The Fracturing Succession Plan (1)
"Brother, I've finished all the preparations." Park Ki-soo's expression looked about ninety percent relieved.
"You seem a bit uneasy, though. Is there something that didn't go as planned?" At Ryu Geun-tae's question, which pierced through that remaining ten percent, Park Ki-soo pondered for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"Well, I got divorced, after all."
"True... it was a major decision, so that's understandable."
Park Ki-soo had already cast the die. Because of that, he trusted Ryu Geun-tae enough to pour out his inner thoughts. "The wife wasn't the problem during the divorce, but the son was."
"The son? Why?"
"He vehemently opposed the divorce. She isn't even his biological mother, so why is he meddling so much...?"
Listening to Park Ki-soo, Ryu Geun-tae realized that if Park Ki-soo went through with this marriage, it would be his third. 'His son is opposing the divorce from his stepmother, and this guy is so blinded by greed that he can't even look at his surroundings. This is a great situation.'
A father who neglects his family while trying to provide for them might deserve some sympathy, but a father who sacrifices his family for his own advancement deserves none. Because of that, Ryu Geun-tae internally labeled Park Ki-soo as trash, but he didn't show it at all on the surface.
"Eventually, your son will understand your grand vision, Brother."
"Right? My son is still immature. It's been years since he became an adult, yet he still doesn't understand reality... He doesn't know what happens to a chaebol family member who gets pushed out of the succession line. Once I take over Sess and he becomes the successor, he'll be so grateful he'll want to die, won't he?"
"That goes without saying."
At Ryu Geun-tae's words, even giving a thumbs-up, Park Ki-soo blew away the last ten percent of his unease and leaned his face close to Ryu Geun-tae. "That aside. We should start now, right?"
"Ah, right. I'll make the call now."
The call was made using the phone in the president's office. Park Ki-soo's wedding schedule was set faster than anyone could have imagined.
"Chairman, the eldest young master in Japan has..."
When the secretary stopped mid-sentence with a troubled expression, Park Do-chul asked, puzzled. "What is it? Why did you stop talking?"
"Well... that is..."
"Hmph...!"
Only after hearing Park Do-chul's rebuke did the secretary hesitantly open his mouth again. "He has sent... an invitation for his own wedding."
The moment he heard the word "wedding invitation," Park Do-chul's cognitive functions froze for a moment before barely managing to restart. "Wait, what? I might have misheard you, so say it again."
"The eldest young master in Japan has sent a wedding invitation."
Upon hearing it again, Park Do-chul's expression smoothed out naturally for a second. "Ah, are you talking about my grandson's wedding? But why send an invitation instead of coming in person?"
The secretary corrected the facts in a troubled tone again. "...It is not the grandson's wedding, but the eldest young master's own wedding."
"No, what does that... give it here!"
At Park Do-chul's rough gesture, the secretary hurriedly handed over the invitation he was holding.
"Park Ki-soo, eldest son of Park Do-chul, and Hiroko, second daughter of the Watanabe family... What is this? What on earth is going on? He said he was getting a divorce, and now he's getting married right away?"
"I am terribly sorry, but we do not know anything yet..."
As Park Do-chul kicked his desk while seated, the wooden desk wobbled for a moment, making a loud 'bang' sound.
"Is that supposed to be an excuse?! Find out immediately!"
"Ye-yes!"
Park Do-chul's voice echoed again behind the secretary as he ran out of the chairman's office. "No, forget it! I'll find out myself! Just get out!"
"Understood!"
Once the secretary left, Park Do-chul picked up the phone on his desk and called his son, Park Ki-soo, directly. A few rings. In normal times, it would have been a time to wait with a smile, but right now, Park Do-chul was so dumbfounded that the passage of time felt eternal.
"Yes, this is Park Ki-soo, President of Sess Holdings."
At his son's voice coming through the receiver, Park Do-chul immediately asked in a dumbfounded tone. "What is this about you sending a wedding invitation?"
Then came his son's oily voice. [Ah, that? Father, I'm getting married this time.]
"You bastard! That's not what I'm asking! You just got divorced, and you're getting married right away? Who are you marrying? I don't care if you get divorced, but don't you know you shouldn't marry so easily? Do you want to be completely out of my favor?"
The real reason Park Do-chul was angry. It was because of the bloodline of a chaebol family. Even if he couldn't stop the divorce, if his son Park Ki-soo married into a strange family again, it could cause various problems. Park Do-chul was the type who hadn't even had a second child right after the first two, fearing his wealth would be divided and his children's power would weaken. If it were his eldest grandson's wedding, it wouldn't have mattered since he would be a 'side dish' anyway, but the wedding of his eldest son, for whom inheritance wasn't far off, was a completely different matter.