IBVCTGH Chapter 03

Chapter 3

No way…

What am I supposed to do here? The only reason I looked intimidated was because Grandpa’s gaze was terrifying!

"I'm not intimidated…."

"Then why are your shoulders slumped like that?"

"Th-That’s…."

I couldn't help it—I automatically went into 'employee mode' when facing the chairman.

I've never worked at a company big enough to have a chairman, but… in front of a superior, the default setting is to act polite.

Without realizing it, I activated the skill of making myself as inconspicuous as possible.

Slouch my shoulders, lower my head, and make my body as small as possible! That way, I fade into the background and become invisible.

And by disappearing from everyone's memory, I also disappear from the boss’s mind when they’re looking for someone to dump work on!

That was… Haena’s survival strategy.

"Isn't the teacher being too strict? Hey, Mr. Kim, call the kindergarten."

"Yes, Chairman. I’ll connect the call immediately."

At the mere words of Chairman Hong, Mr. Kim pulled out his phone, ready to dial at any moment.

Haena's eyes widened in panic.

What the hell is this on my first day after transmigrating…?

Is this what being in a chaebol family is like?

"W-Wait!"

"Hm?"

Haena shot her hand up, stopping Chairman Hong in his tracks.

If this continues, the innocent teacher is going to get punished…!

No, I can’t let that happen! That teacher is just another overworked employee in the Korean workforce!

Save the working class…!

"I'm not intimidated!"

"Then what is it?"

"It's because Grandpa is scary!"

She blurted it out with her eyes tightly shut.

No, but seriously… Chairman Hong's face was so terrifying that she reflexively closed her eyes.

However, the strange silence around her made her slowly peek them open.

Seeing both men blinking at her in disbelief made her want to shut her eyes again.

"….....…."

"….....…."

Chairman Hong and Mr. Kim fell into silence simultaneously.

"Ahem."

"Ch-Chairman, I believe Miss Haena is simply too young to handle your overwhelming charisma…."

"Be quiet! I get it!"

"Y-Yes, sir."

"As expected. I thought she might have matured a little, but…."

Chairman Hong sharply turned his head away, his face dark red.

Haena awkwardly scratched her head.

She had answered like a child out of pure survival instinct.

But… wouldn't it be better if she acted more like a kid?

Wait, what do seven-year-olds talk about these days?

Should I mention dolls or something? I’ve never raised a child, so I have no idea.

In the end, Haena decided to go with a safe topic.

“U-Um, the food is really good… Can I have some more?”

"!"

Wait a second.

Did I really say something that shocking?

Why are both of them trembling like that?

Did saying that the food was delicious sound like a death sentence or something?

"Haena… isn't complaining about her food…?"

"M-Miss is eating well all by herself…! I had a feeling something was off when she ate the spinach without hesitation…!"

"Call the chef. Ask him what he did to the food. Did he put something weird in it?"

Oh, for the love of—

Haena broke into a cold sweat at the ridiculous overreaction of this crazy chaebol grandfather.

"I-It’s not that big of a deal…."

"What do you mean, Miss? Since ancient times, the most filial child is the one who eats well, sleeps on time, and stays healthy without falling sick."

For the first time, Mr. Kim spoke with a serious expression, refuting Haena’s words.

"For seven long years, Miss has never eaten more than two spoonfuls of rice…."

Wait, what?

She never ate more than two spoonfuls?

As someone who had never eaten less than a full bowl of rice in her life, Kim Haena found that hard to believe.

But now it all made sense.

‘Well, I guess that would be worrying for the family. A kid who doesn’t eat properly… that’s not good for their health, either.’

If that was the case, it wasn’t so strange that they were this emotional.

There’s nothing more concerning for a family than a child who refuses to eat.

‘Even my mom used to say she was grateful that I never made a fuss about eating or sleeping when I was little….’

Parents everywhere must feel the same way.

Even a cold-hearted chaebol grandfather wasn’t an exception.

Raising a child really was tough.

Haena decided to accept this strange family.

Mr. Kim and a kind-looking woman, who had somehow moved closer, were now dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs.

"Finally… Miss is eating well…! The effort of changing the chef thirty-one times…! It has finally paid off…!"

…No matter how I look at it, this just sounds like a toxic workplace.

You can’t just fire workers that often, you know….

"Thank you… Miss…! You have no idea how happy we are that you're eating well…!"

Kim Haena, 32-year-old office worker.

Receiving praise for eating well.

This seven-year-old life was seriously hard to adjust to.

***

After finishing what felt like a company dinner with my boss, I dragged myself back to my room, completely drained.

If this is what it means to live as a chaebol, then I don’t want it.

This is nothing like the chaebol life I imagined…!

It just feels like I’m serving a boss 24/7…!

‘This is the worst…!’

Work-life balance? This house has the absolute worst of it.

Even though I’m at home, it feels like I’m still at work, constantly catering to a superior.

What is this? Please, let me resign.

For some reason, even though I had transmigrated, I didn’t feel happy at all.

Haena belatedly lifted her head and looked around.

‘Wow… This kid's room looks like a palace.’

The luxury furniture that she had only ever seen while working in high-end department stores was all here.

She used to wonder just how rich someone had to be to buy furniture like this. Turns out, they had to be this rich.

‘I did hear that real VIPs are the ones who buy furniture and miscellaneous goods, not just handbags.’

But that wasn’t all.

The room was huge.

It looked big enough to play a game of soccer inside.

Haena climbed down from the bed and casually opened a door in the corner of the room.

‘What’s this door? A bathroom? Do chaebol houses have a bathroom in every room?’

It was a reasonable assumption.

However, it wasn’t a bathroom.

When she opened the door, she found another room.

…A room filled with toys, books, and playthings!

‘…Judging by the situation… this is also my room, isn’t it?’

A separate bedroom and playroom.

This was culture shock.

‘No, Kim Haena. This is nothing special. It’s only natural for a chaebol to have two rooms. Yeah, totally.’

Of course.

Don’t be surprised. Don’t be intimidated!

Haena straightened her shoulders confidently and looked around the playroom.

But something felt off.

There was another door in the room.

‘That’s not the door I just came through. What is it?’

Without much thought, she opened it.

Inside was… a walk-in closet filled with children's clothes.

‘?’

Wait.

Why does a seven-year-old have a walk-in closet?

Kids this age grow so fast that their height changes overnight!

Wouldn’t all these clothes be worn once and then discarded?

Haena went pale at the sheer waste of money.

Then, when she picked up one of the outfits and saw that the price tag hadn’t even been removed, she turned even paler.

‘…Why does a single dress cost 4.8 million won?!’

It’s a kid’s dress!

She’ll outgrow it in a year!

Wow. A waste of money. A waste of resources.

‘My take-home salary was 1.87 million won… but a kid’s dress costs more than twice that?!’

This is insane.

Haena quickly and carefully put the dress back.

She had the strange feeling that if she crumpled it, she’d somehow have to pay for it….

"Miss Haena?"

The beautiful woman from earlier entered the room.

She was probably Haena’s personal nanny.

"I see you were playing in the dressing room. I was looking all over for you."

"Oh… yeah…."

"By the way, a new catalog is arriving later, so let’s pick out some clothes together. You’ve grown taller, so it’s time for some new outfits."

…Are you serious?

There are already this many clothes, and you're buying more?

Earth, I’m sorry.

Haena gave up trying to think any further.

"Since you finished your meal without any issues, the Chairman has decided that you may have whatever dessert you’d like today, Miss Haena."

The nanny smiled warmly as she picked Haena up. She carried her back to the main room and gently placed her on the sofa.

"Of course, as long as you brush your teeth properly afterward."

"Ah, okay."

Dessert?

What’s the big deal?

Haena nodded nonchalantly. She liked sweets, too, but kids’ desserts were usually just chocolate or ice cream.

…Or so she thought.

".....…?"

A mountain of desserts was being wheeled into her room—cart after cart, continuously.

"…....??"

Are we opening a buffet here?

Is this one of those dessert buffets I’ve only heard about?

"W-What is all this…?"

"Yes, Miss. We placed a special order from your favorite, Seoul Royal Palace Hotel."

Mom. Dad.

I did want to experience reckless spending…

But not to this extent.

How am I supposed to eat all this by myself?

Just as Haena was about to shake her head, feeling like a major culprit of environmental waste—

"Please wait a little while, Miss. Your friends will be arriving soon, so you can enjoy it together."

Haena’s misunderstanding was cleared up.

"Friends…?"

"Yes, Miss. The young heirs of Cheongyeong Group will be here in an hour. The Chairman wants you to share dessert and have a pleasant chat with them."

Wait.

Cheongyeong Group?

Isn’t that… the company owned by the male lead’s family?

🌼; For the upcoming chapters, certain titles, honorifics, and suffixes in Korean, such as Sajang-nim, Siljang-nim, nim, ssi, and other necessary terms, will remain in their original form. I will continue to provide explanations at the end of the post if needed.

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