Prey - Chapter 53
“You seem quite angry.”
I hadn’t seen the chairman’s face turn red like that in quite some time.
“Wasn’t it you, Chairman, who told me to go learn a lot so I wouldn’t fall behind anyone?”
“Even the learning… take it easy on that!”
“Here, drink this and calm down. You’ve mentioned your heart hasn’t been good lately.”
When I handed him the glass of water, Chairman Do took it grudgingly.
“You rascal. Who do you think got me worked up like this…?”
Even as he said that, his sharp gaze held a glint of affection for his one and only grandson. I was aware of that. I had always known.
After gulping down the water, Chairman Do met my gaze.
“Isn’t it time you granted my wish? I’m over seventy now, you know.”
As I stayed silent and simply smiled, the increasingly impatient Chairman Do seemed to decide to change his approach.
“What do I have to do to get you back?”
He must have known that forcing me to return home wouldn’t make his grandson follow his wishes.
He had already experienced the worst outcome that could come from such an attempt, so he chose to persuade
“I’ll give you what you want, so let’s say you do what I want in return. That way, you won’t be at a loss either, right?”
From Chairman Do’s perspective, it must have felt unfair that he had to go through so much trouble to pass down Cheonkyung, a global company. But there was no other choice.
He couldn’t let the same tragedy happen with his daughter, a grief he had carried all his life. Especially since he was dealing with her child now.
I quietly faced the chairman who had chosen a persuasive approach and spoke.
“…Marriage.”
I saw the chairman pause at the word “marriage.”
“I will marry the person I want to marry.”
“…..”
“If you can agree to that, I will go to Korea.”
Chairman Do, who had been silently watching, responded.
“You can marry whoever you want.”
I’m not going to make the same mistake again.
I asked the chairman, who had muttered the last part under his breath. I needed to make sure.
“Are you serious?”
Chairman Do raised his eyebrows.
“If I wasn’t serious, do you think this old man would lie to you just to get you to come back to Korea?”
“Ah, that’s not what I meant.”
As I said this with a smile, Chairman Do relaxed his gaze and smiled back at me.
“I’ll let you do everything you want, just take over the company. That’s something I must see before I die.”
“Please don’t say things like that. You’re my only family.”
The chairman, who had been bringing his glass to his lips, lowered his head and raised his eyebrows over his glasses as he looked at me.
“Is that how you really feel?”
“I’m always grateful.”
“Empty words.”
Even as he dismissed my words, a faint smile appeared on Chairman Do’s face.
A smile that resembled my mother’s.
Seeing that smile made me genuinely smile, too.
“…You’ve changed a lot.”
I was looking down at the skyscrapers from the rooftop of the headquarters.
How long had it been since I last came to Korea?
Come to think of it, this was my first time back since completing my military service.
Even so, it felt like things had changed too much.
Korea is a place where everything changes quickly. So, everything is quickly forgotten too.
With a cold gaze, I looked out at the forest of buildings and was about to take out a cigarette from the inside pocket of my jacket when a call came in.
I slowed down, stopped for a moment, glanced at the screen, and let out a light laugh. I lit my cigarette with a lighter and answered the call.
“Yes, Chairman.”
– Is it true you’re at the company right now?
“That’s correct.”
I answered with the cigarette between my lips. As expected, an angry voice quickly followed.
– If you’re coming to Korea, you should tell me! You just show up without a word?
He’s still the same.
I let out a low chuckle and spoke while taking in the unusually blue sky.
“I thought you’d be out golfing.”
– What?
As I exhaled a puff of smoke and responded, a furious voice erupted right away.
