Article 20. How Can Chaebol Heirs Be So Common? (Part 2)
The penthouse of Hotel Juno, the five-star hotel owned by the nation’s biggest conglomerate Hanwool Group, was crowded with people dressed in colorful summer suits.
Since the morning, reporters have been camped out a little away from the hotel, taking pictures of famous people. Some passersby stopped walking on a parade of all the luxury vehicles, sending exclamations and astonishment.
The 15th Anniversary of Hanwool Group. This short phrase meant a lot to people’s hearts.
Hanwool Group has had an overwhelmingly short history compared to other conglomerates. It was all within their generation that Hanwool Group, which began with a humble business, reached out to the cutting-edge technology sector. The myth of this multi-industry company was, therefore, still ongoing from its foundation.
At the time when each invitee paused their steps and was immersed in thought before walking past the entrance, there was a group of people who looked utterly irrelevant to those moving moments.
They were, none other than, the second and third-generation conglomerate successors. For those who have been growing up to benefit from their parents’ achievements since childhood, it wasn’t an important matter whether the ceremony was marking the company’s 15th or 100th founding anniversary. The only thing that mattered to them was their parents’ wealth, a never-ending fountain, so they didn’t have to worry about losing their money, at least, in their generation. That was it.
The topics they have been bringing out while sitting in the corner of the banquet hall since earlier were mostly about school life, hobbies, and the celebrities they met recently. Their conversations seemed to hover around the surface of those subjects including where to spend the summer or what water sports were trending these days. The topic was then switched to the people, the guests of honor at this party. As if to prove that the principal characters appear late, they still haven’t shown up.
“Actress Lee Nara is coming today.”
“Yeah, I heard it too. Geez, she was so pretty in the drama, Blue Flame.”
“Doesn’t she have any plans to shoot movies?”
“The director my dad is investing in is considering her to star in his movie. I heard they already sent out the script.”
The stories that could make the stock price fluctuate even the next morning went among them without a blink or qualm. Actress Lee Nara was by far the top actress in Korea.
Someone then spoke, “Lee Nara’s cousin is also coming.”
“Oh, I know who he is. I heard the two look alike.”
“Is he the boy named Woo Jooin?”
“Oh, he’s close to me.”
It was a fat chance to become a major topic in their conversations just by being a cousin to a celebrity; however, Woo Jooin had a good reputation. Those who knew him took the lead to brag about how cute and friendly his smiley face was as well as how sociable he was to others.
Besides, if he resembled Lee Nara’s appearance, he would definitely look like the trending, pretty boy type. A few girls blushed their faces. One of them suddenly yelled, clapping her hands.
“Oh my, it just came to my mind! Do you know that today––”
As if sharing some secrets, her voice went low, which made those who were listening to her tilt their heads toward her involuntarily. The girl then dropped her remark like a shriek.
“–– Woo Rihon is also coming!”
A moment of silence took place. Soon, both guys and girls all began to look astonished. The girls were then the first to cry out.
“Hell no! Woo Rihon… you mean the group Daydream?”
Daydream, a Korean idol group who had debuted five years ago, was now becoming the world’s biggest boy band. Woo Rihon was the leader of the group as well as a globally renowned fashionista holding tenaciously to his weird, secretive concept; therefore, he seldom showed up for a public appearance. Doubts and wonder prevailed over excitement indeed.
“Why?” someone then asked.
“Yeah, for what reason? Does he have any siblings or relatives here?”
“How should I know?”
They couldn’t immediately recall that Woo Jooin, who frequently attended parties as Lee Nara’s cousin, had the last name ‘Woo.’
Whether they exchanged eye contact in wonder or not, those, who were Woo Rihon’s fans, were busy catching their breaths with their hands on their chests.
Next, they began to talk about Hanwool’s Eun family: Eun Han Soo, the chairman of the group; Park Na Kyung, his wife; and the only heir, Eun Jiho.
There wasn’t much to say about them as their presence was natural, and unlike others, Eun Jiho was easy to see in these events. For the sake of formality, they dropped some words about the hosts of this party, saying something like, ‘He became more handsome,’ in an absent sort of way. The conversation then proceeded to the main issue.
“Yoo Gun and Yoo Shin brothers have returned to Korea!”
As someone brought that up straightforwardly, a moment of silence prevailed around them. Most of the people showed a sign of curiosity on their faces.
The Yoo brothers had these auras that couldn’t be just articulated with the union of two historic groups bound by marriage. Not only because they were born in a chaebol family, but that they were also themselves, their compelling yet stunning presence captivated people.
It has been already six years since Yoo Gun and Yoo Shin went abroad to study, and the last time they returned to Korea was three years ago. Those were the only information they had about these brothers; therefore, most of them didn’t really know Yoo Gun and Yoo Shin that well.
Only a few people who had some connection with them changed the look on their faces. Those who took the same business management class with Yoo Gun turned pale simultaneously.
“He was horrifying…”
As someone murmured silently, a few of them furrowed in agreement.
Whether they did virtual stock trading or business management simulation in zero-sum games, Yoo Gun always stuck to his overly honest way of playing and pursued stability only. The others were just busy laughing at his style.
How did he react at that time then? He just hinted a slight smile on his handsome face, which resembled his parents.
“True, I don’t have the guts to take it easy.”
If he rather boasted that he also had something in mind, some people might have admired him.
‘Of course, he is that distinguished Yoo Gun. Why wouldn’t he have a second thought?’
However, as he responded politely like that, none of them could help but sneer at him.
“Who said he was a genius? Where are all the elites at?”
“There are always those types of people. Once they turn into a grownup, all the good days they had in the past just fade away.”
And what they said came back with disastrous outcomes. Yoo Gun swept to an overwhelming win over the others. Regardless of tracing back the games as many as they could in confusion, the results were always the same. When the professor stood him up to compliment, he still responded with a polite face.
“I was lucky.”
Only then did the other students realize he camouflaged his extraordinary abilities with his exhaustive politeness.
They couldn’t, however, blame Yoo Gun for hiding his capability since it was them who looked down on him at first. As the lecture continued, they, eventually, found out he was such a reliable person when becoming an ally but, at the same time, frightful as hell when becoming an avowed enemy.
A few who recalled that memory trembled in fear. In the meantime, someone, who wasn’t able to read the overall atmosphere, mumbled out loud.
“How lucky he is! I wish I can live like Yoo Shin even just for a month.”
What the person just said made others think about Yoo Shin again. Like light and shadow, Yoo Shin and Yoo Gun shared the opposite sides, which others wondered how they could be brothers.
When Yoo Gun represented the image of orderliness and collectedness, Yoo Shin would present him as a freewheeler; however, the luster he emitted from his talent for art overpowered everything.
His presence changed a quiet event into a festival of absolute madness. Although he showed up in all kinds of parties, swaying his brightly colored hair, people were, mysteriously, captivated by him instead of feeling antipathy.
Throwing the two heirs’ names around one after another, there was only one left to talk about in the end.
It was Yoo Chun Young, the third successor and the youngest son of Balhae Group.
As they came to think about it, they have seen him frequently than the other two brothers; however, he was the one who could hardly get close to. How much did they get surprised when his name was on the trending searches? Some girls tried to aim at another chance to get along with him, but Yoo Chun Young didn’t appear in any of the parties after his brothers went to study abroad.
Thus, how long had it been for the three brothers of Balhae Group to attend an event altogether?