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Translator: uly
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: A Flawless Strike
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Not only Chu Dong-hyun and Yoon Tae-ho, but even the gym staff watching the test stood there with their mouths agape.
No matter how careless they had been.
Lee Dae-hyuk's movements and punching power had exceeded all their expectations.
In truth, landing a proper punch is harder than it seems.
You have to shift your center of gravity using your ankles, waist, and back to put real weight behind your fist.
Those without proper training usually just swing their fists clumsily, tire themselves out, and end up vulnerable to counterattacks.
From that perspective.
That single strike from Lee Dae-hyuk had been flawless in its 'form.'
That was what had shocked Chu Dong-hyun and Yoon Tae-ho.
'Is he really just a regular guy?'
'Did the Young Master work out behind my back or something...?'
The two men looked utterly baffled.
Sensing their stares, Lee Dae-hyuk tilted his head in confusion.
"Did I mess up somehow? Was I just supposed to endure it?"
Misinterpreting the silence around him(?), Lee Dae-hyuk glanced at Chu Dong-hyun.
If he'd broken the rules, there'd be no excuses.
"..."
Chu Dong-hyun fell silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.
"No, nothing like that.... You pass."
Even as he announced the pass, Chu Dong-hyun felt a strange sense of defeat.
Grinning ear to ear at Chu Dong-hyun's reaction, Lee Dae-hyuk spoke up.
"I'll pay the membership fee upfront for a full year."
"..."
A new member had joined, but Chu Dong-hyun could only shut his mouth with a dissatisfied expression.
***
The chairman's office at Daehan Group was no different from a throne room.
A place from which he could control over twenty affiliates and subcontractors.
A seat that held the power of life and death over the employees under him.
It was a position Chairman Lee Myung-guk had held for over twenty years.
And right now, he was laughing with genuine delight for the first time in ages.
"Are you that thrilled that the youngest Young Master is coming to work at the company?"
Chief Secretary Kim Dae-min, standing before Lee Myung-guk, was smiling as well.
"Of course I am. The kid who was hell-bent on dying is now saying he wants to live—how could a father not be happy?"
"Haha...."
"And that's not all. He's even started learning martial arts. Heh heh. The fact that he's exercising shows he's made up his mind to give it a real shot."
To accomplish great things, one needs the 'soil' of physical strength.
Only on firm ground can you build a towering castle.
'That declaration to me wasn't just empty talk. For now, that's enough.'
If it wasn't a fleeting whim but a firm resolve to get to work, Lee Myung-guk planned to sincerely support his youngest son.
But.
"..."
Unlike the beaming Lee Myung-guk, Kim Dae-min couldn't share the pure joy.
He harbored no such firm faith in Lee Dae-hyuk.
If the boy started throwing another death-wish tantrum, the wound it would inflict on his father, Lee Myung-guk, was what worried him.
It was unavoidable.
Lee Myung-guk carried a deep-seated guilt over failing to protect Lee Dae-hyuk's birth mother, Nam Hee-yeon.
The one time this iron-blooded titan who led Korea's economy had shed tears.
It was right after Nam Hee-yeon, Lee Dae-hyuk's biological mother, died suddenly.
An accident that anyone could see was sheer misfortune.
But Lee Myung-guk quickly composed himself and didn't just grieve her death.
He had a gut feeling that something was off.
Afterward, he began investigating her death using his own resources.
Yet the investigation never reached a conclusion.
The driver responsible for the accident that killed Nam Hee-yeon had committed suicide in prison.
With the driver dead, how could the probe continue?
It had no choice but to end there.
If anything, that personal investigation had only planted an even darker bruise on Lee Myung-guk's heart.
Knowing that bruise, Kim Dae-min could only pity this giant who had steered Korea's economy.
"You know? You're the only one who can look at me like that."
Reading the sympathy in Kim Dae-min's gaze, Lee Myung-guk joked.
At that, Kim Dae-min bowed his head and apologized politely, true to form.
"I'm sorry."
"That wasn't said to get an apology—it's my way of saying thanks. At my age, you sometimes miss those kinds of looks."
Kim Dae-min fell silent at Lee Myung-guk's words.
Any more words would only disturb the chairman's mood.
For now, his role was to listen quietly.
Watching the silent Kim Dae-min, Lee Myung-guk spoke up.
"I know what you're worried about. The kid might lose his drive again anytime and start raging about dying. Still, until then, isn't it a father's duty to believe in him and support him?"
Lee Myung-guk said in a calm tone.
'If the Chairman is taking this stance....'
Kim Dae-min had no choice but to trust Lee Dae-hyuk as well.
"Yes. I'll trust in the youngest Young Master's change too."
"Come on, just call him 'Dae-hyuk.' What's with the 'Young Master'?"
Kim Dae-min could only smile at Lee Myung-guk's words.
He was a retainer of this household.
It was only natural to use honorifics for those who would succeed Chairman Lee Myung-guk.
But he didn't want to argue the point, so he kept quiet.
In that silence, Lee Myung-guk dropped a bombshell.
"If Dae-hyuk shapes up and works properly this time, I'm thinking of giving him the construction division."
Kim Dae-min's eyes twitched at Lee Myung-guk's words.
Daehan Construction might be struggling now, but it was still one of Daehan Group's core affiliates.
Handing over such an affiliate to Lee Dae-hyuk at will?
"The other heirs and Madam will push back hard."
"Do I look like the type to waver because my wife or kids throw a fit?"
"..."
Kim Dae-min couldn't muster a counterargument to Lee Myung-guk's words.
He might show a slightly relaxed side in private talks.
But Lee Myung-guk was the titan who had pulled Daehan Group from the 20s in the industry rankings to number two.
Would a man like that easily reverse decisions based on his wife or children's complaints just because of age?
As Kim Dae-min stayed quiet, Lee Myung-guk spoke in a serious tone.
"The wife and kids will probably pull out all the stops to torment him. But if he can't handle that much, then he's not qualified."
Kim Dae-min knew what qualification Lee Myung-guk meant.
The qualification to inherit Daehan Group.
'He has that much faith in the youngest Young Master?'
With Lee Myung-guk going this far, Kim Dae-min's curiosity about Lee Dae-hyuk was piqued.
He wondered what the boy had done to earn such trust.
As if answering his question, Lee Myung-guk handed Kim Dae-min a morning newspaper.
"See that? 'Chaebol Heir Captures Hostage-Taker.'"
"...Yes, I've seen the article."
Kim Dae-min said dismissively.
Ridiculous rumors sometimes make it into the papers.
It wasn't like Batman—no idle chaebol heir was going to play hero.
But if Lee Myung-guk was interested in this article, that changed everything.
"You're saying the chaebol heir in this story... is the youngest Young Master?"
"This rascal must be filming some drama somewhere."
Lee Myung-guk nodded with a satisfied expression.
Even now, Lee Dae-hyuk's every move was being reported to him.
He knew the boy had started something to pursue his ambitions.
And whatever it was, as a father, Lee Myung-guk intended to watch and wait.
Perhaps because he was thinking of Lee Dae-hyuk, unlike the broadly grinning Lee Myung-guk, Kim Dae-min offered cautious advice.
"I'm glad the youngest Young Master is getting healthy. But isn't running a company different from personal improvement? Maybe hold off on decisions until you've observed a bit more?"
Hearing Kim Dae-min's advice, Lee Myung-guk smiled faintly and stroked his chin.
Was it the passage of time?
Or his own mistake?
Now, Kim Dae-min was the only one left who would counsel him.
Feeling a brief bitterness, Lee Myung-guk revealed his true thoughts.
"Of course I'm not handing a company to some clueless kid right away. I'll watch how he handles work and decide then. If he seems dumb and inadequate, I'll just give him some shares and pocket money and call it done. But if not... things are going to get interesting."
A meaningful smile played on Lee Myung-guk's lips.
He was Lee Dae-hyuk's father, but also Daehan Group's chairman.
If a viable candidate to lead the group properly emerged, of course he'd welcome it.
'What did he see in the youngest Young Master?'
Kim Dae-min felt an uncharacteristic curiosity at Lee Myung-guk's reaction.
He absolutely trusted the chairman's judgment.
The man never started a fight without odds of winning.
But once he did, victory was certain.
Proof lay in the food, auto, and cosmetics sectors where he'd staked his bets—Daehan Group far outpaced Seojin Group.
Three affiliates succeeding through the chairman's judgment, aggressive marketing, and years of developed new tech in perfect harmony.
If that judgment was at play here?
A new variable had entered Daehan Group's succession battle.
And he would pledge loyalty to the winner.
'I need to keep an eye on the youngest Young Master from now on.'
That was the moment 'Lee Dae-hyuk' etched itself into Kim Dae-min's mind.
***
Learning something new is both exhilarating and grueling.
Especially first-time martial arts, which basically means rebuilding your muscles from scratch.
Since starting at the gym, Lee Dae-hyuk hadn't learned any special techniques.
Just repeating basics: stretching, push-ups, sit-ups, squats.
However.
If his form slipped even slightly, under Chu Dong-hyun's strict orders(?), he'd repeat until perfect, forging his body.
Only after 100 precise reps per exercise could he finish the basics.
Once that 'warm-up'(?) as Chu Dong-hyun called it ended, he'd run 50 laps around the gym interior.
It might sound easy at first glance.
But sprinting right after those basics was sheer torture.
Yet Lee Dae-hyuk didn't quit.
The other athletes handled these routines with ease.
'Huff. Huff. They're all... huff huff... monsters....'
Even lost in delusions of a second death(?) mid-workout, he kept going.
He had to get revenge on Yoo Jae-man, Korea's top chaebol.
He couldn't give up over something like this.
His chest still burned with vengeful fury like a furnace.
He had to cool that blazing furnace with sweat.
"Grraaah!"
Dreaming of the day he'd face Yoo Jae-man and Oh Tae-gyu.
Letting out a guttural groan, Lee Dae-hyuk completed his 100th push-up.
***
Three days.
Only three days since Lee Dae-hyuk had joined the gym.
But for Chu Dong-hyun, every day was a nonstop surprise.
The elites still in the gym had mastered these basics without issue.
But even they had followed the pattern: show up a day or two, then bedridden for a week.
Lee Dae-hyuk was different.
His ring movement and that one-strike sense showed clear talent.
The issue was that talent and stamina are separate.
No matter the talent, without stamina, you can't perform in a real fight.
So how was Lee Dae-hyuk faring now?
His face paled with each completed course—stamina clearly lacking.
Yet seeing him sweat buckets, soaking the gym floor while powering through the basics, made Chu Dong-hyun's heart race.
'Talent plus grit. Time to train him for real.'
A fighter and trainer himself, Chu Dong-hyun's eyes blazed with enthusiasm at spotting prime potential.
On the other hand, Lee Dae-hyuk....
'Why's he glaring like that? Still salty?'
Staggering into his gym laps, Lee Dae-hyuk frowned at Chu Dong-hyun.
The man was staring like he wanted to kill him.
'Might need a deep talk soon. Hmm... Gift? Or set up drinks with Manager Yoon?'
Ignoring Chu Dong-hyun's warm(?) gaze, Lee Dae-hyuk pushed through the grueling training.