Moving into childhood home

Sungjun and Jiyeon stepped out of the car, both taking in the imposing sight of the Cheonghwa estate. The mansion loomed before them, its grandeur almost overwhelming. The estate had been in the family for decades, yet it felt foreign to Sungjun. The cold stone walls seemed to echo with the memories of a past he hadn't lived, but Jiyeon was mesmerized.

She looked up at the house, her voice filled with awe. "Dad, this mansion is so much bigger than our old house!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Sungjun chuckled softly, trying to mask the unease swirling inside him. "Yeah, it's a lot bigger than what I remember too," he muttered, more to himself than to her.

They walked up the front steps together, their footsteps the only sound breaking the silence. As they reached the door, it swung open, and a familiar face greeted them.

"Master Sungjun, welcome home," said Lee Changmin, the steward of the estate. The older man's face lit up with genuine warmth as he stepped forward, offering a respectful bow. Sungjun felt a lump in his throat seeing him again.

"It's been a long time, Changmin-ssi," Sungjun said, extending his hand in greeting. "How is your health?"

"As you have seen, I'm as fit as a horse, Master Sungjun." The steward took his hand eagerly, his eyes glistening with emotion. "It's truly wonderful to see you both," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "It seemed as if you left this house yesterday. And Master Sungjun is now grown up to be a fine adult."

Sungjun smiled faintly, watching as Lee Changmin's eyes welled up, clearly moved by the reunion. The steward had been a father figure to him after his mother passed away, taking care of him as his father wasn't around most of the time. In some ways, he had raised him.

"Let me introduce my daughter, Han Jiyeon," Sungjun said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Jiyeon smiled warmly at Lee Changmin, giving a polite bow.

"It's so nice to meet you, Changmin-ssi," Jiyeon said, her voice sweet and respectful.

Lee Changmin couldn't hold back his tears. He wiped his eyes quickly, trying to regain his composure. "I'm so glad to see you here, young miss," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "It's been far too long since the family was whole like this."

Sungjun felt a bittersweet knot form in his chest as the steward led them inside. They were quickly shown to their assigned rooms, and Sungjun was reminded once again of the family dynamics that would unfold during their stay.

As per the arrangements, each sibling had a room that they shared with their spouse, but the children weren't treated the same way. Despite the mansion being a sprawling estate with 24 rooms, there was a lack of individual accommodations for the younger generation.

Han Chul Woo, who was away at college, wasn't there. The twin sisters, Minji and Sora, lived in dorms with their agency and weren't expected to stay at the estate. But the remaining children—Jiyeon, Na Young, and Park Soojin—were to share a room.

Sungjun raised an eyebrow at this arrangement as he walked down the hallway, his mind racing.

He had hoped that things would be different for Jiyeon, that she wouldn't have to deal with the petty rivalry that seemed to run rampant in the family. But the situation quickly became apparent as they arrived at the room.

The door to their shared space was open, and inside, Jiyeon saw that the room was not the cozy, private retreat she had hoped for. Little Na Young was already there, standing by the window, while Park Soojin was sitting on the bed, looking uncomfortable. Jiyeon's face fell as she realized what was going on.

"Papa," Jiyeon murmured in Russian, her voice tinged with frustration. "chto eto za dogovorennost?"

Sungjun glanced around the room, noticing the tension in the air. He could tell that both Na Young and Soojin weren't thrilled with the arrangement either. The room was spacious, but there was no denying that it was an odd setup for three girls who had barely interacted before.

"Don't worry, munchkin," Sungjun said, trying to reassure her. "We'll make the best of it. This is just how things are for now."

As Sungjun turned to leave, he couldn't help but wonder how long this forced proximity would last. The tensions in the house were already palpable, and he wasn't sure how long they could all keep up the pretense of being a happy, united family.

Meanwhile, in the hallway, he overheard a conversation between his sisters-in-law, Seol Ah and Eunji, both of whom were talking about the arrangements for the children. Or more like arguing?

"Seol-ah, this is unfair. Just because your children aren't enjoying this accommodation doesn't mean you can cause inconvenience for my daughter." Eun-ji muttered under her breath. "Why does my Na-young have to share with Jiyeon and Park Soojin?"

Seol-ah crossed her arms, her voice low. "What do you want us to do then, unnie? If Na-young gets her own room, we would have to give Soojin her own room, too. She isn't even a part of the family. Moreover, you saw how flippant Sungjun was. If Na-young gets her own room and Jiyeon gets stuck with Soojin, who knows how he will flip out? His siblings adore him because of their age gap."

"But still…" As Eun-ji still seemed a bit dissatisfied, Seol-ah smirked. "Unnie, look at this positively. Little Na-young can just be your spy to gather what Sae-ri and Sungjun were planning. If we work together, we can plan those joint dinners and vacations in a way that benefits both of our families and takes the other two out of the race."

"Hmm…" Eun-ji furrowed her brows, thinking deeply. She nodded. "I feel bad about doing it but there are 12 trillion won at stake here. If two of them are out of the will, adding the fact that Jae-soo-nim will not return, our two families can split up 6 trillion won each."

Sungjun realized that the so-called rivalry and arguments between these two were only for appearances. In reality, these two sisters-in-law were in cahoots behind everyone's back. While he doesn't care about the money, he definitely doesn't want these two witches to hurt his sister.

"Fine, do whatever you want, my dear sisters-in-law. As long as I'm with my sister, neither of you can lay a finger on a single strand of her hair, much less take away her inheritance." He smirked, slowly walking away.

After reaching his room, he locked it and sat down on a chair. Opening his laptop, Sungjun reached out to his left eye, removing the lens and revealing the bionic eye.

As he ran the software on the laptop, his bionic eye started to give off a faint glow, and soon, a voice, smooth and mechanical, emerged from the laptop speakers, resembling that of an AI chatbot. "Welcome back, Boss."

"Neo, compile the list of all private shareholders of Orion Group. Estimate the funds needed to acquire their shares and adjust the offer based on their past trades to ensure a successful transaction. Exclude the free float."

Roughly 70 seconds later, a series of names and institutions appeared on the screen, Naver Corp holding the highest stake at 3.75%—the total sum accounting for 21.2% of the company in the hands of these large shareholders. "Based on their historical trading patterns, the share value was adjusted for a favorable acquisition with atleast 93.2% probability. Authorize the expenditure of 17.2 billion dollars to send out the offer?"

Sungjun shook his head. "Not yet, Neo. Keep monitoring their transactions under observation and update the required amount in real-time."

"Understood"

A brief pause. Then, Neo's voice returned. "Anything else, Boss?"

Sungjun replied in a calm manner. "Yes. Initiate a secure line through Meridian satellite—connect me to Prime Minister Mikhail."

"Affirmative. Routing through Meridian… Encryption at maximum level. Secure line established—the target is on standby."