The Baby Who Grabbed His Grandfather
"Yoon-gi, hurry up and grab something."
There were countless items laid out before me. To a one-year-old's eyes, which had a vision of only 0.1, the objects looked like a blurry mess. But for Choi Yoon-gi, who possessed the memories of a forty-three-year-old, identifying them was no problem at all.
'A pencil, money, thread, rice, a jujube, a stethoscope, a microphone, a gavel, a calculator, a camera, an airplane, a conductor's baton... even a gun?'
Although my experience with first-birthday parties was limited to what I'd seen in passing, I knew well enough that there were far more items here than at a typical celebration.
"Yoon-gi, over here, over here!"
My grandmother's voice urged me on again. As I began to crawl slowly, I recalled what Choi Deok-bae had told me earlier. Since he was more interested in the offerings on the ancestral altar than in the child who had taken my place, he had kept a close watch on the Choi family, and thanks to that, he knew exactly how things would unfold.
'Should I call it divine retribution?'
Choi Deok-bae had made a prophecy—or perhaps it was more of a prediction—that Park Gyeong-ja would die instantly in a car accident at the age of thirty-six. In short, she had met a miserable end before she could even put her schemes into action, without being able to tell a soul.
'That bitch.'
That didn't mean I felt any sympathy for her. My life before I committed suicide had been so agonizing that it was hard to even put into words. 'In this life, I refuse to be swayed by anyone.'
Gritting my teeth, I ignored the mountain of items before me and set a new destination.
"Yoon-gi, Yoon-gi, over here! I said over here!"
Despite my grandmother's pleas, I kept crawling forward.
"Gr... Grand... father...!"
"Hmm?"
When his grandson, who was supposed to be grabbing an item for his first birthday, arrived right in front of him, Choi Ki-hyun’s eyes went wide. He looked back and forth between his wife and his grandson, as if asking, 'What do I do?'
"Grand... Grand... father!"
As I tugged at his pant leg and looked up, calling for him repeatedly, a beaming smile spread across Choi Ki-hyun’s face.
"Hahahaha! My grandson chose his grandfather at his first birthday party!"
Laughing heartily, Choi Ki-hyun scooped me up and spun around the banquet hall as if to say, 'Look at this!'
"This is my grandson! Hahahaha!"
"Grand... father! Grand... father!"
Seeing me cling to him, Choi Ki-hyun was absolutely thrilled, his mouth stretched wide in joy. Grandmother Kim Sun-ja, who had prepared so many items, could only offer a wry, helpless smile.
"He really is a unique child, just like you."
"Of course! If he’s the grandson of me, Choi Ki-hyun, he should be at least this special."
As Choi Ki-hyun’s energy hit an all-time high, the atmosphere in the hall became electric. Not long after, Park Gyeong-ja, who had been watching the situation with visible dissatisfaction, approached him. She didn't want me receiving any more of his attention.
"Oh my, let me hold my nephew, too."
"Sure, you hold him. This is your first nephew!"
The moment Park Gyeong-ja took me into her arms—Grab!—I clamped my tiny, fern-like hands onto her collar. To an onlooker, it looked like I was just resting my hands on my aunt’s neck. Even as she held me without a second thought, I burst into a piercing wail.
"Waaaaaah!"
The scream was so loud it felt like the hall might shatter. Everyone covered their ears, and all eyes were instantly glued to us.
"Waaaaaah!"
Startled by my gasping, sobbing behavior, Park Yeon-ji rushed over and snatched me back as if she were rescuing me.
"There, there, Yoon-gi, don't cry. There, there, you're a good boy. Hush now."
Only after I was back in my mother's arms did my crying subside. Park Yeon-ji let out a sigh of relief.
"Daughter-in-law, wait a moment."
Choi Ki-hyun approached with a very serious expression and gestured for the baby. Park Yeon-ji carefully handed me over.
"Hold him again."
When Choi Ki-hyun passed me back, Park Gyeong-ja looked flustered and didn't know what to do.
"I said take him!"
Who could refuse his order? Park Gyeong-ja took me back with trembling hands, and the moment she did, I began to wail again at the top of my lungs.
"Right, that’s enough."
With a furious expression, Choi Ki-hyun took me back and returned me to Park Yeon-ji.
"Phew."
Park Yeon-ji sighed in relief and tried to soothe me, while Choi Cheol-ho came over to check on me. The atmosphere of the party had turned completely rigid.
"We’ll end it here for today."
At Choi Ki-hyun’s words, the first birthday party came to an end in the worst possible mood.
Although it was a company known throughout the region, Choi Ki-hyun’s house was by no means modest. It was so vast that it felt like the residence of a major conglomerate head, featuring a separate annex and a courtyard large enough to park vehicles for all his subordinates without issue.
This display of wealth wasn't just for show; it was a policy Choi Ki-hyun had implemented, backed by the influence of Colonel Colson, to survive the turbulent era that began with the Korean War. It was a message: Samwoo Trading was not an opponent to be trifled with. If his boisterous laughter at the party had been all there was to him, Samwoo Trading would never have grown to this size. At best, he would have been a small peddler in Dongdaemun, surviving on supplies Colonel Colson had siphoned off for him.
"Father, it’s your eldest daughter-in-law."
"Come in."
Choi Ki-hyun, who had been sitting in his study with a furrowed brow, didn't relax his expression even after seeing Park Yeon-ji enter. She was the only daughter of Colonel Colson and his Korean wife, and his eldest daughter-in-law. Because Colonel Colson had been a comrade-in-arms who had endured life-or-death struggles with him during the Korean War, he usually looked at her with warmth, but today was different.
"Daughter-in-law."
"Yes, Father."
Park Yeon-ji wasn't so naive that she couldn't read her father-in-law's intentions. She lowered her clear, blue eyes elegantly and bowed her head.
"Tell me honestly. Has the second daughter-in-law ever done anything to Yoon-gi?"
"Once, she came to our house while she had a cold and held Yoon-gi, and he caught it and became quite ill."
"At that time, was it because the second one held him that he caught that cold?"
Choi Ki-hyun’s brow furrowed even deeper.
"I cannot say for certain, but that is the only reason I can think of for why Yoon-gi would have caught a cold back then."
"Then, anything else besides that?"
"Honestly, I don't know. If she came in secretly and did something, I wouldn't be aware of it..."
Park Yeon-ji revealed her own helplessness, but she didn't try to cover for Park Gyeong-ja.
"Have the other children done anything to Yoon-gi?"
"Except for the second brother and his wife, and the third brother who lives alone, everyone else lives with you and Mother, so they haven't visited our house separately."
Choi Ki-hyun currently had five sons and three daughters. Since there was a nine-year age gap between the eldest, Choi Cheol-ho, and the second, Choi Cheol-min, most of his children still lived together. In fact, his youngest daughter was still in middle school.
"From now on, if the second daughter-in-law visits your house, make sure she only moves within your sight. No, just keep Yoon-gi within your sight at all times."
"Yes, Father."
"You may go."
"Yes."
Watching his daughter-in-law bow and leave, irritation welled up inside Choi Ki-hyun. 'To think she’s already pulling such stunts, despite having no real capability...'
Choi Ki-hyun recalled what his subordinate, whom he had stationed at the maternity ward in the past, had told him.
"I’m not sure if I should tell you this... but I saw the second daughter-in-law trying to enter the newborn nursery at dawn. I had been watching the side where the eldest daughter-in-law was hospitalized, so I hadn't noticed, but I kept hearing a rattling sound. When I moved quietly to check, I saw her trying to open the nursery door, which wouldn't budge. When she was caught by a nurse, she just said, 'I wanted to see my nephew's face,' and left."
The same past, but one fact had changed. The fact that the nursery door had been locked.
'I must seize control of Samwoo Group—no, Samwoo Trading—no matter what.'
Lying in my crib and staring at the ceiling, my eyes were not those of a newborn. They were eyes burning with ambition. The only one in the room who could see that was Choi Deok-bae. I looked at him with a surprised expression. I had thought he was just a chatterbox old man who only cared about the ancestral altar, given how lighthearted he had been, but it turned out he actually had some depth.
Until now, that had been enough. But now that I knew about Park Gyeong-ja, I realized I couldn't just sit idly by. It wasn't just Park Gyeong-ja; I had no idea what kind of harm the other children under Choi Ki-hyun might try to inflict in the future.
"No!"
As I spoke firmly, Choi Deok-bae nodded as if he had expected it. I nodded my head desperately, over and over again. Suddenly, I felt puzzled. 'Is he going to use some kind of superpower?'
But what came out of Choi Deok-bae’s mouth completely shattered my expectations. His way of speaking, even using English, was not something a man born in the Joseon Dynasty would use. I couldn't reconcile his behavior with the fact that he had been a 'second-place' man in the past.
I shook my head vigorously. If what he said was true, it would be a massive help to me. Choi Deok-bae’s expression turned solemn.