Chapter 111: A Meeting with Do-jun

“Father, I was thinking of meeting with Do-jun.”

“You?”

“Yes. I want to figure out what that guy is really after and persuade him to give up early.”

Jin Young-ki scrutinized his son with a dubious look.

“Don’t go making trouble. He had an accident on the way to Gunsan. He might not have heard about it yet. You’ll end up just giving him information.”

“Isn’t that the point of testing the waters? I hear Do-jun has already amassed a considerable fortune. He’s the type who could live comfortably without working. He might not even be interested in the group’s affairs, and Grandfather might be the only one talking about handing things over.”

Jin Young-ki’s resolve wavered slightly at the plausible explanation.

“He has a point, Father,” Hong So-young chimed in, pouring tea.

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki sometimes found his daughter-in-law’s intrusions irritating, but she occasionally offered insightful comments, so he tolerated it.

Her unfamiliarity with the family dynamics was also a reason for the tolerant father-in-law act.

“Why do you say that?”

“I heard he’s been carrying Miracle business cards around. You wouldn’t need to carry business cards if you were just learning about investments. Staring at a monitor in the office would be enough.”

Hong So-young eagerly continued as her father-in-law showed a hint of interest.

“They say CEO Oh Se-hyun takes him around like a secretary, so he’s clearly learning about corporate M&A. His going to law school probably has to do with law being essential in M&A. Do-jun Doryeon-nim’s interests probably lie elsewhere than the group.”

On the surface, it sounded convincing. But the allure of the Soonyang name was too strong to simply dismiss.

“Young-jun, you said you’d persuade Do-jun to give up. Do you really think that’s possible?”

“I talked to him around the time he graduated high school. I asked him if he’d rather be the second-in-command of Soonyang Group than inherit some insignificant subsidiary.”

“What? Second-in-command?”

“Yes. Isn’t Do-jun sharp? He’d be perfect as a right-hand man.”

“And? What did he say?”

“He was young then and didn’t seem to understand. But Father, usually the youngest children prefer to live comfortably in the shade of a big tree rather than forging their own path.”

He disliked his son’s pretentious analogy, but there was no harm in probing his intentions and even trying to win him over.

After all, wasn’t he the most diligent and academically gifted one in the family? If he could be used as an aide, it would be ideal.

“Alright. Meeting him isn’t a bad idea. Under the guise of checking in on him after the car accident.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. Just probe him gently.”

He didn’t forget to caution his impulsive son one more time.

“Excuse me, Young-jun.”

As her father-in-law went upstairs, Hong So-young quickly turned to her husband.

“What?”

Jin Young-jun glared fiercely at his wife, who had cautiously called out to him, and silenced her.

“If you’re going to say something pointless, don’t. I can meet Do-jun alone. Didn’t I tell you to lay low for a year? And just now, why did you interrupt Father? How impudent!”

She should just bring the tea and leave quietly. But he was infuriated by his wife’s subtle attempt to insert herself and plant her rear on the sofa.

Hong So-young bit her lip but didn’t retort. The husband who listened to his wife’s opinions based on their marriage conditions didn’t exist.

* * *

“Hyung-nim, what brings this call on?”

– Come to the office. Let’s have dinner together.

Jin Young-jun, why all of a sudden?

Apart from visiting relatives after the honeymoon, that’s been it.

But then again, while our father might not know, all the relatives would understand the implications of the trip to Gunsan, so all eyes in the family would be on me right now.

What is Jin Young-jun trying to find out from me?

I readily agreed to his suggestion of having a drink and catching up. I also have something to say to him.

When I arrived at the Soonyang headquarters and called, Jin Young-jun came down in the private elevator. That elevator only goes above the 20th floor.

The group’s general headquarters, where the offices of subsidiary presidents and higher are located. Taking that elevator meant he was with Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki.

Did he get a lecture from Father or something?

“Do-jun!”

Jin Young-jun raised his hand high and called out to me.

“Did you bring your car?”

“No. I took a taxi.”

“Stop being so frugal and enjoy life a little, man.”

Jin Young-jun patted my back and headed towards the main building entrance. Three or four people were waiting, ready to open the car door.

“Let’s go.”

The driver seemed to know the destination and pulled away smoothly.

“Hyung-nim, you’re not taking me to the villa, are you? It’s too far.”

“The villa is for weekends. I have work tomorrow. Can’t go far.”

The car entered an upscale villa district in Nonhyeon-dong.

“There’s a restaurant here?”

“How can we eat in a crowded place? Let’s loosen our belts and relax today.”

The large iron gate in front of the villa opened wide as a guard, who rushed out after confirming the car’s license plate, greeted us, and the car glided inside.

“Where are we?”

As I looked around outside the window, he nudged my side.

“Where else? A villa in the middle of the city.”

I followed the chuckling Jin Young-jun into the villa. It was a duplex, with incredibly high ceilings and clearly a large square footage.

Do celebrities live here?

When I opened the ordinary-looking front door, a gasp escaped my lips, and I couldn’t close my gaping mouth.

There was a small Japanese-style garden with a brick pond and even a small fountain spraying water.

An indoor garden!

I had guessed it was big, but it was unusually spacious. Did they knock down two to make one? Or maybe three?

“Welcome. How would you like your meal prepared? Shall we start now?”

Two women in uniform asked politely. Are they also Soonyang Group employees?

“Yeah. Bring it out quickly.”

I sat at the lavish dining table and began to look around carefully.

A large living room set was in the center of the first floor, and one wall featured a bar where one could drink alone. A bartender was already waiting.

And the kitchen.

Two chefs were diligently preparing food. The door visible on the second floor must be the bedroom.

“What are you looking around so much for?”

“How many square feet is this place? It’s my first time in such a big villa.”

“I don’t know. Roughly two units knocked together, over a hundred square feet. I figured it would be perfect for having a meal alone or casually brainstorming business ideas. Looks good?”

Looks good? My ass!

Brainstorming business ideas, my foot.

The kitchen was like a high-end restaurant, and there was a bar with a great atmosphere for bringing women. Its purpose was obvious.

Being in a secure, high-end villa district, it was the perfect place to bring women for fun.

He probably bought this villa with company money, and the interior costs were likely written off as company expenses, but the thought of embezzling company funds would never have crossed his mind.

To think he was squandering the money earned by countless salarymen working overtime like it was nothing.

I felt bitter and annoyed, but I didn’t show it and started eating dinner.

“You’re newlyweds, shouldn’t you be having dinner prepared by Hyung-soo-nim?”

“My wife hasn’t even stepped foot in the kitchen since we got married. Have you ever seen the wives in our family cooking?”

Jin Young-jun chuckled as he chewed on a lightly grilled piece of meat.

Our mother still takes care of her eldest son’s meals in America, and when she was in Korea, she never missed preparing a meal. Your family is a mess, that’s why.

“I suppose not. The housekeepers take care of the meals. Haha.”

After finishing the pointless small talk and the meal, the chefs began preparing appetizers. Are they visiting chefs? Or are they full-time here?

“Let’s have a good strong drink, after a long time. I’ve been so busy lately, I haven’t been able to take care of my younger brothers. Shall we start with a light cocktail?”

We moved from the bar to a spacious sofa.

The bartender carefully made cocktails, and the uniformed women diligently carried the glasses.

After a few cocktails, I casually asked about his recent activities.

“You’re in Construction, right?”

“Yeah. I need to get out of that place that smells like cement, but it’s not easy.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Logistics or Electronics, of course. They’re the core of the group.”

“Come on, Hyung-nim, aren’t you the successor anyway? You’ll probably go there after your training period.”

The look in his eyes changed when I casually mentioned the word successor. The corners of his lips seemed to lift slightly.

“The old man is living too long. Our father, who’s over fifty, still can’t even get the ‘Vice’ off his title and is just a figurehead.”

“He’ll probably pass on the chairman title soon. He’s almost eighty.”

As I fed him sweet, flattering words, he started emptying his glass faster.

That’s right, he needs to be drunk to reveal his true feelings.

“Oh, I almost forgot. How’s your body? Any aftereffects from the accident?”

He’s asking now? As if he even cares.

“Yes. It wasn’t as big of an accident as I thought. Grandfather took a bigger hit because of his age, but I just had some bruises.”

“Good thing it was minor. I heard you were in the hospital for quite a while, so I thought it was a major accident.”

“The hospital exaggerated things. And… you know Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae? He was trying to show off his presence in front of our family at a time like that. He brought a bunch of staff, blocked everything off, and moved me to Seoul like it was some kind of secret operation… He controlled the media so that news of the accident wouldn’t get out.”

“It’s good that it didn’t get to the press. The stock price would have plummeted.”

Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae is an uncomfortable presence in our family.

He spends several times more time alone with Grandfather than the family does.

He’s the one who knows the group’s secrets and overall situation best, and his words can get the people the uncles have worked hard to cultivate cut off.

Right now, I was pretending to criticize Lee Hak-jae from their side.

But unlike what I expected, Jin Young-jun didn’t show much reaction.

“By the way, how is Grandfather? I heard the surgery went well without any problems?”

“I haven’t seen him since Gongju Medical Center. I was discharged straight from there.”

“Really? Hmm….”

Jin Young-jun brought his glass to his lips, glancing at me.

“But why did you go to Gongju? Oh, is it… Is it okay to ask? Is it a secret between you and Grandfather?”

“Why? Does Hyung-nim also have secrets just between him and Grandfather?”

As I subtly retorted, he jumped and waved his hand.

“Me? What secrets would I have? Grandfather doesn’t like me.”

Is there something going on? Or did he just get called in and scolded severely?

“Is it still like that these days?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t seen Grandfather’s face once since my wedding. Our father told me to focus on work for the time being. Then Grandfather will re-evaluate me, or so he says.”

He trailed off before asking again.

“Anyway, what was it? Why out of the blue, Gongju?”

“I don’t know either. He suddenly called me and told me to go to Gunsan. Said it was where Soonyang Group started….”

“That warehouse called Joseon Grain Warehouse?”

“Yes. I guess he’s just reminiscing in his old age.”

“Nothing else special happen?”

Is this guy dying to know if I was named the successor or not?

“Does something special need to happen? Is Gunsan a special place or something?”

“No. Just asking.”

Judging by how persistently he’s asking, he must also know the hidden meaning of the Gunsan grain warehouse.

We both pretended not to know what the other knew, and a moment of silence fell.