Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 145

145. 42nd. That Winter, a Time of Warmth (3)

Holding my breath, I watched as Jang Ho-gun spoke.

“Alright. If Ha-yeon wants it this badly, how can I not give up one Managing Director Park? Take Director Jung of the Korea Hotel with you as well.”

“Father?”

“Father-in-law?”

Both Ha-yeon and I were surprised by Jang Ho-gun’s move. Giving up Park Tae-gon was one thing, but to send Jung Chang-ho, who he treated like a brother, as well? What was he planning?

Jang Ho-gun saw the hidden edge in my eyes and waved his hand.

“Director Jung is the type who won’t give you Haedong Group’s information, nor will he give our information to them, Sung-min. I guarantee it.”

In my past life, Jung Chang-ho maintained a defensive neutrality until he stepped down from the group, only protecting Korea Hotel, which was Ha-yeon’s share. Considering Jung Chang-ho’s actions, Jang Ho-gun’s words weren’t empty.

“Thank you, Father.”

“Thank you, Father-in-law.”

Looking at us as we answered, Jang Ho-gun said,

“There’s no need to thank me. As I said before, I won’t touch distribution, but the remaining businesses will clash with Haedong, even if you two are upset. We might be able to negotiate if the conditions are right.”

We received a declaration of war in exchange for taking the two people, but Ha-yeon and I nodded at Jang Ho-gun. Ha-yeon is now part of our family, and I’m confident I can protect her.

Jang Ho-gun relaxed his expression and took a sip of coffee. Was this finally happening?

“Let’s stop talking about business here. What about the wedding?”

Jang Ho-gun, who had returned from being the chairman of Shinseong Group to being a parent. At his question, I carefully opened my mouth.

“First of all…”

“We’ll register our marriage first, Father.”

Ha-yeon cut me off and made a bombshell announcement, widening the eyes of both Jang Ho-gun and me. Registering our marriage first? I never thought the words she said to me at the Misari cafe would become a reality.

“Ha, Ha-yeon-ah?”

“Sis, Sister?”

Both Jang Ho-gun and I stared at Ha-yeon with wide eyes, but her gaze was firm.

“I received a proposal from Sung-min on Christmas Eve and slept with him at the hotel. We’ve already seen everything, so we should register our marriage first. I’m going to move into Sung-min’s house, too.”

Showing off her ring as she spoke, it was getting worse and worse. She even brought that up!

“You, you, you guys…”

Even while stuttering, Jang Ho-gun glared at me with murderous eyes. I couldn’t say anything and my face turned pale from Jang Ho-gun’s axe-like gaze.

Even if you’re promised to marry a friend, even if he’s been marked as a prospective son-in-law, a son-in-law is a thief to fathers with daughters. Since we even had premarital relations, what father would look kindly on a son-in-law who hasn’t even had a wedding? It was a relief that Jang Ho-gun didn’t hit me on the head with the crystal ashtray on the table.

Ha-yeon looked at me and placed her hand on mine, saying,

“We’ve been dating for five years and haven’t caused any trouble. We’ve also worked hard to increase the wealth of both families. We won’t break up or divorce and will live happily ever after, so what’s the problem?”

I didn’t know Ha-yeon was such a bold woman. Still, what about me!

“So, we’ll register our marriage first. We’ll have a formal ceremony when the current situation calms down somewhat.”

How long had it been? Jang Ho-gun’s rough breathing calmed down. He looked at us and chuckled.

“Alright. I’ll think you’re trying to give me a grandchild as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“…Thank you, Father-in-law.”

As soon as Ha-yeon’s bright smile and my reluctant answer were over, Jang Ho-gun said to me with a stern expression.

“Sung-min, you.”

“Yes, Father-in-law.”

“If you make my daughter cry, I won’t let it go. Do you understand?”

Murderous intent overflowed from Jang Ho-gun’s eyes. How much would he hate me for having matched our compatibility before even having a wedding? As soon as Jang Ho-gun finished speaking, I answered loudly.

“Yes, Father-in-law!”

Hearing my answer, Jang Ho-gun nodded with a relieved expression.

“Good. You two prepare for the wedding yourselves. If I leave it to my wife, something will go wrong, so prepare as you wish and let me know, haha.”

Only after hearing Jang Ho-gun’s hearty laughter did my heart finally calm down. I’ve overcome one hurdle, so all that’s left is to see my grandfather.

***

Jang Ho-gun, left alone after sending Lee Sung-min and Jang Ha-yeon out.

He immediately made a call and summoned Lee Soo-han. Not long after, Lee Soo-han entered, and Jang Ho-gun told him the stories the two children had come to share.

“What do you think?”

Looking at Jang Ho-gun, who asked for his impressions so calmly, Lee Soo-han was dumbfounded.

“Ch, Chairman?”

The fact that Jang Ha-yeon had nearly 1 trillion won in cash was known as soon as he received a call from Haedong Securities that the profits had been settled. He knew that Jang Yong-jae, Jang Soo-yeon, and Jang Min-jae had only invested 500 million won each and received nearly 30 billion won, so Jang Ha-yeon, who had invested more than thirty times that amount, must have had 1 trillion won in her hands.

She was going to use all that money to buy all of Korea Hotel’s stock… Lee Soo-han looked at Jang Ho-gun with a dumbfounded expression.

“That’s what happened, Soo-han. Transfer 100 percent of Korea Hotel’s shares to Ha-yeon for 1 trillion won. Even after taxes, more than 700 billion won will be left, so you won’t hear talk of unfair trade.”

“Ha-yeon’s stubbornness, even you couldn’t break it, sir.”

Looking at Lee Soo-han, who called him ‘sir’ for the first time in a while, Jang Ho-gun smiled bitterly.

“What can I do? Ha-yeon said she’d feel better if she did that. So, I said those harsh words.”

There’s nothing more disqualifying as a parent than selling what you promised to give to your child for money. Jang Ho-gun felt endlessly sorry that he couldn’t even say thank you to his eldest daughter, who was considerate of him until the end, and to his eldest daughter, whom he wanted to take care of as much as possible but couldn’t.

Jang Ho-gun made a declaration of war in front of his daughter and the son-in-law who would protect her, for the first and last time, so that his daughter could leave without feeling burdened.

“Did you push her away to protect her, sir?”

“You could say that. If I coddle her, Yong-jae, Soo-yeon, Min-jae, my wife, and even the in-laws will all rush in.”

Lee Soo-han couldn’t help but feel sorry for Jang Ho-gun, who answered calmly. He felt even more sorry because he understood Jang Ho-gun, whom he had followed and served like a brother for over 20 years.

Lee Soo-han changed the subject to change the atmosphere. No matter how much he talked about it, it would only hurt ‘sir’s’ heart and make him feel worse.

“Still, I didn’t think Ha-yeon or Sung-min would do that, sir.”

“Why wouldn’t they? I was surprised too. But… that wasn’t his true intention towards Sung-min.”

Lee Soo-han’s eyes widened at Jang Ho-gun’s unexpected answer. Jang Ho-gun glared at Lee Sung-min as if he would kill him, but that wasn’t his true intention?

“What do you mean?”

“I even wrote a betrothal agreement with Myung-woo and promised to keep him by Ha-yeon’s side, so why would I hate him? They’re all grown up and promised to marry each other.”

“Still… it’s a bit much to have such an accident before the wedding…”

Jang Ho-gun said calmly, looking at Lee Soo-han, who trailed off because it was a shameful story.

“Ha-yeon told me she slept with Sung-min because she thought I’d feel sorry for selling Korea Hotel for money, so she said it to make me forget.”

“…Ha-yeon must have done it because she cherishes you, sir.”

Lee Soo-han’s answer wasn’t just to match the atmosphere. Among Jang Ho-gun’s children, Jang Ha-yeon was the only one who sincerely cared for Jang Ho-gun, even in his eyes.

“I, who used to meet this woman and that woman before I met Ha-yeon’s mother, have no right to say anything to the two children. Compared to a guy like me, Sung-min and Ha-yeon are both pure. Rather, it’s amazing that they endured for five years and only exploded now.”

Lee Soo-han nodded silently at Jang Ho-gun’s self-deprecating confession that he had no right to criticize others because his sins were great.

Jang Ho-gun, who took a light breath, composed himself and said to Lee Soo-han.

“With this, the in-laws won’t be able to harm Sung-min or Ha-yeon. If they do, Yong-jae, Soo-yeon, and Min-jae will all get hurt.”

Lee Soo-han nodded at Jang Ho-gun’s words.

“That’s right. After the children buy Moolsan’s shares with the money they have in their hands, if they transfer Korea Hotel’s shares to Ha-yeon…”

“All three children are drinking poison without knowing it’s poison. If they bite Ha-yeon even after doing that, the foreign exchange speculation and the share purchase will all explode.”

It was cruel, but it couldn’t be helped. Jang Ho-gun believed that they had to either remove the poison from their bodies or digest it in order to continue Shinseong Group and have the qualifications to reunite it.

Lee Soo-han also knew Jang Ho-gun’s intentions and answered.

“That’s right. Yong-jae, Soo-yeon, and Min-jae also made money thanks to Haedong Securities, and if they buy Moolsan’s shares and then Moolsan sells all of Korea Hotel’s shares to Ha-yeon, the stock price will rise.”

Jang Ho-gun nodded at the scenario Lee Soo-han presented.

“In that situation, if they cling to Haedong Securities’ Hong Kong investment, they’ll be tightening their own noose. With the 1 trillion won Ha-yeon has in her hands, she can immediately become the largest shareholder of Shinseong Moolsan through a rights offering.”

Shinseong Moolsan is the company at the top of the governance structure of Jang Ho-gun’s affiliates. Who in their right mind would pass up the opportunity to become the largest shareholder of such a company and buy shares in Korea Hotel and SH Asset Development, some of its affiliates, for 1 trillion won each?

As Jang Ho-gun revealed all his inner thoughts, Lee Soo-han straightened his posture.

“I understand, Chairman. Before transferring Korea Hotel to Ha-yeon, I’ll have the three children buy Shinseong Moolsan’s stock with the cash that went into them. I’ll let Managing Director Park know as well.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Director Lee.”

It’s something that neither Jang Ha-yeon nor Jang Yong-jae, Jang Soo-yeon, or Jang Min-jae can complain about. Jang Ho-gun and Lee Soo-han believed that Ha-yeon had taken on burdens that she didn’t have to, so the remaining three children had to take on that much burden to be fair.

***

“So… that’s what it was.”

“…I’m sorry, Sung-min. I couldn’t help it because I thought my father wouldn’t feel comfortable if I didn’t do that. You know how I feel, right?”

As I was driving to Samcheong-dong, I sighed after hearing the reason why Ha-yeon, who was sitting in the passenger seat, revealed our premarital relationship.

Who could say anything when she wanted to ease Jang Ho-gun’s heavy heart, who was passing Korea Hotel to his daughter in a selling way, not giving it to her? My woman wants that.

“I know you like me. Anyway… when will Father-in-law hand over Korea Hotel?”

Instead of gloomy talk, I turned to business talk, and I was subtly curious. What does Ha-yeon think about the acquisition of Korea Hotel?

After a moment of hesitation, Ha-yeon opened her mouth.

“Around the time Yong-jae, Soo-yeon, and Min-jae buy enough Shinseong Moolsan stock?”

I was shocked inside when I heard Ha-yeon’s answer. I thought so too? I was curious about how many calculations Ha-yeon was thinking about, so I shamelessly asked.

“Why?”

“Why else? If I bring Korea Hotel [acquire it], Moolsan will have 1 trillion won in cash. Then the stock price will go up… I thought so because my father and Director Lee wouldn’t miss such an opportunity.”

“I see…”

She didn’t show it, but Ha-yeon was no ordinary fox, as expected of a chaebol [family-owned conglomerate] family member. I need to ask more about whether she’s thinking about something else.

“Is that all?”

“No. If my father and Director Lee do that for me, Yong-jae, Soo-yeon, Min-jae, and even my mother or Joonguk Ilbo [a major newspaper] won’t be able to touch the fact that you and I made money from Hong Kong investments. Unless they’re stupid.”

“Si, Sister?”

At that moment, my whole body trembled without me knowing.

As Ha-yeon said, if Jang Yong-jae, Jang Soo-yeon, and Jang Min-jae buy Shinseong Moolsan’s stock through a public offering or in the market, they’ll be caught in an undeniable crime of taking unfair profits. Isn’t it because they knew Shinseong Moolsan’s stock price would rise that they swept up the stock?

Nevertheless, if they touch our Hong Kong investment, it will also come out that the three siblings put a spoon on the Hong Kong investment [benefited from it], and the fact that they bought Shinseong Moolsan’s stock will also come out during the investigation process.

It’s a structure that they can never touch unless they’re crazy, so I didn’t stop the acquisition of Korea Hotel, but I didn’t know Ha-yeon was aiming for this far…

Ha-yeon looked at me strangely as I swallowed dry saliva while looking at the window.

“Are you sick? You’re even sweating… did you catch a cold?”

Ha-yeon looked at me with a worried expression and took out a handkerchief to wipe the right edge of my forehead, but I didn’t care about that.

“Then… Uncle will also get hurt, is that okay? Father-in-law will also have to take responsibility if the three people get involved?”

I thought it would be good if Ha-yeon and Jang Ho-gun broke up, but I was flustered because Ha-yeon was the one who was breaking up first. But Ha-yeon said firmly.

“It can’t be helped. I’m also bringing my company for that much money thinking about my father. My father should also take care of that problem.”

“Still… if Uncle knows that you were thinking of buying Korea Hotel with this in mind…”

He would feel a tremendous sense of betrayal. Wasn’t Jang Ho-gun so fond of Ha-yeon?

Even as I couldn’t continue speaking, Ha-yeon released an even more surprising answer.

“As a manager, that’s how you and I are being filial to my father [showing respect and duty]. My father also said that he would clash with us in other businesses, even if it’s just distribution. Business is business, so we have to clash with what we have to clash with and negotiate with what we have to negotiate with. And.”

It was a story that would make me faint the more I heard it, but Ha-yeon continued the words she had stopped.

“I’m going to live with you now. Moreover, I’m not just an ordinary daughter-in-law, but a eldest grandson’s wife, so I have to draw a clear line. My grandfather cherishes me as much as my father.”

I finally understood Ha-yeon’s heart. She was putting all her eggs in one basket [committing fully] to make it clear that she was a member of our family, even though she only used the Jang surname.

Perhaps Jang Ho-gun thought that would be better for his daughter and made a declaration of war. At least Haedong won’t be pushed back by Shinseong.

Even so, both my father-in-law and my woman were pitiful people to me today. I silently drove the car to Samcheong-dong.