The Dignity of the Chaebol

This is definitely not an act.

If this were an act, it wouldn’t just be a clever performance—it would require a real actor’s talent.

The person who truly doesn’t know how to handle a smartphone or a computer, someone who doesn’t understand their functions, is clearly standing right in front of him.

“Then, if it’s okay, may I take a look at your phone, Manager?”

At this point, Jeong Dae-ri was once again confused.

There’s no way this is an act.

It’s definitely not a joke.

How could someone show their smartphone so casually, without any suspicion or hesitation?

Earlier, at Manager Son’s house, Jeong Dae-ri hadn’t thought deeply about these things due to the chaos of the situation, but now that he was in the office, it was becoming clear. Manager Son, who was called “Manager Mak” because of his messy personal and professional life, was someone who had often shown the dirtiness of his personal life to Jeong Dae-ri.

Jeong Dae-ri had seen his scandalous personal life many times, even playing the role of a journalist to cover it. So how could Manager Son, of all people, casually hand over his smartphone, a device that would contain all of those messy secrets?

This was clear evidence that Manager Son was not in his right mind.

Manager Son, after following Jeong Dae-ri’s instructions to use facial recognition, handed over the smartphone.

“I’ll just save Chairman Jang Tae-san’s number for you.”

“Save it?”

“Yes, if you save it like this, you can find it anytime. Like this.”

“Hold on. Let me try again. You go here, then press this, and like this…”

“Yes, just press the call button here.”

Manager Son, after having Jeong Dae-ri save Chairman Jang Tae-san’s contact on his phone, asked, just in case.

“By the way, do you think my phone has your number saved as well?”

“It should, right?”

A moment later, Jeong Dae-ri, with a perplexed expression, tilted his head at the confused look on Manager Son’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your name is Jeong Hyun-soo, right? It’s Hyun-soo, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not showing up. It looks like your number isn’t saved here.”

Jeong Dae-ri, in disbelief, searched for his name on Manager Son’s phone, but there was no result. So he tried searching for “Jeong Dae-ri” instead.

Still, no results came up.

This couldn’t be happening.

Jeong Dae-ri frowned and touched Manager Son’s phone again.

He was a person who often called when drunk, asking him to act as his chauffeur. Surely, his number had to be saved under some other name.

This time, Jeong Dae-ri directly pressed his own phone number on the keypad.

And then…

It was saved.

But the name registered next to his number was “Slave 4.”

His face flushed with embarrassment, and an overwhelming feeling of humiliation washed over Jeong Dae-ri.

At that moment, the 10 one-million-won checks he had received earlier from Manager Son resurfaced in his mind, and he felt a deep sense of distress.

And looking at Jeong Dae-ri, Manager Son’s face also showed signs of heavy confusion.

Even though he wasn’t sure what exactly was going on, Manager Son could tell that Jeong Dae-ri had been deeply shocked to see that his number was saved under the name “Slave 4” instead of his real name or title.

***

I walked out toward the elevator corridor.

There, I quickly assessed whether it would be okay to make a call. Then, following Jeong Dae-ri’s instructions, I pressed the green call button to dial Tae-san.

The signal went through, and from that point on, my heart started racing, separate from the issue of making Jeong Dae-ri feel upset by calling him “Slave.”

Future Finance? Tae-san is the chairman there now?

Was it my own selfish desire to keep him in the finance department?

It doesn’t matter.

What’s the use of thinking about that now?

If 30 years have passed, my friend is probably nearing ninety by now, and isn’t it important that he has lived to such an age?

Good for him.

Although I couldn’t do the same, he has lived well, taking care of his health, and has made it to this age.

If you, too, hadn’t passed away early like I did, or like my wife did, and had remained in this world, who would I be able to contact now to ask how Jeongyeong’s situation has gotten so out of hand?

But don’t worry.

I won’t rebuke you like I did in the past.

For now, I’m just borrowing my grandson’s body to take a look at how Jeongyeong has changed. This isn’t even my will, but rather a mysterious occurrence. I don’t know when I will return my grandson’s body and go back to where I should be.

I’m just curious about Tae-san now.

And if possible, I just want to meet you and have a cold drink of soju and a spicy beef soup at Taehwa-jang, the restaurant we always used to visit.

That’s all.

If I could hear about how my children have been living, and whether they’ve lived well, that would be more than enough.

***

“Hello.”

Although a lot of time had passed, it was definitely the voice of my old friend, Tae-san.

“Is this Chairman Jang Tae-san?”

“Yes, but who are you? How did you get my number to call me?”

“Chairman. It’s…”

Right, I should try not to startle my elderly friend.

“It’s Son Ga Jeong-hoon.”

“Son Ga Jeong-hoon? The second son of Chairman Son?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“The second son of Chairman Son? Why are you calling me?”

Why is this guy distancing himself from my grandson when he’s always been so warm with others?

“Have you been well?”

“Will the sun rise from the west tomorrow?”

“…”

“I’ve lived a long time. I even received health greetings from Chairman Son’s son.”

Does this mean Tae-san is scolding Jeong-hoon?

Could it be that the relationship between Tae-san and Hong-jun, and even his son, has grown distant?

Why? How?

“I think I’ve been neglecting to ask how you’ve been.”

“What do you mean? This is probably the first time I’ve received a direct call from you, isn’t it? Of course, it’s the first time. How did you get this number?”

“…”

“Well, it’s not hard to get a number if you really want to. But what’s the matter?”

He’s cold.

This friend, Tae-san, has never been this cold to anyone before. He’s the type who would scold me for being too soft on him, but why is he being colder with my grandson than with others?

And, as my closest friend, how is it that someone who has lived to be over ninety never once asked about me?

Isn’t this the same Tae-san, who is currently a major shareholder in Jaegyeong Holdings?

“I wanted to visit you in person and greet you, and I also have a few things I’d like to ask…”

“Ha!”

Could this be laughter?

“What did you just say?”

“…?”

“You want to come see me? To greet me?”

“Yes, but why are you so angry? Did I…?”

“I can see right through you, you fool.”

“Right through me?”

“Did Chairman Son tell you to do this?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What else would it be? It’s about my shares. I made it clear that I wouldn’t sell them to Chairman Son.”

“…”

“Now, you’ve even sent your clueless, naive younger son to try something like this? I feel sorry for Chairman Son. It’s a shame. The eldest son, too, rushing to follow after you—such a disgrace! After dedicating his whole life to building Jeongyeong, do you really think the chairman of Jeongyeong now is the right person for the job? If he only knew how things had turned out, he’d be lamenting from the grave!”

“…”

“Don’t ever call me about this again. Actually, don’t call me at all. I don’t have anything to say to you. If it’s about business, then maybe. But I have nothing left to discuss with you.”

“Then… what about Jeongyeop?”

“…?”

“No, do you happen to know anything about Jeongyeop hyung’s whereabouts?”

Was I being selfish?

Tae-san, who is even pushing away Hong-jun’s son, was now being cold like this. Asking about Jeongyeop’s news seemed selfish on my part, didn’t it?

But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t get a clear answer about Jeongyeop from Hong-jun or Jeong-tae.

If they knew, why wouldn’t they help Jeongyeop?

“Jeonghoon.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“I’m not blaming you. I don’t have the right to do that. After all, this is your family matter, right?”

“…”

“But the way you just casually brought up Jeongyeop’s name is shameful. You should understand that.”

“…”

“Do you think I’d tell you about Jeongyeop? Who knows when or how you’d come and bother him?”

Bother him? Me? Or Jeonghoon?

“People need to have some sense of propriety. That’s it. I’ll pretend I didn’t answer your call today. Don’t call me again.”

I couldn’t even respond with an acknowledgment or a request to talk a little more. Tae-san, who had always been a good friend, was now so angry at Hong-jun and his son, I couldn’t understand why he was so upset. He just said his piece and abruptly hung up.

***

Am I being punished?

I lived my life thinking only of money, success, and business, neglecting my family and prioritizing relationships that revolved around me… Could this be the punishment for all of that?

Yes, maybe it is.

If not, how could all the frightening information, which seemed like a fleeting moment in the depths of darkness, have come to me now, so vividly, as though 30 years had passed in an instant?

Perhaps this is Heaven’s way of showing me the future of Jeongyeong so that I can reflect on my past mistakes.

Still, I am grateful.

To be able to think about the future, even on the brink of death, and perhaps even taste a bowl of spicy beef soup—something I had longed for—before leaving this world, is something I can be thankful for.

It was just after 5 p.m.

As I thought about how it might have been a blessing that Tae-san didn’t meet with me after I called him, I began to realize that meeting with him wouldn’t have accomplished anything.

What would I have asked him? What could I have learned?

Even if I found out about Jeongyeop, what would I do with that information now?

I might soon return to where I truly belong, and Jeonghoon might enter this body.

All I needed was a warm bowl of spicy beef soup to put all my regrets behind me, and perhaps, this was Heaven’s way of saying I shouldn’t hold onto any more attachments.

I decided to let go, to go quietly.

When Jeonghoon returned to this body, I hoped there would be no more confusion.

“Excuse me, Assistant Manager.”

No one had asked me to do anything or come to me with work. After sitting at my desk for two hours, I started to wonder why I was wasting such precious time here.

Anyway, it seems like Jeonghoon had been a troublemaker at the company, and everyone working with him had been treating him like he didn’t exist. I, too, felt that this moment could very well be my last on this earth, so I decided that I should just leave the company on my own.

“Yes, Manager. What’s going on?”

“Can I leave work a bit early?”

“Leave early?”

“Yes, I don’t think I have much to do… I’m feeling a bit tired, so I think I’ll head out early.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Thank you.”

As expected.