The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 163

#163

The movie ended with all 300 members of the [Spartan] army dying in battle.

Da-hye, who hadn’t expected much and thought it would be boring, sniffled, wiping away tears.

“Wow, that was so good. Really.”

“Hey, you said you don’t watch mindlessly violent movies without a story.”

“Hehe, I don’t know. I wasn’t expecting anything, but it was so good. Hey, did you see those guys’ chocolate abs? I couldn’t take my eyes off them.”

“Da-hye, I am magnanimous.”

Hearing Jung-hoon’s words, Da-hye cautiously checked his expression, wondering if he might be jealous of the men’s abs.

She leaned in close to Jung-hoon’s ear and spoke in a seductive, breathy voice.

“Haa, no matter how great those chocolate abs are… I like you the best, Jung-hoon. Hoo.”

She blew air into his ear.

Hmm, like this.

Da-hye crossed her arms tightly… and snuggled up.

“No, it’s okay to look at chocolate abs a little. I’m magnanimous, hehe.”

“Thank you for today. I’ll never forget our movie date.”

Da-hye tilted her head and leaned on Jung-hoon’s shoulder.

“I’m hungry. Should we go out and get noodles?”

“Sure, and I want to eat some fish cakes too!”

It was a date they had made time for after a long while.

Da-hye was busy with the Judicial Research and Training Institute [a postgraduate program for aspiring judges, prosecutors, and lawyers in South Korea], and Jung-hoon couldn’t find time because of work either.

They only saw each other briefly at home.

Jung-hoon took Da-hye’s hand and went outside.

It was late, past 11 PM.

It was early April, but the night was still quite chilly.

“Ugh, it’s still a bit cold. I wanted to look pretty, so I dressed lightly.”

Jung-hoon put his arm around Da-hye’s shoulders, who was shivering from the cold.

She stopped shivering, seemingly feeling better as the warmth of his body spread to her.

He turned his head, looking for a place to go in.

In the distance, about 30 meters away, he saw an orange food stall.

As they went inside, the warmth from the people and the vinyl that blocked the wind made it quite cozy.

Da-hye, who had taken a seat, shouted.

“Hey, boss, two bowls of warm noodles and some fish cakes, please. And a bottle of soju!” [a clear, Korean distilled spirit]

She ordered alcohol without even asking Jung-hoon’s opinion.

“You can’t even drink that well.”

“I want you to drink it. And I want to get drunk today. I’m not going home tonight!”

Da-hye, excited, didn’t hesitate to make playful jokes.

“What? Hey, we live in the same house. Even though we use separate rooms.”

“Oh, right. We live in the same house, hehe.”

The soju, colder than freezing temperatures, and pickled radish, were placed on the table.

Da-hye shook the bottle and then opened the cap.

“Here you go, husband.”

“Thank you, my lady.”

“My lady, have a drink too.”

“Thank you, husband.”

They raised their glasses and clinked them together.

The liquor in the glasses sloshed around, making a cheerful sound.

They exchanged happy smiles and then emptied their glasses in one go.

Da-hye and Jung-hoon each picked up a piece of pickled radish with their chopsticks and put it in each other’s mouths.

The murderous intent in the eyes of the people around them glared at them as if to kill them, but they didn’t care.

Soon, the main course arrived.

The anchovy scent intensely stimulated their empty stomachs.

-Slurp

Jung-hoon and Da-hye smiled at each other as they ate their noodles.

A series of happy moments.

“Damn it, we need to hunt down all those without lovers.”

The man’s mutterings grated on Jung-hoon’s ears.

It was said under his breath, but loud enough to be heard.

But the voice was familiar.

‘It can’t be someone I know.’

There’s no one I know who would say something like that except Eun-soo.

But Eun-soo has a lover now, so… it’s definitely not him.

Jung-hoon turned his head and looked at the man.

The man had his head bowed as if it would touch the table.

He was so drunk that it was a wonder he wasn’t falling over.

‘It’s a happy day I’m spending with Da-hye after a long time. I’ll let it go today.’

But somehow, his head looked familiar.

“Damn it, [Yoon Jung-hoon] should fail!”

He turned around again.

He saw short hair with many gray strands, rough skin, and a fierce face.

It was Choi Tae-won, the president of Shinhwa Entertainment, who looked like a gangster.

‘Why is he acting like that all alone?’

Suddenly, Jung-hoon understood President Choi Tae-won’s drunken behavior.

He had bet with him on the number of viewers for [Jung-hoon’s movie].

The standard was 3 million.

Jung-hoon bet it would exceed, and President Choi Tae-won bet ‘absolutely not’.

Recently, it had exceeded 3 million viewers.

Even if he lost, it wasn’t a big deal.

Just a little pride? Maybe a lot of pride was hurt.

He was pushed around by the chairman’s ignorant gut feeling, not knowing anything.

There must have been a company dinner celebrating the mega-hit.

He had sent a bonus yesterday.

Jung-hoon laughed just imagining it.

Everyone was excited and having a good time at the company dinner, but he must have wanted to cry alone.

He earned 10 billion won with 2 billion won.

A fivefold return on investment.

But the important thing wasn’t that.

The way people looked at Shinhwa Entertainment in Chungmuro [the center of the South Korean film industry] had changed.

He had crushed the noses of those who had thoroughly ignored Shinhwa Entertainment’s choices.

“Do you know him?”

Da-hye asked, watching him stare at the drunken middle-aged man for a long time.

“Yeah, he’s our president of Shinhwa Entertainment.”

“Why is he drinking so much? Something bad must have happened.”

“No, the movie was a big hit, so they must have had a company dinner. I sent a bonus yesterday.”

“Really? He looks like his pride has been hurt a lot.”

“Well, that’s true. His pride must have been hurt.”

Jung-hoon told Da-hye what had happened between him and Choi Tae-won.

“Pfft, oh no, go and comfort him.”

“Should I?”

Jung-hoon stood up and sat down in front of Choi Tae-won, who seemed about to fall over.

“It’s me, President Choi.”

“Who is it? Oh, Chairman Yoon? What? What’s a guy overflowing with money doing at a food stall that ordinary people frequent?”

He looked around, bewildered.

He was too drunk to see properly.

He nodded as if he understood the situation and said.

“Ah, it’s a dream, hic. A dream, then it makes sense. Wow, it’s a dream. Nice to meet you, Yoon Jung-hoon!”

He’s really putting on a drunken show.

I’ll let it go today.

“Nice to meet you, President Choi Tae-won.”

“Hey, don’t get cocky just because you won the bet…”

Da-hye, seeing this, covered her mouth and giggled.

It was because she could picture President Choi Tae-won’s appearance tomorrow.

“Jung-hoon, our Chairman Yoon, I’m sorry! I’ll apologize. I’ll do better in the future. And since it’s a dream, I’ll say what I really feel… In reality, I can’t. No, I definitely can’t. My pride will be hurt, and I’ll quit the company. Ah, I’ll wear my resignation letter on the chest of Choi Tae-won, a man! Jung-hoon, our Chairman Yoon Jung-hoon!”

As Choi Tae-won’s voice grew louder, people looked at him and whispered.

“Hmm, he says to tell President Choi Tae-won to keep up the good work.”

“Who does?”

“Chairman Yoon Jung-hoon.”

“Really? Tell him I love him too. I love Chairman Yoon Jung-hoon.”

Choi Tae-won, who was spouting whatever came to mind while drunk, put his hands over his head and made a heart.

The heart swayed back and forth.

‘Damn it, should I sober him up?’

He was gradually losing consciousness. He was worried that something might happen if he left him like this.

Jung-hoon made a phone call.

“Where are you now?”

At the same time, the entrance to the food stall rustled, and Ji Hyun-bok came inside.

Surprised, Jung-hoon looked at him with wide eyes.

“I’m here.”

“Please take President Choi Tae-won home.”

“I can’t. There’s no one else guarding the Chairman near here except me.”

“You don’t have to worry. I can protect myself well enough. Take him home and go home.”

“Go home? Understood.”

At the word ‘go home,’ Ji Hyun-bok immediately followed Jung-hoon’s instructions.

He carried Choi Tae-won on his back and took him outside.

“Shall we go out too?”

Jung-hoon and Da-hye came outside.

They walked hand in hand along the chilly night road.

Jung-hoon said to Da-hye.

“Da-hye, it seems like someone is following us. We need to take cover this way.”

Jung-hoon took Da-hye’s hand and hid in a dark alley.

They went deep into the alley, to a place where there were few people.

The two stood in a dark place where there was no one passing by.

Jung-hoon looked at Da-hye.

“Hmm, actually… that’s…”

“Pfft, you really can’t act. You should learn from Eun-soo!”

“What?”

Da-hye stood on tiptoe and found Jung-hoon’s lips.

The sweet warmth was warming the chilly spring night.

The next day.

Choi Tae-won, the president of Shinhwa Entertainment, called the company.

It seemed like he would be late for work for the first time in his career.

“I think I’ll be 10 minutes late. I’m sorry.”

“Yes, President.”

“Ah, and nothing happened yesterday, right?”

“No. There were no problems during the company dinner. But I don’t know what happened after you went to a nearby food stall for another drink alone.”

“What? Me? …Okay.”

A bad feeling was creeping up.

President Choi Tae-won emptied a 2-liter bottle of Samdasoo [a popular brand of bottled water in South Korea] in the refrigerator all at once to clear his head.

‘Ugh, how much did I drink yesterday?’

“Whew, I feel a little better now. I don’t remember anything that happened at the food stall. Well, nothing happened, right?”

He nodded, reassuring himself.

He felt a little uneasy, but it was clear that nothing had happened.

He just had another drink alone and came home.

Clearly, there was absolutely nothing else.

However, he had a strange dream last night.

A chaebol [a large South Korean business conglomerate] chairman appeared in his dream.

He remembered saying funny things in the dream.

‘Chairman, I love you.’

President Choi Tae-won shook his head.

His true feelings were revealed.

He thought he was a naive kid, but he wasn’t.

He distributed two movies, and the first movie released was a mega-hit.

And the second movie, [The title of the movie], is also expected to be a hit.

The movie [The title of the movie] that he invested in directly is being hailed as the most anticipated new film of the summer among those involved.

A man with truly great abilities.

He’s about the same age as his son, but unlike his good-for-nothing son, he’s a young man who does his part.

He was more lovable than his own son.

‘Chairman, I love you. Of course, I love my son too.’

He should have held back those words.

But well, it’s a dream, so it doesn’t matter.

He remembered the saying that if a celebrity appears in your dream, you should buy a lottery ticket.

Shinhwa Group Chairman Yoon Jung-hoon is also a celebrity of a chaebol chairman…

For some reason, he was convinced that he would win if he bought a lottery ticket today.

President Choi Tae-won bought 100,000 won [approximately $75 USD] worth of lottery tickets on his way to work.

But they were all duds.

Only five 500 won tickets [approximately $0.38 USD] and one 10,000 won ticket [approximately $7.50 USD] were won.

It was the worst day he had ever bought lottery tickets.

It was a natural result since he bought lottery tickets based on a dream he didn’t even have.

***

A hot summer.

The tedious rainy season was over, and it was almost August.

The movie [The title of the movie] invested in by Shinhwa Entertainment is about to be released.

The press screening and the audience screening were both well-received.

It was praised for raising the level of special effects in Korea by one level.

Jung-hoon was doing a final check before the movie’s release with the employees of Shinhwa Entertainment.

“Head of the PR team.”

“Yes, newspaper ads and TV ads are being carried out according to the allocated budget. As the Chairman said, we have been actively utilizing power bloggers since last week. Bloggers have high credibility, so it will be effective.”

“That’s good. And President Choi.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“I’m planning to step down after this [The title of the movie] project is over. Now, please lead Shinhwa Entertainment in earnest.”

President Choi Tae-won had a bewildered expression at Jung-hoon’s sudden declaration.

“What do you mean? I can’t. Actually, I have something to tell you too.”

President Choi Tae-won put his hand inside his coat.

A rustling sound was heard.

“Put it away. It’s not a bet to get your resignation.”

“Did you know?”

“Didn’t I tell you last time?”

“Did I?”

“You said this at that time. To be exact, you said, ‘I’m carrying my resignation letter in my heart, Jung-hoon.'”

“Did I really say that? I have no memory of that.”

“You wouldn’t remember, President.”

Jung-hoon smiled bitterly, thinking about that day, and President Choi Tae-won tilted his head at the Chairman’s incomprehensible words.

“Anyway, the reason I made that bet was because President Choi had too many prejudices. If you get rid of your prejudices, you’ll make money. Think flexibly.”

“I understand.”

President Choi Tae-won bit his lip tightly.

The words he had shouted a long time ago came to his mind.

‘The president is too stubborn and narrow-minded.’

It was what he said while confronting the president of the film company he first joined 20 years ago.

He felt like he had been hit hard on the head with a hammer.

He should have listened to everyone’s opinions.

But 20 years of experience had fostered prejudice and arrogance.

He looked around at the subordinates, no, the colleagues, who were next to him.

‘Yes, they were colleagues. Not subordinates.’

President Choi Tae-won stood up from his seat.

The buttonhole-like eyes that occupied a very small space on his face were moist.

“I’ll say one thing. I didn’t know how many prejudices I had in me until now. I realized it this time. I’ve been very reckless. I sincerely apologize. If you give me another chance, I will work with you with an open mind.”

The employees nodded at Choi Tae-won’s words.

It takes great courage for a president to apologize publicly.

Everyone was sincerely moved by his courage.

Choi Tae-won looked at Yoon Jung-hoon and bowed his head.

“Chairman. Thank you for teaching me. I… was very reckless.”

“Please take good care of this place. Please grow it into the best company in the world.”

“Yes, I will work hard.”

Everyone applauded and encouraged President Choi Tae-won.

Everyone dreamed of Shinhwa Entertainment changing for the better in a more positive direction.

Jung-hoon raised his hand to stop the people.

His face had hardened.

His gaze was directed towards the TV.

He was distracted by the TV, which had only the screen turned on without sound.

A subtitle was flowing long under the screen.

‘Lee Heon, the father of Shinhwa Group Chairman Lee Seok, dies’

He hurriedly found the remote control and turned up the volume.

“…was found dead at his home from a heart attack.”

Shadow Chairman Lee Heon is dead.

Heart attack?

Was it a natural death?

Or murder?

Who killed him?

Numerous thoughts swirled in Jung-hoon’s head.

He drove out all those thoughts and left only one important question.

The vast real estate owned by Lee Heon.

Who will be the new owner of that real estate, which is worth trillions of won in official land prices alone?

Jung-hoon only thought about the answer to that question.

Lee Seok?

Ha In-sun?

……

Could it be Eun-soo?

He sensed a great autumn typhoon approaching at the end of the heat wave.

Cash King’s Genius Grandson, Becomes a Chaebol.