Chapter 88
I Hope You Enjoy Your Meal
A few days later.
Before noon, Kang In-hyuk visited the mansion of KQ Group chairman Kang Cheon-gyu, located in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province.
The call he received a while ago had been from Kang Cheon-gyu's secretary, Noh Geun-cheol.
He had reached out to invite him for a meal, which was why In-hyuk visited today.
Upon entering the house, Kang Cheon-gyu, who had been in the living room, rose from his seat.
"Thank you for coming all the way here."
"I didn't expect the dinner you mentioned last time to be held at your house, chairman."
"You're quite popular in this field nowadays, aren't you? Most of the usual shops are frequented by those sorts, so I thought it might draw unnecessary attention and get more troublesome."
He had shown some consideration for In-hyuk.
"Thank you for looking out for me. But as I noticed last time as well, you keep a lot of plants."
Various plants that seemed to be cared for by him were arranged throughout the house.
"It's a hobby I picked up as I got older. Ah, since you said you were fine with home-cooked meals, I prepared spicy stir-fried pork and soybean paste stew. Do you like those?"
The two continued chatting as they headed to the dining room. Not seeing anyone else around, In-hyuk asked,
"I would never turn those down. But you didn't make them yourself, did you?"
"Why? Do I seem like someone who couldn't cook dishes like these?"
Kang Cheon-gyu entered the kitchen and brought out a stone pot filled with soybean paste stew that had been warming on the induction stove.
As he plated the stir-fried pork from the wok, he spoke.
"Could you take out some instant rice from the microwave?"
"You didn't cook the rice yourself?"
"My palate isn't that sophisticated, so I find this more convenient and even tastier."
In-hyuk fetched the instant rice and set it on the table.
The main dishes were simply the stir-fried pork and the soybean paste stew he just brought out.
"There's not much on the table, but I hope you enjoy your meal."
"You're more down-to-earth than I expected."
"It's probably because I was so rebellious. After struggling with various concerns, I went to the army, and in my early twenties I entered a university in America. I studied distribution there and went through a lot."
Listening to him, In-hyuk smiled faintly and asked slyly,
"Was that where you met my mother?"
"That's right. Anna was two years younger than I am, but actually a senior by one year... Hmm?"
Anna was the American name of In-hyuk's biological mother, Yoo Ji-young.
Kang Cheon-gyu was talking casually, but then suddenly sensed something odd.
"Why? Did you think I wouldn't have found out?"
At that, Kang Cheon-gyu was momentarily at a loss for words and put down the spoon he was bringing to the stew.
"... Since when have you known?"
"It hasn't been long. Honestly, I've come close to losing my life several times, so it was hard not to question things. I started considering the most likely people and had somebody follow madam. That's how I found out I was your son and that she tried to kill me."
Kang Cheon-gyu's hands resting on the table tensed up.
"So it's true, that woman tried to kill you?"
"Well, I put a stop to it on my end, so there's no need to worry."
In-hyuk held a transcript of a conversation between Jeon Hae-in and Lee Daemyung from the Daemyung Detective Agency.
He'd used it as leverage to keep things quiet until now.
"How exactly did you stop it?"
"In my own way. In any case, based on the situation, I started investigating who my real mother was and found out. Afterward, I also learned you'd met her while in university in America."
"... I see. Maybe it's for the best. I was at a loss as to where and how to explain everything to you."
Hearing this, In-hyuk let out a faint sigh.
"Did you go to the trouble of setting the table yourself just to create the right mood?"
"I can't say I didn't. But it's meaningful to me, too. Back in America, I used to share these meals often with your mother."
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Still, In-hyuk didn't feel much emotion.
If this body had been his from the start, maybe he would have, but most of the memories of the original owner, Kang In-hyuk, were already gone.
Having survived much longer than he should have, only new memories were piling up at this point.
"So, what is it you wanted to say to me by inviting me here?"
Kang Cheon-gyu hesitated for a moment, sipped his water, and then continued slowly.
"You must have some idea, don't you?"
"If you're thinking of discussing my succession of KQ Group, then I refuse."
At that, Kang Cheon-gyu's brow furrowed subtly.
"Did I hear you right? You're refusing?"
"That's right."
"Why?"
It was an utterly incomprehensible situation. In-hyuk sighed again as he accepted Cheon-gyu's question.
"If I accept, wouldn't you have certain demands of me as well, chairman?"
"That's..."
"To be a proper KQ Group successor, the thing I'd have to change most is my current status as son-in-law of the Taeshin family. To your perspective, that must be the main obstacle."
Perhaps hitting the mark, Kang Cheon-gyu's lips parted.
"You see right through me. You're nothing like Do-young. That makes me want to have you succeed KQ Group all the more."
One of the most important things in business, he believed, was having a sense of self—knowing exactly where you stand, where you need to go, and how you've gotten there, so you can make objective judgments.
"To be more exact, you need the investment performance I've achieved in the past year."
"I can't deny that. But this is a great opportunity for you, too. Not just anything, but a chance to inherit KQ Group."
"Is that why you ran a DNA test using the glass I drank from at the party?"
For a moment, Kang Cheon-gyu flinched and shut his mouth.
"... You knew?"
"It was impossible not to notice, considering how your people were moving around. Also, the way you signaled to your secretary was suspicious."
"Your senses are impressive."
He seemed to like In-hyuk even more.
"But I have no intention of succeeding KQ Group in place of Kang Do-young. I don't want to waste energy in a pointless power struggle with someone so lacking."
His expression showed genuine annoyance. Seeing that, Kang Cheon-gyu let out a helpless sigh.
"That really is your reason?"
"And besides, I already have a mountain of work I have to get through."
"You could wrap those things up and come over..."
"Even at the quickest, it would take several months. Some of the longer projects could go on for ten years, you know?"
Kang Cheon-gyu gave a bitter smile.
He was well aware of how many things In-hyuk was involved with through investments at Taeshin Asset Management.
Especially the recently signed joint development project between AMK Velion and Greenbyte Labs in Texas, America, had drawn major attention.
If the high-efficiency, low-power power supply being developed there achieved over 50% energy savings, as claimed, the two companies and their investors would monopolize the profits of countless electricity-based businesses.
"Well... It really is a business too good to miss. But if you ran KQ Group, you could achieve something even bigger, even if it took a bit of time, couldn't you?"
He tried to convince In-hyuk, thinking it was the only way to save KQ Group and improve it further.
"If I were to choose your offer, what would you do with madam? And the board of directors pushing for division director Kang Do-young?"
"I can handle those matters well enough. Besides, most of the board are my people, so it's not an issue."
Indeed, as he said, the chairman's sway in KQ Group was enormous, largely because of his substantial shareholding.
Most board members were KQ Group loyalists. In the past, nearly half were from Songhwa Distribution, but after Cheon-gyu became chairman, he slowly replaced them with his own picks.
Maybe that's why Jeon Hae-in was so set on making Kang Do-young chairman.
"Is the current board really of one mind?"
"... What do you mean?"
"Kang Do-young hasn't been competent for a long time, and yet the board never made a serious issue of it. Why do you think that is?"
At that question, Cheon-gyu's face hardened.
"Don't tell me... they plan to push Do-young out eventually? But even if the position changes hands, my shares won't."
"In the end, management control comes down to the shares. As long as you have them, the throne can't change hands easily."
"The problem comes after you step back from management. There's no guarantee the things I've experienced won't happen to you, chairman."
The fastest, safest way for Jeon Hae-in to transfer managerial control and shares to Kang Do-young would be to have him first receive the chairman position, and then, when Kang Cheon-gyu dies, acquire his shares through inheritance.
The atmosphere suddenly grew icy.
For the moment, Cheon-gyu doubted it could go that far, but the incident when In-hyuk had been targeted came back to him.
"You're saying they might try to kill me?"
"Who knows? By the way, are you sure you aren't ill? Please answer honestly."
In the original future, Cheon-gyu was officially said to have died from illness in about a year, but in reality, no one knew what the real cause was.
He had no chronic disease, and he always looked healthier than anyone else.
As the head of a large company, he would have regular checkups, so if anything had ever shown up, he would have known before anyone else.
"Other than some arthritis that comes with age, nothing in particular."
If so, it was more likely that he'd been hospitalized due to some other issue—one that his wife Jeon Hae-in had orchestrated.
'So it really was something that got him, huh?'
In his previous life, In-hyuk had been one of the dedicated security guards for Taeshin Group's CEO, Tae Seok-hyun, and behind the scenes had followed Tae Seok-ho's orders, passing on necessary information.
At that time, he had heard the news of Kang Cheon-gyu's death on the news.
"You never know what can happen, so please take care."
"Are you worried about me?"
Cheon-gyu looked oddly pleased. In-hyuk tilted his head and replied,
"Take it however you like. As I said earlier, I have no intention of getting involved in the succession battle for KQ Group management. Official procedures would be required anyway, and without them, even you couldn't do anything."
An extramarital child would only be recognized with legal proof via a DNA test and formal process.
Though a will could transfer inheritance to a third party, Cheon-gyu's character made it clear he'd never want to hand KQ Group down that way.
Moreover, Jeon Hae-in was even targeting the lawyer who would handle the will, which made it all the more worrisome.
"I looked into you a bit too. To what I hear, yours with CEO Tae Ju-ha is a marriage in name only. If you're only interested in management, wouldn't it be better to get divorced and come over to this side?"
In-hyuk sighed and met Cheon-gyu's gaze.
"That's for me to decide."
The mood grew heavy and a sense of pressure spread through the space.
Feeling it with his whole body, Cheon-gyu swallowed and spoke carefully.
"I spoke out of turn."
"And if you want to negotiate even the minimum terms with me, shouldn't you at least make sure the setting is clean?"
"Of course..."
Before Cheon-gyu could finish, In-hyuk stood up from his seat.
"... What are you doing?"
In-hyuk walked over to a group of tall green-leafed plants set up at the side of the dining room.
Casually, he reached inside and pulled something out.
"Surely, a place where something like this is installed isn't suitable, is it?"
What he held in his hand was a bugging device.