Chapter 228: Memories Etched in Time: A Visit to the Past

“This used to be a wooden warehouse, but constant renovations transformed it. It feels like ages ago, but I still remember it. The scent of the aged wood. The smell of the drying rice sacks and those brownish-yellow unhusked grains. That’s where I started making my money.”

The grandfather’s hands traced the building now covered in concrete and brick, lost in his memories.

“It’s chilly, Chairman. Shall we head inside?”

The director of the Soonyang Group History Museum, having rushed over after receiving the urgent call, stood beside the grandfather, his breath misting in the air, looking anxious.

If the old man caught a cold, headquarters would be in an uproar. Although the pay wasn’t much, it was a sweet deal—managing a building without worrying about getting fired. He’d cling to this job until his body gave out.

“Hey, take it easy… Just a moment. I’m inspecting whether you’re doing your job properly. If I find even a crack in the wall, you’ll be in big trouble.”

“Chairman, you know how much I cherish this place, it’s my livelihood! I wouldn’t bat an eye if my own grandchild got hurt, but here, even a spiderweb sends me into a frenzy.”

The history museum director wiped the wall with his hand and held it up for the grandfather to see.

“Look. It’s just a bit of dust, isn’t it? Not a single smudge.”

“Haha, so it is. Thank you for taking good care of it.”

The grandfather lightly tapped his shoulder.

“Alright, let’s go inside.”

The grandfather’s shoes echoed softly in the empty interior.

We stopped before an old black and white photograph of middle-aged men in dated suits, beaming.

“…This was when Soonyang Textile achieved its first $100 million in exports. Nowadays, everyone hits that mark, but back then, it was a truly remarkable feat.”

There were also photos of bulldozers, excavators, and construction workers wielding pickaxes.

“Do you know what this picture is?”

“Isn’t that the Gyeongbu Expressway?”

“Correct. A massive undertaking initiated by the President’s special order. Construction and civil engineering companies went wild at that time. They rushed the construction like a running race to be the first to finish. That’s how you caught the President’s eye. Hahaha.”

Photos capturing past glorious moments continued.

“This is a photo of the water pipes used during the Great Man-Made River project in Libya. A truly incredible project.”

The Great Man-Made River in Libya is an aqueduct designed to draw groundwater from the Sahara Desert in the south and supply water to cities on the northern Mediterranean coast.

This massive project, involving the underground burial of over 4,000 km of huge water pipes across the desert, supplying 6.5 million tons of water daily to the northern Mediterranean coast, had a total construction cost of a whopping $30 billion.

The grandfather reminisced through the photos and memorabilia, explaining each one.

His expression was animated, as if he were on location, a constant smile on his face, and his eyes sparkling. He wasn’t like a flickering candle but a blazing torch.

Like a curator in an art museum, the grandfather detailed the stories behind each photo and the emotions of that time before settling into a chair placed against one wall.

“Well? Looks impressive when you see it like this, doesn’t it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Soonyang’s growth, I mean.”

“Impressive isn’t the word, it’s extraordinary.”

“No.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s all fake. Hahaha.”

Fake? What does that mean?

“Let’s see… where was it? Ah, it was probably ‘Hanil Trading Company.’ It’s a company that’s hard to find any trace of now, but anyway, rumors were circulating that they were on the verge of achieving $100 million in exports for the first time. I thought, ‘This is a problem.’ I wanted to be the first. So, I fabricated some documents and released them to the press.”

Since he said ‘fake,’ I thought it had some other meaning—that everything was futile or that he was too focused on the meaningless competition to be number one.

I never imagined it was an outright lie.

“I gave the reporters some hush money and asked them to write good things, so they published glowing articles. Once it was all over the news, everyone just accepted it.”

“But shouldn’t the export customs documents still exist? If you check them….”

“Ah, well, that was quickly exposed. The government was also in a bind, but what could they do? Because of the symbolism of the $100 million export milestone, the public felt proud, like it was their own achievement, so there was no reason to rain on their parade. The President was always talking about exports too… Hehehe.”

That couldn’t be the whole story. He must have spread a lot of money around to get away with it.

“The speed race for the Gyeongbu Expressway resulted in shoddy construction that had to be fixed later, and the Great Man-Made River project in Libya was a losing venture that incurred losses.”

His tone wasn’t regretful but lighthearted, like he was recalling a funny memory.

“But how does this history museum look now? Doesn’t it look like a symbol of success?”

“It’s not ‘like’ a symbol; it is a symbol.”

“Indeed. A symbol of success intertwined with the history of Korea’s economic growth. Even if the process was tattered here and there.”

The grandfather grasped my hand tightly.

“Well? Do you have the confidence to keep expanding this history museum?”

“No. This place should remain as it is now. This is your memorial, Grandfather.”

The unexpected answer made the grandfather’s eyes widen.

“Why? Don’t you have the ambition to make it bigger?”

“A child grows rapidly until adulthood. But once they become an adult, their height stops increasing, and their size doesn’t grow anymore either.”

“So, the Soonyang Group is now a fully grown adult?”

“Look at Korea’s economic growth rate. It’s grown as much as it can. The priority now is health management to prevent it from getting sick or fading away.”

“So? You’ll only focus on maintaining what we have? Bah!”

The grandfather’s hand smacked the back of my head.

It was a touch from someone who didn’t have much time left, but it still stung quite a bit. I rubbed the back of my head and said,

“Soonyang just needs to maintain its health. Instead, we need to plant other seeds, sprout them, and grow them into giant trees. It will become the second Soonyang.”

“Another Soonyang….”

“Yes. Oh, of course, Soonyang will have to contribute to the fertilizer costs needed to raise them.”

His hand struck the back of my head again. This time, it didn’t hurt as much.

“Why take Soonyang’s money? Use your own money for fertilizer and watering. You have plenty of it!”

A sidelong glance showed the grandfather was smiling as we sat side by side.

Is this enough to satisfy him?

“Let’s get up. I’m a bit hungry. Shall we go grab some hangover soup?”

“Aren’t you tired? Maybe you should rest a bit….”

“I slept all day yesterday. What’s there to be tired about? Let’s go. There’s a place here that makes great seonji-haejangguk [ox blood hangover soup]. It’s worth eating.”

As we came outside, the medical staff swarmed over to support the grandfather.

“I’m alright. I can manage my own body. You guys must be hungry too, let’s go together. I’ll treat you to a bowl of hangover soup.”

* * *

After finishing a bowl of hangover soup, the faint light of dawn began to break as we exited the restaurant.

“You should head back now, right? You have another long drive. How about we stop by a hot spring to relax before you leave?”

“Not yet. I have a place to stop by.”

“Ah, that’s right. You mentioned having someone to visit?”

“Yes. It’s not far from here. Let’s head out right away.”

“Isn’t it too early for a visit?”

“He’s an old man with no sleep in his bones. He’s the kind of guy who wakes up before dawn to eat. It’s fine.”

Calling him ‘old man,’ it’s not a hidden lover. Who could it be?

We drove along a national highway for about an hour.

The destination wasn’t a completely remote village, nor a mid-sized city, but the kind of countryside you see anywhere.

Rice paddies, greenhouses, and orchards stretched out, but instead of dirt roads, paved roads led right up to the houses in this small village.

Lights were already on in every house, suggesting people were preparing for farm work from dawn.

The place we arrived at was a rather stylish traditional Korean house, unusual for such a rural area. Beyond the low wall, the spacious yard had well-maintained grass, and the main building and detached room were luxurious enough for anyone to recognize the expensive materials used.

Perhaps having heard the car, an elderly man with white hair was watching us from beyond the wall.

“Hey you! You saw your brother coming, why aren’t you opening the gate?”

“Goodness, what brings you here making such a fuss so early in the morning? The whole neighborhood will wake up.”

He grumbled as he opened the gate, but his expression couldn’t hide his delight.

“Have you had breakfast? Shall I tell them to prepare some?”

The grandfather firmly grasped the hand of the old man who greeted him with a thick Gyeongsang dialect.

“We had some hangover soup. Get us some lunch later.”

“You should have called before coming. And why eat out when it’s mealtime? You could have eaten here.”

Following the seemingly disappointed old man, his wife came out to greet the grandfather as well.

“Oh, Chairman! What brings you all the way here? It’s been so long! Oh dear, what to do? Just wait a bit. I’ll quickly cook some rice and prepare breakfast.”

“That’s alright. They said they already ate. Let’s just have some tea.”

“Still, you should have at least a spoonful of rice before you go. And there are so many young men here? I’ll prepare it quickly.”

Before anyone could say anything, the grandmother scurried to the kitchen.

“Your sister-in-law is still the same. Haha.”

“Don’t even mention it. She doesn’t listen to a word I say anymore! She just does whatever she wants. Let’s go inside. It’s chilly.”

The old man spoke to the entourage.

“Go to that detached room and warm up. The boiler’s on, so it’ll be warm.”

Everyone hesitated, looking at the grandfather, so he barked,

“The homeowner says it’s okay, doesn’t he? Why aren’t you going in?”

When the grandfather nodded, everyone went inside.

“But who is this young man? Is he your grandson?”

“Yes. He’s the youngest of my brood. Do-jun, greet him.”

In front of this Gyeongsang old man, I immediately performed a deep bow and then slightly bowed my head as I stood up.

“This is Jin Do-jun. Great-uncle.”

He seemed a little surprised that I knelt on the frosty grass without hesitation.

“Ahem…. The young lad’s got manners. Is he really your kin?”

“Enough. It’s cold. Let’s go inside quickly.”

Judging by the way they expressed their delight, the two men were more than just acquaintances. Who could he be?

* * *

The interior was as impressive as the exterior. Scrolls with elegantly written calligraphy and what looked like antique ceramics.

If they weren’t fake, this old man was undoubtedly wealthy. For an elderly couple to live in such a large and immaculate house, it was clear they had help.

Sure enough, the person who brought the refreshments wasn’t the grandmother from before, but a young woman in her thirties.

Judging by the way she simply bowed her head and left, she was definitely not a daughter or daughter-in-law. If she were family, she would have greeted us.

“Have some tea. It’s Chinese tea that your brother sent last time. It has a rather good flavor.”

“I did?”

The grandfather tilted his head, then immediately frowned.

“Of course not. You’re not the kind of person who’d think of such things. It was probably ordered by your underlings.”

“Whoever sent it, I paid for it! Instead of thanking me, you’re complaining…!”

After the two men took sips of their tea, I also took a sip.

The warm tea made my body feel like it was melting.

The old man stared at me, who was kneeling politely, then asked the grandfather,

“Did you take him along to Gunsan too?”

The grandfather simply nodded in response.

“Is this the one who manipulated his two uncles with just a Soonyang Card? He does seem sharp.”

He’s not just a retired old man living a leisurely life in the countryside.

Who is he?