What We Need to Do Now Is Wait
What we need to do right now is wait.
Contrary to the immediate reaction everyone had expected, Lee Tak-hyeon simply continued eating without a word.
Just as the people at the table began to feel the awkwardness of it, Chu Suk-ja was the first to speak.
“What kind of habit is this, deciding everything on your own and then just announcing it?”
“Announcing it? I’m asking for permission.”
“Permission? You call this asking for permission?”
Chu Suk-ja raised her voice, clearly displeased.
At that, Lee Sang-jong’s wife, Oh Min-yeong, smiled brightly and said, “Mother, wouldn’t it be better if you took turns living with all your children? Don’t you think so? Honey?”
When Oh Min-yeong smiled and sought her husband’s agreement, Lee Sang-jong nodded as well.
“That’s right. The kids will love living with their grandfather and grandmother. Mother, please don’t look at it so unfavorably. The youngest made this decision after thoroughly discussing it with us.”
“And why is it only with you two that she discussed it?”
Chu Suk-ja pointed a finger at Lee Mun-jong, who had been sitting quietly.
“What about the eldest? If someone is going to move in, of course it should be the eldest.”
At Chu Suk-ja’s words, Bang Hyeon-ju gave an awkward smile.
“That’s true, of course. We really should be the ones moving in and living here, but…”
Bang Hyeon-ju jabbed Lee Mun-jong in the side.
Unlike Lee Sang-jong, who stood to gain a great deal by moving into the Pyeongchang-dong house, there was little for Lee Mun-jong to gain. That was why Bang Hyeon-ju had no intention of living in that prison of a house in Pyeongchang-dong.
Taking Bang Hyeon-ju’s cue, Lee Mun-jong cleared his throat and opened his mouth.
“Ahem. That’s true, of course. But Second Brother says he wants to move in and live here. In that case, it’s better that he come rather than us. Just because I’m the eldest, should I really stand in the way of something my younger brother wants to do?”
Chu Suk-ja narrowed her eyes at Lee Mun-jong’s words.
Just as she was about to say something, Lee Jeong-eun stepped in.
“Then what about us? We can move in and live here too. No—I want to move in and live here.”
Lee Jeong-eun even raised her hand as she insisted that she, too, wanted to come and live there.
Lee Sang-jong turned his head to look at her and said, “We have to go in order. If not Hyung-nim, then me, and then you.”
Ignoring Lee Sang-jong entirely, Lee Jeong-eun pleaded with Chu Suk-ja.
“Mom. Let me move in. I’ll take devoted care of you and Dad. And Cha—this man will play the part of a son better than any of my brothers, so please let us move in. Dad. Let us come live here. Okay?”
Having begged her mother, Lee Jeong-eun turned even to Lee Tak-hyeon and said she wanted to move in and live there.
As the atmosphere grew noisy, Chu Suk-ja shook her head and raised a hand to quiet the table.
“All of you, be quiet. You’re making too much noise.”
Lee Jeong-eun, who had been half-rising from her seat, and Lee Sang-jong, who had been about to fire another retort at her, both settled back down at Chu Suk-ja’s words.
Only then did Chu Suk-ja survey the now-quiet table and turn to Lee Gyeong-eun.
“If you’re going to move out, where do you plan to go?”
“I’ll have to think about that.”
“You mean you haven’t even thought about where you’ll live?”
“There are plenty of places to live.”
Lee Gyeong-eun smiled at Chu Suk-ja as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“We could go live at my parents’ place in Nonsan, or get a house in Gangnam… or even get a place near the company—that wouldn’t be a problem either. Or we could just find a house nearby.”
“With what money of yours…”
Chu Suk-ja had been about to ask what money she thought she had to get a house around here when her gaze fell on Kim Seong-ho, sitting quietly at Lee Gyeong-eun’s side.
She remembered that the money Lee Tak-hyeon had transferred to Kim Seong-ho was far from small.
It’s because of that man again.
Chu Suk-ja found herself hating Kim Seong-ho, who had money in his pocket, more than the daughter who had announced she was moving out. If Kim Seong-ho’s pockets had been empty, her daughter never would have been able to say she was leaving.
As Chu Suk-ja glared at Kim Seong-ho, Lee Tak-hyeon—who had said nothing until then—rose from his seat.
“We’ve talked enough. Let’s wrap this up.”
“Honey. How exactly are we supposed to wrap this up?”
Chu Suk-ja, still glaring at Kim Seong-ho, looked up at her standing husband.
Lee Tak-hyeon, remaining on his feet, looked over the children, daughters-in-law, and sons-in-law seated around the table and said, “Gyeong-eun says she’s moving out, and the second son says he’s moving in. What is there to do about it? Let them do as they please.”
Lee Tak-hyeon turned his gaze to Lee Jeong-eun and continued.
“Jeong-eun, if you want to move in too, then move in.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The house is big, and all the rooms you used to live in are still there, so you just need to bring yourselves. If you want to come in, come in. If you want to leave, leave.”
Having told them all to do as they liked, Lee Tak-hyeon shifted his gaze to Kim Seong-ho.
“The situation isn’t so comfortable that we can afford to waste time on this kind of nonsense.”
He jerked his chin toward Kim Seong-ho and said, “The presidents’ meeting in three days. Is the preparation coming along?”
“Yes. I’ll have Secretary Hwang deliver the report to you this afternoon so you can review it.”
“It’s Sunday today, and you’re saying I can still receive the report?”
“The entire headquarters staff has been working overnight for a week already. I plan to head straight back to the office once the meal is finished as well. As soon as the final checks are done, I’ll pass it to the secretariat.”
Lee Tak-hyeon looked satisfied at Kim Seong-ho’s words.
“Good. I should have the report three days before a presidents’ meeting, not the day before.”
Lee Tak-hyeon nodded and swept his gaze around the table.
“It’s a shame Kim is leaving Pyeongchang-dong, but what can you do… tch.”
He turned his body and muttered to himself.
“The ones who actually need to be working hard are exhausting themselves over talk of moving back into the house, so I worry about the future—I really do. Whether these idiots can properly run the company… aigoo.”
Lee Tak-hyeon let out a sigh, shook his head, and left the table.
It may have been muttering, but everyone present could hear Lee Tak-hyeon’s words clearly.
And at those words, the faces of everyone at the table flushed red.
Even the children, and Chu Suk-ja herself, knew exactly what he meant when he said this was not the time for such talk.
They all knew that the chairman of Doa Motors was scheduled to visit Pyeongchang-dong that very day.
Only Lee Gyeong-eun remained at the table with a bright, delighted face, lost in the thought of leaving Pyeongchang-dong.
Chairman Kim Seong-mun of Doa Motors arrived at Lee Tak-hyeon’s Pyeongchang-dong residence, sweating.
He followed Chief of Staff Hwang Do-beom down to the secret room in the basement of the Pyeongchang-dong house.
No one knew what conversation the two chairmen—Kim Seong-mun of Doa Motors and Lee Tak-hyeon—held inside that secret room.
But seeing Kim Seong-mun’s face drained white when he emerged, people could only guess that the talk had not ended well.
A full hour after Chairman Kim Seong-mun of Doa Motors had left Pyeongchang-dong, Lee Tak-hyeon finally came out of the secret room.
Once outside, Lee Tak-hyeon stood for a long while in the Pyeongchang-dong courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back, staring up at the sky.
Chu Suk-ja wanted to speak with him about Lee Gyeong-eun and Kim Seong-ho leaving Pyeongchang-dong, and several times she went out into the courtyard and hovered in front of him.
But looking at Lee Tak-hyeon’s grave expression, she simply could not bring herself to raise the subject of Gyeong-eun.
Even after leaving the secret room, Lee Tak-hyeon remained alone for some time, and only after Hwang Do-beom brought him Kim Seong-ho’s report—the one mentioned at the dinner table—did he finally go inside.
“So this is the report Kim is going to present at the presidents’ meeting?”
Entering his study, Lee Tak-hyeon looked at Hwang Do-beom, who had brought the report, and asked.
Hwang Do-beom set the report on the desk and answered, “Yes. It’s the content Head Kim will present at the regular presidents’ meeting in three days.”
Lee Tak-hyeon nodded at Hwang Do-beom’s words and examined the report.
After quickly reviewing the three-page summary, Lee Tak-hyeon was silent for a moment.
Hwang Do-beom carefully asked the silent chairman, “Chairman. Are there any revisions?”
“None.”
Lee Tak-hyeon set the report back on the desk and shook his head.
Looking down at the report on the desk, he said, “Tell him to present it as is. And the Doa Motors matter… tell him to look into it.”
“Look into it?”
Hwang Do-beom, not fully grasping the instruction, asked again.
“What exactly should he look into?”
“Tell him to check whether, if we acquire it, there would be any synergy with Ilhyeon Motors.”
“You’re planning to acquire Doa Motors?”
Hwang Do-beom stared at Lee Tak-hyeon with a startled expression.
Doa Motors ranked eighth in the business world. It was a conglomerate with thirty-eight affiliates alone, and its annual automobile exports exceeded three billion dollars—a leading major corporation.
The idea of acquiring a place like that was enough to leave Hwang Do-beom astonished.
“Did Chairman Kim come by a little while ago and make the proposal first?”
Lee Tak-hyeon raised a hand to cut off Hwang Do-beom’s question.
“Nothing has been decided yet. So don’t get worked up—just tell Kim to analyze whether an acquisition would make sense. And pass along that I want to hear about it at the presidents’ meeting in three days.”
“In three days?”
Even analyzing Doa Motors alone would take more than three days.
At Lee Tak-hyeon’s order that he wanted to hear about it in just three days, Hwang Do-beom’s face turned troubled.
Lee Tak-hyeon looked up at Hwang Do-beom, who clearly had something he wanted to say, and smiled.
“I know a proper analysis and results take a long time. All I want to hear is whether an acquisition is reasonable or not, so tell him to analyze just that and come.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Having received Lee Tak-hyeon’s instructions, Hwang Do-beom went straight to the company where Kim Seong-ho was.
Even though it was a holiday, Kim Seong-ho’s Restructuring Headquarters was bustling with people.
“Oh? Chief of Staff. What brings you here?”
Seeing Hwang Do-beom arrive at the head’s office, Kim Seong-ho—who had been in the middle of talking with headquarters staff—rose from his seat with a puzzled look.
Hwang Do-beom glanced around at the headquarters staff and said to Kim Seong-ho, “If I’ve interrupted a discussion, shall I come back a little later?”
“Not at all.”
Kim Seong-ho quickly shook his head and invited Hwang Do-beom to take a seat on the sofa.
“In any case, once we’re finished talking, everything will be reported to you, Chief of Staff. If you’ll just sit and wait a moment, I’ll wrap this up quickly.”
With that, Kim Seong-ho continued the conversation he had been having with Jo Byeong-jin and Jeong Byeong-ju.
“So, what adjusted sale prices did they come back with?”
Jeong Byeong-ju glanced discreetly at Chief of Staff Hwang Do-beom.
This was not a conversation one could have in front of just anyone. If word of the current discussion leaked outside, the sale of Ilhyeon Foods could fall apart.
But seeing that the man sitting on the sofa and watching Kim Seong-ho was none other than Secretariat Chief Hwang Do-beom, Jeong Byeong-ju set his unease aside and answered.
“Joseon Foods and the Ruji Group have offered 150 billion and 200 billion won respectively. Looking only at the price, selling to the Ruji Group is the obvious choice, but… the problem is that the Ruji Group is only interested in the company’s assets and trademark rights. They showed no interest in guaranteeing employment succession for the staff.”
“Then let’s go with Joseon Foods.”
“There’s a 50 billion won difference. Will that be all right?”
Jo Byeong-jin asked, concerned about the considerable gap in the sale price.
Kim Seong-ho turned to look at Hwang Do-beom on the sofa and asked, “Chief of Staff. Even so, I think a sale to Joseon Foods, which guarantees employment succession for the staff, would be better. What do you think?”
At Kim Seong-ho’s question, Hwang Do-beom, who had been sitting and listening, nodded.
“I think so too. I’ll speak to the Chairman about it, so proceed with the sale to Joseon Foods.”
Seeing that Chief of Staff Hwang shared his opinion, Kim Seong-ho instructed Jo Byeong-jin and Jeong Byeong-ju to proceed with the sale to Joseon Foods.
With both Headquarters Head Kim Seong-ho and Secretariat Chief Hwang Do-beom deciding on the sale of Ilhyeon Foods to Joseon Foods, the two men answered that they understood and rose from their seats.
Once the two had left, Kim Seong-ho stood from where he had been sitting and approached the reception sofa where Hwang Do-beom was waiting.
Sitting down, he asked Hwang Do-beom, “Did the Chairman review the report I submitted?”
Hwang Do-beom nodded at Kim Seong-ho’s question and answered, “Yes. The Chairman said there were no issues and that you may present it as is at the presidents’ meeting.”
“That’s a relief. I was worried there might be revisions.”
Kim Seong-ho settled more comfortably into the reception sofa as if a weight had been lifted, then looked at Hwang Do-beom.
“Seeing that you came in person, I take it the Chairman has given an instruction… Ah!”
Kim Seong-ho’s face lit with understanding as he smiled and said, “You mentioned Chairman Kim of Doa Motors was coming today, didn’t you? Did the Chairman tell you to have me look into a Doa Motors acquisition?”
“…… How on earth did you know that?”
Hwang Do-beom stared at Kim Seong-ho with startled eyes—the man who already knew why he had come without being told.
Confirming that his prediction had not been wrong, Kim Seong-ho continued with the same smiling face.
“The reason Chairman Kim of Doa Motors came is obvious… and if the Chairman sent you, Chief of Staff, then that reason is just as obvious. If I couldn’t even predict something of this level, I wouldn’t deserve to sit in the Restructuring Headquarters Head’s chair.”
“Your prediction is correct, Head Kim. The Chairman said he wants a report at the presidents’ meeting in three days, and that you should analyze what impact an acquisition would have on us and let him know.”
“If it’s that kind of matter, I don’t even need three days.”
“What? You don’t even need three days?”
“No. I can answer right here.”
Kim Seong-ho, who had been leaning comfortably against the sofa back, leaned forward toward Hwang Do-beom and said, “Acquiring Doa Motors is unconditionally beneficial for Ilhyeon—but not right now. Later, we’ll be able to acquire it under better terms and far more comfortably. So the choice for now is to wait.”