Kim Dong-ho, the son of the chairman of the Seongun Medical Foundation and host of today’s gathering, dragged Park Jin-hyuk away. Choi Chul-han quietly followed behind them.
As Kim Dong-ho led Park Jin-hyuk away, the people who had momentarily gathered around him dispersed, returning the scene to what Jin-hyuk had first observed. Hotel staff moved about carrying trays of light hors d’oeuvres and wine glasses. People stood around, eating and drinking what they were offered while engaging in conversation.
The scene felt so different from what Park Jin-hyuk had expected that it actually felt somewhat dull.
“I’ve seen a lot about you on TV lately. Your performance has been incredible. Not long ago, you even pushed aside your uncles and filled your pockets with cash, didn’t you? When was the last time we met? It’s been a little over one year, right? You’ve done quite well for yourself in that time.”
Kim Dong-ho held a champagne glass in his right hand and tapped Park Jin-hyuk on the chest with his left.
The Seongun Medical Foundation was a medical conglomerate that owned seven base hospitals across the country. Since they also owned various private corporations, including universities, high schools, and middle schools, they boasted a scale that allowed them to look down on most ordinary businesses.
The hospital had started as a small local eye clinic founded by Kim Dong-ho’s grandfather and grew aggressively. At a time when specialized eye hospitals were almost nonexistent, the public perception that cataract surgeries and other ophthalmic procedures had to be done at Seongun Hospital became entrenched. This success allowed them to acquire a university that had its own medical school.
After transforming into a general hospital, Seongun Hospital established university hospitals in various regions, eventually forming the current Seongun Medical Foundation.
Although it could not compare to the likes of DS Group or Jinhan Group, it held significant power within the medical world. However, due to a series of scandals involving Kim Dong-ho’s father’s illegal medical school admissions and his uncles’ accidents, Kim Dong-ho had traveled to the United States to study management rather than medicine, following his grandfather’s wishes. That was where he had met Park Jin-hyuk.
‘It’s a good thing I did my research.’
While Jin-hyuk didn’t know exactly how close he had been with Kim Dong-ho, knowing what kind of person he was proved helpful. He only needed to grasp the man’s personality through his words, which were delivered without an introduction. And then, there was the Value he could see.
‘Why is everyone here only at this level?’
Kim Dong-ho’s Value was no different from Choi Chul-han’s. Despite wearing clothes that appeared casual but were worth millions of won, a number far lower than that was floating above his head.
Under normal circumstances, Park Jin-hyuk wouldn’t even spare a glance at such a Value. That was exactly the level Choi Chul-han and Kim Dong-ho occupied.
Both men called themselves Park Jin-hyuk’s friends, but seeing their pathetic Values, Jin-hyuk looked around the room with a disappointed expression. He wanted to check the Values of the others present.
‘There isn’t a single person who stands out.’
The people on the list Kim Joon-woo had provided were all children of wealthy families, yet the Values they displayed fell far short of their backgrounds. The expectations he had held based on the guest list plummeted the moment he saw them in person.
“So… what do you think of her over there?”
Kim Dong-ho had apparently been talking the entire time Jin-hyuk was distracted. Since Jin-hyuk hadn’t been listening, he had no idea what had been said previously. However, even if he had known, it likely wouldn’t have mattered. That thought grew stronger as Kim Dong-ho grabbed his arm and pointed toward a woman.
“Have you heard of Daeryeon Construction? They started buying up buildings in Gangnam about thirty years ago and now focus on leasing. They own all the prime real estate. She’s a new member of our group, and I think she’s pretty useful.”
Park Jin-hyuk looked down at Kim Dong-ho, who was a head shorter than him, wondering what he meant by that. Kim Dong-ho licked his lips as if savoring something and continued.
“What do you think? Her? Want to hook up after all this time?”
When Park Jin-hyuk didn’t respond, Choi Chul-han pulled him and pointed in another direction.
“Isn’t that one better than her? She’s the daughter of Hongwoo Food. I heard the president of Hongwoo Food wants to expand the business. It’s better to connect with a family that’s trying to do something rather than one that just kills time leasing out buildings in Gangnam. How about it? She came here specifically after hearing you were coming, so she’ll fall for you in no time if you make a move.”
‘What is wrong with these guys?’
Park Jin-hyuk remained silent even at Choi Chul-han’s words. Consequently, Kim Dong-ho pointed to another woman, followed by Choi Chul-han pointing to yet another, explaining their backgrounds. Since Jin-hyuk didn’t say anything, their explanations continued endlessly, as if they intended to introduce every woman in the lounge. Unable to stand their constant chatter about women, Park Jin-hyuk finally shook off their hands.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Choi Chul-han and Kim Dong-ho looked up at Park Jin-hyuk with puzzled expressions.
“What’s wrong?”
“What do you mean ‘what’s wrong’? We’re just trying to get back into the swing of things. Doesn’t it bring back memories? Since we’re all together after so long, let’s play like we did back in New York.”
“What? Get back into the swing of things?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you miss it? It felt like something was missing when it was just Dong-ho and me. That’s why I brought you here and Dong-ho set this up. Besides, it’s easier to gather girls here than it was in the States. It won’t be like New York where it was always the same faces. Well? Are the memories starting to flood back?”
Park Jin-hyuk narrowed his eyes at the two of them. He could vaguely guess what they were talking about. The labels that used to follow the name “Park Jin-hyuk” in the past came to mind.
‘I guess those stories weren’t entirely baseless.’
It seemed they weren’t just illusions created by Oh Seo-young. Of course, there was likely some exaggeration involved — turning a ten into a hundred — but it didn’t seem like a case of making a lush forest appear out of a barren desert.
When Park Jin-hyuk didn’t respond, Kim Dong-ho nudged him in the side.
“All those girls know why they’re here. Many of them came just because they heard your name… Come on. Everyone’s on the same page, so there’s no need to worry. There’s even a rumor among the women that catching you could change their family’s business ranking. So you don’t even have to work hard like before; just a little effort and they’ll all fall for you. Of course, don’t keep them all to yourself; you have to pass some to us too. Got it?”
After hearing Kim Dong-ho’s words, Jin-hyuk looked around and noticed the women stealing glances at him. Their gazes didn’t seem like ordinary curiosity; perhaps it was because of what he had just heard, but he felt as though he could see desire in their eyes.
Choi Chul-han and Kim Dong-ho exchanged looks and began persuading Jin-hyuk again. However, Park Jin-hyuk had no interest in such things. Having already fallen in love with the thrill of business, his interest in women had long since faded. Moreover, while his exterior matched the women in their 20s, his interior was that of a 40-year-old man. He felt no attraction to these women who looked like they could be his nieces.
Deciding that listening further was useless, Park Jin-hyuk brushed off Kim Dong-ho and Choi Chul-han and walked away.
‘I shouldn’t have come.’
He had come to meet the people who were supposed to be Park Jin-hyuk’s friends to learn about his past life, but all he heard were low-class conversations about how to hook up with the women at the gathering. Of course, it didn’t seem to be just for a one-night stand. They seemed to be thinking of partners who could provide or receive help when conducting business. But even that was outside the realm of his interests.
‘They’re already looking for help from a woman’s family. How pathetic.’
These guys hadn’t even properly started working yet, but they were already calculating what kind of help they could get. The women were the same. They were gauging the men to see how high they could rise if they provided help. Park Jin-hyuk’s regret for coming only deepened.
He sat in a chair on one side of the lounge, sipping his champagne and wondering when he should leave, when people with Values he hadn’t seen yet appeared.
“Oh my. What are you doing here?”
“I haven’t seen you lately. What brought you here today?”
“Sister, it’s been a long time. But who is this person next to you?”
“I’ve never seen him before. Who is he?”
A woman he knew well and a man with a striking Value entered the lounge. The familiar woman was Han Ji-yeon from Cheongwoo, and the man with her was in his mid-to-late 20s, possessing a Value as impressive as hers.
‘150 billion?’
Most of the people in the lounge didn’t even have one-tenth of his Value. Yet, this man’s Value was even higher than Han Ji-yeon’s 100 billion. In other words, considering her status, his Value proved that his own position was equally high. Or it meant his abilities were exceptional, though he looked too young for that to be the case.
Park Jin-hyuk, who had been about to leave, watched them silently, intrigued by their arrival. As if sensing his gaze, Han Ji-yeon looked toward him, walked over to where he was sitting, and greeted him.
“You haven’t been coming out lately, but you showed up today?”
“I suppose so. I came out after a long time and ended up meeting someone I didn’t expect.”
“Did you really not expect it?”
Jin-hyuk had known Han Ji-yeon was a member of this circle from the materials Kim Joon-woo had given him. It wasn’t strange for her to be here. However, without showing it, he stuck to his initial stance. He felt he couldn’t show any weakness to a woman whose true intentions were unknown.
“If I had known, I wouldn’t have been surprised by your presence.”
Han Ji-yeon shook her head at his words and sat down beside him. She called over a hotel staff member carrying drinks, took a glass, and looked at Park Jin-hyuk. His gaze was fixed on the man who had arrived with her. The man was tall and had sharp features, a style that was popular among women these days. Perhaps because of that, he was quickly surrounded by women.
Han Ji-yeon spoke with a mocking expression, noticing that Jin-hyuk hadn’t even glanced at her despite her sitting right next to him.
“Who are you planning to hunt today? Since you haven’t been to these gatherings lately, I thought you might have fixed your habits, but I guess you’re starting up again? Have you found someone to your taste?”
Park Jin-hyuk turned to look at her.
“I don’t understand your intention in saying that to me, especially when you come here knowing that this is what these gatherings are for.”
His expression was cold. Seeing him show no emotion whatsoever, Han Ji-yeon was momentarily lost for words.
“Oh, and about being upset when someone said a daughter-in-law should be brought from a lower status while a son-in-law should be from a higher one… I don’t think that applies to me anymore. I received a report that DS is expected to overtake Cheongwoo in the business rankings that will be announced soon. It seems the refinery and chemical sectors are struggling due to the plummeting oil prices… Thanks to that, it looks like we’ll be taking the eighth spot without much trouble. I heard that American shale companies are creating many chemical firms to use the oil they extract themselves. You must have quite a headache.”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s words, Han Ji-yeon’s face stiffened.
Park Jin-hyuk had been keeping a close eye on Cheongwoo’s chemical division to find the reason why Park Jun-man was constantly targeting it. Those two things—Cheongwoo’s chemicals and Park Jun-man’s actions—were at the forefront of his information gathering. That was how he had learned that Cheongwoo’s chemical affiliates were struggling recently.
Specifically, he had heard news that American shale gas companies intended to process secondary products themselves using the oil they extracted. He viewed it as a move to offset higher costs compared to Middle Eastern oil by reducing logistics expenses. Consequently, he had heard that domestic refinery and chemical companies were facing significant difficulties.
Due to the economic recession caused by the Paris Flu, the drop in oil prices, and the rise of competitors, Cheongwoo’s market capitalization and sales had plummeted. In contrast, based on the rapid growth of its pharmaceutical division and the steady growth of its construction division, DS had actually risen while other groups fell. Thus, it was certain that in the upcoming rankings, Cheongwoo would drop to ninth and DS would rise to eighth.
Park Jin-hyuk smiled as he saw Han Ji-yeon’s face turn pale.
“I heard you were appointed as the deputy director of the Cheongwoo Art Museum. Congratulations.”
Han Ji-yeon didn’t hear him. She didn’t know why she felt such antagonism toward him, but she was angry at herself for being unable to offer a proper retort every time.
Park Jin-hyuk turned his gaze back to the man who had entered with her. He asked Han Ji-yeon about him while she was still frowning deeply.
“Who is the person you came with?”
Han Ji-yeon followed his gaze. Until now, she thought he had been looking at the women surrounding the man, but realizing he was actually interested in the man himself, her frown relaxed naturally.
“Who? Are you talking about Min-ho?”
“Min-ho? Is that his name?”
“Yes. Na Min-ho. He’s the second son of a mid-sized company called Seochang Systems.”
“Seochang Systems?”
It was a name he hadn’t heard before. Neither the name Na Min-ho nor Seochang Systems had been in the information Kim Joon-woo had provided. The appearance of an unexpected person made Park Jin-hyuk feel even more interested in this young man named Na Min-ho.
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“Moreover, while his exterior matched the women in their 20s, his interior was that of a 40-year-old man. He felt no attraction to these women who looked like they could be his nieces.”
holy shit finally a regressor/possessor/reincarnator who has a sane state of mind