Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Good Deed (2)
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I'd talked big, but in reality, I had no intention of building a department store on that kind of scale.
To begin with, erecting a massive one to rival Sampoong was way beyond my means right now.
'Around 300 billion won, give or take?'
That's the kind of capital needed to build a department store from scratch that could compete with Sampoong. That's the scale of the top dogs in Korea.
The only person in the country who could fund something like that out of pocket was Chairman Yoo Seong-pil.
But... making Sampoong Department Store flop? That was a far simpler task. It hadn't exactly been a hit from the get-go, after all.
And even easier than that was going after 'Sampoong' itself.
Sampoong Group's core—Sampoong Construction—was still kicking, but signs of rot were starting to show at the roots. With the group's foundation crumbling like that, no wonder their department store was built so shoddily.
My plan was to run a modestly sized one to gain experience, then acquire Ilsan Department Store in the '90s. Gotta play it safe.
"...But doesn't Daeha Group stay out of the department store business?"
Lee Si-hyeon blinked at me.
"Exactly. Which is why we should get into it, right? I bet the family feels the same deep down. For now... we'll start small. Like a pilot project."
From what I remembered, Daeha wouldn't enter the department store game until the late '90s. And it wouldn't snag the top spot in Gangnam until the 21st century, after construction wrapped up.
Still, dipping their toes in at all was a big deal.
"True, even Mirae and Ilsan are in it... It always struck me as odd that Daeha was the only holdout. Using Mirae Group's stores felt off..., kind of awkward."
"Heh, Grandpa would blow a fuse if he knew."
Ilsan or Sampoong were fine. They weren't big enough threats to topple Daeha's empire.
But Mirae was different. The only group that could truly go toe-to-toe with Daeha..., and eventually, it even overtook them.
The two were like cats and dogs, bickering over the pettiest things, so no one from Daeha touched Mirae services for personal use. And vice versa.
"With your personality, Miss..., I figured you'd go straight for swallowing up Sampoong Group and claiming that department store for yourself! This is surprisingly tame. A small one doesn't seem like it'd satisfy you."
...Me, acquire that?
No matter how committed I was to doing good deeds, that was a hard pass. Why strap myself to a ticking time bomb?
"Yeah, fair point. Once I've got some experience, I'll snag Ilsan Department Store later."
"What about Sampoong, then?"
Man, persistent.
I brushed it off with a vague excuse.
"You know I hate asbestos. Even when building my own house, I oversaw it personally... At the very least, where I live or work has to be completely safe for me to be happy. And Sampoong Construction? Especially trash."
As if I could trust those idiots at a construction firm.
This was one reason I craved power. In the end, to perfectly protect myself and those around me, you needed massive influence.
This was the '80s. Asbestos was everywhere—schools, companies, the military.
Sure, I was immune to most diseases, but I wasn't sure if that extended to heavy metal contamination..., and I had zero interest in testing it.
Even if I was fine, the Nanny and Si-hyeon were definitely at risk.
"...Ah, right. You do worry a lot. Hard to find a place without it these days."
Lee Si-hyeon stared at me like I was some neurotic fussbudget. Ugh, now I sounded like I had safety OCD.
"Si-hyeon, didn't I tell you last time? Asbestos is carcinogenic."
I thumped my chest in exasperation. It squished softly, followed by a sharp sting.
'Ow, damn that hurts. Whew... Hiss, feels weird.'
I'd pushed through the chest pain to warn her, but Si-hyeon was still stuck on conventional wisdom.
"Pfft, you saw it yourself at the Daeha Construction site last time. Workers were fine without any gear."
That's exactly the problem!
I tried not to lord my superior knowledge, but their barbaric nonsense made my blood boil sometimes.
For the record, asbestos dangers were well-known by the '70s. This wasn't some futuristic insight on my part.
"...Hey, Lee Si-hyeon. I'm not kidding this time. Just listen to me."
Only after I put on my serious face did my secretary nod.
"Yes, ma'am."
She'd gotten cheeky lately.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Opening a small department store wasn't much of a challenge for me at this point.
It might come up casually at a family meeting, but it wasn't the sort of thing to draw real pushback.
Still..., come year-end, when we gathered again, I brought it up.
"Oh, a department store? You wanna get into that biz? Didn't see that coming."
The young man exuding a decadent vibe tilted his head with a lazy smile.
Yoo Seon-jun, Daeha's eldest grandson.
"Just a hobby, Seon-jun oppa."
"A hobby? Wasn't that 100 billion you flipped gambling also a 'hobby'?"
"Hey, I said it wasn't gambling."
I grumbled, stretching out my legs and snagging a candy from the bowl on the glass table.
Time had flown, and even I, the baby of the family, was over ten now. The Daeha third-gen crew had formed.
Four guys, four girls—decent gender balance, similar ages. It worked out okay. Normally, as the youngest, I'd be sidelined, but my mature mindset made it fine.
"Oppa, no getting us in trouble this time? Late dinner wears me out."
I pouted, scanning the guys. Yoo Sang-jun, now a high school senior, raised his hand awkwardly.
"...S-Sorry about that, kids."
"What, did you go protest like Seon-jun oppa?"
The reply came from someone else—Yoo Seon-ah, the youngest of Uncle Yoo Jin-seok's three kids. Her expression was oddly nuanced.
"Oppa, you've been dating lately."
Yoo Sang-jun groaned in complaint.
"...Hey, Seon-ah. Keep it secret, will ya?"
"Grandpa's gonna find out anyway."
Dating? Over that?
"Well... seniors date sometimes... right? Grandpa's mellowed out a lot lately, so maybe it's fine?"
People generally evolve.
Back when I was little, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil's kids messed up plenty and got scolded often. Now in their middle years, with seasoned savvy, even Eldest Uncle had stopped doing anything to earn Grandpa's wrath.
...Or maybe they'd just gotten better at hiding failures. Still, that was a skill in itself.
"Our Yoo Sang-jun here's dating Cha Soo-ah from Mirae Group."
Ah, gotcha...
"...Oppa, are you insane?"
"No, look... A guy's gotta live. It's not like I'm dating some commoner—good family, right?"
"Oppa’s dad just sent Chairman Cha's second son to jail. Enjoyed your Shakespeare, huh?"
"...He did?"
"You didn't know?"
Yoo Seon-jun watched his brother with gleeful curiosity, like it was a show across the river.
"Wanna bet? How many swats does Sang-jun get from Grandpa?"
"Hmm, ten?"
"Twenty for me."
"Don't bet on that, you jerks!"
Typical fiery Daeha folks and their explosive views on romance. By my past-life memories, only half the Yoo clan had normal marriages.
Just look at my dad, Yoo Jin-cheol.
"Gotta ace college entrance, Sang-jun. Like your big bro here—barely scraped by on the exam, but first Daeha kid in Seoul National University. Got four years of free rein on booze and gambling, no complaints."
Yoo Seon-jun flashed a roguish grin. He'd barely made it in at the bottom, but still.
"...I could get into Seoul U too, y'know."
"Really?"
"..."
Yoo Sang-jun clammed up. Yoo Seon-jun was sharp—only trailed me and Second Uncle Yoo Jin-ha.
'Could hand him a subsidiary later.'
Working at Daeha Securities taught me family ties were the best network. Couldn't control the uncles, but once emotions cooled, delegating a task seemed feasible.
It was family infighting—no need for kill-or-be-killed. To end the squabble, toss 'em a bone.
After a brief silence, Yoo Seon-jun laughed heartily and nodded.
"Don't worry, lil' sis. Big bro'll sort it. Time for some good deeds today. Fifty-fifty shot!"
As Grandpa's arrival neared, Yoo Seon-jun swaggered off, herding his siblings ahead.
Nothing much else to report after that.
Just that dinner ran two hours late, as usual.