The Youngest Daughter Who Follows Father's Orders
The car that left the airport sped swiftly down the road.
Lee Tak-hyeon leaned his head back against the seat and spoke.
"I must really be getting old. One overseas business trip, and my body ends up in this state. Chief Hwang. From now on, try not to schedule overseas trips if you can help it."
"It isn't that you're growing old, Chairman. Even a young man would struggle with a schedule like this. You came back just as you were adapting to the time difference, so of course you're exhausted."
Hwang Do-beom turned his head to look at Lee Tak-hyeon as he replied.
Lee Tak-hyeon gave a light laugh and shifted his gaze to Kim Seong-ho, who sat beside him.
"Don't you feel wronged? You thought of it all, you built it all, and yet you're the only one who lost out."
"As long as Ilhyeon does well, that alone is enough for me."
Had those words come from anyone else's mouth, Lee Tak-hyeon might have suspected flattery meant to curry favor. Coming from Kim Seong-ho, however, they carried a different weight entirely.
"You threw away even the position of Head of the Restructuring Headquarters to make this happen. How could I not believe you?"
Lee Tak-hyeon shook his head and rested it against the seat once more.
"You asked to be transferred to the presidency of Ilhyeon Securities, didn't you?"
At Lee Tak-hyeon's words, Kim Seong-ho laid out his plan in a calm, measured voice.
"Yes. If you wrap this matter up by demoting me to President of Ilhyeon Securities, that will be sufficient. Then move the production plants to Vietnam and put real strength into the design division. The same goes for the other affiliates. If the unions oppose relocating the factories, use what was said in Los Angeles to crush their arguments."
"True. With the support of the press and the public, we can ignore a little union pushback."
"Exactly. We have the justification that we're moving to secure both quantity and quality. Frame the decision as one made to overtake Japanese products and succeed in the American market, and no one will be able to oppose it."
Still leaning against the seat, Lee Tak-hyeon turned his head fully toward Kim Seong-ho. He regarded him with a fresh, appraising look before speaking.
"I knew long ago that you were exceptional. I've seen for myself how sharp your mind is and how outstanding your improvisation. But that you were this capable... you've exceeded even my expectations."
It was genuine admiration, rising from the heart.
"And besides..."
Lee Tak-hyeon fixed his gaze on Kim Seong-ho and continued.
"Anyone who receives this much recognition from me would naturally want a higher seat. Yet you show no such desire. You don't even refuse a move to a lower position than the one you hold."
"As long as I remain under Ilhyeon, it doesn't matter where I am."
"Hahaha."
Lee Tak-hyeon burst into laughter and pushed himself upright from the seat. Hearing Kim Seong-ho's words seemed to pour fresh energy into his languid body.
"Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. I'll remember every one of your merits."
After heaping praise upon him, Lee Tak-hyeon delivered his final words to Kim Seong-ho.
"I'll issue the appointment as you requested—President of Ilhyeon Securities. Don't concern yourself with whatever performance comes out of that place. I know exactly what achievements you've made and what help you've given the group this time, so there's no need to overwork yourself simply because the numbers don't look good."
Lee Tak-hyeon spoke to set Kim Seong-ho's mind at ease. He had little choice; the atmosphere in the entire financial sector had been scraping the bottom ever since the foreign-exchange crisis, Ilhyeon Securities included. That was why he told him directly that a bit of poor performance was no reason to push too hard.
"I'm grateful that you're looking out for me like this."
Kim Seong-ho bowed his head toward Lee Tak-hyeon in thanks. Yet the eyes beneath that lowered head told a different story.
I asked for the transfer precisely because it's the best position of all.
Lee Tak-hyeon and nearly everyone else would certainly regard a move to Ilhyeon Securities as a demotion. To Kim Seong-ho, however—armed with the experience of his previous life and the leather-bound diary—it was not exile but a land of opportunity.
Listening to Lee Tak-hyeon, Kim Seong-ho allowed a quiet smile to form inside. The more the man felt sorry for him, the greater the reward would be when results arrived. The thought alone made the smile rise unbidden.
When Kim Seong-ho arrived home, the first words out of Lee Gyeong-eun's mouth were not a simple welcome back.
"Honey. Should I talk to Father about this?"
Kim Seong-ho smiled at her.
"Father must have lost his mind. How could he throw you out? After everything you've done for the company?"
Watching Lee Gyeong-eun trail after him all the way into the dressing room, Kim Seong-ho answered with a laugh.
"Leaving the Restructuring Headquarters is what I wanted, so you don't need to worry too much."
"What you wanted?"
Lee Gyeong-eun tilted her head and recalled what she had been told.
"I'm certain Father fired you... He fired you right there in the middle of the meeting. Isn't that what happened?"
"Well, the process is correct."
"What do you mean, the process is correct?"
Having hung his clothes on the rack, Kim Seong-ho calmly explained the plan he had set in motion. When he finished, Lee Gyeong-eun's face filled with astonishment.
"So you're saying all of this was your plan? Everything, including stepping down as Head and moving over to Ilhyeon Securities?"
"Yes. So don't get angry and don't get worked up. Everything is proceeding exactly as I intended."
Hearing him, Lee Gyeong-eun shook her head.
"No... how is that even..."
No matter how she turned it over, the fact remained so stunning that she did not know what to say.
Kim Seong-ho stepped close, lightly took both her shoulders in his hands, and steered her out of the dressing room.
"I need to change now, so wait outside for a moment. I'm going to change and wash up, so draw me a bath, would you?"
"...All right."
Still dazed, Lee Gyeong-eun answered his request and started toward the door. Just before leaving the room she turned back and asked,
"So I should just pretend I don't know?"
"Yes. You only need to remain the youngest daughter who follows her father's orders well."
Lee Gyeong-eun tilted her head at the strangely off-key phrasing. It felt so unnatural that she could not simply accept it. Yet it was not untrue, so she set the oddness aside and headed for the bathroom to draw the bath for him.
Kim Seong-ho watched her back as she left the dressing room for the bathroom and quietly murmured to himself.
"Just don't forget that position and keep holding it. I'll take care of everything else for you. All the way up to those high places..."
It was an ordinary weekend.
The house in Pyeongchang-dong was bustling with meal preparations for the family members who would soon arrive. Those already present were chatting while they waited for Lee Tak-hyeon to emerge from his study.
"So? Did Father really get that angry?"
"Angry doesn't begin to cover it. Since Son-in-law Kim entered this house, has Father ever once thrown something at him?"
"Never."
Chu Suk-ja shook her head and looked at Lee Mun-jong.
Recalling the events in Los Angeles, Lee Mun-jong described the situation to her.
"That same Father flung a teacup at Son-in-law Kim's words."
"At Son-in-law Kim?"
"Oh, he couldn't go that far. The other presidents were all present..."
"True enough. Your father does try to preserve your faces in front of the presidents; he never throws things there. Among ourselves, though, he does."
"Hahaha... right."
Lee Mun-jong offered a bitter smile. Throwing objects was hardly a virtue, yet the way it was framed—as if Lee Tak-hyeon had done him a favor—sounded strange.
"Anyway... when Father throws a teacup, that says everything. He was furious enough to order him down from the Head position."
"He didn't step down on his own? Father dragged him down himself?"
"Yes."
Chu Suk-ja fell silent, lost in thought at Lee Mun-jong's words. Lee Mun-jong smiled toward her and continued.
"It's like picking your nose without using your hands—how perfect is that, Mother? Don't worry anymore. After being kicked out of the Head position, what more could that fellow possibly do?"
Having reassured Chu Suk-ja, Lee Mun-jong lifted his head.
"It's better this way, actually. Now we can freely put Son-in-law Kim to use."
"Put him to use?"
The thought-bound Chu Suk-ja looked at Lee Mun-jong in surprise. He lifted the corners of his mouth and said,
"You've been so worried that I never told you the details, but Son-in-law Kim had already promised to help me."
"Son-in-law Kim promised to help you?"
"Yes. Even so, after hearing your concerns I couldn't quite rest easy. But with things as they are now, I think I can safely reach out my hand to him."
"His rope has been cut. How could he refuse the hand I offer?"
"Hmm..."
Listening to Lee Mun-jong, Chu Suk-ja could not shake a lingering unease.
"His rope has been cut...?"
No matter how she turned it over, the phrase simply did not fit Kim Seong-ho. She was about to caution Lee Mun-jong when a new voice cut in.
"Mom, I'm here. What—Oppa got here early? Never mind that, what on earth happened in America? What could possibly cause this much of a stir?"
Lee Jeong-eun, having just arrived at Pyeongchang-dong, greeted Chu Suk-ja and then charged straight at Lee Mun-jong, demanding to know what had occurred in Los Angeles.
"Third Sister's here. Hyung-nim, you've arrived?"
Lee Sang-jong came down from the second floor with a greeting. Close behind him, Bang Hyeon-ju and Oh Min-yeong emerged from the kitchen and offered their own greetings to the family.
Seeing the living room fill with family, Chu Suk-ja found herself unable to deliver the caution she had intended for Lee Mun-jong. With the other children present—along with daughters-in-law and a son-in-law—a mother-in-law could hardly warn her youngest daughter's husband openly.
"So what is it? Did Father finally kick Son-in-law Kim out?"
Lee Jeong-eun asked Lee Mun-jong with a face full of eager interest. Beside her, Cha Yeong-su tugged at her sleeve.
"Ah, what?"
Lee Jeong-eun shook her arm free as if the touch irritated her. Cha Yeong-su caught the fabric again and said,
"Honey, saying 'kick him out' is a bit..."
"What? Did I say something I shouldn't? Oppa, am I wrong?"
"No. You're right. Father did cast him out."
"See? He did kick him out."
Lee Jeong-eun glared at Cha Yeong-su and dropped heavily into a seat. Then she smiled toward Chu Suk-ja.
"Our Madam Chu must feel a weight off her shoulders, hmm?"
"You..."
Lee Sang-jong glared as if to ask how she could say such a thing. Lee Jeong-eun looked around the room with an injured air.
"Why? Did I say something I'm not allowed to? Oppa, was I wrong? You know, don't you?"
When Lee Jeong-eun dragged Lee Mun-jong into it, he turned his head away. Spotting the youngest couple just entering the living room, he acknowledged them instead.
"Youngest's here. Son-in-law Kim, welcome. Managed to adjust to the time difference? I still can't seem to get over it myself. If I'm this bad, Father and you must be in quite a state."
"If you maintain a fast of sixteen hours or more and then eat at the time you want to lock onto, jet lag becomes much easier. Give it a try on your next trip, Hyung-nim. I've already fully adjusted."
"It's true, it's amazing. The very first day he got back he matched the time difference, slept soundly at night, and woke up refreshed in the morning. If I'd known this earlier I could have used it on all my trips—why am I only learning it now?"
Kim Seong-ho answered the off-topic jet-lag talk with complete seriousness, and Lee Gyeong-eun chimed in from beside him. The people already seated pretended not to notice the conversation they had been having moments earlier, while husband and wife earnestly discussed something no one had asked about.
Yet no matter how carefully they feigned ignorance, their true faces were plain to Kim Seong-ho.
That's right, that's right. Go ahead and rest easy. That's exactly what I want.
Even without hearing a word of it, Kim Seong-ho felt certain he knew precisely what the Ilhyeon family had been discussing before his arrival. And knowing that every one of those conversations worked in his favor, he laughed at them all in the quiet of his mind.