Chapter 120: A Special Being
TL: Aniea
‘...A bond connected by the heavens.’
Chairman Kim Seok-ho repeated the words delivered by Butler Kim over and over again in his mind. Every time he chewed on the cigarette in his mouth, an awfully bitter taste spread.
Even knowing it was bad for his health, it had a strangely addictive quality to it, making it hard to spit out easily, a stale taste that lingered.
“Butler Kim.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“What do you think of me?”
“I believe you are a person befitting the role of Chairman of Mirae Group.”
A reply given without a trace of hesitation, just like always. But that didn’t mean Butler Kim’s words were light. On the contrary.
Chairman Kim Seok-ho, fully aware of this, let out a brief chuckle and asked again.
“A cold-blooded man, a sociopath, something like that?”
“It’s not wrong. As the head of a group that leads South Korea, cold judgment and bold decisiveness devoid of emotion are indispensable.”
“Yes, indeed. I think so too.”
Kim Seok-ho nodded in agreement. He believed Butler Kim’s words to be true.
Not only that, but he also believed that whoever would inherit the position of Chairman of Mirae Group one day should be the same.
That was why he pushed his own children off the cliff. So that in order to avoid falling, they would fight and clash with each other, and grow stronger.
Even now, he didn’t think that was wrong. He didn’t particularly regret it either. Even if he were to go back to the past, he would make the same choice. However.
“Butler Kim, didn’t you say your grandson is getting married this time?”
“Yes. Thanks to your generous consideration, Chairman, both families were pleased to hold the ceremony in a peaceful and quiet place.”
“With all that you’ve contributed to me over the years, that’s nothing at all. More than that, I heard that after the honeymoon, they’re going on a trip with the whole family?”
“Yes. My grandson insisted on taking the family along with him.”
“Is that so? Didn’t the granddaughter-in-law have anything to say about it?”
“Quite the opposite, apparently she suggested it first. The grandson and his wife are booking a separate place nearby, and they plan to spend the vacation with the maternal and paternal families gathered separately.”
“Well, well. How could they be so close like that?”
For a moment, Kim Seok-ho’s true feelings slipped out. Not only his grandchildren but even his own children saw him as a figure of reverence and fear.
Let alone going on a trip together, even sitting down face to face and having a conversation was a difficult task for them. And even that only happened when absolutely necessary.
On the other hand, Butler Kim was so close with his family that even the tiny great-grandchildren called him first on video chat every day.
‘...I must be getting old.’
Sometimes. Really, only sometimes.
He found himself envious of an ordinary family.
Moments when he would overlap his image with that of Butler Kim, who warmly embraced his children and grandchildren, hearing their nasal, playful voices after a long time apart.
“It’s not that difficult of a thing.”
“Not difficult?”
“Yes. It’s just like making friends. There’s nothing special just because they’re family. If you contact them often, talk, and take care of them, things naturally turn out like this.”
“...But it didn’t work for me?”
Kim Seok-ho’s brow furrowed. He, too, had contacted his children frequently, talked a lot, and provided for them more generously than others in terms of wealth.
“Most of the time, you go through me, Secretary Baek, or another secretary. The number of times you’ve directly dialed your children’s numbers can be counted on one hand.”
“...As long as the call connects, that should be enough. Is that really important?”
“It is important.”
At Butler Kim’s firm words, Kim Seok-ho’s brow furrowed further. Shaking his head as if he couldn't understand, he continued speaking.
“We talk every week, don’t we?”
“You shouldn’t count the group’s regular meetings, which summon all executives above director level in Korea, or the family dinners held every six months.”
“...What about the support I give? Even if we put the rest aside, the stocks I’ve distributed to my children alone aren’t less than what you’ve given, right?”
“Of course, the type and size of a gift are important, but what matters most is the sentiment behind it. A Patek Philippe chosen by a secretary, worth tens of millions of won, can be less valuable to someone than a watch made personally by the Chairman.”
“Honestly. I just don’t get it.”
Chairman Kim Seok-ho quietly shook his head. It was an emotion he simply couldn’t understand.
Come to think of it, his wife used to nag him about the same thing when she was alive. No matter how much he thought about it, it only felt like an unnecessary process.
“Tsk. Those brats just don’t know who they owe their current luxurious lives to. They were born with silver spoons in their mouths. I raised them too soft.”
“.......”
Butler Kim quietly smiled as he watched Chairman Kim Seok-ho. Even though he spoke like that, it was clear he had realized what the problem was.
Perhaps he hadn’t been unaware of the method either. It was just that the life philosophy he had embodied his entire life did not allow for fragility.
Of course, even that had bent under the weight of time, much like the backs of elderly men, allowing him to at least consider the matter, no matter how small.
It was difficult to determine right away whether this was a positive change for Kim Seok-ho or not.
But one thing was certain. The ones who had triggered this change were Kim Eun-ha and Kang Woo-ju.
‘...To the Chairman, the youngest lady is a special being.’
Even if he wasn’t aware of it himself, from the perspective of someone who had been watching from the sidelines, it was clear. Perhaps even more than his grown children.
There were many possible reasons for this. A careful guess would be that it was deeply related to the parents of Kim Eun-ha, the Chairman’s weakest spot.
-Mom~!! Look, there’s a butterfly this big!
Back when they were still alive.
Unlike other relatives who were busy competing and reading the room, her parents had voluntarily stepped back, they were the closest to being ‘normal.’
-Grandpa!
Kim Eun-ha’s sociability far exceeded the boundaries of ordinary people, and even Kim Seok-ho, known as a cold-blooded man, couldn’t help but smile at her.
-Heh heh. Eun-ha, you’re here.
-Eun-ha caught a butterfly!
-Oh my, did you?
The still-young Chairman Kim Seok-ho picked up the little Kim Eun-ha in his arms without hesitation. He merely rolled his eyes at her parents standing nearby.
Though he had no intention of forgiving those who dared to defy him, whether unfortunately or fortunately, his anger did not extend to a child.
Rather, because she was completely excluded from the competition, he might have been able to give her his affection more freely than anyone else.
-Hey. How on earth did you raise your daughter!?
-She really is the daughter of a performer. All she’s learned is how to flirt. Tsk tsk.
-A girl should be more modest. My daughter shouldn’t learn things like that. Especially not in front of the Chairman!
Of course, all the relatives who were wary of Kim Eun-ha pointed fingers at her, but the parents only smiled as if used to it and let it go in one ear and out the other.
The siblings who viewed this with even more disdain couldn’t change anything significantly either.
If only that tragic accident, the one that changed Kim Eun-ha’s fate, had not happened that day.
‘...Everything would have been different.’
After losing her parents, the smile disappeared from Kim Eun-ha’s face. Even when she smiled, there was no warmth, she had become just like the rest of her relatives.
She no longer ran to Kim Seok-ho, calling him grandpa. Like everyone else, she only called him “Chairman,” maintaining a stiff distance.
There wasn’t a person who didn’t understand that this signaled her intent to reenter the successor race.
‘And of all things, her abilities were far too exceptional....’
She easily and rapidly surpassed children of similar age to the point that comparison was meaningless, and now she stood shoulder to shoulder with their parents.
The person whom Chairman Kim Seok-ho most desired as his successor was Kim Eun-ha. Unfortunately so.
Chairman Kim Seok-ho didn’t show any particular reaction to Kim Eun-ha’s dramatic transformation.
However, Butler Kim, who had been with him for many years, could see right through the Chairman’s unspoken thoughts.
‘...He must’ve wanted the young lady to live an ordinary life.’
As Chairman of Mirae Group, he hoped she would continue to grow and eventually take over his position.
But as Kim Eun-ha’s grandfather, Kim Seok-ho desperately wished she could live a relatively normal life.
He had been wrestling with this gap for nearly a decade. And even now, there was no definitive answer.
‘No, it was clearly leaning in one direction.’
Kim Seok-ho was a businessman who had built a top-tier company from scratch. This was something nearly impossible for an ordinary person in both skill and values.
Thus, as Kim Eun-ha began to stand out more and more, the decision he had to make as Chairman loomed ever larger.
If only she had quickly chosen one of the groom candidates and gotten married, that would’ve been a different story.
But since she had made up her mind to push forward with her will, even putting a stand-in front and center, the Chairman intended at least to provide her, who joined the race later, with a fair foundation equal to that of his children.
‘If it weren’t for young master Kang Woo-ju....’
It would have already happened.
It might seem sudden, but Kim Seok-ho received reports on every single move related to Kim Eun-ha. In fact, not just her, every member of Mirae Group was within the Chairman’s grasp.
Naturally, he also knew that Kang Woo-ju was a fake boyfriend. The Chairman, who had viewed him favorably due to the watch incident, was so displeased that he even ordered to have him removed from his sight immediately.
Thud-!
If Team Leader Kang Dae-ho hadn’t suddenly dropped to his knees during the report, it would have certainly happened.
-Pardon my rudeness, Chairman. May I say something?
Normally, he was so businesslike that he had never once spoken first. His words were a request even the Chairman couldn’t easily ignore.
-The young lady smiled.
-...What do you mean by that?
-It’s been nearly twenty years since I started serving Miss Kim Eun-ha, but I have never seen her live so brightly as she does now.
Team Leader Kang Dae-ho, known for being tight-lipped, poured out a long explanation as if to deny that reputation.
Though not a particularly eloquent speaker, he continued his report fluently, as if finally revealing thoughts he had long kept hidden.
-Honestly, I don’t completely like Kang Woo-ju either. He’s slippery to a fault and quite shameless.
-.......
-However, he is not disrespectful. He’s not someone who lacks basic decency either. I believe the Chairman knows this better than I do.
-Don’t beat around the bush.
-If I may be so bold, the young lady is like a daughter to me. I sincerely hope she doesn’t lose the smile she has now. So, that man... Kang Woo-ju. Please give him a little more time.
Thud-
With those final words, Kang Dae-ho lowered his head and apologized for speaking out of place.
Watching the dark red blood trickle from his forehead, Chairman Kim Seok-ho silently turned his back. Butler Kim quietly helped Kang Dae-ho up and led him out.
-Was Team Leader Kang always like that?
-He’s more sentimental than he looks.
-Is that so.
He faintly recalled the Chairman chain-smoking over a pack of cigarettes that day. That had already been several months ago.
The scale that had tilted one way was once again leveled. Where it would tip next, no one could know.
“Young people these days, they lack grit....”
“Chairman.”
Having finished his thoughts, Butler Kim dared to interrupt him. An unusual act that made Chairman Kim Seok-ho look at him with a questioning gaze.
“What if you met him directly?”
“...Who? Kang Woo-ju? Me, meeting that punk?”
“Yes.”
Chairman Kim Seok-ho closed his mouth at Butler Kim’s sincere suggestion. His hand instinctively reached for his pocket out of habit.
But the last cigarette had already been smoked, and only emptiness met his fingers.
Biting his lip instead of a cigarette, Chairman Kim Seok-ho let out a deep sigh after some thought.
“...Call him in.”
Smile-
With a gentle lift of his lips, Butler Kim gave a bow toward the Chairman, then immediately stepped out of the room.
*****
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