Baekseong Group (3)
Baekseong Group (3)
Lee Yun-seo, that seductive little minx.
She keeps getting my little guy all worked up, but unfortunately, I can't do anything about it today.
"...I'm sorry, but I have a schedule today."
"A schedule?"
It was a conversation I had to bring up anyway.
"I have to go to Ha-rin-nuna's family home regarding our marriage."
I've been living a busy life lately.
Leveling up in-game, listening to Yoo Seol-ssi's briefings to plan ahead, and looking for people to take charge of weapon production in the Baekseong Group territory.
On top of that, I'm currently preparing for marriage.
I'm much busier now than back in the days when all I did was eat, shit, sleep, and [Ssal-muk].
I wonder what the hell I'm doing when I've already made all the money I need.
But even so, it was actually enjoyable because I finally had a purpose in life.
"...Is it that woman instead of me?"
"...."
"That's what I want to say, but I'm a good girl, so I'll let it slide."
Fortunately, Yun-seo understood me.
"Well, you said you have to marry her, or else you'd have to marry some weird politician's son, right?"
"Yeah."
"From your perspective, that unni is someone you don't want to lose either."
"...I'm always sorry about that."
"Whatever. You've been unjustly screwed over so many times in your life, it's only fair that you get to enjoy some debauchery."
Actually, Yun-seo really hates the term 'politician's son.'
That's because she was bullied by a 'politician's son' back in her school days.
I remember her telling me about it when I was hospitalized before I obtained Probability Manipulation.
Now, I know a lot about Yun-seo.
Her past.
The name of the bastard who bullied her.
Which politician that bastard's parents are.
Which orphanage he came from.
"So, who is it?"
"I didn't ask."
"What if it's the same person who bullied me in high school?"
"Nah, no way."
It's not like there are only one or two politicians in the world.
Finally, the car arrived in front of the main gate of the house.
"It's insanely huge, seriously."
Yun-seo's jaw dropped.
This is a 18.5 billion won detached house in Cheongdam-dong.
Maybe she's built up a tolerance from watching me throw money around lately, but she didn't give the intense reaction I was expecting.
I opened the car door to escort her, and Yun-seo spread her arms out.
"...You want a hug?"
"I'm exhausted after doing that thing earlier."
I glanced around for a moment.
There was no one in the house.
A-yeon had gone out for a bit, and Ha-rin-nuna had already gone to her family home for the marriage issue.
Yoo Seol-ssi was in the escort vehicle, so there was no one around right now.
I lifted Yun-seo up in one go.
She was too light for a full-grown person.
"Are you even eating? Why are you so thin?"
"Hospital food in the States was gross, even if it was the States."
"You still have to eat."
"It's fine, I'm going to eat you the fuck up later tonight."
Suddenly, Yun-seo whispered into my ear.
"You won't have any schedule in the early hours of the morning, right?"
"...."
"Just get married. I'll be the one to give birth to your kid sooner."
The difference between someone with experience and someone without was this vast.
The level of flirting between Yun-seo and Ha-rin-nuna was on a different scale.
I broke into a light sweat, trying to control the blood rushing to my lower half.
*
"...Am I allowed to drive this?"
Yoo Seol-ssi's hands were trembling slightly.
It was because she was tasked with driving my 3.6 billion won Ferrari Daytona.
I didn't know the location of Ha-rin-nuna's new family home.
Sure, I could just plug it into the navigation, but I was a bit tired from driving from the airport to the house today.
So, I gave her a little bonus and asked her to be my designated driver.
Yoo Seol-ssi was shocked when she saw the number of zeros deposited into her account.
"Please, let me serve you."
"I'll leave it to you for a moment."
Perhaps because she had more driving experience than me, Yoo Seol-ssi finished the drive incredibly smoothly.
Nuna's new family home was an apartment, and since only her parents lived there, it was smaller than the Cheongdam-dong house.
Yoo Seol-ssi and I got into the elevator.
The building looked massive from the outside, but there were only two units per floor.
It seemed the square footage of each unit was no joke.
'As expected of a conglomerate.'
The Cheongdam-dong house was, honestly, way too big for just Ha-rin-nuna and me to live in.
Now that Yun-seo and A-yeon have moved in, and Yoo Seol-ssi is practically living there too, I guess it'll be fine.
I've met her father a few times, but today was my first time meeting her mother.
I had to leave the best possible impression.
I pressed the doorbell and waited for the door to open.
After a while, the door opened, and Ha-rin-nuna welcomed me.
But her expression wasn't very good.
"...Ah, Do-hyeon, you're here?"
"What's wrong?"
Nuna looked toward the living room with a troubled expression.
I could hear shouting coming from inside.
Looking down, I saw several pairs of shoes and heels; it seemed there were many guests besides me.
'What the hell.'
Ha-rin-nuna's father and mother were sitting on the sofa, sweating profusely.
Opposite them, a middle-aged man in a suit and a short man who looked to be around my age were blabbering loudly.
Next to them stood someone who looked similar to her father, wearing an arrogant expression.
He must be one of the scions of the Baekseong Group.
"What's going on?"
"...That is."
Just then, the guy around my age made eye contact with me.
"Is that the guy!?"
Suddenly, the bastard shouted,
"The thieving bastard who dares to steal my Ha-rin!"
...Ha-rin?
"Excuse me, but who are you?"
"Who do you think I am? I'm the one who's going to be Ha-rin's husband, you asshole."
What a piece of trash.
Ha-rin-nuna was looking extremely troubled, her face stiff.
She seemed a bit scared, hiding behind me and not moving.
The guy seemed even more triggered by that sight.
"Are you not going to move out of the way?"
I don't know why I keep getting tangled up with such idiots.
A-yeon's stalker, and now this guy.
He's a textbook third-rate villain.
"Hey, calm down."
Since any normal person wouldn't start throwing curses the moment they meet someone, I tried to treat him with as much courtesy as possible.
But it seemed he had no intention of doing the same.
"Calm down? Where does a rootless orphan like you get off trying to get involved here?"
"...Excuse me?"
"I've already looked into what kind of piece of shit you are!"
I'm sorry, but everyone here already knows that fact.
Just as I was about to retort, Ha-rin-nuna moved before I could.
-Slap!
She delivered a very satisfying slap to his cheek.
It seemed she couldn't stand me being insulted.
With the coldest expression I've ever seen on her, she shook off the hand she used to slap him.
The guy stood there blankly, looking stunned, as if he didn't know what had just happened.
"Baek Ha-rin, what the hell do you think you're doing!"
A man who looked like her father's older brother stood up, shouting.
"Do you even know who you just hit!?"
"...Uncle."
"Apologize right now!"
Ha-rin-nuna's uncle.
The man I knew as Baek Seong-su pointed at the man sitting with a stern expression.
"You, who only knows how to play around, are you messing with Assemblyman Kim Geun-seon's son!?"
Kim Geun-seon.
A three-term National Assembly member.
One of the senior members with significant power in the National Assembly's decision-making process, and a big shot who even ran for the floor leader election.
And the father of that bastard who bullied Yun-seo.
'...No way.'
To think I'd meet him here.
It's a small world.
The man I couldn't even dream of touching because he had no backing, no matter how much money I had, was right in front of me.
And with a son who looked like he was saying, 'Please, go ahead and ruin my father.'
My mood sank instantly.
"First, come over here and sit down."
Kim Geun-seon gestured to an empty seat on the sofa.
I wanted to flip the table and cause a scene, but since Nuna's family was watching, I calmed my boiling rage and sat down.
Her father whispered to me.
"...I'm sorry. They were unexpected guests, so I couldn't help it."
He wasn't the Chairman himself, just an executive director far from the line of succession.
There was nothing he could do against a three-term Assemblyman.
Even Baek Seong-su was an executive at the president level with a strong position within the Baekseong Group.
He was close to the line of succession and was full of ideas to block the alliance between the Chairman and me.
"It's alright, Father."
I understood why they couldn't just kick them out.
"Hmm."
Kim Geun-seon cleared his throat.
"Isn't it common courtesy to serve tea when guests arrive?"
"...."
His gaze was fixed on Ha-rin-nuna.
Just as Nuna was reluctantly heading to the kitchen, Yoo Seol-ssi stopped her.
"I will serve it. Young Lady, please stay seated."
"...Thank you."
Baek Seong-su let out a deep sigh.
"Ha-woon, even if you love your daughter, this is too much, isn't it? Breaking off a promised marriage is not common courtesy between parties."
"Brother, you know why I'm doing this."
"I don't know? I don't understand why you're acting like this right now."
The Myth-grade trait is a major classified secret.
Baek Seong-su probably knew, but it was highly likely that Kim Geun-seon didn't.
Even so, the fact that he was acting like he didn't know was likely a smokescreen to stir up trouble for the marriage.
"Love is important. But your selfishness is causing great harm to the Baekseong Group. Do you think the Chairman will just stand by and watch this?"
Originally, Chairman Baek San-woon intended to connect Ha-rin-nuna with the guy who was currently fuming over there.
That was the only way Nuna, who had no interest in company affairs, could be of use to the Baekseong Group.
Well, now that I, Seo Do-hyeon, a much bigger player, have appeared, things have changed.
"The Chairman has already given his permission."
"...It seems he has truly lost his mind in his old age."
Baek Seong-su shook his head.
"Ha-rin. This uncle of yours doesn't understand why you'd want to marry a man like that. He's an orphan and even has a criminal record. What? He murdered his own father? I absolutely oppose marrying such a criminal!"
"...That's rude to Do-hyeon."
"The rudeness is what that man is doing to the Baekseong Group and Assemblyman Kim Geun-seon right now. Where does a rootless guy get off eyeing the Baekseong Group? Aren't you being deceived?"
"Uncle!"
A complex conversation filled with office politics and various interests flowed.
Baek Seong-su's desperate struggle to stop the marriage.
Nuna's angry shouts, Baek Seong-su's roaring, and occasionally Kim Geun-seon's heavy voice all mixed together.
I couldn't possibly join the conversation.
It's a fact that I'm an orphan and a criminal.
No matter how much money I have, I have no roots.
If I could reveal my Myth-grade trait, that would be one thing, but as I am now, I'm no match for Kim Geun-seon and Baek Seong-su.
'...Should I just try becoming a major shareholder?'
I thought about buying up a massive amount of Baekseong Group stock, but if I tried to move that much money, I'd be caught by the ankles somewhere.
The reason I've been able to spend money as I pleased until now was largely thanks to her father.
The opponent had more power than her father and was even tied to political circles.
If I'm not careful, I could end up in prison.
So, what should I do?
I thought about exposing the conversation I was secretly recording, but they were meticulous and never gave anyone a chance to hold anything against them.
The uncle stopping his niece from marrying a criminal was also a perfectly normal conversation to have.
Suddenly, I made eye contact with Nuna's former fiancé, who was sitting as quietly as I was.
He said, as if muttering to himself.
"...Follow me outside. Let's talk."
"...."
There was nothing I could do here.
Since the guy who looked like a total brat couldn't join the conversation either, it seemed he'd rather talk just the two of us.
I silently complied with his call.
"I'll be back after talking for a moment."
"Huh? Okay."
I didn't want to leave Nuna here, but since her father and Yoo Seol-ssi were there, it would be fine.
I stood up and followed him out the front door.
'...What kind of insults should I throw to make sure it's known I did a good job?'
Should I bring up Yun-seo's story and threaten to send him down for school bullying?
Unfortunately, I have no evidence.
Even if Yun-seo testified herself, it would be troublesome if he counter-sued for defamation.
No, wait, if I gathered Yun-seo's former classmates and stuffed their wallets with some cash, there might be a chance.
I was running a simulation of what kind of provocation he might throw at me.
Then, a completely unexpected situation occurred.
"I am truly sorry."
The guy bowed his head and apologized sincerely.
"Excuse me?"
We talked outside for a few minutes.
The final conclusion of the conversation was this.
".........So, I beg you. I will provide the evidence, so please destroy my younger sibling and my father."
...What kind of situation is this?
'...So that's it.'
I went over the conversation we just had again.