Kingmaker (4)
Go Hyeon-ji.
The granddaughter of Go Bon-seung, chairman of the GL Group, and the youngest daughter of Go Jae-ik, president of GL Chemical.
She hadn’t just been born into a chaebol family; she’d also inherited a face beautiful enough to turn heads anywhere. It was no exaggeration to say she’d been born gripping two golden spoons at once.
With two older brothers above her, she was far removed from any succession struggle. Naturally, she’d grown up showered with affection and free of any real pressure.
Everyone she’d ever met had probably liked her, and everyone had probably tried to make a good impression on her.
Even the people at this party were busy catering to her every whim.
Not a single soul here would dare spoil the mood of the granddaughter cherished by the chairman of the GL Group.
But I wasn’t one of them.
I wasn’t planning to join GL Group later, either.
The problem was that no matter how many times I said I wasn’t interested, I had a feeling she still wouldn’t get it.
What should I do? How could I get my true feelings across to her?
I decided to change tactics.
“To be honest, I’m a little curious about something, Ms. Hyeon-ji. If it’s not rude, may I ask you a few questions?”
Go Hyeon-ji wore the expression of someone thinking, Of course.
“Sure. What are you curious about?”
“I heard you’re friends with Yoon-ah. By any chance, do you know what kind of men Yoon-ah likes?”
“...Huh?”
“Men have been coming up to talk to her since a little while ago, and I’ve been a bit distracted by it. Honestly, most men like women like Yoon-ah.”
Go Hyeon-ji raised her eyebrows.
“Why?”
“Because she’s attractive. She’s pretty, too.”
“Yoon-ah?”
“Yes. Isn’t she the prettiest person here at the party?”
“Isn’t there someone even prettier?”
“Really? I don’t think there’s anyone prettier than Yoon-ah anywhere I look.”
“...”
She looked like she wanted to say, Me, but couldn’t quite bring herself to do it.
Still, her pride was no joke.
I could almost see why she’d still be pouting over something from high school with Sung Yoon-ah.
Maybe that had been the biggest defeat of her life.
Go Hyeon-ji bit her lip slightly, clearly unable to accept it. Then, as if forcing herself into a kind of psychological victory, she laughed and said, “Well, everyone has different tastes.”
“Right. Depending on taste, there are definitely people who’d like a type like you, too.”
“...”
She was still smiling, but the corner of her mouth was trembling.
There was none of that, This man is the first one ever to say this to me, kind of feeling. She just looked furious.
For someone that pretty, even her angry face was pretty.
“So, do you know what kind of men Yoon-ah likes?”
“Ha! Why are you asking me that?”
“You’re her friend.”
“I don’t know. Ask her yourself.”
She spun around and walked off toward another group.
A cold wind seemed to trail behind her as she went.
Watching her go, I let out a faint laugh.
I had a feeling I’d just made an enemy, but... well, whatever.
* * *
The party went on after that.
When young men and women gather in one place, these kinds of events usually become hunting grounds for conversation and connection.
The men approached the women boldly, and sometimes the women made the first move.
Since this was a business gathering, most of them already knew each other by extension. They exchanged greetings and chatted like it was natural.
Unfortunately, nobody was including me.
I wasn’t from their world.
Wasn’t there a woman here who’d talk to me?
If someone would just start a conversation, I could make it fun. If they asked me how I’d handled the Blackwood incident or how I’d escaped with Chairman Samara, wouldn’t that have them all rolling?
Sadly, no woman was paying me any attention.
But from the corner of my eye, I noticed some guy keep glancing my way. At first, I thought he was looking at Sung Yoon-ah, but it was me he was watching.
As if he’d made up his mind, he walked over to me.
Was he planning to confess to me or something?
Standing in front of me, he asked cautiously, “Have we maybe met somewhere before?”
“Really?”
“Yes. I feel like I saw you at an important event, but I can’t quite remember where.”
Where could he have seen me?
Had he been at the Hanjeong Mulsan shareholders’ meeting?
I shook my head quickly.
“No way. This is the first time I’ve seen you.”
“I’m Choi Gyeong-su. May I ask your name?”
If I gave my real name here, it could cause unnecessary trouble. But since he’d asked, I couldn’t exactly refuse to answer either.
I glossed over it casually.
“I’m Edmond Han.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Maybe because there were so many overseas Koreans and foreign-born Asians in the room, he didn’t seem to think it was strange.
He muttered something about how I looked familiar and wandered off to another group. Sung Yoon-ah, who’d been watching, asked, “What’s Edmond?”
“You don’t like it?”
“Yes. Is that really your name?”
“No. It’s my game ID.”
“...”
Sung Yoon-ah looked at me like I was hopeless.
That was harsh.
It was an ID I’d once raised all the way to gold tier. I’d stopped playing for a long time, so it had probably fallen by now, but still.
“Thanks. Thanks to you, I got to come to a place like this.”
“Was it worth coming?”
“Yes. I’ve always been curious how chaebols spend their time.”
It was a very good experience.
“Th-then if there’s another party, do you want to come with me?”
“I’d like that, but are you sure it’s okay, Yoon-ah?”
What if people misunderstood?
“Of course.”
I was just starting to think about leaving when Go Hyeon-ji came back over with a group of people.
It looked like whatever irritation she’d felt before had completely vanished; now she was smiling brightly.
“There you are. I wanted to introduce these people to your friend, Yoon-ah.”
“To me?”
“Yes. I’m sure it’ll be helpful to know them.”
The people with her offered their greetings.
A good-looking man with a solid build said, “I’m Jang Yu-seon. I work at Daeyeon Winer.”
I knew the name.
He was the third son of Chairman Jang Hisu of Daeyeon Car Group.
“I’m Kim Sang-min from Oen Steel.”
He was the second son of the chairman of Oen Group.
The others were all children of groups whose names anyone in the business world would recognize at a glance.
They said to me, “We heard your father runs a small company called Byungjin Industrial?”
“We also heard you’re preparing to supply to a major corporation.”
“We looked it up, but nothing even came up. What kind of company is it?”
I muttered, half incredulous, “The rumor’s already spread that far?”
I didn’t need to ask who’d told them. I already knew.
Sung Yoon-ah stared at Go Hyeon-ji with wide eyes.
“You really...”
Go Hyeon-ji looked bewildered. “What? I’m trying to help.”
I stopped Sung Yoon-ah before she could get angry.
“I’ll handle it myself.”
Getting mad here would only play into their hands.
I didn’t know whether their goal was to embarrass me or embarrass Sung Yoon-ah, but either way, it was obvious their intentions weren’t good.
If the other side wouldn’t speak sensibly, then I’d answer in kind.
I stepped forward and said, “As you may already have heard, Byungjin Industrial is a small one-factory company in Incheon. Right now, we’re expanding the plant and developing technology and products with the goal of supplying major corporations.”
People nearby started drifting over as well.
The men and women here were all children of the most prominent chaebol families.
For a small and medium-sized company like Byungjin Industrial to directly supply a major corporation was nearly impossible.
In another setting, this would have been the point where I should be on my knees, begging and pleading.
Even if not that far, they were probably expecting at least a meek bow and a desperate request.
I looked around at them and continued, “If anyone here wants to receive products from Byungjin Industrial, please submit a detailed proposal explaining what product you need, how urgently you need it, and how you can support our technology development. After a thorough review of whether your company is truly worth doing business with, we’ll get back to you. And as you all know, major corporations these days love to push around subcontractors. There are plenty of trash companies that squeeze unit prices or steal technology. No matter how badly you want to buy from Byungjin Industrial, I’ll make it clear now that companies like that are not qualified.”
“...”
Suddenly, it went quiet.
When I looked closer, everyone seemed to have frozen in place.
Some looked like they’d heard me wrong. Others had their mouths hanging open.
When I glanced behind me, Sung Yoon-ah was staring blankly too, and Min Ah-reum had covered her mouth with one hand, bent forward as muffled snickers shook her shoulders.
She’d completely lost it.
Watching that was fun, but then Go Hyeon-ji shot back, sounding offended. “W-what are you talking about?”
“Ah! You said it’d be helpful to know them, remember? So I’m helping these people. Byungjin Industrial doesn’t usually make deals with just any major corporation, but since I’m considering your face, I’m giving everyone here a special opportunity.”
“W-what are you even saying? The other side should be the one getting help...”
“Me? Why?”
“Th-that’s...”
“Anyway, this is a problem. It’d be awkward if everyone started begging us to supply them. That’s why Father didn’t want anyone to know I was from Byungjin Industrial. But now that you’ve spread the rumor, this has gotten a little awkward for me. Please make sure to explain things properly to anyone who’s been disqualified or doesn’t meet the requirements.”
“...”
Go Hyeon-ji looked like she was thinking, What kind of person doesn’t understand a single thing you say?
For some reason, I felt like I’d won.
I said to the group, “Let’s leave the conversation there. Byungjin Industrial is my father’s company, not mine. I have no intention of riding on my parents’ coattails, even at a gathering like this. Honestly, why should what my parents do matter? What matters is what I do.”
Then Jang Yu-seon asked sharply, “Then what are you doing now?”
“That’s a little hard to explain in a place like this.”
“Why not?”
“Because it might ruin the mood.”
“If you want, I can tell you later in private.”
Someone snickered, “What, are you doing something amazing or something?”
“He’s just the son of a small-company president, right?”
“Unbelievable.”
Snide comments and mocking laughter rippled through the group.
The atmosphere, which had been relatively friendly just moments before, had turned hostile.
Go Hyeon-ji said, “It’s fine, so go ahead and tell us.”
I looked at her and asked, “Are you sure?”
“Yes. There’s no rank in occupations, is there?”
People who think there is always the one to say that.
Still, if she wanted to know, there was nothing I could do about it.
“I work at Continue Capital.”
For a moment, silence fell.
Everyone seemed to doubt their ears. That was how much impact the name Continue Capital carried.
After a pause, Go Hyeon-ji spoke. “Co-Continue Capital?”
I nodded.
“Yes. The company you’re thinking of.”
There was no way anyone in the business world wouldn’t know our company name.
The people around us suddenly began murmuring among themselves.
Then Choi Gyeong-su, the man who’d spoken to me earlier, shouted, “That’s right! Han Miru! I saw you at the Hanjeong Mulsan shareholders’ meeting!”
He wore the relieved expression of someone who’d finally remembered, and everyone else stared in shock.
“What? Han Miru?”
“Wait, no way, that Han Miru?”
“Hold on. Come to think of it...”
“The one who showed up at the Hanjeong Mulsan shareholders’ meeting with a proxy form!”
“Why is that guy here?”
To my surprise, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t know my name.
In an instant, the whole room fell quiet, and everyone in the party was looking at me.
I took a calm sip of the champagne in my hand.
For some reason, it felt like I’d become the main character of the night.