“I’m planning to visit the place Choi Chul-han mentioned, so get ready.”
“Pardon? You’re going to go?”
“Why? Is it strange?”
It wasn’t a matter of whether it was strange or not. Kim Jun-woo had never imagined Park Jin-hyuk would attend such a place.
The people there were a completely different breed from the ones Jin-hyuk had met and spoken with until now. At first glance, he might actually fit in better with them, but considering he had always maintained relationships with those at the very top of the political and business worlds, this was essentially the same as moving to deal with small fry. Even if they were individuals discussed as future successors, they were not people Kim Jun-woo felt stood on the same level as Park Jin-hyuk.
If they were at the starting line of a marathon, the gap was so significant that Park Jin-hyuk had already turned the halfway point and was sprinting toward the finish line.
“I should start thinking about the future too.”
“Pardon? You’re thinking about the future?”
“The people I meet now are the present of South Korea. But I don’t want to be buried in the ground at the same time as them. In that case, shouldn’t I build some rapport with the people who will become the future? Since where I stand is a bit higher than where those ‘futures’ are, now is the perfect timing to meet them.”
“You didn’t seem to like those kinds of places, so will you be alright?”
“It’s fine. I can’t live my whole life only doing what I want to do. I have to know how to go to places that are uncomfortable or that I dislike. And who knows? It might turn out to be a fairly interesting place.”
Kim Jun-woo stared silently at Park Jin-hyuk.
It was a perfectly logical statement, but it wasn’t something a person like Park Jin-hyuk would normally say. If someone were in a position like Park Jin-hyuk’s, no one would say a word even if they only did what they wanted and avoided uncomfortable gatherings.
However, seeing Park Jin-hyuk speak as if it were natural—and as if he had done such things before—made Kim Jun-woo feel a sense of dissonance instead.
“Look into what kind of gathering it is and who will be there just in case. It would be better to know before I go.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Seeing him treat even a social gathering with friends like a homework assignment, Kim Jun-woo truly felt that Park Jin-hyuk intended to use the meeting rather than foster simple friendships.
As Kim Jun-woo bowed and left, Park Jin-hyuk pulled out a cigarette from the pack on the table and thought.
‘We met in America?’
He already knew that the past Park Jin-hyuk had studied abroad in the United States. However, since no stories of the past were written in the diary, it was essentially an unknown world to the current Park Jin-hyuk.
The amnesia he had used when he was hospitalized worked on his close family members, but he couldn’t use that method with outsiders. Yet, he couldn’t pretend to know them either. If he pretended to know something when he knew nothing, his mistake could be discovered.
That was why he had been avoiding people who were supposedly his friends.
‘I can’t just keep avoiding them. Let’s go and see what kind of big shots are gathering.’
He had given Kim Jun-woo an excuse about the future and whatnot, but in reality, his desire to go was more for the sake of entertainment. He figured that even if they gathered, most would be at a level lower than his.
From what Park Jin-hyuk knew, half of the companies ranked higher than DS Group were formerly state-run enterprises, and he knew that the other half had almost no people his age. If there were any, the Cheongwoo Group was likely the only one.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t go, but he had decided to attend out of curiosity about what kind of people the past Park Jin-hyuk’s friends were and what kind of gatherings they enjoyed.
The next day, the list of expected attendees that Kim Jun-woo brought was not much different from what Park Jin-hyuk had imagined.
“It seems to be a gathering where the children of the country’s leading corporations meet to foster friendship. The age range of the attendees is roughly from their early thirties to mid-twenties.”
“And Choi Chul-han is the one leading it?”
“Actually, about that…”
Kim Jun-woo’s voice trailed off. Park Jin-hyuk looked up from the list at the hesitating Kim Jun-woo. The secretary was staring blankly at him, stopping mid-sentence.
“What? Why?”
“Are you really asking because you don’t know… or are you perhaps trying to test me?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
At Kim Jun-woo’s uncharacteristic remark, Park Jin-hyuk leaned back and looked straight at him.
Kim Jun-woo’s eyes seemed to hold a mix of complex emotions. Park Jin-hyuk had never seen him act like this despite the many tasks he had handled. Kim Jun-woo was the type to silently get things done, no matter how difficult they were.
Park Jin-hyuk hadn’t expected him to act this way over a simple task like looking into a social gathering, so he frowned and spoke.
“Just say it. Why are you making that face?”
Seeing Park Jin-hyuk’s irritated expression, Kim Jun-woo finally explained.
“This current gathering appears to have been formed primarily by graduates of East Coast universities in the United States, including Columbia. It was a group first created by Choi Chul-han and you, Executive Director.”
“Who? Me? I’m the one who first created this group?”
Kim Jun-woo couldn’t say a word. He didn’t know how to react to Park Jin-hyuk’s appearance, which truly looked as though he had no idea.
Park Jin-hyuk sank deep into his chair with a bewildered expression.
“I created this group? But why hasn’t anyone contacted me all this time?”
“After re-checking the people who contacted you a few times previously, I’ve confirmed that they were all members of this group.”
“Is that so?”
“And… Assistant Director Han Ji-yeon of Cheongwoo, whom you met last time, was also a member of the group.”
“Who? Han Ji-yeon? That woman I had the blind date with?”
“Yes.”
Park Jin-hyuk’s body went limp. Only then did he understand the look in Han Ji-yeon’s eyes and her attitude when she had stared at him as if he were a bug.
At the time, he had simply thought she had reacted that way because of some past encounter or because she believed the false rumors involving his scandals.
“She knew who I was.”
“Executive Director. Did you really not know?”
“Hm? Oh. Yeah. I didn’t know. I created it?”
“Not only did you create it, but you continued to maintain it and build friendships even after returning to Korea.”
“Did I?”
Park Jin-hyuk thought back to the diary left by the previous Park Jin-hyuk. The diary only mentioned that he had gone to study abroad; it didn’t contain stories of his life during or after his studies.
Furthermore, based on the attitudes subsequently shown by Park Jun-man and Oh Seo-young, he had assumed he simply hadn’t adjusted well to life abroad. He had graduated from a famous institution like Columbia University, but he figured he had probably gotten in by sliding someone some money.
He had also assumed that during his time abroad, he had been more interested in things other than studying, which was why there was nothing worth writing in the diary. He thought he didn’t have any friends because he had lived as a loner…
Park Jin-hyuk closed his eyes for a moment.
‘Well. It shouldn’t be surprising.’
It made sense. With this much wealth and being born with this kind of silver spoon, it was clear that he couldn’t have been alone even if he wanted to be. People would have swarmed around him wanting to be his friend even if he stayed still, and they would have pestered him to hang out even if he wanted to play by himself.
Most of the people he met and built friendships with would have been at a level similar to his, and those were the types of people he would run into anywhere—like Han Ji-yeon of Cheongwoo, who he had the blind date with.
‘At least Han Ji-yeon didn’t say anything, and the others probably just think I’ve been busy and couldn’t meet.’
Park Jin-hyuk thought he should be careful with Han Ji-yeon, regardless of the others. He understood her pretending not to know him the first time they met, but it was unsettling that she continued to pretend during their second meeting.
She hadn’t demanded anything from him so far, but since there was no guarantee she wouldn’t in the future, he decided he needed to be cautious in advance.
“Executive Director. Are you alright?”
Seeing Park Jin-hyuk with his head slightly lowered in thought, Kim Jun-woo looked at him with worried eyes. Setting aside how strange Park Jin-hyuk was acting, he was concerned about the troubled look on his face.
As Kim Jun-woo tried to take a step closer to check on him, Park Jin-hyuk raised a hand to stop him.
“I’m fine. Did I happen to tell you about what happened at the hospital, Secretary Kim?”
“You mentioned it a few times in passing.”
“Right. I suffered some shock then and lost parts of my memory. That’s probably why I don’t remember the gathering.”
Park Jin-hyuk told Kim Jun-woo the same thing his family currently knew. He felt that telling Kim Jun-woo would be more helpful than keeping it from him.
After a long explanation, Kim Jun-woo finally understood why Park Jin-hyuk didn’t remember. And though it wasn’t certain, he showed a flash of anger when told that his stepmother and uncles were likely behind the incident.
“I’m sorry. I think I disturbed your peace of mind by having useless, strange thoughts.”
“No. I fully understand. I would have thought the same thing.”
Kim Jun-woo had occasionally wondered if Park Jin-hyuk’s actions toward Oh Seo-young and his uncles were a bit much. Specifically, in the process of handing the uncles over to the prosecution, while the uncles had made the first move, Park Jin-hyuk had strongly intended for them to end up that way.
So, while he didn’t voice it, he had wondered if one had to be that cold-blooded to survive in a chaebol family.
But hearing Park Jin-hyuk’s words, he felt as though Park Jin-hyuk had actually been lenient. No matter how bad a person’s thoughts were, driving a nephew toward death was not something a normal person would do. Since he had endured such a thing, it was understandable why Park Jin-hyuk acted that way.
“Executive Director. Then what shall we do? If you don’t remember your life studying in America, wouldn’t it be better not to attend? If other people find out your situation, some might try to take advantage of it.”
For a person in a management position to have a medical condition could be a fatal weakness. Mental issues, particularly those involving memory, were the perfect kind of illness for others to seize upon.
However, Park Jin-hyuk didn’t want to hide.
“No. Let’s just go. This is actually a good opportunity. I should go and hear some stories about what kind of life the old me lived.”
“But if the others notice…”
“They’re people I’ll have to meet eventually anyway. Even if I avoid them, do you think they’ll just ignore me and pass by? Given the companies listed here, I’ll run into them at least once at Federation of Korean Industries meetings or Korea Enterprises Federation events. It’s better to dive in now rather than let the issue grow later. You know my style. I’m not one to back down.”
Kim Jun-woo nodded firmly at Park Jin-hyuk’s words.
“Then I will make the preparations.”
“Preparations? What preparations?”
When Park Jin-hyuk looked puzzled, Kim Jun-woo spoke with a determined expression.
“Still, wouldn’t it be better to have something in your hand rather than going empty-handed? I will compile and give you information on those expected to be there. That way, there will be fewer things to catch you off guard.”
“Won’t it just be a place where we drink and talk about useless things? The things young guys do when they get together are pretty obvious.”
The debauched image of young chaebols seen in movies… Park Jin-hyuk imagined dim lighting, female celebrities, alcohol, and drugs in secret locations. He wondered if there was any need to memorize information when going to a place like that.
“Actually, fine. Yeah. It’s better to go knowing something than to accidentally get caught in a weakness while knowing nothing. Go ahead and prepare it.”
It was expected that Han Ji-yeon of Cheongwoo would be at the gathering. Regardless of the others, he felt the need to prepare for a meeting with that woman, whose true intentions remained a mystery.
***
The place Park Jin-hyuk arrived at was entirely different from what he had imagined. There was no secrecy to be found, and it was far from the darkness seen in movies.
He thought he would hear loud music and see unknown white powder scattered across the tables, but no such things could be heard or seen no matter how much he strained his ears and eyes.
On the other hand, the attendees weren’t wearing well-tailored suits and dresses either. People dressed in casual clothes that wouldn’t look out of place on the street were chatting comfortably in their seats.
“Oh, boy. A precious guest has arrived. Everyone, Park Jin-hyuk is here.”
Seeing Park Jin-hyuk enter the Executive Lounge of the Hankook Hotel, Choi Chul-han approached, put his arm around his shoulder, and introduced him to the people there.
“How long has it been?”
“We finally get to see the face we’ve only seen on TV.”
“How have you been, Brother? You look radiant.”
“Oppa, it’s been so long.”
The people who had been scattered and talking gathered toward Park Jin-hyuk. They spoke to him familiarly, as if they were close. They brought up stories of his past study abroad days that Park Jin-hyuk didn’t know.
Listening to them, Park Jin-hyuk realized that the previous Park Jin-hyuk had gotten along quite well during his studies. Of course, it was because he was more immersed in entertainment than interested in studying, but at least it didn’t seem like he had lived in loneliness in a foreign land.
Park Jin-hyuk engaged in appropriate conversation with them based on the information he had received from Kim Jun-woo.
“Nice to meet you. I’ve wanted to meet you, and here we are.”
“Hello. I’m so-and-so.”
Following the warm greetings, people who seemed to be new faces introduced themselves to Park Jin-hyuk. They were also included in the information Kim Jun-woo had handed over. Park Jin-hyuk was able to converse with them without any trouble.
Then, someone pushed through them and approached Park Jin-hyuk, hugging him tightly and patting him on the back.
“It’s been a while.”
After patting his back several times, the man pulled away and held out his fist. He seemed to want to do some kind of secret handshake or action that only they knew, but Park Jin-hyuk had no way of knowing, so he just stared at the fist.
Seeing that Park Jin-hyuk wasn’t following up with the next move, the man laughed, put his arm around his shoulder, and led him further into the lounge.