Not Even a Hundred Won
Seo Suyeon launched into a lengthy speech about tax deductions. Even when saddled with a task against her will, she poured everything into it. It was exactly the kind of flexibility one would expect from the humanist image Cheon A-ram cultivated in public. Trusting her, I started the conversation.
“Gaeul, could you come here for a moment?”
Gaeul had been glancing nervously between Cheon A-ram and me as we clashed, clearly flustered. The moment I called her, though, she hurried over without hesitation. I asked her directly.
“You want the money so your sister can grow while receiving the art education she desires, correct?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“In that case, does it have to be cash?”
“Cash?” Gaeul tilted her head, puzzled.
“I said cash earlier, but I didn’t necessarily mean only cash. What I mean is, there’s no need for the money itself to be deposited into an account.”
I pulled out my tablet and showed Cheon A-ram and Gaeul the materials I had prepared.
“There are various welfare programs and scholarship systems that can currently be applied to Yoo Gaeul’s sister. I’ll only mention the ones that can be secured without competition. The special scholarship system at the art high school, the government-run hub schools, the Happy Classroom for young artists, and…”
These would provide decent support on their own. But the main one was elsewhere.
“SS’s subsidiary welfare foundation, Seed’s cultural and arts promotion support program.”
This alone would cover about sixty percent of the amount I had calculated.
“If the following welfare foundations and support systems are combined, we can drastically reduce the amount Gaeul needs.”
I displayed a table that systematically broke down the detailed costs—meals, tuition, academy fees, materials, living expenses, application fees, exam fees, model hiring—and the amounts that could be reduced or supported through exemptions and aid. At the bottom of the table was the information that nearly forty-six percent of the hundred million won Gaeul had requested could be saved.
“…The contents don’t look fabricated. The feasibility seems high.”
Cheon A-ram took the tablet and examined the details herself.
“But Team Leader Seon, it’s all well and good, but why do you think we can receive support from SS’s foundation, Seed?”
She spoke with genuine curiosity.
“Seed’s welfare system primarily benefits current and former employees. No matter how unfortunate Yoo Gaeul’s sister’s situation is, they won’t provide support. …Don’t think I’m being cold. We’re Two Bear Entertainment, not SS. It’s only natural.”
She added, as if drawing a clear line,
“Ah, and if you’re thinking there might be some connection because I’m from SS, I’ll tell you in advance that’s an overestimation.”
I found her words rather odd.
“You’re not just someone who used to work at SS, are you?”
“You mean being Cheon Sunsoo’s daughter? That’s certainly something, but it doesn’t mean I can move the foundation as I please.”
She spoke as if it were obvious.
“SS is Cheon Sunsoo’s—our father’s—territory. It’s also the land our grandfather owns. I’m still far from that.”
Only then did I understand Cheon A-ram’s intention. Ah, she didn’t want to say it. It was somewhat amusing that she was trying to hide it from someone who already knew. Unable to suppress the feeling, I smiled faintly and said,
“SS may belong to Cheon Sunsoo, but the welfare foundation Seed does not belong to him right now.”
“Huh? Then whose is it?”
Cheon A-ram asked as if she had just heard something absurd. Her acting was impressive. I shattered that mask head-on.
“You are the designated heir to the welfare foundation Seed, aren’t you, President Cheon?”
“….”
President. I already know everything, so let’s stop this.
“…Why do you think that?”
What else? Before my regression, Cheon Sunsoo’s death had been reported so extensively that of course I knew. Of course, I had no intention of revealing a truth no one would believe.
“I know that inheritance isn’t something written in a hidden will and revealed out of nowhere one morning.”
I spoke as if stating the obvious.
“That’s why you, President Cheon A-ram, the designated heir to the Seed Foundation, must have already placed enough of your own people there. I analyzed those movements.”
Cheon A-ram spoke incredulously.
“How would you know which of SS’s countless employees are my people?”
“It’s difficult to identify the people you’ve secretly placed, but it wasn’t hard to figure out Cheon Jonghun, the second son Cheon Sechan, and Cheon Sunsoo’s people. After that, it was just a process of elimination.”
“Team Leader Seon… you make it sound so easy. People don’t walk around with name tags saying ‘Cheon Jonghun’ or ‘Cheon Sunsoo.’ How could an outsider distinguish all of them? This isn’t something you can brush off with the word ‘deduction.’”
“It worked out, didn’t it?”
Whether it made sense or not didn’t matter. I already knew the answer.
“For this reason, I believe you, President Cheon, can arrange for at least one person—Yoo Gaeul’s sister—to be accepted.”
“….”
Cheon A-ram muttered quietly as she looked at my confident expression.
“Ha… I understand why Jonghun oppa was jealous.”
Her voice was drowned out by Seo Suyeon drawing attention. I asked, ignoring the rudeness.
“I’m sorry, but could you repeat that…?”
Cheon A-ram casually ignored my request and said,
“Fine. I’ll acknowledge that what Team Leader Seon said is possible. But have you gotten Gaeul’s consent?”
Cheon A-ram’s and my gazes turned to Yoo Gaeul.
“To be blunt, this is a lower-quality compensation than originally offered, isn’t it?”
Gaeul looked restless, as if she couldn’t keep up with the situation. She seemed to be in deep thought. I took a deep breath, lowered my head slightly to meet her eye level, and said,
“Even if we use the welfare foundation, Gaeul, your sister won’t receive a lower-quality education or use cheap tools.”
I had already eliminated any places that would provide substandard supplies. There was no way Gaeul would be dissatisfied with the “quality.”
“And even if, by some chance, your sister is treated poorly, I’ll use my own money to make sure she gets the best.”
Gaeul’s lips moved soundlessly. Mumbled words that never became language floated in the air several times. But one small syllable came through clearly.
“…Why.”
I tilted my head.
“Why what?”
Then Gaeul looked at me with trembling eyes and asked,
“Why are you going this far?”
The answer was obvious.
“Because I want to be with you, Gaeul.”
I wanted to suck the honey of an S-rank talent and receive the reward. I wanted you to grab me by the collar as the vocalist and drag me up to success.
“Will you please allow it?”
Yoo Gaeul nodded with a dazed look in her eyes, as if possessed by a ghost.
“…Though I am lacking, please take care of me.”
Her reaction was a little strange, but it seemed she had agreed. Cheon A-ram, who had been watching Gaeul and me with a meaningful gaze, asked me,
“So, is this all the cards Team Leader Seon prepared?”
“I have one more left, but I don’t want to use it. It’s my last resort.”
“…Nice. Then shall we take a look?”
Damn it. I shouldn’t have said anything. She snatched the microphone from Seo Suyeon, who was putting on a show about tax deductions, and said,
“Our Two Bear Entertainment’s Team Leader Seon has drastically reduced the hundred million won contract fee by about fifty percent.”
People cheered. They probably imagined Gaeul being accepted as a trainee now. But Cheon A-ram betrayed their expectations.
“It’s certainly impressive. However, my thoughts haven’t changed. I still think even that amount is an overinvestment.”
People booed at the tiresome development. I silently cheered them on. Those who cursed our president, who made such excessive demands, were my true comrades.
“Team Leader Seon, how do you plan to convince me?”
…Can’t I just quit without convincing you? I feel like I’ve done enough. Honestly, at this point, shouldn’t she let it slide? But if she wanted this clingy act to become even more dramatic, I would have to play along. That was what I had to do, even while knowing I disliked crowded places and had shamelessly ordered the president around.
I took the microphone from Cheon A-ram and said,
“I have about forty million won saved up.”
The screen I turned on clearly displayed a figure slightly over forty-two million. It was money accumulated from military salary, part-time job wages saved over several years, and money my grandfather had given me for winter.
“I will invest all of this money.”
This was different from the promise I had made in front of Cheon A-ram to stake a year’s salary. A hollow promise that could collapse at any time and a promise backed by actual cash carried completely different weight.
Back then, hadn’t I said that if there was debt, the relationship would change? Then I would throw in cash. Of course, this money alone would still fall short by a few hundred million of what Yoo Gaeul had requested. That was the point. Cheon A-ram would have to invest that missing amount. The quest had demanded that Cheon A-ram pay the money instead. Not “all” of it, but some of it. Therefore, the quest would be completed at the same time. With this single busking performance, I had caught not two, but three rabbits.
“…I didn’t expect this.”
But Cheon A-ram’s reaction was strange. After letting out a deep sigh while looking at the number on the smartphone, she asked, unable to understand,
“It’s not my place to say this, but I have to ask. …Team Leader Seon. Why are you going this far?”
It was the same question Yoo Gaeul had asked. Cheon A-ram and Yoo Gaeul both seemed to think I was taking a huge loss. But investing around forty million won was by no means a loss. In the first place, if the company went public, I had planned to buy shares in the subsidiary with my salary as soon as I received it. This was the same money I had originally intended to invest in Two Bear, only the name had changed. However, if I conveyed my honest feelings, our humanist president wouldn’t like it very much. So I spoke as if it were only natural.
“Because Gaeul will definitely become the best singer.”
Cheon A-ram smiled like a snake that had found a toy.
“Still, you’re short about eight hundred thousand, aren’t you?”
She was being so stingy.
“Please overlook that much…. This is the president’s company, after all.”
At my whining, Cheon A-ram burst into laughter. Then, after catching her breath as much as possible, she said,
“Fine. It’s Team Leader Seon’s victory.”
Cheon A-ram’s face, as she announced her defeat, was smiling more purely and brightly than ever.
***
“It was Yoo Gaeul, right?”
Cheon A-ram extended her hand to Yoo Gaeul as if offering a handshake.
“I’d like to sign the contract under the conditions we just discussed. Is that all right?”
Gaeul hesitated, glancing at me. Why was she looking at me? I couldn’t understand, but Cheon A-ram seemed to grasp the meaning and chuckled.
“Of course, Two Bear will pay all the money, so don’t worry. I have no intention of emptying Team Leader Seon’s pockets.”
“….”
“That includes any additional costs if you’re not satisfied with the foundation’s welfare. In any case, Team Leader Seon won’t have to pay even a hundred won, so rest assured.”
Only then did Yoo Gaeul nod and take her hand. I couldn’t find the words to respond to Gaeul already worrying about my pockets.