TGCBGA 05
His Memory Seems Incomplete
A man adjusted his clothes and cleared his throat, letting out a small sigh before opening the door to the chairman’s office. The chairman’s secretary observed the typical actions of people meeting the chairman for the first time without a trace of a smirk, then knocked on the door.
“Good morning, Chairman. I am Im Seung-hyun, Deputy Manager of the Strategic Planning Division.”
“Come in. Let’s skip the pleasantries.”
Chairman Yoo Chang-ho, seated in the head chair, possessed an intense gaze despite his age. Feeling the presence of a tiger, Im Seung-hyun slightly lowered his eyes.
Besides the Chairman, Vice Chairman Yoo Geon-min, who had a friendly appearance, was seated on the left, and Executive Director Yoo Eun-ho was on the right.
“Please sit.”
“Yes, sir.”
Yoo Eun-ho pointed to the seat next to him and spoke in a low voice.
He’s handsome and his voice is nice, too. The world is truly unfair, Im Seung-hyun grumbled internally.
“So, how is the boy doing these days? I heard he can be discharged now…”
The “boy” the Chairman was referring to was Yoo Yeon-seo, the troublemaker of the entertainment industry and the ‘Hell Mouth.’
“Yes, the Young Master is slowly recovering. However, I sometimes find wads of tissue mixed with blood when I go through the trash bin.”
“The attending physician said there were no abnormalities…”
Yoo Geon-min nervously shook his leg. The Chairman slapped his knee. Im Seung-hyun pretended not to notice the scene and continued calmly.
“Since the Young Master’s will to be discharged is firm, I think he will need to visit the hospital periodically for checkups.”
“I see. Were there any other peculiarities?”
“There was a representative and a director from his agency who came to visit the Young Master, but I sent them away for now. And…”
Im Seung-hyun was one of the people who actually ‘applied’ to be an attendant guarding Yoo Yeon-seo’s hospital room. No one wanted the job, and they were about to select a new employee via a roulette wheel, but the Strategic Planning Division reportedly breathed a sigh of relief when Im Seung-hyun volunteered.
“Just say what you need to say, without reservation.”
Yoo Eun-ho urged Im Seung-hyun, who was contemplating whether or not to speak.
“Well… when you last visited, was the Young Master completely normal?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Yoo Geon-min frowned.
“Did he recognize the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and the Executive Director well…?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Recognized him well, indeed. The Chairman snorted, annoyed at how Yoo Yeon-seo had talked back to him then.
“In my opinion… the Young Master’s memory seems incomplete.”
At Im Seung-hyun’s words, the Chairman and Vice Chairman leaned forward from their relaxed position on the chair backs. Yoo Eun-ho asked the question for them.
“Why do you think so?”
“First, how he treats us has become, well, more polite… Previously, the Young Master’s personality was a bit…”
When he hesitated, the three generations of the Yoo family nodded in understanding. They were well aware of Yoo Yeon-seo’s extreme behavior. They had simply passed it off as ‘boys will be boys’ because family ties ran deep.
“He was in a life-threatening situation; he must have had some kind of realization.”
The Chairman folded his arms, looking displeased, but the slight lift in his cheekbones was undeniable. Did my reckless younger grandson finally grow up? If so, having a slightly incomplete memory might be okay.
“What’s wrong with our Yeon-seo’s personality? People can be like that.”
“It’s because you coddle him so much that his personality has become so—!”
The Chairman nearly snapped at Yoo Geon-min but managed to suppress his anger upon realizing Im Seung-hyun was still there. The quick-witted Im Seung-hyun pretended not to notice.
“And he requested his personal details. He didn’t even seem to know the ID he used. Besides that, he asked about his asset details, related passwords, people he was close to as a child, and school relationships.”
Yoo Yeon-seo, who never cared about others, asking about school relationships? And Yoo Yeon-seo, the money demon, doesn’t know the size of his assets or his passwords? Yoo Eun-ho’s expression immediately turned serious, and he tightly pursed his lips. Yoo Geon-min and Yoo Chang-ho reacted similarly.
“I was suspicious, so I asked a doctor—without mentioning the Young Master, of course. I asked another hospital doctor just in case—and they said it could happen after a severe head trauma.”
Im Seung-hyun hastily added the clarification. The Chairman nodded in acknowledgment. He was worried about Yoo Yeon-seo’s health, but since the discharge was imminent, they would know more after seeing and talking to him directly.
“I see… You’ve done well.”
“I will take my leave now.”
Im Seung-hyun, carefully watching their reactions, left the Chairman’s office. Yoo Eun-ho, who followed him out, called him.
“Mr. Im Seung-hyun, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, Executive Director.”
Even if he didn’t have time, it was a summons from the owner’s family, so he had to make time. Im Seung-hyun followed Yoo Eun-ho to a nearby conference room.
“The atmosphere in the Chairman’s office wasn’t right for coffee, was it? What would you like to drink?”
“I’ll have an iced coffee, please…”
Yoo Eun-ho gestured outward, and his secretary, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, placed the drinks down and quickly left. When the door closed, the transparent glass turned translucent.
“I heard you ‘applied’ to be Yeon-seo’s hospital attendant, Mr. Im Seung-hyun.”
“Yes.”
“As you know, my younger brother is not exactly known for having a proper personality. Even if it’s temporary, being his personal attendant? Everyone avoids that position.”
At Yoo Eun-ho’s cynical remark, Im Seung-hyun awkwardly smiled, unsure whether to agree or not.
“Since your spontaneous application seemed suspicious, I checked your personnel file. I hope you understand.”
“Yes. It’s fine.”
Im Seung-hyun didn’t mind. He felt he would have done the same background check. Yoo Yeon-seo’s rumors were famous enough to be urban legends, and every employee shunned him, so it was reasonable to suspect other motives.
“You graduated from Korea University and joined the Joosung Group immediately. The competition rate was quite high, and the interviewer’s evaluations are excellent.”
“I was lucky.”
“Luck is also skill. Your resume is better than mine, and I was born with a silver spoon, you know.”
“You praise me too highly.”
Is that something you should be saying?
Im Seung-hyun looked at the youngest Executive Director in front of him. Besides his innate privilege, he was smart and capable. Unlike his younger brother, his private life was clean, making him a popular first-rate bachelor among chaebol families these days.
And such a person was complimenting him insincerely? There was always a reason when someone was giving insincere flattery to set the stage. Im Seung-hyun tightened his grip on his nerves.
“You were even a national reserve team member for judo during your school days… but why did you quit?”
“I suffered a minor injury. I had to quit sports, but I have no problems in daily life.”
“Quit sports and immediately enter Korea University as a regular admission student… Impressive. You’re from Nowon-gu, the second son of two sons and one daughter, and your older brother was an idol trainee and is now… pursuing an acting career?”
“More of an aspiring actor than an actual one, though.”
Wait, the information about his brother isn’t in the personnel file. Im Seung-hyun felt goosebumps on his arm.
“For what reason would a person like you request to work for Yeon-seo…?”
“Hmm…”
Yoo Eun-ho looked at Im Seung-hyun as if he genuinely couldn’t understand.
“You can be honest with me.”
There was, of course, a reason why Im Seung-hyun volunteered to look after Yoo Yeon-seo. Having been praised for his uncanny quick-wittedness, when he combined the rumors he’d collected over three years at the Joosung Group with the experiences of his colleagues, only one conclusion emerged:
‘The Yoo family favors Yoo Yeon-seo.’
The fact that he wasn’t cast out despite causing so much trouble, and the financial and moral support provided behind the scenes, all pointed to this.
And when Im Seung-hyun was summoned to the Chairman’s office, he had spotted Yoo Yeon-seo’s merchandise on the Chairman’s desk. Official merchandise, a Season’s Greetings calendar?
How did he know this? His younger sister was a member of the Love Letter fandom. It was information Im Seung-hyun truly wished he didn’t know.
In any case, except for one person, his aunt, uncle, and cousins all liked Yoo Yeon-seo. Yoo Yeon-seo also seemed to suppress his temper for his family, so his outrageous acts usually ended with just a temper tantrum.
‘Actually, that’s why I decided to stick with Yoo Yeon-seo.’
Since he received the lion’s share of the Yoo family’s favor, Im Seung-hyun thought he might get a few scraps of benefit by staying close to him.
Moreover…
‘He’s not as much of a jerk as the rumors say.’
As soon as Im Seung-hyun heard the news that he was temporarily assigned to Yoo Yeon-seo’s hospital, he received worried and sympathetic glances from his colleagues.
[Oh my, Seung-hyun… what are you going to do? Are you going to be okay?]
[Manager, shouldn’t we hold Im Seung-hyun’s farewell party now?]
[Never make eye contact with him. The moment you do, you’ll be hit with the ‘resignation beam!’]
Resignation beam? Is he some kind of monster? In the end, a dinner gathering was scheduled that day, and he became the main character of a premature farewell party. Excuse me, I still have my employee ID.
[Hey, if you keep standing in front, when will you get off work?]
[It’s alright, Young Master. This is my job.]
[You must be tired. Go home now. There’s someone else on duty besides you anyway. If you don’t go home now, I’ll fire you?]
[Yes, I will clock out now, Young Master.]
Contrary to the rumors, Yoo Yeon-seo was well-behaved. He was even given an early leave. Is this really the notorious spoiled brat? he wondered.
‘But should I really be this honest?’
Im Seung-hyun looked hesitant.
‘Oh well, I’ll take a chance.’
This was Executive Director Yoo Eun-ho. He had recently resolved a case of sexual harassment within the company cleanly, preventing an innocent victim from being created. Im Seung-hyun didn’t think he would be penalized for being honest.
“Actually… yes, I did approach him intentionally.”
Im Seung-hyun spoke candidly, trying to soften his explanation as much as possible. Yoo Eun-ho gave a small nod.
“You’re quick-witted. That’s right. Yeon-seo is the headache of our family, but he also monopolizes the love. If you can endure working under him for just three months, my family’s perspective toward you will change.”
“But it’s absolutely not for the purpose of using the Young Master, Executive Director. In fact… my colleagues in the same division are so excellent that I felt I might be passed over for promotion if I continued like this… and I felt I had to do something…”
Im Seung-hyun earnestly defended himself. Yoo Eun-ho gave a slight smile.
He didn’t dislike quick-witted people. Im Seung-hyun had a good reputation within the company, was a judo black belt, and his brother was an aspiring celebrity, so he probably knew the entertainment industry well. He was more than qualified to be attached to Yoo Yeon-seo.
“But your courage is remarkable. Everyone who worked under Yeon-seo before quit within a few days.”
“Y-Yes, they did.”
Yoo Yeon-seo didn’t have the authority to hire or fire, but if you got on his bad side, you were marked. That was the end of your company life.
So, he was actually a little nervous. He had worked so hard to build up his resume and join the Joosung Group. What if he was dismissed meaninglessly because of the owner’s spoiled grandson? This was a high-stakes project for Im Seung-hyun.
“Well… although I know his reputation well, you never truly know a person until you experience them yourself.”
This statement was sincere, not just an attempt to sugarcoat himself. His personality seems fine, too. Yoo Eun-ho grinned.
“Very well. Then please continue to work under Yeon-seo for the foreseeable future.”
“Yes, sir.”
“An abrupt promotion might draw unwanted attention from other employees… so I will grant you a double salary increase and a quarterly incentive.”
“I will work hard!”
“You may go now. My secretary will show you out.”
Yoo Eun-ho waved his hand. Im Seung-hyun consciously put strength in his legs. The impact of being alone with the two tigers of the Joosung Group—Chairman Yoo Chang-ho and now Executive Director Yoo Eun-ho—was considerable.
“Ah, Executive Director. I didn’t know if I should mention this in front of the Chairman earlier, so I didn’t.”
“What is it?”
“The… the Young Master requested information about his family.”
Yoo Eun-ho frowned. Is there really a problem with his memory? But if that’s the case, wasn’t this something that could have been discussed with his grandfather and father earlier? Was he deliberately filtering the information he was delivering now?
Seeing the change in his expression, Im Seung-hyun hastily added,
“That is, he also requested information about ‘that person’…”
“…I see. You did well.”
Yoo Eun-ho’s shoulder subtly twitched at the mention of ‘that person.’ He truly is quick-witted. I hope my brother can keep this person around for a long time.
But why would he specifically request facts that are easily searchable online from his attendant? That thought crossed his mind, but it also implied how damaged his brother’s memory truly was.
“Haa…”
His worried sighs only increased.
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