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Chapter 6
“What do I want?”
Haena asked back, surprised.
*Why are you curious about that?*
“Mm-hmm.”
*What do I want…* Haena was flustered by the question, since she’d never really thought about it before, but then she began to consider it seriously.
Before she had transmigrated into this novel, she used to wish her parents could come back to life.
If that wasn’t possible, she wished 1 billion won after taxes—with all legal issues already resolved from the sky—would drop down in cash.
Because that would have solved all of Haena’s problems. Every single one of her problems came down to money.
But now, everything *except* money was the problem.
Now, Haena had to survive her childhood among family members who didn’t love her, and she also had to endure what was sure to be a grueling heir’s education to inherit Hongil Corporation.
She didn’t want to end up just collecting divorce papers from that pint-sized brat.
Now, Haena didn’t want anyone to take her things away from her.
She’d already lost her parents to a drunk driver, lost her deposit money to a con artist, and lost countless opportunities to poverty.
Right. Haena recalled her now-clear goal.
“I want to be someone who doesn’t get anything taken from her.”
“Someone who doesn’t get taken from?”
“Yeah.”
Jaehyun looked at Haena with strange eyes. It was a look that seemed to ask, *What could you possibly have had taken from you in your life?* But she decided not to argue.
“So, I’m not going to let anything be taken from me.”
“I see, Haena.”
Jaehyun nodded as if he understood perfectly.
“Haena, you’re just like me.”
“Huh?”
*How did we end up here?*
Haena looked at Jaehyun, flustered. *No, no. You’re the scheming dark sub-male lead.*
*I’m just a greedy extra whose dream is to be a chaebol heir.*
But no matter how much Haena shook her head, Jaehyun’s strange expression was already set.
—
**”Haena?”**
“Yes?”
Haena looked up at the sound of her name.
“Focus. Let me ask again. How do you read this sentence?”
“Ah… um, ‘The increase in gross domestic product…?'”
“Good. You read it well. So why weren’t you concentrating?”
*Damn.*
When she transmigrated into a chaebol heir, she hadn’t thought about this insane amount of studying.
It had already been two weeks since she transmigrated.
True to chaebol heir form, Haena’s tutoring schedule was extremely tight. She spent at least six hours a day studying with teachers. Korean, English, and math were the basics, but she also had science writing, math writing, gifted math, English conversation, history, piano, horseback riding, art, and so on. It was easier to list what she *didn’t* have to learn.
There were even two separate tutoring coordinators managing this schedule.
*’The chaebol heir life is not easy.’*
Fortunately—whether it was because Hong Haena’s skills didn’t just disappear—Kim Haena, who had never spoken English conversation before, could answer with a fluent English pronunciation.
Likewise, for other subjects, she could demonstrate the same level as the original Hong Haena.
*’That’s a relief, at least.’*
If she had been stuck at her original Kim Haena level, the English teacher would have suddenly asked why her pronunciation had become so awkward.
“Alright, let’s read from here again. This part…”
*Wait, isn’t this a bit much? Making a seven-year-old read and interpret the New York T-Xmes?*
*I probably couldn’t even understand this if it were in Korean! And this is the economics section…!*
Haena suppressed her urge to cry and studied hard as the teacher instructed.
*’Right. In my past life, I couldn’t study even if I wanted to, because I had no money or time… So in this life, let me study as much as I possibly can.’*
…She tried to think positively. Positively.
—
**”You did so well today, Haena.** Usually you get angry all the time, but today you didn’t get angry even once. Teacher is very grateful.”
“Ah, not at all…”
*Isn’t it normal not to get angry?*
*What’s wrong with the default setting in this house?*
“Next time I see your father, I’ll have to tell him that our Haena has been studying very hard and behaving well in her lessons.”
“Thank you, Teacher.”
“Of course. By the way, I haven’t seen your father for a while, have I?”
“Ah…”
Haena scratched her head.
*I haven’t seen him once since I transmigrated either.*
“He said his business trip to London ended up being longer than expected. But he said he’s coming back today!”
“Is that so? Hmm… Haena, are you okay these days?”
“Yes?”
“With seeing your father. Are you okay?”
*What does that mean?* Was the relationship between Hong Haena and Haena’s father not good? Haena hesitated, unable to answer.
In truth, Haena was a little worried about seeing Hong Haena’s father.
Because in *The Chaebol’s Way of Love*, Haena’s father, Director Hong Yi-do, was rarely described at all. Chairman Hong appeared somewhat often, but Director Hong barely appeared at all.
The little information available was this:
Since Haena’s parents were married for political reasons, there was no love between them. Then, after Haena’s mother died in an unexpected accident, Director Hong grew even further apart from his family.
He’d always been that way, but he became even more focused solely on growing the business.
As a result, Haena became a troublemaking child who acted out to get her father’s attention, and the more she acted out, the more Yi-do distanced himself from her. That’s how the father and daughter became completely estranged.
From what Haena had read in the novel, it didn’t seem like Yi-do hated Haena. He just never tried to understand her or pay her any attention.
*’He’s a completely terrible father.’*
*Still, she’s his own daughter. Isn’t that too harsh?*
Child neglect is a crime.
Haena decided not to expect any attention from that wretched man. Of course, she planned to prevent things from becoming *too* hostile.
After all, Hong Yi-do was the successor who would eventually take over Hongil Corporation. Even if she didn’t need his love, she’d need to maintain a decent relationship to inherit the company.
*’And once I inherit the company, I’ll be a chaebol for life!’*
In this life, she would never live worrying about money again. She would become the top chaebol in South Korea and live large.
Haena resolved once more.
*’As soon as I inherit Hongil Corporation, I’ll hire professional managers, skim the money for myself, and never do any actual work.’*
She would become the kind of bad chaebol who had tons of money but never worked.
*’Just you wait, Hongil Group. I’ll become the corrupt chairman who never does any work, pays everyone huge salaries, and works them to the bone… Hehehe…’*
Haena was already planning to offer great benefits and high salaries to her employees while working them ruthlessly.
“Then let’s meet again the day after tomorrow at this time. Make sure you do all the homework Teacher assigned, okay?”
“Yes! Goodbye, Teacher.”
Haena escorted the tutor to the front door.
And just as the door opened and the teacher was about to leave—
Haena froze.
“Oh my! Chairman! I heard you were coming today, and here you are…!”
With impeccable timing, Haena’s father, Director Hong Yi-do, was walking in.
“Ah.”
…And that was his greeting.
“Ah, you must be Haena’s teacher. Thank you for your hard work.”
Director Hong Yi-do spoke indifferently, with no soul in his voice, and then opened the door for her.
Haena’s teacher seemed moved, probably interpreting it as good manners, but…
*From what I can see, I think what moved the teacher wasn’t Director Hong’s manners but his face.*
Haena muttered to herself inwardly.
*’How can a father’s face look like that?’*
*Sir, even if you hadn’t been born as a chaebol heir, you probably would have become one just with that face.*
He was such a perfect, classic handsome man that you’d think the real silver spoon in this house was the face spoon. Director Hong Yi-do was genuinely a textbook example of a handsome man. Tall, great proportions, sharp yet clean features.
He looked less like a father and more like a top actor in his prime.
*’So Haena’s cute but sharp face came from her father.’*
She looked exactly like him. Even the bad-tempered look in her eyes.
“Hong Haena.”
“Yes?”
In that moment, the door closed again, and now only Haena and Yi-do remained in the entrance.
“What are you doing here? Go to your room.”
“Huh.”
*That’s all you have to say to your daughter after not seeing her for so long, mister?*
