Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 174

174. 49th. Marriage is Work for Some People (3)

I changed clothes and met Jang Ha-yeon, and we headed to a popular black pork restaurant in Jeju Island. Across the table, which was already laden with side dishes, we stared at the thick pork belly and abalone sizzling on the grill.

“Is this your first time at a place like this?”

“Huh? …Yes.”

Jang Ha-yeon hesitated before answering. What chaebol [a wealthy, family-controlled conglomerate] would frequent a humble pork restaurant like this?

“My dear, this is a momentous occasion. If you live with me, we’ll be coming to places like this often, hehe.”

“Are you going to keep teasing me?”

I shrugged, seeing her playfully sulky expression.

“You should prepare yourself. I know a lot of great restaurants besides this one. It’s only a matter of time before you gain weight, hehe.”

“Ugh… hurry up and cut the meat. It’s going to burn.”

“Yes, yes.”

I chuckled, teasing her gently, and then smoothly complied with her request, cutting the pork and abalone into bite-sized pieces.

“How do you eat it?”

“Watch closely, hehe.”

I picked up a piece of the sizzling meat with my chopsticks, dipped it in the mel젓 [salted anchovy sauce] simmering on the grill, and then placed it on a lettuce leaf spread out in my other hand. After that, I added a dab of ssamjang [thick, spicy paste] and wrapped it all up.

“This is how you wrap it. Say ‘ah.’”

“Did you wrap this for me?”

Jang Ha-yeon’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the lettuce wrap in my hand. I smiled at her.

“My father said you should always give the first piece of meat to the woman you love.”

Before my parents passed away, our family used to grill meat on a barbecue outdoors on weekends. Every time, my father would wrap the first piece of grilled meat in lettuce and feed it to my mother.

“Your father must have been a very romantic person.”

“Even now, he’s probably grilling meat in heaven every weekend and giving the first piece to my mother. Eat up.”

Jang Ha-yeon smiled softly as she looked at me holding out the wrap, supporting my hand with her own.

“I’ll enjoy it, honey. Ah-.”

She carefully took the wrap from my hand and popped it into her mouth in one bite. Her chewing face was so adorable.

“How is it?”

After chewing thoughtfully, she exclaimed, “It’s delicious!”

Seeing her happy made me feel proud. In my past life, I used to come down here with Park Tae-jin sometimes to clear my head, and we would drink soju [Korean rice wine] with the meat….

After that, Jang Ha-yeon and I diligently devoured the grilled meat and abalone. Whether it was because it was her first time eating it, or simply because it was delicious, she enthusiastically moved her chopsticks and wrapped the food to eat.

“My wife is really enjoying her meal. It’s so nice to see, hehe.”

“I have to eat a lot. My husband is paying for it.”

After finishing our meal, we each had a bowl of naengmyeon [cold noodles] for dessert before getting up from our seats.

“Thank you for the meal, boss.”

“I was watching you eat, and it looks like you’re newlyweds?”

At the question from the kindly-looking owner, Jang Ha-yeon hugged my arm tightly.

“Yes, we’re newlyweds. Thank you for the meal, ma’am.”

“Oh my, it must be a wonderful time for you to eat so well. I’ll give you a 10,000 won discount since the new bride enjoyed it so much.”

Giving a 10,000 won discount when every penny was precious? Jang Ha-yeon waved her hand at the owner’s generosity.

“No, thank you, ma’am. We should pay for what we ate…”

“Oh my, newlyweds should save money to live well, right? I feel like you’re my daughter. The country’s economy is so tough that the president is trying to fill the coffers by bringing in foreign money, so how much harder must it be for young people? Isn’t that right?”

We could only offer an awkward smile at the owner’s generous heart.

“Let’s take it, honey. We can come again next time.”

“Should we…?”

At her hesitant question, I nodded, and she let go of my arm and bowed to the owner.

“Thank you, ma’am. You’ll receive many blessings.”

“Our new bride is so kind. Thank you for the kind words.”

After paying, we took a deep breath, looking at the sky that had turned crimson.

“Hoo, that was a good meal. This place is great, right?”

“The food is delicious, and the owner is kind, so it’s perfect. We should have the Jeju Korea Hotel people hold their 회식 [company dinner/gathering] here every week at our expense. It would be nice to have the resort people have their 회식 too… what do you think?”

“Sure. You praised my sister, so we should do that much for her, hehe.”

There was no reason to object. It wasn’t a bad thing in terms of employee benefits, and since we were doing it with our own money instead of using company funds to show off, I readily agreed.

***

We had a hearty lunch and dinner, and we went to sleep only after spending our official first night as newlyweds very energetically. What woke us up from our unconscious sleep was the sunlight streaming in through the window.

While drinking coffee after washing up, Jang Ha-yeon clicked her tongue as she watched me cut and eat pancakes.

“How can you eat that in the morning? I’m still full from what I ate yesterday.”

“We used a lot of energy yesterday. So I have to refuel.”

I answered nonchalantly and put a pancake in my mouth, and she smiled at me.

“Anyone would think you’re fueling a power plant.”

“That’s not wrong. I need to eat to have energy. I need to gather energy and run the power plant again tonight, hehe.”

I smiled slyly and looked at her, and she asked me.

“What can’t my husband do? He seems to be good at both day and night work…”

“Whose husband am I?”

“What else could you be?”

Whether it was day or night work, it was something that could be done if you lived life twice, but I couldn’t reveal that, so I replaced my answer with a smile.

After finishing our meal, we dressed in casual suits and went down to the hotel lobby.

“What is the guest room occupancy status?”

“The occupancy rate is just over 80 percent due to the ongoing financial crisis. I apologize, President.”

It was Jang Ha-yeon’s first business inspection since being promoted from executive director of Korea Hotel to co-CEO, but the performance was lackluster, so the executives, including the president of Jeju Korea Hotel, bowed their heads to her.

“It can’t be helped now, even in normal times. It’s difficult to hire new people, but there won’t be any reduction in existing staff, so let’s try to cheer up, everyone.”

The expressions of the executives changed at her words of consolation.

“P, President?”

“These are difficult times for everyone. But still, maintain the freshness of the ingredients as usual. Turn any ingredients that are nearing their expiration date into meals and distribute them to the elderly living alone, and promote it in the media. Make sure it doesn’t burden them when you promote it.”

Jang Ha-yeon’s instructions were wise and considerate, befitting a hotel manager.

Taking care of the quality of the ingredients, which is the top priority for the hotel’s image, using the costs that would be lost on image marketing, and even considering the situation of the beneficiaries who would have their faces exposed in the promotion process were things that could never be found in Jang Su-yeon.

After that, Jang Ha-yeon and I went to the Haedong Group condo resort nearby to check the status of the guest rooms.

“Hoo, it seems like we’ve wrapped up the New Year’s business.”

Looking at her, who sighed and drooped her shoulders powerlessly, I put my hand on her shoulder.

“The leisure business is sensitive to the economy. Your grandfather and the other elders will understand.”

“Still…”

Her expression was not good as she trailed off. Was she feeling burdened because she was an illegitimate child but became my wife and the eldest grandson’s daughter-in-law of our family?

“Why don’t we prepare for the economic recovery? It seems like the leisure business will only recover when the economy improves.”

Even when I suggested an alternative, her expression didn’t improve. My wife was having a hard time, so it seemed like I had to step in.

“Shall we go for a drive and get some fresh air?”

“A drive?”

“There’s a place I want to show you.”

“Really?”

We immediately got in the car and drove along the coastal road. After driving for a while, we arrived at a small village in Wolnyeong-ri.

We parked the car at the entrance of the village and walked through the village alleys until we arrived at a place with a view of the sea. There was a colony of flat and wide cacti.

“…Cacti? Who planted them?”

“No one planted them. They grew here on their own.”

Jang Ha-yeon’s eyes widened at my answer.

“A native species?”

She has a hobby of growing plants. She knows a lot as much as she likes it, so she seemed surprised that cacti grew naturally in Korea.

“I don’t know why, but they grow naturally here.”

This cactus habitat in front of us is a place that would later be designated as Natural Monument No. 429 around 2001. The reason I showed her this cactus colony was to give her an idea.

“How about growing the cacti that grow here on a farm and grinding the cactus fruit to make chocolate and sell it?”

“Chocolate?”

“And it would be nice to design it with 돌하르방 [stone grandfather statues, a symbol of Jeju Island]. It would be boring to only make 백년초 [Opuntia ficus-indica, a type of cactus] chocolate, so we could also make tangerine chocolate, and if the response is good, we could make biscuits, cookies, and madeleines. What do you think?”

Her eyes sparkled when she heard my idea.

“It seems like it would work? It may not be as good as the Mandarin Oriental rose jam, but it’s worth a try. We could create a story and build a resort and an experiential farm.”

As she said, some famous hotels have a signature food that symbolizes the hotel, and each food has a story. When everyone is preoccupied with the immediate challenges, I wanted to create a commemorative food that symbolizes the Haedong Group’s leisure business with her.

Jang Ha-yeon, who had been excited for a while, suddenly became sullen. Why?

“Is there a problem?”

“Money.”

“Money?”

“The company has to tighten its belt, so I’ll have to use my own money… but I used all the money I earned in Hong Kong to acquire stocks.”

Due to the acquisition of Korea Hotel shares, Jang Ha-yeon’s bank balance was currently 0 won.

“You can use my money?”

“The leisure business is my business. So I have to use my own money.”

Seeing her 모습 [appearance/attitude] of distinguishing between public and private matters even as a married couple made me feel sorry and affectionate. I immediately took out my cell phone and called Seon Hae-cheol.

“Yes, Uncle. How much revenue did Titanic, which we invested in before, generate? Yes? It’s not a waste. Okay, Uncle. I’ll see you when I go up to Seoul.”

After finishing the call, I said to her, “Don’t worry about money, honey.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Do you remember us investing in Titanic?”

She blinked for a moment, then exclaimed.

“…Ah! That’s right? That… did it do well?”

Looking at her, who was full of expectations, I held up both hands with all my fingers spread out.

“Looking at your expression, it’s not $100 million… could it be…?”

It must be a number that is difficult to say because it is hesitant. Since my woman can’t say it, I’ll have to say it myself?

“$1 billion!”

“Really?”

Her eyes widened.

“Since you invested $40 million, including what I gave you… even if the distributor takes half, the money that will be distributed to you is only $80 million. How about that?”

I only told her the results based on the current score, but if Titanic’s sales reach the original score of $1.85 billion, her dividends alone will be $148 million. Her expression brightened as the money problem was solved.

“Thank you, honey.”

“No need to thank me. It’s enough that your face has brightened.”

I smiled and asked her what I wanted to ask.

“But… how are you going to use the money?”

“I’m going to build a farm in this village and hand it over to the villagers. I’m also going to set up a cactus fruit processing plant and hand it over.”

I thought I was hearing nonsense. It would cost at least tens of billions of won to build a farm and a factory, but she was going to hand it all over to the villagers for free?

She said to me, who was blinking in disbelief.

“These villagers are the ones who protected the cacti, right?”

“That’s true, but… that’s not all, is it?”

There’s no way this smart woman would do business that only loses money. I believed that she would try to take care of both 명분 [justification/reputation] and 실리 [practicality/profit], and she presented a specific plan.

“Of course. We’ll create an experience program in connection with the resort hotel to be built near the farm, and we’ll set a condition that we’ll exclusively purchase the powder made at the cactus fruit factory. We’ll also attach a condition that we have the right of first refusal when selling.”

As expected. Like her, she quickly came up with a way to thoroughly prepare for problems that could abuse our goodwill.

“Then that’s it? Let’s secure photo data and go back quickly.”

“Okay.”

I quickly took pictures of everything from the cactus habitat to Wolnyeongkoji and its surroundings. Of course, we also took selfies of just the two of us.

***

A few days later.

Lee Dae-soo in Samcheong-dong received calls from Lee Seong-min and Jang Ha-yeon.

“Hmm… I understand. Let’s think about it.”

Lee Dae-soo answered calmly and put down the phone, then laughed heartily.

“Hehe, what an amazing couple.”

I wanted them to get out of work and rest, but their nature didn’t go anywhere, and the eldest grandson and his wife couldn’t stand it and came up with a business. Lee Dae-soo was just proud of the two people who were taking care of the family even during their honeymoon.

How much time had passed? Lee Dae-soo picked up the phone.

“Seung-joo? If you have time, let’s go to Jeju Island tomorrow and get some fresh air. Tell CEO Tae that he has to go too.”

It seemed like he was acting out of line, but seeing the eldest grandson and his wife working hard to help the family even though it was their honeymoon, he felt embarrassed to be lounging around at home. Lee Dae-soo’s face was full of satisfaction as he put down the phone.

***

The next morning.

“H, Grandfather?”

“H, Grandfather?”

We were eating breakfast and exercising at the fitness center when we heard that our grandfather, Go Seung-joo, and Tae Jae-ho had arrived, so we hurriedly washed up and went down to the lobby in our training clothes.

“You look younger and better dressed like that, hehe.”

“How did you come all the way here…?”

“I didn’t want to disturb your honeymoon, but I couldn’t stand it after hearing what I heard yesterday. So I came with these two people.”

Grandfather was also a great person. He was a person who guarded the Samcheong-dong study, but he flew to Jeju Island.

I looked at her and opened my mouth after seeing her face nodding slightly.

“Okay, Grandfather. I’ll get ready and come down soon.”

“I’ll be back soon, Grandfather.”

We bowed to our grandfather and quickly returned to our room to change our clothes. Jang Ha-yeon, who had been bare-faced because she was exercising at the fitness center, diligently moved her hands to put on makeup, and I, who had changed my clothes, ran to the table where the computer was placed.

“Honey! Where’s the report you organized?”

“On the table over there!”

I rummaged through the pile of documents on the table and barely found the business plan. Since we had requested the hotel to install a computer and printer from the day we found the business item, the desk in our room had turned into an office.

I gathered the data and went down in the elevator with Jang Ha-yeon, who had only finished her basic makeup at the speed of light. What kind of evaluation will the business that we prepared for the first time as a couple receive?