Chapter 204: You Handle It Yourself

When I arrived at the reserved restaurant, everyone else was already there, waiting for me.

“Looks like everyone got here before me.”

As I saw my companions who had come all the way from Busan, a smile crept across my face.

“Did you make it?”

“Yeah, I got stuck in traffic, so I arrived a bit late.”

Answering Hyeon-seong’s father’s question, I took off my suit jacket and sat down next to Grandma.

Grandma gently patted my back.

“I can’t remember the last time we all gathered like this.”

“True. How many years has it been since you all grew up?”

Myeong-su’s father said with a smile. It felt like it had been ages since we last all came together during summer break at Busan.

“It’s been a long time. We used to meet up often back in the day.”

“You all have grown up; isn’t that right? It’s how it goes. And the adults still get together often, just not with you guys.”

“You mentioned that you finished all your work, right?”

“Yeah, I was under some pressure when Myeong-su was prepping for the campaign because of me. So, I wrapped everything up and decided to take a break. I was struggling, and I figured it was time to relax.”

Despite being in his prime, he had set everything aside to take care of Myeong-su.

“So, what will you do now?”

“I’ll just take it easy. Anything else? When Manager Park retires, I plan to go hiking together.”

Hyeon-seong’s father chuckled. Myeong-su’s easygoing nature was definitely inherited from his dad.

“Thanks for always looking after Grandma.”

“Don’t go on about unnecessary things. Are you all not getting married? Myeong-su too, what’s with the lack of news? Speaking of which, Hyeon-seong brought a girl he plans to marry. I met her too!”

At Myeong-su’s father’s words, Hyeon-seong’s father cleared his throat. He must have taken after Hyeon-seong—getting quiet when embarrassing topics came up.

“Is it Ji-min?”

“Yeah. You all should quickly find a partner, too.”

“We’re handling it ourselves, thank you very much.”

When marriage came up, Myeong-su, who had been silently listening, bluntly responded.

“See? Whenever marriage is mentioned, he gets all flustered. Mu-hyeok, doesn’t he listen to your advice? Say something to him.”

“Haha, I’m sure Myeong-su will figure it out on his own.”

When I interjected, Myeong-su’s father looked displeased but didn’t say anything further. I noticed Myeong-su let out a quiet sigh.

“What about Grandma?”

“Me? Why?”

“They said not to push me into marriage.”

“When the time comes, you’ll handle it. I’m not in any rush either. Still, you’ve always managed on your own, so I guess that’s why I don’t worry about it.”

There was a strong sense of trust in Grandma’s words.

I thought Grandma would also want me to settle down, but aside from jokingly mentioning wanting to see great-grandchildren, she hadn’t pressured me at all.

Food soon arrived, and we wrapped up our meal with trivial chatter. It felt good to have my heart at ease after a long time.

I loved not having to deal with complicated thoughts around these people.

Even though we were just exchanging old tales and updates, the time flew by.

It was late at night when we finally stepped outside the restaurant and exchanged goodbyes.

“Thank you all for coming.”

“No problem, thank you!”

Myeong-su’s father waved his hands as if brushing off the compliments. Hyeon-seong’s father helped him stay steady.

“Take good care of Grandma, and let’s meet before we head back tomorrow.”

“Sure, take care!”

I saw everyone get into their cars as I waved them off. While driving with Grandma, I cautiously called out.

“Grandma.”

“What?”

Grandma turned her head. The Grandma who had been my everything since childhood seemed unusually small today.

“How about coming to live in Seoul?”

Without answering, Grandma looked at me gently and soon held my hand. Her touch was warm.

“Are you feeling lonely?”

“Not really, I just wanted to say it.”

“I don’t want to be a burden on our Mu-hyeok. I’ll live my life, so you just focus on yours, okay?”

“Grandma.”

Her smiling face radiated warmth, but I couldn’t bring myself to smile back.

Since I lost Grandpa, a wave of anxiety often hit me.

“I worry that you might just leave one day…”

Grandma stroked my hand. I nodded slowly at her gentle touch.

Though she said nothing, I could guess what she meant.

“I understand.”

“Just remember to come often.”

“Sure.”

Soon we arrived at Pyeongchang-dong. I guided her to a room prepared for her.

“You can stay here for tonight.”

“Oh wow, nice room!”

“This is the room Grandpa prepared just in case you came to Seoul.”

Grandpa had always cared for me from places unseen. While looking around the room, I continued speaking.

“This is the first time using it since Grandpa passed. They say it used to be Mom’s room long ago.”

“Is that so? I’m grateful to your in-laws. Hurry and get in. I’m tired; I’ll just wash up and sleep.”

“Okay, I’ll make breakfast and come by to pick you up tomorrow.”

Grandma patted my back as she said her goodbyes and closed the door.

The closed door briefly reminded me of Grandpa’s hospital room door, but I shook my head and headed to my own room.

I awoke early the next morning.

As I stepped out of the bedroom and descended to the dining area, the familiar smell of soybean stew wafted through the air.

Grandma set the stew on the table and smiled at me.

“Sit down. Let’s eat.”

I nodded at Grandma’s words, took my seat, and grabbed my spoon.

After a long time, the taste of Grandma’s stew made me smile without even realizing it.

“It tastes the same. Just like Grandma’s cooking.”

“I got the ingredients from Manager Park early this morning to make sure you would enjoy your meal. Is it good?”

“Yeah, Grandma’s touch is irreplaceable.”

“You’re too kind.”

Thanks to Grandma’s stew, I finished a whole bowl for breakfast, something I hadn’t done in a while.

“You want more, don’t you?”

Her worried question made me smile and shake my head. Grandma always fretted about me not eating enough.

“I haven’t been having breakfast much lately; I just can’t seem to eat a lot.”

“You must make sure to eat breakfast. That’s the best remedy to keep your health up.”

“Understandable, I’ll make an effort to do that.”

After breakfast, I went to Hyeon-seong’s house with Grandma.

Hyeon-seong’s parents were ready to leave for Busan and were waiting for others to arrive.

“Are we ready?”

Nodding at Hyeon-seong’s blunt question, Myeong-su and his parents soon arrived.

“Thank you all for your effort. I guess we will all gather again at Hyeon-seong’s wedding next time.”

“Definitely. Let’s meet then.”

Grandma approached, hugging me while stroking my back. I returned the embrace tightly.

“Grandma, you need to stay healthy.”

Saying goodbye to Grandma, everyone got into their cars.

I saw Grandma waving her hand, so I waved mine back in sync.

As the car shrank away from view, I turned around.

“Myeong-su, let’s chat while we ride together. Hyeon-seong, you have to go to work, right?”

The always-dull guy just nodded instead of replying. Thanks to the company’s bigger scale, Hyeon-seong had been busier than ever without any time to breathe.

“Right. We’ll see you later.”

After watching Hyeon-seong enter his house, I got into the car with Myeong-su.

“Please take us to the Myeong-dong office. Tell someone to have Myeong-su drive over.”

Manager Ha passed the keys to Myeong-su, who handed them to another staff member.

The vehicle carrying us began to move towards Myeong-dong.

“How have you been?”

“You mean the Party? Or me?”

“You, of course. As for the Party, I mean the atmosphere, like how Yoon Jong-ha is behaving and all that.”

Myeong-su chuckled softly, as if asking if I really needed to ask.

“You had a talk with Yoon Jong-ha? It’s true that the established members were trying to constrain the emerging members I gathered, but suddenly that stopped, huh? I heard Yoon Jong-ha was furious about it.”

“Is that so?”

Even if the old guard tried to restrain Myeong-su, it was Yoon Chang-ho who had to rein them in. Finally, he was working effectively.

“Did you say something?”

“We spoke after the general election, and I told him to stop resisting and work together to solidify control over the Party. I thought it would be best for him to manage the seasoned members while I handle the emerging talent.”

Myeong-su nodded as he spoke. Without a doubt, he must have gone through a lot of mental strain.

“I figured as much. It had to be tough for you. Even though I’m quite popular, I’m still just a first-term legislator, you know? They must have found me utterly unappealing.”

He sounded a bit exaggerated as if he were worried, which made me chuckle slightly.

Seeing Myeong-su grumble made me smile, but he seemed to hit me back playfully.

“It’s not even a laughing matter. Ever since stepping into politics, I’ve been seriously shocked. The politicians I know are more conservative than I had expected.”

It’s true; most of the politicians I knew were indeed very conservative. At least Yoon Jong-ha was somewhat progressive.

“We’ve tried to create a new party and introduce fresh faces, but I wonder how those two old parties have been doing for decades. The first day I go to Parliament is terrifying already.”

“You just have to face it. What I really want is for you to take over Yoon Jong-ha’s leadership and seize the Party completely. I’ll provide any support you need, whether financial or otherwise, so don’t fret.”

The Myeong-su who had once limped away from Busan no longer existed.

Yet, Myeong-su, who had always been my soft spot, smiled brightly and said confidently.

“I did decide to do it because of you, but I plan to do it right. Now that I’ve come this far, I’ve got to lead the way!”

“Good thought.”

To help bolster Myeong-su’s influence, I’ve already funneled a considerable amount of money toward his faction.

“You should align with Yoon Jong-ha to build support for the constitutional amendment. I’ll handle the press side of things, so focus on gathering the younger legislators from both the Progressive and Conservative Parties to build a coalition. You can pull this off, right?”

“Understood. It shouldn’t be hard to set up a gathering.”

Amending the constitution was not something that could be accomplished quickly. It required careful preparation.

Moreover, there were many hills to climb aside from the constitutional amendment.

“I’m going to take down the Il-seong Group. It could involve political lobbying, so you need to know how to counteract that.”

“Taking down Il-seong will certainly be a big deal.”

“This time, I want to wrap things up efficiently without caring too much about the details. Even if it conflicts with the law, it won’t matter this time.”

A dangerous glint flickered in my eyes, causing Myeong-su to flinch.

“Wow… You really are angry, huh? That look in your eyes reminds me of the old you. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this, ever since I caught you off guard last time.”

“I’m sorry. Just thinking about it has me riled up again.”

“Well, regardless. I’ll take care of the political side with Yoon Jong-ha, while you do what you want.”

Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the Myeong-dong office.

“Let’s get together next time.”

“Sure, drive safely.”

Myeong-su left in his own car, finally leaving Myeong-dong behind. I had neglected a few errands back in Korea which were piling up.

I felt a heaviness settle on my shoulders.

“Did you set up an appointment with the Blue House yet?”

I asked Manager Ha when we got into the Myeong-dong office.

“Yes. We’re scheduled to go in during lunch next Friday. They’ve asked to discuss matters over a meal.”

Friday… I rubbed my chin as I reminisced about the schedule. It seemed it would coincide with the trip to China.

“It looks like it will clash with the day Elder Jang Dae-ho goes to China. Am I right?”

“Correct. I think we should contact him and postpone the meeting. The Blue House also indicated they might not be available after that for a while.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, pondering. To me, a few days felt short, but to Elder Jang, it was a meeting 50 years in the making.

I felt it would be disrespectful to delay his agenda.

“No, it’s fine. Manager Ha, you can handle the trip to China alone.”

“Alone?”

Concerned about leaving me alone, Manager Ha didn’t respond right away. I found his hesitation amusing.

“I’m sending you alone because Elder Jang’s task is more important. While you’re away, I’ll be with Chief Ha, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Upon hearing that I would be with Chief Ha, Manager Ha visibly relaxed.

“…Understood.”

“Once you’re in China, help Elder Jang meet his family. Bringing them back at once may not be possible because we need to consult with the Chinese government first.”

“Okay, I’ll relay that message.”

“Once you return from China, we’ll get to work right away. Make sure to handle this well.”

“Understood, Boss.”

I needed to slowly finalize everything. My previously heavy shoulders started to feel lighter.

“Tell Chairman Lee to come in. We need to settle that first.”

“Yes.”

I instructed Manager Ha to reach out. After dealing with some paperwork, Manager Ha opened the door and walked in.

“Chairman Lee has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

Lee Sang-geun entered the office and bowed his head.

“It’s been a while, CEO.”

“It really has. Please, take a seat.”

Raising his head, Lee Sang-geun took a seat. His face looked a little pale since I last saw him.

“How’s the company? Is it still thriving?”

Lee Sang-geun opened his mouth in response to my inquiry.