Chapter 48 – Is That Guy Crazy?

At the call of Chairman Tae, Seo-jun visited the main house in Gahoe-dong with Go Won-hoo.

“Seo-jun.”

“Won-hoo.”

As the two tall men entered the elegant reception room, Yeo-jin and Yeo-jung, who were waiting for their sons, beckoned them over with unusually lowered voices.

Their uncharacteristic fuss was strange, but Seo-jun and Won-hoo moved towards their mothers.

“Your brothers are already here with the Chairman in the study.”

Yeo-jin, gesturing for Seo-jun to sit, spoke in an even more secretive tone.

“What have you been up to lately? Anyway, it seems the Chairman is planning to talk about something he’s been holding back. Be prepared when you go in.”

It was clear that he would be furious.

“What now?”

Seo-jun wondered why there was such a fuss about a grown man seeing a woman. He slowly sat on the sofa, pulling up his unusually vivid lips as if unsurprised.

“Is that all it is?”

He wasn’t tired, just annoyed. Even at that moment, a youthful face lingering in his mind sharpened his nerves. Seo-jun swallowed his complicated feelings with a calm smile.

“That’s all it is?”

The sharp hand of a mother, torn between her husband and a rebellious son, smacked the back of her son. However, Seo-jun’s graceful movements were unnecessarily agile.

“This kid, really!”

Missing again, Yeo-jin, with a resigned look, said,

“I don’t know anymore. Who can stop your stubborn father?”

Perhaps the bizarre interaction between Yeo-jin and Seo-jun was amusing to others. Standing with his hands in his pockets in front of the sofa, Won-hoo smirked and chimed in.

“Why is Uncle acting like this all of a sudden? He’s been quiet until now.”

Though he had brought Seo-jun along as if kidnapping him under the Chairman’s orders, he couldn’t predict what would happen next.

However, sensing something ominous, Yeo-jung warned her son,

“It’s not Seo-jun you should be worried about. Your father is also with your uncle in the study right now.”

In other words, the fire had fallen on Seo-jun’s feet, but the sparks had spread to him too. Still, Won-hoo thought he’d just endure it as always.

“It’s best to get it over with first. I’ll head up.”

As Won-hoo headed to the second floor, Seo-jun followed without a word.

***

Despite keeping a tight lid, it was only a matter of time before it burst.

Reporters, who had caught the scent, had accurately tracked the past lover of Tae Seo-jun, who had never been exposed to scandals, and his frequent appearances at high-end clubs.

They also discovered that Tae Seo-jun was the youngest son of Chairman Tae Seok-ho, a giant in the economic world who controlled domestic and international real estate and the global capital market.

Those who would make deals with the devil for a scoop began to harshly scrutinize the families of Go Chairman’s son, Go Won-hoo, who marked a milestone in the business world.

How long they could silence these mouths was uncertain.

Thus, Chairman Tae called all his children to the main house to say what needed to be said. The young men, four in total, sat around the large wooden table in the grand study of the Gahoe-dong mansion.

“I hate my son being involved in dirty rumors.”

Chairman Go first scolded his only son, Go Won-hoo.

Even with his handsome appearance and title as the CEO of a major agency, Go Won-hoo was plagued by many rumors of affairs. Whether true or not, Chairman Go rebuked those rumors.

“Isn’t it because you’re not married? So I’m thinking of withdrawing the money I secretly invested in your company.”

“What do you mean? Then, father, you’re…”

“Yes. I am Steven!”

“…!”

To think that the largest shareholder of CN Entertainment was his father!

Go Won-hoo learned for the first time that the biggest investor in his company’s shares was not a foreigner but Chairman Go. Pretending not to care outwardly, he had been supporting his business in every way possible, which was both shocking and grateful to Won-hoo.

But that gratitude was short-lived.

Chairman Go threatened to withdraw over 30% of CN Entertainment’s assets unless Won-hoo got married immediately.

“Father! How can you do this so suddenly?”

“I’ve said my piece. If you don’t want to get married, then close the company!”

“It’s not that I don’t want to. Just give me some time… Father, please, just one year.”

Where did the confidence he had when climbing the stairs go? Won-hoo followed Chairman Go out of the study like an obedient puppy.

“Ahem, cough.”

Chairman Tae cleared his throat lightly as if starting an engine, looking at each of his three sons.

“Won-hoo seems to have understood his father’s words well. Then I’ll also talk… ahem!”

Cough, cough…

Chairman Tae, who was speaking with a cough, clutched his chest as he coughed heavily.

But the three sons knew better than anyone that their father, not even in his seventies, was healthy. Besides, using health as a weapon? The sons knew all too well.

It was Chairman Tae’s strategic fake to establish dominance before dropping a bombshell.

If Chairman Go’s outburst was a shower, Chairman Tae’s upcoming statement was like a massive typhoon.

“I have a lot, don’t I? But it’s all useless when I die. So, while I’m alive… cough…”

Cough, cough…

Thanks to a successful transplant surgery in his mid-40s, Tae Seok-ho maintained a youthful complexion and stamina, comparable to that of young people. Pretending to be a frail old man with such a vibrant appearance was not an easy task.

“Please stop. We understand well enough. Father.”

Unable to watch any longer, the second son, Yong-jun, smiled broadly, showing his neat teeth, as if suggesting his father just say what he wanted.

“What are you holding back? I’m ready to listen, so please tell us.”

The eldest, Lee Jun, also smiled as he spoke, prompting Tae Seok-ho to wrinkle his brow but get straight to the point.

“Alright, I won’t drag it out. What joy do I have? Just seeing my children live harmoniously. But why! Why don’t you have kids?”

It was just as he said. All three sons were close in age, but except for Seo-jun, who was unmarried, the other two had been married for years without children.

Seo-jun was single, so that was understandable. The eldest, Lee Jun, had been diagnosed with infertility but was told he could have children with effort. The second, Yong-jun, insisted on contraception, saying he was still enjoying newlywed life.

Given these circumstances, it was understandable that Chairman Tae was anxious.

“So, if you each succeed, I’ll give you 10% of my entire fortune! If you want that, bring me grandchildren! I’ll give you exactly one year. Bring them to me within that time! Understood?”

Chairman Tae’s wealth was immeasurable. So, 10% meant… if all three sons succeeded, he would be offering a colossal 30% of his fortune.

Lee Jun and Yong-jun, intrigued, asked with sparkling eyes.

“Then what about Seo-jun?”

“The youngest is unmarried, so he doesn’t count, right, Father?”

“Well…”

The youngest son, lounging with his long legs stretched out, listened indifferently to the conversation that seemed unrelated to him. Chairman Tae clicked his tongue at Seo-jun and shook his head.

“No, you can get married after having a child.”

“…”

Even at the suggestion that a child should come before marriage, Seo-jun didn’t even raise an eyebrow.

That boy… even as my son, how could he be so infuriating! Did he think he came into the world and grew up all by himself? Who did he take after to be so self-willed?

Who else could he take after?

With looks that took only the best from Cha Yeo-jin and Tae Seok-ho, and a character as unyielding as a rod that wouldn’t bow to anyone unless he wanted to, Seo-jun was the most challenging son for Tae Seok-ho to handle.

“If you do that, I won’t disregard your entertainment work anymore. How about that, Seo-jun?”

Suppressing the anger rising within him, Chairman Tae coaxed Seo-jun with slow deep breaths.

“Well, Father.”

Knowing that he was troublesome once he went astray, Chairman Tae’s voice was excessively gentle, while Seo-jun’s arrogant attitude, still leaning against the chair, clearly showed no interest in his father’s negotiation.

“Haha, this is just…”

Not hearing a satisfactory answer, Chairman Tae let out a hearty laugh, tapping the armrest of the chair with his palm.

“I know you’re worried about the money not being able to breathe down there. But do you really need to go that far to get grandchildren?”

Seo-jun adjusted his posture, crossing one long leg over the other, and continued.

“Would it be so proud if your future grandchildren knew that their parents had them because they coveted their grandfather’s fortune? Brothers, isn’t it a bit…? You have enough wealth, and children come naturally. Are you really drooling over Father’s money?”

Seo-jun’s words implied not only disinterest in Chairman Tae’s deal but also openly dissing his father and brothers.

Listening, Lee Jun and Yong-jun, who had been eating chestnuts, felt as if they had bitten into bugs.

“This brat, are you crazy?”

“Are you begging to die!”

Lee Jun chuckled incredulously, while Yong-jun, unable to contain his anger, stood up and grabbed Seo-jun by the collar as if ready to kill him.

“Stop it! It’s annoying!”

The large physiques of the two men, who wouldn’t back down anywhere, seemed ready to lift and drop the reception room, but Chairman Tae’s stern voice forced Yong-jun and Seo-jun back into their seats.

“I can understand that my brothers still have much they want to achieve, but not everyone has the same concept of pride. If you want to keep it, do as you please.”

Though it felt like a subtle insult, it wasn’t wrong. Yong-jun stretched his neck and fluttered his intact collar, calming his excitement.

“Wow, listen to this brat.”

“Seo-jun, you know you’re really annoying, right?”

“Yes.”

Seo-jun smirked, acknowledging it neatly, while his brothers, though dissatisfied, kept their lips tightly shut. They were upset, but they had nothing to say.

“Father, using money to sway your children is the most despicable.”

Caught off guard, even Chairman Tae was hit. However, Chairman Tae, who didn’t particularly dislike Seo-jun looking down from above, waved his arms to shoo his sons away.

“I’ve said my piece, so all of you, leave!”

Left alone in the study, Tae Seok-ho picked up the receiver.