CH 497

Kang Jin-Ho's expression grew a little awkward at all the sudden attention landing on him. “It's not that serious, everyone.”

“Still, it's not often you want to discuss something with us, son,” said Baek Hyeon-Jeong.

“Yes, your mother's got a point,” said Kang Yu-Hwan

However, Kang Eun-Yeong's response was markedly different from her parents'. “Oppa! You didn't do an oopsie with another girl, did you?!”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong shot a sharp glare at her daughter. “You! Take your plate and go to the living room! You're eating alone!”

“What? Mom! I didn't say anything I shouldn't, so why?!”

“I bought a sewing machine recently, Eun-Yeong. You better shush before I practice my sewing skill on you!”

“...Yes, ma'am.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong ably suppressed her wayward daughter. Then, she worked together with Kang Yu-Hwan to shower Kang Jin-Ho with warm but probing gazes.

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched the back of his head. “In a way... You might be disappointed by what I'm about to tell you.”

“You're making us even more curious, son. Come on, tell us what's on your mind.”

“Mm…” Kang Jin-Ho sighed while stirring his soup with a spoon. Even if it was him, discussing stuff like this was still difficult. “It's not something major, but... It's about the money I've been saving up.”

“Huh? Your money?”

“Yes.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong's brow rose up slightly. How long had it been since her son mentioned money in front of his family?

Other young people with Kang Jin-Ho's wealth would've slathered themselves in luxury goods by now, but not him. Baek Hyeon-Jeong's son still waltzed around everywhere in his worn-out tracksuits. If it hadn't been for her occasionally throwing out the old clothes and buying new ones, Kang Jin-Ho would've still worn T-shirts and pants from his high school years!

Kang Jin-Ho was so disinterested in money that Baek Hyeon-Jeong sometimes wondered what she did 'wrong' to raise a hermit-like son. So, for him to suddenly mention money like this? What a weird and even awkward situation this was!

“I see. Go on, son,” said Kang Yu-Hwan. Unlike his wife, he remained composed.

Kang Jin-Ho briefly nodded. “I was thinking of using the money.”

Kang Yu-Hwan also nodded along. “Sounds like you found something to do?”

“Yes, Father.”

“I see. However, did you need to tell us this?”

“Well, uh... The amount I've saved up is more than everyone thinks, that's why. And I'm not comfortable with the idea of using this money all by myself, so…”

“No, son. It's fine.”

“But...”

“I'm telling you, it's fine,” said Kang Yu-Hwan, his tone getting firmer. “It's your money, after all. No one has the right to tell you what you can or cannot do with your own money.”

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin. “Even so... I thought I should talk to you about where I'm planning to spend the money, at the very least.”

“Jin-Ho, my son...”

“Yes, Father?”

“Be more independent, okay?”

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. “...Eh?”

Kang Yu-Hwan leaned back against his chair, his expression getting a little fed-up. “You're not a child anymore. But you still want your father to give you permission on where and how you spend your money?”

Kang Jin-Ho was rendered speechless and could only keep his mouth shut. The response he expected from his family was nothing like this. However, his father was still not finished.

Kang Yu-Hwan smiled gently while glancing at his wife. “You know... With you two out of the picture, I got to have a lot of fun with your mother yesterday.”

Baek Hyeon-Jeong panicked grandly. “W-what are you doing, dear! You can't say that in front of the kids!”

“What are you embarrassed about, honey? Our kids are old enough to know these things,” Kang Yu-Hwan spoke in a totally unfazed manner, which was quite different from Baek Hyeon-Jeong and her blushing face. “I've spent the last two decades looking after you two. Two decades of not living my life, in other words. Son, if you have any sort of morals, isn't it about time you act like an adult and do things on your own? Don't you agree?”

“...Y-yes, you're right.” Kang Jin-Ho shrank back at the display of his father's genuine irritation.

Kang Yu-Hwan tutted loudly. “But you still want to hear our opinions on how you want to use your own money? Jin-Ho, are you still in kindergarten?”

“N-no, Father.”

“Let's act our age, shall we! Okay!”

“...Of course,” Kang Jin-Ho coughed to clear his throat. He didn't expect the discussion to end up in this direction, so how did it even...? He began feeling empty and rather stupid for staying up late at night and thinking about the answers to all the potential questions his family might ask.

“Son, listen.”

“Yes, Father?”

“You do know that I'm coming from a place of trust, don't you? We trust you, son.”

“Yes, Father.”

Kang Yu-Hwan smiled brightly. “This is what I think, son. Now that you're older, you should be capable of making the right choices without input from me or your mother. If you can't do that, then well... That means we've raised you poorly, now doesn't it?”

“Yes, you're right, Father.”

“Good. That's why you shouldn't worry about it and enjoy your breakfast. Then, go do your thing, son. Besides, I'm going to catch a movie or two with your mother today, anyway.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “...Mm? What about your cafe, Father?”

“Listen, boy. Have you ever seen an owner hanging around his cafe the whole day? Part-timers aren't there for a show, son.”

“Huh? Didn't we also tell you to do that when you first opened the cafe? But you said you must brew the coffee beans personally, didn't you? Wasn't that why you've basically set up a tent inside the cafe...?”

“What the hell? Will you listen to this kid? Just because you've gotten a bit older now, you dare argue with your father!”

Wasn't this abuse of authority? Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho didn't possess the necessary power to resist this tyranny. The one person he could count on as his dependable support in a situation like this, his mother, was not interfering at all. Baek Hyeon-Jeong's expression was coy, like a young maiden's, perhaps as an indicator of something that must've happened yesterday.

Kang Yu-Hwan tried to wrap this discussion up. “In any case! Hurry up and finish your breakfast and get out of here. You too, Eun-Yeong!”

Kang Eun-Yeong tilted her head. “Eh? But, Dad? I don't have anything scheduled for today, though?”

“Why can't you be more like your peers and hang out more often? I mean, kids your age practically spend all their time hanging out with their friends or boyfriends, yet why do you lounge around at home whenever you have the chance?! Why!”

Kang Eun-Yeong jumped up to her feet. “Wha?! Other kids are just immature and skanky, that's why! I'm a modest girl, Dad!”

“Hah! But I don't want a modest girl as a daughter!”

“Heol?! Goodness me...”

“Whatever! You two! Out! Get out!”

And so, Kang Jin-Ho was unceremoniously kicked out of his own family home.

***

Vroooom...

Kang Jin-Ho was on the road, his foot pushing down on the Lamborghini's accelerator.

'What a... unique person my father is.'

If he counted the number of days they had lived, Kang Jin-Ho was much older than Kang Yu-Hwan. And there was no doubt that he had experienced far more events and hardships than his father.

Even so, Kang Jin-Ho still realized he could learn a lot from Kang Yu-Hwan's wisdom. The only thing he had over his father was his age. For someone who still lacked self-awareness as an adult responsible for his own life, Kang Jin-Ho viewed his father as the complete package of a grown-up man.

'But... I never got to find that out in the past.'

In Kang Jin-Ho's memories from his first life, Kang Yu-Hwan was a bright, happy-go-lucky man who didn't seem to have much of a quirk. Other than Kang Yu-Hwan caring greatly about his children, Kang Jin-Ho didn't get the impression that he needed to learn from his father's examples.

In that case, what had changed?

Kang Jin-Ho didn't think his influence had something to do with this change. Of course not. Kang Yu-Hwan of now must still be the same as back then. What did change this time, though... was Kang Jin-Ho's perspective.

During his first life, Kang Jin-Ho simply didn't have the necessary power of discernment to discover his father's greatness. However, the experiences of his second life and events of his current life had broadened his horizon somewhat. And in turn, he was able to finally see how special Kang Yu-Hwan was.

Kang Jin-Ho suddenly realized how lucky he was to have Kang Yu-Hwan as his father. And how grateful he was, too.

Even Kang Jin-Ho knew he wasn't an... ordinary son. Not having plain and ordinary parents might sound like a recipe for disaster, but it should also be a tough assignment to raise a not-plain-and-ordinary child like him.

However, Kang Yu-Hwan still managed to finely balance his parenting duties of keeping Kang Jin-Ho on the straight and narrow while respecting his son's autonomy.

If Kang Jin-Ho's parents had been the plain-and-ordinary types, he probably would've been mired in a lot of troublesome affairs by now.

'I'm more grateful than ever before.'

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled softly after being reminded of how grateful he should be. After all, the place he was heading to right now was cursed with a family who didn't trust each other despite the best environment imaginable on paper.

Kang Jin-Ho spotted the distant Jaegyeong HQ and sighed softly under his breath.

***

“Good to see you, Jin-Ho,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu.

“Me too, Chairman.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded while taking a seat.

After arriving at the HQ, Kang Jin-Ho went straight to the chairman's office instead of seeking out Jo Gyu-Min first. Although his business was with Jo Gyu-Min, he still thought the correct etiquette when visiting Jaegyeong was to pop in and say hello to Hwang Jeong-Hu.

Hwang Jeong-Hu obviously stopped treating Kang Jin-Ho like a youngster after the latter revealed his status as a returner with a past life. Even so, the ingrained habits were still hard to get rid of.

Kang Jin-Ho settled down and asked first. “How have you been, Chairman? I hope everything's been good with you.”

“...Well, yes. And that's the problem.”

“I don't follow?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu sighed deeply. “That's how it is with things, you see? If everything is too good and too smooth-sailing, you slowly lose your influence on people.”

“Mm...” Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded.

“Stay on this nice, quiet lane and maintain our position like this, and our competitors are bound to introduce new and exciting products. And the upstarts I haven't even been paying attention to will suddenly punch above their weight and jump into the fray next. That's why a corporation needs to bitterly fight all the time. Events and incidents must happen. We gotta suffer some losses, which will allow us to evolve and be more competitive... And the cycle repeats itself. Well, that's how it's supposed to be…” Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly shook his head. “But it feels like there hasn't been much forward momentum lately.”

“It's not possible to run at your top speed all the time, Chairman. You need to take breaks in between all the competition.”

“Nah. This isn't like that,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu while reaching across the couch. After retrieving an ashtray, he offered Kang Jin-Ho a cigarette. Once both of them had lit up their smokes, Hwang Jeong-Hu sighed deeply and shook his head. “I know we gotta start something new, something exciting, but... I can't really think of anything lately. In other words, I've gotten old.”

“Chairman, you're still in rude health.”

“So what if my body's healthy? My mind has gotten too old, anyway. Let me tell you, my mind used to be overflowing with fresh ideas. So many ideas that I used to get so frustrated by the lack of time to implement them all. But now... Mm... These days, I can't even tell what I need to do first.” Hwang Jeong-Hu sighed deeply again. “Yes, I have gotten old now. Or... Maybe I'm just tired.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't say anything and simply stared at Hwang Jeong-Hu. Even if the Chairman of the Jaegyeong Corporation was often guilty of exaggerating the issues he might be facing, Kang Jin-Ho didn't think Hwang Jeong-Hu was doing that this time.

'Hmm...' Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes and studied Hwang Jeong-Hu a little more seriously.

Hwang Jeong-Hu noticed that and chuckled hollowly. “Don't look at me like that. We all worry about stuff like this sometimes, don't we? I'm just whining a bit since someone who doesn't mind lending me his ear visited me. That's all.”

“You are... whining?”

“Yes, whining. I can't exactly whine to any random person now, can I? Everyone is constantly egging me to become Superman or some nonsense like that, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded while thinking he could empathize with Hwang Jeong-Hu. Knowing everyone expects great things from you was a massive burden to bear, after all.

“In any case, it's fine now,” said Hwang Jeong-Hu while stubbing his cigarette out. “Gyu-Min should be at the Office of Secretaries. I'll see you around, then.”

Kang Jin-Ho blinked his eyes. “I'm sorry?”

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

“Didn't you come here to see Jo Gyu-Min?”

“Well, yes. But...”

“I'm grateful that you even thought about stopping by this old man's back room and greeting me like this. Still, I don't want to waste the time of someone as busy as you, so hurry up and get going already.”

“I'm not that busy, Chairman...?”

“It's fine, I say.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed while stubbing his cigarette out. Then he got up from the couch and bowed a little. “In that case, allow me to treat you to a meal in the near future.”

“Oh? And you will be paying for it, right?”

“Of course.”

“Kekeke. In that case, I'll be in your care. However, I'll order something ruinously expensive, so you better prepare yourself, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled while turning around to leave. Once he exited the office, and the door closed behind him, though...

Hwang Jeong-Hu leaned back in his seat and mouthed a fresh cigarette. The lighter clicked softly in the now-silent office.

'Hmm... Even though my doctor told me to quit...'

Hwang Jeong-Hu's personal physician warned him to quit smoking right now if he wanted to live longer. However, Hwang Jeong-Hu couldn't do that. No, the correct thing to say would be... He didn't want to quit.

After all, he didn't have much motivation left to keep living on.

The purpose that kept him going forward ever since Kang Jin-Ho revived him was stabilizing Jaegyeong. And now, he had done that.

But that made him realize something. And that was the sad truth about how Jaegyeong—and everywhere else—no longer needed him.

Hwang Jeong-Hu took a long puff and slowly released the gray smoke into the office's atmosphere. The fuzzy smoke lazily drifted and scattered away.

Maybe life was like cigarette smoke? Unable to leave anything behind and disappear forever into the ether...

While thinking about his life, Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly closed his eyes.