“Honestly, I don’t remember the moment I first met Han Ji-yeon.”
“I’m sure you don’t. You’ve probably met so many women that even you wouldn’t know. I understand.”
“Hahaha. There’s no need to be so sharp. And this isn’t a matter of understanding or not. I truly don’t remember.”
Only after hearing Park Jinhyuk’s words did Han Ji-yeon realize he wasn’t denying the past.
“You mean you really don’t remember? As in, you’ve lost your memory?”
“That’s correct. I lost my memory. After a serious illness a few years ago, I lost a large part of it. So I have no recollection of whatever happened between us.”
From the diary written by the past Park Jinhyuk, he could grasp the general atmosphere.
But knowing the details was a different matter.
Especially since the past Park Jinhyuk’s reputation was far from clean, most people were reluctant to bring up the past in front of him.
Except for Han Ji-yeon, who was right before him.
“I’ve heard that I lived a dissolute life. But what I don’t understand is, how dissolute must I have been for you to see me as somewhere between an insect and an animal?”
Park Jinhyuk spoke calmly.
It was as if he were looking down at his own affairs as a third party.
Han Ji-yeon furrowed her brow at him and said,
“You really have lost your memory?”
“Yes. I have no memory of it at all.”
Realizing that Park Jinhyuk wasn’t lying, Han Ji-yeon let out a deep sigh.
“Hoo… Fine. It’s probably better to forget about those things. They weren’t exactly pleasant stories.”
“You still won’t tell me.”
“We’ll get to that later. After all, you and I have plenty of time.”
Han Ji-yeon didn’t want to bring up the old stories.
Park Jinhyuk didn’t press her further about his past.
As she said, they had plenty of time left.
Han Ji-yeon took a sip of the coffee in front of her and looked at him.
The evening sunset streamed in through the car window, illuminating his side.
He looked more mature than his peers.
It was so natural that she hadn’t noticed, but the more she quietly observed him, the more he exuded a charm beyond his apparent age.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Since we’ve come this far, I hope there are no secrets between us.”
“I’ve always been sincere.”
“Good. Then I’ll ask: Why me?”
At Han Ji-yeon’s words, Park Jinhyuk looked at her with subtle eyes.
“It was Cheongwoo that made the first request.”
“That’s true. But the choice was yours. If you had refused, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“So you don’t think I refused.”
“No. Is it just my own thought that you chose me?”
“No. You’re thinking correctly. I chose Han Ji-yeon.”
“I want to know why.”
Park Jinhyuk nodded slightly at her words.
As expected, she was someone he could reason with.
“The reason isn’t special. In my view, Han Ji-yeon’s value was the highest.”
“Value?”
“Yes. Among the options I encountered, Han Ji-yeon’s value was the highest. Does that explain it?”
“Hehehe. If my sister Myeongun heard that, she wouldn’t be happy.”
“Sister Myeongun?”
“Yes. Lee Myeongun of Pungjeong Group.”
“Pungjeong Group. Hmm. Are you referring to the youngest daughter of Pungjeong Group?”
“Yes. That Pungjeong Group.”
Pungjeong was the largest group in South Korea.
Starting with general trading, it now dominated the country’s electronics industry.
Both DS and Cheongwoo were powerful groups that exerted enormous influence on South Korea, but they couldn’t compare to Pungjeong.
People even said South Korea was the Pungjeong Republic, such was Pungjeong’s influence, which extended beyond the nation’s borders.
“As you said, if I had seen Pungjeong’s daughter, my thoughts might have been different. But I’ve never met Pungjeong’s daughter.”
“Well, even for you, it wouldn’t have been easy to arrange a marriage with Pungjeong. Unlike us, they don’t use their children for business. Who in South Korea can match Pungjeong’s level? It’s no different from letting someone marry whoever they want. Thanks to that, an opportunity came to me.”
“Opportunity… So you consider it an opportunity.”
Han Ji-yeon’s mood calmed along with Park Jinhyuk’s calm voice.
One’s heart changes depending on who they’re with, and the more she talked with the person before her, the calmer she felt.
She lowered her tone, which had been rising slightly, and said,
“It is an opportunity. They say a woman’s life is smooth if she has at least two out of three things.”
“You know some interesting sayings.”
Park Jinhyuk looked at her with curious eyes.
Han Ji-yeon began to talk about a woman’s life.
“They say that for a woman to live well, she needs two out of three things: fame, fortune, and ability. Fame means being born into a good family, fortune is what comes in life, and ability is what you display while living.”
“Then how many of the three do you have?”
“I was born into a wealthy family, so I guess I was born with fame. But I had no fortune. Not long after I was born, my mother passed away and a stepmother came in. My father was always out and never showed me what love is. He poured all his love outside and even had two sons. My stepmother couldn’t have children, so she accepted those sons. Suddenly, I had two half-brothers. And I live in the same house with them. Along with their biological mothers, who came from who knows where.”
“And what about ability?”
“Ability? Do you think a woman born into a chaebol family can display ability? Your younger sister is in the same position as me, so you probably know well. Women in chaebol families can’t display any ability other than strategic marriage.”
“So you think you only have one of the three, so you can’t live a smooth life?”
“Yes. That’s why I accepted your choice. I thought you could at least give me a show window that wouldn’t break.”
Park Jinhyuk didn’t laugh loudly, but his face was full of amusement.
Han Ji-yeon felt annoyed because she had spoken in earnest, but he seemed to take it as a joke.
“Do my words sound funny to you?”
“Funny? Not at all. But it’s an interesting story for someone your age.”
“Are you saying I’m wrong?”
For over twenty years, Han Ji-yeon had lived thinking how wonderful it would have been if she had been born into an ordinary family instead of a chaebol.
But now, Park Jinhyuk was dismissing her thoughts as those of a childish girl.
Her calm heart was about to boil over.
But Park Jinhyuk, seeing her change, didn’t even flinch.
“You’re wrong. You’re wrong.”
“Where am I wrong? Please, teach me my foolishness.”
Her words asked for instruction, but her expression revealed defiance.
With her lips pouted, she looked like a child.
“You think that having two of the three—fame, fortune, and ability—makes life smooth?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You said you were born with fame but lacked fortune and couldn’t display ability. Is that correct?”
“Yes. You’re repeating my words.”
“Hahaha. Don’t take my words so sharply. Think carefully. Are those three things really of equal weight?”
At Park Jinhyuk’s words, Han Ji-yeon was silent for a moment, pondering his statement.
After thinking quietly, she looked at him and said,
“It sounds like you’re saying the fame I have is greater than the fortune and ability behind it.”
“Why wouldn’t it be? You were born into a wealthy chaebol family. Furthermore, you have two younger half-brothers, but no matter how well you dress them up, they are nothing but illegitimate children. The world has improved and the harm of legitimacy has lessened, but the label of being illegitimate cannot be removed easily. Ordinary people might not know, but those of us living in the same world all know it. Do you think those boys can overcome the status difference with you?”
Han Ji-yeon listened to Park Jinhyuk in silence.
Seeing that she understood his words, he spoke deeper.
“Where and how you are born is the most important thing. The rest is just outer shell. Ability? Why do you think a woman born into a chaebol family can’t display ability? Do you think ability only means earning money and rising in status through social life? You caught me. You’re trying to take a big step with me. Is that lack of ability?”
“You’re tooting your own horn.”
“You don’t think so? Aren’t you sitting here right now because you think the same as me?”
At Park Jinhyuk’s words, Han Ji-yeon couldn’t help but laugh.
“Pfft. You’re right. I admit it.”
Han Ji-yeon’s expression brightened from the previous conversation.
Perhaps because she had shed the thought of leading a miserable life, she looked relieved.
Seeing her improved mood, Park Jinhyuk said,
“There’s still time, so I’ll give you a chance. Once you choose, there’s no turning back.”
“No. I’ve already made my choice. Opportunities like this don’t come easily. And since I’m being sold off anyway, wouldn’t it be better to be sold to someone I owe a debt to? That way, I can speak loudly.”
With a brighter expression, Han Ji-yeon even puffed out her chest.
Though not exactly triumphant, she seemed to show that she wouldn’t go to DS feeling intimidated.
Park Jinhyuk picked up his coffee cup, now half-melted ice, and sipped through the straw while looking at her.
“You know how much the balance will tip if you get what you want from Cheongwoo Energy, right?”
Park Jinhyuk set the coffee cup on the table, crossed his legs, and stared at Han Ji-yeon.
At that, Han Ji-yeon wondered if she had said something wrong.
After staring for a long time, Park Jinhyuk slowly opened his mouth.
“Do you really want to calculate?”
“Because it’s not bad for me.”
“Do you think receiving Cheongwoo Energy is a gain for DS?”
“Isn’t it? By receiving Cheongwoo Energy, you can proceed with the Brazil business.”
“That remains to be seen. But know this: the reason I offered you a chance was because by coming over with a big debt, you might face hardships.”
“A big debt?”
“Just know that.”
Park Jinhyuk did not elaborate.
After all, Han Ji-yeon wasn’t the person he needed to discuss this with right now.
At DS Headquarters, almost every day, key executives from affiliate companies gathered to discuss the Brazil business.
Fierce debates continued over which company to involve and which contracts were better.
In that situation, Park Jinhyuk stepped back and merely watched what they did.
He didn’t offer opinions on what was best, and even in situations requiring a choice, he handed the decision to Shin Guk-jeon of DS Heavy Industries, the main party involved in this project.
At first, everyone was puzzled and looked at Park Jinhyuk with curiosity.
Because, to anyone, the presiding figure of the meeting was Park Jinhyuk, and depending on how he acted, both the decision-making power over the project and the results after its execution could all belong to him.
But Park Jinhyuk, as if he weren’t someone who snatched what others had achieved, presided over the meeting but remained thoroughly an onlooker.
Those watching misunderstood his intentions.
They took it as him not wanting to dip into the project midway and steal others’ credit.
“Representative, isn’t he truly remarkable?”
“That’s right. If it were me, I would have tried to get a foot in, even deliberately. I don’t know how he can give all the credit to the working-level people who carried it out.”
“Maybe that’s confidence.”
“Confidence?”
“Why not? For salarymen like us, performance equals money and livelihood, but not for the Representative. DS is practically his, so he doesn’t need to be desperate for performance like we do.”
After the third consecutive meeting, people who knew each other and had worked together gathered in small groups to chat about the meeting.
The topic was undoubtedly Park Jinhyuk.
No matter where people gathered, they all started and ended their conversations with Park Jinhyuk.
“But I don’t think it’s just confidence.”
“Not confidence?”
It was an argument that differed from his own thoughts.
If this place hadn’t been the coffee shop in the main building’s lobby, they would have immediately shown displeasure.
But this wasn’t a place to argue.
The person who first brought up the topic listened to the new argument.
“I have a bit of a strange feeling.”
“A strange feeling?”
“This is just my personal opinion.”
The preface before speaking seemed to indicate that this wasn’t just a fleeting thought.
“Go ahead.”
“I thought the Chairman might be trying to steer the results of this project toward the Representative.”
“Wasn’t that the case? If not, why would the Representative preside over the meeting? What does DS Telecom have to do with this project?”
“I thought so too. But it’s strange. The Chairman tries to push it to him, but the Representative is rejecting the credit being forced on him, isn’t he?”
“Oh, Director Kim, you really don’t listen. Isn’t that what we were just talking about?”
Those who had expected some big revelation looked disappointed at Director Kim’s repeated words.
But Director Kim leaned forward slightly and began to speak again in a low tone.
Damn I caught up. Well, he’s doing Neo to dodge all the bullets from this deal lol