While Taejung was driving his sports car quietly that day, someone in the car beside him opened their window and started cat-calling to instigate him into a fight. Those bastards, who had an inferiority complex, tried to pick fights multiple times before and Taejung shrugged them off. But that day, the situation took an unexpected turn.
Since there was no reaction whatsoever from Taejung, as if their pride was hurt, they flicked their middle finger at Kwon Taejung and drove dangerously, aiming to clash with Taejung’s car.
If he could have held back, it would have been better. But he couldn’t and chased the running car of the aggressors. All that was recorded by the black boxes of other cars was just him playing goose chase for a span of merely a few minutes.
After that incident, Kwon Taejung came out on the news by riding on the multiple black box recordings that poured in simultaneously. At the same time, the Taesung Group was in uproar. Taejung, who was dragged to the chairman’s office along with his older siblings, watched the new outbreak, titled “Chaebol 2nd generation, driving recklessly”. Things escalated real quick on the scene. But since he was the youngest, his father took pity on him.
“Fuck. I’m going to kill them all.”
If those bastards hadn’t been kissing up to the chaebols, he would have slapped them right then and there. It wouldn’t have been so unfair then. He woke up, pissed at those pestering thoughts and replaced them with those of work. Fuck. Fuck. Really fucking fuck.
In those situations, to work-out to the point of not being able to think at all was the best way to go through it. Usually, he would go to the fitness center down below and go for a run there. However, he stopped himself that time, thinking it wouldn’t be for the better if his face was selling like hot cakes in the media. There was no reason to let the public think that he was taking his time exercising when he was supposed to be self-reflecting.
House, slum, house and then slum again and he would have to repeat that cycle all over, thought Kwon Taejung. He pushed his feet into the slippers and walked to the kitchen, taking out a bottle of cold water. As if out of habit, he took two inhibitors. Even though he could control his pheromones, there were some moments when he couldn’t.
He would usually get agitated before his rut would start and would try to control his pheromones. But his pheromones were so strong that it couldn’t be controlled. The inhibitors were simply for those kinds of situations.
Later in the morning, he could feel his unstable pheromones eventually settling down. When he was comfortable, he climbed the stairs to the second floor where the gym was.
In the wide space towards the glass window was a treadmill, which he boarded and walked at the mild speed and when his body lightened, he gradually increased the speed. His body wasn’t in a bad condition but the same couldn’t be said about his mood, so he decided to workout for an hour before washing up.
Kwon Taejung increased the speed beyond his ability but he didn’t have a hard time catching up. He watched the phone on top of the running machine which buzzed with the name “Dad” flashing across the screen.
“Yes, Chief.”
“You’ll start going to the slum today right?”
“Yes.”
“Drop by, before you go.”
“Where?”
“Home. Eat breakfast and leave.”
“I still don’t feel like eating with you.”
“Don’t joke around!”
“Okay. Okay. I’ll be there by 8. It will only take 30 minutes.”
“Be careful.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Since his dad called him first thing in the morning, it made him feel half as delighted and half just fine. As his mood improved, he dropped off the treadmill shortly after.
***
Kwon Taejung was the Head of the Department, while his father, sister and brother held the titles of Chief, President and Vice President respectively. They all lived in the same house, 30 minutes away by car from Kwon Taejung’s residence. The house was spacious and the levels were perfectly distinct. There was no need for Kwon Taejung to strive independently but he wanted to give it a try, so he seeked that kind of solo lifestyle.
“Young Master, you came?”
“Yes, Ma’am. I came to eat breakfast with the Chairman. So give me something to eat please. After I started living independently, the most pitiful thing was that I couldn’t eat the food you made.”
“It is good that you came. I guess the Chairman feels lonely because his youngest son isn’t here.”
“Big sister and brother are here, so…But for someone who misses me in my absence, we aren’t very tight.”
“Gosh, it’s because he feels upset.”
“What can I do, if my parents feel that I’m useless because I’m a grown up now.”
Kwon Taejung bent forward to talk with the ladies who helped with the housework, but twirled around when he sensed someone approaching. He noticed his sister and brother walking towards him.
“Hey, what’s wrong with your face? Are you starving out of protest, just because of the false accusations?”
“I can’t look good. I’m in the middle of being grounded.”
“Still, you should eat properly. Father will be upset if sees you like this. Take a chill pill, we know you were falsely accused. The media will die down as well.”
“It doesn’t matter if the news dies down or not. The office at the slum is too shabby. They bought a red container.”
As if they were aware of this fact, they sat down across from Kwon Taejung and gazed at him. It was obvious from her eyes that she was thinking about how cute her youngest brother was.
“I saw that too. It just stood out like a sore thumb. Be careful because it gets really dirty during the summer.”
“I’ll be out of there before summer, though. The demolition is scheduled in June.”
“Ah, right. That’s a relief. Tell us if we could help you with something.”
“Sure.”
Kwon Taejung flickered his eyes over his sister, who looked genuinely worried and nodded. After witnessing all the people who criticized and provoked him, he was able to breathe after seeing his family who recognized how unfair the situation was and were by his side.
“I roughly took a look at the report and it would be for the better if the situation does not go on air. My friend works at the broadcasting station and when I asked him secretly about it, it seems like they are working their ass off for a follow-up.”
“I heard from Secretary Baek yesterday. There’s a kid there. They want to do a follow-up on him.”
“Ah, right. It will be a pain in the ass if it inflates into a bigger issue. It’s the perfect recipe for making stories up. A sick grandfather who was scammed because of the relocation expenses and blackmailing moneylenders. On top of that, a grandson who is paying off the debt. Also, a sneaky corporation who is kicking those pitiful residents out.”
Kwon Taejung leaned against the chair and tilted his head as he listened to Kwon Kijung, his older brother. There are many events that could be easily exaggerated and would be fun to broadcast. But it was his responsibility to stop it from happening, so that was a problem.
“I heard that he rejected the offer because he didn’t want his face to be broadcasted. But who knows, he might change his mind. He can do fundraising through telecasts. He just turned 20, I know how strong a young boy’s influence is…so he can utilize it to his heart’s content. It’s a world where anything can be revealed in a matter of seconds so it won’t be easy for you to keep an eye on him.”
“Don’t worry, hyung. Don’t think I can’t do whatever I want with that kid.”
“Right, we know. You are going to give your best out there. You are a smooth talker, very skilled and can achieve whatever you want.”
Seeing his older brother and sister encourage him, he chuckled. As soon as he saw his father coming in, he sprung from his seat.
“Good morning, Chairman.”
“Yes, good morning.”
After his father took his seat, he followed suit and gobbled down the rice and soup in front of him. When he felt his father’s eyes bore into him, he darted his eyes at him.
“I called you so that you can eat your meal properly because you’ll be embarking on a new journey today. It’s not an easy task so proceed cautiously and don’t act impulsively.”
“Yes, I don’t do that anymore. I will tolerate and practice it even more. Even if someone pesters me, I will keep a cool head.”
“Even when it feels like you can’t take it anymore, try to get a grip. If something difficult comes by, contact Yujung and Kijung.”
“Okay…”
As he saw his youngest answer obediently, he gazed at him with a pitiful expression and took the spoon. Kwon Taejung, who watched his father slurp the soup one more time, then engulfed a small amount of white rice. For the last two days, he only gulped down wine and starved, so consuming white rice after a long time made his mouth feel itchy.
“I will return your old position if the demolition proceeds without further problems. The residents should be sent away without complaints within the next 3 months. Only then can you start the demolition process.”
“Yes, don’t worry. Well, as you said it’s a difficult task.”
“If the event appears on the broadcast one more time, bear in mind that all the redevelopment activities will be halted.”
“Why are you trying to scare me? It will be fine if I spend the next 3 months as quietly as I am doing now.”
Taking a bite of the salad, he pressed a piece of apple in his mouth. He met his father’s eyes and smiled, seeing how worried he was. With that smile, the countdown to the next 3 months started.
***
Kwon Taejung entered the red container and roughly gouged the inside, as if he was satisfied with the pleasant smell. There was new furniture which was organized neatly, and the sofa with leather skin, where the thugs rubbed their cigarettes, and unused tables were all gone.
“Secretary Baek, you’ve worked hard. It seems livable now.”
“I didn’t do anything. The cleaning people did all the hard work.”
“I can work there now since it doesn’t reek anymore. Ah, but there’s no bed.”
“Huh?”
“There should be a bed in a vacation lodging.”
“Ah…I’ll prepare it.”
“It’s a joke. It’ll be better if there was one, but I have some social dignity.”
Secretary Baek exhaled a sigh of relief, relieved that it was a joke. He stared at the red container before looking at Kwon Taejung who was standing next to him.
“The union leader and other members wanted to greet you. Should we make some space for it?”
“There is no need to make space. There must be an union office, right? We can just see them and greet them quickly and that’ll be it. It’s not like I’m involved in their work.”
“Yes, I understand. Then, we will drop by the union office later.”
“Ah, before that. What was his name?…That kid.”
“Ah, Yeon Yigyeom.”
“Ah, right. Yigyeom. Is he home? I want to greet him.”
I quickly calculated their ages hahahaha
It’s ok, not so bad hahahaha
thanks for the translation ❤️
Thnx for the translation ❤️