Chapter 17 (2/2)
What he said was too political for a 11-year-old to understand, and I wanted to dole out joy a bit by a bit.
I shook my head.
The light seemed to fade from his eyes.
”But I have a question,” I said before the light completely disappeared
”What is it?”
”Was the man in that room the president?”
”No, but he came to meet me on behalf of the president,”
His eyes fixed on me with wonderment and curiosity.
”Souldn’t you meet the president? You are the largest company’s chairman in the country,”
I was sincerely curious. I wanted to hear the reason why he met Park, not the president.
”At school, you would hear rumors: who is kind, who is greedy, who is good at fighting?”
”Yes, a lot,”
”If your closest friend or a trustworthy person would tell you about a rumor, you would probably believe it, wouldn’t you?” he continued, ”but you should not, (that's a trap)”
”Whether the rumor is right or wrong, you should check on it yourself,” he added.
”Were you checking on something yourself earlier then?”
”Yeah,” he answered.
I slowly, gently nodded.
”Do you still remember something important I said before?” he asked.
I racked my brain.
”I don’t have to understand what you are saying right away but remember it when I need to?”
”Yeah, right, and remember what I just said too,”
”Yes, grandfather,”
”And one more thing, you must be a listener, not an explainer,”
And a decider, not a follower.
He would decide whether he would be part of the political landscape after considering its draft.
”Now I have to get back to work. Why don’t you come to my house on Children’s Day (May 5)?”
With excitement in my voice, I said, ”Yes!”
After the grandfather returned his grandson home, he went back into the main room. There was a middle-aged man sitting on a sofa waiting for him. The man sprang from the sofa and bowed as the grandfather entered the room.
”Do sit down,” he said, sitting down. Then asked, ”What about Park?”
”He is in a suite downstairs. A female rookie singer's been sent to the suite,”
”Good. What about the ballroom?”
”Gave newly-elected members some (money),” the man added, chuckling ”arranged new female models and prepared rooms (for some of the members),”
”Great,” the grandfather said, then lifted his mug of tea, rested his feet on the tea table and swallowed a gulp.
”What do you think Park will bring me?” he asked.
”That is not important, sir. Once Soviet natural gas resources are acquired,” the man said.
”Are you sure about this?”
”LNG will be an entrée for Sunyang,” the man said in confidence, his eyes glowing.
The grandfather looked at him with a grin, and infinite trust.
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