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Chapter 22
Suar received exceptionally attentive treatment at Seohui’s house. Thinking back on it, the environment was far better than any hotel.
Chairman Han and Seohui had told him to make himself comfortable, as much as he wanted. Suar moved busily, thinking that taking care of important matters quickly would make him less of a burden to them.
A week passed quickly. During that time, Seohui didn’t pay much attention to Suar.
Even without asking, she could predict what he was doing. He was probably looking for a construction company that matched their tastes.
In the end, the company she would choose would likely be Shinsung Construction. So there was no need to be impatient.
On a weekend morning, Seohui was reading important news articles online. She didn’t remember everything, so she tried to read as many issues as possible to jog her memory.
An article caught her eye—it said that biotech stocks were drawing a lot of attention recently. AI Bio, which she had invested in quickly, was doing well.
Soon, there would probably be news that clinical trials were successful. It also meant there wasn’t much time left to sell her shares.
“Nothing special, it seems.”
Just as she was closing her laptop, someone knocked on the door.
“Miss.”
It was Director Oh. It wasn’t mealtime, so what could it be?
As Seohui got up and headed toward the door, Director Oh continued.
“The chairman is asking for you.”
Seohui opened the door and nodded in greeting.
“Are you in your study?”
“Yes.”
It had been about a week since she subtly suggested checking the construction company for internal corruption. The reason her grandfather called her was probably that he had discovered something.
Given his personality, he would want to repay anything. If she wanted to negotiate advantageously, it would be smart to first win his favor with something he liked.
“I’ll prepare the tea.”
She decided to personally make the tea he liked most.
Knock, knock. Seohui carried the tray with the tea and carefully knocked on the door. She opened it slightly and peeked in.
“Grandfather.”
Hearing his granddaughter’s sweet voice, Chairman Han’s face broke into a smile.
“Without coming in?”
“Ta-da!”
Only then did she push the tray forward through the slightly opened door.
“You prepared this?”
“Of course. I prepared it to have tea with you.”
“You didn’t waste the taste of good tea, right?”
Did her granddaughter have a hobby in tea ceremony? Even as an actress, she preferred coffee… but this was tea.
“Try it first, then tell me.”
“Well, I’ll know if it’s bad only after tasting it.”
No matter the flavor, just knowing it was prepared by his beloved granddaughter made it feel like the best tea. He hid his thoughts but teased her mischievously.
“If it tastes bad, I’ll make you pay for it?”
“If it’s good, you’ll pay me handsomely?”
Like grandfather, like granddaughter. Seohui filled the cups neatly. Chairman Han picked up the cup with a solemn air, as if he were a judge. He first inhaled the aroma, then took a sip.
“Mm.”
It was a taste that naturally elicited admiration. Did Seohui have this skill? Despite aging, her memory was still reliable. He tried to recall if he had ever had tea prepared by her, but he couldn’t.
“Seeing your expression, I feel like I should collect payment for brewing this, what do you think?”
Seohui smiled confidently.
“One must acknowledge what is due. I’ll pay handsomely.”
Grandfather probably had more in mind, but he seemed to understand his granddaughter’s feelings as he continued.
“And one more thing.”
“What is it?”
Although she already knew the answer, Seohui pretended not to.
“How did you find out?”
Should she continue pretending not to know? Not yet. This was the time to show she was smart and perceptive.
“I happened to overhear Uncle’s phone conversation. Executive Director Jeong Jae-jin recently moved to a better place.”
“Only that and you inferred?”
“I also thought about why Shinsung Construction changed.”
“Go on.”
Chairman Han’s eyes were unusually serious as he listened. Knowing this wasn’t a casual conversation with her grandfather, Seohui answered seriously.
“Shinsung Construction, which had been rising to the top of the industry, recently gained a reputation for poor performance. Even though your faith hadn’t changed.”
The chairman nodded in agreement.
“It must have been hard to find the cause. The actions in the middle were probably subtle enough not to show.”
Chairman Han had also tried to find the cause but hadn’t received a satisfying answer. As Seohui said, it wasn’t obvious, and the person in power was covering it up, so it was easy to hide.
“I’m glad we found out early. Before something bigger happened.”
It was fortunate they could prevent a potential disaster before a building under construction collapsed and caused casualties.
“Just as you said, a lot happened in the middle. Abusing subcontractors, bribery, embezzlement—everything was done thoroughly.”
Chairman Han shook his head.
“I’ll fire him next Monday.”
Fortunately, as expected, her grandfather acted decisively. The money embezzled by Executive Director Jeong Jae-jin would all become Tae-kyu’s slush fund. There’s a joke that the group’s construction company is a laundering machine for the owner’s family, and Tae-kyu was practically proving it by using Shinsung Construction transparently, without grandfather knowing. Many lives were lost due to the funds he diverted, and it eventually became the starting point of a crisis for Shinsung Group. For now, it was fortunate to stop it.
“Yes.”
Seohui replied calmly. Chairman Han was surprised at her reaction, as if she had anticipated everything.
He knew she was smart, but did she really have this much insight? He thought she would accomplish great things.
The key was how to carve a raw diamond into the finest jewel…
“There should be proper compensation, right?”
As expected. Seohui pretended to ponder for a moment as if she hadn’t decided yet.
“If nothing comes to mind, shall I give it?”
No immediate answer came, as she had expected.
“A bag? Or maybe a new car?”
A bag or car—it wasn’t a bad reward, but not what she wanted. Selling off existing things, she wouldn’t need those.
Seohui smiled, eyes half-closed, and spoke.
“No.”
“Then?”
“Give me shares.”
“Shares?”
Her unexpected answer made Chairman Han’s eyes sparkle.
“I want shares of Shinsung Department Store, grandfather.”
He laughed inwardly at his granddaughter’s reply. That’s more like it.
Seohui had always seemed disinterested in management. This might have been a lucky accident.
But her words dispelled any doubt—she hadn’t stumbled into this by chance. She had clearly planned to take control.
Curious, he decided to observe a bit longer, wanting to understand her plans and thoughts.
“Good. Compensation should be certain.”
Contrary to her concern that he might ask too many questions, her grandfather easily agreed. He didn’t even ask why she wanted department store shares.
He immediately contacted his personal lawyer and instructed that the shares be gifted. The amount likely wouldn’t be huge. Before passing them to his children, he would keep enough to defend management rights. So she didn’t ask for much.
She just wanted her grandfather to realize that this was her official declaration to enter the succession race.
Seeing his expression as she left the study, she felt he had understood. She planned to steadily prepare from behind, protecting her grandfather and the group, ready to return it to Tae-kyu, Isu, and the rest of the family.
“Shall I meet Suar now?”
A week was enough for him to think it through. He might have made up his mind.
It was time to receive the reward for the favor she had extended. Director Oh said she wasn’t going out today and would be resting at home.
Seohui headed straight to the guest room. She knocked lightly and received permission to enter.
{Did you rest well?}
Seohui entered and smiled warmly.
{Did you do a lot of sightseeing? You seem so busy I barely saw you.}
{Yes, thanks to you and grandfather.}
{Ah, what did I do?}
Suar’s chatter revealed how grateful he was.
{From helping me with my lost luggage to giving me a comfortable place to stay and delicious meals—how could it have been more perfect?}
Seohui smiled faintly, her cheeks slightly flushed.
{I was able to move around comfortably thanks to you. My boss even praised me for working hard.}
Thankfully, Suar left room for Seohui to respond. She blinked her big eyes and asked.
{Work? Weren’t you sightseeing?}
{Ah… sightseeing…}
He hesitated, then admitted as if there were nothing to hide.
{Actually, I came for work. I also took the chance to travel.}
{Ah, I see.}
Once he spoke, Suar’s chatter grew longer. Starting from how all the buildings in Korea were sophisticated and beautiful, he described everything he had seen and felt.
{By the way, Seohui, what does your grandfather do? The house, the charisma—it seems like he’s an impressive person.}
Now was the moment. Seohui smiled shyly and awkwardly, and replied.
{Have you heard of Shinsung Group? It includes Shinsung Electronics, Shinsung Department Store, Shinsung Construction, and similar companies.}
She didn’t forget to subtly emphasize Shinsung Construction.
