Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 14

14. 3rd. Commencing Action (7)

A few days later.

After confirming that Lee Sung-min’s money had been deposited, Seon Hae-cheol crossed over to New York.

“Hoo, I feel a bit uneasy about tearing a father and daughter apart… but it’s better for them to be apart right now, so there’s no helping it.”

He sighed and entered the Triumph Capital headquarters. After taking the elevator and walking for a while, he entered a room with about ten monitors installed and had coffee with the woman who used the room.

On the desk of the woman who owned this room was a crystal nameplate elegantly engraved with ‘Clare Lawrence.’

“How is it, Clare?”

“Thirty-seven million dollars… it’s a modest sum, isn’t it?” Clare said in fluent Korean, putting down the documents and smiling, but Seon Hae-cheol sighed.

“Honestly, I don’t know why that kid is doing this. He comes from a family that lacks nothing.”

“His family must be quite wealthy?”

“He’s the eldest grandson of a family that’s among the wealthiest in Korea when it comes to cash. I went to college and studied abroad with his grandfather’s money and climbed all the way up here, so that says it all.”

Beyond that, Seon Hae-cheol had a very deep relationship with Lee Dae-soo, but it was a secret he couldn’t even tell Clare, who started as his subordinate and became his lover, maintaining their relationship for over ten years. Clare, unaware of Seon Hae-cheol’s inner thoughts, sparkled her eyes.

“He must be quite a remarkable person?”

“He is remarkable. Anyway, will you do it? You didn’t like our company, did you? You said everyone is as stiff as concrete.”

“There’s also the fact that the major shareholders are constantly bickering over the company.”

Clare had been feeling suffocated lately by Triumph Capital’s conservative culture and the power struggles between the major shareholder families.

In that situation, Seon Hae-cheol’s proposal, or rather, the investment company establishment plan that flew in from the other side of the world, was like a breath of fresh air.

Clare, who had been complaining about the company, took a sip of coffee and opened her mouth.

“Okay. I’ll join.”

“Okay. But…”

Seon Hae-cheol, who had paused for a moment, carefully looked around and asked.

“What about Henry? He’s still your father. You’ll need his permission… will you be okay?”

“You know Henry much better than I do; you’ve known him for over ten years. Of course, he’ll be very disappointed.”

Clare hit the nail on the head, and Seon Hae-cheol sighed.

“That’s true. He’s the head of the largest shareholder family, but if he finds out I’m taking away his daughter, whom he can’t even call his daughter, he’ll be very upset.”

Henry Royce, who the two were talking about, was the head of the Royce family, the largest shareholder family holding 17 percent of Triumph Capital’s shares.

Even though Clare was Henry’s daughter, Seon Hae-cheol was trying to take her away because he could see that she was suffocating. Clare looked at Seon Hae-cheol with a gentle smile.

“Still, you’re giving me this opportunity because you care about me. Thank you, Seon.”

After parting with Seon Hae-cheol, Clare took out her phone and made a call.

“Would it be alright if I saw you in ten minutes?”

“[…I have a meeting in 30 minutes, so that should work.]”

“I understand, Henry. I’ll see you in ten minutes.”

After the brief call, she immediately moved to Henry’s office.

“Hello, Henry.”

Clare, who closed the door and greeted him, bowed her head towards Henry, who was sitting at his desk with blond hair and a monocle.

Next to him, a banner with two lions and two cranes drawn diagonally and the motto ‘Ich Bau Auf Gott’ [German for ‘I Build on God’] embroidered on it was hanging.

Clare smiled bitterly as soon as she raised her head and saw the banner. *Isn’t her uncomfortable relationship with her father because of that banner on his desk?*

Unlike Clare, who felt uncomfortable, the man who got up from his chair approached Clare with a bright smile.

“Welcome, Clare. We live in the same building, but it’s so rare to see your face…”

“I’m sorry, Henry.”

Henry, who was about to open his arms for a hug, lowered his arms with a bitter smile when he saw Clare bowing her head unlike him.

“No need to be sorry, take a seat.”

“Yes.”

Henry, who was sitting on the sofa, pressed the intercom next to him.

“Two cups of tea. Golden Tips.”

It didn’t take long for two cups of tea, each costing well over tens of dollars, to be placed on the table at his word.

“It’s always good to drink.”

“I’m glad it suits your taste. This time, the one I brought in…”

Henry was the one who changed the subject among the two who had been talking only about tea until they had emptied half of their teacups.

“What did you want to see me about, Clare?”

“I’m going to quit Triumph Capital.”

Clang.

The bone china teacup fell from Henry’s hand. The reddish-brown tea spilled from the teacup and soaked into the Persian carpet on the floor.

“Cl, Clare…?”

Henry’s monocle was trembling slightly, but Clare didn’t waver at all.

“I’m sorry, Henry. I don’t think there’s anything more for me to do at Triumph Capital.”

“Nothing more to do! In the future, you’ll be in this room…!”

“My life is mine, Henry.”

Henry tried to dissuade Clare for a long time after that, but he sighed as he saw Clare’s eyes becoming more and more firm as he tried to stop her. *Wasn’t she just like the only woman he had loved so passionately that he had even shared his body temperature with?*

“It’s no use saying any more. Where are you going?”

“It’s a company that Seon introduced me to. Don’t worry.”

“Seon?”

Henry’s voice rose. *How could the name of his irreplaceable friend, who was younger than him but had been working with him in this company for nearly 20 years, come up?*

“Yes. It’s a new company that he’s setting up, and he said he’ll give me the CEO position.”

Henry frowned at Clare’s answer. It wasn’t so much that he was upset, but that he had a hunch.

“Are the friends who said they were going to quit also going to that company? Those friends also said they were going to join other companies.”

“I don’t know about that, but our limits are set within this company, so it might be better that way.”

Clare nodded with a bitter expression, and Henry couldn’t refute it either. Everyone who submitted their resignation was a rookie he had raised, but considering the internal politics and the conservative reality of American high society, *weren’t they people who would have a hard time climbing to high positions?*

Clare looked at the depressed Henry with an apologetic expression.

“It might be better that way. I can help you from the outside.”

“Don’t worry about me, Clare. It’s not so hard that I need your help. Rather, I might be able to help you.”

“······.”

The dark energy had disappeared from Henry’s face as he looked at Clare. He thought she was just leaving because she didn’t want to see him, but he was satisfied that she was at least worried about him, even if it was just words.

“Come back anytime if you change your mind. I’ll leave your desk and those friends’ desks empty.”

Unlike his considerate words, Henry’s eyes were filled with pity as he looked at Clare.

***

While I had entrusted Seon Hae-cheol with the establishment of an overseas investment company, I was focusing on the shares of Daehan Telecom with Park Tae-jin.

As of today, I had secured 40,000 shares under my name and 8,000 shares under Jang Ha-yeon’s name. The average price was around 92,000 won per share. At this rate, I could fill the target amount by December, when privatization would be announced, and increase the principal by more than three times through stock-secured loans, credit purchases, and margin trading.

Still, I couldn’t rest easy, so while reviewing the stock purchase scenario for tomorrow while looking at the documents, the doorbell rang.

“Who is it?”

“[It’s your uncle, Sung-min. I just got back to Korea.]”

Even in first class, a long-distance flight of over 10 hours would be tiring, but he came to me right away? I felt like I was taking advantage of my father’s best friend, so I quickly went outside.

I came home with Seon Hae-cheol and made ramen. At Seon Hae-cheol’s request for a soup to relieve his stomach, I chopped Cheongyang chili peppers [Korean green chili peppers] and green onions to make it spicy and refreshing.

He said there was no need to put it in a bowl, so I gave it to him in the pot, and Seon Hae-cheol blew on the hot ramen soup and diligently used his chopsticks.

“I’ve finished eating… here.”

In less than 10 minutes, Seon Hae-cheol put down the empty pot, drank water, and handed me an envelope from his bag.

“What is it?”

“The company’s members. Check it out.”

I took the documents out of the envelope and checked the personal information of the people who had decided to join my company.

“This is enough. But…”

I put down the documents and had one concern.

“I asked you to do it, but is it okay to just take them? I feel like I’ll be retaliated against later.”

“Don’t worry. Triumph won’t fall apart just because those friends are gone. If you’re really worried, you can repay them later.”

“Repay?”

“I told you last time. Don’t repay me, repay our company. I don’t know when it will be, but when your rank goes up, haha.”

Seon Hae-cheol’s words to repay Triumph Capital sounded strange. I don’t know what it means, but it won’t be bad, so I need to raise my rank quickly.

***

A few days later.

“Yes, CEO. …What are you talking about? Triumph Capital?”

Ko Seung-ju, who was looking at approval documents in his office, raised his voice at the shocking news delivered by Cho Young-chan, CEO of Haedong General Finance.

“[I just received a report. I know Hae-cheol is there, but 30 billion won isn’t pocket change for kids, is it? Even though Sung-min did a great job this time, I told you first because I was afraid the chairman would be surprised if he knew.]”

“Thank you, CEO. I’ll check it out and contact you, so please delay the report to the chairman.”

Ko Seung-ju was a key figure in the Haedong Group, but he had a duty to understand the situation first. He couldn’t stand by and watch the relationship between Lee Dae-soo, whom he followed like a father, and Lee Sung-min, whom he cherished more than his own nephew, fall apart again.

“[Alright.]”

After finishing the call with Cho Young-chan, Ko Seung-ju pressed a new phone number and waited for the call to connect.

“[Yes, Triumph Capital Korea…]”

Ko Seung-ju cut off Seon Hae-cheol’s greeting because he didn’t have time to exchange routine greetings.

“It’s me, Hae-cheol.”

“[Oh, 형님! What’s going on?]” [Hyeong-nim: Korean term for older brother or respected older male figure]

“I just received a call from CEO Cho. I heard that 30 billion won was transferred from Sung-min’s Haedong General Finance account to your company. What’s going on?”

“[You’re not suspecting that Sung-min is going to embezzle the money, are you?]”

Ko Seung-ju said soothingly at Seon Hae-cheol’s stiff question.

“A large sum of money suddenly went out. It’s a whopping 30 billion won. CEO Cho and I need to know the reason so we can tell the chairman, right?”

“[That Sung-min kid said he wanted to learn finance in the US after graduating.]”

Ko Seung-ju’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.

“Finance? America?”

“[Yes. Isn’t Korea too rigid to learn the paper business? Sung-min asked me to find a good place for him to study and gave me the tuition fee, haha.]”

Ko Seung-ju’s expression relaxed at Seon Hae-cheol’s laughing voice. It was because he knew that Seon Hae-cheol wouldn’t lie about this.

Ko Seung-ju, who had relieved his biggest concern, asked another question.

“What company are you going to invest in?”

“[I’m looking around here and there. It’s a place where a nephew-like guy will learn, so I can’t lose the principal, so I have to choose carefully, right? I can’t watch him get swindled by 엄한 guys.]” [Eomhan: strict, stern, or severe]

“…I understand. Let me know as soon as you decide on a company. I’ll tell the CEO and the chairman.”

“[Yes, 형님. Thank you, haha.]”

After finishing the call, Ko Seung-ju called Cho Young-chan and told him the truth.

“…So I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, CEO.”

“[That’s a relief. If Hae-cheol is watching over him, he won’t lose money.]”

Cho Young-chan also knew that Seon Hae-cheol was a talent that Lee Dae-soo had personally chosen, and his voice calmed down because he was a mentor who had taught him how to handle money when he was a college student in his 20s.

“Then I’ll report to the chairman.”

“[Take care.]”

Ko Seung-ju hung up the phone and called Lee Dae-soo again.

“This is Ko Seung-ju, Chairman.”

“[What’s going on, Seung-ju?]”

“I received a call from CEO Cho this morning…”

As soon as he reported the contents he had just confirmed, Lee Dae-soo laughed heartily.

“[으하하하! That kid is so cool. He paid a hefty tuition fee.]” [Eu-ha-ha-ha: Korean onomatopoeia for hearty laughter]

“That’s true, but I’m 정신없을 because the child who has been quiet until now is running around, haha.” [Jeongsin-eopseul: mentally distracted or overwhelmed]

“[What’s 정신없을 about? If Hae-cheol is right next to him, you don’t have to worry about losing money, right?]”

“That’s right, haha.”

Ko Seung-ju laughed and answered at Lee Dae-soo’s words. When you think about it, isn’t Seon Hae-cheol a person who has one foot in the Haedong Group? Very deeply.

“[Leave Sung-min alone and watch him. I want to see if he’ll just protect the money or if he can increase it, 으허허.]” [Eu-heo-heo: Another Korean onomatopoeia for laughter, slightly different in tone from eu-ha-ha-ha]

“I understand, Chairman.”

After finishing the call, Ko Seung-ju pressed Lee Sung-min’s phone number.

“It’s me, Sung-min. Shall we meet at school for a while?”

***

I was holding a 식판 [Sikpan: a divided food tray commonly used in Korean cafeterias] and sitting at a table in the student cafeteria, carefully watching Ko Seung-ju’s expression and asking.

“Are you okay, 백부님?” [Baekbu-nim: a respectful Korean term for uncle]

“I eat with the employees in the company cafeteria unless there’s something special, so I’m okay. Isn’t that right, Tae-jin?”

“Still, there are people watching…”

“I said it’s okay. I also got a degree from this school. It’s not like I came to a place I can’t come to, what.”

Ko Seung-ju was our direct senior who graduated from the Department of Business Administration of this school, so he laughed as if to say not to worry about him and ate the clam seaweed soup on his 식판.

“I drank heavily with the other group’s chief of staff last night, so it’s refreshing, haha.”

At that moment, the students around us looked at me, Ko Seung-ju, and Park Tae-jin and murmured.

“Who are those 아저씨들?” [Ajeossi-deul: Korean term for middle-aged men, often used informally]

“Chief of staff? Where?”

Thanks to that, unlike Ko Seung-ju, who was eating calmly, Park Tae-jin and I didn’t know if the rice was going into our mouths or our noses.

After eating without knowing the taste, we left the cafeteria and went to a quiet cafe outside the school and drank the coffee we ordered.

“I received a call from CEO Cho this morning. I heard you shot 30 billion won to Triumph Capital a while ago?”

I was expecting it, but the rumors were fast. As soon as I shot the money deposited in Haedong General Finance, the news got in.

I took a sip of coffee and looked at Ko Seung-ju and said.

“Yes. I want to receive practical training on Wall Street as well as domestic investment. And increase money.”

“That guy. Don’t lose it, haha.”

Ko Seung-ju laughed and drank coffee. I also smiled awkwardly and drank coffee, but the 30 billion won I sent to the United States will grow a hundred times, a thousand times, or even more than I can imagine.

If I grow the Haedong Group and swallow the Shinseong Group based on that money, how will Ko Seung-ju look at me?