Chapter 119: Pleasant Daydreams

Imagining my hobbies brought a smile to my face without me even realizing it.

Catching my father’s watchful gaze as he scrutinized my expression, I had to steer the conversation back to business.

“Dramas and games can wait. As I mentioned, movies are the priority right now. We’re planning to secure both free and paid movie channels. We’ll gradually expand from there.”

“Cable broadcasting, huh?”

My father hadn’t considered this yet, so he wasn’t for or against it.

“Father, it’s not a distant future where cable channels will chip away at terrestrial broadcasting’s dominance. Look at the US.”

Basic cable channels like USA, TNT, FX, MTV, and Syfy are common, and premium cable giants like HBO, followed by Showtime and Starz, are thriving.

Especially in the US, they produce their original series in addition to rebroadcasting terrestrial programs.

These series will start sweeping the Golden Globes and Emmys after 2000. The US is where cable channels are leading the entertainment sector.

“I don’t know. Will our country really be like the US? The content from the three terrestrial channels alone is already overflowing.”

“We need to compete with distinctive programs and well-made dramas. Good restaurants have customers who seek them out even in out-of-the-way locations. Isn’t the key to the channel business ultimately high-quality content?”

“Theoretically, yes, but….”

“This is a market that’s just beginning to open up. What we have to rely on and follow is ultimately theory.”

My father sank deep in thought.

He’s not the most perceptive person, but after this much explanation, he should be able to guess who I have in mind.

However, the answer he gave completely exceeded my expectations.

“Do-jun, there will be guys who confidently claim your plan is feasible, promising they can handle it. But most of those guys are con artists. This industry is swarming with them.”

“So, you’re saying there’s no suitable person?”

My father nodded.

“It’s difficult for anyone who isn’t a seasoned businessman to even organize a team. We need someone who can endure while gradually reducing losses for at least ten years. Anyone talking about making a fortune from the start is also a con artist.”

What should I do?

Someone who isn’t a con artist, views things with a critical eye, and rose to the top of Chungmuro’s power rankings in ten years, yet can’t read his own son’s intentions.

“Looks like the only trustworthy person is the one I had in mind.”

“What? You already had someone in mind, and you’re asking me?”

“Yes. No matter how much I think about it, he’s the only top candidate I can come up with. I was just asking if you had anyone else in mind.”

“Who is it? Someone I know? Don’t tell me it’s Oh Se-hyun?”

“Uncle Se-hyun is swamped with his current work. The person I’m thinking of studied management and economics properly in England, has ten years of experience in the media field, and currently has a firm grip on Chungmuro.”

He should realize it by now.

And my father was a normal person.

His eyes widened, frozen, unable to even blink.

“I plan to pour money into this for exactly the next ten years. I’ve already accepted the losses. I’m only thinking about the media empire we’ll complete in ten years. Invest heavily now and reap the rewards after ten years. Oh, and DCN was preparing for multiplexes. If we acquire them, we’ll start that too.”

Produce high-quality content and secure the spaces and channels to consume that content. The puzzle is simple, but it’s huge.

And the simpler the picture on a puzzle, the harder it is to put together.

“Can I really do this?”

His expression and response are ambiguous.

He clearly desires it, but is he hesitant because of the fear of failure? Or is it the fear of losing his son’s money, a massive amount of it?

I’m not even confident of success. My money might not be enough to create a media group that dominates Korea.

Also, my father’s capabilities might not meet my expectations.

But what does it matter?

Money can be earned again, and failure will be another experience.

After all, the media empire isn’t my primary goal. This is for our family’s enjoyment, something the Soonyang family’s uncles and cousins will never experience.

I’m the only one who needs to struggle in the fight to inherit Grandfather’s legacy.

I want our family to relish the joy of conquering new territories.

Anyway, I need to create a motive to fill my father’s lack of confidence.

“If you don’t think you can do it, then there’s nothing I can do. I’ll look for someone else. No matter what, no matter how much money it takes, I’m starting this plan.”

Would a father stand by and watch his son get swindled by some crook?

“Do, Do-jun. Don’t rush things. I need time to think. I need to see if there are people to work with, if talented people will join. No matter what anyone says, in media, people with talent are more important than money.”

“Yes. Breaking ground in Sangam-dong is still a ways off. We’ll acquire DCN when construction starts, so take your time and think carefully.”

Seeing my father’s flushed face makes me feel pleased. He looks like a younger person bursting with more passion than me.

* * *

“Young-joon has pulled some money from the subsidiaries.”

“I heard about that… Did he lose all of it?”

“I apologize. I failed to raise my child properly.”

Chairman Jin looked down at his bowed eldest son with displeasure and sighed.

“Like father, like son, I suppose.”

Jin Young-ki felt humiliated, but Chairman Jin meant something entirely different.

“Isn’t your poor child-rearing a reflection of me?”

No matter how you slice it, it’s a scolding.

“But you know, Young-joon isn’t someone obsessed with making money, is he? Why did he suddenly invest in real estate?”

When Jin Young-ki hesitated, unable to answer, Chairman Jin spoke.

“Did you think I was unaware of that development area? I was just being careful because the atmosphere is uneasy, and it’s Husband Choi’s first business venture. But why Young-joon out of the blue?”

“Actually, he got the development information first.”

“Really? Did Husband Choi tell him? Or Seo-yoon?”

Jin Young-ki had the same thought. His younger sister definitely tempted Young-joon through Do-jun. And Husband Choi backstabbed him.

That was the scenario he envisioned.

But how could he admit to his father that he was outsmarted by his younger sister?

“No, it seems Do-jun happened to see the development plan… They were having drinks, and the topic came up. Young-joon used Do-jun’s words as a clue and looked into it.”

“Do-jun?”

Jin Young-ki realized his blunder at Chairman Jin’s sensitive reaction.

It looked like he was framing his beloved grandson.

“It must have just been a passing remark. The cause is Young-joon’s greed.”

He hastily corrected himself, and Chairman Jin cleared his throat once.

“What’s the point of dwelling on the past? The future is the problem.”

“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Chairman Jin was skeptical of his eldest son’s confidence once again. He sensed this might not be an easy issue to resolve.

“Young-ki.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to see my eldest son get played by his younger sister.”

Jin Young-ki answered as if he had been waiting for those exact words, the very thing he was worried about.

“I told you I’d handle it. That won’t happen.”

“Alright. You can go.”

Jin Young-ki left the study with a bright expression, relieved that it ended without much of a reprimand.

As soon as the door closed, Chairman Jin’s eyebrows twitched.

“What am I going to do with him? He’s that old and still can’t figure out who’s aiming an arrow at him. Goodness.”

The moment Do-jun’s name came up, Chairman Jin knew who orchestrated the scenario. It was surprising how his grandson was slowly revealing his claws.

And there was a sense of unease.

If Do-jun wrote this script, it wouldn’t end here. The climax clearly hadn’t arrived yet.

Even Chairman Jin himself didn’t know the ending of this scenario, which made him feel uneasy.

* * *

“Hyung-nim, no, Senior… Ah, Mayor.”

“Enough. Just call me Hyung-nim. Why the formality all of a sudden….”

The men who visited the Seoul mayor’s office seemed a little nervous.

“So, did you look into it?”

“Yes. As soon as you held the press conference, the district prosecutors’ office went into a frenzy trying to identify the land buyers.”

“Jin Young-jun is that bastard, right?”

“Yes. Turns out, being a third-generation chaebol is different. This is a clean sweep. It’s not under his personal name, but two corporations where Jin Young-jun is the majority shareholder.”

“Source of funds?”

“Soonyang Group, of course.”

Mayor Choi wore a satisfied smile.

“Gotcha. Right?”

“But the district prosecutors’ office is keeping it quiet. If they dig deeper, they can definitely find charges of breach of trust or embezzlement, but they shut it down as soon as Soonyang’s name came up.”

“Those bastards are all Soonyang scholarship students. They have to repay the bribes they received.”

The men looked troubled at the mention of bribes.

“But Hyung-nim, we also received Soonyang money through you. We can’t be the ones to bring them down, can we?”

“I’ll be the one to bring them down. You guys are just being dragged along. And don’t worry. My father-in-law would never reveal he gave bribes. He’ll just cut off your bribes. You know how it is. No one gets in trouble for taking Soonyang money.”

They still didn’t look good, even after the reassurance. It was because of the bribes that would be cut off.

“You bastards! I’ll fill the gap, so loosen up your faces.”

“Thank you, Hyung-nim.”

They scratched the back of their heads awkwardly and bowed.

“We’re taking down both of them this time. We’ll catch Jin Young-jun and the guy who covered for him. And you guys will take their places.”

“The guy you’re talking about is the chief prosecutor. It’s difficult. Maybe we should just end it with Jin Young-jun….”

“Do you think I’m just any Seoul mayor?”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Listen carefully. When the mayor grabs the microphone, all the media and broadcasters act as speakers for me. Right now, the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice are on the ruling party’s side. I’m going to work with our opposition party to demand a thorough investigation and a special prosecutor. My niece’s husband will hire lawyers and get off by claiming it was a purchase of land for business purposes.”

“Then there’s no real point in making a fuss….”

“The goal is to remove the prosecution, the ruling party’s line, who are engaged in concealment and shoddy investigations. The key is to create a foundation for the prosecution to fully support me in the next presidential election after my term as mayor ends.”

“Ah…!”

“Isn’t that foundation you guys? We need to secure the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office and the Central District Prosecutors’ Office with your people. Heh heh.”

“Indeed. Is this a run for the presidency?”

Mayor Choi’s junior prosecutors, upon hearing the circulating rumors directly from his mouth, lit up with excitement.

He was the closest person to the title of the first president from the prosecution. The possibility wasn’t low either.

“That’s right. My first step in challenging for the presidency is stepping over my in-laws’ house and kicking out the prosecution kids. Look forward to it.”

“We’re looking forward to when that first step will be.”

“Look forward to it. I’ll make it happen next week.”

Mayor Choi leaned back in his chair.

In that moment, he didn’t look like a son-in-law living under his in-laws’ roof, but rather like an arrogant prosecutor, a confident man.