The General’s Shield
"My good man, do you really intend to keep doing this even after you pass ninety?"
"I fully intend to, sir."
"Good grief, you're going to be playing soldier even when you're a hundred."
Guster grumbled, but there was a faint smile at the corners of his mouth and in his eyes—he didn't seem to hate it. At least, not yet. "Anyway, I came because you begged and begged for me to meet your grandson, but is this child really your grandson?"
"Yes, he is. I apologize for making you go through such a difficult journey."
"Difficult? I came quite comfortably in first class."
It went without saying, but Guster was not currently based in Korea. To invite him, Yoon-gi had sent a first-class ticket and a Mercedes, purchased with the help of Colonel Colson’s influence, complete with a chauffeur to the airport. Because of this show of sincerity, Guster’s gaze toward Yoon-gi remained relatively favorable.
"Hello. My name is Choi Yoon-gi. People I met in the States sometimes call me 'Yoon'."
"You look quite sharp. But why did this child want to see me? Yoon, why did you ask to see me?"
Guster’s gaze was no longer friendly; he looked at Yoon-gi with the cold, judgmental attitude of a man who had seen it all.
"Well, we shouldn't be standing around talking. Why don't you have a seat?"
At Yoon-gi’s words, Guster nodded and sat at the table in the suite. As he did, Yoon-gi pulled out the chair for him, and Guster seemed slightly impressed by the unexpected social awareness of such a young child.
"Hmm, Colson, how old did you say your grandson was?"
"Ten years old, sir."
"By Korean standards? Or American?"
"Korean standards. He was born in '68."
"That would make him eight or nine by American standards."
"That is correct."
"Hmm."
Colonel Colson was currently a nervous wreck. He knew his grandson had asked to bring Guster over for business, but Guster was a man of such stature that Colson found him intimidating. Consequently, Colson was half-distracted, answering only when spoken to, and the conversation at the table began to revolve solely around Guster and Yoon-gi.
"So, I'll ask again. Why did you ask to see me?"
The look in his eyes was serious, not at all like he was dealing with a child. It was a courtesy to Colonel Colson, but it was also a double-edged sword; if Yoon-gi had called him for something trivial, that courtesy would vanish instantly.
"I want to buy General Guster’s shield."
"You want to buy... my shield?"
Faced with such an unexpected yet specific request, General Guster took a sip of the black tea on the table without making a sound.
"What kind of shield do you mean?"
"I have two grandfathers. One is Grandpa Colson, who is here with us."
"Yes, he is my comrade for life, and one of the 'subordinates' I cherish most."
Guster drew a clear line. "And the other is a man currently doing business in Korea. His name is Choi Ki-hyun."
"That is a name I have never heard."
Guster’s words were arrogant, but he was a man who had earned the right to be. The only people whose names Guster would bother to remember were, at best, chairmen of the top three conglomerates in the business world—or five, if he were being generous. But currently, the Samwoo Group was barely ranked in the top 100. Without Colonel Colson’s influence, they wouldn't even be able to have a simple tea time with Guster.
"Yes, you wouldn't know him, of course. Because I asked my grandfather to arrange this meeting so that he *could* become a group whose name General Guster would remember."
"Hmm."
Guster nodded at the logical response.
"The shield I want. It is a shield that will allow me to do business safely in Korea."
"It looks like you're doing plenty of business as it is."
"It's not enough."
"Not enough?"
Yoon-gi nodded. "Grandfather’s Samwoo Group is only a top-100 group in Korea at best. To climb higher, we have to compete with companies that have already built tight relationships with the President, and if we do that, there's a very high chance the company will be targeted."
"Certainly, that could happen in Korea."
Guster had served in the US Forces Korea, albeit temporarily, and had received many reports on how the government in that country treated businesses and private citizens. He knew better than anyone that what the ten-year-old in front of him was saying was rational. Though, he was inwardly surprised that a ten-year-old was the one saying it.
"But tell me. Why do you think *I* could be that shield?"
"Because I learned it from my grandfather."
"You learned it through Colson?"
"Yes. We have been able to grow this far thanks to him. However, I judged that to grow even further, we needed the shield of someone even higher than him. That is why I asked my grandfather for this difficult favor to arrange this meeting."
"You are brilliant."
"Thank you."
Guster openly acknowledged Yoon-gi, but he didn't lower his guard yet. "However, I have one question. If you want my shield, you're proposing a trade. But no matter how I think about it, I don't think you can offer a price high enough to justify me protecting the entire group your grandfather runs."
"Yes, I don't have a price that high."
Colson, listening from the side, was horrified, but Guster, on the contrary, thought 'ho-ho' and looked forward to the next answer. He didn't think the sharp child in front of him would admit this without a plan.
"Because I don't need a shield to protect my grandfather’s group."
"Then what do you want me to protect?"
"My company."
"Your company? Then the scale must be much smaller than your grandfather’s company, right?"
"That is correct."
"Should I really go through the trouble of protecting such a small company? The return would be small, wouldn't it?"
"It would be a significant return for doing absolutely nothing."
"Doing absolutely nothing?"
Guster found the conversation with the child increasingly interesting. It wasn't easy to find a child who spoke so freely and yet so politely in front of him.
"I have something to show you."
Yoon-gi stood up and took a map and some documents out of his bag. "All the land marked on this map is mine."
"This much?"
"Yes. I am going to build a department store here."
"A department store..."
"Exclusively for the US Forces Korea."
"Ho-ho...?"
Finally, Guster’s inner thoughts began to leak out. "A premium department store for the US military. Naturally, the products would be mostly American, and it would become the best place for US soldiers who don't have much to enjoy in Korea."
Even Colonel Colson, who had been watching, widened his eyes.
"If you import American goods exclusively for the US military, the government will recognize it to some extent, but there is a more certain method."
"And that is my shield?"
Yoon-gi nodded. "Yes."
"But I thought I heard you say I wouldn't have to do anything?"
"That's right. I want you to take the position of 'Non-Executive Director' for General Guster."
Usually, a small business only needs one director, and even then, only an internal one. But Yoon-gi requested a 'Non-Executive Director' position for General Guster to serve as a shield. It was an honorary position where he didn't have to show up to work—or to put it more bluntly, a position where he just received money. But if General Guster were listed as a Non-Executive Director, the military would never be able to interfere with Yoon-gi’s plans, no matter who put pressure on them.
"Ho-ho, so you want to put only my name down as a director and give me a salary?"
"Yes. But that alone is a small price."
"You know well."
Once he realized the child in front of him was sharp, General Guster decided to continue the conversation candidly. "So, let me ask you this: is there anyone in your family who has caught your eye but hasn't found their place yet?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"I intend to hire them as an internal director. Of course, they won't have equity, and even if we do provide it in some cases, it would only be preferred stock."
"In short, you're saying you'll let them live off the fat of the land?"
"Yes, that's right. Furthermore, if my business succeeds, the reward will be even greater, and if the business expands, more of General Guster’s family will be able to live comfortably."
"Hmm..."
It was certainly an attractive proposal. Of course, General Guster already had the power to go anywhere through his connections in the US. Moreover, he could get his family jobs in decent places if they had even a little bit of ability. But the offer he received here from Colonel Colson’s grandson was also extremely attractive.
'If I stick my children into a typical large corporation, they'll probably stay at that level for life. But if this child has the capacity I think he does...?'
Instead of sticking his children into a US company as mere employees, they might end up working as the top brass in a Korean company. Better to be the head of a dragon than the tail of a snake.
'Besides, I have nothing to lose.'
At most, it was just being a director for one department store. Furthermore, the basic term for a director was three years, so if he didn't like it, he could just quit and wash his hands of it.
'And I have the connection with Colson, too...'
The conclusion, reached with 80 percent cold-blooded calculation and 20 percent connection to Colonel Colson, was 'acceptance'.
"Fine. I will grant your 'request'."
Guster reminded Yoon-gi until the very end that he was the one in charge.
"Thank you for granting my request."
Yoon-gi also understood the situation well, so he never defied Guster. The meaning of Guster lending his name. It was a story that would have been absolutely impossible under normal circumstances.
"Colson, why are you so quiet?"
"Oh, no, sir. I just didn't think it was my place to interrupt..."
As Colson, startled, tried to pour fresh black tea into Guster’s empty cup with an awkward smile, the suite door, which hadn't been closed properly, opened, and a blonde girl walked inside.
* * *
"Merrill, didn't I tell you to wait downstairs?"
Though he said that, General Guster smiled and sat the girl he called Merrill next to him.
"Colson, you know her, right? My granddaughter. I received two tickets."
"Ah... so you came together? Merrill, I'm Colson. Do you remember me?"
Merrill bowed her head toward Colson.
"I guess I'm not close with Merrill yet. Seeing how shy she is..."
At Colson’s words, Guster shook his head.
"No, that's not it. You have your grandson there."
"Ah!"
Merrill was turning her head away as if it were difficult to look at Yoon-gi, but Yoon-gi observed her without making it obvious. Wavy blonde hair falling to her waist. A dress that looked like something Alice from *Alice in Wonderland* would wear. A neat, slightly aloof expression. She was pretty. Was she about 13 or 14 by Korean age?
"Colson, shall we go over there and have a light drink for old time's sake?"
"That sounds good, sir."
* * *
Once Guster and Colson disappeared into the side room, only Merrill and Yoon-gi were left at the table. She clearly had an aloof expression, but it was also one of boredom—of being uninterested. Watching her, Yoon-gi pondered what to do before standing up from his seat.
"...?"
As even Yoon-gi, the only one left with her, stood up from the table, Merrill glanced at him with a look that was slightly disappointed and puzzled. However, Yoon-gi didn't leave the room; he opened a slightly heavy, gourd-shaped bag and took out a violin.
'I'm glad I practiced in my spare time.'
The words of a young laborer colleague from his past life who used to woo women. [If you have decent looks and can play one instrument, the spectrum of women you can woo increases! You can really win their favor all at once.]
Though his intentions were different, Yoon-gi had also learned the violin in his spare time to easily win people's favor, and this was the first time he was playing in front of anyone other than his family.
The mournful dance piece from the Baroque era, *Sarabande*. As the uniquely calm yet mournful melody resonated through the suite, Merrill’s gaze gradually turned toward Yoon-gi, and before long, her head turned, and finally, a blush rose to her cheeks.