Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Daehan Hotel
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"Good work."
The day after returning to Korea.
Summoned by Lee Myeong-guk, Lee Dae-hyuk stepped into the chairman's office at Daehan Group.
'What could this mean?'
Not the home study, but calling him directly to the chairman's office.
Seated on the sofa, Lee Dae-hyuk pondered Lee Myeong-guk's intentions.
But no matter how he racked his brain, only one conclusion emerged.
'No way? Already?'
The moment he had anticipated—the division of the affiliates.
Was it happening now?
Instead of questioning it, though, Lee Dae-hyuk bowed to Lee Myeong-guk.
"It wasn't work. It was a pleasant trip."
"A pleasant trip? You've grown bold."
"…You saw the news?"
Lee Myeong-guk nodded at the question.
"Yes."
"…I see."
The emotions swirling in Lee Myeong-guk's eyes.
Pity. Regret. And more.
Lee Dae-hyuk bowed his head once again as they locked gazes.
"I'm sorry."
"I don't regret loving your mother. Or fathering you."
Out of nowhere, Lee Myeong-guk bared his true heart.
"I know."
Lee Dae-hyuk had read his sincerity through psychometry.
He truly loved both his mother and himself. But there was another he cherished just as deeply.
Daehan Group.
"My real mistake was failing to protect you out of fear that the group would descend into chaos."
The chairman wasn't the unchallenged king of the group.
Rival factions simmered beneath the surface. Internal enemies plotted to undermine him.
If he clashed with his wife, Park Ji-sook—who commanded her own power base—Daehan Group's reputation would crater.
To safeguard the group, Lee Myeong-guk believed he had no choice but to turn his back on Lee Dae-hyuk.
Only with the passage of time did he grasp the true reason he had forsaken his youngest son.
"I was scared of losing this seat. Not of the group crumbling, but of giving up the chairman's chair."
Lee Myeong-guk had come to see himself for the weak, cowardly man he was.
He lacked the qualifications to lead.
Yet he needed to hold on another four or five years, until his children ripened into capable successors.
Only then could he hand it over to the one who deserved it. That was the secret truth Lee Myeong-guk hadn't even shared with Kim Dae-min.
"You have five years. Prove yourself within that time."
At this moment, he was confiding that truth to his son.
"…Understood."
Lee Dae-hyuk's reply was curt.
He understood his father's actions completely.
Just as he'd glimpsed into his mind moments ago, he could now read his father's heart without psychometry.
Right now, the man before him was a father begging forgiveness from his son.
And, just as anticipated back in America...
'He's handing out fair weapons?'
As Lee Dae-hyuk mulled this in silence, Lee Myeong-guk slid a binder full of reports across to him.
"Dae-min put this together—an overview of the affiliates' sales and profits. Review it and pick the one that suits you best. Tell me. You'll start as a director."
'How thoughtful.'
Lee Dae-hyuk instantly grasped the subtext.
A father's consideration: even if his son never claimed the top spot, he deserved at least one affiliate as his own.
But Lee Dae-hyuk had no need for such gestures.
Why?
Because he would emerge victorious.
'Right. In the end, I can't lose this fight.'
His mind was made up as he cracked open the binder.
Still, he had to skim the reports.
Understanding the lay of the land across the other affiliates was essential.
Rustle—rustle—
Daehan Precision. Daehan Flour. Daehan Oil. Daehan Foods. And so on.
The highest earners led off, ranked by revenue and profit.
Kim Dae-min's touch of courtesy, no doubt.
But.
'No need for apologies.'
He'd already made his choice.
Rustle—! Thunk!!
After flipping through a handful of pages, Lee Dae-hyuk set the binder down on the desk.
"I've decided."
"Which one?"
Lee Myeong-guk's eyes gleamed.
Lee Dae-hyuk met them squarely.
"Daehan Hotel."
"……."
Lee Myeong-guk fell silent at the declaration.
Daehan Hotel was unlisted. Its sales and profits amounted to barely thirty percent of the others.
Even with groundbreaking management that boosted revenues, it could never outpace the affiliates in his other children's hands.
"Dae-hyuk. Think it over again."
Lee Dae-hyuk responded to the plea with a weighty tone.
"There are reasons for my choice."
"Reasons?"
Eyes narrowing in curiosity, Lee Dae-hyuk laid out his honest assessment.
"I fall short of my brothers and sister in every way. Management experience. Expertise. All of it."
"You can't compete with them from the outset?"
"Not right now."
A faint flush colored Lee Dae-hyuk's cheeks as he spoke.
Honesty didn't make the admission any less humiliating.
But reality was reality.
Steadying himself, he pressed on.
"That's why I'll build my skills from the ground up, starting small."
"Not aiming to beat them immediately, but honing your edge?"
"Exactly. I'll run Daehan Hotel, grow into my own, and then crush them in one decisive stroke."
"…So you want a bigger affiliate once you've proven yourself?"
"Yes."
"Hah. Hotel management isn't child's play."
"If I can't even handle Daehan Hotel properly, then I don't belong in this room."
"……."
Lee Myeong-guk sank into thought, weighing his son's earnest plea.
Part of him wanted to overrule the choice.
Yet wisdom underpinned it.
Lee Dae-hyuk's real-world experience boiled down to a few months as a Daehan Construction rookie, all to root out spies.
Thrusting him into a director role at a major affiliate would be folly.
Starting small and scaling up made perfect sense.
'He's playing the long game.'
Lee Myeong-guk approved.
His son had tamed his ambition, embracing foresight instead.
Wasn't long-term vision the hallmark of a true group leader?
Nodding with satisfaction, he conceded.
"I'll honor your decision. When do you plan to start?"
"Give me a week."
"A full week?"
"Yes. Time to scout the talent I need. And to bone up on hotel operations."
"A week... Fine."
The boy had just touched down yesterday.
'Let him rest easy for now.'
Decision made, Lee Myeong-guk glanced at the wall clock.
Two-thirty in the afternoon.
Lee Dae-hwan would arrive any minute.
"Another visitor's due soon."
"Understood."
Catching the drift, Lee Dae-hyuk rose from the sofa.
***
Once Lee Dae-hyuk had gone,
Kim Dae-min entered the chairman's office.
"You called?"
"Dae-hyuk's grown up. He went for substance over flash."
Lee Myeong-guk recounted the exchange.
"……!"
Even Kim Dae-min was taken aback.
Suggesting a director spot at an affiliate had been the chairman's way of looking out for his son.
If succession fell through, the least he could do was secure that much.
Lee Dae-hyuk had to sense the intent.
'Or maybe he doesn't even entertain the idea of losing to his siblings?'
Kim Dae-min kept the speculation to himself.
It could be overreaching.
Still, he couldn't deny his curiosity about Lee Dae-hyuk's next moves.
"You look pleased."
"Don't I?"
Lee Myeong-guk beamed.
What greater joy for a father than witnessing his child's growth?
Blind inaction wasn't an option, though.
"He plans to scout talent for the hotel. Keep an eye on who he brings in. If they're lightweights by your measure, cut them loose early. And line up some sharp prospects of your own to recommend."
"Understood."
Kim Dae-min shared the intrigue.
His answer drew Lee Myeong-guk's gaze to the window.
Winter's end loomed. Spring was near.
Like flowers on the cusp of bloom, he hoped his children's talents would soon unfurl.
What Lee Myeong-guk couldn't foresee was this:
His slightly premature choice would unleash a storm of trouble down the line.
***
Park Ji-sook savored Kim Chan-wook's report.
"How entertaining. Him coming home. Declaring war on me."
Indoor driving range.
She'd returned after ages, Kim Chan-wook at her side per usual.
"……."
Truth be told, he'd meant to bury the details of his call with Lee Dae-hyuk.
But Park Ji-sook already knew of the return.
Courtesy of the eyes and ears she'd planted on Lee Myeong-guk.
Which was why Kim Chan-wook had laid it all out.
'Fine. Better to get ahead of his counterattack.'
First things first, though.
"My apologies."
"No need. Everyone slips up. But..."
Thwack!
"If the failures pile on, that's not a slip-up anymore."
Thwack!
"It's incompetence."
Her eyes iced over with each successive drive.
'Tormenting me across generations?'
That woman. And now her son, Lee Dae-hyuk.
The mother had stolen her husband's love.
The boy aimed to snatch Daehan Group itself.
Enemies, mother and son alike.
"They say he became Silicon Valley's hero?"
"Yes."
"A hero's pathetic end... that'd make headlines."
Thwack!!!
She unleashed a mighty swing on the teed-up ball, then continued.
"Make it happen. Some killer news."
"Yes."
"Freelancers are fine too."
Kim Chan-wook's eyes sharpened at her words.
Freelancers.
Buldo-kkabi operatives like him—trained to the bone, but unbound by any outfit. Contract men only.
"Reunite with the old crew. Corporate card catch-up won't hurt."
Thwack!
She played it light, but he read between the lines.
Corporate card.
Park Ji-sook had skimmed her own black fund from Daehan Group.
Now she greenlit using it for a hit.
It stung his pride, sure.
'Implying my team's not up to snuff.'
No room for excuses after a botched job.
Besides, he itched to mesh with the old squad again.
"Yes. Thank you."
Did his response please her?
Park Ji-sook flashed a loaded smile.
"Good. Make it carefree. Enjoy."
Thwack!!!