Chapter 49
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Forget the Pecking Order
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[Scene 49. Cold Water, My Foot.]
Scene 49
Cold Water, My Foot.
Lee Jae-eun checked the number on her smartphone, her expression showing she was debating whether to answer.
Lee Jae-eun tapped Manager Jeong Dae-su on the shoulder.
“Yes, Executive Director.”
Lee Jae-eun showed Jeong Dae-su the number displayed on her phone.
[Gwak Jung-gu, Chief of Staff]
Jeong Dae-su checked the caller ID and the name, his face asking, *Why is the Chief of Staff from headquarters calling?*
“Should I answer?”
Lee Jae-eun looked at Jeong Dae-su, as if asking what she should do.
“I doubt they're calling because they know about the situation here. If that were the case, they would have contacted me, not you, Executive Director.”
At Jeong Dae-su's words, Lee Jae-eun's expression eased with some relief.
“You think so?”
“Yes. You should probably take it. It could be about the business in France.”
Lee Jae-eun nodded and pressed the answer button.
“Yes, this is Lee Jae-eun... Dad?”
The moment the word “Dad” escaped Lee Jae-eun's lips, Manager Jeong Dae-su flinched.
Lee Jae-eun listened for a while without a word, then handed the smartphone to Jeong Dae-su.
*What? Me?*
Jeong Dae-su looked at Lee Jae-eun, his expression questioning why she was handing him the phone.
“He says he knows everything about the situation here.”
“What? No. How could he...”
“Just take it.”
Lee Jae-eun held out the smartphone again.
Taking the phone, Jeong Dae-su turned his head and cleared his throat with a couple of coughs.
“Yes, Chairman. This is Jeong Dae-su. Yes. Yes. Yes.”
With a tense expression, Jeong Dae-su repeated “yes” for a while. Then he switched the voice call to a video call.
Lee Jae-eun, who had been quietly observing from the side, now looked horrified. *Why would you switch to a video call?!*
*It was the Chairman's order.*
*I'm... screwed...*
Lee Jae-eun squeezed her eyes shut as if giving up, and Chairman Lee Won-cheol's voice came from the smartphone.
-I didn't ask you to switch to video to see your face.
“Ah, I'm... I'm sorry.”
Jeong Dae-su quickly turned the smartphone toward the gym.
-Report. Don't leave anything out.
To an HS Group employee, Chairman Lee Won-cheol was a titan.
Even though he was in charge of the secretarial office at HS Energy, in front of Lee Won-cheol, he was just one of tens of thousands of employees. An opportunity to speak with him directly like this came maybe once a year, if that.
When such a figure gave an order in a suppressed voice, as if holding something back, Jeong Dae-su's mouth went dry.
He would have been nervous taking a call under good circumstances, but a private audience in this chaotic situation? The world spun.
“Ch... Chairman. Well, you see. What happened was...”
While Jeong Dae-su, drenched in a cold sweat, reported the events one by one, Lee Jae-yoon loosened his tie and began to stretch.
He had started to warm up before the confrontation.
“President Lee. Don't give him any distance. Keep him in check with jabs...”
Park Gyu-hyeon started giving advice based on his own experience of seeing nothing but air in the blink of an eye.
“Don't hold back on the low kicks. The strategy is to tie up his lower body...”
While listening to Park Gyu-hyeon's advice, Lee Jae-yoon never took his eyes off Han Mi-ra on the other side.
*Why is she acting so friendly with that guy!*
Seeing Han Mi-ra sticking close to Kang Man-dong, her eyes full of worry, made Lee Jae-yoon's stomach churn. Wasn't this the same Han Mi-ra who had only ever given him cold, indifferent stares?
*If she had just spared my pride a little, I wouldn't have gone this far!*
Lee Jae-yoon gritted his teeth.
“He might be good at grappling, but he won't be used to takedowns. If you get a chance, take him to the ground and go for a submission...”
“Ground and pound.”
“Pardon?”
“Forget submissions. I'll end it with ground and pound.”
“If you can get a solid mount, that's not a bad idea either. Byeong-seok, you're a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, right?”
“Yes. I'll explain the ground game.”
While the two men were busy acting as Lee Jae-yoon's corner, Kang Man-dong simply stood still, controlling his breathing.
“Aren't you going to warm up?”
Yu-hyeon, who had naturally become his father's corner, spoke as if asking why he was just spacing out.
“I'm meditating.”
“In this situation?”
“And coming up with a plan at the same time.”
When the word “plan” came out of Kang Man-dong's mouth, Yu-hyeon shook his head.
“A plan... really? Why don't you just take it easy?”
“I have to hit him at least seventeen times. I heard Ms. Mi-ra was harassed for seventeen years.”
Han Mi-ra, who had been listening quietly nearby, shook her head with a startled expression.
“No, President Kang. Please don't. What if you get hurt...? Can't you just stop now?”
“Ms. Mi-ra.”
“Yes, President Kang.”
“Do you really think Lee Jae-yoon will feel any remorse just because he signs a piece of paper and coughs up some money?”
“.....”
“He'll probably find more insidious ways to torment you. Different from before.”
“.....”
“They say you can't change a person, but trust me this once. I'll reshape him if I have to. I didn't set this up just to vent some anger and throw a few punches. You don't have to worry.”
Yu-hyeon took Han Mi-ra aside.
“Aunt Jeong-suk. I need to talk to Aunt Mi-ra alone for a moment.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Yeon Jeong-suk looked slightly disappointed but readily stepped away.
“Yu-hyeon. If President Kang gets hurt... I won't be able to show my face. Please, try to stop him.”
Unable to stop Kang Man-dong, Han Mi-ra tried to persuade Yu-hyeon instead.
“Auntie. Have you already forgotten?”
“Huh? Forgotten what?”
“I told you to trust him.”
“I do. Of course, I do. After what President Kang showed me earlier, I already...”
“Auntie. You don't know how my father built his current farm, do you?”
“......?”
Han Mi-ra tilted her head, as if asking what he meant.
“He either makes them his ally, or he crushes them so thoroughly they never dare to challenge him again and are forced to leave.”
Yu-hyeon continued.
“My father said it himself. If he lets this go, Lee Jae-yoon might just find more insidious ways to torment you.”
“That's...”
“That's why he's trying to finish this decisively.”
“He's not the kind of person who'll listen just because you beat him up.”
“Hahaha. Of course. I think so too.”
Hearing that Yu-hyeon agreed, Han Mi-ra looked even more confused.
“Just as you've struggled for many years, Auntie, Lee Jae-yoon has become just as twisted and warped over that time. President Lee Jae-yoon. He's the type who finds it quite difficult to express his emotions and maintain relationships. To put it nicely, he's shy. But on the flip side, he's the sullen, resentful type. That's how I see him.”
Mi-ra looked quite surprised by Yu-hyeon's assessment of President Lee Jae-yoon.
“You can see all that at a glance?”
“It's easier to trace the past than to predict the future. I think you already knew that much, Aunt Mi-ra. Isn't that why you couldn't be completely cold to him, even when you were angry? Hmm. It doesn't seem like it was maternal affection or anything like that. Pity? Something along those lines, perhaps.”
“.....”
“Well, whatever the case. What might have started as a simple plea for attention has now become twisted, as if tormenting you is the sole purpose. He needs to be disciplined for what he's done wrong and resolve what needs resolving. That's how this has to end. No matter how you justify it, he clearly crossed a line, and by a lot.”
“.....”
“This all started because of my own selfishness, didn't it? You coming here, getting caught up in this... When a man starts something, he needs to know how to finish it and take responsibility. So, just lock away your worries and get ready to receive a sincere apology from President Lee Jae-yoon.”
Yu-hyeon had another method prepared, one that didn't involve his father's way, but he didn't mention it. If he went that far, it would likely create more unease than gratitude.
Mi-ra looked even more surprised than when she had found out Yu-hyeon was a drama writer.
It wasn't just the kind of insight you'd expect from someone in their twenties; his ability to articulate it was extraordinary.
Listening to Yu-hyeon made it feel as though everything would truly unfold just as he said.
“Like father, like son, I guess.”
“Pardon?”
“President Kang is like that, and so are you... you have a talent for surprising people and making their hearts flutter.”
“Of course. Whose son do you think I am? So please, take a serious look at my father. That's all I ask.”
Yu-hyeon shot her a wink and returned to Kang Man-dong. Han Mi-ra, watching him go, nodded and muttered to herself.
“Even if you hadn't said that... I'm already serious.”
Yeon Jeong-suk, who had stepped aside for a moment, came closer.
Seeing Han Mi-ra's eyes sparkle as she watched Kang Man-dong and Yu-hyeon, Yeon Jeong-suk's brow furrowed.
“Mi-ra. You know there's a pecking order, right?”
Han Mi-ra let out a small laugh at Yeon Jeong-suk's words.
“Pecking order? Please. We've been lukewarm water for quite a while now. When you're in your forties, is it really the time to be arguing about who comes first?”
“Oh, will you look at her.”
Yeon Jeong-suk's jaw dropped, dumbfounded by Han Mi-ra's bold response.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“You know how ridiculous we look, right? The two of us going at it like this? President Kang couldn't care less.”
“.....”
“If you're really interested, you should be putting your energy over there, not towards me.”
“And the one who loses out?”
“Wishes the other happiness.”
The two women looked at each other and chuckled. Han Mi-ra turned her gaze toward Kang Man-dong and added one more thing.
“Or maybe we're both just wasting our time.”
“Hmm. I'm not a fan of that outcome.”
When Yu-hyeon returned, Kang Man-dong glanced over at Han Mi-ra and asked, “She's okay, right?”
“Yes. I explained everything.”
“Good. Well done. I'll take it from here.”
“Father.”
“Hm?”
“Take it easy on him. Be gentle.”
Kang Man-dong let out a villainous “hehe” laugh and started walking toward Lee Jae-yoon.
As Kang Man-dong approached, Lee Jae-yoon put on his gloves and started pounding the heavy bag.
One-two, one-two, one-two, upper!
Lee Jae-yoon's punches made the heavy bag thud loudly as it danced around.
“Getting ready?”
“You should be getting ready to lie on the mat. I'm going to make you regret ever suggesting this.”
Kang Man-dong chuckled and looked at Park Gyu-hyeon and Kim Byeong-seok.
“Seems like you two are working hard, giving advice and making plans.”
The two men shut their mouths tightly at Kang Man-dong's words.
Kang Man-dong casually put on his gloves and stood next to Lee Jae-yoon. He rolled his shoulders lightly and spoke.
“You know, I'm a fan of Tyson.”
Lee Jae-yoon's face showed a clear “So what? What's your point?”
“He's the one who said it.”
“....?”
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
“What?”
Just as an irritated Lee Jae-yoon was about to retort, Kang Man-dong used dazzling footwork to dart toward the heavy bag.
Reaching the bag as fast as an arrow, Kang Man-dong coiled his torso like a whirlwind and unleashed a punch.
BWAAAAAM!
Struck by Kang Man-dong's fist, the heavy bag flew into the air with a shocking impact sound, as if it were about to burst.
Clank, clank!
As the steel chains fixed to the ceiling scraped loudly and the bag came back down, Kang Man-dong spun as if he'd been waiting and sent it flying back up with another strike.
BWAAAM! BAAANG!
Battered by the consecutive blows, the heavy bag screamed as it was launched back into the air. And just as it started to fall again, Kang Man-dong's roundhouse kick slammed into its side.
WHAP! CRACK!
Clank. Clank. Swoosh. Swoosh.
Struck by the roundhouse kick, the heavy bag swung back and forth like a pendulum, and Lee Jae-yoon's pupils shook wildly in time with its movement.
Kang Man-dong shook his shoulders as if he'd just had a light warm-up, then grinned at Lee Jae-yoon.
“No more, no less. Let's just go for seventeen hits.”
Lee Jae-yoon, his face pale, took a step back and glared at Park Gyu-hyeon, who had been spouting all that detailed advice.
“Fuck... what part of that is judo? He's just a damn raging bull.”
Seventeen hits of that? Could he even survive all seventeen?
"Did you suddenly go mute? Say something!"
*Can I really win by throwing jabs and checking him with low kicks?!*
“Uhm, well, that is... uh...”
Park Gyu-hyeon just kept making the same stammering sounds, blinking stupidly.
He had planned his strategy assuming a judo base, but out of nowhere, a hard-puncher had appeared. And not a slow, tank-like style, but one that floated like a butterfly and fired rocket launchers.
A hybrid mix of Ali and Tyson.