The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 31

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

Chapter 31. VIP (2)

“What are you going to do about it?”
“Yes, Chairwoman.”
“Chairwoman, my foot! I’m telling you, I’m annoyed as hell!!”

In a private room of a café located on the central thoroughfare of Gangnam Daero.

Wang Jin-deok, the dean of academic affairs at Cheongwha High School, was being interrogated.

The woman before him radiated a chilling, predatory presence. She was a tiger.

Ju Mi-ju, second daughter of the Korean Group—a misery unto herself.

Her sharp eyes glinted with undisguised irritation.

“There was no exam paper leak. We reviewed all the CCTV footage.”
“So?”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t play word games with me! Why should my son be pushed to second place in the entire grade? And pushed back by some Saebaeja, no less!!”

Ju Mi-ju erupted in sudden, unbridled fury.
There was no reasoning with her.

Of all the parents’ association chairwomen at Cheongwha High School throughout its history, she had the foulest mouth.

She’d been raised in a household where anyone without money or connections wasn’t even treated as human.

To her, the dean of academic affairs was little more than a servant to command.

“Perhaps we could…”
“Do a public verification on that bastard.”
“Pardon?”
“Do I have to spell everything out for you? Are you gunning for the principal’s chair or not?”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”

Wang Jin-deok’s eyes widened as he nodded repeatedly.

He’d been thinking a verification process was necessary anyway.

He had his doubts about the abilities of Ha Tae-ung, the Saebaeja who’d gone unnoticed until now.

“And once you’ve gathered the evidence, expel that kid. Just thinking about it pisses me off.”

Ju Mi-ju repeated the word “pisses” with such frequency it became unsettling.

“I’ll process it according to school regulations.”
“Good. Just finish it before the grade correction period ends.”

Ju Mi-ju, who’d been throwing a fit and acting like a psychopath moments before—
suddenly softened, her expression melting into a smile as false as it was sudden.

Cold sweat trickled down Wang Jin-deok’s spine as he sat across from her.

He couldn’t shake the image of her mercurial nature, never knowing when she might snap again.

She’d become famous years ago in the Korean Air beef jerky incident.

She’d thrown beef jerky at a flight attendant, then slapped the chief purser who tried to stop her—throwing a full-blown tantrum.
Photographs from the cabin were later leaked online.

The scandal forced her to step down from her executive position at Korean Air.
She’d earned herself an infamous nickname: Guk Ssang.

Yet her social influence hadn’t diminished in the slightest.

She’d inherited substantial shares from the late chairman.

Even her older brother, the current chairman, handled her with kid gloves.

“I’ll handle it as quickly as possible.”

Watching Ju Mi-ju’s expression shift like the weather, Wang Jin-deok bowed his head.

Thud.

A thick envelope landed in front of him.

“Gift certificates. Take your family out to dinner.”
“Every time, you’re too generous. Thank you!”

Every meeting, without fail, he received gift certificates worth roughly ten million won.

“This time I put in a bit extra. So make sure you handle it cleanly.”
“Yes! I’ll give my all!!”

* * *

A clear, crystalline voice.
All eyes turned toward the sound of that voice.

A beautiful middle-aged woman and a teenage girl stood before them.

At a glance, they were no ordinary mother and daughter.

“Madam, you’ve arrived.”

Park Tae-su turned and, spotting the two, lowered his head respectfully.

The middle-aged woman was the second daughter-in-law of the Oyang Group family.

Wife of Lee Seok-jun, president of Oyang Chemical.

Her name was Han So-eun.
A daughter of a mid-sized conglomerate family.

The Oyang Group ranked around sixtieth in the corporate hierarchy, but for its size, its influence was formidable.

They were descendants of Sang Chon Lee Jang-soo, a magnate during the Japanese colonial period.

Moreover, the elder brother of the current Oyang Group chairman was the current chairman of the Do-a Daily News, one of Korea’s three major daily newspapers.

A personal shopper’s basic competency was to thoroughly understand each of the group companies.

Han So-eun wasn’t a VIP under Park Tae-su’s direct management, but he could at least offer a greeting.

“Team Leader Park. It’s been a while.”

Han So-eun acknowledged Park Tae-su’s greeting with a warm smile.
He was a personal shopper at the Apgujeong Hyundo Department Store.

The number of upper-class clients he managed was considerable.

Han So-eun hadn’t accumulated enough purchase records to become one of Park’s direct clients.

Her shopping habits were partly to blame—she didn’t stick to just one department store.

Different luxury brands anchored different department stores, which was another factor.

Han So-eun’s husband was also a company executive, but his company wasn’t large.

Han So-eun’s VIP ranking at Hyundo was slightly lower than average.

‘Does Hyo-ju know her?’

She’d come out shopping with her daughter.
Tomorrow was the day of the family golf outing.

With the midterm exams over, she’d brought her daughter along partly to give her a gift.

It was a family rule that high school students attended golf outings with extended relatives on her side.

The current chairman of the Oyang Group was particularly fond of sports.
Thus, attendance at family gatherings was essentially mandatory unless there was a special circumstance.

Her daughter called out to the boy—or rather, the student—before them.

Her elder daughter, Lee Hyo-ju, rarely shared details about her school life.

‘Tall and handsome. Has a certain elegance about him, too.’

As his name was called, Ha Tae-ung turned, and Han So-eun quickly assessed him.

Beyond his looks, his style and bearing were refined.

An understated luxury leather watch, casual clothing well-balanced with shoes, and the wallet in his hand—

he didn’t look like an ordinary student.
And she could see it clearly in the department store staff’s attitudes toward him.

Park Tae-su, the personal shopper team leader at this very store, treated the student with formal courtesy.

Even Yu A-reum, the next-generation ace shopper she knew of, appeared at his side.

Having two escort shoppers assigned was a service only available to scions of chaebol families.

“Hyo-ju, who is this?”

Han So-eun asked her daughter.
Hyo-ju looked flustered.

“Oh? …A friend from my class.”
“A friend?”

The word “friend” coming from her daughter’s mouth was startling.
It was unusual.

Until now, her daughter had never called any boy a friend.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Hyo-ju’s mother.”

Han So-eun extended her hand first.

* * *

‘Exactly as I thought!’

Park Tae-su was now certain his intuition hadn’t failed him.

Han So-eun possessed a grace that set her apart from most chaebol wives.

She was the woman of the Sang Chon Lee Jang-soo household—arguably the most singular and distinguished family among the wealthy elite of their era.

While Oyang Group’s objective ranking fell below other corporations, its financial structure was exceptionally solid.

The family’s history was different from those newly rich conglomerates that had amassed fortunes overnight.

And this Han So-eun was friends with Ha Tae-ung.

‘So he’s a Cheongwha High School student?’

Park Tae-su knew Lee Hyo-ju was still a high school student.
Specifically, at Cheongwha High School.

If Hyo-ju was currently enrolled, then the customer before him was also a Cheongwha High student.

Lee Hyo-ju herself was a promising candidate for future VIP status.

The young man was her classmate.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance. I’m Ha Tae-ung, Hyo-ju’s classmate.”

Ha Tae-ung bowed with perfect posture and formal courtesy.

“May I offer a handshake?”
“It would be my honor.”

His demeanor was composed beyond his years, with a certain restraint.

‘He’s clearly had proper family training.’

Park Tae-su observed the three intently.

He’d marked this young student—Ha Tae-ung from Cheongwha High School—as a potential VIP prospect.

Park Tae-su was convinced.
The boy was a future VVIP easily worth the time and effort to cultivate.

‘A friend?’

Lee Hyo-ju savored the word “classmate” from Ha Tae-ung’s mouth.
She simply couldn’t call him a Saebaeja in front of her mother.

And besides…

The Ha Tae-ung she was looking at with her own eyes.
It was inexplicable.

‘That brand watch. At least several thousand. And those luxury shoes! How can someone like that be a Saebaeja?’

Lee Hyo-ju was bewildered.
Until not long ago, Ha Tae-ung had melted into the background, present but unremarkable.

Lately, he’d become a completely different person.

He’d crushed the delinquent Oh Gwang-jun and the arrogant Oh Seo-ra under his heel.

Since then, he’d walked through the classroom unbowed, eyes clear and direct, spine straight.

Even to her, whom everyone watched cautiously and few dared to approach, he spoke without hesitation.

“What are you shopping for?”
“I need some clothing for a golf appointment tomorrow.”
“Is that so? When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Would you like my help selecting something?”
“I’d be very grateful. And please, speak comfortably with me.”
“Haha. Shall I do that? If you’re our Hyo-ju’s friend, I can treat you like a son, can’t I?”

Ha Tae-ung’s relaxed manner despite their first meeting clearly charmed Han So-eun.

“Mom, don’t make it awkward for Tae-ung…”

Seeing the two of them, Lee Hyo-ju was flustered instead.
She’d acknowledged knowing him off the cuff, but she hadn’t expected things to escalate like this.

Given her mother’s usual personality, Ha Tae-ung had clearly made a strong impression.

Ha Tae-ung glanced at Lee Hyo-ju.
A faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.

“Hyo-ju, it’s fine. Shopping and lunch with your mother sounds lovely.”
“…Lunch??”

Lee Hyo-ju stumbled over her words at his response.
Light shopping followed by lunch with her mother was the planned schedule.

A third party joining them had been entirely unexpected.

“Why not? I’ll treat you both to lunch.”

Han So-eun’s face bloomed with an open smile.

Meanwhile, Lee Hyo-ju’s cheeks flushed crimson.
She bit her lip quietly.

If she revealed that Ha Tae-ung was a Saebaeja in this situation, the atmosphere would certainly turn cold.

She needed to make a decision.
Lee Hyo-ju looked at Ha Tae-ung, her eyes pleading silently for him to bow out.

A smirk.

The confident smile Ha Tae-ung had been sporting frequently at school of late.

‘Tch.’

From that smile alone, Lee Hyo-ju understood he had no intention of honoring her silent request.
She sighed inwardly.

She’d already called him a friend from the start, anyway.

Now she was curious about this Ha Tae-ung character.

The boy who’d suddenly transformed.

“All right. Let’s shop and grab lunch.”

Lee Hyo-ju decided to accept the situation.

“Tae-ung, shall we head to the menswear section? You’ll have more freedom in what you can try on there.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Haha. I like the sound of that. So I’m buying today!”
“Thank you so much, ma’am!”

For someone with Ha Tae-ung’s experience in the working world, dealing with these two innocent women was child’s play.

“Yu, make sure you give full support until the end.”

Park Tae-su, who’d been watching intently the whole time, whispered his instructions to Yu A-reum.

In Park Tae-su’s eyes, VIPs recognized each other, exchanging signals only they understood.

A conversation shared in a world entirely their own.

It was a rapport both unique and enviable, no matter how many times he witnessed it.

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