A Crisis for Some, an Opportunity for Others
“Excuse me—should we load the things from in here?”
The movers stepped into the room where Kim Seong-ho and Lee Gyeong-eun were waiting. Seong-ho rose from the sofa and told them which pieces to take, then left the room with Gyeong-eun and headed downstairs.
“Ugh. This dust. Ga-cheon, once every last box is out, open the cupboards and wipe every speck of dust clean.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Chu Suk-ja stood in the living room with a hand clamped over her nose, her face twisted in irritation. She watched the movers come down from the second floor with open disapproval.
“Mom, why are you out here?”
Gyeong-eun walked over to her mother’s side. Chu Suk-ja’s frown deepened as she turned from the movers to her daughter.
“Why do you think I’m out here? A house full of strangers and you expect the owner to sit upstairs? Am I supposed to hide in my room?”
Used to her mother’s temper, Gyeong-eun kept her expression even and simply watched the men carrying boxes.
“And what exactly are you standing here to watch?”
“What if they slip something that isn’t on the inventory into their pockets? That’s what I’m watching for. Driver Kim—keep a sharp eye on them. Make sure nothing else goes missing.”
She barked the order at the chauffeur who was already standing near the movers. The man turned and answered promptly.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll keep both eyes wide open.”
“In the time you’ve spent looking at me they could already have stuffed their pockets. Stop staring this way and watch them.”
Chu Suk-ja waved her hand, ordering him to turn back. The chauffeur hurriedly fixed his gaze on the men again. Gyeong-eun, watching from the side, grabbed her mother’s arm in alarm.
“Mom, how can you say things like that? What if they hear you?”
“And what if they do?”
Gyeong-eun tugged harder, flustered by the reply.
“Mom, go inside. Please. Go in.”
“Let go of me.”
Chu Suk-ja shook her arm free and stayed planted where she was. Then, as if daring anyone to overhear, she raised her voice even louder.
“People are greedy by nature. The moment they see something bigger than their station, they want it. That’s human nature—especially for people who have nothing. You think those men won’t feel the same temptation? You think they won’t slip something into a pocket the second the owner looks away? That’s why I have to stand here with my eyes wide open and watch them.”
Gyeong-eun squeezed her eyes shut. At that moment Lee Sang-jong and his wife, Oh Min-yeong, entered the living room.
“Oh my—you’re still here.”
Gyeong-eun turned and greeted her sister-in-law.
“Sister, you came?”
“And Mr. Kim is here as well… Mother, we’re home.”
Oh Min-yeong offered Seong-ho a brief nod, then linked arms with Chu Suk-ja and greeted her properly. Chu Suk-ja, still watching the movers, flicked a sidelong glance at her daughter-in-law and spoke in a cold tone.
“What are you doing here so early? The boxes aren’t even finished leaving. You two only add to the crowd and make everything more complicated.”
“I thought the same, so we haven’t unpacked a thing. We’ll wait until things settle.”
Oh Min-yeong smiled warmly at her mother-in-law, then turned to Gyeong-eun.
“Where did you say you were moving, dear?”
“Apgujeong-dong. We bought an apartment there.”
“Apgujeong-dong?”
Oh Min-yeong wrinkled her brow and tilted her head. Chu Suk-ja looked at her daughter, gave a short snort of laughter, and explained the address in detail to her daughter-in-law.
“You remember the Apgujeong apartments your father built years ago? That’s where they’re going.”
“Ah—those ones?”
Oh Min-yeong nodded as if the memory had just returned, then turned to her husband.
“Didn’t you used to say that neighborhood was full of new-money types and not worth living in?”
“It still isn’t. It got developed overnight and filled up with every riffraff who happened to have cash in their pockets. Why on earth would you go there?”
Lee Sang-jong shook his head as if the choice made no sense, then addressed Seong-ho directly.
“Seoul has always only counted the area inside the Four Great Gates. And a proper propitious site is supposed to have water to the south. You’re going to live with water on your head? That place was thrown up in the seventies for every Tom, Dick, and Harry. What’s the point of moving in there?”
“There’s still a lot of development planned for the Gangnam side. I want to keep an eye on it for a while. After that we’ll move back up.”
“Fine. During the Joseon dynasty the land south of the Han was just shacks for water-carriers. It’s no place to stay long. Come back as soon as you can.”
Seong-ho answered the instruction with only a faint smile.
While they talked, the last of the couple’s belongings left the Pyeongchang-dong house and was loaded onto the truck.
“Ma’am, we’re all finished.”
A mover approached Gyeong-eun to report that everything was aboard. She glanced at Seong-ho; he stepped forward and told the men they could leave. Then he turned to the family still standing in the hall and offered a final farewell.
“We’ll be going, then.”
“Of course. We’ll see you at the next family dinner.”
Oh Min-yeong’s cheerful goodbye was cut short by Chu Suk-ja’s blunt reply.
“There’s no law that says you have to attend. If you’re busy, don’t bother coming. No one’s dying to see your faces anyway.”
“Mom!”
Gyeong-eun’s voice rose; she linked her arm tightly through Seong-ho’s.
“We’ll be here every Sunday, so you’d better greet us warmly each time. If you don’t, I won’t come either.”
Chu Suk-ja only waved a dismissive hand and turned away.
“I’m going to rest. Your father’s been at the office since dawn—some urgent business—so there’s no need to say goodbye to him.”
She walked into the master bedroom as if she could not bear to watch her youngest daughter leave Pyeongchang-dong. Oh Min-yeong called after her in a bright, carrying voice.
“Mother, we’ll see the young lady off and unpack later. You rest. I’ll let you know when the boxes come in.”
Chu Suk-ja disappeared without answering. Once her mother-in-law was gone, Oh Min-yeong took Gyeong-eun by the arm and steered her toward the door.
“You should go now, dear. Better to get to the new place early if you want to unpack today. Don’t worry about anything here. We’re the ones living in this house now—I’ll take care of everything.”
She all but pushed Gyeong-eun out, as though she already owned the place. Gyeong-eun found the behavior odd, but she let it pass. She was the one leaving; Oh Min-yeong was the one moving in.
Under that gentle pressure Gyeong-eun stepped outside, Seong-ho and Sang-jong following close behind.
“Hurry, dear.”
Dissatisfied with Gyeong-eun’s pace, Oh Min-yeong seized her arm and strode ahead. Gyeong-eun had no choice but to be half-dragged across the courtyard. Seong-ho lengthened his stride to keep up—then Sang-jong’s voice stopped him.
“Seong-ho.”
Seong-ho turned. Sang-jong fell into step beside him, slowed deliberately, and spoke in a low, commanding tone.
“Before you leave you ought to tell me how I’m supposed to handle things.”
It sounded less like a request than a demand for goods already paid for. Sang-jong even held out his hand, pressing harder.
“Tell me how to act in front of Father, then go. I’ll feel better knowing.”
Seong-ho swallowed a laugh at the absurd demand.
Right. This is exactly the kind of man he is.
Only a short while ago Sang-jong had been grateful for the chance to return to the company. Now he was behaving like a drowning man who, once hauled ashore, immediately demanded the rescuer’s bundle. And he spoke not with a request but with the certainty that the answer was owed to him.
Seong-ho smiled lightly and answered in a quieter voice.
“How does the present situation look to you, hyung-nim?”
Sang-jong’s brow furrowed.
“Did I ask so I could listen to your questions? Just tell me what I need to do.”
He clearly had no interest in thinking for himself and only urged Seong-ho on. Seong-ho found the attitude deeply satisfying.
Fine. Keep thinking that way. I’ll keep feeding you every answer.
Sang-jong’s pressure neither frightened nor unsettled him. It only looked like a wild dog gradually growing used to a single hand—soon the animal would lose every scrap of its old ferocity, and the moment it saw Seong-ho it would wag its tail, stretch its neck, and drool for the next scrap of meat.
Looking at that half-tamed creature, Seong-ho smiled softly and tossed him another scrap.
“View the situation more negatively than anyone else.”
“Negatively?”
“Yes. No matter who says something optimistic, keep a critical eye. Especially when the government claims everything is fine—attack those claims hard.”
“Do I really have to?”
Sang-jong tilted his head, unconvinced.
“Isn’t the market overreacting? Doa Motors is a big company, but it’s not big enough to shake the whole country.”
“Honey, what are you doing?”
Before Sang-jong could press further, Oh Min-yeong—already outside the gate—called back to him.
“The truck already left. Your sister-in-law is getting into the car. Why are you still standing there?”
Sang-jong fell silent. Seong-ho lightly took his brother-in-law’s arm and spoke one last time.
“Don’t forget, hyung-nim. Things are worse than they look. Why else would Father go to the office on the morning his youngest daughter leaves home?”
At those final words Sang-jong’s expression brightened with sudden understanding.
“I’ll be going first, then. See you Sunday, hyung-nim.”
“Right. Take care.”
The earlier bullying tone had vanished; Sang-jong even offered a polite farewell as he saw Seong-ho off. Before climbing into the car Seong-ho paused and looked back once at Chairman Lee Tak-hyeon’s Pyeongchang-dong residence.
The next time I walk through that gate, it will be to take this house.
Leaving Pyeongchang-dong, he carried the quiet certainty that he would return—and that when he did, both the house and the Ilhyeon Group would be in his hands. With that resolve settled, Seong-ho got into the car. Together he and Lee Gyeong-eun left Pyeongchang-dong behind and headed for Apgujeong-dong.
The media kept insisting everything was fine, yet the situation continued to deteriorate. While Doa Motors sat under a debt moratorium waiting for its creditors’ decision, corporate bankruptcies refused to stop. One after another, construction firms everyone knew by name collapsed. After Padopa Department Store, other famous department stores followed. Travel agencies failed, and even securities houses began to fall; the crisis spread across the entire country.
While Korea trembled, a wave of unmeasurable height was already rolling in from outside, about to engulf Asia.
“Wall Street is saying the foreign-exchange crisis that hit Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia is next coming for Hong Kong and us.”
Deputy Head Lee Gyeong-deuk spoke with a bleak expression.
“The real problem is that Japanese finance is falling in line with the movement.”
“Have the Japanese financial houses started calling in their loans?”
At Seong-ho’s question, Deputy Head Mun Yong-nam answered.
“Yes. Japanese creditors are collecting in earnest. Dong-eun Distribution and Bujin Construction have already declared bankruptcy because of it. They simply cannot repay the Japanese money.”
“I’d go bankrupt too. You borrow a thousand won and suddenly they want two thousand back.”
Lee Gyeong-deuk shook his head at Mun Yong-nam’s words. The exchange rate had more than doubled since the loans were taken. Companies that could not repay even the principal—never mind the interest—were choosing bankruptcy instead.
Mun Yong-nam’s face was heavy.
“If this continues, the chain of bankruptcies will only grow worse. Eventually…”
He could not finish the thought. Seong-ho completed it for him without the slightest change in tone.
“The Republic of Korea itself will go bankrupt.”
Every face in the Restructuring Headquarters turned white. Companies failed all the time; nations did not. And everyone in the room knew exactly what followed a national default. The mere image of Korea’s bankruptcy made the air feel too thick to breathe. No one in the country understood better than the staff of the Ilhyeon Group’s Restructuring Headquarters how close that unthinkable possibility had become.
Seong-ho looked at the pale, shallow-breathing faces around him and allowed himself a quiet smile. Just as a crisis for some was an opportunity for others, the present crisis, he believed, was his opportunity.