Chapter92: < What Happened in Busan (1) >
The company was in an uproar.
The moment the news broke that Chairman Im Chang-ho had collapsed, Yeon-hee simply sat there, her eyes losing focus as if her soul had left her body.
President Song, who had been about to leave immediately, was stuck at the company because President Im Ji-eun had stopped her, saying their father needed to rest.
Eventually, deciding she couldn't just wait, she convened an executive meeting, and Yeonghun waited by Yeon-hee's side for time to pass.
Although he had collapsed, Yeonghun didn't think Chairman Im Chang-ho would die right away.
If he were fated to suffer a calamity sudden enough to make him collapse, it would have surely shown in his features.
He used to think he wouldn't be able to recognize such things, but strangely, even thinking back on it now, he didn't believe Chairman Im was fated to collapse and die so suddenly.
He had said he didn't have much time, but that meant the middle or latter half of next year by the lunar calendar at the earliest.
He couldn't possibly die before the year was even out.
Just then, Kim Min-hee hurried over and spoke.
"The President said she's leaving soon. She told you and the young miss to get ready."
"Me too?"
"Yes, the President said you would be going with her, Manager."
"What about the Chief of Staff?"
"Chief Hong will be leaving with you as well."
"Hmm... I understand."
Honestly, Yeonghun didn't want to go see Chairman Im Chang-ho.
He knew that even if it wasn't right away, the man would die soon.
Knowing the man was about to die, he just didn't feel up to feigning ignorance in front of the grieving relatives.
But he couldn't refuse the President's request, so he gently tapped the elbow of Yeon-hee, who was still lost in a daze.
"Yes?"
"The President said to get ready. She's leaving soon."
"Now? To Busan?"
"Yes. Let's go."
At his words, she put on her coat and started to leave without even grabbing her phone or wallet.
He gathered the rest of her things, as she was still out of it, and went down to the underground parking garage. Another sedan was waiting besides the one for the President.
Figuring they were meant to take that car, Yeonghun got into the back seat, and Yeon-hee followed.
"Yeon-hee, why don't you ride with the President?"
"I don't want to. I already introduced you to Grandfather anyway, so what does it matter? I'm going with you."
"Alright, then."
It seemed she had chosen her own peace of mind over the prying eyes of the many people they would surely encounter once they arrived in Busan.
After a short wait in the car, a group of people came rushing down.
All the company's top executives were there to see President Song off.
President Song and Chief Hong got into the front car and departed. The car behind them slowly pulled away, following them out of the company premises.
After a nearly four-hour drive, the two black cars arrived at Paik Hospital in Busan.
When their party got out of the car and reached the hospital room where Chairman Im lay, they saw another crowd gathered in front of the door.
Seeing this, Yeonghun couldn't help but laugh to himself.
How many times had he seen this exact scene in dramas and movies?
It was almost surreal to be witnessing it in person, up close.
"You got here fast. Why? Did you rush over because you were afraid Dad would give something away before he died?"
President Song calmly retorted to President Im Ji-eun's venomous words.
"I've already received so much, there's nothing more I want. I know you're anxious about losing what you have, but don't be so hostile. It won't do Father any good to hear us raising our voices while he's ill."
"I never took you for this kind of person, sister-in-law. Were you always this shameless?"
"That's right. I used to live quietly like a mouse, unable to say a single unpleasant word. But after my husband collapsed, trying to protect what I have has made me as fierce as a mother who's raised three sons. I suppose I have changed, seeing as your face doesn't seem so scary anymore, sister."
"Hah..."
President Im laughed in disbelief. President Song then spoke to Tae-min, who was standing there silently.
"How is the Chairman?"
"He hasn't woken up yet."
"I heard you were the first to find him. What happened?"
President Im cut in.
"Are you interrogating my son right now?"
"It's not an interrogation, I'm just asking what happened. As his daughter-in-law, isn't it natural for me to be curious about how Father collapsed? Sister, I'm not a stranger. The fact that you're reacting so sensitively to a simple question like this is what's strange."
"What's strange about it? My Tae-min was so shocked he had to take medicine because his heart is still pounding. Do you know that?"
Perhaps thinking that a third party would find President Im Ji-eun's escalating agitation even more suspicious, Managing Director Kim Tae-min stopped her.
"Mom, that's enough. By the way, who's that next to her?"
Tae-min asked, noticing Yeon-hee standing closely beside a man behind President Song.
Yeon-hee glanced at Yeonghun before speaking.
"He's from our Secretarial Office. Manager Choi Yeong-hun."
"Is that so? You were stuck so close together, I thought you were dating."
"That's right. We are."
"What?"
As Tae-min's brow furrowed, Yeonghun bowed his head slightly.
"I'm Manager Choi Yeong-hun from Hyunjin Corporation."
Tae-min ignored Yeonghun's outstretched hand and spoke.
"Really? Are you getting married? To bring him all the way here?"
"Grandfather knows, too."
"You already introduced him? I've never seen his face before. Which family is he from?"
Yeon-hee bit her lip slightly.
Tae-min's eyes were mocking.
It was a look that showed he was certain Yeonghun wasn't from a chaebol family.
"You have the energy to wonder which family he's from? Is the situation really that relaxed?"
"What did you say?"
"Grandfather has collapsed. Stop getting distracted and do your job properly, oppa. Before you lose the company again."
She had been quiet during the car ride, trying to sort out her complicated feelings, but once the venom started, it flowed without restraint.
"You, what kind of disrespectful thing are you saying to your cousin? This is why a proper upbringing is important. Don't you know your place?"
Unable to listen anymore, President Im interjected, but Yeon-hee shot back coolly without batting an eye.
"That's right, I studied abroad, so I'm not used to Korean etiquette. Oh, I heard at a gathering that you got another woman pregnant, oppa. This time it wasn't an actress, but a high-class hostess, I hear. You should have been more careful. Next thing you know, you'll be having a wedding at a hotel with some girl from a room salon, won't you? Would you even be able to send out invitations to your friends without dying of embarrassment?"
*Smack!*
Unable to watch any longer, President Im Ji-eun slapped Yeon-hee across the face with all her might.
Her hand moved so fast that Yeonghun couldn't even block it like the male lead in a drama.
While Yeonghun and President Song Eun-chae were both stunned, Yeon-hee lifted her head as if nothing had happened, touched her lips, and spoke.
"Today isn't a day I want to raise my voice, so I'll let it slide. I'll just consider it the price for getting Hyunjin Tourism. One slap for Hyunjin Tourism... that's a cheap price, isn't it?"
"What?"
President Im Ji-eun's body trembled, her anger rising to the top of her head.
"And I have a good memory. But I'll make a special exception and forget what happened today, since you're my aunt. Now, would you please step aside? I came here to at least see my grandfather's face, since he's unconscious."
Yeon-hee walked past the dumbfounded President Im, and Chief Hong Seung-dae quickly guided President Song toward the hospital room.
This icy demeanor might have been Yeon-hee's true self.
She had tried hard to change after hearing about her fate from Yeonghun, but she was originally born a woman who didn't even treat people as human if they didn't meet her standards.
"That... that disrespectful brat..."
"Well then..."
Yeonghun bowed his head slightly and was about to pass by when Managing Director Kim Tae-min grabbed his arm.
"You met my grandfather?"
"Yes, I did."
"What did he say?"
"He didn't say anything in particular."
He stared into Yeonghun's eyes for a moment, as if he didn't believe him.
After a moment of a silent staring contest, Yeonghun took a business card from the cardholder Yeon-hee had given him as a gift and held it out.
"Since we've met like this, allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Choi Yeong-hun."
He had intended to offer a handshake naturally while giving the card, but Managing Director Kim Tae-min sneered.
"Do you think you and I are on the same level, exchanging business cards?"
Having already grown accustomed to Hyeongjun's informal speech, he wasn't particularly offended by it.
If he got worked up over something like this, the twenty-plus years he'd spent training in the mountains would have been a waste.
However, he was still a little angry about Yeon-hee getting slapped earlier.
"I see you've served in the military. I heard most chaebol heirs don't."
"What did you say, you bastard?"
"Don't get excited. I didn't serve either. So, if we're both without a military serial number, then we are on the same level to exchange cards. You'll probably be hearing my name a lot from now on. And... have you by any chance heard about the Gunsan Shipyard?"
In an instant, the look in Tae-min's eyes changed.
He lunged forward, grabbed Yeonghun by the collar, and shoved him against the wall.
"Oh my, what's wrong with him?"
President Im Ji-eun tried to stop him, but her words didn't register in Tae-min's ears.
He only stared intently at Yeonghun's face and asked.
"Are you the bastard who spouted that nonsense to my grandfather?"
"Don't get so worked up."
As Yeonghun grabbed Tae-min's hand, which was clutching his collar, Tae-min raised his voice even louder.
"I asked if it was you!"
"What changes if it was me? And I don't understand why you're so agitated. Do you have something to hide, perhaps?"
At that moment, the strength in Tae-min's hand, which was holding his collar, suddenly slackened.
Yeonghun pulled his hand away, brushed off his wrinkled clothes, and continued.
"Instead of focusing on who made the proposal, you should be focused on reaching a conclusion quickly."
"Why? Are you trying to acquire Haeju Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering too?"
At this, President Im Ji-eun, who had been listening from the side, asked.
"Hey, what are you talking about? What's this Haeju Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering?"
Neither Tae-min nor Yeonghun turned their heads at President Im's question.
Yeonghun glanced around briefly before speaking.
"Managing Director, you make mistakes when you get emotional. Aren't you the one who will lead Hyunjin Heavy Industries from now on? Calm down. And I will take your decision as the decision of Hyunjin Heavy Industries."
"What decision?"
"The Gunsan Shipyard. You're giving up on it, aren't you?"
“...”
“I wish you the best in running Hyunjin Heavy Industries.”
Yeonghun gave a slight bow and followed President Song and the others into the hospital room.
He could hear President Im Ji-eun behind him, pressing her son to explain what was happening, but he ignored it.
Such talk couldn't even register in his ears right now.
‘You’ve raised a wolf... and a nasty one at that, who can’t even hunt and just has a foul temper...’
Yeonghun lamented as he entered the room.
When Tae-min had grabbed him by the collar, Yeonghun had briefly touched his hand and learned his time of birth. Combining that with the birthdate he already knew, he had calculated his four pillars of destiny.
And he had found out what kind of person he was.
“It seems unlikely he will wake up right now.”
“Have the police come to investigate?”
“I’m not sure.”
Yeonghun watched silently from the back as President Song and Yeon-hee looked crestfallen at the doctor’s words.
After the doctor left, the mother and daughter remained by the bedside in silence for a long time. Chief Hong quietly called Yeonghun out.
It seemed President Im Ji-eun and her group had also left for somewhere else.
“What do you think will happen?”
At Chief Hong’s question, Yeonghun answered, his gaze fixed on the room where Chairman Im lay.
“They’ll give up on the Gunsan Shipyard.”
“Yeah, it won’t be easy. They haven’t even fully recovered from the boom years, and now they’re being asked to take on an empty shipyard worth nearly a trillion won. It would be stranger if they weren't shocked.”
“I suppose so.”
“So, what’s our next move?”
“We’ll just have to do what we need to...”
As he was speaking, a woman looking around caught his eye.
If she had been an ordinary woman, he would have looked away, but her clothes and face were anything but ordinary.
Having recently started accompanying Yeon-hee to department stores, his eye for luxury goods was developing, and he could tell her bag and clothes were quite expensive.
Besides, she was a beauty who would turn heads anywhere, so it was only natural his gaze was drawn to her.
“What is it? Do you know her?”
A smirk played on one side of Yeonghun’s lips.
“This should be interesting.”
“What should?”
“The Chairman isn’t dead yet, but the funeral will be held elsewhere.”
End of < What Happened in Busan (1) >
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