My Girlfriend’s Fortune: 3,141,592,653,589

Chapter 13 - Oh, My Fate

Chapter 13: Oh, My Fate

“As long as you keep to the shooting schedule, there shouldn’t be any major issues. I was planning to focus solely on acting for the time being anyway.”

– Thank you so much for understanding! I will make sure to adjust Actor Kang Woo-ju’s schedule, even if it means I have to go to the filming site myself!

“Yes, then I’ll hang up now.”

– Ah, um, that…!

Click-

It seemed like the other person had more to say, but I mercilessly hung up the phone without pretending to hear.

Even as I hung up the phone, I was tormented by doubts about whether this was really the right thing to do, but seeing Kim Eun-ha’s smile in front of me reassured me.

‘…The ways of the world are indeed mysterious.’

Originally, Author Jung Ha-rin would have been the overwhelming superior. The idea of hanging up first on her was unthinkable.

The current situation couldn’t simply be explained by having Kim Eun-ha’s support.

In the end, I had to consider that my act as a chaebol was really working. And that feeling was quite peculiar.

“Why does this work?”

“People tend to believe what they want to believe. In order to prove their beliefs are correct, they only accept information that aligns with their own convictions.”

“Is it confirmation bias?”

“Exactly. And when you add the primacy effect (the phenomenon where information encountered first has a stronger impact on memory than information encountered later), it all comes together.”

Sitting on the sofa, Kim Eun-ha shrugged as if it was obvious. She took a sip of her coffee and then continued.

“That’s why they say first impressions are so important in deals. It’s the same reason luxury stores line the first floor of department stores.”

“I learned about it briefly in psychology class… But experiencing it in reality feels somewhat bitter.”

“Does it make you feel a bit misanthropic? People claim to be different from animals, but in the end, we’re all governed by instincts.”

“Even you, Eun-ha?”

“Of course. However, I believe the possibility of humans lies in our ability to control those instinctive urges to some extent through training. Just like how you’re drinking that coffee now.”

“Hm?”

I was about to drink the coffee Kim Eun-ha had made for me when I suddenly hesitated. She quietly swallowed her laughter as she watched me.

“Hehe. Initially, you made all kinds of faces and forced yourself to drink coffee, but now you’ve gotten quite good at it, haven’t you?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

When I first tasted the coffee made by Kim Eun-ha, it felt as though my blood had turned into caffeine due to its bitterness.

But as an employee, I couldn’t just leave the coffee made by my employer, so I managed to finish it somehow.

‘To be honest, it’s still not that tasty.’

Certainly, it was more bearable than before. I could somewhat detect the flavor of the high-quality beans that I hadn’t noticed at all previously.

“That’s the amazing thing about humans. If it were another animal, it would never touch coffee again after tasting its bitterness.”

“You’re looking at me as if I’ve done something remarkable.”

“Pretty much.”

“Like my mom would.”

“Hey.”

Chuckle-

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Kim Eun-ha’s stern look. Definitely, the psychological distance between us has significantly decreased since our last date.

She looked at me disapprovingly, her gaze still fierce but somehow less harmful than before.

“I’ve been wanting to ask you something for a while.”

“Don’t ask.”

“Why are you so sensitive about age?”

“……”

Zap-!

A fierce aura of hostility pressed against me, so intense that it made all the hairs on my body stand on end, causing me to flinch involuntarily.

When teasing someone, knowing when to back off is crucial. One step further, and I would have been done for.

Feeling the shadow of death loom up to my chin, I quickly raised both hands to show my surrender.

“I was just genuinely curious. Someone as pretty and capable as Eun-ha, plus being in your late twenties isn’t really considered old.”

“Mid-twenties.”

“If it ends with a ‘ㅂ’, then it’s late… But! Right! Eun-ha hasn’t had her birthday yet, so by Korean age, there’s still a long way to go. Ahaha.” (TL: In Korean the Hangeul for 28, 29 end with ㅂ)

“Do you really want to die?”

“I’m sorry. Please spare me.”

Shaking her head-

Kim Eun-ha shook her head from side to side, looking displeased. Then, with a look of dissatisfaction, she continued speaking.

“…You really have an incredible sense of awareness.”

“Making me blush again.”

“That’s not a compliment!?”

Thud-

Kim Eun-ha put down her teacup on the table. Unlike usual, she made a point of doing so with a sound, indicating she might have reached her breaking point.

At that, I straightened up my posture. I wiped the smile off my face and even lowered my voice.

“Anyway. What’s the reaction on their side?”

“It’s weird if you suddenly get serious, you know? Anyway… Pay attention now, I’m going to talk about something really important.”

“Understood.”

Thud-

As I put down my teacup on the table, Kim Eun-ha opened her mouth with a seriously grave look in her eyes.

“It seems someone has interfered with our drama.”

“Peaceful Chaebol Life?”

“Yes. I have information that Director Baek, one of the key figures in our group, has made contact with the director of TvM. The reason isn’t clear yet…”

“It’s probably because of us.”

“Exactly. The timing is too coincidental.”

Hearing her words, I fell into thought but couldn’t come up with any reasonable deductions.

That’s understandable since I don’t even know who Director Baek, mentioned by Kim Eun-ha, is. Naturally, the extent of his influence within the Mirae Group is also unknown to me.

“Who is Director Baek?”

“He’s like a snake.”

“A snake? Snake?”

“Yes. He’s someone whose intentions are completely obscure.”

Following Kim Eun-ha’s explanation, it turned out that Director Baek is a figure with significant authority in human resources within the Mirae Group.

Favored by the chairman, he has secured a key position despite his relatively young age.

“Is he directly under the chairman then?”

“For now.”

“Eh? What does that mean?”

“I don’t know the details, but I’ve heard that it’s not just about following the chairman’s orders. In some cases, it’s actually the opposite.”

“Could it be that Director Baek’s loyalty to the chairman isn’t just out of simple devotion?”

Nod-

Kim Eun-ha quietly nodded. At this point, I had a rough idea of what kind of person Director Baek was.

‘…He’s a dangerous person.’

It’s often said that people who threaten openly are less frightening than those who silently sharpen their knives in the shadows.

Even if his loyalty to the chairman is genuine, whether it will extend to the next chairman is uncertain. No matter who takes over Mirae Group, there’s a high chance they might be ousted.

‘He must be aware of that too.’

In the current fierce competition for succession, taking a definite side seems essential for survival, yet it’s surprising that he hasn’t taken a side yet.

If he plans to retire along with the current chairman, that would be one thing, but it seems unlikely since he’s only in his early thirties.

“The chairman must hold him in high regard?”

“Obviously. In front of his own children, he’s said, ‘I wish you were my grandchild.’ Of course, that was probably intended to spur competition.”

“For the chairman’s intentions to fully take effect, Director Baek would need to have achievements that are not inferior to the other successors.”

“That’s the problem.”

Kim Eun-ha massaged her temples as if it was a headache. Although she didn’t explain in detail, it seems Director Baek’s capabilities are indeed remarkable.

“He’s like a catfish.”

The catfish effect.

Derived from the method of transporting live sardines from the sea to the harbor by placing their natural predator, the catfish, among them.

The phenomenon meant that the presence of a powerful competitor elevates the potential of other competitors.

Kim Eun-ha, quickly grasping the meaning of my statement, nodded with a somewhat unconvinced expression.

“…I’m not thrilled to be compared to a fish. But if we’re just looking at the situation, it seems accurate. Ever since Director Baek joined, everyone has been desperately trying to improve their performance.”

“It might be a bit uncomfortable for Eun-ha to hear this question. If he’s such an outstanding person, why hasn’t the chairman arranged for him to marry one of his blood relatives?”

In fact, Chairman Kim Seok-ho was known for arranging strategic marriages between his talented subordinates and his own family members.

He was known to mobilize not only his daughters and granddaughters but also the relatives of his sons-in-law to somehow bring talented individuals into the fold.

“Well, why do you think that is?”

“…Hey, it can’t be what I think it is, right? You mentioned last time that there was already a fiancé, that childhood friend you talked about.”

“That was merely a formality, I told you. Plus, it’s a story that’s been out for more than 20 years. The situation on that front isn’t great these days.”

“This is really driving me crazy.”

There really is no such thing as a free lunch.

Although I haven’t been with Kim Eun-ha for long, I’ve had enough time to recognize her abilities.

Every time I witness her capabilities, I clearly understand why her competitors are so desperate to marry her off.

I just hadn’t thought that there would be several candidates for a political marriage. This is like a real mess of a drama.

“This seems beyond my capabilities. How about we reconsider our contract?”

“Do you have the money to pay back what you’ve received?”

“I’ll pay it back over my lifetime.”

“You’re doing that now.”

I never had any hopes. Suggesting to undo everything and return to square one at this point is out of the question; I didn’t even want to. However.

“…Just asking out of curiosity, but there aren’t any more potential fiancés, are there?”

Smirk-

Instead of answering, Kim Eun-ha quietly raised the corners of her mouth in a smile. Facing her smile, a sigh escaped from deep within me.

“Oh, my fate.”

“It must be nice to have such a popular woman all to yourself.”

“My mother always used to say, ‘Men should be wary of alcohol, women, and gambling.’ I should have taken that more to heart.”

“At least now you won’t have to worry about women.”

“That’s the biggest problem.”

Chuckle-

Kim Eun-ha quietly swallowed her laughter as if amused. Watching her, I couldn’t help but think that the old sayings were indeed right.

“Anyway. It’s unlikely that Director Baek will approach you directly for now. But if you ever do meet him, don’t confront him and contact me immediately.”

“I will.”

I had no desire to face such a burdensome character alone.

Of course, I would eventually meet him, but for now, I wanted to focus as much as possible on the prematurely advanced drama.

.

.

.

My plan shattered before I even left the department store.

As soon as the elevator arrived at the parking lot, a group of well-dressed, robust men quickly approached me.

“Good day, Mr. Kang Woo-ju.”

The man at the forefront addressed me as if greeting a long-time acquaintance, with a very natural demeanor.

The sharp impression that round glasses couldn’t fully hide made it not too difficult to guess who he was.

“My name is Baek Do-young, the executive secretary of Mirae Group.”

Confirming my guess, Baek Do-young introduced himself, a sly smile playing at the corners of his mouth as he offered his hand for a shake.