I Have One Too. 3
“It must have been on Grandpa’s birthday. He gave me a toy horse, but Hyung Kang-jun took it and wouldn’t give it back.”
“Oh… I remember. Didn’t Kang-jun get hurt then?”
“Yeah. I pushed him off the horse he was riding. He broke his leg.”
“You pushed him?”
“Yeah. Anyway, when Grandpa asked why I did it, I said something else. I actually did it because I was mad at Kang-jun, but I thought I’d get in more trouble if I told the truth.”
“So you said something like, ‘If I can’t have it, I’d rather break it’?”
“Yeah. Grandpa seemed to like that. Haha.”
Jin Kyung-jun knew well that this wasn’t just a childhood memory.
I had made an excuse, but he needed to use it differently.
“Threatening Father… You’ve really become a piece of work. I haven’t caused him any trouble since I got married…”
There’s something more important that I don’t know. I glanced at him, trying to gauge his reaction.
“But… do you have anything worth threatening him with?”
“We’re a family under one roof. We’ve covered for each other.”
“You won’t tell me, will you?”
“Should I hand a knife to a robber? For whose benefit?”
Jin Kyung-jun chuckled, looking more relaxed.
“And don’t get it twisted. I’m not on your side. Even if I end up opposing our brother and biting back, it won’t be to your advantage. Unless I team up with Young-jun and squeeze you…”
“One bloodline is scary, huh? Brothers from the same womb?”
“Should we stop here? I think we’ve exhausted any productive conversation, and if we keep going, it’ll just turn ugly like last time.”
Isn’t there a saying that the second son is quick to calculate? He’s much calmer and more composed than Jin Young-jun.
“But, Hyung, can I ask you one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“Do you always have to side with family? Wouldn’t it be better to go with whoever benefits you more?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Think about it. If Young-jun takes over the electronics and trading companies, you’ll just end up with a few subsidiaries, maybe running a subcontractor. Do you think our ambitious eldest brother will let you have a finger in the pie?”
“And how is our ambitious youngest brother any different?”
“Look at Tae-jun. He’s still the CFO of the construction and heavy industries division. Isn’t that better than being a phone salesman in Australia?”
“You little…!”
He glared at me but couldn’t quite muster a sneer. If we weren’t brothers, he might have realized it was better to side with me.
But blood runs thicker.
“At least I plan to make sure anyone who sides with me gets a CEO position in a subsidiary.”
“Stop with the sweet talk.”
“It’s true. Do you know how I’m different from Young-jun?”
”…”
He waited silently for my next words. Was he a bit shaken?
“Whether it’s Kyung-jun or Tae-jun, if they have the ability, I could even give them the chairman position at Sunyang Electronics. To me, whether it’s a CEO or a chairman, it’s just one of many positions in the group.”
“Now you’re acting like you own Sunyang Group? Unbelievable…”
I looked him straight in the eye as he clicked his tongue.
“No matter how big the room is, there’s only one chair for the owner. Everyone else has to sit on the sofa. The chair is mine, and I’ll share the sofa. I won’t kick anyone out like Young-jun.”
“Is that because you’re generous?”
“No, it’s confidence. I’m confident I can keep the chair.”
Jin Kyung-jun bit his lip and stood up.
“I’ve heard enough of your boasting. Let’s see when you actually get that chair.”
“Since I’m already boasting, can I add one more thing?”
Jin Kyung-jun glared at me once more, then nodded.
“When you fight, remember two things: your opponent’s desires and fears. Identify them and strike precisely with both a carrot and a stick. You can’t win a fight with just a stick.”
Jin Kyung-jun pondered my words, then smiled slightly.
“Thanks for the advice, but that doesn’t mean I’m on your side.”
Even though it was a rare family gathering, the awkward atmosphere lingered over dinner.
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi looked at his two sons with satisfaction, but Jin Young-jun seemed uneasy, unsure of his suddenly returned brother’s intentions, and his wife, Hong So-young, openly displayed her hostility.
“I’m so envious of you, brother-in-law. New York, Paris, London… and now Sydney. It must be wonderful to live in such picturesque cities, away from stuffy Seoul.”
She smiled as she spoke, but her eyes were sharp.
Jin Kyung-jun smiled back at his sister-in-law.
“If you’re that envious, why hesitate? You can go wherever you want. We have local offices all over the world, and if not, we can set one up. Should we open a Sunyang branch in Hawaii? I’m sure my brother would go if you wanted.”
Jin Young-jun slammed his chopsticks down on the table.
“Hey! What’s with your tone when talking to your sister-in-law?”
“What did I say? She said she wants to live abroad. What’s so hard about that?”
“That’s not what I meant! It’s your tone! You’re mocking her with that smirk!”
“Enough. What kind of behavior is this at the dinner table?”
When Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi raised his voice, both sons fell silent.
“I know Kyung-jun must have something to say, given his sudden return without notice. But since it’s been a while since the family gathered, let’s enjoy the meal. We can discuss your matters later.”
Jin Kyung-jun nodded lightly and spoke.
“But where’s Mother? She didn’t answer my calls…”
Everyone’s expressions changed noticeably. Jin Kyung-jun quickly guessed what was going on.
She hasn’t been home for a while again.
With someone keeping an eye on her, only Father would know where she is and what she’s doing.
Jin Kyung-jun briefly regretted bringing it up but also felt relieved. His brother and sister-in-law, whom he didn’t particularly want to converse with, kept their mouths shut, and his father silently picked up and put down his utensils.
Though he felt sorry for his father, who wanted a harmonious dinner, the uncomfortable time passed quickly for him.
After dinner, Jin Kyung-jun had a private conversation with his father in the study. His brother, Jin Young-jun, was eager to join, but the desire to speak alone with his father after a long time prevailed.
“So, what brings you back?”
“I’ll get straight to the point. I want to return to the headquarters.”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi nodded, as if he had already anticipated his son’s thoughts.
“Of course. You’ve been abroad for over five years. It’s time for you to come back. I’ll arrange a position for you soon.”
“Father.”
“Yes.”
“When exactly is ‘soon’?”
“Oh, you impatient boy. Why the rush? Our Sunyang Electronics’ smartphone business has just started. Just endure for one more year until it stabilizes. It won’t take more than a year.”
Hearing “one year,” Jin Kyung-jun felt a surge of anger.
Doesn’t that mean he’ll finish the succession process and then call me back? He even felt betrayed by his father.
“I want to return within a month.”
“Kyung-jun, don’t be hasty. It’s not that simple…”
“Father, I’m not a child anymore. Do you think I don’t know why you said one year? It means it’ll take a year to hand everything over to Young-jun, doesn’t it?”
“Kyung-jun!”
“Why? Are you giving everything to him because splitting the two remaining companies would be a disaster?”
“You fool. Everything? There are over twenty subsidiaries besides electronics and trading. What do you mean by everything?”
“Those over twenty subsidiaries are controlled by trading and electronics, aren’t they? And… ha—!”
Jin Kyung-jun sighed, exasperated by his father’s words.
“The two main companies make up 80%. Even if you combine the rest, it’s not half of electronics.”
And it’s not like he’s giving me all of the rest. As Jin Do-jun said, all I’ll get are a few subcontractors.
“So? What do you want?”
Sunyang Electronics ranks in the top ten as a single company. Even if you combine several mid-sized conglomerates, they can’t match Sunyang Electronics.
What I really want is Sunyang Electronics, but I’m not oblivious to my situation. I’ve already made my own compromises.
“Is it too much to ask for Young-jun to take electronics and me to take trading?”
Hearing his son’s expected words, Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi felt a surge of anger at the thoughts he didn’t want to entertain.
“Your grandfather split things up like this, and that’s why we’re in this mess. There’s a fable about how you can’t break a bundle of arrows, but you can easily break them one by one. Because your grandfather couldn’t follow that simple lesson even children know, what happened to Sunyang Group?”
Jin Kyung-jun fully understood his father’s feelings. Having lived his whole life thinking everything about Sunyang was his, holding a halved group must be infuriating.
But blaming it on Grandfather is wrong. It’s his own fault for losing the fight. It’s because of his weak heart, ready to give up the war and run away.
“You and your brother need to join forces to protect and grow Sunyang. With the capital of electronics and the strength of trading, you can grow it more than twice its current size. Then your share will also grow.”
Listening quietly to his father’s lengthy speech, Jin Kyung-jun’s eyes widened.
Join forces?
He’s not even giving me a few minor subsidiaries. It sounds like he’s telling me to work under my brother.
“Ah, Father. Surely you don’t mean…?”
“What now?”
“Are you saying you’ll give all the subsidiaries to my brother? That’s not it, right?”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi couldn’t answer. His true intentions had already slipped out, and his son had seen through them.
“Kyung-jun. Listen to your father.”
He didn’t want to listen. Whether it was realistic or logical, all it would do was reinforce the fact that he couldn’t become the owner of Sunyang.
“I’m looking at Daehyun Motors as a model. In ten years, we can reclaim the top spot in the industry. By then, you’ll have a colossal company in your hands, one that can’t even be compared to Mulsan.”
Jin Kyung-jun stood up, covering his ears.
“Father, please reconsider. If Grandfather had left all of Sunyang to you, would you have shared it with your uncles? Would you have given Aunt the department store?”
“Kyung-jun.”
“That’s why Grandfather divided it. So all his children could live well. Do you think Young-jun is less ambitious than you? Are you planning to grow it and then split it?”
Jin Kyung-jun shook his head in frustration.
“If you give everything to my brother, I’ll end up just another wealthy man, and my children will fall to the level of ordinary middle class.”
“You fool, do you think I’d let that happen to you?”
“Father.”
Jin Kyung-jun locked eyes with his father.
“Grandfather had a brother, didn’t he? Do you know how his descendants are living now?”
Jin Young-gi wanted to avoid his son’s question.
His son was predicting his future through the lens of family history.
“I don’t want to disappear like that.”
With those final words, Jin Kyung-jun turned away.
“Kyung-jun!”
“I wanted to sleep in my room for a change, but I guess that’s not happening. I’ll head to the office tomorrow. Please think it over and give me an answer.”
As he left the study, Jin Young-jun was standing there, having clearly overheard the heated exchange.
The smile on his lips was proof enough.
Hearing their father declare that everything would go to the eldest must have made it hard for him to suppress his grin.
Seeing his brother’s smile, Jin Kyung-jun recalled Jin Do-jun’s words.
If you can’t have it, destroy it.
He finally understood the sentiment behind those words.