RR 07
[007] Active Appeal 1.
For over a decade, I had lived the life of a servant at Jin-yang Group, coming and going from this mansion countless times, but the only places I was permitted were the living room and the kitchen.
Along with the bedrooms, this study was a place I was absolutely forbidden to enter.
The Chairman’s office on the 27th floor of Sunyang Group headquarters was his official workplace, but all group decisions were made right here.
This study was a place accessible only to family members, the CEOs of the group’s subsidiaries, and its true power brokers.
Now, I too had gained the right to enter this place.
Not as Manager Yoon Hyun-woo, but as the grandson.
I stepped into the study and scanned the interior.
The study looked no different from a large conference room.
A conference table, capable of seating a dozen people, was set in front of the Chairman’s large desk, and the Chairman’s children and the group’s power brokers were already seated. This was expected.
While it was his birthday celebration, if these people gathered, discussing current issues was a natural progression.
What surprised me was that Jin Young-jun, the eldest grandson, was also seated here instead of my father.
My father’s absence was understandable; he was a disowned child, after all.
But Jin Young-jun was only twenty years old. He was a university student preparing to study abroad.
Compared to the others, he was still just a child. His presence here meant that the succession structure was already solidified.
Was being reborn into a chaebol family an opportunity from God, but perhaps it was already too late?
Was the 10-year age gap truly insurmountable?
Everyone misunderstood me, lost in these thoughts with my head bowed. They thought I was utterly terrified.
“Do-jun, you rascal. Lift your head. Men grow by fighting with their brothers. Haha.”
Jin Young-jun spoke with a hearty laugh, perhaps trying to project the image of an eldest brother.
“Quiet! This is not a place for you to speak. Didn’t I tell you just to listen?”
When Jin Young-ki, his father and my eldest uncle, shouted, Jin Young-jun scratched his head.
Chairman Jin pulled my hand.
“Do-jun.”
“Yes, Grandfather.”
“Kneel beside me until I tell you to stand up. That is your punishment.”
Was this punishment? Or education?
For a ten-year-old Jin Do-jun, it might be punishment, but for a forty-year-old Yoon Hyun-woo, it was business training.
I mustn’t miss a single word of the strategies these people, who were building an empire called Sunyang, were pouring out.
I quietly knelt beside my grandfather.
“Everyone, tell me your thoughts. What do you think will happen?”
The meeting, interrupted by me, resumed.
“You know how stubborn that man is, don’t you? It’s the end of his term, but he won’t collapse. Don’t you think he’ll confront it head-on?”
“Confront it head-on, meaning?”
“Harsh suppression, I mean.”
“Can’t it already be considered harsh suppression? Are you perhaps thinking of military deployment?”
“That’s right.”
What?
End of term? Suppression? Military?
Were they talking about the political situation, not company management?
“We need to consider other directions. Today, over a million people gathered nationwide. If the military is deployed, it might become two million, not one million.”
“Not afraid even of guns and swords?”
“Currently, the flames of anger are raging. If they were dying down, they might fear guns and swords, but military deployment would be like pouring oil on the fire. The current regime wouldn’t be unaware of that.”
“So? What are you trying to say? Are you suggesting we prepare for the fall of the regime? Do you think the next president will be from the opposition?”
“It could be that…”
Bang!
Chairman Jin slammed the desk, and the subsidiary CEO who was speaking quickly shut his mouth.
“It could be? Of course it could. Or it might not. Do you think I’m wasting my precious time to hear such meaningless talk?”
“S-Sorry.”
At the Chairman’s single roar, everyone bowed their heads.
“Just tell me whose side we should be on. Vice Chairman!”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“You tell me first. Who is it?”
They were father and son, but in a formal setting, they addressed each other by their company titles.
Perhaps due to the weight of being Vice Chairman, my eldest uncle Jin Young-ki couldn’t answer easily.
Jin Young-ki, in his mid-forties. And his son, Jin Young-jun.
These were the two who had framed me for everything and even ordered my murder.
Now that I’ve returned to the past, I won’t let that happen. But it could happen at any time, just not to me.
I was curious about the answer of Jin Young-ki, whom I had once respected so much.
What kind of insight would he possess?
“It’s not a regime that will collapse, and the successor is clear. For seven years since this regime took power, there have been constant demonstrations. I believe that now, the extent of it is just a bit more severe.”
At the eldest son’s remark, the second son Jin Dong-ki and the third son Jin Sang-ki, who were also present, agreed without the slightest hesitation.
“I think so too.”
“Me as well…”
As the Crown Prince and the princes successively voiced the same opinion, the subsidiary CEOs, who were like ministers, also leaned towards the current regime maintaining power.
Something was off.
In three days, the President’s emergency announcement would come.
Wasn’t that a declaration of surrender?
The people would win.
By now, the Blue House (presidential office) would have a general outline.
For a group like Sunyang, there must have been more than one informant planted in the Blue House, so it was incomprehensible that they still didn’t know.
Was it possible that at this time, there were few Sunyang Group scholarship students in political and government circles?
Putting these doubts aside, I continued to listen to their meeting.
However, not a single word about group management was spoken; they only argued about whose side to take.
In a way, it was pathetic.
No matter how chaotic the political situation was, this wasn’t the kind of conversation I wanted. I expected high-level discussions, at least beyond what ordinary office workers would consider, like establishing management strategies to respond to change and predicting how the outpouring of democracy demands would transform this world.
But they were frothing at the mouth, arguing about whose side to take, as if the group’s very survival depended on siding with the strong one.
It was both pathetic and bitter.
Was this the corporate landscape of the 80s?
In the end, the meeting concluded, leaving behind only the erroneous prediction that the current regime would continue to hold power.
“That’s enough. Everyone, you may leave. And keep your ears open to gather information.”
With Chairman Jin’s words, everyone exited the study.
“You may stand now.”
A gentle voice, typical of a grandfather.
I tried to stand up quickly but couldn’t. I slowly straightened my stiff legs and barely managed to stand, and Chairman Jin’s gaze, as he looked at me, was filled with pride. It was the warm gaze an ordinary grandfather would show.
Chairman Jin, who had me sit beside him, began to speak.
“Well done, our Do-jun.”
“Yes?”
“It was quite a long time, but you never once frowned or showed any sign of difficulty. Even an adult would have shifted their body due to uncomfortable legs… But you stood perfectly straight.”
I hadn’t even realized my legs were hurting from listening to the discussion. I hadn’t felt how much time had passed.
“But there’s one thing I’m curious about. How did you change so much?”
The original Jin Do-jun would have been no different from my brother, Sang-jun.
He must have been an utterly timid, passive child, intimidated under the care of his powerless and abused parents.
It was only natural for him to be surprised and curious that such a child would not hesitate to resort to violence to protect what was his.
The truth is, I haven’t changed; I’m a different person. Well… I can’t say that.
“Me?”
I observed Chairman Jin’s expression and racked my brain for a suitable answer. There was only one appropriate answer.
“Yes. Was it New Year’s Day when I last saw our Do-jun? It’s only been half a year, but you’re like a completely different person. I wonder if you’re really my grandson. Haha.”
“I’m not going to hold back anymore.”
“What?”
“Father and Mother have been constantly watching their steps, so I held back too. But I can’t stand it anymore. I’m angry.”
Damn it, if only a tear or two would fall at a time like this…
There was no way tears would come!
But perhaps he was even more proud of me for saying such things so calmly.
Chairman Jin silently hugged me.
He seemed to be guessing my past emotional struggles and felt pity for me.
At a time like this, I needed to give him another shock. A shock that would make him faint.
“Grandfather.”
“Yes, tell me. Anything.”
“Make all three of them your friends.”
“What do you mean by that? Make all three of them your friends?”
“What you said earlier. The next president.”
“…?!”
The look of pity in his eyes changed.
He’d given me a punishment, but I’d heard the entire conversation? Just a ten-year-old child.
Moreover, I had even synthesized all the information and come up with such a brilliant idea, so he must have been surprised.
“If the president is the most powerful person in our country, and you don’t know who it will be, wouldn’t it be good to just make all of them your friends? All three of them are powerful enough to become president, so do you have to choose only one to be your friend?”
I spoke in the most childlike tone I could manage, stripping away all difficult words.
“All of them can be friends…”
“Can’t they?”
“Why not? The more friends you have, the better. Haha.”
Chairman Jin hugged me tightly, even letting out a satisfied laugh.
Should I stop here for today?
When the June 29th Declaration comes out in a few days, even just a hint about whose side to take will shock him again.
I need to make him a grandfather so utterly enchanted by his 10-year-old grandson’s brilliance that he can’t escape.
It’s not too late yet.
“Do you want to play outside now, our Do-jun? Grandfather has a little work to do.”
I left the study, basking in Chairman Jin’s loving gaze..
.
..
.
In the Study, Alone
Chairman Jin remained alone in his study, deep in thought.
Presently, Chairman Jin picked up the receiver and made a call.
- Yes, Chairman.
“Deliver five (presumably bundles of cash or some form of payment) to YS and DJ immediately.”
- To both of them?
“Yes. Tell them that they’re working hard in the current political situation, and they should feed their subordinates some meat, and throw in some appropriate praise.”
- Understood. What about the other side…?
“Just deliver ten (bundles) for now. And don’t forget to say that I hope they resolve the noisy political situation well.”
- I will keep that in mind, Chairman.
Chairman Jin put down the receiver and let out a chuckle.
To think that a 10-year-old grandson would say something so brilliant.
He had been thinking in too much of a binary way.
When he asked a question that required predicting an uncertain future, everyone gave uncertain answers. They barely managed speculative answers like “the current regime will surrender” or “it will hold on.”
If he had asked for countermeasures to an uncertain future, someone would surely have suggested diversifying and hedging their bets.
Because they were people with enough brains for that.
But to think a 10-year-old grandson would throw out that answer!
Why had he only just now discovered such a bright side of him?
Chairman Jin quietly called for his eldest grandson, Jin Young-jun.
He wanted to check the potential of the one who would become the 3rd Chairman of Sunyang Group.
Jin Young-jun rushed over at his grandfather’s summons, showing a slightly tense expression.
“Young-jun.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Oh, now I’m your grandfather.”
“Ah, yes. Grandfather.”
The tense expression on Jin Young-jun’s face reddened. One must clearly distinguish between public and private matters. But it wasn’t easy to please a grandfather who constantly changed his whims.
“You only listened today. But you must have thought about it, right? Let me see your answer sheet. I’ll grade it.”
The current regime had barely six months left. It was a clear lame duck period, but citizens continued to pour into the streets daily, shouting for the overthrow of dictatorship and the abolition of the authoritarian constitution. Moreover, the Olympics, a global event, were scheduled for next year.
What would become of this chaotic period? This was the problem, and he had to provide an answer.
“Well… um…”
He had seen countless students throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails, running from tear gas, at school.
Chairman Jin clicked his tongue inwardly, watching his grandson’s troubled expression.
Police forces always dispersed the demonstrators.
The power difference was overwhelming. They demonstrated every day and were dispersed every day.
After all, university students couldn’t defeat state authority.
Having organized his thoughts, Jin Young-jun carefully filled out his answer sheet.
“I believe the protests are at their peak right now. If the president deploys more police… and even some military forces, I think things will quiet down.”
“So, the current regime will extend its power?”
“Yes. It seems that the current president’s friend and successor will naturally become the next president.”
“So, your grandfather should trust your words and side with him, right?”
“Yes?”
Jin Young-jun felt cold sweat trickling down his neck.
His grandfather was smiling gently, saying he would entrust the future of the group to Jin Young-jun’s prediction.
Of course, that couldn’t be true. But this was a test.
If he confidently pushed his chest out and his prediction was wrong, he would be held accountable forever, and if he backed down, he would only give the impression of being indecisive.
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