Son Jang-won.
The first chairman who founded Jeil Group. What is unique about him is that he is from the North. Son Jang-won, who originally ran a large wholesale business in North Hamgyong Province, came to South Korea around the time the Korean War broke out. Son Jang-won founded Jeil Trading Company, the predecessor of Jeil Group, in Seoul, which was like a ruin after the war. He is said to have shouted this while looking at the ruins of Seoul.
This is an opportunity, a chance to turn your life around!
A story from Chairman Wang's autobiography that I read in my past life. When I became a scholarship student at Jeil Group, Chairman Wang was already gone. I never imagined that I would meet Chairman Wang, who I had only heard of as a legend. Later, when I entered the Pyeongchang-dong mansion that Jeil Group considered sacred, I had a different feeling.
It is a spacious garden reminiscent of a sports field. The old pine trees that seem to be tended by a god add to the charm. An old gardener wearing a straw hat bends down to pull out weeds, and the golden carp in the pond show off their graceful forms.
"There it is."
My grandfather walked briskly. I followed closely behind him.
"Hey, Son-ga!"
Hand?
At the sound of his grandfather's voice, the old gardener straightened his back.
'omg.'
I held my breath. I thought he was just an ordinary gardener. But under the straw hat, I saw the face I saw in the autobiography. Chairman Wang looked much more refined than the photo in the autobiography. He must have been over seventy, just like my grandfather.
"Oh my, that old man came in without the landlord's permission?"
Chairman Wang greeted his grandfather with a smile. The personality of Chairman Wang that I felt from the corporate secrets was, in a word, like a fiery tiger. Even President Son Il-seon had revealed in his autobiography that he was afraid of meeting his father alone. However, Chairman Wang was smiling like a child. The same goes for his grandfather. In a word, a close friend who is not a traitor.
"You are the grandson that Chairman Yoo was so proud of."
"Yes, my name is Kang Hyeon."
Without realizing it, I tightened my posture.
"Ma'am, please bring me two cups of coffee and one glass of orange juice."
"Yes, Chairman."
It was a study filled with antique furniture. Like my grandfather's house, it felt more restrained than extravagant. They probably became friends because they had similar personalities.
'It's just like the future.'
The furniture I had seen in my past life was still there without a single mistake. Later, the Pyeongchang-dong mansion, like the Jeil Sanghoe site, became a sacred place in Jeil Group. This shows how much Son Il-sun idolized his father. For example, when Son Il-sun's business was not going well, he would come to Pyeongchang-dong to sleep.
"Yeah, you were first in the class?"
"Yes, sir."
Son Jang-won smiled faintly at the word "elder."
"Haha, call me grandpa."
I never thought I would call Chairman Wang of Jeil Group "grandfather." Life is truly unpredictable.
"Yes, Grandpa."
"Hyun-ah, just call me uncle. Even though he's not your grandson."
"You're annoying old man. Then should I tell my granddaughter to call you uncle?"
After that, Grandfather and Chairman Wang continued to bicker and argue. But even that proved that they were close friends.
"Chairman Yoo, aren't you thinking about expanding your business? Isn't it time to create some affiliates? How long are you going to focus on the chemical industry?"
Chairman Wang lifted his coffee cup and licked his lips as he spoke. I listened to their conversation while carefully sipping my orange juice. This kind of situation was not something I could experience often.
"The department store business is good, and the airline industry is not bad either. In the future, more people will go abroad from this country called South Korea. Chairman Yoo, don't you think it would be a waste to waste your management skills only at Dongju Chemical?"
Grandfather shook his head at Chairman Wang's foresight.
"Chairman Son, we are already old. After I die, my eldest and second sons will inherit the company, but do you think they are qualified to do so? Excess is worse than deficiency."
Chairman Wang did not elaborate further on his grandfather's firm words.
That was when.
"grandfather!"
Chairman Wang smiled and stood up from his seat at the sound of a voice coming from outside the study. A person so great that Chairman Wang personally opened the door had entered the study.
"Let me introduce you to my granddaughter, Son Yu-ha."
"Hello. My name is Son Yu-ha."
Son Yu-ha bowed politely. Huh. I was taken aback by the familiar face. Jeil Group has had women on the front lines of business since the past. This is because they valued individual ability more than gender. Son Yu-ha, the granddaughter of Chairman Wang and the only daughter of Son Il-seon, would later take charge of Jeil Trading Company.
'Ice Queen'
It was a nickname given to Son Yu-ha within the company. He was so strong that even most men would be terrified, and his ability to promote business was just like his father. Some of the older executives recalled that Son Yu-ha was just like her grandfather, Chairman Wang, not Son Il-seon.
That kind of her.
"Hello, I'm Son Yu-ha."
He shook my hand.
* * *
"I heard you came from the countryside?"
countryside?
Son Yu-ha, who was showing me around the mansion, spoke to me.
"I want to go play in the countryside too."
I'm not saying this out of malice. Rather, I'm saying it out of pure intention.
In my past life, while working at the legal team of Jeil Group, I only met Son Yu-ha a handful of times. However, when I saw her from afar, she was cold and picky, just like her nickname, the Ice Queen. It was incomparable to how she is now.
"They say that in the countryside, if you just study a little, you'll be first in the school. Is that true?"
I held back a chuckle.
"I'm currently in my first year of high school, how far have you come?"
It's as if she's bragging. She may be called the Ice Queen in the future and take control of Jeil Trading Company, but right now she's just a young 11-year-old girl. I've already reached the peak of my entrance exam preparation. Son Yu-ha's actions are like trying to squash a pupa.
"I must have done more than you."
"what?"
Son Yu-ha's eyes narrowed. She looked like she couldn't believe it.
"Follow me."
I followed Son Yu-ha. When I looked at it, it was a really big mansion. Maybe it was because I was still small, but it felt much bigger than I had felt in my past life. After walking down the hallway for a while, Son Yu-ha opened a door and came in.
Unlike other rooms, this room has many cute props. The lace bed also exudes a girlish charm.
"Solve this!"
Son Yu-ha took out a workbook from the bookshelf and handed it to me. Even at first glance, it was beyond the middle school level. Son Yu-ha will soon be learning the art of imperialism. This level of pre-learning is nothing.
"Give it to me."
The question paper was clean.
But as time passed, my hand continued to write down the correct answer. I solved everything mentally as if I knew the answer in advance. At best, it was a problem at the level of a first-year high school student. However, Son Yu-ha's eyes clearly showed a look of disbelief.
"I solved everything."
"lie!"
Not even twenty minutes had passed when I handed the test paper back. Son Yu-ha looked like he couldn't believe it. But how long will this kid keep talking informally to me? I shook my head as I tried to correct his bad habit. After all, after today, we wouldn't meet again.
"Jin, you really got it all right."
Son Yu-ha opened her mouth after taking out the answer sheet and checking the questions. She looks cute like this.
At that moment, something caught my eye.
"Yuha, do you play the violin too?"
These days, I often see violin cases. As a chaebol, she always has social hobbies. In particular, instruments like the piano and violin are considered essential items for the daughter of a chaebol.
"Yeah, I'm good at playing the violin!"
Son Yu-ha quickly changed the topic to the violin. Like any other child, he wanted to show off something he was good at. It seemed that he had already decided in that short time that he could not beat Kang Hyun in terms of studying. Before Kang Hyun could even speak, Son Yu-ha had already picked up the violin case.
I don't know much about the types of violins, but at first glance, it looked like a pretty expensive case. Son Yu-ha opened the case with her small hands. It was a small violin that fit Son Yu-ha's body. Judging from the condition of the strings and bow, it seemed like it had been well maintained.
"Look carefully."
Son Yu-ha skillfully took up the pose.
He placed the violin between his chin and shoulder and even put in a shoulder rest that fit his body shape. The position of his left hand and the way he held the bow were all standard. Just by his posture, you could tell how long Son Yu-ha had been practicing the violin.
Jiying.
The melody of the violin pierced my ears.
What about this song?
Could such a coincidence be possible?
Son Yu-ha's gaze was directed at the tip of the violin. He didn't close his eyes as if he wouldn't tolerate even a single mistake.
"Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Winter, 3rd movement."
It was the same song that Kang Hye-jeong, who was a music teacher, played. Son Yu-ha, who should have been playing by looking at the Suzuki textbook, was at that age. The Four Seasons was clearly a difficult song, but Son Yu-ha did not allow even a single mistake. The score must have been engraved in her head through repeated study. But even without effort.
'You have talent.'
Basically, he had talent.
In particular, the sense of rhythm was excellent, which complemented the melody that was slowed down due to short fingers.
After the performance.
"how is it?"
Son Yu-ha looked straight at Kang Hyeon and asked.
"good job."
Kang Hyun smiled and praised him. Considering his age, it was surprising that he could play at this level. But that was the extent of it.
"Yuha, did your violin teacher tell you to practice this piece?"
"No! I did it because I wanted to."
also.
It is a song that does not suit him. He is still too old to play it, and his technique is very lacking. It means that it is a song that does not fit him yet. In short, it feels like a young child wearing his parents' clothes. It is obvious that the violin teacher who points out a greedy child will be very troubled.
"Well, how about practicing a different song instead of this one?"
"Why? I played the song well and didn't make any mistakes."
How should I explain it?
If you wear clothes that don't fit you often, you'll develop bad habits. The only way to explain the difference to Yuha was to show her a perfect performance of the Four Seasons. But how do I know this?
"Do you know how to play the violin too?"
"uh?"
I was more surprised by the word "oppa" than by the question of whether or not I could play the violin.
I never thought I would live to hear Chairman Wang of Jeil Group call me grandfather and President Son Yu-ha of Jeil Trading call me oppa.
"Show me once!"
Son Yu-ha filled both his cheeks with air and handed me the violin.
What should I do with this?
Although I was given a violin by chance, I had only studied it for a month or two, a long time ago. I had given up on that because I had no talent.
But why is that?
When I took hold of the violin and bow, my heart began to beat wildly.
It was as if the little violin was calling out to me to play.
I wonder if I can play the violin.
I moved wherever my heart went.
"uh?"
Son Yu-ha's eyes became rabbit eyes. This was because Kang Hyun, who had received the violin, immediately took a stance. However, the way he acted was as natural as flowing water. As if he had been playing the violin for a long time, he became one with the instrument in an instant.
and
The bow was raised slowly.
Son Yu-ha held her breath without realizing it.
The moment when the bow and the string meet.
Jiying.
Winter has come.