Chapter 7 (1/2)

Having frequented this house for a dozen years, I had never been allowed to enter his study (and the bedrooms).

Even though the conference room was on the tenth floor of Sunyang HQ, all the important decisions were made in his study where only his family members, now including me, and his board members were allowed to enter.

I stepped into the study and glanced around.

It looked nothing short of the conference room: a large desk for the grandfather and tables for a dozen.

The grandfather’s children and his board members already were seated.

Predictable.

If they were gathered together, they would have a meeting, to discuss current issues.

My father was replaced with Young-jun. He was seated among them, which startled me.

I was well aware that my father was treated as if he was disowned.

But Young-jun was only 20 years old, who was planning to go abroad to study.

He was too young for this.

Does this mean the grandfather has already appointed his successor?

Is it already too late?

When I was lost in this thought, lowering my head, everyone in the study thought I was alarmed.

“Hey, Do-jun. Lift your head. Boys fight, that way they grow up as men,” Young-jun said, chuckling.

He seemed to be trying to look like a grown-up.

“Be quiet! Or I will get you out of here,” his father said. Young-jun scratched his head.

The grandfather led me inside by the hand.

“Do-jun,” he said.

“Yes, grandfather,”

“Sit kneeling until I tell you to stand up, that is your punishment,”

Punishment? Or training?

It was punishment for 10-year-old Do-jun while business administration training for Yun Hyun-woo.

I sat kneeling right next to him and opened my ears, so as not to miss a single word.

“So, now, tell me,” he resumed the meeting.

“I a.s.sume that the lame duck president would use force against the protesters,” a voice said.

“Force?”

“He would use troops to disperse the protesters,”

What? Troops?

What do troops have to do with Sunyang?

“Hundreds of protesters are taking place all over the country. If the president used troops, it could be thousands,” said the other.

“Force would not suppress the protesters but add oil to the fire,”

With a loud, echoing thud, the grandfather slammed his palm down on the desk.

“So what the h.e.l.l are you suggesting? Turn against the president that may give up his office?” he yelled.

They clamped their mouths shut.

“Can’t waste any more time. You tell, vice-chairman, whose side should we be on?”

The vice-chairman, Young-ki could not easily answer.

Young-ki and his son, they had framed and killed me.

Which would not happen to me again but might happen to anyone.

I wondered what Young-ki would say.

“Even though the protesters have marched for the past 7 years, the president would not give up his office,” he said.

Second son, Dong-ki and third Sang-ki, without a hesitation, agreed.

Some board members chimed in with Young-ki.

Something was odd.

Three days later the president would make a statement: the June 29 Declaration.

The Blue House must have drawn up an outline by now.

It didn’t make any sense thatSunyang had not grasped the situation yet as it should have.

Leaving doubt behind, I bent my ear toward them.

But topics of conversation and questions to ask during the meeting were not relevant to management plans for Sunyang.

This was not what I had expected.

Somehow, absurd.