There Was Absolutely No Problem
After I bought Rolexes for every single member of my family, there really wasn’t anything left to worry about.
“Grandpa, should I get one for Grandma too?”
“Would that be all right?”
“Dad can hand it to her.”
“...Thank you.”
So I decided to buy watches for Grandpa and Grandma as well.
They’d always been kind to me, not just to my parents. Whenever Mom and Dad were busy, they’d sometimes look after us, and more than anything, I could tell how much they genuinely liked me. I liked them too, of course.
It was just a watch. How much could one cost, really?
If we were having a family gathering this time, the relatives would probably show up too, but just because I had money didn’t mean I wanted to shower everyone with gifts. Besides, I’d gotten along fine with my uncle on my father’s side, but the others... not so much. Maybe that was just my own inferiority complex talking, but they’d always bragged about their kids to my family so much that seeing them had never felt particularly pleasant.
After buying watches for Grandpa and Grandma too, the Rolex store was practically wiped out. There wasn’t much left worth buying unless I deliberately went after the unpopular models, and there didn’t seem to be any reason to do that.
When we moved on to the next store, I spotted the Cartier boutique.
“I heard their watches are pretty nice too.”
“Cartier...? A-are you sure? They probably cost about the same as Rolex...”
“Don’t worry about it.”
If Rolex made a man’s heart race, Cartier seemed to do the same for women.
Mom and my sisters had already been unable to tear their eyes away from the Rolex display, but when they stood in front of Cartier, their desire to browse was on a completely different level. And beyond browsing—they clearly wanted to buy.
As expected, the moment we stepped into the Cartier store, Mom and my sisters lost all their earlier excitement and fell quiet, their eyes shining with desperate longing.
The look on their faces said they wanted to try on just one piece. Bracelets, rings, watches—I bought several of each.
It was the most satisfying shopping trip imaginable.
Thanks to that, I even managed to hit VIP spending status at Shinsegae Department Store.
Which made sense, really. The amount I’d spent this time was close to a hundred million won. Well, almost.
Even if I couldn’t reach the very top tier, VIP was no problem.
The next time I came back, I’d definitely be treated properly.
We left the department store.
But the shopping wasn’t over yet.
“Should we stop by the Porsche store too?”
“Why would we go there...?”
“Big sister needs a car too. I’ll ask if they have any new stock, and if they do, I’ll just buy it.”
“Y-you’re too much. How is a new worker supposed to drive something like that?”
“So what? Little sister’s driving a Ferrari.”
“...”
“If only big sister’s the one driving a domestic car, she’ll end up feeling left out. And Mom needs a car too, so let’s just stop by.”
“...”
She said the words were a burden, but she didn’t look like she meant them. Human instinct forgets burdens like that in no time.
Especially when you know there’s no reason for me to feel burdened at all.
On the way to Porsche, Little Sister launched into a full-blown lecture.
“Everyone keeps underestimating Doyun. He owns two buildings. One in Gangnam and one in Yeouido.”
“...You’re not making that up, are you?”
“Well, I guess it’s hard to believe unless you’ve seen it yourself. No, even if you see it, it’s still hard to believe. Those are buildings so tall you have to tilt your head all the way back just to see the top...”
“Little Sister, that’s wrong.”
“Huh? But back then I clearly...”
“I bought one more.”
“...”
“The best one I could find.”
“...Holy crap.”
It wasn’t hard to ease the pressure at all.
My mother and big sister both looked stunned when they heard I owned three buildings.
Even Dad, who’d been focused on driving, glanced over in surprise.
In the end, we bought two new cars from Porsche.
They were expensive enough that there was still plenty of new inventory left. A Panamera and a Cayenne.
Both were decent choices.
If you weren’t the type to like flashy things, like my big sister, there was no need to insist on a convertible.
The Panamera was more expensive anyway.
It was a very satisfying shopping trip.
***
After a shopping spree everyone was satisfied with, we came home.
They looked so pleased, I felt like I’d never seen my family smile so brightly before.
Of course, part of it was because the gifts themselves were valuable, but I think they were even happier that I’d succeeded enough to hand out presents like this without batting an eye.
It was all good.
And yet there was one thing still bothering me.
I wonder if they’ll let me cover the upkeep costs.
Maintaining cars and a changed lifestyle would cost quite a bit. I didn’t know if everyone would accept the money if I offered it.
And then there were other people’s eyes to consider.
If I kept showing up in designer clothes while people only said, “My son did well,” it might be fine for a day or two, but after that the whole thing would probably start to feel stale.
For now, I figured I should ask first.
What did my parents actually want?
Leaving my happily chattering sisters behind, I talked with Mom and Dad.
“Dad, Mom, is there anything you want? You both know I’ve done pretty well for myself. At this point, I can take care of you comfortably even in your old age.”
“...How can you say that? You’ll understand once you become a parent yourself, but it’s not that simple.”
“But you know what it’s like to be a son too. If you succeed big, you want to repay your parents.”
“That’s true, but...”
Dad probably understood best. Mom too.
Even when things were tight, both of them had always been sincere with my paternal and maternal relatives. I grew up watching that, so of course it had shaped me too.
“If you want to travel the world, I’ll make sure you can do it comfortably. Or if you’d rather take a cruise, that works too. There’s also the life of a building owner.”
“...”
“Or if there’s something each of you wants to do, I can help make that happen too.”
“Something we want to do...”
It seemed neither of them had ever seriously thought about what they wanted.
More accurately, they probably had once, but raising us gradually erased those desires. Need came before want, and they’d lived the kind of life that followed from that.
After thinking it over seriously, Mom spoke first.
“Hmm... I don’t really want to just sit around and do nothing. I saw it today at the department store, and I know my son has become a huge success, but I’ve worked my whole life. I don’t think I could suddenly just stop and play around all day. That feels wrong, money aside.”
“Really? So there’s nothing you want to do?”
“I feel awkward even saying this because it sounds like I’m putting pressure on you, but... come to think of it, a car and a department store cost a lot more. It’d be strange to accept those and still keep saying I feel burdened and avoid saying what I want. I’d like to run a little café. Even if I don’t make as much money... my real joy is meeting up with friends often and chatting over something small.”
“A café...”
When the vice president of the secretariat had briefed me on tax issues before, he’d mentioned that opening a large café could be one of the considerations.
I didn’t have children yet, but if I got married and had kids someday, then by purchasing property through a large café and operating a big café—one with a bakery and plenty of land—for about ten years...
Inheritance tax could be exempted by as much as fifty billion won.
That was for the future, of course.
But to gift that much money directly, I’d have to pay around 24.5 billion won in taxes alone.
Rather than do that, it would be better to run it with as much loss as possible if necessary, then pass it on after ten years, treating it as a property transfer. At least then, there was no way the deficit over ten years would exceed 24.5 billion won.
“I’ll look into the café.”
I could probably set up a large café worth around fifty billion won somewhere nearby.
Mom wouldn’t have to lift a finger; she could just take the good parts as the owner, while I hired professional managers and plenty of staff.
And then I’d just make sure they were paid well through their salaries.
“What about you, Dad?”
“Let’s see. I don’t really want to just rest either... Recently I’ve been learning golf with some friends, and it’s actually been pretty fun. I think there’s something called an indoor golf range...”
“A golf course... I’ll look into that too.”
“Oh, an indoor golf range does sound nice. Playing golf with your father these days is surprisingly fun.”
“For an old man, golf is probably the best kind of exercise anyway...”
Golf, huh...
At the very least, as long as Dad was still the head of the family, I needed to give him something that fit the role.
Mom was opening a large café worth fifty billion won, and Dad was just getting an indoor golf range?
That didn’t sit well with me at all.
I knew better than anyone how hard Dad had worked his whole life as the head of the family.
Mom had worked hard too, of course.
But Dad had carried the full weight of being the man of the house. Without complaint, without a single word of bitterness.
I figured a resort golf course would do.
A brand-new one, the most modern kind.
I could ask the vice president of the secretariat about that part.
At this rate...
I guess I’ll have to keep making more money.
Money really does seem endless, no matter how much you make.
If you try to spend it, there’s no telling how much you can burn through.
Even buildings worth more than a trillion won had owners.
Which just meant there were that many rich people out there.
There were hundreds of companies with market caps above one trillion won, and if you counted unlisted firms too, there were probably even more.
There was plenty of reason to keep earning more.
“I’ll look into it for now.”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. I’m happy already.”
“Same here,” Dad added.
I wasn’t satisfied.
After that conversation, I called the vice president of the secretariat and asked.
“I don’t need to pay all of that right away, though, right? There are loans and all.”
- Of course. I was referring to the total cost.
“Go ahead with it.”
There was no reason to hesitate.
Just the buildings I’d bought this time came to 200 billion won.
Even using them as collateral, I’d probably be able to borrow at least 300 billion won.
There was absolutely no problem.