Chapter 240: A Father’s Last Wish

“Mother, please relax. Grandfather is trying to make up for the time he couldn’t spend with you. Just enjoy talking to him.”

“I know, but even at this age, I still get nervous in front of your father. I can’t help it. What a silly thing…”

Mother took several deep breaths in front of the hospital room, trying to calm herself.

Though nearing fifty, she looked like a bride-to-be visiting her parents to ask for their blessing.

I quietly knocked on the hospital room door and escorted her inside.

Grandfather, who had been leaning against the bed, straightened up with the nurse’s help.

“Our Seo-hyun… you’ve come?”

“F-Father!”

My surprise was an understatement.

Mother seemed frozen, unable to approach Grandfather.

Our Seo-hyun!

I had never seen or heard Grandfather call Mother or any other daughter-in-law by their given name. And in such a gentle tone?

I couldn’t just stand there in shock.

As Grandfather gestured for her to come closer, Mother took a step forward.

I didn’t feel needed there. Their eyes were already turning red.

Tears, tears shed for each other, would wash away everything that had accumulated over time. Watching them would only make them uncomfortable, so I quietly slipped out.

I sat in the hospital cafe, waiting for Mother. Fortunately, it was a VIP ward, so I could wait comfortably without seeing anyone else.

It was over two hours before Mother came out of the hospital room.

“Did you talk a lot?”

“Yes. I left after he fell asleep.”

I didn’t ask more. Seeing her bright smile vividly painted the picture of what the last two hours had been like.

“He’s sleeping again?”

“Yes. It seems even sitting and talking is difficult for him now. It’s so clear how much he’s struggling. What should we do?”

“It’s heartbreaking, but there’s nothing we can do. We have to prepare ourselves.”

I wanted to ignore the reality that was approaching, but I couldn’t turn away anymore.

Once Grandfather’s funeral is over, everyone who’s been hiding their claws will reveal their true colors. Right now, instead of baring my own, I need to put on strong armor so I don’t get hurt by theirs.

“Mother, I’ll drive you. You’re going home, right?”

“Yes.”

Mother held my arm tightly and said,

“Your father said… that because you’re going down a very difficult road, it might be hard for him to watch. But he told me never to stop you and to let you be. Instead, he told me to take good care of you so you don’t ruin your health, and to quickly find a good daughter-in-law to take care of you in my place…”

“It might seem that way to Mother, but it’s not a difficult path for me. It’s the path I want, so I’m just enjoying it. Don’t worry too much.”

“Making Soonyang Group yours—of course, it won’t be easy. But since it’s what you want, I’m not too worried.”

Mother surprised me again.

I expected her to tell me to be content with what I have and live comfortably, but it was unexpected.

“And if you need my help, however small, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’m your mother. I’m someone you can say anything to, right?”

Her unexpected words left me speechless. I just held the hand that was linked in my arm tighter.

Leaving the hospital and getting into the car, I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten.

“Mother.”

“Yes? What is it?”

“That land you bought over a decade ago? In Ilsan? It should be prime real estate by now. Or did you already sell it?”

Mother’s flustered expression was almost cute.

* * *

—Chief of staff, it seems you need to go to the hospital right away.

As soon as I received the call from Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk in the middle of the night, I started getting dressed.

—The hospital room guard contacted me. The hospital is on high alert. It seems serious this time. I heard the hospital director has already contacted your father and Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae.

I rushed to the hospital as soon as I hung up.

Only a nervous-looking guard was in the hospital room. Grandfather was nowhere to be seen.

“Could he be in the operating room…?”

“Yes. He just went in.”

I ran to the operating room and saw the hospital director.

“Director!”

“Oh? Do-jun, how did you know…?”

“More importantly, how is Grandfather? Is it serious?”

The director opened his mouth with difficulty.

“Once the surgery is over, we’ll have to contact the family members. Even if he wakes up, it’ll be 48 hours? Three or four days at most.”

“And if he doesn’t wake up?”

I had prepared myself, but my body trembled hearing it directly.

“We’ll have to decide. Whether to intubate to extend his life a little longer or to let him pass peacefully.”

My legs gave way, and I slumped onto a chair.

Was this what it meant to have your mind go blank?

Time seemed to have stopped.

I snapped back to reality when my father and Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae, who had rushed over, tapped my shoulder.

“Ah, Father. Chief of staff.”

“You came early. Just wait a bit. I’m going to talk to the director.”

Father left with the director for a moment, but Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae sat down beside me.

“You’ve already heard, haven’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Recovery will be difficult, won’t it?”

I nodded instead of answering. Chief of staff Lee let out a long sigh.

“Damn it, I still have some things left to say….”

“Whatever it is, Grandfather already knows.”

“It seems there are times when you comfort me too.”

“Because I want to believe that.”

Chief of staff Lee glanced at me and patted my back.

“Right. Let’s believe that Chairman knows everything in our hearts.”

For a while, we just sat there in silence.

I know that although he’s in the operating room, they aren’t performing surgery to save him, just providing emergency care.

The time Grandfather has left, as the director said, is likely the truth.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes.”

“Brace yourself. Once Chairman passes away, there’s no telling what Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi will do.”

“I’m aware.”

“Being aware isn’t enough. If necessary, you might have to pour money into buying up subsidiary shares.”

“Did you perhaps hear something?”

“It seems they’re planning to kick you out first, then the two of them will fight for the Chairman’s seat. I told Chairman as well, but they’re scheming to convert to a holding company structure. If that happens, your controlling stake will be nothing more than shares in an unlisted company.”

I didn’t want to talk about this right now, but I steeled myself.

Even with death right around the corner, Grandfather was still thinking about the group, wasn’t he? I have to be the same. To become Grandfather’s successor, I can’t postpone things no matter how difficult the situation is.

“Did you hear it directly?”

“Yes. He asked about the method for converting to a holding company… no, he asked for help.”

“Seeing that you’re telling me everything, you must have refused.”

Chief of staff Lee nodded.

“You offered me the Chairman’s seat of Soonyang Group, but they’re only offering me the position of President of Soonyang Electronics. So I lost interest.”

I saw another emotion in his smirk.

He must have felt a humiliating insult to his pride. No matter how important Electronics is to the group, it’s just the president of a subsidiary.

For someone who had wielded all the power in place of Grandfather, it was clearly an insufficient position.

The reason he’s bringing this up isn’t to get a confirmation of my promise. This man hasn’t made any decisions yet about what to do in Soonyang Group without Grandfather.

“Thank you for telling me. I need to brace myself even more. If necessary, I’ll prepare to throw everything I have into this.”

“As I promised, I’ll do everything I can to maintain the status quo. That’s what it means to uphold Chairman’s wishes.”

“I’m grateful for even just that.”

I wanted to talk more and gauge his feelings, but there was no opportunity.

The sound of footsteps echoed in the hallway, and two people approached.

Father appeared with the director, his face crestfallen.

“Hyung-nim. Shouldn’t we call the rest of the family?”

When Father said with a trembling voice, Chief of staff Lee shook his head.

“Let’s decide after Chairman comes out of the operating room. It won’t be too late then. Won’t it?”

Chief of staff Lee asked the director, who also nodded.

“There’s no difference.”

Meaning nothing would change.

48 hours.

That was the time Grandfather had left to breathe.

All we could do was wait in front of the operating room, losing track of time.

I thought we had waited for hours, but barely an hour had passed.

The doctors coming out of the operating room had grim expressions and said nothing. The director exchanged a few words with the doctors and then came to Father, shaking his head slightly.

“You need to prepare, Chairman of the board.”

“Tonight…?”

“I don’t know. As I said, 48 hours at most.”

We walked weakly to the hospital room.

Grandfather, wearing an oxygen mask, was only breathing heavily with his eyes closed. We had no way of knowing if he was sleeping, had lost consciousness, or if his mind was clear but his body couldn’t move.

We could only watch the life slowly fading away beside him.

Father took out his cell phone and started contacting his older brothers, and Chief of staff Lee was also endlessly on the phone with someone.

As their calls dragged on, the two of them went outside the hospital room.

The doctors and nurses continued to check the medical equipment next to the bed.

“Doctor, is there any chance he might wake up, even for a moment?”

The doctor bit his lip, looking troubled.

“I can’t say for sure, but it doesn’t seem likely.”

“So, like this…?”

“Probably. I’m sorry. This is all I can say….”

“It’s not your fault, Doctor. You don’t need to apologize.”

The doctor holding the chart bowed slightly in acknowledgment.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Once the doctors and nurses left, I was left alone in the empty hospital room.

Grandfather’s labored breathing through the oxygen mask tore at my heart.

Tears kept flowing down my cheeks, even though I tried to hold them back.

As I held Grandfather’s gaunt hand, trying to wipe my tears, his hand twitched. It seemed like he was trying to hold my hand back.

“Uh… uh… huh….”

Seeing Grandfather’s eyes half-open, I was about to get up to call the doctor, but I felt the force of him pulling my hand.

He kept shaking his head and weakly tapping the mask with one hand, as if it was stifling him.

Lifting the oxygen mask slightly, a sound escaped his dry lips.

“Do… Do-jun…ah….”

“Yes, Grandfather. I’m here.”

I squeezed his hands tightly and leaned closer to his face.

“Do….”

It was too painful to watch Grandfather struggling for breath.

“Grandfather, don’t say anything.”

As I tried to put the oxygen mask back on, Grandfather frowned and shook his head very slightly.

And then he spoke again. Slow but very clear. Like a last will.

“Don’t… let them take… even one thing.”

I felt strength in Grandfather’s hand gripping mine.

“Live… as a villain.”