The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 4

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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 4. The Inheritance

“The inheritance is one billion won. All inheritance taxes have already been paid.”
“One, one billion?”
“By principle, I should have transferred it on January 1st when you turned nineteen. But as you can see, I suffered a serious accident. I’ve recovered as much as I could and hurried over.”

At a glance, he appeared badly injured.

He limped on his right leg and periodically winced, his face contorting in pain.
It didn’t feel right to invite him inside either.
The room was so small there wasn’t even a proper place for him to sit.

I quickly retrieved a worn red folding chair that had been lying about on the Rooftop Room and set it out for him.

Then I brought a glass of cold water from inside the room and handed it to him.

“Excuse me—are you Han Ok-ja, my grandmother?”
“Yes. You didn’t know?”
“No. I’ve never met you in person. I’ve only heard your name.”
“…… I’m Ha Tae-woong’s biological grandmother.”
“…….”

Of course, I’d known I had a grandmother.

The problem was simply that I’d never met her face-to-face.

I’d learned her name through the news media.

Whoosh.

The attorney pulled something from his bag.
A bankbook.

My gaze fixed naturally on the bankbook.

And then—

“Wait!!”

Why is that bankbook—!!

“This bankbook. You don’t know where this money came from yet, do you?”
“No.”
“…… I’ve thought about this long and hard.”

Attorney Kim paused mid-sentence.
His face was clouded with anguish.

“…… ??”
“If you accept this money, you could very well lose your life.”

What kind of terrifying thing was he saying while handing over money?

His calm voice sounded like an even more frightening warning.

I could sense roughly what was happening.

Even so, I’d done my military service and had some experience in society.

This wasn’t proceeds from crime.

Rather, there were people who’d die to take this money from me.

Events from that time in the past.
Those memories came rushing back, vivid and sharp.

“Did those beasts injure you?”
“…… Maybe. Maybe not. Ha.”

Without so much as a proper beverage, Attorney Kim drank cold water and laughed hollowly.

But his eyes couldn’t hide it.
Anger was smoldering in his gaze.

“I’ll accept it.”
“I should tell my parents first…….”
“No. You can take it as is.”

I spoke with a firmness that didn’t befit a high school student.

This was something Grandmother had promised directly.

And she was watching over me.
That feeling came through strongly.

This was a different turn of events from my past life up until yesterday.
When the attorney came with the bankbook in my previous timeline, I never met him then.

Things are different now.

The flow of time and the rules have somehow changed.

“Are you capable of handling this?”
“Yes.”

Attorney Kim was worried about me.

“You’re still just a high school student…… You seem to resemble your grandmother. It’s in your eyes.”

Being a lawyer, he’d have skill in analyzing people’s character.

He’d read my social experience—or lack thereof—precisely just from looking in my eyes.

“I matured early.”
“Have those beasts come around yet?”
“Not yet……”

Father’s death in the past made no sense.
He’d met his fate for reasons I couldn’t accept.

It was easily conceivable that they had something to do with Father’s death.

“You’re brave.”
“Isn’t a satisfied ghost better than a hungry one?”
“Ha ha ha ha ha. You’re a sharp young fellow—nothing holds you back. That’s right, that’s right.”

Attorney Kim’s hearty laughter put me in an oddly good mood.

“Here, take it. This is your allowance from your grandmother.”

The bankbook that Grandmother had handed me in the dream.
I’d received the physical bankbook through the attorney.

Even the red seal stamp I’d seen in the dream matched perfectly.

My hand holding the bankbook trembled slightly.

One billion won!
To the wealthy, it’s pocket change.
To me, it’s a sum I’d never once managed to touch in my entire life.

“Your grandmother did much good in her lifetime. I also benefit from that grace and am standing here today because of it.”

Sincerity resonated in Attorney Kim’s words.

Grandmother had said the same thing to me in the dream.

Do good and live well.

“I’m glad she was such a good person.”

The grandmother that Father had searched for so desperately.

I’d confirmed she was a warm person.

“If anything comes up, call me at the number on my business card. I may have been caught off guard, but I’m not an easy man.”

His strong demeanor showed his true nature.
I could see him grinding his teeth.

“Thank you for your concern.”
“Not at all. I’m grateful I can repay her kindness in some way.”

The relationship between these two was inscrutable.
Attorney Kim rose from his seat.

“When you lack strength, bowing your head is not a shameful thing. The world is ultimately fair, after all.”

As he turned to leave, he offered one more piece of advice.
Warmth and encouragement resonated in his words.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Ha ha ha. You’re quite the amusing student, Ha Tae-woong.”

The attorney, who’d spoken formally from the beginning, never dropped his polite tone even at the end.

Just from his manner of speaking, I could tell he was a good man.

“I have a feeling we’ll meet again.”
“I think so too. Take care of yourself.”

Tap. Tap.

He limped down the stairs on his injured leg.
Attorney Kim, supporting himself with a cane as he descended.

“Please be careful.”

I bowed toward his retreating figure.

I was a high school student now—physically healthy.
From my years of social experience, I’d acquired the courtesies a person should have.

The stroke of fortune that had visited like a daytime ghost had departed.

“I’m not possessed by a spirit.”

A bankbook with one billion won clearly printed on it.
I held it in my hands and looked it over again and again.

Even holding the physical bankbook, I couldn’t believe it.

It was a sum I’d never seen in my entire life.

During my years in the workforce, my bank balance had peaked around ten million won.

This bankbook held a staggering amount over one hundred times that figure.

My birthday had already passed—I was now an adult.
I didn’t need parental permission.
My main bank account, linked to my student ID, was with Daehan Bank.

Digital signatures were already set up.

Whoosh.

I opened the bankbook again, which I’d closed.
Looking at it again, it was the same bankbook Grandmother had handed me in the dream.

It felt as tangible as touching it and as vivid as seeing it with my own eyes.

“Live quietly as a church mouse……”

This was the parting advice Attorney Kim had left as he handed me the bankbook.

I had to live quietly.

From just those few words, I could fully grasp the hidden meaning.

-Beep beep beep beep. Beep beep beep beep.

My old-model smartphone rang with its simple ringtone.

It was a cherished person I’d kept hidden.
How long had it been since I’d seen this name?

A smile naturally spread across my lips.
I pressed the answer button.

-Son?

Just one word sounded like magic.
My heart swelled.

For a moment, I couldn’t find words to respond.
My throat tightened.

-Son?

She was calling me again.

“Uh, Mother.”
-Mother? What? This strange way of addressing me?

That was how it had been before military service.
I’d called her mom back then.

After discharge and starting work, my personality changed.

As I adapted to the harsh adult world, “Mother” had naturally become my word of choice.

Along with the change in how I addressed her, the distance in my heart had grown.

“Uh, Mom.”

Suddenly my face felt hot.
I felt embarrassed for some reason.

-Ho ho. Yeah. That’s your mom.

Mother’s characteristic laughter returned through the line.

After several job interview failures, I’d wandered for a long time.

She was like a great tree, always silently cheering me on without complaint.

My eyes stung.

“Thank you.”

-Thank you? Son, you’re being strange today. Saying things you don’t normally say.

Mother’s radar had begun scanning.
She’d sensed my abnormality.

“Thank you for bringing me into this world so well! I pledge eternal loyalty! Loyalty!”

Like I’d done in high school, I quickly glossed over it with a joke.

Thinking back, Mother and I had been quite close before Father’s accident.

We’d joke like friends, and she’d always maintained a girlish personality.

-Oh! Ha Tae-woong! Thank you, thank you.

Mother’s voice bounced playfully.
A smile spread across my face again.

“How’s Father?”

-He went on a regional business trip. He’ll be back tomorrow.

Father was alive after all.
Thank goodness.

My fists clenched with strength.

I was grateful to Grandmother once more.

It was genuine.
After high school graduation, I’d never seen them together even once.

Now I could see them again!

-We just saw each other the other day, what do you mean already?

“Yes! I miss you so much!!”

-Come to Sokcho when you have time. Mom will have sashimi and soju ready.

“Okay!!”

Saliva pooled in my mouth.

Drinking had become natural after coming of age.

In my previous memories, Mother and I had been distant.

After Father’s death, I also went through difficult times.

I fell into a passive, unfilial mode.

The appearance of Father’s creditors I’d never met before added to the burden.

A complaint for breach of trust was filed against Father’s company.

The house where the three of us lived was seized by auction overnight.

That’s why I stayed in the Rooftop Room—the place I’d chosen to live alone.

In the meantime, I’d come of age.

Remembering it now, I truly had no time.

Each time I saw her, it was unbearable.

After returning to university, I covered living expenses with student loans and part-time work.

Around that time, Mother ran a small flower shop.

Her finances were already strained just maintaining her own life.

I became a self-reliant warrior of survival.

And now—I had regressed!

A chance given by heaven.
I clenched my lips tightly.

Across the street from the Rooftop Room, a large electronic news screen caught my eye.

On the display was an elderly man with a kindly face speckled with age spots.

Large, prominent letters emphasized on the screen.

-Ha Ryun Group donates 300 billion won to support self-reliance for low-income families.

Ha Ryun Group—among Korea’s top ten conglomerates.

Current chairman: Ha Chul-gon.

“My grandfather…… money’s practically rotting away. Ha.”

That grandfather on the news screen—he’s my biological grandfather.

And I am Ha Tae-woong, the youngest grandson of a chaebol family!!

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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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