From the next day onward, Park Jinhyeok began rummaging through every corner of the house, and eventually managed to find several diaries.
[500 billion won]
The value marked on the diaries indicated 500 billion won.
Park Jinhyeok flipped through the diaries, wondering if there might be anonymous bonds or hidden bank accounts inside.
However, all that was written were simple stories about the life of a person named Park Jinhyeok and the emotions he felt at the time.
For a while, Park Jinhyeok couldn’t shake off the hollow feeling, and even now, he was staring down at the diaries with that same weight on his heart.
“Damn it. Who decides this ‘value’ anyway?”
If it was 500 billion won, there should have at least been a few pieces of hidden land or something, but not a single line mentioned such things.
Seeing that he had no idea what the basis for the value was made Park Jinhyeok feel disappointed.
Of course, there was no denying that, to him, the diaries contained better information than anything else.
But still, it felt unfair to say it was truly worth 500 billion won.
Harboring that resentment, Park Jinhyeok delved deeper, reading the diaries intensively for several days.
And he came to a conclusion.
“That brat was so happy he went crazy.”
To Park Jinhyeok, the diaries seemed filled with writings by a bourgeois who had never crawled on the streets worrying about meals, yet was overwhelmed by happiness and lamented himself endlessly.
For Yoo Jeonggeol, who had lived through dividing one convenience store lunch box over three days, who had scavenged cigarette butts from where office workers smoked just to light one up, the contents were downright nauseating.
After reading the diaries, he also understood why Park Junman had harshly judged him as useless.
“It’s because you had money in your pocket. If you were crawling around like I did, you wouldn’t think like this.”
Even as he cursed, Park Jinhyeok kept absorbing the contents of the diaries into his mind.
No matter how ridiculous the family looked, he knew well how important it was to have as much information as possible now that he had decided to take over the family.
As he processed the path his past self had taken, Park Jinhyeok considered many ways forward.
But in every scenario, the very first step was to improve his relationship with his father, Park Junman.
And the fastest way to improve things with him was to prove that Park Jinhyeok was someone useful.
The easiest yet seemingly hardest path lay right before him.
Mulling over these thoughts, Park Jinhyeok spent several more days without even stepping outside, wrestling with his head.
If he was going to do this, he had to do it properly—and so he pondered the best method.
The first step was crucial, and through the diaries, he tried to find ways to make a good impression on Park Junman.
Several days later, Park Jinhyeok made his decision.
“Halmeom, I’ll be having dinner at Pyeongchang-dong tonight, so don’t worry about dinner.”
“You’re going to Pyeongchang-dong? You’ve never gone there without an invitation.”
“Today is a special day. I’m going to have a showdown with Father.”
“A showdown?”
“I can’t just play around all day. I’m going to work.”
“Oh, you’ve thought this through well.”
Housekeeper Onsandae opened the door and followed Park Jinhyeok outside, brushing off his clothes and giving him encouragement.
Her attentive care was more like that of a grandmother than just a housekeeper.
Receiving Housekeeper Onsandae’s send-off, Park Jinhyeok headed to Pyeongchang-dong.
He picked the most intact sedan among the cars parked in the garage.
While driving, he calmly reviewed what he would demand and how he would present himself to Park Junman.
“Right. I can’t just sit and wait for the obvious attack to come. I have to make the first move.”
Having spent over ten years as a sales representative, running around and enduring nerve-wracking battles between competitors, clients, and subcontractors, his instincts now told him to act first.
If he didn’t secure a good position first, he would only keep blocking and eventually wither away.
The premonition swept over him entirely.
Recalling the time he had begged at a client’s home for an opportunity, Park Jinhyeok drove steadily toward Pyeongchang-dong.
“Young Master, what brings you here?”
Even over the intercom, the surprised voice was evident.
Park Jinhyeok knew without even entering that the sudden appearance of Park Jinhyeok had stirred up the Pyeongchang-dong household.
The startled voice of Oh Seoyoung came through the intercom.
Park Jinhyeok entered slowly through the open door.
Last time, he had been too hungover to properly see the house.
But even then, he had been amazed at how big the house was—and returning now evoked the same feeling.
There was a staircase in the yard, a small courtyard, and a space on one side for growing trees and flowers.
Ahead, the view stretched wide and open, overlooking everything below, and just looking at it gave a refreshing sense of liberation.
Park Jinhyeok walked inside, casually surveying his surroundings.
“How could you come without contacting us? If you had, we would have come to greet you.”
“I’m not coming from abroad or anything, just moving from Gangnam to Gangbuk. What kind of greeting do I need? It’s fine.”
Butler Kim, guarding the Pyeongchang-dong main house, ran up to welcome Park Jinhyeok as he parked and climbed the stone steps in the yard.
Most of the employees working at Pyeongchang-dong seemed to have goodwill toward Park Jinhyeok.
It was probably because Housekeeper Onsandae had long stayed there, training the staff and instilling in them the importance of serving Park Jinhyeok well.
“The Chairman is inside, right?”
“The Chairman? Yes, he is. Although he didn’t show it when he heard you were here, he seemed happy.”
“Is that so?”
No matter how much they disliked each other, it seemed even Park Junman had some affection left.
Park Jinhyeok had hoped for this, and hearing Butler Kim’s words reassured him that his decision wasn’t wrong.
After passing through the yard, at the house, employees, Oh Seoyoung, and a young woman he had never seen before greeted Park Jinhyeok at the door.
‘That must be Saeun Park, the youngest sister.’
She bore a striking resemblance to Oh Seoyoung, standing right beside her.
It was enough to think that if you wanted to see Oh Seoyoung in her younger days, you only had to look at Saeun Park.
She glanced coldly at Park Jinhyeok and snorted.
Oh Seoyoung nudged her side and then cheerfully greeted Park Jinhyeok.
“Jinhyeok, what brings you here? Without any notice?”
“Do I really need to notify you when I’m coming to my own house?”
“You would’ve at least not surprised us if you’d contacted us.”
Oh Seoyoung seemed displeased by Park Jinhyeok’s unannounced visit to Pyeongchang-dong, forcing a strained smile.
And besides Oh Seoyoung, there was another person who didn’t look pleased with Park Jinhyeok.
“Since you showed your face, that’s enough, right? Everyone’s making a fuss like it’s a big deal that you’re here. I’m going back inside now.”
Without even greeting Park Jinhyeok, Saeun Park spun around and walked inside.
Since their relationship hadn’t been good in the past, as written in Park Jinhyeok’s diaries, her behavior didn’t surprise him.
As she disappeared indoors, Park Jinhyeok asked Butler Kim again where Park Junman was.
“The Chairman is in his study, right?”
“Jinhyeok, since you came after a long time, how about talking with the Chairman later during dinner? For now, sit on the sofa and have a chat with Mother.”
“What long time? I was here not long ago. I even slept here then. And I have an appointment tonight, so I’ll be eating out. I want to see Father now.”
“What appointment at a time like this? Dinner should be with family. Don’t be like that. Come here and listen to me for a bit.”
Oh Seoyoung, clearly anxious, kept trying to hold him back.
But Park Jinhyeok didn’t budge and stood his ground.
“Say what you want here.”
Oh Seoyoung glared coldly at his attitude, then let go of his hand and said,
“You’re at the age when you should think about marriage. I arranged a few prospects for you. They may be below our family’s status, but they’re all decent girls. You should at least take a look. I have their photos, so I’m sure you’ll like one.”
“How old do you think I am, that you’re already talking about marriage?”
“Who said you have to get married right away? If you get engaged and prepare, a couple of years will fly by. Then you’ll be over thirty. The earlier you marry, the younger the girl will be. Now’s the perfect time to get engaged. That would ease the Chairman’s and my minds.”
“No. I’m not thinking about marriage, and I’ll find a lady and show her to Mother myself, so don’t worry.”
Park Jinhyeok inwardly sneered at Oh Seoyoung’s words and turned away.
The girls she had lined up were definitely ones she liked.
And girls that Oh Seoyoung liked were practically enemies to Park Jinhyeok.
How could he spend the night embracing an enemy?
He wondered if she still thought he was someone to toy with.
If so, he vowed to shatter that idea as soon as possible.
Passing through the spacious living room and several rooms, Park Jinhyeok stood before Park Junman’s study, located in the deepest part of the Pyeongchang-dong house.
Glancing at Oh Seoyoung, who had followed him this far, Park Jinhyeok pointed inside with his finger, testing if she wanted to come in with him.
It didn’t matter to him either way.
What mattered was conveying his intentions to Park Junman and how Park Junman would receive them.
Oh Seoyoung looked back and forth between Park Jinhyeok and the study door, then smiled and grabbed his shoulders with both hands.
“Right. You must have things to discuss quietly with Father. Have a good talk and come out. Mother will wait outside.”
Hearing Oh Seoyoung call herself “Mother” made Park Jinhyeok shudder.
Though his Mother back in Yoo Jeonggeol’s time had always made him uneasy, Oh Seoyoung was worse.
At least then, his Mother had only coveted Yoo Jeonggeol’s wallet, not his life.
Park Jinhyeok turned away from Oh Seoyoung and knocked on the study door.
“Come in.”
As if already expecting Park Jinhyeok’s visit, Park Junman’s voice came from inside immediately after the knock.
Taking a deep breath several times, Park Jinhyeok opened the door and stepped inside.
Watching his back, Oh Seoyoung bit her lip.
Since his discharge from the hospital, she had hesitated to provoke him again, but now, seeing him insist on a private meeting with Park Junman, she felt she couldn’t leave him be.
His changes lately unsettled her.
Inside the study, Park Junman sat in the same posture as last time.
Park Jinhyeok bowed slightly in greeting.
Park Junman gestured for him to sit.
Following Park Junman’s lead, Park Jinhyeok sat down and shifted his gaze to the painting hanging behind him.
Park Junman looked at the painting with him and smiled.
“How is it? Does it still look like a fake to you?”
At a glance, nothing seemed different from the last time.
The painting’s placement was unchanged. It still depicted the beautiful mountain scenery of China’s Shu region, exactly as when Park Jinhyeok had seen it the last time he visited the study.
The wooden frame was the same, and unless one brought a magnifying glass close, no difference could be spotted at this distance.
But that was how it looked to others.
To Park Jinhyeok, the biggest thing had changed.
[2.5 billion won]
The value, which had been worth only hundreds of thousands last time, now hovered floating above the painting, clearly visible to Park Jinhyeok as 2.5 billion won.
Realizing Park Junman was testing him, Park Jinhyeok answered without hiding anything.
“So you really got the genuine article.”
“Is that so? You’re telling me it looks different from the last time you saw it?”
“Then, Chairman, are you asking me because it looks the same? If you think it’s the same as the last painting, I want to ask why you spent so much money getting the real one.”
Park Junman gazed intently at Park Jinhyeok.
When he threw the glass last time, he had shown the same expression, and now, once again, he was displaying it.
Park Jinhyeok didn’t avoid the gaze, receiving it fully as he sat there.
After all, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t avoid it.
He didn’t want to show any sign of intimidation.
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