Hansung's Little Monster
You're Hansung's monster? Lately, things had gotten busy. Or more precisely, Jeong Hae-won from the Hyun-do family had gotten busy. I might not have been affected, but it seemed she'd finally made the firm decision to enter the Regional Academic Competition.
"Ugh!"
Suddenly clutching her forehead cutely as if her head hurt, she curled up like a little squirrel.
"It says here to solve them one by one, but even after quickly simplifying the system of equations and eliminating the variables, why won't the intersection point on the coordinate plane work out?"
She mumbled to herself... The cheerful Jeong Hae-won was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she looked like a high schooler a week before the college entrance exam, her eyes glued solely to the problems as she scraped the pencil tip across the paper.
"Uh, well, here's the thing."
I couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in. There was a simple way to solve it, but she'd gone about it like a driver without GPS, taking the long way around.
"First, translate the given conditions straight into equations. Set the variables as x and y, make an equation from the first condition, then combine it with the second. Since elimination is faster, match the coefficients on one side and wipe it out in one go—super simple and convenient."
"Huh? It actually works that way? Wh-what are you?"
I lightly snatched the pencil from the stunned Jeong Hae-won's hand and neatly summarized the key calculations.
"Like this, solve for one variable, substitute back to find the rest... Then, reinterpret the values we just got on the coordinate plane as requested by the problem and plot the intersection point."
I sketched a simple coordinate axis in the margin of the paper.
"See, Hae-won unnie? Where these two lines meet. So the answer is that intersection point. If there are extra conditions in the problem, just check if that point falls within the range first."
"Whoa! What are you? How'd you solve it so easily?"
What do you mean, what...? Even if I don't look like it, in my previous life, I was the top admit and top graduate of Korea's most prestigious university, the one they called the nation's best. Not that anyone would believe it was a past-life memory.
Maybe because the stuck problem was solved, Jeong Hae-won's solving speed picked up dramatically from before. Scratch-scratch! Listening to the satisfying pencil sounds, I used the sunlit windowsill as a pillow, mouth agape in endless yawns.
Man, I'm extra sleepy today. At times like this, cracking open some beer and chicken, sprawling on the bed, and drifting off while reading my favorite web novels would be pure bliss...
Come to think of it, when did web novels even start?
For web novels to emerge as a genre, the internet had to come first. Specifically, PC communication services using modems. That was still a distant tale from the far future.
Why did I get into web novels? Simple: no friends in my previous life meant no outings. Excluding time spent researching ramen, I naturally gravitated to books—the perfect solo entertainment. Before long, I'd devoured every famous web novel out there. Dragon something-or-other. Gaz-something. White something. Rune's something. Demon something. Transparent something... Cough!
A bad memory suddenly surfaced. I shook my head vigorously to shake it off. It felt like peeking at some forbidden taboo I shouldn't have.
"Seoyeon? Can you solve this one too?"
"Hmm, let me see."
Another stuck problem, apparently. Jeong Hae-won subtly slid the workbook toward me.
"This one's even easier than the last."
I could see the answer without reading to the end.
"Three conditions, but you don't need all of them. The key is here! These two alone complete the equation."
Without hesitation, I set up the equation and pulled out the values with one elimination.
"So x is this, y is that."
"Whoa, dae, daebak?!"
Jeong Hae-won stared at me, eyes sparkling. It was the curious gaze one might give a monster.
"Seoyeon, you don't already know the answers from the workbook, do you?"
"Who knows?"
I shrugged nonchalantly at her question.
"Similar patterns, so it just comes into view, I guess."
"Comes into view? I was just tearing my hair out over it!"
If you're jealous, get reborn. I scrunched my nose for no reason.
"Ugh! I don't even know what, but seeing your face is making me kinda mad..."
Jeong Hae-won mussed up her innocent hair and let out a wail that could scare off a wyvern.
"Kyaaack!"
"Class is about to start, so quiet down."
The Korean language teacher, entering the classroom just then, scolded the shrieking Jeong Hae-won.
"S-sorry... Sniff!"
＊
I'd always been a book lover. At my peak, I'd read over a hundred books a month. I believed that knowledge would be the foundation for becoming a ramen researcher. For instance, to master ramen soup base, you need to know what flavors each ingredient brings, how they interact. To grasp the principles, there was no choice but to dive into specialist texts.
Food chemistry on ingredient components and reactions. Taste science explaining the tongue's flavor structure. Even flavor science for designing scents. I'd devoured them all.
Why does one soy sauce taste deep while another feels flat? To chase down that one question, I'd pored over countless papers and textbooks. Through that process, I awakened to the truth: crafting a single ramen soup packet hid dozens of calculations and designs. Cooking wasn't instinct—it was an extension of engineering.
"Young miss, are you in?"
The nanny knocked softly and entered the room.
"Yes, I'm here. What's up?"
"The Chairman wants you in the study."
"Huh? Grandpa? At this hour?"
"Yes."
I glanced at the clock. Nine o'clock at night. Grandpa always said kids need early bedtimes and early rises to grow tall, stay healthy, and keep a clear mind. It was just about bedtime, yet here he was summoning me late for the first time ever.
I wonder what's going on?
"Thanks. I'll tidy up and head right up."
"Yes. Good work today."
"You too, nanny."
Grandpa spent every evening until bedtime in the study. Unless there was urgent group business, he left most of it to his eldest son, Han Woo-min.
"There you are. Sit here, Seoyeon."
"Okaay~"
Even at this late hour, Grandpa was catching up on overseas news via the newspaper. He set it aside and led me to the child-sized chair.
"Curious why your old grandpa called you so late?"
"Yes!"
"Hohoho, most kids would show up sleepy-eyed at this hour, but our granddaughter's eyes are sharp as ever."
"Hehe~ Being with you relaxes me and makes me happy, Grandpa."
"Kekeke, as expected of a Hansung girl—the only one who worries about me."
This seemed important. Grandpa's expression... how to put it? It carried that unyielding, sore-loser temperament.
"I hear Yeonhwa Elementary School is hosting the Regional Academic Competition?"
Ah! So Grandpa wants me to enter the regional competition.
As you know, the Hansung and Hyun-do families are rivals. If one does something, the other must match it. And Grandpa knew my desires better than anyone.
"A strong showing there qualifies you for early graduation."
"Huh? Early graduation?"
"Hohoho, of course. Yeonhwa's regional competition is notoriously tough, as the name suggests. It demands middle-school-level answers from elementary kids, leaving average students drained just from taking it."
I'd reincarnated with my previous life's memories. With what I already knew, I could handle university courses no problem. Dragging through six years of elementary school felt like a total waste of time.
"Then I'll give the regional competition a shot."
"You will?"
Grandpa despised losing to Hyun-do's Chairman Jeong Moon-ju. I could picture the taunts he'd face without even seeing them if Jeong Hae-won excelled.
"Oh, right! And Nongwon wants to meet you."
"Huh? Nongwon?"
"From what I gather, they're curious who created Hansung's ramen. What say you?"
Hmm, do I really need to go? Who was it that said to hide at least 30% of your true strength? I had no interest in losses. No reason for it, either.
"But they said this: if you agree, they'll cover our supply shortages."
"What?"
"Hohoho, our granddaughter got outplayed this time."
"..."
Developing a blockbuster and selling tons was great, but we had no more production capacity. Newspapers even reported hoarders snapping up Hansung ramen. Proof that my creation had rocked the nation.
They must've seen the news and made their move.
Probably spot on. Whoever it was, they'd shaken the board with their own clever ploy.
"I'll meet them."
"You will?"
"Yeah. Got something to say."
"What?"
"Dream on. Hehe~"
"Kuhahaha! That's my granddaughter, worthy of Han Sung-cheol. Once you let them lead once, it's easy the second time—or so they'll think."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind, Grandpa."
"Good. Have Woo Manager schedule it. Prepare thoroughly."
Leaving Grandpa's study, I clenched my tiny fists tight. The day of reckoning was finally approaching.
***
In a Western-style restaurant in Seoul, Seo Ji-eun gave her appearance a final check while awaiting Hansung's guest.
"Uncle, what do you think Hansung's monster is like?"
"Hm, probably someone like Dr. Lee—white-haired and elderly. That level of knowledge and experience takes time. Definitely not Director Lee Jeong-hoon."
"Yeah, makes sense."
Just days ago, they'd secretly tailed Hansung's only daughter, but neither believed the granddaughter was the monster. She was only six. A six-year-old kid running a massive corporation? Pfft!
The heiress seemed like a big clue, but strikeout...
Knock knock!
About ten minutes later, a knock sounded, and a massive shadow filled the small room.
"Y-you're Hansung Group's Woo Manager?"
It was none other than Hansung Group's Strategic Planning Director, Woo Manager. Seo Ji-eun's voice trembled as she asked,
"You're Hansung's monster?"
"Seems like a big misunderstanding. I'm just here escorting the young miss."
"Huh? Y-young miss? What does that—"
"Were you looking for me?"
"...!"
A petite shadow stepped forward from behind Woo Manager. Hair neatly combed back. A prim dress fitting her perfectly, accented by a white lace collar. Wrinkle-free knee socks and glossy black shoes. Not a single flaw in her outfit.
Above all...
"Hello? I'm Han Seoyeon from Hansung Food. You wanted to meet me?"
"Wh-what? You're Hansung's monster?"
"Huh? Hansung's monster? Me?"
"N-no way! So the monster who's been toying with us all this time... was you?!"
Incomprehensible words poured from Seo Ji-eun's mouth like an avalanche. She looked deranged.
"Wh-wha...? S-six years old...? Hansung Jjapaghetti...? Haeguri...? Hansung Clear Noodles...? Made by a pint-sized kid...?"
Finally, clutching her head, she collapsed to the floor. She stared blankly into space, as if her soul might flee any second.
"M-me? Toyed with by a kid like that all this time? Our Nongwon...?"