I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 27: The Wolf of Wall Street (2)

Time passed, and before long, the hedge fund that was to be established in the United States was beginning to take a convincing shape.

“We haven’t even fully set up the office yet... but we’ve been doing a few small trades to train the staff.”

Ha Yeong-il’s voice over the international call carried a trace of fatigue.

“Mm, good job. Just don’t forget—you need to have everything in place before August ends.”

July had flown by in a blur of work. There wasn’t much I could help with directly, so I gave Ha Yeong-il and Lee Si-hyun some good old-fashioned cram-style education.

Things like 100 Things You Should Know About Wall Street... that kind of stuff.

Fortunately, even though the timeline had shifted slightly from my previous life, reality was still exactly as I remembered it—right down to the people and buildings.

Guess it paid off, listening to the stories those seniors used to tell back in the day.

“How are things on the Korean side?”

“It’s... fine over here. Uncle Joo-seong’s been a bit busy, so the IB side’s not fully set up yet, but it’s not urgent.”

Since international calls were pricey, I exchanged a few more lines and ended the call.

Click.

I spun my swivel chair and absently fiddled with a soft blanket, then let out a long sigh.

“...Hoo, I have to go to school today.”

It was Monday, and I was still an elementary... no, a national school student.

I was exhausted. I needed to eat breakfast and get going.

***

I dozed off a little at school. Thanks to the U.S. time difference, my days and nights were all messed up lately.

...On top of that, Si-hyun was busy, so another secretary had come instead.

“Young Miss, we’ve arrived.”

The female secretary—decent-looking, though not quite on Si-hyun’s level—opened the car door and helped me out.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

“Mmm... okay. You can go now.”

I waved her off, frowning slightly at the lack of professional polish in her touch.

I’d recruited a few people from Daehwa Securities... but mm, none of them really pleased me.

Click.

“Ah, you’re home?”

When I returned, the nanny greeted me at the door. I gave her a light hug and grumbled softly.

“Yeah, I’m back. I’m tired, so I’ll take a bath first. Could you get it ready? I’ve been feeling off lately.”

“Oh my, I’ll get it ready right away, so go lie down and rest a bit, Young Miss.”

Si-hyun probably still had a bit of time left before getting off work...

Sigh. The problem is, there just aren’t many people I can trust. They say she’s too talented to waste on nanny duties, but the truth is, no one plays that role as perfectly as Si-hyun.

Sure, there’s the nanny, but I feel kind of guilty leaving everything to her. And more importantly—unlike with Si-hyun, I can’t tease the nanny to my heart’s content.

...Well, I have needs, too.

Sigh...

I slipped into the steaming bath, closed my eyes, and soaked in the warmth.

Ever since reincarnating, I seemed to be a lot more sensitive to cold. Without proper heating, I got extremely stressed.

Honestly, the current me is pretty high-strung in general.

Especially lately.

If my food cools even slightly, it tastes like sand in my mouth, and if the corners of my bedsheets or tablecloth aren’t aligned, it sets me on edge.

And if a book on the shelf is even a little bent at the corner—I have to replace it immediately. I've developed all these little compulsions.

Though they vanish like ghosts the moment it’s time to work.

So sometimes I wonder if these compulsions aren’t actually fake. Like maybe I’m just indulging in petty luxury. When I’m looking at charts, I can shovel down cheap convenience store food without a second thought.

‘Maybe I just like indulging myself in small ways?’

The pleasure that came from gold and power was potent. By now, even if Yoo Jin-cheol came back from the dead, there’d be no returning to the life I’d once planned.

Splash—

For no real reason, I scooped up some warm water and flung it at the mirror. The fog on the glass cleared momentarily, revealing my pale, naked body.

‘Pretty.’

It was a beautiful body, no matter how many times I looked at it. Unlike the past, I no longer felt any discomfort when seeing myself. In fact, all I felt was admiration.

I soaked for a while, letting the fatigue melt away, until suddenly my brow furrowed.

“...?”

There was a strange sensation below. It didn’t take long to figure out what it was.

‘...Ah.’

It was my first period.

***

I freaked out and caused a minor stir, but luckily I pulled myself together fairly quickly.

‘What, I’m gonna stop making money just because of a little period?’

The magic of gold was stronger than anything else.

Besides, I’d kind of prepared myself mentally for this.

“Young Miss, so you’ve already reached that age... It’s stirring up all kinds of feelings in me.”

Si-hyun had shown up midway through, which helped a lot. The ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) nanny tends to overreact, and it’s embarrassing.

“...”

“Keep your belly warm... well, that’s something you already do, so it’s fine. Just have some warm tea and rest. You’ve been working a lot lately, haven’t you?”

She said it casually, and began brewing tea.

Click.

I quietly sipped the tea that Si-hyun had made for me.

“Sluurp... mm. It’s a bit better now. Ugh, that felt so weird.”

“I don’t really feel it myself, but they say it’s different for everyone. If it hurts a lot, please let me know.”

“...No, it doesn’t really hurt.”

I got a lot of perks from my past life.

My body’s basically immortal, and thanks to the me who designed it, it’s got all sorts of convenience-focused traits.

‘Though I don’t actually remember making those choices...’

I don’t even catch the common cold, and I’ve got a pretty high pain tolerance. I haven’t tested it, but unless it’s suicide, I probably won’t die easily.

...Though suicide would still be possible.

Knowing myself, I’m sure of it. I’d never pick some joke option like “continue existing even after the heat death of the universe.”

Thanks to that, I didn’t really get cramps. Just a bit of mild discomfort.

“Anyway, let’s not dwell on that. Let’s talk business. What’s going on with the investment banking side? And the family’s movements... things like that.”

I scowled. My delicate brow crinkled slightly.

“No one’s said much. Even the chief secretary doesn’t seem particularly interested. They probably think it’s just a normal business expansion.”

Yeah, that sounded about right.

Besides, everyone must be busy these days. The semiconductor industry’s starting to boom, and political issues are exploding practically every day.

“Well, part of the reason we’re expanding into investment banking is for exactly that... so I guess it’s working out. Spread rumors about how I made money off that option deal. Frame it as the start of Daehwa Securities’ move into futures and options trading.”

“Ah, you mean derivatives.”

I nodded as I sipped my tea.

“Yeah... That whole ‘I made ten billion won from derivatives’ thing is famous by now, right? With that, a market’s bound to form. Don’t treat it as just a smokescreen—get ready for the real deal. We are going to do this.”

Hype always drags in money and influence.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

That’s exactly why my goal isn’t just to make money.

Money alone can’t truly move people.

At the end of the day... money is just the MacGyver knife that works best under capitalism.

To wield real power, you need to prepare dozens of knives, each tailored for a different use.

With a single derivatives trade, I had pocketed ten billion won—and at the same time, I used the swarming moths to create an entirely new options market from scratch. And I’d be taking the fees through Daehwa Securities.

“Stick to a short position for now. People probably won’t want to go short just yet.”

Selling naked options was inherently risky.

Theoretically, there’s no limit to how much you could lose.

But... most of the time, you make money.

It’s only during massive external shocks—black swans—that you get burned badly.

The implication being: I already know most of history.

“Yes, I’ll pass that on.”

Lee Si-hyun bowed her head and jotted down my instructions in her notepad.

“....”

I let out a small sigh.

Normally I’d be fine, but today... I couldn’t quite shake this mood.

My secretary looked at me with a faintly concerned expression.

Ordinarily, showing weakness to a subordinate wouldn’t be the wisest move—

But like hell I care. Nothing in this world is more important than how I feel.

“Would you like some chocolate?”

I nodded. Without a word, I accepted a few pieces of chocolate from Si-hyun and nibbled on them as I laid down on the bed.

Tap, tap.

With a grumpy expression, I patted the space beside me.

“You come here too.”

“...I have work to do. And you haven’t brushed your teeth yet, Young Miss.”

“Shut up. Don’t talk back, just come here.”

At that, Si-hyun sighed, then removed her neatly tailored blazer.

“Hoo... Just for today. If you keep doing this, I’m telling the nanny.”

Rustle.

When she unbuttoned her shirt, I grabbed her toned, muscular arm and pulled her down to lie beside me.

“Mmm... Yeah, this is better. Nice.”

Seeing her broad, soft chest and well-trained, visually pleasing body somehow calmed my mind.

She gently held me in her arms and smiled faintly.

“Shall I sing you a lullaby?”

A mildly teasing line—but I just nodded.

“...Whatever.”

I had central heating. I had hot tea.

But none of that was as warm as human body heat.

***

The next day.

I thrashed under the covers like a madwoman.

“AAARGH!”

I’d really lost it.

Just because my body was younger, did my mind regress too?

Have you actually gone insane, Yoo Ha-yeon?

Get a grip. If you include my past life’s age, Lee Si-hyun is... not that much younger, actually.

Still—how could a fully grown adult fall asleep to a lullaby from someone younger? That’s an insult to my dignity.

“Uuugh...”

What was that line? Human body heat is the warmest of all? What, am I turning into a cannibal?

It’s not like I’m tanning human skin to wear as a coat...

Damn it—still, those big boobs were great.

The problem is I’m gonna grow my own pair soon enough...

“Young Miss?”

I ignored the nanny’s voice calling from outside and clutched my head in both hands.

Fine. Fine!

There was only one proper solution for moments like this.

I picked up the phone and called that shameless secretary who had retreated to her room.

“Call Ha Yeong-il. Tell him the plan’s changed. Start preparing for a short sell.”

Yes.

Nothing clears the mind like short selling.