The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Episode 5. I plan to make everyone mine.

“What? You want me to tell you my plan?”

Grandfather’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected words.

‘That kid seems completely crazy.’

‘Did he go to law school and now sees the world at his feet? How dare he speak to the chairman like that.’

It felt as if I could hear the murmuring voices of my brothers and cousins.

There is one thing they don’t know.

It’s not that I seem crazy.

I am crazy.

Soon after,

“Ha ha ha ha ha!”

Grandfather Hyun Byung-gun’s trademark hearty laughter began to echo through the living room.

“Did you hear that, Chief Joo?”

“Yes, I heard it.”

“This rascal is asking me for my plan in return.”

“It seems so.”

A mysterious smile had already formed on Chief Joo Yong-hoon’s lips.

I thought,

‘This should be enough of a slip of the tongue.’

There won’t be any scolding.

I’ve accumulated enough points so far.

But this slip of the tongue should be enough to put a dent in the solid foundation that Korea University’s law school has built.

This should be enough.

Crossing the line ends here.

Going any further could be difficult to manage.

“You want to know my plan…”

Grandfather seemed to be pondering something deeply.

I realized that something was off because of Chief Joo’s next words.

“It seems the time has come.”

“I thought so too.”

“Your late father also told me that he was caned by the chairman when he was around twenty years old.”

“Then should I also be caned?”

“If it’s the chairman I know, I believe he would know a better way than using a cane, Chairman.”

The Zen dialogue passed.

In the meantime, there was no word among the grandchildren. It was as quiet as if cold water had been poured over them.

They couldn’t understand the situation at all.

I was the only one who remained calm.

It didn’t matter what the chairman and Chief Joo talked about.

“Alright. I’ll tell you my plan.”

Something unexpected happened.

“But I can’t tell you here. If you want to know, I’ll give you a chance. Chief Joo will contact you soon. Come to the company then, and I’ll tell you.”

Wait a minute?

What is this about?

Are you really going to tell us?

“Ch-chairman.”

But my two brothers and cousins were more surprised than I was. They suddenly changed their attitude.

“This is family. Call me grandfather.”

“Grandfather!”

“Why?”

“We are also curious about your plan, grandfather. That’s what we wanted to say.”

My cousin Hyun Tae-yoon tried to chime in hastily, but it was useless.

Even though I was cheering for them inside,

“What did your grandfather say?”

A roar echoed.

“He said you have to take risks to gain rewards. You haven’t taken any risks. So you have no right. Only Sang-yoon has the right, so know that.”

That was the end of it.

‘Why is this happening? Why?’

Looking at my grandfather’s face, which seemed more trustworthy than before, it was clear that something was going wrong.

I failed to lose points again.

It felt strangely like walking on a smooth path.

*

It wasn’t just a failure to lose points.

I gained more points.

How did I know?

“Young master, how on earth did you do it?”

I was studying, waiting for the upcoming entrance exam, temporarily setting aside my uneasy feelings.

Deputy Lee Beom-seok came to see me.

Pre-entrance study was an excuse, but he put down the book on the General Principles of Civil Law that he had planned to study today and started with another story.

“What?”

So, it’s ominous.

“I was informed by Secretary General Joo Yong-hoon. He said to bring you to the monthly executive meeting presided over by the chairman at 3 p.m. on the first Wednesday of March.”

“Monthly meeting? Why all of a sudden?”

He replied.

“He only said it was the chairman’s order.”

The chairman?

I get it roughly when he says that.

It must be my grandfather’s answer to my request to be informed of the plan.

It seems that the direction of our Seonghyeon’s business for this year will be discussed at this week’s meeting.

In that case, I can’t just sit still.

‘I need to prepare.’

Because I know the chairman’s personality.

There will definitely be a test.

The fact that he created a position for me here means he wants to see if I am qualified for that position.

Everyday life is a test.

There is no day without wind.

I know very well that what my grandfather wants from his grandchildren is none other than that tension.

“Deputy Lee.”

“Yes.”

“It seems like you have a lot of work to do.”

“Just give the orders. I will carry them out as instructed.”

I replied.

“First, bring me the status of the subsidiaries, the financial statements, and a summary of the major projects from the past 10 years, both successful and failed ones.”

At least for now, I must prepare thoroughly.

Why?

Think about it.

Couldn’t answer the chairman’s question properly when he wanted to boast about his brilliant grandson?

And that too in a public setting with all the executives present?

How much would that scratch the pride of the grandfather?

Even a slight mistake and I’m out.

Hyun Byung-gun, the founder who built the current conglomerate Seonghyun, is not the kind of generous grandfather who would just hand over a building to an incompetent grandson.

I know this well.

Probably no one knows it better than I do.

As I repeatedly say, I am a brutally realistic person.

‘So why did I even pass the law school entrance exam?’

I suddenly felt resentful.

“Yes, I understand.”

“Please have it ready by the weekend at the latest.”

“I will stay up all night if I have to and make sure it’s prepared.”

Even if I count the time to study, bringing it by the weekend is still not enough. But there’s no other way.

“Is there anything else you need?”

He suddenly became more proactive.

As if he was stimulated by the fact that I had won the grandfather’s favor.

“There is.”

“Please tell me.”

“As you know, next Friday…”

“Ah.”

Before I could finish speaking, Manager Lee interrupted.

“I have arranged a good place and secured the location. I have all the contact information. As you instructed, it’s neither too extravagant nor too cheap, a place suitable for university students.”

I had Manager Lee collect the phone numbers of the new law school students we met during the orientation.

To get together before the semester starts.

“That’s exactly why I’m calling.”

But there was still work to be done.

I was determined to kick off the friend-making project I had told my grandfather about.

My grandfather hates people who go back on their word the most.

“Do you remember the freshman Han Kyung-soo we met on campus before?”

“Of course. I even got his phone number.”

“Invite him too.”

“But he’s in a different department…”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s not in the law school. If he’s at Korea University, he’s a peer.”

I cut in.

“I plan to make everyone my people.”

“…Okay.”

“So if there’s a freshman gathering in the business school, set it up the same way and support it in Seong-hyun’s name. The same goes for other departments. Start quickly before it’s too late.”

A few days later,

“Is this really all reserved?”

Song Myung-geun, the banquet manager at Gangnam Han River Hotel, was overwhelmed by the sudden influx of group reservations.

It was the first time since the hotel opened two years ago that business was this booming.

Even if a day had 48 hours, it wouldn’t be enough.

“The staff are complaining that it’s too hard.”

“Is that the problem right now?”

Song Myung-geun shouted.

Money wasn’t the issue.

These were reservations ordered by Seong-hyun, a leading conglomerate.

Even if other reservations were overflowing, they had to give their all for Seong-hyun. They had to complete this task no matter what.

It was then.

“Manager Song! Manager Song!”

It was the voice of General Manager Ryu Myung-jin, who usually never showed his face in the banquet department because of the smell.

“What’s the matter, General Manager?”

“Another call just came in. A freshman gathering for Korea University’s College of Agriculture.”

“Another event for Korea University? How many people this time?”

Ryu Myung-jin’s voice was genuinely moved.

“231 people.”

However, the expressions of all the banquet staff who heard that voice turned dark.

“Again?”

“How long do we have to live like this?”

Some even openly expressed their dissatisfaction.

“The date?”

“February 13th, dinner, is it possible?”

“Well, let’s see.”

Song Myung-geun took out his notebook and checked.

“The time is available, but many of the staff who haven’t had a break are scheduled to be off that day. What should we do?”

“A break? Who takes a break in such an emergency!”

“That’s the thing. Work is…”

“Fine!”

Ryu Myung-jin shouted.

“Let’s triple the usual pay for that day. That should be enough to get everyone to muster up the energy, right?”

Before Song Myung-geun could respond,

“Yes!”

“Of course, Manager!”

Only then did the loud responses of the staff, who had been pretending not to listen to the conversation, echo throughout the banquet hall.

Suddenly, they found strength they didn’t have before.

*

And so, the long-awaited entrance ceremony day arrived.

“It was busy days.”

Korea University has as many as fifteen colleges,

Gathering all the freshmen from those fifteen colleges and organizing a meeting was not an easy task.

Of course, Deputy Lee Beom-seok had a harder time than I did.

But it was a worthwhile effort.

“The secretary’s office must have had a hard time too.”

The cost alone was in the tens of millions of won.

Even roughly calculated, it was easily worth five or six houses in Gangnam.

At first, my grandfather, who would have been pleased that I went to Korea University, would have been disappointed in me with this amount of cost.

I did it on purpose for him to be disappointed.

It’s what he wanted.

“Shall we depart?”

“Let’s do that.”

I was on my way to school in a car driven by Mr. Lee.

“The entrance commemorative gifts you mentioned are being distributed to everyone through the main gate. A Swiss wristwatch with the Seonghyun logo, and with over 6,000 freshmen, it was indeed a big decision.”

This time, it was my money.

I spent all the New Year’s money I had saved up.

But it wasn’t regrettable at all.

Spending money like water, losing my grandfather’s favor, but instead, by stamping the Seonghyun logo and using it as an excuse for promotion, I didn’t do anything completely out of line.

Isn’t it killing two birds with one stone?

“What about my parents?”

I pretended to be indifferent.

“Vice Chairman Yangju said he would come to the entrance ceremony as soon as the meeting was over.”

“And the Chairman?”

“The Chief of Staff didn’t say anything.”

“Right. He must be busy.”

Busy, no way. It was a deliberate test.

He must be disappointed in me and not coming, there’s no point in hiding it.

‘It’s what I wanted.’

I smiled with satisfaction.

Before I knew it, the car was approaching the campus.

It was still a time when cars were not widely available.

The road to school was filled with the fresh and lively appearance of freshmen walking with their parents.

As we reached the main gate of Korea University, I saw a booth with the Seonghyun logo. They must be distributing the watches there.

Seeing the surprised faces of the students who received an unexpected big gift and the emotional faces of their parents from a distance, I felt a sense of fulfillment.

Parking lot,

“Please go ahead. I will wait until you are finished.”

“Alright.”

I walked across the campus.

The entrance ceremony was held in the athletic field.

The field was already bustling with students and parents.

Fortunately, no one recognized me.

Everything was going smoothly,

— …And now, although it is not on the schedule, we have a special guest who is here to congratulate our new students at Korea University. Please welcome Chairman Hyun Byung-gun of the Seonghyun Group with a round of applause.

Huh?

Who?

Soon, a familiar face appeared on the podium.

It was my grandfather, Hyun Byung-gun.

— Nice to meet you all. I am Hyun Byung-gun of Seonghyun Group. The reason I am here is that my grandchild will be studying with you all.

At that moment,

“Wow! Long live the Chairman!”

“Thank you for the watch, Chairman!”

“The dinner was delicious, Chairman!”

Unexpectedly sincere applause began to pour out from the crowd of over ten thousand people filling the athletic field.