Chapter 143: Someone’s Resolve (2)

Ravindra’s voice trembled minutely.

Turning his head to look outside, the sunset burned redly.

That light resembled the fire of the shrine.

And Ravindra realized.

That now, no one would be able to put out that fire.

He quietly left the shrine and headed to the study.

As he stepped inside, it was filled with stillness.

Sitting in the chair and lost in thought for a while, he took out the business card folder placed in front of the desk.

The place where his fingertips stopped after fumbling for a long time was where HJ Partners was written.

Ravindra looked at the business card for a moment and then slowly picked up the phone.

After the dial tone rang briefly, a familiar voice was heard.

It was me.

-Chairman Ravindra, it has been a long time. To think the Chairman would actually call me.

Ravindra spoke in a serious voice.

“Representative Lim, forgive my arrogance. It seems parents cannot win against their children. I have accepted my son’s will heavily. And I shall withdraw the words I said before. My thoughts have changed.”

A moment of silence flowed, but soon I replied with a smile.

-Hearing those words makes me happy as well. Chairman, it seems the time has come for us to talk together now.

“I have the same thought. I shall go to Korea soon. I want to meet and talk in person.”

-I should be the one to treat you this time.

At my words, Ravindra laughed for a moment.

“Very well. Then let us see each other soon.”

Ravindra, who finished the call, did not say anything for a while.

As his gaze headed toward the window, he saw an exceptionally bright light twinkling.

He slowly stood up from his seat.

There was a place to go.

The place Ravindra headed was inside the hospital room where Arjun was hospitalized.

The youngest son was in a deep sleep, not even knowing if his father had come.

The son was asleep due to accumulated fatigue and malnutrition after collapsing.

His face was pale, but seeing that his breath was even, he was stable.

Ravindra approached the bedside, reached out, and touched his son’s forehead.

Heat was transmitted to his fingertips.

He muttered in a low voice.

“I did not know you were such a steadfast person. Arjun, I have seen you in a new light.”

The corners of Ravindra’s eyes became moist.

He quietly pulled up the blanket to cover him and then left the spot.

Outside the window, the sunlight seeped into the hospital room and brightly illuminated his son’s face.

That light was as warm and solid as a new fire that had just begun to burn.

Ravindra spoke while looking at that light.

“I shall go to Korea and back. By then, it will be as you wish. Let us see each other again in a healthy state.”

Ravindra headed straight to the airport upon leaving the hospital room.

The news of his departure was known immediately.

It spread quickly through the local Indian media.

[Chairman Ravindra Rajan of Rajan Group, sudden departure abroad. My destination is Korea.]

Economic channels and major newspapers concentrated their reporting on his actions all at once.

“Recently, following the prayer of Arjun, the youngest son of Chairman Ravindra Rajan, he moved personally.”

Words that a big change in the Indian industry might have begun were delivered through analysts.

Reporters were waiting at Incheon International Airport.

The figure they waited for was precisely the Indian giant, Ravindra Rajan.

Ravindra, who got off the plane, was wearing a dark gray suit.

Camera flashes burst continuously and questions from reporters poured out.

“Chairman, what is the purpose of your visit to Korea?”

“Did you come to meet Representative Lim Hyunjun of HJ Partners by any chance?”

Ravindra smiled.

“I came to meet the person I must meet.”

That one sentence was enough.

That day, major Korean media outlets delivered the news.

[Chairman Ravindra of Rajan Group, meeting with Representative Lim Hyunjun of HJ Partners]

[The giant of the Indian business world, joining hands with Korea’s young investment giant]

From the fact that Chairman Ravindra, a symbolic figure in the Indian industry since the Tara Steel incident, moved personally, it caused no small ripple in the international economic order.

This news reached all over the world.

[The key figure who will lead the industrial reconstruction of India, the place he headed was not the U.S. or Europe, but Korea.]

Reporters swarmed the entrance of the Taeseong Hotel, and foreign press cameras were seen everywhere.

At that time, when I arrived at the hotel entrance, camera flashes burst continuously.

Soon after, the vehicle carrying Ravindra arrived at the hotel entrance.

When the door opened, he slowly got out of the car.

I, who arrived first, came out to greet him.

The moment the gazes of the two met, numerous camera flashes burst simultaneously.

I approached first and held out both hands.

“Chairman, you have gone through much trouble coming a long way.”

Ravindra smiled and took my hand.

“Thank you, Representative Lim. To think you would even come out to meet me personally like this.”

I spoke with a smile.

“It is a bit noisy here. Let us go inside.”

I personally guided Chairman Ravindra and entered the hotel.

The place we headed was the VIP-only room of the Taeseong Hotel, where the luxurious interior stood out.

On the wall, a painting that reinterpreted Korea’s landscape paintings in a modern way was hanging, and beyond the window, the scenery of the Han River colored by the sunset was visible.

I personally offered him a seat and spoke.

“You must have been very tired coming all the way to Korea, are you all right?”

Ravindra shook his head and laughed.

“I am still fine. Rather, perhaps because my heart has become comfortable, I feel light.”

I smiled softly and spoke.

“That is a relief. Chairman, you must have tried numerous foods while traveling to various countries in the world, but today I have specially prepared Han-sik, Korea’s traditional food. I hope it suits your taste, Chairman.”

At my explanation, curiosity also flashed across Ravindra’s face.

“Han-sik… interesting. There is always the spirit of that country contained in food.”

I nodded and replied.

“That is correct. I believe today is a place to share that spirit together.”

Ravindra smiled.

His gaze headed toward the window for a moment.

The waves of the Han River glittered as they reflected the sunlight.

He slowly continued speaking.

Soon, a neatly prepared Han-sik dinner was placed on the table.

Stone pot rice with steam rising from it and colorful, neat dishes.

I introduced them one by one.

“I want to describe Han-sik as food made with sincerity using good ingredients. Sincerity gathers and determines the taste.”

Ravindra spoke while tasting the food with an interested gaze.

“What is this round one?”

“This is a dish called Jeon (Korean pancake). It is a dish made by thinly slicing ingredients, coating them in flour and egg wash, and frying them with sincerity. In Korea, it is one of the foods that must be placed on the table when welcoming guests.”

Ravindra picked up a piece of Jeon with a fork and took a bite.

The outside was crispy and the inside was soft.

“It is soft yet tastes good.”

I spoke with a smile.

“Do not eat too much. If you are greedy, you will get an upset stomach. And to add an explanation, you must put sincerity into it when frying Jeon. If you flip it too quickly, the shape becomes messy, and if it is too late, it is bound to burn.”

Ravindra chuckled.

“Those words feel familiar as if I have heard them somewhere. Is business not like that as well? Like this food, if you hurry too much, things go wrong, and if you do not wait, it is not completed.”

I nodded and continued speaking.

“You are exactly right. That is why I am considering this as the time for Tara Steel to cook.”

Ravindra’s expression turned serious for a moment.

“I like that expression.”

He lowered his fork and looked at me.

“Even until just before I came to Korea, I looked at this problem only coldly. But the action Arjun showed changed my heart.”

His voice gradually became lower.

“Seeing that child praying before the god, I realized for the first time what I had lost. I thought I must always maintain my cool, but as I did so, I ended up losing my soul, of all things.”

I listened to his words quietly.

“Chairman, you are eventually seeing the same thing. If we join forces together, that flame will burn again.”

Ravindra nodded slowly as if he liked those words quite a bit.

“Good. Continuing my son’s will, I also shall not let that fire go out.”

I smiled softly.

“It is a great honor for me as well to inherit that fire.”

After the two of us decided on the big framework, the concrete discussions passed over to the working-level staff.

Now, only the detailed plan and execution remained.

The news that Rajan Group and HJ Partners were joining hands for the reconstruction of Tara Steel decorated the headlines of economic newspapers around the world in an instant.

[India’s Rajan Group and Korea’s HJ Partners, join hands for the revival of Tara Steel.]

The British government welcomed it immediately and announced its position.

Describing it as a historical cooperation for the revival of industrial heritage, they promised to review support for tax deregulation related to investment.

On the other hand, Chairman Chen Wei was silent.

As Tara Steel, which he had worked hard to acquire for a long time, flowed in a completely different direction due to the power of public opinion, the funds and efforts he had put in until then became bubbles in an instant.

At the news that Rajan Group was stepping forward, all of India cheered.

The media reported, ‘The pride of India has returned!’, and workers rejoiced while shouting slogans in the streets.

Now, the revival of Tara Steel was solidified like an established fact.

The flame that Arjun kindled was spreading into a huge industrial fire.

That fire showed no sign of going out.

***

A few days later, numerous reporters were gathered in front of the Tara Steel headquarters in the UK.

A red carpet was laid out, and the national flags of both countries fluttered side by side above it.

I and Ravindra held the agreement while standing facing each other.

The two of us picked up our pens at the same time.

Flashes burst continuously and the whole place was filled with cheers.

The major broadcasters of India, Korea, and the UK relayed this scene in real time.

Ravindra smiled as he finished the signing.

“I hope today’s promise becomes a spark of hope for future generations.”

I bowed my head in response.

“That fire shall never go out, Chairman.”

Their handshake continued for a long time.

The sound of applause and camera shutters began as a new history for Tara Steel.

Afterward, at the Seoul HJ Partners office.

I stood in front of the window and drank a coffee mix while watching the television screen.

[Rajan Group and HJ Partners alliance. Signal fire for Tara Steel’s revival.]

At that time, the door opened and Choi Seo-jun entered.

In his hand, a large coffee mix box was held.

“Representative, is this not a foul?”

I said while being dumbfounded.

“A foul, you say?”

Choi Seo-jun laughed while placing the box on the table.

“What you said then, Representative, about Chairman Ravindra contacting us within 7 days.”

I took a sip of coffee and smiled.

“I remember. Did I not get it exactly right?”

Choi Seo-jun spoke with a chuckle.

“The scene of Arjun fasting and praying in the media… you were the one who leaked that, Representative. I know everything.”

I shrugged my shoulders lightly.

“Well. I just spread the truth widely. That is not wrong, is it.”

“Yes, yes. That is why I have come to offer coffee like this, is it not.”

He pointed to the box.

“It is for the Representative’s exclusive use, so please drink as much as you like. Ah, no more than 2 cups a day!”

“You are being stingy. 2 cups… then I should mix two bags at once.”

At those words, both of us laughed at the same time.

Warm sunlight was pouring through the window.

That light was shining while keeping a heat that knew no sign of going out, just like the blast furnace of Tara Steel.