Lee Sun-myung had been looking down at the documents for a while when she finally smiled at Park Jin-hyuk and spoke.
“DS Construction doesn’t need that land, right? Hand it over to us. We’ll take it off your hands for the same price you bought it.”
“Aunt. Why do you think we don’t need that land? Don’t you think we bought it because we need it too? We’re a proper construction company as well.”
“Things aren’t exactly going well for your company right now.”
“Who says so? Who told you things aren’t going well for us?”
“Well…”
Lee Sun-myung trailed off, looking back down at the papers.
From Park Jin-hyuk’s perspective, it looked as if those documents detailed DS Construction’s current situation.
Seeing her not fully briefed even as she came to this meeting, Park Jin-hyuk understood why Lee Jong-moo had gotten so upset during the Seongbuk-dong dinner.
Even after staring at the documents for some time, Lee Sun-myung didn’t lift her head, so Park Jin-hyuk spoke up first.
“Aunt. Dongjeong Industries is the first to reach out about the OO District land. We’ve been getting swamped with calls from other places too. So why do you think I met with Dongjeong Industries first? Blood ties. Blood really is something to be reckoned with. But if I just rely on blood, what about my own position? Won’t people see it as DS just handing things over to Dongjeong Industries? Surely you don’t want me to be treated like that at DS, do you?”
“That’s not what I mean. We intend to pay a fair price. That’s why I said we’ll pay what you bought it for.”
“Come on. That’s not a fair deal. Why don’t you go back and think it over again, and for now, let’s just talk as aunt and nephew. How’s Grandpa? When I saw Grandma last, her knees didn’t look so good—is she going to the hospital? And Hyun-wook? Isn’t it about time Hyun-wook started coming to the company to learn the ropes?”
Lee Sun-myung had come to talk business, but with Park Jin-hyuk steering the conversation elsewhere, she couldn’t get anywhere.
No matter how many times she tried to bring up the subject again, each time, Park Jin-hyuk smoothly diverted the conversation. So, after nearly an hour, they’d gotten nowhere.
In the end, Lee Sun-myung realized there was no point in staying longer and stood up.
“Fine. I get what you’re saying. I’ll go back and think about it.”
“Please do. And when you get home, tell Grandpa something for me. Since we both know what we want, let’s not beat around the bush.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Just say it like that. He’ll understand.”
Watching Lee Sun-myung, still at a loss, Park Jin-hyuk just smiled.
He knew that talking things over with her was pointless; the real conversation would have to be with his maternal grandfather, Lee Jong-moo.
Not long after Lee Sun-myung left with Park Jin-hyuk’s words in mind, Hyun Yi-soo came looking for him.
“Director. Dongjeong Industries has made a proposal to buy the OO District land. What would you like to do?”
“Do you like fishing?”
“No, I don’t really know much about it.”
Asked if he liked it, Hyun Yi-soo replied that he didn’t really know.
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at that.
He mimed casting a fishing rod and said, “If you liked fishing, you’d make a great partner for me… Maybe you should learn how.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Park Jin-hyuk then pantomimed reeling in and baiting the hook.
“When you go fishing, after you chum the water and put bait on your float, it doesn’t take long before the fish start poking at the line. But fish are clever; they don’t bite right away. They poke at the bait with their mouths or heads to see if it’s safe. You’ll see the float move just a bit, and a beginner won’t be able to resist—they’ll yank the rod up too soon and the fish gets away. A skilled angler waits, hand poised on the rod. Then, once the fish really takes the bait and the float sinks deep, that’s when you strike.”
He mimed yanking the rod up and smiled.
“The fish have noticed the bait. Now it’s just a matter of time before they bite. All we have to do is wait for the float to sink. We’ll probably be reselling the land soon, so get everything in order. Since we bought it from a lot of people, it’ll take some time to wrap it up, right? There’s no point holding onto what isn’t really ours, so as soon as the deal with Dongjeong Industries is done, let’s offload the rest quickly.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
Hyun Yi-soo bowed his head in agreement.
Just a short while ago, Hyun Yi-soo had still wondered whether the land they’d acquired was really connected to the new city development.
But before he could even get lost in those doubts, he’d seen offers coming in from countless construction companies.
‘I just need to do as he says.’
Park Jin-hyuk was still making imaginary casts with a fishing rod, but to Hyun Yi-soo, he seemed to have sharper insight than anyone.
After Hyun Yi-soo left, Park Jin-hyuk continued to swing his imaginary rod through the air, muttering to himself, full of longing.
“Once this damned business is over, I really need to go fishing. Who should I rope in? Secretary Kim… probably wouldn’t be much fun… Deputy Hyun… would just talk company stuff even at the fishing spot. Manager Kwak? Manager Hong? Or maybe Manager Kim? Ah~. Did I really not have any friends? This would be the perfect time for a friend to tag along.”
Once he’d passed forty, all his friends had started families and drifted away. He’d ended up living a life with no real friends left.
Still, he remembered how, in his twenties, he could have called up five or six friends and they’d have dropped everything to come. Park Jin-hyuk wondered about the kind of life his younger self must have lived.
As he gazed wistfully at the setting sun, ready to head home, his phone suddenly rang loudly.
Riiiiing.
“No way, just because I thought of a friend, is one of them actually calling?”
He picked up his phone, curious to see who it was.
But the name displayed was someone who made his heart leap even more than an old friend.
[Grandfather]
With a smile tugging at his lips, Park Jin-hyuk answered.
“Hello?”
“It’s me. Are you off work yet?”
“I was just about to head out.”
“Good. Come to Seongbuk-dong. Let’s have dinner together.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be right there.”
Happy to have received a call sooner than expected, Park Jin-hyuk grabbed his coat and headed out.
As he left, he told Deputy Hyun that he might need to wrap up the land sales even faster than he’d just said, then walked out of the building.
He dismissed the driver and Secretary Kim, got into his car, and drove himself to Seongbuk-dong.
Even though it was only his second visit, the sprawling mansion of his mother’s family in Seongbuk-dong still made him feel small.
“It seemed fancy last time too, but this is basically a palace.”
He marveled as he went inside.
Crossing the vast yard and entering the house, he was again greeted by his grandmother, waiting at the door.
“Oh my, my puppy’s home! As soon as Grandpa heard you were coming, he rushed me to make your favorite food. Come in, you must be hungry, right?”
“Yes, I was just getting hungry. Is Aunt still at work? She was at our office earlier…”
“She’s always late—company keeps her busy. Let’s go eat.”
Despite visiting the company herself, Grandma didn’t ask why she’d come. Park Jin-hyuk wondered if she really wasn’t interested or if she was just pretending not to know. He looked at her face as she pulled him along to the dinner table.
Not long after he sat down, his grandfather, Lee Jong-moo, approached the table.
As Park Jin-hyuk stood to greet him, Lee Jong-moo just sat down and spoke.
“You come all this way and the first thing you do is eat? Shouldn’t you have come to see me first?”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Park Jin-hyuk was saved by his grandmother, who spoke up loudly from beside him.
“I brought him in! What’s so great about Grandpa that you want him to come running to say hello? Jin-hyuk, it’s fine, let’s eat. I even steamed some crab for you, since you like it.”
She finished speaking and placed a plump, egg-laden female crab in front of him.
Lee Jong-moo scowled at her.
“Where’s Hyun-wook?”
“He went out. Isn’t it normal for him to go out after dark? Why act like it’s some big deal?”
“Tsk. Those Kims.”
“Well, from what I see, the Kims and the Lees are all the same. Jin-hyuk, hurry and eat.”
Not wanting to be outdone by her husband, Grandmother pressed him to eat, making Park Jin-hyuk bow his head and laugh.
Lee Jong-moo opened his mouth several times, as if to retort, but perhaps because of the watching eyes of Park Jin-hyuk and the staff, he said nothing and quietly ate his meal.
Once the three had finished their quiet dinner, Lee Jong-moo stood up.
“We’ll have tea in the study. Bring us some tea.”
“Why are you dragging him off to the study?”
“Did you think he just came on his own? I called him. Enough with the questions, just bring the tea. You, come with me.”
Without waiting for an answer, Lee Jong-moo turned and left.
Reassuring his worried grandmother with a glance, Park Jin-hyuk followed after him.
Crossing the broad house, they entered Lee Jong-moo’s study.
For some reason, the studies of business magnates all looked the same; it wasn’t much different from Park Jun-man’s.
Bookshelves packed to the ceiling, an antique desk straight ahead, and a luxurious guest sofa. Lee Jong-moo sat on the sofa and beckoned Park Jin-hyuk over.
“Come, sit down. The ceiling’s going to cave in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Park Jin-hyuk sat down carefully.
As he glanced around the study, the housekeeper brought tea and set it in front of them.
After sampling the tea, Lee Jong-moo looked at Park Jin-hyuk and spoke.
“You know why I called you, right?”
“Yes, sir, I do.”
“Is it true, what you said to Sun-myung?”
“I don’t know what exactly she told you, but I did ask her to pass on a message.”
“Good. Then let’s get right to it. That land—give it to me.”
“Grandpa, it hurts to hear you say it like that when you already know.”
Even under the prickly stare, Park Jin-hyuk kept smiling.
He was used to these uncomfortable meetings and didn’t lose his composure, even before Lee Jong-moo.
Maybe that’s why Lee Jong-moo looked interested as he spoke.
“Did your father put you up to this? I told him I wasn’t interested. That day, he sent you to handle the construction side, and now you’re playing games with land?”
Hearing this, Park Jin-hyuk realized that Park Jun-man had already made a request of Lee Jong-moo.
‘Hmm… So that’s how it is.’
He sipped his tea again and replied.
“How would my father even know about this? DS only found out about Dongjeong Industries’ dealings by chance—there’s no way we’d have known on our own.”
Lee Jong-moo nodded as he listened.
“I suppose you’re right. Even we didn’t know which sites would be selected, so how did you get your hands on that parcel? How did you find out?”
“Grandpa, that’s a company secret, isn’t it? Let’s put that aside and get to what you wanted to say—about that land.”
For the first time, the old man, who’d looked so irritable until now, broke into a smile.
With a subtle grin, he asked, “So, what will it take for you to give me that land?”
“Grandpa, have you always had this habit of asking questions you already know the answers to?”
It might have sounded cheeky, but Lee Jong-moo seemed to find it amusing.
“Hahaha. Haven’t heard that in a while. Didn’t think anyone would say that to me these days. My thunderbolt of a grandson, talking to me like this. Well, if anyone else were around, I’d probably be red with embarrassment. Very well.”
Lee Jong-moo finished speaking and dialed a number.
“Yes, it’s me. Please pass on what I told the Prime Minister of Iraq for me. Ask him to handle it as quickly as possible, and keep an eye on it yourself.”
He finished the short call and handed the phone to Park Jin-hyuk.
Park Jin-hyuk took the phone with a laugh.
Lee Jong-moo waved for him to make a call.
“Go ahead, make your call.”
“A call? To whom?”
“Didn’t you hear my call? You have to do it too.”
“I don’t think the deal is done yet.”
“What?”
Lee Jong-moo’s smiling face stiffened.
Even so, Park Jin-hyuk kept his smile.
“You said you wanted the land, but you haven’t said how much you’ll pay. Since it’s you, Grandpa, I’ll cut you a deal. Pay me twice the market price.”
“What did you just say?”
Lee Jong-moo’s voice rose, caught off guard by Park Jin-hyuk’s words.