I Am Really The Only Tycoon - Chapter 1

Mother

[ Minwook, don’t fight. Be careful of the water.]

[Mother… I’m turning forty the day after tomorrow. Forty.]

I had a hero.

My own hero.

The person who always stood beside me, unwavering, and watched over me. But what makes me laugh is that I didn’t realise. I didn’t realise what the person meant to me, what the importance of the person’s existence was.

I was naive. My oblivious eyes couldn’t see the countless sacrifices made by the person. Akin to how the world is overflowing with water, but one doesn’t realise its necessity… because they could find water everywhere, every moment.

[It’s getting cold. Are you really not going to eat? Oh, god, please… you’re leaving without eating?]

[I’m busy, I will call you later.]

A faithful human’s existence gives false hope.

It’s because they have always been with you. The foolish hope inside us expects them to continue to stay like that.

I realized now; I miss my mother.

[When are you going to join me?]

[I’ll call you later. I’ve been busy lately.]

I should have stayed when she was there…

Time is but a collection of fleeting moments, yet the hole ripped by her absence, which I thought would gradually fade away, started to grow bigger.

A year after my mother passed away, I firmly decided.

I will save her.

[Minwook, Mom… Mom wants to see her son’s face for the last time…]

My sister’s trembling voice.
My heart sank on recollecting the moment.

My only mother in the world, whom I had forgotten because I’d been busy with my life.

My mother was born in 1950. Her hometown is Gunwi, North Gyeongsang Province.

Even in the midst of the war, a bud bloomed and a new life sprouted. Fortunately, North Gyeongsang Province defended the Nakdonggang river defense line at that time, and my mother and maternal family were able to stay safe.

Mother was too young to remember anything.

It was fortunate that the hard time passed without her being able to remember the tragedy of the terrible war. She had three older brothers; the eldest one was eight years older, second eldest one was three years older and the third brother was two years older. And of course, her father was there too.

She was the youngest of all. And no matter how much time goes by, it was natural for the youngest daughter to be the centre of attention.

Her family wasn’t wealthy, but they were happy. Except for one person; my mother’s eldest brother.

“Hey, you all will die if you don’t find it and hand it over. Got it?”

As time passed by, his habit of making money with gangsters remained unchanged. Actually, it started from this time.

My mother’s oldest brother was the top gangster in the village. He went around the neighbourhood, took money from people, which wasn’t the right way to get pocket money.

Nevertheless, that’s that.

The youngest brother, sweetest of all, loved my mother dearly.

“Kyung suk, do you want anything?”

“I like Oppa the most in the world.”

“I want jjang…”

(T/N: Assuming she was talking about jjangmyeon, a dish.)

There was a natural business, and everyone said that if you learn Judo from an early age, you will become a famous gangster like Kim Do Han, or go to the Olympics and win a gold medal. Judo, of course, wasn’t even an Olympic event at that time.

That was how she had lived her life. Her older brother held the umbrella of power to take care of his younger siblings in the turbulent times of need.

In short, they just had to mention that they were Lee Dong Ho’s sibling. The local gang members used to lower their eyes on seeing him, even though he was less than twenty.

“I’ll be going to Seoul. I will come back as a successful man.”

This declaration through a letter had left everyone in a daze. He took all of the family’s money and even sold a few house documents.

That took place on January 2, 1961. Just one day after New Year’s.

My mother was just 12 years old and not even in fifth grade of elementary school.

It was because of that b*****d, my mother’s eldest brother, that she suffered so much as a child.

Dong Ho, thank you for taking all of the family’s money and making your family suffer so much because of it.

And then came the bomb.

It was heard that he had committed suicide.

A friend who had followed him, returned after half a year to inform that their oldest son had died.

Since then, my mother’s family fell into a pit full of darkness and poverty.

So, after Dong Ho’s death, my second uncle became the eldest uncle, and my third uncle became my youngest uncle.

The reckless jerk had died before I was born, so I didn’t know how to feel about it.

All I knew was that he was a world-class idiot who made my mother suffer.

A family without a single penny, without a house. My maternal grandfather, who was born in the village, lived his whole life farming. He barely had some skills. He used to work like a slave, day and night, to be able to feed the mouths of his family.

Due to all his hard work, my mother was able to complete her studies and graduate from the national school.