Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 87

87. An Uneasy New Life (4)

Park Tae-gon, unable to hide his embarrassment, spoke to Lee Soo-han.

“What are you talking about, Chief? That Seon Hae-cheol made a fortune with his yen-dollar speculation; someone like me…?”

He wanted to say that Seon Hae-cheol was an unreachable figure, but Park Tae-gon saw the hand Lee Soo-han was holding and closed his mouth.

“I know. With that much merit, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be on the management team at Triumph headquarters. But I heard he resigned from that company.”

“Yes?”

Park Tae-gon, who had unknowingly raised his voice, quickly shut his mouth.

“I’m sorry, Chief.”

“No, I’d be surprised too if I were you. Seeing him leave after achieving so much and going to another company, one that seems even smaller, it’s hard to figure out what he’s thinking, haha.”

Lee Soo-han chuckled and waved his hand. But even he couldn’t understand what Seon Hae-cheol was thinking, leaving the easy path for a rough one.

Although he didn’t show it, Park Tae-gon had the same question.

“If it’s a smaller company, which one are you talking about?”

“Standard Capital. You know it, right?”

“Yes. It was one of the places we worked with last time.”

“I remember. Seon Hae-cheol became the head of the Korean branch of that company.”

Park Tae-gon barely managed to hold back another outburst and nodded. Once was enough for such a display, wasn’t it?

Lee Soo-han smiled at him and then opened his mouth.

“I’ll take care of looking into their headquarters, so you go to the Korean branch. Meet Seon Hae-cheol and find out what Lee Seong-min is up to.”

“Lee Seong-min, isn’t he the eldest grandson of the Haedong Group?”

Park Tae-gon couldn’t help but know. Wasn’t he a *chaebol* [a wealthy family-owned conglomerate] heir with different DNA from those who just flaunted their bloodline?

“That’s right. He’s quite sharp for his young age. Two years ago, he also worked with Executive Director Jang Ha-yeon on the Haedong Department Store consulting project. Lee Seong-min is also at that company.”

Park Tae-gon knew exactly what he had to do. Didn’t he hear about the owner’s family when he and Lee Soo-han were sharing celebratory drinks at a street stall after returning from Kobe on the day of the earthquake?

“I should focus on Lee Seong-min rather than Seon Hae-cheol. He’s the only son of the chairman’s friend.”

Among the stories Park Tae-gon had heard were the relationships between Jang Ha-yeon and Lee Seong-min, and their parents, Jang Ho-geon and Lee Myeong-woo. Seeing that Park Tae-gon remembered that fact, Lee Soo-han nodded.

“That’s right. Go there around the afternoon.”

Lee Soo-han took out a map from his pocket, marking the location of Standard Capital, and handed it to Park Tae-gon.

“Understood, Chief.”

Park Tae-gon carefully put the map in his pocket. Lee Soo-han, who was smiling at the sight, called out to Park Tae-gon with a look of realization.

“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that you came back alive thanks to a friend when we were drinking at a street stall last time?”

“Yes. His name is John Davidson. If I had stubbornly stayed in Kobe, I wouldn’t have been able to drink celebratory drinks with you, Chief.”

Park Tae-gon, who was the person involved, didn’t need to say it, and Lee Soo-han also wanted to meet this friend named John Davidson. Even if it was a judgment as an investor, it was still an act of saving a person, wasn’t it? With that kind of luck, he couldn’t be an ordinary person.

“Has he still not contacted you? If I were him, I would have called to take credit.”

“He took a flight to New York that morning and hasn’t been in touch since. I wanted to say thank you before we parted…”

As Park Tae-gon trailed off with a bitter smile, Lee Soo-han opened his mouth.

“Don’t be too disheartened. The world is both wide and narrow. You’ll see him someday.”

“Thank you, Chief.”

Both Park Tae-gon, who received the consolation, and Lee Soo-han, who offered it, had no idea that ‘John Davidson’ was living in the same land as them.

***

I sighed as I reviewed documents in the Standard Capital office in Yeouido.

“Last year’s overall balance isn’t good.”

“What can you do? The yen-dollar exchange rate recovered quickly.”

Seon Hae-cheol was right.

The Republic of Korea’s overall balance for 1995 was a negative 6 billion dollars.

Considering the money earned by the four groups through yen-dollar speculation as I designed it, plus the money invested by Haedong Group in the U.S. stock market, and the money spent by Haedong Corporation on acquiring overseas mines, it was actually a negative 10 billion dollars.

As expected, the signs were showing. If we can get through this year without raising suspicion from other groups, we’ll be on standby from next year.

As I unclenched my fist and planned the next steps, there was a knock and an employee came in. His face was filled with tension.

“D-, Director, a guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

“Yes. He said to let you know that he’s Park Tae-gon, a director from the Shinseong Group’s secretary office, and you’ll know who he is.”

At those words, the faces of the three of us changed. How did Park Tae-gon find out about this place?

The employee, noticing our stiff expressions, hesitated but went to Seon Hae-cheol’s desk and handed him Park Tae-gon’s business card.

“Show him to the reception room. Bring two coffees.”

I watched the employee leave and said to Park Tae-jin.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], quickly put the group data and nameplate in the drawer and go to the conference room.”

Park Tae-jin was flustered as I pointed to the door connecting our room to the conference room.

“Yes?”

“He probably came to see me. I think my uncle heard that I said I was working here when I was dating Noona [older sister or female friend].”

I expected it, but I didn’t think he would act this quickly. If he finds out that Park Tae-jin is here, this fact will reach Jang Ho-geon’s ears. That could lead to an investigation into the relationship between Haedong Group and Standard Capital.

“Understood, *Doryeonnim* [young master].”

I watched Park Tae-jin quickly put the documents and nameplate in the drawer and said to Seon Hae-cheol.

“Uncle, tell them to prepare another coffee.”

“Surely you…?”

“I think he came to see me, so it’s polite to meet him, right?”

“B-, but it’s dangerous, isn’t it?”

“He probably already knows I’m working here. Right now, we need to prevent Tae-jin Hyung from being exposed.”

Park Tae-jin might already be exposed, but if we can prevent Park Tae-gon from seeing him directly, we can hide the relationship between Haedong Group and Standard Capital. To do that, I have to be the bait.

After a moment of consideration, Seon Hae-cheol nodded.

“Alright. It’ll be good to meet that friend you saved, too.”

Seon Hae-cheol and I got up and went to the reception room.

“Oh, Director Park. It’s been a while, haha.”

Park Tae-gon stood up from the sofa as Seon Hae-cheol greeted him with a hearty laugh.

“It’s been almost a year, CEO Seon Hae-cheol. It’s nice to meet you. But… who is this next to you?”

Unlike his words, Park Tae-gon was staring at me intently. I quickly bowed my head towards him.

“Nice to meet you, Director Park Tae-gon. I’m Lee Seong-min from Standard Capital.”

“Lee Seong-min…?”

“I was with Haedong Group until last year, but I joined as a new employee this year. I didn’t want to be tied to one place, so I applied and they accepted me, haha.”

Unlike me, who laughed it off with ease, Park Tae-gon’s eyes wavered for a moment. But just for a moment, Park Tae-gon quickly put on a business smile and opened his mouth.

“I heard you’re Chairman Lee Dae-soo’s eldest grandson, and it seems you’re very progressive.”

“Well, well, it’s not often that veterans of the war meet like this, so let’s have some tea, Director Park. Seong-min, you sit down too.”

We sat down and talked while drinking the coffee that the employee brought. To be exact, I was just quietly drinking coffee while Seon Hae-cheol and Park Tae-gon talked about their experiences in Japan.

“It was really close back then, Director Park. If we had made a mistake, we would have slept in Kobe and woken up in the afterlife, wouldn’t we? Haha!”

“I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about that, CEO Seon. We owe our lives to that friend, John Davidson.”

Park Tae-gon, wearing a bitter smile, asked Seon Hae-cheol.

“CEO Seon, do you happen to know that friend’s contact information?”

“What for?”

“I want to repay the favor to that friend who left without giving me a chance to say thank you, haha.”

I was mentally exhausted from trying to come up with all sorts of sad thoughts. How could I not laugh when I, who was sitting across from him drinking coffee, was ‘John Davidson’ and I was hearing those words? Nevertheless, I had no choice but to wear a mask until the time came.

Seon Hae-cheol looked at Park Tae-gon, who was staring at the coffee in his cup, and made a troubled expression.

“I’m sorry, Director Park. That friend said he submitted his resignation as soon as he finished that project.”

“Yes?”

“I heard he made a solid fortune from that. He said he had no more regrets.”

“I see…”

“Well, he gave the company that much profit at his age, so he must have received a generous distribution… I would have done the same, haha.”

Seon Hae-cheol erased the smile from his face as he saw disappointment spread across Park Tae-gon’s face at his lie.

“I’ll pass on Director Park’s greetings. That friend isn’t one to waste money, and he’s ambitious, so he’ll come back someday. If there’s a chance in the future, you’ll be able to meet him.”

“Thank you, CEO.”

I felt sorry for Park Tae-gon for no reason. To ease this feeling of guilt, I had no choice but to wait until next year.

“I have something to say, so I’d like you to send Lee Seong-min out.”

“Alright. Seong-min, go and do your work.”

It seemed like he was going to ask about me, since he was trying to send me away. If he wanted to, I would gladly step aside.

***

Park Tae-gon opened his mouth after watching Lee Seong-min leave the reception room.

“What do you think of Lee Seong-min?”

“Why are you suddenly asking that, Director Park?”

“Isn’t it usually an unusual thing? Considering Haedong Group’s growth in recent years and Lee Seong-min’s position within the group… Haha.”

Seon Hae-cheol nodded, understanding the many meanings contained in Park Tae-gon’s hearty laughter.

“It’s unusual. He has both justification and skill, but he only chooses difficult paths. He’s also the only son of my late friend, but he’s different from other *chaebol* heirs, haha.”

“That’s right. I’ve heard various stories since I joined the group’s secretary office, so I’ve become curious about Lee Seong-min, haha.”

Park Tae-gon believed that Seon Hae-cheol would understand even if he didn’t say everything in detail.

There was no need for lengthy explanations in conversations between people who were beyond a certain level. Hadn’t he already received the question that he had skillfully thrown and returned the desired answer?

Seon Hae-cheol did not disappoint Park Tae-gon’s expectations.

“Director Park probably knows that Seong-min is smart… and he’s also diligent. I worry that he’ll collapse when I see him coming to the company early in the morning to check exchange rates and analyze companies.”

“Is it to that extent?”

“Yes. Even if people look at him with prejudice and point fingers, people who know him will never be able to ignore Seong-min. That’s why I asked the U.S. headquarters to bring him in with me when I changed jobs.”

The first part of what Seon Hae-cheol was saying now was absolutely not a lie.

In just three years, and at the age of twenty-six, hadn’t he entered the top 100 richest people in the world? Even considering seed money and connections, building that much wealth in the jungle-like global financial market was the sublimation of investment into art itself.

Park Tae-gon wondered if Seon Hae-cheol was exaggerating to him on behalf of Lee Seong-min, but he couldn’t find a single lie on his face. If those words were true, he could understand why the chairman he served had chosen Lee Seong-min as his son-in-law.

“If CEO Seon says that much, it seems like he has a promising future, haha.”

“I’ve known him for a long time, so there’s some personal bias, but he’s a child with plenty of potential, haha.”

Park Tae-gon laughed heartily with Seon Hae-cheol and neatly emptied the remaining sip of coffee. Seon Hae-cheol also emptied his coffee, which had cooled to a good temperature, as if responding to the sign that he had finished his business.

“I hope to see you often in the future, CEO Seon.”

“The same goes for me, Director Park. We have a strong relationship that was forged in Japan, don’t we? I hope we can build a good relationship, whether it’s official or personal.”

Seon Hae-cheol stood up with Park Tae-gon and shook hands. The two men smiled at each other, pleased with the strength in their clasped hands.

***

As soon as Park Tae-gon returned to the company, he went to Lee Soo-han and reported what had happened today.

“It’s to that extent, huh?”

“Yes, Chief. It hasn’t been long since they opened, so we’ll have to watch them more, but it didn’t seem like Seon Hae-cheol was lying.”

“Hmm…”

Lee Soo-han made a humming sound after hearing Park Tae-gon’s words.

“Considering what I heard from the chairman, it’s probably not a lie. It’s true that he’s smart and works hard, but I don’t know why he’s wandering around in the middle of nowhere.”

It was incomprehensible even when thinking about it logically. If a successor showed that much competence, it was normal for a *chaebol* to immediately bring him into the group and give him power, but why was he doing that?

Park Tae-gon carefully opened his mouth.

“It’s a short-sighted thought, but I think it might be due to Chairman Lee Dae-soo’s personal tendencies. He has a solid governance structure, so wouldn’t he not have much to worry about?”

“Still, that person has fewer days to live than he has lived, so I don’t know why he’s doing that.”

Park Tae-gon lowered his head at Lee Soo-han’s rebuttal.

“I’m sorry, Chief.”

“It’s not. We’re already busy with our own work, so it’s a luxury to worry about other people’s affairs.”

Since there was no point in digging any deeper, Lee Soo-han decided to stop caring. Didn’t he have more important things to do now?