CH81

The next morning.

Chairman Park Tae-hong stirred in his sleep, bothered by the bright sunlight seeping through the curtains. Eventually, he woke up, squinting against the piercing rays.

"Ugh…"

His head throbbed from the drinks he had consumed until dawn, and his parched throat made even speaking difficult. Sitting up in bed, the first thing he did was reach for some water.

Perched on the edge of the bed, he grabbed the covered glass on the nightstand and gulped it down. Only after finishing the water did his thirst begin to subside.

"What time is it?"

Muttering to himself, he searched for his wristwatch and saw that it was just past 10 a.m.

"There was a time when I could drink all night and still feel fine the next morning. I must really be getting old."

With a bitter expression, Chairman Park clutched his aching stomach and got out of bed.

Stumbling into the master bathroom, he saw his haggard face in the mirror. Shaking his head at his reflection, he turned on the cold water and splashed his face.

Since it was the weekend, Chairman Park changed into comfortable clothes before leaving the bedroom. In the living room, his wife, Cho Deok-rye, was sipping tea on the sofa. She looked up when she saw him.

"You're finally up?"

"Yeah."

Chairman Park collapsed onto the sofa, settling into his usual seat at the head of the living room.

"You drank so much last night. What was the occasion?"

"It just… happened."

"Oh dear…"

Cho Deok-rye considered nagging her husband further but sighed softly instead, realizing it would be futile. She turned her attention toward the kitchen.

"Gunsan-daek, could you come here for a moment?"

At her call, Gunsan-daek quickly wiped her wet hands on her apron and shuffled over.

"Yes, ma'am. You called?"

"Please make a glass of honey water and bring it here. Also, warm up the bean sprout soup; the Chairman will need it for breakfast."

"Yes, ma'am."

It wasn't long before Gunsan-daek returned with the honey water. Chairman Park Tae-hong drank it eagerly as if he'd been waiting for it.

"Ah, this hits the spot. Nothing beats honey water for a hangover."

Despite rolling her eyes at his comment, Cho Deok-rye made sure her husband was well taken care of.

"I made a spicy bean sprout soup with red pepper powder. Even if your stomach feels off, don't skip your meal. Make sure you eat properly and recover."

"Yeah, alright."

Having finished the honey water, Chairman Park Tae-hong set the cup down and jokingly remarked,

"See? In the end, only my wife truly takes care of me."

"You're only saying that because you feel guilty, aren't you? Never mind that—just eat your breakfast."

"Haha, alright, alright."

Chuckling, Chairman Park rose from the sofa with a playful grin.

Despite her earlier nagging, Cho Deok-rye followed suit, standing up to join him at the dining table. No matter how annoyed she might have been, the idea of letting her husband eat alone didn't sit right with her.

When the two of them sat down at the kitchen table, Gunsan-daek brought over a steaming bowl of spicy bean sprout soup, its tantalizing aroma filling the air.

Chairman Park picked up his spoon, took a sip, and nodded approvingly.

"Ah, this really hits the spot. Did you add a little extra red pepper powder today?"

"You always say you crave something spicy after a night of drinking. Don't just sip the broth; make sure to eat some rice with it, too."

"Alright, alright."

Chairman Park Tae-hong scooped a large spoonful of rice, mixed it into the bean sprout soup, and took a hearty bite.

Meanwhile, Cho Deok-rye used her chopsticks to tear a piece of mustard leaf kimchi, something she knew her husband loved, into a bite-sized portion. She carefully placed it on his spoon.

As Chairman Park ate the kimchi-topped rice, he let out a satisfied chuckle.

"Kimchi always tastes better when it's from you, Mrs. Cho."

"Don't try to flatter me," she replied, feigning annoyance.

"I'm serious! It's got such a deep, savoury flavour. It's all thanks to your touch."

"Hmph."

Although Cho Deok-rye gave him a mock disdainful look, she didn't seem to mind. She continued tearing the kimchi into small pieces and placing them on his spoon.

Standing quietly at the back of the kitchen, Gunsan-daek watched the scene unfold. She turned away with a knowing smile, careful not to make her amusement obvious.

Compared to most other chaebol couples, who often maintained a façade of harmony for appearances while privately at odds, Chairman Park and his wife shared a genuinely warm and affectionate relationship.

***

After finishing his late breakfast, Chairman Park Tae-hong spent a leisurely morning in his study. Sitting on the sofa, with a cool breeze flowing through the open window, he sipped a fragrant cup of coffee while reading the morning newspaper.

Just then, his second son, Seok-won, knocked on the door before stepping inside.

"Father, may I have a moment? There's something I'd like to discuss."

"Come in," Chairman Park replied.

Seok-won closed the door and took a seat on the empty sofa to the right.

Chairman Park folded the newspaper in his hands, placing it on the table, and turned his attention to his son.

"What is it you want to talk about?"

Meeting his father's gaze, Seok-won broached the subject.

"I heard you're scheduled to meet with the president at the Blue House next week."

"That's correct," his father replied.

President Kim Sung-gyu, who had previously avoided private meetings with corporate leaders, had refrained from any such one-on-one encounters until last year.

However, following advice from his aides to address public sentiment against big business, foster open discussions on economic issues, and encourage investments, the president had begun meeting individually with the chairmen of the country's top 30 conglomerates earlier this year.

Although ranked lower among the group, Daheung Group still made the cut, and as one of the last on the list, a meeting with the president had finally been scheduled.

When Seok-won suddenly brought up the topic of meeting with the president, Chairman Park Tae-hong narrowed his eyes and looked at him.

"Have you decided on what gift to bring to the Blue House?"

A private meeting with the president was essentially confidential, offering an opportunity to discuss matters that would be difficult to address in public settings.

In other words, such meetings were often used as a platform to resolve various grievances and issues through direct dialogue.

The problem, however, lay in the so-called "give-and-take" exchanges that sometimes occurred during these meetings, which could raise suspicions of collusion between politics and business.

"That's precisely why President Kim Sung-gyu was initially reluctant to meet with corporate leaders," Seok-won thought.

During his time in the opposition, President Kim had been a vocal critic of entrenched political corruption and corporate collusion. As a result, he naturally sought to avoid actions that could lead to any misunderstandings.

"I haven't decided yet," Chairman Park finally said, furrowing his brow slightly.

"In the past, it would have been simple enough to prepare some political funds and discreetly pass them to the Chief Secretary. But this administration is a completely different matter—far more complicated."

"That's true," Seok-won agreed. "Although President Kim entered the Blue House through the three-party coalition, his long history of involvement in the pro-democracy movement still gives him a strong opposition-party identity."

"That's exactly my point. If I try to offer slush funds like before, it might backfire terribly. But going empty-handed feels just as wrong."

If all the other groups had handed over slush funds, and Chairman Park Tae-hong alone showed up without any gift, he could end up completely alienating himself from the president.

"It would be like going to remove a problem only to return with a bigger one," he thought grimly.

Of course, it wasn't as if the group would face immediate dissolution like during the brutal military regime era if they fell out of the president's favour.

"Still, from a corporate perspective, nothing is more unsettling than being on bad terms with the Blue House."

Lifting his teacup, Chairman Park took a sip of coffee and muttered with a furrowed brow, "I can't even ask the other chairmen if they offered slush funds during their meetings. That makes it all the more frustrating."

It wasn't something anyone would openly admit—such a question could lead to a massive scandal if leaked or give the other party leverage against him.

"That's why I've come up with a solution," Seok-won said confidently.

"You have?"

Chairman Park looked at him with a sceptical expression.

"Yes."

Seok-won confidently placed a printed document on the table in front of his father.

"What's this?"

"This," Seok-won said, "is the gift I've prepared."

With a puzzled expression, Chairman Park picked up the printed paper and examined it, the creases in his brow deepening into a pronounced "川" shape.

"This is a photo of a cargo ship, isn't it?"

"That's right," Seok-won replied.

Looking again at the black-and-white image of the ship, Park Tae-hong turned his gaze to his second son, his expression clearly showing he didn't understand.

"Judging by the looks of it, it's a very old ship. Are you seriously saying this is the gift?"

Catching his father's sceptical glance, Seok-won smiled and began explaining the ship's significance.

"This is a Victory-class transport ship, mass-produced by the United States as a successor to the Liberty ships during World War II."

Indeed, after the attack on Pearl Harbor, an enraged America had declared "Show me the money!" and unleashed a flood of resources, managing to churn out an astonishing 600 Victory-class transport ships in just a few years.

"A ship built during World War II? That would make it a scrapped vessel over 40 years old."

As Chairman Park's frown deepened, clearly irritated at what seemed to be nothing more than a piece of junk, Seok-won continued with his explanation.

"If you look closely, you'll see the ship's name faintly written on the bow: SS Meredith Victory."

"And what exactly is so special about that?"

At this point, the heroic actions of the SS Meredith Victory during the Hungnam Evacuation Operation, which was later dubbed "the Christmas Miracle," had not yet become widely known in Korea.

"It was only a brief topic of interest during the Korean War, and even in the United States, it was soon forgotten."

The reason the ship was sold as scrap metal to China, despite having been recognized for its bravery during the Hungnam Evacuation and even awarded the title of "Gallant Ship" by the U.S. Congress, lay in the lack of awareness about the ship's significance.

"If they didn't know what the SS Meredith Victory was, it makes sense that the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. couldn't stop the sale in time."

Even so, when considering that the role of diplomats is to closely monitor events in the host country and report them back to their home nation, it couldn't be said that they have done their job properly.

Seok-won quickly pushed the thought aside and continued speaking.

"During the Hungnam Evacuation, many Victory-class transports were deployed to evacuate U.S. troops and refugees, playing a significant role in getting them to safety."

"..."

"Among them, the SS Meredith Victory was especially remarkable. It took over 14,500 refugees—well beyond its capacity—and was the last to leave Hungnam Port, eventually earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for rescuing the most people."

Chairman Park, who had been wearing a tired expression, now sat up straighter, his eyes shining as he listened.

"The most amazing part was when the ship reached Geoje Island on Christmas Day and safely disembarked the refugees. During the voyage, five babies were born, increasing the number of lives saved."

"Huh."

Upon hearing the surprising story for the first time, Chairman Park couldn't help but exclaim.

"They say that President Truman, upon hearing this fact, called it the best Christmas gift of his life."

"I can imagine that," Seok-won replied.

Chairman Park, who had been indifferent just moments before, now looked at the printed photo of the SS Meredith Victory with newfound interest.

"Time passed, and it was sold off as scrap. I bought it just before it was to be dismantled."

"Is that true?"

Chairman Park's eyes widened in disbelief.

"It was a ship that held the pain and history of the Korean War. I couldn't just stand by and let it be scrapped," Seok-won explained.

"Hmm."

Chairman Park gave a small nod as he absorbed the information. Seok-won, with a subtle tone, continued.

"I plan to repair it briefly and bring it to Korea. What do you think about taking it as a gift to the president during the upcoming meeting?"

At that, Chairman Park's eyes sparkled with interest.

"You mean this ship?"

Seok-won smiled and continued.

"After the numerous unfortunate disasters and mounting political issues last year, the president's approval ratings have slipped. Bringing this ship, the one that showed a miracle during the Hungnam Evacuation, back to Korea could instantly capture the public's attention and boost his approval ratings."

Upon hearing that, Chairman Park slapped his palm on his knee.

"Just the kind of surprise that guy likes. This will surely be a gift that will win the president's favour."

"For the future as well, it's more effective and meaningful than giving a risky political donation," Seok-won replied.

"You're right. It's much better than being humiliated like we were during the Fifth Republic hearings, where we gave money and still ended up disgraced."

The trauma from the public embarrassment during the Fifth Republic hearings, where they had to expose all their secrets in front of the entire nation, still haunted the chaebol leaders.

In truth, Seok-won's suggestion wasn't just about avoiding past humiliation—it was also about steering clear of any involvement in the inevitable scandal surrounding President Kim Seong-gyu's son. However, Seok-won chose not to mention that part.

Chairman Park smiled brightly, his face lit up with admiration as he repeatedly praised Seok-won for his brilliant idea.

"I've been struggling with what to bring to the president, but this solves everything! How did you come up with this idea?"

Seok-won, with a humble demeanour, responded to the praise.

"I was just lucky. Initially, I planned to donate the SS Meredith Victory to the country, but when I heard about your upcoming meeting with the president, I thought this could be the perfect gift."

"That's the quick thinking and sense I'm talking about. Thanks to you, I can finally relax a bit."

Chairman Park smiled, clearly delighted by the solution.