The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Chapter 57. He turned out to be a more interesting friend than I expected.

Once again, that day had come.

It was time to leave the Santa Clara Seong-hyun building, which had grown into a solid base for Seong-hyun in the Americas.

Perhaps that’s why,

From the morning, each floor was particularly busy.

One by one, we exchanged farewells.

“It’s sad to have to send you off… not that it matters, since you’ll surprise us with your appearance again in a few days anyway. I’m not falling for it anymore!”

It was the words of Manager Jo Mi-yeon, who had recently been promoted.

Then,

“Since you’ll be coming back anyway, we don’t need to throw a farewell party, right?”

“I’ll at least see you off to the airport, since we’ve shared so many memories, hoho.”

Similar reactions followed.

Perhaps we had grown close; the original members of Seonghyeon Electronics treated me with ease.

We had been through thick and thin since our days in the preparation team.

It couldn’t be helped.

But the unguarded demeanor that felt so natural to us left the employees of Seonghyeon Construction’s U.S. branch bewildered. It was something unimaginable back in Korea.

‘Is it really okay to treat the vice president’s son like that?’

‘Shh, be quiet. He might hear you.’

I pretended not to hear.

Thus, I made my way through the entire building, visiting the offices of both corporations. The last stop was with the head of the finance department, Oh Hyun-sik.

“Manager Oh.”

As I opened the door and stepped in, he was taken aback.

“Sir, you’ve come?”

“How busy must you be that you don’t even show your face when I come by? That’s a bit disappointing.”

“Haha, it’s not that. What I meant was…”

People can be so reserved.

So, I prepared a small gift.

“About that money you mentioned, Mr. Oh. It seems you’re in need of an investment opportunity, so I’ve prepared something for you. Would you like to hear about it?”

He brightened at my words.

“Really? Is that true?”

I got straight to the point.

It’s a clothing brand company I learned about not long ago.

The name is New Age.

They’ve officially signed a contract to supply baseball caps to the New York Yankees. Our LA Danners are also planning to sign a contract with them soon.

“New Age?”

Mr. Oh asked, his curiosity piqued. Even he, who is quite knowledgeable about the market, seemed to be hearing about it for the first time.

That’s only natural.

Not many people know about it yet.

I only found out a few days ago when I visited the LA Danners headquarters and reviewed the details with Durham.

Still, it was a company that was quite solid both technically and financially.

Some might wonder.

Isn’t it inappropriate to recommend such a company?

That’s not the case.

It’s half right and half wrong.

The reason I’m bringing this company to his attention is to offer some comfort.

In a way, it’s a kind of bait. It should be at this level. I can’t just look out for my own interests by tarnishing their reputation.

It’s also problematic to hand over a company that grows excessively.

Moderation is best.

In other words,

a company that isn’t bad in itself but has limits to its growth, one that stops right there—that’s the kind of company I’m talking about.

New Age was just such a company.

Isn’t it just a hat company at best?

‘Surely, they won’t be signing supply contracts with all 24 MLB teams, or enduring as a steadfast MLB partner for decades to come. Contracts for hats can change within a few years, after all.’

A company that will shine briefly and then fade away,

I calculated that this would be enough to comfort Manager Oh.

“Thank you, thank you. Young master.”

As expected.

“To think you would think of me like this. I didn’t even realize…”

“Please continue to take care of me.”

He shouted with a voice full of emotion.

“Of, of course! I will deliver any information you need at the speed of light, without repeating the mistakes of last time!”

I was relieved.

*

I left America and arrived in Korea. As always, it was a smooth journey.

At least, it was until I reached Gimpo.

It was during the immigration inspection.

“Hyun Sang-yoon?”

The inspector alternated glances between my passport and my face several times. It was something that had never happened before.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“You’ll need to wait a moment. I have some things to verify.”

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“Of course.”

With that, the inspector stepped into the office.

‘What’s going on?’

After a long while, he emerged, not alone. A few men in black suits followed him out.

One of them abruptly spoke to me.

“Hyun Sang-yoon, we need you to come with us. Please follow.”

In that moment, there was no other choice. I had to follow.

“Where are we going?”

“You’ll find out when you get there.”

Suddenly, I thought of my agent.

‘He must have gotten in just fine, right?’

He wasn’t the type to just stand there, staring blankly if something went wrong.

If you can follow, you will.

If there’s no way, I will rush straight to headquarters, report to the higher-ups, and find some way to respond.

He was someone with enough capability to do that.

There was that kind of trust between us.

As my thoughts deepened, the scenery outside the car window changed from Gimpo to Seoul, and from Seoul to the city center.

Before long, I could see the stone wall of Gyeongbokgung Palace.

I understood roughly.

“Are we going to the Blue House?”

There was no answer.

But it didn’t seem like there was much intention to hide it.

Unlike in typical movies, they didn’t cover my eyes or tint the windows black so I couldn’t see outside.

Sure enough,

The car entered the grounds of the Blue House. It stopped in front of the guesthouse.

“Please wait inside. An employee will guide you shortly.”

It was a curt voice.

How long had it been,

‘What are they doing, calling me here and now?’

It was around the time I was starting to feel weary.

The door suddenly swung open. A staff member dressed in a black suit entered, just like before.

“The President will be coming in shortly.”

I received a brief overview of the precautions.

A moment later,

“I’ve wanted to see you. It seems that wish is finally coming true.”

The voice I had often heard on TV, the face I had frequently seen on screen, appeared right in front of me. It was the President.

I stood up.

“You must be Hyun Sang-yoon?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Let’s shake hands.”

The President extended his hand.

“Please, sit down. I’ve been wanting to see you, and I called you because I received a report from the National Intelligence Service about your arrival from the U.S.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard about you from Chairman Hyeon quite often. You played a significant role in the acquisition of the team, didn’t you?”

“It wasn’t such a big role.”

“Haha, no need to be modest. I know everything.”

Then, suddenly, he changed the subject.

“I hear you took the bar exam this time?”

Let me know if you need anything else!

Still, the intelligence of the National Security Agency is quite remarkable. There was nothing they didn’t know. I answered somewhat meekly.

“That’s correct.”

“You’re said to be quite good at studying? What’s your score?”

“The results haven’t come out yet, so I don’t know. I suppose my score won’t reflect my true abilities.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Shall we see just how good those abilities are?

With eyes full of curiosity, he shouted towards the outside.

“Is anyone out there?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Bring the Minister of Administration and the Minister of Justice in immediately.”

“I will take care of it right away.”

It all happened in an instant. With a single word, he summoned the two ministers from their seats. He didn’t even mention the reason for their summons.

It was a chilling command.

Finally,

“Did you call for us, sir?”

The two ministers entered the guesthouse where we were. Their steps were cautious. Their gaze briefly met mine before drifting away.

“I called you because I have a question.”

The President spoke.

“Speak up.”

“This friend here, you all know him, right?”

“Yes, sir. We received word from the secretariat that he is Hyun Sang-yoon from the Seonghyeon Group.”

“Then you must know why I called you.”

The President’s questioning continued.

“How many points does this friend have?”

“100 points. He is the top scorer among all candidates.”

The quick response from the Minister of General Affairs followed.

“What?”

The President’s voice trembled.

“Ha, he’s more interesting than I thought. He manages to juggle work while constantly shuttling between the U.S. and Korea, and still doesn’t neglect his studies?”

Surprise flickered across his usually impassive face.

“Alright. Let’s do this. Hyun Sang-yoon.”

“Speak up.”

“I’ve given the position of Vice Chair of the Asian Games Organizing Committee to Chairman Seonghyeon as a token of my appreciation. But then I realized I haven’t given you anything. I was thinking, since you passed the bar exam, should I at least help you get through the first round?”

‘Can he just decide that on his own?’

Of course, he only thought this inwardly.

“It seems that’s no longer necessary. Ha ha.”

“······.”

“A man must keep his word once he’s made a decision, no matter what. I must give you something, so tell me. What do you need? Is there something you desire?”

What do you want?

That one word brought back forgotten old memories.

It was trauma.

Ever since I misanswered the chairman, I have been living a life detached from the leisurely young master lifestyle.

But,

An opportunity that seemed like it would never come again has arrived once more.

I must speak well.

If I make a mistake twice, it is no longer a mistake. It is a skill.

“Think, Hyun Sang-yoon. You must find a good answer. Hyun Sang-yoon, you can do it.”

I repeated to myself.

It was then.

Suddenly, a memory from 20 years ago surfaced. Of course, it was a story I had heard.

It was an incident at the Jeongsang Group.

The so-called Jeongsang Group Blue House letter incident.

The cause was the heated battle for succession.

Chairman Park Beom-sik, fed up with the fights among his three sons, suddenly put forth his fourth son, Park Do-won, as a candidate.

Enraged, the three brothers wrote a detailed account of their father Park Beom-sik’s wrongdoings and sent it as a letter to the Blue House.

They say the president was furious.

“No matter how much you despise your father, how can a son expose his father’s faults? How can one who commits such filial impiety become the head of a company? I will overlook the corruption, but I cannot forgive the sons. Inform Chairman Park of the situation and let him handle it!”

It’s obvious without saying.

From the first to the third, they were quickly pushed out of the competition.

It was an event that allowed Park Do-won, the current vice-chairman and the next chairman of the Jeong Sang Group, to secure the position of successor despite being the fourth in line.

The implications of this event are clear.

“If I just speak well here, I can return to square one.”

What I desire.

But I need to manage the intensity carefully.

I don’t even know about Seong-hyun’s corruption, but even if it exists, if I were to expose it, I would end up suffering too.

That’s something I would rather avoid.

An idea came to me.

“I do have one wish.”

“What is it? Tell me.”

I took a moment to catch my breath.

“Our country has now achieved economic development that is not embarrassing compared to the world. I believe everyone should be able to travel abroad freely. I want liberalization so that anyone can go.”

There’s only one reason I said this.

I heard that the president extremely dislikes anyone meddling in his policies.

“Liberalization of overseas travel…”

The president’s eyebrows furrowed. This is it.

‘Surely, he will scold my audacity and summon my grandfather to the Blue House. And he will threaten that if someone like me is made the successor, the fate of the group will be in jeopardy, just like what happened with the Jeongsang Group and the Daeguk Group.’

It was at that moment of thought.

Suddenly,

“Ha ha ha.”

The President burst into laughter.

“For the first time, someone has appeared who shares my intentions, amidst all the opposition from the secretariat and the party’s senior members.”

“······.”

“I had a feeling, and it turned out to be true. There was a reason people kept talking about Hyun Sang-yoon. What good is it to have countless advisors? You are the only one who understands my intentions, ha ha ha!”

He had never understood.

The President, who had been laughing alone, wiped away his tears and said,

“Seeing your spirit, speaking your mind without being intimidated even after being called out suddenly, I can see a bright future for Seong-hyun. I find myself envying Chairman Hyun all of a sudden.”

It had turned out the opposite of what I desired.

Just like always.

“Alright, you can go now. I get it.”

In the meantime, the long-awaited decree of the guest had finally been issued.

I stepped out of the guesthouse.

How to get back, I wondered, when a familiar car approached me. It was my car, driven by Deputy Lee Beom-seok.

“Sir!”

“Deputy Lee.”

His face, filled with concern, was more welcome than I could have imagined.

“Please get in quickly.”

I wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

“I don’t know what happened, but I’m just glad you’re okay. You can’t imagine how worried I was.”

But that worry had already come to pass.

The President accepted my proposal.

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Could there be anything bigger than that?

Damn it,

If mistakes repeat, it’s skill; if misfortune recurs, then that’s my fate. It seems my luck has run out here.

*

The next morning,

After a restful sleep the night before, I had perfectly adjusted to the time difference.

At 4 a.m.,

My body, awakened for a long-awaited morning routine, felt no different than before leaving for America.

There was an incident.

“I should have contacted this old man first. What do you expect me to do, worrying like this! Are you trying to make this old man fret so much, you foolish child!”

I received a scolding, not quite a scolding, from Chairman Hyun, my grandfather. It was because of my visit to the Blue House.

Of course, despite the words, his expression was dripping with sweetness.

I shrugged my shoulders.

I went down to the pool for my morning exercise.

“Good morning!”

“Have you arrived, young master?”

Coach Ahn Chil-seong was already there, having prepared everything. We immediately began training.

“Good! Just keep kicking like that!”

“You’ve been resting for a while, but your movements are flawless. Excellent! Just keep moving like that!”

It was after finishing swimming.

“What’s next?”

When I asked,

“I’ve been informed that you don’t have any classes this morning. So, as you mentioned last time, I’ve arranged for a baseball practice partner again. If it’s alright with you, we can head to the practice field right now.”

He replied.

Before I knew it, he was becoming not just my swimming coach, but my dedicated training coach.

It seemed that he was quite pleased with the role he had just changed into.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

As we walked, I asked.

“By the way, who are they?”

“They’re pitcher Seol Dong-yeon and catcher Lee Du-man.”

Seol Dong-yeon? Lee Du-man?

Of course, I knew both of them.

They were stars who could be called the face of Korean professional baseball, which had only been around for a few seasons.

And they were waiting for me.

Why?

What was this about?

Could it be because of the LA Danners?