RR 48
[048] A Family Without Choices 1.
The atmosphere at school was completely different. It was April, and spring was in full swing, but that wasn’t why.
As I walked from the school gate to the classroom, I greeted quite a few classmates and seniors, and some students even walked with me to the classroom.
In the classroom, many kids approached me first.
“Hey, Do-jun. That laptop is totally awesome. It’s fantastic. But I’m not studying because I’m playing with it. Heh heh.”
“That’s the hidden purpose. Throw a toy at your rivals and make them unable to study.”
It was my job to ease their discomfort with remarks like that.
“Since I started using the laptop, I don’t use pens anymore. Everything’s in Word.”
“Ah, that was also the purpose. If you write a report, just give me the file. I can just tweak it a bit and submit it. Heh heh.”
I scanned the classroom, making idle jokes.
The gazes of the guys who hadn’t attended the freshman welcome party and hadn’t received a laptop were sharp. I could also read the expectation in their eyes that I might hand out laptops again.
It seemed like a good idea to hand out more during the May festival.
And I saw some of the names from my memo as well.
During a short break after class, I approached a guy getting coffee from a vending machine.
With what mindset did this guy refuse the temptation of 3 million won, which was more than double the starting salary of a Daehyun Group college graduate?
I put a hundred-won coin into the vending machine and got a coffee.
“You said you didn’t take a laptop? Did you forget?”
His face, holding the paper cup, crumpled.
“Damn it, why? You want me to just grab it and say thank you?”
I was waiting for something special to come out, but it was a wasted expectation. Obvious pride was the reason.
“Well, I wasn’t really thinking that.”
He must have gotten angrier at my unchanging expression and smiling reply. More barbed words poured out.
“I know you’re a third-generation chaebol even if you don’t flaunt your money. But now you’re even showing off your wealth to your university classmates?”
“Then would you refuse if a senior bought you a 1,500-won meal at the school cafeteria? Is that ‘money flaunting’?”
I pulled a hundred-won coin from my pocket.
“Is a classmate getting you a 100-won vending machine coffee also ‘money flaunting’?”
“You bastard! Is that the same as a laptop?”
“Yes, it’s the same.”
“What?”
Seeing the young bastard flustered was almost cute. Well, if not now, when would he protect his pride?
When he goes out into the world and gets knocked around, he’ll realize how cumbersome pride can be.
“To me, it’s the same. You might count numbers like one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand! But I only think in units of hundreds of millions, billions, tens of billions, hundreds of billions! Anything under a hundred million is just change.”
I threw the paper cup in my hand into the trash can.
“A laptop and a vending machine coffee… No difference. Not to a third-generation chaebol.”
Seeing his face turn red, I wondered if I had gone too far, but when you step on someone, you have to step on them firmly. So they can’t even look up.
“If you saw a hundred-won coin on the street, you’d quickly pick it up, wouldn’t you? A free cup of coffee, right? At that time, your pride disappears, but when a 3 million won laptop falls in the student union, pride only appears when you pick it up? If that’s pride, it’s pretty useless. Don’t you think?”
I turned away after confirming his distorted face.
Most of the others showed similar reactions. It was a continuous string of disappointments.
But there was one useful guy.
“Hey, Jin Do-jun.”
A guy who looked at me with a sly smile. With his dark face, he looked like a former reservist, clearly from a farming family in the countryside.
“The senior said it wasn’t a bribe, but it is a bribe, you punk.”
“Why would that be a bribe?”
“A bribe is usually paid upfront. Receiving something after doing a favor is just an additional gift of gratitude.”
“You’re not a public official, and I didn’t ask you for any favors.”
“Do you only give bribes right before you ask for a favor? There are many cases where they’re scattered years in advance. In a few years, I’ll be a public official in the prosecutor’s office, so it’s a proper bribe. Did you learn that from your grandfather?”
“No. I’m the youngest in my family, so my grandfather doesn’t teach me anything. That only happens to my cousins from the main branch.”
“So you’re completely excluded from Sunyang Group?”
“You could say that. You may or may not know, but my father, the chairman’s youngest son, was also excluded early on. That’s why he’s making movies now.”
“Then you’re a chaebol’s third-generation just in name?”
I just nodded without answering, and the guy who looked like a reservist took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“Damn it. I should’ve taken it.”
“Pffft.”
It was hard to suppress my laughter. This guy, he’s interesting.
“Hey! Can’t you give it to me now? Is it too late?”
The guy, who had no intention of receiving it, just extended his hand anyway. He was the type who didn’t make enemies. He wasn’t acting his age.
“Did you perhaps re-take the college entrance exam once or twice?”
The guy, who had been grinning, stopped smiling and his expression hardened.
“Don’t hint that I look old. That’s hitting a raw nerve.”
“If I give you a laptop, will you let it slide once?”
“Next time. This is the first time, so I’ll let it slide.”
I shouted at his back as he stubbed out his cigarette and walked into the library.
“Answer before you go. How old are you?”
.
.
The Allure of Seo Min-young
“Who’s Seo Min-young?”
“Wow, you hardly ever come to school, but when did you get her number?”
“What are you talking about?”
“What am I talking about? It’s rare to see a girl like her. You’re asking because you heard rumors about how pretty she is, aren’t you?”
What these guys called “pretty” wasn’t reliable. Since they were guys who only focused on studying, their taste in women was terrible, and they were all guys who had a very low standard for what was considered pretty.
“Stop with the nonsense. Who is she?”
“Wait. When the murmuring in the classroom suddenly disappears, that’s when she’s appeared.”
A few minutes later, what he said turned out to be true.
When Seo Min-young appeared, the classroom went silent as if by magic, not a single breath heard, and all eyes turned towards her.
Not bad, huh?
She was attractive enough to capture the attention of all the men. Her short stature was a flaw, but her bare face, without any makeup, was good enough to make my father consider casting her.
“How is it? Was I right?”
“You have high standards.”
“Don’t you dare touch her. Even commoners like us deserve a chance. As a third-generation chaebol, you can date celebrities, can’t you? Listen carefully to me. If you date her, you’ll make enemies of all the men in our school.”
“Don’t worry. Actresses come and go from my house every day. I have high standards. But her, I don’t think I saw her at the welcome party?”
“She just showed her face and left quickly. When you were handing out laptops, it was chaos. She quietly disappeared then.”
I waited until class ended, then stood in front of Seo Min-young as she was leaving school.
She was a little surprised by my sudden appearance but quickly calmed down.
“What is it? Do you need something from me?”
From her expression, she seemed to know who I was.
“Yes. Just a quick question. You didn’t take the laptop I handed out at the freshman welcome party. Can I ask why?”
Seo Min-young chuckled and said something unexpected.
“Do you know how to fly a plane?”
“What?”
“Do you know how to fly a plane?”
“Of course not.”
“Then a plane would be useless even if I gave it to you, right?”
“Stop playing word games, what do you want to say?”
“The one who got those high Suneung scores sure is dense.”
Since she kept smiling, it was clear that she hadn’t refused it out of hurt pride.
“I’m computer illiterate.”
“Huh?”
“To me, that’s no different from a plane. What’s the point of taking something I can’t even use?”
I had never thought of such a reason. I was so dumbfounded that I could only stare at Seo Min-young’s face, unable to think of a reply.
Then, another unexpected remark came from her.
“Don’t look at me like that. My heart’s pounding.”
.
.
An Unexpected Matchmaking Session
Due to the continuous bankruptcies of large corporations, the study was a constant stream of meetings.
Today, after finishing another marathon meeting, Chairman Jin was leaning back in his chair, trying to rest, when the intercom rang, as if it had been waiting for the meeting to end.
Chairman. CEO Yoon from Seocho-dong is waiting.
“Ah, I’m coming out now.”
Chairman Jin went out to the living room with quick steps.
“CEO Yoon. You’ve waited long, haven’t you? I completely forgot.”
“No, Chairman. You’re the busiest person in Korea, so it’s natural to wait.”
The person waiting for Chairman Jin in the living room was a middle-aged woman with the impression of a high school principal.
“So, did you find anyone useful?”
The woman, called CEO Yoon, took out three files from her briefcase and laid them out in front of Chairman Jin.
“I paid special attention. She’s going to be the captain of Sunyang Group in the future…”
“Oh! Your mouth!”
“Oh my, how foolish of me. I apologize, Chairman.”
CEO Yoon hastily bowed her head and opened the first file.
“She’s the youngest daughter of the Daeyil Bank president. Twenty-seven years old, completed her studies at Princeton, and is currently a talented individual working at Boston Bank’s Hong Kong branch.”
She opened the second file.
“She’s the eldest granddaughter of the Hansung Ilbo chairman. Twenty-six years old…”
After the introduction of the three women, Chairman Jin nodded.
“Good. Set a date.”
“Whom are you referring to…?”
“I’ll see all three. Why? Can’t I?”
“Oh, no, you can. I’ll prepare everything as soon as possible. But Chairman…”
“I know. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure no one talks about seeing them one after another like shopping.”
CEO Yoon smiled brightly and pulled out another file from her bag.
“Chairman. This one was truly hard to find. They’re so young, still with their baby fat…”
“Oh, stop exaggerating! I’ll give you a generous fee for your legwork, so stop talking nonsense and tell me about it.”
Perhaps wanting to hear about the generous fee, the matchmaker’s mouth stretched into a wide grin.
“She’s the only daughter of the newly appointed Constitutional Court Justice.”
“Constitutional Court Justice? Isn’t he just a judge?”
“It’s a judicial family. You know the Chief Justice who passed away last year, right? She’s his granddaughter.”
“Ah, that man! The family whose daughters don’t practice law after their judicial terms end.”
“Yes. It’s even said that the places where that family gathers are the Supreme Court and the Prosecutor’s Office. You could say they’re a respected legal old-line family.”
“I know they’re an upright family. How is the girl?”
“She’s truly a rough gem. You’d be hard-pressed to find another girl like her.”
Chairman Jin, irritated by the excessive praise for the woman, suddenly snapped.
“Can she compare to our child? He’s a national top scorer. A Seoul National University law student. And what about his looks? You know that handsome guy who’s popular these days, who is it? Jang…”
“Jang Dong-gun?”
“Yes. Doesn’t he have features that rival even him?”
“I know very well. That’s why I found a girl who won’t fall short. This girl also got into Seoul National University’s law department.”
“What? Then…?”
“Yes. She’s in the same class as him. They can be naturally connected.”
“Hmm…”
Not bad. No, she’s quite good. An old family in the legal field, socially respected. Although they don’t open law practices, they often serve in the cabinet, like the Minister of Justice, after teaching at universities.
Did they even produce a prime minister?
“But isn’t she too young to be having a match?”
“Ho ho, Chairman. Young heirs these days absolutely detest meeting at hotel coffee shops and the like.”
“Then?”
“My role is to make them naturally get to know each other. They’ll meet so smoothly that they won’t even realize it’s a match. Like they’re genuinely dating.”
“Oh, really.”
“If you approve, I’ll proceed. What do you think?”
“Does the other family have intentions?”
“Of course! Who would refuse to be the daughter-in-law of the great Sunyang family?”
“Good. Proceed.”
With the chairman’s approval, CEO Yoon smiled brightly and stood up. And then, emboldened, she spoke.
“But Chairman. You have many grandsons who are ready for marriage, so why are you taking care of the youngest first?”
“The older ones, their parents will take care of them. Don’t I have to live to see our youngest get married? That’s why I’m rushing.”
Matchmaker Yoon didn’t think that was the only reason. This grandson, who received the chairman’s unusual affection, she had a premonition that something extraordinary would happen.
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