We Do Business In Full Auto [EN]: Chapter 37

Full Auto Business Chapter 037

037

Deathbed (1)

Incheon International Airport.

The direct flight from here to London Heathrow Airport takes 12 hours.

Traveling back and forth consumes 24 hours, so the trip requires more planning than just the flight time. Factoring in airport procedures and ground transportation, the time I can actually spend in England will be limited.

If I push it, I can stay for about two days, but anything longer would be too much.

I quickly completed the check-in procedures and boarded a Korean Air first-class seat.

“Wow!”

Soo-jung exclaimed, taking in the spacious and comfortable airline seat.

The newer aircraft these days have separate family compartments, offering a private, independent space for three or four people.

The seats reclined into beds, and various amenities were provided, including tablet PCs.

The price, of course, is several times higher than a standard economy seat.

My wife wore a slightly concerned expression.

“You went too far.”

“What are you talking about? I’m earning good money now, so don’t worry about it.”

“If you say so, then I guess so.”

Back when I was at my peak, I always traveled in first class.

When I was doing well, there was no need to save money, and I indulged in even greater luxuries when necessary.

“Dad! There are snacks here too! Can I eat them?”

“Eat as much as you want.”

Unlike hotels, the snacks and drinks placed in the guest seats were complimentary. Flight attendants also provided various services.

I settled into the comfortable seat.

‘This is the power of money.’

It’s definitely comfortable to earn a lot of money.

When you don’t have money, you feel threatened for survival. When you have a lot, you become materially wealthy. Money is truly a mischievous thing.

“You must be tired too. Try to get some sleep.”

“It’s okay. I need to adjust to the time difference. Won’t it be 11 PM when we arrive in England?”

“Hehe. Yeah.”

My wife was calculating the time difference.

Spending 12 hours on the plane means arriving in England at night, bedtime there.

Will the schedule start immediately upon arrival?

I wish we could stay overnight at a hotel, but given her critical state, it seems I’ll have to visit Cotton Manor even if it’s dawn.

Soo-jung and my wife tried their best to stay awake, but since it was their usual bedtime, they fell asleep around 11 PM Korean time.

Sua kindly fell asleep with my wife, leaving only silence in the guest seats.

Once my family was asleep, I quietly reclined my seat and fell into thought.

I plan to quickly take care of things in England and return. If my mother-in-law passes away soon, I may have to attend the funeral the next day and return.

After that, I will return and participate in the Yi Sun-sin project to find the Turtle Ship [a type of Korean warship].

I had a substantial amount of money, over 500 million won [approximately $375,000 USD], and I will receive 1 billion won [approximately $750,000 USD] as the remaining payment. If I participate in the salvage, I anticipate earning a similar amount as I did during the initial search.

Then I should consider purchasing a deserted island.

The deserted island that has been passed down from my ancestors is in Taean, which means transportation isn’t ideal.

What about a deserted island closer to Incheon or the Seoul metropolitan area?

Even if my family doesn’t all move to the deserted island, I can commute. I can build a house or buy an apartment near the sea and commute to a deserted island located about 30 minutes away. Then, I can start developing the island.

‘Originally, the plan was for my family to go to the deserted island together, but as Soo-jung said, it’s too much because there are no hospitals.’

Hospitals, fire stations, and police stations seem insignificant when readily available, but they are closely tied to our lives.

In an emergency, the surrounding infrastructure plays a crucial role.

“Dad. What are you thinking about?”

Soo-jung came to my seat.

Soo-jung, yawning, seemed to wake up instinctively around this time, likely due to her training schedule.

“I was thinking about the deserted island.”

“Are you going to buy it in the Seoul metropolitan area?”

“That’s right. That way, I can deal with emergencies.”

“When you go to see the deserted island, can Soo-jung come with you?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to see it!”

I stroked Soo-jung’s hair.

Holding my daughter, I felt peaceful and calm.

Soo-jung, who had been holding on for a while, fell asleep in my arms.

Now that I had a rough plan, I started to yawn. Today, I was in an environment where I couldn’t train, so should I stop forcing myself to stay awake?

After flying for 12 hours from Incheon, I arrived at London Heathrow Airport.

Every time I come here, I’m struck by its scale.

It is the largest in the UK, the busiest airport in Europe, and the third busiest in the world.

We arrived at Terminal 5.

As the largest single building in the UK, it was still crowded with people.

The airport was brightly lit, and the sight of many travelers sleeping was common.

I left the terminal to find a taxi.

But I encountered a familiar face at the airport entrance.

“You’ve arrived.”

James Cotton, dressed in a neat suit and accompanied by a chauffeur, was there to greet me.

James shook hands with me and then turned to Lisa.

Lisa’s eyes trembled slightly.

My wife was closer to her uncle James than to her own parents. She had been that way since she was a child, and when she told them that she was going to marry me, he was the only one who supported her, deepening their bond even further.

Then contact with her family was cut off.

According to the Cotton family’s policy, Lisa was completely removed from the family tree, and she was unable to contact James.

And 7 years passed.

James and my wife met again after 7 years.

“U, Uncle?”

“Lisa. You haven’t changed. I heard you’ve been through a lot, but I’m glad you haven’t aged much.”

Whack!

Lisa and James embraced.

A family that had been forcibly separated was reunited. In my opinion, it was like a reunion of separated families.

Lisa and James probably had a lot of stories to tell. But postponing their reunion, James looked at Soo-jung.

“You must be Soo-jung. You look just like your mother. Exactly like Lisa when she was young.”

“Hello, Grandpa. My name is Lee Soo-jung.”

“Hahaha. Grandpa?”

James is in his 50s, so he is old enough to have a granddaughter.

But he looked genuinely surprised.

“Well, he *is* a grandfather.”

I interjected.

James barely accepted the fact.

The title Soo-jung uses for James is maternal great-uncle. In other words, he would be a *small* maternal great-uncle.

“Should I just call you small maternal great-uncle?”

“Hehehe…….”

James made a bitter expression.

Did they say time spares no one?

James, who had made countless women cry in his youth, was also directly affected by the ravages of time and was now worthy of being called grandfather.

James picked up Soo-jung.

“Yes. I am your small maternal great-uncle.”

We drove through streets that had become more complex than they were 7 years ago.

More high-rise buildings had been built, and there was also traffic congestion, even though it was almost midnight.

I was reminded that it is a more complicated city than Seoul.

The Cotton family originated in northern England, but starting with the construction of a castle on the outskirts of London long ago, London has now become similar to the main family seat.

In this day and age, there was no concept of a lord, and each family’s main house was concentrated in London.

“I’m sorry that we have to go straight to the main house.”

James said awkwardly.

My wife was calm, as if she didn’t care.

“Since she’s in critical condition, there’s no other way.”

“I’m sorry. There may be quite a few glares when you go.”

“One thing is clear: I didn’t ask you to come.”

“Huh? Is that so?”

“It’s my husband’s intention.”

“Iyah, I’m glad I talked to you first.”

“What can I do? I can’t cut off the natural bond. Just because I was kicked out of the family doesn’t mean the natural bond is severed.”

“Of course, that can’t be done. Not only the natural bond, but Lisa’s rights cannot be cut off so easily. I was wondering whether I should bring this up or not.”

“Please tell me.”

“Have you thought about inheritance?”

“Yes?”

“This is what I’m saying to Lisa. Lisa, are you really not going to claim your inheritance rights?”

“Not at all.”

My wife was firm.

From the moment she received the inheritance, there was a possibility that she would get involved with the Cotton family for no reason. That’s why my wife is rejecting it so firmly.

James smiled bitterly.

“In fact, there was a lot of talk about that from the outside. Even though she was excommunicated from the family, the fact that she didn’t receive any inheritance was pointed out a lot in political and social circles. So, before your sister collapsed like that, she arranged a good-looking inheritance for you.”

“What does that mean?”

“A long time ago, our family had shares in the East India Company [a British trading company]. At that time, a tax ship traveling from India to England sank.”

“…….”

My wife listened attentively.

Soo-jung and I also listened quietly, but deep down, we were curious about what was going on.

A tax ship coming from India to the British mainland sank?

The tax must have been enormous. It must have been all gold bars.

“As time passed, when the East India Company collapsed and the shares were liquidated, the then head of the family acquired the rights to the sunken tax ship.”

It’s an amazing story.

Since then, the Cotton family has been trying to find the tax ship, but eventually failed.

But even now, the Cotton family still holds the rights to it.

As the story about Lisa was about to unfold, Mrs. Catherine, my mother-in-law, persuaded the then head of the Cotton family, my father-in-law, to bequeath the rights to the tax ship to Lisa.

“……In short, you passed it on because it had no real value, but it provided a plausible reason?”

“Oh! Soo-jung is very smart.”

“Is that our mom’s?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

I glanced at my wife.

She had an expression that she didn’t care.

“What do you think?”

“In the end, I was politically used even after I was excommunicated. Now it doesn’t really matter.”

“Ahem. But it hasn’t been formally inherited yet because you haven’t signed the documents.”

James quickly handed over the documents.

My wife seemed to have given up.

The Cotton family was giving an inheritance for show: the rights to the long-lost tax ship.

Swish.

As soon as my wife finished signing, Soo-jung and I exchanged glances.

To others, this tax ship seemed like a ghost or a facade, but Soo-jung and I saw it as a treasure that could be salvaged if we had the information.