Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: A Direct Approach (2)
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A clash of values is a headache that rears its ugly head in any family from time to time.
Of course, such conflicts are usually resolved when one side concedes or through mutual compromise.
What happens when that isn't possible?
The answer could be found in Seo-rim’s family.
—This is the land your grandfather protected.
The Han family had built its wealth through real estate speculation, starting with Seo-rim’s grandfather, Han Seok-gyun, and had enjoyed prosperity for three generations.
Instead of fairy tales, the children of the family were told stories about their grandfather's work during the post-liberation period and which lands he invested in with the money he earned.
In short, they received an early education in real estate.
—Isn’t your grandfather amazing?
—Yes!
Of course, young children couldn't easily grasp the details.
They simply understood that ‘Grandpa is amazing.’
But would the adults have stopped at just telling the children about money and leaving it at ‘amazing’?
The stories were merely a foundation for what needed to be done to protect that shining fortune and pass it down to future generations.
—You all need to develop an eye for land. Even if you can’t grow the fortune Grandpa passed down, you must at least be able to protect it.
The Han family’s business was primarily focused on land and buildings—in other words, the construction industry.
Among them, the eldest son’s family, Seo-rim’s, was in charge of the land side.
There were two types of children in that household.
One who accepted it, and one who openly rejected it.
The one who accepted was Seo-rim.
The one who rejected it was Jin-gyeong, the eldest grandson of the Han family, who had been defiant since childhood.
—I’m going to be a president when I grow up. You can just do real estate, Seo-rim.
—Okay!
Jin-gyeong was a child with many dreams.
He had ambition and always loved to achieve things through his own strength rather than inheriting them.
So much so that in elementary school, instead of begging his parents for a Blue-Eyes White Dragon card, he engaged in a high-stakes duel with a friend to get it.
His dreams weren't just big, either.
Jin-gyeong was a man who never stopped working hard.
Perhaps Seo-rim’s workaholic tendencies were influenced by watching Jin-gyeong since she was young.
Throughout his school years, Jin-gyeong never once gave up his position as class president or student body president.
He always spent his breaks studying or working part-time, and even then, he was a leader who managed to keep many people by his side.
He was an elite, a born leader.
Everyone who saw him said it.
That kid is destined for great things, no matter what he does.
Those who met him in college might say, ‘That was fifth-year university student Han Jin-gyeong?’ but what could be done when that was the truth?
On the other hand, what was Seo-rim like?
In a word, she was a ‘proper young lady.’
She listened well to what the family said and walked the path her parents laid out for her.
The only thing Seo-rim decided for herself was to enroll in art school.
Even that, she planned to quit someday and take over the family business if she lost interest.
Her parents wanted it, and she didn't particularly mind it either.
Up to that point, everything was fine.
There were no issues with generational conflicts, differences in values, or the direction of the family business.
The ship was sailing smoothly.
From the adults' perspective, it didn't matter who took over the family business, and from Jin-gyeong's perspective, if Seo-rim took over, he would be free to do what he wanted.
That's how it was until Seo-rim turned twenty-five.
It was when they were making *Identity*.
—I don't think I can take over.
Seo-rim had found a dream.
The ship that had been drifting for so long had finally found a place to anchor.
At first, she thought, *I’ll just do this for a little while and then quit.*
Then it became, *I’ll just finish this one thing and then quit.*
As she postponed her resignation day after day, Seo-rim came face to face with the truth she had been ignoring.
She loved the entire process of creating something with her own hands, presenting it to others, and being admired for it.
The moment she stood on the awards stage to receive a prize, she felt a thrill of ecstasy.
She had fallen in love with her work.
Only then did she truly understand what Yeon-ho had said.
—Because it feels like I'd die if I didn't do this.
Seo-rim had thought to herself.
*Could I live my life doing something other than this work?*
*Could I call a life where I give up something this joyful and merely breathe, a life at all?*
The answer was ‘no.’
Seo-rim couldn't live without doing this work.
It would be like the life of someone in a vegetative state.
Unable to lift a finger, only breathing, waiting for a sentence in the same scenery, hoping for a miracle that would never come.
She was afraid.
She was terrified of a life where living was no longer new or joyful, where every moment was bland and colorless.
The thought that she would regret that decision for the rest of her life made her shudder.
And so, she made her choice.
What Seo-rim wanted was understanding.
She hoped they would understand her wishes.
However, the world isn't always like a fairy tale.
—No.
Her father flatly rejected Seo-rim’s decision.
It was a difference in worldviews, a difference in values.
Her father, Han Jun-oh, had grown up watching his own father’s legend.
He had been by his side since their poorest days and had experienced firsthand how prosperous one could become just by following the path he paved.
Conversely, he also knew the risks of taking on challenges.
Tens of billions of won.
That was how much Seo-rim's grandfather had lost on his ventures.
Jun-oh was a man who feared the risk of loss more than the return from a challenge.
He was conservative and valued stability.
It couldn't be helped.
Jun-oh was born into a desperately poor family, and before his father's success, he had personally experienced starvation and knew its terror in his bones.
In any case, that was how the crack formed.
—Let her do what she wants.
Jin-gyeong supported Seo-rim.
As someone who was also crazy about his own dreams, he understood her completely.
But his words couldn't reach his old-fashioned father.
—Then will you do it? Fine, it would be good for you to quit playing with that fist-sized business of yours and take over.
During his college years, Jin-gyeong had gathered some acquaintances and started a company, which became a resounding success.
But in Jun-oh's eyes, it was just him playing at business.
That's how vast the fortune and business, built over half a century, were.
—IT is good. But it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. The market is already full of giants. To break through them and reach the top, you need a miracle. Haven't I always told you? In the end, it's all about luck.
To Jun-oh, the size of one's fortune was the size of one's dream.
That's why he was always displeased with Jin-gyeong, who was content running his small company.
And with its low probability of success, he was even more so.
The only thing Jun-oh said that Jin-gyeong agreed with was that ‘business is ultimately about luck.’
The conflict that had always been simmering beneath the surface erupted, and the crack grew immeasurably wide.
The perfect daughter and the ever-disappointing son.
He could have ignored one of them, but now he couldn't.
As a last resort, her father tried to interfere with Seo-rim's work.
Jin-gyeong tried to stop him.
—Go ahead and try whatever you want. If you want to see just how far I can go.
They say siblings bicker like enemies, but they also care for each other more than anyone.
Jin-gyeong cheered on his sister's dream with all his might.
Therefore, he couldn't stand by and watch it get destroyed.
—Are you really going to do it? Then I will, too.
Jin-gyeong was a man who followed through on his words.
The first time his father tried to interfere with Studio Rewind, Jin-gyeong stepped down from his position as president of his startup.
The second time he tried, Jin-gyeong started frequenting clubs and creating scandals.
And the third time, thankfully, Jin-gyeong didn't have to do anything.
Studio Rewind had become too big.
It had become a globally renowned developer with an irreplaceable position in the domestic market.
Of course, in terms of assets, it couldn't compare to the family's massive construction conglomerate.
But now, what was to be feared was public opinion.
Studio Rewind was a hornet's nest.
A treasure cherished and protected by a nation thirsty for international prestige.
That's why if he touched it recklessly, he could be swarmed by public criticism.
If he ignored that and interfered, the consequences were obvious.
The government is always eyeing corporate coffers.
All it lacked was a justification.
If the company ended up on the chopping block because he attacked Studio Rewind?
The government, under the pretext of justice, would come to play the part of daylight robbers.
There was no shortage of evidence.
In Korea, the relationship between the government and corporations had always been one of turning a blind eye to each other's weaknesses.
With vested interests at stake, he couldn't act.
However, that didn't resolve the emotional issues.
If Jin-gyeong were to return to his startup now, the arrow would be aimed at him.
…And that was the story of how Jin-gyeong became unemployed and Seo-rim decided to quit her job.
“...I don't know why I'm telling you all this.”
Seo-rim let out a hollow laugh.
To sum it up, it was all due to a sense of debt.
She felt sorry for Jin-gyeong, who had given up his future for her dream.
She felt sorry for her family, whose plans had been thrown into disarray by her whim.
In Seo-rim's mind, the cause of the problem was her own selfishness.
If she just cut one thing off, everything would go back to the way it was.
So, she was just cutting it off.
Seo-rim lifted her head.
Yeon-ho had been listening to her story while continuously downing his glass, and his face was quite red.
His gaze was fixed blankly on his glass.
Was he in shock?
I wasn't sure if it was right to feel this way, but I was a little grateful for that fact.
“...So that's what happened. I'm sorry. I think this project will be my last.”
Yeon-ho remained silent.
It seemed like his thoughts weren't connecting properly.
*If he keeps drinking like that, what's he going to do about work tomorrow?*
A belated wave of concern washed over her, and at that moment.
“Let’s go.”
Yeon-ho shot up from his seat and grabbed Seo-rim's wrist.
Seo-rim was taken aback.
“What?”
“I said, let's go.”
Yeon-ho pulled Seo-rim out of the restaurant.
“Let's go to your house.”
She had no idea what this reaction was supposed to mean.
***
I understood.
The super-popular, fifth-year student Jin-gyeong had become unemployed, and Han Seo-rim was on the verge of resigning.
The cause was a family matter.
Ultimately, an inheritance issue.
In that case, I could fight it.
The worst-case scenario I had imagined for her resignation was elopement, but it wasn't anything like that, was it?
Then I couldn't let her go.
*‘After all the effort I put into making her who she is.’*
I'd been approaching her since college, nurturing and cherishing her to bring her this far. How could I give her to someone else?
No, how could I let her quit this job?
It would be a global loss.
Studio Rewind without Han Seo-rim is like a fish-shaped pastry without the filling.
The thought of the games that would come out after Han Seo-rim's retirement made my vision go dark.
The thought of releasing games with visuals that were no longer innovative made my stomach churn.
There was no need to meekly accept something so horrifying.
So, how to solve it?
*‘There’s no choice but to face it head-on, with sincerity.’*
*Click!*
“Senior! Wait a minute!”
“Huh? Yeon-ho?”
It was my first time visiting Han Seo-rim's house.
A mansion, as expected. For a moment, I wondered how someone could live in a two-story house in Seoul.
Before me stood a feral-looking Jin-gyeong and a dumbfounded middle-aged man—Han Seo-rim’s father.
I wondered why he looked familiar, then I remembered seeing his face on the news.
So this Han Seo-rim wasn't just born with a golden spoon, she was born with a diamond one.
“...Mr. Cheon Yeon-ho?”
Her father stammered.
I took a deep breath.
I smelled a bit of alcohol.
*‘It’s fine.’*
My tongue wouldn't get twisted.
I thought about it.
How could I convey my sincerity?
Could I quickly explain how capable Han Seo-rim is as an art director and what a huge loss her departure from the industry would be?
No, beyond that, how could I explain why Han Seo-rim should stay at Studio Rewind?
The answer was clear.
*‘I have to show them that I will be the one to make Han Seo-rim blossom...’*
I had to give them that conviction.
I immediately put my plan into action.
*Thud!*
I fell to my knees.
Lifting my head stiffly, I looked at her father.
And I spoke.
“Please give your daughter to me.”
At that moment.
“...Oh?”
A spark returned to Jin-gyeong's eyes.
Her father froze.
Something felt off, so I glanced at Han Seo-rim, only to see the most vacant expression I had ever seen on her face.
Why this reaction?
I pondered for a moment and soon came to a conclusion.
*‘Crap...’*
Was this not the way?