Instead of answering Director Oh Seo-young, Park Joon-man turned to Park Jin-hyuk and asked, “What do you think? Do you also think Director Oh’s idea is good?”
“I don’t think it’s a matter of whether it’s good or not. I just find it pitiful,” Jin-hyuk replied.
“What do you find pitiful?”
“Isn’t it far too cliché? It’s pathetic that she can only perceive the current situation to that extent. Thinking that such a minor move could overcome the crisis West Air is facing… I feel as though West Air is about to fall into an endless abyss.”
“Is that so? Look here, Director Oh. Executive Director Park says so, so what do you think?”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s dismissive words, Oh Seo-young’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits. Her glaring gaze felt incredibly piercing.
However, Park Jin-hyuk brushed off that look as if it were nothing. Park Joon-man followed his gaze back to Jin-hyuk and spoke.
“Fine. So you think it’s a cliché method? Then what would you do if you were leading West Air?”
At Park Joon-man’s question, Park Jin-hyuk lowered his head and shook it from side to side.
“What meaning does my opinion have? If I suggest an alternative here, will Sang-hyuk follow it? Or will you, Chairman, order him to do as I say? I see no reason to discuss something meaningless, nor do I feel the need to.”
“Still, I’d like to hear it.”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“If West Air gets hurt, it won’t be good for you either, will it? Are you planning to just keep standing by with your hands behind your back?”
“No. An unfavorable situation would be if Korea Hotel got hurt. Strictly speaking, West Air is not a subsidiary of DS Group. Whether it goes bankrupt or not has nothing to do with DS Group. Am I wrong?”
A small smirk played on Park Joon-man’s lips, as if he couldn’t suppress a laugh. Park Jin-hyuk had hit the nail right on the head.
Strictly speaking, DS Group had only invested in West Air; the airline was not actually part of the group. If it went under, there would be the inconvenience of not being able to recover the invested capital, but from the perspective of the entire group, that amount of bleeding was barely even a scratch.
Oh Seo-young’s eyebrows twitched upward into an inverted V-shape. She was offended by Jin-hyuk’s remark that it didn’t matter what happened because the company wasn’t connected to DS Group. Furthermore, Jin-hyuk’s words contained an implicit opposition to the agreement with Korea Hotel, which was under DS Group, as Oh Seo-young had requested. With a few simple sentences, Jin-hyuk was blocking everything she was trying to do.
“Fine. I don’t know much about this. And neither does that boy over there. I was opposed to you coming here until a moment ago, but I’ve changed my mind. Chairman, I am making a formal request. Please send Jin-hyuk to West Air. I want to see for myself just how well he can do.”
“Director. Didn’t I just tell you? West Air is not a subsidiary of DS Group. Moreover, it is a joint venture created with Daekwang. I have no justification to go there. Ah! There is one. If Sang-hyuk quits and I take his place, I could go. Is that what you want? Sang-hyuk, is that what you want?”
Since sitting down, Park Sang-hyuk hadn’t been able to say a single word, only listening to the others. When Park Jin-hyuk suddenly threw a question at him, Sang-hyuk’s eyes darted back and forth, unable to give an answer.
Park Joon-man and Park Jin-hyuk showed no reaction to Sang-hyuk’s behavior, but Oh Seo-young grew furious and scolded him.
“Your brother is asking you, isn’t he? Say something!”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Do you not have a mind of your own?”
“I… just as Brother said, if I quit…”
*Thud!*
Unable to contain her anger at Sang-hyuk’s words, Oh Seo-young slammed her hand on the dining table. At that sight, Park Joon-man’s expression, which had been smiling until now, hardened. Perhaps realizing her mistake, Oh Seo-young stroked the table she had struck and offered an awkward smile.
“I apologize. I lost my temper and made a scene.”
“Don’t overstep your bounds. As Jin-hyuk said, West Air is not our subsidiary. And since it’s intertwined with Daekwang, it’s not logical for us to move as we please.”
“Then are you saying we should just let it go bankrupt?”
“Talk to Daekwang. Try to discuss Daekwang’s duty-free shops, our hotel, and West Air all together.”
Hearing Park Joon-man’s words, Oh Seo-young finally saw a glimmer of hope. It was difficult to solve the problem with Korea Hotel alone. However, if they worked with the duty-free shops owned by Daekwang, the possibility of success would increase. Travelers would fly on West Air planes to Southeast Asia, stay at Korea Hotel, and shop at Daekwang’s duty-free stores. It felt as if they could help each other if they tied it all into a package.
Watching Oh Seo-young’s expression brighten with hope, Park Jin-hyuk let out a small sigh.
‘She’s harboring a shallow hope.’
It seemed Oh Seo-young had misunderstood Park Joon-man’s intention behind telling her to talk to Daekwang. It appeared Park Joon-man had already decided to abandon West Air. However, since it was burdensome for DS to draw the line first, he was telling her to negotiate with Daekwang. If Daekwang showed signs of cutting ties, he intended to do the same from his side. Mentioning the duty-free shops, the hotel, and West Air together was a roundabout way of saying that if they weren’t careful, all three could collapse together.
Seeing Oh Seo-young interpret it in a completely different way, Park Jin-hyuk left it alone. It didn’t matter to him either way; the company wasn’t under DS, and he wouldn’t suffer any damage even if it went bankrupt. And the moment he realized Park Joon-man’s intention, he understood there was no reason for him to step in.
“Then, may I finish what I was saying?”
“Telecommunications. Telecommunications… Do you really have to go to Telecommunications? You’ve been doing so well at DS Pharm that I was even thinking of appointing you as the president of DS Pharm during the next personnel reshuffle.”
“You’re already planning to appoint Jin-hyuk as the president of a subsidiary?”
Perhaps thinking that the West Air issue had been somewhat settled, Oh Seo-young tried to jump into the conversation in earnest. However, neither Park Jin-hyuk nor Park Joon-man entertained her.
“Currently, President Gyeong is leading DS Pharm well. There is no reason for me to push him out and take that seat.”
“Is that so? That sounds almost as if President Gyeong has become your man.”
“President Gyeong has become Jin-hyuk’s man? What does that mean?”
“Can’t you just stay quiet? Think carefully about how you’re going to talk to Daekwang instead.”
Annoyed by Oh Seo-young interrupting the conversation, Park Joon-man shouted. At his outburst, Oh Seo-young shut her mouth. If she pushed further, he might withdraw the plan to package Korea Hotel to help West Air.
After confirming that Oh Seo-young would say no more, Park Joon-man looked back at Park Jin-hyuk.
“Is President Gyeong your man?”
“What do you mean by ‘my man’? President Gyeong Dae-yong is simply President Gyeong Dae-yong. I don’t think it’s appropriate to refer to someone who receives a salary and works for the company as ‘your man’ or ‘my man.'”
“Ridiculous. Coming from you, at least. Fine. Construction, then pharmaceuticals. Is telecommunications next? Is that why you want to go there?”
“If you really don’t like the idea, you don’t have to send me. I don’t want to go to Telecommunications by begging for it either.”
Park Jin-hyuk had no intention of entering Telecommunications by pleading. While entering was important, he believed the process was just as important as the result.
Park Jin-hyuk took a step back, loosening the tension he had created. Then, when Park Joon-man narrowed his eyes and looked at him as if trying to discern his true intentions, Jin-hyuk took another step forward.
“But think about it carefully. Someone has to sit in that chair anyway. Who in the group is there to replace Vice Chairman Park Soo-man right now? There’s no one internal. Then what about someone from the outside? Who from the outside could you recruit to take charge of Telecommunications?”
“So you’re telling me to give it to you?”
“Give it to me? Why do you keep saying that? Do you feel as if I’m stealing your property, Chairman?”
“In my ears, it sounds like you’re asking me to give you Telecommunications. Am I hearing it wrong?”
At Park Joon-man’s words, Park Jin-hyuk stopped talking for a moment, leaned against the back of his chair, and turned his gaze toward the ceiling.
‘I hoped it wouldn’t come to the worst…’
He had tried to lead Park Joon-man in the direction he wanted by repeatedly tightening and loosening his grip on the conversation. However, Park Joon-man’s stubborn stance did not lean toward the direction Jin-hyuk desired. Rather, the rift of suspicion toward Park Jin-hyuk seemed to be deepening.
He had prepared for it, but that didn’t mean he wanted such a situation to occur. He was merely preparing for the possibility, while hoping it wouldn’t happen.
Park Jin-hyuk decided to do his best for his current goal first. He resolved to continue observing the situation while thoroughly preparing his relationship with Park Joon-man.
Park Jin-hyuk continued to persuade Park Joon-man regarding his move to his target position in Telecommunications.
“What is the state of DS Construction after its normalization? While other construction companies are sinking into a swamp of recession, it alone is continuing its growth trend. What about DS Pharm? Once the acquisition of Novo is finalized, it will become a pharmaceutical company with world-class new drugs. Who did that Novo belong to? Surely you don’t think the price I handed it over for was expensive?”
While 1 trillion won was a massive amount of money, as time passed, Novo’s valuation soared far higher than the acquisition price. The opinion that DS had bled excessively for Park Jin-hyuk had not only quieted down but had reached the point where people were saying Jin-hyuk had handed Novo over to DS for a bargain.
Hearing such stories, Park Jin-hyuk didn’t feel any regret. He knew it would be worth money if he held onto it, but he believed timing was just as important as the price. This had been the best time to hand it over, and thanks to that, he was able to prepare for the worst and find a new path called SileHub.
But that was what Park Jin-hyuk thought; he didn’t need to let others know. It was better for the future to take credit where credit was due.
“Yes. I know it’s thanks to you.”
“I heard that our group’s ranking will rise to eighth place next year, pushing out Cheongwoo. You heard the news too, right?”
“I did.”
“Whom is this thanks to? Do you still really think I’m taking what is yours, Chairman?”
Park Joon-man did not give any answer to Park Jin-hyuk’s words. He had nothing to say in response, but that didn’t change the feeling that something was being taken away from him.
Park Jin-hyuk also saw through Park Joon-man’s heart. He knew that such feelings weren’t something that could be changed through persuasion. Therefore, rather than forcing it, he thought it best to finalize the immediate matter regarding Telecommunications.
“We cannot leave Telecommunications without a leader. I will go and lead it.”
“It’s the position of President of Telecommunications. To be honest, it’s a burden for me to put you in that position immediately.”
“If there are results and ability, one takes the position. What makes you uncomfortable?”
“Hmm…”
Park Jin-hyuk knew exactly what Park Joon-man was worried about. In this country, which hadn’t been long since the war, society preferred stability over moving forward through change. It was considered a virtue for a person with abundant experience and age to maintain the existing system without great risk, rather than a proactive young person sitting in a high position and changing the existing framework.
Knowing this, Park Jin-hyuk understood Park Joon-man’s dilemma. So, he made one more request.
“Why don’t you convene the board of directors for DS Telecom?”
“The board?”
“Yes. I will speak to them myself.”
Park Joon-man’s eyes glittered at Park Jin-hyuk’s words. Although the head of DS Group held the personnel rights, he couldn’t just swing that power around while ignoring the subsidiary’s board of directors. At the very least, forming a consensus with the board was the first step in a personnel appointment. Choosing a president and CEO was a different story from appointing an executive. Furthermore, since Park Jin-hyuk was not an ordinary person, the outside directors of the board might view him negatively.
But Jin-hyuk was offering to step up and handle that burden himself. It also implied that if he couldn’t get the board’s consent, he would give up on moving to DS Telecom. Park Joon-man nodded at Park Jin-hyuk’s words.
“Very well. I will convene an extraordinary board meeting. You try to persuade the board there.”
“I understand.”
Park Jin-hyuk smiled at Park Joon-man’s permission. This was the scenario he had anticipated.
‘Now I just have to wait for Secretary Kim to finish gathering the information.’
Under Jin-hyuk’s orders, Kim Joon-woo had already begun investigating the backgrounds of the board members. Persuading them wouldn’t happen at the board meeting itself. The meeting was merely a formality. Before the battle began, he would already have won. The path to becoming the president of DS Telecom was already drawn in Park Jin-hyuk’s mind.
Park Jin-hyuk took a quick glance at Oh Seo-young. She also seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Jin-hyuk’s story. And Park Sang-hyuk, sitting next to Jin-hyuk, was staring intently at something as if lost in thought. Park Jin-hyuk followed Sang-hyuk’s gaze to see what had caught his eye.
It was bulgogi, well-tossed with green chili peppers. Sang-hyuk was staring holes into the meat dish.
He seemed to be agonizing over whether he could reach out and grab a side dish he wanted to eat while such a serious conversation was taking place at the table.
‘This family really is interesting.’
A stepmother trying to push her child upward at any cost, and a half-brother who couldn’t understand that sentiment at all. A youngest sister who didn’t show her face and didn’t care whether something important was happening or not. And a father who remained a bystander, regardless of what his children were doing.
Park Jin-hyuk sat at a table where everyone was at odds, harbored their own hidden thoughts.