You Only Need to Prepare What You Know
Jang Eun-ah glared at the seated Lee Tak-hyeon.
“You don’t regret it, do you?”
“Regret?”
Lee Tak-hyeon directed the question at Lee Chang-jong, who stood behind Jang Eun-ah.
“Chang-jong. Are you going to regret this?”
Lee Chang-jong looked at the back of Jang Eun-ah as she stood a step ahead of him and snorted.
“Regret? Don’t tell me you’re talking about divorcing this woman? Not a chance. I’ll never regret it.”
Jang Eun-ah turned her head and glared at Lee Chang-jong.
Lee Chang-jong snorted at her gaze and said,
“Hmph. Honestly, doesn’t it feel awkward that the word ‘couple’ even sits between us? How long have we even spent together since getting married? Let’s just clean this up while we’re at it. It’ll be better for both of us.”
“You… You’re saying that even though you have a daughter?”
“Did you just call her my daughter?”
Lee Chang-jong’s smiling face hardened at the word “daughter.”
He stepped toward Jang Eun-ah until their noses nearly touched and said,
“Do you have any proof that girl is my daughter?”
Jang Eun-ah jabbed a finger at Lee Chang-jong and shouted,
“We did a test and you still don’t believe it?”
“Are you confident that test was legitimate? Fine, let’s settle this then. We’ll do another test. If it comes back that she’s my daughter, I’ll take responsibility and never bring this up again. But if the result says she’s not my daughter… you’d better be prepared.”
Feeling that Lee Tak-hyeon was on his side, Lee Chang-jong piled on everything he’d been holding back and tore into Jang Eun-ah.
Jang Eun-ah’s hands trembled.
Whether from injustice or from being treated this way by Lee Chang-jong, who had never once raised his voice to her before, it was hard to say.
Kim Seong-ho watched Jang Eun-ah in silence with a faint smile, then looked at Lee Sang-jong.
Even if Jang Eun-ah were cast out now, it would not matter much to Kim Seong-ho.
But to create a more interesting situation, it was better for Jang Eun-ah to remain in the Ilhyeon family.
So he needed to help her at this point.
Of course, the help had to come from someone other than Kim Seong-ho.
He was the director of this play, not an actor with a role.
Catching Kim Seong-ho’s gaze, Lee Sang-jong turned to look at him.
Something in Kim Seong-ho’s eyes must have sparked a memory of their recent conversation at his house.
Stand with the weak, he said, right?
Anyone looking could see that the weak one here was Jang Eun-ah.
Her attitude upon arriving at her in-laws’ house had not been pleasant, but no one could deny she was the victim.
A child her husband had fathered outside.
Not only had she been forced to take that child in, but now her husband was pushing for divorce.
Lee Sang-jong gave Kim Seong-ho a slight nod and rose from his seat.
“Chang-jong. You shouldn’t treat your sister-in-law like that.”
Lee Sang-jong stepped between Lee Chang-jong and Jang Eun-ah.
“Sister-in-law. You need to calm down for a moment too.”
“Brother-in-law.”
“Chang-jong is in the wrong, but that doesn’t mean you can speak to Father that way. And Lee Chang-jong.”
After scolding Jang Eun-ah, Lee Sang-jong glared at Lee Chang-jong.
“You little punk. You’re the one who messed up—what’s with that attitude? Apologize to your sister-in-law right now.”
“Hyung.”
“Anyway, bringing a child home from outside was your fault. From your wife’s perspective, that’s already painful enough, and then telling her to raise the kid on top of it? Of course she’s angry. Apologize and promise it won’t happen again. That’s all you can do.”
Lee Sang-jong spoke with a dignified expression, and Lee Chang-jong stared at him as if he could not believe it.
With Father already taking his side, he could not understand why Lee Sang-jong was acting this way.
Unlike Lee Chang-jong, Lee Tak-hyeon watched Lee Sang-jong with interest.
Then he turned to Chu Suk-ja, who had been sitting quietly, and asked,
“Where is the child now?”
At Lee Tak-hyeon’s sudden question about the child’s whereabouts, Chu Suk-ja turned to him and answered,
“She’s being raised by the daughter-in-law of the Masan household right now. They happen to have a newborn of their own. But why are you asking?”
“Then have them keep raising her for the time being. Pay them a generous fee.”
“Don’t worry about the fee. When have I ever been stingy about something like that? But how long do you plan to leave her there?”
Chu Suk-ja spoke while looking at Jang Eun-ah.
They had called Jang Eun-ah here to have her raise the child, yet even though she had come, he was telling the Masan daughter-in-law to keep raising her. It seemed strange to Chu Suk-ja.
Without answering Chu Suk-ja’s question, Lee Tak-hyeon spoke to Jang Eun-ah.
“Go back and think carefully before you decide. If you raise her, you will continue to live under the Ilhyeon family’s protection. If not, you will have to leave Ilhyeon.”
“Chairman!”
“This is my decision. Whether you decide alone or consult with Chairman Jang, do as you see fit.”
Lee Tak-hyeon finished speaking and rose from his seat.
By standing, he made it clear there was nothing more to discuss.
Once Lee Tak-hyeon left, silence filled the living room.
With the decision-maker gone, the remaining actors sat blankly, as if they had forgotten their lines.
Director Kim Seong-ho simply watched them with a smiling face.
“At last, President Kim Seong-ho of our Restructuring Headquarters has officially been appointed as President. This means the position our Restructuring Headquarters holds within the Group is on par with the other affiliates.”
Deputy Head Lee Gyeong-deuk stood on a chair and addressed the headquarters staff in a loud voice.
“Even though we have barely a hundred employees, the work we do is no less than that of affiliates with thousands of staff.”
At Lee Gyeong-deuk’s words, the gathered employees looked up at him with bright eyes.
Lee Gyeong-deuk raised a hand and continued,
“The fact that the Strategic Planning Office could become a headquarters and come under the Chairman’s direct control this quickly is all thanks to President Kim’s outstanding leadership. Remember that. If we continue to support President Kim as we have so far, better days will come for all of us. Understood?”
“Yes! Understood!”
The staff of the Restructuring Headquarters answered in one voice.
No one was unaware that Kim Seong-ho was becoming President.
The new slate of presidents had already been announced at the end of last year; only the formal appointment remained.
But no one thought Kim Seong-ho’s appointment as President had been smooth.
It had been a position he had risen to so quickly and urgently that everyone knew it could collapse at any moment.
Kim Seong-ho had navigated that precarious situation with skill and finally secured the appointment letter.
And Kim Seong-ho’s appointment as President had the effect of elevating the status of the Restructuring Headquarters by another level.
The employees of the Restructuring Headquarters were all delighted that the standing of the unit they belonged to had risen.
“What’s all the noise about?”
Kim Seong-ho entered the headquarters office with Jo Byeong-jin.
Lee Gyeong-deuk bowed toward Kim Seong-ho and led the way.
“Congratulations on your promotion to President, Headquarters Head.”
“Congratulations.”
The headquarters staff followed Deputy Head Lee Gyeong-deuk’s words in unison.
Lee Gyeong-deuk stepped down from the chair, approached Kim Seong-ho, and said,
“We will serve you with all our hearts from now on, President. Sincere congratulations.”
Kim Seong-ho looked around at Lee Gyeong-deuk and the headquarters staff and smiled.
“Thank you. But I trust everyone has finished their work before carrying on like this?”
Kim Seong-ho gestured toward Jo Byeong-jin.
Jo Byeong-jin found Lee Gyeong-deuk’s appointment letter among the ones he was holding and handed it over.
While Lee Gyeong-deuk examined the letter, Kim Seong-ho said,
“I went as representative and received the appointment letters. Deputy Head Lee has been promoted to Vice President… and Deputy Head Mun has also become a Vice President.”
Following Lee Gyeong-deuk, Deputy Head Mun Yong-nam also received his appointment letter from Jo Byeong-jin.
Kim Seong-ho watched the moved Lee Gyeong-deuk and Mun Yong-nam, who was staring at the letter as if it were something marvelous, then turned to the gathered headquarters staff.
“First, I want to thank all of you who congratulated me. But let’s end the celebration here. We have a great deal of work to do.”
Kim Seong-ho gave a slight bow toward the headquarters staff who were celebrating as if it were their own and continued,
“The inauguration ceremony has been canceled. So finish celebrating with this and all of you return to your seats and wrap up the work you were doing.”
“The inauguration ceremony has been canceled?”
Still moved, Lee Gyeong-deuk looked at Kim Seong-ho with startled eyes, appointment letter in hand.
“The appointment came out sooner than expected, but wasn’t the inauguration ceremony still supposed to go ahead as planned?”
“We’ll discuss that inside. Deputy Head Lee and Deputy Head Mun, come with me to my office.”
Kim Seong-ho signaled Jo Byeong-jin with a glance to wrap things up and headed ahead toward the Headquarters Head’s office.
Lee Gyeong-deuk and Mun Yong-nam followed Kim Seong-ho into the office still holding their appointment letters, while Jo Byeong-jin, left behind, waved his arms broadly and called out in a loud voice,
“All right, all right. You all heard him—return to your seats. And team leaders, organize the progress on the work you’ve been handling so far and prepare to report to the Headquarters Head shortly.”
Unlike when they had started, the headquarters staff returned to their seats with a quiet, settled atmosphere, leaving their disappointment behind.
Jo Byeong-jin watched them, then turned his head and looked toward the Headquarters Head’s office for a moment.
He recalled what he had heard at the place where he had gone with Kim Seong-ho to receive the appointment letters and shook his head.
“I have no idea how any of this is supposed to work.”
Muttering to himself, Jo Byeong-jin let out a small sigh and returned to his seat.
Kim Seong-ho entered the Headquarters Head’s office first and sat on the reception sofa.
Lee Gyeong-deuk followed, and last of all Mun Yong-nam came in, closed the door, and sat across from Kim Seong-ho.
Kim Seong-ho looked at the two deputy heads and began explaining why the inauguration ceremony had been canceled.
“You both know that the presidential inauguration is this Wednesday and that a meeting between the five major groups and the new Deputy Prime Minister for Economy is scheduled for next Monday.”
Lee Gyeong-deuk nodded slowly and answered,
“Yes. I’m aware.”
“You also know there’s talk that a restructuring of the business world will take place there?”
“I understand it’s not a prediction—it’s already decided.”
Mun Yong-nam answered in a calm voice.
Lee Gyeong-deuk had heard the same thing, so he nodded and spoke to Kim Seong-ho.
“But what does that have to do with your inauguration ceremony, President? Isn’t the Chairman the one who will attend that meeting?”
Kim Seong-ho placed his palm on the appointment letter lying on the table and said,
“I will be going in the Chairman’s place.”
“What?”
Lee Gyeong-deuk seemed to have lost his words; he only blinked without saying anything.
“You’re going in the Chairman’s place, President?”
Even the always-composed Mun Yong-nam asked Kim Seong-ho in a flustered voice, clearly surprised.
Kim Seong-ho looked back and forth between Lee Gyeong-deuk and Mun Yong-nam and nodded.
“Yes. I will attend the meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy and the five major groups as the representative of the Ilhyeon Group.”
Hearing it a second time seemed to help; Lee Gyeong-deuk and Mun Yong-nam were calmer than at first.
But their startled hearts still had not fully settled.
The two of them took a moment to catch their breath, and Lee Gyeong-deuk spoke to Kim Seong-ho first.
“If it’s in the Chairman’s place, shouldn’t the Vice Chairman be the one to go?”
“Under normal circumstances, that would be correct.”
“Has the Vice Chairman… fallen out of favor?”
At Lee Gyeong-deuk’s words, Kim Seong-ho gave a light laugh and shook his head.
“No. Why would the Vice Chairman fall out of favor?”
Lee Gyeong-deuk had a list of reasons that rose as far as his throat if he went looking for them.
But that was not important right now, so he tilted his head and stepped back for the moment.
When Lee Gyeong-deuk withdrew, Deputy Head Mun Yong-nam, who had been listening quietly, asked Kim Seong-ho,
“Is there a possibility that practical, working-level discussions will come up at the meeting convened by the Deputy Prime Minister for Economy?”
Kim Seong-ho gave Mun Yong-nam a light smile and nodded.
“That’s right. That’s why I’ll be attending as the working-level representative.”
“But even so… for you to attend that meeting as President… won’t there be pushback from the other groups?”
Mun Yong-nam had phrased the question about rank as carefully as possible so as not to offend Kim Seong-ho.
“There’s certainly a chance they’ll object that the rank doesn’t match.”
“But the Chairman ordered it, so what does it matter if the others complain?”
Lee Gyeong-deuk said it as if it were nothing what anyone else might say.
Kim Seong-ho gave Lee Gyeong-deuk a slight smile and replied,
“That’s also true. But the other side’s feelings are still something we can’t help.”
“Then what do you plan to do? You can’t exactly refuse to go either, can you?”
“Which is why we have to prepare even more thoroughly.”
At Kim Seong-ho’s words, Mun Yong-nam nodded as if he shared the same thought.
“Exactly. If we prepare so thoroughly that the others can’t say a word, they won’t be able to raise any complaints.”
“But what exactly are we supposed to prepare thoroughly? We only know that abstract talk of restructuring the business world will take place. We don’t know what will actually be discussed there, do we?”
At Lee Gyeong-deuk’s words, Kim Seong-ho’s lips curved upward.
“We don’t know what will be discussed. But one topic is certain to come up, so we only need to prepare thoroughly for what we already know.”
“A topic that’s certain to come up…”
“Yes. The Doa Motors acquisition. I intend to attend that meeting with all the reasons we’ve prepared so far for why we will not acquire it.”
Lee Gyeong-deuk and Mun Yong-nam stared at Kim Seong-ho with startled faces.