The Regressed Chaebol Grandson Finds It Hard to Forgive - Chapter 94

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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 94. I Won’t Forgive (2)

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A grand mansion somewhere in Seongbuk-dong.
That stretch of season where spring gives way to the threshold of summer.

Fine branches of a pine bonsai, soaked in spring vigor, are pruned away.

Slow and meticulous, yet without hesitation—the hands move with a steady purpose.

Even the vibrantly sprouting pine bonsai holds its breath.

Fresh shoots stripped away ruthlessly; a living thing cannot resist.

If it fought back like a human would, the stump itself might be severed.

The hands of this white-haired man in his eighties overflow with strength, belying his age.

White hair neatly groomed.
His bearing, shaped by decades of living, is anything but soft.

The dignity of a vigorous middle-aged man still radiates from him.

Whenever he has matters to settle, he spends time pruning his bonsai.

Especially today, his mind refuses to find stillness.

The bonsai trembles wherever his hands touch it.

“Chairman.”

His secretary calls to him from behind.

A small man with thick horn-rimmed glasses.

He too has entered his elderly years, his face etched with wrinkles.

He stands in a neat slate-blue suit, hands clasped respectfully before him.

“What is it this time?”

The old man, who has been in seclusion since his public apology last month, speaks without turning around.

This is Ha Cheol-gon, the true master of Ha Ryun Group, one of South Korea’s top ten conglomerates.

Thirty years of shared trials have made him read the secretary’s intent from voice alone.

“… I apologize.”

An Dong-hyun, the right hand of Ha Ryun Group’s chairman, bows deeply.

He came into Ha Cheol-gon’s orbit in his forties and has remained that right hand ever since.

Since Ha Cheol-gon took the chairmanship, he has overseen nearly all major and minor matters of the group.

Now he is a loyal retainer watching over the family—its former glory long faded.

Unlike many others, An Dong-hyun shares life and death with his lord.

Above all, he has accumulated wealth enough to support three generations, courtesy of Chairman Ha Cheol-gon.

His assets alone reach hundreds of billions in won.

Yet he has never coveted his master’s own portion.

Observing the family’s affairs, he takes only the crumbs that fall—more than enough.

Few in South Korea truly know Ha Cheol-gon for who he is.

One must never step into the chairman’s spotlight and reveal oneself.

Among the nation’s most powerful group leaders, he stands out as a man of intensely formidable character.

He has cast out even his own blood when they refused to obey.

He is like Yeongjo putting Sado in a rice chest to starve him to death.

Yet even Ha Cheol-gon opens his heart somewhat before a trusted retainer.

“A vicious plague retreats, and now I seek a moment’s breath… Tsk.”

He expressed displeasure at the change in regime.

He had provided substantial political funding, only to have it all unraveled.

The prosecution, wielding power across administrations like a yakuza organization, became the vanguard of the investigation.

Rather than hastily inject more slush funds and escalate matters, he settled it with a public apology.

Ha Cheol-gon was furious.

What should have remained buried had surfaced, tossed about in the mouths of the masses.

“Still not enough power… Not enough!”

Fire blazes in Ha Cheol-gon’s eyes.

Past eighty, yet he has not accepted his fate.

There was a time when Ha Cheol-gon earned the reputation of a generous, large-minded man.

The Ha clan had always been open-handed, bold in vision.

With generous spirit, he looked after even those in his circle.

Future growth was assured, and Ha Cheol-gon threw himself in completely.

Cold-blooded now, he drove his employees mercilessly.

His children were no exception.

He deployed every means to reclaim MG Group.

He allied with power, built networks, and arranged strategic marriages for his children.

Steadily, Ha Cheol-gon accumulated the strength he desired.

After years of effort, a decisive opportunity arose.

That was twenty years ago.

A powerful family made overtures for his youngest son.

Their daughter had studied abroad.

There were rumors she had lived loosely overseas, but Ha Cheol-gon did not take it seriously.

Becoming in-laws with that family meant seizing the chance to reclaim the electronics company.

The plan fell apart because of his youngest son—the one he trusted.

The fool raised his voice against the match, prattling about love.

This youngest, who had always obeyed his parents, suddenly stood up to his father.

Ha Cheol-gon swallowed his rage, attempted persuasion, issued warnings—again and again.

But the boy’s stubbornness mirrored his own. Ha Cheol-gon could not break him.

In the end, the wretch chose the woman.

Wounded pride left Ha Cheol-gon no choice: he cast his son out of the family.

For Ha Cheol-gon, individual desire existed only as a tool to serve the group.

A child who defied him was useless.

His wife, however, grew ill from sorrow.

She never spoke of it, but years later, she closed her eyes forever.

Losing his companion pained him, but he never regretted his choice.

MG Group could only be reclaimed through steel resolve!

And that opportunity was coming round again.

But it still demanded more strength than he possessed.

“What is it?”

Ha Cheol-gon asks, suppressing his simmering rage.

“It’s… ”

“Your grandson is currently the subject of gossip among high society.”
“My grandson? Which one?”

Only now does Ha Cheol-gon show interest.

He must lie low until public sentiment cools further.

“Ha Tae-ung? Who is that?”

Ha Cheol-gon is bewildered by this unfamiliar name.
It is not among his known grandsons.

“An illegitimate child of whose?”

Ha Cheol-gon’s thoughts pivot swiftly.

“What? Dong… Dong-hwi??”

* * *

Wipe away all traces?

His words carry intensity precisely because emotion is absent.

Rage flickering in his eyes.

Her client is still a student.

Yet the presence he radiates is utterly unbelievable.

‘Dangerous.’

The warning Kim Kyung-min gave her suddenly surfaces in her mind.

Getting entangled with Ha Ryun Group might make her the front-line commander in that war.

Now she faces the reality of that warning.

Her client Ha Tae-ung is the son of a deposed crown prince cast out from the Ha family.

This is a declaration of war against one of South Korea’s top ten conglomerates.

‘There’s no escape.’

The Dokkaebi once prophesied this.

The moment you board the same boat, escape becomes impossible.

“At minimum, one hundred billion won is necessary.”

Ayura speaks frankly, factoring in hazard pay.

One hundred billion is the absolute floor.

Worst of all: a loan shark connected to Ha Ryun Group in some capacity—that’s the real problem.

Former prosecutors and regional investigation chiefs will need to be mobilized.

And Jo & Chang’s active backing is essential.

The moment it reaches higher levels, the scope explodes beyond control.

Opposing Ha Ryun Group—something Jo & Chang hesitates at.

“One trillion won. That much is possible within this month.”

“…!!”

From this point forward, it’s war by capital.

If Ha Ryun Group detects their counter-plan, they will strike without hesitation—as surely as fire burns.

“Deploy the media.”

The client’s demands are meticulous and concrete.

“Especially those YouTubers who focus on celebrity gossip. Jo & Chang manages that side, yes?”

He already knows—he’s just confirming.

In his unwavering gaze, something indecipherable shimmers.

“Yes… yes?”

Ayura feels heat in response to that chill.

It is late night.
Ayura is alone in the residential space of her male client.

Her heart begins to pound erratically as reality dawns.

And…

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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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