A Night of Strategic Escape
"Father, this is my business. It’s between me and... my wife. Please, stay out of it."
"You’re really pushing your luck, aren't you? Listen here, you brat—"
He had made up his mind to be firm. He had a sinking feeling that if he kept acting like a pushover, he’d be the one bleeding in the end.
"Seo Jia was in the wrong. I’m starting to wonder if you’re even the same father who used to preach the importance of etiquette. Why are you shielding a woman who screams in the company lobby in broad daylight, insulting employees who are working their fingers to the bone to make Doowon better than it was yesterday?"
The Chairman glared at him, his expression sour. "Hey. You should be taking your daughter-in-law's side, not—"
"This is a company. What 'daughter-in-law' are you talking about? To put it bluntly, how is this any different from a random guest barging into the office, screaming at executives without an appointment, and demanding to be seen immediately?"
The Chairman had no rebuttal. Suhyun was no longer acting like a fresh graduate; he was speaking in cold, hard facts, and the Chairman couldn't argue with the truth. It was all fact, and the Chairman knew it better than anyone. But blood is thicker than water, isn't it?
"..."
"...Therefore, I ask that you express your intent to cancel the personnel transfers and pay cuts you made today in a 'fit of uncontrollable rage.'"
"And I expect you to do so personally, via telephone, to each of the affected employees."
"Once you've done that, I’ll have to check with each of them to see if—"
"Why go that far... I’ll take care of it, so you just—"
"Is this how you 'take care of things'?"
"Ugh, this kid really knows how to get under my skin with his sarcasm..."
"I’m not usually like this. It’s only because you kept badmouthing me at the company that I’ve become this way. Just cancel it!"
He didn't wait for an answer. He strode past the secretary, who was opening the office door, without even glancing at him. After the secretary bowed to the Chairman and slipped out, he caught a glimpse of the Chairman sitting slumped on the floor, clutching his chest. The Chairman looked up at the secretary, then muttered, "Ah... I should have greeted you earlier, but given the situation... I didn't mean to ignore you. My apologies."
"Oh... yes... of course..."
He wouldn't kick me out just for speaking my mind, would he? I’m still his son. His only son. That’s right, I just said what needed to be said. I really did. What did I do wrong? Everything worked out.
With a trembling body, he headed back downstairs. He found it exhausting to force a smile at the people who glanced at him as he entered the office. Inside, his secretary was waiting, having already composed his expression.
"Yes. What is it?"
"Ah... well, aren't you supposed to head home early today?"
No, absolutely not!
"Ah... yes. Well, I suppose that’s how it turned out."
"Regarding the Seonyu New Town development consortium, Seongjeong Construction has requested a meeting with you, sir."
"...? That’s going to be finalized soon..."
"But as you know, sir. If we proceed with the current consortium, construction difficulties are practically guaranteed."
He knew that. It was a massive project involving the construction of 24,000 units in total, along with all the surrounding landscaping and road maintenance. Was that all? They also had to take charge of extending the nearby subway line. All of it had to be finished before the residents moved in. It was the largest development project in history. He remembered accepting all the harsh conditions just to win the bid. He had heard rumors among the working-level staff that they should bring in another construction firm, but he had insisted on pushing forward because he believed it would become his crowning achievement. It would be proof that he had accomplished something quite difficult.
That was why he had spent his own money to bring in the latest construction technology from overseas, while spending his hours before leaving work knocking on the doors of architecture labs at various universities, tracking thesis trends and searching for successful case studies, fueling his ambition to make it a success.
"Hmm... but we were supposed to do that only with us, Seongjeong, and Joongang..."
"They were very earnest in their request. They said they wanted to host you at a high-end venue, and even when I told them you didn't care for that sort of thing, they begged me..."
He didn't enjoy drinking. Occasionally, he’d take a sip out of curiosity when a friend opened an expensive bottle of whiskey, but that was it. The rest of the time was spent just talking. Business entertainment was the same. His father had always told him that playing around with women was bad, and he had learned early on that if he had to go, he should return home as quickly as possible. He hated the state of being drunk and out of his mind. He didn't have the time for that; there was too much work to process and too much to think about. Besides, she hated it, so he had to avoid it even more.
Wait. 'That bitch hates it.'
'What happens if I do what she hates?'
'...Profit?'
She hated it. Even if he did what she hated, there was nothing she could say. I mean, she wouldn't kill me, right? Surely not. And if she tried to lash out, he could just record it and hand it over to his father. Then, divorce would be a breeze. It would be a smooth path to freedom. Plus, he could stay out late. No, wait—he could even stay out overnight. Even though it was his house, he had felt like it was being occupied, and now he had a place to run.
"Let's, let's go. Where is it? What time?"
"Pardon? Sir, that..."
"Let's go. Let's go. We're going. I'm going."
Run away. Run away. Run away. Run away.
That thought bloomed in his mind. Like a flower in full bloom, his head was filled with nothing else. He didn't have to go home. The moment that thought hit him, he felt so happy he could die. Honestly, if he jumped with all his might right now, wouldn't he reach the ceiling of the Chairman's office? He spent a moment lost in such thoughts.
'Don't get too excited. I have to act strategically.'
'If I say I have an appointment this early, that bitch will definitely chase me to the company.'
'She’s the type to beat up the staff just to get to me. Absolutely not.'
The secretary created the schedule and uploaded it to the intranet. While making calls to the company in question, Suhyun had to struggle to hide the corners of his mouth from curling up—he was just too happy. Ah, it was wonderful. He was so happy. He could die.
He was reveling in the thought of escaping her when he saw an incoming call from an unknown number and looked at his secretary. The secretary told him it was the Vice President's number and that he should take it. For a moment, he thought of it as a call from an angel sent by a ray of light to save him. With a satisfied expression, he answered the phone, barely managing to steady his voice.
"Ah. Yes. Hello. This is Han Suhyun."
"Executive Director! I’m so glad to be able to call you! This is Vice President Jo Seonghwan of Seongjeong Construction!"
Judging by his voice, he sounded like he was in his early 40s. Still, he didn't think there was any need to be overly polite when he was in a position to receive such entertainment. He just needed to negotiate appropriately, take the rights if there was anything to coordinate, and then, instead of acting like the answer was already decided, he just had to express his intent to include them in the consortium with a satisfied look.
"I sincerely thank you for making the time. Let’s meet this evening."
"Yes. Let’s do that."
"Should I prepare some materials?"
"Ah... if you could send them via email now, I’ll take a look. I’m curious about which part you’re planning to support specifically. For starters, what we think is necessary is..."
He immediately launched into business talk.
"So, our position is that we want to use TBM for the entire route."
"We have a shield TBM manufacturer we know well. I’ll send you the company’s track record and detailed information via email; they are the number one in the country at recycling used TBMs. It will be effective for cost reduction."
I’m already happy enough with the drinking, and now you’re adding a bonus on top?
"Ah... is that so? To be honest, this was a project we fought hard to win, so we do need to cut costs..."
"Can we have our subsidiary take charge of waste transport and disposal? I think we can do it for 70% of the cost Doowon would have to spend."
"Will you have anything left if you do it like that?"
"...We need to grow, too. The profit isn't huge, but shouldn't we fill out our construction portfolio? We were worried because our ranking in the construction industry had fallen slightly. As you know, the construction industry is in a severe slump these days... For us, this is like rain during a drought."
They continued the business discussion. The middle-aged Vice President in his 40s spoke with a sincere voice, proving that it wasn't just to persuade him, but a sign of genuine desperation. In contrast, Suhyun couldn't help but feel a sense of affection for a Vice President who was bringing such good things to the company just to get him to accept them—all while he didn't even have to go home.
There was no need to continue the negotiations in a dry, monotonous tone. The other party was already saying, 'Here’s my hand, can you work with this?' and there was no way he would say no.
"I’ll send a car at 7 o'clock. I’ll escort you personally."
"Ah~ Thank you. I’ll bring some documents to discuss as well."
"Yes. Executive Director, thank you so much. We won't let you down."
That’s right. You won't let me down. This is exactly what I wanted.