RR 06
[006] The Chaebol Chairman’s Birthday 3.
When I went down to the dining room downstairs, countless gazes fixed on me.
They were seated at three large tables.
They were clearly suit-wearing types. These were the core figures of the group, including the CEOs of subsidiaries. Some of their faces were familiar.
Because their faces from 30 years in the future were clearly visible.
These core figures of the group were someone’s husband, a child’s father, and their parents’ son, yet their loyalty to Chairman Jin Yang-cheol took precedence over their love for their wives and children, or their filial piety to their parents.
These were the butlers I’d dreamed of becoming, or to put it nicely, his bodyguards. Chairman Jin Yang-cheol also listened to their words in return for the loyalty they showed.
I absolutely had to make them my allies.
At one table sat the children.
One biological brother and 11 cousins.
My entire body trembled when I spotted Jin Young-jun, especially my eldest cousin, the eldest grandson of this family, and the one who led me to my death as Vice Chairman 30 years later.
If I had a gun in my hand, I might have shot him dead.
The last table was occupied by the chosen ones.
All they had done was be born as Chairman Jin Yang-cheol’s children, but that was the only way to sit at this table.
The five successors.
And their spouses…
Wait!
Why are there nine? One person is missing.
Why isn’t my mother here?
I looked around, but I couldn’t find my mother.
As Chairman Jin Yang-cheol sat at the table, two chefs appeared, carrying a cake with 66 candles.
“Chairman. Happy birthday.”
“Father, happy birthday. Live long and healthy.”
“Grandfather! Happy birthday!”
Countless sycophants shouted with bright smiles, and when the Chairman blew out the candles, they clapped so loudly the house seemed to shake.
Only two people weren’t smiling and clapped without enthusiasm.
My father and my brother.
No matter how much they might have been disliked, how could they appear so disheartened? What exactly was our family’s standing in this household?
I found the answer as soon as I spotted my mother.
She couldn’t sit with them. No, there was no space for her at the table.
All the women, excluding the men—my grandmother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and aunt-in-law.
They were constantly making my mother do things whenever they had a chance.
“Sister-in-law, get some more soup.”
“Youngest daughter-in-law. Prepare some cold water. With ice.”
“Sister-in-law. Clear the empty dishes.”
Just like a maid.
Of course, as the lowest-ranking person, she could be asked to do simple errands. But isn’t that something you’d only see in an ordinary household?
Here, there were five people working in the kitchen alone. Including the maids, there were over ten people doing housework. There was no need for my mother to be running back and forth.
This was openly blatant domestic abuse. No, “tormenting” would be a more accurate term.
Seeing this, my blood boiled.
The intensity of my anger was no different from when I first saw Jin Young-jun.
Although it hadn’t been even a hundred days since I started living with my mother, I had been feeling the warmth of her boundless affection for me.
Moreover, my father, who continued to eat his meal as if he didn’t see the people tormenting my mother, angered me even more than those who were harassing her.
Since the husband was like that, the bullying and disregard must have intensified.
My brother, Sang-jun, sitting next to me, must have witnessed such scenes countless times, but it still seemed hard for him to bear.
His tightly pressed lower lip was trembling.
So, that’s why he threw a tantrum about not wanting to come to grandfather’s house.
I felt a little sorry for scolding him so harshly earlier, not understanding his feelings, thinking I was correcting his habits.
Be patient. One day, I will make sure these women of the household kneel before my mother.
In the end, my mother barely ate dinner and was practically chased into the kitchen to wash dishes.
After dinner, the grandchildren divided into two groups.
The teenagers, middle and high school students, quietly disappeared somewhere, while the still immature elementary school students gathered around their grandfather.
“Alright, you rascals. Let’s go upstairs. Haha.”
Ah, so the playroom upstairs is accessible only with Chairman Jin’s permission.
He’s a stubborn old man.
He doesn’t let go of his chairman’s mindset of trying to assert power and control even over his grandchildren.
It was infuriating, but I followed them upstairs.
Just then, I felt a hand pat my head.
“Our Do-jun, you’re the main character today.”
The owner of the hand was none other than Jin Young-jun.
My hair felt like it stood on end when I confirmed it was him, but I forced a smile.
Perhaps due to the 10-year age difference, his expression as he looked at me was smiling. He looked like an older brother doting on his youngest sibling.
That smile, let’s see how long it lasts.
“This is Do-jun’s gift, so the first one to ride is Do-jun. The rest of you can go after that. Understand?”
Chairman Jin firmly instructed the children and went downstairs.
As soon as my grandfather disappeared, someone roughly pushed my shoulder.
“Get out of the way, you brat! I’m first!”
This little punk. My face flushed with anger. Just as I clenched my fist and was about to retaliate, my brother Sang-jun grabbed my wrist.
“Okay. Hyung Kang-jun, you go first. We can ride later.”
My brother’s face was already filled with fear.
Kang-jun? Jin Kang-jun? The name sounded familiar.
I racked my brain.
Ah, it’s that guy. Jin Sang-gi’s, the third son’s eldest son. When I died, he was an executive director at Sunyang Telecom.
His father, Jin Sang-gi, had lost in the succession battle and had knelt to ask for his son to be taken care of.
I learned today that this Jin Kang-jun had a nasty temper even as a child.
Even as an adult, he constantly caused assault incidents.
He was the type to use his fists before words, so there were countless incidents of him assaulting employees, as well as restaurant and bar staff.
I wasn’t interested in children’s toys like this anyway, but the memory of his mother, my older sister-in-law, making my mother run all sorts of errands at the dinner table, came to mind.
So, what should I do?
Should I let it slide? Or should I get some small revenge?
My deliberation wasn’t long.
I absolutely had to get my small revenge, and I just needed a little time to figure out what kind of benefit I could gain from it.
If possible, I wanted to leave a strong impression on our founding grandfather today. From what I could see, I didn’t meet him often, only a few times a year, so I had to make my presence felt whenever I had the chance.
I finished my thoughts and immediately acted.
My brother Sang-jun’s eyes widened when he saw the strange smile on my lips.
It must have been because he noticed it was the same smile I had when I was doused with hot water in the bathroom earlier today.
I winked at my brother, then smiled and approached my cousin, Jin Kang-jun.
He was enjoying himself, imitating a cowboy on the horse that emitted a low mechanical sound, unaware that I had approached.
“Having fun?”
“What?”
As the disoriented Jin Kang-jun glanced back amidst the horse’s rocking, I gave the horse’s rump a hard kick.
Thump!
The rocking horse and Jin Kang-jun fell, making a dull sound.
“Agh!”
Oh no! Did he break a leg bone? His scream was sharp.
Doesn’t matter.
Growing up with a few injuries makes the bones stronger and better.
The five young cousins who were in the playroom with us were so surprised that their mouths hung open, not a sound coming out.
I poked Jin Kang-jun’s cheek, who was still screaming due to the pain in his leg, trapped under the horse.
“Don’t you ever touch what’s mine again.”
From outside, I began to hear loud thumping sounds of footsteps running up the stairs.
Women rushed in, drawn by the screams. One of them turned pale.
“Kang-jun-ah!”
The playroom became a chaotic mess as people tried to lift the fallen horse and check on the child’s condition, but only one person remained motionless, staring solely at me.
It was my mother.
The children chirped like sparrows, but only one sentence must have reached her ears.
“Do-jun pushed him!”
She looked at me with a pained expression, overwhelmed by what was about to unfold, but I smiled brightly and winked.
Unluckily, Kang-jun’s mother saw this.
“Y-You lunatic!”
Slap-slap!
As her hand went back and forth across my cheek, my mother rushed over and hugged me.
Poor woman.
She couldn’t say a single word and only thought of protecting me.
My older sister-in-law’s hand went up again. Her eyes were filled with malice, as if she intended to attack both me and my mother.
“What do you think you’re doing? How dare you lay a hand on him!”
“Oh, Father…”
As Chairman Jin appeared, the playroom became as quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.
He surveyed the room once, and as if he understood everything at a glance, he immediately gave orders.
“Kang-jun’s mother, quickly take the child to the hospital.”
“Yes, yes.”
As a few people left the room, carrying the child whose cries and groans were mixed with pain, Chairman Jin commanded the remaining people.
“Everyone go downstairs. Now.”
Just in case, I took my mother’s hand and tried to be the last to leave.
“Do-jun, you stay!”
Just as I thought. That’s what I wanted.
When I let go of my mother’s hand, she hesitated, filled with unease and worry. But under Chairman Jin’s cold gaze, she lowered her head and went downstairs.
Once we were alone, Chairman Jin glared at me and said, “Did you do that?”
“…Yes.”
“Why? Why did you do something so dangerous? And to your brother!”
“It was mine, but Hyung Kang-jun rode it first.”
“What? You’re saying you hurt your brother just for that?”
Chairman Jin frowned deeply, showing his anger.
“No. I didn’t intend to hurt Hyung; I intended to break the horse.”
My unexpected answer made his frown disappear, replaced by an extremely surprised expression.
“I’d rather destroy what’s mine than let someone else take it. So no one can have it…”
I trailed off, lowering my head.
“You won’t let it be taken?”
“Yes.”
I slightly lifted my head to observe Chairman Jin’s expression.
Success.
He was clearly struggling to suppress a budding smile.
It must have been because he glimpsed the necessary ruthlessness required of a kingdom’s leader. The ruthlessness to not lose even an inch of territory. That is precisely what is needed for war with external forces.
“Although you had no intention of hurting your brother, he got hurt as a result. You must be punished for your actions.”
Chairman Jin led the way, and I followed, pretending to be remorseful with my head bowed low.
The place Chairman Jin took me was his study.
My heart pounded when he opened the study door.
To be able to enter and exit this place!
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