Chapter 123: The Beef Feast

Eating Out Means Beef, After All!

So, we went to Hanwoojung, a restaurant specializing in premium beef.

Last time, my father brought my mother and me here when he wanted to treat the Taesung security team to dinner.

I remembered how much my mother had enjoyed the food that day, so I casually mentioned it to Grandpa.

“Try it. The beef tartare and beef sushi are both fresh and delicious.”

Grandpa slid the plates of Hanwoo beef tartare and beef sushi in front of Mom.

Since this was a high-class restaurant serving only the finest Hanwoo beef, it was absolutely top-notch.

“Mom, the sirloin and ribeye are really good too.”

“The beef ribs are nice, and the beef bulgogi hot pot is excellent as well.”

“Have the beef pancakes while they’re warm. Unlike other places, they’re not greasy at all—really clean flavor.”

“The beef rib soup has a great broth. Should I order some noodles to add in?”

Grandpa and I took turns picking out all the delicious-looking side dishes for Mom, and before we knew it, her plate was piled high.

Flustered, Mom blushed, not sure what to do.

“Everything’s delicious. All the dishes you recommended.”

With her chopsticks, Mom picked up a piece of marinated beef rib from the charcoal grill and placed it on Grandpa’s plate.

The tip of her chopsticks trembled like an aspen leaf, and her smile toward Grandpa was stiff.

“Father, you should have some too. Would you like a glass of wine?”

“That sounds good.”

Pour—

Even as she picked up the white porcelain sake jug to pour into Grandpa’s porcelain cup, her hands still shook just the same.

Still, she managed to fill the cup without spilling a single drop.

Grandpa smiled contentedly and downed it in one go.

“Ahh, the drink tastes phenomenal tonight.”

“Here, have some food with it too.”

“Excellent! Thanks to my youngest daughter-in-law, I’m getting spoiled today! Hahaha.”

Grandpa cheerfully enjoyed his meal with a little drink on the side.

Mom placed some beef bulgogi onto my plate.

“Junghyuk, chew slowly and thoroughly, or you’ll get indigestion, okay? Do you want some soda?”

Who’s the one trembling like she’s about to get indigestion right now?

Pop!

I flipped off the soda bottle cap with my spoon.

I poured it generously into Mom’s glass.

Mom’s eyes widened as she looked between the soda bottle and the clear glass.

“Mom, if you keep kneeling like that, your legs will fall asleep.”

“Oh? Ah, mm. I’m fine.”

“You can sit comfortably, you know. Grandpa didn’t come to nitpick you.”

“Th-that’s true.”

Even so, Mom kept kneeling, looking unsure what to do.

She was really sitting on pins and needles.

‘Well, I guess it makes sense, considering the first meeting.’

Grandma handed Mom an envelope full of money, telling her to leave her son; Grandpa warned Mom to remarry and cut ties with her family; and the sisters-in-law openly insulted her in front of the executives.

No wonder Mom didn’t feel comfortable.

“It’s okay. You have me and Dad by your side, Mom.”

Under the table, I held Mom’s left hand tightly.

She, who’d been trembling like an aspen leaf, looked at me with wide eyes.

“If Grandpa says something mean again, I’ll grab your hand and we’ll walk out, just like last time. You trust me, right?”

Finally, it seemed Mom remembered how I’d held her hand and walked out when we first met Grandpa.

Grandpa turned to the staff who was grilling the meat.

“Do you have any digestive medicine on hand?”

“Many of our customers request it, so we keep it in stock. I’ll bring some right away.”

The staff quickly brought over digestive medicine.

Grandpa wiped his hands with a wet towel and gave a wry smile.

“Seems the food doesn’t suit her taste. What’s the point if it gives you indigestion? Don’t force yourself to eat.”

“No, it’s— it’s delicious. Really.”

“Hmm. Let me see the menu.”

Grandpa took the menu from the staff and snapped it open.

“From here, to here.”

He drew a diagonal line from the first dish on the first page to the last dish on the last page.

“Drinks and desserts, too, from here to here.”

He drew another diagonal line from one end of the drinks and desserts to the other, then shut the menu with a snap.

“Three servings of each.”

Mom gasped.

“Father, this is… it’s too much.”

“Your father-in-law has plenty of money.”

The staff looked even more pale than Mom.

He leapt up, almost running as he shouted,

“Emergency! We have an emergency!”

The beef feast already threatened to break the table legs.

Now, even more dazzling dishes began to crowd the table.

There was nowhere left to put food, so they had to bring in extra tables just to fit everything.

“Just eating a piece of each would be enough to burst, you know?”

“It’s fine. The problem isn’t spending money, it’s not being able to eat.”

Grandpa kept picking out the most delicious-looking dishes to fill Mom’s plate.

“Even just a bite is fine. Try whatever suits your taste. Don’t worry about wasting anything; it’s okay to leave what you don’t like.”

“How could I waste this?”

Mom smiled warmly.

“This is all your heart, Father.”

Her smile now was not the anxious, wary one from before, but her usual gentle, sunlit smile.

“Thank you, Father.”

Her chopstick tips no longer trembled.

“They say sharing a meal brings people together as a family, right? I’m part of the family now, too. I’ll enjoy it all.”

Mom quietly released the hand she’d been holding under the table, and instead whispered in my ear.

“Junghyuk, now that I look at you, you really take after your grandfather, don’t you?”

There was even a playful glint in her bright smile.

Mom looked really happy.

“I should have realized from the moment you cleaned out the department store for my gifts.”

I was just as surprised.

Why is it that I act exactly the same as when I bought Mom’s gifts at the department store?

“Junghyuk, don’t worry about me and eat plenty.”

“Looks like there won’t be any reason for us to storm out together today, huh?”

“Right. This place is truly amazing. It would have been even better if Grandma and Dad could have joined us, don’t you think?”

“We can pack up some beef sushi for Grandma and Dad, right? How about it?”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s do that.”

Grandpa laughed heartily.

“Just beef sushi? Bring the menu!”

The staff, already pale, turned blue as he handed over the menu.

Didn’t matter how much his hands trembled.

Grandpa didn’t even blink as he barked,

“From here to here, three servings each for takeout. And one serving each separately packed. Four servings in total.”

“Gah— Th-thank you, sir! We’ll prepare it with utmost care. Just let us know the address and we’ll deliver it to your home.”

Even a delivery service that didn’t exist was conjured up on the spot.

“Father, that’s too much. Our senior isn’t a big eater either.”

“It’s fine! I never mind feeding my own. Like I said, your father-in-law has plenty of money!”

Grandpa seemed especially happy to see his daughter-in-law smiling.

He waved at the Taesung Group security guards watching us with fond looks.

“What are you all gawking at? Sit down and grab some chopsticks already.”

“Excuse me?”

The Taesung Group security guards snapped to attention, waving their hands frantically.

“No, sir, it’s enough that you even offered! We couldn’t possibly join a family meal.”

Grandpa set down his glass firmly and declared,

“Taesung is one family! Enough with the nonsense—sit down and eat before the food gets cold.”

The Taesung security guards hesitated, not knowing what to do.

So, I purposely put on a sulky tone and added,

“Guess I was the only one who thought we were family. I never imagined we couldn’t even share a meal…”

“Then we won’t hold back!”

The Taesung security guards dashed over and quickly sat on the floor.

“Wow, this is delicious! I was just about starving to death!”

“I go nuts for beef! Thank you for the meal!”

“Long live beef! Long live the Chairman! Long live Young Master and Madam!”

“This tastes like honey. If I’d missed this and gone home hungry, I’d have cried into my blanket tonight!”

Grandpa grabbed the sake jug.

“What’s beef without some drinks? Everyone, have a glass.”

“No, no.”

I wagged my index finger side to side.

“It’s Friday night, so drink as much as you want! Of course, drivers excluded.”

Drunk driving is a crime, you know?

---

Everyone ate until they were stuffed and drank until their faces were flushed.

As we all poured out, happily putting on our shoes, the brown-tube TV in the lobby was playing the evening news.

—The city administration’s focus for this year can be outlined in four main points.

It was a press conference at the Blue House.

—First, achieving a fully self-reliant economy; second, establishing a strong national defense posture; third, expanding social development policies; and fourth, developing our spiritual culture.

The President spoke.

—The era of relying on other countries for our national security is already over. That’s why, for independent national defense, we must produce even stronger weapons and equipment ourselves.

Camera flashes fired from all directions.

—We will develop and produce helicopters, artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles, warships, radars, and missiles ourselves, and we will begin developing the aircraft and special tank industries.

The President looked straight into the camera.

—The government will do its utmost, and with the active participation of many companies, we promise to achieve remarkable results.

Grandpa silently watched the Blue House press conference news for a long time, then finally spoke after a long silence.

“Junghyuk, Taesung’s decision to jump into defense was not an easy one.”

“Yes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with a businessman making money, but even a businessman needs ethics, conscience, and faith.”

“Yes.”

“You must never use human lives as a way to make money. We may sell weapons to protect our country, but we must never start a war just to sell weapons.”

“Yes.”

Grandpa’s large, wrinkled hand gripped my small, tender one tightly.

“Likewise, you must never gamble with your family’s lives for money. It’s fine to earn money to protect your family, but never sell out your family for money.”

“Yes.”

“I trust that you’re smart enough to understand what I mean. You’ll keep the promise you made with your grandfather, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

I knew exactly what Grandpa was worried about.

“I always repay what I receive, and then some. Kindness for kindness, favor for favor.”

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

Grandpa squeezed my hand tightly, and I squeezed his right back.

“I’ll never betray the trust you’ve given me, Grandpa.”

“You’d better not. Good kid.”

Grandpa turned to Mom.

“Daughter-in-law, I’d like Junghyuk to come to the main house every weekend.”

“Junghyuk?”

“Yes, there’s so much I want to teach him.”

Grandpa took out a document listing the subsidiaries of Wookwang that he planned to take over.

He folded it carefully and slipped it into my pocket.

“There’s so much I want to share and discuss with Junghyuk.”

Looks like company matters are to be discussed separately at the main house.

There was no reason to refuse.

“Sounds great!”

I welcomed it, and Mom smiled gently.

“Of course. I’ll send Junghyuk to your house every weekend, Father.”

“Thank you.”

“Oh, Father, don’t mention it. No need for such formal words among family. We’ll come visit you often, too.”

Mom smiled brightly and patted my head.

“Junghyuk, you’re lucky. Grandpa really adores you. Right? Don’t ever forget this.”

“Of course. I promised, didn’t I?”

I held Grandpa’s hand with one hand and Mom’s hand with the other.

As we were about to leave the restaurant, a group of people came chattering our way.

“Ah, it’s Grandpa!”

“Grandpa!”

My second uncle’s sons—my cousins—spotted Grandpa and their faces lit up.

They came running over, beaming.

“We came here for dinner, too!”

“Grandpa, I want beef patties! Will you buy them for me?”

They were all smiles as they came over, but stopped short when they saw Mom and me.

“Oh? Aren’t you… the kid we met last time.”

“That’s Junghyuk, you idiot. The youngest uncle’s son.”

“We’re not supposed to call him ‘uncle’ anymore. We’re supposed to call him ‘little uncle’ now.”

“Whatever. It’s him. The kid who acted all smart in front of Dad.”

My cousins looked down at me, not hiding their dislike, and asked,

“What are you doing here? Where’s your little uncle?”

“Did you come with Grandpa?”

“Grandpa’s been super busy lately, though?”

Behind my cousins, my second aunt clicked across the floor in her high heels, walking gracefully toward us.

“Oh my, sister-in-law, what brings you here? Did you come with Father?”

“Sister-in-law.”

“Father, I’m hurt. You didn’t even ask me to have dinner together. Are you just treating sister-in-law and Junghyuk to good food?”

My second aunt smiled with her eyes crinkling like half-moons.

“They say His Excellency handed Taesung the heavy equipment, car, and shipbuilding businesses, right? Is that why you contacted Father, sister-in-law?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you pretending not to know? Didn’t you come to convince Father to take a stake by passing some money up to the higher-ups?”

My second aunt looked at Mom with icy eyes.

“There’s no need to point out again who was responsible for Taesung Chemical falling straight into Wookwang’s hands. What, you want to get Taesung Chemical back now?”

Her voice was cold and haughty.

“Not that it matters, since your side doesn’t have any money. With no way to get funds from your family, you’re just clinging to Father with sweet talk. Am I wrong?”

“That’s enough. You’ll make your sister-in-law cry. Even if you’re right, there’s a limit. Isn’t that so, in-law?”

A neatly dressed elderly gentleman, following my second aunt, chuckled gently.

“Do you think your father-in-law would ever open his wallet just because of a daughter-in-law’s sweet talk? As an elder, you should overlook the faults of your juniors now and then. She must be dying of embarrassment, having been caught red-handed.”

“Good evening, in-law.”

“In-law, I was planning to visit soon about that matter. You want to get Taesung Chemical back, don’t you? I’ll support you in every way, so as for Taesung Chemical’s shares…”

I cut in, firm and clear.

“There’s no need for you to worry. Taesung Chemical will be my mom’s dowry.”