Chapter 90

# 90 <The Insignificant Beginning>

In this house, it seemed that only Jang Gun-i didn’t take Son Kwang-yeon lightly.

Jang Gun-i, sprawled out, stroked his belly as Son Kwang-yeon looked down at his son.

“Dad really doesn’t get it. It’s unfair.”

Even if it wasn’t a genuinely unfair expression, one couldn’t help but believe it.

The intense reaction from the top of his head suggested so, and when he pieced together the stories his dad had told him, it was the same.

‘There’s nothing suspicious about him.’

Wouldn’t Jin Hyuk, as an adult, have issued various documents? He checked more meticulously than anyone and managed them carefully. Because of the names that existed only in print, he existed. How many times had he mumbled the words ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ while stroking those names all night?

Son Kwang-yeon continued his story calmly.

“Grandpa passed away when Dad was still in Grandma’s womb.”

“Yes······.”

Jin Hyuk nodded, as this was something he already knew from the documents.

He thought that since Son Kwang-yeon wasn’t a relative of a chaebol, it wasn’t about inheritance disputes.

“All I know is that he passed away on some hill during the armistice. Since it couldn’t be confirmed in the military records, the country didn’t recognize him as a war hero. There were so many student soldiers and unknown warriors back then. That’s why Grandma suffered a lot alone. She was only about twenty······.”

Even as he spoke, his hand stroking Jang Gun-i moved at a steady pace.

“Since it seemed like Grandma couldn’t raise Dad alone, it seems Uncle Park Un-cheol took care of him for a while. A merchant association? They gave rice as salary, so he worked there and met her. He said he’d teach her acting, and that caused a misunderstanding. The lady from that house came in, grabbed Grandma’s hair, scratched, and hit her-. Because of that incident, Grandma cut ties with them for Dad’s sake.”

Hoo-, Son Kwang-yeon let out a sigh.

He didn’t reveal the speculation that his mother, Son Mun-ye, might have been involved in an accident one night, possibly orchestrated by Park Un-cheol’s wife. It was just speculation, after all. The same went for the suspicion that they might have been tailing him.

Seeing the shining look in his son’s eyes, he could guess without needing to explain.

“When I was in college, the daughter from that house came to see me, saying she was my sister, and bought me a few meals. But no matter how I looked at her, she didn’t resemble me at all. Not one bit. I’m not a Park.”

Son Kwang-yeon shook his head, his eyes moist. The hand stroking Jang Gun-i’s belly was trembling slightly.

‘Wouldn’t a paternity test solve this? Ah, maybe they didn’t have that back then.’

Jin Hyuk temporarily turned away from his dad’s sadness. What’s important now is the present and the future.

Unfortunately, we can’t find out about our grandparents. There are no records or witnesses left.

Then we should focus on the present, but until we find out who’s behind this, we’re just wandering in the fog. That’s neither productive nor efficient.

Jin Hyuk stopped asking further.

It won’t take long for Moon Seok-il to return. He’s the one who declared himself the best without equal.

But we can’t just wait for Moon Seok-il to return.

Waiting around doesn’t suit my temperament, so I should do what I can.

“Dad, want to play Go?”

Son Kwang-yeon’s expression brightened instantly.

My child is trying to comfort his sad dad!

‘I should start a constructive conversation, but it’s a bit awkward to do while catching fleas.’

Jin Hyuk’s thoughts seemed different, though.

***

After setting the mood, Jin Hyuk held back his words for a while.

There were several reasons for this: first, he had seen his dad flinch too often because of his straightforward way of speaking; second, he was worried that his mom might tremble with anxiety.

Third, he needed time to organize his thoughts on how to bring up the topic.

‘We can’t live keeping secrets from each other anymore. Everyone needs to know. To persuade, we need evidence.’

For that, Moon Seok-il was necessary. The decisive evidence he would bring was crucial.

There shouldn’t be any issues until he finishes his treatment and contacts us. The person who entrusted the request would also be waiting for Moon Seok-il’s contact. Instructions were also given to Moon Seok-il on how to act. It’s important that they return unharmed.

Thud-.

A white Go stone grabbed the neck of Son Kwang-yeon’s large group.

The group Son Kwang-yeon was trying to save was now in a desperate situation.

“Uh-? I thought the large group was immortal? Hey-, what do we do now?”

Son Kwang-yeon, with a tired face from unresolved resentment, grabbed the back of his neck.

Thinking his son wanted to play Go after a long time, he thought he’d go easy, but this kid has buried the Three Bonds and Five Relationships in the mud. He’s ruthlessly attacking an elder who deserves respect.

“No matter how large the group is, it can’t stop a long-prepared war, right?”

Jin Hyuk spoke as indirectly as possible so his dad wouldn’t feel intimidated and his mom wouldn’t understand.

Son Kwang-yeon laughed strangely at his son’s awkward imitation. I wish he wouldn’t do that. My wife sometimes imitates too, but when someone other than Yoo Jin does it, it feels uncomfortable.

“They say to prepare for war secretly for a long time and prepare overwhelming force. And once the war starts, end it quickly.”

“That’s right······.”

Son Kwang-yeon nodded half-heartedly.

I don’t know what that has to do with anything now. This kid is definitely my son, but he talks like an old man. The more I see him, the more amazing he is.

“They also say that no matter how peaceful the world is, forgetting about war will always make it precarious.”

“That’s true too. That’s why we need to expand our military, right? For that, economic power must back it up.”

“Visible enemies are actually less dangerous.”

“Right. That’s why we need to prepare for invisible enemies.”

Son Kwang-yeon, who had been staring at the Go board, finally looked up at his son.

“Jin Hyuk, do you have something to tell Dad? Why are you beating around the bush?”

“You said directness is scary.”

No, this kid equates speaking softly with speaking in riddles. Maybe he takes after his mom? Han Yu-young also rarely speaks directly when she wants something, usually just poking at the side.

Is it because he grew up in the countryside?

Hot air blew out of Son Kwang-yeon’s widened nostrils.

“Jin Hyuk, is this because of what happened during Chuseok? If it’s that-.”

Son Kwang-yeon glanced at his wife.

She seemed not to be listening, busy drawing with Yoo Jin and colored pencils.

“There are many uncles around, so it should be fine.”

“No, it’s not about that.”

Son Kwang-yeon’s eyes narrowed horizontally.

The gazes of the two men clashed in mid-air.

Jin Hyuk’s voice was low, and his tone was calm.

“If you crouch down, you can’t protect anything. Not the land, not the family.”

Finally understanding what he meant, Son Kwang-yeon wiped his forehead.

He quietly let out a sigh that had inevitably risen.

‘The plan to live quietly farming for a lifetime is over.’

They say the shortest distance between people is laughter.

Son Kwang-yeon knows that best.

He deliberately forgets about dignity and acts foolishly, dances the butt dance in front of his wife, and laughs like a fool even when Yoo Jin pulls his hair. He likes seeing his family laugh, and the sound of laughter makes him happy.

······ Even if he were to disappear in the future, he hopes his family won’t grieve but laugh at the memories.

Son Kwang-yeon, looking down at the trembling large group surrounded, opened his mouth.

A low voice complemented his dark expression.

“How should we prepare for war?”

He had to admit it. He had been complacent, and now he had to approach reality differently.

“We need to use the system and leverage connections.”

“The system······. Right, once you leave the Go board, you’re no longer qualified to be a Go stone.”

Son Kwang-yeon clenched his jaw. At this moment, his son, as tall as him, was no longer a teenage boy. He wasn’t a fool either.

Jin Hyuk nodded. The invisible enemy is throwing stones outside the Go board. Even if the opponent plays dirty, there’s no need to play dirty too. Like the person who smiles while being cursed at by ruffians becomes the winner, he plans to win by following the rules. Responding in the same way is no different from a dogfight rolling in the mud.

“People are important too. Even in the Three Kingdoms, before raising an army, they first sought heroes they had built friendships with.”

“Connections are a bit tricky. I’ve never donated to politicians.”

“There’s the most famous person in South Korea.”

Ah, Ki-jun was there.

I always teased him for being dumb, so I forgot how successful he is.

But relying solely on connections without his own power is no different from being a parasite. Knowing that, his son must be urging him to raise an army.

One corner of Son Kwang-yeon’s mouth quietly rose as he looked at Jin Hyuk.

Was this how Sun Jian felt looking at Sun Ce? Son Kwang-yeon thought the time had come. His grown son was firmly supporting him, so he could worry less about the family.

“How should we utilize the system?”

“Even in a rule-of-law, democratic country, the most powerful thing in a capitalist society is money. You buy people with that money.”

There’s no more certain and honorable way to build power than earning money within the bounds of the law.

Son Kwang-yeon realized his son’s thoughts weren’t different from his own.

But this kid definitely takes after his mom. Son Kwang-yeon struggled to memorize English sentence structures like S+V+C at fourteen, but the level of thought is different.

“War is bad, but can’t we solve it through dialogue?”

He asked, even though he knew the answer.

The peace was too precious to give up, so he couldn’t help but feel reluctant.

“Dialogue is the pastime of the powerful. The weak are desperate, the strong indifferent. Dialogue without a balance of power can’t be truthful, and promises can’t last. The words of a general and a soldier, a boss and an employee, can’t carry the same weight. There’s nothing more foolish than trying to dialogue with an enemy engaging in anti-state and anti-social provocations.”

Oops, I ended up speaking directly again.

But Son Kwang-yeon just slowly nodded, not intimidated.

“Hmm. Then do we need to move?”

Son Kwang-yeon’s eyes were filled with regret.

After living here for 15 years, he had grown attached to this rural village. The food from the mountains, fields, and sea is hard to find in the city. The thought of selling the land he had worked so hard to build was sad.

Jin Hyuk shook his head.

“Transportation will improve, and communication will develop rapidly, so location-based importance isn’t as crucial as before. We don’t need to do everything ourselves. We should leave it to the experts. With just a phone or fax, real-time communication is possible now.”

It’s a pity the internet isn’t widespread yet, but with Hong Ki-jun around, high-speed internet might spread faster than in the previous life. The flow of history will naturally speed up. Jin Hyuk decided to ride that wave.

He didn’t talk about how the world would change. It wasn’t necessary, and he was confident that someone like his dad could predict the world as well as he did.

‘The countryside, with fewer eyes, is good for my activities.’

If necessary, I can cut off the intruder’s breath to defend.

Even if I avoid dogfights, I need to prepare for them, and the end of a dogfight is just biting the neck.

Son Kwang-yeon, still staring at the Go board, nodded.

There was no need to ask what his son meant.

“Let’s see. Then what should we do? To gain strength, it’s important to utilize the characteristics of the foundation I’ve rooted. That’s trust and an intangible contract with the world. It will act as persuasion in business.”

“Hasn’t an industrial complex been proposed?”

It wasn’t a question. It was a suggestion to make it happen.

A small complex will be established within a few years anyway, so why not push it forward a few years? Expand the scale of the complex significantly. Soon, we’ll establish diplomatic relations with China, and trade will increase, starting with agricultural products. We can utilize the geographical advantage of being the shortest distance, as many Chinese Sungs already reside in the town.

‘Well, China is just a temporary use.’

Even if we trade, knowing what kind of people they are, it’s best to use them moderately and cut ties before they stab us in the back. In his previous life, Jin Hyuk was recognized for his ability to quickly withdraw from Chinese and Japanese subsidiaries, minimizing losses.

Ho-, Son Kwang-yeon’s mouth formed a circle.

“That’s a good start. I should meet with Representative Song tomorrow. He’s been eager to meet me anyway. It’s going to get busy.”

“What item will you focus on?”

“There are many. Frankly, we could even sell earthworms. Everything that comes from the land can be sold. They say the day will come when we have to buy water, so crops will be even more valuable. The farming population is decreasing, and everyone will buy everything. They call it urbanization in textbooks now, right?”

So you’re planning to focus on agricultural processing?

Jin Hyuk thought it was an appropriate choice and nodded. Whether the money becomes military funds or kingdom-building expenses, it’s important to start something and expand influence.

“It will be lacking.”

“If the process is solid, the end will inevitably be grand.”

“It will take a long time.”

“It won’t be boring.”

“It’s different from farming.”

“Only the tools and theories applied are different.”

“It will be very hard.”

“What in the world is easy?”

“Not everyone can do it.”

“There’s nothing people can’t do.”

Naturally, the busiest person would undoubtedly be Son Kwang-yeon.

Yet, looking at the Go board and conversing with his son, the corner of Son Kwang-yeon’s mouth showed no sign of dropping.