President Hwang Hye-kyung of Shinhwa Department Store, who was leaving her office, came to a sudden halt.
She had spotted a familiar back of a head here on the top floor.
“…Caught you.”
Approaching silently from behind, she quickly snatched the person’s ear.
“Ah! Ow! Ow! My ear is going to fall off! What the — !”
“It’s me, you bastard.”
Assistant Manager Hwang Young-shik froze instantly.
“S—Sister?”
“Why are you up here? Could you not help yourself again and come here to hit on my secretaries during work hours?”
“Oh, come on…!”
“Honestly, the genes in this family don’t go anywhere.”
Hwang Hye-kyung glared and scanned the surrounding area.
“!”
The startled secretaries quickly bowed their heads. They looked flustered, desperately trying to avoid eye contact in case they were caught in her gaze.
“…Tsk.”
Ending her warning with just a look, President Hwang Hye-kyung finally let go of her brother’s ear.
“Ow, ow… didn’t my earlobe actually tear off?”
“My heart wants to rip it off for real, but I’ll hold back this once.”
“Why are you doing this to me!?”
“You’re asking because you don’t know? I heard you blew the contract for the Ice Valley Farm.”
Young-shik’s face flushed bright red in an instant.
“So, you were going to rip my ear off because of some measly farm? Seriously, why is everyone acting like this? What is that place anyway!”
“…Hey.”
A low voice echoed out.
“….”
Young-shik’s mouth snapped shut like a clam.
“The VIPs around us are looking for that ‘measly farm.’”
“….”
“That ‘measly farm’ is opening trade with Segyeong Department Store.”
“….”
“Is that still not enough of a reason?”
Looking at her brother, who still wore a disgruntled expression, Hwang Hye-kyung let out a sigh.
“You saw the articles, right?”
“…What? About the blueberries?”
“Not that.”
*Shoo.*
With a gesture, President Hwang Hye-kyung sent all the secretaries away before speaking again.
“That singer blackmailer. The case where the suspect died at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office.”
“…?”
Young-shik tilted his head at the sudden change in topic.
“Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
“Well, because there’s talk that the dead woman was of our blood.”
“!?”
Young-shik’s eyes widened.
“I—Is that fact-checked for sure?”
“Don’t you think my information is faster than yours in these matters?”
“Seriously, what on earth was that old man doing when he was young?”
President Hwang Hye-kyung gave a thin smile.
“Do you think he was only like that when he was young?”
“…Don’t tell me there’s another bloodline out there?”
“Who knows? But when a farmer sows seeds, do they only plant a single one?”
*Grab!*
At that moment, President Hwang Hye-kyung firmly grabbed both of her brother’s shoulders.
“Listen closely.”
“S—Sister?”
“If our father, like many other chairmen, falls for some woman who has nothing but her youth and switches to a mistress… who do you think will suffer the most then?”
*Tremble.*
The mere imagination of the situation was enough to make his anger soar, and Young-shik could only shake.
“Furthermore, our mother passed away a long time ago, so there’s nothing holding him back.”
*Pat.*
Finished with what she had to say, President Hwang Hye-kyung walked past her brother.
“If you don’t want to lose everything, do your job right. Stop acting like a damn fool.”
***
The place I was guided to was a private room prepared in a corner of the banquet hall.
“Don’t just stand there dazed; come in.”
As Chairman Han Seung-ho gestured, the door to the private room slid open.
“!”
Several people were already seated inside. The room was filled with the rich aroma of tea.
For the record, Shin Hye-seo was moving separately in the banquet hall. She had said she would do some direct sales herself since there were quite a few potential investors she knew there.
“First, I believe it’s only proper to introduce this gentleman.”
Chairman Han Seung-ho pointed to a middle-aged man sitting closest to the door. I, too, was second to none when it came to observing people.
‘He looks like he could be a university professor.’
The result was as expected.
“This is Professor Choi Jae-hoon from the Seoul National University College of Agriculture. He is also a regular member of the Swiss Alpine Botanical Society. He is the leading authority in this field.”
I realized it as soon as I heard the introduction.
‘He invited him specifically because of the Edelweiss.’
The connections of the chaebol were truly something else. Of course, he wouldn’t have gone through this trouble just for me.
‘It seems the Chairman cares for his granddaughter far more than I thought.’
While I was lost in thought, Professor Choi Jae-hoon reached out his hand to me.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hello. My name is Baek Seo-jun.”
I immediately took his hand and gave a light bow.
“Since we’ve finished the introductions, let’s get straight to the point.”
Chairman Han Seung-ho smiled at me.
“CEO Baek. Didn’t you say you wanted to be the first to cultivate Edelweiss domestically?”
“!”
This must have been news to him. Professor Choi Jae-hoon’s eyebrows shot up.
“W—What did you just say? You want to cultivate what in Korea?”
I answered in his place.
“Edelweiss. I want to cultivate it commercially in Korea.”
“….”
A heavy silence fell over the room. Even the others present wore expressions of great interest. Unless they were experts, they wouldn’t be able to gauge exactly how difficult this task was, but at the very least, they all had enough intuition to sense the weight of it.
“…CEO.”
Then, Professor Choi Jae-hoon continued in a cautious but firm voice.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Edelweiss originally grows in the Alpine highlands. In other words, it only grows wild in harsh environments above an altitude of 1,800 meters. Low temperatures, extreme temperature differences between day and night, and even well-drained soil in rocky crevices… It’s a flower that survives only when all those conditions align.”
“Yes, I am aware.”
“If you know that, then I cannot understand the idea itself. While it is true that there are very few wild habitats on some ridges of Seoraksan in Korea… there has never been a single case of a domestic farm succeeding in commercial cultivation. The climate conditions simply don’t match.”
At that moment, Chairman Han Seung-ho intervened.
“That’s how it is. So, Jin-ah, what do you think?”
“…I….”
CEO Han Yu-jin couldn’t continue and only glanced at me.
“CEO. Speaking as a scholar, I can state with certainty that it is impossible. It is a feat that no one has accomplished in decades. In the Alps, the Edelweiss is not just a flower; it is an ecological symbol. To do such a thing in Korea… “
“You probably noticed, but honestly, I want to stop you as well.”
Thinking that was enough, Chairman Han Seung-ho added his own words at the right time.
“I suppose you could call it a grandfather’s heart? I don’t want to see my granddaughter saddened by an investment failure when she’s trying to do something properly.”
“I… “
*Vibrate!*
…The timing was absolutely impeccable.
*Glance.*
As I reflexively checked my phone, my body flinched. It wasn’t a call I could ignore.
“Go ahead and take it. It looks like an important call.”
“…Thank you.”
I quickly stepped out and closed the door. It was indeed that important of a call.
“Yes, Chief.”
— Are you living well?
Chief Prosecutor Kang Dae-ho of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office. He was my direct superior.
— I’m starting to feel disappointed. How is it that I haven’t heard from you once since then?
“I’m sorry. I’ve been a bit busy.”
— Busy… right, it’s good to live a busy life.
He didn’t waste any time.
— Seo-ire, that stubborn brat seems like she’s going to go all the way. Did you two plan this together? Is that why you’re busy?
Chief Prosecutor Kang Dae-ho cut straight to the chase.
“No way.”
— It has nothing to do with you?
“I don’t know if you’ll believe me.”
— As you said, I don’t.
At the same time, Chief Prosecutor Kang Dae-ho casually tossed out words that made me flinch.
— Among her recent movements, there were days when Seo-ire’s cell tower location was pinged in Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do. And not just for a day or two, but for several days.
“….”
— As far as I know, Seo-ire has no connections in that neighborhood. Oh! Don’t misunderstand; I didn’t investigate your background. This fact came to light during Seo-ire’s internal inspection process.
As expected of our prosecution. Deciding to destroy one person was nothing to them.
“….”
After organizing my thoughts for a moment, I finally spoke.
“I can’t deny a fact that’s on record. Yes. She came.”
— I knew it. Don’t tell me you…
“It’s not what you’re thinking. She came to find me because her mental state had collapsed. I only found out later through the news that the suspect had died during the investigation.”
Before he could nitpick further, I quickly continued.
“If you check, you’ll see. Weren’t the dates her location was confirmed in Goseong all after the suspect had already died?”
— ….
After a fairly long silence.
— Has that girl, Ire, still not given up on you?
*Are they dating? Who likes who?*
It was childish, but nothing moved faster than rumors like that within the office. Seeing as even the Chief knew about it.
— Anyway, I’m sorry for doubting you. But what exactly are you doing these days?
“I’m helping my parents with their farming. It’ll probably show up if you search the news. It’s called the Ice Valley Farm in Goseong.”
— …You’re farming?
“Yes. I actually harvested blueberries myself recently.”
As if suddenly remembering something, I clapped my hands.
“Oh! By the way, should I report this as secondary employment… “
My words didn’t even get to finish.
— You don’t need to report it, so just do it. Just farm quietly.
“…Is that okay?”
— Now, start recording this. I, Chief Prosecutor Kang Dae-ho, will take all responsibility, so don’t worry about things like secondary employment reports and just help your parents.
I had already been recording since the moment the call came in.
“There’s no need to go that far.”
— Our prosecution isn’t such a petty group that we’d take issue with someone on sick leave helping their parents with their work because they were bored.
That wasn’t it. If a prosecutor was criticized, it brought shame to the organization’s face. He just didn’t want to stir up unnecessary trouble.
— By the way, are the blueberries you grew actually tasty?
“They’re so good that you wouldn’t notice if the person sitting next to you died.”
— Yeah, right.
“That actually hurts my pride a bit.”
— Then send a box over to me as well.
“As a special discount, I’ll only charge you 100,000 won per kilogram.”
— ….
Silence fell over the receiver for a moment.
— You stubborn bastard. You’re going to take money from me too?
“If a subordinate gives something to a superior for free, isn’t that a bribe?”
— …I suppose you are ‘still’ my subordinate.
A rather meaningful comment.
— Seo-jun. I’m asking you, please don’t cause any more trouble. Think about me for a bit.
As I thought, he still didn’t believe me. Then again, a prosecutor whose passive trait was suspicion wouldn’t be swayed by this level of conversation.
— Just empty your head and live quietly in the fresh air of the countryside. Don’t end up in a mess like Ire. Don’t get caught up in other people’s business and get into an accident.
Well. Others might be different, but could I really dismiss the case Ire was handling as just ‘other people’s business’? If anything, she was the one cleaning up after me.
— I’m telling you this for your own sake. I am your direct superior, after all.
I nodded quietly.
“I understand what you mean.”
— I believe you.
***
When I returned to the private room after finishing the call, everyone’s eyes were on me.
“I’m sorry. It was a bit of an urgent call.”
“No. It happens. So, I was thinking we should continue the conversation we were having earlier.”
I had already finished organizing my thoughts on that matter.
“How about we make a bet?”
“…A bet?”
As expected, the eyes of the people inside sparkled with interest.
“Yes. Whether I can successfully grow Edelweiss or not. I don’t need to do mass production from the start, so if you could just provide me with some seeds, I will try to make them bloom.”
“Hahahaha!”
Chairman Han Seung-ho let out a boisterous laugh. CEO Han Yu-jin gave a worried look. Professor Choi Jae-hoon let out a faint sigh without realizing it.
“How did you know I love bets? Fine. Then, what are you going to wager?”
“If I lose, I will provide all crops produced at the Ice Valley Farm exclusively to Segyeong Department Store from now on.”
“Oho!”
Finding it quite enticing, Chairman Han Seung-ho nodded repeatedly. And he had to. CEO Han Yu-jin’s eyes were already glowing with excitement.
“Fine. Then the problem is when we lose the bet… “
Chairman Han Seung-ho stroked his chin and pondered for a moment.
“To be honest, if you successfully cultivate Edelweiss, I plan to give you full support even if you don’t ask, so I’m not sure if there’s anything specific to give. The current contract is already at the top level of the industry.”
After finishing his sentence, Chairman Han Seung-ho wore a meaningful expression. As if he knew exactly what was on my mind.
“Is there something you want to ask of me specifically, other than Yu-jin? I’ll grant you anything if it’s possible.”
I took a light breath.
‘The most certain way to support Ire at this point.’
Yes. It had been decided from the beginning. A place where South Korea’s public power could not reach. But, a place where financial power certainly could.
“Then… “
After a brief pause, I spoke the rest of my words.
“Could you catch one person for me in the Philippines?”