Once peeled off
Chapter 23
The faces of the Seohan side stiffened slightly.
Whether it was Mohyeon or Mi-ok, they seemed to treat a person’s death so lightly that it made one frown.
However, it was not a place to show such things. Chairman Seohan narrowed his eyes and cast a gaze toward Tae-oh.
"Of course."
Tae-oh, who had been watching Hana, replied with a faint smile.
"Ho ho ho! That’s a relief!"
Though it was impossible to know what they were thinking, he knew from over a decade of experience that that man always had a plan. They managed their expressions and wore smiles on their lips.
The laughter of the elders from both families echoed through the hall. The formal meeting ended in an outwardly harmonious atmosphere.
Saying they should meet again soon, Joo-eun, who would become her mother-in-law, held her hand warmly.
Hana felt a strange sensation, having a premonition that life with her in-laws would be smoother and more comfortable than life with her own family.
***
Seok Hong-jun, who had come to work at JK Furniture for the first time in a while, sat in the Vice Representative’s office and spun his chair around.
"Hmm..."
According to what he had heard recently after meeting his boss, Dong-yun:
"You're marrying Representative Seo Tae-oh?"
If one looked only at the union between Seohan Group and JK Group, it was a good opportunity, but the problem was that the partner was not Dong-yun’s child, Jisu.
That the partner was Hana, the child of the late Chang-wan, made it immediately clear who Mohyeon intended to push as the successor.
"Shall I make a move?"
Only when Dong-yun became chairman would his own era arrive.
He couldn't exactly go under the young, green Wooseok and suck up to him, could he? Well, if he had to, he could, but still.
Vice Representative Seok, who had been chuckling, narrowed his eyes.
"I’ve spent so much effort buttering that man up."
He had spent twenty years stuck to Dong-yun’s side. He couldn't switch to another line now, if only because that time was too precious to waste.
In his view, it was more comfortable for the people below when a figure like Dong-yun was chairman.
"And there are plenty of scraps to go around, too."
*Slurp.* The Vice Representative smacked his lips, stood up from his seat, and headed toward the office where the employees were working.
"You’ve arrived, Vice Representative."
"Hello."
As the Vice Representative walked by, receiving greetings from the working staff, he cleared his throat with a dissatisfied "Ahem." At that, one section chief stood up abruptly and greeted him.
"Ah! Vice Representative!"
Seeing him bow his head and say it had been a long time, a smile appeared on the Vice Representative’s mean-spirited face.
"Ho ho ho, yes. Section Chief Kim."
Only then did a few other employees lift their hips and stand to greet him.
"To think I’m treated like leftovers just because the Representative came in."
Tsk-tsking, his words made the employees’ faces stiffen.
He hadn't even been coming to the office or signing off on documents just because the young Representative had arrived, yet the things he said were ridiculous.
"Section Chief Kim. Bring that over here."
"Pardon?"
"Do I have to say it twice?"
Section Chief Kim, hesitating, glanced at Department Head Wi Hyeok-su’s desk.
Department Head Wi was away on a business trip due to a problem at the factory. He had a bad feeling about this, but since the Vice Representative had summoned him, Section Chief Kim couldn't refuse.
Looking ahead, he could see Vice Representative Seok Hong-jun already heading toward the Vice Representative’s office.
"Haa..."
Letting out a sigh, Section Chief Kim printed the document he had been drafting.
The Representative seemed to have left earlier, too.
Although she was only in her twenties, after working with her for about a month and a half, he realized age was truly just a number.
To have to face Vice Representative Seok when there was no one else to rely on—he felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
*Knock, knock.*
"Come in."
Even though the door was open, Section Chief Kim knocked, and Vice Representative Seok gave him permission to enter.
"Here it is."
"Hmm."
Normally, the procedure was for the report to reach the Representative only after it had been fully verified by the Vice Representative.
"Did you send this directly to the Representative without getting my approval first?"
Since Representative Jung Hana had arrived, Vice Representative Seok had barely been present at the company.
Because the electronic document system had not yet been implemented, employees could skip the Vice Representative’s step under Hana’s approval.
"I apologize."
But a mere section chief couldn't exactly tell the Vice Representative to his face that it happened because he hadn't been coming to the office.
"What is this?"
Caught off guard without time to prepare, he had just brought what he was working on.
It was a document to report the results of the procedures they were taking to change the company name.
"Changing the company name?"
Vice Representative Seok burst into an absurd laugh. JK Furniture was a company meant to be sold off.
"She’s greedy, for someone so young."
No, is she greedy because she’s young? Muttering and twitching his cheeks, the Vice Representative threw the approval document onto the desk.
*Bang!*
He had thrown it with intent, so it made quite a loud noise. Section Chief Kim’s shoulders flinched.
"Hey. Do you have a brain? Where did you lose your mind?"
If the Representative has no sense, you should at least have some. The Vice Representative began to spew insults, asking what Department Head Wi Hyeok-su had been doing all this time.
"Do you think Representative Jung Hana is going to stay in this seat forever?"
She was in a position to be swayed back and forth according to Chairman Kang Mohyeon’s will. Did she plan to change the company name and settle in as if it were her own? That was what Vice Representative Seok Hong-jun thought.
"Incompetent fools."
He pulled the documents out of the folder and tore them to shreds. Section Chief Kim’s face turned ashen.
He could just print them again, but he knew what would happen next.
"Dogs and pigs need to be beaten to come to their senses."
Vice Representative Seok threw the torn pieces of paper at Section Chief Kim’s face. Then, holding the approval folder, he poked Section Chief Kim’s shoulder as if to push him.
"Hey. That’s why you have to serve the people at the top well."
You have to stand in the right line to get anything out of it.
From the beginning, he hadn't liked Department Head Wi and the employees under him.
Vice Representative Seok didn't hide that sentiment. That was why he had often clashed with Department Head Wi. He shook his head with dissatisfaction, looking down on Section Chief Kim.
"You’ll be kicked out and crying soon enough."
After tossing the folder into Section Chief Kim’s arms, he kicked him.
"Ugh!"
Section Chief Kim, struck in the shin by the toe of his shoe, let out a short scream.
"Clean this up!"
And he threw a tantrum, demanding he clean up the scraps of paper he had shredded and scattered.
Section Chief Kim bent his knees with a heavy heart. Vice Representative Seok watched until the end, a sneering smile on his face, as Section Chief Kim picked up the paper.
"Get out."
Vice Representative Seok jeered as he looked at the now-clean office.
As Section Chief Kim bowed his head and left, Vice Representative Seok put his hand into his inner pocket and pulled out his phone.
"First, I should let them know."
He sent a message to Dong-yun, giving him a heads-up that it seemed Hana was trying to take over JK Furniture.
A reply that came a while later contained this instruction:
[Leak it to Managing Director Choi.]
If he informed Mohyeon of Hana’s greed, her current image would be tarnished. Dong-yun, too, had often been scolded by Mohyeon for being overly greedy.
Vice Representative Seok went straight out to find Managing Director Choi.
***
"Changing the company name?"
At Managing Director Choi’s words, Mohyeon’s eyes narrowed.
Changing the company name, she thought.
Mohyeon took this as an expression of Hana’s desire to settle into that position.
"That won't do."
There had been a moment when she thought about letting her, but hadn't her thoughts changed now?
Hana was someone who needed to support Wooseok’s succession through her marriage with Seohan Group. She couldn't be left to rot at JK Furniture.
"Call her."
"Pardon?"
At the sudden command, Managing Director Choi asked back, looking puzzled.
"Tell her to come to the house. Now."
At Mohyeon’s words, Yeojin, who was standing nearby, contacted Hana.
Since Yeojin’s contact was used for urgent matters within the family, she would come running immediately.
"She says she is on her way."
Sure enough. Hearing the answer she wanted from Yeojin, Mohyeon lifted her teacup with a smirk.
"Didn't she clearly say she would support Wooseok?"
"Yes. She did."
It was a matter that Managing Director Choi had even verified separately afterward.
Yet, she was changing the name of JK Furniture. Furthermore, she had thoroughly hidden that fact from Managing Director Choi, who was Mohyeon’s person.
"Tsk. Managing Director Choi, you’ve lost your touch."
"I apologize."
It was a reprimand for not being able to catch even a piece of information like this while being in the secretary’s office right below her.
Managing Director Choi, having nothing to say because it was true, obediently bowed his head.
"Now is not the time to be holding onto furniture."
Mohyeon wondered if the youngest, Hana, lacked experience, despite thinking she was smart. As expected, Wooseok was the one who deserved to inherit the succession.
She had intended to discard the furniture business because it couldn't be utilized much even if she held onto it.
She had thought about trying to grow the furniture business alongside electronics, but it wasn't easy to surpass the furniture companies already established in the industry. There was no one there capable of playing a major role, either.
She thought it might be good to have Hana play a role there, but furniture not connected to electronics had little utility value.
As long as the Representative of electronics was Dong-yun, it didn't matter if Hana sat as the Representative of furniture.
"It’s useless to grow it on its own."
What JK needed right now was to join hands with Seohan and succeed in the national project.
Media and cultural businesses had infinite potential for future development. It was a market she regretted not jumping into and growing sooner.
Just as she was drooling over it, she heard that the national project was moving forward.
"She must be sent under Wooseok."
If she grew the construction business significantly and tied it to the hotel, Wooseok’s stake would surpass Dong-yun’s.
Mohyeon let out a deep sigh.
When her eldest, Chang-wan, died, she regretted giving electronics to her second son, Dong-yun. It would have been fine if the second son had done well, but he was too greedy.
Greed leads to ruin. Electronics had been unable to lift its head after being pushed by Seohan Electronics due to poor strategy. It had already lost in market share.
It seemed difficult to surpass Seohan Group again.
If so, it would be better to form an alliance through a marriage proposal and change the corporate rankings through construction.
"Hmm."
Mohyeon’s eyes flashed as she envisioned the future. She had dreamed of being number one in the corporate rankings, but the reality was that they barely managed to stay in the top ten.
Her goal now was to join hands with Seohan, the number one in the corporate rankings, and chase closely behind them to reach second place.
To do that, Hana needed to be at JK Construction rather than JK Furniture. That was how much of a golden opportunity the national project was to change the corporate rankings.
"Chairwoman. Representative Jung Hana has arrived."
"Tell her to come in."
Hana appeared in Mohyeon’s study at the main house in Hannam-dong.
Watching her walk slowly and greet her, Mohyeon struck the armrest of the sofa and said:
"You foolish child. Are you still aiming for the successor’s seat?"
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