Chapter 9

Tae-sik extinguished his cigarette in a paper cup and threw it into the trash can.

It was a miss. It wasn't that he missed; the trash can was already overflowing.

Mae-rin picked it up and placed it neatly on top of the trash can. Tae-sik chuckled.

"Tea? Coffee? Which one should I offer you?"

"Hehe, you're starting to talk to me now?"

"Well, you're worth more than me, so I feel a bit awkward speaking informally."

"Oh my, if we're talking about worth, aren't we about the same? I'm a woman who's managed."

Her smile never left her face.

'Is she really going to counter like this? They say if the eldest son of Daeho had been a girl, the succession would have changed... Everyone who aimed for Daeho knew this story.'

"So, coffee or tea?"

"I'll have tea. The same one you just had. Ah, is calling you 'Mr. Tae-sik' inappropriate?"

Tae-sik could sense from each of Mae-rin's actions that she had come with a purpose.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to remain so composed despite his arrogance.

"Here."

"Can we sit down and talk?"

"Let's just stand. I don't want to offer the sofa."

"You're stubborn."

"If you feel I'm stubborn, have a cup of tea and just leave. I'm being polite, but it doesn't mean I'm comfortable."

"I'm sorry for coming without prior coordination. I thought it would be rude to send someone else first, so I came directly."

"If you knew it was rude, you shouldn't have come."

Mae-rin pouted. It wasn't a cute act; it was a habit.

If you search for Mae-rin's photos online, you'll find several where she's pouting.

"Are you rejecting me without even hearing me out?"

"Even if I don't, it's obvious you're trying to use me. No matter how polite and kind you are, you're still a chaebol. When you move, you bring a horde of bodyguards. You think everyone will recognize your name on a business card. And you think you can use anyone as you please. Isn't that right?"

"Use? I didn't think of using you. I was thinking of a legitimate contractual relationship..."

"That's what using is. Making someone work to get what you need. Using."

"Then is the employer-employee relationship also using?"

"It falls under the category of using. The issue is how maliciously you use someone... Daeho isn't always so quiet, you know? Like in semiconductors, for example."

"Hotels are different. I'm a hotel manager."

You can be as stubborn as you want, but you're this persistent.

"Hmm, fine. I'll listen. Even if it hurts my pride, I'll listen. What could be so desperate that you can endure this much?"

Her previously calm expression finally wavered. Her hands tightened. She deliberately put down the paper cup she was holding, afraid she might crumple it.

"If my actions seem arrogant to others, they might think so. It's relative, after all. But, don't people like us have filial piety?"

Her voice trembled slightly. Mae-rin took a deep breath and continued.

"Are the people you call chaebols not allowed to genuinely worry about their parents? They are parents, after all. If your parents are in the hospital, it's natural to worry and try to save them. Is that strange? Succession? My father is an old-fashioned man who insists on legitimate succession for any reason. You must have heard this, as it was often in the news, especially since you aimed for Daeho."

Mae-rin couldn't stop talking, clearly upset.

Daeho (1)

"Then it's really pure filial piety?"

"Talking about filial piety makes me feel embarrassed. My father has been in the hospital for three years. It's natural to worry. It's natural to be desperate."

Power.

Tae-sik thought that power was the most powerful drug that could drive people mad.

He knew this from experience.

People driven mad by power abandon their humanity.

Even the parents who raised them, the teachers who guided them, the saviors of their lives.

Anyone could be turned against with a knife by power.

The throne of Daeho is not just the position of a major corporation's chairman.

It's the top in Korea and fourth in the world. That fourth place is ahead of Saudi Arabia's oil companies and China's state-owned banks.

When traveling abroad, the Daeho chairman receives better protocol than the president.

Some even call Korea the Daeho Republic. Whether it's a sarcastic comment or not, Daeho in Korea is that Daeho.

"You don't believe me?"

"I don't believe anything a tongue can say, even breathing."

"Then how can I make you believe? Would showing you the current shareholding status help?"

Tae-sik waved his hand.

"That's enough."

He wouldn't understand even if he saw it. He didn't want to see it and didn't want to take the time to look. It was just a hassle.

"Then I'll take it as you believe me. Can we move on to the next step?"

"Yes, yes, let's do that. Let's see how it goes."

"You must have some desire to run a place like this. It could be just for money, or it could be a front for something else. Tell me anything. I can meet any conditions."

"Any conditions?"

"Yes. Even if it's impossible for me, my father can make it happen. Our family motto is 'repay kindness tenfold, repay enmity a hundredfold.' People only remember the part about enmity, but we have always repaid kindness tenfold. If my father can be revived with your help, I won't take that kindness lightly."

Her voice was calm and not arrogant.

Not only was her tone good, but her breathing and rhythm were also steady. It was smooth to listen to, even though she was clearly upset.

That's why Tae-sik listened to Mae-rin without interrupting.

She was highly praised among Daeho's successors, and indeed, she lived up to it.

"Still, I refuse."

"Can you tell me why? If my attitude is unsatisfactory, I'll improve."

"Perfect. I have nothing to say. You're exactly the image of the CEO I knew when I was a job seeker."

"Then why... This is an offer from Daeho. Anyone would at least consider it, right? Ah, I said I didn't like this attitude? I was talking about a general case, so don't misunderstand."

"I don't want to be involved with people like that. I know you're not a typical chaebol, but the people around you are different. The moment I help you, I'll be entangled in that world. Well, since you came to the store directly, I'm already entangled, but still."

"Hmm..."

Mae-rin clenched her hands and groaned.

She realized that coming here was a mistake.

She hadn't considered that someone might reject Daeho's offer.

Naturally, she thought that if she came first, she would be treated accordingly.

But the man in front of her was genuinely refusing.

It wasn't a hidden agenda or a gesture for better negotiations. He could see that much.

"I'm sorry. I thought it through, but it seems I've caused you inconvenience."

"I understand your sincerity. But I'm not the one."

"I'm sorry."

Mae-rin hesitated for a moment, but Tae-sik didn't waver. Further persuasion would only be toxic.

"Can I borrow a pen?"

Tae-sik snapped his fingers, and a pen flew from the front table to land in front of Mae-rin.

"Thank you."

Mae-rin took out the business card Tae-sik had called a paper nameplate and wrote her phone number on it.

"If you ever encounter Daeho, please contact me. I'll handle it so it doesn't cause any unpleasantness."

Tae-sik didn't take it.

Mae-rin carefully wrote "Hotel" after "Daeho" on the front and "Manager" before her name on the back.

"Should I write the address too?"

"Oh, just leave it."

"Yes. I'll take care of the visit to the store. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Mae-rin bowed slightly and left.

Tae-sik watched her leave through the window.

She walked out of the alley, ignoring what her bodyguards were saying.

"Pure filial piety..."

He wasn't curious about the chairman of Daeho, but he was curious about Mae-rin's father, Ma Dae-ho.

Tae-sik lay on the sofa and searched for Ma Dae-ho on his phone. News about his illness came up first.

Tae-sik scrolled a few times and then stopped.

"What a hassle."

He just lay there.

"Hey, is Manager Kang here?"

"Hey, bro, what's up?"

Yong-ju came to the store.

"What's up? I was nearby for work and thought of you. How's business?"

"Does it look good?"

"Looking at your face, it seems like it's doing great."

"What does my face look like?"

"Like you have no worries in the world. What time is it? Let's go out for lunch."

"It's not even 12 yet."

"Who cares about that? Hurry up, I'll treat you."

Tae-sik got up quietly.

"Can we eat something expensive?"

"Under 30,000 won."

"Then I'll have the sushi bowl set."

Tae-sik deliberately went to a restaurant in the food street. As soon as he sat down, he ordered sashimi first.

"Hey, you said you were having the sushi bowl."

"Just order. It's you, after all."

"You're a funny guy. Manager, a small bottle of sake, please."

"Isn't it still work hours? Can you drink?"

"I did a big job this morning. I've used up my quota for the week. And it's lunch, so I can drink. I can't in the evening."

"Why?"

"I have to go home early to see my daughter. She's grown two more front teeth. I have to teach her how to brush them. She's growing so fast, but it also feels like she's not growing at all, hahaha." His sister-in-law's nagging wasn't a real complaint. Tae-sik understood that feeling.

"Hey, you're a dad who loves his daughter, a dad who loves his daughter."

"You should hear your kid call you dad. A kid who can't even walk properly comes to me and hugs me, hahaha. Being a dad who loves his daughter is nothing. Being a dad who's an idiot is more like it."

The food they ordered arrived. Tae-sik ate a few bites with each chopstick.

His glass was full.

"By the way, I did some digging on the previous manager, but there's nothing to find. Phone numbers and addresses are meaningless."

"Never mind, I didn't ask you to look into it."

"Wasn't that the point?"

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Alright. But what happened next? No follow-up story?"

Tae-sik remembered a not-so-important follow-up story, about Mae-rin.

"Are you crazy? Now, this is just a load of crap. You're acting like you're in a royal chamber pot."

After hearing the whole story, Yong-ju burst into a string of curses.

He had never heard such curses, no matter how much nonsense he had spouted before.

"I told you the story because you asked. Is this what I get for it?"

"Is that what you call a story? Mae-rin, Mae-rin. Mae-rin of Daeho. Help her out a bit, do a little favor, and ask for a manager position at Daeho Hotel. Then you won't have to deal with pawnshops or anything."

"Are you listening to me? Do you think it will end there? You'll keep getting entangled."

"Still, it's Mae-rin. You can help her a bit."

"When did you see her and decide you can help her? Did you get special service at Daeho Hotel?"

"You don't understand the world, do you?"

Yong-ju took out his phone, tapped a few times, and showed it to Tae-sik.

"Look."

Mae-rin's volunteer activities and social welfare work at the hotel were listed.

Support for house helpers for families of dementia patients.

Donation of necessities and medicine to Sorok Island.

Support for home schooling and connection to world-class medical teams for children with rare diseases.

Support for social reintegration programs for severely injured breadwinners.

There was still a lot more to scroll through.

"It's just for the company's image, what else?"

"There are plenty of companies that don't do this for their image. And they just throw money at it, not with such sincerity. Look. She supports mental health and self-esteem training programs for bullied students. Isn't she really helping people in the welfare blind spots? No chaebol does volunteer work like this."

"You're a fan, a fan. Anyone would think you're part of Daeho's PR team."

"You wanted to join Daeho when you were in college, didn't you?"

"Is there a job seeker who doesn't like Daeho?"

Yong-ju took a swig of his drink, his throat parched.

"Hey, just help her. It's about filial piety, filial piety. Who doesn't have filial piety? Mae-rin is real. She received proper home education from Lady Lee Ok-jeong. Who is Lady Lee Ok-jeong? She's the daughter of Lee Bong-gun, an independence activist and one of the founders of Daeho..."

"Who wants to know about Daeho's history? Just eat your lunch."

"Come on, you can help her a bit. The art pieces in the Daeho Art Museum were collected by Lady Lee Ok-jeong, who gathered art stolen by the Japanese. The men in the family might not, but the women can be helped."

"Why are you making such a fuss?"

Tae-sik listened to Yong-ju's nagging until the end and then parted ways.

When he entered the store, a customer was already there.

A pair of sunglasses and a hat that didn't match her simple clothing.

It was a presence that couldn't be hidden, especially not from Tae-sik.

"What is it?"

"The door was open, so I came in. I'm sorry for the intrusion."

"During lunch hours, I would naturally be out for lunch. Did you come and wait without thinking about that?"

"I thought it would be rude to bother you during business hours. If you don't mind, could you take a look at this?"

Mae-rin, ignoring Tae-sik's irritation, handed him a thick envelope.

"These are documents about our company's shareholding and control structure."

"Can you show this to someone else?"

"If it can save my father, it doesn't matter."

"But I might not have the ability to do that."

"But I believe you have the ability to help a lot."

Tae-sik didn't open the stack of documents.

"Check it out. Really. Even if my father wakes up, it won't affect my control over the Daeho Group. It's not a structure I can change anymore."

"You really make things difficult. Do we have to make each other blush to understand?"

Tae-sik split the air and opened a warp gate to Kim Team Leader's office.

"Mr., Mr. Manager!"

The team leader on the other side of the gate was startled and stumbled through.

"Take her away. If you bother me one more time, I'll hinder you instead of helping."

Tae-sik threw the report she brought through the gate and closed it. Then he went up to the roof and lit a cigarette.