Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Myeongjin Construction (3)
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A few hours earlier.
Ko Chang-beom fell into deep thought.
He had stepped out for a moment and lit a cigarette on the bustling street.
Chic chic.
“Whew, my head’s gonna split.”
His conversation with Kim Hyun-seong.
He couldn’t make a snap judgment.
The kid talked a good game, but he couldn’t just blindly trust and act on the words of a 17-year-old high schooler. If things went south, even by a slim chance, it would all fall on him. Ko Chang-beom sucked down the cigarette in seconds, tossed the smoking butt to the ground, and lit another one.
Kkiiik.
“...Um, sir. This is a no-smoking zone.”
It was the café owner.
Ko Chang-beom looked like a thug at first glance.
The owner spoke as cautiously as possible, and Ko Chang-beom’s eyebrow shot up.
“Get lost before you piss me off. Fuck, I might just trash the whole café.”
The café owner jumped in fright.
He glanced around nervously and slipped back inside.
Ko Chang-beom.
He was the type who lived up to his looks.
Born the eldest son of Myeongjin Construction, he lived like no one was beneath him, infamous in Daesan as a time bomb you didn’t dare touch. Kim Hyun-seong hadn’t approached him because he was a good person. He judged Ko Chang-beom suitable precisely because he was rotten enough to crush his own brother for power.
The difference with Ko Chang-seok was clear.
Still, Ko Chang-beom had a petty sense of loyalty that made him dislike anyone messing with his family.
“Chang-seok, you fuck. Why couldn’t you just chill?”
Lately.
He’d suspected Ko Chang-seok of scheming.
That’s why he’d tried to avoid trouble when some passersby picked a fight, but his fiery temper couldn’t hold back the rage, and he ended up causing an incident. That was Ko Chang-beom’s nature. Focused only on the moment, he got pushed around until he was backed into a corner.
Kim Hyun-seong’s words.
They really got under his skin.
The kid had straight-up called him bottom-tier, cutting him down.
Normally, he’d have flipped the table regardless of who the guy was, but Kim Hyun-seong hadn’t just spewed pure criticism.
‘This mess I’m in is probably because I’ve only kept sweet-talking bastards around me. The kid’s not wrong. Compared to Chang-seok, I’ve got nothing. If things stay like this, I’ll lose the successor spot without a fight. And Chang-seok won’t yield an inch to me. In this situation, should I really listen to some snot-nosed brat I’ve never met before?’
It was a dilemma.
If the guy had been around his age.
No, even if he were an adult, it’d be fine.
No matter how he thought about it, 17 was just too young to trust.
He agonized for a long time.
As cigarette butts piled up on the ground, Ko Chang-beom suddenly recalled something his father had once said.
“Chang-beom, if you lack ability, keep someone capable by your side. Don’t think about age, gender, or status—just find someone with the skills you need, and you’ll be able to lead Myeongjin Construction.”
Years ago.
Words spoken to him when he was living like a wastrel.
They felt like divine revelation now.
“Fuck it, whatever.”
Toss.
He flicked the butt away.
Entering the café, Ko Chang-beom returned to his seat and sat across from Kim Hyun-seong.
“Tell me the plan first. I’ll hear it all and decide.”
* * *
Ko Chang-beom and Ko Chang-seok.
David versus Goliath.
A fight where one side had no chance, which was exactly why Kim Hyun-seong saw meaning in it.
‘If Ko Chang-beom had built the same foundation as Ko Chang-seok, he wouldn’t give a damn about some high schooler’s words. That’s one reason I chose him. Not because he’s less trash, but because he still has mental space to accept new people. I need to become the person he needs.’
It was a deal.
Offer ability, take compensation.
In this first encounter, Kim Hyun-seong spoke calmly.
“To win the successor race, three conditions are needed. First is backing. You’ve already lost there, Mr. Ko. Born the eldest son of Myeongjin Construction, that advantage was yours, but Ko Chang-seok married into a prominent Daesan family and built his own faction. With blind support from that backing, he’s seized the lead in the race. So, what about the second condition? Reputation. Do you think you’ve won there?”
“...No.”
He shook his head.
Unlike himself, branded the thug of Myeongjin Construction, Ko Chang-seok had an excellent public image.
“This second condition ties directly to the third. Ability. Ko Chang-seok, graduated from a prestigious foreign university and handling Myeongjin’s operations, has a proven track record that ensures good internal reputation. Whether he’s actually capable is beside the point. In a head-to-head with candidates narrowed to two, if he’s seen as superior to you, it’s over.”
Defeat was clear.
Three conditions.
Lost all three.
Ko Chang-beom’s face flushed with wounded pride, but he swallowed his anger to hear the solution.
If the outcome was sweet.
He’d swallow the bitter pill.
Ko Chang-beom wasn’t clever, but he had his principles.
Once he committed, he went all in.
He’d sent those provoking pedestrians to the ER, so he listened to Kim Hyun-seong.
“We need to overturn the three successor conditions one by one. Back to the first: backing. How do we flip it? You can’t suddenly match Ko Chang-seok’s backing or pull in equal power through marriage, so there’s only one way.”
He smiled.
Ko Chang-beom found that smile chilling.
“Drive a wedge between Ko Chang-seok and his wife. If their relationship crumbles, he loses his backing just like us.”
* * *
Back to the present.
Ko Chang-seok drove frantically.
One call saying his wife had stormed the Hanseong officetel—he couldn’t hide his anxiety.
“Goddamn it, goddamn it, goddamn it!”
His wife.
His marriage to Kim Ji-hye lacked love.
Sure, she claimed to love him sincerely, but Ko Chang-seok had chosen her for her conditions.
Her family.
With a prosecutor father, her family wielded significant influence in Daesan, and he’d received plenty of help in his operations. It went according to plan. After finishing his studies abroad and returning, he’d decided a solid backing was essential to claim the eldest son’s position.
Kim Ji-hye was the perfect solution.
Her looks were average, but her family would give him wings.
Everything was smooth sailing.
The top was in sight, but then his sponsor girl got caught by his wife.
‘If Ji-hye finds out about the sponsor, it’s all over. My father-in-law told me: he’d back me as his son-in-law no matter what I did, but the moment tears fall from Ji-hye’s eyes, that’s it.’
He was desperate.
His father-in-law wasn’t squeaky clean.
Just rotten enough.
A prosecutor who owned a building in Daesan—he was perfect for Ko Chang-seok, who had no intention of living clean. That’s why he tried to keep his womanizing in check. But his pre-marriage habit of cycling through women was insatiable. Plus, with Kim Ji-hye’s plain looks, he had no choice but to sneak to clubs to satisfy himself.
That’s when he met the club girl.
Stunning enough to rival celebrities, he started sponsoring her and rented her a separate officetel to keep it from Kim Ji-hye. Perfect. As long as he was faithful at home, no issues.
But.
She got caught.
At every red light, he wanted to floor it through the crosswalk, pedestrians be damned.
‘Ji-hye probably hasn’t gotten inside yet. Once I arrive, I’ll stall, smuggle the girl out somehow. The officetel’s under a borrowed name anyway—claim it’s employee housing, and Ji-hye can’t do shit. Suspicion and certainty are different. I just need to get there in time to salvage this.’
When the call came.
The officetel door hadn’t opened yet.
An employee on standby spotted Kim Ji-hye, and the sponsor girl quickly locked the door and hunkered down.
There was a chance.
A chance to fix this.
Blood ran cold.
Time dragged on until he finally reached the officetel, only to face the devastating scene he’d prayed wouldn’t happen.
“...Ahh.”
Door lock smashed on the floor.
Door wide open.
Inside, his wife Kim Ji-hye had grabbed a woman by the hair and was slapping her relentlessly.
Slap, slap!
“You fucking bitch! You dare fool around with my husband?!”
It was over.
Ko Chang-seok squeezed his eyes shut.
* * *
The next day.
Myeongjin Construction’s two sons.
Ko Chang-beom and Ko Chang-seok were summoned by their father.
Faced with Ko Myeong-jin’s icy expression, Ko Chang-seok admitted fault before a word could be said.
“...I’m sorry.”
“Tsk tsk, pathetic punk.”
Ko Myeong-jin turned his gaze.
He’d thought this son at least acted human, but the affair had ruined everything.
“I contacted your in-laws. Told them my son made a big mistake, but I’d discipline him harshly so it never happens again—no need for divorce. They agreed, considering their reputation in Daesan, but they couldn’t be swayed on living separately for a while to see how you atone.”
“I’m truly sorry.”
“Sorry my ass. I warned you: if a man can’t control his dick, the family crumbles. If you were gonna whore around, you should’ve stayed a pathetic bachelor like your brother Chang-beom!”
No words to say.
Faced with his father’s harsh language, Ko Chang-seok bowed his head, repeating apologies.
“Ugh, I’ve failed at raising kids.”
Ko Myeong-jin thumped his chest in frustration.
The in-laws.
They doted on their only daughter like a jewel.
With the affair undeniable, they wouldn’t blindly support him anymore. Pathetic. If it hadn’t been caught, maybe, but at this crucial successor juncture, Ko Chang-seok had torpedoed himself.
But the problems didn’t end there.
His secretary said Ko Chang-beom had caused trouble too.
“And Ko Chang-beom. Why the hell were you in and out of the police station?”
He knew the truth.
The others started it, and Ko Chang-beom was swept up.
Normally, he’d let it slide, but with Ko Chang-seok’s mess, even Ko Chang-beom looked bad. If the Ko family eldest were decent, Ko Myeong-jin wouldn’t have successor headaches.
He was furious.
Disillusioned.
He thought it was his failure as a father that his sons turned out like this.
‘He’ll probably deny any wrongdoing like always, argue loudly. Never reflect on his pathetic self, just enjoy his only brother’s fall. Myeongjin’s future looks bleak.’
But.
Expecting the usual, Ko Myeong-jin was shocked to see Ko Chang-beom bow his head with genuine remorse.
This situation.
Was exactly the scenario Kim Hyun-seong had predicted.
Ko Chang-beom swallowed his trembling heart and recited his planned lines in the most apologetic tone.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be careful so this never happens again.”
“As expected, owning your mistake... Huh?”
For a moment.
Ko Myeong-jin’s eyes widened.
The remorseful attitude.
It was highly unexpected for him.