Episode 30
Seo Soo-yeon started giving a lengthy speech about tax reductions.
Even if work was forced upon her, she was doing her best, embodying the humanistic values of Cheon Aram.
I decided to trust her and began the conversation.
“Gaeul, could you come here for a moment?”
Gaeul, caught in the crossfire between Cheon Aram and me, was nervously darting her eyes around, clearly flustered. But when I called her, she dashed over.
I asked Gaeul, “So, you want money so that your younger sibling can receive the art education they desire, right?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then, it doesn’t necessarily have to be cash, does it?”
“Cash? What do you mean?”
Gaeul tilted her head in confusion.
“I mentioned cash, but I didn’t mean that it has to be cash specifically. The point is that money doesn’t need to be deposited directly into an account.”
I pulled out my tablet and showed the prepared materials to Cheon Aram and Gaeul.
“There are various welfare and scholarship systems available for your younger sibling, Yoo Gaeul. I’ll only mention the ones you can certainly qualify for without competition. Special scholarship programs for art education, government-run hub schools, happy classrooms for young artists, and…”
These options would indeed provide solid help. But the main event was yet to come.
“The cultural and arts promotion support system from SS’s subsidiary welfare foundation, Seed.”
I figured this would cover about 60% of what I had in mind.
“If the welfare foundation and support systems below combine, we can drastically reduce the amount Gaeul needs.”
I presented a detailed table systematically itemizing the expenses necessary for Winter’s sibling to study art—food, tuition, academy fees, material costs, living expenses, application fees, exam costs, model hiring, etc.
At the bottom of the table, it showed that we could save close to 46% of the one billion Gaeul demanded.
“…This doesn’t look like it’s false information. It seems quite feasible.”
Cheon Aram snatched the tablet to check the details herself and commented.
“But Team Leader Seon, it all sounds great, but why do you think we can get support from the SS foundation, Seed?”
She looked genuinely puzzled.
“Seed’s welfare system is mainly for the related employees. No matter how unfortunate Yoo Gaeul’s sibling is, they’re not going to get support. …Don’t think I’m being harsh. We’re not SS, we’re Two Bear Entertainment. That’s just how it is.”
And then Cheon Aram added as if to draw a clear line.
“Oh, and if you think I’m connected to SS just because I come from there, that’s an overestimation I must clarify.”
I felt perplexed by her words instead.
“But President Cheon, you’re not just from SS, are you?”
“Being the daughter of Cheon Seonsu? I mean, it is a big deal, but that doesn’t mean I can move the foundation at my whim.”
“It’s not like it could be.”
She said it as if it was obvious.
“SS is the territory governed by Team Leader Cheon, so it’s also land that belongs to our grandfather. I’m still far from it.”
At that moment, I understood Cheon Aram’s intention.
Ah, she doesn’t want to say it.
It was slightly amusing to see someone try to hide something from someone who already knows everything.
Unable to hide my amusement, I chuckled and said,
“While it’s true that SS belongs to Team Leader Cheon, the welfare foundation seed is not currently Team Leader Cheon’s.”
“Huh? Then whose is it?”
Cheon Aram asked as if she had heard something completely ridiculous. Her acting skills were impressive.
I smashed through that mask directly.
“President Cheon is the heir to the welfare foundation seed, isn’t he?”
“….”
President. Let’s stop this, since I already know everything.
“Why do you think that?”
What do you mean why? Before the regression, didn’t Cheon Seonsu’s death make headlines everywhere? Of course, I know.
I had no intention of sharing a truth that no one would believe.
“I understand that inheritance isn’t something that’s hidden in a will and suddenly revealed one day.”
I spoke as if it was a matter of course.
“Because of that, the heir to the foundation seed, President Cheon Aram, must have laid down enough hands there, right? I analyzed those movements.”
Cheon Aram replied as if she couldn’t believe it.
“How would you know who my hands are among the numerous SS employees?”
“It’s difficult to notice the hands of President Cheon who is operating in the shadows, but it wasn’t hard to recognize Cheon Jong-hoon and the second son, Cheon Sechan, as well as Team Leader Cheon. What’s left is the process of elimination.”
“Team Leader Seon… you say that so easily. It’s not like people walk around with name tags saying ‘Cheon Jong-hoon’ or ‘Cheon Seonsu,’ so how can an outsider distinguish all of them? This can’t just be boiled down to detective skills!”
“It can work, you know?”
Whether it makes sense or not, who cares?
I already knew the answer.
“For this reason, I believe it’s possible for President Cheon to put one of Yoo Gaeul’s siblings in.”
“….”
Cheon Aram murmured quietly as she looked at my confidence.
“Ah, I see why Jong-hoon oppa was jealous.”
Her voice was drowned out by Seo Soo-yeon’s distracting noise.
I, braving rudeness, asked about that content.
“I’m sorry, but could you say that again…?”
Cheon Aram easily ignored my request and said,
“Fine. I’ll admit that what Team Leader Seon said is possible. But have you received consent from Gaeul?”
Cheon Aram’s gaze and mine shifted to Yoo Gaeul.
“Honestly speaking, this is a lower-quality reward compared to the original, right?”
Gaeul was fidgeting as if she couldn’t keep up with the situation.
She must be deep in thought.
I took a deep breath, lowered my head slightly to match Gaeul’s eye level, and spoke.
I lowered myself a bit to match Gaeul’s eye level and said,
“Even if Gaeul uses the welfare foundation, your little brother won’t receive low-quality education or use cheap tools.”
I had already cut ties with any place that provided shoddy supplies.
Gaeul would surely never be dissatisfied with ‘quality.’
“But if, by any chance, your brother is mistreated, I’ll personally pull out my own funds to get the best for him.”
Gaeul’s mouth twitched.
Murmurs that couldn’t form words bobbed in the air a few times, but one little word was clearly conveyed.
“…Why.”
I tilted my head and asked,
“Why do you ask?”
Then Gaeul looked at me with trembling eyes and asked,
“Why would you go that far?”
The answer was obvious.
“Because I want to be with you, Gaeul.”
I mean, I wanted to soak up that S-rank talent and get my rewards.
I hoped you’d grab me by the collar, boost me up, and serve me success on a silver platter.
“Will you please allow me?”
Yoo Gaeul nodded with a dazed look in her eyes, as if she were possessed by a ghost.
“…I’m just a little lacking, but please take care of me.”
Her response was a bit strange, but it seemed like she agreed.
Cheon Aram, who was watching us with a meaningful look, asked me,
“So, is this all the cards Team Leader Seon has prepared?”
“I still have one left, but I’d rather not use it. It’s my trump card.”
“…Sounds good. Shall we take a look?”
Damn it. I should’ve just said I had none.
She seized the microphone from Seo Soo-yeon, who was spilling practical knowledge to evade taxes while putting on a show, and said,
“Our TwoBear Entertainment’s Team Leader Seon has drastically reduced the contract fee of 100 million by about 50%.”
The crowd erupted in cheers. They were probably picturing Gaeul being accepted as a trainee now.
But Cheon Aram betrayed their expectations.
“Sure, that’s quite an accomplishment. However, my thoughts remain unchanged. I believe even that amount is excessive investment.”
The crowd jeered at the tiresome turn of events. I silently cheered for them.
Those who cursed our endlessly demanding president were my true allies.
“How do you plan to convince me, Team Leader Seon?”
…Can’t I just not convince you and quit? I feel like I’ve done my part.
Honestly, I felt bad for thinking, aren’t we at a fair point now?
However, if she wanted this sticky situation to become even more dramatic, I’d have to play along as she wanted.
Even knowing that people shy away from large crowds, I had to take charge and deal with the president rudely.
I snatched the microphone from Cheon Aram and said,
“I have about 4,000 saved up.”
The screen I turned on clearly displayed a little over 4,200.
The money was clearly stated as slightly over 4,200.
It was the combined funds from my military salary and years of part-time job wages, plus the cash that Grandfather Gyeoul gave me.
“I will invest all this money.”
This was different from the promise I made in front of Cheon Aram to bet a year’s salary.
A shaky promise that can crumble at any moment holds no weight compared to cash on the line.
Back then, I mentioned that having debt might change our relationship, right? Well then, let me show you the cash.
Of course, this amount is still a few hundred short of what Yoo Gaeul demanded.
That’s the point. Cheon Aram would have to invest that missing few hundred.
The quest required Cheon Aram to cover the costs on my behalf. Not “all of it” but you know what I mean.
Thus, the quest can be completed simultaneously.
With this one busking session, I’m catching not just two, but three rabbits!
“…I didn’t expect this.”
But Cheon Aram’s reaction was a bit odd.
Seeing the numbers on her smartphone, she let out a big sigh and asked, perplexed,
“It’s not my place to say, but I can’t help but ask… Team Leader Seon, why go so far?”
It was the same question as Yoo Gaeul had posed.
It seemed that Cheon Aram and Yoo Gaeul thought I was taking a huge loss.
However, investing around four thousand isn’t a loss at all.
If it’s a listed company, I was planning to buy shares in the subsidiary as soon as I got my salary anyway.
This was just the same money I intended to invest in TwoBear, with a different name attached.
But if I openly expressed my genuine feelings, our humanist President might not take it too well. So I casually responded,
“That’s because Gaeul will definitely become the best singer.”
Cheon Aram smiled like a kid who found a toy.
“But you’re still short by about 800, right?”
Oh come on, don’t be stingy!
“Can you let that slide? It’s your company, after all.”
Cheon Aram burst into laughter at my feigned grievance. Then, taking a deep breath, she said,
“Alright. Team Leader Seon wins.”
Cheon Aram’s face beamed with the purest smile I’d ever seen as she acknowledged her defeat.
*
“Did you say Yoo Gaeul?”
Cheon Aram extended her hand toward Yoo Gaeul, as if asking for a handshake.
“I’d like to make a contract under the terms I just mentioned. Is that okay?”
Yoo Gaeul hesitated, glancing at me for approval.
Why is she looking at me?
I couldn’t understand, but Cheon Aram chuckled as if she understood.
“Don’t worry, the money will all come from TwoBear. I’m not planning to pickpocket Team Leader Seon.”
“….”
“This includes any extra costs from when you weren’t satisfied with the foundation’s welfare. Anyway, Team Leader Seon won’t have to pay a single won.”
Only then did Yoo Gaeul nod and take her hand.
I was at a loss for words at Gaeul, who was already worrying about my pockets.
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