I Wonder What He'll Do
Kim Seong-ho rode in the car sent by his sister-in-law, Lee Jeong-eun—Executive Director of Ilhyeon Fashion and eldest daughter of Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon—toward their meeting place.
The driver kept glancing anxiously into the rearview mirror at Seong-ho seated in the back, clearly unsettled.
Seong-ho spoke first, reassuring him under that restless gaze.
"I won't say a word, so there's no need to worry."
"I'm sorry... Truly, I'm so sorry."
"It happens. No one can fully control their bodily functions."
Even after Seong-ho's words, the driver seemed too uneasy to stop making excuses.
"This time my wife put way too much red pepper powder in the kimchi she made for winter storage, and after eating it my stomach was killing me... I'm really sorry for being late."
"I'm perfectly fine. Even if you were late, it was barely a minute. That hardly counts as late."
"No, sir. Late is late. I'm truly sorry."
No matter how many times Seong-ho said it was all right, the driver kept apologizing.
Seong-ho let out a low sigh at the sight and thought back on the past.
I never could understand why they treat the drivers like that, as if they're catching rats.
Lee Jeong-eun's abuse of her drivers was so notorious it had made the papers more than once—and even investigative television programs.
Every time, Seong-ho had been forced to silence the press with a careful mix of persuasion and threats.
I wonder if Chief Hwang is handling that now.
Thinking that the road to meet his troublesome sister-in-law was never an easy one, Seong-ho glanced out at the scenery for a moment.
Listening to the driver's endless excuses and apologies, the car soon arrived in front of the restaurant where he was to meet Lee Jeong-eun.
"Thank you for your hard work."
"Director... that is..."
Seeing the still-fidgeting driver, Seong-ho smiled lightly and took his hand.
"I won't say anything, so don't worry."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
The driver turned fully toward the back seat and bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the ground, offering his gratitude.
Seong-ho looked with a bitter gaze at the man treating him like a lifesaver, then stepped out of the car.
"Director. This way, please."
A restaurant employee who had spotted the car and confirmed Seong-ho's arrival approached and guided him to where Lee Jeong-eun was waiting.
Knock, knock.
Leading Seong-ho to the private room inside, the employee carefully rapped on the door and opened it.
"Director Kim Seong-ho has arrived."
"Looks like Brother-in-law Kim is here. Show him in."
The employee stepped slightly aside from the doorway, and as Seong-ho entered, Lee Jeong-eun, who had been waiting inside, greeted him warmly.
"Seong-ho. Come on in. Sit here."
Besides Lee Jeong-eun, one other person was in the room. Looking at the man who appeared to be in his fifties, Seong-ho asked,
"But this gentleman seems to be someone I've never met. Who might he be...?"
Lee Jeong-eun smiled toward Seong-ho and introduced the man.
"You'll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, so say hello. This is President Kim Eun-mun of DS Furniture."
Upon being introduced, President Kim Eun-mun rose from his seat and extended his hand toward Seong-ho.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Kim Eun-mun."
"President of DS Furniture, you say?"
Seong-ho took the offered hand while looking at Lee Jeong-eun with an expression that clearly demanded an explanation of what was going on.
Lee Jeong-eun gestured toward the still-standing Kim Eun-mun and Seong-ho.
"All right, all right. Everyone who needs to be here is here, so let's sit first."
She urged the two men to take their seats and then called for a restaurant employee.
"Bring the food over here."
Having ordered the staff in casual, abrupt speech, Lee Jeong-eun looked up at the two men still on their feet and said,
"Come on, sit. Sit down."
Seong-ho took his seat and spoke while looking at President Kim Eun-mun.
"I didn't realize President Kim would be joining us."
"I asked Executive Director Lee here to arrange a meeting. I should have informed you as well, Director, but I was so busy it slipped my mind. I apologize."
President Kim Eun-mun offered his apology and then picked up the liquor bottle set before him.
"As a token of apology, allow me to pour you a drink."
"No. No drinks for me, sister-in-law. Did you call me here today because of DS Furniture?"
Seong-ho deliberately directed the question at Lee Jeong-eun in a tone that sounded displeased.
Lee Jeong-eun, Executive Director of Ilhyeon Fashion, gestured for Kim Eun-mun—who was still holding the bottle—to put it down, then turned to Seong-ho.
"I heard you said you'd buy the furniture and bedding for Ilhyeon Hotel through bidding this time?"
"Yes. That's correct."
"President Kim here asked me just once to set up a meeting with you over that, and how could I refuse a request like that?"
Lee Jeong-eun turned to look at President Kim Eun-mun and smiled as she continued.
"Our Ilhyeon Fashion uses DS Furniture products often as well. We've done business for a long time, and he's a trustworthy man."
Kim Eun-mun bowed his head toward Lee Jeong-eun in gratitude; she returned the gesture with a smile before turning her gaze back to Seong-ho.
"So what I'm saying is, do we really need to change suppliers? I think it would be better just to keep the relationship going with the places we've always used."
"Director."
As soon as Lee Jeong-eun finished speaking, Kim Eun-mun held out a white envelope toward Seong-ho.
Seong-ho looked down at the envelope and asked President Kim Eun-mun,
"What is this?"
"Take it."
The question had been directed at President Kim, but the answer came from Lee Jeong-eun's mouth.
Seong-ho had a fair idea of what was inside the envelope without needing to open it.
"I can't accept this."
Without even opening the envelope, Seong-ho pushed it straight back toward Kim Eun-mun.
Then he looked at Lee Jeong-eun and said,
"Sister-in-law. If I had known President Kim would be here today, I wouldn't have come. I'm sorry, but I'll be leaving first."
Seong-ho bowed his head and rose from his seat without the slightest hesitation. President Kim Eun-mun hurriedly tried to stop him.
"Director. The food hasn't even come out yet..."
"I'll consider the meal already eaten. Then..."
Bowing once more toward Lee Jeong-eun, Seong-ho left the room without looking back.
Crash!
The moment Seong-ho departed, the sound of something shattering erupted from inside the room.
Right after came Lee Jeong-eun's sharp voice, piercing straight through the door.
"That whore-spawn bastard thinks he's something special just because Father spoils him. A lowly steward like him, standing up first? I'll make that bastard..."
"E-Executive Director. Please calm down."
"Do I look like I'm in a state to calm down? Bring that bastard back. I said bring him back!"
Even as Kim Eun-mun tried to restrain her, Lee Jeong-eun paid him no mind and kept screaming.
As the sound of objects being smashed continued from inside the room, the employee who had brought the food could only stand helplessly at the door, shifting from foot to foot, unable to go in.
Leaving that scene behind him, Seong-ho stepped out of the restaurant and muttered to himself.
"So DS Furniture was tied up with my sister-in-law? The Ilhyeon Hotel restructuring just got a lot more interesting."
After listening to Hwang Do-beom's report, Lee Tak-hyeon's expression hardened.
"So you're saying Jeong-eun tried to introduce some DS place or whatever to Kim?"
"Yes. And given that Director Kim came out of the restaurant less than five minutes after going in... it seems he refused."
Flutter.
Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon hurled the documents he had been reviewing and shouted,
"Is she out of her mind right now? The daughter of the Ilhyeon Group, and that's the best she can manage?"
Hwang Do-beom waited quietly beside the desk until Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon could collect himself.
Only after throwing a few more documents did the chairman seem to settle somewhat. Hwang Do-beom then spoke quietly.
"Chairman. According to what the secretariat has looked into... Ilhyeon Fashion is also involved with DS..."
"Enough."
Lee Tak-hyeon raised a hand to cut Hwang Do-beom off, as if he no longer wanted to hear it.
Then, with a furrowed brow, he asked,
"What's the state of Ilhyeon Fashion right now?"
"This year's performance is poor as well. Sales are down from last year, and operating profit still hasn't climbed out of the red."
After hearing Hwang Do-beom's report, Lee Tak-hyeon fell silent for a moment in thought, then issued an order.
"Cut off every bit of group-level support for Ilhyeon Fashion."
"Chairman!"
Hwang Do-beom looked at Lee Tak-hyeon with a startled face.
"If you do that, Ilhyeon Fashion will be badly shaken. The projects they're preparing for next year will take a massive hit..."
"Hit? If it shakes, it shakes. What's the big deal?"
Lee Tak-hyeon, his mind already made up, shook his head at Hwang Do-beom's words and issued another order.
"And reassign Vice President Cha from Electronics somewhere new."
"Somewhere new meaning..."
"Wherever it is, send him to a place as unrelated as possible to where he is now."
"But that..."
Through that order, Hwang Do-beom clearly felt that Lee Tak-hyeon's anger was far greater than he had expected.
"If she did something that absurd, she should have been prepared for the matching punishment."
Having spoken, Lee Tak-hyeon gestured toward the documents scattered on the floor.
Understanding the meaning of the gesture, Hwang Do-beom quickly gathered the fallen papers, set them back on the desk, and asked Lee Tak-hyeon,
"Then shall we deal with DS Furniture as well?"
"DS Furniture..."
Lee Tak-hyeon paused for a moment.
Then, as if some amusing idea had occurred to him, the hardness left his expression and he said,
"Leave DS Furniture alone."
Hwang Do-beom stared at Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon in surprise at those words.
Just for trying to connect DS Furniture to Kim Seong-ho, Lee Jeong-eun was about to take a heavy blow.
If all group support for Ilhyeon Fashion was cut off, the already loss-making company would fall into serious danger, and that danger would land squarely on Lee Jeong-eun to resolve.
On top of that, her husband, Cha Yeong-su—Vice President of Ilhyeon Electronics—would also have his influence over Ilhyeon Electronics erased through a reassignment.
Having handed down such a harsh punishment on Lee Jeong-eun, Lee Tak-hyeon was now telling him to leave the near-source of the problem, DS Furniture, alone. The decision only struck Hwang Do-beom as strange.
"Chairman. You've made a decision that will hit Executive Director Lee hard, so why leave DS Furniture alone? Strictly speaking, that place is the biggest boil that needs to be cut out."
"You're right, Chief Hwang. DS Furniture is a big boil. But... I'm curious."
"Sir? Curious, you say?"
"Yes."
A smile deepened on Lee Tak-hyeon's face until the anger from moments earlier could no longer be found.
The corners of his mouth lifting, Lee Tak-hyeon said,
"I'm curious about how Kim will handle DS Furniture."
Hwang Do-beom tilted his head and replied,
"Isn't it obvious? Now that he's realized the relationship between DS Furniture, Executive Director Lee, and Ilhyeon Hotel, won't it end with him kicking DS Furniture out of Ilhyeon Hotel?"
"True. That's the ordinary way of thinking about it. But you see..."
Lee Tak-hyeon remained still for a moment, thinking, then slowly opened his mouth.
"This may be the first time he's caught on to DS Furniture's relationship with Jeong-eun, but it isn't the first time he's noticed DS Furniture's relationship with Ilhyeon Hotel, is it?"
It was true that Kim Seong-ho had already been aware of DS Furniture's connection to Ilhyeon Hotel before meeting Lee Jeong-eun.
Hwang Do-beom slowly nodded at Lee Tak-hyeon's words and said,
"Yes. Director Kim discovered that DS Furniture had held a monopoly supply to Ilhyeon Hotel for ten years, switched it to a bidding system, and that was what prompted Executive Director Lee to move."
"Then doesn't it seem that Kim already has something planned?"
"You're curious about what Director Kim will do to Ilhyeon Hotel through DS Furniture?"
"Yes."
Lee Tak-hyeon wore a deep smile as he issued instructions to Hwang Do-beom.
"So put the decisions I just mentioned regarding Jeong-eun and Brother-in-law Cha on hold for now. If I move first, Kim might not be able to do what he intended."
There was no longer any trace of anger left on Lee Tak-hyeon's face.
"Have the secretariat keep watching Ilhyeon Hotel and report to me regularly. Understood?"
"Yes. Understood."
"I wonder what that fellow will do with DS Furniture."
With a look of keen interest, Lee Tak-hyeon clasped his hands together and began picturing in his mind what Kim Seong-ho would do.