Free Web NovelChairman Song Youngjoo was laughing as if joking, but his smiling face clearly showed signs of illness.
It seemed he was trying to lighten the mood with banter, but my expression remained stiff.
“······Are you really all right?”
“I’m still alive, am I not? I look perfectly fine—what is there to worry about?”
“Given your age, of course I worry. That is why I kept telling you to visit the hospital regularly.”
Chairman Song was the only person, aside from my grandparents, whom I respected as a true elder. Maybe that was why my tone unconsciously rose.
“Heh, young man. No one can stand against time. Sit down first.”
He spoke calmly, brushing off my concern, his smile unwavering as he gestured to the chair. Reluctantly, I sat.
Leaning back against the bed, he looked at me steadily. After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“It seems your relationship with President Putin is stronger than I imagined. Chanwoo came running back from the banquet hall to tell me.”
“That is not the important matter right now.”
“I am a businessman to the bone, even if I die tomorrow. My head is always filled with business. So do not treat me like an invalid.”
Though his body looked weak, his eyes sparkled brighter than ever.
“······Understood, Chairman.”
“Good. I hear you hold an important key for our Russian ventures?”
“Yes. I also acquired a fair amount of Gazprom shares.”
“What?!”
His once calm voice suddenly rose.
“You mean to tell me you hold shares in Gazprom? Is that truly the case?”
“Yes. An opportunity came and I took it. Of course, it isn’t enough to take part in management in any meaningful way.”
The significance of my Gazprom shares lay less in their value and more in the alliance it represented with Putin.
The oligarchs’ divided shares had been too burdensome for the government to fully buy out, yet selling to Western capitalists would have gone against Putin’s anti-Western policy.
Thanks to that, I had been able to acquire Gazprom shares for nearly nothing.
Not enough to influence management, and even if I could, I had no reason to.
Still, to outsiders, it was more than enviable.
“Mm······. That is enviable indeed.”
His face darkened instantly. frёewebnoѵēl.com
“I have been building business here for decades. Decades. And yet in just a few short years, you have achieved far more than I ever did.”
“It is the change of the times, Chairman.”
“Yes. Perhaps so. Still, I have so much left to do, and yet Heaven already seeks to take me away······.”
His lament trembled faintly, but soon he collected himself and returned to business.
“Even if I die, I ask you to help Daehyeon. Please.”
“······.”
“With the shares of Daehyeon you hold, no one can threaten Chanwoo’s control. You know this well, don’t you?”
“Yes. I know.”
The shares my grandfather entrusted to me were about equal to Chairman Song’s own.
Enough to shake a corporation and secure management control with greater ease than even Ilseong.
But such a disaster never occurred, because my grandfather considered Chairman Song a true friend.
And I, too, intended to honor their will.
“I know Chanwoo is lacking. In truth, the one most like me is my second, Chanseong.”
Chairman Song Chanseong of Daehyeon Motors had a personality and business style like a mirror image of his father.
“That is true.”
“Then do you not wonder why I named Chanwoo as my successor?”
“Because Chairman Song believes he can carry on the North Korea business.”
“As expected······ you see clearly.”
He gave a soft laugh. Even in my previous life, Song Chanwoo had pressed forward with inter-Korean ventures, ignoring his siblings’ opposition.
“Yes. Only Chanwoo can lead that. Chanseong would never touch any business that does not make money.”
“······.”
“I’m sure Putin spoke of it. The railway project that would pass through North and South Korea, stretching into Siberia.”
I nodded slightly. Yet that project would never happen in the future.
Japan and China blocked it, America pressured to prevent Russia’s rise, and the great powers’ struggle around the Korean Peninsula smothered any chance.
“That will not be easy in the near term.”
“True. I think so too. But still, who could have imagined even a few years ago? A successful North-South summit, the Russian president visiting our country. It was unthinkable. Step by step, change is happening.”
Perhaps, as he said, things might be different this time. His face was full of hope as he went on.
“Even in our own country—who would have thought democratization would advance so quickly? From the harsh military dictatorship, straight into the transitional age of democracy.”
“Yes. Perhaps, just as you say, it may happen faster than expected.”
I did not fully agree, but under his earnest gaze, it was hard to speak otherwise.
“Your role is crucial. So please help Daehyeon. No—help Chanwoo.”
“Mm······.”
It was not easy to answer. Noticing my hesitation, he pressed again.
“I know you are a businessman. You never act where there is no gain. But Chanwoo’s way of management will never hinder you. He knows his limits better than anyone.”
“I can help Daehyeon. But I do not want to involve myself in succession struggles. To take one side means turning the other into an enemy.”
Indeed, cracks were already forming just after his collapse.
Though retired as Honorary Chairman, Song Youngjoo was Daehyeon, and Daehyeon was him.
Chanwoo’s influence was a sandcastle held only by the fact that his father still stood behind him.
Chairman Song spoke as he gazed toward the firmly shut hospital room door.
“When you arrived, what was the mood in the hallway? It wasn’t good, was it.”
There was bitterness in his voice. Following his eyes, I recalled the cold corridor, filled not with concern but hostility. I looked back at him.
“It is inevitable. This is about inheriting the empire of Daehyeon. You said not to worry, but that is only while you are alive.”
“Yes, yes. You always told me that.”
He nodded faintly. Since my grandfather’s death, he had often worried about the future.
And it was no baseless worry—that was what made it weigh heavier.
“That is why I ask. If you help, no one can challenge Chanwoo’s control. Daehyeon can be passed to him whole.”
I could not fathom why he clung to Chanwoo so much. Confusion filled my mind.
To say it was only for continuing inter-Korean projects seemed far too simplistic.
Even in my previous life, despite fierce opposition, he had handed Daehyeon to Chanwoo in the end.
Perhaps there was something I did not know.
Noticing the suspicion on my face, Chairman Song’s smile deepened.
“You are curious, aren’t you.”
“To be honest, I do not understand. It sounds less like you are asking me to help the inter-Korean ventures, and more like you are asking me to help Chairman Song Chanwoo himself.”
“One might see it that way.”
Neither denial nor affirmation—just an ambiguous reply. His eyes flickered.
“Will you promise? If I tell you everything, that you will become Chanwoo’s steadfast ally?”
“I will listen, and then decide.”
At my firm answer, his smile faded.
“I cannot promise unconditional support. You know how I live, and how I keep my place. Helping out of sentiment helps no one.”
“You... you are truly ruthless. Can you not at least see it as my final request?”
For a moment, his pleading shook my heart. But I quickly steadied myself and shook my head.
“I told you before. I will not sit by and watch Daehyeon collapse. I said I would help once.”
In the end, a long sigh escaped from Chairman Song Youngjoo. He turned his head briefly to gaze out the window, then spoke.
“Yes... that’s right. Very well. I will trust your judgment.”
A long conversation followed. After moistening his dry lips with his tongue, Chairman Song slowly began to speak.
The words seemed endless, yet each one was filled with affection for Song Chanwoo.
Only after hearing everything could I finally understand Chairman Song’s feelings.
“So that’s how it was. Now I understand everything.”
“To you, it may seem trivial. But to me, it is one of my deepest regrets.”
What came from his lips was a secret that would never be revealed even after his death. The weight of such a revelation left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“I believe you will keep this secret. Your grandfather knew as well.”
“I will never speak of it anywhere.”
“So, have you decided?”
“······Not yet. I will think about it.”
If I were to help Song Chanwoo, history would twist completely.
Even destroying Ilseong alone might shift the flow of history. But if I also prevented Daehyeon’s division...
The future I knew might never come.
Instead of pressing me further, Chairman Song spoke softly.
“He is not lacking in ability. He only hesitates too much and has a soft heart. But in management, he is not without talent.”
Because he kept speaking of Chanwoo’s strengths to the very end, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“By the way, Chairman—how is your health really?”
After such a long talk, I finally asked the true reason I had come to the hospital.
“They say my heart stopped for a moment.”
He said something shocking as if it were nothing. I asked before I realized it.
“Your heart stopped?”
“It started again, so it’s fine.”
“Why? Was there some underlying condition?”
“It’s simply age, nothing more.”
At his words, I remembered the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) day Grandma’s heart had stopped.
The frantic struggle to bring her back, calling her name endlessly—all of it resurfaced vividly.
Naturally, my face showed worry. Seeing this, Chairman Song smiled again.
“Don’t worry.”
His gentle voice pulled me back to reality.
“So what will you do now?”
“I will remain in the hospital. It’s not my time yet. I cannot go now. Go on. Return when your thoughts are settled. I need some rest.”
As I rose slowly, Chairman Song sank his head deep into the pillow.
“On your way out, call Chanwoo in for me.”
“Yes. Please stay well until I return.”
“Haha. Yes, yes.”
Though his face wore a smile, to my eyes it looked only sad.
I felt I should not steal more of his time. Bowing my head, I left the room.
The moment I stepped into the hallway, every gaze turned toward me.
I leaned toward the secretary waiting by the door.
“Chairman Song Chanwoo may go in now.”
Leaving behind the cold atmosphere of the corridor, I walked toward Manager Ma.
“Let’s go. No other appointments today. I want to rest at home.”
“Yes, Boss.”
As I passed, Song Chanwoo entered the room.
He was the only one among the family with worry still etched on his face. Glancing at him, I turned toward the elevator.
From behind, someone called me.
“President Kim Muhyuk.”
Turning toward the voice, I saw Chairman Song Chanseong and his son Song Hyunsoo.
“Not today, but in a few days—could you spare some time?”
“What is it about?”
“There is something important we must discuss. Is that all right?”
I thought briefly, then nodded.
“Yes. Please contact me.”
“Thank you, thank you. Hahaha.”
His hearty laugh overlapped faintly with memories of Chairman Song Youngjoo in his younger days.
“Hyunsoo, go and see him off. I cannot stay away too long. I am the eldest, after all.”
Patting his son’s shoulder, Chairman Song Chanseong turned and walked away.
Left behind, Hyunsoo came toward me with an awkward smile.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, Hyunsoo. It’s been a while.”
“I’ve heard all about what you’ve been doing.”
Hearing his awkwardly spoken words, I smiled faintly. He looked far more uncomfortable than the first time we met.
“It just turned out that way. And you? You’ve been well?”
Ding.
At that moment, the elevator arrived with a chime. Weariness suddenly crashed over me, and I spoke first.
“Let’s have a drink sometime later, Hyunsoo. I want to rest today. No need to see me off. I’ll be going.”
Hyunsoo opened his mouth as if to say something, but I left him behind and stepped into the elevator.
And just before the doors closed, I saw his awkward smile vanish, replaced by a cold expression.
