» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate - Chapter 228
[228] Unfinished Business 3
"This used to be a wooden warehouse, but it changed over time with continuous renovation work. It's from an incredibly distant past, but I still remember it. The scent of the weather-beaten wood. The smell of drying rice sacks and the yellowed brown husked rice. That's where I started accumulating my wealth."
Grandfather, lost in reminiscence, gently touched the building now covered in concrete and bricks.
"The wind is chilly, Chairman. Please, let's go inside."
The head of the Sunyang Group History Museum, who had rushed over after receiving an urgent call, fidgeted beside Grandfather, who was exhaling white breath.
Because if Grandfather caught a cold, a severe scolding would descend from the main office. Although the salary wasn't high, it was a cushy job where one didn't have to worry about losing their pay just for managing the building. He likely wanted to cling to it fiercely until he was too old to move.
"Oh, come now, man... Just wait a moment. I'm checking whether you're doing your job properly or not. If I find even a single crack in the building wall, you'll be in big trouble, understand?"
"Oh, Chairman! You know how much I cherish this place, my very bread and butter, don't you? I wouldn't bat an eye if my own grandchild got hurt, but here, I make a huge fuss if I even find a spider web!"
The head of the history museum wiped the building wall with his hand and held it out in front of Grandfather's eyes.
"See? Isn't it just a bit of dust? There isn't a single smudge."
"Haha, you're right. Thank you for managing it so well."
Grandfather lightly patted his shoulder.
"Alright, let's go in."
Inside the empty, silent interior, Grandfather's footsteps echoed softly.
We stopped in front of an old black-and-white photograph capturing middle-aged men in old-fashioned suits smiling brightly.
"...This was when Sunyang Textiles first achieved 100 million dollars in exports. Nowadays, everyone reaches 100 million, but back then, it was truly a magnificent accomplishment."
There were also photographs of bulldozers, excavators, and construction workers wielding pickaxes.
"Do you know what this picture is?"
"Is it perhaps the Gyeongbu Expressway?"
"That's right. Wasn't it a monumental project started by the President's special directive? It was a time when construction and civil engineering companies were scrambling. They rushed the construction like a foot race, vying to see who could finish first. That's how you caught the President's eye. Haha."
The series of photographs capturing brilliant moments from the past continued.
"This is a picture of the aqueducts used during the Libya Great Man-Made River Project. Truly an unbelievably massive undertaking."
The Libya Great Man-Made River is an aqueduct designed to draw groundwater from the southern Sahara Desert and supply water to cities along the northern Mediterranean coast.
This super-large project, which involves burying massive pipelines over 4,000 km long underground across the desert to supply 6.5 million tons of water daily to the northern Mediterranean coast, has a total construction cost of an astonishing 30 billion dollars.
Grandfather, tracing back memories through the photographs and souvenirs, continued explaining each one.
His expression was animated, as if he were still on-site, with endless smiles and sparkling eyes. He looked not like a fading candle flame, but a fiercely burning torch.
Like a museum curator, Grandfather meticulously explained the anecdotes and emotions associated with each photograph before sitting on a chair placed against one wall.
"What do you think? Doesn't it look impressive when you see it like this?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
"The growth of Sunyang, I mean."
"It's not just impressive, it's extraordinary."
"No."
"Pardon?"
"It's all fake. Haha."
Fake? What could that mean?
"Let's see... Where was it? Ah, it must have been 'Han-il Sangsa'. It's a company whose traces are hard to find now, but anyway, a rumor circulated that they were on the verge of achieving 100 million dollars in exports first. I thought, 'This is a big problem.' I wanted to be the first. So, I made fake documents and announced them to the press."
When he said it was fake, I expected some other meaning. Like everything was futile, or that he'd been overly focused on a meaningless fight for first place....
I never even imagined it was an outright lie.
"I distributed 'rice cake money' to the reporters and asked for their cooperation, so they reported it as a major exclusive. Since it was made such a big fuss about, everyone just accepted it as true."
"Still, wouldn't there be export customs clearance documents left? If you check those..."
"Ah, that was quickly exposed, of course. The government was also embarrassed, but what could they do? Because of the symbolism of 100 million dollars in exports, the public was proud as if it were their own achievement, so there was no reason to pour cold water on it by saying it wasn't true. Even the President constantly talked about exports, exports.... Uh-huh-huh."
That couldn't have been the whole story. It was obvious that a massive amount of money was spread around to ensure it passed without incident.
"The speed competition for the Gyeongbu Expressway resulted in shoddy construction, which we later compensated for with defect repairs. And the Libya Great Man-Made River Project was a misstep that looked profitable on the surface but actually incurred losses."
It wasn't a voice filled with regret, but a bright voice reminiscing about fun memories.
"But what about this history museum now? Doesn't it look like a symbol where success was written?"
"It's not just 'like' a symbol, it *is* a symbol."
"Yes. It's a symbol of success intertwined with the history of the Korean economy. Even if the process was ragged in many places, that is."
Grandfather clasped my hand tightly.
"What do you think? You'd be confident you can keep expanding this history museum, wouldn't you?"
"No. This place should stop in its current state. This is Grandfather's memorial hall."
At the unexpected answer, Grandfather raised his eyebrows.
"Why? Aren't you confident you can make it even bigger?"
"A child grows rapidly until they become an adult. But once they're an adult, their height stops, and their body doesn't get any bigger."
"Sunyang Group is a full-grown adult now?"
"Look at Korea's economic growth rate. It has grown as much as it can. Health management is the priority, so it doesn't get sick or wither."
"So? You'll only focus on protecting it? Nonsense!"
Grandfather's hand smacked the back of my head.
It was a hand that had not many days left to live, but it was quite sharp. I rubbed the back of my head and said,
"Sunyang only needs to maintain its health. Instead, we must plant another seed, let it sprout, and grow it into a giant tree. It will become the second Sunyang."
"Another Sunyang, you say..."
"Yes. Ah, and of course, Sunyang will have to contribute a bit to the fertilizer cost needed to grow it."
Again, a hand flew to the back of my head. This time, it wasn't as strong.
"Why drain Sunyang's money? Use your own money for fertilizer and water. You, who has so much money!"
I glanced sideways at Grandfather, sitting next to me, and saw that he was smiling.
Would he be satisfied now?
"Let's get up. I'm a bit peckish, shall we go eat some haejangguk?"
"Aren't you tired? Perhaps you should rest a bit..."
"I slept soundly the whole day yesterday. What's there to be tired about? Let's go quickly. There's a place here that makes good blood sausage haejangguk. It's pretty good."
As we stepped outside, the medical staff rushed over to help Grandfather up.
"It's alright. I can manage my own body. You all must be hungry too, so let's go together. I'll treat you to a bowl of haejangguk."
* * *
After cleanly finishing a bowl of haejangguk and stepping outside, the pale light of dawn began to brighten.
"Shouldn't we head back now? We have a long car ride ahead, so how about we stop at a hot spring to rest before we leave?"
"Not yet. I have somewhere to stop by."
"Oh, I forgot. You said there was someone you had to greet, right?"
"Yes. It's not that far from here. Let's leave immediately."
"Isn't it too early to visit?"
"Being old, I don't sleep in late. He's an old man who wakes up before dawn to eat breakfast. It's fine."
Since he called him an 'old man,' it wasn't a hidden woman. Who could it be?
We drove along the national highway for about an hour.
The place we arrived at was neither a complete backwater village nor a mid-sized city, but a countryside one could see anywhere.
We entered a small village where paddy fields, greenhouses, and orchards stretched out, but instead of dirt paths, paved roads led right up to the houses.
Judging by the lights already on in each house, it seemed people were preparing for farm work since dawn.
The place we arrived at was a quite splendid hanok, a rare sight in such a rural area. A wide courtyard visible over a low wall was covered with a well-maintained lawn, and the house, consisting of a main building and an annex, was luxurious enough for anyone to recognize that expensive materials were used abundantly.
Perhaps having heard the sound of the car, a white-haired old man was watching us from over the wall.
"You rascal! You clearly saw your elder brother coming, why aren't you opening the door?"
"Goodness, why are you making such a noisy entrance so early in the morning? You'll wake up all the villagers!"
He grumbled as he opened the door, but his expression couldn't hide his delight.
"Have you had breakfast? Shall I prepare a meal?"
Grandfather clasped the hand of the old man, who greeted him in a thick Gyeongsang-do dialect.
"I already had a bowl of haejangguk. Just prepare lunch later."
"You should have called if you were coming. And why eat out when it's mealtime? You could have eaten here."
Following the old man who spoke with a hint of disappointment, the old woman also came out and greeted Grandfather.
"Oh my, Chairman! What brings you all the way here? It's truly been a long time! Oh dear, what should I do? Just wait a moment. I'll quickly put the rice on and prepare breakfast!"
"That's enough. Since he already ate, let's just eat among ourselves. Just bring some tea."
"Even so, you should at least have a spoonful of rice before you go. How many young, strong men are there here? I'll quickly prepare it!"
The old woman scurried to the kitchen without giving anyone a chance to say anything.
"My sister-in-law is still the same. Haha."
"Don't even mention it. She doesn't even listen to a word I say anymore, it's like she treats my words as poop, isn't it? She just does whatever she wants. Let's go inside now. The wind is chilly."
The old man spoke to the entourage that had come with us.
"Go to the annex over there and warm your hands and feet. The boiler is on, so it will be warm."
As everyone looked to Grandfather for his reaction, he snapped.
"Didn't the homeowner say it was okay? Why aren't you going in quickly?"
When Grandfather nodded his head, everyone went inside the house.
"But who is this guy? Is he your grandson?"
"Yes. He's the youngest in our family. Dojun, greet him."
I immediately bowed deeply in front of this old man from Gyeongsang-do, then rose and bowed my head slightly.
"I am Jin Dojun, Great-Uncle."
Since I prostrated without hesitation on the frost-covered lawn, he seemed a little surprised.
"Ahem... That young rascal certainly has manners. Is he truly your elder brother's bloodline?"
"Be quiet. It's cold. Let's go inside quickly."
Judging by how he expressed his welcome, the two of them seemed to have an unusual relationship. Who could he be?
* * *
Just as the exterior of the house was splendid, the interior was also extraordinary. A scroll featuring splendid calligraphy, and ceramics that looked like antiques.
If they weren't fake, this old man must be rich. The fact that a house this large and clean was inhabited by just an elderly couple was proof that there were housekeepers.
Sure enough, the person who brought the refreshments was not the old woman from earlier, but a young woman who looked to be in her thirties.
Judging by her merely bowing her head and leaving, it was clear she was neither a daughter nor a daughter-in-law. Because if she were family, she would have greeted me.
"Have some tea. It's the Chinese tea my elder brother sent last time. It tastes quite good."
"I did?"
When Grandfather tilted his head, he immediately frowned.
"Figures. He's not a warm-hearted person who would send something like this. It's obvious he just made his subordinates do it."
"Whoever sent it, I bought it with my own money. Complaining without even saying thank you...!"
After they picked up their teacups, I also took a sip.
Drinking the warm tea, my body felt like it was melting.
The old man stared at me, who was sitting humbly on my knees, then asked Grandfather,
"Did you take this guy to Gunsan too?"
Grandfather answered by simply nodding his head once.
"Is this the fellow who played his two elder uncles with just a Sunyang Card? He certainly looks clever."
This was no retired country old man living a carefree life.
Who could he be?