Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 38

38. 12th. As Expected, Unexpectedly (4)

That evening.

Park Tae-jin and I were summoned back to Samcheong-dong to have dinner with Grandfather, Go Seung-ju, Bae Jae-hoon, Tae Jae-ho, Jo Young-chan, and Lee Myung-jin. We sat at the end of the long table in the reception room and watched TV.

“It seems like we’re losing out. We have to dance to Shinseong’s tune every time…”

“Watch your words. Tae-jin and Sung-min are here, Representative Tae. Be careful what you say.”
Tae Jae-ho, who was grumbling while sitting to Grandfather’s left, clicked his tongue when Bae Jae-hoon, sitting across from him, gave him a warning look.

“Yes. They didn’t hear, right? Hehe.”

“Yes, Representative.”

Grandfather chuckled at Tae Jae-ho’s awkward smile and our responses, then turned to Jo Young-chan.

“Representative Jo, the wire transfers are secure, right?”

“Rest assured. The people in the planning department in charge of the Chairman’s assets under his real name have handled it cleanly through commercial bank accounts. We just need to wait and see it on TV, haha.”

Jo Young-chan stroked his mustache and laughed, and Grandfather smiled contentedly as he watched the news.

[Next is the news. We’ll bring you the latest on the department store consulting contract between Haedong Group and Shinseong Group, which has recently sparked controversy over the privatization of companies. According to data provided by an anonymous informant, the source of the room charges at the Korea Hotel for Director Jang Ha-yeon of Korea Hotel, paid by Haedong Group, was not company funds but Chairman Lee Dae-soo of Haedong Group’s private funds. Looking at the account details transferred on a daily basis…]

Click.

Grandfather pressed the remote control button to turn off the TV, as if he didn’t need to hear any more. He disliked such embarrassing stories, but his face was full of glee.

“Those Choguk Ilbo [a fictional newspaper] bastards must be seething, euhehe.”

“It’s so refreshing, Father. Hwang Hyun-sung, that guy, was chasing after our family’s private loans, wasn’t he? We cleaned it up during the real-name financial system [a financial reform implemented in South Korea in 1993], but the thought of it still makes me shudder.”

Lee Myung-jin shook his head, recalling how the Hwang family of Choguk Ilbo had relentlessly pursued our family’s private loans. Now that they had colluded with the money lenders to recover the money and erase the traces, the Hwang family of Choguk Ilbo must be at their wit’s end.

Grandfather nodded, but he didn’t seem to let his guard down.

“Still, we can’t be careless. They might come after us again. The money lenders could betray us, whether willingly or unwillingly, so we need to take care of them and bring them into our fold.”

Everyone in the room nodded. Money was something that could make people abandon their family ties or even decades of friendship, so Grandfather’s vigilance was justified.

After a moment of silence, Grandfather wore a mischievous smile.

“By now, Ho-gun must have seen it with his family. I can just imagine what the atmosphere is like in that household, hehe.”

I wasn’t curious about the atmosphere in that household. Why didn’t they disclose the contract?

***

At the same time.

The living room of Jang Ho-gun’s mansion in Hannam-dong [an affluent district in Seoul] was a scene of starkly contrasting emotions.

[···In addition, it has been revealed that Jang Ha-yeon, the director of Korea Hotel, transferred the cost of the regular room she used from her own account to the Korea Hotel account on a daily basis. According to the tip, Haedong Group stipulated in the contract that Chairman Lee Dae-soo would pay for the room charges, regardless of whether Jang Ha-yeon paid for the room charges herself. As a result, it has been revealed that the owner’s family is contributing to the group’s business with their own funds, rather than the privatization of the company···]

Hwang Na-yeon, who had been sipping tea elegantly while watching television, wished that she was dreaming.

Wasn’t this the moment when her plan to leave an indelible scar on Jang Ha-yeon, remove Haedong Group, and push him out of the succession race, and the slush fund her family had painstakingly created, was about to vanish?

Jang Ho-gun noticed Hwang Na-yeon’s trembling hands and eyes as she held her teacup, and raised his voice.

“Who dares to…!”

Bang!

He slammed the teacup down and picked up the phone.

“Chief Lee! Did you check the news that’s coming out now? Did you check it!”

[I’m sorry, Chairman. The secretariat is currently investigating.]

Jang Ho-gun, raising his voice, and Lee Soo-han, making excuses in a subdued voice, were both veteran actors. What couldn’t they do to drive the damned in-laws into a corner and trap them?

“Enough! Call that old man and find out where it leaked from! Check our side too, and bury that news!”

Bang!

Jang Ho-gun put down the phone, calmed his murderous gaze, and looked at Hwang Na-yeon.

“You, you seemed to be trembling earlier. What’s wrong?”

“Yes? …I thought you were angry. Are you okay?”

“That’s not the problem, woman. I was trying to build up the kids’ careers, but who the hell spread this!”

Hwang Na-yeon, who was trying to gloss over it, widened her eyes at Jang Ho-gun’s outburst. Build up the kids’ careers?

“What are you talking about, honey?”

“I was going to let Soo-yeon and Min-jae handle Haedong Group’s consulting if Ha-yeon paved the way.”

“Consulting?”

“Yes. Yong-jae is in the Department of Economics at Seoul National University [a prestigious university in South Korea], but even though they’re both from Seoul National University, Soo-yeon is in the Department of Clothing and Min-jae is in the Department of Sociology. If they build up experience outside, they’ll definitely be recognized by the employees, right?”

Hwang Na-yeon’s mind went blank for a moment. Her husband had planned this to take care of the kids?

But she couldn’t believe it, so she wanted to confirm it one more time.

“But… why wasn’t that in the news?”

“People are watching, so we have to keep it as a side agreement. Chief Lee drew up the contract at home, and I was keeping it.”

What he said made sense.

It would be mortifying if it was revealed that the two groups had colluded to create career paths for Jang Soo-yeon and Jang Min-jae. It made sense that Lee Soo-han, one of his closest aides, had drawn it up and her husband was keeping it.

“Can I see it? It’s about teaching the kids.”

At Hwang Na-yeon’s cautious question, Jang Ho-gun pretended to think for a moment and nodded.

“I’ll go get it, so wait here.”

Everyone waited with bated breath, as if on the eve of a storm. They were all sipping tea without saying a word, afraid of being caught by each other. An hour later, Jang Ho-gun opened the door and came in.

“Check it out.”

Hwang Na-yeon swallowed hard and opened the cover of the document Jang Ho-gun handed her. Jang Ho-gun watched her face grow paler as she looked at the contract and said.

“As soon as Ha-yeon’s consulting is reflected, all the work that Electronic and Construction affiliates were giving to your sister will be transferred to Haedong Group. After the deal is over, Soo-yeon and Min-jae will also do consulting like Ha-yeon and then get promoted appropriately. But…”

Hwang Na-yeon herself could see that’s how it read. But the last clause that she saw and her husband told her was fatal.

“If the contract itself is revealed, the consulting for the two kids will be canceled, regardless of whether the deal is transferred. Damn it.”

“Why is there such a clause, honey? We’re transferring the deal, aren’t we? And why are we taking all the blame when they might have leaked it?”

Hwang Na-yeon raised her voice. Come to think of it, weren’t they the ones in the position of power? But…

“You know that the old man cares about face as much as money, right? Have you forgotten that your late father was insulted by that old man?”

At her husband’s question, Hwang Na-yeon gritted her teeth and nodded.

Wasn’t he the arrogant old man who had insulted her father, a former Minister of Home Affairs and the first president of Choguk Ilbo, as a ‘dog who changes masters’? How many people hadn’t been pro-Japanese back then!

Jang Ho-gun continued, watching his wife’s angry face.

“If we can come up with a plan that even that old man approves of, how will the employees see my children? Is that little bit of money a big deal when it comes to my kids being recognized and respected at the company?”

“H, honey…”

Hwang Na-yeon couldn’t speak, even though her husband raised his voice and asked.

You can rule by blood, but you can’t easily get recognition and respect from the heart, right?

It was something to worry about as someone who had to inherit the company. Her husband’s words were all correct.

“I should have told you, but I was wrong. I’m sorry to you guys too.”

“Dad…”

“Father…”

Jang Soo-yeon, the person who started this, and Jang Yong-jae and Jang Min-jae, who knew what their mother and sister had planned, couldn’t speak. They had thought their father was just a heartless businessman, but he had this side to him.

As if emotions arose as he spoke, Jang Ho-gun also felt uncomfortable.

He felt sorry for his wife, who had brought in Jang Ha-yeon and hurt her, for his children, whom he couldn’t give a comfortable life, and he felt guilty for having to deceive everyone because of the fight with his in-laws.

Nevertheless, as the chairman of Shinseong Group, Jang Ho-gun added one last word.

“I’m going to reveal the contract on the broadcast tomorrow. I’ll have to make a separate side agreement that only includes the part about the old man paying for Ha-yeon’s room charges with his own money.”

Because he firmly believed that Shinseong Group belonged to the Jang family, Jang Ho-gun had no choice but to hope that his treacherous in-laws would be seized with impatience and cough up the money.

***

Although the news was over, Grandfather, the Haedong Group executives, and I were still at the table in the study. Grandfather had ordered a bottle of Glenlivet 25-year-old scotch and beef jerky made from Hoengseong Hanwoo [a premium Korean beef] to be brought in.

“The Jangs and Hwangs are going to fight like crazy, so it’ll be fun. Thanks to that, we’re able to join hands with Dongyang Ilbo [a fictional newspaper] legitimately, so there’s no better example of using barbarians to control barbarians and reaping the benefits.”

Just as the ground hardens after rain, if Dongyang Ilbo publishes an apology article about Haedong Group followed by a heartwarming article, Haedong Group can repay Dongyang Ilbo with advertisements.

Thinking about Haedong Group, which would grow rapidly in the future, and Dongyang Ilbo, which would nurture good reporters with the advertisements of that Haedong Group, it was a perfect win-win situation, as Grandfather said.

“Isn’t this all thanks to the previous Chairman and the Chairman? It seems that the virtue you’ve built up over the years is finally shining, haha.”

Grandfather and Bae Jae-hoon laughed heartily and took a sip of whiskey, but I realized that I still had a long way to go.

It seemed that the connections that Great-Grandfather and Grandfather had built were the real power of our family, more than the money they had accumulated. How much power did our family really have?

As I swallowed my curiosity and drank, I was surprised by what Grandfather said as he put a piece of well-prepared beef jerky in his mouth and chewed.

“The reason why the contract wasn’t disclosed today is that he set a trap to fleece his in-laws.”

Unlike Grandfather, who said it as if it were nothing, Bae Jae-hoon put down the whiskey he was about to drink.

“Are you talking about Hwang Hyun-sung trying to get 15 billion won from Dongyang Ilbo?”

“Before that, I have something to tell you, Representative.”

“What is it, Chief Go?”

Tension was evident in Bae Jae-hoon’s expression. Was he wondering what Go Seung-ju was going to say?

“The contract that only includes the content that was broadcast today will be released tomorrow. Chairman Jang has probably shown his family another side agreement by now. Is it okay to disclose it, Chairman?”

“Do it.”

Go Seung-ju asked for Grandfather’s permission and took out a file from the bag he had placed on the sofa. It seemed to be the side agreement that I had written.

Bae Jae-hoon, who received the file, widened his eyes as he looked at the contract inside.

“Chairman, this contract is…”

“The eye-catching clauses were made up by Sung-min. There’s something he wrote by hand, so take turns looking at it.”

Bae Jae-hoon received the neatly folded paper from Grandfather and checked my handwriting inside.

“I can’t believe it… You guys should take turns looking at it too. Director Lee too.”

Tae Jae-ho, Jo Young-chan, and Lee Myung-jin, who were also gathered at the table, took turns looking at the paper and stared at me with dumbfounded expressions.

“How did you think of something like this, Sung-min?”

“Korean parents are most concerned about their children’s education. I heard something from Senior Ha-yeon, so I thought Chairman Jang might agree to the contract if I did this.”

Lee Myung-jin chuckled at me.

“It sounds like you’re saying that for me to hear? Hehe.”

“Sung-moon, Sung-woo, and Sung-ah are all good at studying. They’re all among the top students in the school.”

Whether it was because of genetics or family education, the people in our family were good at studying. Thanks to that, except for math, English, and science, which they tutored for an hour or two a week, they often got perfect scores in the other subjects even if they studied on their own.

“That’s true, but… I don’t know if it’s a good thing that Sung-moon and Sung-woo are following this uncle to engineering school, let alone Sung-ah, hehe.”

Our uncle doesn’t know it yet, but the term ‘engineering goddess’ will suit my youngest cousin, Lee Sung-ah, well. She was a female warrior who graduated from Seoul National University’s Department of Architecture with looks that rivaled those of most idols and even obtained an architect’s license.

‘In my past life, you resented me so much for ruining the family… In this life, I’ll support you so you can do whatever you want, kids.’

As I vowed to treat my three cousins, who were like brothers to me since childhood, well, I heard Grandfather’s voice.

“Stop it, Director Lee. There’s no law that says women can’t go to architecture school. Everyone finds their own way, euhehe.”

“Yes, Father. They’re going according to their own nature, haha.”

Perhaps because of the story about his grandchildren, Grandfather, who had been chuckling, wet his lips with a sip of whiskey.

“Anyway, Ho-gun’s third and fourth children are lacking, so he dug in well. Now that they’ve seen this contract, Ho-gun’s wife and the Hwang family will all fall into another trap that Ho-gun set.”

“Could it be that Hwang Hyun-sung is trying to get Chief Go to cough up 15 billion won as part of that trap?”

At Tae Jae-ho’s question, Grandfather nodded.

“When I asked Chairman Jang why he didn’t show the contract when he received the call, he said that the Hwang family had stolen the money that should have been given to the people he needed to take care of. He said that if the Hwang family extorted 15 billion won from Chief Go, he would leak information about Shinseong Electronics’ new factory and sell the land he had bought in advance at a high price. Chief Go.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

At Grandfather’s call, Go Seung-ju took out a large piece of paper from his bag, as if he had prepared it in advance, and spread it out on the table.

“The map you see is a map of Pyeongtaek City, Songtan City, and Pyeongtaek County. Chairman Jang’s side bought about 200,000 pyeong [a Korean unit of area, approximately 3.3 square meters] in Danghyeon-ri, Godeok-myeon, and they’re probably raising the asking price by now. They seem to be trying to raise it to at least 30 billion won and hand it over to the Choguk Ilbo faction.”

My eyes widened as I listened to Go Seung-ju’s explanation. Godeok-myeon?

We have to take that land. Even if it’s 15 years from now, it will be a gold mine that we can get out of with just the land compensation, so we can’t give even an inch to Choguk Ilbo.

For different reasons, I wasn’t the only one thinking that.

“Still, the land in this neighborhood is really good. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes. As you can see, if you push down some of the hills in Godeok-myeon, you can get about 4 million pyeong of flat open space. It’s still uncertain, but if the integration of urban and rural areas happens next year…”

As Go Seung-ju unfolded the pencil rod he took out of his handkerchief pocket and pointed to the map, the study turned into a real estate speculation den.

It wasn’t in the plan, but everything went according to the plan, so I should think of it as a long-term plan and add a little bit to it.