"Theater?"
"Yes."
"Do-Jun, wouldn't it be better to invest in a high-rise building instead of a theater? If you find the right location, you can earn more from rent alone than most companies."
You can't stop my aunt-in-law once she starts talking, as if her husband has already become the mayor of Seoul.
"No, it's a bit different from a regular theater. I'm thinking about creating a new concept for a theater."
Maybe she knows what a multiplex is, or maybe not.
Since it's something they won't understand anyway, there's no need to explain it in detail.
"Ah, Yoon-gi is really blessed. His son not only provides start-up capital for what he wants to do, but also helps him come up with new business ideas... I envy him, really."
"That's right. Our brother is one of three, and he's using his sons' money to relax and enjoy life... Tsk tsk."
It's embarrassing to keep listening to the complaints of these two parents who don't have such talented children.
"Aunt, should I discreetly mention it to Grandfather?"
"What? No, don't!"
My jumped up in alarm, and I chuckled slightly before saying, "I should let Grandfather know. We need to understand why he's opposed to it. That way, we can try to convince him to change his mind."
"No, don't. Please don't." My aunt jumped up again.
It seems that the reason they want to turn my uncle into a political heavyweight is to prepare for the time when he opposes the family.
"Okay, okay, I understand. I won't tell Grandfather." I raised my finger to my lips. "I'll check the amount of money that Grandfather has set aside for the ruling party, and I'll also confirm how much funds I can mobilize."
Aunt and Aunt-in-law's husband held my hand one by one, looking at me as if I were their savior.
Perhaps making Aunt's husband into a political heavyweight would be a good idea.
"Do-Jun, I need to talk to you for a moment."
"Ah, am I late? I'm sorry for coming home late. I'll try to leave early from work."
"I'm not the kind of father who watches the clock to make sure his grown son comes home on time."
It's been a long time since I've seen my father with a solemn expression. For the past ten years, no matter how difficult it was, he never lost his smile... or was there really nothing difficult? Thanks to having a good son, he was able to prosper.
I need to hear what Aunt said and get to the bottom of this. But my father spoke words I had never expected.
"Today, my second brother came by in the morning, and in the evening, my sister visited. They had completely different conversations, but the desire was the same."
"Their desire...?"
My father smiled slightly. "Do you wonder more about what kind of conversation it was, rather than what they want?"
"The process isn't as important."
"Indeed. You're different from the usual, our son." Contrary to his gentle tone, my father's smile had already disappeared. "Shall we have a drink? It seems like the right time to relax and talk."
Before I could say anything, he stood up and went to the liquor cabinet, which was filled with bottles.
My father poured some alcohol into two glasses, handed one to me. "Shall we toast?"
I accepted the glass with both hands, although my complexion had already turned pale. "Oh, me? I don't really..." I shrugged my shoulders and glanced at my father. This was a rather unusual sight.
"Well... then I'll say it. Choose one. Over 3 trillion won in assets, the acquisition of A-jin Group, the investment firm that plays around with Hollywood, or the infinite affection of the Chairman of Sunyang Group. Which one do you like the most?"
I hadn't taken a sip of the alcohol, but my complexion changed again, from red to white.
Oh no, my careless uncle!
No, was I the foolish one? A friendship forged in a distant foreign land where we relied on each other and kept each other's secrets for ten years. Not telling my close friend's son about my own secrets for ten years was even stranger.
"Your expression right now is exactly the same as when I heard your story from Sehyun. Haha."
As if it were an insignificant matter, my father laughed heartily and clinked his glass, but his lips did not move.
"It's strange, isn't it? You're clearly my son, but you don't resemble me at all. I take pride in my artistic and aesthetic sense, but you don't even listen to the most common popular music, let alone pop songs. On the contrary, handling finances is such a tedious task for me, but my son has been blessed with an amazing talent for investment. How can we be so different?"
I downed the contents of my glass in one gulp. I felt like I needed to calm my pounding heart in order to say anything.
"It's okay. Take a deep breath slowly. Or do you want another drink? Haha." My father smiled as he poured more liquor into my glass. "At first, I was incredibly surprised, but on the other hand, I felt proud. Not because you earned a lot of money, but because I was proud of such an extraordinary talent."
"I apologize for not mentioning it earlier."
"It's actually a relief that you didn't mention it earlier. Do you think I would have believed a middle schooler who handles over 20 billion won and negotiates fluently in English?" My father continued calmly, assessing my expression. "Anyway, what's done is done. I'll applaud you honestly. Impressive." My father lightly clapped his hands a few times. "Now, let's talk about the future. What is it that you ultimately want to achieve?"
"Well... I don't have specific goals or plans right now. I'm busy evaluating what's coming up immediately."
"Do you perhaps want to take over Sunyang Group?"
Should I speak the truth? Should I seek his help? I hesitated for a moment, but timing is crucial. Once one person knows, it's only a matter of time before everyone else does.
"That would just be a means or a tool for my ultimate goal."
"Really? So what is our son's dream?"
"To create a first-rate conglomerate that surpasses Sunyang Group... To achieve that, I'll need to establish companies from scratch, and I'll have to acquire promising subsidiaries from Sunyang Group. Of course, I'll also need subsidiaries from other major corporations. I can't limit myself to just Sunyang."
"Acquire? Is Sunyang Group is a convenience store? A neighborhood supermarket? You plan to buy it?"
"Father, Grandfather giving me Sunyang Group is not something I want. What's the point of being born into a chaebol family if all I hear is how lucky I am?"
"So you're buying it? The prime companies of Sunyang?"
"If they are indeed prime. Well, it's still just a dream."