Chapter 212: Conditional Survival (3)

After Nam Yoon-kyung vented her anger at the manager to her heart’s content, she steadied herself. Right now, no matter how much more she got angry at him, it was not a problem that would be solved. She took out her cell phone and made a call. Only after the signal rang several times did the other side pick up.

“Hello?”

It was Ginny Soroso’s voice. Yoon-kyung spoke in the gentlest voice she could manage.

“Ms. Ginny, this is Nam Yoon-kyung. You must have been very uncomfortable because of what happened today.... I am truly sorry.”

A brief silence passed. Nam Yoon-kyung had never once bowed and scraped to someone like this in her life.

“It seems an employee made a mistake. We will make sure this never happens again.”

“It’s all right.”

Ginny Soroso’s voice was unexpectedly calm.

“It’s already in the past. We have somewhere to stay, so you don’t need to worry.”

Strength entered Yoon-kyung’s hand.

“Even so, if the hotel is uncomfortable, we will find another place for you.”

“There’s no need.”

She refused with unexpected sharpness.

“It really is all right. You don’t need to concern yourself.”

Yoon-kyung made one final effort.

“If we have made you uncomfortable….”

“It really is fine. It’s late now. I should rest.”

The call ended there.

Nam Yoon-kyung stood still for a long while, unable to move, her cell phone still in her hand.

Who was Lim Young-ok? She was the younger sister of Chairman Lim Man-seok of Taeseong Group. The fact that they had entered that house did not simply mean their lodging had changed. It meant a person Daehan needed to manage thoroughly had gone into Taeseong’s arms.

Yoon-kyung slowly closed her eyes.

This was the worst. No, even among the worst possibilities, this was the picture she had wanted to avoid most.

‘Of all people....’

Her gaze turned toward the window. Seoul’s night was still splendid, but none of that light entered her eyes.

***

The mansion where Lim Young-ok lived had long been located in a district formed entirely of wealthy neighborhoods. It was a place not too far from the city center, yet where outside noise and prying eyes were naturally filtered away.

Vehicle traffic was restricted starting from the approach road. Other mansions of similar scale stood sparsely around the area. There were no conspicuous security personnel, but the place was managed quietly precisely because of that.

Lucas got out of the car and swept his gaze over the surroundings. He liked the calm and stable atmosphere very much. There were none of the unpleasant gazes he had felt at Daehan Hotel.

When the two arrived, Lim Young-ok came out to greet them. An employee who seemed to manage the house approached and carried the couple’s luggage for them. They entered the house at ease.

The next morning.

Winter sunlight seeped softly through the curtains. After opening his eyes, Lucas lay there blankly for a while.

Because of his sensitive personality, even the smallest sound woke him, but here, he had been able to sleep deeply. Perhaps because of that, his body felt strangely light. Even he found it odd.

When he went downstairs with his wife, someone he did not know was already moving busily in the kitchen. Lim Young-ok had come out first and was waiting for them.

“Did you sleep well?”

At Young-ok’s question, Ginny answered with a bright expression.

“Maybe because it was so quiet, I slept deeply. My husband seems to have slept well too.”

“That’s a relief. This house is rather quiet, isn’t it?”

“It’s so cozy and nice.”

The atmosphere remained warm even as they ate breakfast. After finishing their meal, the three moved to the living room. It was a spacious area overlooking the garden through full-length glass windows, so the view was wide open and pleasant. As Ginny drank tea, she asked,

“Lucas, what’s your schedule today?”

Lucas drew his gaze away from his tablet and said,

“I’ll go out in the afternoon. We can move after lunch.”

At those words, Ginny stretched her arms out wide.

“Maybe I’m still not fully over the travel fatigue?”

Lim Young-ok looked at her and said,

“I thought that might be the case. There is a sauna here too, so try using it later.”

Ginny’s eyes sparkled.

“Really?”

“Of course. I do not live in a large house for nothing. Hoho.”

Ginny’s face was already bright, as if she were in a good mood. Lucas looked at his wife like that and smiled without realizing it. There was no need to keep his guard up here. That was how comfortable the two of them felt.

Just then, a sign of presence came from the entrance. A moment later, someone who appeared to be the butler approached Lim Young-ok and quietly spoke.

“It seems Hyunjun has arrived.”

Lim Young-ok rose from her seat. Lucas’s gaze naturally turned toward the entrance. Despite it being a weekday morning, a boy dressed in a school uniform entered. Lim Young-ok greeted him warmly.

“Hyunjun, you came at a good time.”

“Have you been well, Great-aunt?”

“I am always well. More importantly, how is your grandfather?”

Young-ok asked, perhaps having heard the news.

“I think he’ll be discharged soon.”

“That is a relief. I should go see him soon.”

“Yes. He will be happy if you come.”

“Good.”

Young-ok naturally led Hyunjun toward the living room. Seeing that there were guests, Hyunjun greeted them politely.

“Hello. I’m Lim Hyunjun.”

Lim Young-ok continued with a smile.

“I am late with the introductions. This child is Hyunjun. The grandson of Chairman Lim Man-seok of Taeseong Group. Hoho.”

At those words, Ginny’s face brightened with recognition.

“Ah, the child you told me about before, Auntie?”

Lim Young-ok nodded and said,

“Yes. He came because he has some documents to deliver to me today. Go on and introduce yourselves.”

Ginny rose from her seat and said with a smile,

“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Ginny Soroso.”

Hyunjun straightened his back and greeted her again.

“I have heard a great deal about you. I’m Lim Hyunjun.”

Ginny waved her hand and smiled. This time, Hyunjun’s gaze turned toward Lucas. Then Ginny introduced him in his place.

“His name is Lucas, and he’s my husband.”

Ginny told Lucas who Hyunjun was. At that moment, Lim Young-ok quietly said to Hyunjun,

“She is the daughter of a friend I have been close with since high school.”

Hyunjun’s eyes widened for a moment. He looked at Ginny once, then welcomed her.

“I heard you meet her whenever you go to the United States, Great-aunt. It is nice to meet you.”

This time, Lucas held out his hand. Hyunjun took it without hesitation. Then he quickly took a business card out of his pocket.

The front was written in Korean, but the back was in English. He gave one to Lucas first, then handed a business card to Ginny as well. Lucas accepted the card casually, but his gaze suddenly changed.

HJ Partners Representative Lim Hyunjun.

A brief silence passed. Lucas’s gaze slowly shifted to Hyunjun.

“…HJ Partners?”

When he muttered the words with some surprise, Ginny relayed it as if translating.

“My husband says he has heard about you from his father-in-law.”

Ginny also looked at her husband with surprised eyes, and the two exchanged a brief conversation. Then Ginny turned to Hyunjun and said,

“My husband seems to have wanted to meet you. He says you are an impressive investor.”

Hyunjun spoke humbly.

“Thank you for seeing me in such a favorable light.”

Lucas’s expression softened considerably. He looked at Hyunjun for a long while. During that time, Ginny said,

“The world really is small. How did we meet like this?”

Lim Young-ok watched the sight and smiled.

“They say that is how bonds are. Perhaps the three of you were destined to meet.”

“Is that so? Haha.”

Ginny laughed brightly. In truth, Lim Young-ok and the Soroso couple probably thought it was a coincidence, but Hyunjun did not.

From the beginning, he had known Lucas was coming to Korea. He had also known that he had moved here from Daehan Hotel last night. That was why he had even left school early and came here on the pretext of delivering documents to Young-ok, creating a reason to meet him.

Of course, the documents were not something he urgently had to give Young-ok right away. Young-ok had merely played along with the rhythm Hyunjun had set up on purpose.

Hyunjun waited for the right timing, then took a thin document envelope out of his bag.

“Great-aunt, these are the materials you mentioned.”

Hyunjun handed the envelope to Lim Young-ok with both hands. She received the envelope and gave a light nod.

“Thank you.”

Hyunjun continued naturally.

“Because Taeseong Medical Foundation personally stepped forward this time, the matter in France was concluded well. Thanks to that, local medical support was able to move in quickly too.”

Ginny’s gaze immediately shifted to Hyunjun.

“France?”

She could not hide her curiosity as she asked.

“What happened?”

Before Hyunjun could open his mouth, Lim Young-ok spoke first.

“You may have heard about it before. There was a terrorist attack in France.”

Ginny Soroso’s expression stiffened, as if she had recalled something.

“Ah, that. I know about it.”

“Yes. It was a terrorist attack carried out by an armed group called Al-Jahad.”

Lim Young-ok set down her teacup and continued.

“There were quite a lot of civilian casualties at the time. Enough that local hospitals were paralyzed in an instant. There was also a shortage of emergency medical personnel.”

Only then did she look at Hyunjun and continue.

“That was when Hyunjun contacted me. He asked whether it would be possible to dispatch medical staff through our network in France.”

Ginny’s eyes widened.

“Really? Oh my!”

Hyunjun scratched his head as if embarrassed and lowered it slightly.

“I did not do very much. I simply did what I could.”

But Lim Young-ok shook her head firmly and said,

“No. Who was it that made the local hospitals in France, medical supplies, and even the foundation’s funds move all at once? Do you think that was easy?”

She looked at Hyunjun proudly and added,

“Thanks to that, several critical patients were even transported by air right away. One child was able to receive treatment in Korea and survive as well.”

Ginny could not close her mouth.

“Wow... Something like that happened?”

She looked at Hyunjun again.

The boy in a school uniform now looked completely different. Lucas, who heard it through Ginny, also spoke with slight surprise, and Ginny conveyed his words for him.

“My husband says he knows about that incident too. He says he was deeply impressed by what you did, Mr. Hyunjun.”

Hyunjun answered calmly.

“It was possible because Great-aunt has managed the foundation so well all this time. I only helped from the side.”

After hearing what he said, Lucas slowly nodded. A brief silence passed, but Lim Young-ok smiled and said,

“Even so, in a way, matters like this simply cost a great deal of money. No matter how large a company is, it cannot be done easily. That is why I dote on this child even more.”

She looked at Ginny and said,

“On top of that, Hyunjun has been helping far more people than you might think, not only in France but elsewhere as well.”

Ginny looked at Hyunjun with eyes mixed with admiration.

“That is truly amazing.”

“I only did what needed to be done. It was nothing special.”

Hyunjun remained humble and composed. But even that demeanor was something everyone present could feel.

Regardless of his age, he carried a grand purpose.

When ordinary children of chaebol families or people holding enormous assets spoke of charity, there was usually a certain formula to it.

Creating a foundation, donating, and leaving their name behind were usually driven first by image improvement and justification. But Hyunjun was different in nature.

No one had heard that HJ Partners had spent money for France or made a donation. Usually, at that scale, people would deliberately promote it actively to build an image. That meant it truly was something he had done with good intentions.