The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 87
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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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Episode 87. Sokcho (7)
“You damn bastard! What’s a kid like you doing, playing dead?”
Kang Deuk-soo still heard the crude words of the young man from the tenant’s flower shop last night ringing in his ears.
Even as dawn broke, his rage hadn’t subsided—he ground his teeth.
Leaving curses in his wake, he stormed out of the place.
He headed straight to his usual bar.
His fury was too much to bear; he couldn’t go straight home.
He drank until he was thoroughly intoxicated, passing the night with the bar owner.
Kang Deuk-soo, accustomed to indulging his base desires with pharmaceutical assistance, found an outlet.
Since his wife—once fierce as a tiger—had developed dementia, there was no one left to hold him accountable.
His liquid assets alone exceeded ten billion won.
Just the monthly rent from commercial buildings scattered across the city brought in over twenty million won.
No matter how much he spent, money kept flowing in.
His eldest son worked as a municipal official in Sokcho.
Inheriting his father’s influence, he held considerable sway in the city.
His second son ran a private lending operation in Sokcho.
Local strongmen with deep roots backed him up.
In Sokcho, Kang Deuk-soo was a man without fear.
His money worked everywhere in this city—there was nowhere it couldn’t reach.
Yet a wet-behind-the-ears boy had threatened him.
“Ruin three generations of my family? You punk! I’ll tear your whole household apart!”
Sleep-deprived from the drugs, Kang Deuk-soo had pushed himself hard through the night.
Late afternoon, he pulled himself together, drank a hair-of-the-dog, and tracked down the tenant again.
He intended to make the flower shop owner’s life miserable.
A threat to vacate immediately should work.
“A penniless beggar dares to defy me? Let me show you how terrifying money can be—”
Kang Deuk-soo arrived at the commercial building, seething.
Facing where the flower shop should be, he froze solid.
The flower shop had clearly existed here yesterday.
“I’m not seeing things…… This can’t be……!”
It was empty.
Nothing remained.
Even the storefront sign and the colorful adhesive sheets covering the glass were gone.
It was cleaned so thoroughly it looked as though it had never been occupied.
Not a trace of the flower shop remained in his building.
“Chairman! You came.”
The owner of the raw fish delivery shop next door spotted Kang Deuk-soo and greeted him.
“Hey, boss—what happened here?”
“What do you mean?”
“The flower shop—where’d it go?”
“They moved out this morning. You didn’t know, Chairman?”
“M-Moved? Out??”
Kang Deuk-soo asked again, incredulous.
“Yes, sir. Early morning—about a dozen people from a moving company loaded everything into two large trucks.”
Grind-grind-grind.
Kang Deuk-soo’s eyes rolled back as he gnashed his teeth.
Blood pressure surged to his temples; fury nearly drove him mad.
The flower shop owner had bolted.
Just when he’d planned to torment her until her blood ran dry, she’d vanished without a trace.
“Where did she go?”
“She said something about moving to a commercial space near the Terminal.”
“The Terminal? Rent’s expensive there, isn’t it?”
“It is.”
“Where’s she getting that kind of money?”
“I’m not really sure……”
“Damn it all!”
Kang Deuk-soo spat out a volley of oaths without hesitation.
“Run if you like—you can’t escape Buddha’s palm! I swear I’ll……”
Kang Deuk-soo radiated fury from every pore.
He didn’t realize it.
He had no idea what vast and meticulously laid snare was being prepared for him.
* * *
“I’m in. I like the look in this young man’s eyes.”
This is what dealings between the wealthy truly look like.
The conversation of principled people.
If they like each other, any contract closes on the spot.
There’s no haggling over small sums.
The quoted price is fair.
Neither buyer nor seller has objections.
“Thank you.”
“No thanks needed—we’re buying and selling at market rate.”
Chairman Hwang’s cool demeanor; he doesn’t know what the future holds.
This is how he’s conducted himself throughout his life.
When the other party appeals to him and the price is reasonable, he doesn’t hesitate to buy or sell.
That aligns with my own nature.
“You’re lucky, Young Master. There are several people waiting to buy that property.”
Song, the real estate agent, worked his pitch with practiced charm.
That made me want to buy it even more.
I’d heard that real estate requires timing and luck to land in your hands.
Once you miss a property you like, it can take years—sometimes decades—to get another chance at it.
Most importantly, it’s the perfect location for my mother’s flower shop.
A place where I can greet the sea and pay respects to my maternal grandparents every day before starting and ending my day there.
And after remodeling, the coffee shop that will go in.
It’ll be a massive hit.
Along the entire East Coast, there’s nowhere like Sokcho Beach—clean and close to the city.
Sokcho is the clear rising star, surpassing Gangneung—a future blue-chip stock.
“Do you happen to have any other properties, Chairman?”
I pressed my advantage while things were going smoothly, letting my ambition show.
With opportunity knocking, I wanted to buy more before the bubble inflated.
From what I could sense, Chairman Hwang had the scent of a major landowner in Sokcho.
Without intending to, he likely held onto quite a few prime properties—a reasonable suspicion.
“Other properties??”
Hwang Hak-soo blinked a few times.
“If you own any real estate near the coast, I’d like to acquire that as well.”
I spoke plainly.
Scheming gets you nowhere with someone who carries the wisdom of years.
“Young Master, how did you know most of Chairman Hwang’s land has a sea view?”
Bingo.
Real estate agent Song’s eyes widened in surprise.
Curiosity flickered in Chairman Hwang’s eyes as well.
The way I casually acquired dozens of billions of won in property seemed remarkable to them.
“Y-Young Master! You’re considering other properties?”
Representative Kim Ju-hee was also caught off guard by this turn of events.
Her commissions from these additional deals would be substantial.
“You’re buying for your family?”
Hwang Hak-soo, the landowner, asked the question.
For the family?
I suppose it’s true that I’m investing on behalf of the Ha Family……
Three pairs of eyes fixed on me simultaneously.
As if they already knew who I was.
At their earnest gazes, I felt an internal chuckle rise.
This was the moment to put their suspicions to rest.
“Yes.”
I answered short and heavy.
Sokcho and its surrounding coastline haven’t yet entered full-scale development.
In a few years, when the administration changes and a spirit of reconciliation with the North takes hold, momentum accelerates dramatically.
High-speed rail opens following the expressway.
Sokcho becomes South Korea’s premier Tier-1 Coastal Resort, surpassing Jeju Island.
At the height of commercialization, it pushes Gangneung into second place.
With lighter traffic, you can reach Gangnam in under two hours.
An inland hotspot that doesn’t require the hassle of flying.
In just a few years, property values will multiply several times over.
Sokcho’s prices have already risen considerably, but it held firm even through real estate crises.
The stunning vistas of Seoraksan are another major draw.
It’s the optimal choice to convert coins into tangible assets.
The most suitable properties to transform from nothing into something real.
“How much are you thinking of investing roughly??”
Agent Song ventured the question casually.
He’d taken the bait; now the real bidding was beginning.
Thump-thump.
Everyone’s gaze locked on me, unmoving.
I looked young, but in their eyes, I was no longer an ordinary youth.
I let a gentle smile play at my lips.
Situations like this were beyond my wildest dreams in my first life.
“I’m thinking of acquiring one major property to start.”
I tossed out casually—one major property!
The three exchanged glances rapidly.
Their minds were clearly spinning.
“A… hundred billion?”
Representative Kim Ju-hee ventured the first guess.
I shook my head slightly.
“Oh!!”
As the figure exceeded her estimate, Representative Kim gasped.
“Then… a trillion? Is it a trillion??”
Agent Song, who’d maintained his composure, now widened his eyes and asked with a trembling voice.
His voice shook as he mentioned the word “trillion.”
“Yes.”
I acknowledged it casually, as though it were nothing.
“Wow!”
“Oh!!”
“As expected—the Ha Family!!”
All three exclaimed as if their suspicions had been confirmed.
Chairman Hwang regarded me intently with a gleam in his eyes.
“I’ll sell everything! If it’s a Ha Family investment… I’ll sell all the land I own!!”
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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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