Park Jin-hyuk showed no sign of intimidation, even as he looked at Lee Jong-moo, who seemed on the verge of shouting.
He was used to uncomfortable meetings like this.
And since he held the key, he saw no reason to back down.
Park Jin-hyuk met Lee Jong-moo’s gaze with boldness, as if to say, “Take it or leave it.”
“If you thought you could just take the land for free because I’m your grandson, you must be joking. Family or not, there are some things you can’t do. We both know exactly what kind of land this is, so I trust you wouldn’t try that. Still, since you’re my grandfather, I’m offering it to you at a good price. I have no intention of making a business out of this land.”
Lee Jong-moo stared at Park Jin-hyuk for a moment, then suddenly called out toward the door.
“Butler Kang. Are you out there?”
At his call, Butler Kang, who was in charge of the house in Seongbuk-dong, hurriedly opened the door and entered.
“Yes, sir. You called for me?”
“Make sure no one comes in here until I leave. Understood?”
Butler Kang answered with a surprised look.
“Even Nomahnim?”
“No one is to enter.”
At Lee Jong-moo’s icy command, Butler Kang bowed deeply at the waist and exited, closing the door behind him.
Park Jin-hyuk maintained his smile, unfazed by the scene.
Lee Jong-moo kept his gaze fixed on Park Jin-hyuk’s smiling face.
For a while, he simply brought the teacup to his lips in silence, saying nothing.
Park Jin-hyuk didn’t avoid Lee Jong-moo’s stare and waited calmly until the older man chose to speak.
After some time, when Lee Jong-moo had drunk about half his tea, he finally set down his cup and spoke.
“You don’t need that land. Are you really trying to make a deal with your grandfather over something you don’t even need?”
“Why would you say I don’t need it? To me, that land is just as important as it is to you.”
“Are you only saying that because of the call I made earlier? I can just make another call and cancel it. That’s all.”
“That’s fine with me. Even if you don’t take it, there are plenty of other ways for me. In fact, you’re getting the first opportunity because you’re my grandfather.”
Lee Jong-moo frowned, not backing down as he looked at Park Jin-hyuk.
“Other ways? What other ways do you have?”
“I know the Gukji Group has been operating in the Middle East for a long time, just like Dongjeong Industries. Their influence in the Middle East isn’t lacking either, even if they aren’t as well-known in construction. You know the places I mentioned are eager to work with me, don’t you? I postponed all my meetings with them just to come here and see you. That deserves some consideration, don’t you think?”
“Is that so? But do you really think those companies will buy it, even knowing you and I met? Business between companies isn’t that simple. Even if they like the offer, they have to consider their other relationships. Are you so confident that land is valuable enough for them to buy it, even knowing things fell apart between us?”
Hearing Lee Jong-moo’s not-so-veiled threat, Park Jin-hyuk simply spread his arms and lifted them slightly.
“Well, if that’s how it is, there’s nothing I can do. If I can’t sell it, I’ll just have to hold onto it. I’ll go down with it, then.”
“What did you say? Go down with it? Do you even know how many years a new city development takes?”
“I do. Five years at the earliest. On average, about seven years.”
Lee Jong-moo looked surprised at Park Jin-hyuk’s answer.
No matter what Lee Jong-moo said, Park Jin-hyuk replied smoothly.
He had anticipated a conversation like this and was fully prepared to steer it.
“I’m not a fool. Maybe I seem inexperienced to you, Grandpa, but the people working with me aren’t. According to the materials they gave me, when the new city is announced, the surrounding Greenbelt restrictions will be lifted as well. Then what do you think will happen to the land price? Double? I don’t think it will take long.”
“Do you not know how audits have changed since the Daewoo scandal? You might be able to cover things up for now, but if it comes out that you used company funds that way, you won’t escape embezzlement charges.”
“I thought you’d mention embezzlement. But once the Greenbelt is lifted, I can use that land as collateral for a loan from a financial institution. Would that still be embezzlement? Sure, if someone wanted to push it, it could become a problem, as you said… but I’m not someone who’s afraid of that.”
Lee Jong-moo relaxed his frown and sighed.
“Then why not just do that? If you hold onto it, the price could go up not just twofold, but five or even ten times.”
“That’s only if all else fails. What’s the point if the land’s price goes up tenfold in seven years? I have problems to solve right now. I’m not interested in waiting that long.”
“Fine. Is double enough for you?”
As if declaring his surrender, Lee Jong-moo finally yielded, and Park Jin-hyuk responded with a gentle smile.
“I’m not a heartless man. I don’t want to make a huge profit off a family transaction. Just pay me double the current market price, and that’s enough.”
“Alright. I’ll send the staff to finalize the paperwork. When should they come?”
“We’ve already discussed it, so tomorrow is fine with us.”
“You already discussed it? Hahaha. On your way in?”
Seeing Lee Jong-moo laugh as if he’d been hit with a blow, Park Jin-hyuk laughed along.
He had come here today with the intention of reaching a conclusion.
Lee Jong-moo, not knowing this, thought he’d been led around by his grandson.
Feeling he’d been bested by a grandson not even thirty, Lee Jong-moo lifted his now cold teacup.
As Lee Jong-moo’s expression relaxed, Park Jin-hyuk felt the tension in his own shoulders ease.
Though he may have appeared calm and at ease, Park Jin-hyuk felt as if he’d been walking on thin ice.
Even though it was just a conversation between grandfather and grandson, Park Jin-hyuk sensed that Lee Jong-moo was not the type to care about blood ties.
Satisfied to have gotten the answer he wanted, Park Jin-hyuk drank his tea.
Lee Jong-moo gazed at him and spoke quietly.
“I heard you were hospitalized.”
Even though Park Joon-man tried to keep it quiet, the news must have reached Lee Jong-moo.
Park Jin-hyuk nodded as he wet his dry mouth with tea.
“Yes. I was unwell and had to be admitted for a while.”
“I’ve heard you’ve changed since then.”
“I wouldn’t say changed—just trying to find my own way forward, that’s all.”
“Trying to find your way?”
Lee Jong-moo paused for a moment, folding his hands together.
Then, leaning forward, he spoke softly to Park Jin-hyuk.
“Leave that damn house behind. Why not come to Dongjeong Industries?”
‘What’s this old man playing at now?’
Park Jin-hyuk felt his hair stand on end as he looked at the faintly smiling Lee Jong-moo.
Even after this short conversation, he could tell what kind of person Lee Jong-moo was.
He didn’t seem like the type to speak out of concern for blood ties.
“No matter how messed up, it’s still my home, isn’t it? I can’t just leave.”
Lee Jong-moo shook his head firmly.
“No. If you stay there, you won’t live out your days. If not, they’ll ship you off to some foreign country you don’t even know and lock you away. If that doesn’t happen, they’ll at least break your arms and legs—leave you alive, but as good as dead. That’s the fate of those born into chaebol families. You must know what’s become of those who’ve been weeded out of the competition.”
‘So this old man knew everything. If so, why didn’t he help? Isn’t Park Jin-hyuk his eldest grandson?’
Curious about Lee Jong-moo’s true thoughts, Park Jin-hyuk listened quietly.
Lee Jong-moo rested his arm on the chair’s armrest and leaned back.
“So, leave that place and come here. I’ll be your support. Come to Dongjeong and live doing what you want. How about it? Doesn’t that sound good?”
‘Here or there, it’s the same.’
He didn’t think things would be any different at Dongjeong Industries.
His aunt already had the chairman’s seat, and she had a son.
And from what he’d seen, his aunt wasn’t any better than Oh Seo-young.
There was nothing to be gained by moving to Dongjeong Industries.
Still, since he was in front of Lee Jong-moo, Park Jin-hyuk concealed his true thoughts and answered with a grateful expression.
“Still, how could I abandon my home?”
“What has that family ever done for you, that you keep calling it your home? You’re the eldest grandson of Dongjeong Industries. Do you look down on Dongjeong?”
Apparently displeased with Park Jin-hyuk’s repeated refusal, Lee Jong-moo raised his voice.
Park Jin-hyuk shook his head slowly and replied.
“Grandfather, do you really not know? I’m the eldest grandson of Dongjeong Industries, yes, but I’m also the eldest of DS. Dongjeong may be a major conglomerate in its own right, but it can’t compare to DS, can it? Construction may be in a slump and seem insignificant now, but no matter how much land Dongjeong sells, it can’t match DS in total group revenue.”
“That’s something you could change if you came here and did things your way. The warehouse is full of rice and the kitchen is stocked with fresh ingredients. Cook with them and eat as you please.”
After hearing this, Park Jin-hyuk finally understood what Lee Jong-moo wanted.
‘Old man, you want to expand beyond construction, huh?’
It seemed Lee Jong-moo wanted to broaden the company’s business horizons.
If he were ten years younger, he would have done it himself.
But his body was too old to start something new.
Now, Lee Jong-moo was seeking someone to carry out his ambitions for him.
Even so, Park Jin-hyuk politely declined the offer.
“Grandfather, didn’t I just say I’m not a fool? What’s the point of having a warehouse full of rice and a kitchen full of fresh ingredients if I have to wait to cook it all myself? DS already has a feast prepared and waiting. All I have to do is pick up my chopsticks. What would you choose? I’d rather eat the meal that’s already set before me than wait for an uncertain dish to be made.”
Since Lee Jong-moo had spoken in metaphors, Park Jin-hyuk replied in kind.
And if Lee Jong-moo still didn’t get the message, he was ready to draw the line more clearly.
Almost as if he sensed Park Jin-hyuk’s intent, Lee Jong-moo changed the subject.
“I hear your grandmother has been attending social gatherings lately.”
“Pardon?”
Seeing Lee Jong-moo abruptly change the subject, Park Jin-hyuk wondered if he was giving up.
But since he was bringing up something else, it seemed he wouldn’t pursue the previous topic any further for now.
“She never liked those things, not even when she was younger. But these days, she’s been going out to them more often.”
Park Jin-hyuk guessed that by ‘social gatherings,’ he meant the meetings of corporate wives, so he simply listened.
He had no idea why Lee Jong-moo was suddenly telling him this.
“She’s been speaking about you there, trying to recover your tarnished reputation.”
“She really doesn’t need to go to such lengths…”
“You’re at the age to get married now. It’s time to start paying attention to these things. At the very least, let us choose your spouse. You know as well as I do that for people like us, marriage is an extension of business.”
Hearing this much from Lee Jong-moo, Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t respond as bluntly as he had with Oh Seo-young.
So he bowed his head and simply said he would think about it.
Lee Jong-moo didn’t press him for a clear answer, perhaps because this was just the beginning.
Having concluded the important business, Park Jin-hyuk and Lee Jong-moo spent the remaining time chatting comfortably.
They talked about current events and politics, and as the conversation went on, Lee Jong-moo’s expression changed in subtle ways.
Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t guess what kind of schemes the crafty old man was brewing as he finished the conversation, offered his farewell, and stood up to leave.
Just as he was about to exit, Lee Jong-moo called out one last time.
“The article will go out tomorrow morning.”
Assuming it was about the situation in Iraq being resolved, Park Jin-hyuk smiled and replied.
“If you’d like, our side can release the press materials, but wouldn’t that be more convenient for you?”
“No. It’s better if it comes from us, so let’s do it that way.”
“Understood. Then please do as you wish. We’ll be prepared on our end as well.”
Since a blocked sum of around 700 billion was finally being released, Park Jin-hyuk thought it would be best to send out press releases everywhere.
That way, the bad rumors that had spread during restructuring could be washed away at once.
With a bow, Park Jin-hyuk left, while Lee Jong-moo saw him off with a smile.
Feeling uneasy about the old man’s meaningful grin, Park Jin-hyuk stepped outside, had a brief conversation with his grandmother, and then headed home.