The Pruning of the Useless Branch (1)
Oh Jeongsu’s desperate cries went unheard by the crowd, but the shouts of his own lackeys were crystal clear.
Even as late as the 80s, being branded a communist meant, at best, ending up a cripple, and at worst, death. Sensing that something catastrophic had occurred, Oh Jeongsu’s gang abandoned him without a second thought. Their unity hadn't been built on friendship, but on the mutual benefit of sticking together.
“Shut up! Drag them away! You bastards, can’t you move any faster?”
The Captain kicked the Lieutenant standing next to him in the shin with his military boot. The abuse trickled down to the soldiers, and eventually, to Oh Jeongsu’s gang.
“Argh!”
“Aaaah!”
Beaten mercilessly about the head and body with the butts of rifles, Oh Jeongsu’s gang was reduced to a bloody pulp before being dragged away by their legs, their torsos scraping against the dirt. To the laborers working on the site, the sight was pure terror, but the fear began to dissipate as Kim Jeongsun quickly stepped forward.
“Now, now! Everyone else has nothing to worry about! The department store we’re building isn’t just any building; it’s a monument to the ROK-US Alliance. But do you know what those bastards did? They mixed impurities into this vital structure. Everyone, look at this concrete right now!”
The workers crowded around the concrete Kim Jeongsun was pointing at.
“Watch what comes out of this.”
Kim Jeongsun used a long shovel to scoop up the still-wet concrete and spread it on the ground, then dug into it with the edge of the shovel. A heap of impurities, including tree branches, was revealed. The workers’ faces turned pale with shock. Though they were day laborers scraping by, they hadn't abandoned their humanity.
Knowing better than anyone what kind of future results this concrete would lead to, the workers completely shed any sympathy they had for the gang that had just been dragged away.
“You all saw it, right? There are one or two more spots like this. We have to redo the work on those sections. Normally, we would have had to cut the number of workers to a quarter of what it is now to prioritize those repairs, but our President Ryu said that would be too hard on the workers who trusted us with this site, so he ordered us to proceed with everything simultaneously. So, let’s all put in some effort. Got it?”
If the workload were reduced here, over 300 of the laborers would be left twiddling their thumbs for a while. Kim Jeongsun’s words, seasoned with just the right amount of exaggeration, stimulated the workers’ motivation, resulting in increased efficiency.
“I like it.”
In the office breakroom, Yoon-gi praised Kim Jeongsun’s actions. Watching Kim Jeongsun’s speech through the window, Yoon-gi felt as if he saw his former self among the workers standing nearby.
“It’s because my uncle has such capability that I was able to recommend him to the President.”
“That’s true. Secretary Ryu, how about a popsicle?”
“Shall we?”
Unlike Oh Jeongsu’s gang, who were about to be dragged off by soldiers for a full course of torture, Yoon-gi’s group was perfectly at peace.
Snip! Snip! The useless branches of the bonsai tree were cut away, making small, sharp sounds.
“Cheolmin.”
At his father’s words, Choi Cheolmin’s face brightened.
“Yes, Father!”
“Haven’t I told you a lot about bonsai trees until now?”
The tone was incredibly gentle. Choi Ki-hyun’s voice, nearly as soft as when he spoke to Park Yeon-ji or Yoon-gi, revealed a distinct sense of unease to anyone who knew him well.
“Yes, thanks to you, I’ve learned a lot. I’m even growing one at home.”
But Choi Cheolmin, oblivious to Choi Ki-hyun’s true intentions, focused only on the bonsai itself.
“Right. In your opinion, what do you think is the most important thing in bonsai?”
“Devotion is important. The devotion to ensure it doesn’t die.”
A vertical wrinkle formed between Choi Ki-hyun’s eyes.
“No, not that.”
“Wouldn’t devotion be the most important thing…?”
Choi Cheolmin sighed at his second son’s repeated answer.
“That’s not it. Didn’t I tell you that you must prune the branches well? Useless branches are cut like this—snip.”
Once again, a severed branch fell to the floor with a soft thud.
“Ah, you did say that too. I forgot. Hehe…”
Choi Cheolmin’s awkward laugh looked foolish and failed to win anyone over.
“Haa, Cheolmin.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s compare this to human society. I think I’ve said this before, but do you not understand what it means to cut off a useless branch?”
“Father, really. Do you think I don’t know that?”
“Have you realized it?”
A smile finally began to form on Choi Ki-hyun’s face. Last time, his second son had answered, ‘Isn’t it a command to quickly cast aside useless subordinates?’ and naturally, he had been scolded. So, he had expected him to find a different answer this time. However.
“You mean that businesses that lose money should be folded quickly, right?”
“Hah!”
Seeing his father look dumbfounded, Choi Cheolmin pulled his neck slightly into his shoulders.
“Father, why, why are you like that?”
Finally, Choi Ki-hyun threw the bonsai shears he was holding onto the floor. The shears bounced once, hit the floor again, and landed at Choi Cheolmin’s feet. The oblivious Choi Cheolmin picked them up and brought them back to his father.
“Father, why are you throwing these? Did something upset you?”
“You stupid fool!”
Since he had bought the bonsai, Choi Ki-hyun hadn't spoken harshly to his son, Choi Cheolmin. He had thought, ‘If I talk to him nicely and consistently, this kid will eventually understand.’ But today, Choi Ki-hyun finally abandoned his expectations for his son entirely.
“Ah, Father. Why…”
Choi Ki-hyun revealed his true feelings to the bewildered Choi Cheolmin.
“Do you really not know? Why I bought this bonsai, why I cut off the useless branches, and why I’m telling you this!”
“Th-that’s because you wanted to share the same hobby as me…”
“No! That’s not it!”
Choi Ki-hyun picked up the bonsai and hurled it to the floor. With a crunch, the bonsai was utterly smashed, and the soil-less plant rolled across the ground.
“Gasp! Father, why would you destroy the bonsai you cherished so much…”
“You are truly hopeless. Truly hopeless! And stupid! You idiot! The branch I cut off was meant to represent you! It was meant to represent you!”
“What does that… no, Father, cutting me off. What on earth are you talking about?!”
To his son, who couldn't grasp the situation, Choi Ki-hyun stated his specific intent.
“I will never hand over the company to you!”
“Father!”
Stunned by the bombshell, Choi Cheolmin stiffened like a startled shrimp.
“Aside from being a graduate of Korea University’s Department of Business Administration, you have absolutely nothing special! Do you think your turn will come if it’s not Cheol-ho? I’d rather hand the group over to Cheol-gyu than to you!”
“G-g-g!”
Choi Ki-hyun walked toward his trembling second son with a desperate look in his eyes and placed both hands on his shoulders.
“Cheolmin, come to your senses. Even if you inherited the company, you could never maintain it. In the first place, your older brother Cheol-ho is there; why do you harbor such vain dreams? Just go under Yoon-gi. If you go under Yoon-gi, you can at least obtain the title of President of Samwoo Products.”
“Let go!”
Choi Cheolmin roughly shook off his father’s arms and stomped on the floor.
“Cheolmin! Are you really going to ignore your father’s sincerity like this?”
Choi Ki-hyun had laid his heart bare to his second son. He knew exactly how his second son would be treated by the rest of the family if he were to die. That was why Choi Ki-hyun had completely dropped his mask and was practically begging his second son. But Choi Cheolmin was not wise enough to understand his father’s heart.
“Just you wait. I… I will definitely inherit the group.”
Just as Choi Cheolmin rejected his father’s words to the end, Oh Jeongsu was revealing his own backer.
“You might as well tell us who your backer is.”
“I… I, r-r-really… c-c-communist… n-n-not…”
Oh Jeongsu tried to hold out at all costs. It was only natural; the dream of owning ten 500-seat room salons had become Oh Jeongsu’s hope and dream ever since he received the request from Choi Cheolmin. But the soldiers’ torture was truly vicious. They didn't do it themselves; they brought in a former pro from the police station to break people, and even Oh Jeongsu couldn't keep his sanity by the third day.
“Wow, this guy is tough. Is this bastard really a communist?”
Inspector Han Jeongsu of the Jongno Police Station said to Inspector Kim Gyeonggu of the Guro Police Station, who was standing next to him with a dumbfounded expression.
“Eh, no way. He’s a guy with a very clean record in that regard.”
“Even if his record is clean, you never know. He might be a long-term spy.”
At Inspector Han Jeongsu’s repeated words, Inspector Kim Gyeonggu shook his head.
“I don’t think so. Just looking at him, it seems like he was promised a huge payout. Let’s just do this for real.”
“Sigh, this bastard has no luck. If he had talked quickly like his underlings, he would have been released with just a broken bone or two.”
As Han Jeongsu and Kim Gyeonggu, both wearing latex gloves on both hands, began their work in earnest, Oh Jeongsu finally collapsed and waved the white flag.
“M-m-my, m-my backer is Ch-Ch-Ch-Choi, Ch-Ch-Cheol-min…”
“You just said Choi Cheolmin, right?”
At Han Jeongsu’s words, Kim Gyeonggu nodded.
“Probably.”
“Good, then let’s keep going.”
On the verge of losing his mind, Oh Jeongsu, hearing the words ‘keep going,’ was terrified and snapped back to reality.
“I, I, I already t-t-told you!!”
A scream that sounded like it was being wrung out of him. But a desperate sentence flowed from Han Jeongsu’s lips.
“We have to verify if that’s true from now on. Don’t you think?”
At the sight of the devil grinning brightly, Oh Jeongsu created a yellow puddle beneath him.
Choi Ki-hyun had eight children—five sons and three daughters. With diverse professions ranging from Choi Cheol-ho, the President of Samwoo Heavy Industries, to his youngest daughter still in high school, it was difficult for them to gather in one place. But today, in the mansion of Choi Ki-hyun, which had turned colder than Siberia, all the children and their spouses were gathered in one place for the first time in a long while.
“Hyung, what on earth is going on?”
Choi Cheol-jae, who was out on special leave thanks to JSD’s consideration, asked his third older brother, Choi Cheol-gyu.
“There’s a reason. For now, be quiet.”
“Uh, sorry…”
Their father still hadn't come out of his study, and the second brother and his wife were kneeling in the living room, begging for forgiveness. Everyone knew who had done something wrong, but they couldn't even guess what the mistake was.
Creak. The study door opened, and Choi Ki-hyun stepped out with a face harder than anything he had shown before.
“You’ve all arrived.”
At the words of their father, father-in-law, or grandfather, everyone bowed their heads.
“There aren't enough seats, so I won’t tell you to sit. Whether you sit or stand, do as you please.”
As Choi Ki-hyun sat in the head seat, Choi Cheolmin and Park Gyeongja were left kneeling before him, with the rest of the family surrounding them.
“The reason I called you all today is.”
Choi Ki-hyun cut off his words for a moment, then murmured in a voice devoid of emotion.
“Starting today, I will remove these people before my eyes from the family register.”