Jinhyuk Park, who had been leaning back, adjusted his posture and spoke to Yu Byeong-yeol.
“Why do you think so poorly of me when you don’t even know what I’m going to say? Is it because of my age? Is someone not allowed to sit in this seat just because they’re young?”
“Hmph. There is a proper place for a person’s age. No matter how high a position you hold, the fact that you’re a brat doesn’t change. It is the law of nature to climb the ladder step-by-step. Surely you don’t think it’s right to jump straight to the top just because you were well-born?”
“Wow. How can a person be so twisted?”
“Looking at the path you’ve walked, I can tell what kind of person you are without having to experience it. Seeing how you habitually use threats and schemes, it’s obvious. I am not a person who will be shaken by such behavior.”
“Man, I haven’t even started talking yet, and I’ve already become a schemer…”
Jinhyuk Park smiled as he looked at Yu Byeong-yeol. It seemed like he had heard stories from the other outside directors before coming here. Yu Byeong-yeol likely felt indignant after seeing Jinhyuk catch the other directors in their misdeeds to win their support. As a reaction to that, he was now displaying open hostility toward Jinhyuk.
He was trying to avoid any “black hands” reaching for him by striking first and browbeating his opponent. Yu Byeong-yeol’s behavior was typical of someone drawing a line against a person who had come to persuade them. Most people would quickly give up and prepare for the next step when faced with such an attitude.
However, the person in front of Yu Byeong-yeol was not an ordinary person; it was Jinhyuk Park. Jinhyuk was well-acquainted with situations like this.
“Fine. Since you already know everything, let’s get straight to the point without wasting energy on pleasantries.”
“The point? I don’t know what you’ve heard so far. As I thought, you can’t hide your age—”
Jinhyuk smiled and pushed a file toward Yu Byeong-yeol. Yu Byeong-yeol, who had been trying to look down on Jinhyuk by mentioning his age again, stopped mid-sentence as he took the file. He began to tremble as he calmly reviewed his movements recorded on page after page.
“You… you… did you put me under surveillance? You dared to tail and secretly photograph someone who served as a vice-minister of this country? Do you think you’ll be safe after doing something like this?”
Jinhyuk shook his head as he watched Yu Byeong-yeol, who was so angry that his hands shook, making it difficult for him even to turn the pages.
“Give it a rest. I played along because your behavior was amusing earlier, but do you still not grasp the situation? It’s troublesome if you’re still like this. We can’t move the conversation forward.”
Yu Byeong-yeol couldn’t react to Jinhyuk’s words. His hands had reached the very last page, where the photographs were.
“Acting with conviction without being swayed by money… those are nice words. But is that really your conviction?”
Yu Byeong-yeol slowly lifted his head. His eyes were shaking violently, unable to focus.
“This… how did you find out about this?”
“No, what is your intention in asking how I found out? Did you think other people wouldn’t know when you walk around so openly? It’s quite interesting. Is it because you’ve been a bureaucrat for so long? Your way of thinking is just different.”
Jinhyuk raised his hand to his head and made a circling gesture, signaling that the man was out of his mind. If it had been the Yu Byeong-yeol from moments ago, he would have reacted convulsively to such an attitude, but he couldn’t do that now. He was holding photos that no one else was supposed to see.
“Why do you have that look on your face? Is it because you saw a photo that no one else should see? I honestly don’t understand. How can you commit such acts in your own neighborhood? Did you think no one would notice if you just acted casual? I don’t know who the crazy one is here.”
The photographs showed Yu Byeong-yeol and his mistress strolling affectionately. The location wasn’t just anywhere; it was the neighborhood next to the one where Yu Byeong-yeol lived, about a ten-minute walk away. It meant he had brought his mistress to his own neighborhood and was essentially living two separate lives.
“Did you follow the saying that it’s darkest under the lamp? I truly cannot follow your train of thought. Or is this a relationship your wife knows about and accepts? If so, then the story changes. But even if your wife accepted it, would other people? Honestly. This isn’t the Joseon dynasty where people kept concubines; I don’t know what’s going on. Your way of thinking is different from ordinary people.”
Yu Byeong-yeol couldn’t say a word in response to Jinhyuk’s sarcasm. Since he had finished his public service and returned to private life, he hadn’t expected to be under such scrutiny. He never imagined someone would follow and surveil him like this. That was why he had gotten her a house nearby instead of far away, making it easier to visit. Of course, the logic of it being “darkest under the lamp” was indeed one of his reasons.
“Now then. Shall we talk again?”
“What… what kind of talk?”
“The talk we need to have. Are you still unwilling to mix words with a brat even after seeing those photos? Or did you lose your edge after leaving public office and living as a commoner? Why did you come here? Didn’t you come to talk? Then we should talk.”
“That is…”
Yu Byeong-yeol hesitated, still holding the photos. Jinhyuk laughed again at the sight.
“I know. Your daughters grew up well. They’re both studying abroad, right? They must be good students. They attend quite decent schools.”
“How… did you even investigate my daughters?”
“Didn’t you call me a schemer with your own mouth? That much is nothing for a schemer. How would those daughters feel if they found out their proud father had another woman? No, wait. That’s not enough to live up to the name of a schemer. And maybe the daughters already know…”
Jinhyuk sat with his legs crossed, twirling a lighter in his hand. He seemed to be enjoying every reaction Yu Byeong-yeol showed with each word he spoke.
“But even if a wife understands her husband and daughters understand their father, will other people? A friend’s father has another woman besides his wife. And that woman lives in the same area as the man’s family. Interesting. Don’t you think it would make for a good story?”
“W-we don’t live in the same place.”
“Just because you aren’t under the same roof doesn’t mean you aren’t in the same place. You need to adjust your perspective to the level of ordinary people. Well, if you had done that, you wouldn’t be living like this in the first place. Excellent. You truly exceed the scope of an ordinary person’s thoughts.”
Yu Byeong-yeol, who had flared up at Jinhyuk’s remark, fell silent at the following words. Even he thought Jinhyuk’s point was logical. Jinhyuk didn’t stop twirling the lighter as he spoke again.
“Well, since they are abroad, telling foreigners wouldn’t do much. But what if I dropped these photos and a photo of you with your daughters into the Korean international student community? Are your daughters the type not to care about that? I hope so… but you know well that the narrower a society is, the harder it is to survive once you become a target, right?”
“What is it that you want? Is it enough if I just support you?”
“Are you not going to say you’re a person who won’t be shaken from your convictions by a schemer again? I found that version of you quite entertaining…”
“I apologize. It was just… I did it without thinking. After seeing the other outside directors getting caught, I put on an act because I was afraid my own faults would be discovered. I will do whatever the Executive Director wants, so please… please don’t say anything to the schools my daughters attend.”
The more Yu Byeong-yeol spoke, the more subservient he became. Jinhyuk nodded as he watched him.
“Well, there’s no need for further words then. Right?”
“Yes. I understand perfectly. If there are any other outside directors who are giving you trouble, please tell me. I will handle them all.”
Jinhyuk laughed seeing Yu Byeong-yeol, who had gone beyond being subservient and was now offering to take the lead in handling Jinhyuk’s business.
“That’s enough. You were the last one, Vice-minister Yu.”
“Yes, yes. I see. I will return home and quietly wait for your call until the day of the board meeting. No, I misspoke. CEO. You’re the CEO now, aren’t you?”
Once he broke, Yu Byeong-yeol’s waist seemed to bend without limit. He was flattering Jinhyuk as if it were nothing. It was hard to understand how he had acted so confidently before when he was so willing to go this far once caught.
Jinhyuk raised a hand to signal him to leave the office, knowing that Yu Byeong-yeol had understood without needing more words. Yu Byeong-yeol bowed at a ninety-degree angle and backed out of the office. The back that had been so stiff upon entering was now folded as he departed.
As soon as Yu Byeong-yeol left, Junwoo Kim walked in.
“He opened the door like he was going to war when he went in, but he came out looking like a eunuch leaving a king’s chambers.”
“Is everything sorted out now?”
“With Yu Byeong-yeol, the outside directors are finished. Those who were former bureaucrats have at least one weakness, so there’s no need to worry. As for the professors, they were easily swayed by the promise of maintaining their director positions while having investments made into their labs.”
“Well, I wasn’t worried to begin with. Whether they have weaknesses or not, anyone who knows how to read the room wouldn’t oppose me.”
“Executive Director. Then what should we do about the two inside directors?”
“Have they contacted us?”
“Yes. They’ve been calling constantly.”
“Heh. Right. Since I’ve been meeting with the outside directors first, they must be panicking.”
“I suppose the fact that they’ve managed to keep their seats this long means they have good instincts. They’ve probably realized that all the outside directors have turned toward you.”
“Yeah, they probably do. Fine. Call them both in on the day before the extraordinary board meeting.”
“The day before?”
“The later we call them, the more their hearts will burn with anxiety. Call them as late as possible. Just make sure to answer all their calls instead of avoiding them.”
“Understood.”
Jinhyuk leisurely began his preparations to move on to the next position.
***
At DS Telecom, where the extraordinary board meeting was taking place, things proceeded differently than expected. After only a few words that could hardly be called an exchange of opinions, a show of hands for the appointment of the new CEO began immediately.
One of the inside directors recommended Jinhyuk Park, the others agreed, and the vote by show of hands followed.
It was unanimous.
All Jinhyuk had to do since arriving was give a greeting. Yet, the people there were appointing him as the next CEO without even listening to his ambitions or future business plans.
Secretary Hwang, who was present as the Chairman’s deputy, watched every bit of this. He shook his head several times at the sight, which was both humorous and absurd.
“This concludes the board meeting regarding the appointment of the new CEO of DS Telecom. We plan to convene an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in one month to approve the appointment of the new CEO, Jinhyuk Park, which was finalized here today. We will obtain confirmation from the shareholders at that time.”
“CEO, there shouldn’t be any issues. After all, the shareholders’ meeting is just a place to announce what has been approved by the board.”
Jinhyuk simply nodded at the person trying to reassure him. It wasn’t a fact he didn’t already know. However, the man who spoke was trying to appeal to Jinhyuk, hoping his loyalty would be recognized and repeatedly telling him not to worry because he was there. Though an outside director wouldn’t have much power at a shareholders’ meeting, he seemed to want Jinhyuk to know how much he was looking out for him.
Jinhyuk listened to the talk for a while before standing up.
“Good work, everyone. I’ll see you when the extraordinary general meeting is held. I’ll take my leave first.”
As Jinhyuk gave a light greeting, the people who were seated jumped up to bow to him. Seeing them act as if Jinhyuk had been the head of DS Telecom for a long time, Secretary Hwang followed Jinhyuk out, unable to suppress a smile.
“When I came here after hearing the Chairman’s words, I thought that no matter how much you tried to persuade them, the directors wouldn’t listen and would instead pour out sharp words… My expectations were completely wrong.”
Secretary Hwang walked alongside Jinhyuk and laughed.
“I intended to give you a bit of support, but I suppose I thought wrong.”
“Those words are enough.”
Jinhyuk looked back at Secretary Hwang and laughed with him. Knowing that he was one of the few people in DS Group who sincerely cared for him, Jinhyuk knew his words weren’t empty.
Secretary Hwang had come as Junman Park’s deputy, prepared to suppress the other directors if necessary to give Jinhyuk strength. He had planned to crush anyone who clumsily tried to block Jinhyuk’s path. Seeing it end so easily left him feeling almost empty, but he set the disappointment aside, touched that Jinhyuk recognized his intent.
Jinhyuk walked out of the DS Telecom headquarters and stood before his waiting car.
“Will there be many changes this year? When is the Chairman leaving?”
“There won’t be many changes in the executive appointments this year. Aside from you moving from DS Pharma to DS Telecom, it seems the rest will mostly be decided internally. The atmosphere is to refrain from external recruitment this time as well. Considering the timing, of course.”
“That makes sense. It wouldn’t look good to recruit a large number of external personnel just because we’re doing well.”
“Is this not all thanks to you, sir?”
Jinhyuk responded to Secretary Hwang’s praise with a silent smile.
“DS Heavy Industries and Chemicals—especially Chemicals—suffered large losses, but DS Pharma generated enough profit to cover those losses, allowing us to breathe a sigh of relief. That’s why we have a bit more breathing room than other places.”
Jinhyuk had asked when Junman Park was leaving, but he simply watched Secretary Hwang, who kept talking about other things. Since it had been a while since they last met, the man seemed to have much to say. After talking about other matters for a long time, Secretary Hwang finally mentioned Junman Park’s departure date at the very end of his speech.