Episode 35: Am I Not Qualified as Well? 5
Hyeonu, Gim Byeongjun, and I Minju moved to have dinner.
As they walked and discussed where to go, Gim Byeongjun's phone in his pocket suddenly buzzed.
It was his mother.
"Yes, Mother."
[Have you been eating well?]
"I'm about to eat now. I'm sorry I couldn't let you know I'd be late. I suddenly got a bit busy. Have you eaten, Mother?"
[Not yet. If you don't have any special plans, come home and eat. Your father just called to say he's coming home.]
Gim Byeongjun, who had been speaking with his mother in a gentle voice, stopped dead in his tracks.
It was because he would be meeting his father.
The thing he had been preparing to do around tomorrow had suddenly come upon him.
"Understood. I'll head straight in now."
[Really? I'll cook something delicious and wait, so hurry home.]
"Yes, Mother. Then I'll hang up."
After ending the call, Gim Byeongjun's face was stiff like a statue.
Seeing him like that, Hyeonu asked,
"What's wrong, Assistant Manager? Did something happen?"
"Father is coming home."
[Why is this so sudden? Without even giving me time to prepare.]
"Then you can speak with him today."
"...I suppose I'll have to."
"The Chairman will be quite surprised. It's so sudden."
"Hm?"
Gim Byeongjun cracked a brief smile.
"You're right. Father will be even more surprised."
"..."
"Then I'll go first, so take good care of Minju. We can't afford any issues with Assemblyman I Haeseong during this important time."
"Yes, Assistant Manager. Don't worry, and please speak well with the Chairman."
At that moment, I Minju, who had fallen behind while talking, turned to look at Hyeonu and Gim Byeongjun.
"What are you doing? Aren't you coming?"
"The Assistant Manager is leaving first."
For some reason, I Minju's face brightened instantly.
"Really?"
"I'm sorry. Something suddenly came up."
"It's fine. Work is important."
"Alright."
Gim Byeongjun bowed slightly to I Minju, then tapped Hyeonu on the shoulder.
"I'm off."
"Go safely."
He watched Gim Byeongjun's retreating figure for a moment before turning his steps.
"Let's not go somewhere else. Shall we eat here? The pasta here is amazing."
Hyeonu didn't particularly mind.
"Sure, let's."
* * *
Gim Byeongjun started the engine of his mid-size car in the underground parking lot and exited the hotel.
After driving for about thirty minutes, he arrived at a luxury tower-style mixed-use apartment complex called 'Fantasy City.'
This was the home where he lived alone with his mother.
He took the express elevator, got off at the penthouse on the 73rd floor, unlocked the door, and entered.
A pair of men's dress shoes sat in the foyer.
He stared at the shoes for a moment before opening the inner door and going inside.
"Is that Byeongjun?"
"Yes, Mother."
His mother, who had dressed up especially nicely today, welcomed her only son warmly.
Despite being quite advanced in age, Gim Byeongjun's mother was an incredibly beautiful woman who still retained the beauty of her youth.
"My son, it must be hard working at the company."
"No, Mother."
"Good. Your father is already here and waiting."
He had already known from the shoes in the foyer that his father had arrived.
Entering the living room, he saw his father sitting on the sofa.
"I've returned."
"Yes."
"I'll wash up and change my clothes."
As his father nodded, he watched the walnut spinning in his hand with a clicking, clacking sound like a gear, then entered his room.
Having entered his room, Gim Byeongjun was extremely tense.
His mind had been complicated for some time.
It had been a long time since he had given up on everything, yet these days, his desire kept writhing and his heart kept racing uncontrollably.
But making the decision had not been easy.
Because the moment he made it, the life he would have to live from that point on would change completely.
Then, a few days ago, he had made the decision.
There was someone who had made his cold heart beat again.
And after making that decision, there was only one thought filling Gim Byeongjun's head.
How would he tell his father?
Then yesterday, the Mancheon Passenger case had broken out, and Hyeonu had told him to use it as his debut match.
A debut match signaling that he would jump into the management succession struggle.
It was quite a good debut match.
The setup was good, the fight money was ample,
and he even had quite a capable second...
But when it actually came time to fight that debut match, it was no easy task.
Because at the meeting with Assemblyman I Haeseong, he had been unable to read the room and couldn't even open his mouth.
This wouldn't do.
If he had made up his mind to do it, then he had to do it.
Even if it was a rusty sword, he had to swing it with lethal intent.
After taking several deep breaths, Gim Byeongjun's eyes gradually began to fill with fighting spirit.
They transformed into the gaze of a boxer about to step into the ring, seeing nothing around him and envisioning only the fight between himself and his opponent in his mind.
He loosened his suit and tie, hung them up, rolled up his dress shirt sleeves, and went to the bathroom.
Since it was winter, washing his face in the frigid cold water made him feel wide awake.
Along with that, some of his tension eased as well.
He looked for a moment at his face reflected in the mirror, water dripping from it.
A face flushed with vigor.
It wasn't a bad face.
"Hoo..."
He wiped his face with a towel and turned around.
There was no longer any need to look back.
Because he was already crossing a bridge from which he could not return.
When he came out to the living room, his father was sitting not in the living room, but at the dining table.
He helped his mother, who was busy bringing out food, by placing dishes on the table, then sat down.
A feast rarely seen.
Whenever his father visited, his mother would personally prepare such a feast.
His father picked up his spoon.
"Let's eat."
After taking a spoonful of soup first, then picking up some rice and side dishes, his father asked,
"Are you doing well at work?"
"Yes."
"Good. It's best to learn the ropes inside an organization while you're young."
His father did not know which company Gim Byeongjun worked for.
When he had said he was getting a job, his father had asked once, but when he replied that there was such a company, his father had not asked again.
It was probably because he did not consider it particularly important.
He must have thought that whatever company his son worked at, it wouldn't have much impact on his life.
Gim Byeongjun had lived with just his mother since he was a newborn.
Nevertheless, there had never been a time when their circumstances were difficult.
Because his father was Chairman Min Yanghong of the Mancheon Group.
But he was not a child who could be openly acknowledged.
So Gim Byeongjun had lived separately, taking his mother's surname, and Min Yanghong had been incredibly fond of such a son.
Not merely in his heart, but in reality, he had tried to officially register Gim Byeongjun in the family register when he entered high school.
But Gim Byeongjun had refused.
Because he had not wanted to leave his mother, who was alone.
And when Gim Byeongjun was discharged from the military, he had given him one more chance to choose.
"How do you want to live from now on?"
Looking into his father's eyes as he asked this, Gim Byeongjun boldly asked back,
"Father, how would you like me to live?"
At that time, Min Yanghong said this.
“If you covet Mancheon, you must become Min Byeongjun instead of Gim Byeongjun. But that is not something I wish to recommend so readily. The other family members will not accept you, who have already come here fully grown. Not just within the family, but at the company as well. You will likely be thoroughly ostracized by your brothers and live a life that is neither this nor that. It will probably be an extremely arduous and difficult life.”
“······.”
“Rather than that, I want to recommend that you keep living as you are now. If it is for your happiness and your mother’s, that would be better.”
Perhaps because his father spoke so rationally and stiffly, Gim Byeongjun felt his eyes grow hot when he heard these words.
“But why are you asking me? I could just keep living as I have been.”
“Because you are my son······. Because I want to give you at least the right to choose. Just like your brothers.”
At that moment, Gim Byeongjun felt Min Yanghong’s sincerity.
That he loved him and his mother so very much.
In the end, Gim Byeongjun chose the latter, living with his mother.
Gim Byeongjun naturally opened his mouth while eating.
“Father, I am actually working at your company. At Mancheon.”
Min Yanghong, who had been scooping soup, paused, then brought the spoon back to his mouth.
“You work at Mancheon?”
“Yes, at Mancheon Trading. It has been quite a while since I joined. My rank is assistant manager.”
“······Why did you join Mancheon?”
“I do not know, myself······. I think perhaps it was because some lingering attachment remained in a corner of my heart.”
“Lingering attachment?”
Gim Byeongjun locked eyes with Min Yanghong.
His gaze was incredibly serene, without the slightest tremor.
Much like Hyeonu’s deep gaze.
“Yes, I wish to sit in Father’s seat as well. I want to have Mancheon.”
“Oh my!”
It was his mother’s surprised voice.
Gim Byeongjun turned his head toward his mother.
“Do not worry, Mother. Even if I become Min Byeongjun, I will continue to care for you. Just because the family register changes does not mean my mother changes.”
It was not wrong.
Min Yanghong’s original wife had died a very long time ago, so there was no chance of calling another person mother.
Min Yanghong showed no change in expression whatsoever.
And he said nothing more.
In the heavily settled atmosphere, his mother only watched cautiously, and Min Yanghong simply ate his rice.
No one could know what Min Yanghong was thinking.
They could only wait for their father’s decision.
After finishing the meal, Min Yanghong stood up.
“Dear, shall we have a cup of coffee?”
Min Yanghong immediately disappeared into the master bedroom, and a heavy air settled.
His mother asked while making coffee.
“You······ do you really have to do that?”
“Yes, Mother. I simply must.”
“I see······. So that is how it is······.”
After a moment, his mother came out.
“Byeongjun, go into the master bedroom. Father is looking for you.”
Min Yanghong was sitting in a chair at a luxurious two-person tea table.
He took a sip of coffee, quietly stared into empty space, and opened his mouth.
“There are times when a tiny spark of hope leads to even greater despair. It will not be easy. You may lose more than you gain.”
Gim Byeongjun replied calmly.
“There are times when you must lay down everything you have to gain something better.”
“That is gambling.”
“Did you not gamble, Father?”
At this question from Gim Byeongjun, Min Yanghong felt a pang in his heart.
Thinking back, it was because he felt as though he had lived his entire life at a gambling table.
“I am prepared, Father.”
“Very well······. Then do as you will.”
Min Yanghong’s voice, speaking quietly while looking at empty space, sounded strangely distant to Gim Byeongjun.
“Thank you.”
“From now on, you are not Gim Byeongjun but Min Byeongjun······.”
Gim Byeongjun cut him off.
“No, I still wish to remain Gim Byeongjun for now. Until I have grown stronger while at Mancheon Trading. There is no need to needlessly reveal my existence and be checked by my elder brothers and sister. I will become Min Byeongjun later. When I am ready to become Min Byeongjun.”
What Hyeonu had told him on the rooftop.
Do not reveal yourself to the enemy too early.
There are too many people in the world who would make a fool of me.
If Hyeonu were to become his running mate, Gim Byeongjun had followed Hyeonu’s first piece of advice to the letter.
“Yes, that seems better······. Is there nothing more you wish to say?”
“I will go see President No Hyeoncheol tomorrow. Please arrange a meeting.”
“President No Hyeoncheol?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To show him my capabilities.”
Min Yanghong slowly shook his head.
“You have only just begun; there is no need to do that unnecessarily. You can show your ability once you are more prepared, so do not overdo it too early. An evaluation of you will be made based on that.”
“This is not to show you, Father. It is to show President No Hyeoncheol. So that he can accept me.”
Somehow, a mischievous smile settled in the corners of Min Yanghong’s eyes.
“Can you really do that? President No is not an easy man.”
Gim Byeongjun, quietly staring into Min Yanghong’s eyes that held a playful smile—no, eyes that still seemed to look down on him—opened his mouth.
“I will handle that myself.”
* * *
I Minju, sitting in the driver’s seat of her Benz sedan, watched Hyeonu’s retreating figure as he opened the green iron gate and entered the house.
After glancing over the house once, she thought inwardly,
‘He was a commoner. As expected.’
As she started the car, her head was filled with nothing but thoughts of Hyeonu.
There had been nothing special during the meal.
Gim Hyeonu had not spoken much and had not said anything amusing.
Yet the words he occasionally tossed out strangely resonated with her.
As if he had read her mind, they gently scratched at one side of her heart.
Could we have chemistry?
Screech!
She slammed on the brakes.
A cat had suddenly darted out.
“Haah······.”
I Minju was a truly terrible driver.
So she had never driven into such an alley before.
‘I must be crazy, really. Why did I say I would drop him off right in front of his house. Damn······.’
Just as she barely escaped the alley and entered the main road, a call came.
It was her father.
“Yeah, Dad.”
[Did you eat well with Gim Byeongjun?]
“No, I ate with Gim Hyeonu, though?”
[Hey, you should eat with Gim Byeongjun. That guy is the real deal.]
She was about to say something when her father’s voice came through.
[Oh dear, a customer is here so I have to hang up.]
I Minju stared blankly at the turned-off phone.
“What is he talking about, Dad······. Earlier he was only talking with Hyeonu······.”