Chapter 34: A Good Deed (1)

The moment I decided to live a “good” life, something way too big came crashing in. “...Let’s not go there. Let’s just stick to the usual place.” All the energy to argue suddenly drained out of me, and I said it quietly. My nanny shot me a puzzled look. “Oh my, why?” “New buildings have bad air. The smell’s weird too.” I just threw out some excuse about new building syndrome to stop the nanny and Si-hyun from going to Sampoong Department Store. Sure, I knew it wouldn’t collapse for another five years... But still, how could I let them go? Sampoong Department Store is the kind of place that, thanks to the butterfly effect of history, could come crashing down tomorrow and no one would blink. Sending my nanny there? No fucking way. ‘I’m not planning to go out of my way to stop it...’ Honestly, running around the world trying to prevent disasters isn’t my style—not even close. Just look at what I do for a living. Let’s be real: I make money exploiting people. Maybe someone will die because I pushed a stock price down a few extra percent. Do I still have enough of a conscience to care? Probably not. The higher up you climb, the harder it is to keep your hands clean. Not that it feels good or anything... I’m still human. It’d be nice if everyone could just live well together. I’m not a demon, I don’t enjoy watching people suffer. But why do I make money in such a ruthless way? Because obviously. I want power—enough to make all of it worth it. *** In the end, we went to a luxury store in Myeong-dong and bought some clothes. I got a bunch of underwear... and even some skirts and dresses I don’t usually wear. Being part of a chaebol family means I occasionally have to look the part. Honestly, I prefer suits, but for now, I still have to watch out for family scrutiny. As I stared blankly at my nanny fussing over how pretty I looked, I was lost in thought. ‘Should I stop it?’ Unlike 9/11, this was something I could totally prevent. If I was willing to take a loss... Unlike money, people are a resource you can’t just replace if they’re gone. I seem to remember that Kim Hae-ik’s wife and two kids died in the Sampoong collapse, back when he was no longer in office. Of course, I could just make a special effort to save them separately, but by the time Sampoong Department Store or Seongsu Bridge collapse, I’ll have way too many people connected to me in Korea. And the people not connected to me? Honestly, I don’t give a shit. Just because I know a bit about the future, does that make me responsible? Then there’s a hell of a lot of people who should be held responsible too. Even without me going back in time, I bet plenty of people saw that shit coming. Don’t tell me they really didn’t know it’d collapse... because they did. ‘Fucking scumbag construction bastards. Build things properly, will you? Don’t mess with people’s lives. If you wanna steal money, at least scam people fair and square.’ Why the hell do I have to deal with this? This isn’t my fault. It’s theirs. Ugh. But this is just one of those problems you can’t avoid if you live in Seoul. If I ignore it, people close to me might get hurt or die. They say in this global village, everyone’s connected within five degrees. And Sampoong is the top department store in Korea right now... Being in Seocho, it’s easy for people in my network to use it. -Sigh. I’m a cold-blooded, third-generation chaebol heiress. Whether people live or die isn’t my problem. Besides, as tragic as the Sampoong collapse was, it led to better disaster response systems and crackdowns on shoddy construction. If I stop it, what if a worse disaster happens later? I’m not about to start shaking with guilt, writing some tragedy just because I hear Si-hyun’s sibling died in a department store collapse. I don’t want to see Si-hyun staring at me with those dead eyes or hanging her head like she’s broken. Okay, fine, maybe I’d like to see it once... but if I lose her to get that reaction, it’s not worth it. Real life’s a hardcore trash game—never forget. “Young miss! What are you thinking about so hard? Come on, try this on too.” The nanny shook my shoulder. She had a few more cute outfits in her hands. “...Just thinking maybe I should do something good for once.” Si-hyun’s eyes went wide. Like I’d lost my mind— “You’re finally making a move on the nanny? Wow, you little degenerate.” Not that. Just that look you give to trash on the street. “...Si-hyun, what the hell do you think of me?” “You’re the kind of person who says they’re doing something good, then shoves cash into their secretary’s cleavage?” seaʀᴄh thё Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The nanny sighed and grabbed my cheek, stretching it. It hurt. “Sigh, young miss! There you go again. You really learned all the worst things from your father.” Please don’t say that. When she says it, I can’t argue. “...Sorry.” I had too much debt with the nanny to argue, so I apologized quietly. She looked at me with worried eyes. “Young miss, whatever happens, just grow up kind and healthy.” “That’s...” I hesitated. Sorry, nanny. The “kind” part? That ship sailed. This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight. But at least I’ve got more than enough health, right? That counts? “...I’m sorry. I should’ve raised her better.” Si-hyun chimed in, jokingly apologizing. I pouted and gave her shoulder a light smack. “Why are you apologizing?” “I dunno, just... feels like I kinda failed at being a nanny.” I spent a bit of time just hanging out with them like that. It wasn’t bad, honestly. “Oh, what kind of cosmetics do you use these days? The young miss is so overprotective of me, it’s hard to keep my skin in shape.” “Haha, yeah, she’s like that. Acts tough, but she really cares about people around her. Our young miss is all soft inside.” “...Really? Now that you mention it, I guess I do get treated pretty well for a secretary...” Si-hyun gave me this weird, touched look. ...Being mistaken for a good person makes my stomach turn. It’s just that I don’t need to take care of my own body that much, so I focus on the people around me—but I didn’t bother correcting them. If they think that way, it’s easier for me. “Hmm, Si-hyun. That department store we went to today wasn’t bad. Let’s stick with it from now on.” I said it casually, like it was nothing. “Eh? But next time, let’s still check out Sampoong. It’s close to home, and after a year or two, that new building smell will be gone...” “...” God, Si-hyun. You’re making this hard. Do I really have to force myself to do something that doesn’t suit me? -“Young miss, whatever happens, just grow up kind and healthy.” Her words popped into my head. ...Shit. Why today, of all days? Fine, let’s do this. Something good. “Nanny, did you have a good time today? It was fun, right? Getting out for a bit?” She beamed at me and nodded. “Of course. It was lovely, going to the department store with you after so long... dressing you up in cute clothes.” When Sampoong collapsed... a lot of rich families lost people. Naturally, department stores attract people with money. But none of the employees from Ilsun Group’s subsidiaries died. They all used Ilsun Department Store in Myeong-dong. “Would you want to run a department store?” The nanny’s eyes widened. “...What?” There’s only one way to keep people close to me safe without attracting too much attention. Start a whole new department store and run it myself. ‘Actually, this works. I’d planned to get into this business anyway.’ Sure, I went TS, but when I realized there were barely any convenience stores yet, I was devastated. I’ve got a mission now—to make ‘convenience stores’ and ‘part-time jobs’ take off fast. Oh, and by the way, part-time jobs became a thing because of the IMF. Just saying. “Didn’t you feel like the staff were kinda rude today? Like they were looking down on us?” “Not at all.” Si-hyun looked at me like I’d lost it. “Sigh, Si-hyun. Didn’t you ever want to line up the whole staff and flex your power a bit? I mean, why the hell do we have to walk all over the place ourselves?” “...” Look, if I’m gonna do something good, can’t I indulge in some small desires too? It’s not like I’m slapping the staff or anything. I’ll pay them plenty. “I need to buy a department store, even if it’s a small one. Eventually, I won’t be able to find clothes that fit at most places anyway...” “So you’re saying you’re going to ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) start a department store?” “Exactly. Just like I bought that game company. You, Si-hyun, and anyone else I’m close with will get tons of discount coupons.” ...Sure, some people might ignore me and shop at the competition. But if they do, they were never worth saving anyway. As long as I can protect the people around me, that’s all that matters. “...Didn’t you just say you were gonna do something good?” “By my standards, this is good.” That department store’s gonna collapse and be a money pit after anyway... Yeah, this totally counts as a good deed.