Traitor's Reeducation
Do the exact opposite of what Cha Do-yeon does, and you'll become filthy rich. That saying had been floating around the internet as a joke.
It wasn't entirely wrong. Born with a golden spoon as the heir to Korea's top corporation, he'd trashed the company image like a wild dog before even inheriting a dime, making him the most distant from succession despite being the only son. He was the kind of trash that shattered the curse that even ruined rich families last three generations. Well, to be precise, just doing the opposite wouldn't necessarily make you rich. A better correction would be: "You can at least prevent squandering the fortune and total humiliation."
Anyway, that summed up the public's image of Cha Do-yeon. My personal assessment of him wasn't much different from the general view. Like his sisters treating him like a total fuck-up, I'd subtly shit-talked him too. While pretending to offer loyalty by his side, I'd cursed him inwardly for not even holding onto his own share and ruining the company. His habit of always having some girl on his arm was pathetic from my all-knowing vantage point.
...No, it had been pathetic.
It hadn't been long. I'd only quit spying on Cha Do-yeon for her a few weeks ago.
This can't be real...
But every day, checking the news sent chills down my spine. Was this actually possible? Reality? I'd pinch my cheeks, and they'd just sting. An unprecedented bull market. And the outdated coin Cha Do-yeon had been obsessed with was skyrocketing like mad. Plus, all the stocks he was suspected of snapping up were hitting absurd all-time highs.
Bzzz! Bzzz!
Hwaryeong Group Second Daughter, Cha Hwa-ryeon
While scanning news in the company office, my boss urgently summoned me. After years under her, it was fine to call her my owner. She loved top-down orders and would make you wait days for direct access, so her calling me straight was obvious without looking.
After steeling myself, I picked up—
"Get your ass to the conference room NOW!"
If I hadn't pulled the phone away in time, my eardrum would've burst. The one-sided command, raw with emotion, cut off immediately.
"Hoo..."
I sighed, left the office, and took the employee-only elevator. It went straight to the top-floor president's office, where a crowd of suited middle-aged men waited grimly like they were leaving a funeral.
-......
Every face looked like death. The execs—executive directors and above—must've been reamed out already in the conference room; their expressions were dark. You could guess the massive losses from this mess. I passed them by. They probably knew our connection in passing, but I checked for prying eyes before entering the conference room alone.
Crash!
The moment I entered, a glass flew and shattered by my feet. Shards scattered, but my stockings protected me.
"You! You fucking bitch!"
"......"
Crude insults right off the bat. Her wording showed just how pissed she was. Cha Hwa-ryeon had one of her usual neat bun strands undone, like a disheveled doughnut. The woman who always prized her unique style and chaebol elegance was screaming emergency with her whole body.
"Hwa-ryeon, calm down first."
"C-Calm...?!"
Crash! Another crystal glass shattered by my other foot as I tried to intervene. All top-shelf stuff for Cha Hwa-ryeon, but pocket change she wouldn't miss now. Not with massive losses piling up in real time.
"Didn't you see the news?! B-Bitcoin's rising... We shorted Hwaryeong Card, but with Bitcoin pumping, do you know how much we're on the hook for now...?"
"......"
Unimaginable losses, no doubt. The company had swung hard intentionally and whiffed spectacularly—the amount had to be enormous. The bigger the bet, the deeper the minus dragging them down.
Cha Do-yeon's holdings, Hwaryeong Card, had been scraping bottom until recently. Separate from performance, it was tainted by "Cha Do-yeon" as owner, and rumors of him going all-in on Bitcoin had investors fleeing en masse.
Spreading that issue? None other than Cha Hwa-ryeon's backers. They'd deliberately worsened the shit-stained company image to send Cha Do-yeon to rock bottom and snatch it easy. And now, that was the biggest problem.
Cha Do-yeon had bought Bitcoin in bulk, and its surge rocked the stock market too. Our side blasted articles loud enough for the neighborhood to hear, amplifying the fallout. A dying stock exploding 30% daily. Holding would've been a simple 119.7% gain. But if you'd shorted with put options instead?
Bang!
"Our options turned into debt we have to repay in a flash... Not a small sum—it's turning into a fucking anchor weighing us down!"
"I know."
I offered bland comfort, like I understood, then cautiously continued.
"But blaming me now won't change anything."
"Won't change?! You fed us all the intel! Don't play dumb!"
As expected, Cha Hwa-ryeon pinned it on me. I'd just passed on what my intel sources said, but she made me her punching bag. Petty tail-cutting, but I stayed cool to the end.
"As I mentioned before, I didn't recommend shorting."
"......"
"Even without hasty measures, the company size gap meant we could've media-played when Cha Do-yeon tripped himself up."
"That's exactly what we did!"
"No, Bitcoin... it was more unknown than a weakness. And going as far as shorting was overreach. Better to scoop up the dipped stock with media play, secure shares, rally shareholders, and pressure them."
No matter how much she reamed her spy-me for the info, it didn't change her massive blunder. From a chaebol second-gen like Cha Hwa-ryeon's view, grilling a mere salarywoman like me yielded nothing.
"Fuck, fuck...!"
Not an idiot, she bit her nails. No amount of venting would fix this disaster—she ruffled her hair wildly.
"If I may overstep, whatever the amount, cutting losses now would be..."
"Are you nuts?!"
Her sharp glare; I calmly replied, "No, I think cutting now, while there's a chance, is right. Because the crypto market's on an endless uptrend, and Cha Do-yeon... went all-in with leverage."
"......!"
"If it keeps rocketing, dipping wrong could saddle the company with crushing debt."
Cha Hwa-ryeon didn't know where to look. She paced 8-figures on the trashed conference carpet.
"We need to act before it's too late."
"......Get out."
"But—"
"Fuck off! I need to think!"
"......Understood."
I bowed and left. Backing out without turning my back, I softly closed the door.
"Hoo..."
Outside, I slumped against the door, exhaling heavily. Bullshit. Getting scorched for no reason pissed me off. I was used to the chaebol family's dirty cleanup thanks to the third waste, but undeserved suspicion crushed my mental game most.
A bit rattled from the hit, but Cha Hwa-ryeon wasn't bad. Strip the arrogance and over-awareness of others, and she was the most reasonable among the chaebol siblings. Not top for stable mid-tier sailing in the family, but solid. This play too—gradually cornering Cha Do-yeon's affiliate, the family's sorest thumb—was good strategy. Just the hasty kill-shot was rushed. Not a bad call otherwise.
Except the enemy hit all-in perfectly.
Was it... intentional?
Reviewing lately, the intel I'd pulled was scattered. Cha Do-yeon's leaks mixed sweet honey with total bullshit. Excluding dead stocks, he'd only touted volatile ones. Like mixing truth with lies to confuse our intel.
Did Cha Do-yeon really change that much?
Having watched him up close for so long, I'd killed expectations for the impossible fuck-up in days. Reformation seemed impossible.
But if that trash really changed...?
Fixed ideas made me resist admitting it. But coldly? He'd landed a proper counterpunch on a bigger company. And if Bitcoin really pierced the sky? Massive gains this time.
He'd forged the powerful weapon 'capital' his father denied him.
"......"
I found myself staring at Hwaryeong Group Heir, Cha Do-yeon in my contacts. Biting my lip, agonizing over and over.
Her past advice to me. I'd dismissed it as arrogant then, but now it stabbed like a dagger, as if foreseeing today. Seeing Cha Hwa-ryeon freak out, this hit hard. I'd built trust doggedly, but bigger losses might make her doubt and sideline me.
Grit...
Then, shouldn't I carve my own path? Maybe the tightrope of my life. If that fuck-up really changed, better move now.
Bluntly, I craved success. Why else would a top-grad early grad grovel like a servant at chaebol feet?
"Yes, young master. This is U Mi-ae. If you're free, I have something to discuss in person..."
I hated failure. Didn't want a mediocre end.
* * *
"Yeah, long time no see?"
"......"
The former driver who'd shown up at my house quick. I smirked at the prodigal returning after haughty departure in mere weeks; she averted her eyes to the floor. Like reflecting on her past, head bowed low.
My home. Bitcoin boom kept me swamped, so I'd told her evening here; she'd waited in the underground garage.
"Welcome... young master."
Seeing me, she bowed her neck like old times. Said she'd waited since the call, showing effort, even brought a modest gift like begging a favor. Desperate to seem changed. Like a puppy who'd strayed and suffered.
Swish...
Inside, I loosened my stuffy tie and clothes. U Mi-ae snatched them up like imperial robes.
Nice~ Classic opportunist pivot.
Her transparent motives shone. Ambitious, quick-calculating go-getter, thirsting for success.
"So why're you back?"
"P-Pardon...?"
"Why return after sucking my spine dry? Stocks booming, company turning, so this fuck-up looks different now?"
"......"
Silence hit the mark. Dropping the pretense, her honesty appealed more.
"C-Can I ask one... thing?"
"Shoot."
"How did you know the crypto market would turn bullish?"
Had to be her top question. Even blabbing media wanted to ask.
"Just luck."
I shrugged it off lazily as luck. Who'd believe the possessed future-man spiel? Condensed it.
"I see..."
"What? Disappointed it's no deep analysis or superpower?"
"N-No! Just admiring your gutsy bet, young master..."
"Why the fake humility after ditching the mask? Circling like a bat, ready to flip again?"
Silence. U Mi-ae didn't deny it.
Thud!
Instead, she used my words as momentum, prostrating gracefully before me. Skirt hiked, she groveled desperately at my feet.
"Young master, I apologize for deceiving you before and overstepping. Words can't be unsaid, time unturned—I know. But I won't flip-flop. Give me one more chance...!"
She bared her belly honestly. After haughty loyalty talk, one Bitcoin flipped her.
Snicker. Her reaction amused me.
"Hey, your knees hurt. Stand up."
"Young master, please... I never knew your ambition ran this deep."
"Stand, I said."
"Reevaluate my worth."
"Don't worry. I rate our Mi-ae pretty high."
"......!"
She snapped her head up at that. Eyes pleading, gazing up with hope.
Not empty words.
Just an 'opportunist' trait, but among my elites, this young woman topped them. Plus, that ambition-fueled drive. U Mi-ae wasn't some drone. A true ambitionist aching to etch her name in this dynastic biz world. That obsession was her biggest weapon.
"Still, after our last, show some real sincerity and loyalty."
"......!"
Click.
I unbuckled my belt in one go. Pants dropped by gravity; I revealed my slightly stiffening cock to the traitor bitch. Thrust it erect before her.
"Now, prove your submission to this young master properly."
"......"
U Mi-ae knelt, staring up at the cock she'd scorned. Her throat bobbed as saliva swallowed, watching it swell huge.