[128] Jab, then a Straight Right
“Isn’t that a bit too humble? You’re more than that. Why are you so lacking in confidence, my dear nephew?”
My aunt patted my back with an overwhelming sense of warmth.
“You’re still young. You don’t need to set limits for yourself so early. Anyway, let’s put this conversation on hold. More importantly, about those divorce papers—how should we handle them?”
“For Grandpa…”
“I know. You want me to present the divorce papers and make sure I get what’s due, right?”
“Yes. But ask for one more thing.”
“One more? What is it?”
“Sunyang Distribution. Aren’t they preparing to launch a hypermarket?”
“Hyper? Oh, you mean a big discount store.”
“Yes. A huge amount of capital is being funneled there. Plus, since Sunyang Distribution is a private company, make it the parent company. Transfer the shares of the department stores and hotels there. Then, Aunt, you’ll have control over all the cash flow in the group. It’s like having your own bank within the group.”
“Do you think they’ll give me that much?”
The thought of taking over the most financially active subsidiary made my aunt giddy with excitement.
“Aren’t department stores and hypermarkets essentially the same structure? The only difference is the quality of the products they handle. You’ve already proven yourself by successfully managing a department store, and if you’re going through a divorce, you deserve at least that much. Separate the subsidiaries completely with Sunyang Distribution as the parent company. That way, you’ll have a solid foundation.”
My aunt swallowed hard, her eyes gleaming with ambition.
“If I make distribution the parent company, all I need to do is hold onto the distribution shares, and the rest can be transferred with company funds. It would be a clean finish, right?”
“Yes. It’s just moving money from one pocket to another, so you can separate the subsidiaries without any actual cost. A win-win situation.”
My aunt pulled me into a tight hug.
“Even the likes of Zhuge Liang or Zhang Liang couldn’t hold a candle to my brilliant nephew.”
Feeling awkward, I gently extricated myself from her embrace.
“Aunt, you should meet with Grandpa first. I’ll handle Uncle… I mean, Mr. Oh will meet with Uncle. We’ll give him a little scare first, and then you can deliver the final blow.”
“A scare? How?”
“Make him realize he’s nothing without you. Mr. Oh is a natural at getting under people’s skin.”
“Mayor Choi, the word’s out. Everyone knows you’re planning to make a killing with both hands full of trump cards.”
“What? Who’s saying that?”
“They say you’re having private meetings with Chairman Ju of Daehyeon these days. What’s your plan?”
The atmosphere had shifted. Mayor Choi was beginning to understand the essence of power—the balance where a small amount of power attracts a hundredfold in wealth.
He had thought his father-in-law’s money moved power, but it was the other way around. His father-in-law, Chairman Jin, had merely placed thousands, even tens of thousands, of money on the scales.
Oh Se-hyun felt his anger rising as he met Mayor Choi’s condescending gaze.
“I only met with Chairman Ju because of the New Town project starting next year. Oh, and Mr. Oh should step back this time. We’ve already settled our accounts with the DMC, right?”
“If you award the New Town project to Daehyeon Construction through a private contract, there will be a lot of talk. But don’t misunderstand. Our HW isn’t interested in apartments.”
“HW? Oh, Daehyeon Construction changed its name. Are you now the head of HW Group?”
“The head is Chairman Song Hyun-chang of Ajin. I’m just the representative of the holding company.”
“Now that I know the family tree, just get to the point. I thought you came to ask for a piece of the New Town pie…”
Oh Se-hyun sighed and spoke up.
“When I told you to drop the Sunyang Group label, it was to erase the image of being a chaebol family member. I didn’t mean for you to switch to Daehyeon Group.”
“If you’re going to spout nonsense, let’s end this. I’ll handle my own affairs.”
He didn’t bother to hide his displeasure. He thought of himself as immensely powerful. Not hiding, not enduring, not concealing—these were the privileges of those in power.
“If you still don’t understand, there’s no hope. Listen, Mayor Choi. You’re just a toy for Chairman Ju. A toy to be played with and discarded when he gets bored.”
“What? How dare you say such a thing!”
His hand trembled on the armrest of the sofa, but Oh Se-hyun didn’t stop.
“He’s just having fun, filling you with hot air and shaking you around. It’s all to rile up your father-in-law, Chairman Jin. That’s all there is to it. It’s just a game for those old men who have too much and are bored with life.”
“Shut up!”
“If Chairman Jin discards you, Chairman Ju will lose interest and discard you too. Do you think Chairman Ju cares about some apartment redevelopment?”
Mayor Choi’s expression turned icy. He was no longer agitated.
“Discard me? Who’s discarding whom? Does Chairman Jin have the skill to discard someone twice? You don’t know anything, so stop babbling.”
“What?”
“Chairman Jin already discarded me. The moment I ran for Seoul Mayor. We’re only connected by the legal bond of father-in-law and son-in-law. We’re practically strangers now.”
Oh Se-hyun finally understood why Mayor Choi was on such a misguided path. With this mindset, there was no turning back unless he faced a greater shock.
“Erasing someone from your heart is one thing… You just said it, right? There’s still a legal bond. If that bond is severed, it’s like being discarded twice. Once that bond is broken, you’re truly finished. Don’t you know that the Sunyang scholars are only tolerating you because of that bond?”
Mayor Choi’s complexion changed. Could such a thing really happen?
“The moment that bond is severed, there will be a swarm of people from Yeouido to Seocho-dong ready to hunt you down. Instead of businessmen bringing money to this room, only arrows will fly in.”
Oh Se-hyun stood up from his chair. He had given enough of a warning.
“I came because I was worried that your actions might drag me down with you. There’s no way to stop someone determined to self-destruct. When you go, go quietly on your own. If you drag me into it, I won’t just stand by.”
Leaving Mayor Choi with a dazed expression, Oh Se-hyun exited the city hall.
He felt a twinge of regret. There was still more he could have extracted during the remaining term.
“What is this?”
Chairman Jin opened the file Jin Seo-yoon handed him.
“Divorce papers. A mutual agreement.”
“You took your time bringing them. What took so long to sort out that useless man?”
“Father! I have three sons. I have to think about the children, don’t I?”
“Why worry about grown children? Do you think they care what their parents do? Aren’t they just like that Choi kid, only interested in taking luxury goods from their mother’s department store to impress girls?”
“Father!”
Jin Seo-yoon shouted, and Chairman Jin chuckled as he began to review the documents.
“But why is there no date? Get it stamped and processed by tomorrow.”
“I’ll handle it when the Seoul Mayor’s term ends. If word gets out that a sitting mayor is getting divorced, the newspapers and broadcasts will have a field day. It would be a disgrace to the family, and to the kids.”
Chairman Jin tossed the divorce papers aside and glared at his daughter.
“Don’t think you can just gloss over this. That man should be grateful he even served as a congressman in the electronics district. The thought of him sharing everything I give you makes my blood boil.”
Reading the sincerity in her father’s words, Jin Seo-yoon felt a surge of courage.
“I’m not trying to gloss over anything. I’m fed up too. I’ve dragged that foolish man this far, but seeing his actions, there’s no hope. I’m just going to focus on the kids now.”
“Aren’t they just like their father?”
Even though he was her father, Jin Seo-yoon felt a wave of disgust.
Despite being his grandchildren, he had never shown any affection simply because they bore the Choi name.
“They take after me. You wouldn’t know because you never paid attention.”
“Fine. What’s with the tantrum?”
Seeing her father’s softened demeanor, Jin Seo-yoon realized just how much he disliked her husband. Though it was her father who had arranged the marriage in the first place.
Perhaps he felt some guilt over that fact, she hoped.
“Then, as promised, you’ll proceed with the separation of the subsidiaries, right?”
Chairman Jin felt a pang of tenderness as his fifty-year-old daughter looked at him with childlike anticipation.
How did she end up so naive even at this age? He realized that his own overprotectiveness was largely to blame.
“Alright. It will take some time to secure the shares and process everything. Once you get Choi’s stamp on the divorce papers, I’ll start right away.”
“But, Father. Um…”
“What else is there?”
“Since the department store is in the same category, could you include distribution as well?”
Jin Seo-yoon spoke cautiously, but Chairman Jin immediately understood what she wanted.
“Do you know that Sunyang Distribution is starting a new business next year?”
”…”
As she hesitated, Chairman Jin waved his hand dismissively.
“Stop being greedy. It’s not something you can handle.”
“You know I’ve improved the management performance of the department store. The structure of a hypermarket is the same as a department store, just with different product quality. I… I’m confident I can do well.”
“Combining them would involve a lot of complications. Transferring Sunyang Distribution shares to the department store would be like a merger…”
“No, it won’t. We can make distribution the parent company. Transfer the controlling shares of the department store and hotel to distribution, and if I hold the distribution shares, it will be much easier. Since distribution is a private company, defending management rights won’t be difficult. If needed, we can do a capital increase.”
He couldn’t dismiss his daughter’s words lightly. It was simple, avoided taxes, and was advantageous for defending management rights. Moreover, since it was in the same business category, bundling them together wouldn’t raise suspicions of an underhanded inheritance.
Chairman Jin looked at his daughter with astonished eyes and said, “You really thought of all that? Ha, remarkable.”
“I’ve told you countless times that I’m much better than my brothers, haven’t I? Trust me a little.”
Seeing her father’s positive reaction, Jin Seoyun felt like she was one step closer to her goal, as if she could fly.
“Sign the papers. I’m planning to submit them to the court after the next election, so you should be grateful. Not that there’s any guarantee you’ll be re-elected.”
“Honey, this is…”
“There isn’t a single divorced public official in our country. Divorce is fatal for elections, so we’ll go through the legal process after it’s over. In the meantime, let’s live separately. Pack your things and move out by the end of the month.”
Mayor Choi’s hand trembled as he held the divorce papers. How could this be happening?
He never imagined that Oh Sehyun’s words from a few days ago would become a reality.
“Don’t even dream about alimony. When we got married, all you brought was yourself. This house is in my name, and during our marriage, you never contributed a single penny. So, you won’t stoop to fighting over alimony, will you?”
It felt like he’d been hit over the head with a club.
His wife’s words barely registered, just a buzzing in his ears.
“Honey, Seoyun, why all of a sudden? Divorce at over fifty? What reason do we have to divorce?”
“Reason? Are you really asking because you don’t know? Do you not understand why I’m doing this?”
As Mayor Choi looked into his wife’s cold, piercing eyes, memories from the distant past flooded back.
The first time he met the heiress, feeling so small under her gaze that he couldn’t even meet her eyes. It was the memory of their very first arranged meeting.