Chapter 1575. Ardent (5)

In the chairman’s office...

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly stared at Jeong Hong-Geun.

As for Jeong Hong-Geun, he refused the head of the table, offered to him as a courtesy, and chose a spot in the corner of the couch. He sat there demurely, with his hands resting on his knees.

Well, this is kind of...

Even Kang Jin-Ho, who had experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations in life, couldn’t quite comprehend this situation. Even if other things could be brushed aside for the moment, to think that the 70-plus-year-old leader of one of South Korea’s top ten corporations would remain sitting so politely in front of a wet-behind-ears youngster!

“Thank you for your patience. Here,” said Hwang Min-Su while putting a cup of coffee before Jeong Hong-Geun.

Jeong Hong-Geun looked up, and his complexion brightened. “Oh? President Hwang? It’s been a while, hasn’t it? My apologies. Even though you were right here all along, I didn’t even recognize you.”

“Chairman, sir. Please. You don’t have to be so polite with me. I feel so uncomfortable when you do that.”

“I can’t do that. I’m not speaking to Chairman Hwang Jeong-Hu’s son, but the president of MK, after all.”

Hwang Min-Su shuddered just then. This is driving me nuts!

He knew Jeong Hong-Geun pretty well. Maybe too well, and that was why he was having issues with this situation. He didn’t want to bring up a comparison to, say, royal families, but the thing was, he had plenty of chances to interact with Jeong Hong-Geun since he was a kid.[1]

The impression Hwang Min-Su remembered the most about Jeong Hong-Geun was...

Right. He’s like a venomous snake.

That seemed like the most fitting description.

Was it because of his hostility toward Hwang Jeong-Hu? Jeong Hong-Geun used to stare at the young Hwang Min-Su with an icier-than-glacier gaze. Hwang Min-Su could still vividly recall that glare, so to see Jeong Hong-Geun making such a gentle face like this!

Maybe because the chairman of Taegwang had gotten a lot mellower with age? Of course not!

People mellowing with age was a common misconception. On the contrary, humans would become even more obstinate and self-righteous as they got older. Hwang Min-Su knew this, so he couldn’t trust this version of Jeong Hong-Geun at all.

Yup, he’s got ulterior motives, alright.

Hwang Min-Su’s gaze grew sharper as he tried to read Jeong Hong-Geun. He would not sit back and watch this sly old snake try to harm his company’s chairman. He must do whatever it takes to interrupt Jeong Hong-Geun’s dastardly schemes!

Just as his thoughts reached that far, Jeong Hong-Geun turned his attention to Kang Jin-Ho. “Chairman Kang. Please forgive me for shamelessly showing up here unannounced.”

Kang Jin-Ho fake-coughed to clear his throat. How uncomfortable!

The “Chairman Kang” title was so difficult for him to listen to. What was even worse was listening to an old man being polite to him. Even though Kang Jin-Ho was older in terms of mental age, he was still much younger as far as their physical appearances were concerned. Thanks to the quirk of being raised in Korean culture, he was having a hard time dealing with how uncomfortable this exchange felt right now.

“What can I do for you, Chairman Jeong?”

When Kang Jin-Ho tried to speak in a formal tone, Jeong Hong-Geun smiled gently. “It is as I’ve said earlier. I’d like to apologize for what we have done.”

“...Excuse me?”

A somewhat stupefied voice leaked out of Kang Jin-Ho’s mouth.

Even Lee Hyeon-Ju, who would’ve been quick to voice her counter opinion in situations like this, could only watch on as her jaw fell slightly.

Just what was this old man even thinking?

It wasn’t as if they had failed to understand this situation. But the problem was that they couldn’t be sure if their understanding was “correct”.

“I’ve heard that my foolish grandson has greatly inconvenienced you,” said Jeong Hong-Geun while furrowing his brow. “Some things are off-limits between us fellow merchants, yet that foolish boy crossed the line. This is all my fault for not educating that boy properly. Please blame me instead.”

Hwang Min-Su nearly wobbled just then. What the...? Am I hearing this right?

On the surface, at least, it sounded like a strict but also caring grandfather had come to apologize for his grandson’s misbehavior.

No, it’s not just on the surface, is it? This situation is exactly that!

But the problem was that Jeong Hong-Geun was emphatically not that kind of person!

“Okay, so...” Kang Jin-Ho stared at Jeong Hong-Geun. “You came all this way just to apologize?”

Jeong Hong-Geun grinned bitterly. “Yes. I could’ve phoned you or sent a messenger over. But that wouldn’t have been enough to convey how sincere I was. No, it would only have bred more misunderstanding.”

He wasn’t wrong about that. Kang Jin-Ho and Co. were busy trying to figure out what Jeong Hong-Geun was doing here, after all. Imagine how much worse their suspicions would’ve been if Jeong Hong-Geun hadn’t come personally.

So, yes. They could understand that much. However...

That was when Lee Hyeon-Ju finally broke her silence. “Chairman?”

She was addressing Jeong Hong-Geun, of course.

“Sir, we now understand why you’ve come this far. However, if you allow me to be frank with you, we still find it difficult to have faith in your words. Not only your grandson, but you also personally tried to target us recently, didn’t you?”

“Yes, that I did,” said Jeong Hong-Geun. He didn’t even try to deny it.

Lee Hyeon-Ju was forced to clamp her mouth, as she had been expecting some kind of defensive response instead.

“However, every living person makes mistakes, no?”

Lee Hyeon-Ju asked back in disbelief. “Mistakes? Sir, did you just say mistakes?”

Jeong Hong-Geun held Lee Hyeon-Ju’s gaze. He wasn’t glaring at her, however. No, he was being somber.

“Saying this in this day and age isn’t appropriate, but... Miss, you don’t have any children, do you?”

“I’m... sorry?”

What was Jeong Hong-Geun even trying to say here?

“You’ll realize something when you have children of your own one day. Even the most peace-loving and gentle people would lose their cool in matters involving their children. Parents would get angry if their children came home all bruised. Even if their children deserved the beating, the parents’ first instinct would be to get furious toward the culprits.”

“Even if you get angry, it’s common sense to not do what you tried to do, Chairman.”

Jeong Hong-Geun grinned smoothly. “Is that so? Then, do you stick to that common sense all the time, miss?”

“Excuse me...?”

“Can you tell me honestly that you stick to common sense and behave morally every day? And you never hurt other people or did bad things to them?”

“...”

When Lee Hyeon-Ju couldn’t immediately respond, Jeong Hong-Geun nodded and spoke as if he had expected it.

“The concept itself is correct. But how many people in this world are saints who could stick to common sense all the time? This is the story of humanity, isn’t it? We all make mistakes. Get angry. And sometimes, do stupid things as a result.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju clamped her mouth shut again and stared at Jeong Hong-Geun.

She finally understood where the old Chinese proverb “The older the ginger, the spicier it is” had come from. She wouldn’t say the proverb fit Jeong Hong-Geun perfectly, but even then, she couldn’t find something to retort with as the Taegwang chairman’s assertion was nearly faultless.

She finally forced herself to say something. “What you’re trying to say is that you tried to do something against us out of anger only to realize that your actions were wrong, and wanted to apologize before it was too late?”

“In summary, yes, that’s right.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju shook her head in defeat. This exchange convinced her that Jeong Hong-Geun wasn’t someone she could handle. There might be holes in that man’s logic, but she knew she shouldn’t poke those holes.

For one, she was merely the head of a department at MK. Meanwhile, her opponent was none other than the chairman of Taegwang. As an ordinary member of society, not as a martial artist, she must refrain from crossing certain lines.

That meant she had no choice but to pass the baton to Kang Jin-Ho.

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho stared at Jeong Hong-Geun for a while, then tried to get up. “Do you mind if we take a five-minute break before continuing our discussion?”

Jeong Hong-Geun tilted his head. “I don’t mind. But why?”

“My craving for nicotine is working up again.”

When he heard that, Jeong Hong-Geun grinned brightly. “I see. I don’t mind if you wish to smoke here. If that’s what you’ve preferred doing, of course. Actually, I’m also hankering for a smoke, too. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Mm... I figured it’d be discourteous to you, though?”

“As a host, smoking first so that a guest like myself can light up his cigarette as well should be more courteous than making this old fart leave the office, I believe.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently sat down again.

Damn. This is uncomfortable.

It seemed Jeong Hong-Geun wouldn’t even allow a smoke break. However, it didn’t feel as if he was trying to be malicious and torment Kang Jin-Ho or some such.

Kang Jin-Ho sighed softly before pulling out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket. When he offered a cigarette, Jeong Hong-Geun urgently waved his hands.

“I’d like to smoke my own, if you don’t mind. I’m rather picky about what I smoke, you see?”

“Chairman Jeong, do you mind if you speak less politely? That might make things more comfortable for me.”

“But I came to apologize to you. Not being polite will defeat the purpose of my visit. Please bear with me on this one, Chairman Kang.”

There it was again! Kang Jin-Ho just couldn’t figure out why Jeong Hong-Geun was behaving like this at all.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then mouthed a cigarette. After lighting it up, he puffed away in silence while watching Jeong Hong-Geun light up his own cigarette.

The Taegwang Group chairman puffed away at his cigarette as if it tasted really great, then grinned cheerily.

Kang Jin-Ho briefly closed his eyes. This is getting a bit troublesome...

Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t find Jeong Hong-Geun challenging to deal with. Maybe it’d be more correct to say he didn’t even really care. To him, someone like Jeong Hong-Geun was a mere hindrance that could be removed from his path if he wanted to.

But that story was only true when Jeong Hong-Geun tried to act like a hindrance in the first place.

The usual method couldn’t be used anymore if he showed up as the Taegwang Group’s chairman who only wished to chat with his counterpart in MK. In that case...

“Yes, I understand this is uncomfortable,” said Jeong Hong-Geun as if he understood Kang Jin-Ho’s sentiments. “However, you don’t have to worry about decorum or protocol. I wouldn’t have come like this today if I was a stickler about such things.”

“Mm...”

“Indeed, I wouldn’t have bothered you like this unless my intention was to speak to you truthfully.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared contemplatively at Jeong Hong-Geun. However, he ended up sighing softly after looking into those slightly yellowing eyes of his opponent. Even he found it difficult to guess what could be on Jeong Hong-Geun’s mind.

Then again, racking his brain to uncover enemy schemes was never Kang Jin-Ho’s thing, now was it? No, that job belonged to Lee Hyeon-Su. Since that was the case, he should just stick to his style for the time being.

Kang Jin-Ho asked calmly, “In that case, let’s be frank with each other.”

“Good idea, Chairman Kang.”

“Why are you doing this, Chairman Jeong?”

Jeong Hong-Geun replied in a somber tone. “I’m sure it’s difficult to take my words at face value, but I was being truthful about my intentions. I am here to apologize to you.”

“I see. I accept your apology. Please go home.”

“On top of that...” Jeong Hong-Geun continued to speak. “Taegwang does not wish to be in an antagonistic relationship with MK.”

“...”

Jeong Tae-Gwang took another deep puff of his cigarette before exhaling the smoke a little more urgently than before.

“To be more precise, we’d love a chance to build a friendly working relationship with MK.”

“Friendly? As in... allies?”

“Can a mere corporation like Taegwang even become MK’s ally?”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. Jeong Hong-Geun spotted that response, then stood up before bowing deeply toward Kang Jin-Ho.

“I’d like to formally apologize for all of our rude behavior until now. Regardless of what the misunderstanding was or what had triggered this situation, I offer you my unreserved apology.”

“...”

“In return, I implore you to spare Taegwang.”

Kang Jin-Ho waved his hand as if he was troubled by this development. “I understand what you want to say, Chairman. For now, please go home.” 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

“Chairman Kang...”

“I need time to think.”

Jeong Hong-Geun nodded. “Understood. I’ll get out of your hair for now. However, I hope you now understand how sincere I am. We at Taegwang truly do not plan to harm MK’s interests. If you require any additional apologies, we shall prepare them right away. Even if you demand my foolish grandson’s head on a platter, we will comply.”

“...”

“Then, please excuse me. I shall pray for your good health.”

Jeong Hong-Geun deeply bowed again, this time as his farewell, then left the chairman’s office.

Even after he left, however, no one in the office dared to speak first.

“Goodness me...” Hwang Min-Su eventually broke the silence first. He sounded flabbergasted. “He’s not the type to do this, though?”

He kept tilting his head this way and that. He had never witnessed Jeong Hong-Geun behaving like this before.

“Chairman, that man is someone who doesn’t get fazed by my father’s presence and speaks his mind as if he owns the room. I’m telling you, he definitely would never acknowledge his faults like this.”

Lee Hyeon-Ju also agreed with that assessment. “He must be scheming something, sir. There’s no way his real intention was to apologize.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed deeply while listening to the two executives of MK. He couldn’t figure out Jeong Hong-Geun’s thought process even if he tried. Which meant there was only one thing he could do now.

“Call Lee Hyeon-Su.”

Time to bring in the expert, then.

1. I did a bit of Googling, and the author might be referring to a popular Korean TV melodrama series called the Royal Family that dramatized the lives of chaebol families. I could be wrong, though! ☜