Chapter 129: Jin Seo-yoon Confirms Her Position

Jin Seo-yoon gauged her standing from her husband’s attitude, gestures, and tone. Memories of their dating days and early marriage flashed through her mind.

His behavior had been akin to a servant attending a princess. He’d always accommodated her mood, even when she was being irritable or whimsical.

But after they married, shared a bed, mingled their lives, and had a child, he began to change.

He no longer treated his wife like a princess but expected her to be the ultimate ladder for his success. Jin Seo-yoon, in turn, saw her husband as a tool to elevate herself and seize control of Soonyang Group.

They might have been a match made in heaven if they were tools who could lean on each other, but it was already too late.

Jin Seo-yoon chose to join forces with her nephew, Jin Do-jun, while her husband, Mayor Choi Chang-je, straddled the fence by getting involved with Daehyun as well. If something’s misaligned and can’t be fixed, it’s best to just tear it apart.

“You should have just done as I said. That was the best path for us… But you got drunk on that petty power and crossed a line you shouldn’t have. Do you really think you became the mayor of Seoul all on your own merits?”

“Honey, it’s a misunderstanding. That’s not it! I just wanted to broaden my options….”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I was the one who secured the 40 billion won in election funds, and Representative Oh Se-hyun was the one who exposed Candidate Go Kyung-yeol’s illegitimate child. Do you even know that?”

“What? That’s….”

“You thought you were just lucky, didn’t you? There’s no such thing as luck in this world. Someone is always pulling the strings behind the scenes to make things happen. I don’t even want to waste my breath arguing anymore, so let’s just end this. If you keep bothering me, I’ll file for divorce tomorrow. Consider this my last act of kindness, take it while it’s offered.”

Jin Seo-yoon left her husband in the bedroom and walked out of the house.

The thought of staying in a hotel until her husband packed his bags and left actually felt liberating.

Left alone, Mayor Choi sat on the edge of the bed, utterly lost.

His mind went blank as he contemplated the events that were about to unfold.

The fact that he had been abandoned by Soonyang Group would likely be leaked by Soonyang’s intelligence team, and rumors of the Seoul mayor’s separation would circulate through high-end gossip sheets.

His family’s law firm primarily handled matters related to Soonyang Group, so it was only a matter of time before their lifeline was cut.

And most importantly, his re-election as mayor was as good as over. There was no way the party would re-nominate someone without any backing.

Mayor Choi knew this as well. To prevent all of this, divorce was absolutely out of the question.

* * *

“Isn’t it a good idea? Spinning off subsidiaries is easy, and combining them is easy too.”

“If you’re seriously considering giving it away completely, it’s not a bad idea. But did President Jin come up with this?”

“Yeah. That kid’s got a knack for looking after my things. Haha.”

Lee Hak-jae couldn’t agree with Chairman Jin’s assessment.

The Jin Seo-yoon he knew wouldn’t come up with such an idea.

Her insatiable greed for the entire group constantly led her to make mistakes and overlook important details.

If things went this way, she would end up with just a few subsidiaries and a complete break. She wouldn’t be part of Soonyang anymore.

Why the sudden shift from being overly ambitious to being practical?

Chairman Jin clicked his tongue as he watched Lee Hak-jae deep in thought.

“Tsk, tsk. You’re spacing out again. Enough. I’ve made up my mind this time. I’m going to give that to her and consider her gone from the family.”

“Chairman, there’s one more thing.”

“What else is there?”

“A simple ownership structure is easy to take back. If we just secure the shares of Soonyang Distribution, it’s over.”

“As expected of you, Hak-jae. To think that far ahead.”

Chairman Jin clapped his knees in admiration.

“Are you considering taking it back?”

“We’ll see how it goes. If the performance of the hypermarket business is good, I won’t necessarily take back what I’ve given.”

It’s a matter of people. And Chairman Jin’s will.

If they invested talented individuals in the hypermarket business starting next year, there was a high probability of good results.

But if they cherry-picked the talent and only gave her the company, Jin Seo-yoon would fail.

What were Chairman Jin’s true intentions?

“Then I’ll proceed.”

“Only work on making Soonyang Distribution the parent company. Handing it over to Seo-yoon can only happen when I’m sure she’ll keep her promise.”

“You mean divorcing Mayor Choi?”

“Yes.”

“There’s also the possibility of a sham divorce. Ah, please don’t misunderstand. I sound like I’m eager for the divorce. How embarrassing.”

Flustered, Lee Hak-jae’s face turned red.

“No. I’m suspicious to some extent too. Deciding so suddenly after dragging it on for months is unsettling.”

“Should we… keep an eye on them?”

It was a suggestion to deploy people to confirm the situation. Chairman Jin, understanding the implication, nodded.

“Keep a close watch. Report immediately if anything unusual comes up.”

“Understood.”

As Lee Hak-jae was about to stand up, Chairman Jin suddenly remembered something.

“How’s that friend of his? Has it been a week since he started working here?”

“Excuse me? Who…? Ah, are you referring to Kim Yoon-suk?”

“Yes.”

“I’m giving him various tasks to see what he can do….”

“Why? Is he as bad as expected?”

“He’s showing more strengths than I anticipated. He’s steadfast, diligent, and keeps his mouth shut. But he’s not very bright.”

“Is he dumb?”

Lee Hak-jae gave a slight nod.

“He’s reliable enough to have around, but he’s far from being capable enough to handle big responsibilities.”

“There are many uses for a reliable, simple-minded type.”

“Yes. That’s about it.”

It was disappointing that the grandson’s first chosen confidant wasn’t more impressive. He seemed to choose people based on affection, but it was important to distinguish between affection and utility. He worried if Do-jun could do that.

“Try teaching him a few things. Keep an eye on his potential. And find someone else who’s capable. Someone to assist Do-jun.”

“Understood.”

* * *

When Oh Se-hyun and I went to my parents’ house to discuss the DMC tenant issue with my father, an absurd situation unfolded.

A couple coming together to whine?

Did my father look that easy to deal with? Or was there nowhere else they could turn?

The latter seemed more likely.

“Brother-in-law. Where did this come from? Please talk to your sister. This is a misunderstanding.”

“Hyung-nim, please calm down….”

My uncle seemed to have made it his primary goal to vent his frustrations.

He kept pleading, claiming he didn’t understand what was happening and begging to see my aunt just once to rectify any wrongdoings.

My father, looking exhausted, eventually crossed his arms and simply waited for my uncle to finish. When my uncle finally quieted down, my father spoke.

“Hyung-nim, I don’t know where my sister is either. And I’d rather not get involved in marital issues if possible.”

At that moment, my uncle spotted Oh Se-hyun watching from the entrance and quickly rushed over.

“Representative Oh. You know something, don’t you? You told me to be careful before, didn’t you? How can something like this happen right after you said that?”

I had to endure the ranting of a man who had once again lost his composure.

“Mayor, this isn’t a private matter, it’s a public one. Can’t you grasp the situation?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Instead of trying to find and persuade your wife, you should be looking for the Chairman of Soonyang Group. Isn’t this the result of turning your back on Soonyang and shaking hands with Daehyun?”

Didn’t my uncle know this?

He was simply trying to find an easy target to solve the problem.

He thought it would be easier to talk to and persuade my aunt than my grandfather, so he was asking my father to act as a go-between.

It was frustrating.

Anyone can take the easy path. But even if it’s difficult and challenging, you have to approach the core of the problem to find a solution.

“Isn’t it also a problem to retaliate against a public matter privately? Isn’t your father-in-law going too far?”

“Didn’t you know before you married her?”

“Huh?”

My father, who had been listening calmly, now had a fierce expression. Even if their relationship wasn’t good, it was hard to hear his parents being criticized.

“Maehyung, let’s get our facts straight. Did you marry my father because he’s kind and gentle? You married him because he’s the head of Soonyang Group, didn’t you? Then shut your mouth, no matter how far he goes or how harsh he is! The only time you can criticize my father is when Soonyang Group goes bankrupt and he’s no longer a chaebol leader!”

My uncle, who had only seen my father’s docile and gentle side, was speechless. It wasn’t wrong to say that he married for money and had to endure the rest.

“Mayor, if you acknowledge that this is a public matter, then talk to me. Yoon-ki, you calm down.”

Oh Se-hyun interjected abruptly, winking at my father.

My father pursed his lips and went upstairs to the second floor without a word. My uncle could only watch, unable to stop him.

“Mayor, you need to soothe Chairman Jin’s anger first. Talking to your wife comes after that. You honestly acknowledge that, don’t you?”

“With talk of divorce, will my father-in-law even meet me?”

I spoke to my whining uncle.

“Aren’t you the one who shook hands with voters who rejected you? You need to find a way to meet him, no matter what.”

I had no desire to prevent my uncle’s divorce. Their relationship was ending anyway. But wouldn’t it be good to gain something before it’s over? If not, so be it, it’s not like I’m losing anything.

“Prepare a gift and go see him. At least you can get into his study, right?”

“A gift?”

“Yes. Were you planning to go empty-handed?”

“Ah, it’s not that. I just don’t have a clue what kind of gift I should give my father-in-law.”

Oh Se-hyun started giving hints to my uncle, who looked perplexed. Or was he planting seeds of deception?

“Mayor, you can’t waver like this. Prepare something impressive enough for Chairman Jin to consider you as his son-in-law again.”

As I watched my uncle ponder what kind of impressive gift there could be, I racked my own brain. Oh Se-hyun clearly had something in mind, but it wasn’t coming to me.

I subtly got up from my seat.

“Uncle, shall I get you a glass of water?”

I made eye contact with Oh Se-hyun and headed to the kitchen. He followed me closely.

“What is it? Is there something useful?”

I asked quietly as I poured water into a cup. The corners of his mouth curved up into a smirk.

“We should do an apartment construction project. They don’t have any experience with that.”

Oh Se-hyun winked and quickly went back.

“Do-jun, Representative Oh, do you have any good ideas? You two meet my father-in-law often, so you must know better than I do.”

“Mayor, first, you need to clearly show that you’re cutting ties with Chairman Joo. That’s the priority.”

His expression changed to one of distress the moment those words were spoken.

It was obvious how much he’d been bribed.

Oh Se-hyun clicked his tongue as he saw my uncle’s expression.

“Mayor, if you show this kind of attitude, I have nothing more to say. I don’t gain anything from this anyway, so I don’t want to waste my energy. Just do as you see fit. I need to discuss work with Yoon-ki, so I’ll be going now.”

“Wa, wait a moment.”

My uncle grabbed Oh Se-hyun’s arm as he stood up.

“Will doing that really ease my father-in-law’s anger?”

“How would I know for sure? That’s just my opinion. I’m busy, so I’ll take my leave.”

My uncle sighed deeply as he watched Oh Se-hyun’s retreating figure as he went up to the second floor.

I took over the conversation. He clearly didn’t understand Oh Se-hyun’s intentions, lacking any sense of subtlety.

“Uncle.”

“Yes, Do-jun. Let me hear your thoughts.”

“What angered Grandfather the most….”

“Yes, tell me. What is it?”

“I heard the new town development was included in Seoul’s business plan for next year, right? The fact that you didn’t say a word about it and secretly proceeded with Daehyun Group was the fatal blow. Rumor has it he flipped over his study….”

Judging by my uncle’s pale face, he definitely understood what I meant.

That’s enough of the prodding.

Now, all that’s left is to enjoy watching what choice he makes.