “bald old man.”
He’d been aggressive from before the round started.

Through his secretary, he’d explicitly requested she wear a skirt, and ordered her attendance at drinks after the round.

She usually avoided alcohol, so refusing would have been right, but since he was the main sponsor, she accepted.

The unwanted round began.

He was on her team.

Under the pretense of coaching her Address, he’d made constant contact.

The round proceeded amid all manner of discomfort.

Then, finally, things exploded.

At the after-round drinks, the boozy bald man wrapped his arm around her waist.

He pressed his face close to her ear and whispered his demands for intimacy.

It was practiced—remarkably explicit.

A hotel was already reserved, and if she’d just comply, he’d hand over a billion won right then and there.

Feeling violated, An Hyun-ju slapped the Chairman across the face right there.

She left the seat and fled, leaving confused staff in her wake.

Days later, the sponsorship ended.

In South Korea, there was almost no company that didn’t do business with the Shinyang Financial Group.

Word spread rapidly through the industry that An Hyun-ju had character issues.

An Hyun-ju, who’d been effectively supporting the household, was hit hard.

With her economic support cut off, she survived on private lessons.

But as she grew weary, her skills plateaued.

Her condition fell apart from various stresses, and her domestic tournament rankings slipped steadily.

Fortunately, thanks to a group matriarch who’d taken her side, she settled at Cheonghwa High School.

Cheonghwa High School, which owned a top-tier practice range.

She’d settled in on the condition of being a coach assistant for student golf classes and giving lessons to parents and certain school staff.

But even here at school, life felt dull.

Men who’d openly express their desires approached her even in this educational setting.

Of course, some of the students had disrespectful eyes too.

With nowhere left to run, she was gritting her teeth and enduring.

At first, she’d thought Ha Tae-woong was of the same ilk.

Male high schoolers using lessons as an excuse to manufacture physical contact.

But…….

Crack!

Ha Tae-woong again sent a ball flying with the Driver.
It hit the center target again, perfectly.

“Golf seems easier than I thought?”

Ha Tae-woong held the Driver and spoke playfully.

An Hyun-ju stared directly at him.

His Swing mechanics were already Semi-Professional Grade.

An Hyun-ju found herself biting her lip without realizing it.

“Tell me honestly. Who taught you?”

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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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