I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 9: An Era of Change (2)

It's an era of change.

And also an era of splendor.

The 63 Building, symbol of the skyline, rises high, and the middle class is steadily growing. Companies, one after another, increase their debts and indulge in overinvestment. As long as you have a college degree, corporations line up to hire you.

Truly... it’s a boom time.

Chairman Yoo Seong-pil is no exception. The major corporations of Korea, charging forward like crazed bulls, will only come to a halt once a foreign exchange crisis hits. Only then will they begin to strengthen their foundations.

‘But not yet.’

After all, it was this very overinvestment that transformed South Korea from a developing country into a middle-income one—and eventually into an advanced nation.

“...The yen really was too weak. Exports skyrocketed, and American companies started to groan.”

A weak yen means you can exchange more yen for fewer dollars. In other words, even expensive Japanese goods become cheap when exported to the U.S.

That is—exports thrive.

“Right. The U.S. saw a massive current account deficit. No way they were going to sit back and let that continue. Japan was pushing up right under their nose, and the almighty U.S.—or really, any country—wasn’t going to just let that happen.”

“Exactly. It was unprecedented to begin with. Threatening the U.S. with nothing but economic power, without any diplomatic or military backing... Hm. That makes things relatively favorable for our country then.”

Kim Hae-ik casually assumed the future where the U.S. adjusts the exchange rate. As a seasoned economic secretary, he could easily picture that scenario.

“In that case, exports will rise, and since we’ve got a lot of foreign debt, we’ll benefit from it. Ha-yeon, is that what you were thinking?”

I nodded.

“Thanks to that, stocks will skyrocket too. Land prices will rise as well, but I’m not really into real estate speculation.”

Lately, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil kept pestering me about why I was dabbling in stocks—well, this works out. Just because I won a few times in speculative gambling doesn’t mean I’m good at it....

“For someone who says that, haven’t you been making a ton of money lately? I even got chewed out last time. They asked me if I leaked insider info to some kid.”

Kim Hae-ik tilted his head. From his perspective, Yoo Ha-yeon was a genius who had fallen from the sky.

And considering I wasn’t particularly moral, he probably wondered why I disliked speculation when I had ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) no reason to.

“Honestly, I’m just lucky. I’m not some kind of god—I can be wrong sometimes.”

The more the future diverges, the more limited my ability to leverage future knowledge becomes. But to those who only see the results, it looks like I have some incredible insight.

But that’s not true at all.

To put it bluntly, it’s like a house of cards—flashy with no foundation. Just the trickery of a con artist with no real base.

I need something more solid—something more legitimate to grow and wield power. That’s the only way I’ll have a safe and happy life.

“Well, that’s true. They say the most important thing in business is luck. So you hate uncertain investments where luck plays too big a role?”

“Exactly. Grandpa always used to say that too. People with bad luck should look for work where luck doesn’t matter. I don’t really believe in luck—it’s a superstition, after all....”

But then again, the fact that I exist at all is kind of a superstition, so... I’m not so sure anymore. Either way, the materialist I used to be before reincarnation has long since vanished.

“Hmm. To be even more honest, I’m protecting my image? There’s that too. I can’t afford to fail even once. Lots of people love to see a genius fall.”

As usual, I answered with half-truth, half-lie, feigning casual honesty. It’s not a total lie, but in truth, the real reason I dislike speculation is because my own reserves are limited.

“Seriously, you’re thorough to a frightening degree.”

Secretary Kim clicked his tongue and stared blankly out at the snowy street.

A subtle unease lingered on his weathered, middle-aged face.

“I don’t know what’ll happen to this country anymore. I thought I understood the economy well, but when it comes to technological advancement... I’m lost.”

Maybe a changing era is a little scary for a middle-aged man. I decided to tease him a little to lighten the mood.

“Don’t worry. By the time that happens, you’ll be retired. You’ll live long watching your grandkids grow up.”

“Haha, thanks for saying so. So now it’s your time, the era of the young?”

“Well, not that it really matters for me. Whatever I do now...”

—will all crumble like a sandcastle once the foreign exchange crisis hits.

“I’m still just a kid. Heh. There’s a long way to go before the board is ready for me to play.”

I swallowed the rest of my words and smiled sweetly.

***

Slide.

A sleek black sedan pulled up to the entrance of the elementary school. It was shiny and flashy—a car that screamed wealth.

“Wow, it’s a foreign car!”

Children’s eyes sparkled as they stared. Even the passing male teachers couldn’t help but steal glances—it looked like they were more interested than the kids.

“Hmm, the school’s not bad.”

Originally, Chairman Yoo Seong-pil wanted to send me to a top-tier private school for the children of Korea’s elite, but... I deliberately chose a slightly less prestigious one.

If the other kids were on my level, it’d be tiring. Honestly, I’m already very pretty now, and I’ll only get more stunning as I grow. Who knows how kids, especially those sensitive to the opposite sex, will react.

Most importantly, I don’t need to build relationships with children. By the time any of them have a real voice in the chaebol world, I’ll already be a chaebol chairwoman.

“Okay. Open the door now.”

The car door slid open almost silently—it was such a high-end car, you could barely hear it. For the record, I bought it myself with my own money, imported from Germany.

Men really are all about cars. Even if I’m a woman now, still.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

As my secretary came to escort me, I prepared to get out of the car. My legs were short, so I sort of bounced down onto the pavement with a soft thump.

“Hup!”

As the morning sunlight hit my face, I smiled brightly and cheerfully at the onlookers. Aside from being a bit young, I looked every inch a chaebol daughter—and gasps of admiration rippled through the crowd.

The innocent awe of children only made me happier.

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“Let me escort you, young lady.”

“Mm. Carry my bag, will you?”

Thud.

I handed my bag over to the secretary.

“Yes, young lady.”

As she bent at the waist, her ponytail swept down slightly to one side. She was my personal secretary, a gift from Grandpa two years ago.

Her family background was terrible, and as a woman, she would’ve struggled to even finish high school—but the chief of staff covered her college tuition in return for joining the secretary’s office after graduation.

Thanks to that, she obeyed me well. It’s easy to find a capable subordinate, but rare to find one who’s both capable and loyal.

A beautiful woman, freshly graduated from a top university, bowing to do my errands.

Ahh, this is power.

Thanks to her, I rarely have to carry anything myself. My secretary even carries my bag.

Honestly, even if I’d been born female from the start, I probably wouldn’t have liked luxury bags much. Bags, phones, whatever—I’d probably just have my secretary or bodyguard carry them for me.

Besides, crossbody bags don’t go with suits anyway.

“Yawn... this is boring.”

After the entrance ceremony ended, I entered the first-grade classroom. The murmuring children glanced my way, but thankfully, their innocence kept them from acting distant just yet.

Tiny wooden desks and chairs. It had been a long time since I’d seen such things.

“Wait outside for now.”

“Yes, young lady.”

After sending the secretary out, I stretched my legs and slouched diagonally in my chair.

‘These chairs all need to be replaced.’

A bit uncomfortable.

***

It’s not like I spent the last year just studying. I also made my mark in the semiconductor industry led by Chairman Yoo Seong-pil, proving my worth and making connections with a few key researchers.

I focused on the younger ones. Older people might be retired by the time I’m ready to poach talent.

I also prepared a small capital fund in anticipation of the 3 Low Boom. Even without using my future knowledge for real estate speculation, I made plenty just using my information advantage as a chaebol daughter.

...The money practically rolled in—it felt almost wrong.

‘It really is on a different difficulty setting before the foreign exchange crisis.’

With some seed capital, a decent brain, and business sense, anyone could become rich at this point. Honestly, even without future knowledge, I probably would’ve made a tidy sum.

And with that money, I could enjoy a few hobbies on the side. People need breaks, after all.

“Ah, welcome, young lady!”

A young man with dark circles bowed to me. He was clinging to what was called a Famicom console—though he looked like a wreck, he was one of the few rare programmers around.

“Yeah. I’m here, boss. But... starting today, I’m a student again, so I won’t be able to come by as often.”

Since it was entrance day, school had ended early, and I dropped by my company for a bit of fun.

Yes, my company. I bought a game company.

...Why?

Because games are fun. If Dad hadn’t died the way he did, I’d probably have spent my whole life playing and lazing around.

I actually have a business plan. After the Atari Shock wrecked the game industry in 1983, this year marks the beginning of Nintendo writing its legend.

Was it this September that Mario comes out? And then Zelda next year?

Honestly, I can’t wait.