At his words, I sank into deep thought.
I would be lying if I said such thoughts had never crossed my mind.
What if Myungsoo and Hyunseong ended up walking a different path from mine? What if the organization I built stood in opposition to ?
How much would I really be able to tolerate?
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
“.......”
“The fact that you do ans that, in one corner of your heart, you carry the sa kind of anxiety. I did as well. The reason I chased money was for myself and for the people around . My mother died because of money, and after that, I swore I would never again watch the people around die because of it.”
It was sothing he had already said earlier.
But I could tell why he was reminding of it, so I simply listened in silence.
“At so point, money—which should have remained a tool—beca my purpose instead. Funny, isn’t it? In the end, the people who stayed by my side left one after another. I now possess more money than I could spend in a lifeti, yet there is no one left for to spend it on. No friends, no family, and no one I love.”
“Why are you giving this kind of advice? Until eting today, wasn’t I nothing more than a stranger with no connection to you whatsoever?”
“Think of it as sothing said by soone who has lived longer than you. Or simply the ddling of an old man. Well, if not that, then consider it repaynt for the help I once received from Chairman Cheon.”
At the ntion of my grandfather again, I could no longer hold back my curiosity.
“What kind of connection do you have with my grandfather?”
A faint smile passed over Yamasaki Hideo’s lips.
“Well now. Where should I begin? Chairman Cheon may not even rember . No, he definitely would not.”
What did that an?
Reading the confusion on my face, Yamasaki Hideo let out a soft laugh.
“Ha ha. I suppose I phrased that in a misleading way. After my mother passed away, I wandered for a long ti. It felt as though everyone on my side had vanished, and I had been left utterly alone in the world. You probably wouldn’t understand.”
He might not know it, but I had already lived through it once in my previous life.
The feeling of losing Grandma, the only family I believed I had as a child.
That suffocating sense that the ground beneath your feet had collapsed, and the darkness that felt as though soone had covered your eyes.
It was a feeling impossible to understand unless you had experienced it yourself.
Perhaps that was why I found myself sympathizing so deeply with Yamasaki Hideo’s life story.
‘Maybe that’s why I had been so starved for Grandfather’s affection.’
After Grandma disappeared, a new family had entered the world where I was left alone.
From that mont on, I no longer lived my own life. I lived the life Grandfather wanted for .
All for the sake of being acknowledged by him.
And the end of all that effort had been death.
Unaware of my thoughts, Hideo continued.
“I had no purpose, no will to live, and simply drifted through the streets. That was when I t Chairman Cheon.”
I pushed away my thoughts and focused once more on his story.
“So Grandfather ca to Japan.”
“That’s right. Chairman Cheon was young back then.”
Narrowing his eyes as if looking back into the past, Yamasaki Hideo continued in a slow voice.
“I was walking without looking ahead and bumped into Chairman Cheon. I had been starving for days, so I collapsed without strength. He helped to my feet, brushed the dust off my clothes, and smiled.”
As I listened, an odd sense of déjà vu crept over .
Co to think of it, hadn’t Ha Myeonghun once said he had t Grandfather on the streets of Myeongdong as well?
The mont I realized the source of that feeling, a laugh escaped .
Grandfather really did have a habit of picking people up off the street.
“Are you thinking of sothing pleasant? Your face is full of smiles.”
“Ah, listening to your story reminded of soone I know. It made think of the person who stayed by my grandfather’s side until the day he died. Of course, where they t was different.”
“Chairman Cheon truly never changes. Ha ha ha.”
“That’s right. He has always been the sa.”
Though we had drifted off topic for a mont, the conversation soon returned.
“After helping up, Chairman Cheon looked at my condition and pulled out his wallet from inside his coat. Then he handed all the cash inside.”
“He gave you money without asking anything?”
“Yes. I simply stared at him with the money in my hand. I couldn’t understand why he was giving it to . It was the first kindness I had ever received.”
The grandfather I knew was not soone who showed kindness to others for no reason.
“He smiled and said this to : Even if it feels like your world has collapsed, if you endure and overco it, your own world will co again. He said he had gone through the sa thing. So instead of thinking dark thoughts, I should fight against the world.”
I found myself wondering what Grandfather had seen in this man to say sothing like that.
“But even then, I couldn’t understand it. In the end, I had no choice but to ask why he was giving the money.”
With a faint chuckle, Yamasaki Hideo slowly rubbed the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“He said my eyes were already dead. That he saw his own past in them, and that the help he once received was now being passed on to . Then he told that one day, I should pass that sa kindness on to soone else.”
So Grandfather had once gone through difficult tis too.
Hearing stories of him from soone else always felt fresh and strangely moving.
“......Did you ever et Grandfather again after that?”
“No. I never did.”
“Then how do you know all this?”
“I asked his na. He told it was Cheon Taesan. After ti passed and I found my footing, I sent people to Korea to find him. And I heard that na once more. The godfather of South Korea’s private lending industry.”
“Even so, couldn’t you have gone to see him if you wanted?”
Yamasaki Hideo slowly shook his head.
“The past only has aning when it remains in the past. But if Chairman Cheon Taesan had ever fallen into difficulty, I would have flown to Korea imdiately. That is why I kept track of him from ti to ti. But he never failed. So in the end, I never had the chance to et him.”
“So that’s how you know of my existence. Because you kept watching him.”
He nodded with a smile.
“Yes. I had never seen anyone surpass Chairman Cheon until you. So I kept watching. But I was quite surprised when you were the one who asked to et first.”
“I did think it was strange how easily you agreed.”
“If you hadn’t proposed it first, I doubt I would ever have thought of eting you.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to glimpse a little of Grandfather’s younger days.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Letting out a hearty laugh, Yamasaki Hideo looked pleased.
“Then that is enough. Learn to set so things down. Only then will people remain around you. Otherwise, my advice will one day beco your reality.”
He was right.
There had been monts when I could feel Hyunseong growing cautious around .
Maybe I truly did need ti to look back on myself.
“Yes. I will carve that advice deeply into my heart. But did you ever pass on the help my grandfather gave you to soone else?”
Yamasaki Hideo turned his gaze toward the door.
I followed his eyes.
“Do you rember the man who guided you earlier?”
“Yes.”
“Just as your grandfather once did for , he is the child I helped.”
At that mont, sothing Chief Ma had said ca back to .
“I could tell he was no ordinary man.”
A gentle curve ford at Yamasaki Hideo’s lips.
“He is the child who will beco my successor. I have no family. I spent my whole life chasing money. All of my wealth will beco his. That child did everything I asked of him. The reason I am still alive is because of his devotion. Co to think of it, all of that was the butterfly effect born from Chairman Cheon helping . If not for that, I would never have t that child.”
As he spoke of Grandfather, and then of Hisaki, Yamasaki Hideo never once lost the smile in his expression.
“It seems you found a good successor. The smile never leaves your face while you speak of him. It’s nice to see. I can feel how much you cherish him.”
“Ha ha ha. Just don’t say that to the child himself. I must always be strict with him.”
“As if I would.”
“May I ask how many days you plan to stay in Japan?”
“Of course. I plan to return as soon as this negotiation is over.”
Nodding, Yamasaki Hideo clarified once more.
“You an the acquisition negotiations for Vodafone Japan.”
“Yes. The iPhone is quite an important device for as well. If the acquisition negotiations sohow fail, I’ll need to find another asure, and in that case it would be better for to remain in Japan.”
There was no real chance the acquisition would fail, but you never knew.
Rather than coming back to Japan again, I intended to stay a little more comfortably.
“Then would you stay here for one night?”
“Here?”
“Yes. Let’s share a drink and continue our conversation.”
I paused for a mont before accepting his proposal.
“All right. Let’s do that.”
Hearing my answer, he rang the small bell beside him.
A clear chi rang out, and a mont later Hisaki entered through the door.
“President Kim will be staying here tonight, so guide him to the guest room.”
Hisaki looked at in surprise. But only for a mont.
“Understood.”
“And call Kimura as well. We must properly entertain an honored guest tonight, so tell him to bring the finest ingredients.”
“I will relay the ssage.”
“For now, follow that child and get so rest. I’ll call for you again once the drinks are prepared.”
Leaving Yamasaki Hideo behind, I stepped outside. Waiting there were Masayoshi Son and Chief Ma.
“I’ll be staying here for the night.”
“Understood, Boss. What should we do about the hotel?”
“Leave it as it is. We’ll go back tomorrow.”
At that mont, Masayoshi Son asked in surprise,
“You’re staying here overnight?”
“Yes. Why?”
“This is the first ti I’ve ever seen the elder do sothing like this.”
“I guess he must like . What about you, Chairman?”
Though the surprise still lingered on his face, Masayoshi Son quickly composed himself and replied,
“I plan to speak with the elder a little longer and then return to the company.”
“All right. Then let’s et again when you bring Vodafone back to the negotiating table. Drag them in as quickly as possible—while I’m still in Japan.”
“I’ll do my best.”
After the brief conversation with Masayoshi Son, Hisaki guided to the innermost room.
“You may rest here. I will return when the elder calls for you again.”
“Thank you.”
After Hisaki left, Chief Ma and I entered the room.
It was a small but perfectly appointed guest room, with everything one could need.
“Let’s rest. Chief Ma, you should get so rest too.”
I sat against the wall near the bedding.
To find traces of Grandfather in such a strange place.
The feeling was unexpectedly profound.
The sun set, and night fell.
When I was told the preparations were complete, I stepped outside.
In the garden, where there had been nothing earlier, a small table had been set, and in front of it stood two n—presumably chefs—sharpening their knives.
“Did you rest well?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Sit.”
At his gesture, I took a seat.
The garden at night was even more elegant than it had been during the day.
“The atmosphere of this garden is completely different at night.”
“Ha ha. You have a good eye.”
As soon as I sat down, the two n who had been sharpening their knives ca over to the dining table where the cutting board had been prepared.
“This is Kimura, the third-generation owner of the sushi restaurant I’ve frequented for many years. Beside him is his son.”
“How do you do? We will serve you with our utmost effort tonight.”
The two bowed deeply to .
It was hospitality fit for royalty.
“He is called one of the few true masters left in Japan. He normally never accepts outside engagents, but... today I called him especially for you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Ha ha. Compared to the grace I received from Chairman Cheon, this is nothing. The kindness I received then and the kindness I give you now carry entirely different weights.”
I had received countless benefits simply because I was Grandfather’s grandson, but this felt different.
Not knowing what to say, I simply smiled faintly and nodded.
“I wasn’t sure what kind of alcohol you liked, so I prepared sake.”
“That’s perfectly fine. I like it.”
“That’s good to hear. Have a drink.”
The liquor that flowed from the small bottle slled exquisite.
“Pour one as well.”
I took the bottle and filled his cup.
“To those we miss. Let us drink.”
I raised the cup to my lips and emptied it in one go.
The taste was on an entirely different level from any sake I had ever had.
Reading the satisfaction on my face, Yamasaki Hideo spoke with pleasure.
“It seems it suits your palate.”
The heavy body and sweet lingering finish were [N O V E L I G H T] deeply to my liking, and as I turned the cup in my fingers, he asked,
“It’s brought directly from a nearby brewery on a regular basis. What do you think?”
“It’s excellent. I’ll have to stop by before I return to Korea.”
“I’ll have it arranged.”
While we drank, Kimura’s son brought over a plate and set it before us.
“Please, try it.”
The first dish wasn’t sushi, but sashimi.
The mont I lifted it with my chopsticks and placed it in my mouth, it lted away perfectly.
“No wonder he’s called a master.”
“I’m glad it pleased you.”
A satisfied smile curved at my lips.
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