TOIGC 57

Chapter 57 …

Luxuries (1)

“Oppa! Oppa!”

The moment Yoongi stepped into the foyer after returning from school, his younger sister, Jeongah, came sprinting over and latched onto his leg.

“Well, if it isn’t our little Jeongah.”

Seeing his adorable little sister, Yoongi scooped her up into a high lift.

“Kwahahaha!”

hoisted up far higher than her own height, Jeongah let out a cheerful laugh, wrapping her tiny hands and slender arms around her older brother’s head until Yoongi could barely see in front of him.

“Oh, my goodness, Jeongah. Careful now, you’re going to make your oppa trip.”

As their grandfather, Choi Kihyeon, stepped in and tried to peel Jeongah away from Yoongi, a full-blown wail echoed through the living room.

“Uwaaaaaah!”

At Jeongah’s flood of genuine tears, Kihyeon frantically waved both hands in the air, repeating over and over that he wasn’t going to pull her away. Only then did Jeongah switch back into a bright, beaming smile as if she’d never been crying at all, immediately resuming her clingy grip on Yoongi.

“Jeongah, oppa just needs to go wash his hands real quick.” “No!”

Carefully setting his pouty little sister down on the sofa, Yoongi gave her head a gentle pat.

“I just don’t want to touch Jeongah with dirty hands, that’s all. Sound fair?” “Mm-mhm… okay!”

While Yoongi flashed a soft, amused smile at his sister and headed toward the bathroom, Kihyeon shuffled over to Jeongah.

“So, my little Jeongah, want to play with Grandfather while oppa washes his hands?” “No! I’m playing with oppa!”

Jeongah’s rejection was so absolute and unyielding that it felt like solid iron, leaving Kihyeon with a somewhat wounded expression.

“Phew… just last year, I was the absolute favorite…”

As Kihyeon clicked his tongue in mock dismay, Park Yeonji offered a warm smile as she handed over a cup of green tea on a tray.

“It’s just because you’re so busy and often away, Father. Even when Yoongi has work to do, he mostly handles it right here at home.” “I suppose so… but I honestly don’t know whether I should be glad the siblings are so close, or sad that my granddaughter keeps pushing her granddad further and further away.” “Oh, come on, as if Jeongah hates you. Before Yoongi gets home from school, isn’t she trailing after you every single second? She just likes Yoongi a bit more; she certainly doesn’t dislike you. Want me to prove it?” “How?”

At Kihyeon’s prompt as he took a sip of green tea, Yeonji beamed, stepped in front of Jeongah, and crouched down to eye level.

“Jeongah, how would you feel if Grandfather went and lived by himself in a different house?”

Just a moment earlier, Jeongah had been smiling brightly while staring toward the bathroom, but her lower lip instantly began to tremble as tears welled up in her eyes. In other words, about three seconds away from a full meltdown.

True to her seasoned motherly instincts, however, Yeonji quickly kept talking.

“You like Grandfather, don’t you?” “Yeah, I like him!”

Seeing Jeongah reply with a bright smile, Kihyeon’s mouth stretched from ear to ear.

“Then out of Grandfather and oppa, who do you like better?” “Oppa!”

Without even a single second of hesitation, Jeongah delivered her verdict. Kihyeon clicked his tongue again, and seeing his reaction, Yeonji burst into a soft chuckle.

“See? She definitely doesn’t hate you. She just loves her oppa more.” “I mean, I’m glad she loves him, but… why does it somehow feel like I just lost?” “Because you did.”

The sight of Yeonji covering her mouth to laugh made her look less like a timid newlywed and more like a deeply mature, confident daughter-in-law.

“You’ve really earned your stripes as a seasoned daughter-in-law over the years. The old you would never have said something like that… Though I suppose it’s already been over fifteen years since you joined the family, hasn’t it?” “Oh, Father, please. I’ll be forty before you know it.”

Park Yeonji, who shielded her mouth as she giggled, was actually in her late thirties. Yet judged purely by her appearance, she still retained the youthful glow of someone barely past thirty.

“Who on earth would believe you’re turning forty anytime soon? Just look at Colson—it’s clear that side of the family has elite anti-aging genetics running right through it.” “You’re too kind, Father. You look remarkably youthful yourself.” “It’s not about having a youthful face in our family; it’s about having youthful mechanics. Not the skin, but the body itself staying young.” “Youthful face or youthful body, isn’t the important thing that you look young?”

An effortless, comfortable banter between a father-in-law and his daughter-in-law was hardly common in this era, but here, it felt completely natural.

Click-!

The bathroom door swung open, and the moment Yoongi walked out, Jeongah hopped up from the sofa and bolted back toward him. Yoongi scooped her up, carried her back to the couch, and set her down on his lap before diving into all sorts of playful games.

Things like “peek-a-boo” that were way past a four-year-old’s developmental stage. Yet it was painfully obvious that both Yoongi and Jeongah were having the time of their lives just looking at each other.

“Still, I’m just glad those kids inherited good genetics. Imagine if they got stuck with the bad ones—Jeongah might’ve ended up with a tough, rugged face, and Yoongi could’ve looked like some awkward, uncanny-valley foreigner.” “That’s just because you and their father built up plenty of good karma. Speaking of which, should I bring up the topic of a third child with the kids’ father?” “Don’t even start. You’re getting up there in years, Mother—having another one now would just wear you out.”

At his father-in-law’s thoughtful concern, Park Yeonji covered her mouth and smiled. Watching her for a moment, Kihyeon shifted his gaze to Yoongi, a hint of curiosity creeping into his tone.

“Every time I watch the way Yoongi treats Jeongah, it feels like I’m looking right in a mirror. Most boys his age are awkward and distant because of puberty, but whenever he looks at Jeongah or plays with her, he’s constantly melting into a soft puddle of ‘oh, my little sweetie’—it’s my spitting image, I swear.” “Well, of course he is, seeing as he takes after you, Father.” “No, I don’t mean he looks like me, I mean he acts like an old soul…” “Which means he takes after you, Father.” “Now hold on a minute, Mother…?” “Hahahahaha.”

Naturally, the lively conversation between grandfather and mother drifted right into Yoongi’s ears, especially since they were all sharing the same living room. Yet Yoongi didn’t bother altering his behavior to match their commentary, happily continuing his playful session with Jeongah for a good long while.

<Feel a dad like yet?> ‘Sure do.’

At Deokbae’s remark, Yoongi fired back an immediate confirmation.

<That I a but context, dangerous enough. feels fine is kid like little of out own sister slightly statement suppose treating your> ‘No… you really didn’t need to add that commentary…’ ‘My bad, my bad. But hey, what can you expect? Out of nearly two hundred years of life, I haven’t even spent half of it properly communicating with people. Cut me some slack.’ ‘Sigh.’

Knowing there was no genuine malice behind it, Yoongi just let it slide and looked back down at Jeongah with a soft smile.

‘She really is adorable.’

Back when he was living his life in his forties, seeing families walking around with a son and daughter had genuinely made him envious. Seeing kids with bright, sunny smiles always looked like the picture of true happiness—a dream he could never achieve back then.

Things were completely different now, though. While building his own family would still require more time down the road, he was currently living out a thorough, satisfying proxy-satisfaction through Jeongah. Yoongi poured out the kind of devoted affection a father would give his daughter, and naturally, Jeongah adored him for it. While both her grandfather and father showered her with love, having an older brother who spent an overwhelming amount of time at home made him her favorite person right after mom.

He was handsome, wealthy, and treated her like a princess. It looked like Yoongi would never have to worry about hearing his little sister snap, “Ugh, oppa is gross,” during her future teenage rebellion phase.

“Oh dear, looks like Jeongah’s getting sleepy.”

Park Yeonji scooped up the softly dozing Jeongah and tiptoed into the master bedroom, leaving Kihyeon and Yoongi alone in the living room.

“How’s the business coming along lately?”

In an instant, the atmosphere in the living room shifted.

“Thanks to you, Grandfather, and my parents, everything is going exceptionally well.”

At Yoongi’s textbook response, Kihyeon offered a dry, wry smile.

“Come now, you know that’s not the kind of answer I was looking for.”

Sitting in the premier single-armchair that doubled as a throne of authority, Kihyeon took a sip of his green tea, leaving Yoongi to wear a puzzled look.

“No, really, I’m only standing here because of Grandfather and Father. If it weren’t for the two of you, the department store’s opening would’ve been delayed by at least five years, if not more.”

Running the math on the capital required for construction alongside his own asset management strategy, Yoongi had genuinely arrived at that five-year figure.

“Is that so…?” “Yes. The original plan was to launch construction aiming for a grand opening next autumn, but my foresight was lacking. Of course, my life wouldn’t have been ruined even if the department store opened a few years later, but having your and my parents’ backing was the decisive factor in letting us bulldoze ahead according to the original plan.”

Yoongi stood up from his seat, bent forward at a ninety-degree angle, and spoke in a deeply respectful tone.

“Thank you. Being born as your grandson is the greatest stroke of luck in my entire life.”

Even knowing it was blatant flattery being painted directly onto his face, Kihyeon found his grandson’s words utterly endearing.

Back when Chulmin used to suck up to me, it felt like my whole body was breaking out in hives, but whenever Yoongi pulls this, my mouth just splits wide open in a grin.

Understandably so, because there’s a vast gulf of difference between genuine sincerity and transparent brown-nosed flattery.

“So, is it safe to assume there are virtually no capital issues at the moment?” “Yes. As things stand, I don’t foresee any roadblocks caused by financial shortages. When I think about my uncles, aunts, and their respective spouses, I am all the more determined to make this venture an absolute success.” “If you’ve got that kind of mindset, I’m relieved.”

In practical terms, a vast majority of Kihyeon’s liquid assets—including heavy cash reserves—had effectively been advance-inherited by Yoongi.

Even with Kihyeon wielding absolute, uncontested power within the household, such a heavy-handed privilege could easily have bred bitter resentment among the other family members. However, the massive crisis previously stirred up by his second uncle, Choi Chulmin, had primarily absorbed that initial backlash.

While a secondary wave of quiet grumblings had attempted to bubble up later on, Choi Chulkyu securing lucrative privileges through Yoongi caused the other relatives to pivot away from hostility and toward winning Yoongi’s favor instead. Yoongi, for his part, had successfully consolidated public sentiment by embracing them in return.

Consequently, Kihyeon could rest easy watching his grandson’s moves, while Yoongi enjoyed a smooth, stable life backed by both active and passive support from every corner of the household.

“What always fascinates me about you is where on earth you keep pulling these talented people from. What was his name again, Fernandez? I had a capable fellow sent over from the trading company to speak with him, and he told me the man is exceptionally competent.” “That’s mostly thanks to Grandfather and Maternal Grandfather, too. If I hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in my mouth, how on earth would I have ever gotten the chance to go to America and seize investment opportunities?”

At his grandson’s words, Kihyeon smiled broadly while shaking his head.

“No need to be overly humble. No matter what kind of spoon you’re born with, if you lack the personal competence, this era is still harsh enough that a spoiled heir can easily crash the whole family fortune. You saw what happened with Chulmin, didn’t you?”

Nodding in full agreement, Yoongi acknowledged his grandfather’s point.

“I’ll keep that firmly in mind.”

From the 2010s onward, the solidification of permanent wealth became deeply entrenched. Working twenty grueling years to climb to a general manager position at a major conglomerate only netted around 2.5 to 3 billion won in savings—factoring in living expenses, even making the leap from dirt-poor to middle-class silver spoon became an impossible feat.

Conversely, Yoongi had witnessed countless times through his life in his forties how chaebol heirs who repeatedly drove their business ventures into the ground still managed to inherit their corporate empires completely unscathed, without a single scratch on them.

However, this was the 1980s. Understanding the underlying wisdom behind his grandfather’s words, Yoongi nodded sincerely, locking the advice deep in his heart.

“Now that I think about it, I heard the exterior construction of the department store is nearly finished, which means the interior work will be kicking off soon. That fellow Fernandez you mentioned earlier specializes in that sort of thing, right?” “Yes, exactly. It’s about time we start prepping the brand roster and merchandise lineups to be stocked inside the store.” “Which means you’ll probably be tied up with a mountain of meetings, won’t you?” “Since I can’t leave everything up to other people’s sole discretion, my workload is bound to swell quite a bit.”

Hearing his reply, Kihyeon nodded and spoke in a tone that suggested he had reached a definitive decision.

“From now on, use my home study as your official conference room.”