The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 24

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It was a cozy winter, graced with warm sunshine for the first time in a while.

Jeong-hoon was in high spirits, enjoying his first ride in a luxury car, and Eun-soo was equally excited about their outing.

Hyeon Jeong-ok also looked forward to the picnic with her family.

However, her expression shifted when she learned their destination.

“Grandma, you don’t really like it there, do you?”

“No, it’s not that I dislike it. I don’t mind where I go with Jeong-hoon. But…”

Her voice trailed off, a hint of reluctance in her tone.

Man-ho, seated in the front, glanced back at her.

“Could it be the place you mentioned before…?”

“Ahem, stop it,” Hyeon Jeong-ok interjected sharply, cutting off Man-ho’s words.

Ignoring the subtly tense atmosphere, Man-ho continued, “So that’s the place. You said you experienced a major setback there once.”

“Goodness, I told you to stop,” she snapped, her voice echoing loudly in the car.

Startled, Man-ho quickly turned his head forward.

“Grandma, you’re scary,” Eun-soo said, covering her ears dramatically and blinking her big eyes.

‘That crazy X, XX,’ Jeong-hoon thought, disgusted by the display, and instinctively clenched his fist.

He fought the urge to punch Eun-soo in the jaw, barely managing to restrain himself.

“Ahem… if President Park hadn’t died, I could have had a lot of fun,” Hyeon Jeong-ok said, changing the subject.

“What? What do you mean?” Jeong-hoon asked, feigning curiosity.

“Well, President Park Chung-hee [former president of South Korea] tried to move the capital there a long time ago. But he suddenly passed away, and the plan fell through. I owned some land there at the time…”

Grandma’s face flushed with a mixture of frustration and regret.

“Anyway, it was so difficult because my money was tied up in the land back then. Even now, I get the shivers when I think about the loss I took selling it in a hurry.”

Eun-soo, sitting beside her, grasped her grandmother’s hand tightly, offering comfort. “It’s okay, Grandma?”

“Oh, my Eun-soo… hoho, you cute thing,” she responded, smiling contentedly at the affectionate gesture.

Jeong-hoon felt a wave of annoyance at the saccharine scene, but he also recognized its value. Because of his mature mindset, he couldn’t bring himself to act cute, but thanks to Eun-soo, his grandmother was happy.

‘Women… she’s definitely a natural at manipulating them.’

Hyeon Jeong-ok’s top-of-the-line Rolls Royce sped along the highway. A self-proclaimed speed demon, she wore a pleased expression as she overtook other cars at a rapid pace.

“Grandma, are you really that happy?”

“Of course, you rascal! Look, isn’t it fun to pass this one and that one?”

“Yes, but it’s dangerous. You should drive a little safer…”

“That’s why I always buy expensive cars. They’re safer.”

Jeong-hoon decided not to argue about trivial matters with his excited grandmother and quietly turned his head to look out the window.

‘Will Grandma really buy me land? It’s useless land to anyone else…’

Jeong-hoon tried to calm his uneasy thoughts by focusing on the passing scenery.

After a while, the car exited the highway and began to navigate a narrow, two-lane country road.

Only bare branches were visible on the mountains, a stark reminder of the winter season.

After passing Gongju City, they continued to drive east, further and further into the countryside.

Soon, they parked the car by the river in Yeongi County.

The Geum River (錦江) [also known as the Geumgang River].

The name was given because the winding waterway resembled silk.

But some say it was because the sparkling sand looked like gold.

The sparkling sandy beach along the river was a well-known local attraction.

Hyeon Jeong-ok, stepping out of the car, was lost in old memories as she gazed at the wide sandy beach by the river.

She remembered splashing around with her friends during her childhood.

“Grandma, shall we eat here?”

“Shall we?”

Jeong-hoon had been worried about the wind by the river, but fortunately, the air was still.

A cozy and sunny day.

Jeong-hoon was pleased that he had chosen the right day for their outing.

They set up their picnic spot and opened the lunch box prepared by the hotel, filled with food made by the best chef in Jungbu City.

Everyone’s chopsticks moved busily, savoring the delicious meal.

Jeong-hoon, after eating for a while, turned to his grandmother and said, “Grandma, I want a place like this.”

“Huh?”

“The gift you mentioned last time. I want to have such a wide and beautiful piece of land.”

“Hmm, Jeong-hoon is greedy for land but not for money. Hoho.” Grandma smiled wryly.

“Yes?” Jeong-hoon responded, feigning ignorance.

‘Well, who would believe that this land will increase dozens of times in value?’

“Jeong-hoon, you should buy land to make money, not to show off,” Hyeon Jeong-ok grumbled, disapproval evident in her tone.

Hyeon Jeong-ok didn’t like the land her grandson wanted. It was clearly land that wouldn’t generate profit – useless land consisting of rice paddies and fields.

This type of land was difficult to resell later, often causing headaches for the owner.

But strangely, she felt compelled to buy it for him.

She also liked this place, which evoked fond memories of her childhood.

Being here with her grandson seemed to alleviate her guilt for not spending enough time with her family.

“Grandma, you’ll keep your promise, right? Huh?” Eun-soo chimed in, shaking her arm and flattering her.

“Of course, I’ll buy it for you… you rascal. Eun-soo, aren’t you jealous that your friend is buying land?”

“Yes? Why would I be? I’m not interested in money. I only need poetry and love,” Eun-soo declared, her eyes sparkling with theatrical idealism.

Hyeon Jeong-ok shook her head, amused by her dramatic pronouncements. “You must be the reincarnation of Casanova [famous Italian adventurer and womanizer].”

“Hehet.”

Jeong-hoon watched Hyeon Jeong-ok carefully, trying to gauge how much land she was willing to buy.

It was a difficult decision for Hyeon Jeong-ok as well.

She could buy all the land in this neighborhood with her wealth.

But she hesitated to give her grandson land that had no inherent value.

She wanted to persuade her grandson one last time.

“Jeong-hoon, how about Seoul? Grandma has a knack for spotting valuable land and knows many good locations.”

He shook his head firmly. “I like it here.”

“Oh, really? Then I’ll buy you a little, so keep that in mind.”

“Yes.” Jeong-hoon’s expression betrayed his disappointment.

“Are you disappointed that I said a little?”

“Yes. A little.”

“Hehe, you seem to have no greed, but you’re full of greed,” Hyeon Jeong-ok teased, noticing Jeong-hoon’s crestfallen expression. She then made a suggestion: “If you really want it, I’ll buy you more if you make me happy.”

“Yes? Really?”

“Of course, I’ll buy you as much as I’m buying this time… so don’t be too disappointed.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

Jeong-hoon began to think strategically. What could he do to make Grandma happy? What could a high school student possibly do to please his wealthy grandmother?

Only one thing came to mind.

“Grandma, I’ll get first place in the whole school on this final exam. Would that be okay?”

“First place in the whole school? That’s enough. If you get first place in the whole school, I’ll buy you what I’m buying this time, or even more.”

“Then you promised, Grandma,” Jeong-hoon said, sealing the deal.

Hyeon Jeong-ok didn’t believe Jeong-hoon was academically gifted enough to achieve such a feat.

She was pleased to see him diligently studying after his recovery.

But she assumed that he would be at a disadvantage compared to other students due to his background in the orphanage.

Her grandson, who probably couldn’t even afford to attend a regular academy.

She would be happy if he simply ranked in the top 10 in his class.

“Elder, the wind is getting cold. Let’s go inside now,” Man-ho suggested.

“Shall we? Jeong-hoon, shall we go now?”

“I’ll take a walk for a bit,” Jeong-hoon replied.

“Then come back quickly.”

“Yes.”

Jeong-hoon strolled along the sandy beach by the river.

Kim Man-ho and Hyeon Jeong-ok watched him with satisfaction.

“What were you two talking about so happily?” Man-ho asked.

“Oh, Jeong-hoon asked me to buy him land. Land in this neighborhood.”

“Here? Hehe, this useless land? If you say you’re buying, everyone will try to sell it to you,” Man-ho chuckled.

“That’s why I’m so frustrated. I can’t refuse to buy it for him. Ugh, he’ll realize his mistake after experiencing it anyway. You should do some work and acquire some land,” Hyeon Jeong-ok said with a sigh.

“Yes, Elder. I understand. I’ll start right away.”

“Okay.”

“How much should I get?”

“Just 100,000 pyeong [approximately 82.6 acres]. It doesn’t seem like it will cost much.”

“Yes.”

Hyeon Jeong-ok, walking towards the car, chuckled to herself.

Man-ho, noticing her amusement, asked, “What were you thinking about that made you laugh?”

“No, that guy said he was going to get first place in the whole school, so I said I’d buy him more if he got first place.”

“Haa…” Man-ho let out a long sigh without realizing it.

Hyeon Jeong-ok looked at Man-ho with a curious expression. “Why? What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.” He knew it wasn’t the right time to speak his mind.

“It’s not something anyone can do, but our Jeong-hoon is greedy, hahaha.”

“Heuup…” Man-ho clenched his teeth, suppressing his reaction.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

“No, Elder.” He clenched his teeth again, resisting the urge to reveal the truth.

He knew that Hyeon Jeong-ok would be furious if she knew.

‘Elder, he was 5th in the whole school on this midterm exam.’

Man-ho looked at Hyeon Jeong-ok, who was smiling happily, with a mixture of pity and amusement.

He felt sorry for her, knowing she was about to buy twice as much “useless” land.

Jeong-hoon walked quietly along the river.

Eun-soo followed behind, skipping stones across the water.

He had secured some land in this area, albeit a small amount.

‘She said she’d buy me a little, so she’ll probably buy me about a thousand pyeong, or maybe ten thousand pyeong.’

He was disappointed that he had gotten less than he expected, but he couldn’t dwell on it.

He was still just a high school student.

If he gained more recognition, the scale of his future acquisitions would be much larger.

It was a small start, but he hoped for bigger opportunities in the future.

However, Jeong-hoon needed money right away.

He needed seed money to prepare for what was to come.

So many opportunities he had missed in his previous life.

Now, with his grandmother’s support, he could seize those opportunities.

And next year…

The biggest tragedy and the biggest opportunity in history would occur next year.

He had to prepare for that crucial moment.

Suddenly, he thought of lawyer Go Hyeon-min.

The person he had spent his last moments with before his death.

He remembered what the lawyer had said: “My money in the Macau Pig Bank [slang term for unregulated and often risky financial institutions in Macau].”

He had to find that money quickly.

He needed to amass a fortune with that money.

If possible, he wanted to locate the funds without his grandmother’s knowledge.

As he pondered his goals, several tasks he needed to accomplish came to mind.

He couldn’t just focus on studying anymore.

It was time to pursue the plans he had been postponing.

***

Jeong-hoon, preparing for the final exam in the school library, glanced at Eun-soo, who was snoring softly beside him.

‘Can’t this bastard sleep a little quieter…?’

He doesn’t even study, but he follows me everywhere…

He looked around the library.

On the surface, nothing seemed to have changed much, but everything was different.

The DNA test results confirmed that they were blood relatives, as expected.

He hadn’t needed to do it, but he had insisted on it to satisfy Jeong-hoon’s curiosity.

He had left the orphanage and moved into the house his grandmother had found.

She had said she found a house smaller than the one in Seongbuk-dong, Seoul,

But it was a magnificent house with 300 pyeong [approximately 0.25 acres] of land.

She said he would move to Seoul when he graduated next year, so she bought the house in Jeong-hoon’s name.

Jeong-hoon, who had suddenly become an asset holder worth over 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD], didn’t feel… bad about it.

However, he wanted to leave as few traces as possible in Jungbu City.

A place with more bad memories than good ones.

But his grandmother had scolded him, saying that wasn’t the right attitude.

This was the place where Jeong-hoon had spent his formative years, even if it wasn’t ideal now.

She said he would miss it someday.

So she advised him to keep a house here so he could visit easily.

In the mansion-like house, Eun-soo had naturally moved into the room next to his.

And his grandmother had become the chairman of the school, as she had promised.

The experts in each field that Man-ho had hired thoroughly investigated the school.

They uncovered everything from embezzlement of public funds to acceptance of bribes, leading to a major reshuffle of personnel.

Fortunately, Senior Cheol-joong’s father had also overcome his crisis.

He hadn’t regained consciousness yet, but he was in stable condition.

Man-ho had said that the doctors in Seoul were impressed by the ingenious idea of transporting a patient who couldn’t be moved in a non-vibration truck.

Jeong-hoon’s phone rang in the library.

He had forgotten to put it on vibrate mode.

He often forgot that he even had a phone.

“Young master, it’s me.”

“Yes, Uncle. Just a moment.”

He went outside the library and answered the phone.

“Young master, about the person you asked for last time…”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“He’s here now. Where are you? I’ll come to you.”

“I’m in the school library now. Come here.”

“Yes. I’ll go right away.”

“Yes, I understand.”

He had asked Man-ho to introduce him to someone knowledgeable in finance.

Skills were important, but personality was even more crucial.

In fact, he only needed someone with a strong sense of loyalty and a spirit of compliance.

The financial world was a place where it was easy to manipulate money, like through embezzlement.

It was also easy to run away with money, so he had asked for someone he could trust implicitly.

Jeong-hoon possessed most of the necessary skills and investment strategies.

The countless newspapers he had read, combined with his photographic memory, ensured that he wouldn’t easily forget anything.

He was confident that he could increase his assets exponentially with that knowledge.

Why?

Because his investments were guaranteed to succeed.

Kim Man-ho knew more and had more connections than he had initially thought, as evidenced by his quick response to Jeong-hoon’s request.

It wasn’t the first time he had been impressed by Man-ho’s abilities.

Jeong-hoon waited in front of the library for the person Man-ho would bring.

Cash King’s Genius Grandson Becomes a Tycoon