TVS 02

Chapter: 02

“Ah, seriously, why are you like this? Really!”

The tall man who was leaving the funeral hall with large strides was finally stopped by his secretary, Jung Hee-jun, who grabbed hold of him.

A man well over 180 cm tall, with a strong, well-trained body, wearing a black suit that perfectly fit his frame and naturally styled leaf-cut hair.

Below that, with long, deep-set eyes that gave him a somewhat seductive atmosphere, was Kang Tae-gyeong.

The second son of Kang Min-cheol, vice chairman of the ‘Taeyu Group’, he had come to pay respects at his father’s mentor’s funeral in place of his older brother, Kang Han-gyeong.

“Since you came all the way here, wouldn’t it be better to at least stay until the guests arrive and keep your place?”

Tae-gyeong, who had been scratching the edge of his ear as if he found the noise annoying, only blinked his eyes with an indifferent expression.

“You should comfort the chief mourner too, and make an appearance while you’re at it, right?”

The person who should be making an appearance isn’t even showing his face, so why should I?

Tae-gyeong felt irritation rising inside him.

However, Hee-jun’s nagging about making an appearance was not without reason.

The vice chairman’s acquaintances would soon arrive at the funeral hall as well.

“Why do I need to make an appearance? What, those executives are going to make me president because of that? And comfort him? Didn’t you see the chief mourner’s face? If it were a celebration, maybe I’d understand.”

Tae-gyeong snorted with dissatisfaction and turned his head away.

“He suffered for five years and lived past ninety before leaving. That’s a good death.”

Tae-gyeong muttered quietly, speaking as if it were someone else’s business.

Hee-jun covered his mouth and pointed at him in disbelief.

“Team Leader, are you a psychopath? What kind of ‘good death’ is there at a funeral? And the funeral hall is still so empty. Are you really going to act this cold-hearted?”

For the thin and lanky Hee-jun, controlling the 187 cm-tall, well-built Kang Tae-gyeong was never easy.

On top of that, constantly nagging someone who was always carefree and reckless seemed exhausting for him now.

“If you want to stay longer, bring Kang Han-gyeong here. The two of you can hold hands and guard the funeral hall together.”

So annoying. Seriously annoying!

It was the phrase Hee-jun repeated several times a day.

From his perspective, Tae-gyeong was a huge dog—no, just a dog—with a massive body but who never listened no matter what he said.

“Ugh, I should just stop talking.”

Afraid that he would lose him again, Hee-jun firmly grabbed his arm.

Tae-gyeong immediately shook off his arm and straightened his wrinkled clothes.

“Let go while I’m still asking nicely.”

Tae-gyeong’s low voice sounded even more unpleasant today as he issued the warning.

“I think my lifespan keeps decreasing because of you, Team Leader.”

“That’s your imagination.”

Ignoring Hee-jun’s hurt complaint as if he had grown tired of hearing it, Tae-gyeong continued walking straight ahead.

“Ah, seriously, I’m losing all affection!”

“Do you like me or something? What affection are you talking about?”

Hee-jun’s expression as he opened and closed his mouth speechlessly was quite a sight.

Tae-gyeong glanced at his deeply annoyed face and let out a small laugh.

It had already been ten years since their relationship began.

Six years ago, Tae-gyeong made Hee-jun, who had just graduated from junior college, his personal secretary.

And two years ago, when Tae-gyeong volunteered to transfer from Taeyu Motors headquarters to the overseas business team of the India branch, Hee-jun also chose to go to India.

Their long relationship had continued until now.

“Team Leader, are you really not coming back to Korea?”

“……”

“I heard you rejected another transfer order. Are you really planning to end your career as the overseas branch business team leader?”

“……”

“Ah, seriously, this is frustrating. Please answer me!”

Despite Hee-jun’s irritation, Tae-gyeong remained silent.

The India branch had been the choice he made after becoming fed up with his older brother.

And there was one thing he had decided.

He would make Taeyu Motors the national car of India.

It was a dream he had failed to achieve in Korea because of Han-gyeong’s interference.

Tae-gyeong targeted India’s middle class, considering a society with a large wealth gap and a high percentage of people living in poverty.

He promoted affordable, high-value options with low maintenance costs, and introduced strategies such as a 10-year free warranty.

Thanks to this, Taeyu Motors, which had entered India less than a year ago, succeeded in establishing itself as their national car.

Tae-gyeong’s strategy had worked perfectly.

However, his ambitious progress ended during his first year working at the overseas branch when his grandfather passed away.

[‘The president of Taeyu Motors will be taken by the eldest son, Kang Han-gyeong.’]

It was because of the final words left by Chairman Kang Cheol-hwan.

In truth, there was no particular reason why Tae-gyeong could not obtain Taeyu Motors.

The only reason was that Han-gyeong was the eldest grandson, and he greatly resembled his grandfather, Chairman Kang.

The Kang family had never once broken the principle of succession through the eldest son for generations.

Because of that, whenever the head of Taeyu Group changed, the company’s rise and fall inevitably depended on the abilities of the eldest son.

The person who saved Taeyu, which had been on the verge of collapse during Chairman Kang’s era, was once again his eldest son, Vice Chairman Kang Min-cheol.

Through this event, Chairman Kang’s belief only grew stronger, and his expectations and trust toward his eldest grandson deepened day by day.

However, Han-gyeong had always suffered from an inferiority complex and jealousy that did not match his perfect and privileged life.

For example, it was something like this.

Even though he already had everything, he could only feel satisfied after taking away even the small toy car that Tae-gyeong held in his hands.

As he grew older, he appeared to have grown into a relatively cheerful person, but that was only on the surface.

In reality, he possessed all the traits of a typical narcissist.

One example was that as soon as he took office as the president of Taeyu Motors, he began a ruthless purge.

He drastically reduced the number of employees at headquarters and even reached overseas branches, carrying out massive budget cuts.

Furthermore, he deliberately cancelled Tae-gyeong’s scheduled appointment as the head of an overseas branch.

All of these actions were done because Han-gyeong knew how much Tae-gyeong desired Taeyu Motors.

“Isn’t it fun? It’s a fight where the owner has already been decided anyway, but watching someone struggle even while being stepped on.”

Of course, most of the executives at headquarters did not simply watch Han-gyeong’s actions.

They demanded alternatives for everything he forced through and recommended Kang Tae-gyeong as the head of the Future Strategy Office.

But surprisingly, Han-gyeong willingly accepted.

Because he knew that his younger brother would never accept that position, he had only pushed it forward for entertainment.

“This time, I really can’t stand it anymore. Either fight the president directly, or at least think about me! Haven’t you noticed that I’ve lost more than 8 kilograms over two years in another country? Not only the food, even the weather doesn’t suit me at all!”

“You’re so picky. Then who told you to follow me all the way to India?”

Behind Tae-gyeong, who shook his head in disbelief, Hee-jun suddenly stopped walking.

“Yeah. I know I’m annoying, so stop talking.”

Tae-gyeong cut him off before he could say what he was clearly thinking inside and even stopped his mouth from opening.

“Ah, seriously, hyung!”

Hee-jun shouted loudly and stomped his feet.

Then he suddenly covered his ears in surprise at a scream that sounded like it could tear his eardrums apart.

“Waaah—! Waaah—!”

“My only grandson! My precious grandson!”

“Take this old grandmother with you too, you poor child!”

It was in front of funeral room number 2.

At a glance, elderly people who looked very old were lying on the floor and struggling dramatically.

“Did someone young pass away?”

Hee-jun looked around and examined the inside of the funeral room.

Then, as if he had discovered something, he froze in surprise.

“Why? Do you know someone?”

When Tae-gyeong asked, Hee-jun nodded absentmindedly.

“Yes. The chief mourner over there. He’s the representative of a partner company of Taeyu Motors headquarters. It looks like his child passed away.”

The person Hee-jun pointed at was Lee Se-jung, the representative of Dong-ha Motors, a company currently cooperating with Taeyu Motors.

And this was also the funeral hall of his son, Director Lee Dong-ha.

“My goodness… how did this happen?”

“How do you know the representative of a headquarters partner company? Is that person famous?”

“Not really. I just know him.”

With a dazed expression, Hee-jun passed by funeral room number 2.

“Jung Hee-jun.”

It was the moment Tae-gyeong grabbed Hee-jun’s shoulder because he had been walking without answering his question.

A woman suddenly ran into the funeral hall, her long hair flying behind her.

“Uh……”

The moment his eyes naturally turned toward her, the woman who was running unsteadily flew directly into Tae-gyeong’s arms.

“B-brother!”

Before anyone could do anything, the two people collided.

‘What… just flew into me?’

Tae-gyeong, unable to understand the situation, stood there and looked at Hee-jun.

“Uh… th-that…”

Following Hee-jun’s embarrassed gesture, Tae-gyeong slowly lowered his gaze.

As if trying to confirm what was buried in his arms, he gently grabbed the woman’s shoulders and pulled her away.

Was it because of the impact?

The woman seemed to have briefly lost consciousness.

To check her limp face, Tae-gyeong tilted his head slightly.

Her loosened long hair fell helplessly over her face.

The woman was Jin Seo-ah, who had rushed there after hearing the news of Lee Dong-ha’s death.