Chapter 115: Mirae Group Chairman Kim Seok-ho
TL: Aniea
“You called for me, Chairman.”
Chief Baek Do-young bowed deeply toward the elderly man reading a newspaper.
However, the one called Chairman didn’t even spare him a glance. He merely turned the page of the newspaper nonchalantly and gave a light nod of his chin.
“Raise your head.”
“...Yes.”
At the old man’s command, Baek Do-young very cautiously straightened his back and studied the man’s complexion.
Like most old men, his hair was greying and his face was wrinkled, revealing his age.
But separate from that, his eyes, which held an unfathomable depth, were sharper than those of a man in his twenties.
‘...He really is the Chairman.’
The man before Baek Do-young was none other than Kim Seok-ho, Chairman of Mirae Group, the largest chaebol in South Korea, and grandfather of Kim Eun-ha.
Even though he faced him every day as Executive Secretary, Baek Do-young couldn’t help but feel tense whenever he stood before him.
Though he had taken on all sorts of dirty work, there was something about Kim Seok-ho that went far beyond, it was a unique and unmatched presence.
“Chief Baek.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“What happened with the matter I instructed before?”
“Daema Construction was completely dismantled and scattered into the market. However, because the corruption had already progressed far too severely, we did not participate in the acquisition.”
Though the question lacked a clear subject, Baek Do-young instantly produced the answer the Chairman wanted.
Hmm-
At that, Kim Seok-ho set down the newspaper he was holding. The page he had been reading showed a scene of Kim Eun-ha and Kang Woo-ju kissing while dressed in medieval-style clothing.
“What about the family?”
“They’ve all gone overseas.”
“Handled separately?”
“Yes. It was neatly packaged.”
“Well done.”
A brief conversation passed between them.
Daema Construction, which had a fairly firm footing even within Korea. For the moment of its disappearance into the pages of history, the conversation was remarkably succinct.
But the two of them showed no sign of emotion. As if it were as natural as breathing.
“Tsk tsk. My granddaughter is far too soft-hearted. And yet she also inherited my business acumen to a tee. Every time I see it, it’s truly unfortunate.”
“.......”
“If only Eun-ha or you, if even one of you had been born as my son. I would’ve long since retired and gone off to play golf with that old man Chairman Park.”
“.......”
Chairman Kim Seok-ho clicked his tongue and spoke with genuine regret. Hearing this, Chief Baek Do-young quietly bit his lip.
‘...So it means I no longer have a chance.’
All because of that damned bloodline.
Of course, as the public knew, Chairman Kim Seok-ho’s appreciation for talent was truly extraordinary.
If someone had potential, he would stop at nothing to bring them under his wing.
However, when it came to choosing a successor, even the great Kim Seok-ho couldn’t help but favor his own blood.
The media portrayed him as someone who would pass the chairmanship to anyone regardless of familial ties, but the reality witnessed up close was quite different.
You had to be born as a child of Kim Seok-ho.
Or marry into the family and produce a child.
In one way or another, the bloodline had to continue.
‘...That’s why Kim Eun-ha was necessary!’
As someone without a drop of Kim family blood, Baek Do-young had clear limitations. His solution to overcome this was a union with Kim Eun-ha.
There were no viable alternatives.
Kim Seok-ho’s children were already quite old, and without exception, all of them were married.
That meant he had to unite with one of Kim Seok-ho’s granddaughters, but even that wasn’t easy.
‘They’re all just damn kids.’
Their registered ages might say they were adults, but mentally, they were the typical third-generation chaebol heirs often ridiculed in the media.
Blowing through their inherited wealth and obsessively collecting useless credentials.
‘...Whereas Kim Eun-ha is different.’
From the start, Kim Eun-ha’s parents had been estranged from Mirae Group. Rumor had it they walked away of their own accord, sick of the succession war.
Thanks to that, she had completely fallen out of Kim Seok-ho's favor and didn’t inherit a single decent share. On top of that, she died suddenly in a mysterious accident.
In the midst of it all, the one who stood up alone and caught the Chairman’s attention was Kim Eun-ha.
‘If the Chairman acknowledges her...’
Unlike her parents, who weren’t even recognized as children, she was a blood relative whom the Chairman personally cherished enough to call his “granddaughter.”
He even cleaned up after her through the secretary’s office, as in the recent Daema Construction incident.
If Kim Eun-ha had been born male, she might have been sitting here right now as the next Vice Chairman.
‘And on top of that, she’s beautiful.’
She had likely inherited the genes of her mother, who had once been a celebrity.
Her records had been so thoroughly erased that even with the executive secretary’s authority, not a single photo could be found.
According to a few things he had heard from his predecessor, she had been an unknown, nameless entertainer.
But because she was so stunning, she received discreet offers from politicians and various power players. She rejected all of them, which is why she never became famous.
‘...There’s no trophy wife more perfect than this.’
Background, wealth, appearance, not to mention personal capability, Kim Eun-ha had it all. There was a reason there was a “fiancé waiting list” for her.
He had beaten out all those prominent competitors and gotten closest to her.
‘...That bastard ruined everything.’
Kang Woo-ju.
That damn punk.
At first, he thought he was just some clueless guy jumping in blindly for the money. He thought Kim Eun-ha was acting out of character with some cute tantrum.
A no-name actor with no connections, no wealth, nothing at all. He was convinced that a bit of intimidation would be enough to scare him off.
-Is that all you have to say?
He was that kind of guy, and yet when he boldly met his gaze and said something so arrogant, Baek Do-young had been so dumbfounded he laughed in disbelief.
Back then, he had stepped back, wondering if the guy had some unknown backing. But even after digging into every bloodline, academic, and regional connection, there was nothing.
At best, he was just a toy being used by Kim Eun-ha’s whims. That’s all he thought of him.
-Do you think this kind of stunt will work on the Chairman?
-Of course it won’t.
-Then why...
-If it’s just a stunt, I mean.
The reaction had been more intense than expected, but no matter how much he struggled, as long as Kim Seok-ho was watching with sharp eyes, there was no way it would work out.
The Chairman he knew would never hand over someone like Kim Eun-ha to a lowly gigolo like that.
He believed the order to clean things up would soon come down, and that the day would come to crush Kang Woo-ju’s arrogant nose.
He truly believed that.
He was sure of it.
-Chief Baek. I heard an amusing story this time.
-An amusing story, sir?
-That brat from Daehan Group returned to Korea, didn’t he? I heard the arrogant bastard has been making moves on my granddaughter with those greasy hands of his. Were you aware of that?
-.......
He had planned to use Park Ji-hoon, the grandson of Daehan Group, to push Kang Woo-ju away, and for that reason, he had deliberately not reported anything to Chairman Kim Seok-ho.
Yet the Chairman knew the entire story. It was likely that his “butler” had informed him.
Realizing this, Baek Do-young felt a chill run through his whole body and quickly bowed his head.
-I was aware.
-Then why didn’t you report it?
-I didn’t think it was something the Chairman needed to be concerned with. I apologize for making that judgment on my own.
-I’ll give you one more chance out of respect for your service so far. Handle it cleanly, without any gossip. And make sure the other side doesn’t catch on.
-...Thank you.
Unable to defy Kim Seok-ho’s words, Baek Do-young bit his lip and scrapped all his plans.
He had to gather all the confidential information about Park Ji-hoon the secretary’s office had been collecting and deliver it directly to Kim Eun-ha himself.
-Why did you suddenly change your mind?
-.......
Because of that, he couldn’t give her an answer to her question. This wasn’t his decision.
Also, while blocking Park Ji-hoon, the heir to Mirae Group, he couldn’t understand why Chairman Kim Seok-ho was leaving Kang Woo-ju alone.
“Chief Baek.”
“Ah, yes! Chairman.”
“Do you know why I placed you in that position?”
“.......”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Baek Do-young held back his words for a moment. The Chairman’s voice was too heavy for him to answer carelessly.
“You don’t know?”
“...I’m sorry.”
Baek Do-young lowered his head and answered honestly. From experience, this kind of reply was far better than offering a clumsy answer.
“Because you know your place well.”
“.......”
At Chairman Kim Seok-ho’s rather blunt remark, Baek Do-young’s brows furrowed deeply.
But that lasted only for a moment. He quickly returned to his usual, almost expressionless face, and seeing this, Kim Seok-ho smiled.
“Yes, that’s exactly it. You know exactly where you stand and act accordingly. That sounds easy, but very few people can actually do it.”
“.......”
“Heh. And even while knowing that, the way you desperately claw your way upward, it’s truly admirable. Ah, maybe that makes me sound too much like a villain?”
“Not at all.”
“Of course it does. The tone might’ve sounded off, but regardless, it was a compliment. Watching you reminds me of my younger days.”
Kim Seok-ho pulled out a cigarette. As Baek Do-young immediately reached into his inner pocket, he was stopped with a gesture, Chairman lit it himself.
What he pulled from his pocket wasn’t an expensive Zippo lighter, but a cheap one commonly found at convenience stores or local supermarkets.
“...Sss. Phew.”
Each time Chairman Kim Seok-ho deeply inhaled and exhaled, the room filled with hazy smoke.
Repeating this several times, he suddenly shook the domestic cigarette in his hand and continued speaking.
“I wasn’t much different from you at first. I did anything that made money. Literally, anything.”
“.......”
“People see my children and grandchildren and talk nonsense about chaebol bloodlines, but I was just an orphan bastard who didn’t even know what my parents looked like. But you know...”
Ssshh-!
Chairman Kim Seok-ho stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray. Then, he leaned back fully into the sofa and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“That’s why I became more obsessed.”
“...When you say ‘obsessed’?”
“I became obsessed with bloodlines that didn’t even exist. To dilute the lowly blood in my body, I brought in the blood of every prestigious family, doctors, judges, lawmakers, even a president.”
“Are you saying... I’m not enough?”
“Hm. That’s how it sounds, huh?”
“Then why Kang Woo-ju...!?”
Realizing too late that his voice had risen, Baek Do-young quickly lowered his head upon recognizing his mistake.
“I apologize. I was out of line....”
"Enough. I can understand it must feel unfair from where you stand. If it weren't for that Kang Woo-ju fellow, I had been considering setting things up smoothly between you and my granddaughter."
"...Could it be that there's some hidden story behind him?"
“Heh. A hidden story, huh...?”
Tap, tap, hiss-!
Chairman Kim Seok-ho lit another cigarette. The way it burned quickly seemed to reflect Baek Do-young’s anxious heart.
Sss-phew-
Whether he understood Baek Do-young’s feelings or not, Chairman Kim Seok-ho continued to smoke leisurely and slowly opened his mouth.
“There is. Yes, there is. A very complicated story.”
Unconsciously, the Chairman glanced down at his left wrist. There, he wore an old, rugged wristwatch, something completely unfitting for the Chairman of Mirae Group.
*****
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