Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Translator: Penny
Episode 10: The Golden Witch
Episode 10: The Golden Witch
Tap-tap-tap!
"Jin-woo, start the car now!"
"Huh? Didn't you say there was no big story?"
Slap!
"Do you even look at your phone? Yun Seong-ho's death is all over the news!"
At a broadcasting station, a senior reporter slammed a file folder down in front of a rookie reporter.
"Just start the car! We need to head straight to XX Funeral Hall."
A battered van from the broadcasting station immediately sped off toward XX Funeral Hall, where Chairman Yun Seong-ho's funeral was being held.
"But... what's there to cover at a funeral?"
"Ah, come to think of it, have you ever been to a funeral before?"
"No."
As the junior reporter drove toward the funeral hall, the senior reporter began to slowly explain the kinds of stories they could find there.
"At a hero's funeral, we capture tributes and mourning. At a villain's funeral, we document scorn and mockery. And at the funerals of the wealthy, we expose the bloody inheritance battles among the surviving family members."
"Still... isn't it a bit much to fight over inheritance when someone has just died?" the junior reporter muttered, sounding uneasy.
"Idiot! In this era, people would sell their own dead family members for money. If you whine about 'loving our family more' and spin the narrative now, you'll have a huge advantage when the inheritance battle comes later. Don't you get it?"
Unable to argue, the junior reporter followed the senior reporter into the funeral hall.
"But... did Yun Seong-ho's family even have an heir?"
"I don't know. Hero Lee Seol-hwa left home and has been operating independently. I heard she has a daughter who's currently a student at Raon Academy... Ah, that must be her."
"Poor thing. Being surrounded by relatives from both sides at such a young age... Wait, what?"
The reporters had entered the funeral hall expecting a vicious inheritance battle, but they were surprised by the unexpectedly subdued atmosphere.
Normally, the mourners would be tearing at each other's funeral attire in a heated brawl. Instead, most visitors were silently eating yukgaejang (spicy beef stew) and leaving, as if possessed by ghosts. This included the Kim Family, whose spirits had been soaring since taking Yun Seong-ho into their care.
The press corps believed it was more appropriate to interview members of the Kim Family, who would inevitably absorb most of Yun Seong-ho's assets, rather than the young girl who was likely in shock from her father's death. Most reporters chose this approach.
"Se-a seems deeply traumatized by her uncle's passing. The Kim Family will protect her until she recovers. We'll also postpone her return to the Academy."
"Thank you for the interview."
After the interview, the reporters watched Yun Se-a struggle to enter the mourning hall.
"Let's go. Staying here will only drain our energy."
"I never expected a funeral to feel like this."
"Senior, what will happen to that girl now?"
A junior reporter asked his senior as they boarded the returning van.
"What else? She'll either hand over all the shares she inherited from the Kim Family and join them, or they'll seize them. Either way, once she graduates from Raon Academy, every major company will be clamoring for her. She might not even need to join the Kim Family."
"This corporate power struggle... it's more intense than I imagined."
Vroom...!
As they spoke, the van started its engine. The reporters began their journey back to the broadcasting station.
"If that girl were just a little older, or if Hero Lee Seol-hwa had been here, the Kim Family wouldn't have even dared to approach. What a shame."
"What should we do about the article?"
"Just have GPT write something up. The public only wants dopamine anyway. If there's a problem, we can just delete it. Focus on getting it out as quickly as possible."
".....Yeah, whatever."
At that moment, as the junior reporter gripped the steering wheel, he worried about Yun Se-a, the girl who would now be all alone.
"Se-a, why don't you talk to your cousin...?"
"No thanks."
Ugh, that bastard. When is he going to stop with this crap?
Meanwhile, the girl was chewing on jerky, praying for the funeral to end soon.
For three days, it was truly dull and boring.
If I hadn't brought my laptop, I might have died of boredom.
On the first day, the Kim family members didn't immediately demand their shares, as if they were claiming deposited funds.
At first, they pretended to worry about Yun Seong-ho, assuring me that since I'd be living with the Kim family from now on, I shouldn't worry. They even tried to persuade me to stay at their house instead of the Academy dormitory, as if that were a better option.
By the second day, they began to reveal their true intentions. Most of my maternal relatives asked if Yun Seong-ho had entrusted anything to me separately. It seemed I was the only one who believed I could claim a share now that Madam Kim Gyeo-ul had gone to Lee Seol-hwa.
On the third day, things reached a truly absurd level. The third son of the Kim Family—or was it the fourth? Anyway, he barged in and threatened me, saying that if I didn't hand over all my shares, he'd make sure I never saw the light of day in South Korea again. I kindly ensured he met the same fate as Yun Seong-ho.
I believe the news reported he died in a drunk driving accident, falling off a Han River bridge. It wasn't an unnecessary killing; it was a necessary choice. After all, that man would later become a villain himself.
Thanks to that third son, the Kim Family quickly realized I had powerful backing, and their thinly veiled threats to seize my shares vanished. So, it wasn't a wrong choice after all.
Afterward, realizing they had nothing to gain, the Kim Family didn't even attend the funeral and simply left.
They probably rushed to Lee Seol-hwa, who was sheltering Madam Kim Gyeo-ul—the very woman they had driven to ruin—hoping to secure her shares.
Well, she'll handle it herself.
I knew the Kim Family's stake in Yuseong Group was around 9-10%. Yun Seong-ho likely granted them that much on the condition they cease making further demands. Did he really think Madam Kim Gyeo-ul, after being thoroughly gaslighted beforehand, would never dare approach Yuseong Group again, even with her shares?
With a 40% stake, they could shake Yuseong Group to its core. No wonder they approached me with such deference. Now that their plan has failed, I can already picture the Kim Family badgering Madam Kim Gyeo-ul, who holds the remaining 30%, to hand over her shares.
Since the two of them were probably getting along just fine in the safe house, I wasn't particularly worried.
They probably wouldn't even make it to the front gate. As far as I knew, among the Kim Family members, the only ones with supernatural abilities were the third son, who had drunkenly driven his car into the Han River, and the twin daughters who would be taking the Raon Academy entrance exam next year.
Honestly, I don't really care about the shares...
After all, I knew plenty about how to manage money.
I could register copyrights for a ton of undeveloped potions and monopolize specific potion markets like Yun Seong-ho did. Or I could invest my entire fortune in stocks that would skyrocket later and become a stock market millionaire.
But for someone like me, who couldn't afford to bring a bad ending to this world, the Yuseong Group would serve as an invaluable shield.
For the protagonist, the Yuseong Group could serve as a massive lifeline, sponsoring him in the company's name and providing a foundation for his future growth.
If we're going to dig into the mountain anyway, wouldn't it be easier to start with a fleet of mining machines rather than just a shovel?
Developing the Undeveloped Potion would also be much faster within the Yuseong Group's infrastructure. And corporate-level investment would be far more advantageous.
The Yuseong Group is the world's leading Potion manufacturer.
Naturally, if the South Korean government were to attempt to control the company through tax regulations or raids, Yuseong could easily relocate to another country. As a result, the government has been barely managing to keep Yuseong in South Korea with carrots rather than sticks.
It's best to keep the Yuseong Group. That's the conclusion I've reached.
Of course, Yun Seong-ho's political maneuvering is atrocious, leaving him easily manipulated.
Quite a few S-Rank Hunters visited the funeral. Most were from high-ranking guilds, and some even stopped by before heading out to raid Gates.
The Naseon Guild, Sun Guild, Chongun, and Changhae Guild were among them.
Most guilds sent at least their vice guild masters, and Ryu Seong-ho, the guild master of the Naseon Guild, even came in person, which was somewhat surprising.
Perhaps because of this, I had the chance to slowly observe the future heroes who would help the protagonist protect South Korea and the world, watching them like celebrities.
"...You didn't need to come all this way."
"Looks like it. I bet they were dragged here because of your grandfather."
On the fifth day of the funeral, people from the Academy began to arrive.
Kang A-yul, S-Rank Heroes including her grandfather, the Sword Saint, and staff members who had survived thanks to the potions were among the visitors.
They stayed briefly and left. Kang A-yul seemed to want to say something to me, but she ultimately didn't voice it and simply departed.
Lee Seol-hwa and Madam Kim Gyeo-ul were keeping their promise to stay away from me, so they didn't attend the funeral.
As for Yun Seong-ho, we decided to cremate him and place his ashes in a columbarium. Given the Kim Family's nature, they likely wouldn't maintain his grave anyway, and I didn't want the hassle of managing it myself.
With that, I entrusted all further arrangements to the funeral home staff. Just as I was about to leisurely pack my belongings to prepare for what came next...
Bang!
"What? Am I too late?"
A woman burst through the door.
I didn't think she'd actually come.
Her floor-length golden hair and the black robe that enveloped her entire body were the only things that distinguished her scandalous attire from outright nudity.
This was Eve Meitner, the chairwoman of Raon Academy and South Korea's S-Rank Hero, the "Great Sage."
"Uh... you're the student council president, right?"
"Yes, Chairwoman Eve."
It was the arrival of Eve Meitner, also known as the "Golden Witch."