The Return of the Ruined Chaebol's Third-Generation Heir - Chapter 27

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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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The Regression of a Ruined Chaebol Heir – Episode 27
The morning after.
I adjusted my school uniform necktie as I headed downstairs to the dining room on the first floor.
Under normal circumstances, Mother, Seon-ah, and I would be sharing a quiet meal at this hour, but today we had an unfamiliar guest.
Or rather, a face I knew very well.
“You’re up?”
“Yes, good morning.”
As I greeted them, the man seated across from the table rose abruptly from his chair.
Mother gestured toward him and introduced him.
“Say hello. This is Choi Dong-su, a manager who helps me with work.”
“Good morning. I’m Choi Dong-su, Manager of Strategic Planning.”
Looking at Choi Dong-su’s face, I smiled inwardly.
‘My, his face looks good even now.’
His hair was neatly combed back with a lustrous sheen to his skin, and his eyes sparkled with vitality.
The last image I had of Choi Dong-su in my previous life was a face lined with deep wrinkles and worn by worry.
When the company faced hardship, he—more than I, the actual owner—had lost sleep over it and damaged his health from sheer concern.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Seon-woo.”
“Ah, yes. The CEO has spoken of you often.”
“Has she been criticizing me as a worrisome son?”
At my lighthearted remark, Choi Dong-su waved his hand and smiled.
“Not at all. She’s praised you as a very intelligent and proud son—her words never stop.”
“Well, that’s embarrassing.”
I shrugged and took my seat.
“Since you’re here, please join us for breakfast.”
“No, I’ve already eaten. And…”
Choi Dong-su paused briefly before opening his document case.
“I need to head to the office right away after receiving the CEO’s instructions.”
At his words, both Seon-ah’s and my gaze turned to Mother simultaneously.
When Mother nodded, Choi Dong-su pulled out two copies of prepared documents and placed them before us, one each.
“These are proxy statements regarding the Seonjin Trading Company equity stakes inherited by both of you.”
I stopped mid-reach for my chopsticks and scanned the documents.
It was as expected.
‘This time they’re quick.’
In my previous life, I only received the proxy statements in a panic after the relatives began their attack, scrambling to gather them.
But this time it’s different.
They’re preparing in advance. Placing Choi Dong-su beside Mother early seems to be paying off.
‘This is right. You need to consolidate friendly shares in advance so you can respond when an attack comes.’
I feigned ignorance and asked casually.
“A proxy statement? Is something happening at the company?”
“Oh, nothing’s happening exactly.”
Mother explained gently.
“Your mother needs your equity stakes to make running the business easier. Besides, you’re still students—you can’t attend every shareholder meeting.”
“Ah, that makes sense.”
Without hesitation, I picked up the pen sitting on the table.
Scratch, scratch.
Without so much as a moment’s deliberation, I signed my name on the signature line.
Seeing me sign without delay, my younger sister Seon-ah also picked up a pen and followed my lead.
“Here you are.”
I handed the signed documents to Choi Dong-su.
“Thank you. I’ll have these notarized right away.”
Choi Dong-su carefully tucked the documents away and stood.
“I’ll take my leave now.”
“I’m sorry, Manager Choi. Having you come by so early in the morning.”
“Not at all, CEO. I’m the one who said I’d see you on the way to work. Please, enjoy your breakfast.”
Choi Dong-su bowed respectfully and turned to go.
‘Hmm, should I drop a hint now?’
It felt a shame to let him leave like this.
I took a sip of water and casually threw out a remark.
“Do you happen to run simulations on defending the company’s equity stakes?”
Choi Dong-su stopped and turned back.
“…Pardon?”
“Oh, I was just curious. In the club, when we look at old hostile M&A cases, they all end up scrambling to do calculations at the last minute. So I figured our company probably had all that prepared in advance, but if you don’t, I thought it might be worth trying. That way you’d at least have a rough idea of what defenses would cost.”
For a moment, the air around the dining table stilled.
Choi Dong-su’s pupils wavered, and Mother’s spoon stopped mid-motion.
“Seon-woo, what do you mean by that?”
Mother looked at me with startled eyes.
I shrugged with an innocent expression.
“Oh, it’s nothing serious. I’ve been learning various concepts in the Stock Investment Club at school recently. We’re even studying M&A cases.”
“In the club?”
“Yes. I’ve been reviewing past hostile M&A cases, and I started seeing patterns. Then naturally I ended up looking at our company too…”
I looked directly at Choi Dong-su as I spoke.
“Our Trading Company’s equity structure seemed a bit unstable. The major shareholder’s stake isn’t as high as I’d think it should be, so if someone decided to come after it, it could be risky. And when I saw you getting that proxy statement, it reminded me of all this.”
Choi Dong-su was momentarily at a loss for words. His expression showed he’d never expected to hear such talk about equity structures from a high school student.
“Is gathering the proxy statement related to that, too? If it’s not, I’m sorry for acting like I know something…”
“Ah, no! We’ve actually been running simulations ourselves.”
“I see you have been. Personally, I found the cases where they hide their identity quite interesting. You know, those cases where foreign capital comes in disguised.”
Probably they hadn’t run simulations under that assumption yet.
At least, that’s what I remembered.
I needed to give the hint precisely, and at my words, Choi Dong-su nodded.
“You’re right… it does seem worthwhile to check on that.”
Choi Dong-su bowed deeply to me once more.
“Thank you for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind. Then I’ll be going.”
Choi Dong-su bowed and left through the front entrance.
Only after I heard the door close did I turn my head with a smile.
Mother and Seon-ah were still watching me with the eyes of startled rabbits.
……
“Why are you both looking at me like that? The food will get cold.”
I picked up my spoon as if nothing had happened.

* * *
“I’m sorry for having you come all the way here so early this morning.”
Seonjin Group Headquarters. CEO Office.
Kim Ja-young was in a private meeting with Choi Dong-su, who had come to report to her right after arriving at work.
“Not at all. I know well that morning is the only time you have to spend with your children. It’s right that I made the trip.”
Choi Dong-su smiled warmly and bowed.
Though Kim Ja-young felt grateful for his loyalty, something from the breakfast table lingered in her mind.
“And… please don’t dwell too much on what our son said this morning.”
“Pardon?”
“Seon-woo has been studying quite hard with this stock club and such lately, and it seems he’s learned quite a lot. You know how children that age are—they always want to show off what they know in front of adults.”
Kim Ja-young added carefully, worried that Choi Dong-su might have felt slighted.
Choi Dong-su was, after all, a proper executive of Seonjin Group and her trusted aide—not a tutor or subordinate to take correction from a high schooler.
No professional would feel pleased being schooled by a teenager.
But Choi Dong-su’s reaction was unexpected.
He shook his head with a serious expression.
“Not at all, CEO. Displeased? Quite the opposite—I was shocked.”
“Shocked?”
Choi Dong-su looked directly at Kim Ja-young and spoke.
“As you know, while the inheritance procedures are technically complete, our friendly shareholdings are far too scarce. That’s why I rushed over this morning to consolidate those holdings. But to be honest with you, I was complacently thinking that proxy statements of this scale would be sufficient. However, what Seon-woo said struck home.”
……
“In truth, I was being naive. But what he said about the equity structure hit the mark precisely.”
Kim Ja-young’s eyes widened.
Choi Dong-su was not a man given to flattery or false praise.
“Rather, I think we need to run simulations from multiple angles starting right now. So I drafted a plan immediately upon arriving at the office. May I submit it for your approval now?”
Choi Dong-su pulled out a document folder from his bag and laid it open before Kim Ja-young.
“I’m thinking of forming a Task Force by selecting key staff from the Trading Company’s Investor Relations Team, our Strategic Planning office, and core personnel from Finance.”
“A Task Force?”
“Yes. A dedicated team to assume multifaceted external threats and conduct comprehensive defense simulations.”
Kim Ja-young scanned the documents.
[Management Rights Defense Strategy Task Force Composition Plan]
It was a very specific and practical proposal.
“Was what Seon-woo said… really that important? Enough to warrant forming a Task Force immediately?”
“Yes, CEO, it was. The management rights issue that’s been worrying you is not something to take lightly. Truthfully, I’ve been uneasy about it for several days myself. But hearing what Seon-woo said, I became certain—this can’t be delayed any longer.”
There was conviction in Choi Dong-su’s voice.
Kim Ja-young alternated her gaze between the documents and Choi Dong-su’s face for some time. She could scarcely believe that her own son had swayed the judgment of a man who had devoted his life to the company.
“All right. If that’s what you think, Manager Choi, let’s do it.”
Kim Ja-young took the fountain pen Choi Dong-su offered and signed the bottom of the report.
“Then I’ll set it in motion today and report once the team’s composition is complete.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Choi Dong-su bowed respectfully and left the office.
Kim Ja-young gazed quietly at the family photo sitting on her desk.
In the photo, her husband Kang Tae-jin and young Seon-woo and Seon-ah smiled brightly.
‘Has Seon-woo… changed?’
The quiet, withdrawn son who couldn’t adapt to school before his father’s passing was nowhere to be found.
The Seon-woo of these days seemed almost… like an adult.
‘Has his father’s sudden death forced him to grow up too quickly?’
The thought sent a pang through her chest.
But at the same time, she couldn’t deny the sense of reassurance that welled up inside her.
“That’s right…”
Kim Ja-young nodded as she looked at her son’s face in the photograph.
“That will be a good thing.”
She turned with a small smile.
Now she, too, needed to grow stronger to protect the company.

* * *
The chime signaling the end of afternoon classes rang out.
Lost in thought, I rested my chin on my hand and gazed out the classroom window.
‘My advice should have worked.’
The subtle hint I’d dropped to Manager Choi Dong-su at the breakfast table.
Even to me, it had been quite a gamble.
What a shock it must have been for Mother and Manager Choi when their ordinary high school son suddenly brought up professional matters like management rights defense and equity structures.
‘I managed to brush it off with the stock club excuse, though.’
Still, it was a necessary risk. If the other side was already sharpening their blades, and we faced them unprepared—
‘It would be no different from before.’
The predictable sequence was fumbling through defensive strategy, missing the critical moment in the process.
So even if it raised suspicion, I had to warn them in advance.
‘All I can do is hope he’s quick to catch on.’
My only prayer was that Choi Dong-su would take my words seriously and prepare accordingly.
I was still turning things over in my mind when it happened.
“Seon-woo.”
Someone tapped me on the shoulder.
Turning, I found Lee Min-jae, the class president and vice chairman of the Stock Investment Club, standing there.
“Yeah, what?”
“You’re coming to the club after this, right?”
Min-jae asked again, his eyes searching, as if double-checking.
“I told you this morning. I’m coming.”
“You have to come. We can’t do this without you.”
Min-jae’s urgency was understandable.
It seems the success at the Mock Investment Competition had quite an effect—we heard that new member recruitment this semester drew a flood of applications.
Six new members, no less. Min-jae had good reason to be anxious.
“I’m coming, I’m coming.”
I chuckled and gathered my textbooks from the desk.
“All right, then I’ll just grab my bag. Let’s go together.”
Just as Min-jae said that and turned back to his seat—
Bzzt—
My phone vibrated sharply in my pocket.
[This is Jung Tae-sung. Abnormal activity has been detected in the Seonjin Trading Company equity stakes. I’m standing by in front of the school’s back gate.]
The moment I read the message, my stomach dropped. I’d known it would happen, but the reality felt different.
‘It’s starting.’
They were moving.
Now was not the time to be idly hosting a new member welcome for the club.
I threw my bag over my shoulder roughly and stood.
“Min-jae!”
“Huh? You all packed?”
Min-jae, walking ahead, turned to look back.
I forced an urgent expression.
“I’m really sorry, but something urgent came up at home. I need to head out right now.”
“What? Nothing bad, I hope? Should I come with you?”
“No, I’m fine. I promise I’ll come to the club later! Can you handle things today? I’m counting on you!”
Without waiting for Min-jae’s answer, I bolted out the back door.

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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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