Chapter 36: Good Deed (2)

I won’t actually build a large department store, despite my grand pronouncements.

Building one to rival Sampoong is impossible now.

‘Around 300 billion won?’

That’s the cost to build a competing department store from scratch. That’s the scale of Korea’s top department stores.

Only Yu Seongpil could afford this privately.

But… hindering Sampoong’s success is much easier. Sampoong wasn’t always successful.

And easier still is attacking ‘Sampoong.’

Sampoong Construction, the core of Sampoong Group, is still strong, but showing signs of weakness. The group’s foundation is shaky; the department store is the same.

I plan to operate a smaller department store, gaining experience before acquiring Ilsung Department Store in the 1990s. Safely, safely.

“……But Daeha Group doesn’t operate department stores.”

Lee Sihyeon blinks.

“No. That’s why we should. The family secretly agrees. We’ll start small; a pilot project.”

Daeha Group enters the department store business in the late 1990s. Completing construction and securing the top spot in Gangnam will take until the 21st century.

Still, attempting it is important.

“Ilsung and Mirae Groups also operate department stores… Daeha’s absence is unusual. Using Mirae’s department store… inconvenient.”

“Huhu, Grandfather would be furious.”

Ilsung and Sampoong are fine. They aren’t significant enough to threaten Daeha.

But Mirae Group is different. Daeha’s only real competitor; it surpasses Daeha later.

They constantly bicker; Daeha members never use Mirae’s services privately. And vice versa.

“But with your personality… I thought you’d take over Sampoong! This is unusual. A small department store wouldn’t satisfy you, Miss?”

Should I acquire Sampoong?

Even if I’m trying to be good, it’s impossible. It’s like taking on a time bomb.

“Yes, that’s true. I’ll acquire Ilsung later, after gaining experience.”

“What about Sampoong?”

This is tricky.

I offer another excuse.

“You know I hate asbestos. I oversaw construction of my house… I need safety in my home and workplace. Sampoong’s construction company is especially bad.”

I can’t trust those incompetent contractors.

This is why I pursue power. I need immense power to protect myself and those close to me.

It’s the 1980s. Asbestos is everywhere—schools, companies, the military.

I’m immune to most diseases, but I don’t know about heavy metal contamination… and I don’t want to find out.

My nanny and Sihyeon are at risk.

“……Ah, right. You worry a lot. Asbestos is everywhere these days.”

Lee Sihyeon looks at me like I’m being overly cautious. Haa, I seem like I have some kind of safety obsession.

“Sihyeon, didn’t I tell you asbestos is carcinogenic?”

I tap my chest, frustrated. A soft, tingling sensation.

‘Damn it, that hurts. Haa… tsk, this is strange.’

Despite the pain, Sihyeon remains bound by common sense.

“Hey, you saw Daeha Construction, right? They build without much protective gear.”

That’s the problem!

Even trying to avoid a superior attitude, the ignorance irritates me.

The dangers of asbestos were known in the 1970s. This isn’t about future knowledge!

“…Sihyeon, this isn’t a joke. Listen to me.”

Only after I speak firmly does my secretary nod.

“Yes.”

She’s gotten arrogant lately.

***

Opening a small department store isn’t difficult for me now.

It’s just a casual topic for the family meeting; no significant opposition.

Still… I mentioned it at the year-end meeting.

“Oh, a department store? You want to be involved in that? Unexpected.”

A languid young man with a decadent air tilts his head, smiling.

Yu Seonjun, the eldest grandson of Daeha Group.

“It’s a hobby, Seonjun oppa.”

“A hobby? You also called winning 10 billion won gambling a hobby?”

“Well, it wasn’t gambling.”

I grumble, stretching my legs, taking a candy from the glass table.

Time has passed; even I’m over ten, and a third-generation Daeha Group gathering has formed.

Four men and four women; a good gender ratio. Their ages are similar. I’m the youngest, but my mental age makes it fine.

“Oppas, nothing to get scolded for this time? Late dinners tire me.”

I glance at the men; Yu Sangjun, now a senior in high school, raises his hand awkwardly.

“……Uh, I’m sorry, guys.”

“Did you participate in a protest like Seonjun oppa?”

Yu Seona, the youngest of Yu Jinseok’s three children, answers. Her expression is subtle.

“Oppa’s dating.”

Yu Sangjun complains.

“…Hey, Seona. Keep it a secret.”

“Grandpa will scold him anyway.”

Dating? Seriously?

“Well… high schoolers can date. Grandpa’s more lenient these days.”

People develop.

Yu Seongpil’s children, frequently making mistakes when younger, are now middle-aged. The older brothers rarely provoke Yu Seongpil.

…Or maybe they’ve just gotten better at hiding their mistakes, but that’s a considerable skill.

“Yu Sangjun is dating Cha Suah from Mirae Group.”

Ah, I see…

“…Oppa’s crazy?”

“Well… people do these things. It’s not like he’s dating someone from a poor family; they’re wealthy.”

“Your father sent Chairman Cha’s second son to prison. Have you been reading Shakespeare, Oppa?”

“…Was I?”

“Didn’t you know?”

Yu Seonjun, observing from the sidelines, watches his brother with interest.

“Should we bet? How many times Sangjun gets hit by Grandpa?”

“Hmm, ten times?”

“Twenty.”

“Don’t bet on that! You brats!”

They’re truly passionate about dating. In my past life, only half the Yu family members had normal marriages.

This is evident in my father, Yu Jincheol.

“Sangjun, you need to do well in college. Like your brother; excellent exam scores means you can drink, gamble, and do whatever you want.”

Yu Seonjun, the first Daeha Group member to get into Seoul National University, smiles mischievously.

“…I can get into Seoul National University too.”

“Really?”

Yu Sangjun falls silent. He’s actually very intelligent, usually overshadowed by me and Uncle Jinha.

‘I might entrust him with an affiliate later.’

Working at Daeha Securities taught me that family connections are useful. The uncles are unavoidable… but after some time, I might entrust him with a project.

It’s a family feud; it’s not a life-or-death struggle… to end the conflict, they need a concession.

After a moment of silence, Yu Seonjun laughs heartily, nodding.

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle this. I need to do something good too. Fifty-fifty odds!”

When Grandfather arrives, Yu Seonjun, confidently, leads his siblings inside.

There’s nothing special to report afterwards.

Except dinner was two hours late.