The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 76

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

Episode 76. Whiskey Bar J&W (7)

‘A broker? Me?’

Thump-thump!

A-yu-ra’s heart hammered against her ribs.
The heart that had been trembling with fear before the Goblin Minister now surged with fresh panic.

A broker.

Among the attorneys at Jo-En-Jang, quite a few worked as brokers.

Behind closed doors, people talked, but it was the operational role everyone dreamed of.

To land broker work, you had to cultivate the right clients.

Most sought out brokers to move undisclosed funds overseas and manage them there.

Jo-En-Jang was an organization that provided services to protect the wealth of Korea’s upper-class elite.

They helped each other’s needs, grew together, and earned money in the process.

The scope was staggering—massive development projects, stock manipulation, national infrastructure contracts, and more.

Any deal worth hundreds of billions inevitably involved a broker.

A-yu-ra was still a junior attorney.
Only senior-level lawyers with proven capability were selected as brokers.

“What kind of—”
“I need an overseas private fund. Investment companies in three nations: the Cayman Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Panama.”
“…!!”

Tax havens, as they were called.
Laundered money, funds tied to crime, proceeds from financial crimes—all operated through them.

Governments worldwide tried to block these routes, but so far it remained mostly formality.

The wealthy from America, Europe, China, Russia, and beyond—
They all managed their fortunes in ways that left no trace.

Tax havens perfectly satisfied their needs.

Tens of thousands of Korean nationals used them.
The National Tax Service knew it, but had no recourse.

Without whistleblowers willing to side with justice, there was no way to catch them.

In that shadow world, Jo-En-Jang functioned as a specialized broker-services firm.

“I’m grateful, but… I’m not ready yet. Broker opportunities are reserved for senior-level and above.”

It was the truth.
Accepting reality, A-yu-ra stepped back.

She was in no position to ask for more.

Broker work was a classified operation even within Jo-En-Jang.

Proposing it to a green-behind-the-ears junior was like offering a poisoned chalice.

“You can do it.”
“…??”

The young prince swirled his whiskey glass, then took a sip.

‘Even if he’s from the Ha Ryun Group, he’s a high school student—and he’s already using tax havens?’

The lifestyle of Korea’s wealthy families continued to exceed imagination.

“To be honest, I could set it up myself. There are plenty of tax haven paper company providers online. Basic packages run about thirteen hundred dollars, comprehensive asset-protection services around twenty-three hundred.”

‘He knows that?’

Jo-En-Jang had specific preferred vendors they used.

They added service charges on top of the base price.

Then tacked on a separate domestic protection fee.

“Do you know why I named you as the broker?”
“….”

She didn’t.
A-yu-ra was curious too.
This was only the fourth time they’d met.

Not like some Japanese romance where you confess after three meetings.

What was supposed to be a casual drink had grown into something far larger.

A meeting with the Goblin Minister had turned into a broker proposal.

Pragmatic as ever, A-yu-ra felt disoriented.

“Why… why me?”

A-yu-ra asked.
Ha Tae-ung turned to face her.

‘I’m going crazy. I’m not a child…’

The young prince’s face was devastating.
Fashion may be completed by appearance, but—

One glance in his eyes and you’d lose yourself in admiration.

A-yu-ra’s cheeks flushed warm.

The alcohol she’d drunk moments ago surged through her.

“It’s fate.”
“….”
“I’ll help you grow.”
“…??”
“The more large-scale clients you bring in, the more solid your footing becomes, doesn’t it? And Jo-En-Jang operates on a performance-based system, I’ve heard.”

‘He’s going to help me grow?’

An unexpected, enormous proposal.
The Ha Ryun Group prince extending his hand.

“Attorney.”

The young prince’s gentle voice sent a tingle down A-yu-ra’s spine.

“The wealthy excel at converting accumulated knowledge, learned wisdom, and fortune that stands before them into wealth.”

‘Convert?’

The young prince’s words—spoken for the first time—lodged themselves firmly in her mind.

“I’ve done the same. Knowledge I’ve built up, wisdom, fortune, even enlightenment—I’m converting it all to wealth right now. And I need a trustworthy ally through that process. In that regard, Attorney A-yu-ra, you were selected as my first such ally.”
“Am I… trustworthy?”

A-yu-ra asked genuinely.
They’d only exchanged a few words across four meetings.

Pour.

The young prince refilled A-yu-ra’s empty glass with whiskey.

“I trust the energy people radiate.”
“Energy?”
“Like a light, I suppose. Attorney A-yu-ra carries a bright golden light energy.”
“….”
“That means you’ve accumulated righteous financial conduct through your life so far.”

‘What? This person too? Could it be—a…?’

The young prince was twenty years old now.
These weren’t words you’d expect from a mouth so young.

Swish.

The young prince filled his own glass as well.
Then straightened his posture, sitting properly upright.

“Attorney.”

His pleasant, mid-range voice commanded her full attention.

“Yes….”

A-yu-ra answered bashfully.
Even if he was a shaman, it didn’t matter.

This moment, this atmosphere—she wanted it to last.
A charming man’s proposal to build her into a power broker.

Cognac and Royal Spirit laid out, the two of them sat side by side like finding a cherished fragrance.

A secret proposal known only to them.

Clink. Ting.

Their eyes met, their glasses touched.
And then—

“If we drink this, we….”

‘We…?’

Gulp.

A-yu-ra swallowed dryly.
At Whiskey Bar J&W, spending time with the young prince.

‘What do I do….’

Glass in hand, A-yu-ra sank into deep contemplation.

* * *

“Still so young. Ha.”

The drinking session with Attorney A-yu-ra wound down smoothly enough.

She was a woman in her late twenties, but set aside her attorney status and she was younger than me.

I’ve had harsher social experiences.
Most crucially, I’m no longer an outcast living in the shadow of my past.

As I’d half-expected, the reunion with the Goblin Minister came to pass.

And the Divine Word I received.

“Do as you wish.”

Exactly what I wanted to hear.
The reason I was given this second chance in the same life was crystal clear.

To act righteously, by my own will.

“You made the right choice, Attorney A-yu-ra.”

She’d shared the final glass with me.

A ritual of agreement—we were now fellow travelers on the same boat.

I don’t trust Jo-En-Jang.
That’s precisely why I need an ally from within.

Attorney Kim Gyeong-min is unreliable.
The light of energy he radiates isn’t the color I need.

I need to cultivate Attorney A-yu-ra, whose energy is clear.
The method is simple.

Money.

“By now, their world must be in quite a stir.”

Hundreds of students had witnessed it.
The moment they got home, they’d spilled everything to their parents about what happened at school.

Rumors spread faster than wind among the upper classes.

“If I play my cards right… someone from the Ha family will definitely hear about it.”

I left the whiskey bar and walked through the night streets.
The path home was perfect for an evening stroll.

June would arrive in a few days.

Full summer was still a ways off, but daytime temperatures were already climbing.

Late-night walk, the air still pleasant, humidity not yet oppressive.

I made a full loop around the Seokchon Lake path as well.

Cleared my head of the alcohol, organized my thoughts.

One day packed with so much, it passed in a blur.

The ease found in quiet solitude.

Ding!

I stepped into the elevator after the walk.

I used the residents-only elevator through the concierge room.

Latte Signiel was nearly perfect in terms of security.

Ding.

The elevator climbed swiftly.

Footsteps, steady footsteps.

The moment I stepped out, I headed toward my unit.
As I approached the entrance—

“Excuse me….”

Someone called out from behind.

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