Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Who is the “Mastermind”?
“We’ve been watching. You’re doing even better these days, aren’t you?”
“Thank you. I still have a long way to go.”
“Even better than this? Just like your father...”
They exchanged perfunctory greetings. Like my father? Yu Yeon-seo detected something dissonant in their expressions and tone.
‘The atmosphere is strange.’
It felt as if they were hiding their discomfort behind smiling faces. Yu Yeon-seo moved past them, heading for a sofa away from the adults. Yu Eun-ho had been cornered by them.
‘It must be about the inheritance.’
The news that Chairman Yu was stepping back from the front lines and distributing his assets had already been reported in several articles. The recent lull in Yu Geon-min’s annoyingly frequent calls was also due to Chairman Yu’s nagging for him to quickly take over his position.
‘It probably has nothing to do with me, though.’
Would he really gift so much to his grandchildren? Maybe to my brother, but... Yu Yeon-seo was content with his current situation. But as they say, the rich only want more. His other relatives might think differently.
“You’re here?”
“Yeah.”
Yu Yeon-seo glanced at his cousin, Lee Seo-yoon. It was surprising that she spoke to him first. Among his cousins, the ones he was closest to were Park Seon-woo and Park Yu-jeong, the children of his younger aunt.
“Oh, right. Thanks for the gift.”
He had ordered bags from the luxury brand he was an ambassador for, gifting them to the women of the family. Upon hearing that Yu Yeon-seo had placed the order, the brand’s exclusive designer created one-of-a-kind bags.
They could certainly afford such things on their own, but receiving a gift from someone else always feels better. Yu Yeon-seo glanced at the bag on the table. It was clearly not new; it looked used.
“Looks like you’re getting good use out of it. Let me know if you need another one sometime.”
“...If I’d known, I would have come back sooner.”
Her voice, as if to say, To hear something like this from you..., was laced with complex emotions. Only a year apart from Yu Eun-ho, she was one of the people who had witnessed that incident up close. Yu Yeon-seo cleared his throat unnecessarily.
“Are you back for good now?”
“Probably.”
Lee Seo-yoon, his older aunt’s daughter, worked in hotels abroad, while Lee Se-ahh studied overseas. Both spent more time out of the country than in it. Even when they met on holidays, they would barely exchange a few words before leaving, so sitting this close and having a conversation was a rare occurrence, something that hadn’t happened since they were children.
“There’s nothing left for me to learn abroad.”
“Really? That’s great.”
“That’s not it, sis.”
Lee Se-ahh, who had been on her phone beside them, shot back in protest.
“We were forced to come, Yeon-seo. Dad told us to suck up to Grandpa and tenaciously claim our share.”
“Se-ah. Who talks like that?”
“Do I really need to spell it out? It’s the adults’ business, so why else would they drag us into it? It’s so obvious.”
“Lee Se-ahh.”
At the low, warning tone, Lee Se-ahh clamped her mouth shut.
Yu Yeon-seo’s eyes twinkled. He was just about to start probing, but she’d spilled everything so easily... Thanks to her, he could get what he wanted without lifting a finger. Do I have Se-ah’s number? I should meet up with her later.
The mood grew heavy. Park Seon-woo, who hated such atmospheres, tried to lighten it with a joke.
“Wait, that really happened? Auntie is scary.”
“You think Mom said that? It was Dad.”
Lee Se-ahh cleared her throat and puffed out her chest.
“‘Father-in-law adores our girls. Why don’t we call them over? What do you think, dear? We don’t know how much he’ll give the kids. You know, like Yeon-seo.’ Something like that, I bet.”
“Pfft!”
As Lee Se-ahh did a strangely accurate yet not-quite-right impression of her father, Lee Yeong-taek, Park Seon-woo couldn’t hold back his laughter.
Yu Yeon-seo feigned a laugh while mulling over her words. ‘Like Yeon-seo?’ She was probably referring to when he collapsed and Chairman Yu gave him some “pocket money.” Of course, that pocket money was far beyond the normal scope of the term... In any case, his older uncle had clearly been holding onto that memory.
‘Is he jealous?’
Yu Yeon-seo was quite favored among the grandchildren. He might be jealous of the affection his daughters didn’t receive... and trying to use them to gain an advantage in the inheritance of shares.
“Quiet down, sis. They can hear you.”
“You were laughing too.”
“It’s because it was spot on. You should be an actress, Se-ah. Yeon-seo, what do you think of her?”
“If you’re interested, you can contact me.”
With a smirk, Yu Yeon-seo smoothly got Lee Se-ahh’s number.
“You too, Seo-yoon. You got a new Korean number, right?”
Lee Seo-yoon sighed at the phone he held out, then typed her number onto the screen. As she was about to hand the phone back, she inadvertently saw a pop-up message. The saved contact name was so unusual she couldn’t help but look.
(Slave) Have a good Chuseok or don’t
“Who’s that?”
“My manager.”
“You save your manager’s name as ‘Slave’?”
“We’re close. Friends who are the same age are like this.”
Having just sent a middle finger emoji to Lee Tae-gyeom, he felt a slight pang of guilt. Lee Seo-yoon looked at him with fresh eyes.
“You’re really famous.”
“Just realizing that now?”
“No, I knew, but... it was crazy even where I worked. The staff were all talking about you...”
He remembered she’d been working in Dubai right before coming here... All the way over there? Park Seon-woo excitedly recounted how popular Yu Yeon-seo was in Korea, and Lee Se-ahh pestered him about whether he knew any idol groups. After humoring them for a bit, he turned to Lee Seo-yoon, who was staring at him blankly.
“Something you want to say?”
“No... I’m just envious that you’re doing what you want to do.”
“You can do it too.”
Lee Seo-yoon was about to say, That’s because the family looks favorably on you..., but she just let out a small sigh. She understood that he had overcome their grandfather’s opposition and worked hard to get to where he was.
“Well... that’s a bit difficult.”
“Why? You can do it. It’s not like you lack money or anything else.”
“That’s... true...”
Lee Seo-yoon seemed intimidated. And Yu Yeon-seo couldn’t understand why. She had money, and as a member of the royal family, it wouldn’t matter if she missed a few days of work. Is she like my brother, the type who never takes a vacation?
“If I’d known it would be like this, I should have just insisted on doing what I wanted.”
Lee Seo-yoon glanced at Yu Eun-ho, who was among the adults. No matter how hard she tried, she could never fit in over there. Nor was she shameless enough to butt in uninvited and make her presence known like Park Yu-jeong.
“Yu-jeong is already at it, but you don’t seem very ambitious, do you?”
Park Seon-woo seemed completely clueless, and Park Yu-jeong had always been shamelessly ambitious. Yu Yeon-seo gently prodded the listless Lee Seo-yoon.
“Do you think he’ll leave that much to us? I could see it for Eun-ho, but...”
Lee Seo-yoon’s eyes met her father’s, Lee Yeong-taek, and she immediately whipped her head away. The suffocating gaze was filled with a rebuke, asking why she wasn’t over there like Park Yu-jeong instead of just sitting around.
‘Her father seems to be putting a lot of pressure on her.’
Seeing that, Yu Yeon-seo’s thoughts shifted. Could it be... that their jealousy isn’t directed at me for being Grandpa’s favorite, but at my mother? Grandfather did favor Mom enough to give her shares, after all...
‘They might have planned it because of that.’
The plan to murder Lee Hui-seo.
Yu Yeon-seo narrowed his eyes. From the beginning, his two uncles had been the most likely candidates for the “mastermind.” Of course, he couldn’t be certain yet. There had been times when an unexpected person had stabbed him in the back.
After chatting in the living room for a while, the large family moved to the dining table and looked toward the head of the family at the seat of honor.
“Let’s just eat comfortably.”
“Yes.”
Perhaps some agreement hadn’t been reached, because the dining table, usually filled with warm, murmuring conversation, was silent. Reading the atmosphere, Chairman Yu slammed his spoon down.
“My plans have not changed.”
“Father-in-law.”
“Stay quiet.”
Chairman Yu silenced his son-in-law, Lee Yeong-taek, with a single glare before looking at his grandchildren, who were watching cautiously.
“You all listen as well.”
At his voice, the grandchildren, who had been burying their heads and stuffing food into their mouths, looked up.
“I will retire within three years. You should all prepare for it. As for the taxes, your parents will handle them. If they can’t manage that much, they’re not qualified...”
As he spoke, Chairman Yu glanced at Yu Yeon-seo. He was running his own business well enough to handle massive taxes without his parents’ help. Everyone present noticed the warmth that entered Chairman Yu’s eyes.
“Us too?”
“Of course. Aren’t you my grandchildren? I’m giving it to you because I want to give it early.”
Only Park Seon-woo asked back, bewildered. Then his eyes began to sparkle. He hadn’t expected to be included like this.
“I have something separate to give Eun-ho and Yeon-seo, so don’t complain later.”
In other words, he was giving more to the two brothers. Me too? That was unexpected. Yu Yeon-seo, who had already received so much, widened his eyes.
“Father.”
His older son-in-law, Lee Yeong-taek, spoke in a dissatisfied tone. He was already disgruntled with the current inheritance plan. Even if Yu Eun-ho was the eldest grandson and the next successor, he believed his own eldest daughter, Lee Seo-yoon, had just as much right to receive a share. But why was Yu Yeon-seo included? He had already received plenty.
“The separate portion I intend to give them was never mine to begin with.”
“What? Then...”
“It was meant for that child. Though things didn’t work out.”
Yu Geon-min’s hand twitched. That child referred to his late wife, Lee Hui-seo.
“Then shouldn’t you be giving it to Vice Chairman Choi?”
“Dear.”
Yu Min-jeong stopped Lee Yeong-taek. Choi Yu-jin laughed lightly and retorted, “Oh my, why would I receive that?”
‘I don’t know about my aunts, but my two uncles hated the idea of Mom receiving shares.’
Yu Yeon-seo knew that his grandfather had cherished his mother enough to give her a portion of the shares. As soon as he received that memory, he had investigated his two uncles. They had received very little from his grandfather. This was because Chairman Yu believed his two sons-in-law were not deserving.
‘Did that dissatisfaction eventually lead to...?’
His older uncle, Lee Yeong-taek, was an elite from a family of lawyers, brimming with the talent and confidence to aim for a high-ranking position. Judging by the way he sometimes spoke condescendingly of Park Gyeong-seok, he had a personality that liked to flaunt its superiority.
But his younger uncle, Park Gyeong-seok, was no pushover either. He grew up in an ordinary middle-class family, but at the time, Juseong was a conglomerate that was difficult to get into even for graduates of prestigious universities. Moreover, he was ambitious enough to significantly grow an entire business division. He might well have resented Lee Hui-seo for marrying well and living a life of ease.
‘And now, they’re dissatisfied with me, too.’
Their affection for him in the first place might have simply been because the true power in the family, his grandfather, favored him. Now that they felt their own shares were being taken away, a change in their attitude was inevitable.
‘So even chaebol families are the same as any other.’
Just like the inheritance battles I’ve seen in the media.
A laugh escaped Yu Yeon-seo. It could be seen as a provocation, but in truth, he was baiting them. He needed to understand them better. To find out who the “mastermind” was.
“This isn’t a conversation for the dinner table.”
Park Geum-ju, who had quietly picked up her spoon beside Chairman Yu, diffused the situation. Yu Yeon-seo’s gaze naturally turned to his grandmother.
‘My relatives think I lost my memory in the car accident. They still do.’
Because Park Geum-ju never said anything.
Yu Yeon-seo gritted his teeth against a sudden, piercing pain in his head.