57.
The taxi’s destination wasn’t the company.
“Nobody even calls for rides in this area,” the taxi driver grumbled as he dropped them off in a certain neighborhood. It was what people commonly referred to as a wealthy district, with large mansions standing tall. Since this was his first time in such an atmosphere, Jeong Heejun looked around curiously.
“This way, please.”
Seo Miso seemed to have been here before, confidently standing in front of a large gate. When she pressed the bell, a woman’s voice came from inside.
— Who is it?
“Hello. This is Manager Seo from Isaac Finance. I received permission to visit from Chairman Jang.”
— Ah, I heard about you. I’ll open the door for you.
Beep.
With a short bell sound, the large gate slid open. While the outside of the gate was impressive, the inside was even more so. The ground was covered with grass, and there was even a gazebo installed. As they admired the surroundings while following the path, they came upon another door.
“Welcome.”
As they approached, the door opened to reveal an unfamiliar woman. Wearing a white apron, she delivered Chairman Jang’s message.
“He said Manager Seo may return now.”
“I see. Then I leave him in your care.”
“Please take care on your way back.”
The two exchanged brief greetings and parted ways.
“Please come in, young master. Chairman Jang is waiting for you.”
She guided Jeong Heejun to a room inside and then excused herself, saying she would bring tea. Not long after, Chairman Jang made his appearance.
“Oh, my son!”
With an exaggerated smile, Chairman Jang seated Jeong Heejun on the sofa.
“Well, I’ve received reports. They say you’re doing very well? As expected of my son. I heard you completed what should have taken a month to learn in no time.”
“You flatter me.”
“Flatter you? Manager Seo is not one to give empty compliments. Though she’s a woman, she’s good at her job. That’s why she got the manager position. And originally, those under Director Choi are all so tough that they don’t give false evaluations.”
Jeong Heejun smiled happily at Chairman Jang, who was showering him with praise.
“Thank you.”
“Good, now you must have some understanding of what I do, right?”
“Yes.”
“What do you think of it?”
“It wasn’t particularly bad.”
Despite the ambiguous impression, Chairman Jang maintained his smiling face. Knowing Heejun’s tendencies, he was surprised by his adaptability. He had thought Heejun would run away saying he couldn’t do this kind of work. But he had endured and performed better than expected.
‘This is the kind of person who should be my successor.’
He had forgotten about his former greedy nephew. That guy couldn’t even do the job properly while coveting Chairman Jang’s position and was dealt with by Director Choi. Even Chairman Jang didn’t support his nephew at that time. After all, the position the nephew coveted was Chairman Jang’s.
“Great! Then we should move on to the next step.”
“The next step?”
“Heejun. I’m thinking of making you my successor.”
Jeong Heejun showed a surprised expression, as if hearing something unexpected.
“Is that really all right?”
“You’re my only blood relative. Why wouldn’t it be all right?”
“Won’t your wife oppose it?”
“Ah, I’ve already discussed it with her. In exchange for accepting you, I’ve promised her something, so she won’t openly complain. It’s just a matter of satisfying her greed, isn’t it?”
That’s why it was good. As long as her greed was satisfied, she wouldn’t obstruct Chairman Jang’s plans. Though she tried to fend off the women who clung to him, she did so within reason. She was a woman of many uses.
“What do you think? About the successor position.”
“I desire it.”
The face that spoke those words looked so harmless that it created a sense of dissonance. Though it wasn’t the face of someone who would covet such a position, that’s precisely what Chairman Jang liked. A man should know how to conceal his emotions. Openly revealing everything was something only amateurs did.
“If you desire it, then take it. Right?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you don’t need to go back to the provinces anymore. I said I’d find you a place to live, right? Stay there and commute to the company. Now you need to learn the real work.”
“Thank you. But will I be able to learn properly?”
“Come to think of it, your highest education is high school, right? It would still be better to go to college, so how about going abroad for a bit?”
“If possible, I’d like to stay in the country.”
Chairman Jang rubbed his chin with his finger.
“That would be good, but there are many watching eyes in the country, making it difficult for me to help.”
“That’s okay. I was a good student.”
Throughout his school years, he had never dropped from being the top student in his grade. Even while living such a difficult life. Though he couldn’t consider going to college because he needed to earn money immediately.
“Alright, then choose a university you want to attend. I’ll help you.”
Well, it would be good to learn while studying. That’s what Chairman Jang thought.
“Oh, and you’ll have to change your surname.”
His look questioned whether Heejun could really abandon his mother’s surname, which he had cherished so much.
“Yes, I’ll change it.”
Jeong Heejun continued to show unexpected sides. He was said to be filial, yet he so easily discarded his surname. As Chairman Jang was puzzled, Heejun spoke again.
“My mother loved my father. And changing my surname doesn’t change who my mother is.”
“That’s true too.”
“More importantly, Father.”
“Yes, my boy.”
Hearing the word “father” from his own child felt better than he had expected. So Chairman Jang happily replied.
“I have a request.”
“What request?”
“Director Choi is holding my friend.”
“Friend? Director Choi has more than just one person with him. What’s the name?”
“Lee Haseo.”
“Ah, that friend?”
When Choi Mujin suddenly brought Haseo along and kept him close, Chairman Jang had also conducted a background check on Haseo, but there was nothing special. Just a guy who had lived a difficult life and got into debt when his grandmother collapsed. That was all. He had committed fraud a few times, but the amounts were small, and he only targeted those who couldn’t easily report it. Having sex with a young man wasn’t something one could confess anywhere.
“But how did you become friends?”
“We went to the same elementary school, and I received a lot of help from him.”
Though Jeong Heejun’s body was now large and sturdy, it wasn’t like that when he was young. He had heard that Heejun was bullied, but he didn’t know there was a child who had helped him.
“Is that so?”
Chairman Jang wore a contemplative expression for a moment. He understood what Jeong Heejun wanted, but would Director Choi be willing to give up someone he was keeping close? From what he had observed, he even moved the grandmother to a better hospital. Usually not one to become attached to people, it seemed Choi Mujin had taken a liking to this Haseo.
“Father. Could I bring my friend here?”
The cautious question made Chairman Jang’s brow furrow. He didn’t want to show weakness in front of his son, of all people. Belatedly managing his expression, Chairman Jang replied with an arrogant attitude.
“There’s nothing impossible. However, I’ve received help from Director Choi over the years, so I can’t just take him away without reason.”
“Is there something I need to do?”
“Actually, I have an ongoing matter, and if it succeeds, you can bring him.”
“May I ask what this matter is?”
“Of course. It’s something I need you for.”
With a sly smile, Chairman Jang slowly began to unfold the story.
“There’s Toho Construction. They started similar to us, but our territories overlapped. We didn’t have a good relationship. And that continues to this day. But, you know, times have changed.”
“Do you want to establish a collaborative relationship with Toho Construction?”
“Something like that. We can’t keep confronting and fighting like in the gangster days forever, can we?”
“Has an agreement been reached with them?”
“To be precise, we’re in the midst of discussions.”
“I don’t know exactly what kind of relationship Isaac Finance had with Toho Construction. But assuming the relationship was bad, reconciling doesn’t seem easy. Do you have any plans regarding this?”
How intelligent his speech was. Chairman Jang liked this aspect of Jeong Heejun even more.
“Yes. I do.”
“May I ask what it is?”
“No need to be afraid like a three-year-old. You can ask more comfortably.”
“Then please tell me.”
Chairman Jang laid out the story about Toho Construction. Chairman Ryu of Toho Construction was older than Chairman Jang. He had two sons and one daughter, but he loved his daughter more than his sons.
“And that daughter has one child, who’s also a girl. She’s into music, went to a good school abroad for studies, and is currently in the country. She’s 22 this year and quite lovely.”
Now Jeong Heejun seemed to understand what Chairman Jang wanted. Like many corporations, he wished to connect with Toho Construction through blood. And he, Jeong Heejun, would be the marriage partner for this “lovely” girl.
‘I’ve never even thought about marriage.’
Chairman Jang was praising the woman, but the person occupying Jeong Heejun’s heart right now was Haseo. Based on what Seo Miso had told him about Haseo and Choi Mujin’s relationship, it seemed Haseo was open to dating men.
‘Haseo with a man.’
Imagining Choi Mujin embracing Haseo and kissing him made Heejun feel disgusted. Rather than staying with someone like that, Haseo would be better off with him. Jeong Heejun’s thoughts branched out in that direction. Given this situation, he couldn’t be happy about the marriage talk that Chairman Jang was enthusiastically laying out.
‘Still.’
If he refused here, it was obvious what situation would follow.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
