Chapter 1

 Episode 1: Coming Back

A cramped studio apartment with only a desk and a bed.

A ramen packet filling up the trash bin.

Even a common instant ramen was a luxury I couldn't afford at the moment, and my stomach was growling.

*Cough!*

Blood stained my hand as I covered my mouth.

Was it due to malnutrition or the fact that I hadn't left this tiny space for days?

Looking at me in my current state, you wouldn't believe it, but I used to be the heir of a conglomerate, the third generation at that, with no siblings and even without parents.

Still, being the third generation heir had its perks; I even received an exemption from military service.

Or should I say, I used to be the heir.

I joined Taewoo Group right after graduating from college, but that year the Asian financial crisis hit, and my grandfather's company, Taewoo Group, went bankrupt.

What followed was a series of despair.

Taewoo Group, drowning in debt due to the financial crisis and IMF, and my grandfather ended up living on the run, receiving no help from anyone.

I was in the same boat.

Especially in Vietnam, where I had to hide for over five years.

But my grandfather's health deteriorated significantly due to the long stay overseas, and eventually, we had to return to Korea.

What followed was an even greater downfall.

18 trillion won in restitution.

10 years of imprisonment.

Upon returning to Korea, my grandfather had to go to prison immediately.

My grandfather and I became infamous trash, more frequently appearing on TV than celebrities, for embezzling a tremendous amount of money.

The media blamed my grandfather and me.

How could we withstand the government and the public's condemnation?

We never really rebelled or fought back; we just took the blows as if we deserved them.

Ten years of my grandfather's incarceration.

I did everything I could to help him.

And I realized how vile the world was.

People who had acted as if they would do anything for us, handing over cash and support like it was nothing, suddenly treated me like a stranger once my grandfather was in prison.

I kept records of all those people.

To seek revenge when the time came.

[Personal Information]

Name: Date of Birth:

Affiliation: Special Notes:

The title of the notebook that contained all this information was "Personal Information."

In other words, a "hit list."

Recently, the list in this notebook had grown exponentially.

I had realized one important fact.

Taewoo Group didn't collapse just because of my grandfather's mismanagement.

Certainly, he made mistakes, but I vaguely came to understand that there was a massive conspiracy behind it all.

And so, I spent ten years.

And eventually, my grandfather quietly closed his eyes.

No one visited his grave.

There, in the last chapter of the hit list, I wrote one name.

"Kim Taejoong."

My grandfather's name and the founder of Taewoo Group.

The name I both loved and resented the most.

If my grandfather had managed the company a bit more cautiously...

Meanwhile, the company's executives, the government, and even foreign capital tore Taewoo Group apart, dividing it among themselves.

I ran around like a madman, doing everything I could to get revenge.

I really did go mad. It was the only thing I could do.

Ten years ago, I used to spend tens of millions of won in a day without a second thought. But now, with everything taken away, I couldn't even afford to buy instant ramen.

So, I tried everything I could with my own body, but the world turned its back on me.

And so, another ten years passed.

It wasn't until twenty years had gone by that I realized there was something wrong with me.

I excelled in my studies, but I had a terrible judgment of people.

I trusted and followed people just because they claimed to be loyal to my grandfather, only to be betrayed. Those who promised to help me seek revenge just used me for their own gain.

*Cough. Ugh!*

Coughing fits and bloody phlegm erupted with even a slight excitement.

But this time, my body was in pain, and my vision gradually blurred.

With a sigh, I lay down on the bed, praying to the heavens.

Please, let a second chance come my way.

The image of my grandfather, who had gone to heaven before me, flickered before my eyes.

I reached out to grab him in a desperate attempt to hold on, but at that moment, my consciousness faded away.

* * *

"Master Minjae, today is a very important day. Many guests are coming to celebrate Chairman's birthday."

Kim Taekhoon, the head secretary.

He was the only person among my grandfather's confidants who didn't betray me. He had spent five years in the hospital after my grandfather passed away and fell into despair.

He was the only one who worried about me while my grandfather was in prison. Even though he had little money, he sent me allowance and encouraging letters, telling me not to lose hope.

At the hospital, he had been the one worrying about me until his last breath. But now, he was right by my side, looking healthy.

"Don't worry. I'll stay quiet here, Mr. Manager."

"Our Minjae has grown even more refined now that he's turned one year older."

Was my acting not convincing enough? Acting like a 17-year-old wasn't an easy task.

But I had to do it, even if I didn't like it. To secure a future where I could protect my family and the group, I had to become a beloved grandson.

A gift for the me who had spent 20 years in hell.

With no money to even buy a pack of ramen, I had died a lonely death. But now, I have returned to being 17.

At first, I couldn't distinguish between dream and reality, but I quickly accepted the reality.

Because this was the second chance I had longed for.

Another chance to protect my family and the group.

Of course, at 17 years old, there wasn't much I could do. I was simply putting all my effort into acting like a child to avoid suspicion.

Even now, I was taking out candies from my pocket to fill the gap in my acting as a student.

Then, guests arrived at the banquet hall.

It was such a grand event that many people attended. Each time, the secretaries reported the guests' information to the head secretary.

However, this time, the secretary seemed flustered, as if he hadn't properly checked the guest's background.

"It's Kang Min's uncle. I've seen him once before."

"Is he a friend of Master Minjae's friend? Ah, he's from Daehyung Group, Mr. Kim Kangjun."

"Manager, I found him. Kim Kangjun, the Head of Planning at Daehyung Group Headquarters."

Having finished the report, the secretary let out a sigh of relief.

It was because he had promptly identified the guest thanks to the hint I had given about Daehyung Group.

What if he had found out later?

Mr. Manager always wore a mild expression, but he was a person filled with anger inside. Getting scolded was a given, and he could have been removed from his secretary position.

The secretary knew that well, so he politely nodded at me in gratitude and I responded with a cheerful smile, showing my innocent side.

But how did I know Kim Kangjun?

Even in my mid-20s, I was known as a third-generation chaebol and had many connections. Kim Kangjun was someone I had met during that time.

However, I wasn't familiar with Kim Kangjun enough to recognize him at first glance.

The reason I recognized Kim Kangjun wasn't because of memory but thanks to my ability.

The ability to see stats.

It was the one and only ability I had gained through regression.

【Profile】

Name: Kim Kangjun Age: 34

Affiliation: Head of Planning at Daehyung Group

Notable Information: Having affairs with three women.

Skills: Social Skills B, Management Skills C, English C, Japanese D, and so on...

When I looked at a person's face, their profile sheet naturally came to mind. It might not have been a superpower that could predict the future or provide daily stock information, but it was the most essential ability for someone like me who lacked foresight.

For someone who had to watch the company that was second in the corporate hierarchy collapse, it was indispensable.

Name, affiliation, and notable information, and even the detailed skill ratings were all available to me.

I could see skill ratings like Sales Skills B or Development Skills A.

"Chairman is coming."

I snapped out of my thoughts for a moment.

It was the entrance of my grandfather, Kim Taejoong, who was not only my grandfather but also the chairman of Taewoo Group.

[Chairman has arrived!]

"You look very well today, Chairman."

"Please stay in good health!"

The guests at the banquet hall greeted my grandfather.

They were people considered powerful in the corporate world, but to my grandfather, they were no more than well-paid servants who did their job.

My grandfather was even more than the president couldn't be.

That's why the guests, who were wary of my grandfather, did not receive even a single smile from him.

But my grandfather was endlessly gentle in front of me.

"Oh, our Minjae is here! Does the food suit your taste? I called the best chef in Korea just to cook for you."

"I missed you, Grandfather. Your business trip was long, wasn't it?"

"I wanted to come back sooner, but those picky fellows in the company, I tell you. Let's see how much Minjae has grown."

My grandfather approached me quickly.

I opened my arms wide and embraced him.

Even in my past life, he had been someone who couldn't help but adore me. After all, in a prestigious family like ours, having a third-generation heir must have been such a delight.

But I had found such love burdensome and annoying, so I had distanced myself from him.

Even if it was just to reflect on my past life, I held my grandfather even tighter.

How beautiful was the relationship between a grandfather and a grandson?

The guests at the banquet hall looked at us with warm smiles, but either because he had no sense or because he was in a hurry, the subcontractor's CEO who had been following us from the entrance began to speak.

"Chairman, please reconsider the delivery price. With that price, we can't even pay our employees' salaries."

He was a contractor who wore shabby clothes and complained about his situation.

He had maintained a relationship with our grandfather for over 20 years.

Despite his current attire, he managed a company at the level of a mid-sized corporation.

Without a doubt, just by attending this event, he was an impressive person.

"Mr. Jim, why are you talking to me about this?"

"I'm really in a hurry. I've been running around trying to cut costs here and there, but I just can't find a solution."

The atmosphere was about to be ruined from the very beginning of the feast.

In this lifetime, I had made a decision.

I would do whatever it took to protect my family and the group.

Family, if you could even call it that, was just my grandfather.

I couldn't let such an important banquet for my beloved grandfather be disrupted by someone like that.

"Wow, it's a Patek Philippe watch! And it's a complication model! It must be worth more than 1 billion won, even at the very least."

It was the contractor who had been pretending to be in distress in his shabby clothes.

If you were going to act, you should do it properly, like me.

It seemed like he wanted to show off with a fancy watch.

Well, there probably weren't many people in this era who could recognize a Patek Philippe watch.

But I was someone who had bought all sorts of luxury items in my past life.

...Not that I was bragging or anything.

"Does that watch really cost over a billion won? Oh my, Mr. Jim, you must have made a lot of money. Spending 1 billion won on a watch."

"Oh, no. I went on a business trip to China and bought a knock-off there."

"A businessman buys a fake? I've never seen such a terrible person. I don't want to talk to you anymore, so just stay quiet or leave."

The subcontractor CEO hastily retreated, covering his wrist.

There was no need to check his profile to get rid of such a person.

While there were weaknesses like embezzlement and misappropriation listed in the notable information on the profile sheet, who would believe a 17-year-old suddenly revealing such criminal facts?

After the troublemaker disappeared, my grandfather looked at me with a cheerful expression again.

"Our Minjae is starting high school this year, right? Then, this grandpa should give you a gift, shouldn't he?"

"I don't need a gift. Grandfather, you just need to stay healthy for a long, long time."

"Our little Minjae looks so cute. Come here and take it."

It's common for grandparents to give their grandchildren an allowance when they graduate from elementary school.

However, my grandfather didn't give me an allowance, he gave me an entire bank account. And it wasn't just any bank account; it was quite different.

A Swiss bank account.

And it was in the name of a paper company.

My grandfather was a meticulous person who even found ways to avoid gift taxes when giving an allowance to his grandson.

He didn't become a conglomerate chairman for nothing.

"Thank you, Grandfather."

"Don't be frugal, use it generously. Oh! And the money in the account isn't 1 million won, it's 1 million dollars."

"I love you!"

No wonder I could spend a million won per day in my previous life when my grandfather just gave me 1 billion won just for starting high school.