Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 85

85. 26th. A Difficult New Start (2)

A few days later.

The two of us had dinner at home to welcome Sun Hae-cheol, who had returned to Korea.

“Did it go well?”

“What do you think of this uncle? I wrapped it up neatly in one go, hehe.”

Sun Hae-cheol smiled pleasantly and drank the Lee Kang-ju [a type of traditional Korean liquor] in the porcelain cup. When Sun Hae-cheol put down his glass, Park Tae-jin picked up the porcelain pitcher and offered him more wine.

“I’m glad it worked out, Hyung-nim [term of respect for an older brother or male friend]. Congratulations, haha.”

“Congratulations, my foot. I couldn’t even confess like a fool, but I got it sorted out thanks to this guy.”

Sun Hae-cheol waved his hand dismissively at Park Tae-jin, then smiled at me.

“Thank you, Owner-nim [term of respect for the owner]. Hehe.”

“Don’t mention it. From now on, you’re a member of the US headquarters’ investment committee and a board member, so make yourself comfortable, CEO-nim. Hehe.”

We jokingly exchanged pleasantries, but from now on, Sun Hae-cheol was the CEO of Standard Capital’s Korean branch and a key member of the US headquarters.

As Henry’s right-hand man and son-in-law, he could also exert influence on Triumph Capital, so he was, of course, in charge of bridging our family and the Royce family.

After that, we talked about the wedding schedule and procedures, and the honeymoon home to be set up in New York and Seoul. We finished our drinks and started talking about work.

“How’s the situation in the US?”

“Not bad. The stocks we invested in have gone up a lot, and we’ve entrusted Morgan Stanley with the Yahoo listing. North Limited’s stock price is also being managed well, and we’re steadily accumulating money to spread around in political circles in preparation for the Panama copper mine.”

When the talk turned to work, Sun Hae-cheol’s eyes filled with intensity. It was amazing to see the man who had been so awkward and hesitant when it came to love stories turn into a professional in an instant.

“How about the movie side?”

“‘Jumanji’ is expected to gross over $100 million in the US if it continues at this rate. If we settle the accounts including the box office revenue from other countries, we’ll avoid a loss.”

Just avoid a loss?

If I remember correctly, Jumanji’s box office performance is $260 million.

After dividing half with the distributor, deducting production costs, marketing costs, and taxes, and distributing the profits according to the amount we invested, we will receive a dividend with more than $20 million in profit on top of the principal.

Standard Capital’s cinema fund will be the foundation for our family members, including me, to inherit the family business legitimately for four generations.

***

The next morning.

“Hoo, I envy the guys at headquarters. Hundreds of millions of dollars come and go there every day, but here, we can barely exceed 50 billion won [approximately $40 million USD].”

Sun Hae-cheol sighed as he looked at the monitor. Until last year, he was one of the key executives at Triumph Capital, moving tens or hundreds of billions of dollars through currency speculation and stock investments, so 50 billion won was not enough to satisfy him.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t move rashly. It wasn’t time to reveal Standard’s identity yet.

Above all, the foreign investment limit will be increased to 20 percent from October, and stock prices will be at their lowest point from then on. There was no reason to waste the power of Standard Capital, which was using the guise of foreign capital, from now on.

“There’s nothing we can do about it. It’s not easy to start a new household. Isn’t that right, Hyung?”

Park Tae-jin, who was sitting across from me at his desk, smiled. He had been promoted to director this year, but he still seemed happy to be working with me, and his face looked brighter.

“Of course, Doryeon-nim [young master]. Starting from zero is difficult. Shouldn’t we maintain stealth and concealment like a search party right now? Haha.”

I received a military exemption due to a fracture that put me in the hospital for the entire month of January and February three years ago, but I had heard a lot about the military from Park Tae-jin, so I roughly knew what he meant.

Standard Capital’s Korean branch is like the advance search party of the US headquarters, except that I’m here. Until the time comes, we have to monitor Korea, so we have to hide even our shadows like the ‘Dark Templar’ in StarCraft.

“You guys. When I was running the field at Triumph Capital headquarters, I used to handle…”

Sun Hae-cheol glared at the two of us, who were taking it easy unlike him, and was about to launch into a ‘back in my day’ story when his cell phone rang.

“Yes, this is Lee Seong-min.”

[It’s me, Ha-yeon.]

Hearing her voice made me straighten up. Not because I was surprised, but because I received enough energy to straighten out my slumped body.

“Happy New Year, Nuna [term of endearment for an older sister or female friend].”

[Happy New Year to you too. By the way, where’s your office?]

“Why?”

[I wanted to bring you the fig tart that our hotel bakery released this time. Is that okay?]

The bakery at the Korea Hotel is where the best bakers and patissiers in the country gather. There was no reason to refuse a tart made in such a place. Above all, it was filled with Jang Ha-yeon’s thoughtfulness for me, so my mouth watered because it seemed sweeter than honey.

“Where is it…”

After I told her the location, Jang Ha-yeon asked.

[How many people are there in your company?]

“Huh? Why is that?”

[So you can share it with them. You’ll feel awkward eating it alone, right?]

We both live without any shortcomings, but her heart is that of a quintessential devoted wife. The consideration she shows so that her man doesn’t feel awkward!

‘What? Is that Jang Ha-yeon?’

‘Is that the young lady, Doryeon-nim?’

Instead of answering the questions thrown in low voices by Sun Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin, who were sitting in front of their desks, I put my index finger to my lips and said into the receiver.

“There are four of us, Nuna.”

[Okay. I’ll see you in front of the office building later.]

Seeing me put down the receiver, Sun Hae-cheol quickly opened his mouth.

“Is that Jang Ha-yeon?”

“Yes. She said she’d bring us some snacks and see me in front of the company?”

“It looks urgent, so go quickly, hehe.”

“Thank you, Samchon [term of respect for an uncle or older male acquaintance]. No, CEO-nim.”

***

I went down to the first-floor lobby and stood right in front of the entrance, waiting for Jang Ha-yeon to come, looking out the window.

I was grateful to her for taking care of me even though she saw me unable to settle in one place, and I was sorry for her. Who would like their lover wandering around like a duckweed [a plant that floats freely on water, symbolizing instability]?

This year, and next year, I will show her that even if I look like a duckweed, I am not. So that she can trust me and focus on her own path.

While waiting and envisioning the near future, Jang Ha-yeon’s car stopped on the side of the road in front of the company. Seeing the car, I quickly went outside and greeted her as she got out of the car.

“Is this your company building?”

“Ah, our company didn’t buy the building, we’re renting a room.”

Jang Ha-yeon, who got out of the car with a paper bag in her hand, looked up at the building in front of her as she listened to me.

“That’s too bad. You’re a foreign investment company, but you’re renting in a building that’s not even 10 stories high.”

“The foreign investment limit is still high, so we don’t need a lot of people. Instead, they allowed me to help my grandfather and the group elders, so I have to be satisfied with that.”

“There was a reason why you got a job in a small place?”

“Of course. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have joined the company that Samchon recommended. Don’t stand outside in the cold, let’s go to a cafe. There’s a nice one nearby, how about it?”

I turned the conversation in case she wanted to tour the company, but Jang Ha-yeon shook her head.

“I have to go back quickly. What are you going to do if you’re being watched?”

“It’s okay. Our company’s CEO is that Samchon. I got permission to come out, so I can see you for about an hour.”

Jang Ha-yeon hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Okay. Let’s go to the cafe on the first floor here. I have to save time.”

Is this what it’s like to date for working people? A date where you don’t care about the place because you want to see each other more comfortably, even for a minute or a second, but it didn’t matter. Because we had each other firmly embedded in our hearts.

We went into the cafe, picked up a tray with two cups of coffee, and sat down at a table.

“I brought it straight from the bakery. I don’t know if it’s gotten soggy.”

“Who cares? Nuna brought it. And our Samchon is someone who eats everything well, haha.”

After receiving the paper bag containing the tart with a playful remark, I drank coffee with Jang Ha-yeon and talked about what happened last winter. Of course, I hid what I had to hide and revealed only what I had to reveal.

“Really?”

“Yeah. It’s a movie made by a company that our company invested in a long time ago, and it’s perfect for kids to watch.”

Jang Ha-yeon asked me carefully as I was talking about Toy Story.

“Later… our children will like it too, right?”

Looking into her eyes, which suddenly came in, it seemed like she wanted confirmation from me. But I didn’t want a rough answer, so I quickly racked my brains and answered.

“That’s right. By the time we take our kids, it’ll be hard for Part 2, but Part 3 will be out, so we can go see it then, right?”

“Really?”

“I’m a man arrested by Nuna. You know that?”

When I showed her the Bulgari bangle bracelet on my wrist, a bright smile spread across her face.

While talking about the future that will become a reality, Jang Ha-yeon took a sip of coffee and looked at me with an envious expression.

“That’s great. You’re doing other things outside the house.”

“The more options, the better. Still, we blew up the department store properly, didn’t we?”

“The ingredients we prepared were good. When did you say the Gangnam branch would open?”

“It will open in January next year. Probably all the major luxury brands will be in there as we planned?”

Central Square, especially the Gangnam branch of Haedong Department Store, was under construction. This time, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Hermes have all decided to open, so it will be the best luxury department store in Korea that matches the original plan that we both planned.

It seemed like I was only talking about myself, so I asked Jang Ha-yeon what I was curious about.

“How’s Korea Hotel? Is it doing well?”

“We’re going to open around that time too. We’re discussing the opening date with Chairman Shin of Central Square.”

“That’s great. I’ll tell my grandfather and uncle, so we can open at the same time. I’ll sign up for a fitness center membership too.”

If we open at the same time, we can save on event costs and get the attention of the media. Above all, it was a great opportunity to use even the Choguk Ilbo [a major newspaper in South Korea], the largest media outlet in the country.

After finishing the story about the work we were involved in, we moved on to another story.

“Is there anything going on at Nuna’s company these days?”

“What kind of thing?”

“Last year, our house, my mother’s family, Taehyun, and Nuna’s house all made a lot of money and are growing the company. It’s strange that Uncle is only focusing on cars.”

It wasn’t just a random comment.

After the yen-go speculation, our family was working on resource development and port logistics, the Taehyun Group was working on clearing Iraqi accounts receivable and building the Hadong Steel Mill, and the GK Group was working on long-cherished projects or tasks for each group, such as acquiring GK Oil’s stake and preparing for separation of affiliates.

However, it was strange that Jang Ho-geon was only focusing on the automobile business. He must have made a lot of money in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake, so what was he up to…

Seeing me in trouble because I didn’t know where the butterfly effect would go, Jang Ha-yeon sighed lightly.

“Hoo, I’m crazy. What’s so good about a guy who only talks about work that I even packed snacks like this?”

“You came because it’s good, right?”

Jang Ha-yeon smiled slightly as she looked at me, who was answering shamelessly.

“Well, you’re the coolest when you’re working. Your eyes are alive and I like the way you’re so engrossed.”

“Like Uncle?”

“Hmm… it’ll be different when you grow up more in the future, right? Hehe.”

That word, that laughter… it seemed like she wanted jealousy. If she wants it, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to show her just a little bit, so I deliberately let out a light sigh.

“That’s a big deal. I have to work hard to catch up with Uncle. How’s Uncle doing these days?”

“He goes to Busan every other day. The electronics executives are doing well, so I guess he’s focusing on the car side.”

Shinseong Electronics is the best company in the country. Jang Ho-geon, who has Shinseong Electronics on his back, will focus on the automobile business, which has been a long-cherished dream. It was good news for me, who knew that business would fail.

“Uncle’s love for cars is still the same, haha.”

“That’s true, but Taehyun Group is catching up in semiconductors, so my father is trying to counterattack with cars. It seems like he’s overdoing it, but if he builds a new factory, production will increase and it’ll be okay.”

Still, I have to somehow make Jang Ho-geon spend more money. I have to make him spit out the money he made from currency speculation and the existing surplus funds as much as possible before next year comes…

I have three jokers in my head right now.

Hanko Steel, Ado Motors, Yeongdeungpo Shopping Mall.

Just throwing those jokers will make the Shinseong Group, including Jang Ho-geon, unconditionally spit out the stakes and become penniless.

However, using Hanko Steel and Ado Motors to rip off Shinseong is something that will be poison to me, my family, and the Haedong Group if I think about Haedong Group eating up Shinseong Group, which I will raise.

Isn’t there a more efficient way? A way to prevent Jang Ho-geon from getting his hands on overseas resource development projects.

***

After watching Jang Ha-yeon get into her car and drive onto the road, I came into the office and Sun Hae-cheol looked at me with a satisfied gaze.

“Wow, are you already acting like a newlywed? I’m wondering when you’re going to get married?”

“I’m going to get married in three years too, Samchon. I’m not jealous at all, hehe.”

“Okay. You get married quickly too. Starting a new household isn’t easy, but it’s quite fun, hehe.”

I’m not used to hearing that kind of sentiment from a carefree person, but Sun Hae-cheol was right. Next year has to come for Standard Capital’s Korean branch to establish itself firmly, and for both family affairs and business, the new household will unfold well…

Sitting at my desk with a piece of paper in front of me, I wrote down what came to mind with a pen in my hand. More important than anything else was finding a way to prevent Shinseong Corporation from damaging Haedong Group’s rice bowl [source of income or livelihood].

Seeing my troubled face, Sun Hae-cheol asked carefully.

“What’s wrong? What are you going to do if you’re already looking like you’re going to die when you haven’t even gotten married yet?”

Now that it’s come to this, I should ask for Sun Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin’s opinions too. Two is better than one, and three is better than two, right?