Chapter 26. What’s So Special About the Chairman? (1)
They say married couples become alike.
Dad wasn’t like this before, but these days he refused to give in on anything.
“Just use it. I told you, from now on I only need to make more money.”
“Haha. You think your life is completely solved because you bought one building? Don’t worry about me. It’s my lottery ticket, so isn’t it my choice how I use it? Take it. You’ll need money when you get married too.”
This was awkward.
I didn’t even have someone I was dating.
And he was already preparing marriage money.
“Then what about your debt? And what money did you use for the month in Jeju?”
Seriously.
This was unbelievable.
Apparently, they had gone to Jeju only to organize their thoughts.
They decided they would return to work and repay the remaining debt themselves.
Because of that, during the entire month in Jeju they mostly cooked at home rather than spending money outside.
After thinking seriously, the two of them concluded they simply couldn’t bring themselves to use the lottery money.
So I told him the truth.
There was no reason to keep it secret from my parents anyway.
“Dad. Your blood pressure is normal these days, right?”
“What? Why are you suddenly asking about my blood pressure?”
“Listen carefully. I bought eleven winning tickets and gave you one. Are you still going to refuse to use it?”
Was my father a fish in a previous life?
He opened and closed his mouth for a long time before words finally came out.
“...I-Is that true? You bought eleven tickets? How could something like that happen...?”
“Yes. If you don’t believe me, search the internet. There are already news articles saying eleven first-prize tickets came from the same store. Or I can show you my bank account.”
“Huh... If I’d known this...”
I had never technically lied to him.
Yet Dad looked as though I had betrayed him.
Apparently, he was regretting how frugally they had spent the month in Jeju.
“Anyway, if that’s really how you both feel, I guess I have no choice. Give it here. I’ll use this money properly...”
Shhk!
My father hadn’t changed.
With lightning speed, the lottery ticket disappeared.
“You should’ve told me that earlier, you punk. Ahem. Ahem.”
Dad kept clearing his throat.
Please.
Stop worrying about me and start living your own lives.
“All right! Now let’s talk about the real issue. There’s no problem with you two living in this building, right?”
Dad looked up at the still shabby building.
He understood my intentions.
“How far are you planning to take this? You really want me to open a meat restaurant again, don’t you?”
“Yes. You said you were going to give me your lottery ticket back and find another job anyway. Then there’s no reason you can’t do this. Honestly, you want to do it too, right? Let people taste the delicious meat you prepare yourself. You still miss those days, don’t you?”
A complicated smile appeared on my father’s face.
Excitement about a new beginning.
Bitterness from painful memories.
Both were mixed together.
“But I don’t know whether I still have the stamina. I don’t want a franchise. If I do it, I want to choose the meat myself, marinate it myself, and even grill it for customers like before...”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I already thought of something.”
The word written in the diary app.
Halbaekase.
It clearly meant Hanwoo omakase.
That was also why I had gone to Yeouido with my team.
Hanwoo omakase.
A reservation-only system.
You could provide the best service to a limited number of customers.
“I already decided the restaurant name. Halbaekase. What do you think?”
“Halbae... kase? What does that mean?”
“It means an omakase run by an old man. We put in counter-style tables and operate only through reservations for lunch and dinner. That reduces the physical burden too.”
I explained the benefits of an omakase restaurant.
Dad looked interested.
Then suddenly clicked his tongue.
“The system sounds fine, but the name is hopeless.”
“Why? It’s easy to remember and sounds friendly.”
“You punk. How can I become a grandfather when my grown son hasn’t even gotten married? You still aren’t dating anyone?”
The marriage topic suddenly attacked me.
I drank the remaining half of my coffee in one shot.
“Let’s go. Mom must be waiting.”
“...”
“You can take the bus. Build up your stamina.”
“Y-You brat!”
After getting smacked on the head once, I drove Dad home.
It felt good.
For all three years of high school, Dad had driven me to school every day.
Now I was the one driving him.
The next morning.
As soon as the sun rose, I opened a can of beer and looked down over Mullae-dong.
The economy really must be terrible.
It had already been quiet yesterday.
But on Sunday, Mullae-dong felt completely empty.
Even the famous restaurants between the metalworking shops hadn’t opened yet.
The remodeling site was closed for the day.
It felt like I owned the entire neighborhood.
I wasn’t going anywhere today.
I opened a parasol in front of the Indian-style tent and set up a wooden table and reclining chair.
I wanted to review the briefing materials my team had completed.
Maybe I should add a little more?
The contents were already excellent.
But a few easier examples might help people understand it faster.
The diary app being completely silent meant tomorrow’s briefing wouldn’t create any problems.
Still, I didn’t want to be careless.
I would be the one looking down at this street from my building.
I couldn’t make it half-heartedly.
Hehe.
I spent time simplifying complicated sections and adding examples.
Just as the briefing materials were finally complete...
A name I had been waiting for appeared on my smartphone earlier than expected.
The fence surrounding Daeyoung Precision had finally worked.
“Hello?”
“Is this President Kang Jinhyeok?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
The owner of Seongjin Logistics.
I had already obtained and saved his number from the Daebak Realty owner.
Still, I pretended not to know him.
From this point, I needed acting worthy of a movie star.
I was terrible at acting normally.
But I had already drunk three beers on an empty stomach.
Anything was possible.
“You purchased the Daeyoung Precision building recently, correct? I’m the owner of Seongjin Logistics directly behind it. I noticed you installed a fence, so I assume you’re preparing construction...”
More precisely, I was staging the appearance of construction.
I cleared my throat.
“Yes. I’m planning to put up a new building. Why do you ask?”
Not a lie.
The moment I bought Seongjin Logistics too, I would begin construction as quickly as possible.
“Hahaha. I suppose nobody told you? You can’t build above three floors there. The road is too narrow for large equipment.”
“I know.”
“...You know? Then why...?”
His confusion was obvious even through the phone.
He had probably expected me to visit him first because I would need his land for construction.
His desire to wait and sell for as much as possible was probably turning into anxiety now.
The massive fence made it look like construction could begin at any moment.
“There’s a way. I think I can put up at least ten floors.”
“What? Ten floors?”
“There are many new construction methods these days. Don’t worry. Your property won’t suffer any damage. There’s no legal issue either.”
Construction itself wouldn’t damage his land.
Its value, however, would completely disappear.
Once a ten-story building rose on my land, his property would become perfectly landlocked.
He knew that better than anyone.
“I-Isn’t that kind of construction extremely expensive?”
“That’s fine. As you know, the real estate market isn’t improving and the construction industry is the same. I’m also very knowledgeable in that field. You heard who I am, right?”
This was the most important part.
If he had obtained my number, that meant he had gone through the Daebak Realty owner.
The old broker would have followed my instructions faithfully.
The power carried by the title of Seongun Commercial District Analysis Team Leader.
The Seongjin Logistics owner seemed to understand that he couldn’t manipulate me with a few cheap words.
Sure enough, after a long silence that was extremely positive from my perspective, he spoke carefully.
“Um... President Kang. By any chance, wouldn’t you prefer to build on a larger site?”
Of course I would.
That was why I had hidden your view behind a fence and made you nervous.
Three years ago, this was the man who had made the Store Development Team miserable.
The fashion outlet ended up in Namyangju because he demanded a ridiculous amount while acting completely fearless.
“No. The land I have is already enough.”
“...I-I see. Ugh. Then when does construction begin?”
“The design is already in progress. If we hurry the permits, we should begin excavation within three months. Don’t worry. I’ll make sure not even a speck of dust flies onto your property.”
“S-So quickly?”
“Yes. You know as well as I do. There’s no hope for this land unless someone constructs a new building. You heard about that holdout building across the street, right? That sold for twenty million won per pyeong too.”
Silence again.
He must have had a lot to think about.
He was probably wondering if there was any way to squeeze more money out of me.
But the moment he imagined my new building standing there, he would realize that was impossible.
After my building went up, even twenty million per pyeong would become difficult.
His land would be hidden behind a tall building and become almost worthless.
I’m actually pretty kind.
If I wanted, I could probably cut another five million won per pyeong.
Instead, I offered the same twenty million rate as Daeyoung Precision.
Monday morning.
After reaching the same conclusion no matter how much he thought, the owner of Seongjin Logistics called Jinhyeok.
One hundred fifty pyeong.
Three billion won.
If full redevelopment ever happened, he had planned to demand seven billion.
But redevelopment had made no progress for decades.
He was exhausted too.
Considering he had purchased it thirty years earlier for five hundred million, the deal still made money.
Inside the car on the way to work, Jinhyeok received the pleasant call and began calculating.
Daeyoung Precision, 250 pyeong.
Together, 400 pyeong.
Total purchase cost, eight billion won.
Simply combining the two properties and doing basic improvements would create land worth around twenty billion.
That meant he had practically earned twelve billion won.
He had made almost as much as he won from the lottery again.
Was this what people meant when they said money makes money?
If he constructed a ten-story building on the 400-pyeong site, its value would exceed fifty billion won.
And that still wasn’t the end.
At least one hundred million won in rent would enter his account every month.
Other people bragged about earning one hundred million won per year.
He could receive that amount every month.
His Monday began with another piece of good fortune.
Jinhyeok practically wiggled his hips as he headed toward the director’s office.
As promised, Kangjin hadn’t demanded progress reports.
But the moment Monday morning arrived, he summoned Jinhyeok.
“Good morning, Director.”
“Oh! Yes. You’re here!”
Kangjin welcomed him as though he had been waiting impatiently.
The other team leaders of the Integrated Development Division were already there.
They looked surprised.
Jinhyeok’s recent achievements were incredible, but seeing the normally stern director welcome him so warmly felt strange.
As expected. Royal family.
Deputy Manager Geum Seokcheol narrowed his eyes as though this was obvious.
“Everyone is here, so shall we begin? I didn’t tell you earlier because I thought it would add pressure, but the chairman will attend the afternoon briefing.”
“What? Th-The chairman is coming?”
It was Franchise Operations Team Leader Park Wonki.
The chairman of the entire group was personally attending a briefing from a single division.
Aside from Geum Seokcheol, the other two team leaders stared in confusion.
Seokcheol’s suspicion turned into certainty.
Jinhyeok was connected to the chairman’s wife’s family.
There was no other reason for the chairman to attend personally.
“That’s why I called everyone early. I’ll review the proposals first and choose one person to give the afternoon briefing. Any objections?”
Of course not.
Having the Future Strategy Office Head attend was already stressful enough.
Now the chairman was coming too.
Everyone desperately hoped they wouldn’t be selected.
The preliminary briefings began.
“The Franchise Operations Team found a premium site near the Yongsan rail yard. It’s suitable for constructing a massive mixed-use shopping mall...”
“Our team proposes using Gangnam redevelopment land to create a futuristic smart shopping district...”
The two team leaders’ presentations lacked confidence.
Geum Seokcheol wasn’t nervous at all.
He already knew Jinhyeok would be chosen.
Why else would the chairman come?
Obviously, he wanted to watch his nephew’s performance.
Thinking that, Seokcheol gave a deliberately weak presentation.
Disappointed with the team leaders, Baek Kangjin’s face hardened.
He wanted to say something sharp.
But Jinhyeok’s turn remained.
“Last. Commercial District Analysis Team Department Head Kang Jinhyeok. Begin.”
At that exact moment...
Before Kangjin even finished speaking, the director’s office door flew open.
