Strife Must Continue for It to Have Meaning
Lee Gyeong-eun had stayed up waiting for Kim Seong-ho.
"Why are you home so late?"
"You still haven't gone to bed?"
Kim Seong-ho warmly embraced Lee Gyeong-eun, who had a shawl draped over her shoulders, and explained the reason for his late return.
"I was discussing how to respond to the election results with Big Brother at the company. That's why I ran a little late."
"With Big Brother?"
Lee Gyeong-eun looked up at him with a faintly surprised expression.
"So you two left early today so you could talk together?"
"Yes."
Kim Seong-ho smiled lightly, kept an arm around her shoulders, and guided her inside.
Lee Gyeong-eun nodded at his words.
"I thought it was strange how early you and Big Brother headed out."
She decided everything that had happened in Pyeongchang-dong must have had its reasons, then looked up at him again.
"If Big Sister finds out about this, she'll be hurt, you know."
"She would."
Kim Seong-ho only smiled quietly at her remark and turned on the television.
Lee Gyeong-eun watched the screen, then asked him,
"The result won't change, will it?"
"It won't."
Kim Seong-ho spoke with absolute certainty and switched off the television. He looked down at her for a moment.
Feeling his silent gaze, Lee Gyeong-eun brushed her palm across her own cheek.
"What is it? Is there something on my face?"
"Gyeong-eun. I'm sorry."
"Sorry? For what?"
She looked up at him with puzzled eyes after the sudden apology. Then understanding seemed to dawn, and she smiled.
"Because you came home so late? It's all right."
She gave his back a gentle push.
"If you're going to work tomorrow, you need every minute of sleep you can get. Go wash up. I'll have the bed ready."
Kim Seong-ho let himself be steered forward, glancing back at her once. The real reason for his apology remained locked inside his mind.
This time, I will not let Gyeong-eun suffer.
With that near-vow, he stepped into the bathroom to wash.
The next morning, as soon as Kim Seong-ho arrived at the office, Jo Byeong-jin approached him.
"We've secured the pregnant woman."
"Where is she now?"
Kim Seong-ho answered in a low voice and headed into his office. Once inside the head of headquarters' room, Jo Byeong-jin carefully shut the door, closed the blinds, and reported everything that had happened overnight.
"For now we've moved her to a hotel downtown."
"Someplace we can control?"
"Yeah. Ilhyeon Hotel has too many eyes—it would have been riskier. So we took a floor at a hotel not far from the company. I told the manager we're company people handling sensitive business and asked him to clear the entire floor. There shouldn't be any trouble."
"Just in case, station our own people at the hotel as well."
"Already done. Our staff are covering the floor she's on and the entrance. Anyone trying to approach her gets blocked."
Kim Seong-ho clapped him on the shoulder.
"Good work."
"Wasn't hard. Just like you said—she was at the inn. The moment I mentioned Ilhyeon Group, she came along without a fuss. Smooth as anything."
Kim Seong-ho perched on the edge of his desk, arms folded.
"Did you talk to her? What does she want?"
"She claims she came so the child can meet its father… but I don't think that's the real reason. It's money."
"Why? What did she say?"
"Without me even asking, she launched into a detailed story about how hard life was for her in America."
Kim Seong-ho's mouth curved upward; he nodded.
"Right. The real reason is money."
He knew exactly what she wanted. In the previous life, the moment she received the sum she had demanded, she had vanished like smoke. He remembered it clearly.
This time I cannot let her disappear.
Back then her disappearance had robbed him of even the chance to clear the false charges. He had watched Lee Gyeong-eun grieve and tried to set the record straight, only for the woman and child to vanish and snatch that chance away forever.
He had no intention of allowing the same thing to happen again.
Strife must continue for it to have meaning.
That was why he needed the pregnant woman under his control. The seed of chaos had now fallen neatly into his hand.
"So what do we do next?"
Kim Seong-ho smiled and laid out the next steps for Jo Byeong-jin.
Kim Seong-ho and Lee Mun-jong stood side by side outside the chairman's office. Still facing the door, Kim Seong-ho spoke in a low voice.
"We've secured her."
Lee Mun-jong needed no explanation of what had been secured.
"Then what do you plan to do next?"
Without pausing for breath, he pressed for the next move.
Kim Seong-ho kept his eyes on the door.
"Her due date is ten days from now. Once the child is born, I intend to arrange a comparison with you, Big Brother."
"Fine. It certainly isn't mine, so do as you like."
Lee Mun-jong spoke with absolute confidence. Kim Seong-ho glanced sideways at him just as the door opened and Hwang Do-beom invited them in.
"Both of you, come in at once."
At the chief of staff's instruction, Lee Mun-jong and Kim Seong-ho entered the chairman's office. Thick cigarette smoke filled the room. They bowed to Lee Tak-hyeon.
Lee Tak-hyeon gestured for them to sit on the sofa and spoke first.
"Just as expected, Kim Dae-sang has summoned the heads of the business community for tomorrow. So—what should we do?"
He demanded a plan before they had even taken their seats, underscoring how critical the meeting would be. Then he turned to Lee Mun-jong.
"Vice Chairman. Have you thought of something?"
"I…"
Lee Mun-jong's mind was already crowded with other matters; he could produce no coherent answer. Lee Tak-hyeon watched him hesitate and looked ready to explode with frustration—until Kim Seong-ho spoke first.
"I spoke with the Vice Chairman yesterday and organized our response."
"Yesterday?"
Lee Tak-hyeon, who had been about to shout, turned toward him instead. Kim Seong-ho answered in a calm, measured tone.
"After the Chairman left yesterday, the Vice Chairman and I went to the company and discussed our countermeasures."
"Is that so?"
Lee Tak-hyeon cast a sidelong glance at Hwang Do-beom, who sat beside Lee Mun-jong, seeking confirmation. Hwang Do-beom gave a small, deliberate nod. Lee Tak-hyeon looked back at Lee Mun-jong with mild surprise.
"Not bad. So you've finally learned what matters and how to act?"
The praise left Lee Mun-jong looking awkward and unsure how to reply. Once again Kim Seong-ho stepped in, drawing the attention to himself.
"Tomorrow's meeting will almost certainly center on restructuring. I expect them to demand that each conglomerate reorganize overlapping investments."
"Reorganize businesses?"
"Yes. Especially industries that require continuous large-scale capital investment."
"What exactly do you mean?"
When Lee Tak-hyeon frowned, Kim Seong-ho handed over a prepared file. Inside, every topic likely to arise the next day had already been neatly summarized. As Lee Tak-hyeon turned the pages, a smile gradually spread across his face.
"You prepared this in advance?"
"These are the points the Vice Chairman and I discussed and organized yesterday."
"You discussed this with the Vice Chairman?"
Lee Tak-hyeon lifted his head and looked at Lee Mun-jong. Lee Mun-jong had no idea what the documents contained—their conversation the previous day had been entirely about the pregnant woman. Yet at Kim Seong-ho's subtle cue he recovered at once and addressed his father.
"We put it together in a hurry, so the content may be thin. Please understand."
Lee Tak-hyeon shook his head.
"No. Simply preparing this much already puts us two or three steps ahead of everyone else."
He closed the file, held it up, and pointed alternately at the two men.
"It's reassuring to have you both. Excellent work. Keep going exactly like this."
"We will not fall short of the Chairman's expectations."
Kim Seong-ho bowed; Lee Mun-jong quickly followed suit.
"Supporting the Chairman is the duty of both myself and Director Kim. We will continue to give our best."
"Good. Well done."
Satisfied, Lee Tak-hyeon dismissed them. They bowed again and left the chairman's office.
Outside, Lee Mun-jong caught Kim Seong-ho's arm and demanded to know what had just been handed over.
"What on earth did you organize that made Father so pleased?"
"A list of the companies it would benefit us to acquire, and the ones we can afford to give up."
"Acquisitions and concessions? You already sorted that out—without consulting me?"
Lee Mun-jong was clearly annoyed that the report had gone straight to Lee Tak-hyeon, bypassing him. He began to deliver a sharp rebuke.
"If you keep going around me like this—"
"Big Brother."
Kim Seong-ho stepped in close and spoke in a low, firm voice.
"Do not forget. That is not what matters right now."
"That is—"
Lee Mun-jong had been about to argue that nothing could be more important than how they handled the president-elect's summons. But for him, at least, one other matter outweighed even that. Kim Seong-ho watched the man's face harden and continued quietly.
"Big Brother. I will handle everything. You simply act as you always do, without a flicker of concern. That is what matters now."
Lee Mun-jong slowly nodded and laid a hand on Kim Seong-ho's shoulder.
"All right. I understand what you mean. I'll leave this matter entirely to you. See it through."
"Trust me."
Kim Seong-ho turned and walked toward his office first. As he went, memories of the previous life rose unbidden.
Yes. Back then I trusted you as well. But the reward for that trust was nothing like what I expected. This time it is my turn to give the answer.
Thinking that the reply to that trust now belonged to him, he continued toward his office.
Jo Byeong-jin led Kim Seong-ho to a hotel-room door.
"This is it?"
"Yeah."
Jo Byeong-jin opened the door. Once Kim Seong-ho stepped inside, he closed it again and stationed himself outside, ensuring no one would enter.
"Who… are you?"
Inside the room a heavily pregnant woman stared at the newcomer with a tense face. Kim Seong-ho carried a chair over to the bed where she sat, set it down directly in front of her, and sat.
"Who are you?"
When she repeated the question, he remained seated and simply pointed a finger at her belly.
"I am that child's uncle by marriage."
"Uncle… by marriage?"
The word made her even more nervous; she studied his face carefully. Then a possibility struck her.
"If you're the uncle, do you mean the youngest aunt's husband?"
"Yes. I remember meeting you at the wedding, but it seems you don't remember me. At the time Jeong Su-yeon was Big Brother's executive secretary, I believe… You truly don't recall my face?"
"Everything was so chaotic back then…"
Rather than being scolded for failing to recognize him, Jeong Su-yeon looked almost apologetic. Kim Seong-ho only smiled silently at her expression, then came straight to the point.
"Given your condition, I'll be brief. Give birth, then leave. Whether to America or Europe, leave and never return to Korea. If you promise that, I will give you as much money as you want."
Jeong Su-yeon jerked her head from side to side in shock.
"What about the child? What happens to the child?"
Kim Seong-ho regarded both her and her swollen belly for a long moment before answering slowly.
"We will raise the child."
"'We'? Who is 'we'? Is the Vice Chairman going to accept the baby? Then please—accept me as well. I can't just leave the child behind and go."
Her voice rose almost to a wail as she pleaded with him. Yet the eyes looking back at her remained ice-cold. Kim Seong-ho knew precisely what kind of person she was and why she had come. To him, her cries were nothing more than a performance.