I’d Rather Live as a Villain - Chapter 70



70 Existence Itself is Political

The fifth floor, prepared for the anniversary celebration, was different right from the entrance of the event hall.

More people were lined up to enter the event hall than at the convention center where the shareholders’ meeting had been held.

There were two entrances to the event hall, and several event coordinators were directly pinning boutonnieres on the chests of Daeyoung’s executives trying to enter.

The reason for such a long line just to enter the event hall seemed to be because of these boutonnieres.

“There’s President Kang Moon-jung.”

“And she’s with Executive Director Yoon Tae-sik.”

Glances were thrown our way from all around, and some even came up close to greet us.

“Please, go ahead.”

“No, after you.”

The name tag hanging around the neck made it possible to immediately identify the affiliation, name, and position.

An executive with the title of ＜Director of Technical Coordination＞ from the electronics division’s DX sector stood in line right in front of my wife and me, and for some reason, he offered to let us go ahead to receive our boutonnieres first.

However, my wife politely declined his consideration and looked around.

Deputy Director Noh Gyu-hyung.

Soon, Deputy Director Noh Gyu-hyung, carrying two boutonnieres we had prepared earlier, approached the line where my wife and I were standing.

While my wife and I were pinning the boutonnieres on our chests, Deputy Director Noh exchanged a few words with the event staff guarding the entrance, and then immediately ushered us into the venue.

The moment I stepped into the venue, I felt a strange conviction wrapping around my body.

“……”

A strange conviction.

It was an event attended by executives from all subsidiaries of Daeyoung Group.

Of course, there were those who couldn’t attend due to unavoidable work commitments or other circumstances, but officially, all executives from all subsidiaries were invited.

How many executives must have been present.

Beyond the number of tables, the sheer number of attendees filled the venue to the brim, making it impossible to even guess their number.

But the moment my wife entered the venue.

Swoosh…

A hush fell over the bustling venue as the crowd, busy exchanging greetings, suddenly turned silent.

This focus was solely due to the presence of my wife, Kang Moon-jung.

Although Deputy Director Noh and I entered side by side with her, this focus couldn’t possibly have been created because of my presence.

As we walked towards the table at the very front and center of the venue, guided by Deputy Director Noh…

It felt like walking through the parting Red Sea.

Everyone along the path to the owner’s table stepped back one or two steps, making way for my wife and me.

No one dared to approach or acknowledge us, and even those who were initially greeting Vice President Kang Young-jin at that table hurriedly moved away.

In such a large venue, could it physically take more than a minute to walk from end to end?

Yet, during that walk, I felt as if it took more than ten minutes.

No one interrupted or greeted us until we reached our destination.

But I saw it.

Like individual frames of film.

The various reactions and expressions of Daeyoung’s executives at the sight of my wife and me.

It felt like I could clearly capture all these moments during that short walk with my wife.

That’s why I think I felt a strange conviction.

My wife, Kang Moon-jung, was already a political entity within the Daeyoung Group.

At the table, Daeyoung Planning’s President Kim Dae-yoon, along with Electric’s President Hong Jeong-rye and Chemical’s President Nam Geun-woo, were in conversation with Vice President Kang Young-jin.

“Have you arrived?”

More than anything, I found Vice President Kang Young-jin’s feigned nonchalance in front of the presidents of Planning, Electric, and Chemical amusing.

Was it like someone pretending to be the owner of a house, bringing guests over, only to scramble to fix the situation when the real owner arrives?

Indeed, my intuition was spot on.

When my wife proposed a contract marriage to me, I had concerns about my role, but strangely, I felt confident about her succession.

It’s not because I’m on my wife’s side, but objectively, Kang Moon-jung and Kang Young-jin seemed to be people of entirely different temperaments and presences.

Wouldn’t it be nonsensical if these smart people, all from prestigious domestic and international universities and having climbed to executive positions at Daeyoung, couldn’t feel what I felt?

“Have you arrived, President?”

President Hong Jeong-rye of Electric.

However, my wife did not acknowledge his greeting.

With an icy expression, she simply stared at the faltering President Hong.

The atmosphere was on the verge of cracking like thin ice.

Even I wanted to speak up, so palpable was the tension in the air.

But my wife remained composed.

To her, this level of tension and temperature was nothing but a joke.

Instead, she met each of the uncomfortable and awkward people’s eyes with a calm that was almost cruel.

It was as if she was scolding them with her gaze, questioning how presidents of a conglomerate could show such reckless behavior to other executives at such an important group event.

Especially her gaze lingered the longest on President Kim Dae-yoon of Planning.

I thought to myself,

Wow, I share a bed and live with this woman every day?

“Then, we shall return to our seats.”

I was certainly tense at that moment.

I was so preoccupied with watching my wife that I couldn’t even identify who had spoken, despite being there.

After the presidents of Planning, Electric, and Chemical returned to their seats, Vice President Kang Young-jin chuckled and spoke to my wife.

“Weren’t you a bit too stiff with people who were just trying to greet you warmly on such a fine day? It made me feel quite embarrassed.”

To that, my wife sat down on the chair I had pulled back for her, placed her evening bag on the table, and replied,

“They should feel embarrassed. It’s not normal to invite people and exchange greetings at a seat with the chairman’s name card, especially when the chairman himself hasn’t arrived yet.”

I judged this moment to be when my wife officially entered the race for succession, which had been quietly underway behind the scenes.

The promotion of Vice President Kang Young-jin to Executive Vice President is almost certain.

From the standpoint of a wife who is either supportive or not, there’s no way to continue as if diluting water with water, or liquor with liquor, given the movements at the group’s headquarters and the electronics division.

I, too, believe now is the most appropriate timing to raise the stakes.

* * *

Soon, the company announcer’s broadcast signaled the start of the event.

Inside the venue, all lights were turned off, and the large screen at the front lit up.

What do they call that?

Sand art?

Using light to create and erase images with sand, hands crafting a story…

Such a sand performance depicted and erased over 70 years of Daeyoung’s history on the large screen, repeating for several minutes.

In this country, South Korea, where there was nothing, Daeyoung Industries, the precursor to today’s Daeyoung Corporation, was established, starting with the fertilizer business in chemicals and the launch and growth of other affiliates, capturing the attention of all the executives present.

And shortly after…

“Chairman Kang Man-ho and former Chairman Kang Ki-young will now enter. Please rise from your seats.”

Before the announcer’s request, all the executives had already risen at the mere introduction of my father-in-law and grandfather.

The wheelchair in which my grandfather sat was being pushed by none other than Kang Cheol-jin, owner of the Daeyoung Monsters.

It seemed an odd picture, but with the succession still undecided, it appeared fitting that Kang Cheol-jin, the eldest grandson living the group life, should be attending to my grandfather.

Before coming to our seats where my wife and I, along with Vice President Kang Young-jin, were seated, my father-in-law and grandfather first ascended the stage.

After neatly concluding the anniversary speech, Chairman Kang Cheol-jin joined us back at our seats.

“Next, we will have the anniversary address by President Min Byung-jin of Daeyoung Corporation.”

President Min ascended the stage, first bowing deeply towards our table to greet my grandfather and father-in-law, then offering the same respect to all the former Daeyoung executives present before standing behind the podium.

Watching President Min Byung-jin, I was reminded of what my great-aunt had said.

“A joker that can be attached anywhere and bring about the best results no matter how it’s used.”

Joker.

My great-aunt had described President Min Byung-jin as the ultimate joker from the perspective of my wife and me.

After President Min’s address, all the subsidiary presidents stepped forward to join my father-in-law, the chairman, in a tree-watering ceremony, marking the main event.

The main event lasted just over an hour.

From the majestic drumming performance to the fresh harmony created by the children’s choir, it was a smoothly run event that showed how much care the group’s headquarters had put into this year’s anniversary celebration, engaging even someone like me who doesn’t particularly enjoy such performances.

And that was when the main event had come to an end.

“Let’s get up first.”

Having watched the entire main event from his wheelchair instead of a chair, my grandfather suggested we rise first, indicating that this year’s anniversary celebration had been sufficiently successful.

Upon this, the team owner Kang Cheol-jin quickly rose from his seat, taking hold of grandfather’s wheelchair handle, and the father-in-law also stood up alongside him.

“We will get up a little later, after we finish greeting the others,” said my wife.

Grandfather, who had not greeted anyone until now, nodded his head with a meaningful smile, as if to say, “Why are you greeting them only after the event is over?”

“Do as you please. I’m going home anyway.”

Vice President Kang Young-jin also stood next to team owner Kang Cheol-jin, along with grandfather and the father-in-law, and they all left the event hall together.

And that’s when the real story began.

After the spiritual absolute of Daeyoung, the grandfather, and the current chairman, the father-in-law, had left the hall, almost all the executives began to line up towards the two exits, just as they had when they first entered the event hall.

Even as a large crowd was exiting the hall all at once, some people at a few tables did not budge, either waiting for the hall to clear a bit more before leaving or, like us, waiting for this very moment.

20 minutes.

It took a full 20 minutes for the many people inside the hall to all leave and for some order to be restored.

During those 20 minutes, my wife and I only looked at our phones, without exchanging much conversation.

Then, when the event staff seemed to have finished tidying up to some extent, they went up on stage and began to clean up the hall.

From here and there, people who had not yet left and were still at their tables began to rise almost simultaneously and started approaching us.

“I couldn’t greet you earlier because it was so hectic.”

“Me neither.”

My wife also put on a smile and politely greeted the people who had approached our table.

“Are you alright, President?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I thought about contacting you when I heard the news, but I deliberately didn’t.”

“Thank you. I’ve already taken your thoughts to heart.”

Go Eun-hee, the CEO of Daeyoung Fire & Marine Insurance.

The only female CEO among all the subsidiaries of Daeyoung, excluding my wife.

And following her, a line of my wife’s staunch allies began to come forward and greet us.

“If everyone’s alright, shall we move to the Daeyoung Hotel and have a meal together?”

To this, everyone who had stayed until the end looked at each other as if they had been waiting for those words and nodded in agreement.