Midday Guest Chapter 63

Even for Chairman Kang Changsik, who was said to possess power and wealth exceeding that of a VIP, there was one thing that would not go according to his will, and that was his own son. It was because his son, Kang Dohyun—whom Kang Changsik thought he had raised to envy no one as his sole successor—was making a name for himself as a troublemaker.

Hoping his son wouldn’t live as ignorantly as his father, Kang Changsik had even sent him abroad to study, only for Kang Dohyun to become obsessed with women, alcohol, gambling, and drugs. It wasn’t just a day or two that he had caused Kang Changsik trouble, and that behavior was continuing even now.

Was growing a violent organization into a listed company as easy as it sounded? Chairman Kang Changsik lamented that he had handed his son a lump of gold only for him to live a life associating with dazed, drug-addled people… yet, having succeeded in laundering his identity, the Chairman seemed to have completely forgotten his own past.

Everyone knew that the person who molded Kang Dohyun was Kang Changsik. No one in this business was unaware that Kang Dohyun’s mother was formerly a madam at a famous kisaeng house. The fact that Kang Changsik had made a name for himself in the past through gambling dens and private money lending was the same. No matter how much one tries to hide it, the essence cannot be fabricated. Kang Dohyun was a son who was the spitting image of Kang Changsik.

“If that rascal were even half as good as you, I’d have no worries.”

“Executive Director Kang is doing well enough. In his first year after taking office as Executive Director, he recovered half of the investment profits. You know well yourself, Chairman, that is no easy feat.”

“Don’t take someone else’s side in front of me.”

“He’s not just anyone; I was taking your son’s side.”

“Either way, I’m telling you not to side with the guy who’s going to take my spot. And did you think I wouldn’t know that all of that was a picture you drew?”

Cha Seokjoo’s gaze reached Chairman Kang Changsik.

“How did you know?”

“Don’t treat me like an old man in the back room. I am the Chairman in name, and there are stories I hear.”

“Ah, how scary.”

“You’re a guy who doesn’t even snort at that, so at least wet your lips with spit before you say it.”

A pretty server from the mountain villa placed warm tea down on the table between the two. Recently, she was a face Chairman Kang Changsik cherished and kept by his side wherever he went across the country.

The server gave a gentle eye-smile to Chairman Kang Changsik, then as she turned around, she winked at Cha Seokjoo and moved away. She did not forget a faint smile either.

Cha Seokjoo continued speaking without giving the server a single glance.

“You’re going to give it to him anyway. Don’t be so stiff. If you act like that, you’ll hand everything over and still hear nothing but complaints.”

“Ha, this fellow and his backtalk, anyway.”

Chairman Kang Changsik scolded him with a twitch of his eyebrows. However, the fact that he liked it was clearly evident in his expression. Cha Seokjoo was the only confidant who could face Chairman Kang Changsik’s true expressions and inner thoughts.

“Now that I’ve reached this age, there’s only one thing I regret. Raising my son too softly.”

“Don’t worry. I will assist him well so that the things you concern yourself with don’t happen.”

“I’m not saying this because I’m worried you’ll do something wrong, Seokjoo. It’s because that Dohyun’s temperament is so impulsive and he seems so gullible that it’s a headache.”

Chairman Kang Changsik’s gaze touched the back of the server’s head and then moved away. The guards standing nearby nimbly recognized the meaning in the Chairman’s eyes and moved.

“…Oh my? What is this all of a sudden?”

“We will assist you in going home.”

“What are you talking about, going home? Don’t you know I’m the Chairman’s lover? I even have dinner reservations for tonight.”

“Please follow us.”

“Enough! Move aside so I can talk to the Chairman.”

“It is the Chairman’s order.”

“What? Let go of this, will you let go?”

The area behind them was noisy. Chairman Kang, who had been listening quietly, complained that the fish were all running away because of this. And before long, silence returned to Sanjeong Lake.

“For a person, it is fundamentally important to know one’s place, yes indeed.”

A possessor of a controlling personality who did not tolerate even a momentary distraction from the person he kept by his side. Even though he was elderly, his instincts were still sharp; Chairman Kang was a cold-blooded man who didn’t miss a single minor movement.

“It’s still too early to leave it to that Dohyun rascal.”

Cheongun Group was Chairman Kang’s pride and his masterpiece.

Since he couldn’t put Kang Dohyun—who had neither eloquence nor a business vision—at the forefront, various external affairs were in a state where Cha Seokjoo led them. If he handed over a trillion-won project to him and he ruined it, the side that would be in trouble was Chairman Kang Changsik’s line.

“You take charge of this case and proceed with it.”

Cha Seokjoo only moistened his lips with the mug, then spoke in a calm voice.

“I think the Executive Director might feel hurt, though.”

“Does one do business based on feelings?”

Chairman Kang Changsik clicked his tongue between his teeth and continued.

“It would have been great if you were my son, or if I could at least take you as a son-in-law.”

Chairman Kang Changsik had only one only son. And Cha Seokjoo thought that was a very fortunate thing.

“It seems there’s a bite.”

Cha Seokjoo, who had been staring at the surface of Sanjeong Lake, snatched up the fishing rod. Pretending to be clumsy, he wound the reel and handed the rod to Chairman Kang, and a fairly large fish came up with it.

“It’s a big catch.”

“Congratulations.”

“I was testing the waters to pack up, but I should stay a bit longer before I go. Should I give you a spot too?”

“I have to go work.”

“Work is just an excuse. You brat, why is it so hard to see your face? Did you get a lover or something?”

How should he define that?

Cha Seokjoo quietly brushed himself off, stood up, and laughed. Thinking to himself that whatever it was, the old man still had sharp instincts.

“Not a chance.”

It had only been half a year since he had burned the Taesan gang members who had hooked him by calling Yiwon’s phone. He had shaken Taesan to the brink of dissolution, but because the balance of power had been broken as a result, he had to watch the situation unfold for the time being.

“Then what is it? Have you enshrined a honey jar at home or something?”

“It’s just because I’m tired after coming back from a long business trip.”

Cha Seokjoo diverted the Chairman’s attention elsewhere while covering the Chairman’s knees with a blanket.

“Then I will proceed with the Yonggung-ri development immediately. I’ll go to the main office, review the project, and give you a report.”

“Development, review, do it all as you see fit. I’m just going to enjoy the rest of my life and have some fun now.”

“Can I be the only one suffering?”

“This rascal, to the very end. Go, you punk.”

With a face full of laughter, Cha Seokjoo gave a polite bow to Chairman Kang and left. It was natural to feel lighthearted once a project report was finished, but today he felt exceptionally good.

Thinking of the honey jar that would be rolling around at home, he felt like he wanted to teleport. Starting from the moment he responded because the boy was flickering before his eyes, he began to see points that kept bothering him, and now it had reached the stage where even from a distance, only the honey jar came to mind.

Could one still feel these emotions at the age of thirty-eight?

Cha Seokjoo thought it over deeply and soon shook his head. Thinking back, even before that, even much further back during the days when he was more full of vigor than now, it seemed he had never felt this way.

It was funny, and it was absurd. It also felt like he was possessed by something.

It was also true that he was flustered by the emotions that had arrived suddenly. However, one clear fact was that he had never felt this way about a person before, and he couldn’t be sure if such a person would ever appear again in the future.

Before worrying about the continuity of the emotion, wouldn’t it be better to be faithful to the present first? He was a person skilled at selection and focus, and he was certain that this was a moment he wanted to focus on Yiwon.

He pulled up his suit sleeve and checked the time. Two hours from Sanjeong Lake to Seoul. One and a half hours if he increased his speed. No, would a one-hour cut be possible?

Vrrrm, a vibration signaling that a message had arrived rang from the phone in his pocket.

His steps toward the car were much busier than usual.

While walking toward the parking lot filled with round pebbles, another string of cars appeared one after another. The person who got out of the middle car recognized Cha Seokjoo and crumpled his face. It was Chairman Kang Changsik’s son, Kang Dohyun.

“…What.”

“You’re late.”

“Did Father call you too?”

“Usually, he always looks for me first.”

“You son of a bitch.”

Kang Dohyun stepped closer to Cha Seokjoo. Panting as if he was about to throw a punch any second, he brushed off Cha Seokjoo’s shoulder and forced a smile.

“If you’re a dog, act like a dog.”

“I’m not sure who the dog is here.”

Cha Seokjoo reached out and wiped under Kang Dohyun’s nose. When he blew a “whoosh” of breath on the white powder that came off on his fingertips, Kang Dohyun was startled and brushed under his nose with the back of his hand.

“Don’t go around spilling things. It’ll make the Chairman upset.”

“…Fuck.”

“Go on in. It seemed like he had a lot to say.”

“Father did?”

Cha Seokjoo stared blankly at Kang Dohyun with his hands in his pockets without much word. Kang Dohyun, who had been trying to read the situation by calling a staff member and asking meaningless questions like “What’s going on?” or “Why did he call?”, immediately turned his back on Cha Seokjoo and moved away.

“I didn’t say it was good news, though.”

Clicking his tongue at the retreating Kang Dohyun, Cha Seokjoo pulled open the driver’s seat door. It had been a truly long time since he felt like he didn’t want to waste a single minute or second.

☼

Even during the vacation, there were so many students in the library that it was difficult to find an empty seat.

Coming back from being in a remote place and encountering these library zombies made him snap to his senses. Once upon a time, Yiwon had lived like that too.