The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 190

Kang Cheol-jung looked utterly stunned.

Then, he blinked his eyes rapidly, more than a dozen times.

After a moment, his pupils seemed to refocus, as if he were regaining his senses.

“Wow, Lee Seok, that bastard, he’s a real chaebol [a wealthy business owner], with a secret birth story too. Just like you, Jung-hoon. What kind of birth secret does he have? Does he have a half-sibling? Well, that’s pretty basic for chaebols.”

Kang Cheol-jung, who had rattled off a series of questions, took a long swig of the canned beer he was holding.

“That bastard isn’t Lee Heon’s son.”

-Ptooey!

The liquid spewed out like a fountain from his mouth as he tilted his head back and gulped down the beer.

He coughed as if he had choked on the beer that went down the wrong pipe.

-Cough, cough.

“What? What did you say? …Really?”

“Yeah, Lee Seok is the son of Ha In-seon and Cheon Seong-han. Ha In-seon deceived Lee Heon.”

“Wow, I thought Lee Heon had an illegitimate child. It was the opposite. Ha In-seon had an affair and gave birth to him.”

Kang Cheol-jung shook his head in disbelief.

“Yeah.”

“Amazing, amazing. Is that why Lee Heon was stuck in the back room?”

“Probably. He couldn’t forgive his wife for carrying another man’s child. But he was afraid of what people would think if he revealed it. His pride wouldn’t allow it,” Jung-hoon speculated.

“No… maybe it was love.”

Da-hye interjected.

“What do you mean?”

“I just thought that maybe he loved Ha In-seon that much. Otherwise, he should have kicked her out a long time ago. Maybe he couldn’t bring himself to? So, he just turned a blind eye to the affair and the illegitimate child. That way, he could at least keep Ha In-seon by his side.”

“If that’s the case, he’s a crazy romantic.”

Kang Cheol-jung didn’t seem to agree with Da-hye’s words.

Jung-hoon felt the same way.

“And, hyung [older brother or close male friend], that’s not the end of it.”

“Hey, wait a minute, let me calm my heart. Anyway, those guys are amazing. Chaebols are really beyond imagination. Whew, tell me, what else is there?”

Jung-hoon swallowed the saliva that had gathered in his mouth before speaking.

He was nervous himself.

“What’s even more surprising is…”

“What? There’s more?”

“Eun-soo…”

“What about Eun-soo?”

“Is Ha In-seon’s, Lee Seok’s mother’s…”

Kang Cheol-jung cut him off. His eyebrows shot up to the sky and trembled.

“What? This bastard doesn’t even know if it’s poop or soybean paste [a Korean idiom for being clueless]. He’s having an affair with Ha In-seon? Where is that playboy, that gigolo? If I catch him, I’ll give him a proper moral education.”

“It’s not that, he’s Ha In-seon’s son.”

-Hup.

Kang Cheol-jung staggered.

Kang Cheol-jung hit his chest hard as if he was dumbfounded.

“I can’t breathe. Really… it’s suffocating.”

He barely let out a long sigh.

“Eun-soo is Ha In-seon’s son?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow, wow…”

Kang Cheol-jung was so flustered that he couldn’t continue speaking, only moving his mouth.

“His real name is Lee Hwan. He’s definitely Lee Heon’s son.”

In the end, Kang Cheol-jung collapsed to the ground.

His whole body was drained of strength, and he barely raised his head and asked.

“Is today April Fool’s Day? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s true.”

“If Eun-soo is the son of Lee Heon and Ha In-seon, then why was he abandoned and living as an orphan?”

Jung-hoon couldn’t answer.

He couldn’t understand it either.

The reason why Ha In-seon abused, abandoned, and deserted her child.

He couldn’t understand it at all.

“Hatred?”

Da-hye said.

“Ha In-seon hated Lee Heon. So, she hated Eun-soo, who was his seed.”

Jung-hoon and Kang Cheol-jung both agreed with Da-hye’s words.

There was no other way to explain it.

A deep-rooted hatred for Lee Heon.

If Da-hye’s words were true, it was a tragedy.

One side loves madly, and the other hates to death.

While he was lost in thought, Kang Cheol-jung got up from his seat and asked.

“Hey, revealing Chairman Lee Seok’s birth secret ultimately means…?”

“…Eun-soo is finding his place.”

Kang Cheol-jung nodded and stared into the distance for a long time.

“Ha, these guys are really unlucky. One is the grandson of the Cash King, the other is the son of a chaebol, and the other, a female friend, is from a royal family. Is there anything for me? I wish my grandfather was the president.”

Jung-hoon and Da-hye chuckled.

“Hey, I’m leaving first. I have an appointment.”

“What appointment?”

“I’m going night fishing.”

“With whom?”

“Someone. An old geezer with nothing to do. Oh, and have you seen my gun? I need to find it quickly, I’ll be severely punished if it’s gone.”

“I don’t know anything.”

Jung-hoon flatly denied it.

“But whose gun did you use that day?”

Jung-hoon pointed to Ji Hyun-bok, who was watching him from the darkness.

Kang Cheol-jung chuckled and nodded.

He walked towards the emergency exit and said.

“Ah, I see. Jung-hoon doesn’t know. You little rascal, practice your acting more. Learn from Eun-soo. I’m leaving first. …Use it and put it back in its place!”

He waved his hand as he turned around and left.

Watching him disappear, Da-hye muttered to herself.

“Dad said he’s going fishing too. They get along so well.”

Jung-hoon’s words came true.

Nothing attracts people’s attention as much as rumors about chaebols.

There was no need to wait long.

After being passed from mouth to mouth several times, the rumor quickly grew huge.

In less than a week, the news featured Lee Seok’s birth secret and rumors.

Due to the instability of the succession structure, the stock price of Star Group plummeted.

And curious people began to look for Lee Heon’s real son.

***

The suspicions surrounding Chairman Lee Seok, which had been circulating mainly in some communities, began to grow like a snowball.

Internet public opinion was convinced that Chairman Lee Seok was not Lee Heon’s biological son.

This was because a new will was discovered and a lawsuit for inheritance recovery was filed, but Chairman Lee Seok’s side did not submit the test results.

A simple case that can be easily resolved.

Everything will be resolved if you just submit the test results.

But they are not submitting the results.

Ha In-seon didn’t care about such public opinion.

She didn’t think it was important because she didn’t use the internet much.

She thought there would be no problem as long as it wasn’t mentioned in the mainstream media.

But Lee Seok was different.

He was too ashamed to hold his head up.

And eventually, dirty articles were published even in the media.

Ha In-seon, who had taken it lightly until now, was also furious.

Her hand, which was reading the newspaper, crumpled the newspaper roughly.

She hit the head of the chief of staff with the wad of paper in her small hand.

-Thud, thud, thud.

Dust flew from the crumpled paper and tore it to shreds.

Her face flushed red, she threw the newspaper in her hand at his face.

“How the hell are you doing your job? Why are these ridiculous articles pouring out?”

“I’m sorry, madam.”

“Aren’t you managing the media these days?”

“No. That’s not it, but these days, even if I tell them to take down the articles, they don’t listen. And even if I try to block them with money, they ask for exorbitant prices.”

Ha In-seon clenched her fist at the chief of staff’s words.

“Should I show these guys what’s what?”

“Mother.”

Lee Seok called his mother in a quiet voice.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry too much.”

“No matter what, how dare these things.”

Lee Seok frowned at the strong smell of alcohol that came out every time she opened her mouth.

“You look tired, you should go in and rest. I’m fine.”

“No. No matter what, where would these dare, our, Lee Seok Emperor, more precious than the sky…”

She got excited and stumbled as she moved around.

She almost fell, but regained her balance.

She seemed quite drunk.

“Mother, it seems like you had a little too much to drink at lunch, go in and rest.”

Ha In-seon feigned ignorance and denied it at her son’s words.

“I only had one glass. I’m not that drunk.”

“You don’t seem to be sleeping well these days, go in and rest today.”

Ha In-seon looked pleased to see her son worrying about her.

“Our chairman has become so reliable. I’m glad. Don’t worry about the nonsense that’s going around.”

“Yes. I don’t care about nonsense like that.”

“I’m relieved. Our Chairman Lee Seok has become so strong-minded. Then I’ll go in first today.”

“Yes.”

Lee Seok gestured to the chief of staff.

He supported Ha In-seon and took her outside.

Lee Seok opened his drawer and reached in deep.

Then he took out a document.

‘Results of paternity test.’

He smiled bitterly and reached into the already opened envelope and took out the document.

He showed a nonchalant expression even after seeing the result that he was not a biological son.

“Hoo, whose son am I?”

He said to himself.

Is he really Cheon Seong-han’s child, as the rumors say?

That would be the worst.

He was the man he looked down on and disliked the most.

‘Damn it. This sucks.’

The best thing to do on a day like this is to have a wild time.

He leaned back in his chair and stared at the air, then reached out and pressed the intercom.

“Tell the chief of staff to come in.”

“Yes.”

The door opened a moment later.

“Where’s a good place to go today?”

The chief of staff flipped through his notebook.

“Green Valley would be good today.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s new, so there are many new faces.”

“Not bad, set it up there. But what about Tak Hyun-mi?”

“That’s… she’s more stubborn than I thought. She definitely wants to be sponsored, but she keeps raising the price.”

“Damn it, negotiate well. And submit the documents to the court.”

“What is this?”

“The paternity test certificate that the court asked to submit. This will end the trial right away.”

“Yes. I understand. I will submit it today.”

Lee Seok watched the chief of staff leave the room with the documents.

He was bitter.

A document that manipulates his existence.

It was a different feeling than before.

It felt like he was disappearing.

If there’s a problem, you can solve it with money.

And at best, it’s forgery of private documents.

It’s not a big crime.

The court is full of people who wag their tails like dogs if you throw them 200-300 million won [Korean currency, roughly $150,000 – $230,000 USD].

There’s no need to worry too much.

He leaned back completely in his chair again and stared at the air.

‘Who is my father?’

Is it really that ugly bastard?

He looked in the mirror and asked a question he couldn’t answer.

***

Ha In-seon, who couldn’t fall asleep easily again today, came out of the house with no human warmth.

She was already very drunk.

She went to her favorite bar.

She ordered whiskey and drank several glasses in a row.

Like the dim lighting, the memories of that day faintly came to mind.

The eyes of the child she faced in the Hae Song Building Sky Lounge were indifferent.

There was no anger or resentment.

Facing those eyes, she felt naked and ashamed.

She couldn’t forget that expression that seemed to understand everything.

She swallowed another shot of hard liquor.

The pain of it scratching her esophagus as it went down.

She blamed herself that such pain was more suitable for her.

She sent the man she hated with her own hands.

There was no satisfying revenge.

The truth brought her emptiness.

It wasn’t Lee Heon’s desires or will that trampled on her mercilessly.

He said he was just drugged.

Only then does everything make sense.

Why the gentle man, though not affectionate, became a man more brutal than a beast.

Kim Ae-wol, not Lee Heon, was the beginning of all problems.

Well, she sent her away anyway.

Ha In-seon tried to fill the empty glass with the last remaining alcohol.

She was going to drink only this and go home.

There is no warmth, but the only place that can protect her is Lee Heon’s castle without an owner.

“You seem very drunk.”

“This is the last one.”

“I’ll pour it for you.”

“Thank you. But who are you?”

She turned her head and looked at the man sitting next to her.

A child who looked just like her and was beautifully handsome.

The child she could only love in her dreams was in front of her.

“You’re pretty, our Hwan-ie. Did you come to see your mom? Did you miss your mom?”

She reached out and stroked the child’s cheek.

“You’re very drunk. Like in the old days.”

“I can only sleep if I’m drunk.”

“Stop it now. It’s a kingdom that will soon collapse.”

“My existence is the kingdom. If that collapses, I’ll disappear too.”

She emptied her glass.

“But what brings you here today? You even appear in my dreams. It’s the first time you’ve appeared as an adult. I missed you a lot too.”

The man’s expression, which had been indifferent to her saying she missed him, crumpled.

“Hoo, my father asked me.”

“Father? Lee Heon? What, what did that nerdy gentleman say?”

“He said he was sorry for ruining my life. He said his greed ruined my mother. So he said he was sorry, and it’s not too late yet. There’s plenty of time to get out of hell… he left those words to me.”

“…”

She got up without saying a word.

She turned around and walked away, whispering softly.

“I must have drunk too much. I’m seeing things. Hohoho, I’m very drunk.”

She shook her head violently and lost her balance and fell to the floor.

The man who always protected her like a guardian angel approached.

He saw the child and took a few steps back, hiding himself in the darkness where he had been.

The child picked her up and moved her to the car.

She only carried him on her back when she was drunk.

He remembered those days when he fell asleep to her sweet lullaby.

Watching the car drive away, he prayed that she would swim out of hell.

***

“The inheritance recovery claim is dismissed.”

A document proving that Lee Seok was Lee Hwan’s biological child was submitted.

According to the document, Lee Seok was clearly Lee Hwan’s biological child.

Jung-hoon knows that Lee Seok forged the documents.

But it was not easy to prove it.

In order to verify the authenticity of the documents submitted to the court once again, Lee Seok’s DNA is required.

You must file an objection with the court and obtain Lee Seok’s consent.

But he will not agree one hundred percent.

In the end, it is almost impossible to confirm it legally.

‘Ha, this bastard, just you wait.’

“Have the car ready. I’m going to Star Group.”

It seemed like he had to meet him once.

Cash King’s Genius Grandson Becomes a Chaebol.