Chapter 107: Behind the Curtain

I held my father’s hand and left the conference room at Taesung Group headquarters.

My father had a look of deep thought on his face.

That’s why at some point my walking speed started to get faster and faster.

The golden ratio model-like legs were unnecessarily long, making it difficult for my short legs to keep up with her stride.

“Ah···! This is it.”

My father hugged me tightly.

“I told you to walk slowly. I didn’t know you’d be running like this.”

“It’s okay. It was already a little sore.”

“You sat still the whole time, quietly. You must have been bored and restless, but you had a hard time.”

My father patted my back gently.

As my father walked towards me with brisk strides, I hugged his neck tightly.

The scent of men’s cologne tickled my nose.

“Jeonghyeok, can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“I mean, a note.”

Are you talking about what I sent to President Shim earlier?

“Who gave it to you?”

“······yes?”

I was confused.

My father glanced around and whispered softly in my ear.

“Sometimes, someone secretly helps Taesung from behind the scenes and sends him notes.”

By the way, when the President called my father to have a private drink, I delivered three notes through Secretary Kim.

Thanks to this, my father caught the president’s eye and was invited to a luncheon at the Blue House along with three glasses of alcohol.

“The favor of someone whose purpose and intention are hidden should not be accepted lightly.”

I flinched.

Could it be that my father could see through my ambitions, my goals, and even my intentions all at once?

“Even if a strange man offers you candy, don’t follow him.”

“······.”

Wow!

Instead of making a surprise announcement like, ‘I’m the one behind that note!’, I nodded with a solemn expression.

“I hate that candy.”

“Even if you buy me sweets, chocolate, ice cream, cotton candy, bread, of course······.”

Here comes the nagging again!

It is said that the usually reserved gentleman strangely treats me like a child left out on the water’s edge.

I opened my coin purse and popped a piece of candy into my father’s mouth.

“hmm?”

“If you use your head a lot, you have to eat something sweet.”

It was candy that a female employee from the secretary’s office had given me.

My father, who had accidentally received candy, shut his mouth and looked at me.

“Are you going to rest just until this candy melts?”

I smiled broadly.

“You were focused throughout the meeting.”

Huh? Why are you looking at me with such excitement over a piece of candy?

“Our son is the best.”

My father hugged me tightly.

The sweet scent of strawberries spread, mixed with the heavy scent of perfume.

I couldn’t help but let out a childish laugh at the expression of affection that came at me when I was defenseless.

“Our Jeong-hyeok is really mature. Who would think our son is an eight-year-old child?”

“Hehehe.”

“He spoke well and didn’t tremble in front of so many adults. He was really cool.”

The kisses I received here and there tickled my heart.

I wonder if I’m the type of person who can’t control my facial expressions like this.

Damn, what a child’s body!

“Our son must be really hungry because he hasn’t had dinner yet. Should I buy him some Jajangmyeon?”

“What’s with all the Jjajangmyeon at this hour?”

“then?”

“Chicken is definitely the best snack. Dad, beer, and I, cola. What do you think?”

“Okay.”

So we arrived at the parking lot.

“If our Jeong-hyeok wants to eat chicken······Should we stop by the Myeongdong Nutrition Center on the way home later?”

Myeongdong Yeongyang Center was a very famous fried chicken restaurant at the time.

“Well, maybe it will be closed by then?”

I smiled broadly.

“I’ll prepare some very special chicken for you. So don’t be too late today.”

“hmm?”

These days, the most popular chicken is the electric rotisserie chicken, followed by the market chicken fried in a cauldron with lots of oil.

‘Because Yangnyeom Chicken was developed in the 80s. You’ll probably be surprised when you try it.’

I told you that chicken and beer are really great.

Plus, there’s a lot of radish with chicken!

Come to think of it, was there chicken mu around this time?

Well, that’s not a problem either!

Back when I was working in a kitchen, how many fried chickens and how many trucks of cut radishes?

“You assume that I’ll be working overtime until curfew, as if it were a given.”

“I guess we’re busy.”

“Jeonghyeok, isn’t Dad planning on going home with Jeonghyeok now?”

“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”

“hmm?”

“Look. Even though the meeting is over, not a single executive from the affiliates is coming down to the parking lot.”

Only then did my father look back with surprised eyes.

None of the executives were returning home, and the lights in the headquarters conference room were never turned off.

“It means that executives are volunteering to work overtime with enthusiasm, even though we are not specifically giving them more money.”

“······.”

“Depending on which Wookwang affiliates are acquired, Taesung’s future and business direction will change. Knowing that, everyone is busy moving forward.”

My father wiped his face with a strange expression.

“In times like this, Dad can’t be left out. Don’t worry about me and just go in.”

My father squatted down to be at my eye level.

The eyes looking at me were deep and warm.

“He’s only eight years old. He seems to have matured too early.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“No, I’m reflecting.”

My father gently stroked my cheek.

“My dad is so busy that he can’t even prepare dinner for me and I have to send him home alone.”

“What’s the big deal?”

I dug through my coin purse and emptied out the remaining candy.

I placed a colorful candy on my father’s palm.

“Work slowly and leisurely from time to time.”

My father squeezed a few candies rolling around in his palm.

The hand stroking my head was gentle.

“I’m going to go now.”

“Eat first and then sleep. Don’t starve while waiting for Daddy. Okay?”

“yes.”

I got into the car quietly.

Vroom!

“Master Jeonghyeok, just a moment!”


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President Shim came running, panting.

In that hand he was holding a note that I had sent him.

My father’s eyes lit up when he found the note.

“Mr. Shim, may I see you for a moment?”

The car had already left, and my father and Mr. Shim remained in the parking lot.

Exactly.

‘Hey, Guardian Angel!’

Swish.

‘Check what’s being said!’

[I get it.]

* * *

Father said to President Shim.

“Did you receive the note, Mr. Shim?”

“Yes? Yes.”

“Could it be that the person behind the scenes who secretly helps Taesung sent you?”

“Did you know?”

“Who are you?”

President Shim kept his mouth shut, as if he had a lot to say.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think that’s within my authority.”

“There’s no way the anonymous mastermind didn’t have an ulterior motive. I didn’t know that even President Shim would agree with it.”

“He is the one who helps Taesung. This is also for Taesung······.”

“Can I take a look?”

President Shim hesitated for a moment and then handed over the note.

< Taesung Chemical, investment company, oil refinery. Have you decided? Do you have enough acquisition funds? In order to receive the loan, you need to finish the Middle East construction project quickly.>

My father frowned when he saw the note.

I looked at President Shim silently, eyes demanding a more specific explanation.

“I received a proposal on New Year’s Day. When Taesung Chemical was taken over by Wookwang, the future of the company was up in the air.”

“My brothers were competing to make recruitment offers to CEO Shim.”

“Yes, do you remember who I chose back then?”

“You chose me even though I didn’t even have a suitable position for you.”

At that time, President Shim said this.

-I will do whatever you tell me.

-But not yet. I would like to put on hold the position I just proposed.

-Because I still have two unfinished tasks.

My father said.

“At that time, President Shim said that he was putting it on hold for a while because of two responsibilities.”

“Yes. One thing was to bring Taesung Chemical back.”

“Was the other one the groundwork for Taesung’s other future?”

“you’re right.”

“You said that it is a much bigger and more ambitious plan than retrieving Taesung Chemical, and that it will have ripple effects on the country’s finances and industry as a whole.”

President Shim nodded.

“He asked me to wait until President Shim took responsibility for the confidential work and completed it.”

“Yes, this is one of the futures of that trait.”

“Is this it?”

Father looked at the note again.

“Taesung Chemical, an investment company, an oil refinery······. Are you saying that you are going to acquire Wookwang Chemical, Wookwang Securities, and Wookwang Oil?”

“······Huh? Does that make sense?”

“······.”

President Shim snatched the note from his father’s hands and read it again.

Then he said, shivering.

“Huh, I thought you were already considering Wookwang Chemical and Wookwang Securities! No, is this possible?”

“······?”

Whether my father’s head tilts or not.

President Shim kept laughing in vain as he looked at the note.

“What if Wookwang Oil actually gets acquired and merged? Wouldn’t that create the largest oil company in Korea?”

“Mr. Shim?”

“Is it really possible, rather than impossible?”

President Shim rubbed his chin.

“If Wookwang Oil Refinery gets into a lot of debt during the oil crisis, we can acquire it at rock-bottom prices······.”

“Mr. Shim?”

“So, when do you plan on sending Taesung Chemical’s executives to the Middle East?”

“Are you sending Taesung Chemical executives to the Middle East?”

“Yes, I’m talking about the construction order that Master Seongjun received from the Middle East. I think we need to expedite the construction.”

President Shim added urgently.

“I think it would be better to quickly complete the construction and receive the remaining balance before the second oil crisis hits.”

“Oh, I see.”

“You have to prove your ability through grades to be able to receive a vice ministerial position more easily.”

“loan?”

“Yes. The global economy will be shaken by the oil crisis. Heavy industries that depend on oil will be hit by the bad news and start to go bankrupt.”

Only then did my father exclaim, “Ah!”

“Yes, if the world economy sinks to the point where the world’s heavy industrial countries go bankrupt, the other side will make a lot of money.”

“Should we draw in the overflowing money from oil-producing countries?”

“Woogwang continues to sink. What if an oil crisis hits while negotiations to acquire and merge Woogwang affiliates continue?”

“Should we borrow foreign loans to acquire the Wookwang affiliates that have become worthless? And from oil-producing countries that are overflowing with oil money?”

My father laughed bitterly as he looked at the note.

“This person is helping Taesung from behind the scenes. He’s a genius, isn’t he?”

President Shim’s expression became mysterious.

But my father rubbed his chin and exclaimed in admiration.

“I’ve never seen anyone plan a board this meticulously and systematically.”

President Shim looked like he had a lot to say.

“My father said that he was no ordinary big shot. He really is. A person with this level of talent would probably be quite famous.”

President Shim seemed to be trying hard to swallow the words that were about to burst out of his throat.

“Who the hell are you?”

President Shim hit his chest with his fist and finally let out a long sigh.

“I’ll just let you know that I’m Taesung’s future, Taesung’s blessing, and someone very close to him who fully supports Taesung.”

“A person who is Taesung’s future and a very close person who supports Taesung?”

The more President Shim spoke, the deeper my father’s frown deepened.

“It’s not Secretary Kim, is it?”

“You got it wrong.”

President Shim snorted and said bluntly.

“Your Majesty, let’s send our Taesung Chemical executives to the Middle East right away. They should return with honors.”

“This is a good thing, since this secretary alone wasn’t enough.”

“Once we finish the Middle East project and receive the balance payment, Taesung Construction’s coffers will probably be full.”

“Are you saying this? Taesung Construction already has a lot of sponsors these days, so its budget is overflowing.”

President Shim looked blankly at his father.

“Did you save the country in your past life······.”

“yes?”

“There is something like that. This is all Taesung’s blessing and Seongjun’s blessing. I’m so jealous.”

“······?”

When my father tilted his head in disagreement, President Shim said.

“Actually, when I left the chairman’s office today, I had a conversation with Secretary Kim about Young Master Jeong-hyeok.”

“About Jeonghyeok?”

“To be exact, it was about Master Jeonghyeok’s early education.”

“Early education?”

“We even talked about early management education. Don’t you have any thoughts?”

My father was so surprised that he shouted.

“Jeonghyeok is only eight years old!”

President Shim looked at his father with mysterious eyes filled with all sorts of thoughts.

“That’s right. I’m curious about that too. How could you be only eight years old?”