I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 105: Yoo Ha-yeon’s Daily Life (3)

Aboard the plane to New York, Seo Ji-yeon witnessed a rare sight.

“Haaam...”

Yoo Ha-yeon, who always sparkled with sharp eyes, had finished reviewing the hundreds of pages of documents she had brought and—just for a brief moment—fallen asleep.

‘She really does look like an angel when she’s like this...’

The sight of Yoo Ha-yeon sleeping softly was # Nоvеlight # so beautiful and serene that it was hard to put into words.

–Rustle.

When she lightly brushed Yoo Ha-yeon’s elegantly extended arm and her delicate, jade-like hand, a strange feeling of shame crept in. Her skin was pure and luminous, with a soft pink hue—so unlike Ji-yeon’s own, which she suddenly saw as plain and unrefined by comparison.

Of course, Seo Ji-yeon herself was quite attractive—enough to turn heads from most men on the street. But next to Yoo Ha-yeon? The comparison wasn’t even fair.

It wasn’t for nothing that Yoo Ha-yeon, despite never having dated anyone, had a reputation as the “couple destroyer” of Daehwa Middle School.

‘She’s a rare species who barely even shows up at school, and yet she gets way too close to boys...’

Ji-yeon turned her head away in irritation. She could already picture Yoo Ha-yeon grinning mischievously, shamelessly cozying up to the boys.

It wasn’t even flirting. The truth was, she didn’t even care for the ones who liked her. And meanwhile, those who suffered all morning taking a plane with her...

—“No, it’s fine. You can keep the notebook as a gift. You’ve been serving the young lady in private too. You get what I’m saying, right? Sigh, you’re lucky to be the same age as her.”

Ji-yeon suddenly recalled Lee Si-hyun’s bitter smile, and let out a deep sigh, running her fingers over the notebook she had received.

“Ugh... my fate, huh.”

She was beginning to accept that she’d probably be dragged along by Yoo Ha-yeon for the rest of her life. And yet... that didn’t feel all that bad. That was the worst part.

***

The place Yoo Ha-yeon was headed to lay on the outskirts, a bit away from Wall Street.

Naturally so. After all, aside from a small investment in Alpha Fund, she was technically nothing more than a foreign outsider with no official ties.

“Haven’t those days more or less passed, though? You’re quite a known figure now, young lady. The foundation agreed to keep things quiet, but... still, there are eyes everywhere.”

Ha Yeong-il made the comment offhandedly.

‘So he’s asking if it’s really okay to be moving so openly now...’

Yoo Ha-yeon smiled faintly and gave a nod.

“Well, that’s true. It’s deliberate, but still risky.”

The idea of some shadowy cabal secretly controlling the world is pure fiction. Unless the individual has supernatural powers, personal strength alone will never surpass an organization—or a state.

Authority comes from history and tradition. Power comes from acknowledgment by others. A power that no one knows about is by nature limited in scope.

That’s why Yoo Ha-yeon didn’t actually prefer her current approach. Sure, she had loyal subordinates, starting with her chief of staff Lee Si-hyun. But that just meant her organization couldn't exist without them.

And yet... capable, obedient, loyal followers who never bicker amongst themselves? Let’s be honest—that’s not realistic.

The only reason they seemed so capable and devoted was because Yoo Ha-yeon herself was overwhelmingly competent. Her organization was being held together solely by her charisma and skill.

Take Seo Ji-yeon, for example. If Yoo Ha-yeon’s dominant performance faltered, Ji-yeon wouldn’t necessarily leave—but she certainly wouldn’t follow orders blindly anymore.

‘Of course, Yoo Ha-yeon wouldn’t want that anyway.’

That’s what Ji-yeon believed.

A bad system relies on competent individuals. A good system runs even when its people are incompetent. In that sense, Yoo Ha-yeon’s organization—built entirely on an ultra-competent leader—was the worst kind of system.

And she suspected...

Yoo Ha-yeon would probably end up creating a system that relied on her but could still function reasonably well without her. Like the Ming Dynasty used to do.

There were precedents for that. Korean chaebol groups were the most obvious example... and the biggest risk in that system—owner dependency—was essentially meaningless for someone like Yoo Ha-yeon. For her, it was the ideal setup.

‘Even though she seems to dislike the chaebol structure itself...’

As Yoo Ha-yeon maintained her usual cryptic and mischievous smile, Seo Ji-yeon could only groan internally and try to decipher what was going through her master’s head.

–Clack.

“Alright then, let’s begin. How are the stocks?”

The young lady rested her arms and chest on the table, eyes sparkling. The fund manager—one powerful enough to sway Wall Street—began a private briefing just for her.

“...The market index is crashing in typical panic fashion. There’s a lot of selling, but it’s not as bad as it seems. People seem to think it’ll stabilize soon.”

“We bet on the whole short position, right? Let’s sell off half the puts for now... Tomorrow, Russia’s going to get volatile. Let’s focus on that. I’ve written down the details—you’ll find it there.”

Yoo Ha-yeon knew the news would break tomorrow: that she’d finally recovered the czarist-era Russian government bonds worth roughly a hundred million dollars. Since that meant Russia was about to spend more money, the headlines wouldn’t be great.

Still, since they were repaying old debt, their credit rating would probably rise. That’s likely why the Russian government didn’t cancel the deal even amid the current chaos.

‘They said the decision was made long before the coup...’

Did they schedule it now by coincidence? Or is this, as Yoo Ha-yeon always says, just one more "accident" falling into place?

She had profited from the fall of the Soviet Union—by coincidence. Discovered Madoff’s fraud—by coincidence. Got tangled up in the LA riots in the most fortunate way—also by coincidence.

Where did coincidence end and planning begin?

Every time a seed she didn’t even remember planting suddenly bore fruit, she boldly placed a bet and reaped the reward. Today was just one of many such days.

For Yoo Ha-yeon, this was just another ordinary routine.

***

–Ssssshhhhh.

As the discussion with Ha Yeong-il ended, it started raining on the way to the Hollywood villa.

Rumble-rumble-rumble!

The torrential downpour pounding on the car roof was deafening.

“Ahahaha! This is great! Go faster!”

Yoo Ha-yeon laughed like a maniac. Every time she got out of the car, she was soaked, but she didn’t care—she egged the driver on to speed back to the villa.

If they were returning to Korea, it’d be one thing—but it hadn’t even been 18 hours, and Yoo Ha-yeon was already thinking about working more.

Seo Ji-yeon, who hadn’t gotten any real rest apart from short naps, was beyond exhausted.

“Uugh... Young lady, please don’t do that outside... My head is pounding.”

Yoo Ha-yeon tilted her head and looked over.

“Oh, by the way—did you write about that in my journal? Don’t put that part in. Miss Yoo Ha-yeon is always perfect and beautiful, okay?”

“Yes...”

‘Crazy bitch...’

She swallowed the curse. Her eyes were already closing, but she forced them open and nodded. Arguing now was not the smart move. If she messed up, she might get dragged into a bath with her.

Still, Ji-yeon silently swore to write today’s events down no matter what.

“Young lady... aren’t you uncomfortable, though? You’re normally such a clean freak, but now...”

She already knew the answer. Yoo Ha-yeon, for all her fussiness, would easily sell her pride and preferences—for the right price.

But this time, it seemed she judged the situation unimportant. She nodded.

“Mm, let’s take a shower here before we go. I do feel kind of gross.”

“...This isn’t even a lodging facility.”

Ji-yeon stared blankly at the family restaurant branch ahead—until she saw what Yoo Ha-yeon was doing and gasped.

–Clack.

Yoo Ha-yeon pulled out a check and handed it to the staff. Then she smiled and gestured at her soaked suit.

“I’ll give you ten thousand dollars—let me use this place for a bit. That okay?”

“...Huh? Ten thou—ah, yes! Of course, ma’am! Would you like to order something too...?”

“Nah, that’s fine. Just want to shower. If the kitchen has a water line, we can hook up a hose. Just clear the back room. Actually, now that I think about it, I’ll have brunch too. Something fancy. But first, I’ll wash up.”

The employee’s face went completely blank. Did she really just say that?

“...Excuse me?”

Seo Ji-yeon, panting as she dragged out spare clothes and a backup suit from the car trunk, tried desperately to stop her.

“M-Miss, please don’t do this...”

.

.

.

–Ssshhhhh.

The rain had stopped, but the sound of water hadn’t. Because Yoo Ha-yeon had, indeed, showered in the restaurant.

Though the staff were stunned, no one refused. A rich person with strange tastes had paid ten thousand dollars to mess up an empty restaurant for a bit—who’d argue?

They’d used every curtain available to block off the area around her... but the woman herself didn’t seem to care, so it all felt pointless.

“Life...”

Holding a freshly dried suit, Seo Ji-yeon muttered with a soulless face. Of course she’d gotten soaked too—Yoo Ha-yeon had dragged her in.

“Whew, another bucket list item crossed off. Feels great, don’t you think?”

That was on her bucket list?

Watching Yoo Ha-yeon casually drying her hair, Seo Ji-yeon just shook her head.

“...Not even close.”

–Click.

With a pen in hand, Seo Ji-yeon resumed writing in her journal. She figured this time, she needed to add an author’s note at the beginning.

[This is the daily life of Yoo Ha-yeon, as recorded by me.

And as readers of the previous entries will know—I am someone who faithfully records and criticizes even my master’s flaws. Fearing I might misinterpret things due to my limited knowledge, I have written only the plain facts, hoping for no misunderstandings.

I swear on my honor—and my father’s—that not a word of this is false or exaggerated.]

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