The Dignity of the Chaebol

Ominous…

“I’m sorry, but that’s the first time I’ve heard that name. Is he the son of the late chairman?”

“Yes, that’s right. Yes. That’s correct.”

“I see. Yes. I do remember hearing somewhere that the late chairman had a son, but I believe he has no connection to our company now.”

A ringing sound started to echo in my ears.

How long had I been sitting there blankly?

I quickly regained my composure and asked again.

“Then… does the current chairman take care of or provide a living arrangement for the former chairman’s family?”

“I’m not sure about that. People like me, regular employees, can’t know such private matters of their family.”

“Could you look into it for me?”

“About what?”

“Jeongyeop. Son Jeongyeop.”

Jeong Dae-ri nodded carefully.

“I’ll try to look into it as carefully as possible. But, um… yes, I’ll try to find out somehow.”

Just then.

“Before that.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know a person named Jang Tae-san?”

“Of course. Chairman Jang of Mirae Finance is one of the major shareholders of Jaekyung Textiles, so of course I know him. He helped build the foundation of Jaekyung with Chairman Son Jung-gil.”

I felt a little relieved.

“Then… is Jang Tae-san still alive?”

He was fifty-nine thirty years ago.

If he’s alive, he’d be ninety.

I was hopeful, but also in a situation where I couldn’t fully expect anything.

“Yes, I believe he’s still in good health.”

“Really?”

“Yes, as far as I know.”

What a remarkable person.

Not only is he still alive, but he’s also doing well?

Good.

If he’s still alive, everything can be solved.

Jang Tae-san would know the whereabouts of Jeongyeop and the eldest daughter-in-law.

“Then, it seems like you don’t need to go through the trouble of looking into Son Jeongyeop, Jeong Dae-ri.”

But I was still angry.

Hongjun.

His only older brother died doing something so foolish, and as the younger brother, shouldn’t he have taken responsibility for his sister-in-law and nephew and looked after them?

What in the world did I create Jaekyung for? What was the point of sacrificing my youth and health for Jaekyung?

“One more thing.”

“Yes.”

“Moon Juran.”

My wife.

“Ah, Mrs. Moon Juran? She passed away quite some time ago.”

Yes, that makes sense…

I was about to calmly accept it, but then…

“Mrs. Moon Juran… I believe she passed away not long after the late Chairman Son Hongmyeong. I don’t know all the details, but there is no pain greater than the grief of losing a child.”

Such a pitiful person.

She lived her life with a greedy husband, never receiving love, endured hardships to support him, and in her final years, she had to suffer the agony of losing her son. How could she have found peace in her final moments?

***

That statement is retracted.

I decided to leave the hotel room for now.

No matter how I thought about it, I figured I should at least know where my home was.

I asked Jeong Dae-ri if Jeong Hoon, the owner of this body, still lived with his parents at his family home. He said no, that Jeong Hoon lived alone, and that he knew where the place was.

When I asked how he knew, he mentioned that Jeong Hoon had called him several times after drinking and asked him to drive instead.

What a completely foolish person.

He, who had just been promoted to a manager and was just starting to learn about the company, was using a staff member like a personal assistant or driver, treating him like a personal chauffeur.

I didn’t need to criticize the grandsons.

It was all the result of his parents’ incompetence, and ultimately, my failure in raising those parents.

My insides were burning.

“By the way, Jeong Dae-ri.”

“Yes, Manager.”

“There’s another issue.”

“What’s the issue?”

“Do you happen to have any money on you?”

“Money? Cash?”

“I can’t find my wallet. If I’m going to leave the hotel, I’ll need to pay for the room. I’m really sorry, but could you pay for it now and I’ll give it back to you when I get home.”

“That’s fine, but I think the reason you don’t have your wallet is because you use smart pay, right?”

“Smart pay?”

He then waved the smartphone, which he had called a smart phone, in front of me.

“These days, a lot of people use this to make reservations and even prove their identity. If you’re okay with it, could you please give me your phone for a moment?”

We were standing in front of the hotel reception.

After messing with the phone a few times, he held it up to my face, and I asked what he was doing.

“Thank goodness. If the pattern was locked, it would have been a problem, but you’ve set up face recognition.”

“Face recognition?”

Everything was so overwhelming and unfamiliar, but it was fascinating, so I stuck close to Jeong Dae-ri and watched everything he did.

It was a series of truly amazing scenes.

After putting the smartphone in front of a small, peculiar device, Jeong Dae-ri finished the transaction and handed the phone back along with the hotel receipt.

“So, you’re saying I don’t need to carry cash anymore?”

“Well, it depends on the person. Personally, I still find using cards more convenient than smart pay. I also feel more secure carrying a bit of cash. But these days, younger generations solve everything with just their smartphones.”

“Then how about ID cards?”

“Just a moment…”

He took my phone again, fiddled with it for a while, and then showed me a screen that looked like an ID card with Jeong Hoon’s photo on it.

“So, this can be used as an ID, right?”

“It’s not that it can replace your ID, it actually is your ID.”

“Then, earlier I said I would give you ten million won, right? Can I give it to you with this?”

“Yes, of course. It’s possible.”

“Ha, ha, ha… this world is full of dreamlike things. So, this is also the car key, right?”

I showed him a small item with the Mercedes-Benz logo and asked for confirmation again.

“Yes, that’s the car key.”

“But there’s no key.”

“Even so, it’s the car key. Please hand it to me. You probably don’t even know what kind of car you have. But I know, so give it to me. Let’s go.”

As soon as we got to the underground parking lot, an unexpected curiosity arose in my mind.

In the last 30 years, Korea has developed this much, so how advanced must Japan, which is always said to be 30 years ahead of Korea, have become?

“There it is.”

Beep!

The moment I saw the car, I had no words left.

I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t even look at Jeong Dae-ri’s face.

And once again, an overwhelming feeling of frustration began to rise like a flame.

If he was born in 1994, he would only be 29 years old.

And yet, he was living as a manager thanks to his parents.

If your father is the head of a company, and you’re just starting to learn the ropes of the company, you should be careful with your behavior, especially since people at the company would be watching you closely.

And if it were the father, he should have taught his son those things.

But what exactly is Hong Jun doing?

How could he, who has only been at the company for about six months, be allowed to come to work in such a high-end car?

It’s understandable that a man would like cars.

And if he likes them, he might own one or two like this.

But he shouldn’t be coming to work in a car like this, that’s my point!

“Have I always come to work in this car?”

“Well, today is actually quite a mild day compared to usual.”

“Mild?”

“Isn’t it a G-Class? You’ve also come to work in a Lamborghini before.”

“Lamborghini? That’s a European sports car manufacturer, right?”

“Eu- Europe, yes, that’s right.”

“I’ve actually come to work in such a car?”

“…Yes, well.”

“Ha… alright, I understand now. Jeong Dae-ri, I’m really sorry, but I don’t know how to drive this car, so could you drive me home? On the way, I’ll pay close attention and learn how it works.”

“Do you remember how to drive?”

“Well, as long as I know how to operate it, I should be able to drive.”

***

In the car on the way home.

“Ha… ha ha ha…”

“Why… are you laughing?”

The scenery outside the car window was so unfamiliar that I couldn’t find any part of Seoul that I knew.

I could only laugh helplessly.

“Nobody seems to be without a smartphone these days. Everyone is carrying one.”

“Of course.”

Even the elderly and students wearing school uniforms were walking around, unable to take their eyes off their smartphones.

“How much does something like this cost?”

“Depends on the model and the brand, but on average, it costs about 1 million won.”

“1 million won each, and kids who look like middle schoolers are all carrying one?”

“Middle schoolers? These days, even elementary school students have them.”

It seemed like something that didn’t make sense, but since I was seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t deny it…

“What on earth are they looking at on these phones?”

“I don’t know. Maybe they’re playing games, chatting on KakaoTalk, or searching for restaurants.”

“Restaurants?”

“Yes, places to eat. Good restaurants.”

“They use it to find restaurants?”

“Yes.”

I had nothing to say.

Modern-day Korea had become a world with no time for boredom, a world that was too comfortable, too convenient.

“Then, how much is a car like this worth?”

“This car… I’m not exactly sure, but since it’s a G-Class, you probably bought a new one, and with this level of options, it must be a full option… I’d say around 200 million won? 250 million won? I’m not really into cars, so I don’t know the exact price, but it should be around that range.”

“200 to 250 million won?”

I couldn’t quite grasp it.

When Jeong Dae-ri mentioned that a second-year manager’s annual salary was around 50 million won, it seemed like the cost of living hadn’t gone up too much, but looking at this car’s price, it felt like everything had increased tremendously…

But then again, the price of cars varies so much, so I couldn’t judge based on this alone.

“Then, how much is an apartment in Seoul these days?”