The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 74

A calm voice reached Yoo Junshik’s ears as he hastily cleaned up the twin flower tea. It was a concise response from a Korean upholding the three cardinal principles and five moral disciplines [Confucian principles emphasizing social harmony and ethical conduct].

“Yes.”

Hong Gijun’s reaction was in stark contrast to the shock of the second son, Yoo Junshik. Anyone who understood the Saein Group would be appalled, yet he was more composed than a student called for attendance.

‘Haa… Is this what it feels like to be deprived?’

Yoo Junshik’s head was spinning as if he’d been hit from behind. He had expected that Yoo Sera’s husband would get a position, but he was already overseeing several affiliates, including the electronics division. And now, they were handing over the chemical business as well.

Even though it was struggling with losses every year, Saein Chemical was a symbol of the Saein Group. It was like Daejung Corporation’s Daejung Trading in the top-ranked Daejung Group, and Suyeong Distribution Industry in the third-ranked Suyeong Group. The difference between the other two groups was that while the parent companies that formed the basis of Daejung and Suyeong had become like small corner stores, Saein Chemical was not inferior to any other affiliate in terms of scale.

To hand over the crown jewel of the first company founded by the founder?

Yoo Junshik immediately understood Yoo Myungseon’s intention.

‘Successor confirmed.’

Even setting aside the unconventional nature of it, it was too early of a decision. Hong Gijun was only thirty-nine. Yoo Junshik, who was forty-two, was still considered young and was only the vice president of the heavy industry division.

Yoo Junshik bit his lip until it bled.

It had been less than five years since he heard that his brother-in-law, who had been working at Daejung Electronics, had suddenly resigned and gone to see his father.

He was already unhappy that the hotel had been handed over to his younger sister, Yoo Sera, but now, to give major affiliates to his son-in-law, not even his daughter.

“Ahem.”

Perhaps he had enjoyed the silence dominated by shock. As if he had given them enough time to think, Yoo Myungseon leaned back on the sofa with a light cough. A smile mixed with pleasure appeared on the old man’s lips, as if he was satisfied with his announcement. From Yoo Junshik’s perspective, it was a hateful smile.

“Junshik, you know what Hong Seo-bang [a term for son-in-law] has been doing, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course…”

His brother-in-law was being featured in the media every day. If he said he didn’t know, he would be kicked out like his older brother.

Still, a son-in-law was an outsider.

“But Father, Saein is our Yoo family’s—”

“Yes. The Yoo family created it. But it will be Hong who makes it even more glorious.”

Oh, for crying out loud. He was already speechless with shock, and now he was being cut off. Yoo Junshik was on the verge of tears.

“And don’t forget. Sera is also a Yoo. She’s my own child, not anyone else’s.”

That was the final blow.

His father had never discriminated between his sons and daughters since they were young. He had also said that he would not pursue arranged marriages like other vulgar chaebol [family-owned conglomerate] families and did not interfere with his children’s relationships. Yoo Myungseon was a lotus-like chaebol who had taken a different path early on.

“After working him like crazy, I realized how well he does his job and how valuable he is. Hong Seo-bang’s achievements in the past three years are greater than Saein’s achievements in the past 30 years. I can trust him. And with that kind of skill, he should be able to bring the deficit-ridden Saein Chemical back on track.”

That was absurd. The affiliate had lost its core technology and failed in product development. The only thing left for it was to be liquidated, but he was telling him to bring the company back to normal. It could only be explained as an acknowledgment of the importance of the chemical business.

‘Isn’t this more like a plea?’

It was as if he was kneeling before his son-in-law, asking him to save the struggling chemical business. Yoo Junshik knew how much his father, Yoo Myungseon, respected and missed his grandfather, the founder, so he accurately read between the lines. And he was able to clearly understand his own position.

So, he clearly defined his course of action.

He bowed respectfully to his brother-in-law.

“Well, please take care of me, brother-in-law.”

“Please help me a lot, brother.”

Hong Gijun was not on guard. Only then did Yoo Junshik cautiously release the air that had been trapped in his lungs.

He was confident that he could get rid of his incompetent older brother at any time. So, he had even tried to join hands with his useless brother to keep his brother-in-law in check. But now, it seemed that he had to cut ties with him to survive, not join hands.

‘Surely, he wouldn’t hand over the company to someone with a different surname, would he?’ He had been too complacent with that thought. Looking at other chaebols, there was no owner like that, so it was understandable to think that way, but it was his fault for forgetting that his father was someone who had to be thought of differently.

Yoo Junshik swallowed his tears as he imagined the headlines in tomorrow’s newspaper.

「Saein Group Chairman Yoo Myungseon’s Son-in-Law, Saein Electronics President Hong Gijun, Unconventionally Selected as Successor.」

It would probably be something like that.

Yoo Myungseon quietly took Hong Gijun’s hand.

Hong Gijun gazed at his father-in-law as if to tell him not to worry.

At that sight, Yoo Junshik once again tasted bitterness.

He had lived without any lack since he was young. No, he had grown up more affluent than anyone else. His father’s things were soon to be his and his older brother Yoo Moonshik’s. He thought the company would be the same. But as the company grew and became a group, the visibility became murky.

His father, Chairman Yoo Myungseon, had sent his younger sister, Yoo Sera, to study abroad and then had her participate in the company’s management. And then, saying that she was doing a good job, he had handed over the department store and hotel businesses to her.

But what?

‘A son-in-law.’

It was all over.

He moistened his parched lips with the now-cold twin flower tea.

His father, Chairman Yoo Myungseon, broke Yoo Junshik’s reverie.

“Junshik.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Soon, the machinery and distribution businesses will also be under the Saein banner.”

It meant that he was going to expand and reorganize the group.

Yoo Junshik narrowed his eyes and started to think. There would be a lot to gain in the future. If he tried to stuff more food into his mouth while it was already full, he might have to spit out what he already had.

“If you’re going to manage, then manage. Don’t do anything foolish. You should also go to the machinery division and become president, right?”

“I will keep that in mind, Father.”

“Are you coming for Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] ?”

“Of course, Father.”

“Alright. You can go now. I’m going to play Go [a strategic board game] with Hong Seo-bang today.”

*

Yoo Junshik left Chairman Yoo Myungseon’s house, relieved.

One might think that he was mistreating his son, but as a father who cherished his family, it was obvious that he would take care of Yoo Moonshik in some way. It just meant that he had taken away his position in the company. He had only acted stern in front of his other siblings to tell them to do their jobs properly. His father’s temperament, which he had seen since he was young, was unique in that way.

‘He only keeps people who prove themselves by his side.’

Saein Machinery…

What should he do?

Yoo Junshik stopped in the garden and turned his head towards the reception room. His brother-in-law, who was sitting there, looked impressive. There were people who made you shrink just by their presence. His grandfather had been like that, and so had his father.

And…

‘Hong Gijun.’

From his usual behavior, he had just seemed like a scholar. He had been like a cat purring in Yoo Sera’s arms. But now, he had become a tiger that would devour the group.

Yoo Junshik nodded.

Even if he didn’t have outstanding skills, there was a secret to how he had survived so far.

Sense and tact.

Not challenging the tiger and not doing anything that would get him on its bad side.

Pride?

Try having a lot of mouths to feed. Try having a lot of things you want.

‘He must be telling me to go to the machinery division and help my brother-in-law.’

Yoo Junshik decided to discuss the business direction of Saein Machinery with his brother-in-law.

When he thought about it, it was a position where he was told to manage things that way, but he had been thinking too much.

***

As the sun began to set, a purple cloak began to drape over the fields. The eyes of Han Yooyoung, who was watching the changing scenery in real-time, were filled with the emotion of an innocent child.

From the kitchen, where she spent most of her day, she had a clear view of the waterway and the road in front of the house. Han Yooyoung, who was preparing dinner, exclaimed excitedly.

“Honey, look over there.”

“What is it? Are there geese flying by?”

Son Kwangyeon’s gaze followed his wife’s fingertip. Like a gentlemanly Seoul man, he subtly touched his wife’s waist.

A line of cars moving in a row came into view. They were all black sedans.

“Could those be the cars of the people who came to look at the land?”

“Really? I see them almost every day.”

It was a neighborhood where not many cars passed by. It was naturally unfamiliar to see several cars running all at once as if they were in a race. And it had been going on for days.

Son Kwangyeon scratched his sideburns. He seemed to think it was nothing special.

“Well, I guess they’re just going back home as the sun sets.”

“Do you think so?”

It was a strange sight to Han Yooyoung. Even though the countryside was vast, cars that couldn’t be seen anywhere were speeding by at the same time every day. There wasn’t even a company nearby.

“It’s like office workers going home from work.”

Saying that, Han Yooyoung shook off her unease.

At that time, Jinhyuk was pacing on the rooftop with Yujin in his arms.

After school, looking at the flower garden with his younger sister was also part of his daily routine.

“Yujin, look at the cars over there.”

“Wow, there are so many cars, right?”

Yujin wiggled her bottom while being held by her older brother. Jinhyuk’s brow furrowed as he tightened his grip on his arms so that his younger sister wouldn’t fall.

“Yeah…”

There were too many. It was suspicious that they were all leaving at once.

He was at school during the day, so he had no way of knowing who they were. His mother also said she didn’t know. She just thought they were people who had come to look at the land.

His mother had told him that she saw them almost every day. He couldn’t tell if they were the same cars, but what kind of land did they look at every day? Were they addicted to some drug called ‘land high’?

‘Four cars.’

It was suspicious no matter how he looked at it.

He couldn’t see the license plates because of the distance, but they were the same car model.

They seemed to be parking in hidden places here and there so as not to interfere with the passage of farm vehicles or tractors. There were no cars visible in the section where Jinhyuk ran.

‘Should I try running along the waterway tomorrow?’

He couldn’t ignore the ominous feeling he had. Weren’t ominous feelings usually accurate? If anything were to happen to his family, he wouldn’t be able to bear the regret. So, he decided to investigate.

‘If they are those kinds of guys, it was a mistake for them to be seen by me.’

His parents were going on a trip, so there was no better time than this.

He must have frowned without realizing it.

Yujin stroked her older brother’s cheek.

“Smile. Oppa, smile.”

“Neeheehee-, okay. Should I smile like this? Like this? Neeheehee-”

Jinhyuk was awkward at smiling, but he couldn’t help but smile like a fool when he saw his younger sister.

Perhaps it was because he was moving unfamiliar muscles, but his cheekbones twitched grotesquely.

“Yes, ehehe-”

“Neeheehee-”

“Ehehe-”

The brother and sister, who were nine years apart, laughed like idiots for a while before going down from the rooftop.

“Dad, I think there are too many strange cars in the neighborhood these days.”

“Leave them be. Those land speculators will stop eventually. It’s not a new thing, they say. Now, let’s play a game of Go!”

“…”

His father was taking out the Go board as if the worries were someone else’s problem.

The word ‘land speculator’ didn’t seem to be used in that context. But when his father used it, it sounded strangely plausible.

Anyway, this father was also suspicious.

‘He seems to know something. Doesn’t this father have too many secrets?’

Jinhyuk narrowed his eyes.

His father was usually cheerful, but he acted particularly exaggeratedly when he had something he couldn’t talk about.

‘That makes me even more curious. I should quietly find out.’

It was the end of just living with it.

He was going to look into anything that was even slightly suspicious.

He even had the audacious thought that it might be time to uncover his father’s secrets.

“Jinhyuk, your mother has already told Mikyung’s family… Oh, I’m so sorry about this.”

“It’s okay. Think of it as a honeymoon and have a good time.”

Jinhyuk smiled broadly at his mother, who was wringing her hands nervously as if she was truly sorry. He liked his mother the most, who was the most thoughtful in the family but couldn’t hide her emotions.

As he had said before, he wanted to give his mother a vacation too.

“It’ll be fun to be alone with the baby, too.”

Yujin seemed to think the same as her older brother.

She waved her arms above her head and circled the living room. She looked like a wallaby as she hopped around.

“Ingkeum ingkeum! Ingkeum ingkeum!”

What did that mean? Well, judging by her actions, it seemed to mean that she was excited. The corners of the mouths of the parents and older brother who were watching the baby turned up.