That Dog, Young Jae - 3. Chapter 3

So in war,

The way is to avoid what is strong and

To strike at what is weak.
- Sun Tzu

3

“You have to stop being so irresponsible, Min.” His father threw the morning papers at him on the breakfast table and he stared at the front-page pictures. A picture of him and Shin with the caption, ‘Assemblyman’s son too drunk to walk’, graced the front page. “I can’t believe you haven’t outgrown this.”

He’d learned at an early age never to respond to his father when he was angry. Judging from the glaring eyes and the fact that the man was on his second plate of eggs, he was beyond angry.

“You’re just like your mother. I knew it was going to show up sometime, but this is too much. Why would you do this at such a critical time?”

“It is always a critical time.” Min murmured sipping his fourth cup of coffee. He couldn’t even look at food right now. He was running on two hours of sleep. Young Jae had taken a sick kind pleasure in waking him up the moment his father had arrived at the house. Now they both sat at the dining table watching his father eat.

Glancing at Young Jae, he shook his head when he found the other man typing furiously into his laptop. His concentration barely disturbed by his father’s ranting.

“You’re the heir apparent of Hanje group. Being president of Hanje group is not easy, Min. Your reputation is important to the stability of the group. We can’t have you running around drunk.”

“It was one night.” Min pointed out tired of being the victim here. “Shin is my best friend, has been forever. You know that. I was perfectly capable of making decisions.”

“The point is that it’s on the front page. I don’t care if it’s Shin, Jihu, or Kaori. If you’re on the front page being accused of doing something suspicious, it’s a problem.”

His father stabbed at eggs and took a big bite. He looked away from the sight, his stomach protesting the thought of food. There was no winning this fight. He didn’t have the will power to do it.

“What do you want me to do to fix it?” Min asked staring into his coffee. He hoped that it was some mind-involving thing that would require him to keep working for a year and a half without stopping. Sipping the dark liquid in his cup, he wished his father could send him away to one of their subsidiaries in some small country somewhere.

“I’m going to have you vetted.” Jun Kang Ji declared with a flourish, his fork suspended midair as he nodded. “I’ve had enough of the questions I keep getting from the board. Your uncle is trying to have you found incompetent because he wants me to have his son take over as C.E.O. I won’t have it.”

“Vetted?” Fear was a small emotion compared to what gripped him. He wished for fear instead of the ice block settling in his body right now. It was too soon. It wasn’t time yet. “Father, you’re the head of Hanje. I don’t want to take over.”

“You’re my son, and I have to make arrangements.” Kang pointed to the papers and narrowed his gaze at him. “You’re becoming easy prey for that brother of mine. These reports are going to tarnish your eligibility, and once you take over, no one will take you seriously. We need to make you strong.”

“You promised you wouldn’t do this when you decided to run for office.” Min reminded his father. They’d had this argument before. “You promised me, father.

“It’s time for new blood at Hanje Group.” Kang turned to Young Jae and smiled. “Young Jae, this son of mine needs to be well versed on every business under the Hanje umbrella. All sixty-five of them, you have two months.”

“Father,” Min gasped. His father was losing his mind. Running through the multitude of companies in his head, Min could feel his stress levels already rising. “Is there something else happening besides a gritty black and white photo on the newspaper?”

“Do as I say, Min. Don’t give Young Jae a hard time. Work hard, you will begin first thing on Monday. You’ll attend all meetings regarding the group in my stead. I think you should start with the resorts in Jeju Island.”

Glancing at Young Jae, he found the man watching him with a curious expression. It bordered on elation, probably gloating. Those dark chocolate eyes were challenging him. Young Jae thought he couldn’t do it.

“I’ll leave this afternoon.” Standing up, he left his cup of coffee sitting on the table.

“This is for the good of the company.” His father called after him.

No, it was for the good of the Jun family reputation, Min mouthed as he headed up the stairs of the stately mansion to his rooms.

********

“Aren’t your friends coming to say goodbye to you?” Young Jae asked when they were at the airport that afternoon. “Shin is always so eager.”

“They are getting ready to leave Seoul. You know that, Young Jae. Don’t pretend you don’t.”

Min glared at Young Jae, adjusted the dark shades resting on his nose, and looked around the quiet lounge. His headache still lingered, his eyes were gritty with sleep. The moment they landed in Jeju, he’d head straight for his hotel room and pass out until tomorrow.

“There is no need to be nervous.” Young Jae came to stand beside him. “You’ll be fine as long as you do what I tell you.”

“I don’t need advice from you. How do I know you didn’t send those photographs to the papers? The security team knows where Shin lives. They are the only ones who knew where I might have been. You appeared at the house right after we arrived.”

“Are you accusing me of such an underhanded thing?”

“I don’t trust you the way my father does.” Min ignored the indignant tone and the glare Young Jae gave him. “You’re probably working for my uncle.”

Young Jae gaped at him. He cursed under his breath and stared out the windows. “Think what you want, Min. But we both have something to lose here.”

“What is that?” Min nodded to the empty lounge. “If you mean this position my father has forced on me, I could care less. I might even be grateful if I lost it.”

“I’ll remind you of that statement.” Young Jae warned. He stalked out of the lounge without finishing what he’d been about to say. Min could only stare after him puzzled by the statement. With his right hand, he rubbed at his left temple and wished for sleep.

*************

Two weeks passed. Two weeks filled with meetings, inspections, introductions, and decision-making. Min felt drained. He’d met so many people, each an important piece in Hanje Group. The complexities of the business were starting to catch up to him. The driver took a speed bump too fast, jerking him to the present. He grabbed at the documents on his lap to keep them from falling.

Young Jae sat beside him in the back of the black town car talking about their recent project. Young Jae had worked on the merger between Hanje Hospitality and Kai Hotels for months. Mr. Sung, the owner and director of Kai Hotel, had called Young Jae two days ago and insisted on meeting the head of Hanje Group.

“Be firm, but not overly confident. Define the terms of the merger and guarantee the current staff’s positions. This was an important part of the merger agreement talks. The director was adamant about it.”

Young Jae passed him a black leather folder. Min opened it and studied the details of the merger. He paused when he got to the financial statements a frown dancing on his forehead.

“Mr. Sung wants to remain in his position.” Min noted. “Is that wise?”

“He’s been with Kai Hotel for a long time. He worked his way up to that position and knows everything about the business.”

“You’ve also agreed to keep the entire staff. The numbers don’t support the expense. We have to have a decrease.”

“This is not the city, Min. There are issues to consider in an area like this. The local population relies on Kai hotel economically. We promised Mr. Sung that we’d keep them all. Don’t walk into that office and renege.”

Min closed the file and handed it to Young Jae. “This shouldn’t be a merger. Hanje Hospitality can purchase Kai. Mr. Sung is using our reputation to save his hotel.”

“Min,” Young Jae said his tone hard and prepping for an argument. He was starting to differentiate the man’s different tones. This one geared towards a ‘Min, obey without question’ argument. “I cleared this with your father weeks ago. Don’t mess it up.”

He hated it when Young Jae pulled that one on him. He clenched his jaw as the car turned onto the drive that led up to Kai Hotel’s main entrance. He placed the papers on his lap back into the briefcase between them and snapped it closed. “I’m not my father, Young Jae. I’ve studied the statements you handed me. Kai Hotel will be a very large liability if we merge. The board is approaching this from a managerial standpoint. I don’t think its right.”

“The board is vetting your performance on this deal. Fix it after you’re appointed head.” Young Jae argued as the car came to a stop.

Min fumed. Kai Hotel staff stood waiting at the entrance neatly dressed. An older man in a black suit stepped forward as the valet opened the car door.

“Min, I’m asking you-

He ignored Young Jae’s words and stepped out of the car. The older man greeted him as he closed the buttons on his suit jacket.

“Mr. Jun Min Ho. I’m Mr. Sung, director of Kai Hotels. Welcome.”

Min gave him a short bow of recognition and followed Mr. Sung into the hotel. He inspected the hotel décor discretely as they walked to the elevators. Hanje Hospitality adhered to strict codes. Those codes kept all their resorts and hotels at the five star marks. A critical glance told him Kai Hotel would only garner a three on its current code.

Young Jae caught up with them and he held out the folder again. “Mr. Jun, you forgot this in the car.”

Min took the folder to maintain the courtesy Young Jae was showing him. He walked into the elevator after Mr. Sung knowing he wasn’t going to be offering the deal in the folder.

*************

“What did you do?” Young Jae demanded the moment they left the hotel. Min sat quietly acting as though he hadn’t brought down the world with a few words. Damn it, the punk could get so irritating. “He was ready to sign.”

“Hanje wasn’t.” Min shrugged. “Look, I know this is your project. You’ve worked hard, which is great, but you’re wrong.”

“I’m not wrong. The board is expecting a positive outcome, Min. This is not a game.”

“I never said it was.” Min turned in his seat to look at him. Min’s dark eyes filled with a fire he hadn’t ever seen. His black hair fell onto his forehead wildly. Pushing it back with an elegant hand, Min narrowed his eyes. “Mr. Sung wants to level the field with Hanje, but the state of the hotel does not fit our code. Kai Hotels won’t hold up to the hospitality code we have at Hanje. They have done the best to make it seem the same, but I could see the signs.”

“So, you offered to turn Kai hotel into Hanje.”

“I offered Mr. Sung the chance to save his hotel, and allow Hanje to help his staff. The logistics shouldn’t matter to him as long as his staff remains intact, right?” Min looked away from him and stared straight ahead.

“What did you see that made you think this will work?” he asked curious. He’d been toying with the idea of turning the merger into an acquisition. It irked that Min had gone ahead and done it without hesitation. His capacity to analyze and execute was astounding.

“Hanje owns four resorts on the island. Kai’s revenue has been decreasing since we came here. This doesn’t make sense because of their strategic location. Their access to national monuments on the Island is better than Hanje’s. They should have the sales but they don’t. Our hospitality stamp will raise their value.”

“Mr. Sung figured if we merge, Kai hotel’s value will increase.”

“Our reputation would drive customers to Kai hotel; he’s getting all the advantage.” Min turned to smile at him. “He wasn’t very pleased when I pointed it out. Anyway, he has three days to make the decisions. Otherwise, we’ll withdraw our offer.”

“You’re not a light weight after all.” Young Jae praised.

Min turned to look at him with a skeptical glance. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors. They call you a lightweight because of how skinny you are. Personally, I think it’s the pretty face.”

“When does the bastard stop, with you?” Min demanded his eyes flashing angrily. “I’m tired of your comments. If you have a problem working with me, why don’t you just leave?”

Young Jae was glad for the glass partition in the limousine. His urges to shake Min to his senses were turning into the need to kiss him senseless. He had no idea why, but seeing that angry flush on Min’s face was so darned arousing. He closed the distance between them and captured Min’s chin with his right hand. He didn’t stop at Min’s protesting gasp. He kissed the younger man with all the fervor he could master. He plundered Min’s mouth greedily, exploring the burning hot cavern, driving both of them to a swift passion. He pulled back abruptly when Min started fighting him. He took in Min’s flushed cheeks and swollen lips with satisfaction.

“What was that for?” Min tried for an indignant tone, but he was shaky. The question came out in a whisper. He wiped a hand over his lips and glared.

“Isn’t that the way you thank Shin? I figured I could try it out.”

Min’s eyes sparked with anger, and he smiled. It was so darned easy to bait Min. He was starting to enjoy a bit too much. “I hate you.”

“Keep saying that, but we both know you just kissed me back. I wonder who is lying to whom?”

His cell phone rang and he answered the call his gaze lingering on Min. “Young Jae here.”

“Mr. Sung just caved to the demands laid down by Min. What the hell happened, Young Jae?” Min’s Uncle, Jun Yul demanded into his ear. “We needed that deal to go through to prove Min’s incompetence. The board is now ecstatic with his business sense. Are you helping him?”

“I had nothing to do with it.” His gaze dropped away from a scowling Min and he stared out the car window. “I think our association should end soon.”

“I own you, Young Jae. Don’t even think you can get away from me. I want that lightweight decommissioned. Keep me fully updated on his itinerary. There has to be another opening.”

The line went dead and he sighed as he returned his phone into his pocket. He slid a glance to a pouting Min. Min was the weakest link in his father’s company. For the first time in his career, Young Jae wished that Min were the stronger variable in this situation.

**********