The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat

Episode 6. There’s no law that says you can only study law.

“Did you see that?”

“Yes, I did.”

On the way back to the headquarters,

Chairman Hyun Byung-gun’s excited voice echoed in the car.

“I thought my heart wouldn’t race anymore now that I’m old, but I was wrong. Chief Joo, today was moving.”

“I also haven’t seen you this happy in a long time, Chairman.”

“Right. Ha ha ha.”

Chairman Hyun looked out the car window and spoke dreamily.

“You understand, don’t you?”

There was no response.

“When I was learning the trade from Master Jubokdal, who was your predecessor, I envied the college and high school students walking around in their uniforms so much.”

“You said that every time you drank. It was before I was even born.”

“Haha, did I really?”

“······.”

“No matter how much money I made, no matter how much I grew the company, that regret remained. Today, all my regrets are gone. It’s all thanks to Sangyoon.”

He knew that and charged a bit more for it,

Chairman Hyun said with a laugh. He didn’t seem the least bit regretful or reproachful.

No, it was more than that.

“The price of the congratulatory watch for the admission, Sangyoon paid for all of it, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Just mark it up ten times and put it on the ledger. When he needs it later, give him exactly that much. The day will surely come when he needs it.”

“I will remember that, Chairman.”

At Chief Joo’s answer, Chairman Hyun nodded.

He closed his eyes.

It was as if he was waiting for that trembling feeling to come back once more.

*

The entrance ceremony was over.

[ Chairman Hyun Byung-gun of Seonghyun Group, notable speech at Korea University entrance ceremony. ]

[ Chairman Hyun’s words, ‘You must become versatile talents who are not buried in one field of study.’, ‘Seonghyun will always be with you on your path.’ ]

The visit of my father and mother also drew attention, but all the focus was on my grandfather, Chairman Hyun.

It was all positive. Most of the reviews praised him as a model of the good influence of conglomerates.

It was unexpected. I was bewildered.

‘What on earth is this?’

I naturally thought he would be disappointed in me.

So I thought he wouldn’t come.

But he did.

And that wasn’t all.

He usually avoided appearing in public for anything other than company matters, saying he wasn’t qualified, but this time was different.

He even gave a congratulatory speech.

Even though he knew all about the money I wasted on foolish things, he still came out like this?

I couldn’t understand.

It wasn’t like Chairman Hyun that I knew.

Something strange was happening. My calculations kept going wrong for some reason.

Since when did this start?

‘Was it the problem of getting into Korea University’s law school?’

But now, there’s nothing I can do about it.

There’s a saying, “riding a tiger and unable to dismount.” It means that once you ride a running tiger, it’s hard to get off.

That’s exactly my situation.

Having come this far, I have no choice but to leave the rest to fate.

‘I just hope the end isn’t the chairman’s office.’

I mean it.

My dream is to live in a building I own, but that doesn’t mean the building has to be the headquarters of Seonghyun Group.

It was at that moment when I thought that.

Knock, knock, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

Assistant Lee Beom-seok came in.

The book in his hand was titled “Introduction to Constitutional Law.” Just looking at the cover without a single picture made it look thick and tedious.

Assistant Lee put it down on the desk and smiled as he said,

“Now the tutoring is over. This much preparation is enough. You’ll be taking real classes at school.”

“That’s right.”

“With the skills I’ve seen from you so far, you won’t have any trouble while attending school. But.”

“But?”

“There are so many monsters, so you should be careful.”

“I’ve met them. They all looked nice.”

“They may look nice, but they don’t study nicely. They’re kids who played on a national level.”

That’s true.

But he misunderstood.

I have no intention of beating them. What would I gain from winning?

“But what is this book?”

In the middle of the conversation, Mr. Lee picked up an unfamiliar book from the desk. The cover had the title written in Chinese characters: “半導體基礎理論” (Basic Theory of Semiconductors).

“Ba…sic… Theory of… Semiconductors?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Well, I don’t know.”

He shrugged his shoulders.

There was no need to make excuses, but he had already decided what to say.

“I’ve been studying law recently, haven’t I? Right?”

“Right.”

“But it seems to me that just because you go to law school, there’s no law that says you have to study only law.”

“…!?”

“Am I right?”

“…Well, of course, there’s no such law… but, sir.”

Mr. Lee’s face was so shocked that he couldn’t continue speaking.

But I didn’t care and continued.

It’s something that needs to be said eventually.

“So, I thought I’d study something else too. There are many other colleges at Korea University besides the law school, aren’t there?”

“That’s true, but…”

“There are many seniors from other departments at Korea University in our company, aren’t there? I thought I’d invite each one of them for private tutoring. What do you think? Doesn’t it sound like a good idea?”

He kept his mouth shut.

I smiled inwardly with satisfaction.

‘Yes, keep doubting. Question my judgment. Report it to the manager.’

That was the intention from the beginning.

Anyone would see this as a crazy act.

Of course.

Law school is for studying law.

Similarly, medical school is for studying medicine, and engineering school is for studying engineering.

Going to Korea University law school to study engineering?

It’s abnormal.

It defies common sense.

Such an absurd action of mine was a calculated move, hoping that if it was reported to the chairman, the impression he had at the entrance ceremony might be diluted.

But what the heck?

“Young master.”

Assistant Lee spoke up.

His expression changed. It was a determined look.

“Now, I think I can understand your grand intention, young master.”

“…What?”

Suddenly? He’s saying something strange.

“At first, I was puzzled. Even though you had received such a great opportunity to attend the monthly meeting with the chairman, I wondered if you were wasting money by suddenly talking about friends. I thought it was strange even while following orders.”

“So?”

“But I heard later that the chairman was very pleased with the entrance ceremony speech. I was struck. I realized that this was the big picture you wanted, young master.”

I decided to keep listening.

“Surely, you’re not saying that I drew that picture, are you?”

“Aren’t you?”

“…Let’s say I did. So what?”

He nodded vigorously with a confident tone.

“I thought you had a vision to not only be the top student in law school but also to excel in other university studies, to make a strong impression on the chairman. If I’m wrong, I apologize…”

No,

That’s not it. You’ve got it wrong.

“I will prepare everything for you.”

But his eyes were already burning. Eyes that had gone too far to be stopped.

“…What?”

“You just gave me an order, didn’t you?”

“So, what?”

“You told me to find tutors for each academic field, to find them within the Seonghyeon Group. What else could it be?”

He packed up the constitutional law book that was no longer needed.

He seemed ready to throw it away.

“I will do it. I will do everything for you.”

“…”

“By any means necessary, I will find the semiconductor basic theory teacher and bring them to you without fail.”

He continued speaking.

“You can look forward to it. By the time of the monthly meeting, I will make sure that you have a good understanding of semiconductor theory.”

*

Hyunsung Electronics President’s Office,

President Im Doo-won’s sigh marked the beginning of another day.

‘Sigh, what amazing thing will happen today?’

The home appliance market in our country was already divided between two groups, Jeongsang and Geosan.

Hyunsung was precariously in third place,

but was soon expected to drop to fourth.

Last year’s sales of their main product, black-and-white televisions, had noticeably declined, and the growth of the trailing competitor, Hou Electronics, was alarming.

Hou had already overtaken Hyunsung in the order of placement at retail stores.

It was a great humiliation.

If the chairman heard about it, it would be the end.

Given these circumstances, the monthly meeting chaired by the chairman this Wednesday was nothing short of a death sentence for President Im.

“Is the presentation material ready?”

“Yes!”

“This is not enough. At this rate, we’re all going to lose our heads. Do you think you’ll be safe if I get cut?”

“I’m, I’m sorry. I’ll fix it!”

He took out his frustration on the employees.

It wasn’t a joke; he really needed to look for another job.

Unless he came up with a sharp item to turn the chairman’s mind before the meeting.

But if it were an idea that could come out, it would have come out long ago.

All that increased was his sighs.

It was then.

– An employee from the headquarters’ secretary’s office is here. They want to see you, sir.

“Did I have an appointment?”

– No, sir. Shall I let them in?

Could it be already?

Did they send the Grim Reaper?

“Let them in.”

While preparing his mind, he firmly suppressed his trembling voice. Even if he had to leave, he didn’t want to go disgracefully.

Soon after,

“Hello, President Im Doo-won. Nice to meet you for the first time. I am Deputy Lee Beom-seok, dispatched from the headquarters’ secretary office.”

The secretary office staff entered.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Thank you.”

The difference in rank was like heaven and earth, but he couldn’t treat the secretary office staff carelessly.

There’s a reason why people say you can’t even pee towards the headquarters.

President Im glanced cautiously.

‘What is he trying to say?’

But whether he knew that or not, Deputy Lee quietly took a book out of his bag and placed it on the desk.

“This book is about the basics of semiconductor theory.”

“It seems so.”

“I came here to ask you a favor, even though it might be impolite.”

He took a breath and continued.

“The youngest son of the Vice Chairman’s family, Master Sang-yoon, wants to study this book but needs a tutor. We would appreciate it if you could assign a few employees from Seonghyun Electronics who are well-versed in the basics of semiconductor theory.”

A question mark appeared on President Im’s face.

It was because it was so unexpected.

What is he talking about now? Is he indirectly telling me to align with the Vice Chairman’s line?

His mind started to spin rapidly.

Clues began to emerge.

‘Come to think of it, the atmosphere around the Vice Chairman has been strange since last year.’

Chairman Hyun Byung-gun was already over seventy.

He is healthy for now.

But it’s not an age where you can confidently look ten or twenty years ahead.

In other words,

Vice Chairman Hyun Deok-jae, who oversees the entire group, President Hyun Seung-jae of Seonghyun Trading, who holds the group’s cash cow,

President Hyun Woo-jae of Seonghyun Comprehensive Chemicals, and President Hyun Hee-jae of Seonghyun Department Store were all considered potential candidates for the next leadership.

Given the circumstances, even among the presidents, there was a fierce, behind-the-scenes battle to predict and align with the next leader, even if they didn’t openly talk about it.

Of course, all of this was done secretly from Chairman Hyun.

If caught, not only would they be stripped of their clothes, but they would also face a horrific fate, unable to find a foothold anywhere in the business world.

In such a situation,

‘I must grab this line now.’

If it had been suggested outright to side with the Vice Chairman, it would have been politely declined in a roundabout way.

But the young master is different.

He is a trump card.

If Hyun Deok-jae falls out of the race for the top position, it would just be seen as doing a favor for the young master. But if Hyun Deok-jae becomes the next chairman, it would become a powerful lifeline.

It was an easy decision.

“I am very pleased to hear that the young master is interested in electronics.”

President Im Doo-won, who had reached a conclusion, answered with a smile.