Even in the Same Family, There's a Rank
“Show your face at the weekend luncheon. No exceptions.” That was the order Chairman Han Taegun had left me with yesterday morning after kicking me out of his study. It meant I had to sit through a meal with the relatives who were constantly looking for any dirt they could dig up on me. This was going to be one hell of a tedious weekend.
I propped my legs on the desk and tapped at my tablet. “Kim Manager.”
“Yes, Director.”
“Brief me on how our dear relatives have been spending their time lately.”
“You mean the paternal side, sir?”
“Yeah. Compile everything—recent photos, whatever shady schemes they’re cooking up behind the scenes—and have it ready in a file.”
“Understood, but… may I ask why you’re suddenly interested in the family’s movements?”
It was a fair question. The original Han Seojun wouldn’t have given a damn about his relatives’ comings and goings. A guy who threw punches first and asked questions never would have ordered background checks instead. From his secretary’s perspective, this had to feel completely out of character.
“What, is it weird that I’m taking an interest?”
“No, sir.”
“Father’s temper seems to be getting worse by the day. I might as well play the obedient son. Knowing who’s got a black heart before the luncheon starts could help me keep my appetite, don’t you think?”
Kim Manager gave a short nod and answered immediately. “I’ll have everything compiled before the end of the workday.”
It was the bare minimum. Honestly, I didn’t want to do any of this, but if I slacked off, I had no idea what Chairman Han Taegun might do to me. My relatives weren’t pushovers either. One wrong move and they could sink their teeth into my neck, leaving me in an even worse position than the original story. So right now, the most important thing was Han Seojun’s blood relatives—every single person in this massive chaebol family who might try to put a knife to my throat. I had to step on them one by one.
Weekend lunch. A parade of obscenely expensive sedans lined up in front of the mansion. It was the regular family luncheon for the Seojin Group. The one day this enormous estate actually felt lively—on the surface, everyone smiled, but underneath they were all calculating how best to stab each other in the back. Thanks to Kim Manager’s files, I had a rough idea of who was who, but a sliver of unease still lingered.
“Oh my, if it isn’t our resident troublemaker director. Finally decided to grace us with your presence.”
A man standing at the living room entrance sneered while holding a wine glass. His suit was immaculate, but the look in his eyes was anything but friendly. Han Doyeong. My cousin. The eldest son of my second uncle, currently playing vice president at some minor subsidiary. One of the hyenas who had been the first to spit on Han Seojun and tear into his shares the moment he took the ruin route.
“Cousin. You’re early.”
“Of course. When the chairman calls, I come running. Unlike you, I don’t have the luxury of smashing heads at parties.”
Even while watching the room, he was determined to get under my skin. What a pointless little shit.
“Father was sharpening his claws. Said he’s handing the Yeouido project over to Director Park. You’re just a hollow title now—how long until you’re kicked out? Still sleeping soundly at night?”
Now I understood. This bastard hadn’t gotten the latest update.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. You just look pathetic.”
With my hands in my pockets, I looked down at him. “Jealous?”
“What?”
“Your eyes are practically sparkling at the thought of me going under. No matter how hard you scramble, you’ll never be more than president of some backwater subsidiary. You know that, right?”
Calling him a subsidiary president was already generous. I wouldn’t even hire him as a junior employee.
“When I finally take the chairman’s seat, you’ll spend the rest of your life crawling beneath me. That’s what blood decides.”
I stepped closer and flicked his cheek. “Think you can handle that attitude later?”
“Y-you crazy bastard…!”
Doyeong clenched his teeth. He probably didn’t dare raise his voice with so many eyes on us. I raised my hand and lightly tapped his cheek again.
“Think carefully before you crawl any higher. You’re going to get yourself fucked.”
Face flushed, Doyeong swatted my hand away and hissed, “Let’s see how long that pathetic confidence of yours lasts.”
Then he spun around and stalked into the living room. Such a cliché. Third-rate villains always spit out the same loser line after getting wrecked by the protagonist, tail between their legs. Normally the protagonist would smirk and watch them go. But I was Han Seojun. A mad dog didn’t give a shit about clichés.
“Hey.”
At my call, Doyeong’s steps halted.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“……”
“I’m not done talking. Stay where you are.”
A heavy silence fell over the living room. Relatives and staff alike froze and turned to stare. Doyeong looked back, visibly rattled.
“You… right now…”
“What did you just say? You threatened the sole heir of Seojin Group?”
I walked up and grabbed him by the collar. “You think you can question how long my confidence will last? That’s straight-up treason, isn’t it?”
“H-have you lost your mind?! Let go! Let go right now!”
Doyeong struggled, but he was no match for my grip. His wine glass hit the floor and shattered, red liquid splashing everywhere.
“Kim Manager. Grab this bastard. If I let him walk today, I’m not human.”
“D-Director, please calm down.”
While the flustered secretary hesitated, I raised my fist. A thunderous voice cut through the room.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
Father approached, leaning on his cane, with the relatives trailing behind him, faces drained of color.
“You crazy bastard—raising your hand even inside the house?!”
He swung his cane at my leg. I twisted away and released Doyeong’s collar. He collapsed onto the floor with a thud.
“Violence again! I warned you to stay quiet like a dead mouse!”
This was unfair. The bastard had come at me first, running his mouth about me getting kicked out of the director’s seat. All I did was make him pay for it. Not that explaining would change anything—Father wasn’t the type to suddenly feel sorry for me.
“Uncle! Seojun suddenly grabbed me by the collar—!”
“Shut up! You’re no better. What kind of scene did you cause?”
“Even dramas get criticized for writing like this, Father.”
“What did you say?”
“You should ask why I grabbed this bastard’s collar. Cutting the story in half and grabbing me first is unfair.”
The old Han Seojun would have started screaming about injustice right here, blabbering pathetic excuses. To break that predictable delinquent pattern, I calmly straightened my tie and met Father’s eyes steadily. If I wanted to shake this old tiger, I had to look completely rational.
“If you’re going to make excuses, shut your mouth.”
“It’s not an excuse. It’s an accusation.”
I nudged the seated Doyeong with the tip of my shoe. “This bastard just said with his own mouth that he’d bring down Seojin Group.”
I kept my voice low and heavy. To press the button on this paranoid old tiger, I needed an endlessly ominous atmosphere.
“I-I never said that! Uncle, he’s lying! I never said anything like that—!”
“You said you’d wait and see how long I lasted. Isn’t that the same as saying you’ll shake the group until my confidence breaks? I gave you one subsidiary and you’re already plotting to stab headquarters in the back.”
Whether the bastard’s eyes were rolling from injustice didn’t matter. What mattered wasn’t the truth—it was the frame of treason.
“This is the group Father built with his own blood and sweat. When a mere cousin dares to plot rebellion, how could I just stand by? He should be grateful I only grabbed his collar.”
The logic was full of holes, but it didn’t matter. The phrase “bring down Seojin Group” was more than enough to stab the reverse scale of the paranoid Chairman Han Taegun.
The chairman’s gaze fell on the sprawled Doyeong. “Doyeong. Did you really say that…?”
Aunt muttered, her face ashen. “No! Uncle! It’s not true! That crazy bastard is spouting nonsense!”
Whether Doyeong defended himself or not, the chairman’s eyes had already gone cold—the indifferent look he wore when discarding a piece that had lost its value.
“You’re ruining my appetite.”
Game over. The ruthless verdict that culls the loser fell.
“Throw Doyeong out right now. Put him in the subsidiary’s audit team and shake him down until there’s not a speck of dust left.”
Well, I’d expected this outcome. A perfectionist paranoid who couldn’t tolerate even a single misaligned cog. There was no way this old tiger would forgive someone who even jokingly implied shaking the group.
“U-Uncle! Uncle!!”
That was the end of it. I looked at the wine stain on the floor and let out a small laugh.
“Kim Manager.”
“Yes, Director.”
“What’s on the menu for lunch? I hope it’s steak.”
The relatives who had been eyeing me for weaknesses moments ago now looked different. Fear that their own necks could be next. The first button was properly fastened. Now came the real game—the luncheon. While we sat at the table passing food, I intended to plant this terror deep in their minds so they would never dare bare their teeth at me again. At the same time, in front of the old tiger, I would play the competent heir who only brought profit. Little by little, I would gnaw away at the chairman’s trust and grow my own power. All so that one day, when he let his guard down, I could personally sever that old, arrogant neck.
Instead of heading to the dining room, Han Taegun turned toward the study at the end of the hallway. The moment the door closed, the noisy breathing of the relatives and Doyeong’s screams as he was dragged away faded like a lie. Han Taegun tapped the floor once with the tip of his cane.
Tap.
“Kang Manager.”
The personal secretary who had followed like a shadow bowed his head. “Yes, Chairman.”
“You saw it.”
“I did.”
“What do you think?”
When Kang Manager’s silence stretched, Han Taegun pressed again. Even his most trusted aide found the earlier commotion unusual.
“I’m asking for your honest opinion.”
“The young master… has changed.”
“Changed, you say.”
Han Taegun gave a low chuckle. “People don’t change overnight. Either he’s scared, or he’s hiding something. One of the two.”
The Han Seojun from moments ago was clearly not the same foolish delinquent as before. The rage was the same, but the way he wielded it was different. Not a dog that bit blindly, but a beast that knew exactly where to sink its teeth to draw blood.
“Throwing Doyeong out wasn’t a coincidence.”
“No, sir.”
“He knew exactly where to scratch to draw blood.”
The murmur carried more curiosity than anger. Had the dog that had always crawled at his feet grown bold enough to bare its fangs?
“Don’t tell me the bastard actually thinks he can bare his teeth at me now.”
Kang Manager carefully spoke up. “He was raised under you, Chairman. It would have been difficult for him to remain a mere puppy forever.”
“So he’s become a tiger cub?”
“Why not test it yourself?”
“How?”
“Throw him a piece of meat. If he’s truly a starving beast, he’ll bare his claws or fangs.”
Tiger. The word lingered in Han Taegun’s mouth. How furious he had been all these years that a tiger had given birth to a puppy.
“And if he really is a tiger cub?”
Kang Manager bowed even deeper. “You’ll have to put a collar on him while he’s still young.”
There was not a shred of hesitation in the answer.
“Right. A collar.”
The luncheon would be the perfect stage to test the thickness of that collar. Han Taegun turned without hesitation toward the dining room.
“Double-check the agenda items for the luncheon.”
“How thoroughly?”
“Everything.”
He intended to drive the bastard to the edge of the cliff and see how much he could handle.
“Whether he swallows it, spits it out, or tries to use it to bite my neck—we’ll find out.”