CHAPTER 1: Wedding Anniversary Gifts (Part 9)

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“You’re getting married?”

Former Prime Minister and current leader of the New Korea Party, Jeon Tae-pyeong, asked with a hint of laughter during a golf round with Seojun.

“Yes.”

“I thought you weren’t interested in relationships. Seems like you’re getting a bit interested in being a man now. So, what does the chairman say?”

“I haven’t told him yet.”

Putting his golf club on the ground, Jeon Tae-pyeong looked at Seojun with a scrutinizing gaze. Their eyes briefly met before returning to their respective positions. Jeon Tae-pyeong, who missed the putt, took off his gloves.

I should have known when he suddenly called me to play golf. Anyway, this guy is truly cunning.

“Need help?”

Seojun bowed his head deeply.

“Yes. It seems like I need your help.”

Two hours later, Seojun was conducting a meeting about a new car-related matter.

His title was still executive vice president, but it was clear that he was now in charge of HAN Motors. Chairman Kim Seok-young had placed him here as a testing ground to see if his son, Seojun, could lead the Han Group effectively in the future.

All executives, including the CEO, played advisory roles to him.

Seojun turned on the microphone.

“In the consumer survey from the second half of last year, HAN Motors received criticism for being essentially a Chinese-made product. Despite its seemingly decent appearance, it ultimately gained a bad reputation as cheap and trashy upon closer inspection. Moreover, the prevailing opinion is that it’s better to buy a foreign car when you consider all the options. How long do you plan to ignore these consumer opinions?”

No one dared to respond to Seojun’s harsh words; they simply bowed their heads.

In the automotive industry, sales ultimately boiled down to a cost game. It was a matter of which company could produce cars with the same technology at a lower cost.

Recently, Seojun’s main focus has been on expanding the range of car models until 2024 to maintain consistently high sales in the global market. Simultaneously, he wants to improve internal quality while meeting the needs of all consumers.

As part of the restructuring, he has created a future strategy department and brought in key personnel directly from overseas competitor, BM.

When Seojun gestured with his eyes, the person in charge of the project displayed it on the screen. It was at that moment when he was about to add detailed explanations with a composed look.

The meeting room door opened, and Shin Joo-eun rushed in. Even the two bodyguards who were trying to stop her seemed unsure of what to do. She ran straight to Seojun, who was in the top seat and began venting her anger.

“How dare you go after your brother’s woman?”

Seojun pulled away from Shin Joo-eun’s grip on his collar, maintaining an indifferent expression.

“We’ll take a 30-minute break. Everyone, please leave.”

The executives, who had been observing the two, hastily exited like a receding tide. Shin Joo-eun glared at him fiercely, as if she could devour him at any moment.

A while ago, news came from Hye-ran that she refused the proposal for a marriage alliance between her son, Seo-wook, and Moon-kyeong. When Joo-eun asked for the reason, Hye-ran stuttered as she mentioned Seojun.

Do Hye-ran had made it clear that she would not marry Moon-kyeong to a concubine’s son, Kim Seo-wook, but to Kim Seojun, who was now the son of the legal wife, Nam Leehyeon.

A surge of heat reached the tip of her head due to this crumpled self-esteem. She glared at Seojun with eyes partially lost to reason.

“What the hell are you trying to do? Have you lost your mind? Are you insane?”

“Calm down, Chairwoman.”

Seojun did not address her as a mother. Legally, his mother was now Director Nam Leehyeon.

Shin Joo-eun, the chairwoman of the Yurim Foundation, looked at him with a bewildering expression.

“Do you think the chairman will just stand by? The only reason he’s kept you in that position so far is because of Congressman Jeon Tae-pyeong. It’s not because you’re pretty. I don’t know how you managed to manipulate him.”

Seojun interrupted her with a cold laugh.

“Manipulate? It’s true that Congressman Jeon Tae-pyeong has indeed helped me a lot. I’m just fulfilling my duty as the son the Lee Han Group.”

Seojun’s icy smile made Shin Joo-eun’s lips tremble. In the end, she shivered in front of him, who had drawn a sword to take away even the position of his brother.

Although the world was unaware, but Seojun was not a child of her blood.

Lee Han’s family curse was passed down through the generations to her sons. When her firstborn, a seven-year-old, died of leukemia, and her second son, Seo-wook, was found to have poor kidneys, indicating a short life, she sought out a formidable shaman.

The shaman told her that she needed a receptacle. A child needed to be born to take on all the misfortune and curses of Lee Han family.

Since it was said that it couldn’t be a child born with the same blood, Joo-eun brought a young woman from Japan who had just turned twenty.

Under the influence of alcohol, she arranged for the Japanese woman and the Chairman to have an intimate night together without the chairman knowing. When the Japanese woman was confirmed pregnant, she, too, feigned a pregnancy with a fake baby bump.

On the day the baby boy was born, Shin Joo-eun took the child away. That child was Seojun.

Now, that bastard who was supposed to serve as a receptacle was daring to swallow Lee Han himself. Arrogantly. Unbelievably.

“You’ll never be able to do as you please. Don’t you dare,”

Unperturbed by her words, Seojun quietly opened the conference room door. It was his way of telling her that their discussion was over and for her to leave.

That evening, Chairman Kim Seok-young gathered his family, which meant that Seo-wook, who had dinner plans with Moon-kyeong, had to be summoned to the main house.

Dohyowon was a place where traditional Korean-style architecture and modern buildings coexisted and served as the main residence for the Lee Han Group.

The main building housed the Nam Leehyeon’s family, while the detached building was where Shin Joo-eun and Seo-wook lived. Chefs, maids, valets, security guards, and others commuted daily to and from this place.

The chairman’s immediate family all lived in Dohyowon, except for Seojun.

Since no one in the family formed an emotional bond with him, Seojun was always on his own.

Neither Shin Joo-eun, who was bound to him by blood, nor Nam Leehyeon, who was bound to him by law, liked Seojun.

When Seojun joined forces with Congressman Jeon Tae-pyeong, who had been driven to the fringes, and seized real power, it stung for both sides.

As Seo-jun entered the dining room, the other family members were all seated, waiting for the chairman’s displeasure to be voiced.

They believed that he would reprimand Seojun for unilaterally handling the marriage matter without consulting the family.

Seojun respectfully bowed to the chairman.

The chairman’s favoritism leaned heavily toward Shin Joo-eun. He had always placed her and Seo-wook on his right side, with his first wife’s family on the left.

The seating at the dining table was determined based on the power held in the Lee Han Group. Kim Seok-young, who hailed from Daegu, gestured with his thick dialect for Seojun to come closer.

“Come here and sit.”

Shin Joo-eun widened her eyes in shock.

“Chairman.”

“What’s the matter? Hurry up and sit.”

Seojun sat down in Shin Joo-eun’s place, his face immaculate and without a trace of dishevelment. I smiled at the flesh on both sides of him.

Seojun took the vacated seat as Shin Joo-eun retreated hesitantly. He sat there with a flawless face, emitting a sense of confidence. Laughter escaped from his lips.

“Let’s eat.”

At the chairman’s words, everyone picked up their spoons in unison.

In the uncomfortable dining atmosphere, where even taking a small breath seemed difficult, only two individuals showed a relaxed demeanor. Kim Seok-young and Kim Seojun. The two seemed strikingly similar, like a photocopied version of each other.

Towards the end of the meal, Kim Seok-young spoke. He didn’t turn his head to the right, but his words were directed solely at Seojun.

“Jeon Tae-pyeong, is he running for the presidency?”

“Yes.”

“What’s his approval rating now?”

“42.3%.”

If the Lee Han Group was an outstanding conglomerate, Jeon Tae-pyeong was the perfect powerhouse in terms of political influence. With Lee Han Group already indebted to him once, Jeon Tae-pyeong was a card that couldn’t be let go of.

Kim Seok-young sided with Seojun. Or, more accurately, he couldn’t refuse Jeon Tae-pyeong’s request.

“You should marry her.”

“Yes.”

Though everyone in the family was internally in uproar, none dared to contradict the chairman’s words.

Kim Seok-young, due to health issues, had withdrawn somewhat from the current management. Rumors circulated that he was preparing a will for inheritance, leaving both sides unwilling to speak out.

Seeing Seo-wook, who was visibly upset, the chairman spoke.

“Seo-wook, is there a problem?”

“What?”

“I asked if there’s a problem.”

“No, there’s no problem, Chairman.”

Seo-wook could only shake his head, saying nothing more.