The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 1

#001

Guests and the bereaved exchanged bows, observing proper etiquette.

The man in mourning raised his head.

“Thank you for coming. Please have some refreshments before you leave.”

There wasn’t a trace of sadness in his voice.

And, as expected, he doesn’t recognize me.

The funeral hall at the university hospital was thick with the scent of incense.

The hallway was packed, with wreaths and guests continuing to arrive.

The chief mourner, receiving an enormous number of condolences, was just one person.

He wasn’t a blood relative of the deceased.

It was Lee Hyung-joong, the president of our company, who had worked diligently under the deceased.

“Mr. President, I’m Yoon Jung-hoon, an assistant manager from Sweet Potato Credit Information…”

As I began to introduce myself, he looked up at me with a blank expression.

Just an eternal assistant manager in a low position, so much so that I’d be grateful if the president even knew my name.

After a moment of contemplation, President Lee Hyung-joong ultimately couldn’t place me.

“It’s Yoon Jung-hoon.”

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded.

“Yes, go over there… no… offer a drink and then be on your way!”

“Pardon?”

I was taken aback. I had just greeted him, so why was he telling me to offer a drink?

‘Hyun Jung-ok, the Iron-Blooded Empress of Myeongdong. Chairman of Sweet Potato Credit Information.’

Ordinary people might not know her, but she was a legendary figure to those in Myeongdong [a bustling shopping district in Seoul, South Korea].

A woman who came down from North Korea and single-handedly dominated Myeongdong.

She had an uncanny knack for sniffing out money, earning her the title of Cash King.

It was said that even the top conglomerates in the country would come running if she called, though she was past her prime.

If you tried to settle a bill for a company that had fallen out of her favor, the entire group would falter instantly.

Rumor had it that several mid-sized companies had gone under that way.

“Come and pour a drink!”

“…Yes.”

‘Yes? Me?’

That’s what I thought, but was there any need to defy the president’s orders?

I bowed once and looked at the photo.

She was greeting guests with a stiff expression.

To me, she was just a kind grandmother from next door.

As I bowed a second time, I looked at the photo and said,

“Grandma, Jung-hoon’s here. Yoon Jung-hoon. The Jung-hoon you fed before.”

A glimpse of the president’s face revealed a faint smile that didn’t suit the funeral hall.

A chilling smile that made me think he was a psychopath.

Why did I even have that meal?

The day after having dinner with the Myeongdong Empress’s kind smile a month ago,

I received notice that I was on the promotion list for deputy director.

Since then, thanks to the Myeongdong Empress’s occasional interest, my work went well, and I gained some confidence.

I was treated like her beloved toy, and no one dared to treat me carelessly.

But that was all over as of today.

That’s just how it is.

‘The most beautiful and brilliant time, Hwayangyeonhwa [a Korean expression for the most beautiful and fleeting moment in life, often associated with youth], is always as short as cherry blossoms.’

I grew up in an orphanage but was smart and good at fighting. As was the case for orphans, I was always short on time and money.

The settlement money I received when leaving the orphanage quickly ran out.

I had to worry about the cost of tomorrow’s meals.

I started working part-time at a bar because it paid more than a convenience store.

The income was quite good.

Then, I happened to lightly deal with a man who was drunk and causing trouble.

Seriously, thinking about that day, I realized that even a drunk person could be good at fighting.

Anyway, in the end, that man collapsed on the floor.

And that’s how the rumor started.

That drunk man was the leader of a nearby gang.

He held a deep grudge.

He was hell-bent on catching me, and the opposing gang, noticing this, scouted me.

I hid in their ranks.

Surviving was important, so I had no choice.

But within the organization, I did my best to hide my strength.

I always wanted to use my head rather than my fists.

Why?

Because after just one year in the organization, you can see it.

Sergeants and corporals who are veterans of the battlefield always feel sorry for the privates.

They treat them well but don’t easily open their hearts.

What’s the point of being nice to guys who are about to die? It only hurts.

About 80% of the chicks who don’t know how to survive are wrapped in the national flag, placed in a wooden box, and returned home in an urn.

Friends who were good at fighting were just like privates on the battlefield.

To prison, to the morgue, even though the average lifespan of men is low, my friends became stars too quickly.

If a private dies, at least a pension comes out, but dying here is a dog’s death.

A disposable item used in emergencies.

I didn’t want to end up like that, so I joined a credit information company run by the organization.

Of course, before that, I had my stomach cut open once and my leg sliced once, so I couldn’t use my strength well.

They weren’t the kind of guys who would let me go easily.

A credit information company is never a company that manages personal credit.

It’s a company that squeezes debtors dry and collects debts.

But it’s different from loan sharks.

Everything is done legally.

Well, officially, I can’t say, but I want to say it was quite legal anyway.

If you squeeze the debtor like dried squid and collect the debt, a few percent of that falls to me.

Our director made 300 million won [approximately $250,000 USD] last year.

He’s a vicious guy. He doesn’t threaten. He always goes around talking about debt.

In a country like Korea, where face is important, it’s the easiest way to collect.

Assistant Manager Choi made 110 million won [approximately $92,000 USD] last year. He made 500 million won [approximately $417,000 USD] the year before.

That’s our company record.

The year after making 500 million won, he started having nightmares and seeing things.

So it plummeted to 110 million won.

Anyway, making money in this industry isn’t easy.

You have to find debtors who can pay and legally collect the money.

Grab anyone and demand money?

There’s really no one without money.

So now you’re wondering about debtors who can pay, right?

You can tell if they have money or not by looking at the documents and the story.

If you read between the lines of the documents, understand the legal terms, and are well-versed in the law,

you can estimate.

I was good at fighting, but I was also exceptionally smart.

My memory is photographic.

Do you know?

The ability to remember everything as if taking a picture, but honestly, I’m not that good.

Anyway, I made a decent amount of money with my excellent memory and reasoning skills.

And I used my abilities just enough to make a living, because being too good only hurts.

I happened to go on an errand.

A favor from a junior who urgently needed to go to the hospital because of his pregnant wife’s delivery.

I’d be a son of a bitch if I didn’t grant that.

It wasn’t a big deal.

Just deliver a document to our chairman, the Myeongdong Empress Hyun Jung-ok, in Seongbuk-dong.

That afternoon, I delivered the document to her house and was about to leave through the gate.

Just then, our chairman, the ice-cold Myeongdong Empress, was entering the house, and her face abruptly hardened when she saw me.

‘Ah, damn it, this is bad.’

I don’t know why, but the fact that her expression was bad when she saw me was definitely an ominous sign.

The anxiety continued from that night until I went to work the next day.

I only have this wretched body left, and if I get fired here….

There’s no answer other than dying like hell in a salt field next to the beautiful sea.

But then I received a dinner invitation.

With a bewildered face, I entered the palatial house,

and a feast awaited me.

I enjoyed dinner with the kind grandmother and had some drinks.

I told her about my life, mixing in as much seasoning as possible based on the facts, in response to her persistent questioning.

I figured I should at least earn my keep.

That night, I dreamed of catching a rope that came down from the sky and flying away.

My unlucky life, where I’d fall on my back and break my nose.

It was clear that great fortune had entered.

And everything was good for a month.

But the rope that came down from the sky, as you can see, was too old and broke without a sound.

I was sitting in the funeral hall, eating delicious dried radish greens and soybean paste soup as a snack with soju [a Korean distilled beverage], when

“Mr. Yoon Jung-hoon?”

A strange man came and sat in front of me.

“I’m Go Hyun-min, a lawyer.”

I received the business card he handed me.

It stated that he was a representative of the law firm Daeseoyang.

The lawyers I had met in my life were mostly prosecutors and judges.

Oh, there were also lawyers, but they were mostly public defenders, so it ended with just one greeting.

Anyway, I couldn’t believe what the smartly dressed lawyer was saying in front of me.

“So, you’re saying I’m that person’s, the Myeongdong Empress’s, grandson?”

Go Hyun-min was slightly taken aback by my words.

“No. Not a grandson, but a grandson candidate. That’s why we conducted a DNA test when you had dinner at her house last time.”

‘Ah? So that’s what happened that day.’

“The documents will arrive tomorrow, so please come to the lawyer’s office. Let’s meet at 3 PM.”

He said those words and disappeared.

I stared blankly at him as he walked away, blinking for a while.

Turning my head, I saw our president also looking at him.

I greeted him awkwardly, and he hurriedly turned his head in embarrassment.

***

“A DNA analysis all of a sudden…”

“It seems lawyer Go Hyun-min conducted a DNA test between the chairman and Yoon Jung-hoon.”

The man’s eyebrows twitched, and he slammed the desk hard.

“Haa, why did I make a mistake I hadn’t been making? Damn it.”

I should have stopped it. I had been blocking it well until now, and I’ll be able to achieve my goal soon….

“When will the results come out?”

“In a week.”

A week is a very tight period.

But I have to finish it somehow.

Lee Hyung-joong clenched his fist.

‘It doesn’t matter as long as the results are good. I just need to proceed with the planned scenario a little faster.’

At first, I tried to get rid of Yoon Jung-hoon first. But was it because of Hyun Jung-ok’s premonition?

She was always secretly guarding him nearby.

So I had no choice but to send the chairman first.

It was clear that surveillance of Yoon Jung-hoon would become lax once the chairman disappeared.

Sending her wasn’t difficult.

I mixed a little poison used by special forces into the health supplements she usually took.

When I asked the Cheonjihoe [likely a fictional organization], they sent the medicine the next day.

They said it was a traceless drug used only by secret intelligence organizations in several countries.

‘Cheonjihoe.’

An organization that dominates heaven and earth.

Formed in the late Joseon Dynasty [1392-1897], it has maintained a powerful force even while experiencing the colonial era and war.

The eternal ruler of this small land.

But no one knows the exact truth.

Kim Hyung-joong clenched his fist.

If I succeed in this, I can become a member of the Cheonjihoe board of directors.

Then I will be qualified to run for the head position later.

The current chairman will surely die within 10 years.

Maybe within 5 years.

There was no time to think ahead.

Obstacles must be removed, even if it means killing them.

That’s the only way to achieve my dream.

Hyun Jung-ok, who had no family or relatives, was trying to donate her assets and had a will drawn up with a lawyer.

Her inheritance will surely be donated to a foundation with a very long history.

Everything would be perfect if things were finished that way.

The Cheonjihoe could legally take over her official assets of over 1 trillion won [approximately $833 million USD].

But the important thing is to get rid of the eyesore, Hyun Jung-ok.

I had been preparing step by step, but everything went wrong with the meeting between Yoon Jung-hoon and Hyun Jung-ok.

Did she smell the bloodline? She recognized her grandson at once.

She handled things quickly.

She conducted a DNA test and guarded Yoon Jung-hoon from afar.

With little time left, I had to handle things urgently.

I hinted to Go Hyun-min to back off, but perhaps because he was from a poor background, his professional ethics were unnecessarily thorough.

I have no choice.

“Hyung, what should we do? He said he’s going to confirm tomorrow.”

“Wipe them all out. The Cheonjihoe will take care of the aftermath, so don’t worry.”

***

“Have some tea.”

Go Hyun-min, with a relaxed smile, offered tea to the nervous Yoon Jung-hoon.

“It’s not as big as I thought.”

The office was smaller than Yoon Jung-hoon had imagined.

I thought that a lawyer in charge of legal consultation for the Myeongdong Empress would be a top 5 law firm in the country at the very least.

A one-person lawyer’s office with one secretary. It’s too early to call it a law firm….

“Hahaha, I just became independent recently. Before that, I was a partner lawyer at Kim & Lee. I came out like this at the recommendation of the elder….”

For a moment, a look of disappointment flashed across his face.

He probably didn’t expect his powerful sponsor to disappear like this.

‘If he’s a top 1 Kim & Lee partner lawyer, his skills must be the best.’

A haggard face where excitement and fatigue coexist.

Yoon Jung-hoon moistened his chapped lips with saliva and said,

“Let’s confirm now.”

I couldn’t sleep properly last night.

Winning the lottery first prize more than a hundred times is equivalent to the official assets this grandmother has.

Financial assets of over 1 trillion won [approximately $833 million USD].

If I do well, that could be mine, so how could I sleep?

“Okay, then let’s confirm whether Yoon Jung-hoon has won the 1 trillion won lottery.”

Go Hyun-min tore open the mouth of the yellow document envelope. He took out a white piece of paper and read it.

His eyes quickly checked the document.

Yoon Jung-hoon’s tense gaze followed Go Hyun-min’s eyes as he read each line.

Go Hyun-min’s stiff face brightened up. The aloof look was replaced with the utmost friendliness.

Now Yoon Jung-hoon was a new and strong gold line to replace the lost rope.

“As expected, the lady’s prediction was correct. You are her only blood relative. Congratulations. You’ve won the 1 trillion won lottery!”

Yoon Jung-hoon received the document.

Go Hyun-min began to explain his duties as a lawyer, but none of it registered.

I’m too busy imagining the new life that will begin, so I can’t hear what others are saying.

A Porsche, no, a Ferrari and a Rolls Royce were floating in front of my eyes.

I pictured myself waking up in a super-expensive apartment with a clear view of the Han River.

“Mr. Yoon Jung-hoon.”

Go Hyun-min handed over a yellow Post-it. Anxiety was evident on his face as he looked around.

“Now you always have to be careful. Especially that side.”

He pointed to the memo.

[天地會 Cheonjihoe]

Heaven, Earth, Gather, Association

‘Since there’s an association character, it must be an organization or group, but what am I supposed to be careful about?’

Go Hyun-min’s anxious face bothered me, but it was soon forgotten.

Now that I can hear the sound of money coming in, worries are for later.

They’re probably guys aiming for grandma’s money.

I just need to be careful. A simple problem that can be solved by covering bodyguards with money….

That lawyer is too worried. He doesn’t know the weight of 1 trillion won [approximately $833 million USD].

“Ah, and this is an account that the lady made in the past for her born grandson. There will be a considerable amount of money in it. It’s kept in the Piggy Bank in Macau. The only way to find it is with the account number and password. You must never forget it.”

He handed me a letter envelope.

“Pardon? Don’t I need a seal and ID?”

Go Hyun-min looked at me and smiled.

“It’s a private bank for people who would be in trouble if their identity was revealed. The number proves the account holder.”

I nodded and opened the letter envelope.

[ID : 19611963198304261155 pw : 1981 ]

‘19830426? It’s my birthday, but what’s in front of it?’

I asked because I saw familiar numbers.

“Is there any meaning to the numbers?”

“Yes. It’s the year of birth of your father and mother, and the date and time you were born.”

Only then did I nod.

So my father was born in 1963 and my mother in 1965?

You had me at 22 and 20 years old.

It must have been a very rushed life.

You gave birth quickly and left just as quickly.

I was lost in thought about my parents, whom I didn’t even know, when.

– Bang!

A bright light flashed before my eyes, and then I heard the sound.

I thought it was fireworks celebrating my new social status.

The shockwave was too strong to feel on my body.

A loud explosion was heard, and I saw Go Hyun-min’s body floating in front of me.

No. His body and mine, both of our bodies, soared into the air.

Pushed by a strong wind, we flew through the window like paper and far, far away.

A loud ringing echoed in my head.

I was definitely in the office a little while ago, but now I’m lying in the middle of the road.

It was clear that I had been blown here by a strong explosion.

Go Hyun-min in front of me was lying motionless.

I was also unable to move.

Fortunately, there was no pain.

However, my eyes were slowly closing, and I saw our president in front of me.

‘Mr. President, please save me.’

I could only stare helplessly at his back as he turned away with a bitter smile.

‘Cheonjihoe?’

***

“Huff.”

Today, I woke up from a nightmare with the same explosion.

It’s already been a month, but I haven’t gotten used to it.

Is it because of the Ferrari and the Han River view 70-pyeong [approximately 2,500 square feet] apartment that disappeared in my hands?

Or is it because of this wretched space called the orphanage?

If I give up and accept it, will this damn nightmare end?

One thing is certain as a result of watching for a month.

It is clear that I cannot escape this hellish reality.

Why did I have to come back to this eighteen years ago?

Genius Grandson of the Cash King, Becoming a Chaebol [a large South Korean business conglomerate]