RR 49
[049] A Family Without Choices 2.
“Clear your schedule for tomorrow.”
“What? We’re supposed to do the final review of the Hando Steel bid documents tomorrow. Father, you know that, don’t you?”
“You might be acquiring something bigger and more important than Hando Steel. Hando Steel will become a Sunyang Group company, but this could become entirely your company.”
Jin Young-jun realized what his father meant as he distinguished between Sunyang and himself.
“Are you talking about a matchmaking session?”
“Yes. Tomorrow, lunch, dinner, and a cup of tea in between.”
“What? You mean three in one day?”
“Don’t you need to see their faces before marriage? Whoever you choose will be helpful to you.”
“Is this Grandfather’s order?”
“Grandfather chose all three. And I like the daughter of the Daeyil Bank president. You’ll like her too.”
“Even so, it’s a bit much. It’s not like we’re finding a mate for a pet dog; deciding in one day is a bit…”
“Nonsense. I told you, it’s just to see their faces before marriage. You’ll grow fond of them living together.”
Jin Young-jun had to accept it, albeit bitterly. After all, it was a marriage he couldn’t choose for himself. He wasn’t marrying someone he loved, but someone necessary to dominate Sunyang Group.
“But why do you prefer Daeyil Bank, Father?”
“Daeyil Bank has immediate use. How much longer do you think your grandfather will live? When your grandfather passes away, do you think your uncles will stay quiet? They’ll bare their fangs and charge to grab a few affiliates. We need to secure more shares starting now to prepare for that time. It’ll cost a lot of money.”
“So, in the end, you’re not looking for a daughter-in-law, but for collateral needed for large loans.”
“Marriage is ultimately about making the choice most advantageous to oneself. Do you know who the best bride for commoners is? A teacher.”
Jin Young-gi didn’t shout stubbornly. There were three candidates. It would be a disaster if his son Jin Young-jun didn’t choose the bank president’s daughter. He had to coax him gently.
“Since she’s a public official, she gets a steady salary, a pension when she retires, and she has vacations, so how good is that? Guys prefer female teachers to make their lives easier. Everyone thinks about their calculations first.”
“Isn’t the bank president’s daughter who you prefer, Father?”
“If I take over all of Sunyang, where will it go? It’ll all be yours.”
“Like you, Father, I also have a younger sibling.”
His father’s desire to not let his younger sibling take even one thing was exactly Jin Young-jun’s future self.
“Then, you too should marry your son to a bank president’s daughter. Haha.”
His father burst into hearty laughter, but it didn’t sound like a joke to Jin Young-jun.
He too would soon face the time when he had to keep his younger sibling in check, just like his father. Luckily, there were only two younger siblings, a sister and a brother. It seemed like it would be an easy fight.
.
.
A Disappointing First Date
“You work in Hong Kong?”
“Yes.”
Jin Young-jun’s eyebrow twitched.
A woman whose only claim to fame was that her father was a bank president.
Dressed in designer clothes, sparkling with hundreds of millions of won worth of jewelry, and with perfectly styled hair from Cheongdam-dong, but that was all she was.
Her appearance was ordinary, unremarkable enough to completely blend in among the many female employees filling the group’s office building.
Such a woman dared to look at him, the successor of Sunyang Group, with indifference and answer as if bothered.
In the past, he would have slapped her and walked out, but he wasn’t that immature fool anymore.
“Please choose from the menu. It’s lunch, so something light? The panini here is exquisite.”
He extended the menu, exercising utmost patience and politeness, but she didn’t even glance at it and spoke to the hall manager standing by the table.
“Just a coffee, please.”
Jin Young-jun barely managed to stop himself from hitting her head with the menu he was holding.
When the hall manager looked at him, he handed over the menu and said,
“I’m fine.”
She opened her mouth, looking at Jin Young-jun’s already hardened face.
“I… I live with my boyfriend in Hong Kong.”
“Cohabitation?”
“That’s right. So…”
“Let’s say I broke it off. Is that okay?”
Jin Young-jun abruptly stood up from his chair.
“The coffee here isn’t great. Just leave. Oh, let’s say we broke up after eating. Don’t forget to tell your father that the matchmaking session today wasn’t bad.”
Jin Young-jun left the Sunyang Hotel restaurant, watching her tightly biting her lip.
He was scheduled to meet the second woman at three o’clock, leaving two and a half hours. As he wondered how to pass the time, he pulled out his cell phone.
“Yeah. It’s me. Take a taxi to Sunyang Hotel right now. Oppa has time.”
Jin Young-jun went up to the special suite he had been using as his home for a year. He was even grateful to the bank president’s daughter for giving him a chance to relieve some stress.
.
.
The Shocking Truths of the Matchmaking Game
Perhaps because he had completely exhausted his sexual desires through intense sex, the appearance of the woman he met in the afternoon didn’t seem particularly important.
The woman, a niece of a chaebol chairman barely clinging to the 40th rank in the business world, acted as if she would marry him tomorrow if he just extended his hand.
He humored her appropriately and sent her off, then waited for the last one.
“I’m Hong So-young.”
When he met the last person, the eldest granddaughter of the Hansung Ilbo chairman, he quickly ordered dinner. He was very hungry, perhaps because he hadn’t eaten properly for lunch.
The newspaper with the largest circulation among domestic media companies. A newspaper that maintained its leadership by starting internet services early on.
In a way, the suitor was a client, the biggest advertiser. However, Hong So-young showed no sign of being intimidated or nervous in front of Jin Young-jun, the successor of Sunyang Group.
Jin Young-jun leisurely observed the woman named Hong So-young while waiting for their food.
A body meticulously maintained through strenuous effort, and a dazzling splendor adorned with money. Her somewhat fierce facial impression was a flaw, but she was above average in looks.
Jin Young-jun tried his best to be polite and initiated various conversations, but she didn’t seem to be paying much attention. He even felt a little good when she also appeared to have been forced into this meeting.
Since the woman his father wanted was out of the question, and if he claimed the others had refused him, it seemed that marriage talks wouldn’t come up for a while, making him feel relieved.
After finishing her meal, Hong So-young wet her lips with coffee and then spoke bluntly.
“Since we’re going to skip the time to get to know each other, can I just tell you my conditions for marriage?”
“Please do. What are your thoughts?”
He thought this woman was clearly trying to break off the engagement by setting absurd conditions.
“I won’t interfere with your private life. I’ve already heard all the rumors about you, Mr. Jin Young-jun… and since old habits die hard, it’s natural you won’t be able to give up women, right?”
“What?”
Jin Young-jun almost spilled the coffee cup he was holding.
He never imagined he would hear something so preposterous.
“I don’t care if you fool around with celebrities or have a separate household with models. Whether it’s affairs or casual encounters, just don’t spread rumors too much, and if you do it discreetly, I’ll pretend not to see or hear anything. But…!”
Hong So-young’s eyes narrowed, making her look even fiercer.
“If you have a child with another woman, I’ll divorce you that day. And of course, I’ll demand an exorbitant alimony. Understood?”
“No children?”
“Only children born between you and me will be your successors, Mr. Jin Young-jun. You’re not thinking of not adhering to such a basic principle, are you?”
She wasn’t wrong, certainly. But it was undeniably an abnormal behavior. Jin Young-jun was filled with so much curiosity that he wanted to see the end of the conversation.
“Then what about you? If I’m out playing with other women, will you just play the role of a devoted wife?”
Hong So-young’s expression softened, and she smiled slightly.
“Whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate, I have a low sex drive. Three or four times a year? At those times, I’ll take care of myself.”
“Are you saying… you’d enjoy yourself with other men?”
“Why not?”
“This is… perplexing. I don’t know if it’s honest or outrageous… But Ms. Hong So-young. Why do you want to marry me?”
The smile vanished from Hong So-young’s face.
“You’re mistaken. It doesn’t necessarily have to be you. Of course, it’s true that Sunyang Group, being number one in the business world, makes you more appealing, but…”
“It doesn’t matter if it’s another family?”
“As long as it’s not inferior to my family, it’s fine.”
Hong So-young let out a short sigh and continued.
“It’s an arranged marriage anyway, right? Literally, it’s a political stratagem and a contract to achieve mutual benefits and goals, so we just need to take what we need from each other. There’s no reason to struggle to create a normal family, is there?”
“Then what is your objective?”
“I don’t want to bow my head to anyone. To do that, I need to make my future husband the chairman, and my children the chairmen as well.”
Jin Young-jun liked this thoroughly calculating woman. Especially her boldness, which seemed to suggest she wouldn’t bat an eye even if he enjoyed himself with other women outside, felt like an invaluable advantage.
.
.
Grandfather’s Blessing and a New Task
“What? Cohabitation?”
“I’m not lying because I don’t like that woman. You can confirm it yourself. If you investigate at the Hong Kong branch, you’ll find out in a day.”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi immediately picked up the phone.
“Chairman. It seems my inadequate son caused discomfort to your daughter. I offer my apologies.”
Jin Young-gi’s expression was burning, but his tone was gentle.
“Ah, well… it’s just that she came up with an absurd reason, you know. She even made up an impossible lie about having a loved one and already cohabiting, what a thing to say! Anyway, I hope this doesn’t cause any discomfort between us.”
Vice Chairman Jin, after hanging up the phone, glared at Jin Young-jun and said.
“The cohabitation issue will be handled by the bank chairman, and you just prepare for the wedding. You’re not planning to make an issue of the woman’s past, are you? Compared to your past, this woman’s cohabitation is no flaw.”
“Father. I’m not saying I won’t get married. I like the granddaughter of Hansung Ilbo.”
“What? Hansung Ilbo?”
“Yes. Think about it. A bank chairman is a temporary position that can change with any shift in power, isn’t it? But Hansung Ilbo has the power to even change governments. It doesn’t seem like a bad choice, does it? If absolutely necessary, you can even use Kyung-jun.”
“Hmm…”
Jin Young-gi recalled his second son’s age. Twenty-six. Not a young age.
“This year will be busy. We need to get Hye-kyung married off before Kyung-jun.”
He had to arrange three weddings in one year. Truly busy.
.
.
A New Assignment and a Familiar Face
“Assistant Manager Kim. Please investigate these two people.”
Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk spoke without even looking at the note I gave him.
“Should I request the Group Intelligence Team? Or…?”
“Can you find out on your own?”
“If it’s just basic information, I can do it myself.”
“Then please do that.”
Assistant Manager Kim, who was about to bow and turn around, cautiously spoke.
“Should I exclude this content from Director Lee Hak-jae’s report?”
I couldn’t tell if he was testing me or trying to show that his loyalty was only to me.
“That’s a matter for you to decide, Assistant Manager Kim. You don’t need to check with me for every little thing.”
Loyalty cannot be obtained through coercion or requests. It must be a genuine sincerity that comes purely from the heart. Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk has only been by my side for a short time.
It remains to be seen for now.
There was a class I absolutely couldn’t miss, so I hurried to school.
“I’m thinking of trying a new method for this semester’s assignment…”
The professor already handed out printed materials.
“What I’ve given you are incidents that have caused social controversy. Especially those with many opinions conflicting with constitutional values. Delve deep into those incidents and present new perspectives. The deadline is the end of the semester.”
It was just an introduction to constitutional law class. This kind of method was usually for upperclassmen, too challenging for freshmen.
“Since you first-year students might find it difficult to do it alone, you’ll work in groups of five. The group list is on the very last page. Do your best with your group members. Alright, let’s start class.”
Like the other students, I quickly flipped through the printout.
As I searched for my name, I saw a familiar one.
Seo Min-young.
Startled, I looked up and scanned the classroom.
And my eyes met Seo Min-young’s.
.
Post Comment