- This guy, he’s drawing such a grand picture, he’s like Picasso, isn’t he?
A comment from the chief prosecutor who handled the Jeon Wanyong case in the past life.
There’s a saying that they suck the marrow out of you.
The act of leaking detailed industrial technology to the outside, including production process flowcharts, equipment types, roles, placements, specs, and operating methods, without missing a single thing.
It was a time when awareness of the crime of occupational breach of trust under Article 356, Paragraph 2 of the Criminal Act was not widespread. Moreover, it was an abnormal period when promissory notes were rampant.
The prosecution said the ‘90s were the golden age of swindlers.
‘This is why we got completely eaten up by foreign capital.’
It was like having your nose cut off while you were awake. Of course, the incompetent uncles wouldn’t have known, as they valued their titles above all else.
The bundles reported to Grandfather were all cleverly disguised. I can vividly imagine how much Wanyong racked his slick brain.
“You rascal, are you already curious about your gift?”
It was when Grandfather looked at me with a playful gaze. “Grandfather, doesn’t it seem strange?”
The red pen clicked.
“Executive Jeon is in charge of important tasks related to new material development, as you can see. Matters related to new material development don’t fall under trade secrets due to their non-publicity, economic usefulness, and confidentiality management. But it feels like Executive Jeon is trying hard to meet the conditions of trade secrets, unnecessarily stretching legal clauses. Why do you think that is?”
Grandfather looked at me with a curious gaze.
“It’s to avoid the Industrial Technology Protection Act. The prosecution has a low understanding of technological core issues, so they adhere to the company’s decisions. But the conditions for trade secrets are too strict, making it hard for ordinary industrial technology to meet them. In the end, Dongju’s new material development will fall through the cracks and won’t be protected by the Industrial Technology Leakage Prevention Act. It’s exploiting a legal loophole.”
Grandfather looked at me with a gaze of incomprehension. Given the era of haphazard operations, it was understandable.
From the company’s perspective, it was crucial to consider whether to apply trade secrets or the Industrial Technology Protection Act for matters related to new material development, but Dongju didn’t even have a proper legal team yet, so I had to explain it more simply.
“Since it doesn’t fall under trade secrets or the Industrial Technology Protection Act, even if Executive Jeon sells the new material development law wholesale later, Dongju can’t charge him with breach of trust. In short, he’s a robber without a knife.”
Grandfather looked as if cold water had been poured over his head. Soon, Grandfather’s eyes widened as he asked me.
“Hyun, how do you know all this?”
What should I say?
“I saw it on the news. There was a huge broadcast about Hyunsung Group’s industrial technology being leaked to China. I watched it closely, and it was through this method.”
Grandfather’s eyes narrowed. Of course, it was natural not to believe such words from a young grandchild. But there was no choice. I couldn’t let Dongju go bankrupt again.
In the silent room, only the sound of the red pen clicking echoed.
Rumble―!
The heavy rain didn’t stop even in the evening. As I entered the house in Ichon-dong with Grandfather, my little uncle was still kneeling at the entrance.
Oh my, I thought something was really wrong, but I soon changed my mind. The suit was the same color, but the type of suit had changed, and the shoes were different.
I knew it, he must have come back to Ichon-dong in the evening.
“Father! Please give me one more chance!”
What a pitiful sight.
He was acting with all his might. Even I noticed, so how could sharp-eyed Grandfather not know?
“Come in.”
Huh?
At Grandfather’s words, my little uncle’s face bloomed with a smile. But soon he wiped off his expression and started crying, clearly having pinched his thigh.
‘This is just like a drama.’
My little uncle sat in front of the dining table, looking like a wet rat, reminiscent of a weekend drama.
Even though the housekeeper offered him new clothes, he stubbornly refused, trying to imprint his pitiful image on Grandfather.
But Grandfather didn’t even glance at my little uncle and picked up his spoon. As the meal continued with tension as if walking on thin ice,
“Beomkyung.”
Grandfather called my little uncle’s name softly.
“Yes, Father!”
My little uncle raised his voice, thinking this was his chance. Grandfather stopped eating and looked at my little uncle with a peculiar gaze.
He looked as if he was extremely angry, yet at the same time, as if he was smiling gently. It was hard to grasp.
“Do you now know what you did wrong?”
My little uncle’s face showed a hint of confusion. It was the same question he was asked this morning. The sound of his brain working overtime was loud enough to reach my ears.
Then Grandfather spoke firmly.
“I won’t say it twice, don’t ever eye the company management again.”
For a moment, my little uncle’s eyes widened.
“Father! Isn’t this too much just because I mishandled a subordinate? The embezzlement was unavoidable.”
Oh dear, this fool.
He didn’t know that the best course of action in such a situation was to keep his head down.
Grandfather had found out about Executive Jeon’s misconduct. He would have realized that Dongju could be dismantled from the core. No amount of anger could express Grandfather’s current feelings. His eyes glinted fiercely.
“Do you even know what the people you brought in are up to? If you’re given the position of executive, you should feel that responsibility. How long do you plan to act like a child?”
At Grandfather’s loud voice, my little uncle opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. If he had had better judgment of people, this situation wouldn’t have occurred.
Too much is as bad as too little. Grandfather had finally figured out my little uncle’s capacity. “Oh, Father!”
As my little uncle looked at Grandfather with a face ready to cry, crack―!
Grandfather’s spoon struck my little uncle’s forehead. Blood was flowing, indicating that his forehead was cracked.
I pretended not to see and picked up a piece of lotus root with my chopsticks. Compared to almost ruining an entire company, this was nothing. Besides, today’s meal felt like a royal feast.
“Chairman, we found the item you mentioned.”
Chairman Wang looked up at the secretary’s words. A close friend’s requested item was to be found at an auction, likely as collateral for losing a game of Go.
“Where is it?”
“It is expected to be held in New York, organized by Sotheby’s.”
As expected, it was located far away. The auction house also boasted hundreds of years of tradition and was world-renowned.
“What is the expected auction price?”
Chairman Wang’s brow furrowed. The expected auction price was higher than anticipated. It was indeed more appropriate to treat it as an art piece rather than an instrument. However,
“Win the bid.”
At Chairman Wang’s words, the secretary stepped back. It was as if he was casually picking up snacks from a supermarket.
Originally, he only needed to provide the auction location, but Chairman Wang didn’t hesitate to go the extra mile. The quiet reception room was filled with a lingering scent.
“Indeed.”
Chairman Wang’s lips curled up. “A son-in-law would be good.”
Achoo!
I suddenly sneezed, and my ear itched. Was someone talking about me? At that moment, Son Yooha pulled on my sleeve and looked at me.
“Oppa, did you catch a cold?”
I rubbed my nose and shook my head. She looked like she would serve me herbal medicine right away.
I don’t know how the Ice Queen fell so deeply for me. But whatever, in this new life, I’ll welcome any girl who comes and let go of any girl who leaves.
“Hyun, was there anything awkward?”
After finishing her performance, Park Sunyoung cautiously asked me. Park Sunyoung was not hesitant to ask questions about things she didn’t know.
I know her type well, someone who doesn’t hesitate to explore knowledge. Commonly referred to as a diligent genius.
“I’ve been wanting to say something for a while.”
Park Sunyoung’s eyes sparkled as she stared at me intently. “Noona, your posture is wrong.”
“What?”
Park Sunyoung raised her voice unconsciously. She couldn’t understand. She had been learning how to hold a violin on her shoulder and grip the bow her whole life. She was so skilled that she could take a perfect position even with her eyes closed. But now, her posture was wrong?
“Noona, you’ve been playing the violin since you were young, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Because you started playing the violin from a very young age, your posture is completely standardized. It’s textbook perfect. While this isn’t necessarily bad, for you, it’s the wrong method.”
Park Sunyoung’s eyes were filled with questions.
“Because you’re fixated on making sure the bow crosses the strings correctly, you don’t realize that one of your shoulders is drooping.”
It was a subtle difference that was hard to notice. Park Sunyoung’s shoulders were uneven.
“Try taking your position again.”
Rather than explaining it with words, I adjusted Park Sunyoung’s posture as she held the violin.
After some time passed, even though I had painstakingly adjusted her posture, Park Sunyoung didn’t seem too pleased with the new stance.
“Hyun, if I take this posture…”
“It feels like the bow will scratch the strings, right?”
It was natural for the bow to scratch when deviating from the standard posture. From a certain point, Park Sunyoung had only played the violin in a familiar stance.
She hadn’t taken such an unbalanced posture since she first started playing the instrument.
“Try playing it.”
Park Sunyoung swallowed hard and adjusted her breathing.
Then she slowly lifted the bow.
“What?”
The bow and strings met without making a scratching sound. Instead, the sound was richer and smoother than before.
It was a small difference but a significant shock. Posture was a basic of the basics. Park Sunyoung’s gaze immediately turned to me.
“Most people have their own unique posture. But because it’s hard to identify with the eyes, they adopt a standardized stance.”
Now, Park Sunyoung looked completely stunned. Son Yooha had already brought her violin case and was trying to take her stance.
This is why you shouldn’t do things carelessly in front of kids.
“By the way, noona, you said you needed a recommendation letter to participate in the competition, right?”
At my words, Park Sunyoung finally seemed to snap out of her thoughts.
“Oh, right.”
“Does it matter if the recommender is a foreigner?”
“A foreigner?”
