SWNOVELXO 26
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll have to decline.”
At my response, Choi Yeo-hae’s eyebrows twitched.
“I came here to seek investment, not to find employment.”
As I answered with a slight smile, Choi Yeo-hae let out a dry laugh, as if she’d taken a hit.
It’s an audacious response, but one that could be chalked up to youthful boldness.
And Choi Yeo-hae preferred those who stood their ground and met her gaze rather than those who meekly bowed their heads.
“You don’t seem to be clinging to misplaced pride. Do you truly understand what kind of offer I’m making?”
“Of course. I know that without this opportunity, I’d have virtually no chance to work at a large company like Hando Construction.”
My qualifications consist solely of a high school diploma. Without even a single certification to my name, landing a job at Hando Construction would be a distant dream, even if I applied through their high school graduate special recruitment.
“CEO, I’m a merchant. If given options, it’s only right to pursue the more profitable one.”
“…You’re saying choosing The Song over Hando Construction is more beneficial?”
“Yes.”
I spoke with unwavering confidence.
“Because I’ll grow it that way. With these hands, directly.”
“……”
“It’s an embarrassing analogy, but if I truly am a diamond fallen on the street, as you said…”
I continued slowly.
“…Is there any reason to search for an owner? A diamond is a diamond in itself.”
Though I’ve now lost everything and returned to being a penniless 20-year-old, I had already proven my abilities once before.
And this time, I planned to fly higher and farther than before, leveraging those memories.
Why would a diamond that knows its own value need to rely on someone else’s hands?
Choi Yeo-hae’s expression turned fierce at my confident declaration.
“A diamond is a diamond in itself. How dare you speak so impertinently in front of me?”
Others might have trembled at this, but I knew this face of Choi Yeo-hae well.
“In all my years in business, I’ve never let someone as cocky as you leave unscathed.”
Her icy gaze pierced me. Even though I could roughly gauge her true intentions, it was still a piercing look that made me flinch slightly.
“How dare you… How dare you in front of me…. Pfft, ahahahahaha!”
I knew it would come to this.
As Choi Yeo-hae suddenly burst into laughter after piling on the pressure, I struggled to hide my sense of deflation.
“Oh my, look at your face. Even the directors at my company tremble in fear when I act like this.”
This is one of Choi Yeo-hae’s bad habits.
Using her charisma to crush people and observe their reactions. When I first met Choi Yeo-hae before my regression, I experienced something similar.
‘Back then, it was after two or three years of struggling with In-cheol. We had only opened three or four branches, so I was completely defenseless.’
Unable to even make eye contact, I kept my head bowed until her thunderous command, “Look people in the eye when you talk to them!” made me raise my head, trembling.
Seeing my tear-filled face, even Choi Yeo-hae was slightly taken aback and ended up hugging me tightly.
‘Ugh. It’s still mortifying to think about.’
How many times did Choi Yeo-hae milk that story afterward? It feels like I suffered for a good ten years.
‘But this time, I have no intention of falling for it so easily.’
Seeing my composed face, Choi Yeo-hae smiled mischievously. My reaction seemed to pique her interest even more.
“I’m sorry. I can be a bit mischievous.”
“Ah, yes.”
I’ll let it slide since she’s my (potential) source of funds.
“I thought you were extraordinary from what my husband told me, but seeing you in person is even more impressive. How should I put it… It feels like you’re going to do something big, whatever it is.”
Choi Yeo-hae set down her teacup with an elegant gesture and smiled at me.
“I like it.”
“Pardon?”
“I want to invest.”
“……!”
As I widened my eyes, Choi Yeo-hae continued with a hint of laughter in her voice.
“Just because I can’t be the owner of the diamond doesn’t mean I should let go entirely. That would negate the merit of being the first to discover it. That’s unacceptable for a businessperson.”
Indeed. Well said.
“It’s better to leave my mark before it shines brightly enough for everyone else to notice.”
Choi Yeo-hae extended her hand to me.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“…Thank you. You won’t regret this.”
I firmly grasped her hand. We exchanged glances at close range, and things that didn’t need to be said were conveyed through our eyes.
Let me assure you.
This moment marked Choi Yeo-hae’s best investment decision of her life.
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Thud.
Choi Yeo-hae, seated in the back of the limousine, closed the door and said,
“Let’s go.”
“How was it today?”
“……!”
Startled by the sudden familiar voice, Choi Yeo-hae looked forward in shock. In the driver’s seat, where the chauffeur should have been, sat her husband, Lee In-cheol.
“What are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t contain my curiosity! I wanted to see what kind of magic that Song Woo-yeon fellow would work on my wife.”
“Hehe. Magic, you say.”
Choi Yeo-hae rested her chin on her hand and gazed out the window.
The youthful face she had just encountered seemed to materialize before her eyes.
Despite the baby fat still plumping her cheeks, her eyes shone with a fierce light.
In her business career, Choi Yeo-hae had witnessed an immense array of human characters. She had encountered countless individuals who were good, evil, kind, rude, gentle, arrogant, humble, cowardly, and petty.
Surely there must have been some young people with exceptional spirit among them?
Most talents failed to catch Choi Yeo-hae’s eye. But… today was truly different.
“It might indeed be magic.”
“Hmm?”
“That child’s eyes.”
Choi Yeo-hae murmured languidly.
“…They were already perfectly those of a merchant.”
It was astounding. How could someone so young have eyes that had already put a price tag on their pride?
“I thought my husband had no luck with metal, but how did you manage to find such a talent?”
As Choi Yeo-hae praised him with a smile, In-cheol’s face immediately relaxed into a goofy grin.
“I, I have an eye for people! Haha!”
“Indeed. Well done. It feels like I’ve discovered a proper investment opportunity for once.”
At Choi Yeo-hae’s murmur, In-cheol’s eyes widened in surprise before he nodded repeatedly.
He had wondered how things would turn out between these two formidable individuals, but it seemed that even in Choi Yeo-hae’s opinion, Song Woo-yeon was extraordinary.
‘You’ve succeeded even in this, Song Woo-yeon.’
In-cheol couldn’t help but marvel. From his perspective, Song Woo-yeon lacked only one thing: massive capital.
Now that even that was resolved… it was like a tiger gaining wings.
There was only one curiosity left.
‘What on earth are you planning to do with the investment?’
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“I discussed it with my husband, and the amount we can use for immediate remodeling is…”
Han Mi-ae handed over a bankbook.
“This is all we have.”
Her eyes remained downcast, seemingly ashamed. I casually opened the bankbook to check the balance.
‘…3 million won.’
It’s a woefully insufficient amount for interior renovation costs.
“I’m sorry. The shop’s situation hasn’t been good… Keeping the shop running is more of my selfish desire. We need to pay for the kids’ college tuition too…”
Han Mi-ae fumbled through her explanations.
“This is the best I can do.”
Her voice, though calm, trembled slightly at the end. She must know too. This amount isn’t even enough to replace the worn-out kitchen equipment, let alone cover the interior renovation.
Moreover, I had mentioned earlier that the current kitchen layout was inconvenient and needed to be completely overhauled during the construction…
“What should we do? You made such a good offer, but as you can see, my situation is like this. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
Han Mi-ae thought that our discussion would end here, just like that.
“Ma’am.”
I grasped Han Mi-ae’s hands tightly. She finally met my gaze, having kept her head bowed until now.
“Don’t worry. We can proceed with the interior work on our end first.”
“What?”
“Of course, we’re not doing it for free. You’ll have to pay it back slowly as you run the business.”
“……!”
Han Mi-ae’s eyes widened as she grasped my meaning.
“Re-really?!”
“It’s a kind of investment. I believe
“Oh my goodness.”
Han Mi-ae looked as if she might collapse.
“Thank you, thank you so much. Oh my, how can I ever repay this kindness… To invest in someone like me running a failing shop… Oh my goodness, oh my.”
She kept uttering exclamations, her face dazed as if she couldn’t believe the reality.
‘It was a good decision to visit CEO Choi Yeo-hae.’
Until yesterday, there would have been no way to help Han Mi-ae.
But today is different.
I was shocked to see the amount deposited under Choi Yeo-hae’s name. The bank even called. They were concerned that such a large sum suddenly appearing might be related to a voice phishing scam…
Surprised, I called Choi Yeo-hae, and she calmly said:
– We’ve taken care of the taxes on this end, so our CEO Song just needs to think about how to multiply this money and return it to me.
I nearly fainted from how cool that was. I almost shouted “Yes, ma’am!” without realizing it.
‘I should do as our CEO Choi instructed.’
I grinned at Han Mi-ae, who still looked thoroughly bewildered.
“While we close the shop for renovations, there’s something I need you to do.”
“Something to do? Just name it.”
Han Mi-ae responded enthusiastically.
Hehe.
With my hand on Han Mi-ae’s shoulder, I spoke softly.
“It might be quite challenging.”
“…Pardon?”
Welcome to hell.
The exit? There isn’t one.