A Genius Speaks with Money

Chapter 76

The door opened quietly.

Someone entered the room, and it was a man well past middle age.

With his short, swept-back gray hair and neat suit, he was carrying a thick briefcase.

“Welcome, Lawyer Ju.”

At Chairman Lim Man-seok’s call, Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil bowed carefully as he approached.

“It has been a while, Chairman. And Young Master.”

I, Lim Hyunjun, also stood up from my seat and bowed politely to Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil.

The smile he briefly showed me exuded the composure of a veteran who had navigated courtrooms for a long time.

‘Ju Yeong-gil….’

The name lingered in my head.He was the legal representative personally chosen by Chairman Lim Man-seok.

It was a well-known fact that he was one of the top experts in the industry.

But the problem was that he was sitting in this spot right now.

‘Why on earth did he call him here today?’

My gaze deepened.

There was no way Chairman Lim would call his legal representative without any reason.

Something big might be about to happen.

If not that, it could be a countermeasure for something that had already occurred.

In an instant, a cold chill brushed down my spine.

Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil placed his bag on the table.

I had a rough guess as to what might be inside.

Chairman Lim Man-seok spoke suggestively to Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil.

“Do you remember the will you drafted previously?”

As Lawyer Ju’s gaze turned toward me, Chairman Lim Man-seok raised his hand and spoke.

“It is fine.”

“Of course. At that time, according to your wishes, you designated President Lim Do-hyun as the sole heir. Were you not supposed to collectively delegate the shares of Taeseong Group as well as the voting rights of core affiliates.”

“Yes, that was the case.”

I felt like my breath was stopping.

Tremendous content was flowing out of Ju Yeong-gil’s mouth so calmly.

This was a core secret that could determine the fate of Taeseong Group.

‘Is it okay for me to hear this?’

My heart gradually beat faster, but my expression still remained unchanged.

Hiding my emotions skillfully was a piece of cake.

What did it mean for Chairman Lim to allow such a conversation in front of me?

Perhaps he was trying to entrust me with a special role.

At this thought, a subtle curiosity welled up in me.

Chairman Lim Man-seok nodded and set down his teacup.

On his previously calm expression, a shadow seemingly lost in deep thought vaguely cast over him before long.

He slowly turned his gaze toward the side where I was sitting and looked at me.

“But you see. A person’s heart can change as time flows, can it not.”

I accepted those words while holding my breath.

Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil also spoke carefully as he opened his old briefcase.

“That is why I have prepared a new draft of the will revision as you mentioned today, Chairman.”

My gaze unconsciously drifted toward the documents on the table.

I swallowed dryly without realizing it.

Taeseong’s future was contained there.

Unlike me, who was full of curiosity, Chairman Lim Man-seok’s voice was full of regret.

“You would also know how much I cherished Do-hyun.”

Chairman Lim’s voice lowered.

“Looking at his recent behavior, he does not seem to be a vessel capable of shouldering Taeseong. Since he looks for excuses before responsibility and tries to avoid his position when a crisis strikes….”

He shook his head.

“A position leading a company is a matter where mindset is more important than performance, but he does not know that.”

I sat quietly, but numerous thoughts were crossing my mind.

To what extent should I accept this situation?

Why did I have to be present for my grandfather’s will to change.

A part of my chest began to feel heavy as if I knew the reason.

“Therefore, Hyunjun.”

Chairman Lim quietly continued speaking.

“I want to hear your thoughts. I want you to take charge of Taeseong.”

The flow of air in the room changed the moment those words ended.

I instantly leaned my body forward and answered politely.

“Grandfather, those words are more than I deserve.”

Lim Man-seok spoke as if to restrain me by raising his hand.

“Do not refuse by saying it is more than you deserve. You have the right to do so. No, you have a vessel that is more than qualified. I know that well.”

I let out a quiet breath.

It was not that I was not grateful for those words.

However, there was something I had been thinking about for a long time.

This life, this name, this world….

I felt that it was not entirely mine alone.

“I am sorry, Grandfather, but I do not want to inherit Taeseong.”

Lim Man-seok’s gaze wavered slightly.

“Why…. For what reason do you say that?”

I carefully opened my mouth.

“I want to grow my own company with my own strength.”

Lim Man-seok listened to his grandson’s words in silence.

A sense of disappointment rushed in from within, but it was not a matter he could force.

Even the Governor of Pyeong-an cannot do as he pleases if he himself dislikes it, can he.

I continued my words.

“That is why I think someone who can protect Taeseong and move it forward should take charge, rather than me.”

“Then who do you have in mind?”

It was a completely unexpected question.

I revealed a somewhat surprised expression as it was.

When silence hung for a moment, I contemplated.

Whether it would be okay to fully convey the thoughts I had been harboring.

It was uncertain whether Chairman Lim Man-seok would understand that intent.

However, wouldn’t it be worth a try for once.

“It is Aunt Lim Hye-seon.”

The eyebrows of Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil rose minutely at the answer I gave.

As one of the people who knew Chairman Lim Man-seok’s intentions best, the card of Lim Hye-seon was unexpected.

Lim Man-seok looked intently at his young grandson and asked.

“Why did you think of Hye-seon in that way?”

“As someone who has watched Aunt all along, she is more familiar with practical affairs than anyone else, and she has protected the company without shaking even in crises. Rather than simply weighing sales and the company’s growth, she is someone who knows how to lead the company with people at the center. I believe that is precisely the path Taeseong should take in the future.”

Lim Man-seok’s mind went blank with shock.

To be honest, although he had kept his daughter close until now, he had never considered her for the position of successor.

Lim Man-seok silently raised his teacup to his mouth.

However, he put it down again as if he were barely drinking.

He was so lost in thought that he might not have even known whether he had drunk the tea or not.

‘Why did I not think of that.’

His eldest son, Lim Do-kyung, had a good character, but his backbone was weak for leading an enterprise.

His second son, Lim Do-hyun, was brilliant but calculating and had little human aspect, so he was always greedy.

Yet, Hye-seon had never once gone against Chairman Lim Man-seok’s eyes.

Even when he first entrusted her with Taeseong Department Store, she quietly did her best in what she had to do.

That was all.

How could Chairman Lim Man-seok not know his daughter’s tendencies?

She was a child who had a stronger sense of responsibility than anyone else, was brilliant, and faced reality coldly.

Thus, she had never been out of his sight until now.

Of course, she also had a good knack for company management.

Starting from one department store in Seoul, she had expanded throughout the country and even overseas.

Lim Man-seok asked me while feigning ignorance.

“Your father is also here, so why did you choose Hye-seon?”

“If you had intended for my father from the beginning, Grandfather, you would not have chosen my uncle. Is that not why you asked me to take charge of Taeseong.”

“Ahem. This fellow is as sharp as a blade.”

Lim Man-seok turned his head toward Ju Yeong-gil.

“Lawyer Ju, prepare it in two ways. One is a plan to place Hye-seon as the successor. The other is a way to separate the inheritance…. Just in case, a plan to let Hyunjun have time to think again.”

“I understand, Chairman.”

I just listened quietly to what they were saying.

Inexpressible emotions lingered deep within my heart, but I had the conviction that this choice right now was not wrong.

As the night deepened, the door of the private room opened and four men slipped out quietly.

Chairman Lim Man-seok left first while exchanging unspoken dialogue with Chief Secretary Kang Cheol-woo.

I quickened my pace alone without making eye contact with anyone.

I had an expression of having many thoughts.

And the last person to come out was Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil.

He took out his cell phone from his inner suit pocket and quietly contacted his driver.

“Driver Kim, I will drive myself today. You go ahead first.”

“Pardon? It is very late, lawyer, will you be okay?”

The driver knew that he rarely ever drove himself at night usually.

“It is fine. I want to be alone for a bit.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After finishing the call, Lawyer Ju walked while carrying his heavy briefcase.

In the underground parking lot, his waiting vehicle was visible.

He got into the familiar vehicle and took the steering wheel.

He only drove the car after gripping the handle tight and taking a deep breath once.

Without even turning on the navigation, he headed toward a luxury hotel in Gangbuk, Seoul.

That place was not somewhere he usually dropped by.

While coming to the hotel, Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil kept an eye on the vehicle following from behind through the rearview mirror.

There was a vehicle that had been following since he left the Taeseong Hotel.

Since Chairman Lim Man-seok revised the will today, they must surely be suspicious.

He must have given instructions to Chief Secretary Kang Cheol-woo to secretly keep an eye on Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil.

Having been with Chairman Lim Man-seok for decades, there were many instances of being suspected as if it were natural.

Although he had lived enduring that, the bitter feeling did not fade no matter how much time passed.

“A tail has been attached again….”

While the two vehicles engaged in a secret chase across the city, Lawyer Ju’s car arrived at its destination before long.

Ju Yeong-gil got out of the car while pretending not to know and walked toward the hotel entrance.

A man who got out of a car silently from afar took several photos with a camera equipped with a telephoto lens.

The 1st-floor lobby of the hotel was very luxurious under the soft lighting.

Ju Yeong-gil looked around as if searching for someone while crossing the marble floor.

A woman who was sitting in the 1st-floor coffee shop saw him and stood up from her seat.

The woman, dressed in a very wealthy-looking outfit, waved her hand toward Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil while wearing a gentle smile.

Lawyer Ju discovered the woman and smiled slightly.

The woman asked in a voice full of charm.

“Why are you so late?”

“Work finished a bit late.”

“Let’s go up quickly, honey.”

A man dressed in a black suit watched the two from afar and took photos with his cell phone.

Not even knowing that, the two boarded the elevator.

While going up to the upper floors, a strange tension flowed between the two.

Their appearance reflected in the mirror was the very picture of an affectionate couple.

Ju Yeong-gil’s hand wrapped around her waist, and the wife leaned her head on his shoulder.

If someone were to encounter them, they would appear as a flawless middle-aged couple.

When the elevator door opened, the two moved their steps while stuck together like a pair of lovebirds.

Opening the door with the hotel room key they had in advance, the two went inside.

The moment the door closed completely, they naturally separated.

As if a play had ended.

The warm smile disappeared from the wife’s face and a cold expression was revealed as it was.

“How long do I have to keep up this play? It is absolutely disgusting.”

“That is what I should say. Do you think I am doing this because I like it? Hmph, you better know that you won’t be able to get a single penny of the promised money if you don’t cooperate.”

The woman threw off the coat she was wearing irritably and then went into the room after opening the door.