The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 29

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

Episode 29. How a Returner Uses a Debit Card (2)

“What the hell is this guy?”
“Who?”
“Looks like some clever little insect just crawled into the picture.”
“……Did information leak?”
“No. The plan is flawless.”

Wall Street’s main thoroughfare.
An expansive penthouse office on the fifty-fifth floor.

A white man in his late thirties, watching the monitor screens, furrowed his brow.

Behind him stood a blond, handsome man who licked his lips as he studied the display.

The heavyweight players had converged on the cryptocurrency market.

Unlike the old days when individuals gathered, now financial organizations from around the world—led by Wall Street—were flooding in.

They’d pressured nations across the globe to create an arena where black money could be traded.

Even Swiss financial accounts were no longer safe.
This was why cryptocurrency grew ever more attractive.

Merged with humanity’s hidden desires, it had become the perfect shadow finance.

The players had reached a rough agreement on how the game would play out.

But then an unexpected Korean entered the main arena.

At first, they’d ignored him.

Yet unexpectedly, the guy moved with intelligence.

It seemed he understood the principles of Stablecoin and had wedged his way in.

His coin had once spiked to eighty dollars per unit.

He’d even purchased Bitcoin through back channels and secured himself a safety net.

The financial groups immediately marked him as a target.
And through relentless Short Selling, they thrust their blades into him.

The organization that had sworn to back him turned its back.

The whole game collapsed before it had even properly begun.

In mere days, the man had fallen to ruin.

The forty billion dollars in value that had soared was simply carved up and divided among the allied syndicates.

“The world’s wide, and there are plenty of sharp-eyed, blessed bastards out there.”
“Yeah, you have to admit it.”

There were quite a few individuals who’d spotted the assault and jumped into Short Selling.

They were the ones blessed by fortune.

“So, should we shake up the next game?”
“What’s the price?”
“A thousand dollars is the limit.”
“Heh heh. Quite a few are going to die.”
“Shake them clean before we fly far.”

One of the leading forces controlling the cryptocurrency market.
They were preparing a fresh game for their next prey.

“What about the leftover capital?”
“Raw material prices have jumped too high. Stock values will crash even harder.”
“Good.”

The Wall Street Financial Forces—who never tolerated money sitting idle.
They reorganized their vectors and threw themselves into game-making.

Moving with military precision, they remained ignorant of one thing:

That a massive queen ant, having infiltrated their carefully orchestrated next game in disguise, was riding free.

* * *

Vroooooom.

The weighty exhaust roar of eight cylinders thrummed through the entire body.

The moment my foot pressed the pedal, the car lurched forward with a sharp bite.

My body was thrust back against the seat like in a supercar.

Yeah, now I’m gonna forget about you~♫
You’re really crazy~♬
Why are you leaving me behind~♫

Music blared through the cabin.
The lyrics with their powerful message lodged themselves in my ears.

Friday, 11 a.m.
Olympic Boulevard, well past rush hour, was quiet.

Whoooosh.

Han River wind gusted roughly through the slightly opened window.

“This is the taste.”

I savored the freedom that came with owning a car.
The comfort of a Large SUV was altogether different from other sedans.

“Money is love.”

Beyond the vehicle price itself, the insurance alone for a young driver came to seven million won.

I paid it without hesitation, exactly as expected.

My account balance remained largely unchanged.

Today, I planned to experience true Flex.

Whoooosh.

I made a right turn at the fork in the road.
And the destination I was headed toward on the straightaway ahead was—

Screech.

“Welcome.”

Apgujeong Hyundo Luxury Department Store.
As the car came to a stop, the waiting Valet Parking attendant approached.

I opened the door and stepped out, and the smartly dressed attendant grasped it, offering a shallow bow.

“I appreciate it.”
“Yes! Enjoy your shopping.”

I naturally handed over my keys.

Something I never could have imagined in the past.
Back then, I wouldn’t even dream of Valet Parking over a few thousand won.

I stepped into the department store.

The department store on a Friday morning was quiet.

Tap tap.

I passed through the imposing main entrance.
A place I’d visited a handful of times in the past.

I’d come to buy cosmetics as a birthday gift for my girlfriend.

I’d never visited this place for myself.
Today’s visit was for me.

“Starting from the first floor, slowly.”

Money is a curious thing.
It lets you handle any situation with ease.

When my account barely had two won to rub together, the department store staff’s gaze had been truly oppressive.

Department store sales clerks have an almost miraculous knack for reading their customers’ level.

It must be an instinct honed from years of dealing with people.

“Excuse me, sir. How may I assist you?”

First floor, accessories and fashion miscellany.
A pair of Sneakers caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.

Ivory base with a soft tan pattern printed on it.
Unpretentious.

“Size 280, please.”
“Certainly. One moment please.”

The tag?
Why am I noticing that here?

“Try these on.”

The saleswoman set down the shoes with a pleasant voice.
I slipped my feet into the Sneakers.

“……!!”

Incredibly comfortable.
Luxury goods weren’t all flash and no substance.

The fit was completely different from my usual shoes.

“I’ll take these.”
“I’ll prepare them.”
“I’ll wear them out.”
“I’ll ring you up right away.”

My shopping flowed like calm water.

I walked a few steps in the shoes, tag now removed.

There were laces, but they were tied off, so there was nothing to adjust.

“The shoes you were wearing…….”
“Throw them away.”
“Understood.”

My old shoes—no regrets whatsoever.
Then I started shopping in earnest.

“I’ll take these.”
“I’ll wrap them for you.”
“No need. I’ll use them right now.”

I also grabbed the Hermes Deep Gray Men’s Wallet.
A wallet, they say, draws wealth toward you.

“As for the box and product warranty…….”
“Not necessary.”
“Understood.”

No exchanges or returns for me.

If I need something, I just buy it again.
I don’t mind if they take me for a flashy new money spender.

After purchasing shoes and a wallet, I moved to the second floor.

Just switching out my shoes had transformed my overall presence.

I was wearing jeans my mother had splurged to buy me.
Given my height, I’d always managed to pull off regular off-the-rack items.

I usually dress neatly, so the shirt I’d thrown on was perfectly adequate.

But now that designer shoes were anchoring the look, everything came alive.

A person’s first impression is shaped by so much.

Cheong-hwa High School taught me exactly one thing properly.

A person’s entire first impression is determined by the level of what they wear!

That’s why I’d rushed straight to the department store after buying the vehicle.

Whoosh.

I took the escalator up to the second floor.

“I can see it already.”

My target was the watch boutique.
That Luxury Watch the unlucky Go Dong-yeol used to cherish with such devotion.

“We welcome your visit.”

Female sales associates in black two-piece suits offered warm smiles and slight bows.

Their eyes had already swiftly assessed me in a single pass.

“Show me leather strap watches.”
“Our leather collection is this way.”

They guided me to an immaculate glass display case without a speck of dust.
In that instant, one watch seized my attention.

It caught my eye immediately.

“I’ll take that one.”
“Pardon?”

The saleswoman was startled when I committed to the purchase without so much as asking for details or price.

“One-time payment, please.”

It was like buying a hotteok from a street vendor.

Why would I need a long explanation just to buy something I want?

My Debit Card, doing heavy lifting today.

Its limit is my account balance.

“I’ll process the payment right away.”
“May I put it on for you?”
“Of course.”

The shopping continued without a hitch.
I fastened the watch directly onto my wrist.
A black leather wrist watch with rose gold and silver face—incredibly appealing.

Only then did the price tag come into view.
A non-sale item priced at exactly 43.9 million won.

“It looks wonderful on you.”

A fresh, radiant smile bloomed on the saleswoman’s face.

A customer who bought a premium watch costing over 40 million won outright without hesitation.

These experienced professionals could easily gauge such a customer’s financial capacity.
They were the luxury boutique sales associates.

In a world where material goods are the measure of all things.

“The warranty and case…….”
“Keep them for me. I’m planning to buy a few more in a couple days.”
“Oh? Yes! I’ll keep everything safe.”

At the hint of future purchases, the saleswoman’s face brightened considerably.

Sales associates who earn base salary plus commission bonuses.

They’d just knocked out in one transaction what would normally take several months to sell.

My footsteps turned toward the fourth floor.
That’s where the golf and men’s clothing section was located.

* * *

“Hey! Who is that guy?”
“Is he a new actor? A model?”
“Doesn’t look like it. I’m pretty sure he’s a chaebol’s fourth or fifth generation heir.”
“My god……. Did you see? He bought it without even checking the tag.”

The female sales associates, having worked at the watch boutique for quite some time, exchanged animated commentary.

The air on the floor was electric from the whirlwind customer who’d consumed a premium product and vanished.

Especially since luxury watch sales rarely exceed a few units per day.

Even with the advantage of being located in Apgujeong, the Korean upper class doesn’t consume luxury goods daily.

Not everyone can buy tens-of-millions-won watches every single day.

The most active sales period is during wedding season, selling watches as dowry gifts.

“Did you see? He was really handsome.”
“Had that sophisticated air to him, right?”
“Exactly exactly. He had that chaebol family scent.”

Handsome male actors and models drift in and out of the luxury boutiques without rarity.

But the presence of the customer who’d just left overwhelmed even them.

“Should we contact the Customer Relations Team?”
“Obviously. He’s definitely looking at over a hundred million won in annual purchasing power.”

Customers with over a hundred million won in annual spending are managed as VIP.

While falling short of that benchmark, this was a customer who’d bought a product hovering around 40 million won in one sitting.
By any measure, he was a potential VIP.

Typical customers usually collect their boxes and warranties carefully.

Should they ever need to resell, the box and warranty are essential.

But this customer had casually asked only that they be kept.

“Hey, what kind of card was it?”
“Card?”
“Can a credit card handle forty million won one-time payment?”
“Oh! Right……. It was a debit! A Debit Card!”
“A debit? He seriously paid for that watch with a Debit Card??”

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