episode_0003

The reason the wastrel Cha Doyeon endured the divorce with Ahn Hayul was simple.

Despite having preemptively secured the advantageous position of being the only son, Cha Doyeon, far from being the successor, inherited the least amount of wealth through his father’s will.

If one were to calculate the cash value of the group affiliates he inherited, it was a chaebol-like sum, easily exceeding 500 billion won. However, compared to the other sisters and his mother, who inherited highly lucrative affiliates, it was truly a drop in the ocean.

This passage clearly shows how much Cha Seongtaek, who led the group with charisma, distrusted and coldly treated this wastrel son.

That’s why he endured the divorce.

Because he was abandoned by his family, and his extravagant spending, which amounted to hundreds of millions of won per day, was utterly debauched, his coffers rapidly dwindled.

Even if he was a wastrel, by the time I transmigrated into him, it seemed he had regained a little sense, as records remained of him frequently checking his bank balance.

In other words, Cha Doyeon, whose finances were increasingly strained, wanted to extract something from Ahn Hayul by enduring the divorce.

He intentionally dragged out the time, hoping to fleece his unloved wife, knowing that going to court would be a long and troublesome process.

He was truly a scumbag down to his very bones.

Perhaps if I, who had transmigrated, had set my mind to enduring it, I could have extorted money from her, but I didn’t want to live such a pathetic life.

From the start, my true aim lay elsewhere, beyond such petty issues.

“Hnnnnngh!”

Blowing his nose loudly like a child.

He even put on a sad act, wiping away tears, as if proclaiming the Best Actor award was his.

Though he wasn’t actually crying, he pretended to sniffle slightly, slowly raising his face to save appearances.

“I apologize. To show such a pitiful sight in front of you, Mother-in-law…”

“No, it’s alright. This time, I got to see a more human side of you, Cha Seobang.”

Falling completely for his pathetic act, his Mother-in-law, seemingly growing more sincere, layered her hands over his, freely encompassing them.

She tenderly enveloped him with the warmest hands in the world.

“You truly are… a warm-hearted person, Mother-in-law.”

“No, actually… because of my daughter, I’ve listened to a lot of complaints about you, Cha Seobang, and even complained myself.”

“Ah……”

‘Well… she did send her precious child to a wastrel, so of course, that’s how it would be.’

“But looking at you now, you’re different.

I had heard some rumors recently that you, Cha Seobang, had changed, and it seems they were true after all.”

After her honest confession, she covered it again with kindness.

Warm words exchanged as if grooming him.

As his Mother-in-law rubbed his back and hugged him again to comfort him, his blood began to rush.

‘Hoo… my heart is melting, completely. I really want to just *fucking go for it* and shake her hips.’

It was truly the best comfort.

It was all an act under a sheep’s mask, but his heart felt warm and was about to melt.

His Mother-in-law’s charm was her warm heart, as large as her ample bosom.

Her heart was as kind as her firm, bouncy bosom, which made him wonder how she managed to age at all.

It was indeed proven that no woman with a kind heart was ever a bad woman.

Added to this were her naturally supportive hips and thighs.

That slight age-related bulge in her belly, which one might notice, also drove him wild.

Furthermore, his Mother-in-law preferred a neat bob haircut.

Her bob, meticulously maintained daily, along with pearl earrings, gave her the neat styling of a madam.

She was more feminine than her younger daughter who had stormed out, and this furiously captivated his male heart.

After receiving ample comfort, they slowly picked up their chopsticks.

In the high-class Chinese-style restaurant, they nibbled at their food and conversed as human beings, no longer bound by the relationship of mother-in-law and son-in-law through marriage.

“So, are you going to pull yourself together and try to run the company from now on?”

“Yes, I’ll have to make do with what I have now, somehow.”

“Cha Seobang, which part of *the* Hwaryeon *Group*… are you in charge of again?”

“The credit card company.

Besides this, I also run a small securities firm as a separate subsidiary… In the end, both are fee-based businesses. Haha.”

“Right, it’s your father’s inheritance, so you should at least work hard to protect that.”

Even his Mother-in-law, whose face grew even more sympathetic, already knew.

The reality of Cha Doyeon, who had received only a single credit card affiliate from a massive conglomerate that dominated everything from ordinary home appliances to global semiconductors.

It was a passage that made him realize once again that he was a child abandoned due to his uncorrected eccentricity since childhood.

It was rock bottom.

But since it was rock bottom, the only way left was up.

Thus, he declared with a bright smile.

“Yes, I plan to cultivate it even higher, starting now.”

“What kind of confidence do you have…?”

“It’s an issue entangled with business, so it’s difficult to elaborate on it here, but I intend to properly tackle it head-on.”

Then, he somewhat solemnly cleared his throat.

He even casually threw in a joke with a mischievous, rascal-like expression.

“If this venture succeeds, I will replace your bag with a new one that suits you, Mother-in-law.”

A top-grade luxury bag lay on the table.

For a madam of a large corporation, she had carried that extremely old model for a very long time.

Although it was a luxury bag of a grade whose value was preserved over time, in photos, she was always seen publicly carrying that same white bag.

He exploited that very point, which could be interpreted as her being thrifty, or as evidence that her husband’s affectionate gifts had stopped.

“Oh dear, what a joker you are…”

She covered her mouth as if to say ‘Stop it,’ and waved her free hand.

Nevertheless, just hearing the mention of a gift from a young man seemed to make her feel younger, as her cheeks flushed slightly.

To avoid saying anything amiss, she elegantly picked up a side dish from the table, ate it, and pondered something deeply.

After elegantly chewing and savoring the food, his Mother-in-law seemed to make up her mind and finally declared.

“Alright, if you, Cha Seobang, are truly suffering such profound emotional pain… I will make time once a month.”

“……! Th-thank you! Mother-in-law!”

Mother-in-law, nailed it!

As he stood up and bowed deeply, his Mother-in-law flustered, signaling her discomfort.

“N-no, that’s enough! You’re not my son-in-law anymore, so…

…Ah! Then I should stop calling you Cha Seobang as well…”

They were no longer in a mother-in-law and son-in-law relationship.

In that case, what form of address should he use for her now?

“Alright, then─ Soiseol-ssi?”

“!”

Clatter!

As he cautiously uttered her three-character name, she put down her cutlery and was startled as if a carp had leaped out of water.

Her expression showed surprise at how he remembered, and it seemed her own name was completely unfamiliar to her.

Just as one is often called ‘someone’s mother’ after spending a long time as a mother, she reacted strongly, as if it were a name she hadn’t been called in a very long time.

Moreover, as his Mother-in-law had only been devoted to her family, she might have become more accustomed to titles like ‘Chairman’s Wife,’ ‘Madam,’ ‘Sister-in-law,’ or ‘Wife.’

Her flushed face was truly that of a young girl.

At that age, she fluttered as if she had returned to being a young girl, trying to calm herself down.

“Uh, it is a bit awkward, ahaha…”

“You still look so young, should I just call you ‘Noona’ instead?”

“Cha Seobang!”

She shouted, seemingly embarrassed, for him to stop joking, then,

“Ah, no…… Cha Doyeon-ssi?

Ah… it might be better to just keep calling you Cha Seobang after all. Ahaha.”

His Mother-in-law—whose real name was Soiseol—smiled shyly throughout, as if she couldn’t get used to it.

Her actions felt more like a young girl, younger than him, rather than a Mother-in-law, and they were lovely.

The face beneath her sweet bob, which looked delightful just to behold, convinced him that his attraction was not merely a simple impulse.

And so, they chatted more.

After chatting for a long time to solidify their acquaintance, he escorted her to the front of a domestic luxury sedan, where a driver was waiting in the parking lot.

“At our next meeting, I will respectfully entertain you in a more comfortable and pleasant place.”

“Today was already good enough.

More importantly, you should go in now, so…”

She hesitated slightly, then,

“Cha… Cha Seobang!

Ahaha… Indeed, this is more comfortable♡”

‘Hah…… truly melting, melting.’

His Mother-in-law was openly adorable.

She entered the car, smiling shyly until the very end as he saw her off to her waiting vehicle.

After bowing deeply and treating her with the utmost courtesy until the very end,

“Ugh… my neck.”

He stretched his stiff neck, sore from too much bowing.

‘Hoo… good. The uncomfortable married life is over, so I’ve secured regular appointments with my Mother-in-law…

Is this one step forward from now on?’

With this, he no longer had to worry about his wife, and his connection with his Mother-in-law had moved a little, just a very little, closer.

He shouldn’t rashly ruin it, but rather gradually nurture this small spark.

* * *

Honk! Honk!

After seeing off his Mother-in-law, he followed the honking horn in the parking lot and found his car.

He leisurely approached and got into the familiar back seat, whereupon Woo Miae turned her body and offered a slight bow of her head.

“Hah… did you really wait all this time?”

“Of course, Young Master.”

It seemed about three hours had passed from his private meal with his Mother-in-law to seeing her off.

It had taken a really long time chatting with his Mother-in-law at the table, but as soon as his business was finished, she perceptively appeared.

Woo Miae was indeed competent.

She was excessively competent, unbefitting of this wastrel.

“Then, where shall I take you?”

“…I’m tired today, so just go straight home.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

Woo Miae, recognizing the familiar order, immediately put it into action.

After this familiar order, *Screech!* as they exited the parking lot, tires squealing on the asphalt, he added one more thing.

“And, tomorrow, summon all the company’s key executives and set a schedule.”

“……? Are you going to work at the company?”

“Yes, the shareholder’s meeting is over now, so things won’t be so noisy, right?

The stock is literally plummeting vertically to the bottom, so I need to put an end to this anxiety too.”

“First… I’ll inform your executive assistant. That the President will be coming to work.”

“Ah, I’m going to fire that assistant. Skip the assistant and you inform them directly.”

“Pardon?”

Ignoring her slightly surprised reaction with ease, he took out his smartphone, opened a stock app, and checked it once.

After checking a few stocks with a few taps, he smirked.

Watching the stock market move exactly as he predicted, he added one more remark.

“Since it’s fallen to rock bottom, living up to the wastrel reputation, I suppose I should perform a sword dance.”