< For the Music Genius - Episode 108 >
“How did you come here?”
He was an old gentleman wearing a bowler hat.
“Have you come to see my daughter-in-law?”
“yes?”
The female employee of the gallery asked curiously. At that moment, another employee who recognized the old gentleman’s face from behind hurriedly ran out and bowed his head.
“Mr. Chairman, are you here?”
The chin of the employee who first responded to the word ‘Chairman’ slowly turned as if in slow motion. There was Chairman Wang, smiling playfully.
“Father, why didn’t you come with Secretary Choi?”
“Hey, I’m not a kid. It’s not bad to come here alone like this once in a while.”
“Father, you too, must have felt the new employee’s heart sink by now. It’s fortunate that Mi-hyeon recognized you right away. If not, wouldn’t you have continued teasing the new employee?”
Chairman Wang walked forward without trying to deny it. It was a gallery where works by famous artists were hung. Chairman Wang stopped and stood in front of a painting with blue dots on a pure white piece of paper.
“I think it would be nice to hang this in the hallway.”
“Father, you really have a keen eye.”
Although the artwork was worth hundreds of millions of won, Chairman Wang chose from a variety of items as if he had just come out of a local mart. Since it was a gallery under the Jeil Foundation, in a way, it was like Chairman Wang’s.
“Do you want to take charge of the foundation in the future?”
“Yes, father.”
Chairman Wang liked his daughter-in-law. She had considerable ambition. Taking charge of the Jeil Foundation was no different from saying that she would get the Jeil Group’s financial lifeline in her hands. If she were only greedy and not capable, she would be shameless, but wasn’t her ability also outstanding? If she had been born a man, she would have already played the role of a great man.
“You know that Hyun-i went to Seocho-dong today, right?”
“Yes, Father. But why did you send Hyeon to Seocho-dong?”
“To judge what kind of vessel it is. Isn’t there a big difference between knowing something in theory and actually facing it?”
It was the Jeil Group, which had dozens of subsidiaries and countless employees. If an ordinary person were to see that reality with their own eyes, they would freeze and not be able to move.
“I just got a call from Ilseon. Do you know where Hyun-i wanted to go first?”
“Could it be the business planning department?”
“At that level, I wouldn’t be surprised. I heard he asked me to go to the strategic planning office.”
Chairman Wang burst into a pleasant laugh. The strategic planning office was somewhere, the actual brains of Jeil Group. It was a department that was openly kept secret within Jeil Group. Indeed, what kind of appearance would Kang Hyun show there? Chairman Wang was very curious. It was then.
“Why is it so noisy?”
Why did they hear English coming from outside? Chairman Wang and Hye-ra Im walked out together. There, Mi-hyeon Kim and a white woman who looked like a model were standing face to face.
*
‘It’s been a while.’
It was old and worn, but the structure was no different from the past. From the construction to the internal structure, there was no part of Jeil Group’s headquarters that was not touched by Chairman Wang. I heard that not only was the geomancy expert in charge of the location of the departments, but there was also a rumor that a fortuneteller had arranged the locations of the departments. Perhaps that is why, even when there was a reorganization, there were almost no cases of departments being moved.
‘hmm.’
If you walk past the left corner here, you will find the management support department, and if you go up the stairs, you will find the management planning team. In my past life, I was on good terms with the general affairs staff. It was a place where money came in, including welfare support. Just talk nicely, and it is not a big deal for airplane seats to change from business to first class.
“Hyun-ah, have you ever been here?”
Oh, I guess I was walking around excitedly, reminiscing about old memories. President Son Il-seon was looking at me with a questioning look. I shook my head and calmed my excited steps. However, President Son Il-seon still looked questioning. Anyway.
‘Strategy Planning Office.’
Wasn’t it the place I had wanted to visit so much in my past life? It was the most mysterious place in Jeil Group, like Area 51 in the Mojave Desert in Nevada. It was no wonder that I didn’t see their faces often, and I didn’t even talk to other employees. Furthermore, there were no new employees in the strategic planning department.
It was a unique department with no lower-level positions, as most of the staff were career positions. Rumors were going around in the company, such as that an ordinary-looking, pot-bellied old man was a former military intelligence colonel, or that the strategic planning office was dominated by people from the Federal Reserve. It was similar to the rumor that there were aliens in Area 51.
“It’s fortunate that the planning director is reporting on that day.”
It was the first strategic planning office I visited. I had a rough idea of where the department was located, but I had never been inside. That’s why I thought it would be equipped with cutting-edge equipment that you’d only see in science fiction movies, or that it would utilize AI and big data like the protagonist in Minority Report. But people’s places are all the same. And it’s still the 90s. Still.
‘It’s really amazing.’
Even though Son Il-seon came, the strategic planning office was still busy. The employees were of all ages. If there was one thing they had in common, it was that they all had extraordinary eyes. Of course, unless they were exceptionally talented, they wouldn’t have been able to set foot in here.
“Sir, are you here?”
I tried to suppress my surprise when I saw the planning director bowing to CEO Son Il-seon. He was someone I knew. Wasn’t he someone I often saw when I was preparing to become a member of the National Assembly after receiving a nomination from my father-in-law, who was a three-term member of the National Assembly in his previous life? A man with an impressive square jaw and sharp eyes. Why was I surprised? I couldn’t help but be surprised, since the prime minister at the time was this man.
“I will tell you about the future direction of Daehan and Daesung Group, as well as the foreign companies listed in the prepared plan.”
It looked like an ordinary presentation. However, the people sitting there were not ordinary people. Including President Son Il-seon, there were executives whose identities were unknown. The person who was presenting was also the head of the strategic planning department, the planning department director. I, wearing a school uniform, sat down in one seat, but no one complained. Because I was with President Son Il-seon.
‘That’s amazing.’
As the presentation progressed, I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration. I’ve heard the reputation of the Strategy Planning Office over and over again, but I didn’t know it would be this good. Not only did the current government and the next government boldly abandon Daehan and Daesung, which are at the top of the business world, but they also predicted future market conditions as if they were fortune-telling. In addition, the future evaluations of foreign companies were largely consistent with what I know.
“Hyun-ah, what do you think? Do you think everything Director Kim Sang-guk said is correct?”
At that time, President Son Il-seon was looking at me. The eyes of the conference room were focused on me. I didn’t know why President Son Il-seon was asking me this question. The face of the planning manager who was giving the presentation was filled with a questioning expression. What should I do about this?
“I don’t think it’s all right. First, I’ll tell you my thoughts on the future evaluation of foreign companies that the director mentioned. Regarding LAS’s future evaluation, you gave it a failing grade as an investment target, but I don’t think so. There’s something you overlooked.”
The Planning Director’s face was dumbfounded at my question. The other executives were the same. However, since President Son Il-seon was listening with a serious expression without saying a word, the Planning Director also quickly wiped his expression off and listened to my story seriously.
How much time has passed?
The debate continued. If we only look at the content of the meeting, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was a discussion of the intelligentsia. Now, the other executives in the conference room were not hiding their surprise at all.
“Sir, if you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?”
As Son Il-seon nodded briefly, the planning director looked at me. The gaze in his eyes strangely resembled that of Chairman Wang. His sharp eyes were filled with greed.
“Who on earth is this student? Did he study the presentation material in advance? At this level, it would not be an exaggeration to add a manager and bring him into the strategic planning department.”
“Director Kim, did you personally deliver the draft for investment in foreign companies to Director Kim Sang-guk?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
At that moment, Son Il-seon stared at me. The planning director still seemed to not understand. Of course, how could he say it out loud? The fact that the person who wrote the investment draft for the foreign company was none other than ‘me’.
* * *
“Sister, are you okay?”
Did something happen without me knowing? Kim Mi-hyeon’s face looked at least several years older, perhaps because she was busy with work. The reason was simple. It was because today, before the long-awaited Golden Week holiday, customers came in out of season.
“Oh, Hyun-ah. There was a foreigner who came to see you.”
“Are you a foreigner?”
“She was a woman with incredibly long legs, like a supermodel, but she passed away without even giving out a business card. I heard that if a noisy middle-aged woman came and went, you would know.”
Noisy auntie? This is the first time I’ve heard of her. At first, I thought it was Anna from Russia who came to Korea to find me, but they said she looked like a model. Even though Anna has good proportions, she’s not tall enough to be a model.
“And one of the guests said, ‘Hyeon, you’ve been waiting for a very long time.’ He seemed quite angry.”
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“You have another guest?”
Kim Mi-hyeon nodded with a playful expression. This time, she didn’t even say who it was. But I could guess who it was.
“Oppa―!”
As expected, as soon as I opened the door to the studio, a large cat hugged me tightly. Son Yu-ha raised her head and looked at me. I was a little taller now. Son Yu-ha then made a face like a sly little girl. The Ice Queen knew why she was doing that.
“I’m sorry, we should have met more often while you were in Korea, but you’ve been busy lately, haven’t you?”
It would have been fortunate if I had only been busy preparing for the recital. Since the spring break period was different from that of Korea, I had to go to school on weekdays.
“Okay, I know. It’s okay.”
Son Yu-ha still had a pouty expression. Just like in his past life, he was a total idiot when it came to love and didn’t know how to appease a woman’s heart. But he couldn’t just let it go. That was when it happened.
Gulp.
Son Yu-ha’s stomach growled loudly. His pouty face immediately turned bright red like a ripe persimmon. I smiled and patted Son Yu-ha’s head.
“I’ll make dinner for you.”
“You’re making it for me?”
Well, even so, his experience of living alone is quite impressive. In addition, he had been living abroad after getting married in his previous life. His wife was not the type to get her hands dirty. In the gallery annex, there was a place where Director Im Hye-ra enjoyed brunch every morning. Cooking was allowed there.
“Is it delicious?”
“huh-!”
It wasn’t a special dish. It was just a soybean paste stew with thinly sliced green onions and large pieces of tofu, and a fried egg. However, Son Yu-ha was holding her spoon with a happy expression as if she was eating a delicacy from the mountains and the sea. As if she had never been upset. When I asked for another bowl of rice with an embarrassed expression, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, you have to eat a lot to grow quickly.”
“Don’t worry, you’ll be taller than me soon!”
I’m sorry, but this guy is going to grow up so quickly. It was when I returned to the studio after finishing a delicious dinner.
“Brother, teach me the violin.”
“uh?”
“I’m playing the violin again. I want to play the song you played for me back then.”
By the way, didn’t Son Yu-ha learn the violin? I gave him one of the practice violins in the studio. However, it was a piece of music that was quite difficult for Son Yu-ha to play. Not only his fingers on the strings, but his posture was also awkward. I understood since he hadn’t played the violin for a long time.
“Brother, help me.”
The moment I nodded and tried to correct my posture.
“No, hold my hand from behind and pretend like I’m playing. They say you’ll learn faster if you do that!”
“what?”
Son Yu-ha continued to speak, holding back her embarrassment. Listening to her, it didn’t seem like her purpose was simply to play the violin. Who on earth showed this child love and soul? But isn’t it cute when she’s embarrassed? I held back my laughter and walked behind Son Yu-ha, touching her shoulders and arms. It was as if we were playing together.
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