I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 3: Gift and Opportunity

"How did you know? About the bombing."

That was Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s first question.

His wrinkled face was calm. He seemed like a completely different man from the one I had seen at the funeral. He must have been utterly shocked, and yet his voice was deep and solemn, his back straight, his gaze stubborn—perfectly reflecting his nature.

So this was the true face of the Daehwa Group founder, the one they called iron-blooded.

I wriggled my toes slightly and fidgeted with my lips, widening my eyes with an expression of surprise.

“...It really happened? The bombing?”

Hmph.

Was I imagining things? I thought I heard that kind of laugh.

“So it was a bluff, was it?”

I gave a small nod.

I’d sown plenty of seeds here and there. As a child, I wandered around the house poking my nose into everything. If Grandpa really wanted to, he could have looked into it all.

Each thing had some logic behind it, even if they were wild-sounding. And since the information had come from future knowledge, the odds of it being right were fairly high.

Back then, I had just been desperately trying to survive... But now that everything came full circle, I was glad all that effort had paid off.

“Yes. I’m just a kid, after all. I figured no one would care even if I was wrong. But if I happened to be right, even once... then it’d be a jackpot.”

At that, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

“Aha-ha! My granddaughter’s got a head for business! That’s right—when you’ve got nothing to lose, you just have to throw things out there and see what sticks! Back in my day, that’s how I built my empire.”

As expected, I knew he’d like it.

Isn’t this the very man who once signed a ship contract before he even had a shipyard, then built the shipyard with the down payment?

“Grandpa, so... what happened? To him...”

“Hm? Oh, you didn’t hear? He lived. Kim Hae-ik.”

Phew.

I let out a sigh of relief.

The gamble had paid off. Damn, that was nerve-wracking.

“It was sheer luck.”

Yoo Seong-pil turned toward the window. As he stroked my hair with his rough, wrinkled hand, he explained what had happened.

“His schedule got pushed back, and in the meantime, those commie bastards made a few mistakes. Then Kim Hae-ik remembered what you said, mentioned it to the Foreign Minister, and conveniently, the President’s Chief Secretary happened to back him up. That’s how he made it out alive.”

They were rehearsing the funeral music again at the site, and the North Korean agent mistook it for the actual event and triggered the bomb early.

As I combed through my past life’s memories, I realized it was true. The Foreign Minister had always opposed this particular visit... and President Sim Sun-woo, who was normally kind and humorous, had started looking unusually grim the day before the attack.

A terrorist bombing of such unprecedented scale only works when the attacker is precise and the victim’s security is sloppy.

Something like that can be derailed with just a single butterfly effect.

“But how did you know? Even if it was a bluff, you’d need some foundation for it. And bluffing’s something only masters do well, don’t they say? How would a kid like you know anything about Foreign Affairs?”

...Hmm.

I could feel Yoo Seong-pil’s sharp gaze. He probably thought someone had filled a little girl’s head with strange political ideas.

Still, I figured I could just answer honestly.

“...I thought... it was something Dad would like. So I started asking around. Whenever Dad left for work, saying he was busy with adult stuff, I was always alone at home... I just missed him, so...”

I played the part of a timid child, shrinking away like any kid raised watching their parents’ moods.

“Hic... I thought if I read lots of difficult books and got smarter, maybe Dad would spend more time with me...”

Ugh. The tears weren’t coming easily.

Thankfully, being in a child’s body must mean having weaker tear ducts. After a short moment of focus, tears began to roll down my cheeks.

“No, no, why are you crying? I’m not scolding you, Ha-yeon. Don’t cry, come on now. Stop. There, there.”

The sharp atmosphere melted away instantly. Yoo Seong-pil, oddly flustered, tried to comfort me.

“Good grief, Jin-cheol... leaving behind only a kid like this and just going like that... damn it all.”

Sensing the perfect moment, I threw myself into his arms and began sobbing loudly.

“Dad... sniff... came to me in a dream. He looked so worried and showed me yesterday’s newspaper... and I just felt really strange... But no one believed me, huff...”

Even as I choked out my words through fake tears, a small worry crept up.

Would Yoo Seong-pil really buy into something so ridiculous...?

“Phew. I figured as much. That Jin-cheol kid always grumbled, but he had a good heart. Must’ve come down for a big job before heading off to the afterlife.”

...He actually believes it.

Of course. Even if my tip-off had saved a life, his reaction felt too accepting. He must’ve already believed something like that.

So now he thinks the ghost of dead Jin-cheol showed up and warned me? In the 1980s, that’s not even that strange. Especially considering how eerily perfect the timing was.

...And honestly, it’s not that far from the truth, is it? I am basically a ghost myself.

Damn it. I’ve ended up in a situation where I can’t even say, “There’s no such thing as ghosts,” with a straight face.

After gently patting me and calming me down, Yoo Seong-pil asked me in a softened tone:

“So then, my granddaughter. What do you want as a gift?”

At those words, it felt like a jolt of electricity ran down my spine.

Was I finally standing at the starting line?

“A gift...?”

I pretended not to know anything, playing coy. It would’ve been too suspicious to suddenly brighten up right after crying.

“This old man has one belief he’s lived by his whole life: if a person doesn’t eat, they die. You have to feed the people below you well if you want them to trust and follow you. You saved some very important government folks—so of course, the reward has to be generous. Don’t you agree?”

I nodded my tiny head as I listened to Chairman Yoo Seong-pil.

He really does know what he’s doing.

“So. What do you want?”

He looked at me with a warm smile. Like a grandfather doting on his cute and pitiful granddaughter.

For now.

“...”

A short silence fell. I had a few answers prepared—but for some reason, the words wouldn’t come easily.

Like in those old chaebol novels, I could ask for land in Bundang, or maybe request to be introduced to certain people and start building a network.

But the wish I considered the best... was simply to stay by my grandfather’s side. If I earned Yoo Seong-pil’s trust, I could nibble on the crumbs of his power.

But.

It doesn’t sit right with me.

It really doesn’t.

What do I truly want?

Money, /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ power, honor. I like them all.

If I asked for money, Yoo Seong-pil would give it. If I asked for power, he’d give that too. Honor—I’d have to earn that myself, so it doesn’t matter.

But...

Crack.

I couldn’t be satisfied with just that. I wanted more. I wanted it all.

To control people. To make my desires come true effortlessly. People call that power.

I slowly closed my eyes.

More. Be greedier. Don’t be bound by common sense. When setting an impossible goal and pushing forward... be like a madwoman.

Why should I choose only one?

The ones who move the world—like the man standing before me—run like wild horses to keep up with the times, to stay in front, to lead.

So let’s craft a more cunning and exquisite strategy. Gaining a single benefit from a single move is the way of the unskilled.

“...”

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With my thoughts collected, I looked up at Chairman Yoo Seong-pil with clear eyes and spoke:

“A chance. Please give me a chance.”

“What kind of chance, exactly?”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“The favor you earned from the government officials—that’s something you will collect on, right, Grandpa? But I’m the one who did it. Share some of it with me.”

“Hmph. Ha-yeon, is this... a deal?”

A deal.

The moment that word left his mouth, Yoo Seong-pil’s demeanor shifted.

Gone was the doting grandfather’s gaze. What replaced it was the gaze of a businessman.

“You know no one else but me can actually cash in that favor for you, right? So, to put it simply—it’s a monopoly. And you know what they say about monopolies. They’re the most profitable and also the dirtiest.”

A monopoly.

He was right. If favors could be traded, then this was a highly valuable commodity. And Yoo Seong-pil was the only one I could negotiate with for it.

“So you’re saying... you’ll monopolize any connection I could have with the government. I guess that is one way to put it.”

My mouth hung open for a moment.

I expected this, but it still hit me—his entire way of thinking was just fundamentally different. Every thought process of his operated like a merchant’s. I needed to study that.

I jutted out my small lips in a mock pout and mumbled softly.

“You’re really stingy with a six-year-old, huh. Tsk.”

“Ahahaha! You’re the one who offered the deal, my little Ha-yeon. And Yoo Seong-pil doesn’t make such generous deals with anyone else. This is me giving you special treatment, you know.”

Then, just like that, he transformed back into the gentle grandfather, reaching out to pat my head.

“Ha-yeon. There’s no need to push yourself. When I was your age, I was probably just splashing around in the creek. Just understanding what I said just now—that alone is impressive. Got it?”

I nodded, then cheekily asked again. I never intended to win this in just one go, anyway.

“Yes, Grandpa. Then, um... can I come visit your office sometimes? I’ll try to persuade you.”

“Hmph. You’re okay receiving your gift late, then?”

When Yoo Seong-pil said that, I widened my eyes and shook my head firmly.

“Nope? I still want the gift. Please give it to me in cash. A borrowed-name account would be easiest to use...”

“Well, listen to this little rascal. You trying to suck this old man dry? You only get one gift.”

For the first time, Yoo Seong-pil’s face showed an emotion close to disbelief. Good—that meant I hadn’t overstepped. Yet.

If favors could be traded, then so could things like paternal affection and familial bonds.

“A gift is something Grandpa gives me—Grandpa, not Chairman Yoo Seong-pil. That’s what makes it a gift. But stopping the bombing? That’s something else entirely.”

I spoke with the clearest, most logical voice I’d used so far—crystal-clear and firm.

“This is a deal between Yoo Ha-yeon and Chairman Yoo Seong-pil. Like you said, if we phrase it in your terms, it’s a negotiation about how much you’ll pay to maintain exclusive access to high-ranking government officials.”

In a normal setting, this would be an outrageous overreach. Who would dare stretch negotiations this long with the Chairman of Daehwa Group?

And truthfully, there was a flaw in my argument.

“The fact that I’m even negotiating with you is the gift. Don’t you know that?”

He was right. My whole logic only worked because of his initial goodwill.

But if you flip that around, it means it could work—within the bounds of that goodwill.

I looked straight into Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s eyes with that thought in mind.

“But you like it too, don’t you? Having a smart granddaughter?”

So then, that’s why.

I can make this work. Because I’m Yoo Ha-yeon, his granddaughter. And since I’ve lost both my parents, I have no family left but him.

Born in the 1920s, Yoo Seong-pil was the kind of man who valued family to his bones. He couldn’t turn down this proposal.

“Fine. I get it. From the perspective of Grandpa—not the Chairman—it’s not a bad deal, huh?”

I nodded so hard I nearly made myself dizzy. The baby fat hadn’t yet left my cheeks, and my eyes sparkled as I looked up at him.

“Hmph. Alright then. I’ll allow it.”

Finally, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil gave his permission. I smiled softly and bowed my head.

“Thank you.”

“Now go on, get out of here. You said you skipped breakfast, didn’t you? Don’t skip lunch too. Got it?”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

I gave him a deep bow, then practically skipped back to my room.

Creaaaak.

As soon as I opened the door, I threw myself onto the bed and rolled across the blankets. Having a private talk with Chairman Yoo Seong-pil had drained every last bit of my energy.

Plop.

I buried my face into the big pillow and grinned.

“Hehe... Aha, hahaha!”

The smile came out on its own. Before I knew it, I’d already forgotten about my father’s death.

Hmm.

Perfect.

I’d gained three things from that conversation.

First—money. And not just any money, but funds I could use freely. That was huge. Especially since I was a girl, not a boy. To participate in any kind of economic activity, I needed Chairman Yoo Seong-pil’s approval.

Second—using negotiations as a pretext, I now had permission to stay close to him. He probably hadn’t thought that far ahead, but for me, this was the greatest win of all.

Being near someone in power is a privilege in itself. Even though he clearly understood how big a deal it was that I got to meet with the Chief Secretary for Economic Affairs, he never brought it up.

Maybe that was because he was my grandfather. From his perspective, a child who lost her parents naturally staying with her grandfather didn’t even need to be mentioned. It was just obvious.

And the third...

The chance to personally befriend the man once hailed as Korea’s “Economic President.”