Chapter 100: Pragmatism Is More Important Than Excuses

Possessing a brilliant mind, Yun Sola also had a firm and decisive personality. Because of that, she often made sharp remarks that struck people right where it hurt most. But now, sitting before Jiham's mother, she looked as meek and obedient as a gentle little lamb.

'What a sly fox.'

While Jiham inwardly shook his head at her two-faced behavior, his mother's questions continued.

"Senior Specialist Yun, what is your family like?"

"My father, my mother, and me."

"You must have grown up lonely, being an only child."

"I devoted myself entirely to studying, so I never really had time to feel lonely."

"Ah, I see. And what do your parents do, if you don't mind me asking?"

Yun Sola disliked lying. However, Chairman Yoon Jongu had given her explicit instructions, leaving her no choice.

"My father runs a small company, and my mother is a homemaker."

"I see. From the bottom of my heart, I hope everything works out well between you and our Jiham."

"Thank you for your kind words."

Realizing the questioning had come to an end, President Yoon Sehwa joined the conversation.

"By the way, Mrs. Sun, what brings you to Seoul?"

"My son bought a home here, so I came to settle down and live with him."

"My goodness, owning a home at such a young age! You must be very proud of your son."

"You could say we were simply fortunate. The house wasn't bought with money earned through sweat and hard work, so I'm not even sure whether 'proud' is the right word."

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean, Mrs. Sun."

"I think it would be better if my son explained it himself."

His mother skillfully redirected the conversation toward Jiham and stepped aside.

In reality, the apartment had been given to him by Chairman Park Yeongil. But he had lied to his mother, telling her he had won the lottery jackpot. Jiham believed that was for the best. If she never learned the truth, she would avoid unnecessary worries. To keep his fabricated story intact, he had no choice but to continue it.

"...I happened to win the lottery jackpot."

"Oh my goodness! Congratulations from the bottom of my heart!" Yoon Sehwa exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Thank you. However, I'd rather no one else find out about my winnings."

"You don't need to worry. This secret will remain completely confidential."

"Senior Specialist Cha, I'll keep my mouth shut as well," Yun Sola added after the president.

"I'm counting on both of you. Well then, we're practically finished with lunch. Shall we go?"

"I was just about to suggest that," Yoon Sehwa replied with a smile. "Today's lunch is on me."

"What for, President?"

"Consider it my consultation fee for the advice you gave me regarding the hotel business."

Since she insisted so strongly, refusing outright would have been awkward. Still, basic courtesy required at least one objection.

"Since my family has the largest group here, I should be the one paying."

"I'm older than you, so there's no point arguing. Next time, you can treat us."

"Very well. I'm sincerely grateful for your generosity."

"It's nothing. Shall we?"

***

The moment the driver pulled away, his mother immediately turned toward Jiham.

"I really liked that girl, Yun Sola. Why don't you?"

The truth was that Yun Sola's feelings for him existed only because of the pheromones contained in the unique herbal tranquilizer. Otherwise, why would such a perfect woman suddenly fall for him? Naturally, he couldn't reveal the real reason, so he offered another explanation.

"It's not that I dislike her. I simply don't find her attractive."

"Where else are you going to find someone like her? She's intelligent, beautiful, and modest! How many girls like that are there?"

"I agree she's smart and beautiful, but modest definitely isn't the word I'd use."

"Why not?"

"She was only pretending to be sweet in order to make a good impression on you."

"You silly boy. Would it really be interesting if a woman never knew how to put on a little act for the man she loves?"

"I understand that perfectly. By the way, Mom, what do you think about international marriages?"

"...Don't tell me..." His mother stopped herself, having suddenly realized something.

"Exactly what you're thinking. Two girls who are even prettier than Yun Sola are interested in me. Both come from incredibly wealthy and influential American families."

"I personally don't mind, but your grandfather and grandmother are old-fashioned. I honestly don't know how they'll react."

In other words, the elderly couple would most likely oppose it completely. Deciding to leave that problem for another day, Jiham continued.

"If I insist, do you think they'll eventually give in?"

"I can't promise anything."

At that moment, Cha Hyeonji curiously joined the conversation.

"Just how influential are the families of these American girls who like you?"

"The Bongard investment group..."

"What?! Are you serious?!" his sister interrupted in shock.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"Well... that's true..."

While Hyeonji tried to process what she had just heard, their mother looked confused.

"Hyeonji, explain what's going on."

"Mom, Bongard is the largest investment group in the world, with assets totaling..."

***

Meanwhile, in the president's office at the Hangang Department Store headquarters, Chairman Yoon Jongu was speaking with Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun, President Yoon Sehwa, and Yun Sola.

"Sehwa, what impression did Senior Specialist Cha's mother leave on you?"

"In a few words, she's exactly like her son."

"You mean he inherited his unwavering, straightforward personality from his mother?"

"Exactly, Father."

"I see. And what did his mother think of our Sola?"

"Sola behaved very sweetly and politely, so she seems to have won her over."

"Ha-ha-ha!" Chairman Yoon Jongu laughed with satisfaction.

Everyone else, including Vice Chairman Yoon Sanghun, joined in with cheerful laughter. After it subsided, Yoon Sehwa continued.

"Father, did you know Senior Specialist Cha has bought a home?"

"Of course. It was Chairman Park's gift."

Yoon Sehwa tilted her head in confusion. After all, Jiham had claimed he bought the apartment with lottery winnings. She repeated their conversation to Chairman Yoon and asked what the truth was.

"If he lied, he must have had a good reason. Don't pry into it."

"Understood. But why would Chairman Park give him such an extravagant gift?"

"Park promised to buy him a home large enough for his entire family to live together once the young man became a full-time employee."

"I see. Still, what should we do about the cost of the clothes he selected for his mother?"

"There's no need to be excessively generous or hand out gifts at our expense."

Yoon Sehwa couldn't understand her father's reasoning. If they wanted Sola to marry Cha Jiham, then surely they should do everything possible to please Mrs. Sun Jisuk. Under those circumstances, giving the clothes away for free seemed perfectly logical. Yet Chairman Yoon forbade such generosity.

"Father, won't Senior Specialist Cha be offended?"

"Listen carefully. Chairman Park, the Chairman of the Bongard Group, Chairman Hudson, and I all invested in Endivia and Bongard Group shares thanks to Cha Jiham's timely advice. In just a few days, our returns exceeded sixty percent. As commission, each of us gave the young man between thirty and fifty percent of our profits."

"And how much did he receive?"

"I can't tell you the exact figure, but it certainly wasn't less than fifty billion dollars."

"...!"

Everyone in the office simultaneously stood frozen with their mouths hanging open. Each of them fully understood how unimaginably enormous that amount was. Seeing their shock, Chairman Yoon Jongu smiled and continued.

"Giving free gifts to someone with astronomical wealth is nothing more than insulting his pride."

Yun Sola, however, held the exact opposite opinion.

"Grandfather, Senior Specialist Cha values money more than anyone else. If we charge him the full price, he'll definitely be dissatisfied."

"Hmm, you make a fair point. What do you suggest?"

"We have enhanced discounts reserved for our most important customers."

"Then that's what we'll do," Chairman Yoon concluded without hesitation.

***

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Jiham was happily playing with Saho when his phone rang. The caller was FBI Director Glenn Nevers.

The timing was strange. It was only around three-thirty on Sunday morning in Washington. A call at such an hour could only mean one thing—something extraordinary had happened.

"Director Nevers, what happened at this hour?"

"It may be the middle of the night here, but it's daytime in Korea. I urgently need your advice about an important matter."

"I'm listening."

"Yesterday afternoon, Triad Vice Chairman Chen Zhihui entered the United States using forged documents under the name Wu Weiliang. I want to seize this opportunity to arrest that bastard. Do you have any ideas?"

"What's the problem? Just arrest him."

"That's exactly the issue. Officially, he entered using a valid passport, so we have no legal grounds to detain him."

"Then why not raid the Triad's American branches and arrest him during the operation?"

"I've been leaning toward that myself, but President Douglas is firmly opposed."

The Chinese Triad supplied enormous quantities of drugs throughout the United States. Arresting the Triad's vice chairman would undoubtedly send President Douglas's approval ratings soaring. He had to understand that, so why was he refusing?

Jiham cautiously asked for the reason.

"President Douglas wants to dismantle the entire network at once—the Triad leadership, the politicians and senior officials protecting them, and the distributors themselves. But to do that, Korea has to hand over all of its classified intelligence."

"But in order to receive that information, the American administration first has to satisfy our conditions, correct?"

"...Sigh."

The FBI director's heavy sigh answered the question more clearly than words.

Jiham realized it was time to give the indecisive American leader a firm push.

"As far as I know, President Douglas still insists on freezing the cost-sharing agreement for American troops stationed in Korea. Until he withdraws that demand, our country won't hand over a single document."

"That's absolutely correct."

"Then why is he being so stubborn?"

"He says that if he backs down without a convincing excuse, he'll lose face with the voters."

At that instant, a brilliant idea flashed through Jiham's mind. After quickly putting the pieces together, he continued.

"I believe pragmatism is more important than excuses."

"I couldn't agree more."

"Listen carefully. I'll tell you how to make President Douglas set aside his pride."

"Go ahead."

"The heads of the Bongard Group and the Gomez family are extremely dissatisfied with the White House's stubbornness. If those two withdraw their support, President Douglas won't stand a chance of winning a second term. Hint that possibility to him, and he'll have no choice but to back down."

"Chief Cha, thank you for the excellent suggestion! You've been a tremendous help."

"You're welcome. I hope you're able to arrest Chen this time."

After ending the call, Jiham immediately phoned Commissioner General Choi Dongyeong of the National Police Agency and honestly explained everything the FBI director had told him.

"...Tomorrow morning, American time, Director Nevers intends to give President Douglas an ultimatum. If he accepts our conditions, they're asking you to fly to the United States immediately."

"I see. What do you think about what the FBI director said?"

"President Douglas has demonstrated indecisiveness and reversed his decisions more than once already. We should be extremely cautious."

"You think he might change his mind again after we arrive in the United States?"

"The probability is very high."

"Then what would be the best course of action?"

"The safest option is to wait until he provides official written guarantees before boarding the plane."

"But would he really sign official documents?" Commissioner General Choi's skepticism was unmistakable.

Jiham had already anticipated that concern and remained completely calm.

"I intend to ask the Chairmen of the Bongard Group and the Gomez family to put a little pressure on him."

"Ha-ha-ha!"

The commissioner's booming laughter echoed through the phone as he fully appreciated the elegance of the plan.

"Commissioner Choi, I almost lost my eardrums."

"Ha-ha, my apologies."

"I need to contact Bongard and Gomez now, so I'll have to say goodbye."

Click.

After hanging up, Jiham collapsed flat onto his bed and muttered tiredly to himself,

"I can't believe I've managed to make myself this busy on a Sunday."