The car leaving the airport sped down the road.

Tak-hyeon Lee rested his head against the seatback and said,

“I’ve certainly gotten old, it seems. One overseas business trip and my body’s in this state. Secretary Hwang. Going forward, avoid scheduling overseas trips as much as possible.”

“It’s not that you’ve grown old, Chairman. A schedule like this wouldn’t be easy even for a young person. We came back right about when the jet lag was wearing off, so it’s only natural your body’s tired.”

Do-beom Hwang turned his head to look at Tak-hyeon and spoke.

Tak-hyeon gave a light smile, then turned his gaze to Seong-ho seated beside him.

“Doesn’t it feel unfair? You’re the one who thought it up and made the whole thing happen, and yet you’re the only one who lost something.”

“As long as Ilhyeon does well, that alone is enough for me.”

Ordinarily, had such words come from someone else’s mouth, he might have suspected they were flattery meant to curry favor.

But words that came from Seong-ho’s mouth carried a different weight.

“You threw away even the seat of Head of the Restructuring Headquarters to make it happen, so I can’t help but believe you.”

Tak-hyeon shook his head and rested it against the seatback again.

“You asked to be moved to president of Ilhyeon Securities, yes?”

At Tak-hyeon’s words, Seong-ho laid out the plan in a calm voice.

“Yes. You can wrap this whole matter up by demoting me to the seat of Ilhyeon Securities president. And move the production plants to Vietnam and put strength into the design division. It’s the same for the other affiliates. If opposition arises from the unions over relocating the plants, you can put forward the talk that came out of Los Angeles to crush the unions’ claims.”

“Yes, since we’ll be able to win the support of the press and the public, we can ignore the unions’ pushback.”

“That’s right. Because we have the justification that we’re moving to seize both quantity and quality. If we say it’s a decision made to catch up to Japanese products and succeed in the American market, no one will be able to oppose it.”

Tak-hyeon, head resting against the seatback, turned it toward Seong-ho just as it was.

And, looking at Seong-ho with fresh eyes, he said,

“I’d known long ago that you were outstanding. I saw with my own eyes that your mind is brilliant and your improvisation is superb. But that you were this good… you’ve exceeded my expectations.”

It was admiration welling up from the heart.

“On top of that…”

Tak-hyeon gazed intently at Seong-ho and continued.

“When someone is recognized by me like this, wanting to go to a higher position is human nature — but you have none of that. You don’t even balk at moving to a seat lower than the one you occupy.”

“As long as I’m beneath Ilhyeon, it doesn’t matter where that is.”

“Ha-ha-ha.”

Tak-hyeon burst into laughter and pushed himself upright from the seatback.

Because hearing Seong-ho’s words made it feel as though strength was welling up in his languid body.

“Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Because I remember all of your merits.”

Tak-hyeon, who had been praising him at length, said finally to Seong-ho,

“Just as you said, I’ll issue the appointment as president of Ilhyeon Securities. Don’t concern yourself with whatever results come out there. I know full well what merit you built and what help you gave the group this time, so there’s no need to work yourself to the bone just because results don’t come.”

Tak-hyeon offered words to put Seong-ho at ease.

It couldn’t be helped, because at present, not only Ilhyeon Securities but the atmosphere of the financial industry itself had been crawling along the bottom since the currency crisis.

So he’d personally told Seong-ho there was no need to overexert himself just because results came out a little poor.

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

Seong-ho bowed his head toward Tak-hyeon in thanks.

But the light revealed in his eyes beneath his lowered head was different.

It’s because it’s the best possible seat that I asked to move there.

Tak-hyeon, and most people besides, would surely regard moving to Ilhyeon Securities as a demotion.

But to Seong-ho, who held the experience of his former life and the leather diary, that place was not a demotion but a land of opportunity.

Seong-ho let out a laugh inwardly as he listened to Tak-hyeon’s words.

Thinking that the more sorry Tak-hyeon felt, the greater the reward would be when he produced results, a laugh came out of its own accord.

When Seong-ho arrived home, the first words Gyeong-eun spoke weren’t a question of whether he’d had a good trip.

“Honey. Should I say something to Dad?”

Seong-ho gave Gyeong-eun a smile.

“Dad must have lost his mind. How could he drive you out? After all the things you’ve done for the company?”

Watching Gyeong-eun, who’d trailed after him all the way to the dressing room, Seong-ho smiled and said,

“Leaving the Restructuring Headquarters is something I wanted, so you don’t need to worry too much.”

“You wanted it?”

Gyeong-eun tilted her head and recalled the story she’d heard.

“They clearly said Dad fired you…? Fired you outright at the meeting. Isn’t that so?”

“Well, the process is accurate.”

“What do you mean, the process is accurate?”

Hanging his clothes on a hanger, Seong-ho explained what he’d planned in a calm voice, and Gyeong-eun, having heard it all, put on a startled expression.

“So you’re saying this was all planned by you? Even stepping down from Head and moving to Ilhyeon Securities, all of it?”

“Yes. So don’t be angry and don’t get worked up. Everything is proceeding exactly as I intended right now.”

Hearing Seong-ho’s words, Gyeong-eun shook her head.

“But… how could that…”

At a fact that was nothing but astonishing no matter how she thought about it, Gyeong-eun didn’t know what to say.

Seong-ho approached her, lightly took her shoulders in both hands, and pushed her out of the dressing room.

“I have to change now, so please step out for a moment. I’ll change and wash up, so run some water for me.”

“…All right.”

Gyeong-eun, at a loss, answered Seong-ho’s request and moved to step out the door.

Then, before leaving the room, she asked Seong-ho,

“So I just play dumb, then?”

“Yes. You just need to be the youngest daughter who faithfully follows her father’s instructions.”

Gyeong-eun tilted her head at words that felt somehow strange.

It was so awkward that it didn’t sit naturally with her.

But since it wasn’t wrong, Gyeong-eun set the strangeness aside and headed for the bathroom to run the water for Seong-ho to wash up.

Seong-ho watched Gyeong-eun’s back as she left the dressing room for the bathroom and quietly muttered to himself,

“Just don’t forget that position and keep to it, and I’ll take care of all the rest. All the way up to those heights…”

A weekend no different from usual.

Pyeongchang-dong was bustling with meal preparations to receive the family who’d arrive a little later, and those who’d come earlier were chatting and waiting for Tak-hyeon to come out of the study.

“So? Did Father really get that angry?”

“It wasn’t just angry. Since Kim came into this house, has there ever once been a time Father threw something at him?”

“There hasn’t.”

Suk-ja Chu shook her head and looked at Mun-jong.

Mun-jong recalled what had happened in Los Angeles and told Suk-ja about the situation at the time.

“And that same Father threw a teacup at something Kim said.”

“At Kim?”

“Ah — he couldn’t do that. In a place with all the other presidents…”

“Well, your father does at least save your faces, so he wouldn’t throw something in front of the presidents. Even if he throws things when it’s just us.”

“Ha-ha-ha… that’s right.”

Mun-jong gave a wry smile.

The act of throwing things itself wasn’t a good thing, and yet it sounded strange to frame it as Tak-hyeon being considerate.

“Anyway… for that Father to throw a teacup, that says it all. He got so furious he told Kim to step down from the Head’s seat.”

“He didn’t say he’d step down himself — Father told him to step down directly? Your father dragged him out?”

“Yes.”

Suk-ja, hearing Mun-jong’s words, sank quietly into thought.

Mun-jong smiled at his lips toward Suk-ja and said,

“It’s shaping up so we’ll blow our nose without lifting a finger — how fortunate is that? Mother. Stop worrying now. He’s even been driven out of the Head’s seat, so what more can that fellow do now?”

Mun-jong reassured Suk-ja and lifted his head.

“If anything, it worked out. Now I can make use of Kim with an easy mind.”

“Make use of him?”

Suk-ja, who’d been lost in thought, looked at Mun-jong with a startled face.

Mun-jong lifted the corner of his mouth and said,

“You worry so much, Mother, that I didn’t tell you in detail, but Kim had promised to help me.”

“Kim’s going to help you?”

“Yes. Though after hearing your talk, Mother, I grew uneasy and couldn’t fully set my mind at ease. But now that things have come to this, I think I can extend a hand toward Kim with an easy mind.”

“His rope has snapped off — so how could that fellow not grab the hand I extend?”

“Hmm…”

Hearing Mun-jong’s words, Suk-ja couldn’t shake an uneasy feeling.

“His rope has snapped…”

No matter how she thought about it, Suk-ja got the sense that “the rope has snapped” didn’t suit Seong-ho Kim.

So she meant to offer Mun-jong a word of caution.

“Mom, I’m here. What — brother, you came early? No, more than that, what in the world happened in America? What’s all this fuss about?”

Jeong-eun, arriving at Pyeongchang-dong, greeted Suk-ja and charged at Mun-jong.

And she asked Mun-jong about what had happened in Los Angeles.

“Third sister’s here. Brother, you’ve come?”

Sang-jong came down from the second floor and greeted them.

And following him, Hyeon-ju Bang and Min-yeong Oh came from the kitchen into the living room and greeted the family.

Suk-ja, seeing the family gathered in the living room, couldn’t offer Mun-jong the word of caution.

Because with not only her other children but her daughters-in-law and son-in-law present, a mother-in-law couldn’t bring herself to speak a word of caution about her youngest son-in-law.

“So what is it? In the end, did Father cast Kim out?”

Jeong-eun looked at Mun-jong with a fascinated face and asked.

Yeong-su Cha, beside her, tugged at the hem of Jeong-eun’s clothes.

“Ah, what is it?”

Jeong-eun shook off her arm as though Yeong-su Cha’s tugging at her clothes was irritating.

But Yeong-su Cha tugged at the hem of Jeong-eun’s clothes again and said,

“Dear. Even so, saying ‘cast out’ is a bit…”

“What? Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Brother. Did I get it wrong?”

“No. You’re right. Father did cast him out.”

“See. He says it’s true, that he was cast out.”

Jeong-eun glared at Yeong-su Cha and plopped down into her seat.

And she smiled toward Suk-ja and said,

“Our Madam Chu must have had her worries eased, then?”

“You…”

Sang-jong glared, asking what kind of thing that was to say.

At that, Jeong-eun, this time too, looked around at the people present as if wronged and said,

“What? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“There’s no telling when Father will come out.”

“What does it matter whether Father comes out or not? Did I say something untrue? Honestly, Mom was worried. Wasn’t she?”

“Enough of that talk. Let’s stop.”

Suk-ja waved her hand, saying to stop the talk.

But Jeong-eun, seemingly with no intention of doing so, straightened from where she’d been leaning and said,

“Why am I always the one made out to be the strange one? Brother. Did I misspeak? You’d know, wouldn’t you?”

When Jeong-eun dragged Mun-jong into it, Mun-jong turned his head.

And, seeing the youngest’s family just entering the living room, he made a show of acknowledgment.

“The youngest’s here. Kim, come on in. Have you adjusted to the jet lag at all? I still don’t seem to have adjusted. If it’s this bad even for me, how frazzled must you and Father be.”

“If you fast for more than sixteen hours and then eat at the time you want to adjust to, adjusting to the jet lag is much easier. Try it next time you go on a trip, Brother. I’ve fully adjusted.”

“It’s true. It’s amazing. The very first day this man arrived, he adjusted to the time, slept well at night, and woke up refreshed in the morning. If I’d known this, I’d have put it to good use when traveling — I keep wondering why I only learned it now.”

At the tangent about jet-lag adjustment, Seong-ho answered earnestly, and beside him Gyeong-eun chimed in.

The people present, watching Seong-ho and Gyeong-eun earnestly answering talk no one was even curious about, played dumb about the conversation they’d shared a moment ago.

But however much they played dumb, it was all plainly visible to Seong-ho.

Yes, yes. Rest easy and set your minds at ease. Because that’s what I want.

Seong-ho felt he knew, without needing to hear it, what the Ilhyeon family had talked about before they arrived.

And, thinking that all such talk was to his own advantage, he laughed at them inwardly.

(End of Chapter 166)