I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 21: Economic Boom (3)

There was something that changed once I’d achieved major success.

Since I’d moved out and bought a house of my own, I now had to “return home” whenever there was a family gathering.

It had only been about a month since I left the house, but it had been a full year since the last family gathering. As I stood there, I found myself staring at the estate with a strange sense of sentimentality.

‘Looking at it again... this place is really huge.’

Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s residence was enormous—large enough to accommodate the entire family.

The irony, of course, was that most of the family didn’t actually live there.

—Tap.

I stepped inside the mansion. Household staff passing by gave me a small bow as they recognized me.

“Young miss, it’s been a while.”

An elderly man chuckled warmly and addressed me respectfully.

“Oh, come on, it’s only been about a month. Good to see you too, Mr. Gardener!”

There were a lot of people working in the Daehwa residence—gardeners, chefs, maids, and even a butler...

This mansion was a clear manifestation of Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s desire not just to dominate wealth as a merchant, but to command people like a nobleman.

Smiling brightly, I personally greeted every person I passed. As I made my way slowly through the estate, a tall man in a suit came into view.

It was Yoo Jin-ha, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s second son.

Perhaps he still felt guilty for showing up late last year—this time, he’d arrived early.

I gave him a polite bow and offered a faint smile. A smile that wasn’t too pure, nor too tainted by worldliness.

“Hello, Uncle.”

“Yes, Ha-yeon. I’ve heard a lot about you. People can’t stop fussing over how impressive my niece is. Ha ha.”

“Oh, I just got lucky. I mean, I am smart, but still.”

Yoo Jin-ha had the sharp look of a scholarly type, complete with glasses. Apparently, he had planned to earn a doctorate overseas before Chairman Yoo called him back.

...Hmm.

‘Is he already trying to check me?’

If I reconsider what he just said, it sounds like people around Yoo Jin-ha are already talking about keeping me in check.

But I can’t ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) tell what his real intention is.

Is he saying, “I’ll let it slide, but watch yourself”? Or is it more like, “I trust you to know your place, but don’t cross the line”?

While I stood there silently, pondering his words, Yoo Jin-ha gave me a friendly smile and added,

“It’s not like this is the ’88 era or something—don’t you think a kid like you is overdoing it?”

“...The ’88 era? But it’s only ’85...”

I flinched. Wait... could there really be someone else who’s returned to the past?

“Aha, I guess you wouldn’t know. Look at that, even though you’re a genius, you don’t know many of these older expressions due to lack of experience. That phrase was common back in the ’70s. But since you were born in ’78, it makes sense that you haven’t heard it.”

With a hearty laugh, Yoo Jin-ha seemed to enjoy explaining things—unlike his older brother Yoo Jin-seok.

“‘Year 4288 of the Dangun Era’ is what we used to call ‘the 88 year.’ That’s 1955 by the Gregorian calendar... I was about your age back then, so my memory’s fuzzy, but I do remember that it was a hellish time for the country.”

I twitched my fingers and counted the years, confirming that what he said was accurate, then nodded politely.

“...Oh, I’ve learned something new. Thank you, Uncle.”

Seriously, are people still using Dangun-era years? No wonder I didn’t know.

At thirty-eight, soon to be thirty-nine, Yoo Jin-ha still had a fairly youthful impression. Rather than the solemn air of middle age, he gave off the sharp edge of a younger man.

When he was with Grandfather, he seemed completely overwhelmed—but now, face-to-face like this, the height difference alone made him feel rather intimidating.

...He looks like someone who’d cast some fancy martial arts move on you.

“Right, right. Knowledge is power, after all. Wisdom and experience accumulate with age. You may be exceptionally talented, but you’re still young—there’s much you don’t know. And you know, young prodigies often draw jealousy, so be careful.”

It was something I’d heard plenty of times before. Yes, you’re a genius, but don’t get cocky. Yes, you’re smart, but geniuses attract enemies.

“...”

Still, hearing it from that guy just made it sound ominous. When a bespectacled, squinting middle-aged man like him says something like that, it doesn’t come off as advice—it sounds like a declaration of intent to kill.

Maybe I’m just too twisted, or maybe it’s just regular family talk, but...

It left a bad taste in my mouth.

And with good reason. From what I saw in my previous life, Yoo Jin-ha eventually ousts his older brother Yoo Jin-seok and takes over the chairman position.

***

The ones who feel economic booms most acutely aren’t ordinary people—it’s corporations.

Ordinary citizens tend to be more sensitive to things like inflation or housing prices. Export growth doesn’t really register with them.

In other words... chaebol families, not average folks, are the ones who react most to booms.

“Oh, Jin-ha, you’re here too. Go ahead and sit down. And look who else is here—my amazing granddaughter.”

Chairman Yoo Seong-pil looked more cheerful than usual. Business had gone smoothly this year, and he was certain that a massive boom was on its way starting next year.

Didn’t he lose his temper last November when things went south?

This time, thanks to good year-end news, the family gathering was relatively peaceful.

...Relatively.

“Seon-jun, you’re going into your senior year now, aren’t you? What’s with that look? Don’t tell me you were gambling again?”

Chairman Yoo cast a disapproving glance at his eldest grandson, Yoo Seon-jun. Sitting beside him, Yoo Jin-seok bit his lip and lowered his head on his son’s behalf.

“...I’m sorry, Father.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Jin-seok. The boy’s nearly an adult—he should take responsibility for himself! And if the eldest grandson’s acting like this, what kind of example does that set for the rest?”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Yoo Seon-jun looked displeased but, catching the deadly glare from Yoo Jin-seok, reluctantly bowed his head and apologized.

“I’m sorry, Grandfather.”

“...Fine. I heard you’ve come to your senses now, so I won’t say more.”

Chairman Yoo left it at that and turned his head. It seemed he was cutting the kid some slack, since he was about to enter his senior year.

Still, he’d probably get a few slaps from Yoo Jin-seok later, and I’m sure Seon-jun knew that when he pulled whatever stunt he did.

“Ha-yeon, don’t push yourself too hard. Life isn’t a sprint. If you start running full-speed this early, you’ll burn out before the finish line.”

The way Chairman Yoo looked at me was incredibly gentle. I gave him a soft smile and nodded.

“Yes, Grandfather. I’m feeling a bit worn out already, so I think I’ll rest for a few years.”

“Ha! You talk big for someone who’s only been alive a handful of years.”

Chairman Yoo didn’t seem to take my words seriously. Understandable, really. After all, his granddaughter—who had obsessively devoured books like someone with OCD—was suddenly talking about taking a break.

Not to mention that we were entering a boom period, and in everyone’s eyes, I was a child genius who had succeeded spectacularly from the start.

Naturally, the family was unsettled by me, a nine-year-old, holding so much influence. It wasn’t me they feared—but the money I wielded.

It was no different from handing a child a loaded gun. Those like Yoo Jin-seok, who didn’t believe I was a real genius, were even more wary of me.

They thought I wouldn’t be able to control it and would eventually cause some kind of disaster.

But this time... it was different. What I said was nothing but the truth.

I really was a little tired, and I genuinely planned to rest for a while.

“I’m serious...”

I pouted and stretched out my tiny legs.

My white knee-high socks reached just below my knees, and the black skirt fluttered above them.

I looked cute, maybe even a little elegant—but still, unmistakably a child.

Who would take me seriously as a business partner like this? The Daehwa people acknowledged my brilliance and treated me seriously because of succession concerns—but the average person would just see a little kid.

At least until I hit puberty...

Yeah. I’d better be careful.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

***

After that, just as I’d promised, I spent an entire year doing nothing—quietly killing time with books and nothing else.

I wasn’t bored. Simply watching the flow of history and mapping out the future in my head was more than enough to keep me entertained.

January 28, 1986.

[U.S. space shuttle Challenger explodes... all 7 crew members dead.]

While on winter break, I was lounging around playing games at home when I happened to glance at the news—and paused for a moment.

The Challenger, which had launched to carry out a NASA space shuttle mission, had exploded. All seven astronauts were killed.

February 13, 1986.

[Dongguk Group, now dismantled, completes acquisition procedures and disappears into history.]

—Tap.

I set the stiff newspaper down and smiled in satisfaction.

Dongguk Group, which had been slated for dismantlement in ’85, had now been fully disassembled. Chairman Kang vanished quietly, clutching only Dongguk Trading—the company that had once been the core of the group. Meanwhile, chaebols like Daehwa Group had descended like hyenas and torn into the leftovers.

Unlike in my previous life, the dismantling process this time was carried out with at least some level of reason, and as a result, Korea’s external credit rating did not take a hit.

Chairman Kang also managed to preserve a portion of his business, unlike before—and I, too, had managed to devour a piece of the scraps. So in a way, it was a win-win.

April 26, 1986.

[Soviet Union – Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion... to be recorded as the worst reactor accident in history.]

The explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was reported in Korea as well. It would go on to play a critical role in the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was the worst nuclear disaster in human history.

With damages reaching 700 billion dollars over the next 30 years and hundreds of thousands of radiation victims, I could only feel frustration at the fact that there was nothing I could do.

If it had been in the U.S., I would’ve taken a massive short position...

October 26, 1986.

By the time I’d gotten used to attending elementary school, I went out to a grocery store for the first time in a long while to pick out items myself.

It was because a ramen with the striking Chinese character for “spicy” had finally made its appearance in history.

...It was insanely spicy. So much so that I ended up bawling, clutching at Si-hyun’s pant leg and wiping my tears away.

Was it always this spicy...?