IBVCTGH Chapter 02

Chapter 2

Nibble.

What’s that sound, you ask?

Well, it’s the sound of me, Kim Haena, a 32-year-old office worker, absentmindedly picking at my food after losing my appetite. ~~You see, it was ‘Kim Haena’s Delusion Time’ while reading CocoaPage, thinking, ‘What If I Were Possessed?’~~. I always imagined possessing someone in their twenties. Naturally, I assumed that if I ever did get possessed, I’d end up in the body of someone in their twenties or thirties.

But no. Instead, I got stuck in the body of a seven-year-old."

I never even glanced at childcare stories! Why did they put me into a kid’s body? I’ve always been into novels rated 15 and up!

The moment I woke up, I was dragged off to wash my face by an older sister who doesn’t seem much older than me. The sensation was… bizarre.

Her hands were so skilled and professional that it was actually quite comfortable. But still, the whole situation felt strange.

When I was seven, I could wash my own face just fine… But since this body belongs to a third-generation chaebol, someone else is doing it for me?

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this. I need to show them soon that I can take care of myself just fine.

“Hong Haena.”

"Y-Yes?!"

Hearing my name, I flinched and quickly turned my head.

“Who taught you to be such a picky eater, just pushing your food around like that?”

"..........!"

I immediately straightened my back and shoved a mouthful of seasoned spinach into my mouth.

“I’m sorry, Grandfather.”

Yes. The one who just scolded me for my eating habits was none other than…

“........…?”

The real first-generation chaebol.

Chairman Hong Jaesik.

Even in the original story, he was strict and cold-hearted, always making Hong Haena feel small.

Despite being a villainess who practically carried a knife in her mouth, Hong Haena couldn’t even talk back to Chairman Hong Jaesik. He found her utterly displeasing, and their relationship was always strained.

To the point where, in his will, he explicitly wrote that not a single penny should be left to her.

Of course, Haena still lived well, thanks to the alimony she extracted from the male lead.

“I didn’t know you even knew how to say ‘I’m sorry.’”

Chairman Hong Jaesik looked at me with deep suspicion.

Oh, crap.

The original Hong Haena was an unapologetic little villainess even as a child…!

I hesitated. What should I say to avoid breaking character…?

“I heard you beat up Chairman Kim’s youngest grandson yesterday.”

But before I could answer, Grandfather moved right on to the next accusation.

“Because of that, I had to cancel an important meeting and go apologize to Chairman Kim.”

Hong Haena, you really did everything in the book, didn’t you…?

Since I wasn’t actually the one who did it, I kept silent for now. I didn’t have enough information about the situation.

“Chairman Kim was furious. Said you completely broke that brat’s nose.”

“…......!”

“You broke it cleanly. I couldn’t even face Chairman Kim.”

Oh dear.

Breaking the nose of a young sprout who’s still growing… Haena nervously glanced at Chairman Hong.

His face was colder than ever, glaring at her with clear displeasure.

Well, if I had a grandchild who came home after breaking another kid’s nose, I’d be a little angry too…

"Can’t you at least try to be average?"

“….....!”

“You are the only grandchild of the Hong family. The only granddaughter of me, Hong Jaesik.”

His voice was as severe as ever, making Haena a little flustered.

No one had ever put this much emphasis on bloodline before in her life.

“I won’t even ask you to be the best. I doubt you have even a speck of potential for that.”

Well, that was harsh.

Haena kept her head down, listening to his scolding.

“But you should at least be average. Even if you can’t be better than others, you shouldn’t go around beating people up! What are you, a gangster? A gangster?!”

Jeez, did he eat a train whistle for breakfast?

His voice was unbelievably loud.

Haena felt wronged. It seemed like she should apologize at this point, but the idea of apologizing for something she didn’t even do made her stomach turn.

But then again, who was Kim Haena?

She was the only CS representative, marketing manager, youngest member of the management team, accountant, and designer at her company.

There was nothing she couldn’t do.

And she knew exactly how to handle an angry customer without actually saying 'sorry.'

[Step 1: Show empathy.]

[Step 2: Promise improvement.]

If she were still working in customer service, she’d say something like:

'I can only imagine how upsetting this must be for you. You even had to cancel an important meeting… If I were in your shoes, I’d be really frustrated too. I’ll make sure this never happens again by taking proper action.'

But… a seven-year-old saying that would be way too weird.

Let’s tweak it a bit.

“You’re right…”

“?!?”

“Everything you said is right, Grandpa. If I were you, I’d be mad too. It’s my fault. I won’t do it again.”

“…........?”

Oh. He’s flustered.

Judging by his reaction, my words weren’t completely ineffective.

Time for the next step.

[Step 3: Offer compensation.]

Hmm. But what kind of compensation could a seven-year-old even offer?

After thinking for a moment, Haena spoke up.

“I’ll run any errands Grandpa asks me to.”

What else could a kid even offer?

This was the best response she could think of.

“I’m sorry… From now on, I’ll be the best child, just like Grandpa wants.”

That should sound appropriate for a seven-year-old, right?

I mean, I don’t really know how kids talk, but it should be fine.

Haena kept thinking.

Oh! One last step.

[Step 4: End with a formal gesture.]

At the department store’s customer service desk, she had spent two years mastering the perfect bow.

She bent at a perfect 90-degree angle.

Held it for five seconds, showing her utmost sincerity.

Then, as she lifted her head, she made her face look as pitiful and remorseful as possible—

…Wait.

Something felt off.

Why wasn’t he reacting?

Haena blinked and looked up at Chairman Hong.

He was frozen in place, still wearing the same stern expression, not moving a muscle.

“…Mr. Kim.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Am I dreaming right now?”

“No, Chairman. This is reality.”

But… even Mr. Kim's hands were trembling as he said that.

“Haena… Did Haena just… seriously reflect on her actions…? By herself?”

Oh no.

Was I too mature just now? Should I have skipped the final bow?

But little kids actually bow more than adults, don’t they? It’s the grown-ups who are rude and don’t bow! Kids usually do it really well!

Haena frantically analyzed the situation, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

“I’ve never seen you apologize to anyone before, Haena.”

“!”

Wait.

I mean, I am your granddaughter, Chairman… Do you really have to doubt me this much?

Haena grumbled internally but kept an innocent smile on her face.

“But my kindergarten teacher said that if you do something wrong, you have to apologize!”

“…Your teacher?”

“Yes!”

That seemed to make Chairman Hong’s expression finally soften a little.

“Well, I did send you to that kindergarten because I heard they had a decent character education program…”

He let out a long sigh.

“But don’t apologize like that to anyone.”

“!”

“Never lower your head to anyone but me, understand?”

Chairman Hong’s expression was deadly serious as he grabbed Haena’s shoulders and spoke.

There was so much sincerity in his face that Haena found herself nodding instinctively.

“Good. That’s all. No—actually, don’t even apologize to me unless you’ve done something really wrong.”

“B-But this time, I did something really wrong, didn’t I?”

Breaking someone’s nose is a big deal, isn’t it?

I did cause harm to another person.

Haena’s words made Chairman Hong pause for a moment.

Then, he nodded.

“Yes. That’s why you shouldn’t get into situations where you have to apologize in the first place.”

Oh.

So that’s what he meant.

Haena gave an awkward smile.

“You’re a Hong family descendant. You must not bow your head to others. That is the most important thing. Do you understand?”

“….......”

What is he even talking about?

Hong family or not, if you do something wrong, you should bow your head and apologize.

Haena frowned and shook her head.

Seriously. Is saying sorry really such a big deal? No wonder this family has personality issues.

“But if you do something wrong, you have to apologize. That’s what my teacher said.”

“…That…”

Chairman Hong’s lips twitched slightly.

He looked like he had a lot to say.

But in the end, his expression brightened slightly, and he took a sip of his soup.

“You’re right. If you do something wrong, you should apologize.”

“Yes!”

“But you must never bow your head!”

“…Okay…”

What kind of logic is that?

Haena had bowed her head thousands of times in her life, so she couldn’t understand why this was such a big deal.

“And another thing!”

“Yes?”

“Never offer to run errands for anyone! What do you think you’re doing, offering to run errands with those tiny hands? Our Hong family doesn’t do such things!”

…When I was little, I ran errands for my mom like a thousand times.

“But… you’re my grandfather.”

“Huh?”

“Grandpa is Haena’s grandfather. And since you’re an adult that I should respect, shouldn’t it be okay to run errands for you?”

Haena genuinely didn’t understand.

“…Then only run errands for me!”

“Not even for my teacher?”

But in kindergarten, isn’t running errands for the teacher considered an honor?

Even in elementary school, kids used to line up to be chosen for errands.

“…No! Don’t do it!”

“…Okay… I’ll only run errands for Grandpa…”

Wow. He’s really stubborn.