Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Friends Close, Enemies Closer (1)
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October 3, 1990.
Germany had reunified.
[East and West Germany fully united, the first reunification in 45 years since the division in 1945...]
["What belongs together will grow together," revisiting Willy Brandt's speech]
[Federal Republic of Germany reclaims its five lost states at last! One year after the fall of the Berlin Wall...]
I savored the morning news with my coffee.
This moment, now fully ingrained in my routine, was quite satisfying.
I enjoyed seeing history gradually diverge from the past under my influence, yet the massive turning points of history remained unchanged, evoking a nostalgic familiarity like returning home after decades.
'Mm, good aroma.'
-Slurp.
The coffee's fragrance paired perfectly with the morning sunlight.
My personal chef, now turned barista and chef extraordinaire, seemed to improve by the day. At first, I'd had ice in it here...
But now that my tastes had changed, warm coffee was the way to go.
"Si-hyeon... isn't here, huh."
Sigh.
I wondered if she was doing well in Europe—that cheeky secretary of mine...
I shook my head and jumped up, bounding down the stairs with a rapid thud-thud-thud. The nanny, who always greeted me with a warm smile, was there to welcome me.
"Miss, have you finished with the morning paper?"
"Yeah, all done. Time to get ready to head out."
Today marked not only German reunification but also Gaecheonjeol and Chuseok.
A pretty special day, indeed.
"Alright, let me help you change. Arms up."
-Rustle.
I slipped off my thin pajamas and stood before the mirror in just my white underwear.
Translucent white skin, curvaceous figure, long limbs, and languid eyes.
My seminude body, now exuding femininity, was on full display, and as the nanny's hands brushed my bare skin, I let out a short moan.
'Ngh...'
"You're beautiful no matter how many times I see you, my dear miss."
Good thing I was wearing underwear. My skin was just too sensitive.
I casually lifted the corner of my mouth in response.
"Yeah, you're pretty too, Nanny."
The nanny, who smiled innocently while dressing me, looked so young it was hard to believe she was a mother in her thirties. Compared to a few years ago, she seemed almost rejuvenated—thanks to my hard efforts, no doubt.
She'd suffered so much when I was little.
"Hanbok can be tricky... Have you used the bathroom? Be careful when you go to the Chairman's house."
Nod, nod.
"It's fine. I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle it myself."
My body barely needed bodily functions anyway. Women's hanbok was incredibly uncomfortable, but at my age, wearing diapers again would be mortifying, so I'd endure.
"Oh, to me, you're still a child, miss..."
Looking at me with sentimental eyes, the nanny pulled me into a gentle hug as if proud. Her warm embrace soothed me.
"Heehee... This feels nice."
Sometimes I wished I could shrink back to my smaller self and fit perfectly in her arms again. Anyway, it was that comforting.
"Yes, yes, we can stay like this a bit longer if you like, miss."
"...Ugh, saying that makes me feel like a real kid."
After a moment of being spoiled in her arms, I brushed the dust from my hair and kissed her cheek.
I felt grateful toward her... and sorry.
If not for me, she could have lived a life of luxury...
Yeah, one reason I made so much money was this—to lavish her as much as possible in this life, where her only role was as my nanny, unlike my previous one...
This was my way of atoning.
The utmost atonement I could offer without abandoning my beliefs and desires.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Daeha family never made much of holidays. With everyone tied up in their own businesses, a chaebol trait, schedules rarely aligned.
We'd barely meet at year's end.
But... this year was different.
Yoo Seon-jun, back from Europe, puffed heavily on his cigarette as he told me,
"Grandfather's not well."
"...Yeah. So quit smoking already, oppa. It's lung cancer."
Thick smoke billowed up.
Yoo Seon-jun stared at the cigarette in his hand with conflicted eyes before flicking it into the ashtray.
"Well..., it's not serious, right?"
I nodded. Thanks to regular checkups befitting a chaebol chairman, they'd caught it early.
But medicine hadn't advanced enough for a full cure.
"Survival rate's barely 10%, so it's lucky. Anyway, lung cancer's genetic, so be extra careful, got it?"
Why on earth did he like those things?
In my past life, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil had lived to 80... but now, who knew.
'My fault again, probably.'
Looking back, it was foolish. How could a parent's lifespan stay the same after losing a child? He might not even see the 21st century.
It troubled me. Was it misfortune or fortune that the grandfather who'd shown me affection wouldn't witness my filial impiety before passing?
'Maybe if he'd lived much longer, it would've been better.'
Well, I hoped it was all just my imagination. I didn't even know the year Chairman Yoo Seong-pil got lung cancer in the original history.
But... it was well-known that Daeha people had weak lungs genetically.
I looked at Yoo Seon-jun with worried eyes.
"Agh, I get it. Stop staring like that. I'll quit smoking for sure."
"Sigh, alright. You promise?"
I sighed and glanced around. Si-hyeon should be arriving soon...
Ah, there she is.
"Miss, it's been a while."
Lee Si-hyeon smiled brightly and bowed her head in greeting. Unlike the Daeha blood relatives in hanbok, she was properly dressed in a suit, befitting a secretary.
"How was the trip?"
"Oh, yes. It was great."
"Hee, so my Si-hyeon enjoyed traveling with a handsome guy? You complained the whole time with me."
I playfully poked her ample chest, and Lee Si-hyeon blushed, shaking her head vigorously.
"N-no, what are you saying... How could I..."
"Yeah, yeah, truth is, Seon-jun oppa's not your type."
"...Pardon?"
Lee Si-hyeon blinked. Then, glancing around awkwardly, she whispered softly,
"Oh, is it because of my age...?"
She must have been conscious of turning thirty soon. So cute.
"No, no, more like personality? Something like that."
Yoo Seon-jun was somewhat conservative—despite his love for gambling—so he didn't like power-hungry or ambitious types.
More precisely, he disliked opportunists?
Anyway, our Si-hyeon wasn't the overly obedient type. I liked that about her, though...
Leaving the tilting-headed Si-hyeon be, I strolled through Chairman Yoo Seong-pil's residence, which I hadn't visited in a while.
It was still quite magnificent. The staff Grandfather hired kept the garden and mansion impeccable.
"Oh, it's been ages, Uncle."
"My, it's been a while, miss. You've grown so much."
"Heehee, I hear that a lot."
I chatted with the gardener uncle, then spun around to take in the surroundings. His skills were impressive.
Even as autumn tinted the woods with foliage, this lawn-glowing garden remained largely unchanged.
Just like the Daeha Group, still running smoothly despite Chairman Yoo Seong-pil's illness. Even if twilight came to his life and autumn leaves fell over the vast garden, it wouldn't falter.
But what if the gardener fully stepped away?
At first, all would seem fine. Gardens look pristine for a short while without tending.
But... in a crumbling castle, barley inevitably overruns the ruins.
No point lamenting over the ruins of a shattered Daeha Group.
So, shouldn't I repair that garden before it falls apart?
.
.
.
The seasons of my life were always like vibrant spring days—no frost on my head, no autumn leaves in the garden I cultivated.
The dream of being an eternal gardener was something only I could achieve.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The masterpiece The Godfather Part II, etched in film history, has this line.
Friends close, enemies closer...
It means the biggest variables must be kept within your control.
Interpretations vary, but that's mine.
That's why I'm turning the IMF crisis into a controllable bomb. So no butterfly effect dares touch me.
'Ah, gotta catch Godfather 3 with Si-hyeon while in the US next month.'
A stray thought amid tension, but I took a deep breath inwardly and stepped forward.
Yoo Jin-ha adjusted his glasses and looked at me with kind eyes.
"It's been a while, Ha-yeon."
"Yes. Hello, Uncle."
I smiled with my eyes as I greeted the long-unseen Yoo Jin-ha.
The future usurper stood before me.