Chapter 14 (1/2): A Fivefold Bargain and a Family Stamp

I had my father’s permission, and I had finished my research.

I immediately called Department Manager Yi Do-gyeong of Sekyeong Department Store.

― What? You’re coming all the way to Busan yourself?

A surprised voice instantly came through the receiver.

“I couldn’t very well ask the president to come all the way out to the countryside. I’m sure her schedule is busy.”

― Well… Director. To be honest, once the date was set, our president intended to go there personally.

Director.

After hearing nothing but ‘Prosecutor’ for so long, hearing a title like this felt fresh.

“No, it’s fine. Since you came to see me last time, I’ll be the one to go this time.”

― Oh my… then I’ll make sure to prepare everything from explanatory materials to a list of the best local restaurants.

“I’ll look forward to it.”

I hung up and immediately got into my car.

If I could make the other party feel slightly indebted to me with just this much effort, it was a profitable trade.

Besides, there was someone in Busan I wanted to see anyway.

“UNKIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Just as I expected.

The moment I reached my destination, the cutest angel in the world ran toward me with a bright smile.

“Seol!”

I quickly scooped up the rushing little girl.

“Did you miss your uncle?”

“Ack! Prickly! It hurts!”

I couldn’t help but rub my face against her soft cheeks, causing Seol to scream immediately.

“Oh. I thought I shaved?”

“Beardy monster!”

“Hehehe. Want to see what the monster can do?”

“Kyahahahahahat!”

As I tickled her armpits while holding her, she let out a peal of laughter, revealing her rabbit-like front teeth.

Baek Seol.

She was my one and only niece, a child I’d be proud of anywhere.

And.

“What wind blew you all the way to Busan?”

Standing over there, looking at us with a crooked gaze, was Seol’s father and my only brother.

“Is that any way to react when your brother visits?”

“What’s wrong with my reaction?”

“Why aren’t you welcoming me? I’m starting to feel hurt.”

“…….”

After a brief silence, my brother let out a sigh.

“I heard you quit being a prosecutor.”

“I’m sure I had my reasons, right?”

“Still, returning to farming? Really?”

“Was the divorce you got the right move, then?”

“……Damn it. I lose.”

“Heh.”

I grinned.

It wasn’t hard to lose to family, but my brother was an exception.

We fought so much when we were kids.

‘I wonder how many brothers in this world didn’t fight when they were young.’

Of course, we were on great terms now.

When I was in college, he even sent me an allowance every month by squeezing it out of his meager salary. He said he felt bad for hitting me when we were kids.

“But really, why are you here?”

“Now that I have plenty of time, I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“As you can see, I’m living a busy, hard-working life—juggling work and looking after Seol.”

When my brother got divorced.

It might sound materialistic, but Seol was the thing I was most relieved about.

To be honest, I didn’t think he’d be able to get custody.

In reality, this was quite rare in Korea.

Generally, the mother usually gets custody in a divorce.

‘It is what it is.’

In legal precedents, there are two main issues used as criteria for custody.

First, which parent is more suitable for raising the child?

Second, who actually handled more of the housework and childcare?

In our house, asking about my brother’s married life was taboo, but seeing this outcome made it clear what kind of person my former sister-in-law was.

‘Anyway, it’s good for me. I can see Seol without any awkwardness.’

Just then, a certain sight caught my eye.

“Oh? Seol, what’s that on your waist?”

A very cute animal plushie was hanging from Seol’s waist.

And it looked quite familiar to me.

“Otter!”

“Seol, do you like otters?”

“A lot!”

That was unexpected.

I heard kids these days were obsessed with something called Teenieping.

When I asked my brother about it.

“Ah. Bankruptcy-ping? I bought her those, but Seol isn’t interested at all.”

“Our Seol is such a good daughter, isn’t she?”

“Of course—whose daughter do you think she is? We went to Gyeongju last year, right? There was an otter enclosure there, so I took her, and our princess has been completely obsessed with otters ever since.”

Wait.

Hearing that gave me a very good idea.

‘Maybe I can take Seol along with me?’

I’ll call it: Operation Kidnap the Niece.

“Brother.”

“Yeah?”

“You’ve been having a hard time lately, haven’t you?”

I slowly started laying the bait.

“Suddenly?”

“Your face looks like it.”

For a moment, my brother’s lips twitched upward.

“Do you think I don’t know you? Tell the truth. What are you up to?”

Hmm.

As expected, my brother wasn’t an easy mark.

“I was thinking of helping you out with the difficult childcare.”

“You?”

“Yeah. I heard kindergartens have vacations too, right? I’ll give her some experiential learning on the farm.”

“So that was your goal.”

My brother stretched and, surprisingly, nodded readily.

“Well then, should I take advantage of my brother for once?”

“You can take advantage of me as much as you want.”

“But, whether Seol wants to go is a different matter.”

I looked down at Seol.

“Seol, don’t you want to play with your uncle?”

“Love Unkie!”

“Hehehe. Did you hear that?”

My brother had long since put on a heartbroken expression.

“What about Daddy?”

“Love Daddy too!”

Ah, this makes me want to tease him even more.

“Seol.”

“Yes!”

“Do you like Daddy more? Or Uncle more?”

As I asked, I quickly cheated.

I pulled out my phone and showed her a picture of an otter I had saved in advance.

“Oh! Otter!!!!!!!!!!”

“If you come with Uncle, you can see this guy too.”

“!!!!!!!!!”

Our princess.

Lasers were practically shooting from her eyes.

“Unkie’s the best!!!!!!!!”

With that, she jumped right into my arms.

“……You petty bastard. Is this how you want to live?”

“Wuhahaha.”

I burst out laughing boastfully.

Today is my victory, brother.

***

The Sekyeong Department Store Centum Branch located in Haeundae.

“Welcome, Director.”

As soon as I arrived at the parking lot, Department Manager Yi Do-gyeong, who had been waiting in advance, ran over to me.

“Hello, Manager.”

“I’ll show you in immediately.”

With that, I was guided straight to the top floor of the department store.

And.

“Welcome to Sekyeong.”

There, I met an unexpected person who exceeded my predictions.

‘I’ve heard that department stores are mostly run by female executives… but isn’t she way too young?’

Come to think of it, I felt like I had seen her in an article once.

That a third-generation chaebol of a certain corporation had recently begun formal management training.

Her name was…

“It is an honor to meet you. I am Han Yu-jin, the President of Sekyeong Department Store.”

“Hello. I’m Baek Seo-jun from Ice Valley Farm.”

President Han Yu-jin didn’t hide her surprise at all.

“You are much younger than I imagined, Director.”

“Oh. I was actually thinking the exact same thing.”

“Fufu. It seems like the Director and I will get along quite well.”

Having said that, President Han Yu-jin immediately offered me a seat.

“First of all, I sincerely thank you for traveling such a long way. I was planning to visit you personally.”

“No, it’s fine. Um. It’s not much of an excuse, but…”

“Please don’t feel pressured. Speak freely.”

“In that case, could I ask for an honest explanation?”

“……?”

President Han Yu-jin and Manager Yi Do-gyeong exchanged puzzled looks.

I didn’t hesitate and went straight to the point.

“I’ve heard the explanation, but I don’t think someone of the President’s stature would treat a mere farmer with such hospitality for just that reason.”

“…….”

As soon as I spoke, Manager Yi Do-gyeong gave a subtle smile.

President Han Yu-jin also let out a soft grin.

“First, I should correct one thing. I believe there is no hierarchy in professions. A department store president or a farmer—they just do different jobs. I believe they are all equal people with nothing specifically ‘special’ about them.”

Oh.

That’s quite a rare mindset for a chaebol.

“However, I understand exactly what you mean.”

“I have to relay what I hear today to my parents as well, so please explain as simply as possible.”

“Yes. To explain it in a way even an elementary school student could understand…”

President Han Yu-jin pondered for a moment before answering calmly.

“The high-quality products from Ice Valley Farm have become a hot topic among VIPs through word of mouth.”