The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Chapter 55. An Ordinary Friend.

In the meantime,

After months of push and pull negotiations, the acquisition of the LA Dunners was finally completed.

It was a victory for the Durham and Seong-hyeon consortium.

[ Seong-hyeon, Successful Acquisition of the Renowned American Baseball Team ‘LA Dunners’. ······ Approval from Major League Baseball Owners’ Meeting, 20 in favor, 4 against. ]

[ A cornerstone for the development of Korean baseball, but with only a 40% stake, it’s not a full acquisition; some argue it’s exaggerated. ]

Photos of Chairman Hyun Byeong-geon and Ronald Durham shaking hands were featured in every newspaper.

Public opinion was truly ablaze.

“Hahaha!”

He didn’t care what people said.

In the face of an achievement that no other major Korean conglomerate, including Jeongsang and Daewoon, could accomplish, Chairman Hyun was simply filled with joy.

The first in Korea,

No, the first in Asia.

That alone was an unchanging fact, wasn’t it?

He had just attended a luncheon with the president not long ago.

“Chairman Son of Daewoon secured the Olympic hosting rights for you, and now Chairman Hyun of Seong-hyeon has brought you the acquisition of an American professional baseball team. You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”

Of course, it wasn’t for him.

But Chairman Hyun wasn’t foolish enough to voice such words. He merely nodded.

As long as he wasn’t nitpicked for no reason, that was enough.

It’s a relief, just that.

As the government’s oversight diminishes, the scope for maneuvering will widen. In the Blue House, achieving even that much is considered a victory.

But then,

“So, about that…”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

“The position of Chairman of the Asian Games Organizing Committee held by Chairman Son.”

The President unexpectedly brought it up.

“How about our Chairman Hyun taking on the role of Vice Chairman? Shouldn’t he use his influence for the country as well?”

It was a request that couldn’t be refused. By the time the words were spoken, the calculations had already been made.

It wasn’t a bad proposal.

Becoming an official sponsor of the Asian Games could boost the sluggish sales of home appliances.

Perhaps it’s a golden opportunity.

That was a few days ago.

“When you think about it, isn’t all of this happening because Sang-yoon poured the first drop? I thought it was a one-stone, three-bird situation, but it turned out to be one-stone, four-bird.”

Knock, knock,

The sound of a knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

“It’s Director Joo.”

“Ah, Director Joo. Come in.”

As soon as he entered, Chairman Hyun immediately asked.

“What about Sang-yoon? Have you found out?”

Director Joo understood the weight of that question well.

“I’m currently checking the results of the first round of the bar exam for Young Master Sang-yoon with the Ministry of Administration. We should know soon, Chairman.”

“It should be high, right?”

“The grading results haven’t come out yet, but it’s highly likely.”

They both shared the same thought.

It wasn’t that they were worried about low scores.

Rather, they were concerned about high scores.

“Director Joo.”

His voice was low.

“Yes, Chairman.”

“If our Sang-yoon happens to pass the second round, what then? He would have to enter the Judicial Research and Training Institute, wouldn’t he?”

“That’s correct.”

“And what about the company? Wouldn’t he just abandon everything and go in?”

His voice, uncharacteristically, was filled with concern over something that hadn’t even happened yet.

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. Even if Young Master Sang-yoon passes the bar exam, he can defer his entry to the institute as much as he wants. You can simply tell him to defer for as long as you wish, Chairman.”

“Is that so? Then that’s a relief.”

The current chairman mused, his face easing with a sigh of relief. The enemy felt reassured.

“By the way, there’s something I need to mention regarding the Young Master. I heard this from his personal secretary.”

Taking a moment to collect his breath, Director Joo continued.

“After finishing the exam, the Young Master has made plans to study in the United States again. He’s supposed to leave soon.”

It was the same old trip to the U.S. Nothing particularly special.

“He has decided to take advantage of the Stanford summer session system like last year, but this time he’ll be studying law subjects instead of engineering. He’ll be taking courses in international law, U.S. federal law, and state law.”

“Really?”

Director Joo asked back, expecting the chairman to be greatly surprised.

“Are you alright with that?”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I’m sorry, but I thought you would oppose it if he was taking law courses.”

No, that’s not it. He was speaking without understanding.

“You know my feelings well, yet you don’t understand our Sang-yoon’s heart.”

“······.”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

The chairman smiled faintly.

“Sang-yoon is the kind of child who can’t be satisfied unless he studies with his own hands. He must have felt something significant while dealing with the U.S. this time. That’s why he’s studying.”

He added that while he might not care about the Judicial Research and Training Institute, he had no worries about losing Sang-yoon, no matter how much he studied foreign law.

Director Joo nodded.

‘So that’s why.’

It was then that he realized.

The chairman was thinking solely in terms of whether or not he would lose the Young Master.

And,

He had momentarily forgotten that the endless ambition for such talent, whether it be for a child or a grandchild, was the very driving force behind the current Seong-hyeon.

“By the way, Director Joo.”

Chairman Hyun spoke as if he had suddenly remembered something.

“How’s the work going on the agreement with the Durham Group? I mean the construction project they’re commissioning to our Seonghyun.”

“Actually, President Choi Mu-yeol is here waiting regarding that issue.”

“Choi Mu-yeol?”

Chairman Hyun gestured with his eyes. It was a signal to let him in. Director Joo immediately knocked on the door to the office.

“Have President Choi Mu-yeol from Seonghyun Construction come in.”

“Yes!”

Moments later, Choi Mu-yeol entered, bowing at a 90-degree angle.

“Forget everything and come closer.”

Chairman Hyun said.

“How far have we progressed with the Durham Group?”

“We’ve dispatched a preparation team to establish the Seonghyun Construction U.S. branch. I assure you, Chairman, that we will deliver satisfactory results by the end of this year at the latest.”

“What? This year?”

His eyebrows twitched.

“I will complete it before summer ends.”

“Good, then we have three months. Since you said it, make sure to keep your word.”

Everyone present understood what it meant to keep that promise.

“Understood!”

The doting grandfather, Chairman Hyun, had vanished without a trace.

He had returned to being the iron-fisted ruler, the head of Seonghyun, Chairman Hyun Byeong-geon. No one could defy his words.

At that moment,

In the office of the President of Korea University.

“I’m back, President.”

“Have you confirmed it?”

President Cheon Jong-tae of Korea University anxiously watched Dean Oh Seong-gwon as he entered almost in a leap.

“Of course.”

Dean Oh reported the results he had obtained from the Administration Office regarding Hyun Sang-yoon’s first-round scores for the bar exam.

As expected, it was a perfect score.

So, needless to say, he ranked first.

“At this rate, wouldn’t it be possible for him to be the second in his class?”

“Of course, it would.”

President Cheon felt a surge of emotion.

‘Finally, that friend has knocked on the door of our legal world.’

It had been Hyun Sang-yoon, who had been avoiding him for a while.

And not only that,

He had managed to complete an astonishing 57 credits by the end of his first year.

A flicker of unease crept in.

It was clear to anyone that he was aiming for early graduation. He wanted to leave Korea University as soon as possible. It was frightening.

That’s what he had thought.

But it wasn’t so.

Hyun Sang-yoon had taken the bar exam.

What did that mean? At least for now, it meant he had no intention of leaving the legal field.

‘Or perhaps?’

A realization brightened President Cheon’s face.

“Could it be that Hyun Sang-yoon intended this from the very beginning? Wanting to graduate quickly wasn’t about running away, but rather a desire to walk the path of a judge as soon as possible. I didn’t even realize that…”

A wave of emotion washed over him.

His voice trembled.

“President.”

Dean Oh felt the same.

“Are you crying now?”

“Oh, no. That must be the tears flowing from your eyes, President.”

On the airplane,

‘This is strange. I feel like I’m being seriously misunderstood.’

He had dozed off while reading.

Even though he was clearly above the Pacific Ocean, he felt an eerie sensation as if he were back in Korea.

“Are you okay?”

Assistant Lee quickly approached and asked.

“I’m fine. By the way, are you okay, Assistant Lee? You’ve been shuttling between the U.S. and Korea for months now, haven’t you?”

“Oh, I’ve long since adapted.”

He shouted loudly.

“How can you call yourself the ace of Seonghyeon’s secretary office if you can’t even endure this much?”

‘Seeing him bluster like that, it seems there’s still no problem,’ I thought.

I turned my gaze back to the book I was reading.

“What book are you reading?”

In response to Deputy Lee’s question, I countered.

“Why? The exams are over now, aren’t they?”

“That can’t be true. The second exam is still left. That’s the more important one, young master.”

As he was about to say more, Deputy Lee closed his mouth. It seemed he was trying to restrain himself, fearing that he might inadvertently say something rude.

Then he asked,

“Is it American law?”

Unable to let go of his curiosity, Deputy Lee inquired.

I silently showed him the title of the book.

Grundrechte, one of the foundational subjects of German law.

“It’s not American law,” I said.

“I finished all that before taking the first exam. Having completed one of the common law subjects, it’s now time to study continental law, specifically German law.”

Next up is British law. There’s still a long way to go.

*

I arrived in America.

“Then I’ll head to school, so Deputy Lee, please work hard at the company.”

This has become a common occurrence now.

Deputy Lee naturally joined the preparation team for Seonghyeon Construction’s local branch in the Seonghyeon Electronics headquarters building.

It was only right that he participated directly since it was work I had started.

I didn’t stop him.

‘Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me.’

That’s something Deputy Lee has to handle on his own.

Doesn’t he have his own career to think about?

I can’t keep spoon-feeding him forever. He needs to manage well on his own.

After a long time, I drove myself to school.

‘Huh?’

Near Stanford Law School,

I could see the now-familiar Starfox sign standing large. Could it be that they opened a branch here too?

Now that I think about it, during my journey from the airport to Santa Clara, I noticed Starfox in every city I passed.

From noble mtl dot com

When did it grow this big?

In the meantime?

Hiding my bewilderment, I parked the car and went inside.

“Mr. Hyun!”

A familiar voice called out.

“No way, is that you, Howard? What brings you here?”

George Howard, the founder of Starfox, rushed out from behind the counter towards me.

“Every time you come to the States for vacation, you always take classes at Stanford, right? I thought you might do the same this time, so I’ve been staying here to take care of some work. It seems my guess was right. Good to see you.”

He extended his hand.

We sat down and began to talk about everything we hadn’t had the chance to discuss.

The story went like this.

In the meantime, they had opened a few branches in the Midwest and East, but California was now practically under his control.

He shared the good news, saying that sales had noticeably increased, enough to be certain they would turn a profit by the end of this year.

“I’ll send you the details in a report, but I wanted to meet in person to show off a bit.”

He smiled broadly.

‘Good news, huh!’

I shouted inwardly.

It was George Howard, the one I had trusted. Even he was coming out like this.

I had just arrived in America and heard bad news. Unaware of my feelings, he was too busy talking about himself.

“Stephen Jackson, Warren Kane, Ronald Durham—while introducing good friends to Mr. Hyun, I’ve always felt a bit regretful that I wasn’t someone worthy of that circle.”

No,

That was the only thing you were doing well!

It was my true feeling that I could never voice.

His words continued.

“But now, I feel like I’m finally becoming someone who fits with Mr. Hyun, and that makes me very happy.”

He said, filling his face with a proud smile.

He looked really happy.

Soon, two cups of coffee were brought to us. The rich aroma of Arabica beans pierced my nose.

Still, the coffee was good.

‘No wonder it sells well.’

I thought after taking a sip. That day, the deliciousness of the coffee felt particularly resentful.

A little while later,

“Well, please come by often from now on!”

As class time approached, I stepped out of the café. Howard was busy too. He had to head to another location.

My heart ached.

In the end, it turned out this way.

George Howard was also walking the path of Jackson, Kane, and Durham.

That meant he was succeeding.

Perhaps by the end of this year, he would be able to recoup the money he invested. Next year would be certain.

Damn it,

I no longer wanted friends who would squander my money.

I needed ordinary friends.

‘Not someone successful like Jackson or Durham, or someone who will succeed in the future like Howard or Cameron…’

Thinking that, I trudged toward the classroom.

In the classroom,

As I waited for the lecture to start, I suddenly heard a loud crash from the side. It was the sound of someone falling.

“Ouch.”

As I approached, I saw a tall Black young man.

He seemed to have tripped over something, rolling between the desks. Laughter echoed around.

“Be careful where you’re going.”

“Looks like being so tall makes it hard to see your feet, huh?”

I went over and offered my hand.

A moment later,

He sat down next to me.

“Thanks. You saved me from a tough spot.”

“Don’t mention it.”

He smiled broadly, saying it was a common occurrence and nothing to worry about. He had a handsome face.

“More than that, since we’ve met like this, should we introduce ourselves? I’m Hyun Sang-yoon. My first name is Sang-yoon, and my last name is Hyun.”

He recognized it right away.

“You’re Korean.”

“How did you know?”

“That’s common knowledge. For someone like me who dreams of being a politician.”

He laughed as if he had forgotten all about what had just happened and extended his hand.

“I’m Barry Omaba, nice to meet you. Since we’ve met like this, let’s be good friends moving forward.”

Sounds good.

An ordinary friend.

For now, that’s how it seemed.

Still, I needed to confirm. There could be cases where someone appears ordinary like Cameron but then pulls a fast one.

It’s always better to be sure.

I cautiously spoke up.

“Sorry, but can I ask you something first?”

“Of course.”

He smiled. He was the type to laugh easily.

“Do you happen to have tens of millions of dollars in your hands, or do you have a goal to earn tens of millions of dollars in the future? It might sound silly, but it’s an important question for me. So please answer honestly.”

“I have no interest in tens of millions of dollars.”

He said.

“I’m just an ordinary law student who wants to pursue politics in the future.”

An ordinary friend,

Perhaps this time I had found someone genuine.