The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Episode 17. I must become number one at all costs.

Rumors had already spread throughout the school.

“Hey, you know Hyun Sang-yoon from the law school? They say he’s a genius.”

“I heard he completely ignored the multiple-choice questions and only got perfect scores on the essay questions. Apparently, he did it on purpose to give up the scholarship.”

“Wow, that’s crazy. Is he some kind of angel?”

“Is that even possible?”

“He did it, so it must be possible. And that’s not all. He gave that expensive herbal medicine to all the first-year students in our school. I tried it, and it worked like a charm.”

“Well, he’s from a chaebol family, so he must have a lot of money to give out herbal medicine and give up the scholarship.”

Everyone nodded at the last comment.

Everyone was convinced.

Even a week after the exams were over, the rumors showed no signs of dying down.

It was because of the intelligence tonic that was sent to every single first-year student under Seong-hyun’s name.

It was as if everyone had made a crazy pact to repay the favor they received.

Thanks to that, I was the only one suffering.

I had a bitter taste in my mouth.

“This is driving me crazy, seriously.”

The plan to lower my exam rank and get a bad evaluation at the company had backfired.

The result was completely opposite of what I wanted.

My grandfather’s evaluation?

He seemed ready to lock me up in the company.

My reputation at school?

From the president to the dean, no, the entire law school was praising me. It was so bothersome that I couldn’t even walk around the campus.

It felt like the Gangnam building I thought I had in my hands was slipping away.

Tears welled up.

“I need to find another way.”

I steeled my heart.

There was still a long way to go before I graduated. As they say, it’s not over until it’s over.

Next time, I must become number one at all costs.

Of course, from behind.

Thinking that, I left the main building of the law school. I had a place to go.

[ Law School Second Library Seongam Library Completion Ceremony ]

Today was the historic ‘that day.’

To me, it is an object of love and hate.

I tried to get out of my grandfather’s favor by asking him to build a building in Gangnam, but instead, it became the reason I got into his good graces.

After a while,

‘It is grand, indeed.’

I had seen the construction while coming and going.

Until now, I had never had a proper look at it because of the temporary fences and scaffolding surrounding it.

It revealed its exterior for the first time.

The building, seen up close for the first time, was bigger and more impressive than I had thought.

It had to be.

It’s not an ordinary library.

Though it’s called the second library, it’s a large stone building with two basement floors and four above-ground floors, a total floor area of 6,352㎡, and over 100,000 books.

In other schools, it would be comparable to the central library.

I approached the event venue.

“Young master!”

Deputy Lee Beom-seok, who had been waiting for me at the entrance, greeted me.

“Please come this way. A seat has been prepared for you, young master.”

“Of course, it’s in the front row, right?”

“Of course.”

Phew,

I sighed.

Of course, I know it’s inevitable.

But, sitting in a seat that draws attention again in a situation where I’m already getting attention from other students made me feel heavy-hearted.

Isn’t my reputation rising that much?

I would rather they criticize me for showing off, saying that as a chaebol’s child, all I can do is flaunt my money.

But would that ever happen?

‘They say it’s being built thanks to him?’

‘Even though he’s a chaebol, he doesn’t show it off and goes around quietly, but he’s been doing great things behind the scenes. This is what social contribution is, what else could it be?’

‘It’s really impressive.’

It would be something like this.

I don’t even need to hear it to know.

Shaking my head inwardly, I headed to my seat in front of the podium.

“Is that you, Sang-yoon?”

My father, Vice Chairman Hyun Deok-jae, who had arrived earlier and was already seated, greeted me warmly. The Chairman had not yet arrived.

“Yes, Father.”

I answered demurely.

“Young master, you have become quite handsome since I last saw you.”

Chief Secretary Jo Hyung-man, who was standing behind my father, smiled broadly as soon as he saw me.

“You flatter me. Have you been well, Chief Jo?”

“Oh, of course.”

We shook hands,

“Sit down.”

At my father’s words, I quickly took my seat.

Time passed like that.

Soon, the host took the podium.

It was a familiar face. I don’t know how they managed to get him, but he was a famous announcer who hosted a public broadcast news program.

— Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. Uh, uh. Mic test. We will begin the rehearsal shortly.

‘It’s really impressive.’

Whatever it was, it was a place to eternally engrave my grandfather’s pen name, ‘Seong-am,’ into Korea University. It wasn’t strange to put so much effort into it.

While I was lost in various thoughts, the start time of the event approached quickly.

The fanfare sounded,

— The two protagonists of the Seong-am Library, President Chun Jong-tae of Korea University and Chairman Hyun Byung-gun of Seonghyun Group, are entering the venue.

The announcer’s smooth hosting began.

Thunderous applause followed.

At the same time, my grandfather, Chairman Hyun Byung-gun, appeared at the event hall with a pleased expression, accompanied by President Chun.

The dean was guiding the two.

“Hyun Byung-gun! Hyun Byung-gun!”

“Thank you, Chairman!”

I saw it.

The unmistakable joy that couldn’t be hidden on the face of Chairman Hyun, who was listening to the cheers.

My grandfather’s eyes met mine.

‘It’s thanks to you, Sang-yoon.’

‘No, it’s absolutely not because of me.’

It felt like such a conversation had taken place. It was slightly eerie.

Soon,

— Everyone, please be quiet. We will now proceed with the completion ceremony of the Seongam Library.

The announcer’s neat voice began to fill the event hall.

— Before the official start of the event, I would like to give some guidance for the smooth progress of the event. Through today’s Seongam Library completion ceremony, two separate ceremonies will be held. The first event is the awarding of the first ‘Seongam Scholarship’ by Chairman Hyun Byung-gun of the Seonghyun Group.

*

Chairman Hyun Byung-gun felt a deep sense of emotion.

It was just a few days ago.

He had a craving for a special meal that wasn’t Japanese cuisine, so he called his ‘pretty’ grandson, Hyun Sang-yoon. It was a high-end French restaurant in Yeonhui-dong.

For some time now, whenever he sought something precious and delicious, he thought of his grandson.

At that moment, the boy spoke.

‘I have a favor to ask of you, Grandfather.’

What? A favor?

It was something he had dreamed of hearing.

He had been worried about how to keep his grandson, who seemed to be drifting away from the legal field, close with some gift.

‘A favor…’

‘A small favor.’

‘Whether it’s big or small, just tell me. I’ll think about whether I can do it after I hear it.’

He was planning to grant it unconditionally anyway.

He was just saying that.

It was the last bit of pride he could show as an adult to his grandson.

‘I would like you to give a scholarship.’

However, the words that came out of his grandson Hyun Sang-yoon’s mouth were unexpected.

‘You don’t mean you want to receive a scholarship, do you? You want to establish a scholarship at your school? Isn’t there already a merit-based scholarship?’

It was about the scholarship you gave up, he didn’t mention this.

‘I know.’

‘But why?’

‘Isn’t it a separate issue for our Seonghyun Foundation to provide scholarships? The justification is sufficient. The completion ceremony of the Seongam Library is just around the corner.’

It made sense.

“Hmm.”

A smile appeared on Chairman Hyun’s face as he thought about it.

It was always surprising.

Once, he asked for a library to be built as a gift for entering the law school at Korea University, and now he wants scholarships to be provided to students.

At first glance, it seems like he is not doing it for himself, but that’s not the case.

Not at all.

Chairman Hyun knew.

He knew that his grandson’s sharp cunning, which seemed to be for others but was actually using every chance solely for himself, was lurking in his heart.

He gladly accepted.

It wasn’t a waste of money.

It was money that had to be spent.

To hold onto his chance-making grandson, or rather, for the future of Seonghyun, it was the right thing to do.

It was around that time he was thinking this.

— ······ With Chairman Hyun Byung-gun’s congratulatory speech, we will proceed with the first awarding ceremony of the ‘Seongam Scholarship’ starting this year. Please welcome Chairman Hyun Byung-gun with a round of applause.

Several cameras focused on Chairman Hyun. He quickly returned to reality.

He reattached the solid iron face.

‘Thanks to my smart grandson, who I don’t know how far he will develop, I’m having great fun in my old age.’

He thought.

Thunderous applause,

As he strode towards the podium, the happiness that couldn’t be hidden even by the iron face hung on the corners of his mouth.

Soon,

“Hello, faculty and fellow students of Korea University’s proud cradle of talent, the best university in Korea. I am Hyun Byung-gun, Chairman of Seonghyun Group.”

He finally opened his mouth in front of the microphone.

At that moment,

The feelings of Kang Jun, a first-year law student watching him, were no different.

I received a scholarship.

‘Why did I receive a scholarship?’

Of course, it wasn’t that I wasn’t grateful.

My family wasn’t well-off.

There wasn’t much I could expect from my parents who were small-scale farmers in the countryside.

Tuition support was all they could provide.

It was fortunate, if anything, that I could attend Korea University, where the tuition was cheap. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to attend university at all.

But I still needed money.

There were many hidden costs like boarding fees and living expenses.

So, I tutored.

Finding a position wasn’t difficult.

The problem was elsewhere. Because of tutoring, it wasn’t easy to secure enough time for my own studies.

—

[198X Freshman Year 1st Semester Midterm Exam Rankings]

⋮

175th Kangjun Lim (51.1 points)

176th Sangyun Hyun (50.0 points)

⋮

289th Deukhyeong Oh (32.9 points) End.

—

That was the reason, if any, why I ended up with the shocking result of being in the lower-middle ranks for the first time in my life in this midterm exam.

Then one day,

‘Hey, student, come here for a moment.’

‘Yes?’

When I arrived at the boarding house, the landlady was waiting for me, even though it was a time when she would normally be asleep.

Did I not pay the boarding fee? I thought to myself.

But that wasn’t it. I had definitely paid this month’s boarding fee.

‘Take this.’

The landlady handed me a letter with a somewhat strange expression.

With a puzzled mind, I went into my room and examined the envelope. The large Seonghyeon logo caught my eye first.

Perhaps the changed attitude was because of that.

It was bitter.

He shrugged his shoulders and examined the contents.

And inside, there was an official document from the Seonghyeon Foundation stating that he would be awarded a scholarship of 400,000 won.

It was quite a large sum of money.

There was also an invitation to attend the completion ceremony of the Seongam Library and to grace the occasion with his presence.

And now,

‘He is a grateful person.’

With eyes full of gratitude, he was intently watching the mouth of Chairman Hyun Byung-gun of Seonghyeon, who was standing tall on the podium.

He was the person who gave him the scholarship.

There was no reason not to be thankful.

“You are all valuable talents!”

At that moment, Chairman Hyun’s speech brought him back to reality. The loud speech continued.

“At Seonghyeon, based on the midterm exam results of the law school, we have decided to award ‘Excellence Scholarships’ of 400,000 won, equivalent to half a year’s tuition, to 175 top students, and ‘Merit Scholarships’ of 800,000 won, equivalent to a full year’s tuition, to all 113 other students.”

Chairman Hyun added that the reason the Excellence Scholarship amount was less than the Merit Scholarship was because the recipients were more likely to receive other scholarships.

“······!”

“······!”

Everyone who was listening was surprised.

They were shocked.

Among them, the most shocked person was Im Kang-jun, who had confirmed the scholarship amount the day before.

‘So that’s what the 400,000 won meant.’

Clearly, the total number of first-year law students was 289. According to Chairman Hyun’s words, if you add up the numbers, the total number of scholarship recipients was 288.

It must have excluded Hyun Sang-yoon.

That was certain.

However,

‘What is the criterion for dividing 174 and 113?’

Im Kang-jun knew, even if others didn’t.

He clearly remembered Hyun Sang-yoon’s name below his own on the midterm exam ranking announcement he had seen a while ago.

In other words,

‘Those who scored better than Hyun Sang-yoon received the Excellence Scholarship, and those who scored worse received the Merit Scholarship, which was double the amount.’

He was ranked 175th, and Hyun Sang-yoon was 176th.

A mere difference of one rank cost him 400,000 won. That money could cover a semester’s scholarship. It would be enough for a few months’ worth of boarding fees.

‘Ugh.’

It was regrettable.

So very regrettable.

Meanwhile,

Chairman Hyun’s speech was heading towards its conclusion, leaving others in shock.

“The scholarship will not end with this one time. We plan to give another opportunity during the final exams, so please do not give up on your studies just because it is difficult now. That will be all. Thank you.”

Thunderous applause erupted.

In the meantime,

‘Hyun Sang-yoon, that b*stard, I must be number one next time. No matter what it takes, I must make it happen.’

Kang Jun-im resolved.

Of course, that resolution was not his alone.

Wasn’t it Korea University, where the brightest minds from all over the country gathered? Everyone who understood the significance of those numbers had the same thought.

They thought to themselves.

‘Next time, I must come in last.’

It was strange.

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling. He didn’t know exactly why, but it felt like he had missed something.

A moment later,

“Thank you for Chairman Hyun Byung-gun’s congratulatory speech.”

The announcer resumed the proceedings.

“Chairman Hyun, please do not leave yet and stay on the podium for a moment. The second event will begin shortly. The second event is…”