103.
#I’m Grateful
“I’m planning to look into schools there and take Haram with me on this opportunity.”
“You…!”
At the additional remark, Chairman Jeong was about to shout but then grabbed the back of his neck. His blood pressure seemed to be rising as he frowned deeply.
“If you’re thinking of asking me to get married while talking about successors, forget it. We have Haram, don’t we?”
At the suggestion that there was no need for Hayun to marry and have children since they had Haram, Chairman Jeong furrowed his brows.
“You adore Haram, don’t you? I’ll raise him properly and make him into a successor you’ll be satisfied with.”
As Hayun said this with a bright smile, Chairman Jeong pounded his chest with his fist. He looked like he was about to die from anger at Hayun’s smiling face.
“If you’re still against it…”
Hayun wiped the smile from his face and stared at Chairman Jeong with an expressionless face.
“I could just leave with Dawoon alone.”
“Jeong Hayun!”
Without even listening to the end of the sentence, Chairman Jeong shouted angrily. Hayun smiled gently again.
“I don’t understand why you’re angry. I’m going to the London branch for ‘business,’ and while I’m at it, I’m taking ‘Haram’ with me to start his successor training early. What’s the problem?”
He deliberately didn’t mention Dawoon again. Perhaps because of this, Chairman Jeong just panted with his lips tightly sealed. He seemed unsure whether Hayun knew about Dawoon’s study abroad plans or not. He didn’t open his mouth easily, perhaps thinking that if he made a slip of the tongue, Hayun might notice something about Dawoon as well.
“Don’t tell me you knew? About Dawoon…”
After a while, Chairman Jeong tried to test Hayun. He judged that Hayun’s London branch matter didn’t seem to have come up suddenly.
Hayun met his gaze and then smirked.
“Your instincts have dulled a lot. To only suspect this now.”
There was no need to pretend not to know. It was already after all the procedures had been completed.
Chairman Jeong’s face turned red again when he confirmed that Hayun knew. Hayun really thought he might collapse from high blood pressure at this rate.
“I’m actually grateful. Thanks to you, Dawoon has made up his mind to move. If I had asked that kid to go abroad, he wouldn’t have even pretended to listen.”
Even while thinking that his grandfather might collapse, Hayun drove the point home.
“What do you mean…!”
Chairman Jeong, who was about to shout, staggered.
“Dawoon doesn’t listen to me well. I don’t know what you thought, but I’ve wanted to take that kid abroad and live there for a while now. He resisted, saying there was no need to go abroad since Haram was here and he was about to graduate, but thanks to you, I’m glad he decided to study abroad.”
He deliberately changed the address from “Chairman” to “Grandfather.” As he continued speaking calmly, Chairman Jeong’s face hardened even more.
“Of course, I’ll send him to a proper place that I’ve prepared, not the place you prepared for his studies abroad.”
He emphasized the words “proper place.” It was to show that he knew everything, including that the place Chairman Jeong had prepared didn’t consider Dawoon’s grades or major at all and was just meant to be a place of exile.
“Thank you for lightening my burden in many ways.”
He even bowed his head as he expressed his gratitude. Chairman Jeong could no longer even shout and sat down on the floor, gasping with his mouth open. Hayun looked at him with cold eyes and then pressed the intercom to call in Ms. Kim, who was waiting outside.
“Chairman!”
Ms. Kim, the Chairman’s secretary, entered the Vice Chairman’s office and was shocked to see Chairman Jeong collapsed on the floor.
“Call an ambulance.”
At Hayun’s calm, almost cold response, Ms. Kim hurriedly took out her mobile phone and called for an ambulance. Chairman Jeong glared at his grandson with bloodshot eyes. While Ms. Kim was on the phone, Hayun knelt down to meet the Chairman’s gaze.
“You can do whatever you want. Everything will reach my ears before you even try anyway.”
He leaned forward and whispered quietly into the Chairman’s ear. The Chairman’s eyes widened at the implication that Hayun had people bought off around him.
“Oh, by the way, all the people you planted around me long ago have now turned to my side. It’s useless to try to manipulate them with their weaknesses. I already have all of that in my hands too.”
He straightened up and smiled faintly while looking at him. Chairman Jeong opened his mouth and pointed at Hayun with his finger. Blood vessels appeared in his eyes, turning them red, but before he could make a loud noise, he collapsed.
“Chairman! Chairman!”
Ms. Kim was startled and supported the Chairman. Meanwhile, Hayun stood up and nodded to Director Park, who had come in following Ms. Kim and was waiting. Director Park, who bowed his head slightly, approached Ms. Kim, separated her from the Chairman, and picked up the Chairman on his back.
“You called an ambulance, right?”
“Yes.”
“Let’s go down to the first floor.”
At the suggestion that they should send him to the hospital as quickly as possible, Ms. Kim nodded in agreement. As Director Park carried the Chairman out into the hallway, passing employees saw and whispered.
“Isn’t that the Chairman?”
When someone who recognized the Chairman’s face mentioned it, everyone was shaken.
“What’s going on?”
“Did he collapse?”
The news that the Chairman of Haedo Group had collapsed spread throughout the company in an instant. At the same time, the executives watched Hayun’s reactions. If something happened to the Chairman at this point, the position of Chairman would naturally pass to Hayun. Even the executives who had remained supporters of Chairman Jeong couldn’t help but be unsettled. The sense of crisis that the day when the owner of Haedo Group would change was approaching soon shook even their loyalty.
***
“This way, please.”
Dawoon, who had arrived at the meeting place earlier than planned, tilted his head at the waiter’s guidance. It was a quiet Japanese restaurant, but the place the waiter guided him to was a small room in the back of the restaurant.
A week ago, just before the exams started, Choi Seon-gyeom had contacted him. He said he had something to talk about in person, but when Dawoon replied that it would be difficult for a while due to exams and thesis preparation, he asked when they would be finished. And today, as soon as the exams ended, Choi Seon-gyeom sent a message setting the meeting place and time.
Thinking that it would be difficult to see each other in the future, whether he went to study abroad or Choi Seon-gyeom left Korea, he obediently came to the place he had set. In his hurry to escape Na-eun’s questioning, he arrived about 15 minutes earlier than the appointed time.
What was strange was the meeting place he had chosen. From what Dawoon had seen of him so far, he seemed to prefer casual restaurants where one could eat comfortably rather than quiet places that seemed to require formality. So when he was guided to a room, he wondered if it was really Choi Seon-gyeom who had set the meeting place.
“Would you like me to prepare a pre-meal drink for you?”
“No, thank you. Please bring it when my companion arrives.”
At Dawoon’s refusal, the waiter acknowledged and withdrew. Sitting alone in the quiet room felt awkward. There wasn’t much to do. It seemed like time wasn’t passing because he was just sitting there doing nothing. He was about to take out his phone to read some internet articles when there was a knock at the door.
“Your companion has arrived.”
As the waiter stepped aside after announcing, Choi Seon-gyeom’s figure appeared. Dawoon quickly put down his phone, stood up, and greeted him.
“Sit down. There’s no need to be so formal just because we haven’t seen each other for a few days. I’m uncomfortable with that kind of thing.”
Choi Seon-gyeom waved his hand. Dawoon smiled faintly and sat down.
“I didn’t expect you to want to meet in a place like this.”
Choi Seon-gyeom looked around and let out a short groan, “Ah.”
“I just asked them to set a place where we could talk quietly, and they chose this place.”
It seemed he hadn’t made the reservation himself but had received help from someone. Thinking it made sense for someone who had been away from Korea for a long time, Dawoon just nodded.
“Actually…”
He started to speak but furrowed his brows and couldn’t continue easily. He seemed to be pondering something, even frowning, and after a while, he let out a big sigh.
“First, I need to apologize.”
Dawoon was startled as Choi Seon-gyeom bowed deeply.
“Please get up.”
Flustered, Dawoon tried to make him stand up, but he didn’t budge.
“I don’t understand why you’re apologizing.”
The confusion was evident in Dawoon’s voice. Choi Seon-gyeom raised his head with a stiff face and looked at Dawoon.
“There’s so much to apologize for that I’m at a loss as to where to start explaining.”
Not only did Dawoon not understand what he was apologizing for, but he even said there was a lot to apologize for, which was even more incomprehensible. Unable to understand what he was saying, Dawoon just blinked with a blank expression.
“This.”
Choi Seon-gyeom placed an envelope he had brought on the table.
“What is this?”
Looking down, Dawoon saw that the envelope had “Daon Genetic Testing Center” written on the outside.
“Open it and check.”
Choi Seon-gyeom took a deep breath and nodded towards the envelope. Dawoon picked up the envelope with a dubious expression and took out the paper inside. At the top of the first page was the title “Genetic Test Report,” and below it was the name of the test subject.
“Test subject A: Choi Seon-gyeom, B: Jeong Dawoon…?”
Dawoon’s eyes widened progressively at the unexpected sight of his own name.
