“Is this for real?”

Jeong-eun Lee set a newspaper down in front of Tak-hyeon Lee as she spoke.

The spread laid open in the paper carried a projected map of the Big Deal among the five major groups.

“You’re really putting forward Ilhyeon Power?”

Jeong-eun looked around at her other siblings seated there and said,

“Brothers. Say something. Am I the only one who finds this strange?”

“All right, so sit down first. Let’s sit and talk about it.”

Mun-jong Lee tried to calm Jeong-eun.

But Jeong-eun, seemingly unable to be calmed even by Mun-jong’s words, still pointed a finger at the newspaper she’d set down in front of Tak-hyeon and said,

“They say Ilhyeon Power is going over to Mirae Group… is it true? Just tell me first whether it’s true or not. Then I’ll sit or stand on my head, whatever you like.”

“Is it yours?”

“What? What do you—?”

“I’m asking whether Ilhyeon Power is yours.”

Tak-hyeon looked up at Jeong-eun with cold eyes.

“It isn’t. Ilhyeon Power is mine. Ilhyeon Card, where you sit as president, is mine too, and every place where these fellows here earn their money is mine. So why are you making a fuss over Ilhyeon Power?”

“Father. I know. I know that too.”

Jeong-eun clung to Tak-hyeon’s arm and looked at Seong-ho, seated at the very end.

Then she leaned slightly toward Tak-hyeon and said,

“Of course it’s all yours. We all know that. The only reason I’m doing this is because there might have been a mistaken judgment, so let’s put our heads together and think it over. Ilhyeon Power is… an important company, after all.”

Having said that, Jeong-eun looked back at Mun-jong.

She was sending him a look that meant he should add his voice to her opinion.

Mun-jong, too, caught the meaning of Jeong-eun’s gaze and opened his mouth.

“Father. I don’t think Jeong-eun is wrong, either. I’d sooner not do the Big Deal at all than hand over Ilhyeon Power.”

“Father. You know better than any of us what kind of company Ilhyeon Power is. It’s technology that was secured through so much effort and hardship going all the way back to Grandfather’s time, and yet to just…”

Jeong-eun shot a glare at Seong-ho and said,

“It looks like Kim put forward Ilhyeon Power because he doesn’t know any of this, but we have to stop it. Right, brother?”

“Yes. And Ilhyeon Power’s technology is… monopolistic, so putting that forward… is something that must not happen, either.”

Mun-jong glanced at Seong-ho.

And then he tilted his head.

Even if Seong-ho didn’t know the history, it seemed impossible he wouldn’t know about Ilhyeon Power’s technology.

Is there some other reason?

A question rose in Mun-jong’s mind.

But having already stated in front of Tak-hyeon that he shared Jeong-eun’s view, Mun-jong — now unable to take it back — chose to push straight ahead.

“Father. It isn’t finalized yet anyway, is it? To finalize it, you’d have to move personally. When you go to the Blue House to sign, take it back and keep Ilhyeon Power.”

“That’s right, Dad. Take it back. We absolutely have to keep Ilhyeon Power. Where in the world is there someone who throws away a monopoly company?”

Jeong-eun chimed in at Mun-jong’s words.

Tak-hyeon looked back and forth between Jeong-eun and Mun-jong, who were insisting Ilhyeon Power must be kept, and clicked his tongue.

“Tch tch. To think you’re fellows of only this much caliber… This is exactly why I can’t entrust anything great to you. Enough of that talk — let’s hear about the company. Ilhyeon Card. Ten million subscribers. Can you hit it?”

Had it been the usual Jeong-eun, she’d have been flustered and flared up at the change of subject, but today was different from usual.

“Ten million? That’s laughable.”

“Laughable?”

“Father. Do you know what our target is?”

Jeong-eun lifted her shoulders and squared her chest as she spoke.

“Our target is to pass ten million within this year and secure twelve million subscribers next year.”

“Ten million this year, twelve million next year?”

“Surprised, aren’t you?”

Jeong-eun looked back at Yeong-su Cha with a confident expression.

And after glancing once at the fidgeting Yeong-su Cha, she said to Tak-hyeon,

“What did I tell you? I said I’d hit upon an incredible method.”

“And with that incredible method, you’re increasing subscriber numbers explosively?”

“Yes. So don’t worry about Ilhyeon Card.”

“You’re not playing games with the numbers, are you?”

“Do you take me for a fool?”

Tak-hyeon leaned back as if he couldn’t believe it and looked at Jeong-eun with a suspicious gaze.

Jeong-eun furrowed her brow as though displeased by Tak-hyeon’s suspicious look and said,

“I would never play games with the numbers. I’m securing real subscribers, and I’ll bring those results and lay them before you early next year.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Tak-hyeon looked at Jeong-eun as if he found it remarkable.

He was regarding her with fresh eyes, at this side of Jeong-eun so unlike her usual self.

“So you should keep Ilhyeon Power, too, Father—”

“Even if you were to come to me having hit a hundred million Ilhyeon Card subscribers, I have no intention of changing my mind.”

At Tak-hyeon’s resolute words, Jeong-eun looked at Mun-jong.

But Mun-jong, realizing he couldn’t change Tak-hyeon’s mind, shook his head.

At that, Jeong-eun turned her head this time toward Sang-jong.

If Mun-jong was no good, she meant to get help from Sang-jong at least.

But Sang-jong had worn a vacant face from the moment he first sat down.

“Second son, prepare yourself well to appear before the prosecutors tomorrow. The rest of you, head home now. Even parent and child shouldn’t see each other too often.”

Tak-hyeon, as if he no longer wished to be there, rose from his seat first today as well.

And he gestured toward Seong-ho.

“Head Kim, come talk with me in the study for a bit.”

At Tak-hyeon’s summons, Seong-ho rose from his seat, bowed to his in-laws, and followed Tak-hyeon toward the study.

Jeong-eun watched Seong-ho go with a look of displeasure.

“Honestly, Mom.”

Jeong-eun, having come into the master bedroom where Suk-ja was, recounted what had happened in the living room.

“Why in the world does Dad dote on Kim like that? Don’t tell me — unlike us, he comes by every day and all that, does he?”

“Not every day.”

“Wow… judging by ‘not every day,’ it sounds like he comes once or twice a week.”

Learning that Seong-ho visited Pyeongchang-dong once or twice a week, Jeong-eun scrunched up her brow.

“And meanwhile Dad told us to come only on Sundays? Did Dad eat something bad? Or has he gone senile with age?”

At Jeong-eun’s words, Suk-ja slapped Jeong-eun’s thigh with a startled face.

Smack!

“What kind of talk is that about your father!”

“But it’s true, isn’t it.”

Jeong-eun looked at Suk-ja, who was glancing at the door in case Tak-hyeon might come in, and said,

“Kim is a son-in-law. A son-in-law. And does it make any sense to seek out only the son-in-law and push the children into the background? Do you think that makes sense, Mom?”

“…No, it doesn’t.”

Suk-ja, who had been watching the door, turned her head and looked at Jeong-eun.

And with a face that looked even angrier than Jeong-eun’s, she said,

“Something does seem to have gone wrong with your father’s mind.”

“Right? Even you think it’s strange, don’t you, Mom?”

“Son-in-law though he may be, he’s an outsider one step removed. And yet doting on the son-in-law like that while leaving a son to appear before the prosecutors — that makes no sense! And why is he sending the son-in-law to do the business of going into the Blue House, when the Vice-Chairman is right there with his eyes wide open.”

“Is second brother going before the prosecutors Dad’s doing?”

“Then whose doing would it be, if not your father’s? Who would dare summon the president of Ilhyeon Construction to the prosecutors otherwise?”

Suk-ja opened her eyes sharply and looked back at the door.

“Surely it was Kim who told your father to throw the second son to them. What kind of man is your father? Even when he spoke harshly to you children, wasn’t he someone who built the fence high and guarded you sturdily? So if he gave up the second son, it’s surely because someone beside him prodded him into it. It’s certain.”

Jeong-eun, who had wanted to say that wasn’t necessarily so, feigned ignorance and just quietly listened to Suk-ja.

Because there was no need to needlessly throw cold water on Suk-ja when she was speaking with the same intent as herself, in any case.

“At this rate, you and your brothers might all be devoured by Head Kim.”

“Devoured? What do you mean by that?”

Jeong-eun, who had been listening quietly, couldn’t hold back and asked Suk-ja.

Suk-ja opened her eyes even more sharply and looked at Jeong-eun as she spoke.

“I mean that the Ilhyeon your grandfather founded and your father built up might go over to Kim.”

“Mom!”

Jeong-eun put on a startled expression at Suk-ja’s words.

“That’s too… isn’t that too much of a leap?”

Jeong-eun had thought Tak-hyeon cherished Seong-ho excessively.

But even she hadn’t gone so far as to think Ilhyeon would go over to Seong-ho.

Because she thought that was something that wouldn’t happen even if the sky split in two.

“A leap? Do you really think it’s a leap?”

Suk-ja caught Jeong-eun’s words and pulled her close, looking at her, and glared at Jeong-eun.

Jeong-eun cowered under Suk-ja’s cutting gaze and lowered her eyes.

“Your grandfather had three sons. Your father was the second of the three. Not the eldest son, the head heir, nor the youngest son, whom your grandfather loved most. So have you ever thought about how your father managed to get the Ilhyeon your grandfather founded into his own hands?”

Jeong-eun shook her head instead of answering Suk-ja’s words.

Suk-ja looked straight at Jeong-eun, then turned her head and looked at the door.

“Don’t forget. There is nothing impossible in this world. Especially here…”

Not finishing her words, Suk-ja ground her back teeth.

At this side of Suk-ja she was seeing for the first time in her life, Jeong-eun could only blink, unable even to get angry.

With Ilhyeon Group joining the restructuring actively, and the other groups following suit in acquiescing to the government’s word, the restructuring of the economic sector picked up rapid momentum just as the government had planned.

The first to be finalized was Ilhyeon Group.

Ilhyeon Group took over the semiconductor divisions held by the electronics companies of Mirae Group and KF Group.

And Mirae Heavy Industries was confirmed to go to Ilhyeon Group as well.

In exchange, Ilhyeon handed Ilhyeon Power over to Mirae Group and Ilhyeon Railways to KF Group, completing the three-way sorting of business sectors.

People were greatly astonished at Ilhyeon’s decision.

Because although it was receiving semiconductors and heavy industry from Mirae, what it had given up — Ilhyeon Power — was assessed to be even greater than that.

Ilhyeon Power occupied a monopolistic position domestically.

On top of that, its nuclear technology was rare even globally, a field in which only a limited number of companies participated, and in the sense that it generated stable revenue, the assessment was that semiconductors and heavy industry alone didn’t balance the equation.

People said that if Ilhyeon had at least received all of Mirae Electronics, the story might have been different.

But what Ilhyeon received was no more than the semiconductor division, one of the many divisions of the electronics arm.

Moreover, given that the semiconductor division it received was famous as a cash-devouring hippo, and that it was sensitive to economic cycles with clear-cut times of turning a profit and times of not, the assessment was that what Ilhyeon had gotten its hands on wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

People thought Ilhyeon had made a loss-taking decision in order to throw its weight behind the government, and that thanks to this, the government-led restructuring would gain momentum.

Just as people thought, the Big Deal began to gain momentum.

A plan was announced for petrochemicals to be consolidated under Mirae Group and oil refining under KF Group.

Also, Sunwoo decided to withdraw from the automobile-related industry, receiving from Mirae the electronics arm minus semiconductors, and in exchange handing over automobile-related companies such as tires and air-conditioning systems.

The spinning-off and merging of the aviation sector, and the separating-out of engine-related companies such as ship engines and aircraft engines from their respective companies to newly establish them, and so on — the government-led restructuring continued to be carried out over the course of a month.

And as the hot summer passed and the full feel of autumn came drifting in, Deputy PM Jang-chul Hwang appeared on television and announced the restructuring results before the public.

(End of Chapter 158)