Song Hyunsoo let out a long sigh as if he couldn’t read anything from my expression.
“These days, Grandpa doesn’t really et with anyone. But he sees you often, so I was curious what you two talk about. He rarely even gives ti to his own grandsons...”
“Is that so?”
He nodded, frowning slightly, looking sowhat regretful.
“I think he took the recent presidential election loss pretty hard. Seems like he’s been hurt by a lot of people. Unless it’s sothing truly important, he stays holed up in his study. Only shows up at the table during family als.”
That made sense.
I gave a sympathetic look in response, unable to say much more.
“We didn’t talk about anything special.”
It didn’t seem like Song Hyunsoo had high expectations to begin with. He nodded in easy acceptance.
“Yeah? Then that’s fine. When do you have ti? Let’s grab a drink soti.”
“I’ll make ti as soon as I can.”
“Let’s et up before I go abroad.”
“Sure. I’ll get going then.”
“Right, you said you had plans. Go on.”
“See you again, hyung.”
I left Chairman Song’s mansion and headed to my next appointnt.
Once again, the eting spot was in Yeouido.
Around the securities firms in Yeouido, people were pouring out of buildings more than usual. The streets were so jamd it was hard to tell if they were roads or parking lots.
“Whew... it’s like a warzone out here.”
After barely finding an open spot to park, I finally let out a breath. As I waited for Han Kyungyeong, I sorted through my thoughts.
‘How many shares does Grandpa have again?’
Trying to estimate from my pre-regression mories, I shook my head.
‘If I inherit all that, I could seriously intervene in the Ilseong succession war.’
Just then, the passenger door swung open.
“What are you doing?”
Han Kyungyeong plopped down and asked.
“Oh, you’re here? Crazy day, huh?”
“Seriously. I thought I was going to die from the crowd even before the market opened. A few people got injured too. It’s total chaos out there.”
“Hahaha, I bet. Everyone’s panicking, right?”
Han Kyungyeong slumped into the seat, visibly worn out.
“Yeah, no kidding. If you hadn’t warned , I would’ve been holding stocks too. Then I’d be out there fighting to sell like the rest of them.”
“So, what about the Ilseong shares?”
“Man! Don’t even get started. Ilseong plumted, then Daehyeon, Woosung, Seven—all of them crashed. No such thing as ‘too big to fail’ anymore.”
“Did you buy a lot?”
“Yeah. I scraped together everything I had and bought in. Spread it around, so it’s not that much.”
“Good. I’ll give you another 10 billion won. Buy more.”
Han Kyungyeong clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“Whew... Talking to you makes a billion won feel like pocket change. You toss around numbers like ten billion, forty billion—just like that?”
I chuckled.
“So? You hate it?”
“...When everyone else was selling off in the afternoon, I was the only one buying. People started hovering around , wondering what was going on. But no matter how much I bought, the price didn’t budge. Ten billion isn’t even a ripple in this market.”
I nodded.
When everyone’s selling, throwing in ten billion won won’t stop the bleeding.
Not that I ever intended to stop it.
“Once this is over, take a few days off. Go on a trip or sothing.”
“Co on, a vacation? Things are just getting interesting.”
Once traffic cleared up a bit, I slowly drove us to Han Kyungyeong’s place.
As he loosened his tie, I said casually,
“Hyung, start getting ready to go to the States as soon as this is wrapped up.”
“That fast?”
“Yeah. Let’s move quickly. I can’t fly out there often, so I’m entrusting you completely. Don’t let down. I’m begging you.”
Seeing my serious expression, Han Kyungyeong sighed deeply.
It wasn’t the sigh of soone tired or fed up—it carried a sense of responsibility.
“Got it. From the look of things, just doing what you say will more than pay off. What do you want to do?”
“That investnt company we talked about before. We won’t be accepting any outside capital. I’m funding it entirely myself.”
“Okay.”
“And... Jas Han. There’s a guy scraping by on Wall Street by that na. Korean-Arican. Start by bringing him in...”
I listed the nas of people we needed to recruit.
As soon as the company was set up, I planned to head to the U.S. myself.
“So I just get that started and wait until you arrive?”
“Yeah. As soon as I get there, I’ll wire 400 billion won to the company and assign everyone their tasks. I’ll personally handle the key investnts, but you’ll need to keep everything anchored on your end.”
“Don’t worry.”
I patted Han Kyungyeong’s shoulder.
“I’ll get you flying on a private jet soday, so just hang in there for a bit.”
Just the ntion of a private jet made him grin like a kid imagining it.
“Hell yeah! Let’s go take over the world!”
I laughed with him.
* * *
Despite a few days of chaos, South Korea recovered faster than expected. The plumting stock market reversed into a rally, calming public anxiety.
But the Myeongdong private loan market was frozen stiff.
Grandpa had already cleaned up most of his anonymous accounts, so he didn’t take a major hit—unlike before.
Other loan sharks in Myeongdong, however, were in full panic mode.
‘Sa goes for the Myeongdong “bosses.”’
The four under Grandpa—or rather, the three remaining now—were probably just as lost.
“It’s been a while.”
I stepped into the forr Sledgehamr’s office, our agreed eting place.
The three remaining bosses, already there, all stood up at once to greet .
“Welco, young master.”
Their reaction was completely different from before. I gave a slight smile and sat at the head of the table.
The bosses stood nervously, waiting for my cue.
“Sit down. You’ll hurt your neck.”
“Yes, sir.”
Once they were seated, I looked at each of them for a few seconds.
Kim Hosik, “Twin Blades,” avoided my eyes.
Shin Seongil, “Marauder,” hung his head.
Noh Ikseon, “Snake,” stared straight back, clearly unwilling to yield.
Their personalities were clear from that alone.
“I called this eting, as you’ve probably guessed, because of the Real-Na Financial System. The Myeongdong loan market’s frozen solid, isn’t it?”
At my words, their expressions stiffened.
I smiled leisurely.
“It’s tough for you too, right, bosses?”
“No, not really. Chairman Cheon had already cleared most things, so we didn’t suffer too much.”
Sure, loans handled with Grandpa’s money probably weren’t affected.
But any shady side deals they’d pocketed were toast, no doubt burning them up inside.
Their fake calm was pitiful, almost amusing.
“Oh co on~ We all know the ga. Everyone here had a side hustle behind Chairman Cheon’s back.”
They had no response to my blunt remark.
“There’s a reason I ca alone today without Manager Ha. I wanted an open talk with just you. I get it, really. If you handle rice cakes, you’re bound to get so crumbs on you, right? You worked hard for that money—it must hurt to lose it all.”
Everyone except Shin Seongil looked visibly uncomfortable.
From that alone, I could tell Shin hadn’t skimd anything off the top.
Noh Ikseon, the eldest, stepped up to speak.
“Do we really have to talk about this now? We’re already stressed enough over the financial system.”
Kim Hosik gave a subtle nod of agreent.
I sneered internally.
“Boss Noh, I’m not here to pin bla. If I were, would I have co alone? You all know what happened to Sledgehamr, don’t you?”
The ntion of Yoo Jigang made their eyes tremble—clear fear.
“...Are you threatening us?”
“Threatening you? If I wanted to do that, it’d be easier to visit each of you one by one.”
I tilted my head as if to say, “Why would I bother?”
Noh Ikseon backed off imdiately.
“Why does this feel so tense? I’m here to give you options.”
“Options?”
“Yes. A choice—between my uncle and .”
As soon as I brought up the succession issue, their expressions changed.
Shin Seongil looked entirely uninterested, though.
“And if we choose you, what do we gain?”
Again, Noh Ikseon took the lead.
I decided it was ti to shut this down.
“Boss Noh. If you think I can’t succeed Chairman Cheon without your support, then just leave. I didn’t co here to ask for approval—I ca to offer a chance. Got that?”
They exchanged glances, reading each other’s faces.
Shin Seongil spoke first.
“Then I’ll be going. All I have to do is follow whoever Chairman nas as heir. I don’t need this headache. May I leave, young master?”
I nodded.
“Yes. There will be no repercussions. You’re free to go.”
Noh Ikseon and Kim Hosik looked startled as Shin stood.
He bowed to politely.
“I’ll see you again, young master.”
Without hesitation, he left the office.
‘I don’t get it. That guy’s more loyal to Grandpa than anyone. Why betray ? Grandpa did choose as his successor...’
I couldn’t figure it out yet, but I’d deal with Shin Seongil another ti.
For now, I turned my focus to the other two.
“What about you two?”
They didn’t respond right away and sat in silence, thinking hard.
I leaned back on the sofa, arms crossed, and waited.
“...We’ve been around the block. Even if we work under the Chairman, we’re still veterans of Myeongdong. Without our support, you won’t find it easy.”
What a foolish move after all that thinking.
These idiots must’ve forgotten what I told them last ti.
“Boss Kim, do you agree with that?”
“Yes.”
Oh? So they’ve tead up?
I dropped the polite smile from my face.
As the tension thickened, both froze like frogs before a snake.
“Sigh... Why is it that when I speak kindly, people always try to climb over ? Boss Kim, Boss Noh. ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Do you really think anything you do will change who Chairman chooses as heir? Why are the servants eyeing the master’s table?”
Their faces twisted in discomfort.
“I told you before—if you’re a servant, act like one. If you’re skimming so money on the side, I can overlook that. But trying to sit at the master’s table? That’s too much.”
“Isn’t that going too far?”
Noh Ikseon snapped, face reddening.
But I wasn’t done.
“Boss Noh, do you need to taste it to know if it’s shit or soybean paste? What—did my uncle promise you sothing? Independence, maybe?”
Noh Ikseon flinched hard at the word “independence.”
“You think independence ans anything if soone hands it to you? Unless you earn it yourself, it’s all the sa.”
I sneered openly.
“Let’s say you support my uncle, push out, and he takes Grandpa’s place. Even if that one-in-ten-thousand chance happens... do you think he’d let you live easy? Do you think he’d just forgive those who overturned the master’s table?”
I looked past Noh’s red face and turned to Kim Hosik.
“Twin Blades. You think the sa? Did I not make myself clear last ti?”
“...”
“Just live off what I give you. At least I don’t plan to discard you like my uncle would. No—I’ll bring you into the light so your kids can be proud of you.”
That got a reaction.
“Into the light, you say?”
“How long are you going to live off high-interest loans? You should be running a legit business. That’s what I have planned—an official lending company. Legal interest only.”
“Then it’s not really loan sharking...”
I looked at him with disappointnt.
“That’s for punks on the street. You guys should start acting like real bosses, don’t you think?”
“...Is there a way to make that happen?”
I smirked and held up five fingers.
“Just give five years. Five years, and I’ll get you out in the open. That’s what I can promise. You don’t believe crap like soone ‘granting you independence,’ do you?”
I stood.
“Think it over and get back to . And sure, go ahead and tell Chairman Cheon. Just don’t expect a friendly reunion if we see each other again.”
As I turned to leave, Noh Ikseon called out to .
“Young master... Can we really move into the light?”
Without a hint of hesitation, I smiled.
“Of course.”
< The Servants Are Eyeing the Master’s Table? > End.
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