episode_0009

“Is this all… who gathered?”

It was Jung Sooran, Cha Doyeon’s mother, whom I had seen before.

Thinking comfortably, the face of the one who had now become my mother was filled only with worry.

A family gathering.

The Hwaryeong chaebol family’s gathering, held once a month or, at most, once every three months, was on the verge of becoming a ghost party.

Considering the chaebol family’s financial situation, the beautifully set dining table looked pathetic, as only three participants were present.

The host mother, who always arranged this gathering for family unity.

The second older sister, who seemed utterly uninterested in the meal, ignoring her mother’s words and tapping on her phone.

And me, who never missed a gathering if ‘family’ was involved.

Even if we were in the same place, we seemed to be looking in different directions, or rather, it was truly a mismatch of a gathering, like ‘same bed, different dreams’.

Whether this silence was so unpleasant, Mother glared at the second older sister and pressed her.

“Where did the oldest and youngest go?”

“Why are you asking me that? It’s been ages since I cut contact with those bitches.”

“I told you not to say things like that! Doyeon, you? Did you happen to hear anything?”

“Well… I haven’t received any personal contact, but the youngest is probably super busy playing around, and the oldest noona— it’s probably that, right?”

After circling his fingers as if to imply money,

“Because there’s no particular profit in it.”

“Haaah….”

Mother’s sigh poured out as if the ground were caving in, at my cold analysis.

The oldest older sister was someone who disregarded everything except profit.

Conversely, the youngest was truly a free spirit.

It was amazing how different family members could be; the Hwaryeong chaebol family had quite varied personalities.

Everyone’s individuality was so distinct it was annoying, making them difficult to handle.

‘Well, it’s about the age where the ‘family’ shackle starts to get annoying.’

Since they had become adults, the expression ‘handle’ was ridiculous in the first place.

Strictly speaking, the correct interpretation would be that fully grown birds find their own way to live and fly off.

“Truly… all so self-willed…!”

Thump!

Nevertheless, Mother furiously rolled her high heel under the table, as if to break it, and was enraged.

She had tried to keep us tied together somehow, but seeing the overt signs of division, she buried her face in a dry wash.

One could think that way.

One could criticize her for trying to restrain her adult children according to her will, but this was Mother’s own tear-jerking effort.

Because the family discord was becoming increasingly obvious.

Mother ‘Jung Sooran’ had held family meetings all this time to prevent the worst-case scenario of her children squabbling like worse enemies than strangers.

As mentioned before, Father Cha Seongtaek distributed his assets and company to his children and wife after his death.

True to his character as an entrepreneur, the distribution was completely unequal, naturally instigating discord and competition among the children.

Cha Doyeon, the original owner of this body, would naturally have rebelled as well.

Since it was an event before my possession, I didn’t witness the day of his death or the day the will was read aloud, but he would surely have been furious, veins bulging in his neck.

However, Cha Doyeon did not drag it into a messy legal dispute.

The reason was simple: the distribution of wealth was thoroughly centered around individual ability.

No matter how much he rebelled, he lacked the confidence to overwhelm his older sisters with his shrewdness and ability, so he gave up, as if turning a blind eye.

He was gripped by the fear that if he recklessly challenged them, he would lose even what he had, so he signed an agreement not to pursue legal action for a paltry consolation sum.

This truly was a passage that showed Cha Doyeon was the biggest idiot among idiots.

A nuclear waste-level scoundrel who couldn’t even manage his own share.

But now, the owner had changed.

As the owner of the changed body, I had even come to see my beloved older sisters and mother—

‘Today, I couldn’t see the youngest, so it’s a bit disappointing.’

It was no fun.

I had intended to gather the complete family for a spectacle, but only two had gathered.

Even with my favorite mother present, her brow was full of worry, which was truly pitiful to see.

“Well then, I’ll be leaving now.”

Even the second older sister quickly declared her departure.

As if no longer interested, she gathered her bag and coat and stood up, causing Mother to protest.

“The meal hasn’t even come out yet, where are you going?!”

“Mom, it’s useless anyway.”

“Wha… what?”

“Everyone harbors dissatisfaction in their hearts, don’t they? Do you really think we can laugh and enjoy ourselves like in the old days by putting in such useless effort now?”

“………”

“It’s a fight of taking and being taken anyway. A chicken game doesn’t end until someone swallows it all.”

That was a piercing remark, like drilling into Mother’s heart.

Because it was an act of trampling on Mother’s efforts, who had tried her best to prevent division, calling it useless futility.

“And, Cha Doyeon.”

“Hmm?”

While dipping the pre-meal bread deeply into olive oil, I was called out.

“Come out, shall we talk for a bit?”

She crooked her index finger as if she had urgent business.

Her eyes, thinner than a thread, implied that it wasn’t exactly a pleasant topic.

Her intention was roughly obvious, so I gave a faint smile.

Perhaps this was the purpose of my coming to this gathering in the first place; for my cute older sister who seemed to be testing my patience, I wiped my hands with a napkin.

“Are you two… having some kind of problem?”

Mother, hoping desperately that it wasn’t.

I gave her a sweet smile and reassured her.

“No, I’ll be back at the dining table after it’s over quickly.”

“Alright. At least you, Doyeon, pretend to listen to my words… I’m sorry for saying harsh things last time.”

When I reassured her quite maturely, Mother, perhaps recalling the incident where I barged into the house before, subtly offered an apology.

[Mother Jung Sooran’s trust in you has increased from 9% to 11%.]

[You have risen from the stage of ‘Given-up Child’ to ‘Still My Child’.]

After fortunately gaining points, I trudged out of the dining area.

***

A private corridor used only by VIPs, where even hotel staff couldn’t casually pass.

“So, what’s your business?”

A red dress with a thin waist belt that she often wore.

Eyes like a venomous snake, always full of dissatisfaction, and her favorite neat bun hairstyle.

Her height was a little over 170 cm.

She was already taller than average, but perhaps wanting to emphasize her pride, she matched my eye level solely with the height of her high heels.

This was Cha Hwaryeon, the second daughter of the Hwaryeong family.

Perhaps because the character ‘Hwa’ (火, fire) was in her name, a characteristic of hers was her fiery, often angry, demeanor.

“Let’s not beat around the bush, get to the point. How long are you going to keep playing games?”

“Playing games, you say?”

Thump!

She pushed me against the wall and slammed her hand next to me.

My older sister, who showed such toughness that a man would cry, making one wonder if this wasn’t something men usually did.

“Didn’t I say to get straight to the point?”

“………”

“Let me ask you first. Just how much trickery have you pulled with stocks?”

Stock manipulation.

That was an attack on the profits I had made by establishing a subsidiary company.

Ha, I laughed emptily.

To talk about this meant that this second older sister was outright admitting it.

“The moment you say that, aren’t you admitting to having planted a spy, along with wiretapping?”

Right, about the spy.

It was as if she had openly confessed to planting and exploiting Woo Miae, who was the driver.

However, Hwaryeon noona was truly brazen and shameless.

Without a change in expression, she pointed out my pathetic state as if criminal acts were just everyday occurrences in this world.

“Are you going to act so unsophisticated? Anyway, it was a company that would have utterly failed if it had gotten caught by you, so you should be grateful that I even paid attention and watched it.”

‘Hah… She had planned to gobble it up for free if the chance arose, yet her way of thinking is already different.’

Contrary to Mother’s expectations, in the sunless shadows, there was no such thing as family.

It was truly a mess rampant with schemes and tricks, like hanging a gentle lamb’s head outside but selling dog meat inside.

“Well, you don’t need to look at it that favorably. I’m already heading in a good direction.”

“Pulling out a huge loan to buy up Bitcoin – you call that heading in a good direction?”

Cha Hwaryeon looked down on me scornfully, as if I were pathetic, then,

“I heard you even pulled out a huge amount of leverage, dangerously, no less? You made a little money from stocks, and now you’ve completely lost your mind, haven’t you?”

“Where else would I make money but from stocks? Didn’t you, noona, also hear through the grapevine how much I made from just those short-term stock trades, and weren’t you quite surprised?”

“………”

She couldn’t deny that.

Indeed, perhaps feeling something had changed, she became quite serious.

“Yes… honestly, I was a bit surprised. It was an unprecedented bull market, but a worthless bum like you actually picked stocks quite well.”

“You’re being too harsh on your younger brother.”

“Furthermore, it’s rather commendable that you’ve figured out about the driver even now. What should I say… it seems your brain is suddenly starting to work?”

My evaluation until now was at the level of a maggot, showing how much of an idiot I had seemed.

Now, she seemed to be seeing me as above a maggot, perhaps even a grasshopper; she looked at me at eye level for a moment, then subtly snorted.

“But that luck ends now. How about you just surrender?”

“Surrender, you say?”

“Hmph… just understand it in one go. Hand over the management rights, including the company shares. It’s a Hwaryeong company too valuable for you to play around with, so if you give it to me, I’ll give you pocket money whenever you play around with women.”

Ultimately, this was her goal.

Cha Hwaryeon had finally been laying groundwork to seize even this inheritance I possessed.

“While everyone else’s stocks are rising, your company’s are crawling on the bottom, aren’t they? I’ll give you an extra +1000 won per share on top of that. Spit it out and leave while I’m still offering a fair price.”

A deal not even worth listening to, of course.

Management rights included, for merely an extra 1000 won per share.

The only answer to give back was the middle finger (凸),

I was about to stick out my finger just like that— then slightly changed course.

With a grin, I decided to rub our cute older sister’s sensitive spot even harder.

“Hwaryeon noona, listen…”

“Hm?”

“Even if I hand over the company, do you think you’d be able to compete with the oldest noona’s toe?”

At that, her once composed face twisted instantly.

A face that would have been pretty if she didn’t frown, now violently cracked and split like a mask, looking utterly venomous.

The Achilles’ heel of the second daughter, Cha Hwaryeon.

Cha Hwaryeon, being the second, felt strong hostility and jealousy towards the oldest older sister.

She always complained whenever they met that the oldest had inherited the assets in a completely unfair manner, taking all the most lucrative subsidiaries of the group.

But even so, public opinion remained unchanged.

The world had always considered the oldest older sister as the most likely successor to Cha Seongtaek.

The second older sister, me, and the youngest weren’t even mentioned.

Only one more person was mentioned, but their relationship was ambiguous, so it was vaguely buried.

Anyway, the oldest noona was the ‘talented one’ among us—to correct that, she was the ‘talented bitch’.

And this evaluation, Cha Hwaryeon would have a fit just hearing it.

An inverse scale that no one, especially Cha Hwaryeon’s subordinates, would dare touch.

“Li… listen? Even a bastard like you, I was somewhat lenient because you’re my younger brother…?”

“No need for that. I can manage my own affairs even without your leniency.”

“Ohhh- really?”

The second older sister, who had gone beyond having the eyes of a venomous snake and had become a venomous snake herself.

Her neatly tied bun, ironically, seemed out of place as she glared daggers, as if to kill me.

“Well, that’s good then… In that case, I can tell you this surprising news, can’t I?”

“What is it?”

At that, I took a step closer.

I instantly closed the distance, pressed close to her side, and whispered.

‘I hit your credit card company with a massive short sale.’

‘………!’

‘Soon, I’ll spread rumors through media play, and your stocks will become worthless paper. You’re buying up Bitcoin now, so your stocks are crashing even harder, and you’ve pulled out a huge amount of debt, haven’t you? You’re finished now, you good-for-nothing bastard.’

Her expression stiffened.

Covering my mouth, I glared intently at Cha Hwaryeon with just my eyes, gloating in the reversed dynamic.

“Hehe, see, you should have spit it all out when I gently coaxed you to strip it all off.”

“………”

“I’ve already placed the short-selling order, so it’s too late to beg now. Ah! If you come to my company later and prostrate yourself in front of the main gate on a hot plate, I might let it slide. I can give you up to 50 million won a month.”

As if that was all, she coldly turned her body around.

As she walked away, without even a greeting, showing how utterly disgusted she was,

“Wait! Noona!”

“I said it’s too late to beg now, didn’t I?”

“No, I’m not begging, just listen to this and then go.”

“?”

Our cute older sister, who merely turned her chin slightly.

I made sure to tell that older sister clearly.

“Conversely, when your company goes bankrupt and you’re utterly broke, if you prostrate yourself naked in front of me and beg for your life, I’ll save you.”

There was no response to that.

She stared blankly, then the corners of her mouth slowly split into a grin,

“………Ha! Hahahahahahahahaha! What’s this good-for-nothing bastard who only received one worthless subsidiary talking about?!”

She scoffed loudly.

As if it were realistically impossible given the difference in class, she laughed scornfully and left.

She exited, holding her belly, saying it would absolutely never happen.

… … …

And so, I continuously watched her back.

Even after she disappeared from my sight, I calculated for a few more seconds, then,

“Kekekekek! Puhahahahahahahahaha!”

I laughed even louder.

At the massive, unexpected stroke of luck, I laughed derisively as if the world would shake.

I laughed until my lungs felt like they were turning inside out, laughed so hard that the little food I had eaten threatened to come back up.

‘Jihwaja, you dug your own grave♬’

The second older sister tripped herself and fell.

Knowing that the driver Woo Miae was a spy, I intentionally leaked information, and she fell for it.

Though it was intentional, she was a big catch herself.

To think she would even short-sell.

How badly did she want to take over the company for free, that she not only released Bitcoin news but even short-sold?

It was just giving me more chances to solidify my shares.

The second’s impatience to outsmart the first older sister, her excessive greed, had brought about disaster.

‘Haa… even so, I thought it’d be a bit of a challenge to conquer sexually a rich older sister… but my mouth is watering.’

The target was set.

For the sake of family love, the incestuous path of domination would make the second, Cha Hwaryeong, the first target.

Imagining the day I would knead those delicious breasts, splendid like Mother’s, and make her my sister-whore, made me itch madly.