Chapter 68: Chaebol Family

When I said I was leaving, my aunt jumped to her feet.

She probably wants to see me off, since I’m her nephew, I thought, and walked away calmly.

But my aunt brushed off my shoulder and flashed me a bright smile.

“You know, I noticed earlier that you only bought things for your mother?”

She’s got quite the sharp eye.

I nodded.

“Hey, you can’t just buy clothes at random like that. You have to pick them out properly.”

My aunt, who had been brushing off my shoulder, grabbed my hand.

“Let’s go. Since my precious nephew came all this way to find me, your dear aunt has to buy you something to wear tomorrow.”

Huh?

Before I could even protest, my aunt flung open the office door and walked out.

In the hallway, Director Kim and Yoo Jong-tae were waiting.

“Director Kim, call all the department store executives up here. We’ll have a strategy meeting shortly.”

“Again... ma’am?”

Come to think of it, the Taeseong Department Store executive meeting was just held in the president’s office a while ago, and it had just ended.

“The issue of securing VIP customers for Taeseong Department Store hasn’t been resolved yet, has it?”

“Uh, President. That’s not something you can solve just by calling us up and pressing us for answers. We need time to think and come up with proper measures—”

“So you’re saying I haven’t given you time until now? Even if you squeeze as hard as you can, if nothing comes out, then fine, but it seems like we’ve finally got a plan, so don’t complain and just call them up. Now!”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Director Kim dashed off in a hurry.

My aunt pulled out her gold-shimmering business card from between her fingers and handed it to Yoo Jong-tae.

“Team Leader Yoo, take this.”

Wait, why is she giving her business card to Yoo Jong-tae and not me?

“My nephew handled filling up his mother’s wardrobe, so it’s my responsibility as his aunt to take care of his room. Team Leader Yoo, use this to fill up my nephew’s room. You know what I mean when I say put it on credit, right?”

“Of course. Thank you!”

Yoo Jong-tae accepted my aunt’s business card without hesitation.

What a generous gift.

“This is your aunt’s response to your display of goodwill, my dear. If you coldly reject my goodwill, I’ll be sad, you know? This is plenty sweet and kind, right?”

Yoo Jong-tae gave her a big thumbs up, a proud smile on his face.

“Yes. My aunt is the best!”

“Oh my, look at that eye smile. That’s exactly like me, isn’t it? You really do take after your aunt, you little thing.”

My aunt winked at me.

“Watch carefully. I’ll teach you how to shop at a department store.”

With that, my aunt took me down to Taeseong Department Store.

To be honest, I was a bit curious.

‘Do chaebol heirs actually get lessons on how to shop at department stores?’

Just looking at how my father and aunt go about things makes it obvious.

Their stylish and luxurious outfits, perfectly coordinated down to the smallest accessory, practically radiate wealth and elegance.

‘Hmm, then let’s see how the eye for quality of my aunt, who runs Taeseong Department Store, measures up?’

Could she possibly surpass the discerning eye of my master, the one with the eyes of a hawk?

To run a pawnshop and snap up prime real estate, you need more than average perception.

And a department store requires just as much discernment.

Judging by her flashy attire and the luxurious things she carries around, my aunt must have a pretty keen eye as well. I was looking forward to it.

---

But what was this?

“That one fits perfectly. Buy it!”

The moment the children’s clothing store clerk held up an outfit to me on a hanger, my aunt gave an immediate OK sign.

“That one’s pretty, too. Buy it!”

Every time the clerk held up a new outfit, all I heard was, “Good! Buy it!” Not once did she say, “It doesn’t suit you,” or “Not really,” or “Something else,” or “I don’t like it.”

If anything, this was even more puzzling.

“Aunt, don’t you think we’re buying too many things at random?”

“No way! I’m picking them out with the eyes of a hawk. Ah, that one’s nice too! Buy it!”

No, Aunt.

I really don’t think this is normal shopping.

Is this really how chaebol families shop?

The words got stuck in my throat.

“Oh, Young Master, that looks wonderful on you! You absolutely have to buy that! It suits you so well!”

Right beside my aunt, Yoo Jong-tae was clapping and echoing her words with the exact same expression.

Why is he acting like this, too?

“Aunt, I don’t need this many clothes.”

“No. They all suit you so well. They’re pretty, so you have to get them.”

“I’ll grow out of them soon. I won’t be able to wear all of these.”

But my aunt shook her head firmly.

“There’s no guarantee you’ll look this good in them next year. Buy them.”

“Then what about this? If we buy a little bigger size, I could wear them next year—”

“Get rid of that pauper’s way of thinking!”

So chaebol shopping follows its own rules, huh?

I thought I was making a perfectly rational suggestion.

“You can’t possibly wear that next year. You have to buy clothes in exactly your size.”

“Why? They’re designer children’s clothes. I don’t think they’ll look worn out by next year.”

“They’ll look tacky! And they’ll be out of style by then!”

Why is she so absolute?

“When I shop, I look at only one thing: does it suit you, or not. That’s how shopping works, you know?”

No, most people look at the price, too.

They consider if it’s a gift, check the quality, weigh the cost-effectiveness, and think about whether they actually need it.

That’s how I usually shop. Am I the weird one here?

“Okay. Since my precious little one is satisfied, we’ll stop with the clothes for now. But then we need to pick out shoes and hats to match, right?”

“Huh?”

“When you buy clothes, you have to get the accessories that go with them as a set. Don’t you know that?”

“...”

“You don’t even know the basics of shopping. Come along. Today, your aunt will kindly teach you, step by step.”

And so, I was dragged off by my aunt and trapped in three hours of shopping hell.

‘How does one set of clothes come with five different types of accessories? Is that the basic rule of shopping?’

It felt like all the common sense I knew was crumbling.

More than ten minutes for shopping? Why?

“Aunt, if you buy this much, just taking things out and using them becomes a chore. Please buy moderately.”

“It’s hard to take things out and use them? Then let’s buy some furniture. Come on, let’s go pick out furniture!”

“...”

How is it that every time I open my mouth, the shopping list expands infinitely?

I had no choice but to close my mouth.

“Hmm, I’ve picked out twelve pieces of furniture already. Hey, will all of this fit in your house? If not, should we go look at a new apartment?”

I stopped dead in my tracks.

No more! I can’t take it anymore!

We’ve already been around three full circuits of the department store!

“Cash, please. I’ll handle the apartment myself.”

“If it’s a new apartment, there’ll be even more to buy. Then let’s really get started on shopping now—”

“Aunt, the executive meeting!”

“Oh my!”

Only then did my aunt check her wristwatch.

“Well, it can’t be helped. Then let’s just quickly swing by the food court. My dear has worked so hard shopping, I’d feel so bad sending you home without feeding you something.”

Again, again, the shopping list multiplied!

“To pack up some food for home... By the way, is the fridge at home big enough?”

Now we’re going to the electronics section?

I finally raised both hands in surrender.

“If I stay out any longer, my mom will worry. I’m going home now.”

“Ah, is that so? Then next time, bring your mom along. I’ll pick things out for her, too.”

“...”

Somehow, I finally understood why my aunt ended up running a department store.

The world of basic women’s shopping is... so profound and vast that it’s mind-boggling.

Just peeking into that abyss for a moment gave me chills.

“Then, see you tomorrow? Wear the clothes I bought for you and come out. Got it?”

Humming a tune, my aunt strode off briskly, her heels clicking.

Left behind, Yoo Jong-tae and I stood dazed and speechless.

“...”

An astonishing amount of stuff was being hurriedly loaded—not just into paper bags, but entire cardboard boxes.

Department store employees, dripping with sweat, were piling the mountain of goods onto a one-ton truck.

Good grief, this is unbelievable.

And that was only part of what we bought.

The stream of department store staff carrying boxes seemed endless.

“Young Master, I don’t think the truck will be enough. Should I call a moving van?”

The shopping scale of a chaebol family is overwhelming!

It felt like all my common sense had been shattered to pieces.

“Team Leader Yoo, is this how chaebol families usually shop, or is my aunt just special?”

“...”

Yoo Jong-tae looked at me in disbelief.

“Young Master, about all those items being loaded onto the truck... They’re all things you picked out.”

N-no way...

“From here to here, you personally made the rounds of the luxury brands, while your aunt went around picking things one by one. That’s the only difference.”

“...”

“In the end, Young Master, you take after your aunt perfectly.”

N-no way...

---

When I opened my eyes, it was New Year’s Day.

‘Terrifying. The aftereffects of department store shopping!’

After circling the department store for three hours and three full laps, I’d come home, eaten dinner, washed up, and collapsed into sleep as if knocked out.

‘We get a three-day holiday for New Year’s?’

In the 21st century, New Year’s Day was just a one-day break.

Now that I think about it, that only started after 1999.

‘I hear most conglomerate chairmen celebrate the Western New Year. I wonder what Taeseong does. They said we’d just have a simple bowl of rice cake soup and exchange New Year’s greetings with family.’

At least my mother hadn’t been told to prepare a holiday feast.

That was good enough.

“Jung-hyuk, are you up?”

My mother was wearing one of the outfits I’d bought at the department store yesterday, her pearl set, her hair beautifully styled, and her makeup perfect.

She looked every bit the noblewoman.

“Happy New Year, Mom.”

“Happy New Year to you too, Jung-hyuk.”

Knock, knock, knock.

“It’s time to head to your grandfather’s house. We don’t want to be late for breakfast.”

My father was also dressed to the nines, even wearing a coat over his suit.

He looked dashing just standing there, but with his sharp sense of style, he could have been a model.

They really were a perfect pair.

“Happy New Year, Dad.”

“Yes, happy New Year to you too, Jung-hyuk.”

When I spread my arms, my father grinned and hugged me tightly.

A rich, sophisticated cologne enveloped me.

‘My father died in a plane crash on New Year’s Day.’

My mother, who had passed away a bit earlier from carbon monoxide poisoning, was smiling warmly at us.

Suddenly, my nose stung.

“Mom, Dad, let’s all live together, the three of us, happily for a long, long time.”

Ah, I really hate being sentimental.

I quickly changed the subject.

“Let’s go. I don’t want to be late and get stared at when we’re meeting the family for the first time.”

So, early in the morning, we set off for Pyeongchang-dong for New Year’s greetings and breakfast.

---

‘What is this scale?’

My grandfather’s house in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno, was palatial.

Honestly, I thought our house in Hannam-dong was nothing to be ashamed of.

With a 700-pyeong plot, a 114-pyeong building, and even a swimming pool, our home looked shabby in comparison.

Grandfather’s mansion sat on a 2,800-pyeong lot with five buildings—one underground floor and two above ground—and more than 8,000 top-grade garden trees. It was the very picture of a chaebol residence.

‘And what are all these cars? Isn’t this supposed to be a family meal? Just a modest bowl of rice cake soup and New Year’s greetings?’

A parking lot that could hold 50 cars was filled to capacity with luxury sedans.

As my father stepped out of the car, a group of middle-aged gentlemen in suits rushed over to greet him.

“Young Master, you’ve arrived? Happy New Year.”

“President Kim, it’s been a while. I wish you a happy New Year.”

“Young Master, it’s been so long. I can’t remember the last time. Welcome back.”

“President Park, you’re here as well. Happy New Year.”

The presidents and executives of Taeseong’s thirty-eight affiliates paused on their way to the mansion and greeted us with delight.

‘Are they really here for New Year’s greetings?’

They say the doorsteps of the rich and powerful get worn down at the start of the year.

So many people take the chance to bring lavish gifts and make an impression during New Year’s visits.

“Young Master Sung-jun, it’s been a while. I hear you’re in charge of Taeseong Construction now?”

“President Shim.”

Among them were the president and executives of Taeseong Chemical.

‘That’s Shim Won-chul, president of Taeseong Chemical!’

I’d been wanting to meet him, and here he was!

He was the top candidate I wanted to recruit as the figurehead for my investment company.