The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Chapter 30. It shouldn’t be too difficult.

The next day,

“Then have a good class. I’ll come to pick you up as soon as you finish.”

Assistant Lee Beom-seok nodded his head.

A moment later, he took a step forward.

As always, it wasn’t the parking lot. This time, it was toward the main building.

How long had it been since he last entered?

With a light sigh, he walked briskly past the familiar entrance lobby and stood in front of the door to the study room, the place that had once been everything in his life.

‘But now, there’s no regret.’

The dream he was living now shone brighter than the one that had passed.

He believed that the present was showing him a more brilliant future than the old one he had no choice but to give up.

Knock, knock,

He knocked carefully, trying not to disturb his juniors.

“Is that you?”

As the door opened, a musty smell greeted him first.

Just as it had always been.

The arrangement of the desks, the books piled up to the ceiling, and the backs of those studying day and night, all remained the same.

He headed to the lounge with familiar steps.

“Jinsang, it’s been a while.”

There, he warmly shook hands with his peer, the fifth-year law student, Ma Jinsang.

“Beomseok, I heard you’ve been coming to school often these days?”

“Well, it turned out that way.”

“If that’s the case, you should have come to see this hyung first. I called you to catch up and to see your face.”

No lengthy explanation was necessary.

They both knew the circumstances.

“Here.”

Without a word, Jinsang handed him a paper cup filled with cold coffee from the vending machine. It was one of the latest novelties from Seongam Library, costing 100 won per cup. A welcome drink prepared with great resolve by a fifth-year student living on a monthly allowance of ten thousand won.

“What’s with this?”

Lee Beomseok, who couldn’t possibly be unaware of the situation, accepted the cup and gulped it down.

“The one who calls should pay.”

“Thanks.”

“Thanks, my friend.”

“So, what’s the reason you called? Don’t beat around the bush. As you know, I have to head out again after the first-year civil law class.”

“Of course. Actually, I called you for the same reason.”

What he said was this.

During the last opening of the Seongam Library, the students realized the reality of the Excellence Scholarship and the Merit Scholarship due to the scholarship issue.

Based on Hyun Sang-yoon’s grades, those with higher scores received 400,000 won, while those with lower scores received 800,000 won, which made this semester’s final exams quite ambiguous.

“You know, a 400,000 won difference is no small matter.”

“······.”

“Well, this time, there’s no way to demand that both be raised to 800,000 won, so our Erbinjae decided to step in. To make your young master come in first. It’s something the dean wishes for too.”

‘Ah, so that’s how it is.’

Lee Beom-seok nodded his head.

It made sense.

He hadn’t expected even the dean of the law school to get involved, though.

But there was one thing they didn’t know.

‘Your young master isn’t incapable of coming in first. He just chooses not to.’

Even if the Attorney General or the Minister of Justice stepped in, it wouldn’t change anything unless the young master deliberately decided to do so.

Of course, he couldn’t explain all of this in detail. There was no reason to, and he couldn’t tarnish the face of the young master he served.

“······What do you think?”

Ma Jin-sang asked.

“Well, it’s a good idea, but…”

“It is a good idea, right?”

“But how are you going to make our young master come in first? Do you have a plan?”

“I don’t.”

He shrugged as if it were obvious. Lee Beom-seok asked back in disbelief.

“Then why did you call me?”

“I thought you might have a way. You’re from the Seonghyeon Secretary’s Office and have always been clever.”

So that was it.

A light sigh escaped him before heading to Erbinjae.

It wasn’t because he was returning to a place filled with memories of laughter and tears; he had sensed this very situation.

He thought that and sighed once more.

This time, a bit louder.

“Why? Is there a problem?”

“No, let’s just say there isn’t.”

Lee Beom-seok replied.

“Anyway, I understand your intention, so I’ll take care of it for now. But don’t have high expectations. It’s not me who decides your fate; it’s you who makes that decision.”

It seemed there might be a way.

Perhaps.

*

It was an unexpected statement.

“Are you saying I should come in first?”

On the way back, I questioned the words that Deputy Lee had thrown out.

It wasn’t that it was something I shouldn’t say.

Rather, it was a blunt remark that I could never have imagined coming from his mouth.

“Yes, that’s right. It seems best for you to come in first in this final exam.”

Deputy Lee answered while gripping the steering wheel.

I asked, “It’s not difficult, but I’m curious about why you say that.”

Deputy Lee explained.

“You haven’t clarified it directly, but many interpret that the 50 points you received last time was a move to forfeit the scholarship. I think so too. A score that lands perfectly on a decimal point looks like it was made intentionally, no matter who sees it.”

“And so?”

“The Seongam Scholarship is awarded based on your grades. The upper limit is 40, and the lower limit is 80. So if you’re going to forfeit, wouldn’t it be better for your score to be as high as possible?”

Ah, so that was the meaning.

Of course, coming in first isn’t difficult.

You just have to do it.

“If coming in first is hard, at least aim for the top ten…”

Deputy Lee added unnecessary commentary.

“No. I won’t do that.”

“……I see. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause you any concern.”

“That’s not it; I mean I won’t settle for tenth place. That’s even harder.”

Coming in first is easy.

You just have to get everything right. After all, there’s no score higher than a perfect score.

Coming in tenth is much more difficult.

Why?

Well, there are just too many variables.

It takes a lot of effort.

I have to pick out the difficult problems from the mix and deliberately get them wrong, and in the descriptive questions, I must write as if I don’t know what I actually do.

I felt it during the midterms too.

Honestly, it’s a task I never want to do again.

So,

“Come on, it can’t be that hard. If that’s the request, I’ll make sure to come in first. If it means everyone can be happy, that is.”

I simply agreed with a refreshing candor.

“······Thank you, young master.”

“There’s no need to thank me. That was a good point. It’s so nice to hear you speak so comfortably.”

“Thank you for accepting it.”

“But, you know, to come in first, I suppose I have to get a perfect score, right?”

“Pardon? What do you mean······.”

He hesitated.

I explained again.

“If I miss even one point, someone else might get a perfect score and surpass me. I can’t leave that possibility open, can I? Isn’t it best to be certain about everything?”

There was no response.

It seemed he finally understood. After all, it wasn’t an incorrect statement.

A brief silence settled in the car.

In truth,

Of course, the scholarship was a sufficient reason, but there was one more reason I accepted the challenge of coming in first.

‘It’s already hard to change my grandfather’s mind with just studying.’

I felt it last time.

Getting first place won’t raise my reputation, and coming in last won’t lower it.

There’s no meaningful difference. The situation has changed.

In that case, it’s easier to go with the flow.

‘There are plenty of other ways to lower my grandfather’s reputation. There’s the internet, and there are computers. I’ll think positively. You can do it, Hyun Sang-yoon.’

I encouraged myself.

What if he finds out?

If my only purpose in coming in first is to give more scholarships to other students, would my grandfather be disappointed in me?

I had a slight expectation for that.

As all sorts of thoughts stretched on, before I knew it, the car was approaching near my home.

*

A few days passed.

At a time when the final exams were just around the corner, President Cheon Jong-tae of Korea University received news that felt almost like a dream.

It was the good news conveyed by Dean Oh Seong-kwon of the Law School.

“Did he really say that?”

“Yes, he did. It’s certain.”

Here, the good news referred to the (complex) communication process that connected Hyun Sang-yoon through Student Council President Pyo Dae-jun, the long-time exam prep student Ma Jin-sang, and the secretary staff member Lee Beom-seok.

Ultimately, it was about receiving Hyun Sang-yoon’s final response that he would do his best during this final exam.

Though the words were lengthy, the meaning was clear.

It was exactly what President Cheon had hoped for all along.

“To do your best…”

“Yes.”

“What does it mean to do your best, exactly?”

Dean Oh quickly replied.

“It means getting a perfect score on the descriptive questions by being generous. That answer sheet is being circulated among graduate students for study. I’m sure he’s aiming for the top of his class. I can guarantee it.”

He was that confident.

“Has anything leaked out?”

Though he was a student, he was also from a chaebol family.

Chaebols are sensitive about their reputation.

It was President Cheon’s concern that perhaps something might slip out and ruin everything.

“Don’t worry. This is a secret between you and me.”

The perceptive Dean Oh added once more.

“What about those students?”

“They won’t say a word either. If they did, they’d risk losing their scholarships. Would they be reckless enough to do that? You can rest easy.”

That was indeed a valid point.

“Well, that’s a relief. Anyway, that friend Ma Jin-sang has done something significant.”

“Yes, indeed, President.”

Chancellor Cheon leaned back against the chair he had raised.

“Anyway, our worries have all flown away now. This incident will be a significant turning point for Hyun Sang-yoon to regain interest in the law. It’s the grand outcome you were hoping for, Chancellor.”

Chancellor Cheon’s gaze turned toward the outside. The sunlight was pleasantly shining down.

“We’ll have to wait and see. You’ve worked hard.”

What the Dean Oh said was right.

How much mental anguish had there been all this time?

Even with the Chancellor watching closely, Hyun Sang-yoon’s attention was always elsewhere.

It was always about things outside of school.

He never skipped classes or neglected school events, yet he was constantly focused on semiconductors, computers, and external activities.

How unfortunate that was.

But now, that was all over.

He received his rewards all at once.

The hardships he had endured flashed through his mind like a passing parade.

“Chancellor, are you perhaps crying?”

“Oh, no.”

Chancellor Cheon hurriedly explained.

“I was so anxious while researching yesterday that my eyes seem a bit dry. I’m fine now. Really. I mean it!”

At that moment, in the residence of the Jeong Sang Group in Hannam-dong,

“I have to be first. I must be the top of the entire College of Social Sciences!”

In a room where all the windows were tightly shut,

In the dark room, Park Jae-il, the eldest grandson of Chairman Park Beom-sik of the Jeong Sang Group, was immersed in studying day and night.

He was on the verge of drilling through the desk.

“I must get no more than ten wrong on all the exams. That should be enough to secure a spot at the top.”

Of course, it wasn’t an easy task. It required immense studying.

His eyes were bloodshot.

His hands were calloused from gripping the pencil.

The books on the desk were worn to the point of falling apart, and every notebook was filled with dark ink.

It was hard to tell whether the paper was white or black.

This time, he couldn’t afford to lose.

“Hyun Sang-yoon, Hyun Sang-yoon!”

No matter how much you are, surely you can’t score 100 on every exam.

It’s impossible.

Even if you’re a genius, in the end, you’re still human.

You must solidify your position as the successor.

You have to make up for it.

He absolutely could not betray the trust of Chairman Park Beom-sik, his grandfather, and Vice Chairman Park Do-won, his father, this time.

Creak,

‘I will win. I will win and win again.’

In the quiet room, the sound of grinding teeth echoed painfully. That sound was soon drowned out by the rustling of pages turning.

*

Time passed. It was the first day of the exam.

“Let’s get going.”

“Yes!”

That day, I left for school early in the morning.

The car glided smoothly.

But in my hand in the back seat was not a law book, but a book titled ‘西班牙語科學技術通譯’ (Spanish Language Science and Technology Interpretation).

My study of Spanish was nearing its end.

Both conversation and grammar were now perfect.

What started as a study deemed unnecessary had somehow expanded its scope to the realm of graduate school subjects.

Studying law?

I had already done all that beforehand.

Isn’t there a saying? Exam preparation is done in advance.

How long had it been like this,

“I’ll be there soon.”

Hearing the voice of the driver, I turned the last page.

Different dreams,

Everyone was dreaming their own dreams as the final exams of the first semester of the first year at Korea University were about to begin.