The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Chapter 48. A skill that would be recognized even in the world.

The vacation was almost over.

“I have accomplished nothing, and yet I must return to Korea already.”

It wasn’t just idle talk.

Even without considering investments, I had done a lot.

But the truly important things remained undone.

Specifically, losing my grandfather’s trust and stepping away from being seen as an important figure.

That was the most crucial matter for me.

Isn’t it the goal of my life?

I have no excuses.

After passing the entrance exam for Korea University, a whole year passed by in vain, without achieving anything.

I had only put in effort, but accomplished nothing.

I need to reflect.

This year must be different.

Now, I must cross the line.

In the past, I wouldn’t have dared, but now, even if it means resorting to rough methods and being deceived by a con artist, I must expose my incompetence to the world.

I steeled my resolve and headed to the meeting place.

“Finally, I’m leaving California.”

Cupertino,

At the Star Fox Cupertino branch, which now had a proper café atmosphere, I gathered with Steven Jackson and George Howard—just the three of us.

In a way, it was a farewell party.

But the farewell was secondary; the main difference was that everyone was too busy saying their own piece.

“LA, of course, San Francisco, and even San Diego, Palm Springs, and Irvine—almost every city in California has a branch now. But this level of satisfaction isn’t enough. Not for Mr. Hyun, who has invested in me.”

The conversation was opened by George Howard.

“Still talking about that? Aren’t you tired of it?”

Jackson scoffed.

“Then what should I do with my gratitude?”

“What can I do about the fact that I’ve heard that story over a hundred times?”

“You really are twisted.”

Ignoring Howard’s head shake, Jackson resumed his earlier thought.

“More importantly, Mr. Hyun. Please listen to me. The long-awaited sales for the new Apple product line have finally been confirmed for this second half of the year. I’ve named it Maccliff. I took the name from my favorite apple brand. You can just call it Mac for short.”

He reiterated his promise to deposit the $30 royalty for every copy of Axel included in the bundle.

“If five million units are sold, that’s a whopping $150 million. Have you thought about it? What about ten million units? That’s a staggering $300 million!”

He rambled on.

An unrealized future.

The underlying meaning of bringing up a conversation that didn’t need to be had was obvious.

It was a warning of sorts, suggesting that if he didn’t put in more effort, his goals could drift further away, leading to his own defeat.

It stung.

I was already in a reflective mood.

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

Instead of me, Howard chimed in.

“Isn’t it because he’s such an impressive person that he’s ‘generously’ investing in places like this coffee shop?”

“Here we go again. Oh, speaking of which, I have something to say to Mr. Hyun as well. I’m now also putting in the legwork in the Midwest and East Coast. I believe I’ll soon have good news to share from that side too.”

That was a welcome remark amidst the conversation.

“Then it seems the conquest of America isn’t far off.”

He smiled at my words.

“Haha, I’m embarrassed. I’ve received positive responses by mail from several property owners in Manhattan. One place might even start renovations soon.”

Then he added a foreboding note.

“Right now, it’s leased, but if circumstances improve, I’ll buy it all. Manhattan’s land prices are high, but I still believe real estate is undervalued. In the future, Mr. Hyun, who invested in me, and Seonghyeon Electronics will be sitting on a pile of money.”

“Such ambitious dreams.”

“Can’t you at least say that my ambitions are grand, even if it’s the same words?”

“What can words do?”

Jackson didn’t forget and sneered again.

“Then let me make a grand statement too. In thirty years, everyone will be flying around with computers the size of their palms. Anyone can talk. The difference lies in whether you achieve it or not.”

After spouting such absurdities, the farewell party came to an end.

Evening had fallen.

“You’ve been busy lately.”

Deputy Lee Beom-seok, who had come to pick me up from the new headquarters in Santa Clara, which was a 15-minute drive away, said.

“We’ve been racing since the completion ceremony. Now it’s all done.”

There had been a completion ceremony not long ago. Even my grandfather, Chairman Hyun, had attended. He had called my name without hesitation at that event.

I had also finished all three courses of the winter session at Stanford.

Now, I had wrapped up everything I needed to do in the U.S.

Only a trip to Korea remained.

As I was thinking this,

“Oh, young master, have you heard any news from Korea?”

Deputy Lee suddenly struck up a conversation.

“What news from Korea?”

“The news that’s being sensationalized in all the newspapers. Korea is in chaos, absolute chaos. Haven’t you heard?”

Sensationalized? Is there a war or something?

“Well, if Korea were really in that much chaos, it would have made it to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and LA Times. But from what I can see, there’s nothing that qualifies as sensational news.”

At my words, Deputy Lee was momentarily at a loss for words.

“I’m talking about Korean newspapers.”

“Oh.”

A vague memory flickered.

It was just that it didn’t come to mind quickly since it was unrelated to me.

The content was as follows:

A couple, Jeong Hyun-ja and Lee Hwi-cheol, had posed as wealthy individuals, extorting promissory notes from companies and selling them to banks at a discount, inflating the principal amount from over 10 billion won to a staggering 600 billion won.

The only thing I felt while watching was this:

“It’s not something to say to the victims, but if I fell for such a scam, I could achieve my goals right away.”

It was a sudden thought.

“Aren’t they something else?”

Deputy Lee was getting heated.

“Not 6 billion, not 60 billion, but a staggering 600 billion. 600 billion! Last year, our country’s GDP was 60 trillion. That’s a full 1% of the GDP. In a bad sense, they are truly monstrous.”

“I see.”

“Nowadays, with low interest rates and falling oil prices, many are mobilizing all available liquidity, both real and imagined, to inflate their companies, and it seems they’ve taken advantage of that gap. Among our Seonghyeon affiliates, there shouldn’t be anyone who falls for this kind of thing. If I overstepped, I apologize.”

Meanwhile, in the president’s office of Seonghyeon Department Store,

‘What the…’

Suddenly, the newspaper issued an extra edition. The TV was relentlessly broadcasting breaking news.

The content was singular.

[ Jeong Hyeon-ja, Lee Hwi-cheol 600 billion won check fraud! ]

[ Approaching companies in need of liquidity, issuing checks after borrowing, inflating 19 billion won in cash to 600 billion. … Government budget for a year reduced to a tenth, shocking! ]

It was a name I recognized.

A chill ran down my spine. I had nearly faced a disaster.

She quickly crumpled the note she had tucked away in her drawer and tossed it into the trash as if it were a bug.

She picked up the phone.

“Connect me!”

– Uh, where are you referring to?

“Seonghyeon Mulsan president’s office!”

The ringing tone was long.

– Who is it?

“Oppa! Are you crazy!!?? Why the hell are you trying to tie me to that fraudster! If you had called, it could have been a huge mess!”

Hyun Hee-jae’s voice, shouting at the top of her lungs, filled the office.

– …

“Wait, oppa, could it be?”

– I just entrusted some pocket money! I didn’t touch the company funds! I swear!

Her head throbbed.

“Is everything gone?”

– …

There was silence for a while.

*

In the vice president’s office of Seonghyeon headquarters,

“These days, with all the scams and scandals, how’s the atmosphere in the group?”

At the question from Hyun Deok-jae, the eldest son of Chairman Hyun Byeong-geon, only Chief Secretary Jo Hyung-man responded.

“It seems there are none among the affiliates.”

“Still, just in case, keep a close eye so that discipline doesn’t slacken.”

“I’m truly sorry that such a thing has happened.”

Hyun Deok-jae waved his hand dismissively.

“Why should that be your fault, Secretary Jo? Don’t say such things. Let’s talk about something else.”

Before he could even speak, Secretary Jo instinctively sensed that the topic was about the youngest son, Hyun Sang-yoon.

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other during the break, and aside from the brief greetings when passing by, we still haven’t had a chance to meet. That kid, really.”

His words were filled with concern, yet his tone was one of pride.

“The Chairman is very fond of the young master.”

“It seems so.”

That much was true.

The love of a grandfather for his grandchild had already overflowed beyond measure.

He treated him as if he were the heir apparent, attending to every little detail.

It was a grateful feeling.

However, at the same time, there was a genuine worry that the expectations might weigh heavily on his son, causing him to crumble under the pressure.

Is there nothing I can do to help?

When it came to management, he was confident.

He had spent years rolling up his sleeves and getting his hands dirty in various affiliates—be it trading, construction, or electronics—under Chairman Hyun.

He could teach him anything.

If it were that kind of thing.

But,

His son’s path was entirely different.

He reached into cutting-edge industries, from semiconductors to the internet, achieving results despite not knowing much about them. Just when it seemed he was done, he ventured into the film industry and food franchises, excelling even in the B2C sector.

It was not merely a matter of following management.

It was on a different level.

‘Son, I believe in you.’

Hyun Deok-jae thought that was all he could say.

In that moment, Secretary Jo made an unexpected suggestion.

“From my perspective, at least in terms of work, I believe there’s no need for you to worry about the young master, Vice Chairman.”

“That sounds like you’re implying there’s something else.”

“Yes, there is one thing.”

“Go on.”

“It’s his health.”

It was an unexpected remark. He continued to explain.

“I’ve heard from the group’s secretariat that the young master wakes up at 4 AM every day without fail to study and exercise.”

“And what of it?”

“Since the secretariat is already taking care of his studies, I thought it might be good for you to take care of the rest.”

“How?”

“When you return this time, how about hiring a specialized coach in the sport the young master enjoys?”

Director Jo was indeed a meticulous person.

“That’s a good idea, Director Jo.”

“Thank you for saying that, Vice Chairman.”

Hyun Deok-jae gave his instructions.

“Well then, it may be a hassle, but I’d like you to handle that part, Director Jo. I’ll be returning to Korea soon, so you can prepare accordingly.”

“Leave it to me. I will prepare without any shortcomings.”

At this moment,

Hyun Deok-jae felt a long-lost sense of pride, realizing he could finally do something as a father.

*

Seoul,

It was the very next day after arriving.

“You’re the coach?”

As I descended to the underground swimming pool for my morning routine after a long time, a muscular stranger was waiting for me.

He was dressed in what looked like a competitive swimsuit.

“I should have introduced myself first, and I apologize for that.”

Introducing himself as Ahn Chil-seong, a former national representative and swimmer, he bowed his head at a 90-degree angle.

‘A former national representative?’

I received a brief introduction.

He said he came to this position through the Vice Chairman’s secretariat.

From noble mtl dot com

And it was about wanting to properly improve my swimming technique, which might have been poorly formed until now, as my dedicated coach moving forward.

Hearing that, it sounded plausible. I felt grateful.

‘My father has been paying attention.’

Coach Ahn said.

“Let’s start with some warm-up exercises.”

“Sure.”

A moment later,

“I’ve heard that you’ve already mastered the strokes to some extent. I’ll just check for any bad habits first. Let’s see how you do with 100 meters. You can start with my whistle.”

I did as instructed.

However,

‘······!’

When I surfaced again, I saw Coach Ahn’s face had gone pale.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked.

“······Oh, it’s nothing. It seems the stopwatch might be broken.”

“That can happen. There are plenty of new ones in the equipment room. Just grab one. Or you can use my timer.”

I briefly explained how to use it.

“I won’t make a mistake this time. Just one more time, please.”

“Since I usually do 3,000 meters anyway, that’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

I touched the opposite side and returned.

[0:00:59:99]

It was a close call. I came in under a minute.

“Y-young master!”

Coach Ahn couldn’t hide his astonishment.

“What is it?”

“W-were you always this fast?”

“Is it fast?”

I asked, genuinely unsure.

“The bronze medal record for the 100-meter freestyle at the last Asian Games was 55 seconds. At 59 seconds… To be honest, it wouldn’t be strange for you to compete as a national representative. No, how could you…”

“Oh, come on, it can’t be that much!”

“Really.”

“Don’t joke around.”

“I’m not joking. With skills like this, you could make it in the world.”

The flattery was excessive.

More than that,

“It seems there’s been some misunderstanding, so let me take this off for a moment.”

I removed my weight belt. I had been feeling heavy after taking a break from training, so I had worn it to enhance my performance.

Coach Ahn’s face turned pale upon seeing that. It shifted from white to blue, a complete spectrum of colors.

“Well then, let’s try again. Let’s see how much you can do now.”

I became curious.

Coach Ahn thought to himself.

‘He’s almost close to a bronze medal record.’

He was a young man who hadn’t even undergone proper training yet. With just a bit more training, he could aim for a gold medal at the Asian Games.

It was truly an astonishing talent.

At seven in the morning,

I caught Hyun Sang-yoon, who was about to head up, just in time.

“Sir.”

“Yes, what is it?”

He replied.

“I can’t help but feel a bit regretful, but have you considered training properly? The national team selection trials are next year…”

“The national team selection trials?”

His reaction was not positive.

“Well, I’m not sure if there’s a reason to do that, but let’s think about it. Coach Ahn, I look forward to your guidance moving forward.”

*

Then one day,

– Mr. Hyun!

An international call came in. It was the delightful voice of George Howard.

– Do you know what news I have for you?

“I wouldn’t know until I hear it.”

– Haha, that’s true.

He laughed.

– I mentioned that I have plans to expand into the Midwest, didn’t I? If you find out who I meet while wandering around various cities there, you might be quite surprised. Just so you know, the city I visited is Omaha, Nebraska.

Omaha?