Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 107

107. 32nd. Marriage, and Alliance (1)

I unconsciously frowned slightly, and Rockefeller’s eyebrows twitched.

“Is there a problem?”

“Ah, no, Mr. Rockefeller. It’s just… I can’t believe I’m shaking hands with someone like you. Haha.”

“Really, Mr. Lee?”

Hiding my embarrassment with a forced laugh, I met Rockefeller’s unexpectedly intense gaze. Suppressing a guilty feeling, I nodded.

“Of course, Mr. Rockefeller.”

Rockefeller stared into my eyes for a moment, then the corners of his mouth quirked upward.

“I understand, Mr. Lee. I’ll take it as a compliment to me and my family. I hope to see you again soon.”

With that greeting, we bowed to Rockefeller and practically fled the room. As we stepped out, Rockefeller’s voice followed us.

“You don’t have to worry about your paternal family, the Haedong Group, or your maternal family, the GK Group, facing any hindrances in their business. I promise that on the honor of the Rockefeller family.”

It was chillingly terrifying. To think he had uncovered that much information in just a few days.

###

“That was close.”

Isaac Rockefeller, now alone, sighed.

“That guy… I think he noticed something.”

Rockefeller muttered, bringing his hand to his mustache and beard. He then tore off the mustache, beard, and even the prosthetic skin on his face. After removing the disguise, Isaac Rockefeller’s face looked much younger.

That’s right.

Isaac Rockefeller was Isaac Rockefeller Jr., the only son of Isaac Rockefeller Sr., who had passed away in an unexpected accident with his wife a few years ago.

***

After finishing our meeting with Isaac Rockefeller, we exited the Lincoln limousine that had stopped in front of the Chase Manhattan Bank headquarters.

“Take care.”

The muscular bald man who had been in the passenger seat greeted us and then drove away down the avenue. Only after the car’s taillights had completely disappeared did we sigh in relief.

“Hoo! That was a close call.”

“I didn’t expect to meet Rockefeller, Sun.”

“Me neither, Claire.”

“You’re experiencing all sorts of things, young master,” Park Tae-jin added.

Sun Hae-chul, Claire, Park Tae-jin, and I still couldn’t shake off the dazed feeling. To think we would directly meet the head of the prestigious Rockefeller family… As Park Tae-jin said, we were experiencing all sorts of things.

While the four of us were gathering our wits, Henry’s butler emerged from the passenger seat of the Benz limousine parked in front of the headquarters. He must have been delayed in protecting Claire’s secret, because his face was pale as he rushed over.

“What’s wrong, miss? The master has been greatly worried because he couldn’t reach you for hours.”

“I’m sorry. Actually…”

Following her apology, Claire explained the meeting with Isaac Rockefeller. Henry’s butler composed himself.

“It must have been difficult to refuse. I’ll inform the master, miss.”

“Please do.”

Henry’s butler raised his head, which had been lowered to Claire, and took out his cell phone. Pressing a button and holding the phone to his ear, he calmly reported our situation to Henry.

“…Yes, master. I’ll bring her to you right away.”

Seeing the butler put his phone in his pocket, we got into Henry’s Benz limousine. We each drank a glass of champagne from the mini-bar to calm our nerves, and before we knew it, we arrived in front of Henry’s mansion entrance and went inside.

“You met Isaac Rockefeller?”

“Yes. We had a loan agreement at Chase Manhattan, and…”

Claire recounted what she had told Wilson and the others. Henry wore a mischievous smile.

“You guys got played by Isaac Rockefeller.”

“What do you mean, Henry?”

“The Isaac Rockefeller you met is Isaac Rockefeller Jr. He’s only thirty, but he graduated from Columbia University with an MBA at twenty-one.”

“What?”

I knew something was strange. His skin was too taut for a middle-aged man when we shook hands!

“Father, then the Isaac Rockefeller I know…?”

Henry answered Claire, who couldn’t finish her sentence.

“The Isaac Rockefeller you know, Claire, is Isaac Rockefeller Sr., who quietly passed away a few years ago. He was a chess rival to me, and a friend with whom I shared life stories.”

Henry’s expression turned bitter as he finished speaking. He seemed to have been quite close to Isaac Rockefeller Sr.

“I see, Henry.”

“Anyway, Isaac Rockefeller Jr. is quite a bright fellow, Johnny. He’s a friend who took control of the Rockefeller family at a young age, so you shouldn’t underestimate him.”

No matter how much Isaac Rockefeller Jr. achieves, I am a human who has come back from the brink of death. I quickly turned my head and asked Henry.

“Henry, do you happen to know how much of Chase Manhattan’s shares the Rockefeller family owns?”

“Before Isaac passed away, I heard it was about 30 percent. If you add up all sorts of other assets, it would be about 160 billion dollars.”

I roughly confirmed the Rockefeller family’s assets. It might seem like an abrupt question, but there was one more thing I needed to confirm with Henry.

“Then… who controls JP Morgan, Henry?”

“Of course, it’s the Morgan family. John Pierpont Morgan’s descendants, those big-nosed old men, hold about 26 percent through investment companies with proxies. If you add up other assets, it’s about 200 billion dollars. Ignore the nonsense circulating in the world.”

Judging from Henry’s tone, he didn’t seem to be on good terms with the Morgan family. Henry saw the look in my eyes and wore a bitter smile.

“When our ancestors came to this country and entered Wall Street, they suffered from the *teotsae* [localism/discrimination against outsiders] of those damned Morgans. On the other hand, the Rockefeller family had a different industry but joined hands with us because we were both of German descent.”

“Is the Morgan family interfering with the Royce family’s financial business because of their pride as the last Yankee financiers?”

Henry nodded as I carefully asked.

“That’s right. The reason our family was cornered until I met you, Johnny, was because the Morgan family pushed other shareholder families within Triumph. I only found out recently.”

I could feel the anger in Henry’s hardened face and rough voice. I couldn’t help but smile wryly because it didn’t seem like this country or Korea looked kindly on newcomers.

“But why did you ask about the two families’ assets?”

“Aren’t they the families that occupied two of the four major trusts of 19th century America? I met one of them, Rockefeller, so I became curious.”

I had exchanged not only business stories but also historical anecdotes with Henry, who frequented this mansion. Perhaps remembering that, Henry looked at me and parted his lips thinly.

“Come to think of it, you said you wanted to study history in college before. It’s understandable that you’d be curious. The reason the two families’ assets are smaller than the rumors suggest is because both families have had many ups and downs.”

“I see.”

I smiled calmly, but inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief at the two families’ assets, which were smaller than the rumors suggested.

It wasn’t yet time, but when the conflict between the Morgan and Rockefeller families eventually erupted, I felt like I would seize another opportunity. Until that time came, only I should know.

***

After finishing that unique experience and staying in the United States to take care of Standard Capital’s business, it was already October. Around the time Sun Hae-chul and Claire’s wedding date was approaching, my grandfather arrived in New York as promised, under the guise of inspecting the U.S. business.

[I hope the chairman arrived safely?]

“Don’t worry, he’ll be arriving soon.”

I waited for my grandfather, exchanging words with Sun Hae-chul, who looked worried.

Sun Hae-chul seemed to have stayed up all night until the day before, worried that there might be a problem with my grandfather’s schedule. With the wedding of a lifetime ahead of him, how could he not be anxious when Chairman Lee Dae-soo, whom he thought of as a father, was personally visiting the United States?

“Grandfather!”

“Oh, my big puppy! Have you been well? Hehehe.”

My grandfather and I, who had entered the arrival hall of JFK Airport, couldn’t hide our emotions at the reunion in a foreign land and hugged each other. After releasing the hug, my grandfather cupped my cheeks with both hands.

“Looking at your face, it seems you haven’t suffered because of the food.”

“What are you talking about, Grandfather? I missed Madam Jeonju’s meals so much. Even if I make the same side dishes here, it doesn’t taste the same.”

“How could it? The climate is different, and the touch is different. Hehe.”

After finishing his reunion with me, my grandfather took the hand of Park Tae-jin, who was next to me.

“You’re working hard, Tae-jin.”

“Not at all, Chairman.”

“Not at all? You’ve been traveling all over the world to help this rascal, haven’t you? Get ready to receive the title of Senior Managing Director when next year starts, hehe.”

To be promoted to Senior Managing Director, skipping Managing Director in two years… I was surprised, but Park Tae-jin was even more surprised, his face flushed.

“…Thank you, Chairman!”

My grandfather patted Park Tae-jin’s back, who had bowed deeply, and stepped aside. Go Seung-ju, who was behind him, was looking at us with a smiling face.

“I’m late to greet you, Uncle.”

“I’m sorry, Director.”

As Park Tae-jin and I quickly bowed our heads, Go Seung-ju’s hearty laugh was heard.

“There’s no need to be sorry. The head of our group is the chairman, so it’s only natural, isn’t it? Haha.”

Only after hearing Go Seung-ju’s easygoing hearty laugh did we raise our heads. Go Seung-ju, who had approached us, put one hand on each of our shoulders.

“As the chairman said, you’ve both worked hard. If you two grow up a little more, my shoulders will become lighter, haha.”

“Not at all, Uncle. We still have a long way to go.”

“You flatter us, Director.”

While we were exchanging compliments with Go Seung-ju, my grandfather looked at us and said.

“Let’s have our reunion in a comfortable place. There are people waiting, aren’t there? Hehe.”

We took the limousine waiting at the airport entrance and arrived at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. My grandfather had booked the most luxurious suite with his personal funds, but the elevator we were on stopped at Henry’s penthouse.

As we entered the penthouse living room, Henry, Claire, and Sun Hae-chul were there. Henry approached my grandfather with a smile on his face and politely extended his hand.

“Thank you very much for coming such a long way, Mr. Lee. I’m Henry Royce.”

“I sincerely thank you for inviting me from afar, Mr. Royce. I am Marco Dae-soo Lee.”

Henry wore an embarrassed smile as my grandfather introduced his English name with his Catholic baptismal name in fluent English.

“I think I should study Korean too, Mr. Lee. It’s because Sun’s father-like figure is using English, haha.”

“No, Mr. Royce. Language is just a vessel for containing the heart, isn’t it? What’s important is the heart you put in that vessel. It may be too early to say this from the first meeting, but I hope you’ll feel free to call me Marco, hehe.”

“Then please call me Henry as well, Marco. Haha.”

Calling someone by their first name in the English-speaking world means that they regard each other as close. To make progress right away… Is there something that people at the top have in common?

After exchanging friendly greetings with my grandfather, Henry stepped back, and Sun Hae-chul and Claire approached my grandfather.

“Thank you, Chairman.”

“What thanks? I’m standing in as the host instead of your deceased parents, so I feel sorry and grateful to both of you.”

Sun Hae-chul’s eyes turned red at my grandfather’s warm voice. I wondered if men became like that when they were about to get married.

“Chairman…”

“Even a rascal like you can shed tears, hehe.”

My grandfather stroked Sun Hae-chul’s shoulder and then revealed a soft smile to Claire.

“I am truly grateful, Mrs. Lawrence. I was worried about who would catch this floating duckweed, but when I heard from my eldest grandson that a girl like you would catch him, I don’t know how happy I was.”

“Not at all, Chairman. I am truly grateful for creating a man like Sun.”

Claire, whose face had turned slightly red, offered her thanks, but my grandfather lightly waved his hand.

“What thanks? It’s because there was a connection that it continued. Please catch this rascal well with the strength you showed when I first saw you, hehe.”

After the greetings between my grandfather and Claire, we sat on the sofa and listened to the two people’s wedding preparations.

“Would it be okay to hold it quietly, Marco?”

“Since the adults have decided, we have to do as they wish, hehe.”

My grandfather answered naturally as if it were obvious. The guests were only the people in this place, Claire’s mother who would come from the West, and the board members of Standard Capital, but Henry didn’t seem to mind much either and nodded.

“I understand, Marco. By the way, how old are you?”

“It’s been four years since I turned seventy. I’m managing myself from time to time so I don’t hear that I’m old and losing energy.”

Henry couldn’t hide his admiration at my grandfather’s words and laughed heartily.

“I can’t believe it, Marco. If I didn’t know you were Johnny’s grandfather, I would have thought you were just over sixty, haha.”

“I was also surprised when I first saw you, Henry, that you looked like you were in your forties, hehe.”

Henry, who had been laughing heartily and exchanging pleasantries, cleared his throat.

“I’m embarrassed to bring up a heavy topic ahead of a good event, but we are people who have to take responsibility for the livelihoods of many people, Marco.”

“What is it, Henry? Please tell me without reservation.”

Henry cleared his throat and started as my grandfather nodded.

“I listened to Johnny’s words and gathered and analyzed information from Triumph’s Asia network and the U.S. headquarters. It seems like a big deal will happen in Asia next year.”

As Henry told us about the information analyzed by Triumph Capital, in other words, the possibility of an Asian financial crisis, my grandfather let out a groan.

“Because of that, we are also repairing our house and raising our fence [preparing for the worst]. Even if pain follows, we have to squeeze out the rotten pus once, but I’m worried that innocent people will tremble in the cold and starve to death.”

If ordinary people heard this, they would pour out curses at my grandfather for being hypocritical, but it is realistically impossible to fix the current Republic of Korea with only our family’s money and power.

Above all.

Our family has feet on both sunny and shady lands, and the family business in the sunny land is smaller than that in the shady land. All we can do is embrace only as much as we can handle.

“Is there anything I can do to help, Marco? It’s because you’re like Sun’s father and your motherland is like my only daughter’s father-in-law, so it doesn’t feel like someone else’s business. Johnny’s advice too.”

Following this, as Henry revealed the insolvency of the Hango Group and the Ado Group that I had told him, my grandfather looked at me for a moment.

I looked at him with a firm gaze, hoping that my grandfather would make Henry his in-law and ally. My grandfather, who met my gaze, also nodded slightly and said to Henry.

“I will ask you when the time comes, Henry. I would be grateful if you could wait until then.”

“Not at all, Marco. To repay Johnny for helping me and my family get back on our feet, that much is nothing, haha.”

My grandfather was momentarily startled by Henry’s generous laughter, but he soon wore a smile.

It seemed that the heads of the two families had a good impression of each other, so the alliance between the Haedong Group and Triumph seemed to have been concluded.