Chapter 26
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung rotated his stiff neck. "Has it already gotten this late...?" The clock read 10 PM.
Knock, knock. Just then, Secretary Yang entered after knocking. "Vice Chairman, it's time to go home."
"Oh, right, tomorrow's the last shoot for Samjeon Electronics, isn't it?"
"You remembered that too?"
"How could I forget? Thanks to that kid Sung-guk, Samjeon Electronics completely succeeded in changing its image. It's become much friendlier, and sales even surpassed Lucky products for the first time."
"That's right. We've definitely avenged our baseball loss to Lucky last year."
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung shook his head. "We didn't even make it to the playoffs, so we can't really say we were robbed of the championship." Still, he looked disappointed. Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung loved baseball more than anyone, but Samjeon Group always fell short of expectations.
"I'm thinking of going to the shoot tomorrow... Where is it?"
"It's at Sampoong Department Store. And there's a fan signing event afterward."
"Sung-guk, 'Just,' and Seon-mi are all there?"
"Yes, you could say it's all of Samjeon Electronics' exclusive models. It's Sung-guk's last shoot."
"Time really flies." Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung gave a bitter smile. Time flew, but Chairman Jeon Ju-shin was still going strong, and his brother was waiting for any mistake from Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung. Secretary Yang subtly observed Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung's expression.
"Vice Chairman, the Chairman seems very pleased with Samjeon Electronics' successful image change."
"I want to focus on semiconductors now, but Father is too old-fashioned..."
"Don't worry. Chairman Jeon Ju-shin will surely see Samjeon Electronics' success as your excellent decision and support your next move." Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung nodded. Secretary Yang had served Chairman Jeon Ju-shin before, and even now, all of Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung's activities were reported through Secretary Yang. Perhaps no one knew Chairman Jeon Ju-shin better than Secretary Yang.
"By the way, keep my visit tomorrow a secret."
"Understood." This meant it was a secret from Sung-guk and the other Samjeon Electronics models, but not from a few major news outlets. It was a PR strategy to capture candid photos of the Vice Chairman's surprise visit.
-Spending a sleepless night.
This was the first time in my five years of life that I truly experienced this. I couldn't sleep a wink. My eyes were closed, but I didn't fall asleep. There were moments when drowsiness washed over me, but each time, chills ran down my spine. Sampoong Department Store! And today was exactly June 29, 1995. How could I remember all this? Many Samjeon Group executives lived in apartments near Sampoong Department Store. Some survived, but many lost their families. The incident had cast a dark shadow over Samjeon Group for a while.
Rustle, rustle. I heard Dad getting up. He was still working at 'Mr. Won's Bossam' in Suyu-ri. After moving, he was looking for a place to start his own business nearby, so he was commuting to 'Mr. Won's Bossam' for the time being. Dad groggily opened his eyes and kissed Min-guk and me.
[Dad, your breath stinks.] But I kept my eyes closed. Soon, I heard Dad washing up, and Mom got up, kissed Min-guk and me, and headed to the kitchen. I heard Mom talking to Dad.
"So-young, when does Sung-guk's work finish today?"
"He has a catalog shoot in the afternoon, and a fan signing event too. It seems like we'll finish with dinner at a restaurant in Sampoong Department Store that Seon-mi reserved."
[Oh my god!] This was a schedule from hell.
"Sung-guk's modeling work is finally ending. Did you look into kindergartens?"
"It's hard to transfer mid-year, but I put him on a waiting list. Mi-young's friend lives in this neighborhood and recommended a good kindergarten."
"Manager Kim is a real lifesaver."
"Honey, you should call her CEO Kim now. I'm an employee of her company." I heard Mom's laughter. SKJ Planning had become a proper agency, centered around me and Lim Seon-mi. Kim Mi-young had decided to sell her studio apartment and move here. She also planned to move the SKJ Planning office to Gangnam for better accessibility.
"I should also look around the neighborhood on my days off and find a good location for a business. With all the apartments, a bossam delivery place wouldn't need a big store." Dad seemed to have a knack for business.
[Yeah, delivery is the future. I ordered chicken delivery as soon as I got out of jail in my previous life. Ugh. This isn't the time for this. I've worked my ass off for the past five years, and I'm going to die today?]
As I tossed and turned, Min-guk woke up and gently stroked my face. "Hyung. Sleepy. Hyung, sleepy." When I opened my eyes, Min-guk was happy and kissed my face, drooling all over me.
[Don't do this. I'll get attached.] I jumped out of bed.
[To be or not to be, that is the question!]
Kim Mi-young's car was a recently purchased 1995 Korean Jeep. The ride wasn't great, but it was more spacious and stable than her previous compact car. I sat in the car seat, frowning. Kim Mi-young looked at me in the rearview mirror.
"Sung-guk's mom, Sung-guk doesn't seem to be in good shape today."
"I'm worried too. He was acting strange after a quick shower this morning. I was thinking of taking him to the hospital."
"That's concerning. The fan signing event starts at 5 PM after the catalog shoot."
I looked at the clock in the car. 2 PM. In my memory, Sampoong Department Store collapsed in the evening. I still vividly remember the news of many housewives who were shopping for dinner preparation being among the victims. Thump. The car went over a rough road. Just then, I started feeling nauseous. And in the distance, I saw Sampoong Department Store. Kim Mi-young's car entered the parking lot of Sampoong Department Store. Thump. Kim Mi-young's car went over a speed bump in the parking lot again. That's it!
"Ugh..."
"Sung-guk, what's wrong?" I threw up everything I had eaten.
"Ugh... Ugh... Ugh..." I felt sorry for Kim Mi-young, who had just bought a new car, but she would thank me in three hours. Mom quickly wiped my vomit with tissues and opened the door.
"Manager, I need to take him to the bathroom to throw up."
"It seems like he needs to go to the hospital. Throw up and come out quickly. I'll wait here with the car."
"Okay, Manager." Mom picked me up and started running. I heard Mom's urgent heartbeat.
"Sung-guk, where does it hurt?"
[Mom, I'm okay. I'll be fine. But... I need to go to the hospital, not the bathroom...]
I was sleepy from not sleeping, and my stomach was upset. And I felt like my clenched anus was about to burst open.
[I'm already potty trained...]
Mom was about to run into Sampoong Department Store with me when she saw Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung walking towards her with Secretary Yang and other executives.
[Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung is here too. If things go wrong, we'll all meet in the afterlife. That's a bit troublesome...] Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung recognized Mom and me immediately.
"Secretary Yang, isn't that Sung-guk?"
"It looks like he's sick."
"Go check on them."
"Yes, Vice Chairman." Secretary Yang quickly approached Mom.
"Sung-guk's mother, are you alright?"
"Sung-guk is acting strange, Secretary Yang."
"Ugh..." I threw up a little on the clean department store floor. And then, I released what I had been holding back.
Pfft, pfft, pfft.
"Oh my, Sung-guk." Mom held me, looking pale. I had thrown up most of what I ate, and my bowels were empty. I was so tired from not sleeping that my eyes closed. I heard a voice in my ear. It was Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung, who had approached.
"Cancel today's catalog shoot and fan signing event."
"Vice Chairman, let's proceed without Sung-guk." It was the voice of one of the executives.
"Since 'Just' changed their schedule, they're only doing the catalog shoot. It's Sung-guk and Lim Seon-mi's shoot and fan signing event, so it's best to cancel." No one could argue with Secretary Yang's suggestion.
"Mother, please clean Sung-guk up and come with me to Samjeon Hospital. He can get immediate treatment."
"Yes, thank you." Mom quickly took me to the bathroom and patted my back. I barely held onto consciousness and emptied my stomach and bowels. I felt relieved down there. When Secretary Yang handed me a hastily prepared towel, I passed out.
[This isn't the ride quality of Kim Mi-young's car...] I heard voices intermittently. It was Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung and Secretary Yang.
"Vice Chairman, I called the pediatrics department. They can see him right away."
"Thank you. Thank you so much." I heard Mom's worried voice.
"But what about the schedule we messed up today?"
"Don't worry. As a parent myself, I know there's nothing more worrying than a sick child. Let's take care of Sung-guk first and reschedule. We can't make him work when he's this sick." It was Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung.
[Did Father ever care when we were sick?] While I was thinking that, Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung's car stopped. Security guards, who had been informed in advance, quickly escorted Mom and me to the pediatrics department.
Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung waited in the car. Secretary Yang, sitting in the passenger seat, turned around.
"Vice Chairman, shall we go back to Sampoong Department Store?"
"'Just' is only doing the catalog shoot, right?"
"Yes, Lim Seon-mi went back home too."
"Then, let's wait and see how Sung-guk is. It bothers me that our model suddenly got sick, and if his condition worsens, it could affect Samjeon Electronics' image."
"I'm worried about that too. Samjeon Hospital doctors are the best in the country, so let's trust them. Will you wait in the car?"
It smelled too bad. "Let's go out for some fresh air."
"Yes, Vice Chairman." Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung got out of the car and headed to the Samjeon Hospital garden. Security guards followed quietly. As evening approached, a cool breeze blew.
"It feels like it's been a long time since I walked in a hospital garden."
"Wasn't the last time when Chairman Jeon Ju-shin collapsed?"
"Yeah." Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung nodded. In early last year, Chairman Jeon Ju-shin had collapsed, causing a commotion. Stock prices plummeted, and the issue of succession resurfaced. Since then, it was rumored that Chairman Jeon Ju-shin was secretly resolving inheritance issues to prevent problems in case of his sudden death. Although Vice Chairman Jeon Jae-hyung had led Samjeon Electronics to record-breaking sales with its image change, if Sung-guk's illness caused any damage to the image, no one knew who would take the throne of Samjeon Group. No one knew Chairman Jeon Ju-shin's true intentions.