Chapter 10

"Sure. Sorry for not being in touch for so long."

"I understand. I was old enough to understand the situation."

I replied, and the chat paused for a moment.

"Can we meet briefly in front of the office before the others see us?"

Hmm.

Actually, I had expected this message.

After not contacting each other for over five years, the reason for sending a message despite the awkwardness couldn't be just out of friendliness.

Did he receive a request from his brothers to persuade me?

I smiled bitterly and replied.

"Sure. Got it."

* * *

"Hey. How have you been?"

Hyunmin looked at me and smiled brightly, extending his fist.

"Instead of a handshake, we do a fist bump because of COVID."

Hyunmin's American accent was evident as he said this.

Yeah, that's how it was before.

He had been attending foreign schools since he was young. We mostly met and played during the holidays.

"Hey, you look great."

Unlike his brothers, he had a smooth, handsome face.

He was a bit short, but as the son of a chaebol family, with that kind of face, he would be the perfect prince wherever he went.

"Hey, what are you talking about? You're the one who's completely a king of the campus. You're tall, and your face is even more handsome!"

Hyunmin said this while looking at me.

Maybe it's because he's American in mindset, though his nationality is Korean. Or maybe I never had the chance to ask, but his nationality could be American too.

He was still good at giving compliments. Yeah, I remember how we became close when we met as kids.

"Do you have a lot of fans? You must have a lot of girlfriends, right?"

Cancel. What a corny American question.

"No, I don't."

Hyunmin answered without hesitation.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Korean 20-somethings don't have time for dating."

I replied firmly.

"Uh... I see."

Hyunmin scratched his head.

"Ha ha ha. Don't be awkward. I'm really glad to see you," I said.

I hate awkwardness. He probably threw out a pointless question to break the ice.

It wasn't out of consideration for him, but I tapped his arm and smiled warmly.

"Oh! Hey! I'm glad to see you too! Thanks for saying that, man! We're practically brothers, right? In America, whether the blood is 100% mixed or just half, everyone is a brother. Brother."

His pronunciation of 'brother' was completely Konglish.

Well, it's a bit buttery, but given how well he speaks Korean, he must watch Korean movies.

"Uh."

I was slightly surprised by his words.

"Hey, if I call Mr. Go Hyunseok 'brother,' he might eat me alive. Is it different for you?"

I said, unable to hide my surprise.

"Hey, just call him Hyunseok. What's this 'Mr. Go Hyunseok' stuff?"

Hyunmin smiled bitterly.

"Your brother doesn't let me use informal terms. If I call him Hyunseok, he's ready to slap me. I can't even call him 'brother'! I'm 21, not Hong Gil-dong. It's so childish."

I said, and Hyunmin was at a loss.

"Ah... You're right, man."

"I'll try calling your brother 'brother' sometime. I'm curious to see what happens."

"Sure. Go ahead. Ha ha ha."

Hyunmin burst out laughing.

But he couldn't keep the laughter going for long.

I cut it short with a question.

"By the way, did you really want to see my face before we met?"

"Huh?"

The smile vanished from Hyunmin's face instantly.

"You know what I mean."

I added.

"Uh... Well..."

A groan, like something you hear in American dramas.

There was a brief silence. I waited patiently for Hyunmin to speak again.

"Well, you're being direct. I didn't like this role either. I'll be honest."

Hyunmin's expression turned serious.

"Okay."

"Actually, my brothers asked me to talk to you about the inheritance first."

"Ah..."

Not a bad guy.

Hyunmin was confessing that his invitation to meet had a purpose, but I was thinking this:

Just the fact that he confessed is above average.

Either he's the type who can't do bad things, or he's smart enough not to tell obvious lies.

'Not a bad guy' doesn't necessarily mean he's a good person.

"What conditions did your brothers want to discuss with me?"

"Oh, they decided to transfer the stocks based on their current cash value."

Hyunmin asked, as if confirming.

"Right."

I nodded slowly.

Actually, I had expected this response from Hyunmin.

"But I offered to buy them at a higher valuation than the current stock price."

"Right. That's... It seems to be a sensitive issue for your brothers."

Hyunmin looked troubled as he confessed.

He really seemed uncomfortable with this role.

"Of course. The amount of money can vary greatly depending on how much the valuation is increased."

"Right. So, they asked me to talk about that."

It is a sensitive issue.

Anyone can guess that the L Group artificially lowered their stock prices to save on inheritance taxes.

But no one knows by how much.

Even the Go Hyunwook and Go Hyunseok brothers probably don't know the original fair stock price.

Finding the 'original value' in a stock price that changes constantly is impossible.

So, the amount will vary widely depending on how the negotiations go between me and the Go brothers.

They can't completely ignore my demands.

If they know I hold enough shares to secure management rights, forces that want to buy them from me at a premium will appear.

If the Go brothers insist on settling at the current stock price, I can simply hold onto them.

The stock price could naturally rise, or I could sell them to someone willing to pay a much higher price.

"So, exactly how were you supposed to persuade me?"

I asked directly, and Hyunmin scratched his head, looking troubled.

"They told me to figure it out myself."

"Huh?"

"I've been receiving successor training, so they wanted me to prove my ability..."

"Ha ha."

I burst out laughing. Isn't this too childish?

"So, what's your ability?"

I asked with a laugh, but Hyunmin suddenly wiped the smile off his face and answered.

"I'll be honest with you. We have a connection, so I'll use that to our advantage."

"..."

I was silent for a moment.

Damn. I thought he was just playing the role of the youngest in a chaebol family, but suddenly he's exuding charisma.

He's different from ordinary people, different.

"So... You were already planning to tell me this before I asked."

"Right. I wanted to be honest about my position and ask for your help."

"With what?"

"Just, don't be too adversarial with my brothers. If we approach it with bad feelings, both sides will lose. I think there's a win-win condition for both of us."

"..."

"Here's the one thing I'll ask you. Even if we're still young and can deny it, we're not complete strangers. Let's try to be considerate of each other and make it a positive experience."

Hyunmin's words flowed smoothly.

'His words sound nice, but in the end, he's asking me to make concessions, right?'

At that moment, I thought Hyunmin might be more intimidating than his brothers in some ways.

"I'll put it this way. I don't want to have a stiff conversation with you!"

Hyunmin suddenly changed his expression and smiled brightly.

"Right."

I smiled back.

"I'm definitely trying to 'persuade' you. I've been honest, but my role is to make things go smoothly, so I want to go back to being friends with you."

Wow, Go Hyunmin. You're a sly one.

"Got it."

I said and looked at my watch.

There was still about 20 minutes before my meeting with Go Hyunwook and Go Hyunseok.

They probably gave Hyunmin about 30 minutes to persuade me.

But Hyunmin finished our conversation in less than 10 minutes by explaining his position.

I also showed a friendly attitude, making the atmosphere warm and friendly.

It might be a testament to his ability, given the clear purpose of this meeting.

'But I have my own thoughts about this...'

For now, I'll set aside the stock negotiation issue and focus on my own gains.

"Great. So we have about 20 minutes left. Perfect."

"Huh?"

I walked confidently into the office building.

"Hey, why are you going in already?"

Hyunmin followed me into the building, looking flustered.

"Excuse me, what's the purpose of your visit?"

The security at the entrance of a large company's building is strict.

Last time, I was with Go Hyunwook's secretary, but now I'm alone, so two men in black suits were about to approach me.

It's a natural reaction to see a college student in a casual shirt and jeans walking toward the security gate.

"Oh, he's my friend."

Hyunmin called out urgently from behind me.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and everyone at the entrance, including the men in black suits, bowed deeply.

'Hmph. He can't call me his brother in formal settings either.'

But what can I do? I can't tell the employees that the chairman has a hidden son.

I smiled bitterly and said to Hyunmin, who had followed me through the security gate.

"Actually, there's a place I really want to see in this building."

"Huh?"

I put my hand in my bag to confirm the presence of the Sony FX9.

"Wait a moment."

With Hyunmin following behind, it felt like the L Group building was my front yard.

Or even more than that, with people bowing and clearing the way.

I opened my phone and accessed YouTube. Then I posted a notice.

I can't officially run a bulletin board yet, so I had to create a video with a photo and post it in the video description.

"The next video of 'Things Only I Can Do' is a place only I can go."

The number of subscribers increased again.

1,000 subscribers

"Wow..."

I let out an exclamation without caring about anyone's reaction.

"Ha ha."

With Hyunmin, who has free access to the L Group building, following behind, I headed to the exclusive lounge for top executives.

It's practically a private space for the chairman's family.

It's on the floor below where I met Go Hyunwook and Go Hyunseok last time.

The view from this space, which is on a floor over 30, is incredible.

You might think, "Just 30 floors?" But it's not that simple.

There are only a few buildings over 30 floors in Seongbuk-gu!

Plus, this area is on the border of Jongno-gu and Seongbuk-gu.

Due to the palaces, there are various restrictions on building height.

The headquarters of a top-three chaebol in the business world, located in a similar area in Jongno-gu, is only in the 20s.

So, the view from a 30-story building is unbelievable.

It offers a stunning view of Seoul, with Bukhansan Mountain like a screen in the background, unobstructed by any buildings.

The best part is that this view is rare, making it perfect for YouTube content.

I had already checked out the view when I met with Go Hyunwook and Go Hyunseok on the floor above.

"Great view, and there's a bed. There's exercise equipment... and a shower facility."

As I muttered, I looked into the shower facility and saw that it even had sauna facilities.

"Wow, this is really nice. Do you use it often?"

"No, I don't work here. If I want to exercise or use the sauna, I do it at home."

That means his home has facilities that are just as good, if not better.

"Got it. But it's really nice, man."

"Right. It's like an airport lounge. It's sleek, but... in terms of comfort, it's a bit lacking."

Hyunmin said innocently.

"Is that so."