The Chairman Who Wants to Play and Eat - Chapter 54



Chapter 54. Since it’s America, you need to know American law.

‘This isn’t going to work.’

Golf was harder than I expected.

Unfortunately, I failed to make a hole-in-one on the first hole where the bet began.

“Ha ha ha!”

In the midst of it all, Ronald Durham was in high spirits after winning a birdie.

“I’m not the kind of person who takes it easy on beginners. A match is a match. Now, answer me this: how much money do you have ready? Go on, give me an answer.”

I replied.

“It’s an eagle.”

“······.”

“I’m not sure, but I won, right, Mr. Durham?”

“······ It seems so.”

Usually, that’s what they call beginner’s luck, he grumbled.

Typical of someone only interested in his own score.

Luck or not, a match is a match.

It wasn’t a hole-in-one, but I had won the first bet, nonetheless.

In the end, as I claimed, we agreed that in this hole, out of the total acquisition price of 100 million dollars, Durham would hold 60 million, while our Seonghyun would have 40 million, forming the share ratio.

“So, you had 40 million ready, huh?”

“Think whatever you like.”

“Ha ha, fine. Let’s see just how far luck can take you. On to the next hole!”

Durham shouted boldly.

At the next hole,

“Eagle! Eagle!”

Durham exclaimed.

“Go ahead and hit. This time, you won’t be able to beat me.”

“The ball I hit is already in the hole, Mr. Durham. You can’t take the ball out of the hole and hit again, can you?”

“······?”

It seemed he hadn’t noticed.

“I’ve won again.”

I had prepared a lot.

For this hole, we agreed as follows:

After successfully acquiring it, instead of Durham’s side exercising all rights to manage the LA Darners, they would, in return, agree to award several construction projects they were undertaking in the U.S. to our soon-to-be-established Seonghyun Construction U.S. corporation under favorable conditions.

And it continued like that.

‘Ugh, ugh. How could I lose again?’

In the next hole, I secured the domestic rights for the Durham brand.

‘Once again, I’ve won.’

In the following hole, I even managed to get a promise that if there were any domestic professional baseball players capable of making it in the MLB, they would be actively recruited at the discretion of the team owner.

In the end,

“I lost.”

After finishing all the remaining holes, Durham declared his defeat. It was a complete loss, having not won a single game.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Hard work? Even if I feel wronged about what I lost today, I didn’t suffer.”

He spoke with his lips tightly pressed together.

“Since it was just a game, let’s consider everything that happened today as if it never occurred. My primary goal was to acquire the LA Darners at a 60:40 split. Mr. Durham.”

I took a step back.

I had no choice but to retreat.

I had won too much to take everything.

If we were to contract under conditions that were excessively favorable to us, my father, Chairman Hyun, would gain too much leverage.

Like my grandfather, my father would cling to my pant legs and nag me.

That couldn’t happen.

At the very least, I needed to maintain some boundaries.

‘After all, Durham is a man who would stake his life on his own interests, so if I say I’ll let it slide, he’ll surely accept my proposal.’

This calculation was also in play.

However,

“That’s out of the question.”

It was unexpected. He flatly rejected my proposal.

“Do you think Ronald Durham would not honor a mere wager? What do you take me for?”

His expression was one of deep offense.

“······.”

“Moreover, I don’t know about Korea, but here in America, we place great importance on contracts. If I were to disregard the terms of a wager and you later decided to change your mind and file for damages, I would suffer irreparable harm. I don’t want to see that happen.”

What does that even mean?

Is that how American law works?

With him bringing up contract law, I had no further arguments to make.

It was my fault for not knowing American law well.

“That’s that, but I can’t let you go like this.”

He clenched his fist tightly.

“Let’s meet again tomorrow. But instead of here, let’s do it at my club in New Jersey. There, I’ll win and make you keep that mouth shut.”

In simpler terms, he was suggesting we do it on his home ground. I shook my head at his burning competitive spirit.

“I’m sorry, but that’s difficult.”

“Why?”

“I have to go back to Korea.”

He asked.

“So, are you saying that’s the reason?”

“I’m still a university student. And in a few days, I have midterms. I need to go back to take the exams.”

He was at a loss for words.

That’s how the conversation came to a close.

‘Target acquisition: LA Danners, target acquisition price: 100 million dollars, the Durham side holds 60, our Seonghyeon side holds 40, with management by the Durham side, in return providing benefits to Seonghyeon. But that’s a bit much.’

That was as far as the conversation between Ronald Durham and me went.

Next was the acquisition team’s share.

Coordinating the details was strictly the job of the staff. It was now out of my hands.

Santa Clara,

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything.”

It was a gathering of everyone.

With bright expressions on the faces of the entire acquisition team, team leader Yoo Jeong-se made a loud declaration. There was only one person with a dark expression.

‘My money, my 40 million dollars, all going into the baseball team acquisition…’

It was Oh Hyun-sik, the head of the finance department.

“Then please take care of it, and I’ll be returning to Seoul.”

I said. Deputy Yoo asked.

“Why Korea…?”

“I have to go to school. I need to attend classes. I don’t want to get an F.”

Unknowingly, I had naturally accumulated 57 credits during my freshman year.

I found out that I could graduate early with those credits.

Since it had come to this, I planned to take at least 60 credits this year.

There was now a reason to do so.

On the way to the airport,

“Sir.”

“What is it?”

Deputy Lee Beom-seok spoke on the way to the airport.

“You know that the midterm exam is right after you arrive, right? You might want to study for the exam on the plane.”

Don’t worry.

I’ve already done it all.

“And, well.”

But it seemed he still had something to say.

“There will soon be the first round of the bar exam registration. Considering the achievements you made last year, I’m sure you’ll pass this year. If you allow me, I can take care of all the preparations.”

He said.

“Then go ahead.”

“Excuse me?”

Deputy Lee was surprised by my response. He was astonished by his own words.

“I thought you would say that you don’t need that and that you can take your time.”

“You know me well. I originally thought that way, but after meeting Durham this time, my perspective has changed a bit.”

He tilted his head,

“Forgive me, but may I ask why?”

I answered.

“I was thinking about the contract with Durham. I realized I was at a disadvantage because I didn’t know American law. I felt that to work, I need to understand American law. After all, America follows American law, right? Am I wrong?”

It was common sense.

He nodded absentmindedly.

“That’s right. But why…”

He trailed off.

“I found out that in America, each state has its own bar exam. So, for instance, New York has the New York state exam, and California has the California state exam.”

There was no response.

“And among the eligibility requirements, I saw that our country’s bar qualification is also accepted. If you pass the bar exam, you get the lawyer qualification, right? So, I need to pass the bar exam first. Since it’s America, I need to know American law. It’s a simple matter.”

It’s straightforward.

To make a contract in America, you need to understand American law.

In England, and in France, it’s the same.

To acquire all these qualifications, having a lawyer’s license from my home country is a great help. That was the only reason.

“I plan to obtain every lawyer qualification in the world.”

“Oh, yes. I suppose you will.”

“A saint heading towards the world, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes.”

The assistant replied.

“To do that, I need to graduate from Korea University quickly. I think a college diploma is essential to attend law schools in other countries.”

Meanwhile,

Donald Durham was lost in thought on the plane back to New York.

‘How could I lose?’

The opponent was a novice.

They clearly said it was their first time, but it didn’t feel like it was.

Yet, it didn’t seem like they had been playing for long either.

But every time they played against him, they always beat him by one or two strokes. When he made a birdie, they made an eagle; when they made an eagle, an albatross followed. They even got a hole-in-one.

In the end,

He gained nothing from the conversation with them.

He lost everything.

“Hahaha!”

Suddenly, he burst into laughter. It seemed the only way to ease this feeling.

He paid dearly for underestimating a novice just because they were Asian.

Did they say they were Korean?

What an impressive country.

The executive next to him cautiously asked,

“Shall we just pretend this never happened and proceed with the acquisition?”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

He dismissed it with a single phrase.

“More importantly, who currently owns Danus? Was it Walter Graham?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I need to talk to him right away, so connect me directly. I need to make sure he sells it to me before we land.”

I had no intention of letting it slide.

First of all, I had made up my mind to take it. So, it was as good as in my hands.

Though 40% of it belonged to someone else.

‘Hyun Sang-yoon.’

Just wait and see,

This isn’t the end, he thought.

“Hey.”

“Yes.”

DeTrump added.

“Don’t take any more reservations for my golf course in New Jersey for a while. I’ll be using it alone starting tomorrow. I need to go into special training. Someone has come to challenge me.”

*

I returned to Korea.

[ Will the strong team of American professional baseball, ‘LA Danners,’ be acquired by Seonghyeon? ······ Real estate mogul DeTrump and influential figures in Southern California form a consortium. ]

[ “I won’t spare any money for the development of Korean baseball.” Seonghyeon Vice Chairman Hyun Deok-jae’s words. ······ Investing all movie profits! ]

‘Father is working hard.’

It was a relief.

It seemed he had abandoned the ridiculous thought of taking off his clothes.

There was a reward for the effort.

‘That’s a burden I must bear first.’

I thought to myself.

“Then, good luck on your exam.”

“Thanks.”

From noble mtl dot com

The car driven by Assistant Lee passed in front of the main gate of Korea University.

“I’ve taken care of the bar exam application with the secretariat, so you must take the exam on the scheduled date, young master.”

He reminded me several times.

The reason is something I know all too well.

The relentless march from midterms to finals,

And as soon as the semester ends, the law school is once again filled with that bleak atmosphere.

“······Now it’s time for special robbery. So, the initiation of the main crime is······.”

“······Let’s quickly get through the fraud first. So······.”

There are plenty of people wandering around, casually talking to themselves like this.

If you overheard it, you’d think it was a group of criminals.

“Everyone is living so diligently. Living so earnestly.”

As I thought this to myself,

“Hyun Sang-yoon!”

I heard a voice calling me from afar. I flinched, thinking it might be a professor. It was an automatic reflex.

But it wasn’t.

“Kyung-soo.”

It was my friend Han Kyung-soo from school. It had been a while.

“It’s been a long time. Are you even coming to school? I only see you in the newspapers.”

“Of course.”

But the book tucked under his arm was strange.

“Huh?”

Criminal Procedure Law Overview?

He noticed my gaze shifting to his book and smiled awkwardly as he explained.

“I’m trying to challenge myself.”

“I see.”

“Even if I end up taking the bar exam or the foreign service exam, it’s worth a shot, right?”

Everyone is indeed working hard.

As I walked away, I suddenly became curious.

If he passes the bar, will he study American law or German law?

I should have asked which one.

The first semester of my second year flew by quickly.

Midterms and finals had passed.

“This time, it’s obviously going to be Hyun Sang-yoon in first place, right?”

“No, we all agreed to leave Hyun Sang-yoon out of the rankings and call the next score first instead.”

“That’s a good idea. It’s better to think of it without touching the untouchable realm.”

Everyone was saying things like this.

I didn’t mind at all.

And so, the day before the first round of the bar exam arrived.

It was the day before the exam, so naturally, I had my books open and was studying.

Knock, knock.

There was a sound of someone tapping on the door from outside.

It was Assistant Lee.

“I didn’t call for you.”

I hadn’t called him on purpose today. There was no schedule.

Yet, Assistant Lee insisted on coming in and stood waiting at the entrance of the study.

“I came to tutor you since the exam is just around the corner.”

That was his explanation.

“Tutor?”

“Isn’t that my job?”

“But I’ve told you several times that it’s not necessary. Besides, I didn’t call for you today.”

However, he was surprisingly persistent.

“I know. I understand.”

“But?”

“Still, I must come in and tutor you today. I feel like it’s necessary, Young Master.”

I shook my head.

“It’s not needed.”

“…Then, I’m sorry, but may I ask you just one thing, Young Master?”

His expression was serious.

“Go ahead.”

“The book you’re studying right now, is it Korean law? Or is it American law?”

“…What?”

I pretended not to hear.

“It’s no use pretending you didn’t understand. I really want to know. Is it American law?”

“…”

“Is it Korean law?”

“…”

“Young Master!”

His voice resonated in my chest. But there was nothing I could do.

Lee Beom-seok shouted inwardly.

“On any other day, you can study German law, Turkish law, or Brazilian law, but shouldn’t you be studying Korean law the night before the exam? Tomorrow isn’t the German bar exam, the Turkish bar exam, or the Brazilian bar exam; it’s the Korean judicial examination, young master!!”

Those words rose to his throat.

But he couldn’t say them.

A sigh escaped him as he turned to leave.

Hoo.

In any case, it was a futile statement. He knew that well. And he also knew the outcome.

“After all this, you’ll still score well.”

He was aware.

He was aware, but still, he wanted to confirm it just once.