W Tree Hannam, a night at the Italian Bistro.
Minyoung, pouring an obviously expensive wine, asks,
"MG Electronics' stock keeps rising."
Monica, seated on the windowsill instead of a table, smiles slyly.
"It's not skyrocketing, which is a bit disappointing. It's a project I personally spearheaded."
Minyoung laughs as if it's absurd.
"Do you think MG Electronics' stock is like some local corner store's? It has a market cap of over 20 trillion. Stocks are priced at 125,400 won each. The market has been up more than 0.7% from the previous day's close for two months now. That's a big success."
Monica silently smiles and raises her wine glass. Without clinking glasses, Minyoung shares a toast and takes a sip of her wine before setting the glass down. Monica then asks,
"What's the board's reaction?"
Minyoung replies with a bitter face.
"What about it? If they don't want to listen to us, they just tell us to back off."
"Talk to dad about it."
"It won't work just because dad steps in. Maybe mom could."
"Yeah, considering the board, the real owner of the group is your mom. Did you talk to her?"
"Not yet. It hasn't been long since she entrusted me with this job, and I don't want to run to her at the first sign of trouble."
"Hmm, I see. How about your brothers? Are they managing well?"
Minyoung nods.
"The eldest brother is not the adventurous type, so he manages things safely, but growth is minimal. The second brother isn't interested in management. He mostly approves what the vice president suggests and clears it off, but since the vice president follows dad's orders, there's no issue."
"You're the first to encounter a problem."
"It's not really a problem. I just need to follow the board's opinion, and it's not something that'll blow up into a bigger issue."
"But isn't it a pity about that theatre? Even compared to the theaters in Jamsil or the Seoul Arts Center, it had much more advanced equipment."
".."
Minyoung's expression darkens for a moment but soon recovers as she says,
"Painter Ban might be able to help."
Monica asks with a puzzled look,
"Junghoon? How?"
Minyoung picks up her glass and joins Monica on the windowsill. Looking down at the night street and sipping her wine, she says,
"He suddenly came asking to attend the board meeting."
"Huh? Why the board meeting?"
"I was curious too. He even requested photos of the board members."
"For his painting?"
Minyoung grins.
"I couldn't understand his strange request, but I overheard Junghoon whispering to his employee."
"What did he say?"
"Gustav Klimt, The Old Burgtheater."
Both Minyoung and Monica, who majored in art at the University of Florence, Italy, could guess what Junghoon was planning with just this hint.
Monica blinks and then breaks into a broad smile.
"Maybe it's the best way. The vanity of those pigs is similar to an artist's creative urge."
Minyoung winks and adds,
"The art of creating desire, as you always emphasized. Painter Ban seems to be walking that path."
Monica raises her glass and looks up at the night sky.
"Am I right? I told you, Junghoon will become a star of the East."
Minyoung crosses her arms and looks up at the night sky in agreement.
"Let's trust him once. I'll try to buy as much time as I can."
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