TOIGC 66

Chapter 66 …

Red-Hot Treatment (1)

Returning to Korea with the triumphant air of a conquering general, Yoongi summoned Fernandez the moment he arrived and handed over the finalized roster of incoming brands. With that, interior construction at the department store immediately shifted into high gear, and Yoongi would frequently drop by to check on the progress.

It truly feels like they transplanted a piece of America or Europe right here.

If floors one through six felt like a standard, upscale department store you might easily find in the States or Europe, the seventh floor was an entirely different world. Stepping onto it felt exactly like walking straight into the Renaissance.

However, there was something else that brought Yoongi true joy every time he visited the department store. It was the sight of Choi Chul-min and Park Kyung-ja working themselves to the bone. Seeing them toil away occasionally served as the perfect energizer for Yoongi’s otherwise grueling, cutthroat schedule.

And today, it was guaranteed he’d experience that energizer twice over. When he returned home, Choi Chul-min and Park Kyung-ja were standing in front of the main gate, looking thoroughly haggard and anxious. Naturally, Yoongi intended to unlock the gate without offering them a single word, but the moment they dropped to their knees on the concrete, he was forced to turn his head.

“Yoongi, please forgive us…”

Tears were streaming down Choi Chul-min’s face. His skin had tanned to a deep bronze, and his body had grown fleshy and round. Yet, his utterly exhausted, sunken expression made it clear that while his nutrition might have been high in volume, it was completely devoid of actual quality.

“I don’t want to.”

At Yoongi’s deliberately spiteful retort, Park Kyung-ja lunged forward, feigning an attempt to cling to his leg while begging for mercy. Of course, Yoongi swiftly stepped back, leaving her sprawled flat on her face against the dirt in a deeply pathetic display.

“Yoongi, your aunt was so wrong. We should have never, ever done those things to you… Please… please, just forgive us. It’s too painful… How much longer do we have to live like this…?”

Turning his gaze toward Park Kyung-ja, Yoongi let out a soft, amused smile. It made sense; compared to how she used to look, Park Kyung-ja had changed drastically. Her skin, constantly soaked in the stifling, boiling humidity of the kitchen, had lost all its elasticity. Whether she had no money for cosmetics or simply no time, her face was completely bare of any makeup. Adding to that, her perm had unraveled so thoroughly it was impossible to tell when she last got it done, and the burn scars scattered across her arms were enough to bring a genuine smile to Yoongi’s lips.

“Yoongi, please…”

Despite Choi Chul-min—his belly protruding from a steady diet of cheap, low-grade calories fueled by hard labor—weeping bloody tears as he begged, Yoongi just kept smiling before turning his back and walking inside. Immediately, the sound of Choi Chul-min and Park Kyung-ja wailing hysterically echoed from beyond the gate, but it didn’t affect Yoongi in the slightest.

It’s a good thing Grandfather isn’t home today. If he heard them, it might have broken his heart.

Having been completely stripped of any influence or power within the household, Choi Chul-min and Park Kyung-ja had been reduced to a state where they couldn’t even time their pathetic stunts correctly.

Whether those tears are genuine or not is none of my concern. If the day ever comes when I decide to forgive them…

Yoongi figured the day he could look at their suffering and feel absolutely nothing—complete apathy—would be the day he finally forgave them. Of course, even Yoongi himself didn’t know when that day might come.

“I’m back.”

The moment he stepped inside and shut the front door, the obnoxious wailing was completely cut off by the thick walls and double-paned windows.

Should I feel disappointed, or relieved?

Watching his little sister Jung-ah come running excitedly at her brother’s return, Yoongi thought, Relieved, probably, and after playing with her for a bit, he headed toward his study.

“You’re here early. Secretary Ryu probably needs a bit more time before he can leave the office, so you could have taken your time coming over.”

At Yoongi’s remark, Choi Chul-gyu smiled and shook his head.

“It’s not just because of our meeting; there are so many books in here that I lose track of time once I start reading. I suppose that’s why I purposely come over early with time to spare.”

As always, Choi Chul-gyu delivered a textbook, perfect response. From a purely professional, social standpoint, arriving later than your boss for no special reason was never a good look. No matter how many times Yoongi told him to take his time, Choi Chul-gyu would likely never actually roll in late.

Come to think of it, if it were my brother-in-law, he might actually take me at my word and show up late.

Thinking of Cho Chung-woo, Choi Chul-gyu chuckled inwardly and resumed reading his book. Yoongi also pulled a book from the shelf, took a seat, and began to read. Constant self-improvement. No one knew better than Yoongi that no matter how much natural talent you possessed, you couldn’t move forward without consistent effort, and Choi Chul-gyu felt exactly the same.

No matter how competent I might be, I used to be nothing more than an assistant manager at a company barely scraping into the top 100 conglomerates. I have to keep studying. Otherwise, I’ll be left behind in the dust.

Choi Chul-gyu knew better than anyone that Yoongi’s ambitions wouldn’t end with just YK Department Store. That meant Yoongi’s inner circle would continually be filled with increasingly brilliant talent. Just looking at Fernandez right now proved that the man was unleashing capabilities far beyond anything Choi Chul-gyu had imagined.

The moment he arrived, Fernandez aggressively overhauled every customizable element of the store’s exterior. Regarding the interior, the seventh floor was being crafted to make visitors feel as if they were literally staring at Renaissance Europe. Not only that, but the skill levels of the construction crew from Kim Jung-sun’s office, grinding away under Fernandez’s direction, were skyrocketing. While they might not be on Fernandez’s level yet, when it came to building out the mini department store and the surrounding commercial infrastructure, their sheer competence made the title ‘pillars of industry’ feel like an understatement.

Unless Fernandez gets scouted elsewhere, he’ll likely be elevated to a secretarial tier soon enough. Before that happens, I need to solidify my foundation and build my own walls even higher…!

Gritting his teeth internally, Choi Chul-gyu’s focus reached an astonishing level, completely undisturbed even for quite some time after Ryu Geun-tae finally arrived.

Snap!

Startled out of his trance by the sound of snapping fingers right in front of his face, Choi Chul-gyu let out a sharp gasp and jerked his head up.

“Director Choi, your focus is seriously incredible. I’ve been here for ten minutes.”

Meeting Ryu Geun-tae’s grinning face, Choi Chul-gyu glanced at the clock and let out an embarrassed laugh.

“Ah, my apologies. I was completely oblivious.” “What book has you so captivated?”

At Ryu Geun-tae’s question, Choi Chul-gyu held up the cover. In that instant, Ryu Geun-tae thought, I need to buy a copy of that and read it, as he took a seat. Fundamentally, while Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-gyu were partners, they were also locked in a necessary, healthy rivalry.

“Secretary Ryu, do you have something to report?”

At Yoongi’s question, Ryu Geun-tae nodded.

“Yes, sir. I heard through my uncle that another department store has been under construction in the Yeouido area for a few months now.”

At Ryu Geun-tae’s words, Choi Chul-gyu nearly shot out of his chair. Spearheading the construction of high-end department stores was practically the defining spirit of YK Department Store; if another one popped up in Yeouido, it would severely dent that image. However, noting how remarkably calm Yoongi appeared, Choi Chul-gyu barely managed to mask his shock and waited quietly for Yoongi’s response.

“I assume you heard this from workers moving between different construction sites?” “That’s correct.”

Just as Ryu Geun-tae explained, many laborers in the construction industry drifted constantly from site to site. In YK Department Store’s case, workers tended to stick around once they started, meaning information leaks were near zero. However, drifters coming from other sites often spilled all sorts of rumors and intel. This time, one of the new hires at the YK site had started running his mouth, saying things like, “Hey, they’re building a department store over in Yeouido, too~,” and the gossip had eventually reached Kim Jung-sun’s ears.

“You can probably just ignore it.” “I-is that so?”

Caught off guard by Yoongi’s dismissive response, Ryu Geun-tae stuttered slightly.

“Yes. Actually, I already knew about it.” “Pardon?”

Inwardly, Choi Chul-gyu was grateful to Ryu Geun-tae. It felt like the secretary was voicing the exact shock he was holding in.

“A couple of months ago, not long after JSD was promoted, he reached out to me. He mentioned a department store was being built in Yeouido and asked if we needed to prepare countermeasures.” “Ah…!” “Honestly, it wasn’t even worth bringing up, so I didn’t mention it to either of you. Looking at their investors and financial backing, I don’t see them lasting very long.” “If you say so, Chairman, we will push the Yeouido department store to the bottom of our priority list.” “Please do.”

While Yoongi brushed it off casually in front of Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-gyu, he knew for a fact that the Yeouido department store was doomed to fail spectacularly and soon. After all, in his previous life before regression, he had seen exactly what happened to it—it claimed to be a department store, but in reality, it eventually devolved into a glorified, mixed-use shopping mall. Yoongi already knew exactly which department stores would survive to the bitter end in Korean society. Of course, those true giants wouldn’t launch until years after YK Department Store, and even when they did, in this timeline, they would have to navigate endless red tape and restrictions as long as the new military regime held power.

“Are there any other issues besides the Yeouido site?” “No, sir. Everything is running smoothly.”

At Ryu Geun-tae’s report, Yoongi nodded and finally revealed the reason he had called them both there today.

“Nothing major, just that… you two have been working under me longer than anyone else, haven’t you?”

Hearing this, both Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-gyu broke into smiles carrying a mix of emotions. It was a proud, slightly embarrassed, and deeply honored kind of smile.

“Secretary Ryu, have the stocks and land you’ve been buying appreciated well?”

Ryu Geun-tae bowed his head.

“Thanks to you, Boss, my future son is guaranteed to be born with at least a silver spoon in his mouth.” “You aren’t even married yet. Shouldn’t you start thinking about it soon?” “Ah, it’s not the right time yet. I’ll focus on supporting you to the absolute best of my abilities for now, and think about marriage later.”

Hearing that response, Yoongi briefly thought of Eleano before internally shaking his head—Probably not a match, right?—and smiled.

“Still, I can’t be the reason you never get married. If I come across a good match, I’ll keep my eyes open for you.”

Touched by Yoongi’s consideration, Ryu Geun-tae let out a bashful chuckle and scratched the back of his head, a sight that even made Choi Chul-gyu laugh.

“Uncle, since you haven’t been working here as long as Secretary Ryu, you probably haven’t had much of a chance to profit yet. You haven’t bought any land around Cheonggyecheon, and I imagine you’re completely in the dark about which stocks are worth buying?”

Choi Chul-gyu shook his head slightly.

“I haven’t bought any land, but every time Secretary Ryu buys American stocks, he gives me a tip, so I’ve been making a steady little profit.”

Realizing that his two closest aides weren’t engaged in cutthroat warfare but were maintaining a healthy, collaborative partnership, Yoongi smiled again.

“That’s a relief to hear. However, all that money is just secondary, side profit. Before YK Department Store officially launches, I figured it was time to give you both an interim bonus for all the work you’ve done so far.”

At Yoongi’s words, both Ryu Geun-tae and Choi Chul-gyu looked deeply moved. There were only two people in this room right now. No Fernandez, no Cho Chung-woo. This was Yoongi officially acknowledging the two men sitting in front of him as his undisputed right and left hands. Of course, both men had believed that to be the case as they worked, but hearing it directly from their boss’s mouth was undeniably touching.

“Chairman, knowing you think so highly of us, I don’t even know what to say. If I’ve had one stroke of ultimate luck in my life, it was receiving that dispatch order from the Group’s secretarial office.”

Not to be outdone, Choi Chul-gyu quickly chimed in.

“Should I just start calling you Chairman, too? For some reason, I’m really getting the urge to do so.”

Yoongi let out a soft laugh and shook his head.

“No, isn’t it better to keep things comfortably casual in private? Maybe if I get significantly older, but until then… Anyway! The interim bonus I want to give you two is…”