Park Jin-hyuk had a rough idea of what Park Jun-man was trying to do.
Based on his experience, Park Jun-man was the type of person who wouldn’t mind a few obstacles if there was a prey he was targeting.
As such, Jin-hyuk had expected that Jun-man would eventually try to get his hands on Cheongwoo Chemical and would attempt to tie him down through marriage as one of the means to achieve that.
However, even though he expected it, it didn’t make him feel any better.
Jin-hyuk was offended by Park Jun-man’s attitude, as he had expressed his intentions several times only to be ignored.
“Didn’t I tell you clearly? I have no interest in marriage.”
“I was the same way. I was someone who had negative thoughts about getting married and starting a family, just like you. But look at me. In the end, I married twice. And look around you. It’s just that I have no interest in women and don’t keep mistresses, but most other guys have one or two women on the side and maintain multiple households. Yet you’re saying you won’t get married at all? Is it possible that the chromosomes you’re attracted to are different from ordinary people?”
“That is not the case. But getting married in this way is not what I want.”
Jin-hyuk spoke firmly to Park Jun-man once more.
Park Jun-man nodded, his lips twitching at Jin-hyuk’s words.
“I understand. I get it, so just eat. Let’s talk about that later.”
“There’s no need to talk about it later. My mind isn’t going to change.”
“Sure. You might feel that way now, but your thoughts could change later, so let’s discuss it next time.”
Watching Park Jun-man, who believed that Jin-hyuk would eventually move according to his will, Jin-hyuk briefly contemplated whether he should make things absolutely clear right then and there.
However, seeing Park Jun-man refuse to even meet his eyes, he felt that continuing the conversation wouldn’t be productive.
No matter how much it was a marriage through a business deal between families, it couldn’t be done without the parties involved knowing.
Regardless, he had no interest in things like arranged marriages and had made up his mind not to go through with it.
He believed that as long as he drew a firm line, it wouldn’t matter what method Park Jun-man used.
The two ate in silence for a while.
Even when they shared tea after finishing their meal, they didn’t engage in any conversation.
Feeling that he had said all he needed to say, Jin-hyuk stood up even though his teacup wasn’t empty.
“I’ll be going now.”
“You don’t have any intention of moving in?”
“Where are you talking about?”
“Madam Onsan has been cleaning your room every single day, saying you’re coming. Since things have turned out like this, why don’t you just move in?”
Jin-hyuk shook his head at Park Jun-man’s words.
“Not yet.”
“Not yet? It’s as if you’re equating moving into this house with something else.”
“Madam Onsan said it herself. She said this place is DS.”
“Hahaha. That lady. She really is something else. It’s almost a waste to have her doing work like a housekeeper. So, do you think so too?”
“I won’t deny it. I agree to some extent that this place is DS. So, if you wait, the day will come when I walk in on my own feet even if you tell me not to.”
“Really? It sounds like it’ll be interesting if such a day comes.”
Park Jun-man spread his arms and leaned back against the shoulder of the sofa.
He looked as if he were eagerly counting down the days until that time arrived.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
“Right. Expect another gift the next time you come.”
Jin-hyuk said his goodbyes and stepped outside.
The sun had been up when he entered the house, but it had already set, and the world was growing dark.
Jin-hyuk opened the door and looked back at the Hannam-dong residence for a moment.
When he first came here, it felt like a massive fortress, but now it felt as if its size had shrunk significantly.
Kim Jun-woo saw Jin-hyuk coming out through the door, got out of the car, and opened the door for him.
Jin-hyuk turned and climbed into the car through the open door.
“Did the conversation go well?”
“It went well. It went well, but… it didn’t flow the way I expected, so I don’t feel great about it.”
“What do you mean?”
Even though Jin-hyuk hadn’t specified a destination, the car moved toward his home.
When Jin-hyuk didn’t reply, Kim Jun-woo waited quietly for him to speak again.
Jin-hyuk stared blankly out the car window for a moment and spoke.
“The Chairman wasn’t interested in my uncles from the start. In fact, it seemed like he was looking forward to me trying to push my uncle aside. Well, I can understand that much. But…”
‘It’s strange.’
He couldn’t point out exactly what was strange.
However, an alien sensation continued to prickle at the back of Jin-hyuk’s neck.
Jin-hyuk remained silent for a while, lost in thought as he watched the scenery outside, before finally opening his mouth.
“Do you happen to know the story of the Himalayan monkey?”
“The Himalayan monkey?”
At the sudden topic, Kim Jun-woo turned to look at Jin-hyuk with a bewildered face.
Jin-hyuk spoke with a frown.
“Once upon a time, an alchemist was traveling the world and arrived at a village. The villagers treated him with great hospitality, and out of gratitude, the alchemist taught them a spell to create gold. He told them to live prosperously by making gold with that spell after he left. Then, after teaching them the magic spell, the alchemist supposedly said one last thing to the villagers. ‘Before you recite this spell, you must absolutely not think of a Himalayan monkey.’ The villagers couldn’t understand why he told them not to think of a Himalayan monkey, which had nothing to do with them. And then, the alchemist left the village.”
Kim Jun-woo couldn’t understand what Jin-hyuk was talking about.
He had no idea why a story about an alchemist and a Himalayan monkey was coming up right after a visit to the Hannam-dong main house.
However, Jin-hyuk had a serious expression as he spoke.
It was as if he were a villager who had learned the magic spell from the alchemist.
Staring outside the moving car again, he continued.
“After the alchemist left, the villagers recited the magic spell to make gold, but they couldn’t produce any.”
“Did the alchemist give them a fake spell?”
Jin-hyuk turned his gaze to look at Kim Jun-woo.
He spoke with a hardened expression.
“No. The spell was real. But do you know why they couldn’t make it?”
Kim Jun-woo shook his head.
“Every time they recited the spell, the Himalayan monkey popped into their heads, so they couldn’t do it.”
“Didn’t you say the villagers and the Himalayan monkey had nothing to do with each other?”
“That’s right. The villagers and the Himalayan monkey have nothing to do with each other. But every time they recited the spell, those words kept coming back to them, making it impossible. Because the moment something irrelevant leaves the mouth, it becomes relevant.”
Kim Jun-woo still didn’t understand why Jin-hyuk was suddenly saying this.
It was an interesting story, but he couldn’t find the connection between these words and Jin-hyuk’s current situation.
Jin-hyuk stopped talking and briefly closed his eyes inside the car as they arrived in front of his house.
Then, he explained to Kim Jun-woo why he had told the story.
“The Chairman is trying to strike a deal with Cheongwoo Chemical.”
“Cheongwoo Chemical is on the premise of a marriage with you, Executive Director… Ah!”
Kim Jun-woo cut himself off, letting out an exclamation of realization.
Jin-hyuk opened his eyes at Kim Jun-woo’s reaction.
“Exactly. I also naturally thought it was related to my marriage while I was there. Because from the start, I thought the premise of that deal was my marriage. As a result, I naturally ended up thinking of Cheongwoo Chemical and my marriage as one and the same.”
“Then, are you saying the Himalayan monkey you mentioned earlier is the marriage? So that when Cheongwoo Chemical is mentioned, the marriage naturally comes to mind?”
“No. Think carefully. I am not a party to the deal when it comes to the chemical company.”
“Then…”
“The Himalayan monkey was me.”
Kim Jun-woo stared blankly at Jin-hyuk with wide eyes.
Faced with Jin-hyuk’s calm demeanor, Kim Jun-woo didn’t know how to react.
However, Jin-hyuk himself seemed unfazed.
If anything, he looked as if he found the current situation interesting as he spoke to Kim Jun-woo.
“Until a moment ago, I also thought he kept talking about the chemical deal to confuse me and make the word marriage naturally pop into my head. But that wasn’t it.”
“Why is that? Even for me, when the topic of the chemical deal came up, your marriage naturally came to mind, Executive Director.”
Jin-hyuk looked at Kim Jun-woo and laughed.
It was because he saw a reflection of his own confused self from earlier in Kim Jun-woo.
“No. That’s not it. It’s because I’m not a party to the deal. You have to think from the perspective of the parties involved. The people dealing over the chemical company are the Chairman and Cheongwoo. Do you get it? He tied the talk of marriage to the deal so that when Cheongwoo proceeds with the transaction, they would naturally think of me.”
“Why?”
Kim Jun-woo looked as if he couldn’t understand at all.
Jin-hyuk understood why he felt that way.
Since even he, the person involved, had been confused, he figured Kim Jun-woo, who was a step removed, wouldn’t be able to properly grasp the situation.
“So, from now on, we have to find out. Why he turned me into a Himalayan monkey. Keep a close eye on Cheongwoo Chemical. Something might not show up right away. But don’t stop watching. I need to know in advance so I can respond accordingly.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Jin-hyuk stepped out of the car after finishing his instructions, looking much more at ease.
One thing was for sure: Park Jun-man wanted to get his hands on the chemical company.
And it was clear he was putting Jin-hyuk in the middle as a condition for the deal.
If so, he just needed to confirm what and how he was trying to trade with Cheongwoo.
‘I can’t let myself be swayed by becoming the condition. I will create the situation myself.’
Jin-hyuk headed into his house to end the long day.
***
From the next day, every news outlet was busy reporting on DS Telecom.
The news that Park Su-man, the head of DS Telecom, had committed illegal acts involving a scale of well over 500 billion won hit the stock market hard.
With news that Park Su-man’s shares might all be liquidated at market price, the stock price continued its plunge from the previous day, preparing to dive into the abyss.
However, after Jin-hyuk’s statement the previous day about minimizing the damage to shareholders, DS Securities announced that they would start buying to prevent the stock price from crashing, which stopped DS Telecom’s freefall.
The subsequent share buyback by DS Telecom was evaluated as an effort to restore lost market trust, becoming a news story that cleared away many of the negative perceptions regarding the DS Group.
During the lunch hour, an official briefing from the prosecution was released.
After defining Park Su-man’s actions as something that should never be done by a member leading the South Korean economy, they stated that he would be judged by the strict standards of the law.
The media highly praised the prosecution for drawing the sword of judgment against a chaebol, unlike in the past.
The newspapers were filled with articles criticizing Park Su-man’s actions.
Furthermore, they brought up the fact that the corruption Park Su-man committed wasn’t limited to this instance, digging up past stories and ruthlessly tearing him down in special feature articles.
Public opinion turned its back on Park Su-man.
People also looked at Park Jun-man and Park Jin-hyuk, whom Park Su-man had tried to backstab, with pitying eyes.
“Public opinion is favorable.”
“I suppose so. Public opinion has always been on the side of the underdog. Right now, in the eyes of the general public, I’m seen as a nephew who was almost victimized by his uncle. It’s not bad.”
Jin-hyuk nodded with satisfaction at the favorable flow.
However, his mood quickly soured at Kim Jun-woo’s following words.
“Since this morning, your aunts have been calling without rest. What should I do?”
“Don’t even answer the calls, and block them at the entrance if they show up in person. What do they think is going to change by coming to see me? They should have treated me well from the beginning. They don’t even know the word ‘shame.’ What are they doing?”
Jin-hyuk sat in his chair and spoke as he checked the news flowing through the internet and print media.
“Even if they’re my aunts, I’ve only seen them once or twice over the past year. Is that even family? And yet they come looking for me now? What am I supposed to do? Have Secretary Kim cut them all off.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
The wives of Park Su-man and Park Kyung-man were running around trying to save their husbands.
In particular, they had been contacting him in hopes that Park Jin-hyuk, whom Park Su-man had tried to backstab along with his older brother Park Jun-man, would write even a single petition for them.
However, he had no intention of showing mercy to those who hadn’t even thought of him as a nephew in the first place.
After finishing his report, Secretary Kim quietly handed over a sheet of paper.
“This is the projected performance report for West Air that you asked for.”
Jin-hyuk had recalled Park Jun-man’s story from his visit to Hannam-dong and instructed Kim Jun-woo to check on West Air’s status.
And now, Kim Jun-woo was handing over the projected performance report as his answer.
Jin-hyuk glanced at the numbers written on the document, then looked up at Kim Jun-woo with a frown.
“This is much worse than I thought?”
“Yes. It’s at a level where ‘serious’ would be a fitting description.”
“How did it get like this?”
“It seems to be a combination of failing to attract customers since it hasn’t been long since they entered the market, and the travel industry taking a nose dive because of the Paris Flu outbreak.”
“Even so… this is too much.”
Jin-hyuk pointed at the projected operating profit figures among the numbers on the document Kim Jun-woo had handed him.
“The projected operating profit for the half-year is minus 200 billion won? Just how did these guys run their business to get these kinds of results?”
“Even this is a result calculated as optimistically as possible when I received it. In reality, they might receive an even more serious report card than this.”
“What a mess. At this rate, an IPO within the year seems impossible.”
“The IPO isn’t the problem; the very existence of the company might be at stake.”
“To the point of worrying about its existence… Director Oh is going to have quite the headache.”
Jin-hyuk flashed a satisfied smile as he watched West Air falling into the abyss without him even having to lift a finger.