Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: The Bamboo Foot Retreats (1)
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Pyeongchang-dong Mansion.
Kim Seong-hye, her face pale as a sheet, gnawed relentlessly at her nails.
To her, gripped by anxiety, the pretty nail art she'd so carefully applied meant nothing anymore.
"Cheongju-ssi... what should we do? What if something terrible's happened to our Seo-jun? What on earth should I do...."
"Nails ain't for eatin', ma'am. Don't do that, come on, have some food at least...."
Kim Seong-hye, who hadn't eaten a single meal all day, her mind consumed solely by worry for her only son.
She seemed half out of her mind already, showing no reaction even to Cheongju-ssi's empty words.
It had all started that morning during her usual call with Yoo Se-na about asset management.
‘...So, I'd like you to handle disposing of the real estate as you see fit. Oh, and the stocks I transferred to Seo-jun. How's the asset management going?’
‘We’re investing mainly in safe assets per the Strategy Director’s instructions. We’re yielding returns above market rates.’
‘I’ll trust you on that. By the way, has anything happened at the company? I heard there was a big commotion in the head office conference room...’
Kim Seong-hye, passing on rumors she'd overheard from the household drivers.
On the other end of the line, Yoo Se-na frowned, her head starting to throb.
Her young lord, whom she served, had certainly strode confidently into enemy territory.
But inside, Han Hwa-gi's sharp attacks were raining down unabated.
After much deliberation, she finally parted her lips to explain the situation to Kim Seong-hye.
‘...That’s how things stand, ma’am. But everything’s going according to plan, so please don’t worry too much.’
‘......’
‘Um... ma’am? You’re not saying anything. Is the connection bad...?’
From then until past lunchtime, Kim Seong-hye had been laid low by worry for her son.
Cheongju-ssi held out a glass of ice water to her, slumped against the chair.
"Drink this first, ma’am. Gotta put out the fire in your belly."
"What's the point of me drinking this... I don't even deserve it. A mom who can't help her own son."
"Oh dear, here we go again."
Kim Seong-hye stared blankly ahead, the focus in her eyes gone.
She knew Han Hwa-gi's nature all too well. Cold. Cautious. And cruel.
So if he was baring his fangs at her son in earnest, it meant he was dead set on cutting off his lifeline.
"Maybe I hoped for too much...."
Tears welled up in her eyes, swirling around.
Was it because of those tears?
For a brief moment, her hazy gaze sharpened, landing on a single photo hanging on one wall.
A family photo with the late chairman holding their son beside her—a picture of a family unqualified to be one.
"I wanted our Seo-jun to end up like you...."
Perhaps the tension from the shock had unraveled all at once, exhaustion crashing over Kim Seong-hye.
She seemed to doze off in the chair, her head nodding.
An unpleasant nightmare stole in like a thief, invading her mind in an instant.
Her only son, framed and thrown in prison. That horrific reality she could never allow flickered right before her eyes.
"No... our Seo-jun...!"
"Ma'am! Ma'am! Wake up, please!"
Fortunately, the nightmare didn't last long. It began fading, slipping away into the fog of memory.
Kim Seong-hye's eyes fluttered open at the sound of Cheongju-ssi's voice in her ear.
"Cheongju-ssi? What time is it...? No, what about Seo-jun? Any calls?"
"It's four in the afternoon, ma'am. No calls, but... here...."
Cheongju-ssi stepped aside.
Rubbing her eyes with her hand, Kim Seong-hye's blurred vision began to focus.
And there stood her son, looking just like her late husband—now deceased—standing tall and proper.
"Mom?"
"Seo-jun! What are you doing here at this hour? No, before that—what happened at the company?!"
Kim Seong-hye's voice was frantic.
She shot up from her seat and grabbed her son's hand in a rush.
The lingering afterimage of that strange nightmare she'd just had—now buried in memory—only heightened her panic.
"Our boy... what are we going to do."
"It's fine, Mom. You must've been really worried. No need to fret anymore."
In that moment, her son approached roughly and pulled her into a hug.
He patted her back with his calloused hand, reassuring her, then wiped the tears from her eyes as he spoke.
"It's okay, Mom. Everything worked out."
"What happened, Seo-jun?"
"Well... no time to explain in detail right now, but in short...."
-Han Seo-jun, you bastard! What are you dawdling for?! Get up here now!
Suddenly, Seo Taehu's sharp voice rang out from beyond the door. Her mother-in-law had apparently come home with him.
Her son made a face like he couldn't do anything about it. Resembling his father perfectly, he headed back out the door with a smile.
Leaving behind one parting word, like a gift.
"Looks like I'm gonna be the chairman, Mom."
* * * *
The second-floor study, where I'd been half-dragged in, was filled only with silence.
My grandmother sat rigidly. The empress of Ammunition Group had summoned me right after the group morning meeting ended, shoving me into the car without asking my opinion.
"......"
She hadn't uttered a single word on the drive home.
But... I knew. That tremor hidden in those blue eyes signaled she'd made some major decision.
"I'm ready whenever you're comfortable speaking."
I shrugged casually and flashed a wink, as if it were no big deal.
My grandmother looked exasperated. Her expression was sharp, like she wanted to snap at me, but she soon regained her composure.
After a long pause, the empress of Ammunition Group finally spoke.
"I've agonized over it for a while. What to do with you, Seo-jun."
A conclusion born of profound torment.
I opened my ears wide, listening intently to her words in earnest.
"Heir designation. It's not just about internal group matters. The clan association's pressure especially. However..."
She let out a light sigh, laden with multiple meanings.
In just half a day, she looked so much older, her graying hair swept back as she continued.
"The talent Ammunition Group needs right now... it's you."
"......!"
"We'll go by the rules. That's the right way. Next month's board meeting, I'll nominate you as the next chairman."
Chairman.
At those words placing Ammunition Group's crown upon my head, the hairs on my body stood on end.
Not the seat I'd cluelessly taken before regression, a puppet meat shield.
A position I'd proven with my own abilities and seized.
Finally... I'd brought it fully into my grasp.
"I'll spare no support I can offer. I only hope this choice proves right in the end."
"...Thank you for believing in me. I'll give it my all."
I rose immediately and bowed at a perfect right angle.
My fists clenched so tight my knuckles might burst. My head spun with indescribable joy.
This hard-won chance. I'd live without a shred of regret like before.
'Finally... finally....'
This moment I'd wept for from inside that frigid prison cell, beyond the bars.
My pounding heart proved this unbelievable reality was no dream.
"Ammunition Group. I'll make it the top company. Without fail."
Behind the throne, Seo Taehu—having finished her regency beyond the bamboo foot.
Even as a mere shadow in the light, her figure brimmed with satisfaction, bittersweet reluctance, and conviction in her choice.
"But one thing."
Her wrinkled hands gripped my shoulders firmly, Seo Taehu stepping down from the empress's seat.
Like an ice pick softened and melted in spring morning sun, my grandmother laid out a deeply human condition—a request.
"...There's one thing you must accept, Seo-jun."
* * * *
After sending her grandson out, Seo Taehu remained seated in the study, lost in thought.
The ticking clock hands seemed to summon memories of what had just transpired.
The heir designation she'd finally made. But she knew the backlash to follow would be fierce.
‘Your position is still weak, Seo-jun—that's the truth. One misstep, and internal strife could destroy you before you even unfold your ambitions. Do you agree?’
Her grandson—now heir—Han Seo-jun, who held back his words for a moment.
Had his sharp wit deserted him?
Despite her roundabout phrasing, he grasped the implication instantly.
‘It's Uncle's presence. No, does his wielding the blade on your behalf trouble you?’
‘...It's not just a mother-son issue, that's all I'll say.’
The foretold blood wind.
Those who held power's hilt never showed mercy to the losers.
Surely her own grandson was no different. Which meant... resistance from her youngest son for survival was inevitable.
‘Split the affiliates. Yield a few financial ones.’
‘You mean Ammunition Securities, Ammunition Casualty Insurance, and Ammunition Capital—the three?’
‘Include the card company and credit info firm too. That should... provide an escape route, so a cornered rat won't bite you.’
Her grandson pondered long.
Opening his closed eyes, he nodded, adding a cryptic remark.
‘Understood. If Uncle's satisfied with that, I'll hold off on what I planned next.’
Seo Taehu tilted her head back. Finishing her recollection, she let out a short groan.
"Hoo... I've done the best I could. Saved the group and spared my foolish son's lifeline too."
Seo Myung-hee, the Director, bowed her head. All she could do now was pray to some nameless god.
Hoping her youngest son would accept this decision fully and harbor no wayward thoughts.
"But to make that happen, first things first."
Seo Taehu bit her lower lip and picked up the phone.
The dial tone rang. At the end of that eternally stretched instant, a low voice finally reached her ear.
"Heh heh... Director? To what do I owe this call?"
"There's something urgent even the clan association needs to know. Better to tell the upper king first than the clan chairman directly."
"My boy's just incompetent, that's all. But what is it...?"
Seo Taehu, driving the nail into her decision.
But in that moment, she didn't know. What future this call would unleash.
"The successor has been decided. Han Seo-jun, Strategy Director. Board resolution coming soon."