Chaebol

No matter how much it's called fate!

In my past life, I died after a life full of hardships, and now I'm supposed to spend this one solely managing a business?

'There's no way I'm letting that happen!'

Even if my argument wasn't perfectly logical, it was fine, as long as I could somehow convey my intentions. Just as I was about to speak—

"Wouldn't it be better to decide by your middle school entrance ceremony?"

"What?"

"Once you're in middle school, you're old enough not to be led around by adults. You should be able to say what you want to do with the company you might inherit."

"What if I make a decision that goes against your expectations?"

"In that case, you'd have to persuade me."

How to persuade Grandfather?

I'd have to prove that it would benefit Hyungang Group more if my older brother held the management rights.

"Why? Is the thought of doing management when you don't want to is giving you a headache already?"

"No way. I still have two years until I start middle school."

"So, you still feel you have some time?"

"Either way, I should think about this carefully."

That's what I said, but…

Hoooo.

I already felt like I was racing toward the time two years from now.

That night, in Park Ji-hoon's room.

Even with my eyes closed, sleep wouldn't come.

My head was filled with thoughts chasing one after another.

'Should I go crazy and just mess everything up?'

I could waste money, aim for only 50 points on exams, and live a totally slovenly life.

Ugh.

But doing that would probably just backfire, making me look like a rebellious kid.

'So, the only solution is for my brother to achieve the same level of success as I have?'

But Park Yoo-geon is only thirteen!

'How frustrating.'

Still, what can I do?

I'll just have to do my best, and my brother will have to do the same in his position.

'Since the appraisal is done… I should talk to Martin… and ask him to tutor my brother.'

It's true that he's a bit overqualified to teach a sixth grader.

But so what!

'Is this really the time to be picky?'

Above all, he's practically in a league of his own when it comes to math and science.

If we want to make a mark within two years, we need a teacher of this caliber.

'Plus, my brother will learn English too.'

As for Korean literature… as long as he reads the important books I pick out and occasionally has reading discussions with me, there shouldn't be any major issues.

'My brother will catch up quickly.'

He graduated from Seoul National University and even went to Harvard for graduate school!

'Brother… studying is never a waste… so please… ahem!'

I pulled the blanket over my head.

First, let's sleep.

I'll need rest to plan better tomorrow.

I kept trying to sleep, even though sleep wouldn't come.

***

The next day, in Jo Soo-deok's office.

"Boss! How did you come here without any notice…?"

"I urgently need to discuss something."

Jo Soo-deok quickly examined my expression.

He seemed curious about how urgent it was, but he didn't initiate the conversation.

Thirty minutes later.

After I finished explaining, Jo Soo-deok cautiously spoke up.

"In situations like this… having a clear goal is important. What's the ultimate aim you're dreaming of, Boss…?"

"Forget about management. I just want to spend money."

"Ah, as expected of our Boss… you have unique aspirations!"

Perhaps because he had never heard of such a plan before, despite his admiring tone, Jo Soo-deok scratched the back of his head as he continued.

"But Boss, you've made so much money at such a young age… It's uncertain if that goal is realistically possible…"

"I have a Plan B as well."

"Oh!"

"If I can't avoid management, then I'll only do what I want to do."

"You mean you'll take over your own company instead of managing a Hyungang Group affiliate?"

"Yes. Just like now, I want to focus more on spending money rather than earning it, through publishing, intellectual property management, and author agency, among other things."

Jo Soo-deok usually came up with solutions quickly when he heard me speak.

But this time, he simply propped his chin on his hand and focused on listening to my story.

"The goal is to make a presentation around the time of my middle school entrance ceremony, showing my grandfather why I shouldn't take over the business."

"A presentation… what kind…?"

"I need to explain why it's not suitable for me to inherit the business."

"Usually, people present to win a business opportunity…"

"I'm the complete opposite."

"Hmm, you can't exactly consult anyone for this. Whether we live or die, we'll have to come up with a solution ourselves."

At least we have enough time.

If we start preparing bit by bit now… there will definitely be a way.

"For now, I plan to focus on writing novels."

"...?"

"I want to show that I'm more suited to the arts than to business. I'll try to write two books a year."

"Fortunately, all your income so far has been concentrated in the arts. If we utilize that well, it could emphasize that you're more specialized in the arts than in business."

Such planning is Jo Soo-deok's area of expertise.

Meanwhile, my strength is undoubtedly…

'Knowing the future.'

They haven't lived through the experiences that I've had.

Yes, there's no need to be in a rush.

Over the next two years, I'll calmly and meticulously reflect on the past.

While I was making up my mind—

"Looks like you've thought of something?" Jo Soo-deok asked.

Instead of replying, I raised the corners of my mouth into a slight smile.

***

Time flew by quickly.

First, Jo Soo-deok proudly had his name featured in the opening exhibition of the Hyungang Art Museum, which he had always dreamed of.

The Korean art community's praise was a given.

Even the radical art circles in New York, USA, provided unusually positive reviews.

The public reaction was explosive as well.

Perhaps due to the effect of the museum's grand opening, visitors poured in every day.

Thanks to this, Jo Soo-deok received an overwhelming number of interview requests from the media.

Since he was already media-friendly, he never turned down a single interview.

And every time he appeared on TV—

[In reality, I was a mediocre artist. Not out of humility, but genuinely so. I had put down my brush for a long time, but with the help of the Hyungang Cultural Foundation…]

It was as if he had only agreed to these interviews to say this.

[I can't go into detail, but from Hyungang, especially thanks to a certain special person…]

He tirelessly repeated the same words every time.

Fortunately, the media's attention was focused on my grandfather instead of me.

They assumed that since he's a significant figure, Jo Soo-deok was expressing his gratitude without directly naming him.

Regardless.

Thanks to Jo Soo-deok's efforts(?), the Hyungang Art Museum had a spectacular opening.

As a result, my mother, who was appointed the museum director, also became busier.

She was so busy every day, running around to prepare for the second and third exhibitions.

Good news continued to roll in from the art world.

Because Martin's appraisal results were validated by five universities, Oxford's position was instantly undermined.

Building on this momentum, Martin published an official thesis.

Though the paper was short, the impact was immense.

There was a widespread consensus that appraisal methods not backed by science and solely relying on the scholar's reputation should be eliminated.

Naturally.

During this process, Da Vinci's unreleased work was recognized as an authentic piece.

Praise from around the world poured in, and the international media eagerly awaited the day 'Portrait of Duke Ludovico' would be restored.

It was obvious that the day the artwork was revealed to the world, there would be a flood of tourists eager to see Da Vinci's masterpiece.

Could it be because Korea received so much attention globally?

The long-awaited foundational academic translations were also actively progressing.

An enthusiastic investment was made to translate 100 books in the first two years and 1,000 books over the next decade.

Given the situation, the acceptance cutoff for famous universities' liberal arts departments jumped several levels.

While achievements in the fine arts poured in, there were also dazzling results in popular arts.

First, games!

As expected, Donkey Kong was a hit, and riding on its success, Nintendo's home gaming console, 'Family', became a mega-hit, shaking the world.

But that wasn't all.

Miyamoto Shigeru's life's work, 'Super Mario, achieved record-breaking sales, and as the distributor in North America, I reaped immense success.

While our first author, Shigeru, was thriving, our second author, Bong Joon-oh, also made a significant mark in the Korean film industry.

A short film titled 'Paradise', directed by Bong Joon-oh and starring Choi Min-Seok was entered into the short film competition category at the Berlin International Film Festival!

Could there be a more spectacular debut?

The film industry welcomed the name Bong Joon-oh with enthusiastic applause.

Lastly, the publishing business as a whole also saw remarkable achievements.

Author Lee Moon-hyuk's 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms' gained explosive popularity immediately after its serialization in the daily newspapers, selling a staggering 500,000 copies within a month of the release of its first volume.

Part of the revenue generated was used to support upcoming authors.

Among those supported, Lim Young-ha was, without a doubt, the most successful.

Perhaps because every piece he published was promptly translated into English and distributed to American bookstores.

Even 'The New Yorker' selected Lim Young-ha as a 'Notable Author'.

In the 2020s, Korean works even became Booker Prize nominees, but now it's the 1980s. Since there was practically no interest in Korean literature back then, this was truly a remarkable achievement.

In any case.

Just listing the accomplishments of the past two years takes up this much space.

So, what have I been doing all this time?

'I've been living my best life!'

First of all, I focused on learning English.

Thanks to that, I was able to communicate with Martin without an interpreter.

Of course, I also had literary achievements.

As planned, I completed four short story collections.

Thanks to using a pen name, I was able to publish the books, and somehow, I even received a publishing offer from France.

The letter I received then was quite interesting.

In short, even if it's not popular now, future readers will come to love it.

'Well, even in the 2020s, there wasn't much reaction?'

Of course, French readers hadn't actually read it, but still.

Looking back, these past two years have been full of events.

'All of this was in preparation to persuade Grandfather.'

The achievements listed above will certainly support my argument.

However!

There's something else I've devoted even more effort to.

'The privilege of knowing the future.'

A vision that only I can present!

He said we'd talk again around the time I start middle school…

'That's less than a month away now.'

And so, at fourteen years old, I was eagerly awaiting the spring.

TL/n -

Nobel Prize in Literature: Recognizes outstanding contributions to literature, awarded annually.

Booker Prize: Honors the best original novel written in English and published in the UK.

Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Celebrates distinguished fiction by an American author.

National Book Award: Recognizes outstanding literary work in the U.S. across multiple categories.

Dublin Literary Award: An international prize for a novel published in English or translated into English.

Hugo Awards: Celebrates excellence in science fiction and fantasy literature. (Lord of the Rings)

Costa Book Awards: Honors the best books published in the UK and Ireland across various categories.

Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction: Celebrates exceptional fiction written by women.

PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: Recognizes outstanding fiction by American authors.

Orange Prize for Fiction (now the Baileys Prize): Previously awarded for women's literature.

James Tait Black Memorial Prize: One of the oldest literary awards in the UK, awarded for fiction and biography.

Commonwealth Short Story Prize: Recognizes the best short fiction from Commonwealth writers.

The Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction: Honors outstanding historical fiction.

The Giller Prize: Celebrates Canadian fiction and is awarded annually.

The Women's Prize for Fiction: Recognizes the best female authors writing in English.