A high-end restaurant in Cheongdam-dong.
Go Junhyung and Seon-ah took their seats in the room that had been reserved in advance. After a short wait, Hwang Gyusang entered.
“Have you been waiting long?”
“We just got here,” Seon-ah replied.
Next to him was a woman with a glamorous appearance.
Seon-ah stood up and greeted her.
“Hello, senior.”
Having met several times at school and social gatherings, they were familiar with each other.
“Why did you ask us to meet?” Go Junhyung asked.
Smiling, Hwang Gyusang replied to Go Junhyung’s question.
“I wanted to introduce my girlfriend. This is Jeong Sohee, a rookie actress who recently debuted.”
Jeong Sohee brushed back her hair and greeted them.
“Hello.”
She had met Hwang Gyusang through her agency’s introduction recently and started dating him. What she liked most was that he was the son of Prime Minister Hwang Juhwan.
When it became known that she was dating Hwang Gyusang, the treatment at the filming set changed. Her agency provided her with a personal manager and a vehicle, and the director extended her role in a drama she was cast in as a minor character. It even reached the point where scripts were modified on set.
While waiting for the meal, wine was served first. The four clinked their glasses lightly.
Hwang Gyusang turned to Go Junhyung.
“Oh! Have you heard the news about OTK Company?”
The fact that the CEO of OTK Company was arrested had not been reported by any media. However, rumors about it had spread in political and business circles.
“Isn’t it a real sensation? A geek like him as a CEO. They say OTK Company was named after the initials of Oh taekgyu.”
“Yeah. Tremors even in U.S. politics at a word from such a guy.”
“By the way, who would’ve known Kang Jinhoo worked under Oh Taekgyu? He’s quite a character himself.”
For Go Junhyung, it was a known fact, so he wasn’t surprised. However, Seon-ah was hearing this for the first time and was taken aback.
“What does that mean?”
Go Junhyung organized the facts he knew and spoke, “The fact that Kang Jinhoo was able to put up $5 million at the start-of-term party, and that the economic situation improved, was all thanks to his friends.”
Hwang Gyusang added, “Looks like he got around 1 billion won from Oh Taekgyu. He even got him a car. He bought a 7 Series on his credit card and a Porsche Panamera through corporate leasing.”
He said it as if it were nothing, but 1 billion won is a shocking amount. Especially for a rookie entertainer who has just set foot in society.
Jeong Sohee said with envy, “That’s nice. To have 1 billion won thanks to good friends.”
“But if Oh Taekgyu and Oh Hyunjoo are making money together, won’t they kick Kang Jinhoo out soon? Park Sangyeop has proven his investment abilities, but Kang Jinhoo might not be very useful.” Go Junhyung chuckled.
“Maybe they’ll keep him around to manipulate him?”
“Well, if they need a puppet, they might do that.”
“But what about Oh Taekgyu?”
“He’ll be released soon. It’s a signal not to act recklessly this time.”
The power the government holds is unexpectedly strong. In Korea, no one doing business wants to confront the authorities. On the other hand, the authorities do not want to challenge the wealthy chaebols. In the end, politics and business are one.
Although they are currently in opposition, they will eventually compromise. That is unless OTK Company decides to make a move.
“OTK Company seems quiet too. They’ll probably stay still until Oh Taekgyu is released.”
Suna was still in shock.
“Oh Taekgyu is the CEO of OTK Company?”
She had met Oh Taekgyu a few times through her friend Kang Jinhoo, whom she had been dating for nearly a year. The Oh Taekgyu she knew didn’t seem like someone who would orchestrate such huge events.
“But Jinhoo, maybe…”
Suna remembered what Kang Jinhoo had said at the start-of-term party, “My friend has money. I have more.”
She felt it wasn’t a joke.
What on earth happened?
Seon-ah spoke without even realizing it.
“No.”
Hwang Gyu-sang and Go Jun-Hyung stopped their conversation and looked at her.
“No? No what?”
If they worked together, wouldn’t Kang Jin-hoo have taken the lead and Oh Taek-gyu supported him?
Surely it couldn’t be the other way around…
***
I rode to Dongtan with my sister Hyun-joo and Ellie in the car. As I knew the way well, I took the wheel.
“If you hear the story, you’ll be shocked, right?”
Hyun-joo said as if it were obvious.
“You might even faint.”
“…”
Will it really be that shocking?
Taek-gyu’s mother reportedly fainted upon learning from the TV that Hyun-joo had become the Korean branch manager of Golden Gate. So to prevent such an incident from happening, before holding a press conference, she is going to see his mother in advance. It had been a long time since they had seen each other.
Whether one faints hearing it from me or from watching it on TV, it may be the same, but it’s probably better to hear it directly.
In the passenger seat, Ellie, wiping away tears and yawning constantly, seemed drowsy. Having worked all day without much sleep, being sleepy was only natural.
“Wouldn’t it be fine for just my sister and me to go?”
Originally, they were going together, but upon hearing that they were going to see their mother, Ellie, who felt stifled from working too much, decided to join. When I said that, Ellie vigorously shook her head.
“No. I’ve been feeling frustrated just working all this time. I’ve wanted to visit Dongtan for a while now.”
“Really? Do you know about Dongtan?”
Ellie confidently replied, “Of course. It’s where the US military base used to be. I’ve seen it on the news a few times.”
In the back seat, Hyunjoo sister spoke.
“Isn’t that Dongducheon?”
“….”
Ellie turned the conversation in embarrassment.
“What kind of person is Jinhoo’s mother?”
“She was originally just a regular housewife.”
But suddenly the company went bankrupt and her father passed away. The mother, who became the breadwinner, worked tirelessly.
Upon hearing my story, Ellie exclaimed, “Impressive. I admire her.”
I chuckled. “You’re right. All parents are admirable.”
After about an hour, we arrived at a housing complex on the outskirts of Dongtan. My mother came out to greet us.
“Welcome.”
My mother, looking pleased to see me, was surprised to see Hyunjoo sister and Ellie getting out of the car behind me.
“Who are these people?”
I introduced Hyunjoo sister first.
“This is Taekgyu’s sister, Oh Hyunjoo. Do you know her?”
My mother nodded to Hyunjoo sister and said, “Hello, I’m Jinhoo’s mom. I’ve heard a lot about you. I heard that you took good care of our Jinhoo before. Please continue to take care of him.”
“No, Mom. I’m the one indebted to Jinhoo.”
“I heard you’ve become the manager at Golden Gate, congratulations. I saw it in the news.”
“I’m the manager of Golden Gate’s Korea branch.”
After correcting her, I introduced Ellie.
“This is Ellie, a lawyer who works at Golden Gate like Hyunjoo sister.”
My mother greeted Ellie, “Hey, hello. I’m Jinhoo’s mom. How are you? And you?”
“······.”
Your English pronunciation is too accurate.
Ellie replied in Korean without hesitation.
“Pleased to meet you. My name is Ellie.”
My mother was surprised.
“Oh my!”
“Ellie speaks Korean well.”
“Then you should have said so earlier.”
After giving me a reproachful look, my mother said,
“Anyway, thanks for coming. Come on in.” We went inside the house.
The house was immaculately clean without a speck of dust. It suddenly occurred to me that it had been a very long time since I last visited this house.
Mother mostly came to Gangnam before.
“Please have a seat. I’ll make some coffee for you.”
Mother poured us instant coffee into floral patterned teacups. Hyunjoo was as composed as usual, but for some reason, Ellie seemed very tense.
“When did you return from the U.S.? You should have told us if you came.”
“I had some matters to attend to.”
“How’s the business with Taekgyu? Is it doing well?”
“Yes.”
It’s doing too well, which is the problem.
It would have been fine if it had been doing moderately well.
“I have something to say about that.”
I cautiously spoke.
“Have you heard of OTK Company and K Company?”
Mother nodded in response to my question.
“Of course. They are both well-known companies.”
“Don’t be surprised by what I’m about to tell you.”
“What’s going on?”
I couldn’t find the words to say.
Her mother probably thought that Taekgyu and I were involved in stocks or funds with around 30 billion won. She would never have imagined that we were dealing with tens of trillions.
“Do we have anything like Cheongsimhwan at home?”
Her mother’s expression turned serious, as if she sensed that this was no ordinary matter.
“Oh, did you borrow money? Take out a loan?”
“It’s not that······.”
It’s even more shocking than that.
“Take a deep breath first.”
My mother took a few deep breaths, then spoke decisively.
“I’m ready to listen, so go ahead and speak.”
“I’m running OTK Company.”
My mother looked bewildered at my words.
“What does that mean?”
Hyunjoo set down her coffee cup and explained to my mother on my behalf.
Taekgyu used the money he earned from selling Bitcoin to establish OTK Company abroad, and they invested together, which led to the current situation.
It was a brief and easy-to-understand explanation following the six Ws.
“Wait a minute. So, are you saying that OTK Company is our biggest shareholder? The company currently investing in the U.S. auto industry?”
“Yes. Technically, Jinhoo owns 80% of it.”
“And, how much is that?”
“Approximately 40 trillion won.”
“Oh······.”
My mother grasped her forehead and collapsed, with Ellie quickly supporting her.
“Are you okay?”
“Is this for real?” I nodded my head.
“Okay.”
It’s hard to believe that a son who was penniless until the end of his military service became the CEO of a company worth tens of billions in less than two years.
If I had said it, I would have hesitated. But when Taekgyu’s sister (the Korean branch manager of Golden Gate) spoke, it was hard not to believe.
It took a while for Mother to come to her senses.
I brought up the purpose of my visit here.
“I plan to inform the media soon. So, I wanted to tell you…”
From the beginning, I thought my true identity would eventually be revealed. The main concern in this situation is Mother’s safety.
I would like to relocate her to a comfortable and safe place, but she wouldn’t want to leave home now.
So, K Company purchased three neighboring houses, including the one next door, in their name and signed a contract with a security company.
“We will assign security guards around the house. Female guards will accompany you whenever you go out.”
Mother nodded slowly.
“Oh my. I really don’t understand how this happened.”
“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier.”
Actually, there was one thing I couldn’t bring myself to mention. It’s about what will happen in the future.
If you knew that too, you would really be shocked.
After the conversation, we left the house.
“Have some food before you go out.”
“Next time.”
“If anything happens, contact me immediately.”
“I will.”
Mother held Hyunjoo’s hand and said, “Please take care of our Jinhoo.”
“Yes, don’t worry.”
Then she said to Ellie, “Let’s have a meal together when you come back.”
“Yes. I will definitely come back.”
We got into the car. Mother stood there waving her hand until she was no longer visible.
Hyunjoo asked, “Do you have someone else to meet?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
In an instant, someone came to mind.
Would they be upset if I didn’t say it?
***
I arrived at a cafe near the school.
Shortly after, a female student in casual attire, with blonde hair tied in two braids and wearing a knit hat, opened the door and came in.
She looked cute and pretty today. Is it because it’s been a while since I saw her?
“Here it is.”
“Senior!”
Yuri, upon seeing me, greeted me warmly. “When did you arrive in Korea?”
“Not too long ago.”
“Why is your phone always off, and why did your number change?”
“It broke.”
Since finding out that the call history was leaked, I couldn’t use my phone with peace of mind. There was a fear of wiretapping or being tracked, so after returning to Korea, I turned it off completely and only used a Golden Gate corporate phone.
We ordered coffee and sat down.
Yuri protruded her lips and said, “If you were going to stay in the US for three months, you should have told me in advance. Do you know how lonely I was during the break?”
“I didn’t expect it to take that long.”
Due to the limited time, I got straight to the point.
“I have something to confess.”
“A, a confession?”
“Anyway, you’ll find out eventually, but it seems right to say it to you first.”
The whole nation would know by tomorrow. Still, it felt like I should tell her first. I had been indebted to her, and I also felt sorry for deceiving her.
Yuri blushed in embarrassment.
“W-why all of a sudden? It’s awkward as soon as we meet.”
“Well…”
I tried to speak but ended up sighing.
“Sigh. It’s not easy to be honest at this point.”
Unable to speak, Yuri said in a soft voice, “It’s okay, senior. Gather your courage and speak honestly.”
I nodded.
“You might be surprised, so prepare yourself first.”
Yuri closed her eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes as if she had made up her mind.
“I’m ready. Now, tell me.”
I said honestly,
“To be honest…”
Yuri, upon hearing my words, widened her eyes in surprise.
Huahaha