The Patriarch's Wrath
Chairman Kang, out for a brief stroll, drew in a deep breath as if the hospital room had been suffocating him.
“The room's no joke—it's stifling. When will the results come in?”
“I heard sometime this morning, sir.”
“If there's nothing wrong, we discharge right away. Staying here makes even healthy spots ache.”
“Understood, Chairman.”
As he walked slowly, Chairman Kang broached the subject. “Just in case... if I end up lying there like a corpse one day, don't hesitate—pull the ventilator.”
“At your age, sir, I don't think we're at that stage yet.”
“You'll understand when your time comes. Anyway...”
Chairman Kang's eyes caught sight of a familiar car. There was no mistaking the one he'd gifted to Min-ho.
“That rascal was told not to come, but looks like he swung by on his way to work.”
He said it casually, but deep down, Chairman Kang had been waiting for Min-ho.
“I'll finish the walk later.”
“Yes, sir. I'll escort you back to the room.”
Chairman Kang's expression as he returned to the room was like a schoolboy anticipating a picnic. With so much to tell Min-ho, he couldn't help but be excited.
“My guess is, he knows what I want without me saying it... What do you think?”
“I expect he's prepared another unexpected move, sir.”
Chairman Kang nodded in agreement. “That ruthless streak—chop the head off anyone who charges at him. That's what I like most about him. It's one of the virtues every executive needs.”
Moon Sang-oh stepped ahead a few paces, opened the door, and Chairman Kang entered.
His fantasy of Min-ho greeting him with a bright smile shattered into pieces.
What unfolded before him was an unbelievable scene. Du-seong had raised his right hand to slap Min-ho across the cheek.
Chairman Kang had no choice but to erupt in fury.
“What do you think you're doing! Do you even know where you are?!”
At his father's thunderous roar, Du-seong hastily lowered his raised hand.
Chairman Kang's eyes blazed with beastly rage. He strode up to Du-seong and bellowed again.
“How dare you! Lay a hand on my boy?!”
To put it coldly, his four children were merely filling seats at this point. Undeniably, the most crucial figure now was Min-ho.
Min-ho had turned an incidental mishap into an opportunity that pulled him from the quagmire.
The very thought of anyone striking his grandson—the one whose face alone brought a smile to his lips—was unimaginable.
His anger didn't subside easily. His roars shook the hospital room.
The doctors and nurses assigned to the VIP ward all came rushing in.
Lawyer Choi Jong-hoon quietly closed the door, finger to his lips.
No one dared speak.
The once peaceful room was now filled with nothing but rage.
Fixing his piercing gaze on Du-seong, he extended a hand toward Moon Sang-oh.
A cigarette was swiftly placed in it.
Chairman Kang exhaled a long sigh into the smoke and asked, “Tell me what happened.”
“Father... I...”
Unable to hide his bewilderment, sweat poured down his forehead like rain. Uncharacteristically for Kang Du-seong, he was even stammering.
To borrow Chairman Kang's words, Du-seong was like a rock—few words, steadfast, always dutifully carrying out his tasks.
Among his four children, Chairman Kang trusted Du-seong the most. He'd handed him the presidency of JK Mutual Savings Bank, the group's lifeline—no further explanation needed.
He'd always followed his father, never once defying an order, not even in the smallest friction.
Yet now, his father was yelling at him for the first time. It was a massive shock to Du-seong.
He couldn't explain it clearly, but he sensed his position had shifted.
The most baffling part was his father's attitude toward Min-ho. Just a few years ago, when Min-ho was causing nonstop trouble, he'd ordered to strike him from the family registry. He even banned him from group events and birthdays—keep him out of sight.
As Min-ho's own father, it stung, but he'd swallowed it and obeyed Chairman Kang.
After a lifetime of watching his father's moods, what came out of nowhere was a scolding.
In the markedly different atmosphere, Du-seong slowly lifted his head and scanned each face.
Chairman Kang and Moon Sang-oh. Min-ho and his trusted lawyer Choi.
Their eyes told him everything had changed.
He was confused. No way to grasp what was happening.
He'd thought silently following orders would lead to vice chairman, then chairman. A naively simplistic view.
Kang Du-seong instantly sensed all his plans crumbling at the roots.
“You dare lay hands on my boy just because you're his father? Is that how I raised you?”
He wanted to snap back emotionally, but harsh reality crushed it. Arguing here gained nothing.
After wrestling with it, Kang Du-seong spoke heavily. “I'm sorry, Father...”
“How many times have I told you to fix that hot-tempered streak?”
Fighting back now would undo all his hard-won gains.
Du-seong hung his head in silence.
Staring intently, Chairman Kang asked, “You... don't tell me you think Min-ho's taxi was the spark for this whole mess?”
“...............”
No answer. He turned to Lawyer Choi Jong-hoon. “Jong-hoon, you were here watching. Speak up.”
Suddenly caught between a rock and a hard place. Lying would defend Du-seong. Truth might be seen as siding with Min-ho.
The man who'd raised him: Du-seong. The one he worked with now: Min-ho.
The dilemma didn't last long. Swallowing hard, Choi opened his mouth.
“Young Master Min-ho arrived at headquarters by taxi. President, you said the accident stemmed from that taxi.”
“Min-ho, not one to spill details easily, must've talked back, and then the hand went up.”
“Yes, Chairman. That's what happened.”
It felt like a boulder had rolled into Chairman Kang's chest. Stifling, his emotions even more tangled.
On instinct, Min-ho was perfect; by sequence, he was the tail.
He had no choice but to compare Min-ho and Du-seong. Min-ho painted the big picture to escape crisis; Du-seong fixated on the cause.
Letting out his deepest sigh yet, Chairman Kang ventured, “You think I saved that taxi driver?”
“Yes, Father. That's what I was told through the secretary's office.”
“That's not the whole story.”
“What do you mean?”
Chairman Kang picked up the newspaper from beside the bed and handed it to Du-seong.
“You know Seyoung, Minguk, Dongyoung—they bit and tore at me, right?”
“Yes. I was planning to meet their columnists soon.”
“No need. It wasn't me who saved the taxi driver—it was Min-ho.”
At the unexpected words, Du-seong shook his head in denial. “What? How?”
“Min-ho saved him, sent the driver to the hospital, and called me. The rest you know.”
“Then...”
Chairman Kang pointed to the newspaper and continued. “Look at this photo. The old lady clutching her son and weeping? I saw it firsthand—more touching than any movie...”
“You mean he planned this too?”
“All of it was Min-ho's script. My suspicions got buried, stock prices rebounded, corporate image soared. The letter here? Bonus.”
The Min-ho Du-seong knew wasn't this brilliant. In the time he hadn't seen him, it was like a different person.
Coming from Chairman Kang's mouth, he had no choice but to believe.
Lighting another cigarette, Chairman Kang raised his voice. “But this eldest son of mine? Didn't even think to put out the fire—didn't even come see his father's face!”
“I tried to come yesterday, but visiting was banned.”
“If you really wanted to check if your father was okay, you'd have come bombs or no bombs... Is that your excuse now?”
“I'm sorry.”
“One more time you touch my boy, and you'll forfeit everything you have. Get out—I can't stand the sight of you.”
Du-seong bowed his head and shuffled out, shoulders slumped, closing the door behind him.
First time in his life hearing his father's roar at him. Shaky position. Changed Min-ho and even Choi the lawyer.
Du-seong couldn't help but be bewildered.
With heavy steps down the hall, he pressed the elevator button.
Moments later, the doors opened. Inside, Myeong-seon waved cheerfully, smiling brightly.
“Oppa, leaving already? How's Dad? Is Moon butler there? Or the Kim Cheon lady?”
“Shut it and come quietly.”
“You came all this way just to leave? What gives?”
Sensing something off from his darker-than-usual demeanor, Myeong-seon peered closely.
Mussed hair, wrinkled shirt, utterly defeated expression—she knew something had happened.
“Father yelled at me... First time ever...”
“Stop sighing and give me a hint. What went down?”
“Min-ho mouthing off like the old days... I hate that most, so I raised my hand, and Father saw it all.”
“Yeah, you can't stand Min-ho glaring and snapping back.”
One thing Du-seong didn't know that Myeong-seon did: Min-ho's brilliance, and how Chairman Kang now doted on his grandson like never before.
Having pieced it together from his answer, Myeong-seon smiled slyly. “Oppa, didn't it feel like Min-ho was deliberately provoking you a bit?”
“Deliberately? What would Min-ho gain from baiting me?”
“Plenty. You're only seeing one tree, missing the forest. Let's go to the café up ahead—I've got a lot to tell you.”
***
Grandfather's love for his grandson burned brighter by the day. Though Chairman Kang wore the patient gown, Min-ho was the one perched on the bed.
“Let me see—gotta check if my boy's hurt. No? Sang-oh, fetch the doctor.”
“Yes, sir.”
Min-ho waved it off vehemently. “No, really—I'm fine. Nothing happened. For real, Grandpa.”
“You sure? I can trust you on that?”
“Of course! Would I lie to you?”
“Good, good. Eaten breakfast?”
“No time—just grabbed some fries on the way.”
Chairman Kang beamed indulgently, stroking Min-ho's hair nonstop.
“Can't just sit here pampered by my grandson. Sang-oh.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Find two or three top-notch cooks and send them to Min-ho's place. Cleaning, meals—make sure it's all handled.”
“Got it. I'll rush it through.”
Right on cue, a knock, and the door opened. Gil Kang-tae, Korea University Hospital director, entered with a swarm of doctors.
The director bowed deeply.
“Kang-tae...”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“What about the other patients if every doctor swarms this old man? Send everyone but the essentials packing.”
“Understood.”
The director nodded, and all but the necessary staff filed out.
“We're here to report the exam results.”
“From your view, when do I kick the bucket?”
“No, sir—nothing like that.”
“You always get flustered like this. Give me a hint.”
Handing over the charts, the director explained. “No issues at all. We checked your heart closely after yesterday's shock—perfectly fine.”
“Good enough to tell me if it's bad news.”
“Your muscle tone's impressive for your age. If nothing bothers you now, discharge is fine.”
“It is stifling, truth be told. You've all suffered half a day for this old coot.”
“Your health from here on—I'll take full responsibility, Chairman.”
“Don't worry about funding. It'll keep flowing if nothing changes.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Fortunately, no problems in the diagnosis.
As if he'd been waiting, Chairman Kang rose from the bed. “Trying to pocket beans, and sparrows everywhere...”
Changed into street clothes, he smiled at Min-ho. “You've got something to say to your grandpa, right?”
Like grandfather, like grandson. Min-ho grinned slyly. “Fire's out at home—time to catch the culprit. Can't sleep soundly yet.”
“Was already planning to hand you the knife hilt. You must be starving—let's talk over something tasty.”
Chairman Kang clasped Min-ho's hand tightly and headed out of the hospital.