I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 116: Hobby Life (1)

One day in June 1994.

Whether the worst crash since the Great Depression was unfolding in the bond market or not, my heartbeat remained calm and steady.

A “bond market crisis,” a “bond massacre”... Honestly, compared to a real financial crisis, wasn’t this kind of mild?

‘Okay, erasing a trillion dollars is definitely a big deal though.’

A trillion dollars in the 1990s was a colossal amount of money.

For reference, the amount wiped out during Black Monday in 1987 was $500 billion.

And that trillion was just from the U.S. If you included the entire global bond market, the figure was closer to $1.5 trillion.

Even for someone like me, with endless wealth, the number made my head spin—

Yet my mind was strangely at ease.

Maybe it helped that I was physically removed from the chaos.

I just issued commands while enjoying a peaceful school life in Korea.

Click.

“Whew, it’s hot out there, Miss.”

Seo Ji-yeon sighed and fanned her shirt after stepping back inside.

The heat had been intense since April, and we were both wearing short sleeves and shorts.

Maybe because I was lightly dressed myself—or maybe because she figured she’d have to wear even lighter clothes when actual summer hit—Ji-yeon had dressed surprisingly light today, too.

A sleeveless top that left her collarbones completely exposed, and a mini-skirt.

But of course, wearing less didn’t mean it felt any cooler.

Especially with sweat making the fabric cling to her skin in a way that gave off a subtly... indecent vibe.

“But the school’s air conditioning works well, right?”

Ji-yeon shook her head.

“Yeah... You know some of the students volunteered to stay behind and self-study? They said it was cooler at school than at home.”

A moment where my foresight truly shone.

Getting a bunch of hormonal teenagers to voluntarily stay after school? If that’s not a miracle, I don’t know what is.

“Hmm, but come to think of it, your family’s pretty well-off, right? Your house must have AC too.”

I don’t keep Ji-yeon with me all year round.

She has a home. She has a family. It’s not like she can follow me around 24/7.

Her “working hours” follow Daehwa Group’s official business hours quite strictly.

Even when she sleeps over at my house, it’s under that same framework.

Because I’m a benevolent employer, I count sleep as part of work hours too. It’s just more efficient that way.

She only seems to be constantly glued to me because, as a student, she’s usually around after school and on days off—kind of like hanging out at a friend’s house.

That, and Ji-yeon doesn’t have the broadest ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) social circle.

“I’m the one doing you a favor, Miss. I have lots of friends, you know.”

“...Yeah, right. Like you ever have time to meet them. Don’t lie.”

I squinted at her suspiciously, and she puffed up proudly.

“Excuse me! I’ve made plenty of friends at school! I’ve been in the same class with some kids for all three years—you bet we’re close. Unlike you, I’m not socially defective.”

“Hmm, sure. Fair enough. Anyway, most of my classmates will probably end up working under me someday. You’re just doing your job as my secretary, right?”

As I nodded, satisfied with my own logic, Ji-yeon gave me an indignant look.

“Ugh, that’s such a stiff way to think. We’re friends, okay? Titles can be sorted out later. I don’t want to divide classmates by rank.”

“...”

That gave me a strange, involuntary wince.

“Then what about me?”

“Uh... You’re kind of a special case, Miss. Honestly, I don’t even think of you as someone my age.”

“You should keep a bit of distance with other kids too. It gets hard to give orders to someone you’re too close with later on.”

Tilt.

With her head tilted to the side, Ji-yeon stepped closer and asked:

“So... does that apply to me too?”

“...What does?”

“You just said it’s hard to give orders to friends you're too close with. But you boss me around just fine. Does that mean we’re not that close?”

I was momentarily speechless.

What was I supposed to say to that...?

“Well... You’re kind of an exception. You still use honorifics with me, right? This level of distance works.”

Then she grinned and poked at my chest. The soft flesh bounced under her finger.

“Aww, really? ‘Cause it sure seemed like you were super jealous earlier when we were talking about my friends. You say we need distance, but you act like you want to hog me all to yourself.”

Ji-yeon was on the offensive—but I stayed calm.

“Sure, having friends is nice. But you can only really be friends with someone who’s like you, right?

Plenty of kids say their dog is their ‘friend,’ but that’s childish nonsense. You don’t give kibble to your friends.”

Unless someone’s as rich and capable as me—or doesn’t care about money at all—we’re not likely to become friends.

If someone changes their behavior the moment I give them money, they’re not a friend.

“Phew... So are you saying I’m your pet, then?”

“No, I mean—that’s not what I meant.”

“But I do live off the money you give me, don’t I?”

“...You could survive just fine without me.”

“Even a stray dog can survive on its own, Miss.”

“....”

A loyal dog. Mmh. I guess that’s acceptable.

Isn’t that the same vibe I get from Lee Si-hyun too?

The affection you feel for a cherished pet isn’t all that different from the affection you’d give a true friend.

“I mean, they say dogs are man’s best friend, right? Not saying you are a dog, just...”

She does have kind of a puppy-like face, though...

“Heh. Didn’t you just say that kind of talk was childish nonsense?”

Face burning red, I shoved Ji-yeon away with my foot.

“I—I’m still young enough to say childish things! Don’t twist my words, just go away!”

Thump!

“Eek! Hnnngh, you’re going to kill me one day. Ugh, I really do need to start working out if I’m going to serve Yoo Ha-yeon properly...”

Ji-yeon groaned as she patted her back and adjusted her half-fallen tank top.

***

Grumbling about the increasingly hot weather, I lowered the AC and flopped onto the bed with a comic book.

Even though most of the subculture I’d known hadn’t been born yet, a lot of good stuff had started to appear now—unlike the ‘80s.

There was Slam Dunk, Dragon Ball... Yu Yu Hakusho was almost at its finale.

‘Next year Touhou should come out too. I guess it’s a good thing I never had time to watch some of the older stuff back then. Wait—Yu Yu Hakusho ends this year, so why’s HxH still...’

...One more reason to keep making money.

Anyway, there are more decent series than I expected.

Especially Dragon Ball Z—yeah, the anime drags on forever, but it’s still pretty fun.

“Oh, you’re reading that too, Miss? Didn’t expect that.”

“...?”

“I thought you didn’t like sports. So I figured you wouldn’t care for basketball manga.”

...I liked it first.

I mean, I’ve been reading Slam Dunk since it came out in Weekly Shonen Jump.

Why does she act like she discovered it?

I felt a weird sense of inferiority.

This must be what it feels like when normies steal otaku culture... Ugh, my stomach feels weird.

“That has nothing to do with it, okay? This is why you people are clueless.”

I clicked my tongue in disapproval, but she didn’t take the bait.

“Sure, sure. Got it.”

Hmph. I could make tons of friends if I wanted to.

I’m just not doing it, okay? It’s not that I can’t.

Seriously.

‘She’s getting too cocky these days...’

Beep.

[1994 World Cup opens in Chicago...]

[South Korea ties Spain 2-2 in miraculous draw!]

I caught a replay of the match on TV, but realizing it wasn’t live killed the vibe, so I turned it off.

“Tch, I’ll just read some more instead.”

Flop.

As I lay there soaking in the cool AC and softness of the blankets, I suddenly remembered something I’d said to Seo Ji-yeon a while back.

“Come to think of it... Didn’t I tell you it’s okay to date if you want?”

That thought came up when she’d been bragging about getting love letters at school and claiming she was more popular than me.

“Boyfriend, huh... I decided to give up on dating. I don’t think you’d leave my boyfriend alone if I had one.”

She pouted and replied coolly.

“Why not?”

“Because I know you. You’d totally flash that mischievous grin and ask him, ‘Who do you like more? Me or Ji-yeon?’ and start seducing him. You’re like a jealous stepmother from Snow White or something.”

“That’s... not a fair comparison. I’m prettier than you.”

“...I knew you’d say that. Still, I’ve got a better personality, so I’m more popular with guys.”

As if. Snow White is supposed to be the pretty one.

Maybe I’m just too high up the tree.

Guys probably get intimidated and give up before even trying.

Not that I have any plans to be “picked” by anyone anyway. (I’m talking about fruit, okay?)

I looked in the mirror, admiring my own reflection, and nodded in satisfaction.

Mhm. Gorgeous.

“With this face, I could totally be a movie heroine. Even if I can’t act, I’m pretty enough that it won’t matter.”

“...Are you doing something else with the film club again?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? We’re filming a movie with some of the graduates this time. You know we’re graduating middle school soon too, right? It’s kind of like a commemorative project.”

“Ugh, I feel like you’re about to start another huge production...”

Ji-yeon shook her head like she was already tired of it. But this time, I had nothing to be ashamed of—I smiled brightly.

“You’re used to it by now, right? The highlight will be in October—we’re renting out a whole location at Seongsu Bridge to shoot. It might be dangerous, so we’ll use plenty of safety measures.”

“Dangerous? Come on...”

Tch. She doesn’t know.

But I let it go.

It was just a small hobby, after all.

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