Even though anyone could tell the words were meant to encourage Park Jin-hyuk, the fact that he didn’t react at all left Hyun Yi-soo and the other team leaders glancing awkwardly at one another.
Hyun Yi-soo felt a bit embarrassed by Park Jin-hyuk’s lack of response and refrained from speaking to him further.
He simply waited in silence, hoping Park Jin-hyuk would finish his thoughts.
After some time had passed in silence, Park Jin-hyuk finally raised his head and looked at Hyun Yi-soo.
Sensing that he had made up his mind about something, Hyun Yi-soo and the team leaders widened their eyes and waited for Park Jin-hyuk to speak.
“I don’t want to choose either the first or the second option.”
“What? What do you mean by that…?”
Hyun Yi-soo was flustered by Park Jin-hyuk’s rejection of both options.
Neither was a perfect solution, but under the current circumstances, he had thought they were close to the best possible.
Yet when Park Jin-hyuk rejected even the best, Hyun Yi-soo was left momentarily speechless.
Noticing Hyun Yi-soo’s confusion, Hong Myung-jin stepped forward and addressed Park Jin-hyuk.
“Director, then… would you like to hear my suggestion?”
He had said there were two methods, but it seemed he was about to suggest a third—likely one previously discarded in discussion.
But seeing Park Jin-hyuk reject both options gave Hong Myung-jin the courage to speak up.
“Go ahead. The more ideas, the better.”
“Yes, if anything, this might be the simplest and surest way.”
“The surest way? If it’s so sure, why didn’t you bring it up first?”
“Well… I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, Director.”
“And what is it?”
When Park Jin-hyuk looked around curiously at the others, everyone had uncomfortable expressions.
Hong Myung-jin, now that it was time to speak, blushed with embarrassment.
“If Deputy Manager Park Sang-hyuk is going to ask for help from his wife’s family, then I think you could do the same, Director. Park Sang-hyuk is forming a marriage tie with a top 30 chaebol. But you, Director, could aim even higher than DS, especially with Dongjeong Industries at your back.”
Though it was Hong Myung-jin who spoke, the way Hyun Yi-soo and the other team leaders eyed Park Jin-hyuk showed they shared the same thought.
Park Jin-hyuk laughed and shook his head.
“I understand what you’re suggesting, but I’m not interested.”
“You’re not? Is it because of the bad reputation you’ve built up so far?”
“Hey, Team Leader Kwak.”
“Oh—”
Realizing what he’d said, Kwak Seok-gi quickly covered his mouth with his hand and wore an apologetic look.
No matter how close they were, it was extremely rude to bring up Park Jin-hyuk’s past bad reputation in front of him.
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at their discomfort.
“I have no intention of using marriage as a solution.”
“But still, that would be the fastest—”
Though he signaled for the others to be quiet, even Hyun Yi-soo didn’t dispute that it was the most effective method.
It was just that he was too embarrassed to bring it up to Park Jin-hyuk directly.
But since it had come up, he tried to push once more—but Park Jin-hyuk’s will was resolute.
“Marriage? It’s not for me.”
Seeing a man not even thirty yet so dismissive of marriage, the married men in the room looked awkward.
“Director, marriage isn’t such a bad thing. The internet and media make it look negative, but once you have kids and get support from your wife, you’ll see things differently.”
“That’s right. Just look at Team Leader Kim. Before marriage, he wasn’t even human; now, he’s a whole new man. Try to look at the positive side too, not just the negatives.”
As the others tried to persuade him, Park Jin-hyuk cut in before things could go any further.
“I’ve never seriously considered marriage, and I have no desire to. So let’s leave that topic behind.”
He declined with a smile.
The others might not know, but after breaking up with his serious girlfriend from his university days, Park Jin-hyuk had lost all interest in marriage.
More than anything, considering his own abilities, he saw no need to beg for help from his in-laws.
In such circumstances, marriage would be more of a shackle than support for him.
“Then, Director, do you have a plan of your own?”
“It’s not that I had a plan prepared, but after hearing all of your opinions, one thing comes to mind.”
“What is it…?”
“I plan to have both. I’ll hold onto DS Construction, and then go after DS Pharmaceuticals as well.”
Hyun Yi-soo looked even more shocked than when Park Jin-hyuk had rejected both initial plans.
He wasn’t alone.
All the team leaders present, and even Secretary Kim, stared at Park Jin-hyuk in disbelief.
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at their reaction.
“What’s wrong? Does my idea sound strange to you?”
Hyun Yi-soo snapped out of his daze, his expression turning serious as he spoke hurriedly to Park Jin-hyuk.
“Director, only the Chairman is allowed to hold dual posts. You can’t be President of both DS Construction and DS Pharmaceuticals. And you mustn’t say such things anywhere else—it’ll sound like you want to swallow up DS, not just succeed it.”
“To be honest, it’s not as if I have no such ambitions. You know exactly what I’m after.”
“Director—”
As Hyun Yi-soo shouted in surprise, Park Jin-hyuk raised his hand with a smile to calm him.
“All right, that’s enough. It was a joke. But the part about holding both DS Construction and DS Pharmaceuticals was no joke.”
“But dual posts…”
“I don’t plan to hold both at once. Even if they told me to, I’m not that hard-working.”
“Then what did you mean?”
“I’ll just hand over Construction to someone I trust, someone who’s definitely on our side.”
Hyun Yi-soo nodded along.
“I’ve considered that too, but among the current executives, I wasn’t sure there was anyone who was definitely on our side. Even less so from outside. Do you have someone in mind?”
“I do. Someone I’m more than satisfied with.”
“Who is it?”
“Deputy General Manager Hyun.”
“What?”
Hyun Yi-soo, surprised to hear his own name, just opened and closed his mouth, unable to speak.
Park Jin-hyuk looked at him with satisfaction.
“You’re the perfect candidate, Deputy General Manager Hyun. You know DS Construction inside out, and you’re definitely one of us. Didn’t you hear them say at last month’s meeting that it was time you took on a president’s role at one of the subsidiaries? No one would oppose you taking the position.”
“But then what about Pharmaceuticals…?”
“Don’t worry. Even if you’re not there, do you really think I’d have trouble managing Pharmaceuticals?”
“That’s not it, but…”
“Don’t worry about me. Just grow Construction with the other team leaders here. Since I don’t have in-laws to serve as wings, you’ll have to give me one of my own.”
“Are you not going to take the other team leaders with you?”
“Of course not. If everyone moves at once, it’ll look suspicious.”
Park Jin-hyuk always exceeded Hyun Yi-soo’s expectations, and every time they spoke, he was surprised. But even he hadn’t expected this much boldness.
But one thing he could tell from Park Jin-hyuk’s expression—
‘This isn’t just some bravado.’
Seeing the look of determination on Park Jin-hyuk’s face, Hyun Yi-soo sensed there was a concrete plan behind all this.
*****
Park Jun-man wore a wry smile as he faced Park Jin-hyuk.
As soon as Park Jin-hyuk entered the chairman’s office, he had spoken as if he’d come to collect something left in safekeeping.
“So you want to go to Pharmaceuticals?”
“I understand you’ll be making personnel changes for the New Year. Please send me to Pharmaceuticals at that time.”
“I am preparing for New Year appointments. But that doesn’t mean you get to meddle with my authority. You just go back quietly and wait for my decision.”
“I’m not trying to interfere with your authority. I’m just asking to be placed in the post I want as a reward for my achievements.”
Park Jun-man stared quietly at Park Jin-hyuk.
Unlike their first meeting, Park Jin-hyuk spoke calmly and comfortably to the chairman.
“Given the recent rumors, it’s burdensome for DS to have me remain at Construction, isn’t it?”
“You’re something else. You caused all that trouble and now you talk like nothing happened. True, I can’t keep you at Construction.”
“You’re trying to send me somewhere, aren’t you? Then please let me go where I want.”
“How do you have the nerve to say that so brazenly in front of me after the mess you made?”
Park Jun-man sounded annoyed, but there was a smile in his eyes.
Park Jin-hyuk didn’t miss it.
With no hint of intimidation, he straightened up and spoke even more confidently.
“I delivered results—quickly, at that. Don’t you think I deserve a suitable carrot? That way, others will work even harder when they see the reward I get.”
“You’re my son. Do you really think others see you as just someone getting a carrot? They already think it’s all been handed to you.”
“To survive, you need to read the flow of the times, and people who’ve survived a long time are said to be particularly good at that. You haven’t been running this company so loosely that you’d put someone who can’t read the times in charge, have you?”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s bold reply, Park Jun-man laughed again and addressed him.
“I can see right through you—you want to go to Pharmaceuticals because of Sang-hyuk, right?”
“I won’t deny it.”
“Well, since you know, I’ll tell you. We’re going to set up a joint venture with Daegwang, and Sang-hyuk will go there as an executive. If he gets engaged and then married… that company will be his. Does that feel like a crisis to you?”
“I won’t deny that, either.”
“Oh? So you see it as a crisis. Don’t you have the desire to overcome it?”
‘Is this old man playing word games with me?’
It was certainly a crisis for him, which was why he had been clear about wanting to move to Pharmaceuticals.
Yet the chairman spoke of crisis and desire in the same breath.
Park Jin-hyuk grew curious about what Park Jun-man was thinking.
“Then tell me—how do I overcome it?”
“You really don’t know? Just get married. To a family even better than Daegwang’s.”
With a suggestive look, Park Jun-man glanced at Park Jin-hyuk.
Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“So that’s what it all comes down to? I don’t want to use marriage as a business tool.”
“Now that you mention it, it reminds me of when you asked to take charge of Construction. You said using Dongjeong Industries was also a skill. And you made good use of them. But now, so soon, you’ve changed your mind?”
“There’s a difference between using the blood running in my veins and selling my own body.”
“Hahaha! ‘Selling your body’? You’re the eldest son of DS! No, no. You won’t be selling yourself—rather, you’ll be the one choosing the women who come to you. Don’t you see? You’re not the one being chosen; you’re the one choosing.”
Park Jin-hyuk shook his head firmly in front of the chairman, who seemed intent on persuading him.
“Still, my mind hasn’t changed.”
“Fine, do as you wish. Let’s see how far you can get, refusing to use in-laws while your brother uses them to threaten you.”
Park Jun-man seemed to back down, but Park Jin-hyuk sensed this wasn’t the end.
The one truly interested in using marriage as business was Park Jun-man himself.
“All right. I’ll arrange for you to go to Pharmaceuticals as you want. But you can’t take Vice President Hyun with you. Do it alone and see what I mean.”
“Don’t worry. I never intended to take Vice President Hyun with me.”
“Oh? Good boy.”
As Park Jun-man finished speaking, he took out a cigarette.
This sort of conversation hadn’t been in the warning Hyun Yi-soo had given before Park Jin-hyuk came here.
Hyun Yi-soo had thought Park Jun-man might place him in the vacant Strategic Planning Office.
Currently, Secretary Hwang was temporarily in charge of that post.
The expectation was that placing Park Jin-hyuk there would increase his influence in the group.
But Hyun Yi-soo had been clear—he must not accept that position.
[You must not go to the Strategic Planning Office. If you do, your hands and feet will be tied. Right now, you need to be on the outside looking in. No matter what the chairman says, you must not accept!]
That warning from Hyun Yi-soo echoed in his mind.
But right now, Park Jun-man hadn’t even mentioned the “S” in Strategic Planning; instead, he just smiled slyly at Park Jin-hyuk.
‘What is this guy up to?’
Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t read Park Jun-man’s intentions at all.
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