Chapter 118: A Daughter-in-Law’s Predicament

“Miss, Vice-chairman is looking for you.”

The voice from outside the bedroom startled me awake. The inevitable had arrived.

I pulled myself together and headed downstairs to the living room, where the sight of my husband, still looking like he hadn’t slept off his drinks, greeted me.

“Look at this mess,” Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki clicked his tongue, his expression shifting back to cold indifference.

“Daughter-in-law, did you drink too? Or are you still hungover?”

“No, Father. I’m just feeling a bit heavy….”

“So heavy that you’ll skip breakfast?”

His constant questioning, despite knowing the situation, was irritating, but I could only bow my head in silence.

“Daughter-in-law, listen carefully to what I’m about to say and make sure your family knows it.”

“Yes.”

I was scared, unsure of what he would say, but his stern expression and tone left no room for disobedience.

“You never bought any land. Understand?”

“Excuse me?”

“No matter how much land was bought under your name, you know nothing about it. Your father, or someone in your family, bought the land without your knowledge. You never agreed to lend your name. In short, you have absolutely nothing to do with this. Do you understand?”

“Ah, Father. But… but….”

This was impossible.

Wasn’t Hong So-young the one who personally enjoyed the VIP treatment from real estate agents as she toured Susaek-dong?

As the daughter of a media outlet family, she knew very well that even a rookie reporter wouldn’t miss the fact that she personally checked and bought the land after visiting several real estate offices.

“Do you still not understand what I’m saying? What will happen if the Soonyang family’s eldest daughter-in-law is known to have started her married life with land speculation? Do you intend to bring shame upon this entire family?”

My father-in-law spoke without a hint of consideration. No, he commanded.

“If even a single article identifies you as the culprit, not only you but your family will pay a heavy price.”

“Yes.”

I had to agree for now, thinking about the solution later.

“And our eldest son.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Raise your head. Otherwise, I might end up slapping you. It’s not right to hit a grown son on the back of the head, is it? Your brain isn’t great as it is; we wouldn’t want it to get worse.”

Jin Young-jun clenched his teeth, fighting back the urge to curse. He slowly raised his head, but his father’s hand didn’t move.

Emboldened by this, Jin Young-jun spoke.

“Father, I’ll handle this.”

“You? How?”

The corners of his father’s lips turned up – he was definitely mocking him. But right now, he had to appease his father.

“The land bought under my name isn’t much. Most of it was purchased under corporate names. And the land under my name, I’ll transfer it to the corporation at the purchase price.”

“And then?”

“We just have to let it lie low until things calm down.”

“Let it lie low? The land prices are dropping every day!”

“There are no transactions right now anyway. Even if we try to sell, no one will buy.”

“Land that no one will buy – you bought it for several times the price, didn’t you?”

He pretended not to hear his father’s sarcastic remark.

“Once the Sangam-dong development starts, the land will return to its proper value. It’s just across the street. It’s guaranteed to go up. If we sell then, there won’t be any loss.”

“I see. So it’ll make money eventually. Since the development period is ten years… about ten years from now. You idiot! Is that something you can even say?!”

Just as Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki’s arm was about to swing, Hong So-young hurriedly interjected.

“Ah, Father. I’ll meet with Uncle… I mean, Aunt and resolve this.”

“You stay out of this!” Jin Young-jun yelled, but it was too late.

“Oh dear, I almost forgot about our daughter-in-law. Very well, if you have a good plan, tell us. Go on.”

“Although Uncle held an official press conference, they just need to temporarily put the additional procedures on hold. In the meantime, I’ll spread rumors among the Gangnam brokers, saying it’s just a temporary breather to cool down the speculative frenzy and that the project is proceeding as planned. Then we can sell everything off quickly.”

Hong So-young, thinking this might be her only chance, rattled off her plan.

“Oh-ho. Now I see that our daughter-in-law is quite sharp. To come up with such a brilliant idea in an instant.”

Looking at her father-in-law’s expression, Hong So-young understood why her husband had tried to stop her.

The twitching of his facial muscles showed how angry he was. And she didn’t miss the look of disdain either.

In her haste, she had momentarily forgotten. What these kinds of people hated most was repeating something they had already said.

“Daughter-in-law, you go upstairs to the second floor right now and pack your bags.”

“Yes?”

“Pack your bags and go back to your family home. Don’t come back until all traces of you in this matter are completely erased. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

Hong So-young fled upstairs as if escaping.

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki wanted to smack his son’s head but restrained himself.

Wasn’t it a father’s responsibility to clean up after his incompetent son’s messes?

* * *

I feel uneasy.

My uncle, who usually moves according to the script, has started doing things outside the plan. He said the outcome would be the same, but I’m worried that it might end up as just a commotion without any real gain.

Making Jin Young-jun miserable might depend on my uncle’s actions. Whether it’s back channels or influential figures, the words of someone in power hold weight.

For the time being, I need to observe my uncle’s movements.

And….

I also need to put my other plan into action. This one seems like it will be quite difficult.

Because this plan isn’t about using my knowledge of the future or fighting against someone. It’s about instilling desire in someone who doesn’t have great ambitions.

Persuasion is much easier when you tap into someone’s desires than when you appeal to their goodwill. Someone without greed has no crack to pry into. That’s why stimulating the spark of desire comes first.

And someone without great ambition is smiling at me right now.

“Seeing such a serious face on my son makes me a little nervous. What is it? That serious expression?”

“Usually, I should say this with a smile, but it’s not coming easily.”

“If it’s good news, you should smile. Why can’t you?”

“It is good news, but it’s also a big undertaking.”

“A big undertaking?”

“Yes. It’s about putting the first piece of a large puzzle together, one that will be completed in ten or twenty years. I’ve prepared the puzzle pieces and the frame to display it, but I don’t have anyone to assemble it.”

The smile disappeared from my father’s face.

“Hearing you tell me this makes it sound like you’re asking me to find someone?”

“Yes.”

“Then tell me what it is. I’ll see if I can find a suitable person.”

“Father, you know about Uncle’s announcement of the New Seoul Town, also known as Digital Media City, right?”

“Yes. Isn’t that the project Se-hyun and you started?”

“That’s right. But I didn’t see that project as just a construction business.”

“Then what? Is there something else?”

“It’s in the name. I’m going to build a Media City.”

My father frowned, seemingly not understanding at first, then his eyes widened.

“I see. You want the substance as well as the shell.”

He seemed to have realized that the shell was the buildings and the substance was the media companies.

“Yes. The era is shifting from analog to digital. It’s also a symbol of the new millennium. The speed of communication network and electronics development is faster than people in this era can imagine. I want to fill Sangam-dong with massive media companies.”

Perhaps because of my past actions, he didn’t seem to think it was a far-fetched idea. Instead, he showed curiosity.

“There are many media-related companies like film companies, independent production houses, record labels, and talent agencies. But this industry is strictly divided. It’s impossible to control everything.”

“Is that really the case?”

I chuckled and continued.

“You don’t have to look far. Just look at the Soonyang Group. From electronics to food, it’s all bundled together. The media market has grown in a fragmented way so far because it was small, not because it was impossible to unify.”

My words wouldn’t sound unreasonable. Wasn’t I the son of a family that controlled everything?

“Look at the market. Dramas with 60% viewership ratings are appearing one after another, and albums selling over 2.5 million copies are being released. Titanic is on track to surpass 5 million viewers. What makes you think a movie won’t reach 10 million viewers in the future? The market is growing at an incredible pace.”

As someone working in the field, my father couldn’t be unaware of these facts. However, the puzzle was too big.

He wouldn’t hesitate with a 100 or 200-piece puzzle, but what I was talking about was a size of 2,000 or 3,000 pieces.

Now it was time to talk about the 10,000-piece one.

“It’s not just movies, broadcasting, and music. I’m also thinking about channel businesses.”

“Channels? Are you talking about broadcasting companies?”

“Yes.”

Seeing my father speechless with disbelief, I realized I needed to elaborate.

Currently, when people say ‘broadcasting’ or ‘channels,’ they only think of terrestrial television. Cable broadcasting is still insignificant.

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not talking about terrestrial channels. How about starting with cable broadcasting companies? We have to start modestly.”

“You idiot. Modestly? Do you know how difficult the cable broadcasting business is? Getting a business license alone isn’t easy. And most cable broadcasters are currently operating at a loss.”

“That’s why it’s modest. If we acquire a broadcaster struggling with losses, we can start immediately.”

“Acquire?”

“Yes. Isn’t there one already up for sale?”

“DCN?”

It was a movie-specialized channel launched in March 1995.

Despite being a free movie channel, it was suffering severe losses due to reckless spending to secure foreign films. Moreover, having ventured into the multiplex cinema business, the company’s situation was on the verge of bankruptcy due to the financial crisis.

With so many large corporations collapsing, it wasn’t a focus of the media, but it was a well-known fact within the industry.

“Movies are your specialty, Father, right? You can secure foreign films without any issues. Miracle Investment in the US is a major investor in Hollywood. We can easily secure Korean distribution rights. How does that sound? Doesn’t it fit perfectly?”

With the possibility of securing content, the most crucial aspect of channel operation, the plan suddenly became realistic.

Acquisition funds?

My father would never worry about funds. He already knew his son was incredibly wealthy.

“I plan to start with movies and gradually expand the channels. Dramas, music, games….”

“Games?”

My father, who had been listening quietly, reacted to the unexpected word.

Oops, I could have mentioned this later…. My personal interest slipped out.

“The highest viewership rating for the animation channel Tooniverse is for a segment called ‘Plus Game,’ which started last year. They say adults watch it too.”

The 99 ProGamer Korea Open, the predecessor to the Star League starting next year, would mark the beginning of game broadcasting.

I need to secure a game channel before that.

That way, I can invite friends like Lim Yo-hwan, Lee Yun-yeol, Hong Jin-ho, and Guillaume Patry to play a game of StarCraft.

Of course, I’ll lose every time, but isn’t there something similar in Go? It’s called a guidance game. Grandfather sometimes invites professional Go player Cho Hun-hyun for guidance games.

People can’t just work all the time. Sometimes they need to relax their minds with games.

If my skills improve a bit, I can even play 2v2 team matches.

“Why are you grinning to yourself?”

“Ah, it’s nothing.”