MFR 12

Chapter 12

For a moment, tension flowed inside the reception room. Since they would find out who the new master of Myeongmun is today, it was natural.

Everyone couldn’t even breathe heavily and listened closely to the voice flowing out from the video.

Hello, everyone. I am Seol Byeong-joo. Thank you all for coming to my funeral.

At Chairman Seol’s greeting carrying a benevolent smile, weeping flowed from here and there.

But even that weeping did not last long. Because the contents of the will were revealed very specifically through the video.

Standing at attention behind Representative Won Jeong-do, Hong-joo quietly examined the faces of those seated in the reception room.

Seol Eun-hee shedding tears at her father’s video, Lee Ji-sun listening with a composed face, Do Mu-jin gauging the mood with a face full of greed.

And Seol Ji-hyuk, who seemed to be breathing different air all by himself.

On Ji-hyuk’s face, nothing like an expression was revealed. He merely looked calmly at his father with coldly sunken eyes.

However, as the will continued, Ji-hyuk’s face also couldn’t remain entirely unbothered.

Chairman Seol called out even distant in-laws and distributed something to them, even if it was small.

But to his daughter Seol Eun-hee and her husband, he did not hand over a single share.

Rather, by separating Myeongmun Construction, where Do Mu-jin served as CEO, from the affiliates, he declared that they had become strangers.

Finally, including the holding company shares, I leave all the rest of my assets to Seol Ji-hyuk.

People’s gazes flocked to Ji-hyuk.

With this, Chairman Seol’s intentions had become clear.

Not a daughter-in-law, not a daughter, not a son-in-law, but the son, Seol Ji-hyuk.

He finally brought back the son who had declared a severance of ties and left 10 years ago, and placed him at the center of Myeongmun.

Seol Eun-hee’s complexion turned deathly pale, and Do Mu-jin trembled with his eyes widened as if they would pop out.

However, there is a condition.

The murmuring atmosphere quieted down again.

Seol Ji-hyuk must take on the position of CEO of the holding company, Myeongmun Holdings.

At Chairman Seol’s words, Ji-hyuk turned his head to the side and let out a cold snort.

If he refuses this, the preceding will is invalid, and the Myeongmun Group shares and my personal assets will be distributed equally to the direct descendants in legal proportions.

Ji-hyuk stood up from his seat. Then, with a cool face, he opened his mouth.

“I will not accept.”

Just as Ji-hyuk, having flatly refused, moved his steps to leave the reception room, Chairman Seol in the video continued speaking again.

Seol Ji-hyuk shall reveal his final decision at my 49th-day memorial service, and until then, he must stay at Baek-un-jae and deepen his bonds with the family. Since any intention of refusal revealed before the 49th-day memorial service is invalid.

Astounded, Ji-hyuk laughed.

What 49th-day memorial service, staying here until then. He wasn’t going to accept anyway, so he just had to leave.

And bonds?

There were no bonds to begin with, so how could he deepen bonds when they were causing a ruckus like this.

But the next words finally grabbed his ankle.

Partner Lawyer Baek Hong-joo becomes the executor of the will, and all inheritance procedures require Baek Hong-joo’s approval.

Ji-hyuk’s expression hardened solidly. Veins even bulged on his jawline and temples.

In the event Seol Ji-hyuk renounces the inheritance, the redistribution will also be executed under Baek Hong-joo’s management. I declare that all my assets are frozen until the inheritance procedure is completed, and can only be moved under Baek Hong-joo’s approval. That is all.

Ji-hyuk’s gaze stuck to Hong-joo. His gaze contained a silent reprimand asking, ‘Did you really accept this job?’

Facing Ji-hyuk, Hong-joo held her breath.

Staring intently at such a Hong-joo, Ji-hyuk dropped his gaze coldly and soon moved his steps.

At the same time, Vice Chairwoman Lee Ji-sun sent a signal to Hong-joo.

“Lawyer Baek Hong-joo? Follow him.”

Giving a slight eye greeting to Ji-sun, Hong-joo left the reception room.

She walked quickly down the hallway leading from the reception room to the entrance.

Ji-hyuk, whose stride was large, was already walking far ahead.

“Ji-hyuk.”

Hong-joo, who practically ran while calling Ji-hyuk, was only able to catch hold of him after almost reaching the entrance.

“Ji-hyuk, let’s talk.”

Hong-joo grabbed the end of Ji-hyuk’s sleeve. But Ji-hyuk swatted her hand away with a cold-hearted face.

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Ji-hyuk.”

“I clearly said I have nothing to say. I have no intention of continuing business with you anymore, either.”

Having put on his dress shoes, he opened the front door.

It was already the first day of December; the winter wind blowing in Pyeongchang-dong was fierce.

“Our transaction ended with me sitting in this goddamn chief mourner’s seat.”

“Ji-hyuk, please.”

Hong-joo, who followed Ji-hyuk as he left the main house, grabbed him again in front of the stone steps going down to the garden.

In her rush, she hadn’t even been able to put on her shoes.

“You can’t just leave like this.”

“I clearly said I wouldn’t accept it.”

“Ji-hyuk!”

Hong-joo’s voice was quite desperate. But Ji-hyuk merely swatted her hand away again.

“Why. Should I even write a memorandum of inheritance renunciation for you, Lawyer Baek Hong-joo?”

He was being sarcastic while politely observing etiquette.

“Or should I accept it and sell it all off? The companies, the shares, everything?”

It was a truly troublesome situation.

Chairman Seol Byeong-joo had selected Ji-hyuk as the next master of Myeongmun since he was very young.

He had provided him with an education befitting that, and Ji-hyuk had grown up splendidly, meeting expectations.

If it hadn’t been for that incident 10 years ago, no one would have raised any objections to Ji-hyuk becoming the master of Myeongmun. Not even Ji-hyuk himself.

The reason that natural occurrence had become so difficult was because of that incident back then.

Therefore, Chairman Seol wanted to solidify Ji-hyuk’s severely shaken position by leaving all his shares to him.

That was why he set up this board.

Hong-joo, who had been unable to save Ji-hyuk due to losing her memory, willingly took Chairman Seol’s hand.

Even though Chairman Seol used Hong-joo’s guilt to push more burdens onto her than necessary, even that was okay.

Because if she could restore Ji-hyuk’s place that she hadn’t been able to protect even just like this, it was a problem she could bear any amount of.

Chairman Seol had shown Hong-joo the blueprint of the Myeongmun that Ji-hyuk would lead, and Hong-joo liked it quite a lot.

Chairman Seol had scripted the scenario by meticulously calculating everything—Ji-hyuk’s personality, his relationships with his family, his intimacy with Hong-joo, etc.

From Hong-joo becoming the executor of the will to her going to pick up Ji-hyuk, it was all calculated.

And Hong-joo was just doing her best to be faithful to her role.

But what if Ji-hyuk writes a memorandum of inheritance renunciation here?

Chairman Seol Byeong-joo’s plan is a complete failure.

Yet, if they forced him to accept the inheritance, he was a man who, just as he said, would truly sell everything off and then some.

Because Seol Ji-hyuk is a person who absolutely will not do something his heart isn’t moved to do.

So she had to use a different method. If business doesn’t work, she would have to make his heart move, even if it meant using another method.

“Okay.”

First, a push-and-pull.

“Even if you have to do that, stay here.”

Pushing and pulling.

“If you really hate receiving it, don’t receive it. Still, please just stay until the 49th-day memorial service.”

Try asking a favor, too.

“From one to ten, this is all something your father started, and the main character is you, Ji-hyuk. But I have to clean up the mess. As you know, can I handle those people?”

Try appealing to his emotions, too.

“Speaking frankly, will your older sister, Chairwoman Seol Eun-hee, sit still?”

If that doesn’t work either, let’s try shoving in their faded old affection.

“Will CEO Do Mu-jin just sit still. He’ll jump up and down and corner me like catching a rat. How am I supposed to handle all that by myself.”

But Ji-hyuk didn’t bat an eye. Rather, his coldly sunken eyes quietly added a layer of anger.

“You accepted it without knowing that?”

His low-pitched voice revealed his twisted mood completely intact.

Staring intently at such a Ji-hyuk, Hong-joo answered.

“That’s why you just need to stay with me.”

“Why should I!”

Even if he’s cold, how could he be this cold. Ji-hyuk’s eyes were colder than the stone steps she was standing on barefoot.

It meant favors, emotional appeals, and old affection wouldn’t work.

Hong-joo tightly bit the corner of her lip.

I really didn’t want to use this method, up to this point.

“Because you.”

It was really cheap, so I didn’t want to do it.

“Have a debt to me.”

In the end, she touched his guilt.