Chapter 131: I’ll Give You a Proper Challenge

Jongmu Lee, as if realizing he had misspoken, immediately closed his mouth and turned his head.

A moment of silence settled over the study. Then Grandma took Jinhyuk Park’s hands in both of hers and spoke with warm eyes.

“You did well to think this through. Honestly, I’ve been agonizing over how to bring this up with you. You’ve hinted that you have no interest in marriage, but I’ve been waiting, hoping that might change.”

Grandma instructed one of the staff outside to bring something from her room. Then she looked back at Jinhyuk Park and continued.

“When you were young and wandering, a lot of bad rumors spread about you. I understand. Everyone goes through a phase like that once, so I thought you’d come back around eventually. But now that I see you’ve grown up better than anyone, the world’s opinion of you has changed.”

Just as she finished speaking, a woman called Kim Cheon-daek came in with several photos and handed them to Grandma.

Grandma glanced through the photos, then spread them out on the table and said.

“All these young ladies here have expressed interest in meeting you. There’s no man your age who’s turned out as well as you, so the women’s side is actually eager. What do you think? Is there any young lady you like?”

Jinhyuk Park’s maternal grandmother had prepared photos as if she had been waiting for this day.

She showed the photos to Jinhyuk Park and continued explaining about the women to win him over.

“Here. This young lady is the granddaughter of Chairman Jang of Daejin Construction. Daejin Construction is decent, isn’t it?”

Grandma turned to Jongmu Lee, signaling him to agree.

“Ahem. It’s not bad. In Chungcheong Province, there’s no company quite like Daejin Construction.”

“Right. She studied abroad and recently returned to Korea for a while. She’s twenty-three… Yes. And that young lady is also nice. She’s from Seongwoo Distribution. She’s a bit older, but she’s already learning the business under her father and is said to have a good head for work. I think you’d get along well. Oh~. That young lady? She majored in cello. Where is she from? Honey, where?”

“Gukji Group.”

“Yes. She’s the second daughter of Vice Chairman Cheon of Gukji Group. You know Vice Chairman Cheon? Chairman Cheon’s younger brother. I hear Gukji Group will be split soon…”

“Ahem. That’s enough.”

Jongmu Lee stopped Grandma, who was continuing to introduce more women.

He seemed more interested in hearing Jinhyuk Park’s story, which was far more important than trivial talk about women.

“I want to know the real reason you suddenly want to get married.”

“Didn’t I just tell you?”

“I doubt that’s the real reason. And coming to us to ask for introductions is also suspicious. Something doesn’t add up.”

Grandma looked like she wanted to argue against Jongmu Lee’s words.

But Jongmu Lee raised his hand to silence his wife and stared at Jinhyuk Park.

He clearly wanted to hear Jinhyuk Park’s true intentions.

Jinhyuk Park, facing Jongmu Lee’s sharp gaze, remained calm and flipped through the photos of the women as he spoke.

“If it doesn’t add up, then don’t introduce them. Why bother with something that seems off? And do you think I would only come to Seongbuk-dong to ask? I’ll also go to Pyeongchang-dong and talk about it. And I’ll tell my friends around me.”

“I heard you and the Cheongwoo young lady are on quite good terms.”

“Being on good terms and getting married are different matters.”

“Is that so?”

“And marriage isn’t just about conditions—the person matters too. Isn’t that right?”

Jongmu Lee looked at Jinhyuk Park with suspicious eyes, but he couldn’t refute his words.

If it were about finding a better position, there was none better than Cheongwoo, but when it came to the person, there could be someone better than Han Ji-yeon.

When Jongmu Lee stopped speaking, Grandma finally spoke to Jinhyuk Park again.

“So, what do you want to do?”

“Just set up meetings with all of them one by one.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. And if there are other suitable young ladies besides the ones here, please arrange more appointments. Wouldn’t it be better to meet many to choose a good one?”

“Right. That makes sense, but will you have the time?”

“I’m mostly done with the busy work, and since it’s the end of the year, there’s nothing special going on. I think it’s better to meet them early when I have time.”

“Good. Smart thinking. See? You always scolded me for going to those gatherings. But look now. Because I went, Jinhyuk can find a match. Well thought out. Jinhyuk, you’ve thought this through well.”

Grandma, perhaps delighted that Jinhyuk Park was considering marriage, kept patting the back of his hand.

But unlike Grandma, Jongmu Lee did not let down his suspicious gaze.

Still, there was nothing he could say, so he simply watched the two.

Jinhyuk Park got up, apologizing for the late hour and saying he should be going.

Grandma followed him out, saying he had thought well and that she would start looking for matches tomorrow, so he shouldn’t worry.

Jinhyuk Park bid his farewell with a word of thanks and stepped out through the gate.

Outside, Kim Joon-woo, who had been waiting for Jinhyuk Park to come out, approached him as soon as he appeared.

“Representative. As you instructed, I contacted Executive Director Park Sang-hyuk and set up a meeting. He said he’s already out, so you can head right over.”

“Is that so? Then let’s go.”

“But are you okay? Aren’t you tired?”

“Tired? I’m exhausted beyond words. But I can’t just sit still like this.”

As Jinhyuk Park got into the car, Kim Joon-woo ordered the driver to head to Gangnam and looked back.

He simply couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Jinhyuk Park had suddenly flown into a rage, then, instead of going home as expected, had directed the car to his maternal grandparents’ house, and now, on top of that, he was going to Gangnam to drink.

Everything was strange.

Jinhyuk Park loosened the tie that had been choking his neck.

Then he handed the tie to Kim Joon-woo and spoke.

“Do you remember when I told you about the Himalayan monkeys?”

“Yes. I’ve been keeping an eye on Cheongwoo Chemical, but there’s no particular movement. The only notable thing is that they’ve been showing consistently poor results. It wasn’t a management issue—it was due to falling oil prices. Is there a problem?”

Jinhyuk Park ran his hand through his hair.

Since he was about to go drinking, he needed to look a bit disheveled.

Jinhyuk Park rubbed his face with both hands, then looked at Kim Joon-woo, who was waiting for an answer.

“I thought they were trying to link Cheongwoo Chemical to marriage.”

“It wasn’t that?”

“No. It wasn’t that. They were trying to prevent the marriage itself.”

“Marriage? Why?”

“I thought the Chairman wanted Cheongwoo all along. That was my mistake. If I had approached Han Ji-yeon or the Cheongwoo side first to gauge their intentions, I would have known. But I didn’t. I just assumed that was what the Chairman wanted, so I missed the chance to confirm. I admit it was my mistake.”

Jinhyuk Park appeared much calmer than when he had headed to Seongbuk-dong.

Before entering Seongbuk-dong, he had seemed extremely angry, but now his emotions seemed to have settled.

He then interlocked his fingers, stretched his arms, and tilted his head left and right.

He was loosening up his body in preparation for what was to come.

“It seems the Chairman had been planning this for a long time. Yes, that must be it. But when Cheongwoo suddenly brought up marriage talks, it probably gave him a headache. So he was playing me.”

“Playing you?”

“Yes. He was playing me. So now, I’m going to play along properly.”

“What do you mean…”

“Tell President Hyun, President Kyung, Representative Kwak, and everyone else who worked with me during the restructuring period, including Sa Sajang, to gather at my place tomorrow.”

“Should I tell them to come to the office?”

“No. If they gather at the office, there will be eyes watching. Tell them to come to my house.”

“Your house?”

“Yes. If I don’t move, they won’t move either.”

Jinhyuk Park pointed behind him.

The escorts, who were following under the guise of protecting him, were trailing in cars behind.

They followed Jinhyuk Park wherever he went.

“You’re trying to shake off the escorts?”

“If I move, they move. If I don’t move, they don’t move. So gathering at my house is the best way to blind their eyes.”

Kim Joon-woo thought about where the escorts would be sent.

It seemed the issue with Junman Park was about to come to light.

“Should we take this chance to get rid of them? And replace them with our own people?”

“That’s one solution, but for now, leave them. It’s fine. We just need to delay them knowing that we’ve gathered.”

Jinhyuk Park also unbuttoned the cuffs of his dress shirt.

With disheveled hair, an untied tie, and loosened cuffs, he looked exactly like someone dressed to blow off steam.

Jinhyuk Park loosened his neck left and right once more and said to Kim Joon-woo.

“Manager Kim, buy some hangover soup when you come tomorrow. And go on ahead today. I’ll be late.”

“Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. Even if I collapse, the guys behind me will take me home.”

As Jinhyuk Park finished speaking, the car tried to enter a back alley.

Jinhyuk Park stopped the car from driving down a crowded alley.

He got out, said a few parting words to Kim Joon-woo, and walked alone through the alley.

When Jinhyuk Park woke up with a hangover and went downstairs, people were already gathered, exchanging opinions.

Just then, Jinhyuk Park came down the stairs holding his head, and everyone stood up to greet him.

“I’m sorry. Did we wake you while you were sleeping?”

“You should have rested a bit more. You look exhausted.”

“Manager Kim. Water. Give him some water first.”

With so many people gathered, voices came from all directions.

Jinhyuk Park pressed his throbbing head with his palm and said.

“I’m fine. I pushed myself too hard yesterday, so I’m a bit out of it.”

He had met Park Sang-hyuk at a place where young people call it a club, blasting loud music.

And he started drinking, listening to music that pounded his ears with incomprehensible sounds.

As he drank, he chatted warmly with the women passing by, which was unlike his usual self.

Of course, they couldn’t understand each other, but Jinhyuk Park thought he had set the mood well enough.

Then Jinhyuk Park told Park Sang-hyuk they should move to a quieter place.

No matter how hard he tried to bear it, the atmosphere and music made it unbearable to stay seated.

Park Sang-hyuk moved to a quieter spot for his brother, and afterward, Jinhyuk Park created the mood he wanted and drank heavily.

“Representative. Have some water first.”

Kim Joon-woo habitually took a water bottle from the fridge and handed it to Jinhyuk Park.

Jinhyuk Park opened the cap, drank some water, then looked around at the people watching him.

They were all staring at him with curiosity.

When Jinhyuk Park set the water bottle on the table and sat on the sofa, the people split to the left and right and took their seats.

Since they had never all gathered like this officially, they all seemed tense.

And behind the tension, curiosity seemed to lurk.

“You’ve probably heard that I met the Chairman of Cheongwoo yesterday.”

“Yes. I heard through Manager Kim when I came. Then you called us all together. Has something changed?”

“There is a change.”

Jinhyuk Park lifted the water bottle again and took a sip.

All eyes followed the bottle up and down, and Jinhyuk Park almost laughed.

Seeing that ease, Hisoo Hyun spoke with a much lighter tone.

“I was worried, but it seems there’s good news after all.”

“I was just as worried as President Hyun. The sudden order to gather at the Representative’s house made me think something had happened. You never make us work on weekends, but calling Friday night to gather Saturday morning made me think something big was going on.”

All the others nodded at Kyung Dayong’s words.

Everyone was puzzled by the instruction, so unlike Jinhyuk Park.

“There is good news.”

“What is it? I heard you went to your maternal grandparents’ house in Seongbuk-dong after meeting the Chairman of Cheongwoo. Is something about to change the economic landscape?”

“It may or may not be related to Cheongwoo. And the economic landscape? It might change. Depending on how things tie together.”

At Jinhyuk Park’s words, Hisoo Hyun looked anxious.

Hisoo Hyun and Kyung Dayong alike were getting nervous inside.

Having witnessed Jinhyuk Park’s abilities firsthand, Kyung Dayong knew that if he was gathering all his people, it was bound to be a big deal.

Jinhyuk Park glanced at the anxious faces and then spoke.

“I think a lot of things will come up soon. That’s why I gathered you all. Rather than telling you individually, I thought it would be better to talk together to reduce misunderstandings and convey my intentions clearly.”

“What is it?”

“I’m going to get married.”

At Jinhyuk Park’s words, Hisoo Hyun’s eyes widened, and he turned to look at the others.

He thought he must have misheard.

But he wasn’t the only one.

Kyung Dayong and the team leaders sitting beside him were all looking at each other with the same expression.

Hisoo Hyun looked at Kim Joon-woo just in case.

Seeing Kim Joon-woo staring at Jinhyuk Park with the same expression, Hisoo Hyun realized that even Kim Joon-woo hadn’t known.

“Representative. I didn’t mishear, did I? You’re getting married? To whom? Who is it?”

“I plan to find someone from now on.”

“What? You’re going to find someone from now on?”

Hisoo Hyun felt his mind spin at Jinhyuk Park’s incomprehensible words.