Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: I Caused Trouble (2)
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Hong Gi-jun didn't even place bets when playing baduk or golf with his subordinates, saying he didn't want to burden them. There were already so many executives playing reception baduk anyway, which killed the fun, and he remarked how much pressure it would put on them if they wagered anything.
So maybe that's why he preferred hanging out with Jin-hyuk, who never yielded even a single point.
"Kehem! What kind of bet?"
Son Gwang-yeon choked on his beer at the sudden proposal and thumped his solar plexus.
"Like the number of Olympic medals, overall rankings, or the events where gold medals come out."
"What bet? You're the one who doesn't even like that stuff."
"It's just for fun. It'd be great to watch the Olympics together when the kids come down for break."
Jin-hyuk racked his brain for memories of the Barcelona Olympics but came up blank. A gold in the marathon? Archery was always strong, so probably there too. He really had no information. He'd memorized books, delivered newspapers, and spent his nights in an attic without a TV reading more books.
If only I'd known the world back then.
Come to think of it, why hadn't he ever thought of escaping? The reason was obvious, but if he'd understood how the world worked, couldn't he have played it smart?
Hong Gi-jun snapped Jin-hyuk out of his reminiscence.
"Jin-hyuk, you wanna join?"
Staring into Hong Gi-jun's gleaming eyes, Jin-hyuk thought to himself.
That confident look.
Could Chairman Hong Gi-jun have returned too?
He might be betting with foreknowledge of the results. Was he really trying to get revenge on my past self for never losing a single game of baduk or golf to the Sein Group chairman? Even without info, Jin-hyuk wasn't an idiot. Taking a bet like that against him would be foolish.
As Jin-hyuk opened his mouth, resolved.
"I..."
"Yeah. Do it. Dad'll chip in some money."
Oh boy.
When Dad got this excited, Jin-hyuk had no choice. He had to play along.
To keep it simple, they settled on guessing the overall ranking.
"I'll go with 10th! We got 4th last time, so at least that much."
Hong Gi-jun claimed 10th.
Jin-hyuk let out a silent sigh. Ah, must've been 10th in Barcelona. With that confidence, maybe the old man did know the future. He wanted to ask if he'd returned from the past, but Hong Gi-jun was tough to approach.
A bit uncomfortable.
Even normal people had those shackle-like figures in their lives. For Jin-hyuk, it was his adoptive family—and Hong Gi-jun. Because he was the boss.
"Then I'll take 6th."
"6th? Overseas games—think we can pull it off?"
"Dunno. Can't be below you."
Dad was always a little odd. Even his betting reasons were weird.
Hong Gi-jun eyed Jin-hyuk with shining anticipation.
"Jin-hyuk?"
"I..."
Jin-hyuk wrote the number 8 on Hong Gi-jun's notepad.
"Oho, pretty high. The rich kid's optimistic? Mind sharing your reasoning?"
"Just..."
Saying he didn't remember would sound weird to anyone. Claiming he picked between 6 and 10 felt too lame. Putting it above Dad's would make him seem like a jerk. Anyway.
"Me..., but what's the prize?"
"How about your dad's land?"
"Why're you putting my land up as collateral?!"
Jin-hyuk totally got Dad's outburst.
Dad took land seriously, and Hong Gi-jun had crossed the line.
He nodded in support of Dad, narrowing his eyes at Hong Gi-jun.
Is this old guy a regressor gunning for Dad's land?
No way. Chairman Hong Gi-jun had zero interest in real estate.
Probably the influence of his father-in-law, the previous chairman.
Son Gwang-yeon stepped in to sort it out.
"Just make it money."
"Wouldn't that put Jin-hyuk at a disadvantage?"
"I've got about a million won."
Dad's eyes went wide.
The look screamed, When did he save that much?
"School savings from graduation, plus the allowance you gave me—adds up to that."
"Perfect! One million, all in!"
Hong Gi-jun bellowed like he was declaring it official.
Mentioning a million didn't mean wagering the whole amount, though.
Jin-hyuk was a guy too, but adult male psychology was beyond him.
He might end up losing every penny he'd diligently saved since elementary school.
Whatever. Not like they're strangers—if my people are having fun.
If he needed allowance, he'd just hit up Mom. She was the biggest cash holder in the family.
"Hey, make it ten million. I said I'd chip in."
Dad's bombshell made Jin-hyuk's eyes bulge.
Ten million right now—what the hell was that? A full ten mil? His sense of value short-circuited.
"You serious?"
Hong Gi-jun, pulling a check from his wallet, looked shocked too.
Son Gwang-yeon was a heavyweight drinker—not the type for empty talk. Even buzzed, his head stayed clear.
Jin-hyuk tried to read Dad's intentions.
But gamblers never give you time to think, as always.
"Fine then! Thinks Son Gwang-yeon’s the only real man? I've got balls too!"
Why brag about his balls at a time like this?
In his past life, they hadn't been that impressive. Age had shriveled them up. Being young now, maybe they had more heft and volume.
Men.
Anyway, the unexpected gamble sparked by the kid-at-heart and immature duo was sealed just like that.
With Yu-jin starting to nod off, Jin-hyuk headed home first.
Giving Hong Gi-jun a suspicious side-eye.
Suspicious.
The moment he got home, Jin-hyuk washed Yu-jin's face and hands with warm water. He cleaned her neck and ears too, and even cleared her nose.
"Hng!"
Sniff-.
She had every right to fuss after being jolted awake from dozing for a face wash, but Yu-jin obediently followed her big brother's lead. Such a sweet little sister.
"Aigoo, good girl."
"Ehehe, I'm good, right?"
She seemed to wake for a second, then conked out soundly again.
Always so pure. Jin-hyuk tucked Yu-jin into Mom's room and headed back out.
While strolling the neighborhood with General, he sorted through his suspicions of Hong Gi-jun.
It was purely about the Olympics bet. Nothing else sketchy.
"Hey, General. Don't you think that old guy's suspicious?"
Hehehek-? General just tilted his head.
Damn dog, quit it. Jin-hyuk sighed.
The head tilt almost seemed to say he wasn't suspicious.
Gotta probe soon.
What should he ask?
How to phrase it without causing a misunderstanding?
Ah, what a strangely hard uncle to get close to.
He always stuck to Dad whenever he visited, so that made sense.
The two-ri area offered endless outdoor fun for grown men. Summers meant mudflats and cool mountain hikes; winters, digging arrowroot or hunting mountain rabbits and raccoons for that predator thrill. Hong Gi-jun had followed Son Gwang-yeon's lead every vacation to the sea and mountains—family be damned.
Slowly, properly dig into it.
Being in a teen body sure brought on a lot of overthinking.
The next day.
Having finished his morning workout early, Jin-hyuk waited for Chae Gyu-ho in the classroom.
He spotted Park Yong-seok lurking outside, waiting for Chae Gyu-ho.
What was that punk's role? Recruiting victims, probably.
How to handle this.
He ruled out reporting to a teacher.
The ecology of the teacher world was predictable—especially in this era.
They'd ignored his abuse even after learning about it. Teachers didn't meddle in student squabbles back then.
If there's an incident, they'll probably just beat the troublemakers.
No matter how many delinquencies piled up, teachers acted like NPCs in a game. "Building a better world together," they'd say—but the poor, weak victims weren't part of that "together." Corporal punishment was reserved for minor hellraisers. The real problem kids? They didn't dare touch them.
Jin-hyuk steeled his resolve.
Minors the law can't punish.
There was Chae Gyu-ho, talking to Park Yong-seok.
I'm a minor too.
Chae Gyu-ho came dashing into the classroom.
He never skipped the full report to his reliable class rep—and surprisingly, no stuttering this time.
"Class rep! That guy's demanding money! Told him to cough up yesterday's cash, but he says he doesn't need it—he wants interest!"
A rat-shit kid daring to extort my desk mate?
Little punks playing cards for cash in the sacred school?
He kept it inside. But Jin-hyuk shot to his feet, cursing inwardly.
His blank expression cracked open sphinx-like.
"You. Come here."
The words from Jin-hyuk's mouth struck like terror into any guilty soul.
Park Yong-seok, mid-stride to grab Chae Gyu-ho, flinched and stumbled back.
With the morning sun blocked behind him, Jin-hyuk loomed like a black grim reaper.
Eek, shit—scary as hell.
His shadow was too vast and dark to challenge.
Time to bolt.
Jin-hyuk checked the clock on the back wall.
About 20 minutes till class.
He gave chase after Park Yong-seok.
Son Gwang-yeon and Hong Gi-jun sat on the raised platform, enjoying a leisurely time.
A sweet sip of mix coffee under the zelkova tree with his buddy was pure bliss.
Son Gwang-yeon slurped his coffee while clutching a white stone.
"Ugh! Hot, shit—."
He rubbed his lips and glanced around to make sure his wife wasn't watching. Couldn't look uncool in front of Han Yu-young.
Pff pff pk— He smacked his lips repeatedly, then shot a look at the snickering Hong Gi-jun.
"How's the elder holding up?"
"Doing well. Calls me for baduk at the drop of a hat—so spry."
"Good to hear. But with two sons, he favors the son-in-law?"
"He dotes on his daughter. The brothers-in-law have no baduk talent."
Son Gwang-yeon knew Yu Myeong-seon, Hong Gi-jun's father-in-law and Sein Group chairman, quite well. The man had sponsored him as a homeless kid and quietly looked after him. "Well" didn't cover it. Still, he avoided meeting. After over ten years in seclusion, he had no face to show up now.
Hong Gi-jun, sensing that, probed gently.
"Ever think of going to pay respects?"
"Eh. What right do I have? You didn't mention me, right?"
"Mention what? I'm holding my tongue even though it's itching."
Hong Gi-jun muttered like a chant, eyes fixed on the baduk board.
"He doesn't ask about me?"
"What would he know to ask? I take detours every vacation in case of tails."
"Tails?"
"Chaebols' favorite trick. Got tailed plenty after marrying Se-ra. Vanished for ages, but since spring? Suspicious guys stuck back on."
He didn't know the purpose, but tails had definitely returned lately.
He'd wondered if it was affair suspicions, but they'd tailed him even with Yu Se-ra, so not just that. Couldn't straight-up ask his father-in-law, though. Hong Gi-jun chose honing his driving to shake them off.
"Still spot weirdos now and then. No clue what their game is."
"Not tails—maybe protection?"
"Well... could be."
Hong Gi-jun nodded. He didn't buy it, but hoped it eased his friend's mind. He wasn't the president—what hidden protection?
Son Gwang-yeon had just said it to comfort his friend. He didn't believe protection either. How many tails had followed him from childhood till uni graduation?
Chaebols...
A black stone dropped onto the board.
Hong Gi-jun clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Damn, Gwang-yeon—your game's sharper than ever? I train hard but can't win. No sparring partner—what's your secret?"
"Don't ask. Can't even beat Jin-hyuk once."
Son Gwang-yeon had been on a total losing streak since his son was nine.
Hong Gi-jun's eyebrow twitched meaningfully, then he burst into laughter.
"You've finally met your match! Uhahaha!"
"If we'd bet, Jin-hyuk would've snatched all my land—. Kkkk."
As the two friends laughed heartily, the door opened and Han Yu-young stepped out.
Her face drained of color, she trembled precariously as if she might collapse any second.
Son Gwang-yeon's body shot toward his wife like a colt stung by a bee. He adored her—no way he could ignore the ominous vibe.
"You okay?"
"Oppa...... Our Jin-hyuk..."
Han Yu-young's body finally crumpled to the ground.