Chapter 14
"......"
He looked like he couldn't believe it.
But it was real.
"If you win the contract, a rebellion breaks out inside Iran."
Then civil war erupts, and as a result, you won't even get paid the construction fee.
"As we sort this out, the company is already reeling badly, and if the Iran issue arises on top of that, it will be shaken even more."
And.
Daehan Construction, Saseong's rival, takes advantage of the opening and begins encroaching on Saseong's territory.
"Then... what direction would be right for us to take?"
"I wouldn't know that either."
I had only seen the future.
I couldn't see how the shaken Saseong would survive.
"What if I stepped down as chairman and handed it over to Yuna?"
"That doesn't seem like a very good decision either..."
I could see the future if Han Yuna inherited the chairman's seat at Saseong.
A young female chairwoman.
She didn't have an outstanding career like Chairman Han Junho, nor had she studied construction overseas like his son.
A successor interested only in hotel management becomes the chairman of a construction company.
That made the shareholders uneasy, and in the end Saseong Construction, which could be called Saseong's parent company, collapsed.
"So in the end, you're saying I have to hold on."
"Yes. That's the best option."
"Haa..."
At the news that there was no immediate solution, Chairman Han Junho let out a heavy sigh.
But isn't it good enough that we managed to avoid one landmine?
"Chairman."
I fiddled with the card.
"Something I learned while fortune-telling is that the future is not fixed."
The future can change however much it needs to.
All I can do is present a better future.
"In other words, there are always opportunities."
"...Hah. For such a young man, you really do speak well."
"Well, I have to speak well at least."
All I'm good at is talking.
Chairman Han Junho smiled faintly.
"Thanks to you, I have one less thing to worry about. So you're saying we should avoid taking the Iran contract."
"Yes."
"Hmm... then if we don't take it, will Daehan Construction win the bid?"
"I don't know about that."
We're not the only ones competing for that project.
Unless someone from the Iranian side comes here, I have no idea what the future of that project will be if Chairman Han Junho decides to give it up.
"I see. Haha. Well, this is something. I brought in a valued guest and did nothing but ask questions—I haven't even treated you properly."
When he pressed the bell, dishes were brought out a short while later.
They were similar to the ones served before.
The stir-fried pork and boiled pork were both demolished.
"You really do eat well."
"Haha. Thank you. The food here is delicious."
"Now that I think about it... you said you're an outside director at a trading company called Sejin Trade, didn't you?"
"Yes."
"If you'd like, I could find you a position at Saseong."
"An outside director?"
"That's right. A sort of advisor."
All you'd have to do is offer advice at Chairman Han Junho's side.
You wouldn't need to come in regularly; it's the kind of position where you just answer the occasional phone call.
"I'm thinking of a salary around this much."
"Oh... that's more than Mr. Hong's company pays."
The performance bonus is pretty good too.
"At Sejin, I signed a contract on the condition that they wouldn't interfere with my movements."
"Your movements, you say..."
"I don't want to live tied down."
"I'd rather not sign a contract that says I can only see fortunes for people Chairman Han Junho designates."
"Honestly, broadcasting is pretty fun too."
"If I see a future that saves someone's life, I'll choose that."
"Hmm."
Was he not satisfied with my answer?
After thinking it over, he nodded.
"Very well."
"All right. Let's make the contract."
"Thank you, Advisor Kang."
"Not at all. If anything, you've been taking good care of me."
"Thanks to you, I was able to protect the company, so this much is only natural. More importantly..."
His gaze landed on Han Yuna.
"What exactly is your relationship with our Yuna?"
"Just a broker?"
"Is that all?"
"Then what more could you want?"
We haven't even met all that often.
"I'm thinking of sending my requests through Yuna from now on... Meet the people I introduce to you together with Yuna."
I looked at Han Yuna.
The beauty with the impassive face was silently chewing on some seasoned greens.
"Aren't you busy, Ms. Han Yuna?"
"Yes. It's about time I finished my heir training. I also submitted my resignation to the hotel."
She's starting hotel management in earnest.
She'll go to one of Saseong's five-star hotels and begin acting as the boss in earnest.
"My experience up to now will be recognized as well."
"I see. Congratulations."
"It's all thanks to Advisor Kang."
"If I hadn't told her, she would have lost her place as heir."
"You'll be busy managing a hotel and studying construction at the same time."
"Yes. In the meantime, the construction side... will probably be handled by my uncle."
A professional manager, along with someone who had worked with Chairman Han Junho from the very beginning.
She was planning to call back someone who had retired and was living a leisurely life, and have him take charge of Saseong Construction.
"My father is still healthy too... so for the time being, that's probably how it has to be."
"Will you be able to handle it when you're that busy?"
Han Yuna's eyes curved gently.
"Of course."
.
.
.
The meal was over.
Chairman Han Junho got into his car, pleasantly drunk.
"I'll take you home."
"Shouldn't you be going with the chairman?"
"The secretary will take good care of him."
At a slight nod, the middle-aged man who was the secretary got into the car.
The car with Chairman Han Junho inside drove off into the distance.
She watched it go, then got into her car.
"Get in."
"Yep."
We rode a sports car back home.
I don't know about the cool factor when getting out, but riding in it is ridiculously uncomfortable.
I haven't even been sitting that long and my back already hurts.
"Advisor Kang."
"Just call me Kang Noa."
"Yes, Noa."
She got out of the car.
Aren't you going?
"Would you like to have a drink?"
"Out of the blue?"
"I didn't drink so I could drive you home, Noa."
"Hmm..."
Sure. Well, what's a drink or two?
So I went into the neighborhood pub with her.
We ordered two beers and a plate of fried chicken, and were staring blankly at the TV.
"Noa."
"Yes?"
"By any chance... are you interested in dating or marriage?"
"I'm... interested, I guess?"
"How about me?"
Looking at her impassive face, I saw Han Yuna's future.
There was no man in her future.
"You don't have any thoughts of getting married, do you?"
"...As expected, I can't fool you, Noa."
She nodded with a bitter smile.
Her past and future.
As far as I knew, there wasn't a man living happily with her there.
"Yes. Ever since I was young... I never understood the feeling called love. Honestly, I'm rather pretty. My family is good too. So I received a lot of confessions."
But none of them stirred her heart.
No matter how handsome they were.
No matter how kind they were.
She would only think of them as just another person.
"I'm not particularly asking you to love me. If you want, you can even make me your mistress."
"Then why are you making me such an offer?"
"I simply want to deepen my relationship with you, Noa."
My ability to see the past and future.
For running a huge organization called a company, it was something essential.
Of course, I'd made a contract with Saseong, but it seemed she couldn't feel at ease with that alone.
"All I want is one thing: to create an outstanding company."
She was serious.
Not a single lie in her words.
And that was why it was a pity.
"Do you like running a company that much?"
"Because there's nothing else in particular for me to do."
"Have you ever really had fun?"
"......"
Han Yuna stared at me blankly.
Then she lowered her head slightly.
"...Embarrassingly, no."
The gifted Han Yuna had always done nothing but study and work hard.
For her, playing was a luxury—something beyond even that.
"Why not go hang out with a friend once in a while? You've already handed in your resignation to the hotel you worked at, so you should have time, right? A string pulled too taut is bound to snap eventually."
"...Embarrassingly, I don't have any friends."
"Oops!"
Even though I'd seen her past, I still slipped up.
"Then would you like to play with me?"
"With you, Noa?"
"Yes. That said, I can't promise I'll be terribly entertaining."
"Hmm..."
A faint smile appeared on her lips as she fiddled with her beer glass.
"Please do."
***
It was the first time I got a perfect score at school.
Back then, my father smiled.
"If it's my daughter, this is only natural."
It must have been from then on.
The reason Han Yuna turned her back on everything and focused only on studying was
the more she studied,
and the better her results, the more her father liked it.
Was that all?
Other adults also liked Han Yuna when she studied well and did well on tests.
She liked that.
Because she thought it was the only way to be recognized.
Fitting in with her peers was difficult.
Adults would recognize and like her if she just studied well and listened.
But the students in her class were different.
Her peers were different.
To them, studying was just a side matter.
Being recognized by them with that alone, living alongside them, was far too difficult.
From the start, she didn't even know what to talk about.
She gathered her courage and tried to share a funny joke she'd heard from adults, but all she got were looks that seemed to say, Why are you talking about this?
At least her pretty face drew the attention of a few boys.
But even that didn't last long.
Even the boys drifted away, unable to understand her.
So she was alone.
She was always alone as a child.
When he saw this, her father, Han Junho, said the kids were just young and didn't know any better.
He said it was because they were lazy brats who didn't study properly, and sent her to a good school.
The kids here were different.
Because they, like her, always studied.
Even so...
It was still hard to understand them.
That was Han Yuna's school life.
Studying.
Only achieving results felt good.
Of course, adults liked it whenever that happened, but her peers did not.
Unlike adults, to her peers Han Yuna was nothing more than a formidable competitor.
It was especially true in the middle and high schools she attended.
Because they were good schools, places where grades mattered.
So she remained isolated throughout her school years.
No one understood her.
And she understood no one either.
And so...
She grew up.
****
Han Yuna's past couldn't even be called pleasant.
She had no friends.
No one to spend time with.
It was like that during her school days, but even more so after she became an adult.
When she was a student, she was just an admirable child, but after becoming an adult, she became a competitor.
Even the adults who praised her began to keep her in check.
In the end, people in society also grew wary of her, since she was someone who produced results.
So she ended up alone.
In that case...
"What's the big deal? We can just go have fun together."
Because having fun is the best.
So I took her with me.
"...Where are we?"
Smiling, I said to her,
"It's a trampoline park. I used to have a blast on these when I was little."
"I'm an adult."
"Adults can have fun too."
"I'm serious, it's really fun."