#038 Money Really Is Everything
– You haven’t forgotten my warning, right?
“No issues on the relationship front.”
– So now you’re making jokes with me. What’s next, dropping formalities?
“It would be an honor for my family.”
If I could be on a first-name basis with the second son of the country’s biggest corporation, even my ancestors would probably give me a standing ovation.
– “Tch. You’re one cheeky guy.”
Ha-neul’s easygoing response made Kang Taeyang click his tongue, but luckily, it didn’t seem like he was actually annoyed.
‘These two are definitely siblings.’
Even though they spoke differently, the vibe was exactly the same as Kang Bada’s. Especially the way they both said “cheeky” — it was like proof they shared the same blood.
– Be careful. Anything more, and I won’t let it slide.
There wasn’t a clear subject or object in his sentence, but Ha-neul had no trouble figuring out what Taeyang meant. He was definitely talking about physical contact.
‘…So he really was keeping an eye on things.’
Ha-neul’s first thought was Park Soo-jung, but he quickly ruled her out.
Having been through a lot, Ha-neul liked to think he had a good eye for people. From what he could see, Park Sujeong and Kang Taeyang were like oil and water, just fundamentally incompatible.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
– You always know what to say. Anyway, the orphanage remodeling will be finished this week. I’m guessing you’d want to take the kids there yourself.
“Thank you for handling it so carefully.”
– Don’t get the wrong idea. This is just a business deal. I’ll send the schedule through Secretary Jang.
*Click*—
The call ended abruptly. Ha-neul shook his head as he looked at the now-black screen. Taeyang’s tone might be a bit sharp, but he definitely took care of his people.
‘So the remodeling is finally done?’
‘A whole month had flown by. Just how much work had they done that took this long?’
Out of curiosity, Ha-neul had once gone to the orphanage, only to find the entire place covered in massive tarps. There were even men in suits controlling access to the area.
‘This guy… He wouldn’t be planning to use it as a front for laundering money, would he?’
Ha-neul had heard stories about Japanese yakuza running orphanages to launder money.
Of course, Kang Taeyang wasn’t a gangster, and he probably already had plenty of tax havens and shell companies. But when it comes to things like this, the more, the better, right?
– This is just a business deal.
– We always get more than we give.
Taeyang’s past remarks suddenly echoed in Ha-neul’s mind. It was enough to make him genuinely worried. It seemed entirely possible.
‘…But isn’t this actually a win-win?’
Before the Daehan Group got involved, the orphanage struggled to get even basic support. Feeding the kids was a real challenge.
But now, not only were they getting meals, but they were also being provided with clothes, toys, a renovated facility, and even trips to amusement parks.
Whether or not Kang Taeyang was using the orphanage as a tax haven, as long as it was being run properly, everyone would benefit.
‘Not a bad deal.’
Ha-neul found himself seriously considering it.
Maybe he’d casually bring it up next time.
***
“Unnie…!”
As they got closer to the training center where the children were staying, Yena, who had heard the car pull up, came running out to greet them. She threw herself into Kang Bada’s arms, her voice trembling as she tried not to cry.
“I missed you so much…”
“But we just saw each other last week.”
“I want to see you every day, unnie!”
“Aww, really?”
Kang Bada gently patted Yena’s head, and Yena sniffled, trying to hold back her tears while her lips quivered.
“This is so unfair. I’m feeling really left out here.”
Ha-neul, seeing this, couldn’t help but pretend to cry, turning his head away dramatically. Yena visibly flinched at his exaggerated reaction.
Yena then started glancing back and forth between Ha-neul and Kang Bada, clearly torn. Ha-neul couldn’t help but feel genuinely hurt as he watched her struggle to decide.
“Wow… I’ve been running to see you for over a year now, rain or shine, and you’ve completely fallen for the witch.”
“Did you just call me a witch?”
Kang Bada shot Ha-neul a disbelieving look. He knew how childish he was being, but sometimes, feelings just took over.
“Oh no, I’m so heartbroken I don’t think I can come here anymore.”
“Hic!”
As Ha-neul sat down on the ground, covering his face with his hands, Yena hesitated, taking a step towards him. But just as she was about to go further, Kang Bada cut in.
“Yena, that’s not true.”
“Not true?”
“Yeah, Ha-neul oppa is trying to trick you. You shouldn’t believe what a mean villain says.”
“Excuse me?”
Ha-neul’s whine was completely ignored by Kang Bada, who didn’t even glance his way. Yena, caught in the middle, frowned deeply as she looked between the two of them.
“Unnie is a witch… Oppa is a villain…”
Yena rubbed her temples, clearly confused, while the two of them silently waited to see what she would do next.
‘Come on, there’s no way…’
Ha-neul was certain Yena would choose him.
He had always believed that the time and effort they had spent together would win her over. But then…
“Ye-Yena!”
“Hmph.”
Yena took hold of Kang Bada’s hand.
Ha-neul couldn’t help but let out a cry of despair as Kang Bada shot him a look that seemed to say, “You didn’t actually think you had a chance, did you?”
“Want to go get a drink with unnie?”
But Yena shook her head. Then, after casting a glance at the utterly heartbroken Ha-neul, she walked toward him, still holding tightly onto Kang Bada’s hand. When she reached him, she grabbed his hand with her free one.
“Yena like both of you.”
“…”
“Yena will break the bad curse!”
“Uh?”
Yena then let go of their hands and pressed a button on the character watch strapped to her wrist. Bright, cheerful music started playing from the watch.
It seemed to be one of the new toys Kang Bada had recently bought for the kids. As the two of them stood there, dumbfounded, Yena lifted her hand high and shouted proudly.
“Transformation!”
“…Kamen Rider!?”
“No! I’m Magical Girl ‘Merry’!”
“Oh, right. My bad.”
Yena, now fully in character, shot Ha-neul a sharp look that made him quickly shut up.
After spinning around to complete her ‘transformation,’ Yena reached out toward Kang Bada’s head. Even though she was a bit confused, Kang Bada bent down to meet Yena at eye level.
“Bad curse, be gone, zap!”
“…”
“Zap!”
“…Wow, the curse is broken! Thanks to Yena, unnie is a princess again!”
“Ahem!”
Kang Bada played along, and Yena, proud of herself, stood with her hands on her hips in a triumphant pose. The sight of them made Ha-neul burst out laughing.
But that didn’t last long, as he was soon met with two cold stares. Kang Bada’s smirk was so twisted, she almost looked like a real witch.
Unable to take the heat of their glares, Ha-neul decided to play along too.
“You’ll break oppa’s curse too, right?”
“Only if you show me some aegyo(1).”
“Why is mine not free!?”
“Oppa’s curse is too strong.”
Kang Bada, who had been watching, turned her head to stifle a laugh. Ha-neul shot her a look, but she just shrugged, clearly enjoying the situation.
Accepting the mess he had gotten himself into, Ha-neul sighed inwardly.
“Okay, what kind of aegyo do I need to do?”
“A puppy.”
“Why a puppy?”
“Because oppa’s curse is so strong, we need a talisman. We’ll have to summon the spirit of a lost puppy to sacrifice instead.”
‘Isn’t that a bit too intense?’
She sounded more like a shaman than a magical girl. Ha-neul had plenty of questions, but he kept them to himself.
‘…Yena is no pushover.’
His decision was quick.
Since it had come to this, he decided to fully commit. After all, he had once worked as a ‘Pokémon trainer’ for a part-time job. Playing along with kids was something he could handle.
“Alright, let’s do this!”
“Woof…”
“Hehehe.”
“…You’ve let your guard down, foolish one!”
“Kyahh!”
Suddenly, Ha-neul started tickling Yena’s sides. After spending the past year with her, he knew exactly where she was most ticklish.
“Hahaha! Stop! Stop, oppa!”
“I’m not oppa! I’m the villain!”
“No, stop! Unnie!”
“Hehe, your unnie has already been brainwashed by me. Merry, you’ve been tricked!”
“…!!”
Yena looked at Kang Bada, shocked. Caught off guard by the sudden turn in their game, Kang Bada hesitated before finally responding.
“Ho, hohoho! You’ve been completely fooled, Merry!”
“Hic!”
Uh-oh.
Seeing Yena’s face, Ha-neul realized he might have gone too far. He had planned to let her win, but he got too caught up in the teasing.
“…”
“…”
The room fell into a tense silence, the kind that made it clear something was about to blow up.
And sure enough, tears began streaming down Yena’s face.
“…Merry has lost.”
“A magical girl can’t give up now!”
“There’s no hope left.”
Hearing such hopeless words from a child would make anyone pause. Kang Bada was no different; she started fidgeting nervously, waving her hands around.
*Slap!*
Suddenly, Ha-neul felt a sharp smack on his back. He turned to see the director giving him a disappointed glare.
“I wondered why you hadn’t come inside yet…”
“Director-nim!”
Yena immediately ran into the director’s arms. Safely nestled there, she shot a teary glare at Ha-neul and Kang Bada.
“She’s really upset. Hmm…”
Not wanting to make things worse, Ha-neul quickly crouched down to Yena’s level. But when their eyes met, she flinched and hid behind the director.
That reaction made Ha-neul’s chest ache with guilt, but he forced a calm smile and reached out his hand to her.
“Yena, how about we go see your new house?”
“New house?”
“Yeah. Santa came by and decorated the house you were staying in. Let’s go check it out together with unnie and oppa.”
“Oppa, you’re silly. There’s no such thing as Santa.”
“…”
Ha-neul silently vowed to find out who had ruined Yena’s belief in Santa. But before he could say anything, Kang Bada jumped in.
“Actually, Santa is waiting for you right now.”
“…Really?”
“Of course. Have I ever lied to you?”
Yena quickly shook her head, clearly trusting Kang Bada more than Ha-neul. He couldn’t help but feel a little stung by the difference.
While he swallowed his disappointment, Kang Bada gently patted Yena’s head, smiling softly.
“Let’s go see Santa with the director and your friends! Can you bring your friends along?”
“Okay!”
Yena, her tears now gone, smiled brightly as she tugged on the director’s sleeve.
The director gave Kang Bada a concerned look, but seeing the confidence in her eyes, he quietly led Yena inside.
“Christmas is still a ways off. Where are you going to find a Santa?”
“I have my ways.”
Kang Bada responded confidently as she made a call. The person on the other end picked up before the first ring even finished.
“Manager-nim, it’s me.”
As soon as Ha-neul realized what Kang Bada was up to, he couldn’t help but nod. This woman could pull off magic more powerful than any witch.
Money is really everything after all, Ha-neul thought as he checked the next item on the schedule.
Note: [ (1)애교 (aegyo): This refers to acting cute or coy, often used by women to get what they want.]
