Episode 23

“……You’ve changed a bit, younger brother.”

“I can’t keep living as someone who just tarnishes the face of my accomplished older brother forever. I have to at least act like a human being.”

“You could just stay the way you are. We’re family, so we can accept you as you are.”

“Haha, I still have some shame, you know.”

Although the conversation seemed friendly on the surface, the atmosphere was as cold as walking on thin ice.

It was a chilling exchange with neither side revealing even a sliver of their true feelings.

“Why, now of all times?”

“I’ve found something that I want to do.”

I smiled brightly.

“I’m going to become a prosecutor. I find studying law to be fun.”

“……What your uncle said was true. He said that you were flying high over there, like a completely different person.”

“What, you knew about that?”

“I heard it when I went to see him last time. It seems like Father doesn’t know yet, though.”

No, he knew everything from the start. This guy.

It seemed like he had been pretending not to know and acting as usual to test me.

As expected, Park Tae-yang wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.

In fact, I had roughly predicted that it would turn out like this when I decided to come to the main house.

I had returned to film a ‘Our Troublemaker Has Changed’ episode, and if I did that, then I would inevitably be on Park Tae-yang’s radar.

Right now, Park Tae-yang had completely recognized me as a potential rival.

I decided to state my intentions first.

“Don’t worry, I don’t have even the slightest interest in the Yuseong Group. I have no intention of going against you, brother.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“What does studying law have to do with our group in the first place?”

“Recently, there have been more and more cases of companies appointing lawyers as CEOs. Their performance has generally been good too…… It wouldn’t be strange if they tried to compete based on that kind of expertise.”

‘This is driving me crazy.’

It was like reading sutras to a deaf man.

He, who had only thought about taking over Yuseong Group in his mind, could not understand that his lifelong wish was something that someone else wouldn’t even want if it was given to them.

I had my own dream, just like his dream was sitting on the throne of Yuseong Group.

“It would have been better if you had just stayed a troublemaker.”

“I can’t do that. I have a goal now.”

“Then you’ve also become my enemy.”

‘I said that wasn’t it!’

I had no intention of continuing to be played by Park Tae-yang, but I also had no intention of participating in the succession competition and fighting him head-on.

I had my own plans for Yuseong Group, but at least, it wouldn’t be in the way that Park Tae-yang was thinking.

Park Tae-yang growled.

“You’re going to regret this.”

‘Oh, my.’

As I had clearly stated, I had no intention of confronting him right now.

But if he was going to be so hostile towards me, and if he was going to do something troublesome…… then I wouldn’t be able to just sit still.

“I’ll return that exact phrase to you.”

Therefore, I responded to Park Tae-yang’s warning.

“Don’t do anything that you’ll regret.”

Because I wasn’t the Park Yoo-seung that he knew.

He didn’t know what I could do, and what I couldn’t do.

* * *

After parting ways with Park Tae-yang, I entered the mansion alone.

Since there was still some time left until Park Geon returned in the evening, I decided to go to my room and rest for a while, following the housekeeper's guidance.

“……Is this my room?”

As soon as I entered the room, I was greeted by the musty smell of accumulated dust.

The bleak and dirty room, without any decent furniture, seemed to show the fact that there was no place for Park Yoo-seung in the main house.

I couldn’t stand it like this.

If it was the real Park Yoo-seung, he would have called a servant and yelled at them to clean it up right away, but instead, I asked the housekeeper to bring me cleaning supplies.

“You’re going to clean it yourself?”

“Well, it’s my room, so who else would do it?”

Back when I was doing any work that would pay, I had even worked as a cleaning contractor as a side job after work.

There was no reason for me to feel any aversion to it.

Leaving behind the housekeeper, who was staring at me with wide eyes, I focused on cleaning the room for about 30 minutes, and it was decent enough to look at.

“Thank you. Here, take this back.”

The housekeeper received the cleaning supplies with a bewildered expression, as if she had seen a ghost, and then disappeared.

Alright. What should I do now?

It was still a long time until evening.

I had also moved my body a bit, so it would be nice to rest like this, but it didn't suit my nature to waste time.

Should I study?

It was just a bit of spare time, so it wasn't appropriate to sit down and solve cases properly, but I could just look over some criminal law multiple-choice questions.

I took out the problem book from my bag and opened it to a random page.

<Question. Choose the correct explanation regarding embezzlement.>

1. Even if money that was received to be delivered for the purpose of bribery is arbitrarily used, the crime of embezzlement is not established.

2. In the case of consignment sales, even if the consignee consumes the payment, the crime of embezzlement is not established.

3. Since each partner has their own right to dispose of partnership property, even if one of the partners arbitrarily disposes of the partnership property, the crime of embezzlement is not established.

(……)

“It’s number 1.”

I checked the answer right away.

“Giving money for the purpose of bribery is an anti-social act, so according to Article 746 of the Civil Act, it falls under the category of illegal cause of performance, and as a reflexive effect, the ownership of it is attributed to the recipient. Since they are using their own money, the crime of embezzlement is not established.”

Excellent.

My repeated reading study method was definitely effective.

Even if I just looked at a random page, the table of contents where the content was located and the related legal principles immediately came to mind.

‘This is what you get from someone who passed the second stage of the bar exam.’

Rather, considering the prestige of the exam, it was almost like I had taken too long to regain my form.

As I was immersed in studying while solving a few more problems, I heard a knock on the door.

“It’s time for dinner, Young Master.”

“Has it already been that long? Alright, let’s go.”

I followed the servants to the dining room.

Park Tae-yang, whom I had seen earlier, and a woman wearing dark sunglasses were facing each other across the table.

“No, what gives you the right to tell me what to do, brother?”

“I’m not telling you what to do, I’m just giving you business advice. In times like these, how risky is such an aggressive M&A…….”

“Ha. Someone who doesn’t even know the ‘I’ in investment is talking nonsense.”

Judging from their conversation, the woman was Park Yoo-seung’s older sister, Park Min-ha.

I remembered that she had appeared as a fairly temperamental character in the original story.

“Hello.”

“What, it’s you.”

As I found a suitable opening and greeted them, I received a cold response from Park Min-ha.

“What face do you have to show up here?”

“What do you mean, what face? I came because my father called me.”

“That’s great. It seems like this time, he’s finally going to kick you out of the family registry.”

“The family registry system was abolished in 2008, and under the current Family Relations Registration Act, it’s impossible to remove a child’s name from the family relations registration…….”

“Ugh, that’s what I mean! You went to law school and now you’re all high and mighty with the law?”

Park Min-ha thumped her chest, as if she was frustrated.

She still had the same temper, but honestly, Park Min-ha, who didn’t hide her feelings, was easier to deal with than the sly Park Tae-yang.

“……”

Look at him.

Even now, Park Tae-yang was looking at us with a calm gaze.

No doubt, he was calculating all sorts of possibilities in his head and figuring out his next move.

‘This family is a mess.’

The first and second children were baring their teeth at each other over the succession rights, and the youngest was a troublemaker who went around causing trouble.

It was a household where you couldn’t find any peace or harmony.

‘Although, it’s not like I’m in a position to say that as the troublemaker himself.’

As I was swallowing my thoughts, I heard a voice.

“The master will be joining us.”

The head of this household, who had been neglecting, tolerating, and in fact, enabling this situation.

It was the sound that announced the arrival of Park Geon.

“Ah, Father!”

“Have you arrived, Father.”

At the same time, the two siblings, who were competing for the succession, reflexively jumped up.

It was a reaction speed that was akin to dogs waiting for their owner.

Squeak. The door opened.

And then, a middle-aged man wearing neat business casual clothes strode in.

‘This man is, Park Geon…….’

In a word, Park Geon was a man who was as solid as a rock.

If Kang Chang-soo was like a seasoned old tree, then Park Geon was tall and had broad shoulders, boasting a physique that could have made you believe that he was a retired athlete.

Except for the hair that was slowly beginning to turn gray, there was nothing that would give you a hint of his age.

For some reason, the three siblings, including me, were all tall, and it was clear that we had inherited the genes from Park Geon.

Park Geon stopped wordlessly in front of his children, who had come to greet him.

The feeling of intimidation that was emanating from him was so strong that Park Tae-yang and Park Min-ha swallowed hard.

And then, Park Geon’s first words were.

“……Smell.”

“Yes?”

“Uh, do I smell? Is it because I changed my perfume?”

It was directed at me.

“The smell of alcohol, is not there.”

“!”

A heavy, rock-like voice echoed.

“It’s not often that I see you not soaked in alcohol. Did you really decide to turn over a new leaf now?”

“……With all due respect, that is so.”

“Hmm.”

I couldn’t read his intentions from his expression.

It was as if he was being sarcastic, but it also felt like he had subtly softened up a bit.

Whatever it was, it seemed like Driver Choi had told him my story.

It was an unexpected situation for me, but Park Tae-yang and Park Min-ha seemed even more upset.

The children, who were competing for the position of successor, had come to greet him, but their father was paying attention to someone else first.

Park Min-ha’s lips were twisted, which was quite amusing.

“Sit.”

Regardless, Park Geon ordered us to take our seats, and then he ordered the servants to bring out the food.

While eating, Park Geon said briefly.

“Report on your recent activities.”

The first one to react was Park Tae-yang.

“The performance of Yuseong Mulsan in the current quarter is better than expected. Although the manufacturing cycle has entered a recession both domestically and overseas, we have succeeded in taking away the market share of our struggling competitors.”

“You’re speaking as if you’re so great.”

However, Park Geon’s expression was cold.

“Don’t be arrogant. That’s not an achievement that you have accomplished alone. You can’t forget that it was thanks to the power of the executives of Mulsan, starting with that friend Yoo Byung-gyu, who is sitting as the president there. ”

“……Of course. I’m always working with the mindset of learning from the executives.”

Next was Park Min-ha.

“You remember that I was running an investment company in North America, right? I recently acquired an IT venture company related to platforms that seems promising, and they made it big. I’ve sent a related report through my secretary, so please read it later. I’m sure you’ll be interested too, Father.”

“Hmm. Platforms are a field that deserves attention.”

His expression was still unchanged.

“However, that also can’t be said to be an achievement that you accomplished with your own power. The data that you read and reflected in your decisions were produced by professional research teams and analysts who worked day and night. Without that, your insight would be useless.”

“Tch, can’t you just praise me when you praise me?”

Park Geon shook his head.

“Don’t be mistaken.”

Park Geon stabbed a piece of steak with his fork and stated firmly.

“The achievements that you brag about seem great at first glance, but in truth, they are things that anyone could do.”

“……What?”

“Who are you? You’re the son and daughter of the chairman of Yuseong Group. You use the capital of Yuseong Group to do business, and you use the talent that Yuseong Group has selected and raised as your hands and feet. Can you really say that the things that you achieved with all that help are ‘your’ achievements?”

‘What an old geezer.’

Even I, who was just watching, was losing my energy.

But this was also a value that penetrated Park Geon’s life.

He was a man who had started with nothing, with not even a penny in his hand, and had built Yuseong Group.

No matter how great an achievement seemed, if it was achieved with abundant support, then it was just a natural result for Park Geon.

He couldn’t be surprised or recognized.

On the other hand, even if it seemed relatively minor, if it was a flower that was bloomed by someone who had nothing, with only their own power, then Park Geon would value it highly.

“Kuh……!”

“Tch.”

The two siblings, who had been hit with a blow from a living success story, couldn’t even think of arguing and closed their mouths.

“But, still.”

The problem was next.

“It might be better than those who haven’t accomplished anything.”

Now it was my turn.

“I heard that you got into Korea University Law School.”

“Fortunately, yes, I did.”

“Give it up.”

Park Geon said abruptly.

“Yes?”

“You also succeeded in getting into college ‘by luck’ in your undergraduate years. What was the result? You spent four years drinking, having someone write your reports for you, or finding capable presentation group members and barely managing to graduate.”

Indeed. It seemed like Park Yoo-seung had cobbled together his university studies in that way.

I wondered how that scoundrel had even managed to get the grades to get into law school, but since he was from the business school, where presentations and reports were more important than exams, there were ways for him to somehow resolve it.

“Do you think that kind of method will work in law school? No way. It might seem like an easy task to the common people, but Korea University Law School is a place where the best elites of this country gather.”

Park Geon’s criticism continued.

“In the past, those were people who would have risked their lives studying for the bar exam. Like your mother. Unless you have the talent and effort to match those who have passed the bar exam, you’ll just be swallowed up and fall behind in that group!”

Even so, I thought that his criticism was too harsh for his own son.

Of course, I understood.

The figure that Park Yoo-seung had shown until now was usually unreliable.

It was also true that Korea University Law School was full of outstanding talent, and whether it was due to his values or his respect for his wife, Park Geon was someone who recognized the excellence of those who studied law.

‘But, you know.’

However, there was one thing that I had to correct.

“……What is that?”

Park Geon’s gaze turned toward the bag that I had put down.

I nonchalantly tore it open and revealed its contents.

[Korea University Law School Pre-Law Final Ranking]

It was a grade report.

[Park Yoo-seung (5/150)]

As Park Geon had said, it was proof that I had shown that I was among the top five in the best elite group of the Korean liberal arts field.

‘I’m sorry, but I do have the talent and effort of someone who has passed the bar exam.’

“……!”

Park Geon’s eyes, which had been so still, widened in disbelief.