I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Chaebol Family-Chapter 82: A Pleasant Life (2)

Ha... Did she just say I had a bad personality? No way.

“Ji-yeon. I’ll give you just one more chance to speak honestly.”

Under the department store’s bright lights—

I gazed intently at Seo Ji-yeon. She flinched and opened her lips.

“Ah! O-Of course! It’s not like you go around bullying kids like other chaebol kids do, Lady Ha-yeon, but...”

“But?”

Tightly—

“T-There was that thing, you know... During the last ethics midterm... The alternate answer that got accepted where someone drew a ‘portrait of Yoo Ha-yeon’...”

Ah, that one.

I even remembered the question.

[Express at least two examples of what Plato considered ‘imitations of the Idea’ through drawings and explain the reason. (6 points)]

—was how it went, if I recall correctly.

Seriously, why the hell does a question like that show up on a middle school exam?

“That was a correct answer.”

Seo Ji-yeon clenched her tiny fists and protested.

“It was wrong! Reality is a copy of the Idea, and art is a copy of a copy... But Lady Ha-yeon’s portrait, once drawn, is already part of art, so it’s incorrect!”

Technically, you were supposed to draw something like a circle or square. That’s reality imitating the Idea of a perfect form.

If you drew a desk, it’d also be wrong—because it’s already a copy of a copy the moment it’s drawn.

Honestly, it was an annoyingly twisted question. The school had brought in an ethics teacher who majored in Greek philosophy of all things...

Still, I argued shamelessly.

“No, no. I am the Idea of beauty. So a picture drawn of me is an imitation of the Idea.”

“...That completely violates metaphysical theory!”

If you don’t like it, then you go invigilate the test.

“I mean, don’t you think the teacher phrased the question weirdly to begin with? They admitted they explained it vaguely in class, and if you dig into it, there were logical inconsistencies too.”

“M-Maybe it’s your fault for not paying attention in class. I even lent you my notes...”

I ignored Seo Ji-yeon’s complaints and recalled the self-portrait I’d drawn.

‘Hmm. It turned out pretty well. Of course, it’s me.’

Probably because I spend so much time in front of mirrors—I sketched it effortlessly without even looking.

Maybe because of that, even though I drew it directly on the test, it looked remarkably good. I even cut that sheet out and kept it as a scrapbook piece.

I nearly ruined my perfect-streak myth of scoring full marks in every subject since elementary school, but thanks to some very effective persuasion of the ethics teacher, I managed to preserve the legend.

Whew. I really am impressive.

***

After Ji-yeon’s bold remark, I personally bestowed a few gifts upon her.

“...This is a bit much.”

She blushed bright red in a refined dress. It was a backless blue gown, a premium piece from the department store I’d built in place of Sampoong.

“What? It looks good.”

“It’s... kind of revealing...”

That’s the point. And you’re daring to argue with me?

‘Well, she does have a point...’

Yeah, but that’s why it’s a gift. Even if she’s embarrassed, it’s a crazy expensive outfit, so it’s not a punishment.

And besides...

“You’ll be wearing stuff like this often anyway. You know where you’re headed after graduation, right?”

“...Ah, that’s true.”

Seo Ji-yeon gave a small nod. From the moment she became my “friend,” her future path had already been decided.

Honestly, Daehwa Middle School was practically a breeding ground for my personal guard. Most of the students here would eventually end up working at my company.

Sure, they had options for college, but...

By the time they graduate, those options will be pretty limited.

If someone says they don’t want to work for Daehwa Group, then what? All that’s left are small businesses. And if there’s a big company that isn’t mine—I’ll pay them a personal visit.

Hmm...

Not that Ji-yeon is disloyal, but she should be satisfied too. In this day and age, a job with lifetime security, high salary, and great benefits for women? Practically extinct.

“But do securities firms really wear this kind of outfit nowadays? I mean, you wouldn’t wear this to just any meeting...”

“Oh, in the U.S. they do. At social clubs and such.”

Totally true. Though it only really matters if your company is at the investment banking level...

She’s already part of the inner circle, so it’s fine.

“In the West, networking is everything in business, seriously. You’ve got to run around and meet people all the time.”

In my past life, the hardest thing was building connections. Women could usually get close with just a smile—unless the guy was an extreme racist... But men were tougher to approach.

“That’s true for Korea too, though...”

Well, yeah, that’s not wrong.

“In the West, they didn’t even use interviews to hire people. So that kind of tendency is stronger.”

I heard the British East India Company was the first to ever use exams for hiring. And they copied China’s imperial examination system, so the whole exam concept feels kind of foreign to the West.

“That’s fascinating.”

Seo Ji-yeon nodded slowly.

“Right? I was shocked too when I first learned it. In the old days, every time the U.S. changed presidents, all the government officials would change too.”

“Yeah, that’s surprising too, but... I just meant, Lady Ha-yeon, you’re surprisingly knowledgeable. Hehe.”

I let out a soft laugh. Look at her saying things like that now.

“Flattery, huh? What, feeling guilty for what you said earlier?”

“Mm, I always just speak honestly.”

Seo Ji-yeon turned her head, avoiding eye contact.

***

Daehwa Middle School. Daehwa High School...

The reason I go through such complicated steps to raise “my people” is simple: there aren’t many people in Korea right now who fit the kind of talent I need.

Recruiting from abroad has its limits, and Korea’s current education system, as we all know, is a bit... lacking. Memorization is important, sure, but kids raised this way can’t be sent to international branches.

The fact that I can barely find people who meet my standards within the company already proves that.

Yoo Seon-jun, Ha Joo-seong, Ha Yeong-il, and now Lee Si-hyun...? All of them are people who’ve been “overseas seasoned.”

Thanks to that, they’re all running around like crazy. Thinking of Seon-jun oppa working alone between Berlin and London makes me feel a little guilty.

There’s just no talent. None.

“I get what you mean, but can’t you just let me off the hook for this group project, Lady Ha-yeon...? You have that kind of authority, right? Please...”

A girl with chestnut hair sighed deeply in the library. I stopped by for a quick visit, only to find her looking like her world had ended.

I responded seriously to my future subordinate.

“That’s impossible. This curriculum was designed to simulate real company work. If you don’t like calling it a ‘group project,’ should we say ‘team assignment’?”

“It’s the same thing...”

It feels different though.

“Ahem, well... I know it’s a bit of a pain now, but it’ll get better soon. The biggest problem with group projects is... the teammates, right? Are they not pulling their weight or something?”

“Huh? How’d you know, Lady Ha-yeon?”

Well, because I’ve suffered through those assholes for a whole previous life. You guys deserve a taste of group work too.

“Isn’t it obvious? Someone said they were busy but went out to hang, someone else said something urgent came up... and now no one’s responding...”

They didn’t even have smartphones yet.

Nod nod.

The girl nodded vigorously, showing how much she related.

You’re having a rough time too, huh.

“It’ll settle down soon. It’s just like this at the start. Eventually, everyone will get to know each other. Our school doesn’t take in a huge number of students anyway, right? Plus, we all move up to the same high school.”

“Oh, right.”

The prisoner’s dilemma only works when you assume you won’t see the person again. If you’re going to see each other again and again, the Tit-for-Tat strategy becomes effective.

Naturally, students who can’t adapt to this system will fall behind. It’s a shame that only the socially skilled survive... but that can’t be helped. Still, I gave them a chance.

“I know our school’s system is a bit complicated and mentally taxing. But... it’s good, right?”

“...Yeah. At least we don’t have to worry about college entrance exams.”

She let out another sigh and scratched her cheek.

“Whew... ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ But still, it’s strange. Even your group has slackers? How?”

“Pfft. Of course not. Would anyone dare slack off with me around? I was just guessing.”

“Aha. That makes sense.”

She nodded like she was satisfied—then tilted her head.

“Uh... But where are your group members, anyway?”

“They’re hard at work on the project, obviously.”

“...And you, Lady Ha-yeon?”

“Shhh.”

“....”

“Ahem, honestly, if I joined in, it’d throw the balance off too much. But our group has five members, not four, so it’s fine.”

“Hmm... Are you like this in other groups too?”

“Unless it’s a fun topic, pretty much. I handle the snacks and supplies, so the others said they’re fine with it.”

“Lady Ha-yeon. Is this one of those things too? Like... a preview of company life?”

Yep yep, exactly. A ‘how to work with the CEO’ kind of thing... that’s what it is.

Thanks to all that, I was thoroughly enjoying a very pleasant life lately.

Now this—this is life.