Living Higher Than Anyone Else
Lee Jinmyeong had delivered a sort of director appointment letter. To be precise, it was a little different. More like a director appointment, perhaps. But the moment Shin Jaewoo became a director, he could immediately rise to chairman as well.
Shin Jaewoo looked at Lee Jinmyeong and asked, “Do I…… have to go to America?”
Thinking back, he'd asked something similar back then too. As if recalling that moment, Lee Jinmyeong smiled faintly. Then he shook his head.
“No, sir. That's not necessary.”
He wasn't giving a straight answer. But the value of this foundation—it might even surpass the 7 trillion won Shin Jaewoo had inherited.
'Does becoming the chairman of something like that get handled this casually?'
Come to think of it, the inheritance itself hadn't made sense either. Just one phone call, and everything was done.
'They didn't even ask for my account number.'
At least the money had deposited properly. But after that single call and 13 months of silence, the funds just appearing? It was absurd no matter how he thought about it.
And this time was similar. The only difference was that Lee Jinmyeong had come in person to deliver the documents.
“Really…… I don't have to go to America?”
“Yes, sir. No need.”
That wasn't all. Lee Jinmyeong shared something even more astonishing.
“Additionally, you can set up a separate office for yourself as chairman, and hire a secretary for the foundation chairman's office— all that's possible.”
Incredible perks. But all within legal bounds, of course. Though using the foundation chairman's office for other business was technically prohibited.
“In practice, though, there's no way to check what work you do inside.”
In other words, he could use it as a purely private office.
On top of that, Lee Jinmyeong added something even bigger.
“And……”
There was more.
“Per the previous chairman's—er, the gentleman's—instructions, the foundation has already secured an office in Korea. Officially for preliminary surveys on Korean business ventures.”
It was a development Shin Jaewoo hadn't anticipated. Smiling at his surprised expression, Lee Jinmyeong said,
“You'll probably be even more shocked when you see the office itself.”
How grand could it be for him to phrase it that way? As Shin Jaewoo pondered, Lee Jinmyeong's answer was simple.
“The gentleman…… hoped you would live in a place higher than anyone else.”
He should have realized what that meant right then. But he didn't. He was too stunned and flustered—and he had something he wanted to say first.
“Um…… you said I can hire a secretary in the foundation chairman's name, right?”
Lee Jinmyeong nodded at the question.
“Of course. For reference…… I served as the gentleman's chief secretary until now. I still hold that position for the foundation chairman's office.”
Listening to him, it all made sense. The man seemed deeply connected to his grandfather in many ways.
'He fits the chief secretary image perfectly.'
He just hadn't known it was specifically for the chairman's office. Shin Jaewoo hadn't even known about the foundation itself back then.
“Now that the chairman has changed, you can naturally hire a new chief secretary as you wish.”
“Huh?”
But this, he hadn't expected. When Lee Jinmyeong referred to his grandfather's legacy as 'people,' this was exactly what he'd pictured.
Lee Jinmyeong smiled.
“That said, please give me some time for the handover.”
That was his line—the one Shin Jaewoo wanted to say. Suddenly thrust into the role of foundation chairman?
'How am I supposed to handle that?'
He obviously needed someone who knew the foundation inside out. That thought brought fresh worries.
“Do you think…… I can handle the foundation's work?”
So what exactly did this foundation do? Lee Jinmyeong's answer was straightforward and simple.
“Receive reports and make decisions. As a private foundation, you must conduct a certain amount of public welfare activities each year, but that's the gist.”
Something came to mind at those words.
“Public welfare activities?”
He'd thought of something similar himself. Kids growing up as orphans—he'd wanted to help them. He'd just pivoted to helping family first.
'Businesses for the elderly are important too.'
It was directly tied to his maternal grandmother. She was still hale and hearty, thankfully, but living alone in Daejeon, she weighed on his mind in many ways.
More surprising still.
“I didn't know Grandpa did public welfare work……”
“The gentleman…… certainly did not engage in public welfare.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, this might be premature to mention.”
He glanced around. They were in a public café. Seeing his wry smile, Shin Jaewoo asked,
“Then…… was it political lobbying or something?”
He'd heard somewhere that such activities were legal in the US. But Lee Jinmyeong shook his head with a wry smile.
“For individuals or for-profits, maybe. But for a private foundation like this, political lobbying is illegal.”
A new fact learned.
'Then why did Grandpa run the foundation?'
One obvious route came to mind first.
“Tax savings, then?”
The biggest reason for donations. Lee Jinmyeong nodded.
“Correct.”
Positive this time. But his eyes said more.
“……There's more, right? Something not easy to discuss here.”
Lee Jinmyeong nodded at the question.
“I can't deny it.”
A reason hard to voice here. In simple terms, not within legal bounds.
'What the hell did Grandpa do through the foundation?'
Shin Jaewoo was flustered. Then Lee Jinmyeong smiled.
“I've already given you the answer.”
Thinking back over his words, he latched onto one.
'Right. He said "people."'
Shin Jaewoo furrowed his brow, piecing it together. He had a rough idea now.
“Did he…… acquire people through the foundation?”
It was called public welfare. So people must have received help from his grandfather. And those people would then……
“I see what you're thinking. But it's…… not entirely accurate. Half right, let's say. Still, good intuition.”
Good intuition. Meaning 'people' was on target.
'What exactly did Grandpa do with the foundation?'
As Shin Jaewoo pondered, Lee Jinmyeong added,
“……Come to the office the foundation prepared, and I'll explain everything there. Including details on the assets you inherited.”
Shin Jaewoo paused at that.
“……Is there more besides the foundation?”
The 7 trillion won. Control of the foundation. But from Lee Jinmyeong's words, that wasn't all.
Lee Jinmyeong met his gaze and smiled.
“Yes.”
Short, but definitive.
'Holy shit.'
To his shock, Lee Jinmyeong continued,
“For reference, the foundation's assets are roughly 12 trillion won. Going forward, at least 5% must be spent annually on public welfare.”
12 trillion? Was that even possible? As he reeled, Lee Jinmyeong explained,
“Rather than pay taxes, the gentleman transferred his assets to the foundation one by one.”
An unimaginably vast sum. That explained it. As he spoke, Lee Jinmyeong's eyes turned icy.
“……Which is why fools who don't know their place started getting greedy.”
His tone was colder than ever. Even knowing it wasn't aimed at him, Shin Jaewoo felt a chill down his spine.
'This must be…… the chief secretary's true face.'
Swallowing hard, he said,
“Can I…… call you Chief Secretary from now on?”
He'd already declared himself the foundation chairman's chief secretary. Lee Jinmyeong smiled.
“Of course.”
“Looking forward to working with you. Hopefully for a long time……”
“Haha. If my employer keeps me on, I'd be delighted.”
But the conversation kept veering off. Curiosity burned, but Shin Jaewoo pushed it aside. He pretended not to hear what he wanted to ignore.
“Actually……”
He voiced what was on his mind. He wanted to hire help first. Even a housekeeper for home duties. Lee Jinmyeong looked regretful as he listened.
“You've…… already secured a house?”
“Huh? Yeah……”
His expression shifted oddly as he answered. Lee Jinmyeong sounded almost disappointed. Then he nodded in acceptance.
“Well, owning one more place isn't bad.”
Those words jogged a recent memory.
—The gentleman…… hoped you would live in a place higher than anyone else.
Higher than anyone. He hadn't heard the details yet. But the thought flashed through his mind.
'No way……'
In the world, 'no way' always turned into 'of course.'
“When this building was completed, the gentleman said it felt like the highest place in Korea.”
This was it. No house could be pricier, but none higher either.
Shin Jaewoo swallowed hard.
“No way……”
“Yes, sir. This is the chairman's residence office secured by the foundation.”
His pupils shook.
'Is that even allowed?'
A symbol of wealth in Korea's residential scene. Seoul's tallest landmark.
He was standing in front of Jamsil's L Tower.