CH198 | GSI

Hannam-dong, Seoul.

A large Mercedes-Benz sedan glided smoothly to a stop in front of a grand estate, surrounded by tall walls.

The passenger door opened first, and Baucus—dressed in a sleek black suit and dark sunglasses—stepped out. After scanning the surroundings, he moved to the back and pulled open the door.

"Boss, we’ve arrived."

A moment later, Seok-won stepped out, stretching his long legs. Unlike his usual formal look, he wore a relaxed, tie-less suit, exuding a casual yet refined presence.

After nearly two weeks away, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the familiar air of home.

At first, this place had felt foreign. But now, it truly felt like his family, his home.

"You’ve worked hard."

Seok-won spoke smoothly in fluent English, making Baucus grin.

"Not at all, Boss."

As Baucus flexed his muscular arms while unloading the luggage from the trunk, Seok-won turned toward the grand front gate. He gazed at it for a moment before pressing the doorbell.

Ding-dong—.

"Coming!"

Hearing the chime, the housekeeper, Gunsan-daek, quickly wiped her wet hands on her apron and hurried to the intercom.

"Who is it?"

The familiar voice that answered carried a hint of a smile.

[It’s me, Ajumoni.]

The moment Gunsan-daek recognized Seok-won’s voice, her face lit up. She quickly unlocked the door.

"Oh my! Young Master, you’re home!"

At that moment, Madam Jo Deok-rye, who had been reading a magazine on the living room sofa, lifted her head.

"Seok-won?"

"Yes, Madam."

Slipping off the reading glasses she only used at home, Madam Jo rose from the sofa. Just as she did, Seok-won entered, pulling his suitcase behind him.

"You’re back?"

She greeted him with a warm smile.

"Mother, have you been well?"

"Same as always. How was your business trip? Everything settled?"

"Yes."

Seok-won gently embraced his mother before releasing her.

"Have you eaten?"

"I had an in-flight meal before landing."

"That doesn’t count as a real meal."

Madam Jo looked at Seok-won with concern, gently patting his back.

"You must be tired. Go upstairs, wash up, and get some rest. Your father will be home for dinner, so come down then."

"Alright."

Nodding, Seok-won grabbed his suitcase and headed up to his room on the second floor.

Madam Jo watched him ascend the stairs, a noticeable warmth in her expression now that her son was home. Then, turning to Gunsan-daek, she asked,

"We still have those premium Korean beef short ribs in the fridge, right?"

"Yes, Madam."

"Take out plenty and soak them in cold water to remove the blood."

"You’re making galbijjim?"

"You know it’s his favorite."

Gunsan-daek chuckled softly.

"True. If there’s galbijjim on the table, Young Master Seok-won always polishes off at least two bowls of rice. I’ll get started right away."

While Gunsan-daek busily moved about in the kitchen, Seok-won headed straight to his room and took a hot shower.

"Phew."

Stepping out of the bathroom, he dried his damp hair with a towel. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind.

He walked over to his suitcase, propped against the wall, and unzipped it, rummaging through its contents.

"I know I packed it somewhere around here..."

After a few moments of searching, his face lit up as he finally found what he was looking for.

"Here it is!"

Seok-won pulled out a thin CD case.

The transparent cover held a plain, printed paper insert, likely a temporary label.

[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]

Seeing the title printed on the cover, his heart pounded with excitement.

This was the second installment in the Warcraft series, a game Blizzard had just finished developing—the very company Seok-won had acquired with full ownership for $23 million.

"A mega-hit that will sell half a million copies in just four months after release... and the very game that will cement Blizzard’s reputation as the king of real-time strategy."

The finalized version had been completed just a day before his departure, and thanks to Landon, he had received a freshly burned copy of the game—hot off the press.

"Heh... heh... heh..."

A grin spread across Seok-won's face as he murmured to himself.

"Getting to play a game before its official release? If this isn’t the ultimate pay-to-win, I don’t know what is."

His eyes gleamed as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation. Without wasting a second, he powered on his computer and settled into his chair.

Even though he'd traveled in a private jet, the exhaustion of a long-haul flight still weighed on him—but this? This was something he couldn't put off.

"Ugh... why does the boot-up feel so damn slow today?"

Impatiently, he stared at the monitor as if willing it to hurry up. The moment Windows loaded, he wasted no time in opening the CD-ROM drive and inserting the disc.

As soon as he ran the installation file, a familiar splash screen appeared—a human and an orc staring each other down.

[Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness]

The moment the title logo flashed across the screen, Seok-won let out a breathless exclamation of awe.

"Damn... this is it. This is the real deal."

Clutching his thrumming chest, he leaned forward, eagerly waiting for the installation to finish.

***

The next morning

By the time morning arrived, the maple tree in the garden—once adorned with brilliantly colored leaves—stood nearly bare, its branches now stark and skeletal.

Madam Jo Deok-rye stepped out of her bedroom, dressed in a comfortable home dress.

As she entered the dining area, Gunsan-daek, who was setting the breakfast table, greeted her with a slight bow.

"Good morning, Madam."

"What’s for breakfast today?"

"Chilled blue crab soup and grilled gizzard shad."

"Good thinking. The weather’s getting colder by the day. The chairman is awake as well, so have everything ready for him right away."

"Yes, ma’am."

While Gunsan-daek finished setting the table, Jo Deok-rye walked toward the large glass windows in the living room, gazing out at the garden.

"The leaves seem to be falling even earlier this year than last."

A thick layer of dried leaves had already gathered on the ground.

As if signaling the end of autumn, the once lush green grass had now turned completely brown.

She made a mental note to have the gardeners clear away the fallen leaves later in the day.

Just then, she heard footsteps descending from the second floor.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Did you?"

Turning around with a smile, Deok-rye suddenly gasped, her eyes widening.

"Oh my! What happened to your eyes?"

Seok-won’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he had spent the entire night wide awake.

Rushing over in alarm, she examined his face with concern, while he gave an awkward smile.

"I guess the jet lag threw off my sleep."

In truth, he had stayed up all night playing Warcraft II—but of course, there was no way he could admit that.

‘How embarrassing would it be to say I pulled an all-nighter just for a game?’

Unaware of the real reason, Deok-rye gazed at her son with even greater worry.

"You never had trouble adjusting to time zones before... You must’ve overworked yourself lately and built up too much fatigue."

"Haha..."

Seok-won could only give a dry laugh, unable to refute her assumption.

"That settles it. No work today. You’re staying home and resting."

"I’ve already been gone for over two weeks. I can’t afford to miss another day."

"What nonsense! Health comes before work!"

Her tone turned firm, brows furrowing in disapproval.

If Seok-won insisted on going to work, she looked ready to march straight into the master bedroom and summon Chairman Park to stop him herself.

‘You’re working our son to the bone! Look at him—he’s completely worn out!’

‘Did I send him to America? He was the one who wanted to go!’

‘Still! He’s been exhausted from all the company work—it's clearly taking a toll on him!’

Imagining the inevitable parental debate, Seok-won internally winced.

‘Great. At this rate, I’m definitely going to be stuck at home playing patient all day.’

Realizing he had no way out, he quickly forced a laugh and tried to calm his mother down.

"I’m still young, you know. Just one good night's sleep, and I’ll be back to normal—so don’t worry too much."

"All the more reason to take care of yourself while you're young! Otherwise, you’ll regret it when you’re older—just look at your father!"

At that moment, Seok-won felt a deep wave of guilt toward his father, who had just become an innocent scapegoat for his mother’s frustration.

"If I start feeling really bad, I promise I’ll leave work early and come home."

"Sigh... Who did you inherit that stubbornness from?"

Jo Deok-rye let out a deep sigh, shaking her head as if she had no choice.

"Fine. But you have to promise me."

"I will."

Still, she didn’t seem fully convinced. With a worried expression, she added:

"No, I can’t just leave it at this. I’ll have your father’s herbal doctor prepare some tonic for you. You need to take it."

"What? No, that’s really not necessary—"

"Are you going to ignore your mother’s words?"

Her sharp glare made Seok-won instantly back down.

"Okay, okay. I’ll take it as you say."

Satisfied at last, Deok-rye gave a firm nod.

"Your father is already awake. Go greet him."

"...Yes, ma’am."

Seok-won licked his lips in frustration. All because of his late-night gaming, he had now earned himself a mandatory herbal tonic regimen he never asked for.

Still, he had no choice but to head toward the master bedroom.

Knocking lightly, he called out:

"Father, it’s me, Seok-won."

A deep voice answered from inside.

"Come in."

Opening the door, Seok-won stepped into the spacious master bedroom, where Chairman Park Tae-hong sat with his usual stern expression.

"I heard a bit of commotion outside this morning. Something happen?"

"It’s nothing, really."

Seok-won forced an awkward smile.

Narrowing his eyes, Chairman Park scrutinized him for a moment before gesturing toward an antique tea table in the corner of the room.

"Sit down. There’s something I want to talk about."

"Yes, sir."

As Seok-won settled into his chair, Chairman Park took the seat across from him and got straight to the point.

"Your fund in the U.S. is called Eldorado, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

"Managing a fund while traveling back and forth between Korea and the U.S. must be exhausting."

"Well, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t."

Seok-won shrugged.

"But I receive reports via phone and fax most of the time, and when necessary, I make trips like this one to handle things directly. So, it’s not a big issue."

Chairman Park Tae-hong hesitated for a brief moment, a rare look of guilt flickering across his face.

After all, he was the very reason his son had to shuttle across the Pacific instead of simply managing the fund from New York.

Clearing his throat, he quickly erased any sign of remorse.

Of course, he hadn’t done it to hold Seok-won back or make things difficult on purpose.

‘It’s just... the boy turned out far more capable than I ever expected.’

Chairman Park Tae-hong cleared his throat with a deep “Ahem.”

"No matter how capable you are, handling both fund management and securities work at the same time is no easy task."

Seok-won found it odd that his father had suddenly brought up this topic. Still, he remained silent and listened carefully.

"Originally, I was planning to promote you to an executive position at the securities firm during this year's end-of-year personnel reshuffle."

In most cases, climbing to an executive position required at least 15 years of relentless effort.

But for chaebol families, rapid promotions weren’t exactly uncommon. So, Seok-won simply nodded, not showing much emotion.

"However, I’ve changed my mind. I’ve decided to cancel your promotion."

"…?"

Seok-won looked at him in confusion.

Meeting his son’s gaze, Chairman Park continued in a serious tone:

"Keeping you tied to the securities firm when there’s nothing left for you to learn would be a waste of your talent and time."

"Then…?"

"That said, this is still the company you will inherit one day. It wouldn’t be wise for you to leave completely. So starting next year, you will retain a board director title, but you’ll be free to pursue whatever you wish."

"!"

Seok-won’s eyes widened in shock.

"If working in the U.S. is more convenient for you, you’re free to move to New York."

"Are you serious?"

His skeptical tone made Chairman Park frown.

"Do I look like someone who would joke about this?"

"…No, sir."

Seok-won quickly shook his head. He had finally won his freedom, and there was no reason to risk offending his father now.

"A father shouldn’t hold his child back when he’s ready to spread his wings. I won’t make that mistake."

Chairman Park crossed his arms and spoke in a dignified tone.

"I’ve already informed Director Go, so take your time wrapping up your responsibilities by the end of the year."

It was sudden, but Seok-won was genuinely relieved. Being tied down to Daheung Securities had been inconvenient in many ways.

"Thank you, Father."

"And one more thing. Soon, we will begin the process of transferring the securities firm’s shares to you. Be prepared for that."

"…Understood."

His father’s decision to hand over the shares and separate the subsidiary made it clear—Chairman Park Tae-hong had made a major resolution.

Clearing his throat again, he glanced toward the door.

"If we sit here any longer, your mother will start nagging. Let’s go."

Having said all he needed to, Chairman Park rose from his seat.

Seok-won followed closely behind.

TL/n -

Ajumoni, often used to refer to a middle-aged or older woman