Chairman Kim Sung-moo’s eyebrows twitched at his younger sister Kim Sung-hee’s words.
“Surveillance…”
“As far as I know, they haven’t officially announced that they’re dating. So, it means that anyone can challenge Lee Hyun-woo.”
That’s true.
Actually, Chairman Kim Sung-moo was extremely averse to exposure.
Because of this, he wasn’t pleased that his youngest daughter recently started blogging, but his wife intervened, saying how stressed Kim Na-yoon must be from studying, so he refrained from nagging.
“So, you’re saying we should make it official?”
“At the very least, we should let people know unofficially.”
“Unofficially?”
“Yes, it would be good to let the rumors spread through various channels.”
The various channels Kim Sung-hee mentioned referred to gatherings that Kim Sung-moo couldn’t personally oversee.
Specifically, Kim Sung-moo would stay still while people around him subtly conveyed that Lee Hyun-woo was already taken and that it was by Kim Ah-young.
It wasn’t a bad idea.
Those who received the message wouldn’t covet Lee Hyun-woo.
“Don’t think we have to go this far. As I said, Lee Hyun-woo’s current popularity is no joke. Matchmakers are already using his profile to approach various families. Some of them include politicians, ministers, notable legal professionals, and even media moguls.”
“What? So, Lee Hyun-woo’s parents are communicating with them?”
“It doesn’t seem like that. They’re probably gathering information and laying the groundwork to make introductions later. Soon, those matchmakers will likely contact Lee Hyun-woo’s family.”
“Hmm…”
“I’ll inform the distribution and fashion sectors. It would be great if my sister-in-law could help with the media.”
Indeed, women are more meticulous than men.
Therefore, Kim Sung-moo thought it would be better to leave such matters to his wife or younger sister.
“Alright, go ahead.”
That evening, when Kim Tae-hyun came home and started talking about the alumni gathering,
“Father, the day after tomorrow, I plan to take Hyun-woo to the alumni gathering.”
His eyes widened involuntarily.
“Really?”
“Yes, everyone knows that Hyun-woo is dating Ah-young under your tacit approval, but we can’t just leave it at that. He needs to build connections with these people too.”
In short, he intended to manage Lee Hyun-woo’s network.
Birds of a feather flock together, and those who consider themselves ‘noblesse’ socialize with other ‘noblesse’.
From Kim Tae-hyun’s perspective, there were hardly any such individuals around Lee Hyun-woo.
Therefore, he thought such social gatherings were essential for future business and for Lee Hyun-woo’s qualification as Guseong family’s son-in-law.
This was the reason why Lee Hyun-woo was invited to the last young people’s gathering of the Guseong family.
“Not a bad idea. Oh, by the way, your aunt came by earlier.”
“Yes, I heard from mother. I think it was about Hyun-woo and Ah-young?”
“Specifically, it was about Hyun-woo. It seems quite a few families have their eyes on him. Recently, the chairman of Aejeong Department Store came and hinted that his daughter was dating Hyun-woo.”
“Oh, that’s not true. They are business partners but nothing more than friends.”
“But when two people of marriageable age, who are also well-matched, meet frequently, rumors are bound to spread. If they get photographed together, those rumors will quickly become accepted as fact.”
“That’s right… This isn’t good. Should we make an official announcement?”
“No, it’s too soon for that. We must always be careful not to draw journalists’ attention. That’s not how we handle the media.”
Kim Tae-hyun nodded, understanding that constantly feeding the media would only make them harder to control.
Journalists who love gossip would start digging into everything about the Guseong family once they get a taste of such scandals.
Especially, even if they could control most of the media, the rapidly growing internet media often didn’t heed their words.
“Then what should we do?”
“Your aunt said she would inform them discreetly.”
“Oh, I understand what she means.”
Kim Tae-hyun nodded, indicating he understood.
In simple terms, they would subtly implant the idea that someone of Kim Ah-young’s caliber from the Guseong family was already paired with Lee Hyun-woo.
“Then this alumni gathering will be an opportunity to subtly inform them.”
“Well, it’s not often that everyone gathers together.”
It’s no exaggeration to say that the power in South Korea is mostly held by graduates of Korean universities.
Special alumni gatherings, attended only by successful individuals, attract people from the government, business sectors, and the media.
Informing them that Lee Hyun-woo is already taken during this opportunity could significantly reduce the number of people coveting him.
“But wouldn’t it be better to get them married soon?”
Thinking this, Kim Tae-hyun suddenly realized one reason why he couldn’t publicly announce Kim Ah-young and Lee Hyun-woo’s relationship.
It was because of himself.
The Guseong family values order, so Kim Tae-hyun had to get married first.
“Damn, for them to go public, I have to get married first.”
Kim Tae-hyun thought that he needed to disclose his marriage plans first.
Even though he wasn’t married yet, he sighed.
“The end of my freedom is slowly approaching…”
Meanwhile, the next day, Lee Hyun-woo, who worked at Jungle during the day and helped with his father’s business at night, received a call from Kim Tae-hyun.
(Don’t forget about tomorrow, right?)
“Of course.”
After giving a firm answer, he thought to himself.
‘Considering what Tae-hyun hyung mentioned last time, the people attending this time are mostly societal leaders…’
Kim Tae-hyun mentioned that powerful figures from the business, government, and media sectors would attend.
It would normally be difficult to connect with them, but by chance, he was given this opportunity.
However, Lee Hyun-woo’s goal for attending the alumni gathering was simple.
‘My goal is to quietly blend in and leave unnoticed.’
Why?
‘Knowing too many high-ranking people is exhausting. It increases your workload.’
They were probably building their own exclusive league and enjoying privileges in their own world.
‘Most of them are probably workaholics.’
In his past life, the people from that tier were similar.
Although there were exceptions, since their relationships were work-based, they aimed to solidify their world using these connections, which was essentially an extension of their work.
Of course, the world wouldn’t move according to his wishes.
After leaving the company and arriving at the banquet hall of Seorabeol Hotel, he met Kim Tae-hyun waiting at the entrance.
“Welcome. There are a lot of people waiting for you. Let me introduce you.”
Blending in and disappearing unnoticed seemed unlikely.
The fact that people were waiting for Lee Hyun-woo proved it.
“Hyun-woo, this is Vice Governor Jin Pil-jung of the Bank of Korea.”
“Hello?”
“Wow, are you Lee Hyun-woo? Nice to meet you. I’m also an economics major.”
“Hyun-woo, this is Deputy Minister Park Myung-hwan from the Ministry of Finance.”
“Hello?”
“Wow, so you’re Lee Hyun-woo. I’ve really wanted to see what you look like.”
“Hyun-woo, this is Representative Park Chul-soon, a four-term lawmaker from the ruling party.”
“Hello?”
“Wow, so you’re…”
They all greeted him warmly and spoke to him with interest.
This was proof that Lee Hyun-woo’s name had become well-known.
Especially, the fact that Kim Tae-hyun was personally attending to him drew their attention.
In other words, Lee Hyun-woo, who rapidly grew an information and communication company, caught the attention of foreign media and Wall Street, and was close to the successor of Guseong, couldn’t be ignored.
After greeting the political leaders, business figures approached him.
These were people who wanted to talk directly with Lee Hyun-woo without Kim Tae-hyun’s introduction.
“Are you Lee Hyun-woo? I’m Lee Sang-hoon, the External Cooperation Director at GB Fashion.”
“Hello?”
“I was actually planning to visit you. They say that to sell more clothes, we need to utilize Jungle, so I can’t ignore you even though I’m your senior.”
“Haha…”
“Are you Lee Hyun-woo? I’m Kim Yong-soo from KS Telecom, head of the HR department.”
“Hello?”
“If you think about it, Jungle is in the same industry as us. Now that we’ve met, I hope we can work on some big projects together.”
“Yes, haha…”
Next came the media figures.
Lee Hyun-woo repeated “Hello” and awkward laughs like a parrot.
His back already started to ache from bowing more than a hundred times.
The greetings were just the beginning.
Kim Tae-hyun came back and grabbed Lee Hyun-woo.
“I need you.”
“Why me?”
“A table has been set up mainly for people who are well-versed in economics. You need to sit there. I also need to build connections with them.”
Soon, he sat at the table and recognized the people there.
They were the economic experts of South Korea, such as the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Korea and the Deputy Minister of Finance.
‘Damn, these are the people who brought in the IMF…’
Specifically, the heads of these institutions had a terrible understanding of reality.
Their poor judgment caused the foreign exchange crisis in Korea.
“Have you heard about Thailand?”
“Of course. The value of the baht is rising after the fixed exchange rate system was abolished.”
“Yeah. But there’s a rumor that it will drop again.”
“I heard that too. Information suggests it’s imminent.”
“So, it will rise briefly and then drop immediately.”
“Exactly. And the dollar will soar.”
Surely, their understanding of exchange rates was better than the average person.
Suddenly, the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Korea threw a question at Lee Hyun-woo.
“Hey, young man. What’s your take?”
He felt the gaze from beside him.
It was Kim Tae-hyun’s eyes.
‘Oh, he knows I’m like Nostradamus and is waiting for my answer.’
Lee Hyun-woo smiled and responded.
“I’ve already started buying dollars.”
“…!”
“…!”
“…!”
“Not only that, but I’ve also withdrawn my money from comprehensive financial accounts.”
“Huh…”
“Have you heard anything?”
“Oh, if you put it that way, it’s like giving us a hint.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Judging by their reactions, they didn’t seem to think highly of comprehensive financial accounts.
Indeed, while the first financial institutions that provided long-term loans with short-term foreign loans were problematic, comprehensive financial accounts also played a significant role in disrupting the capital market.
“Anyway, that’s bold.”
“That’s because I’m young.”
“Right. We know it in our heads, but we can’t act on it.”
It seemed they spoke comfortably because they were alumni.
Suddenly,
“Hey, isn’t that Hyun-woo?”
A voice called out to Lee Hyun-woo from behind.
He reflexively turned his head, and his pupils slightly dilated.
“Professor…”
Why was his former college mentor, Professor Geum Sang-jun, here?
The answer was in Kim Tae-hyun’s whisper.
“Professor Geum is the nominee for the Minister of Science and Technology. It’s good for you to get close to him, so this worked out well.”
