Having put the sushi in his mouth, Tak-hyeon Lee closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the taste.

“Mm.”

Letting out a short sound of appreciation, Tak-hyeon Lee opened his eyes and handed the plate of remaining sushi to Gyeong-eun Lee.

Setting down his chopsticks as if he needed no further tasting, he asked Seong-ho Kim,

“Knowing what ingredients go inside and what shape it should be shouldn’t be enough to make it taste this good — how did you do it?”

At Tak-hyeon Lee’s question, Seong-ho Kim nodded and answered,

“You’re right. If copying alone were enough to recreate it exactly, everyone would become a top chef.”

Glancing briefly at the still-tense executive chef of the Chinese restaurant standing nearby, Seong-ho Kim answered Tak-hyeon Lee,

“The reason Ilhyeon Hotel can produce the finest food is that the results obtained through precise analysis were recreated by the nation’s top chef, standing right here.”

Seong-ho Kim gave all the credit to the executive chef.

Tak-hyeon Lee looked at the chef standing behind him and offered words of praise.

“Well done. The food was thoroughly satisfying.”

“Th-thank you.”

Only after hearing Tak-hyeon Lee’s satisfaction could the executive chef finally feel relieved.

“Today, give a special bonus to every chef working at Ilhyeon Hotel.”

“Yes, understood.”

Having given Seong-ho Kim that instruction, Tak-hyeon Lee turned to the general manager and said,

“I’ll be having lunch here every Wednesday from now on, so make sure to reserve a table for me.”

At Tak-hyeon Lee’s declaration that he’d visit weekly, the general manager’s eyes shone with emotion.

Bowing at the waist, just as the executive chef had, he answered in a loud voice,

“I will serve you with the utmost sincerity going forward, Chairman.”

“Don’t make a fuss like today. Just prepare the table. Now that I’ve tasted the food, I imagine reserving a spot will only get harder, so I’m booking ahead.”

Having told them not to make too much of his visits, Tak-hyeon Lee instructed the two of them to leave.

Then he gestured for Seong-ho Kim to come sit beside him.

Seong-ho Kim gave the executive chef and general manager a look of thanks and sat down beside Tak-hyeon Lee.

“I came to see just what kind of thing this hotel with delicious food was up to… and it’s good enough that I can’t think of anything else.”

“Seong-ho, the jiaozi and sushi were so delicious! They said there’s a French restaurant here too — I can’t even imagine how good that must be. Right, Mother?”

Gyeong-eun Lee asked Suk-ja Chu with excitement.

Suk-ja Chu looked down at the plate with a reluctant expression.

The plate that had held the jiaozi and sushi a moment ago now sat empty in front of her.

Seeing the empty dish, Suk-ja Chu unconsciously licked her lips and nodded with a grudging expression.

“It was good… I suppose it was good.”

With even Suk-ja Chu agreeing, Gyeong-eun Lee said to Tak-hyeon Lee,

“Father, let’s try the French restaurant too. I heard the view from the windows there is exceptional. And the shaved ice and cake at the coffee shop next door are supposed to be delicious too. Let’s go try them all, shall we?”

With Seong-ho Kim’s work being recognized, Gyeong-eun Lee grew even more childishly delighted.

Tak-hyeon Lee smiled at her and said,

“We’ve agreed to come eat here every week, so let’s stop for today. If we eat everything in one visit, won’t there be less to look forward to next time?”

“Ah, that’s true.”

Gyeong-eun Lee accepted Tak-hyeon Lee’s reasoning and shot Seong-ho Kim a look conveying how proud she was of him.

Seong-ho Kim answered with nothing but a bright smile.

Watching the couple exchange this brief glance, Tak-hyeon Lee said to Seong-ho Kim,

“Now that we know the food’s good, let’s have the real conversation.”

At Tak-hyeon Lee’s words, Gyeong-eun Lee’s smiling face tensed slightly.

But unlike her, Seong-ho Kim remained perfectly composed.

“Yes. Please, go ahead.”

Seong-ho Kim looked as though he already knew exactly what Tak-hyeon Lee was about to say.

Watching Seong-ho Kim’s utterly unruffled expression for a moment, Tak-hyeon Lee spoke.

“I hadn’t planned to ask this here, but seeing you like this, I’m having second thoughts.”

Having said this, Tak-hyeon Lee curled up the corners of his mouth.

“Would you like to personally present Ilhyeon Hotel’s results at next month’s second-half presidents’ meeting?”

“Honey!”

“Father!”

At Tak-hyeon Lee’s words, Gyeong-eun Lee and Suk-ja Chu, seated with them, cried out in startled voices.

“Honey. Kim, attending that meeting! He doesn’t have the standing to sit in that room.”

Utterly unable to understand why Seong-ho Kim would attend the presidents’ meeting, Suk-ja Chu spoke to Tak-hyeon Lee.

Tak-hyeon Lee’s eyebrows twitched at her words.

“Whether he has the standing or not is for me to judge. If I say he attends, then he has the standing, whoever he is. Who are you to talk about standing?”

At Tak-hyeon Lee’s displeased tone, Suk-ja Chu flinched and apologized immediately.

“I’m sorry. I just meant…”

“Don’t meddle in company affairs.”

Displeased that Suk-ja Chu had weighed in on business matters, Tak-hyeon Lee glared at her once more.

Then he rose from his seat and said to Seong-ho Kim,

“I’ll hear about Ilhyeon Hotel’s results at that meeting, so bear that in mind.”

“Yes. I’ll make sure to prepare well.”

“Good. You must be busy, so get back to work. We’ll be on our way. No need to see us out.”

With those words, Tak-hyeon Lee turned and left the room, and Suk-ja Chu followed after him without a word.

Before leaving the room, Gyeong-eun Lee expressed her feelings by giving Seong-ho Kim a brief hug.

Having concluded this final test, Seong-ho Kim wore a satisfied expression as he saw the three of them off.

The Ilhyeon Group held presidents’ meetings twice a year, in the first and second halves.

Presidents from each affiliate gathered to present the previous half-year’s results and forecast the results for the half to come.

Since this was the Ilhyeon Group’s most important gathering, conducted at Tak-hyeon Lee’s direction, every affiliate poured everything into preparing for it.

Companies with good results came to maintain their momentum; companies with poor results came armed with plans for a turnaround.

“Ugh… I’m so nervous I could die.”

Byeong-jin Jo, his face visibly tense, couldn’t stay still and kept pacing back and forth.

Watching him, Seong-ho Kim smiled and said,

“Why are you acting like you’ve never set foot in headquarters before? Did you forget you worked here before transferring to Strategic Planning?”

“That’s different from this.”

Still unable to shake his nerves, Byeong-jin Jo, his face pale, shook his head and said,

“We’re meeting the chairman…”

“You met the chairman at my wedding.”

“Come on. This time we’re meeting him on business, together with all the affiliate presidents.”

“Just stand next to me. There’s no need to be this nervous.”

Byeong-jin Jo looked at Seong-ho Kim’s composure with wonder and said,

“Are you seriously not bothered at all?”

“What’s there to be nervous about? Our Ilhyeon Hotel results aren’t going to change just because other affiliate presidents are in the room, and I see the chairman every morning and evening at home anyway, so if anything, it feels familiar.”

“You really are something.”

Byeong-jin Jo knew all too well how difficult it was to actually think the way Seong-ho Kim did, easy as it sounded.

“Well, if it isn’t Director Kim.”

Arriving on the 12th floor, where the presidents’ meeting would be held, people who recognized Seong-ho Kim began greeting him.

“Been keeping well?”

“President Park. Good to see you.”

“Yes. Quite something, running into you here, Director Kim. We’ll be seeing plenty of each other going forward, so let’s meet outside more often too.”

President Park of Ilhyeon Machinery greeted Seong-ho Kim, and then President Jeong of Ilhyeon Precision approached to say hello as well.

“Director Kim. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I never got to greet you properly at your wedding, and here we finally meet.”

“It’s been a while, President Jeong. Seeing you here feels quite fresh. Have you been keeping well?”

“Of course. More importantly, let’s grab a meal together sometime when you’re free.”

“Just let me know a convenient time, and I’ll treat you to a meal at the hotel.”

“Ah, right. No need to go anywhere else — we can just eat at the hotel. I’ve heard about it. The hotel restaurant’s quite something, isn’t it?”

President Jeong clasped Seong-ho Kim’s hand and gave a warm smile.

“Well done. That couldn’t have been an easy task.”

“Isn’t it thanks to your concern, President Jeong? I’ll keep working hard so as not to disappoint your expectations.”

“Hahaha, this fellow…”

With his skillful way of speaking, Seong-ho Kim had won the man’s goodwill.

President Jeong of Ilhyeon Precision, after repeating his invitation to share a meal several times, left.

Following him, presidents from Ilhyeon Life Insurance, Ilhyeon Electronics, Ilhyeon Media, and other affiliates lined up one after another to come speak with Seong-ho Kim.

Watching Seong-ho Kim handle each affiliate president with such ease right beside him, Byeong-jin Jo let out an admiring exclamation.

‘What is this? Anyone watching would think he’s been at this for decades.’

The presidents’ meeting didn’t seem to feel any different to Seong-ho Kim than any other task.

And meeting and conversing with the affiliate presidents seemed to come more easily to him than meeting a friend would.

No one watching would have guessed this was his first time at a presidents’ meeting.

“The meeting begins in 10 minutes. Would each affiliate president please take their seat and wait for the chairman.”

At the secretariat staff member’s announcement, the affiliate presidents gathered around Seong-ho Kim said their goodbyes reluctantly and began filing into the conference room one by one.

“You really are something.”

“Something? What do you mean?”

Once the affiliate presidents who’d gathered around Seong-ho Kim went into the conference room, Byeong-jin Jo came over.

“Listening in, it sounded like all you’d had was a brief exchange at your wedding — how do you remember all of them?”

“I memorized them before coming.”

“All those people?”

The Ilhyeon Group wasn’t a small company.

With affiliate presidents alone numbering well over 60, memorizing them all overnight was never going to be easy.

Seong-ho Kim shrugged at Byeong-jin Jo and said,

“I only memorized the important ones, and improvised for the rest. Since they’re the ones recognizing me anyway, it’s not really that hard.”

“Easy for you to say…”

Just as Byeong-jin Jo was looking at Seong-ho Kim with pure admiration, an unwelcome figure approached the two of them.

“Look at the flies swarming all over you.”

At the mocking tone, Byeong-jin Jo turned his head, hastily bowed in greeting, and stepped back.

Sang-jong Lee glanced briefly at Byeong-jin Jo retreating with his head bowed, then said to Seong-ho Kim,

“How does it feel? Getting your ego stroked by all these flies, I imagine you’re feeling pretty good about yourself?”

“I’m not sure what you mean.”

“Not sure what I mean?”

Sang-jong Lee gave a short laugh and took a step closer to Seong-ho Kim.

Then he jabbed a finger into Seong-ho Kim’s chest as he spoke.

“It means don’t get carried away. The Ilhyeon Group isn’t the kind of place a man like you should be drooling over.”

Sang-jong Lee jabbed his finger hard into Seong-ho Kim’s chest, but Seong-ho Kim showed not the slightest sign of pain.

“President Sang-jong Lee. The chairman will be arriving shortly.”

With all the affiliate presidents already seated, and only Seong-ho Kim and Sang-jong Lee left outside the conference room, a secretariat staff member urged Sang-jong Lee to go in.

“Fine.”

Sang-jong Lee answered the staff member irritably, then fired off a warning to Seong-ho Kim.

“Don’t get any funny ideas just because flies are swarming around you. Understood? I’ll be watching you closely.”

Glaring at Seong-ho Kim, Sang-jong Lee clapped his shoulder and walked into the conference room.

Seong-ho Kim watched him go for a moment without a word.

Once Sang-jong Lee too had taken his seat, the secretariat staff member urged Seong-ho Kim to enter as well, and Seong-ho Kim and Byeong-jin Jo were the last to walk into the conference room.

Byeong-jin Jo stuck close to Seong-ho Kim’s side and said in a low voice,

“Why’s President Lee like that with you?”

“He probably sees me as a rival.”

“A rival? What kind of rival?”

Byeong-jin Jo looked at Seong-ho Kim, not understanding.

Standing in front of the seat marked with his name, Seong-ho Kim smiled at Byeong-jin Jo and said,

“He’s started seeing me as a threat to his position as the Ilhyeon Group’s next successor.”

“The… next successor?”

So startled by the words “Ilhyeon Group’s next successor,” Byeong-jin Jo froze up and forgot even to sit down.

Seong-ho Kim smiled at him, took hold of both his shoulders, and sat him down in his seat himself.

“No need to be that surprised. My second brother-in-law’s always been an expert at barking up the wrong tree.”

“Wrong tree?”

Seated behind Seong-ho Kim now, Byeong-jin Jo asked, having collected himself.

As Byeong-jin Jo sat, Seong-ho Kim took his own prepared seat as well, turning back to speak to him.

“It’s something like that, I suppose, but the direction’s wrong. He shouldn’t be aiming at me…”

Seong-ho Kim smiled brightly at Byeong-jin Jo and turned back around.

Byeong-jin Jo wanted to ask what exactly Seong-ho Kim meant by that, but couldn’t.

Because just then, the doors opened, and Chairman Tak-hyeon Lee and Vice-Chairman Mun-jong Lee entered the conference room.

(End of Chapter 48)