I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 83: A Sad Life (1)

Life as the school idol at Daehwa Middle was definitely fun... but you can’t just live doing enjoyable things all the time.

After school, I usually headed back to the office.

“Oh! Lady Ha-yeon, you’re here?” freёnovelkiss.com

“Yeah. Thanks for the coffee, Yeon-ha.”

Choi Yeon-ha, who had brought the warm coffee naturally, moved the stack of reports and documents next to her over to my desk.

“These are the reports we trimmed down as much as we could... Uh, there’s still kind of a lot. I’m sorry.”

She bowed her head apologetically.

“It’s fine. I’m just going to skim them anyway.”

“For someone who just skims, you sure remember everything.”

That’s because I actually do remember everything after one glance. It’s nice having a good memory—it makes ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ my time much denser and more efficient.

[The Maastricht Treaty was signed one month later than planned. European media express skepticism toward the euro from the outset, but France and Germany issue consecutive statements of support. Relevant report excerpts...]

Rustle.

“Hmm, looks like the euro’s going to get adopted one way or another.”

The Maastricht Treaty—the fundamental foundation of the European Union (EU). But because the ERM broke apart much earlier than expected, the treaty was signed over a month later than it was in the original timeline.

Still, maybe because there was no turning back now, the European Community (EC) countries ultimately committed to launching the EU. So the euro would probably follow.

“Ah, yes. I’ll relay that.”

Choi Yeon-ha politely noted my words into her notebook. It felt like participating in some kind of religious ritual...

“Uh, well... I might be wrong, so don’t treat it like it’s absolute.”

“Yes. I’ll add that as well.”

Bowing deeply.

“...”

Wrong. She’s not listening to me at all.

Someone once said admiration is the furthest emotion from understanding. I think I finally get what that means.

“What about Uncle Jin-ha?”

Flinch.

“Well... Nothing much, actually.”

Yeon-ha glanced up at me nervously. She probably thought I’d scold her about security.

In truth, the most important team in our company was the security team—the one that handled, well, the kind of things everyone knows they do.

Surprisingly, the people working in securities and investment had no real power. I was the one making all the money.

“It’s good, but... I can’t help but feel uneasy. I mean, was the info really not leaked... or did we just not notice we were compromised?”

Tsk.

The infrastructure was solid, being from a chaebol family, which was nice, but the problem was that it still belonged to someone else. It didn’t seem like Grandpa was planning to hand it down properly...

“Should I look into it again, just to be sure?”

“No, don’t bother. Knowing Uncle Jin-ha’s personality, even if he did know something, he wouldn’t be able to stop it. Or maybe he’s just watching Grandpa’s mood.”

What I knew was everything after Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s death. I didn’t know how things were at this moment.

And...

“Hmph, it’s fine now anyway. I’ve already set up my multiplayer outside.”

Why should I bother getting caught up in some pathetic power struggle within a chaebol family? I’m not playing that game.

I can just wait for the right moment, then sweep everything away using circular investment structures. Once I’ve gained overwhelming wealth and power from the center of the world—the U.S.—a backwater like Korea will be child’s play.

“Oh, so what you did with Russia and Europe was for that...”

“It wasn’t just for that. Speaking of which—Yeon-ha, how’s the Russia situation?”

“Russia’s doing fine. The Chief Secretary contacted us yesterday and said they’ve locked down the oil and energy sectors securely. He just asked for a bit more funding...”

Ah, so that’s what the approval paperwork was about.

I nodded and signed the documents lightly.

“Okay. Add about $20 million more on top.”

“...Excuse me?”

“It’s a bonus. Si-hyun worked hard, so that’s the kind of under-the-table money she deserves. But since she’s too honest to take it herself, I’ll give it to her directly.”

I smiled brightly.

“You just work hard too, and I’ll take care of you the same way. You know what I mean, right?”

That means: don’t embezzle.

“...Yes.”

“Ahaha, don’t stiffen up so much.”

Slide.

I gently stroked Yeon-ha’s soft cheek. Unlike my other secretaries who were already seasoned, she still had that fresh feel to her.

I really do like younger ones.

They hold up well even when you work them night and day.

***

1992 was a relatively peaceful year—aside from the pound sterling drama at the beginning.

And “peaceful” meant I didn’t have all that much to do.

I left Japan’s real estate collapse, Russia’s hyperinflation and privatization, Eastern Europe’s industry takeover, and the Barings–Berlin Bank merger all to other people while I enjoyed a nice break.

I can’t keep personally managing everything forever.

‘This feels just right, honestly.’

My dream was always to live doing nothing but eat, sleep, and enjoy myself. I’m not a workaholic.

But if I wanted permanent, sustainable dopamine production and my own eternal, undying power... I had to endure a little effort.

“Seon-jun oppa, I’m sorry, but can I ask you to handle one more thing?”

“...Now?”

Yoo Seon-jun squinted at me, looking exhausted.

“I just got back from the airport. I need to hurry home to Joo-eun. Thanks to all the crap you keep piling on me, I don’t even get to see my kid.”

Glare.

“Tch, like you have any right to complain after knocking up and stealing my secretary.”

Seo Joo-eun was on maternity leave and resting at home. Wasn’t her place in Incheon? It’d take a while to get there.

“Well... should I go marry someone from another family instead?”

Heh. Point taken.

I did feel a bit bad. Normally he could’ve met whoever he wanted and lived freely, but because of me, his dating pool was limited.

Hmm, wait a second.

“...So does that make your kid my second cousin?”

“Yeah. I think it’d be fifth cousin once removed or something? You’d be his grandaunt. You cool being called auntie?”

Ugh.

Aunt... Aunt...

Ah, I really am getting old.

My hands were shaking. I’m in that part of the family tree now?

Damn. That’s right, I was the youngest. And in a few more years, the other cousins are probably going to start getting married too...

“...Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine... Probably.”

Yoo Seon-jun patted my back to calm me down.

“There, there. So? What’s the thing you wanted?”

“Oh, right. That. I forgot for a second...”

I muttered in a daze. What was I trying to say again?

“Right. I wanted to establish a bank in France. Can you handle it?”

“...France?”

His eyes narrowed. His eyelids trembled slightly, like he’d suddenly gotten a bad feeling.

“Yeah, there. It has to be a bank that operates independently—no connection to the Berlin or Barings banks...”

“...You should’ve told me earlier.”

“Well, I’m telling you now, aren’t I? There’s no rush. The funds will come through Russia... We’ve already got a few banks we bought in Eastern Europe, so you can use those as the foundation.”

Time for our Eastern European investments to shine. Until now, they’d just been sitting around collecting interest...

“Heh. I was wondering why you even invested there... So you’re going to stir things up in Europe again. Is France next?”

“Nope. France’s economy is solid, so direct attacks like in the U.K. won’t work. I’ll just scavenge from the internal rot.”

It might be a scavenger’s job, but I felt no shame. Isn’t it the decaying corporations who should be ashamed?

Feeding on that isn’t disgraceful—it’s the purest form of capitalism.

“...I honestly have no idea what kind of stunt you’re preparing for Korea. You’re pouring this much effort into foreign markets...”

Yoo Seon-jun shook his head with a sigh, as if he’d given up trying to understand.

For all his ability, he had surprisingly little ambition. Unless I pushed him hard, he wouldn’t stand out.

That’s probably why, in my past life, he lived without ever really doing anything.

“Well... just wait a little longer.”

One day, even he will understand.

This is the best I can do.

***

IMF is not the name of an event. It’s an acronym for the International Monetary Fund, a real global institution.

What people refer to as the "IMF Crisis"—the 1997 currency crisis—was the event where Korea ran out of foreign reserves and had to borrow money from the IMF.

Hmm.

Let me put it in simpler terms... Think of the IMF system as kind of like a doctor.

You go to the doctor, begging, “Oh god, Korea’s dying, please lend us some cash.”

You’re basically asking them to rescue your economy, and in return, you let them restructure it into something healthier.

But why is the IMF so notorious in Korea?

Normally, when you go begging like that, you expect the doctor to give you some professional care.

But this doctor... was a lunatic.

The IMF in 1997 was like a doctor who refused to treat the patient and instead beat them half to death, shouting, “If you don’t make your own mithril crutch right now, you’re gonna die by my hand.”

...So in the end, Korea chopped off its own arm, fused it with semiconductors conjured from thin air, and created an adamantium prosthetic.

Honestly, even I couldn’t pull that off if you asked me to.

That’s why I’m going to be the undertaker.

If we’re going to die anyway, might as well make it a beautiful corpse, right?