Seeing that my contemplation was taking too long, I temporarily left the room.
When I stepped out of the president's office, it was again a plain and ordinary office with no decent potted plants.
Well... this structure really doesn't suit me.
I could feel the employees glancing at me as they worked.
I maintained my composure and spoke in a low voice to Manager Ma.
"This deal will be finalized, and then we'll start building a skyscraper on the Daecheong site. I'll give the construction to Daehyun Construction, and Geumseong Construction will be a subcontractor. Please contact Geumseong Construction separately. I'll visit Chairman Song to set up a meeting."
"Understood."
While organizing the tasks to follow, the CFO, who looked like he was about to die, came out.
"Please go in. I'll prepare the documents and come back. Do we need a lawyer?"
"I'll call one now."
The CFO hurriedly disappeared somewhere.
I called the father of Yoon Jae-ha, Yoon Hyung-min, who was a co-representative of Yoon & Jang Law Firm. It was a direct line that not just anyone could answer.
- This is Yoon Hyung-min.
"Father, it's Kim Mu-hyuk. It's been a while. How are you?"
- Mu-hyuk? What's up? You're not calling just to say hello, are you?
"I'm at Hyunbo Group headquarters now, and I need a lawyer. Someone who knows corporate transactions well."
- I thought Chairman Cheon had his own lawyers.
"Father, how could I deal with someone else? Grandfather and I are separate. Please help me. I think we'll be seeing each other often, so I'd like someone capable."
- Hahaha. I've noticed this since last time, but you're quite an interesting guy. It seems your son has made a good friend. Alright, I'll send you Ace.
Yoon & Jang Law Firm, where Yoon Hyung-min is a co-representative.
It's a law firm, not a legal corporation.
But it's the best in the legal field.
They are called the best and worst in Korea because they take on any case if the price is right.
'But they're worth the high price.'
Other legal corporations avoided fighting them in court.
They did anything for their clients' victory—fabricating evidence, buying witnesses, lobbying, bribery... They were relentless and ruthless, using any means necessary to secure victory.
It was a time when such practices weren't yet widely known to the public, only within the industry.
But I was satisfied with the help of a lawyer who could handle things effectively.
I returned to the president's office and sat down. President Jang, who looked exhausted, didn't even glance at me.
An uncomfortable silence lingered for a while.
"You were said to have pushed out your uncles and taken their seats, acting just like Chairman Cheon."
President Jang probably had nothing to say. Just as I thought, a sharp voice broke the silence.
"I'll take it as a compliment."
It was probably meant to be sarcastic, but it didn't affect me at all.
Seeing that I wasn't fazed, President Jang added, as if trying to curse me.
"Don't get too cocky. You never know when it might come back to haunt you."
I wouldn't have expected to hear such words from anyone else, but from President Jang.
I suppressed a hollow laugh.
You don't know that your management is causing a foreign exchange crisis in Korea.
The ultimate king of corruption and cronyism will ultimately fall.
I'm not a good person.
I didn't plan to do anything to stop this man.
But I won't let him run away to a foreign country again like last time.
I hid my true feelings and smiled.
"I'll keep that in mind."
Perhaps because my response was dry, President Jang soon gave up and fell silent.
Just as the silence became unbearable, the lawyer arrived.
"Hello, I'm Lee Byung-ju."
A man in his late 30s entered and greeted me. He seemed rather ordinary and unassuming, not at all like the relentless and ruthless lawyers of Yoon & Jang.
"Are you the lawyer Father sent?"
"Yes, I work at Yoon & Jang."
"Thank you. We'll be seeing each other often, so let's introduce ourselves properly later."
"Understood."
Lee Byung-ju sat down next to me.
True to Yoon & Jang's reputation, he didn't even greet President Jang, who was in front of him.
"Hmm."
Perhaps feeling awkward, President Jang cleared his throat, but Lee Byung-ju remained unmoved.
"What do you need me to do?"
"We'll be receiving land in exchange for bonds and stocks. One piece of land is unregistered, so the process of transferring ownership will be a bit complicated. The other is a 1,000-pyeong plot in Daecheong. It's technically owned by Hyunbo Construction, but it should be easier than the other."
It was a simple explanation, but Lee Byung-ju spoke with confidence.
It seemed Yoon Hyung-min had sent the right person.
A short while later, the CFO, who had left, returned with another man.
The CFO introduced him.
"He's our group's legal director."
They briefly introduced themselves and then started the paperwork.
It was incredibly tedious, but I had to endure and wait to sign.
After more than two hours, the contract was completed, and the transaction was finalized.
"I'll handle the execution of the deal."
I nodded at Lee Byung-ju's statement about handling the transfer of stocks and ownership and stood up.
"Thank you, Lawyer Lee Byung-ju."
"Yes, Mr. Kim."
I left the dilapidated commercial building with Manager Ma.
Opening the car door, I said,
"Let's go to Chairman Song's place."
I intended to finish everything today to start the construction immediately.
When we arrived at Chairman Song's house, a familiar secretary came out to guide Manager Ma.
Chairman Song's face, which I hadn't seen in a while, looked much worse.
Perhaps because he had retired from active management due to government pressure rather than his own will, he seemed to be suffering mentally.
"Chairman, it's been a while. I've been busy lately. I'm sorry."
"Hehe, yes. Come in. Sit down."
Though he smiled, the shadows on his face, formed from decades of hard work, were deeper.
"You look much worse. Are you taking care of your health?"
"Hehehe, I'm still fine. Don't worry. What brings you here today?"
"Indeed, Chairman's insight is sharp."
"Cut the flattery. Do you think I don't know you? I told you to meet my granddaughter, but you kept dodging. You must have a reason to come suddenly."
At first, I often met Chairman Song to seek advice. Or rather, to listen to his life stories.
"Hehehe..."
I tried to deflect with an awkward laugh, but Chairman Song narrowed his eyes and glared at me.
"You're 19 now. You're grown up. Don't tell me you're still a kid. Since I called you today, at least come and see her."
Well... it ended up like this.
"I'll just see her."
"You're as stubborn as your grandfather... Hmph."
Though he scolded me, the shadows on his face seemed to lift a bit.
"Alright. Now, tell me what you need."
"You know I've taken over Geumseong Construction, right?"
Chairman Song nodded without a word.
"This time, while settling Hyunbo Group's debts, I received land in Daecheong in exchange for money. I want to build a skyscraper there, but it's too big a project for Geumseong to handle alone."
"Ha, Daecheong? Did President Jang give that up?"
I recounted the negotiation and intimidation process at Hyunbo Group.
Chairman Song laughed heartily, saying he understood.
"Hahaha! President Jang must have looked so shocked, getting beaten by his own grandson? Hahaha!"
Chairman Song asked with a amused look.
"So you want Daehyun Construction to do the construction?"
"Yes, even if Geumseong Construction will handle the actual work, I want Daehyun to be the main contractor. The land is quite complex for a skyscraper."
"Are you asking us to handle the land use change?"
I could have lobbied to change the land use myself, but Daehyun Construction would definitely be faster.
I needed to speed up the construction.
All the work had to be completed by early 1998 at the latest, which was too tight a schedule for Geumseong Construction alone.
"I'm in a bit of a hurry. I also want to shorten the construction period. Please help me."
"Young man, I've retired from the company. What power do I have? You need to go to the CEO of Daehyun Construction."
Chairman Song brushed me off.
"He's too stiff."
"What? Am I soft and mushy?"
"You're not stiff. But since I've known you for a while... "
I smiled slightly, brushing off Chairman Song's disapproving gaze.
"Naive. In return, you'll meet my granddaughter today. Will you do it?"
"Understood."
Chairman Song called his secretary and had the CEO of Daehyun Construction brought to his house.
While talking with Chairman Song, I saw the CEO of Daehyun Construction arrive and stepped outside.
I sat on the bench in the garden, where I had sat the first time I came.
'How did Daehyun fare during the IMF crisis...?'
As I closed my eyes and tried to recall, I felt the sunlight on my face being blocked.
Looking up, I saw a young woman I had never met before standing there.
"Hello."
She looked about the same age as Ji-yeong.
"Hello. Are you Chairman Song's granddaughter?"
"Yes, I'm Song Hye-jin."
I stood up from the chair.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Kim Mu-hyuk."
I had never seen her before.
Was there a Song Hye-jin in the Song family?
"You said you didn't want to meet me, right? I've never been treated like this before."
I was a bit taken aback and lost for words at her straightforward comment.
"Grandfather kept insisting I meet you, but you kept saying no, right?"
"Hehehe..."
Chairman Song, how could you tell her that directly...
"I refused because you seemed too young."
"Anyone who hears that would think you're over 30. You're 22, right? I was in middle school when you were in high school."
I laughed at her straightforward and unpretentious manner, typical of the highest chaebol family in Korea.
She laughed along with me.
Her smile was beautiful.
"I'm sorry if I offended you. Even though the age difference isn't much, I thought it was different for an adult to meet a minor."
"Wow! You're so old-fashioned. In my family, we often talk about marriage from a young age, so it's not surprising. But you seem different. Why do you keep using formal language?"
"Because it's our first meeting..."
"Are you, by any chance, a first-timer at dating?"
I've even been married before.
"No, I'm not."
"You keep using formal language. I'll use informal language."
This was a first for me.
"Alright, use informal language. I will too."
"You seem more like a 20-something now. But you're quite outdated, you know?"
"I've never heard that from anyone else."
Song Hye-jin chattered non-stop.
She was just like any other girl her age.
I played along and continued the conversation.
"What did Chairman Song tell you about me?"
"About you?"
"Yeah. What did he say?"
"Just that you're the richest person in Korea?"
I burst out laughing.
"Why? Isn't that a compliment?"
Song Hye-jin, tilting her head, looked cute.
"No... don't you have any pretense?"
"Pretense? Why pretend when we already know each other? We're not ordinary people. If we pretend to be, it's just fake. Don't you think?"
I nodded without realizing it.
"Anyway, now that we've met, it's done, right?"
"Wow, funny. I've never been treated like this anywhere else."
"Hehehe."
It was quite an enjoyable conversation.
No matter how much I thought about it, there was no Song Hye-jin in my memory of the Daehyun family.
Whatever secrets she might have, she was a person I liked.
"What exactly did the Chairman say?"
"Ah, really! I didn't want to tell you this."
Song Hye-jin leaned in, as if about to share a secret.
My heart started beating rapidly.
"Actually..."
< You said you didn't want to meet me, right? > End