The Youngest Son of Sunyang

On December 7th, I woke up unusually early. My grandfather had already told me my test scores, but the tension still lingered.

When I went out to pick up the morning newspaper, there was a commotion in front of our gate. It was the first time I'd witnessed such a disturbance in our quiet residential neighborhood. Curious, I opened the door, and suddenly, camera flashes went off, and microphones blocked my view.

"Mr. Jin Do-Jun?"

"Are you Jin Do-Jun, the student?"

It was still dark at 6 in the morning in December, and due to the blinding flashes, I couldn't see anything. I hastily closed the door.

What could this be about?

My father, in his pajamas, came down to the garden, yawning and patting me on the back.

"They're here to interview you."

"Why me? Shouldn't they be interviewing the nationwide top scorer for the college entrance exam?"

"Don't you know why? The top scorer is ordinary, but the high score of Sunyang Group's grandson. Besides, your father is the president of a film production company, and your mother is a former actress who still retains her beauty. Which one do you think will attract more attention?" My father chuckled and pointed to the front gate. "Your grandfather just called. You should match his mood. He wants to brag about you."

Oh, our distinguished grandfather. Does he always want to brag about his grandson, regardless of whether he's rich or poor?

"Just do a quick interview. And don't forget to mention that it's thanks to your wonderful parents when you're interviewed."

"Father, I don't recall you helping me with my studies."

"I never stressed you out or nagged you due to excessive expectations for my child. Appropriate indulgence is the greatest virtue of parents. Don't forget that. Hehe."

After succeeding in a few films and becoming an undeniable president of a prominent production company in Chungmuro, I could see my father's hidden sincerity.

He never lost his cheerful and always composed laughter. His sense of humor, rarely displayed, was also exceptional. His Western mindset, treating his son as a fellow human being rather than just a child, was evident.

The study was already cleaned up, and my mother had prepared tea and snacks for the reporters.

"Do-Jun, change into your school uniform. I think it suits you."

Even my mother couldn't hide her desire to show off.

After preparing for the interview, my mother brought the reporters inside.

TV broadcast reporters had brought a cameraman, but my father, who understood the power of visuals, started to coordinate.

"Turn off the cameras. Isn't a photo enough for the background screen? You're only going to air 30 seconds or less, anyway."

"But we still need a couple of shots..."

"Words disappear, but visuals last forever. I'd rather not do anything that might hinder our child."

"Mr. Jin, what could possibly hinder our child?"

Is there anything that could hinder Mr. Jin?

The TV news reporter laughed and said, but my father shook his head.

"Let's just do it my way. Turn off the cameras."

The cameras were turned off, and the interview began.

Right from the start, there were direct questions.

"Do you, Do-Jun, also say that you studied based on textbooks?"

"Why would I do that? Would the grandson of the richest person in our country study only from textbooks?"

The somewhat challenging answer caused some reporters to chuckle. Even journalists get tired of cookie-cutter interviews.

"Well then...?"

"I had private tutors for each subject... I had one-on-one tutoring throughout the year. Just the money spent on that would be equivalent to ten years of your salaries, wouldn't it?"

"..."

Was that too explicit? When the journalists didn't follow up with questions, my father, who had been observing, couldn't hold back his laughter and chuckled.

"Where do you plan to apply?"

It was a rather ordinary question, as if following the conventional script. They seemed like novice journalists.

"I plan to apply to the Law School."

"Oh, is your goal to become a prosecutor?"

"Yes."

At this point, a journalist posed another provocative question.

"Is the reason you're applying to Law School because you were excluded from the succession plan of the Sunyang Group?"

The journalist paused briefly, examining my expression, and then continued.

"With such influential grandparents and many cousins... as the youngest member of the Sunyang family, do you think there's no possibility for you?"

I was initially taken aback, but it actually worked out well. I just needed to provide answers that people would want to hear when they watched this interview.

"I haven't thought about it that way... Well, my parents live very freely. They're involved in completely unrelated businesses from the Sunyang Group. So, I've never really considered the Sunyang Group as a potential path for myself."

"Have you ever thought about whether, as a lawyer, you would pursue a path unrelated to the Sunyang Group or if you would provide auxiliary support to the Sunyang Group?"

Enough is enough; I shouldn't go further. This level is just right. Too many words can lead to misinterpretation. I quickly changed the topic.

"I've never really thought about it. But who is the top scorer for the college entrance exam?"

"Oh, it's a student from Jeju Island..."

"In the science track or humanities?"

"Science track."

"That student, achieving the top score without even relying on private tutors like me, must be a real genius or an incredibly hard worker. Oh, maybe both?"

"Do-Jun student, do you have any plans for studying abroad by any chance...?"

I wanted to wrap it up at this point. After all, the articles they have to write are already predetermined.

"Hey, reporters. Go to Jeju Island for your coverage, and please write my article according to my grandfather's tastes. You know it was sent from the desk to bring in some ads, right?"

The journalists seemed speechless.

"My grandfather studied mainly from textbooks and used reference books and practice papers. If you write an article mentioning that, he will really appreciate it."