[013] Turbulent Times 2.
Living as Yoon Hyun-woo, cleaning the Jin family’s outhouse, I was thoroughly ignored by the group, so names like Jin Yoon-ki, Jin Sang-jun, and Jin Do-jun never made it onto my radar.
All I remembered was that there were twelve members in the third generation. I racked my brain trying to recall why the name Jin Do-jun didn’t stick, and finally, a clue emerged.
The tragic car accident involving the Sunyang family.
I had stumbled upon this fact while searching through old articles during my time as a servant for the family, but I quickly forgot it. After all, it wasn’t a family worth my attention.
The frustrating part is that I can’t remember any details about the accident.
Despite months of trying to recall the exact date, time, location, and cause, nothing came to mind.
I need to be careful not to change the future too drastically. But what if I avoid death and end up in a fierce battle for control of the Sunyang Group?
And if I manage to keep my grandfather, Jin Yang-cheol, alive a bit longer, will the future change significantly?
I still don’t have answers to these confusing questions.
Every day, I must carefully consider my actions and their consequences. That’s all I can do for now.
Tonight, I need to be particularly meticulous and cautious during dinner.
After all, it’s just me and my grandfather.
“My boy, you’re here?”
“Grandfather.”
Damn it!
Pretending to be the doting grandson who loves his grandfather is the hardest part.
Chairman Jin, who had been pinching my cheeks with a smile, sat me down at the dining table.
The private room of the Sunyang Hotel’s Western restaurant.
He must have wanted some time alone with me, away from prying eyes and interruptions.
How thrilled he must have been when the election results came in this morning, confirming his successful bet.
For the next five years, the Sunyang Group can charge forward without obstacles.
“I’ll never forget your help, Chairman Jin. Thank you.”
The president-elect had called directly to express his gratitude, proving the immediate impact of the bet.
“My dear Do-jun, today your grandpa will buy you delicious food and all the toys you want. How does that sound?”
“I haven’t told you my grades yet.”
“Grades?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…! That’s right. We made a promise on my birthday, didn’t we?”
Of course, he must have forgotten such a trivial promise. Today isn’t about that; it’s about my advice. He made a big bet on one candidate and swept the board.
“So, did you keep your promise?”
“Yes. I got perfect scores in all subjects.”
Chairman Jin blinked and asked again.
“Perfect scores in all subjects?”
“Yes. I’m the only one in my class who got perfect scores.”
“Oh, my dear Do-jun… You’re outdoing yourself. What should I do? It’s too late to buy a horse today.”
As if I would want a horse. It’s just a pretext to get something bigger. If he wants to buy what I truly desire, our dear old man will have to spend quite a bit.
“It’s okay. I can’t ride it anyway. I can learn to ride during winter break, and you can buy it for me then. But, Grandfather.”
“Yes?”
“If it’s not because of the promise, then why…?”
“Ah, well, thanks to you, our company can grow even bigger.”
The company growing means making a lot of money.
Ordinary merchants invest money and make a profit.
Big merchants invest in political power and secure privileges.
While ordinary merchants are satisfied with a 10% or 20% profit, big merchants need privileges that guarantee several times, even hundreds of times, the profit to be satisfied.
Having invested in the next president, the results will undoubtedly be enormous.
I smiled broadly and said, “Then you can give me something even bigger than our promise, right?”
“Something bigger? Of course, I should give you something bigger and better. Let’s see… If I promised a horse, what could be bigger?”
“I’ve been thinking, Grandfather.”
“Go ahead.”
“If you buy a horse, you’ll keep it at your ranch in Jeju Island, right?”
“Of course. We can’t keep it at home, can we?”
“I want to ride every day, but if it’s in Jeju, I can’t do that.”
“Really? Then what should we do…?”
As Chairman Jin pondered alternatives, the food began to arrive.
As expected, being the hotel owner, the food was exceptional.
Despite being a Western restaurant, sushi, sashimi, bulgogi, doenjang stew, steak, and even jajangmyeon and various cakes prepared just for me were served.
The old man seemed to like the full-course style of Korean dining.
“Shall we eat first and think about it?”
Yes, let’s eat. And eat well.
For a grandfather, there’s nothing more joyful than watching his bloodline eat.
Sure enough, Chairman Jin watched me devour the food with a satisfied smile.
“Grandfather, you should eat too.”
“Yes, yes. Haha.”
Chairman Jin chuckled warmly as he swallowed a few pieces of sashimi.
“For you to ride every day, it seems we’ll need another ranch.”
That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.
“Really?”
I quickly swallowed my food and my eyes sparkled, making Chairman Jin laugh heartily.
“Of course. Didn’t I say I’d give you something bigger? I’ll gift you a ranch you can visit anytime. How does that sound?”
I almost shouted, “Oh, yes!”
I needed to express my joy, but as Chairman Jin’s grandson, there’s only one way to show it.
As cheesy as it is, I have to make him happy.
I hopped off my chair and ran to hug Chairman Jin tightly.
“Haha, you little rascal. Are you that happy?”
He seemed pleased with my affectionate gesture, laughing continuously.
Now, it’s time to move to the next step. I returned to my seat, tilting my head thoughtfully.
“But where is Grandfather’s ranch? Near our house? Or near Grandfather’s house?”
“Haha, if you try to keep a horse in the middle of a residential area, you’ll get kicked out. The smell of horse manure is no joke.”
“Then?”
“If you go a bit north of Seoul, there’s a place called Wondang. There’s already a ranch there. We can buy it.”
What a blunder!
Was there a ranch in Wondang? We mustn’t buy it. That’s not the place I want.
I must have shown a hint of surprise because Chairman Jin’s expression changed.
“Why? Don’t you like it?”
“Oh, no. It’s nice, but… it’s too far.”
“Too far? Oh, you picky little thing…”
Though his tone was scolding, his expression remained amused.
“Our house is in Gangnam…”
“There’s no ranch in the south of Seoul.”
“Then you can build one. Grandfather, you build everything quickly.”
“What? Build one? Haha.”
His sudden laughter caught me off guard. I thought it was a bit of a stretch, but he seemed to enjoy it.
“Do-jun.”
“Yes.”
“Do you know how many companies this grandfather of yours has?”
A random question. I knew there were 48 subsidiaries, but I shook my head.
“Sunyang has 48 subsidiaries. Of those, I personally built 19. The rest were acquired.”
Acquired? Not seized?
“Most of the companies I built were in the early days of business. In other words, you must build it yourself at first. That’s how you develop an attachment and the desire to grow it bigger.”
Is he interpreting my suggestion to build a ranch this way? Perhaps he’s already started giving me business lessons.
It’s certainly something to welcome.
“I really like that you think you can make something difficult yourself.”
It’s not something a ten-year-old would understand. How should I react?
Should I just blink? Or nod?
My hesitation might be the most plausible reaction. Chairman Jin, observing me closely, lightly tapped the table and spoke.
“Alright. I’ll help you take your first step.”
Chairman Jin called out toward the door of the private room.
“Is anyone out there?”
A man in a suit entered as the door opened.
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Bring me a map of Seoul and Gyeonggi Province.”
“What? Oh, understood.”
A moment later, the secretary returned with a road map book and handed it to Chairman Jin.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Thank you. You may go.”
Chairman Jin flipped through the map book and began examining it closely.
He then took out a pen and drew a small circle on a spot on the map.
“Now, let’s see how good our Do-jun’s eyes are.”
The spot he marked was right where our house was.
“Do-jun, that’s your house. Mark the place where you want to build the ranch.”
I’m thrilled.
So much so.
I want to build dozens of ranches across the country. If I secure land where property values will skyrocket in ten or twenty years, how advantageous will it be in the upcoming battle for Sunyang Group’s shares?
It’s like preloading billions, maybe even trillions, of ammunition.
But for now, I must choose just one place. The one I’ve already decided on.
I pretended to ponder over the map, buying some time.
Chairman Jin seemed to find my act endearing, smiling warmly.
“Choose wisely. It can’t be in Seoul, and avoid urban areas in southern Gyeonggi.”
Don’t worry. I’ll pick a place that will surprise you.
I confidently picked up the pen and drew a circle on a part of the map.
“Here.”
Chairman Jin studied the map I handed him, furrowing his brow.
“Hmm, it seems quite far from your house.”
“Does it?”
“You can see the map at a glance, but there’s a big difference from the actual measurements. Well, you’re still too young to notice that.”
Seeing my sullen expression, he quickly offered an excuse on my behalf.
Chairman Jin glanced at the map once more before calling in the secretary who had been waiting outside the door.
“Check out the status of this land. Get a precise assessment of the situation.”
“Yes, sir.”
The secretary gathered up the map and hurried out, leaving my grandfather and me to continue our meal. We set aside the topic of land for a while and shifted the conversation to my studies and friends.
Academically, I’m doing exceptionally well, but I don’t have any friends. Mentally, I’m forty years old—how could I possibly befriend kids with runny noses?
I mumbled something about getting along well enough with my peers when the secretary cautiously opened the door and stepped back in.