TOIGC 23

Chapter 23 …

Money Breeds Money (2)

“Collateral?” “Yes.”

Yoongi nodded and continued.

“I’d like to borrow the money using the land I own in Cheonggyecheon and my dividend rights from Microsoft as collateral. If I fail to pay you back, you’ll take ownership of both.” “So your studies haven’t gone to waste after all.” “You earned that money through hard work, Grandfather. It’s only natural I make effective use of it.”

Choi Gihyeon practically thanked the heavens that his ten-year-old grandson was studying corporate management instead of grinding through simple multiplication, division, and fractions like other third-graders.

‘Even if Samwoo doesn’t reach the absolute top in my lifetime, God has left me a way forward.’

Completely unaware of Choi Deokbae floating around in the air nearby, Choi Gihyeon nodded.

“Very well. I’ll lend it to you.” “Thank you, Grandfather!” “Mind you, this will be my personal money—not funds from Samwoo Group.” “Wait, that means…”

Before Yoongi could finish, Choi Gihyeon cut in.

“I’m becoming your personal investor. Not as the chairman of Samwoo Group, but simply as Choi Gihyeon.”

Hearing his grandfather’s words touched Yoongi deeply.

“Grandfather!”

It was a commitment to trust him, man to man. Feeling like his capabilities were finally being recognized for real, tears welled up in Yoongi’s eyes as he threw his arms around his grandfather.

“Silly boy, why are you crying on a good day like this? Heh heh heh.”

Now that the capital shortage was taken care of, there was no longer any need for them to talk shop. For an entire week, the grandfather and grandson enjoyed a truly peaceful, warm vacation together.

“Can’t you stay just one more day?”

Choi Gihyeon asked longingly, leaning against the window of the car bound for the airport.

“I’ll come right back once break ends. I have things to take care of.” “I know, I know… I just can’t bring myself to pull my hands off the car window.” “Think of it as an investment in our future, Grandfather.” “Ugh… this is one investment I really hate making. But fine! I have to!”

At last, Choi Gihyeon pulled his hands away. Watching the back window of the car fade into the distance toward the airport, he let out a heavy sigh.

‘I don’t ask for much—I just want to live long enough to see my great-grandchildren.’

Smacking his lips, Choi Gihyeon turned back toward the main estate gate, his face hardening instantly into that of a sharp, ruthless corporate leader.

The warmth he showed Yoongi was reserved exclusively for Yoongi. He had never made that kind of face even when his other grandchildren were born.

Watching his father’s expression shift so drastically, Choi Cheolmin—the second son—bit the inside of his lip until it hurt.

‘Damn it. He won’t even glance at me.’

Cheolmin had stopped by the estate every single day for the past week. Yet, in all seven days, he hadn’t managed to hold a single real conversation with his father. Sure, he managed a word or two in passing, but a proper talk was impossible. His father had been glued to his eldest grandson every second of the day.

To make matters worse, Cheolmin had grown furious after confirming a certain piece of news through a plant he paid off in the chairman’s executive office. He couldn’t express that rage outright with the old lion snapping in front of him, but the sheer amount of favoritism his father showed his nephew made his blood boil.

“Father, there’s something I need to tell you today.”

Choi Gihyeon, who had been heading toward his room, clicked his tongue inwardly at his second son’s approach.

‘He hasn’t missed a single day all week.’

Since Yoongi wasn’t around anymore anyway, Choi Gihyeon gave a brief nod.

“Follow me.”

Inside the study, the aura surrounding Choi Gihyeon felt cold enough to freeze the room over.

“Father, well, the thing is…” “You have five minutes.”

That single sentence set off Cheolmin’s short fuse.

“Father, aren’t you being completely unfair?!” “How am I being unfair?”

Cheolmin trembled, his fists clenched as he snapped back at his father.

“Yoongi got to spend an entire week with you! But I only get five minutes…? Am I even your son?!” “You foolish idiot…”

Unlike Cheolmin’s explosive outburst, Choi Gihyeon’s reaction was ice-cold.

“Why am I an idiot?! I might not have gone to Seoul National, but I graduated from Korea University on my own merit!” “I’m not talking about your degree!”

The sharp roar made Cheolmin flinch.

“You’ve barged into this house during working hours every day for the past week. Do you have any idea what that looks like?!” “Ugh…!” “I pulled strings to place you as a deputy manager at Samwoo Trading just like you wanted—even while I served as chairman!”

Choi Gihyeon wasn’t done yet.

“I already know you want to become the successor to Samwoo Group, and that’s only natural. But do you honestly think you’re working like someone fit to be a successor?” “T-That’s just because I lack experience…”

Watching his second son scramble for excuses only made Choi Gihyeon raise his voice further.

“If you lack experience, you should be working! What kind of sane employee spends a whole week coming here during work hours just to wait around for hours? Do other employees do that?! And yet, I didn’t say a single word to you. What on earth are you doing at Samwoo Trading that allows you to do absolutely nothing all week?!” “I-Well…”

Cheolmin was left completely speechless. He hated accepting his father’s words and desperately wanted to make excuses, but there were simply none to make.

“Do you think staying quiet will eventually make you chairman of Samwoo Trading? Dream on! I’d rather hand the company over to a capable child than watch it collapse under an incompetent one!” “F-Father!”

Cheolmin’s head snapped up. That was his worst nightmare. He had harbored an unfounded hope that if he just sat tight, Samwoo Group would eventually fall into his lap.

‘My older brother has zero interest in business, no talent, and no decent background. Meanwhile, I graduated with a business degree from Korea University and have far more talent than him. Once I butter up my brother, taking care of the rest will be a breeze.’

Even though Yoongi had popped up out of nowhere as a sudden obstacle, Cheolmin hadn’t doubted for a second that he was the true heir apparent, given their massive age gap of over ten years.

“You’re really being cruel!”

Cheolmin’s pent-up resentment boiled over again.

“You brat!” “You never even gave me proper backing, so why are you turning around and pulling the rug out from under me now?!” “I never gave you backing?” “Isn’t it obvious?!” “How did I not support you?! Did I make you work to pay for tuition? Did I refuse to send you abroad? Or did I force you into an arranged marriage you didn’t want?!”

While Choi Gihyeon had meddled in the marriages of his third son onward, Cheolmin was actually one of the luckiest, caught right between the eldest and third sons. He had enjoyed incredible freedom despite being born into a future chaebol family.

Cheolmin, however, didn’t see it that way at all.

“If you had just married me off into a decent family…” “Ha! Listen to the nonsense coming out of your mouth. I explicitly told you I’d find a good family for you if you wanted. But you were the one who threw a tantrum to marry some entertainer! And now you’re dumping that blame on me?!”

Faced with his son’s illogical shouting, Choi Gihyeon’s heart chilled completely.

“B-But still!” “What else do you have to say?” “There’s clearly favoritism going on!” “What favoritism are you talking about?!” “Yoongi… do you think I don’t know you invested a massive sum of money into that kid?!”

In an instant, the air around Choi Gihyeon went from frosty to downright lethal.

“You… did you plant a spy in my executive office?”

Cheolmin’s biggest weakness—his lack of real-world experience—shot him in the foot. Lines of loyalty had slowly begun forming inside Samwoo Group over who would take over, and the executive office was no exception.

However, Cheolmin had just committed a massive blunder: he had outright admitted that he had eyes and ears inside his father’s inner circle.

“A-Ah, Father, that’s not what I…” “Enough.”

Choi Gihyeon didn’t scream; he simply sat back down. That quiet composure was infinitely more terrifying to Cheolmin than an explosive outburst.

“Take this.”

Choi Gihyeon tossed a notepad and pencil from his desk toward Cheolmin. Startled, Cheolmin caught the notepad purely on reflex and flipped it open, only to find the pages completely blank.

“T-This is…” “Write down the exact amount of funding you want.”

His father’s voice was stone-cold. It was frightening, yet Cheolmin felt a sudden surge of misplaced hope.

‘Right, I’ll take this chance to grab a fat stack of capital and launch my own personal business just like Yoongi did. I won’t start as some low-level deputy manager at Samwoo Trading—I’ll start as the boss of my own company.’

He didn’t know the exact details, but Cheolmin knew Yoongi was running some kind of operation using money from Cheil Textiles. He assumed that success was how the kid had won their father’s favor.

With that thought, Cheolmin began writing down a number, tacking on an endless string of zeroes.

₩1,000,000,000

“You want 1 billion won?” “Yes. Give me 1 billion won and I promise I’ll make it a success.” “Sure, why not.”

Watching his father nod so readily, Cheolmin felt smug, convinced he had made the right call by pushing hard.

“The interest rate is 17.4% per year.” “Pardon…?” “Why the shock? Yoongi promised me that exact interest rate when he borrowed money from me. Naturally, you should pay the same, right?” “W-Wait a minute. You didn’t just give him the money?!”

Choi Gihyeon snorted.

“Pfft! What do you take me for? I’ve never given Yoongi a single dime without a clear purpose. And you’ll need to put up collateral, too. Yoongi handed over collateral worth far more than the loan itself. Do you have anything like that to offer?”

Jaw agape, Cheolmin stood frozen for a moment before forcing out his words with difficulty.

“B-But Cheil Textiles was…” “That was a reward for a successful investment. Haven’t you submitted business strategies to me before, too? Even though they failed, of course. If you’re so dissatisfied, submit another management proposal. Mind you, if it fails again this time, I’ll strip you of your deputy manager title at Samwoo Trading altogether.” “T-That’s… that makes no sense…”

Choi Gihyeon clicked his tongue as he looked at his stunned son.

“Did management look easy watching it from the outside? Or did playing executive inside make it feel like a game? You have zero clue how much risk your brother and Yoongi take on when they operate.” “Ugh…” “Get out! Go study! Go learn! Go verify your facts before coming back to me! You’re nothing but a greedy, useless brat!” “Ugh…!”

Feeling entirely stripped naked and exposed, Cheolmin burst into tears and ran out of the study. Naturally, there was zero self-reflection involved, and Choi Gihyeon knew it.

Instead of dwelling on his second son, however, Choi Gihyeon shifted his mind toward a completely different matter.

‘I need to conduct a total overhaul of the executive office. How dare they start picking sides while I’m still alive and well?’

Inside the hotel room.

Choi Deokbae popped out from the floor with a flashy flash of light and stood right in front of Yoongi.

<Well? How I TV anime back copied from it on that that? then. was watched we> “What, should I shout ‘Evolve’ and expect you to transform next?” <Can’t I Korea back cool for from it just literally once? raced say was you you.>

Despite Deokbae smacking his lips, Yoongi skipped the small talk and got straight to the point.

“How did it go?”

As Deokbae retold the conversation from Choi Gihyeon’s study, Yoongi gave a calm nod.

“I figured. Even while waiting around the house, he spent his time watching TV or reading newspapers instead of studying or checking on Samwoo Trading’s current affairs. Either that or he just stared off into space.” <Either Cheolmin Choi completely done is it’s safe say to way, with you.> “That was bound to happen. Anyone would lose their mind seeing a golden fruit hanging right in front of them. I prepared for this from the start. Aside from my grandfather, my parents, my brother, and the people who truly follow me, I view everyone else as potential enemies.” <I Heungseon Regent are. because clean-cut couldn’t country cut have. he how like ruined should the ties where you> “That won’t happen to me.” <By Are Cheonggyecheon? I’ve a all been buy curious did earth game in land last on open or planning since something? store that the there time—why to up video way, you>

Yoongi shook his head.

“No.” <Then what?> “Money…”

Yoongi pinched his index finger and thumb together to form the shape of a coin.

“…is made from people who actually have purchasing power.”