TCBW C4

Chapter 4

When favoritism toward the frail Dohyun occasionally showed itself as acts of discrimination that brushed against him, had the problem been that he treated them like mere dust at his feet and never thought to care?

He couldn’t say.

What he did know was that those days he’d never once thought of as bias or favoritism had, all of a sudden, grown monstrous in size — so much so that they were now wrapping around his throat, choking him, and trying to take away absolutely everything he had ever wanted.

To realize this only now, when it was as though he were sinking in a filthy swamp and struggling to breathe — it was hollow. Despairing.

And yet, even in that wretched moment, it wasn’t as though Dowoon had lost everything.

For he had, in that instant, come to see something clearly — that whatever “respect” he thought he’d felt for his father, Chairman Lee, had been nothing at all in truth.

And also, that what he had truly desired all along was the Yongseong Electronics chairmanship and the group’s head seat.

When he finally faced that fact — late as it was — his mind grew paradoxically sharper.

He now knew exactly what he had to do.

There was no need for any more pointless disputes with Chairman Lee. From here on, he would take back what he considered his. And what was not his — he would trample underfoot to reach his goal.

From that day forward, Dowoon began a long and meticulous preparation to reclaim Yongseong Electronics and secure the group’s top position.

This meant, among other things, quietly purchasing Yongseong Electronics shares and securing investors who were favorable to him.

It was a long-term strategy likely to take nearly a decade, and so he worked steadily, building his foundation without fanfare.

Of course, in the meantime, he did not neglect the management of Yongseong Finance, the company given to him. Under his leadership, that mid-to-lower-tier group headache climbed steadily toward the industry’s top ranks — and, in time, seized the No. 1 spot among domestic finance companies, maintaining that position each year.

One day, while he was continuing to prepare step-by-step to reclaim what was his, Dowoon received a sudden summons — and for the first time in his life, he set foot in his father’s office.

It had been several years since he took up the post at Yongseong Finance. Now, facing his father again, Dowoon found that even close to eighty years of age, the man’s eyes still shone with that same piercing light.

“Let’s make a deal, you and I.”

That shamelessly confident demeanor had not changed in the slightest.

Wouldn’t most parents, upon seeing the face of a child they hadn’t met in years, offer at least some kind of warm greeting?

“I want you to marry and have a child.”

Dowoon had never expected anything of that sort from Chairman Lee — but he had at least hoped his father would open the conversation with something within the bounds of normalcy.

Instead, marriage? A deal? And no explanation? Dowoon couldn’t begin to fathom the intent behind calling him here to say this.

Whether or not Dowoon was confused, Chairman Lee raised his hand lightly to summon his secretary.

With a step, the man came quickly, holding out a contract easily thirty pages thick to place before Dowoon.

“Everything you want is written inside this contract.”

Dowoon’s brow furrowed.

The man had never once truly called him by name nor ever played the role of a proper father — what could he possibly know about what Dowoon wanted?

Chairman Lee saw the expression of displeasure but, wearing a serious look, waved his hand again. This time, the other aides withdrew in haste.

When even the sound of their retreat faded, he personally checked that they were far enough away before turning back and tapping the first page of the contract with his fingertip.

“It states here that if you marry the person I have chosen, you will be given more shares of Yongseong Electronics than Dohyun currently holds. And…”

“I’ll be going now.”

Dowoon, who up to that moment had been sitting more out of politeness than interest, began to rise.

He had come here expecting at least an unpleasant meeting, not a joke. And — what? Company shares in exchange for a wedding?

It was insulting. As he turned to leave without hesitation, Chairman Lee caught his sleeve.

“You’ll want to hear the rest. It’s no loss to you… Everybody out!”

The Omega secretaries who had been lingering at a distance scurried out as though running for their lives under his thunderous command.

Only when even those ever-present aides were gone did Dowoon shake off the grip on his sleeve and slowly sit again.

If Chairman Lee was going to such lengths, it could mean one of two things: either he’d grown senile and was playing some elaborate joke, or he truly had something significant to negotiate.

With a bang, the door shut. Chairman Lee’s eyes swept the room, confirming they were entirely alone.

As Dowoon adjusted his cuff, he noticed the damp sensation on the spot where his father had grabbed him earlier.

“Now… where was I?”

“…You had just said I wouldn’t come out at a loss.”

Dowoon brushed at his cuff as though wiping off filth.

A sly smile flickered over Chairman Lee’s face as he reached into his jacket, drew out a fountain pen, and set it in front of Dowoon.

“As I said — marry the one I’ve chosen for you…”

“…”

“…and from that union, offer up the child as a sacrifice. Those are all my conditions.”

That’s all?

…He’s crazy.

He’s gone fully insane with age.

Grinding his teeth at the unacceptable words, Dowoon began to wonder whether the man before him even understood what he was saying.

“Do that, and the company — and the top seat in Yongseong Group — will be yours.”

“…Ha.”

It was a filthy, revolting proposition, one that defied all reason — an arrangement of marriage followed by an act that betrayed the most fundamental human bonds.

A sigh, small and empty, escaped Dowoon’s lips. The only way to explain such a suggestion was if the man had lost his mind. That’s what he told himself.

…And yet.

The offer wouldn’t leave his mind. And before long, the faintest tremor ran through his eyes.

It was, without question, a proposal devoid of humanity — demanding a child’s life — but he couldn’t deny that, at the moment he heard it, he was tempted. Tempted enough to forget, for a heartbeat, any trace of pity for the hypothetical child to be sacrificed.

But the feeling didn’t last. He soon collected himself, slipping back behind his usual calm mask.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.”

Insane words, but perhaps not insanity itself — for Chairman Lee met his eyes with a clarity that left no doubt.

So, not mad. Fine.

“Then tell me what’s behind this. Why marriage, and why a child — and why me?”

Having fully regulated his breathing, Dowoon asked in an even tone. It was an incisive question that made Chairman Lee cough awkwardly and turn away.

Dowoon maintained his calm. He could only do so because he knew full well that the man before him — a businessman to the last — would never make a losing deal, and that to Chairman Lee, neither his son’s marriage nor a child’s life had the slightest intrinsic worth.

And for such worthless things to be traded for both the company and the top seat of the group? Something was deeply, fundamentally wrong.

He was certain — the man was hiding something.

Coughing repeatedly, Chairman Lee finally tugged loose his necktie as though breathing had grown difficult.

For a moment he gazed through the blinds at the sun setting outside — and then, as if steeling himself, parted his lips.

“It won’t matter if you don’t believe me, but…”

“…”

“…If you’re going to press me this far, I suppose I might as well tell you. Even if you can’t believe it, hear me out to the end.”

Dowoon had no idea why his father would preface it this way, but he kept still — listening if only to prevent him from cutting the story short.

“As you know, our family has a legend that’s been passed down for generations. Long ago, our clan’s founder took the Yeouiju¹ from the heavenly dragon, securing the eternal wealth and honor of his descendants.”

The words were unexpected — the absurd story of their clan’s founder.

It was a tale Dowoon’s late grandfather, Lee Jong-cheol, had told him as a boy, seating him on his lap. At the time, Dowoon hadn’t believed a word — in fact, he’d thought the old man might be half mad.

“Thanks to that, our family has always held high office, and now holds the greatest company in the nation.”

His brow furrowed still more. What connection could that have to the “deal” being proposed here?

Dowoon thought his father’s mind had truly gone — that, like his grandfather, he was mad.

“…But isn’t it strange? That my father, who inherited the greatest fortune in the land… nonetheless rotted to death?”

“That was because he fell ill with an incurable disease.”

When the words veered into strangeness, Dowoon cut in, his response like a pointed jab.

note:

1. Yeouiju (여의주) — In East Asian and Korean mythology, a mystical wish-fulfilling orb often depicted with dragons. Possessing it is said to grant wealth, honor, or the granting of wishes. Here, it is part of the Lee family legend of how their founder secured the clan’s power.