It was time for Lee Hyun-woo and Kim Ah-young to leave for Japan.
Because of this, a sigh escaped from Kim Sung-moo’s mouth.
“Sigh…”
A sigh from the head of a conglomerate who fears nothing in this world?
The business was going exceptionally well, but,
‘Sending my daughter to Japan with the scoundrel who is trying to steal her?’
The problem was Kim Tae-hyun.
He suddenly had something come up, causing him to leave a day later and return on the same day.
‘I can’t stop this.’
Even if he tried, it wouldn’t work.
Business is business, but
There are limits to parental interference in the relationship between a man and a woman, and it seemed like this was such a time.
‘But still, all men are wolves.’
After taking one more deep breath, he picked up the phone and called someone.
After a while, Park Min-sook arrived.
“Did you call for me, Chairman?”
“Yes, you’re going to Japan the day after tomorrow, right?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes, are you referring to Director Kim Ah-young? Yes, there is a schedule for Japan.”
“You’re going for business cooperation with the hotel in Japan, right?”
“Yes, that’s one of the reasons, and I heard she will also meet Son Jung-yi.”
“Right. It doesn’t matter if she meets Son Jung-yi, but is it really necessary for her to stay at the same hotel with Lee Hyun-woo?”
“……”
Park Min-sook was momentarily at a loss for words at the chairman’s comment.
‘He has noticed the relationship between the two!’
It would have been strange if he didn’t know.
In Guseong, which possesses information at the level of a national intelligence agency, the chairman could know everything if he wished.
“Yes, yes. I will escort Miss Kim alone.”
She quickly changed her address from Director Kim Ah-young to Miss Kim.
She thought the chairman’s words contained the heart of a father.
“Yes, Secretary Park, take care of that… But do they really need to stay at the same hotel in Japan?”
“……”
Again, it was a situation where she couldn’t answer immediately.
If she insisted on staying at a different hotel, Kim Ah-young would stubbornly resist.
She quickly confessed the past incident.
“Last year, CEO Lee Hyun-woo stayed at Seorabeol Hotel in Jeju Island for his business. I managed everything to ensure nothing happened. I can do the same this time.”
“Hmm, hmm… It’s not that I’m worried about that.”
“Oh, I see. I mentioned it just in case you were concerned.”
“No, it’s not that. I’m worried that mixing business with personal feelings might cause a mistake when meeting Son Jung-yi.”
“Director Kim might make a mistake?”
“Not necessarily Ah-young, but Lee Hyun-woo might be affected if his emotions get muddled, you know.”
The chairman squinted his eyes.
In the end, he didn’t explicitly say he wanted to keep the two apart in Japan.
To be honest, he wanted Lee Hyun-woo as his son-in-law, but he didn’t want them causing trouble before marriage.
“I don’t think CEO Lee Hyun-woo would do such a thing. He is known for keeping his work and private life separate.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, he is very competent in his work. You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Well, if you say so… But keep an eye on them. If they stay out too late, it might affect their business later… Make sure they return early. When they are at the hotel, create an environment conducive to their respective businesses.”
“Yes, Chairman, I will do that.”
“Alright, then. Oh, and make sure to report to me right after returning from Japan. You can contact me while you’re there as well if needed…”
“Yes, I will do that too, Chairman.”
As Park Min-sook turned to leave, an amused expression appeared on her face.
She had roughly grasped the chairman’s current feelings.
‘So, he likes CEO Lee Hyun-woo.’
But even if he likes him, it’s always hard for a father to readily give away his daughter.
Park Min-sook’s father was the same.
‘No parent can win against their child.’
Chairman Kim Sung-moo had shown many gaps in his logic during their conversation.
The man who insists on perfection was being inconsistent and lacking in logic.
It could be seen as the heart of a father trying to protect his daughter from a wolf.
Thinking this, she felt curious about the future.
‘Lee Hyun-woo is not an easy person.’
She could sense a professional aura from him.
In other words, both Kim Ah-young and the chairman would likely be challenged by his mastery of push and pull.
Two days later.
Lee Hyun-woo arrived at the airport with Woo Sang-won, Lee Jung-woo, and some development team members.
Kim Ah-young also arrived as scheduled, and they sat together without hesitation.
She had arranged the seating from the beginning.
Even so, booking first class for all of them was impossible.
They downgraded to business class, seating her and Lee Hyun-woo’s entourage nearby, but they kept feeling conscious of the surrounding stares.
As soon as they sat down, she spoke to Lee Hyun-woo in a low voice.
“People keep staring at us. I think they recognize you because of your recent interviews.”
“Really?”
“It would be funny if our photos ended up in the newspaper. Though I’m not a celebrity, so there wouldn’t be any scandalous articles.”
“Aren’t you more than a celebrity? You’re the eldest daughter of Guseong Group.”
As soon as he said this, there was a sound of someone clearing their throat from behind.
“Cough, cough…”
Like the last time they went to the workshop in Jeju Island, the seat behind was occupied by Secretary Park Min-sook.
Back then, she only cleared her throat, but today she even interjected in a low voice.
“I would prefer if you avoided mentioning that.”
“Avoid mentioning what? Ah, Guseong Group?”
“Cough, cough.”
“Okay, okay. There could be many listening ears.”
There didn’t seem to be much risk of eavesdropping.
All the business class seats were occupied by Guseong Group people and bodyguards.
If there were any eavesdroppers, it would only be the stewardess.
‘Well, I’ll respect the privacy of a conglomerate’s daughter.’
Anyway, this life has been quite fortunate.
Living a life while receiving the favor of a conglomerate’s daughter.
Of course, it’s uncertain how things will turn out, but up until now, Kim Ah-young’s gaze was continuously directed at Lee Hyun-woo.
From boarding the plane to landing, being constantly aware of her gaze, Lee Hyun-woo thought about many things.
‘If I asked her out, she might accept.’
There were too many points to consider, causing hesitation, but Lee Hyun-woo’s heart was also leaning towards Kim Ah-young.
Unconsciously, he was picturing the future.
After retiring from business before the age of forty, enjoying life traveling the world with Kim Ah-young…
‘No, I might want that, but she can’t live that kind of life.’
His rosy imagination returned to square one.
Because the eldest daughter of Guseong Group couldn’t enjoy such a life.
Although Kim Tae-hyun would inherit the group, Kim Ah-young would likely lead a busy life managing Seorabeol Hotel and duty-free shops.
Even after landing at Narita Airport, she brought up the topic with a sparkle in her eyes.
“There’s no law saying Korea can’t have a duty-free shop bigger than this one, right?”
“Of course. The duty-free shop being built at Incheon Airport will probably rank among the top in the world.”
“Really? Do you really think so?”
“As you know, China is growing rapidly. Additionally, some Southeast Asian countries are expected to grow tremendously. With half the world’s population in Asia, one of the busiest airports these people will use will be Incheon Airport. It would be strange if the duty-free shop didn’t thrive.”
Incheon Airport was still under construction.
It might seem premature to make such a bold statement, but even without experiencing the future, it was clear that Incheon Airport would become Asia’s hub due to Korea’s geopolitical location.
‘Come to think of it, Gimpo Airport’s duty-free shop might also be privatized soon?’
In this second chance at life, he shared advice whenever something came to mind.
“Gimpo Airport’s duty-free shop might also be privatized soon.”
“Really? Is that true?”
“Of course. It would be good to prepare in advance. The announcement will probably come within this year.”
Lee Hyun-woo unconsciously making Nostradamus-like predictions.
Kim Ah-young took his words as gospel.
She originally had ambitions.
If she were not born a woman, she was confident she could inherit Guseong Group and grow it larger than her brother could.
But in this era, the successor was always a son.
Moreover, since Kim Tae-hyun was the elder, she lacked justification.
However,
‘If I marry Hyun-woo, the dynamics might change?’
Over the past year, the growth of Jungle was much higher compared to the various businesses showcased this January and early February.
In other words, while 1996 created something from nothing, the beginning of 1997 already surpassed the status of a small and medium-sized enterprise.
All the media were paying attention, overseas showed interest, and the business community recognized it.
So, there’s a good chance it will enter the top 30 groups within at least ten years.
This would give her significant power.
‘No, Hyun-woo doesn’t seem to have such ambitions.’
Although it was a short period, Kim Ah-young had grasped Lee Hyun-woo’s character.
Achieving business success seemed too easy for him, to the extent that his goal of early retirement and finding his life’s purpose seemed vague.
‘From what I see now, he’s fully intending to elevate the company to great heights…’
She was curious.
Would he really be able to leave everything behind after achieving great success?
That evening.
As soon as she arrived, Kim Ah-young moved to a hotel in Tokyo for business cooperation, while Lee Hyun-woo and his subordinates checked various things for their meeting with Son Jung-yi the next day.
When Kim Ah-young returned, it was nine o’clock at night.
Although it was late, she felt regretful about just going to sleep and was about to step out.
“Where are you planning to go?”
Park Min-sook, who was with her, asked.
“I wanted to take a walk since we’re here.”
“Alone?”
“No, with Hyun-woo…”
“Director, it’s too late at night.”
“What? It’s only nine o’clock.”
“You should consider the time you come back, not the time you go out. If you go out now, you’ll be back at least by midnight. Wouldn’t that affect the meeting with CEO Son Jung-yi tomorrow?”
“……”
Kim Ah-young blinked a couple of times in surprise.
She wasn’t a child, and staying up a bit late today would affect tomorrow’s work?
“Why are you suddenly like this?”
“What… are you saying?”
“Did something happen?”
“Nothing happened…”
“Did you meet my dad?”
“No! It’s nothing like that.”
“Your voice is getting louder, so you did meet him. Without telling me.”
“I said no!”
“What did he say? Did he notice our relationship? No, what relationship do we have? We’re not even dating…”
And saying that, she didn’t know why she looked so forlorn.
Falling for the atmosphere, Park Min-sook quickly said.
“You two seem like you’ll start dating soon.”
“No… Hyun-woo doesn’t seem interested.”
“Well, from what I see, CEO Lee also seems to have feelings for you. He’s probably just too burdened by Guseong to bring it up.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I’m sure about it.”
At that moment,
The doorbell rang.
Park Min-sook instinctively shouted.
“Who is it?”
(Huh? Secretary Park, you’re here too.)
“Hyun-woo, I’m here too. Why?”
(Since we’re here, let’s take a walk outside!)
Kim Ah-young turned her gaze to Park Min-sook once again.
She had that forlorn look again.
Then Park Min-sook quickly lowered her voice and said.
“Go ahead. I’m sure about what I said. CEO Lee definitely has feelings for you.”
“Really?”
“Really. CEO Lee is waiting. Go on.”
“Yes, yes. Then I’ll go.”
“……”
Suddenly,
Park Min-sook felt like she had been tricked.
‘What is this? Her voice brightened at the end.’
Kim Sung-moo’s voice, telling her not to let the two roam around late at night, echoed in her head.
‘Chairman, that seems impossible.’
