novelraw Chapter 37
Chapter 37
"Great-aunt, have you been well? It’s been a long time."
At my greeting, a voice mixed with a smile was heard on the cell phone.
"Yes, Hyunjun. It’s very nice to hear your voice. I also saw that you were on the real-time search terms a while ago."
I laughed as if embarrassed.
"I thought it would pass quietly, but I didn’t know people would be that interested. Still, thanks to that, I’ve come to rethink many things."
"Seeing you say such words, you have really grown a lot."
A moment of silence delved in, but I carefully moved into the main point.
"Did you happen to see the news today? I saw that the flood damage in the India and Pakistan regions is serious right now. Just looking at the screens on TV, the scale of damage seemed large and the local medical infrastructure seemed very lacking."
"Yes. I saw it this morning too. The local medical resource shortage was quite serious."
I didn'
t hesitate and clearly revealed my thoughts."So I have a favor to ask. Could the Taeseong Medical Foundation possibly review emergency overseas medical support? I don’t mean we should only help Korean companies or partners that have advanced locally, but I hope we can reach out a hand with sincerity to where it is needed."
A short silence flowed across the cell phone.
Then soon, Chairperson Lim Young-ok’s voice followed softly.
"Hearing those words, somehow my heart is becoming hot."
"Pardon?"
"You probably don'
t know yet how much of a strength it is to have someone who speaks like that. It’s a good mindset."
I bowed my head silently.
My great-aunt'
s words made my chest heat up.
"Even if you hadn'
t, I was thinking of putting a proposal to the board of directors today. We need to look into hospitals where medical staff dispatch is possible, and we also need to check the equipment and medicines we can send. But it won'
t be easy."
"…The monetary part is always the problem, isn'
t it."
A short exclamation was also mixed in Chairperson Lim Young-ok’s voice.
"You know well."
I continued my words calmly.
"Still, shouldn'
t we try? To be honest, the money problem is, in a way, the easiest thing to solve."
"Hahaha. Is that so? I found that to be the most difficult."
I slowly opened my mouth.
"I will help too. And there will definitely be a place that says they will help with this issue."
To Chairperson Lim Young-ok, it appeared as a vague belief.
Even so, she didn'
t want to break the dream of a child speaking with such hope.
"Yes, your heart alone is enough of a strength."
The call ended like that.
I slowly put down the cell phone and took a deep breath.
My expression had become much more serious.
Now was the time for execution, not words.
I picked up the cell phone I had put down again.
I called Representative Choi Seo-jun.
After the dial tone rang, a familiar voice was heard across the cell phone.
"Representative, what is the matter?"
"I’m sorry for contacting you on your rare day off."
I went straight to the main point.
"Did you see the news about the situation in India and Pakistan?"
"Yes. The scale of damage seemed quite serious."
"So there is something I want to do. How about HJ Partners providing official support for medical relief activities through the Taeseong Medical Foundation?"
Choi Seo-jun was silent for a moment.
He seemed to think it was an unexpected request.
Soon he asked back with a serious voice.
"Is the medical foundation side prepared?"
"Yes. I just talked with Chairperson Lim Young-ok directly. She is already thinking of starting preparations for medical staff dispatch and equipment support. However, it seems she is facing difficulties in the budget part. I want us to add our strength to that part."
"Mm, Representative, what you mean is that we should provide a donation to the foundation side, right?"
"To be precise, we are going as an official joint sponsorship project. I want to give the message that we are together as partners, not just a donation. I think it’s right for us to move first in terms of corporate social responsibility as well."
Choi Seo-jun showed a low admiration after a short silence.
"Representative, you are truly cool."
I laughed as if sheepish.
"Is that so? I just thought I was doing what I had to do."
"That is exactly what is different."
Choi Seo-jun’s voice was firm yet soft.
"Actually, since the launch of HJ Partners, there were many people who looked at us with unpleasant gazes on one hand. But with this as an opportunity, we can plant a good image."
I finally realized something.
How beautiful the moment is when a single word leads to someone’s determination.
I opened my mouth with a glad heart.
"Representative Choi, I will make it so you can contact the foundation’s working-level staff soon. If necessary, I will personally arrange a meeting."
"Good. I will talk to the finance team. I will review the emergency budget allocation and donation execution and report back immediately."
"Thank you, Representative."
"Not at all. I feel good too, being able to step forward for a good cause thanks to you, Representative."
After the call ended, I slowly put down the cell phone.
After closing my eyes and catching my breath for a moment, I soon stared at the laptop screen again.
I opened a document file and quietly started typing.
[Joint Support Cooperation Proposal for Emergency Medical Relief - HJ Partners &
Taeseong Medical Foundation]
It was a simple sentence, but it might be the first page for someone’s life.
***
When Monday came after the weekend, Taeseong Electronics was mentioned on the news.
[Taeseong Electronics, Decision to Provide Emergency Relief Funds and Logistics to Disaster Areas in India and Pakistan]
[Taeseong. Local medical, drinking water, and quarantine support in full swing]
This news spread in an instant, and major broadcasters also scrambled to cover it.
"This decision was made urgently according to the instructions of Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung of Taeseong Electronics, and it was decided to prioritize providing medical support, drinking water, and quarantine facilities most needed in the disaster areas."
The three letters of Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung’s name appeared at the bottom of the news screen.
His firm yet responsibility-filled impression was strongly engraved in the viewers'
minds.
Following Taeseong Electronics’ announcement the next day, news was known that HJ Partners had also launched a global medical relief joint project in hand with the Taeseong Medical Foundation.
It was known that this project was not a simple donation, but the establishment of a structural response system based on official cooperation between companies.
Domestic and foreign media put out the evaluation of '
a new case of a private-centered relief model'
for this movement.
The support amount of 100 billion won from HJ Partners also became a hot topic.
Choi Seo-jun revealed his position through an interview.
"Beyond a simple donation, this support aims to create a structural solidarity system as a partner with the foundation."
The scale of the fund, which seemed insufficient even with the expression '
generous support'
, was enough to draw the attention of the business world at once.
Above all, the fact that HJ Partners joined hands with the Taeseong Medical Foundation became an opportunity to present a new standard for corporate social responsibility.
That influence spread in a good direction.
[Hanmyeong Group. Announcement of emergency support funds for India]
[Daehan Group. Donation of medical supplies worth 2 billion to local NGOs in India]
Major domestic and foreign companies started to move one by one following the footsteps of Taeseong and HJ Partners.
It had a good influence not only on companies but also on individuals.
That same evening, '
World Politics'
, an international news magazine, left the following evaluation.
"As Taeseong Electronics stood at the lead, HJ Partners added strength to that flow. And it is as if the good movement of those two caused a chain reaction."
However, no one knew that the start of this work originated from the thought held by a boy.
***
A quiet evening.
At the main building of Chairman Lim Man-seok’s residence, a meal was being set.
Dim lighting settled over the neatly prepared table setting.
The shadows of tree branches swaying in the autumn breeze outside the window were cast slowly.
Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung picked up his spoon and chopsticks awkwardly in the unfamiliar atmosphere.
Because his mother had avoided the place saying she wouldn'
t interfere, he was hazy on how many years it had been since he sat face-to-face with his father to eat.
At that time, Chairman Lim Man-seok quietly opened his mouth.
"You suffered much trouble this time. You did very well."
At that one word, Lim Do-kyung faltered for a moment.
Even if he had become softer lately, he was a father who seldom gave praise to his children.
He opened his mouth calmly.
"You overpraise me, Father."
Lim Man-seok glanced at his son’s face and put a spoonful of soup into his mouth without a word.
After a moment, he quietly turned his gaze and asked.
"But how did you come to have such a thought? For you to move so quickly. To be honest, I was a bit surprised."
That question contained a meaning beyond curiosity.
Lim Do-kyung slowly put down his utensils and answered.
"Actually, it is thanks to Hyunjun."
"Hyunjun?"
"After seeing the news that morning, that child said, '
I hope our company can also show a meaningful appearance.'
I got a hint from those words."
Lim Do-kyung stopped speaking for a moment and added in a low voice.
"At first, I passed it off as something he said unintentionally, but as I listened, I felt that I shouldn'
t just stay still as a father and as the person in charge of a company. So I thought, how about reaching out first."
Lim Man-seok quietly clasped his hands.
There was no change in his expression, but his gaze had become deep enough that its depth could not be measured.
'
A fellow who is only eighteen years old...'
His gaze headed toward the distant darkness outside the window.
'
To the point of saying such words at that age... I can'
t get a sense of just how large of a vessel he has.'
On the outside, he seemed indifferent without showing it, but Lim Man-seok opened his mouth meaningfully.
"Yes. Children sometimes awaken adults."
"That is true. This time, I truly learned."
"How does that child look to you?"
"He is still very young. He makes frequent mistakes. But if I look at him as a person before being my child, honestly, I feel that he has many better sides than myself."
Chairman Lim Man-seok quietly picked up his water glass and moistened his dry mouth.
Afterward, he spoke to his son as if requesting.
"Do-kyung, about Hyunjun. Quietly... and raise him well."
"Yes, Father. I will take it to heart."
Lim Do-kyung returned home after finishing the meal.
Chairman Lim Man-seok was sitting alone in his study until a late hour, quietly turning the pages of a report.
In the report he was looking at, there was content written including articles related to the India and Pakistan relief project and the subsequent donation details of each company.
After checking the contents slowly, his gaze stopped at one sentence.
[HJ Partners launches medical relief project worth 100 billion won in hand with Taeseong Medical Foundation]
The corners of Chairman Lim Man-seok’s mouth went up very minutely.
"...That fellow."
After spitting out a small monologue, he opened the safe and took something out.
It was a file containing data on HJ Partners.
In there, the contract that Hyunjun had initially written with Chairman Lim Man-seok was also included.
He slowly swept his fingertips over that paper.
'
To make Taeseong Electronics shine first while adding strength quietly from behind himself. It’s not like he learned it from somewhere...'
Lim Man-seok leaned his body against the back of the chair without a word.
Under the dim light of the ceiling, he closed his eyes and a smile was drawn along with a short silence.