Chapter 147 – Chaos – Part 7

Chapter 147 – Chaos – Part 7

As Lee Hyerim finished speaking, their faces were reflected in her eyes.

They were all speechless, as if glue had been applied to their mouths.

“What in the…”

The executives couldn’t help but be momentarily stunned.

Their anger was boiling over, almost to the point of exploding, but the turnaround was completely unexpected.

Then someone said,

“Could it be that you knew this would happen…?”

“That’s not what’s important. Now that the water has come in, all of you gathered here must unite and row hard.”

Again, they couldn’t say anything and were just racking their brains trying to figure out what was going on.

“Well then, continue your meeting.”

Lee Hyerim turned towards the entrance.

Click. Click.

The sound of her high heels was sharp and powerful, as if piercing the executives’ hearts.

What to say.

Her old, disregarded self was nowhere to be found,

and in their eyes, Lee Hyerim, a confident member of the owner’s family wherever she went, began to look different.

As Lee Hyerim left the conference room, a tsunami of words poured out towards the SH Construction CEO.

“What happened?”

“Seriously, explain what happened.”

“Did this Managing Director know in advance and act accordingly?”

“Why did you hide it from us?”

“Hahaha!”

Amidst the barrage of questions, the CEO couldn’t even offer a single answer.

If Lee Hyerim told him to acquire, he acquired. If she told him to take out a loan, he took it out.

He himself was curious.

Why she was doing such crazy things.

Lee Hyerim might have grabbed him by the collar and thrown him around, but ultimately, the conclusion was a celebratory pop of champagne.

‘We will build SH Construction’s Mega Town.’

It was just childish behavior, wanting recognition, Ira thought.

The CEO then smiled broadly and said,

“As Managing Director said, the ship has been designed, the water has come in, now shall we start rowing?”

–

The next day.

Lee Jeongcheol silently watched his daughter, Lee Siyoung.

Next to her stood Lee Hyerim.

“Oh, Dad, that’s…”

“Both Yohwan and you.

You’ve decided to grind your father’s reputation into dust.”

As soon as the article came out, Lee Siyoung asked the bank president’s son for more loans and bought up the skyrocketing GH shares.

But the result was,

As soon as the public announcement came out that GH Construction had transferred its shares to SH Construction, the stock price, which had reached its previous high, plummeted again.

Of course, Lee Hyerim picked up GH Construction shares like gleanings when they first plummeted, and sold them when they soared again.

“What are you going to do?”

At Lee Jeongcheol’s question, Lee Siyoung quickly blurted out,

“Dad, if you help me just this once, I won’t make such a mistake again. I tried my best, and it just happened…”

Lee Siyoung couldn’t continue speaking under Lee Jeongcheol’s cold gaze.

“I’ve set up an appointment with Prosecutor Go. He seems like a decent fellow, so meet him.”

A Siyoung’s eyes widened.

He was talking about marriage.

She was a married-out daughter, and Dad would treat her like a stranger if she got married.

There was no exile like this exile.

And one from which she could not return.

He would provide some dowry, but all the hotel shares she had coveted would be gone, and she would not be able to seize the opportunity.

“Dad…”

“Look at Hyerim. Don’t you feel anything?”

Lee Jeongcheol knew that his children were ignoring and despising Hyerim.

But he didn’t interfere; he just observed them.

If Hyerim overcame it and desperately climbed up, he would praise her, and if she lived like a frog in a well, he would just protect the well.

Not only Lee Hyerim, but all his children thought that way.

As long as they didn’t make a big mistake.

Lee Jeongcheol continued.

“You should learn from this experience.”

Lee Siyoung, who had been picking at her dry lips, replied.

“Yes.”

“You can go now.”

“Dad, then this mistake…”

“I’ve already taken care of it.”

“Thank you…”

Lee Siyoung couldn’t say another word and weakly turned around, leaving the CEO’s office.

Only Lee Jeongcheol and Lee Hyerim were left.

“Well done.”

Lee Hyerim replied calmly.

“I was lucky.”

“Luck is something you make follow you through effort, and that’s called skill.”

Lee Jeongcheol didn’t ask about the process.

It was because the result had already been achieved.

“Do you need anything?”

“The tricycle you bought me last time is still safe at home.”

Lee Jeongcheol chuckled without realizing it.

It felt like only yesterday when Hyerim, as a grown man, came to his office and begged for a tricycle, because he hadn’t bought her one when she was little.

Now that guy, true to his bloodline, is doing his part splendidly.

“Grandfather wants to see you.”

Lee Hyerim’s eyes widened slightly.

Except for the times they visited during holidays, Grandfather had never once asked to see her.

Had she ever heard him say he wanted to see her?

It seemed not, except for when she was very young.

“Me?”

“He wants to praise you directly.”

Indeed, she had created an opportunity to catch GH Construction, which was increasingly pulling away from SH Construction.

That wasn’t all.

He had established a company called J&R Future, which Lee Jeongcheol hadn’t even heard of yet, and SH Strategy also didn’t know about.

Woojin made all the small but seemingly solid companies bear the J&R Future signboard.

Similar companies in each field were merged.

The newly reborn companies under the J&R Future signboard no longer needed to grovel for contracts.

This was because they would be the first to receive the massive contract for the New City Development on a huge site.

That would be the beginning.

“When?”

Lee Hyerim didn’t hesitate.

Praise?

I’ll receive it.

If I could receive it and move forward, there was no reason to refuse.

“She told me to come to her house for lunch tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

After exchanging a few more words, Lee Hyerim went out into the hallway.

And called Woojin.

“Woojin, are you busy?”

– I was studying.

“Studying?”

– Yeah, I’m looking up what trendy words are popular these days.

“Why would you bother with something like that…?”

– Because I need to read the trends of the times.

Lee Hyerim closed her eyes and shook her head.

“Have you eaten?”

– I’m going to eat later.

“Want to eat? I have something to tell you too.”

– What’s the menu?

“Is there anything you want to eat? Should we go for a proper meal?”

– How about Tteoksun-twi? There’s a place that sprinkles fried batter on tteokbokki, and they say it’s the Righteous Path that you have to wear a diaper to eat.

Lee Hyerim couldn’t help but smile.

It was Woojin who moved hundreds of billions of won around.

But at times like this, he looked genuinely innocent.

Lee Hyerim smiled again and opened her mouth.

Would there be anyone else who could make her smile like this?

“Call.”

In the past, she wouldn’t have understood the term “tteoksuntwi,” but after meeting Woojin, Lee Hyerim had become familiar with the names of countless foods.

“I’ll come pick you up.”

— Oh, wow… Then that’s a thank you from me.

At that time.

Woojin, who had finished his call with Lee Hyerim while lying in bed, turned on a YouTube video again, checking the comments and muttering.

“What… what’s going on? How did they do it? How did they do it?”

Woojin, who had been repeating the comments aloud, went outside at the appointed time.

As he was waiting for Lee Hyerim at the main gate.

“Brother!”

Bomi, now a university student, ran towards Woojin.

“Where are you going?”

“Yeah, I have an appointment. What about your dinner, Bomi?”

“I ate Tteokbokki with my friends! Who do you have an appointment with? Is it someone I know?”

Just then, a red sports car approached and stopped.

It was Lee Hyerim who got out of the car.

Lee Hyerim smiled sweetly and waved at Bomi.

“Hello~ You’ve become even prettier?”

“Hello.”

Bomi bowed politely and looked at Lee Hyerim again.

This was the third time she had seen her, and the atmosphere of the older sister whom her brother called a friend felt completely different.

If before she had a stiff aura, as if she didn’t know how to treat her, now she had a soft atmosphere.

Woojin adjusted the scarf around Bomi’s neck again and said.

“It’s cold, go inside quickly.”

Bomi glanced at Lee Hyerim and replied.

Yes. Have a delicious meal and come back.

See you again, Bomi.

Drive safely.

Bomi stood in place, squinting her eyes as she watched the sports car drive away.

It’s suspicious, you know.

The way my sister looked at my brother was definitely the way one looks at a person of the opposite sex.

Bomi, turning towards home, had a thought that the three of them should meet up sometime.

Bomi wasn’t the only one with such thoughts.

Lee Hyerim, heading to the Tteokbokki Restaurant Woojin mentioned, said,

Let’s have a meal with Bomi sometime.

Why?

Because she’s your sister, and I don’t think I’ve given her an admission gift yet.

Bomi, whose dream was to be a doctor, was able to enter medical school.

She seems to have her ears pierced. How about earrings?

Bomi doesn’t like free things.

Lee Hyerim smiled awkwardly, already thinking about buying something, no matter what.

After driving and driving, they finally arrived at the Tteokbokki Restaurant Woojin had mentioned.

It must have been a really popular spot, as there was only one table left.

As the handsome couple entered, the men stole glances at Lee Hyerim, and the women stole glances at Woojin.

Then the Tteok-sun-twi they ordered arrived.

Woojin first brought the Tteokbokki, with its red broth and yellow fried crumbs, to his mouth.

Woojin, chewing the Tteokbokki, blinked his eyes.

Then he nodded his head.

Is this why they told me to wear a diaper? This is the ‘mind-blowing’ taste people talked about.

The chewiness of the Tteokbokki, along with its crispy texture, was superb.

Lee Hyerim, who had been laughing at Woojin’s words, also tasted the Tteokbokki.

“Oh. It’s delicious.”

This time, Woojin took another piece of Tteokbokki with some broth to his mouth.

“Wow. How did you make this?”

The comments Woojin had read at home were now coming out of his mouth.

At the same time, the secret to the taste that drew people in like this was being calculated in Woojin’s mind.

Fine red chili powder, Cheongyang chili pepper powder, sugar, and glutinous rice flour instead of starch were added.

Pepper, seasoned salt, Miwon, Dashida, chicken stock.

Onion powder was also included.

Woojin also savored the Sundae (Korean Blood Sausage) and fried foods, enjoying them deliciously.

He finished by taking some fish cake broth in a paper cup and went outside.

Lee Hyerim held the paper cup with both hands and sipped it like coffee.

The sight of her, driving a supercar and dressed in luxurious clothes, eating the broth was strangely fitting, despite the incongruity.

Her way of speaking was also like that.

“It tastes better than coffee, I think.”

Woojin nodded at Lee Hyerim’s words.

“I agree.”

After drinking the steaming broth from their paper cups, the two got back into the car.

Lee Hyerim fastened her seatbelt and said,

“Thanks to you, I know another great place to eat.”

If her siblings knew that Lee Hyerim was eating at a snack bar, they would have accused her of being vulgar,

but Lee Hyerim didn’t care at all, and her words were sincere.

She opened her mouth again.

“I think I need to go see Grandfather tomorrow.”

“To get praised?”

As Lee Hyerim smiled and nodded, Woojin also nodded along.

“I’m not thrilled about it, but I have to go.”

Just then, Woojin, who was staring straight ahead, spoke.

“Can I come too?”

The owner of Shinhwa Group.

It was predictable how he was designed, changing his environment since childhood, but seeing him would provide a clearer judgment.

He wanted to see the tiger in the deep cave, to see its form with his own eyes.