[273] The Dutiful Sons 1
Everyone was curious about why the family was using the mother’s name, but only Executive Director Woo Byung-jun, who knew our family affairs inside out, slapped his forehead and burst into laughter.
“Haha. This is… I don’t even know what to say… If Madam finds out, she might just faint… Hehe.”
“If that happens, it would be perfect.”
Reading the sincerity in my words, Executive Director Woo quickly stifled his laughter.
“I’m sorry. It was just such a brilliant move that I couldn’t help myself…”
“No need to apologize. It’s fine.”
Those who could guess the content of our conversation pretended to be engrossed in their documents, acting as if they neither saw nor heard anything.
To lighten the heavy atmosphere in the room, I turned to Cheon Sang-pil.
“The promised money is being processed now. I’ll inform you as soon as it’s done, so there’s no need to worry. Just handle tomorrow’s matters well.”
As he nodded, I opened the stock status file.
By tomorrow morning, Grandmother will be left with nothing.
“Your aunt is really trying hard not to get kicked out.”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi strode into the hotel restaurant, looking around with satisfaction as he took a seat.
“What do you mean?”
“The hotel, I mean. It’s been a while since I last came here, and it’s changed a lot. It looks much more sophisticated and modern. The staff seem happier, and it’s improved.”
“I heard the department store sales are also on the rise. Aunt seems to have great potential.”
“And you had no part in it?”
He might have some suspicions, but it’s just a guess. There’s no need to answer seriously.
“Well, I did invest some money in Miracle, but that’s about it. My role is just to frequent the place and help boost sales…”
“You’re quite the smooth talker… I like it. Hehe.”
As he drank a glass of water, the food arrived. Although it was a Korean meal with many side dishes, my uncle barely touched his chopsticks.
After the short meal, he asked, “What is it that you really want?”
“I’ve already told Second Uncle everything. Didn’t you hear?”
“That you don’t want to see Grandmother anymore?”
He’s a master at simplifying matters. To sum it up in one sentence…
“You could say that.”
“To be honest, our mother was a bit much. She was always on edge, trying to get at your mother-in-law, and I didn’t expect it to extend to you… Even I frowned at times.”
Why is he joking around like this? Does he still think I don’t know about the proxy shares?
“Then you understand me.”
“Of course. That’s why, as the head of this family, I plan to handle this cleanly.”
“Go on.”
“I’ll make sure Mother never sets foot in Korea again, just as you wish. She’ll live out her days abroad, like she’s in exile. Of course, if she becomes too frail to move, we’ll have to take care of her. She’ll be in a hospital anyway, right?”
“There are good hospitals abroad too.”
“What?”
His face twisted in an instant, losing its gentle smile.
“You little…! Is that something you should say? No matter how much you dislike her, is it right for her to die abroad?”
“Uncle, you asked what I wanted, so I told you honestly. Isn’t she the grandmother who tried to run over her grandson with a truck? No matter how much you dislike your grandson, is that right?”
Whenever the truck incident is mentioned, everyone in the family falls silent. Grandfather was there too.
“Uncle, if you have something to say, just say it. It seems my thoughts aren’t that important right now.”
He glared at me, drank a glass of water, and spoke.
“I’ll make sure Mother stays abroad. But I can’t let her live like she’s in exile. I’ll ensure she has enough money to live comfortably. This is something you can’t stop.”
I have no intention of stopping a son from being dutiful in one of the wealthiest families in Korea.
“Is this what you want? So, go and retrieve what you leaked to the opposition. You know it’s not good for the Sunyang name to be in the public eye, right?”
“Is that all?”
“You have Cheon Sang-pil with you, don’t you? I heard he knows a lot about Mother’s mistakes. Don’t think about using him and just keep him quiet. I’ll handle the art foundation to ensure there are no issues.”
He doesn’t mention the proxy shares, so he either thinks I don’t know about them or considers them outside my interest.
As I remained silent, he went on and on about how his plan was the best for everyone.
I just listened. I couldn’t be more grateful for him wasting time like this.
What kind of expression will he have when he finds out I’ve wrapped this up in a single day?
After talking excitedly for a while, he stopped and took out his phone from his jacket pocket.
“Hold on.”
He opened the vibrating phone.
“What is it?”
A hurried voice from the other end was barely audible.
“What?”
He was so shocked that he stood up, knocking over his chair.
Uncle kept the phone to his ear and started glaring at me. Did he notice the stock movement in Myeong-dong?
He must have planted eyes and ears everywhere.
“You little…!”
His hand holding the phone trembled.
“They say a large amount of our Sunyang stock is moving. Is this your doing?”
It’s not polite to sit while an elder is standing. I slowly stood up and said,
“I don’t know what you told Attorney Cheon Sang-pil, but he asked for my help. So I took it. Then he suddenly said he wanted to sell the stocks. I have a habit of buying blue-chip stocks… I offered a bit more than the market price.”
“Was it the stocks you were after from the start?”
“Just a bonus. I’ve told you countless times what I really want.”
“Hey!”
“I plan to keep leaking information to the opposition.”
“Neither the stocks nor Mother will go your way. No matter how much you act up, a few phone calls from me will settle everything. It would take you a hundred years to match me.”
“Let’s say that’s true. But everything so far is just the prologue. If the opposition stops, the prosecution will move. If you stop that, it’ll explode in the U.S. If the Korean consulate is involved in smuggling, isn’t that a diplomatic issue? If you can stop the U.S. too… then Grandmother will return.”
“You’re completely insane. What? The U.S.?”
“I’m quite curious about how you’ll retrieve the stocks. I can roughly picture the scenario…”
I want to show him that nothing is easy.
“Do movies ever release as per the script? The production company’s influence, the director’s revisions, the actors’ whims. Many films end up in theaters with content completely different from the script. You only know a movie after the final edit.”
Uncle chuckled. He still seemed full of confidence.
“Stop fooling around and accept my offer. It’s not too late.”
“I’m sorry. I must have upset you with my words, making it hard to digest your breakfast. I appreciate the offer, but I can’t accept it. I’ll just keep going as I feel.”
Oh, I almost forgot, Uncle hasn’t hung up the phone yet.
Whoever’s on the other end must have heard our entire conversation and is probably panicking.
They must have been paid a lot to monitor the stocks… and now that it’s failed, they’ll have to cough it all up.
“The real-name conversion is complete. Everything is now under your mother’s name.”
Vice President Jang Do-hyung handed me a thick stack of documents.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I turned to Cheon Sang-pil, who looked relieved.
“You’ve checked the account, right?”
“Yes. I’ve received the down payment.”
He didn’t seem satisfied with a hundred million dollars. This man isn’t cut out for a simple life.
“The balance will be paid without fail.”
I extended my hand to him.
“Now, take some time to meet your family and decide where you’d like to settle. I’ll assist you until the end.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Director Jin Do-jun.”
As Cheon Sang-pil bowed to me, Executive Director Woo Byung-jun spoke up.
“Shall we get going? Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi’s people will be stationed at Incheon and Gimpo International Airports. Mr. Cheon Sang-pil will take a ship from Busan to Japan and then catch a flight to Bali from there.”
“Is this a smuggling operation?”
Fear crept onto Cheon Sang-pil’s face, prompting Executive Director Woo to laugh.
“You’ve watched too many movies. There are plenty of passenger ships to Japan. It only takes three hours to Fukuoka. Just make sure you have your passport ready. Haha.”
After confirming Cheon Sang-pil’s departure to Busan, I headed to my parents’ house.
The most challenging part of this ordeal was still ahead.
It felt like returning home after a long time. My mother was busy preparing dinner, and even my busy father had come home early.
“You didn’t come just to see your parents, so what’s the matter?”
“I came for a bit of everything. Do you think I’m a neglectful son who doesn’t even check in?”
“If you wanted to see us, you’d have made a reservation at a restaurant. You don’t like seeing your mother working in the kitchen.”
He gestured towards my mother bustling in the kitchen.
“Exactly. But today, I’ll eat at home. If I talk about this outside, it might cause a scene at the restaurant.”
“What is it this time? What trouble have you gotten into?”
“I’ll tell you after dinner.”
After the meal my mother prepared, I sat in the living room with my parents.
“So, what do you have to say?”
I started by explaining the art transactions involving Grandmother. When my father learned that the Sunyang Art Foundation was completely ruined, his face hardened.
“So you’re saying she sold all the paintings to buy group stocks?”
“Yes. She’s been quietly buying them for a long time. Some are unlisted stocks. She even secretly bought shares that Grandfather had distributed to the founding members, so their value is significant.”
I couldn’t bring myself to say that I had set a trap.
“All those stocks are under proxy names, right?”
“Yes.”
My father seemed to have already guessed what I was about to say.
“And somehow, you managed to acquire those stocks?”
“That’s right. How did you know?”
“If those shares ended up with your uncle, he wouldn’t bother reporting it to us.”
Father spoke as if it were no big deal.
“Are you saying I should brace myself for my brothers to start yelling at me?”
“Yes. This time, Mother needs to be prepared as well.”
Mother’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Me?”
“Yes. We’ve transferred all of Grandmother’s shares, held under a different name, to you. We should confirm the exact percentage with Chairman Lee, but it should be over 3% of the group’s controlling shares.”
“You… you transferred Mother-in-law’s shares to me?”
“Yes.”
The idea of holding shares, especially those belonging to her mother-in-law, was far more shocking than any numbers could be. Though she stammered, Mother managed to speak.
Father was so stunned he could only gape.
“Isn’t it only right for the daughter-in-law who worked the hardest to inherit them? You more than deserve it, Mother.”
Mother quickly shook off her shock. She didn’t seem burdened by the shares or worried about attacks from relatives.
“Do-jun.”
“Yes.”
Mother’s voice was calm, having regained her composure.
“The humiliation and scorn I endured after marrying into this family, I withstood because of your father.”
Father, pained by her words, held her hand tightly.
“But today, thanks to you, all those memories have vanished. I’ve never felt so relieved. Thank you, my son.”
Mother’s unexpected words left both Father and me speechless.