Rockstar Again - Chapter 108



Only Noblemtl

Episode 108. Clapping doesn’t make a sound unless you clap your hands together (2)

A marriage between a wealthy family doesn’t happen overnight, like roasting beans in a flash.

It starts with checking whether there are sons or daughters in each other’s families who are of an appropriate age to marry off.

A preliminary check is conducted to see if there was any romantic relationship between other siblings or cousins ​​in the same family.

This marriage involves financial and business judgments about what benefits and losses each family will gain from it.

This is why people say that marriages between conglomerates are mergers and acquisitions.

anyway.

After going through this tedious process, finally.

The process begins with checking whether the prospective marriage partner has any disqualifications.

of course.

Even with the situation like this, there are at least two or three candidates.

When it comes to corporate mergers and acquisitions, going in with only one goal in mind is very risky.

When full-scale negotiations are underway, it is usually a single bid, but it is better to have a candidate for preliminary inspection.

Bae So-yeon sat silently, holding her cell phone without answering.

Is this why it turned out like this?

“Madam. Should I turn the car… around?”

At the driver’s words, Bae So-yeon looked up at the tall building outside the car window.

When you look down from high above, you can see people coming and going in and out of the building.

This is the headquarters building of Jaemin Group.

Many people come and go, but Bae So-yeon is not one of them.

It’s not controlled by my husband.

It’s just… …difficult.

For Bae So-yeon, her husband Yoon Tae-joo is a very difficult person.

Bae So-yeon wasn’t the only one who thought of Yoon Tae-joo that way.

Yoon Tae-joo is so cold and icy that you wonder who would be comfortable with him.

A capable and charismatic giant of his time.

“Turn the car around.”

This time, Bae So-yeon was unable to enter the headquarters building.

Looking at the Jaemin Group building moving away… … Bae So-yeon began to recall a day in early 1994.

Those days when everything went wrong.

* * *

Spring 1994, Pyeongchang-dong.

“Miss. The boss is calling.”

At the housekeeper’s words as she opened the door, Bae So-yeon closed her sketchbook without saying a word.

And then, when we went down to the living room, Dad immediately pointed to three photos on the table.

“Take your pick.”

“… … ?”

“She’s your marriage partner. You should get married too.”

“… … Dad? I’m twenty now… … .”

Because it was the early 90s.

Although it was not uncommon for people to get married at this age, 1990 was a time of change.

People who used to get married through arranged marriages are starting to get married through free love.

Those who used to say, “Let’s get married after meeting once or twice,” are gone. The days when we had long, sweet relationships that lasted for years.

I didn’t think I’d get married after a sweet romance like most people, but I didn’t plan on getting married at such an early age.

That was the reason why Bae So-yeon said her age.

“I’m not telling you to do it right away. This is how our marriage is going to be anyway. Matching the company’s standards… … Matching the children’s ages… … . And then matching the personality. If you match and match like that, there won’t be many left.”

“… … .”

When Bae So-yeon became silent, silence fell over the living room.

The mother stepped in for the father, who couldn’t stand the awkward silence with his daughter.

“He’s telling me to… …look at it in advance. He’s not telling me to do it right away… …so don’t worry too much.”

“… … .”

Dad opened his mouth again to Bae So-yeon, who was still silent.

“Usually, once you’re over 25, you’re considered to be of marriageable age and are pushed back. If you don’t study, you’ll be pushed back, but if you go to graduate school or study abroad, you’ll be pushed back again. No man likes a woman with a lot of hair. That’s why you have to find your man before you turn 25. If you don’t, men will keep falling behind. You have to make a decision as early as possible to get the best one.”

Bae So-yeon looked into her father’s eyes without saying anything.

Although the tone of voice is stiff and casual, as if talking about business, there is concern embedded in it.

Because a daughter is a daughter… … .

Mom and Dad don’t love each other.

We lived together, so there may be affection, but at least I don’t feel love.

If that were the case, I wouldn’t have smelled the cosmetics of a woman other than my mother on my father’s clothes.

The same goes for my mother, who was watching it and not caring at all.

So Bae So-yeon asked if it was something that couldn’t be helped.

“Chaebol… … marriages are usually like this?”

“At least you can choose.”

Bae So-yeon swallowed a bitter smile inwardly at her father’s words.

This means that my father was considerate in his own way.

Bae So-yeon wasn’t the type of person to express herself much, so she just nodded.

“All right.”

I stood up, taking with me the three photographs and what looked like a few pages of report embedded underneath them.

“I’ll have someone join me. If you have any questions, just ask them. I’ll tell you everything without holding back… … Feel free to ask.”

Born as the daughter of one of South Korea’s traditional media companies.

I learned what not to do before I learned what to do.

My older brother, who was my son, played around like that without any restrictions at home, but my parents had strong control over me because they said that girls shouldn’t have any flaws.

Unlike other conglomerates, he has one son and one daughter.

Since there was only one of each, they might have been managed more.

Growing up like such a well-packaged product, Bae So-yeon learned to swallow it inside.

Words, thoughts, and things I want to do.

So it’s natural that I’ve never been in love.

My parents chose my college major because they thought it would be good for me to pursue art. The only good thing was that the art I chose turned out to be quite interesting.

So, it is clear that the parents were considerate in giving three candidates.

“Who is this person?”

After roughly organizing the photos, the man at the top is the one in the photo.

He’s quite handsome.

Was there a man like this among the conglomerates?

“I am the eldest son of the Heungshin Group. Hong Seon-il. I am twenty-four this year.”

Woo Hee-jung, a woman given to her by her parents, answers questions as if she has all the information stored in her head.

“Can I see it from a distance?”

“……All right.”

Woo Hee-jung, who seemed to be thinking for a moment, said something to the driver, and the car started to slide away.

“Heungshin is not that high in the business world, but it has grown quite steeply. Above all, its cash holdings are far superior to those of other business worlds. The chairman of that company has mainly purchased companies with good liquidity and good cash turnover.”

Bae So-yeon’s eyes turned to Woo Hee-jung.

‘Is this real love… … marriage… … ?’

When I ask to see his face, he starts talking about work all the time.

But it didn’t really stop me.

“That person is Park Ho-cheol. He is the second son of Hwang Seong, a distribution specialist. He is ranked in the top 20 in the business world, higher than Heung-shin… … In my personal opinion, I recommend Hong Seon-il out of the two.”

“Why?”

“There is a big difference between the second son and the eldest son. While the second son gets less or nothing, the eldest son gets at least more than half. It is also much more advantageous in terms of future inheritance or succession of the family business.”

“… … .”

Even if it is not exactly what Woo Hee-jung said, who is thought to be the Madame Tu that people around her were talking about.

In Bae So-yeon’s eyes, the man named Hong Seon-il was better.

I’m not saying I’ll eat your face off for a living, but it’s still nice to be handsome, right?

If I were to go with a red skirt, my parents would probably like it too, so I’d be more drawn to that.

but.

The car arrived.

“… … ?”

“By now… …it will be out soon.”

Was a tracking device attached to Hong Seon-il’s body?

If not, is it that the woman named Woo Hee-jung has outstanding abilities?

A tall man walks out of the entrance that appears to be a bar. Should I call this… …walking out?

He came out staggering, supported by a woman wearing a revealing outfit.

It’s Hong Seon-il.

As I rolled down the car window, I could hear a man’s voice booming.

“You piece of shit! I said I can drive!”

“Oppa. Let’s just go since the driver said he’ll drive us, okay?”

You’re just criticizing an innocent driver’s joint and pretending to be strong.

He’s touching the woman next to him without even getting in the car… … It looks like he’s looking at someone.

“… … .”

“My mother told me to show you both the black and white ones so you won’t regret it later.”

“is it so…….”

Are you saying that you regret it?

“Is this person similar?”

Bae So-yeon asked, pointing to a man named Park Ho-cheol.

“There are some children of the rich who are not like that, but most of them are. If I may give you some advice, I would recommend that you compare their strengths instead of looking at their flaws. It is actually harder for them to be flawless because they are children of the rich. That is actually strange.”

Is it really a flaw to get into a car with a bar girl right in front of my eyes?

Although he didn’t ask specifically, the fact that Woo Hee-jung had specifically identified this location means that Hong Seon-il hasn’t been doing this for a day or two.

“Since my mother told me to show you both black and white, I’ll be honest. There are men who are all good. They are high in the business world, have no flaws, and have good personalities. But those men don’t look at Bae So-yeon. They don’t meet my standards.”

“… … .”

“I’ve chosen them. People who do drugs, do terrible things, and have bad personalities. I’ve also chosen companies that have good personalities but are low in the business world and don’t please my father.”

“… … .”

As Bae So-yeon flips through another photo, this time she sees the face of a skinny man with long hair.

Compared to a man named Hong Seon-il, his face is much worse. Even compared to a man named Park Ho-cheol.

“… … Who is this person?”

“Ranked 30th in the business world. He is the eldest son of the Jaemin Group. He is the most stable when it comes to succession issues. He is an only child. However… … he ran away from home a year ago.”

“Run away… … right?”

“Yes, he is a bit unusual. Unlike the other two candidates, he doesn’t have any issues with women, but he ran away from home because he is not interested in corporate work and is pursuing music.”

“music…….”

“But you don’t have to worry too much. Since he is an only child, Jaemin Group has no other options, so he will return home soon. He will naturally become the successor.”

Still, Woo Hee-jung doesn’t listen to the talk about succession and the business hierarchy.

Usually, a daughter either loves a man who resembles her father or dreams of a man who is the complete opposite of her father.

Bae So-yeon is the latter.

At least I hoped there wouldn’t be any problems with women.

All three of them had one problem, but they said there was no problem with the women…

“Can I see this person today too?”

“Yes. Of the three, it is the most certain. The performance schedule is set.”

He’s the ugliest of the lot, as he’s hunched over like a skeleton.

I don’t really like it though.

At least now there’s a reason to see it.

“Let’s go to Itaewon, sir.”

The car starts moving again with Woo Hee-jung’s words.

* * *

“Now, you just have to wait.”

While listening to Woo Hee-jung, I waited for about 10 minutes… … 20 minutes?

Still no one comes out while waiting.

“… … Can’t I go inside and take a look? Is it messy inside too… … or is it a place that would be difficult for me to see?”

Woo Hee-jung laughed for the first time at Bae So-yeon’s words.

This woman is over twenty years old and doesn’t know anything.

If you look closely at Madame Tussauds, you can see that it is a very wealthy family’s house.

Considering that the average Geumjeokyeop is quite arrogant, this woman… what should I say?

‘A girl who doesn’t know the ways of the world?’

no.

It’s not that transparent though.

It’s not that it’s dirty, but it’s not that it’s transparent.

okay.

‘A girl who has grown accustomed to hiding her feelings. A grown-up child who has grown accustomed to doing nothing.’

Woo Hee-jung, who defined Bae So-yeon like that, opened the car door and got out.

“Let’s go. It’s okay to look around here. Women can come in too.”

“……yes.”

As the two entered, a dark hallway with dim lighting appeared, and at the end of the hallway, a cave appeared, filled with light and people.

Jagajangjang – music that hurts your ears blasts out, and people are shaking their heads.

Woo Hee-jung saw it.

Surprise welled up in Bae So-yeon’s eyes.

‘It’s like a child coming to an amusement park for the first time in his life… ‘