The Showdown
Mayor Choi glanced at Jin Seo-yun, trying to gauge her reaction as he asked, “Do you really believe Do-jun is clearing the path for you?”
She sighed deeply, exasperated by her husband’s skepticism. “Listen carefully. Oh Se-hyun is just a puppet CEO hired by Do-jun. The real owner of Miracle Investment is Do-jun. That means everything Miracle has acquired—Ajin Group, Sunyang Motors, Dae-ah Construction—belongs to him. You know Sunyang Motors holds a 17% controlling stake in Sunyang Group, right?”
To Mayor Choi, it sounded unbelievable. Wasn’t Do-jun still a college student?
“And do you know what’s even more astonishing? He achieved all of this without any help from his father. That’s why his father can’t resist him. Even I understand why he added shares when transferring the car company.”
“What kind of person is he? Was he born with his grandfather’s blood running through his veins?”
As he struggled to process this, a thought struck him. “Did Do-jun take everything your father gave you?”
He didn’t need an answer; Jin Seo-yun’s expression said it all.
“My God. How did he manage all that in such a short time?”
Jin Seo-yun sighed again before speaking slowly. She recounted how she had started separating the subsidiaries while burdened with Sunyang Group’s debts, used Miracle’s funds, and made poor stock investments.
When she finished, Mayor Choi erupted in anger. He was furious at Chairman Jin for creating an opportunity for his young grandson to seize the department store group, at Jin Do-jun for exploiting that opportunity with stocks, and at Jin Seo-yun for falling into the trap.
“Enough. There’s no turning back now. You understand my situation, right? I might not be able to help you. It’s embarrassing to have lost everything, but…”
“Stop. That’s enough.”
Mayor Choi gently took Jin Seo-yun’s hand. “You’ve lost what was passed down, but you’ve gained a formidable ally.”
“An ally who will take care of all my brothers.”
“Exactly. If I can find a way to cut that ally’s strings, Sunyang could be ours—yours and mine. It might turn out better this way.”
“You’re always so optimistic. It used to annoy me, but today, it sounds nice.”
Jin Seo-yun firmly grasped Mayor Choi’s hand, signaling her willingness to partner with him.
“Alright. I’ll stick by him until he climbs over all my brothers. I’ll prove my worth by managing the department stores and hotels, so you focus on getting re-elected and aiming for the presidency. We can’t rely on my father’s power anymore, so we have to do this right.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll definitely get re-elected.”
“By the way, whatever you do, don’t reveal Do-jun’s identity to my brothers. They might be suspicious, but they won’t believe it. It’s too outrageous.”
“Of course. If they start to see him as a threat, everything will fall apart. Be careful not to let anything slip, even unintentionally.”
Jin Seo-yun saw a tenderness in Mayor Choi’s eyes she hadn’t noticed before. Wasn’t marriage about supporting each other in tough times? It was a simple truth she only realized after turning fifty.
“Drop by the hotel sometimes. Let’s have dinner together. Do-jun is generous. He still lets me stay in a suite. You know where it is, right?”
“I’ve read the report. Have you come up with a plan?”
“I’m working on it. But aren’t we rushing things? Incheon International Airport opens next March. They haven’t even announced the contractor selection plan yet, and we’re already making moves…”
“Grandfather’s strategy is to settle things before the competition heats up. Don’t you know that?”
His aunt bit her lip, her pride wounded. She always received the final reports on major projects across the distribution group.
When the steward is strong, the tenant farmers pay attention to the steward, not the landlord. The landlord must always keep the steward in check to remind the tenant farmers who the real owner is.
“You know the scale of Incheon Airport. We can’t miss out on the duty-free shops. Plus, there’s information that at least three duty-free shops will be approved in downtown Seoul to coincide with the airport’s opening.”
“They won’t exclude Sunyang, will they? We’re always in the top three.”
His aunt still believed they held the upper hand. Unless she broke free from this delusion, it would be hard for her to maintain her position as vice president.
“Aunt.”
“Yes?”
“The government is well aware of the shareholder changes. They know we’re separate from Sunyang Group. Do you think they’ll care about us? Grandfather won’t move for us anymore. In the past, they would have acted without us saying a word, but now they won’t move without his request.”
Though her expression was still filled with dissatisfaction, she didn’t press further. It was hard for someone who had lived like a princess to feel the change in circumstances overnight.
“I’ll meet with officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Customs Service to smooth things over. Aunt, make sure the duty-free shop application documents are flawless.”
“Me? The documents?”
“Who else will give the final approval? You’re the vice president.”
Without an immediate response, his aunt glared at him before softening her expression.
“Do-jun, you still don’t know me well, do you?”
“I do. You’ve never looked at documents, right? But if you want to manage, you must review them. And you need to understand them completely. I’m not asking you to understand the accounting books, but you must read other reports and plans.”
“I know. I’ll make an effort. But what I meant was, use me more effectively.”
“I have plans to use your connections. It’s just not the right time yet…”
“No, my best skill isn’t networking.”
“Then what is it?”
“Leading shopping.”
“Leading shopping? What do you mean?”
He genuinely didn’t understand. His aunt leading shopping? Wasn’t fashion led by designers and celebrities?
“Approve a marketing budget of one billion won. Then watch what I do.”
“One billion?”
“Hey! Are you looking at me like that?”
His aunt laughed and playfully slapped his back.
“Ouch! What?”
“You’re wondering if I’m wasting money again.”
Why was she being so agreeable? It was a bit strange. That made him more suspicious. But would she play games after just a few days in the precarious vice president’s seat? Surely, she wasn’t planning to misuse company funds. Besides, it’s just one billion won.
“Alright. Show me what leading shopping means. I’ll consider it a lesson fee and approve the one billion.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his aunt snapped her fingers.
“Okay. Watch closely and don’t miss a thing.”
A few days later, his aunt summoned him to the hotel.
Her suite was piled high with fashion magazines.
“What is all this?”
“These are fashion show magazines for this year’s S/S season. From Paris Haute Couture, Prêt-à-Porter, and the big four collections in Milan, New York, and London. I used to attend Fashion Week every January, but not this year. You know why, right?”
She meant she couldn’t afford to leisurely attend fashion shows after being ousted from the company.
“The first step in this business is to pick out what will sell here.”
The magazines were already marked with numerous check marks. He didn’t know the criteria, but there were various symbols.
“You should look too. If you think you can manage department stores and hotels without caring about fashion, you’re mistaken.”
“Aunt, what’s this? It’s not clothing.”
She glanced at the magazine he held. “Bedding. Curtains, sheets, that sort of thing. They’re important too.”
It wasn’t just that. There were plenty of magazines on watches, shoes, and cosmetics—key department store items. In essence, she had brought the entire luxury department store into the hotel suite.
“What do you think? See anything useful?”
“They all look good to me.”
“Of course, most of them are. They’re incredibly expensive luxury items. Even the cheaper ones cost as much as a manager’s salary, and the expensive ones are like an annual salary.”
Some items would cost several years’ salary.
“Listen carefully. Just because something is expensive doesn’t mean it’s good. There’s what looks good to the eye and what looks good when worn or placed in a home. Which would you choose?”
“Of course, it should be good when used.”
“But it might not look appealing at first glance. Would you reach for it?”
If it doesn’t catch the eye, it won’t be purchased, and if it’s not good when used, there won’t be repeat purchases. It’s a dilemma.
As he hesitated, his aunt smiled gently, a hint of superiority in her expression.
“It’s about discernment. Regular stores are organized by price, but with luxury, price isn’t the key. You have to capture customers with discernment alone.”
The word “discernment” came up again.
Did he really lack discernment?
His aunt called in the waiting staff.
“Contact Paris and have them send all of this.”
At her signal, the staff gathered up the magazines.
“Yes, Vice President. Should we have the usual company handle the setup?”
“Yes. Tell them to pay special attention this time. It’s an important project.”
“Understood.”
Once the staff with the magazines left, another staff member laid out samples.
Invitations.
His aunt quickly scanned them, selecting a few to examine closely.
“Prepare with these.”
She tossed one, and the staff member caught it respectfully.
The last remaining staff member presented something resembling a restaurant menu.
His aunt reviewed the list of dishes, checking them off one by one.
“Make sure to prepare the course as I instructed and book the chef at Lucienbrook. Let him handle the tableware too. The kid’s got a good eye.”
“Understood, Vice President.”
Once the staff had all left and it was just the two of them, his aunt stretched her arms wide with a satisfied sigh.
“It’s been a while since I’ve felt this good. Even if it’s tiring, there’s nothing like seeing quality goods to lift your spirits. Haha.”
She took a sip of wine to wet her throat.
“Do-jun, do you have any idea what I just did?”
“Well, I assume you used your keen eye to request samples of luxury items with potential. That’s about as much as I can guess.”
His aunt’s eyes showed a hint of disappointment.
“Really? That’s all you got? Oh, right, your mother doesn’t really shop for luxury brands, does she? She’s quite the frugal woman.”
Was she belittling my mother just now?
Sensing my sharp gaze, my aunt quickly waved her hands in denial.
“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean it in a bad way. Your mom is naturally beautiful, so she doesn’t need anything extravagant. Even a ten-dollar dress from the local market looks like a designer piece on her.”
“Alright, then explain the rest. You’re not planning to buy all those samples, are you? We can’t just throw away ten billion won like that.”
“Do you think I’m a fool? Buy all of them? The ten billion I spend on marketing is to win over a hundred wealthy Korean women. It’s the cost of making them sing praises of our Sunyang Department Store and Hotel until they’re dizzy with admiration. That’s what the ten billion is for.”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen my aunt so confident and self-assured.
Is this what she does best? Winning over the hearts of the rich?