The Regressed Vault Keeper Took It All

Chapter 17: One Should Not Make Promises That Cannot Be Kept

After Chairman Cha Sang-woo’s remark about reviewing a delisting, the market turned into utter chaos.

Not only the emergency shares but even other stocks had been suffering continuous plunges day after day.

Yang Sobo was staring grimly at the newspaper on his desk.

The provocative headlines that dominated the front page, like “Stock Market Crash” and “The Lament of Small Investors,” irritated his mood.

“Zhang Wei.”

“Call Jin-ho, immediately.”

“Yes, Master Yang.”

Before long, Kim Jin-ho entered the office, his face full of nervousness.

Overwhelmed by the chilling aura of Yang Sobo, he knelt on the spot the moment he reached him.

“I don’t recall telling you to sit.”

“……My apologies, Master Yang.”

At that voice, colder than the north wind and snow, Kim Jin-ho pressed himself down even lower.

“The market looks like a complete disaster.”

Yang Sobo spoke as he tossed the newspaper back onto the desk.

“What about the money I entrusted to you? Is it safe?”

“Y-Yes, of course, Master Yang!”

At the mention of money, Kim Jin-ho jerked his head up in alarm.

“Of course, the market isn’t in a good state right now, so there are some losses in the books, but it’s only a temporary adjustment. It can recover.”

“A temporary adjustment?”

Yang Sobo’s eyebrow twitched.

“Cha Sang-woo, that man even mentioned delisting, and you think that looks like a temporary adjustment?”

“Haha, Master Yang! You needn’t worry so much!”

Kim Jin-ho suddenly changed his expression and laughed heartily.

On his face shone a twisted confidence that did not suit the current situation.

“That Cha Sang-woo fellow will soon be kicked out of his seat.”

“……Kicked out?”

Yang Sobo’s eyes sharpened instantly.

It was exactly what Baek Min-woo had said a few days ago.

Whether he resigned on his own or was forcibly dragged down, Cha Sang-woo would give up the chairman’s position—that’s what Min-woo had said.

But how did Kim Jin-ho know this? Did he hear it from Park Jeong-ho?

As expected, the name that flashed through Yang Sobo’s mind spilled out of Kim Jin-ho’s mouth.

“Yes! I’ve already prepared everything! President Park Jeong-ho fully trusts me! He’ll soon convene the board of directors and cut off Cha Sang-woo’s head! Once he’s gone, the market will surge again as if nothing ever happened! So now, this is the perfect time to buy even more.”

Kim Jin-ho spoke passionately, as if he were the one directing all the events.

Yang Sobo silently watched the madness flickering in his eyes.

Perhaps mistaking that silence for approval, Kim Jin-ho grew even bolder.

“So what I’m saying, Master Yang, is this: if you entrust me with just a little more capital, I can multiply your wealth several times over with this opportunity! Please trust me.”

“Shut your mouth!”

At that thunderous rebuke, Kim Jin-ho’s voice was cut off.

Only then did he realize he had crossed a line, and that Yang Sobo’s cold eyes were piercing straight through him.

“Are you out of your mind?”

The low murmur pressed against his heart like a tightening vice.

Kim Jin-ho unconsciously swallowed hard.

“Whether Cha Sang-woo is expelled or not is none of my concern. My money is about to turn into scrap paper this instant, and you dare to ask for more? Since when did you become so bold as to flap your mouth in front of me?”

“G-Master Yang, you misunderstand. I only meant there was an opportunity……”

“Misunderstand?”

Yang Sobo let out a bitter laugh.

His expression had not changed, but his gaze was sharper than ever.

“Do I look like some clueless old man shut away in the back room?”

All the color drained from Kim Jin-ho’s face.

Yang Sobo gestured.

Kim Jin-ho crawled clumsily on his knees, looking utterly pathetic.

Seizing Jin-ho’s chin roughly, Yang Sobo locked eyes with him.

“I don’t care what you do with Park Jeong-ho. But…… what I cannot forgive is you losing my money.”

His brutal grip on the jaw, his piercing gaze like an awl—Kim Jin-ho could only whimper breathlessly in terror.

“Remember this well. Right now, double the money I entrusted to you. Can you do it?”

Crushed by Yang Sobo’s murderous eyes, Jin-ho nodded madly, forgetting even the pain in his jaw.

“If there is even the slightest loss in my money……”

Yang Sobo’s rage-tinged voice hissed like a serpent.

“Then no matter where you hide, I will find you. And with my own hands, in the most agonizing way you can imagine, I’ll deal with you myself.”

Trembling like an aspen tree, Kim Jin-ho nodded again.

His once arrogant confidence had been utterly shattered.

Yang Sobo released his grip roughly and barked,

“If you understand, then get out of my sight.”

Kim Jin-ho almost crawled as he stumbled out of the office.

Watching the door close, Yang Sobo muttered to himself.

“Fool. Thrashing about without even realizing he’s standing at the edge of a cliff……”

---

After days of suffocating tension, I was finally able to spend a rare moment of peace in the annex of Yang Sobo’s mansion.

While sitting on the sunlit wooden floor, I was helping Min-soo and Yang Yeong practice their clumsy writing when a servant approached quietly and bowed politely.

“A guest has come to see you.”

A guest? For me?

Surprised, I asked again.

“For me?”

“Yes. He is currently speaking with the Master Yang.”

“May I ask who it is?”

The servant only shook his head in reply.

No one came to mind.

At this time, there shouldn’t be anyone who would seek me out.

“Alright. Keep studying.”

I followed the servant to the main building.

When we reached the corridor before Yang Sobo’s office, Zhang Wei was standing guard like a shadow.

His expression was indifferent as always, but I didn’t miss the faint trace of curiosity in his gaze as he looked at me.

“Wait a moment. The Master Yang is speaking.”

“Who has come?”

“Former Chairman Cha Sang-woo.”

Cha Sang-woo? What brought him here? And to see me, no less?

When I had read of his resignation in the papers, I had felt relieved that he had taken my advice.

But what could he possibly want now?

“He said that once he’s finished speaking with the Master Yang, he’d like to talk with you separately.”

Zhang Wei added.

I nodded slightly.

Well, I’d know once we met.

While I waited quietly, Zhang Wei, unusually, smiled slyly and asked,

“Ma Dong-jin seemed quite shocked.”

“What do you mean?”

“That you beat down all the thugs who attacked Chairman Cha with your bare hands. Heh, back when you fought that Fly fellow under the Cheonggyecheon Bridge, you didn’t seem quite at that level.”

His eyes scanned me intently, as if trying to uncover hidden claws.

“I didn’t know myself, but it seems I have a bit of talent for fighting.”

I shrugged and answered nonchalantly.

And it was true.

Since leaving the facility and helping Jeong Tae-soo with all sorts of dirty work, I had fought countless battles.

And I realized it.

That I had a talent for fighting……

“Heh, nothing you do surprises me anymore.”

Zhang Wei let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

At that moment, the office door opened, and Yang Sobo appeared together with Cha Sang-woo.

To my surprise, there was even a gentle smile on Yang Sobo’s face, something rarely seen before.

Cha Sang-woo, too, no longer wore the expression of deep anguish he had when we first met, but instead looked noticeably more at ease.

Cha Sang-woo bowed respectfully to Yang Sobo.

“Today’s conversation was a pleasure. It seems I’ve greatly misunderstood you, Master Yang.”

“Haha. Such things happen. My conversation with Chairman Cha was also most enlightening.”

I could sense that what had passed between them had been no ordinary talk.

Cha Sang-woo’s eyes turned toward me.

I bowed lightly in greeting.

“Chairman, I was told you asked for me.”

Cha Sang-woo nodded and then sought Yang Sobo’s leave.

“Then, Master Yang, I shall have a word with this young man.”

“Go ahead. Zhang Wei, show them to a quiet place to speak.”

“Yes, Master Yang.”

As I followed Zhang Wei down the corridor, I heard Yang Sobo’s voice behind me.

“Come see me again when your talk is over.”

Zhang Wei led us to a neatly arranged small reception room.

“You may speak here. No one will disturb you.”

He opened the door and quietly withdrew.

Inside, only a neatly set tea service sat on the table between Cha Sang-woo and me.

An awkward silence lingered for a moment.

Then Cha Sang-woo was the first to speak.

“……As you advised, I went to see His Excellency in person and submitted my resignation.”

His voice carried a faint bitterness.

I kept my tone calm, stripping it of emotion.

“I read of it in the papers.”

“He didn’t stop me. Not the slightest hesitation.”

A hollow smile flickered across Cha Sang-woo’s face.

Perhaps it was regret that the conviction and the position he had devoted his life to had vanished in an instant.

“Even if you hadn’t resigned voluntarily, you would have been dragged down by the board eventually.”

Rather than console him, I pointed to the harsh reality.

“In a corporation, shares are power. You must know that President Park Jeong-ho and those who’ve sided with him have been buying Daejung shares day after day. You alone could never have stopped their greed, backed as it was by political power.”

“Yes…… You’re right.”

Cha Sang-woo no longer denied it, but accepted it frankly.

His shoulders seemed to sag even heavier.

“I knew it, too. That this madness would end in ruin. But I couldn’t turn away from the tragedy right before my eyes.”

He could not continue.

His gaze still carried deep concern for the disaster he had failed to prevent.

After steadying his emotions, he looked at me again, his eyes firm.

“If there is something you wish of me, say it. Thanks to you, the worst was avoided.”

“Thank you for saying so. But at the moment, I have nothing.”

Honestly, there was nothing I could hope for from him right now.

This upright, scholar-turned-official could never directly aid in my revenge or ambition.

“Then why help me? What benefit is there for you?”

Cha Sang-woo still wore an expression of incomprehension.

“I told you before, didn’t I? Seeing a man like you uphold his convictions—that alone is what I seek. Wouldn’t the world be a little better for it?”

I answered with a playful smile.

Though of course, my true intentions were different.

At that, Cha Sang-woo fell silent for a long while before speaking again with a curious expression.

“……The Master Yang said so. ‘Baek, that young man is an enigma. Don’t bother trying to understand him.’”

From the way he said Yang Sobo now addressed me as “Baek,” I could sense my standing had changed in the meantime.

“One day, I shall repay this debt to you. Whatever it may be…… so long as it is within my power.”

His voice was resolute.

I could tell Cha Sang-woo was making a promise with his full sincerity.

“Even if it goes against your convictions and principles, Chairman?”

I pressed into his weakness, locking eyes with him as I asked.

Caught off guard by the question, Cha Sang-woo faltered for a moment, his lips parting without words.

His gaze wavered once more.

“One should not make promises one cannot keep, Chairman.”

For a man as upright as him, leaving a lasting impression was crucial.

And that was possible only now, while his conviction still wavered.

“Once you allow even a single exception, people change easily. So please, I ask you—no matter what position you may hold, no matter what pressures may come—keep your convictions and principles. That is all I ask of you.”

If, in the future, he held to his principles during the Gangnam District development, it would bring me immense profit.

We could not let another Park Jeong-ho appear, compromising with reality and falling under the sway of men like Jeong Tae-soo.

At my words, which seemed full of earnestness, the wavering light in his eyes steadied again, now shining firm and strong.

Then suddenly, he burst into hollow laughter.

After laughing for some time, he looked at me with a gentle smile.

“Haha…… You truly are a young man impossible to fathom. Very well. As you ask, I will strive to live by my convictions.”

I had done it.

The greatest investment for the future had just succeeded.

“But still, if it’s your request, I’d like to grant it. Of course…… only as long as it does not contradict my convictions.”

Cha Sang-woo smiled faintly as he spoke.

Now he had added conditions to his promise.

A wise change.

I nodded in satisfaction.

“Yes, Chairman. Someday, when I need your help, I will reach out.”

“You……”

After a brief pause, Cha Sang-woo made an unexpected proposal.

“Would you not come with me to America?”

“What? America?”

“Yes. The Master Yang told me about you. That even while rolling in the slums, you showed a brilliant mind, mastering multiple foreign languages. Such talent should not be wasted here. I could help you and your brother establish yourselves there.”

So the old fox Yang Sobo had gilded my name well.

But without hesitation, I shook my head firmly.

“I apologize, but I have no intention of leaving this land.”

For my goals, I had to remain in Korea.

“However…… I am considering sending my younger brother to America.”