I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 131: High School Student Yoo Ha-yeon (1)

Before Nanny came looking for me to scold me, I had been thoroughly enjoying myself by bullying my friend.

“Hehe, that was fun again today.”

Seo Ji-yeon, who had been panting beneath me just moments ago (from exercise), grumbled.

“...It wasn’t ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ fun for me, though.”

That’s okay. I had fun.

I brushed back her sweat-damp hair and smiled with a crescent-shaped grin.

“Just think of it as a valuable experience. If you make mistakes like that in the real world, you won’t get off with just a scolding. So, what are you going to do with the 100 million won?”

“...Huh?”

From her dazed voice, it seemed she hadn’t thought about it.

“I gave you a 100 million won check, didn’t I? You clearly weren’t going to use that to buy the company. Didn’t you have something in mind when you took it?” freewebnøvel_com

Fidgeting with her fingers, Seo Ji-yeon mumbled awkwardly.

“U-Um... I gave fifty million to someone else and kept the other half for now...”

“...And who did you give it to?”

“P-Please, don’t kill me, Miss! It’s not what you think! I just knew I lacked experience, so I asked someone for help—”

She dropped to the floor and trembled. She seemed more frightened than before.

“...”

I glanced into the mirror and adjusted my expression.

‘Hmph. My mask has been slipping a lot lately. Maybe because I’m around a friend.’

I should be more careful. I owe her an apology for that.

—Smile.

I gave her a properly elegant smile and encouraged her.

“Mm, then it’s fine. Handling things smoothly despite lacking skill is still a form of competence.”

“R-Really? So I didn’t do anything wrong?”

She looked like she was about to cry. If Nanny sees this, I really will get scolded.

“You gave it to someone trustworthy, right?”

Seo Ji-yeon nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes! Of course! I asked my dad and the director in charge of M&A at the investment bank.”

“What about the secretary’s office?”

“Oh, I told Yeon-ha unni, but... I didn’t give her any money.”

“Good call. It’s best not to tell small-minded people about large sums. Weren’t you nervous giving away that much on your own?”

“Well... you handle so much money all the time, Miss, I think my sense of reality got kind of numb...”

I nodded softly and kept the conversation going. Seo Ji-yeon, now with sparkling eyes, eagerly explained everything.

How much effort she had put in. How well she had done.

“I mean, I’m a bit short compared to you, Miss. And that industry still looks down on women... and being around small companies, it was rough. I thought I had to get help. I figured that’s why you gave me 100 million in the first place... And when I checked the authority granted to me, it was basically full delegation. They were the ones more nervous than I was. Oh, and I didn’t use my own money to buy the companies. That would’ve made it look like I was embezzling the company for personal sacrifice, so I used company funds. And also...”

—Tap tap.

“That’s enough. Let’s take a break for now. Ji-yeon, you’re sweating way too much.”

I handed her a glass of water with a smile, and she blinked slowly. Her eyes looked heavy with fatigue.

“Ah... yes.”

She forced her eyes open, took the glass in both hands, stared at it for a moment, then tilted her head.

“...Miss. This cup... Is this what I think it is? The shape feels a bit...”

“Oh yeah, that’s what it is. I saw something funny while reading a book and decided to replicate it. I had it modeled after my own chest. Pretty, right?”

I’d heard once that there was a champagne glass modeled after Marie Antoinette’s breast. After seeing that last year, I put it on my bucket list.

I proudly undid my top slightly.

—Rustle.

With a trembling hand, Seo Ji-yeon reached out and fastened my buttons again.

“...No. This is insane. Don’t let this leave this house—no, this room. Got it?”

“....”

And with that, she collapsed and fell asleep as if she’d passed out.

***

The next morning, as soon as Seo Ji-yeon woke up, she asked me a question.

“But how did you know how much I spent? That debt—₩5.73 billion—I didn’t even know that myself...”

Hmm.

—Tap tap.

I tapped my fingers on the table and answered.

“Normally, I wouldn’t tell you, but you’re trying to learn from it, so I’ll explain. First and foremost—it’s because I prepared in advance.”

“Prepared...?”

“You really think I didn’t plan for what would happen after Sampoong collapsed? When it was obviously going to?”

There’s something I just can’t understand about people. They fail to draw conclusions from facts that are blatantly obvious.

Like, imposing tariffs leads to inflation. Or a major incident causes related stock prices to swing wildly. Or if an IT company neglects security, one day a hacker will leak critical data...

Same thing here. If Sampoong Department Store collapses, of course Sampoong Group goes down too. And if one conglomerate falls, hundreds of affiliated companies fall with it.

So obviously, someone should’ve been preparing for that.

“Maybe most people just think too complacently... I’m still young, so I don’t really know—”

“Ji-yeon. Don’t say things like that anymore. It’s not that you don’t know—you have to know. Age and experience are just excuses.”

“Ah, okay. During exams, I noticed my classmates only start studying when the test is right in front of them. And later they regret it... I think that’s just how normal people are.”

Hmm, I don’t really get it...

But if she says that’s how average people behave, I’ll believe it. Even if I understand how the system works, I could still get burned one day if I don’t understand why people think that way.

“Well, the biggest reason I knew is because I already had all the data.”

“You mean... you knew exactly where I was going to go?”

“Of course. You think you’d know something I wouldn’t? If your first visits were to Sunpung Construction, Dojeong Trading, Samjeon Tech, Jeil Metals... those are right, aren’t they?”

Seo Ji-yeon gasped, her eyes going wide.

“Yes—how did you know? I alphabetized the list, so I thought you wouldn’t figure it out...”

“It was a simple deduction. You met Director Seo and Director Choi, right? Your dad was in Hanyang University’s class of ’70. And Sunpung’s CEO was also class of ’70 at Hanyang. I figured you’d ask your dad, and he’d help his old friends.”

I shrugged.

“Same logic applies to the rest. Same clan, same apartment building, same country club. The world’s small—especially Seoul. I’ve already memorized all the elite family trees, college freshman directories, alumni lists... There are about 1,000 potential SMEs tied to Sampoong. And since a small business is practically defined by its CEO, that means I just needed to profile 1,000 people.”

“Wow... You sounded just like Sherlock Holmes.”

She clapped in admiration, then looked a bit uncomfortable as something occurred to her.

“Uh, Miss... Why did you investigate my dad’s college life? And our family genealogy...? I don’t even know that stuff myself...”

“Which is why I said I normally wouldn’t tell you. Oh, right—Si-hyun was originally in charge of that in the secretary’s office... but I guess that’s your job now.”

“...Excuse me?”

“From now on, you’ll start digging up background info on people around me and reporting back. Mostly family history, schools, personal connections—especially for new hires. Better learn it now while it’s still relatively easy. You might end up clashing with ANSP later.”

“...What?”

“Mmm, starting next year I’ll assign you some security detail staff—use them too. You won’t be good at getting dirt from the beginning, so leave that to them. I’ll call Seo Joo-eun to finish the handover... Oh, and I’ll give you a pistol. It’s the 20th century; swords are outdated.”

—Thunk.

I handed her an unloaded gun. She blinked, her messy hair bobbing as she stared between me and the weapon.

“Um... what?”

Wink.

I gave her a mischievous smile and a wink.

“If it looks like you’re going to get caught... well, you know? I don’t usually ask people to do stuff like that, but if the CIA grabs you, you might end up eating through a feeding tube in your ass. I can’t save you if it gets that far.”

It’s a one-in-a-billion scenario—but I couldn’t say it was impossible. Might as well have fun teasing her while I can.

“Ugh... Uuuh...”

Sure enough, Seo Ji-yeon, pale as a ghost, trembled before accepting the unloaded gun with a solemn expression.

“Yes. Understood. I’ll serve you with unwavering loyalty.”

“....”

Okay, now I feel a little bad.

Awkwardly, I pulled her into a hug.

“I-I really don’t think it’ll come to that! No one in our company has ever been murdered or committed suicide! We’ve had some forced resignations, sure, but... that happens everywhere. And your life isn’t in danger—seriously.”

“...It still feels like such a heavy responsibility. Ugh. But... you’ll pay me properly, right?”

“Oh, obviously. Starting this year, your net salary will be 100 million won plus bonuses. The first year’s a probation period, so you won’t get much, but by the time you’re an adult, it won’t be 100 million won—it might be 100 million dollars. So don’t worry about money.”

Even she seemed shocked by what I said. Her eyes widened as she asked again.

“Wait, really? What’s gotten into you lately? Did you eat something weird?”

I smiled brightly.

“Well, I’m a high school student now.”

Saying it out loud gave me a strange, fresh feeling.

It hit me all at once—

I really am... a high school student now.