I’d Rather Live as a Villain - I’d Rather Live as a Villain chapter 57

57 Focus on that for a moment.

“I’m sorry to bother you when you’re busy.”

“Not at all, ma’am.”

Deputy Director Roh Kyu-hyung could fully understand the heart of Director Yoon Tae-sik’s mother.

In the car on the way down to Daejeon, she had asked if he could wait in the house for about an hour upon arrival.

She wanted to send off ribs for her daughter-in-law, President Kang Moon-jung, to eat.

“It’s really okay, so please don’t worry about me and just prepare comfortably.”

Even when he asked if there was anything he could help with, she insisted on preparing the orange drink herself and told him to just sit comfortably on the sofa and wait.

Deputy Director Roh Kyu-hyung sent a text message to President Kang Moon-jung from the living room of Director Yoon Tae-sik’s mother’s house.

― The madam wants to marinate ribs for you to eat. She’s doing it right now and wants to send them, but I feel it’s too much to tell her it’s unnecessary. What should we do?

From noble mtl dot nete

Knowing the president’s character, the kind of reply that would come was obvious.

The reply came in no sooner than the message was sent, and it was exactly as Deputy Director Roh had anticipated.

― It’s fine here, so don’t worry and take your time coming up. Drive safely on your way. Thank you for today. See you later.

― I will go up as the madam has prepared for me.

Tap-tap, tap-tap.

It was Deputy Chief Noh Kyu-hyung who had long known the taste of his mother’s cooking.

As the house filled with the savory scent of sesame oil, soon the sweet and salty aroma of soy sauce, which made one anticipate the flavor even before cooking, began to waft through the air.

“If I had known, I would have just prepared it when going up to Seoul and taken it myself.”

By the time he realized, his mother had already finished marinating everything and spoke from the kitchen.

Next to his mother, who had neatly placed two shopping bags on the dining table, Deputy Chief Noh quickly pocketed his smartphone and approached her.

“I wonder if my daughter-in-law said that just for me to hear, she kept talking about the braised ribs I made for her in the past.”

Deputy Chief Noh simply smiled without a word.

Would the boss, who is a light eater, even realize that every time he comes down to Daejeon, he complains about feeling like his stomach will burst on the drive back to Seoul?

“The braised ribs need to be made and sent directly, which takes too long, so I can’t do it now. In a hurry, please deliver this instead. Just stir-fry it on high heat for about 3 minutes, and it’s ready to eat with the vegetables already marinated, so there’s no need to add anything else.”

“Yes.”

“This one is for you, Deputy Chief Noh.”

“Oh my, do I have one too?”

“Food is meant to be shared. Besides the marinated ribs, I’ve also packed some green onion kimchi and side dishes separately, so give one to your son and take the other for yourself.”

“Thank you, madam. I will enjoy it very much.”

It was when Deputy Chief Noh was collecting the shopping bags on the table.

“You’re with our daughter-in-law all day, aren’t you?”

With a somewhat embarrassed look, wiping his forehead with the back of his damp hand, the mother of the division head asked.

“Not all day, but most of my working hours are aligned with the boss’s schedule. Like today, when there are no special errands or other directives.”

“I was wondering if my daughter-in-law has been to the hospital recently… or anything like that.”

Deputy Chief Noh immediately caught on to the shyly asked question.

“The two of them are so in love, it’s like rice cakes spilling over. Haha.”

“Don’t tell anyone I asked you this. My daughter-in-law is no ordinary busy person. I was also wondering if she’s planning to have children later because of her work, and it feels too old-fashioned to ask directly, so I’m being cautious.”

He could only think of her as truly innocent.

The hottest topic within the Daeyoung organization is the succession competition.

With Vice President Kang Young-jin and his wife expecting, the president and his wife must also prepare.

For the president, competing for Daeyoung’s succession, delaying having children because of work is an unthinkable choice.

But he couldn’t bring himself to tell this pure-hearted person the truth.

“There’s a saying, isn’t there? Even in war, flowers bloom. Hahaha. That’s about all I can say.”

“Just make sure my daughter-in-law doesn’t find out I asked you this.”

“Of course, of course. Even if the madam asked you to inquire on her behalf, it’s a matter I’m too uncomfortable to broach. I’m not the kind of woman who can casually discuss such things with the president, nor am I one to converse about them. You needn’t worry about that.”

Upon hearing this, the executive director’s mother nodded her head in relief.

* * *

At the same time, in Pyeongchang-dong.

Spring had fully arrived in the garden.

Chairman Kang Ki-young, for a change, had left his wheelchair inside the house and, leaning on his cane, was admiring the flowers blooming in the garden.

Quietly, Koo Young-sook approached the side of Chairman Kang Ki-young.

“Father.”

“Yes.”

“I just got a call from Young-jin.”

“Oh? How did the test results turn out?”

“It’s a girl.”

Though it seemed he hadn’t taken a breath in, he drew a long one through his nose and nodded his head for a while.

Koo Young-sook watched Chairman Kang Ki-young’s demeanor, straining to glimpse his inner thoughts.

“You must be quite disappointed.”

He’s more ghostly than a ghost himself.

In such a situation, it’s crucial to speak honestly, yet wrap the honesty in a way that makes it seem natural.

Koo Young-sook had been managing the household in Pyeongchang-dong for 20 years.

She had never heard much praise, but neither had she heard complaints or talk of insufficiency.

That alone meant Koo Young-sook had earned recognition from the high-standard, strict Chairman.

“I didn’t say anything, but from the tone of the phone call, I could tell.”

Still focusing only on the flower bed, Chairman Kang Ki-young said,

“I’m not talking about Young-jin. It’s about you. It’s natural for Young-jin to be disappointed.”

To that, Koo Young-sook, with her back to him and eyes on the flower bed, let out a faint smile and replied,

“I guess I had my hopes up too.”

“Hmm. To say otherwise would be a lie.”

“Still, they say both the mother and the baby are very healthy.”

“That’s the most important thing. Does the father know?”

“He’s on his way to the group’s headquarters. He said he’d tell him in person, so I told him to go ahead.”

“This year, it seems the flowers have bloomed earlier than last.”

“……”

“Did you plant these?”

“Yes, around this time, my father likes to come out and enjoy the flowers.”

“Well done. They suit the place well. The mix adds to their charm. Let’s go down and take a look together.”

“Down… you mean?”

“Youngjin must have been unable to hide his disappointment in front of Yeonhee after being teased by that guy. Shouldn’t the adults give him a congratulatory gift in their stead?”

Koo Youngsook firmly kept her place beside Chairman Kang Kiyoung as he crossed the garden slowly, leaning on his cane, ready to support him at any moment as they headed inside.

She helped the chairman into the wheelchair that was placed by the entrance and took hold of the handles from behind.

The indoor elevator connected only to the basement.

Pushing the wheelchair from behind, Koo Youngsook entered the elevator with Chairman Kang Kiyoung seated in it.

“This was purchased when Cheoljin was born, taking the ‘Jin’ from his name.”

Chairman Kang Kiyoung spoke in front of the first showcase that greeted visitors in this collection exhibition space.

Inside the showcase was a Goryeo celadon vase with a subtle pattern.

“And this was when Seongjin was born.”

Thus, Chairman Kang Kiyoung began to explain the Pyeongchang-dong collection that he had never described before to Koo Youngsook, who was slowly pushing his wheelchair from behind.

“This one is for Jongjin, and this one for Hwajeong.”

It was when they had passed more than ten showcases of collectibles.

In front of the most valuable moon jar, appraised solely for its sentimental value, he gestured for her to stop for a moment.

“When I heard outside that Youngjin was born, I, Kang Kiyoung, who had been pondering over the price for a long time, just decided to bring it here.”

“……”

“Your son is such a grandson to me. Nothing is too good for him. This one here, I went and brought it myself when Munjeong was born. Set aside the ones I’ve called out here, and tell Yeonhee to take the rest.”

“Are you saying to remove this space?”

“Isn’t the expansion construction of Songam Gallery almost finished? Once expanded, Yeonhee will be the CEO and attend her first official event. An exhibition of this scale is necessary to uphold the dignity of a Daeyeong daughter-in-law.”

Turning the wheelchair to face Koo Youngsook, Chairman Kang Kiyoung said,

“The reason I told you to set these aside is that I bought them with the thought of my grandsons from the time they were born, so when I’m gone, each can be sent to the children.”

* * *

It was after lunchtime.

Director Jang Kiwon came to my office.

It seemed he had already had a separate discussion with President Min.

Or perhaps, they had lunch together.

“I heard about it through the president.”

I simply smiled in response, without a word.

I hadn’t expected President Min to call Chief Jang Ki-won for a talk so soon, nor did I expect Chief Jang to come looking for me right away.

“It’s quite an important time for you personally, isn’t it? Instead of being able to help, I find myself receiving great assistance from you.”

“Is it an important time for me personally?”

Knowing full well what he meant, I feigned ignorance, my response slick as a snake sliding over a wall.

“Of course, it’s important. Whether the European Division secures the deal or merely chases it without catching up is the talk of the year here at Mulsan.”

“If that’s the case, the important time has already passed.”

“Has it?”

“Even though it’s only March, I had prepared for this year’s business when I took office as chief last year. This year is all about reaping what was sown last year and thinking about sowing seeds for the next.”

Chief Jang Ki-won, grateful, had come to my office without hesitation, but he seemed unsure of what to say in this situation.

“Thank you.”

“The decision was made by the president. I merely shared my thoughts.”

Before the atmosphere could become too heavy, I quickly changed the subject.

“You have a branch in Haikou, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard that recently, more volume is moving through the Haikou branch than the Shanghai or Shenzhen branches.”

At that, Chief Jang nodded once and then spoke.

“Yes, since China designated Hainan as a special economic zone, the influx of foreign companies due to visa policies has increased significantly, and the customs benefits are absolutely substantial, making Haikou in Hainan quite the hotspot lately.”

“I’ve tried the Xinlong coffee there.”

“Xinlong coffee? Have you been to Hainan?”

“Of course. I was with Daeyoung Distribution until I returned here as chief.”

“Yes.”

“I’ve accompanied President Kang Mun-jung to Sanya Resort a few times when the hotel business was being developed but then fell through.”

“Ah…”

“Xinlong coffee.”

I said to Chief Jang, my eyes sparkling.

“If there’s no exciting project at the overseas branches right now, why not focus there for a bit? I’m sure we can create a fine piece of work with our European Division.”