Episode 214: Epilogue 2
My high school life was spectacular.
I followed my father’s advice: be ruthless to your enemies and generous to your allies.
When I asked if I should hide my identity as the second son of Chunha Group, he said it wasn’t necessary.
He told me to use it to my advantage, as long as I didn’t embarrass the family. It was a part of my power and influence.
I followed his advice and used my wealth, my most potent weapon as a chaebol heir, to conquer high school.
“What do you think connects people?” he once asked me.
“School ties? Regional ties? Family ties?”
He chuckled. “That’s not what I meant. What’s the most important factor in building relationships?”
I thought for a moment and then made a circle with my thumb and index finger. “Money?”
He smiled, pleased. “Correct. Human relationships are built on money. There’s no such thing as ‘company loyalty.’ Employees work for money, and employers pay them for their work. If you want them to work harder, you have to offer them more money. But it’s not just about the money.”
He looked me in the eye. “You have to give them a vision, a future. You have to constantly show them that you value their loyalty and that their hard work will be rewarded. Never be stingy with your investments in relationships. If you’re stingy with your money, they’ll be stingy with their trust.”
“Aha!” So it wasn’t just about rewarding them, but also about showing them a path to a better future, building a long-term relationship, not just a transactional one. “As long as that relationship is maintained, they won’t betray you. They’ll work even harder to gain your favor, knowing that the closer they are to you, the greater the rewards. But…” he said with a cruel smile, “Never forgive betrayal. Endless generosity to your allies, endless ruthlessness to your enemies. That’s how I became who I am today. Understand?”
“Yes, Father! I understand perfectly!”
“I know you do, Ji-ho.” He patted my head.
After graduating from high school, I became an adult.
And my father immediately took me to China.
And then he showed me… “…Father, what is this?” I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was a tiny, run-down room, smaller than my bedroom back home, with a cramped bathroom and kitchen. A bed and a desk barely fit inside.
He smiled. “This is your new home.”
“My home? You’re saying this is my home?”
“You’ve lived a life of luxury. You’ve learned how to be a leader. Now it’s time for you to experience the bottom.”
The bottom? This wasn’t the bottom, this was the abyss! “But Father! I have to go to college! And…”
“You don’t have to go to college. Isn’t that great? No more studying.”
I trembled at his cruel words. “But Father, this is too much! This place looks like it’s infested with rats!”
He smiled. “There are countless people who would be grateful to live in a place like this, working hard every day just to survive. If you want to lead them, you have to understand them, their struggles, their desperation. If you can’t empathize with them, there will be a disconnect between you and them, and that will ruin your relationship. You’ve lived a life of luxury. It’s time for you to experience hardship.” He handed me a phone. “This is your new phone. I’ve changed your mother’s, your brother’s, and everyone else’s numbers, so you won’t be able to contact them. I’ve paid two months’ rent. Figure out the rest yourself.”
I slumped to the floor in despair. “You could have at least given me some time to prepare! This is too sudden!”
“Hardship comes unexpectedly, Ji-ho. This will be a valuable lesson.”
I glared at him. “You said that human relationships are built on money.”
“That’s right, I did.”
“And now you’re cutting me off financially? Are you… abandoning me?”
He chuckled. “That applies to strangers. You’re my son. We’re connected by blood. You’ll be fine. You’re my son, you’ll figure it out.”
I was silent for a moment and then said, “Fine, then at least tell me how long this will last.”
He smirked. “That depends on you. A death row inmate fears the unknown more than the known. The uncertainty is the true torture.”
“Damn it! Damn it!” I cursed under my breath as I carried bricks, my anger at my father burning inside me.
What else could a high school dropout like me do in China, with no connections and no skills, besides manual labor?
I had briefly hoped that he would rescue me if I failed, if I was evicted and starving. But he was a ruthless man, he would probably just give me some sugar water to keep me alive, nothing more.
I had given up on him and had been working as a day laborer for three months now.
“Why is my life like this?!”
A chaebol heir, reduced to manual labor!
The only consolation was that, thanks to my mother, my Chinese was fluent.
At least I didn’t have any communication problems. I put down the bricks, wiped the sweat from my brow, and said,
“At least I can pay the rent this month.”
It was a run-down, cramped room, but it was my only sanctuary. I checked my pockets and sighed.
“But what am I going to eat? I only have rice left.”
I had learned a lot about living on a tight budget since being abandoned in China.
Cooking my own meals was cheaper than eating out, and utility bills were surprisingly expensive. I thought for a moment and then said with a resigned expression,
“Guess I’ll have to eat plain rice with water again.”
“Hey, Korean! Get back to work!” the foreman shouted.
“Yes, sir! Coming!”
“Park, you’re popular with the ladies, you know.” Chen Ho, a fellow laborer, nudged me with his elbow. “Mingming, the waitress at the restaurant, she’s been looking at you.”
“Mingming?”
“Yeah, she’s cute, isn’t she? You should ask her out.”
“No thanks. I’m too busy trying to survive. I don’t have time for dating.”
“You’re still young, how can you have no interest in women? How old are you this year?”
“…24.”
Four years. It had been four years since I had been abandoned here, cut off from my family.
‘How could my father do this to me?!’
He had a responsibility as a parent.
I was starting to doubt his promise of a “better position.”
Had he abandoned me to prevent a succession dispute?
Was he deliberately ruining my life to clear the path for my brother?
Even if he wanted to teach me a lesson, this was too much.
I had considered visiting my mother’s company, but she was completely devoted to my father.
She believed everything he said. She might welcome me, but if he told her to send me back, she would, without hesitation.
“Mingming is 21, I think.”
“I’m not interested.”
“Don’t be shy.”
I really wasn’t interested.
“…I’m serious, I’m saving money.”
I had given up on my father coming back for me. I had to survive on my own.
For the first two years, I had been content with just enough money for rent and food, hoping he would eventually return. But now, four years later, I was seriously worried about my future and saving every penny.
I didn’t want to beg my parents for money, I wanted to prove myself, to be successful on my own, so I could tell them, ‘Look, I did it despite everything.’
“Wouldn’t it be easier to save money with two people?”
“What?”
“Think about it. If you and Mingming live together, you’ll save on rent. And you’ll both be earning money. You’ll save faster.”
I said with a thoughtful expression, “Saving faster with two people…”
“That’s why people get married. It’s more stable financially. And it’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Don’t you know that?” His words made me think. ‘She was quite cute.’ She didn’t wear any makeup, but she had a cute nose and double eyelids. She was definitely attractive, even if she wasn’t a supermodel.
“Should I… talk to her…?”
He slapped me on the back.
“That’s the spirit!”
I waited until the restaurant closed and then hesitated. ‘Should I just go?’ I had considered asking her out just to save money, which was pathetic. “This is ridiculous. I’m leaving.”
“Jin-ho?” a voice called out. I turned around, and it was Mingming.
“Oh, hi,” I said awkwardly.
I had been too busy surviving to pay much attention to her, but she was even cuter up close. “What are you still doing here?” she asked.
I cleared my throat.
“I… just…”
I had just wanted to chat with her, but I suddenly felt awkward.
“How have you been?”
“We just saw each other at lunch,” she said, giggling.
Damn it, wrong approach.
“I was just… saying hi.”
“I’ve been well. How about you?”
“I’m fine.”
An awkward silence followed.
“I’ll be going then,” she said, smiling.
She bowed her head and turned to leave.
‘What am I doing?!’ I wasn’t even trying to say anything important, why was I so flustered?! I was Park Ji-ho!
“Mingming!” I called out.
“Yes?” she said, turning around. I waved my hand. “You worked hard today. Let’s… be friends.”
Her eyes widened. “Friends?”
“Yeah! We see each other every day, it would be nice to be friends.”
She smiled after a moment of silence.
“I would like that very much.”