The long-awaited morning arrived.
I donned my finest suit and got into the Mercedes-Benz S-Class I had bought secondhand, specifically for today.
"Damn, this is expensive."
To be honest, I could have bought it a long time ago.
The goods were still pouring in, and the electronic scrap I delivered every month was like a gold mine, bringing me a fortune.
To put it lightly, I could buy this car with two days' worth of profit.
But I had refrained from buying an expensive car because I didn't want to draw attention to the fact that I was making a lot of money from electronic scrap.
"Well, might as well enjoy it now that I've bought it."
I planned to use the Grandeur for business and the S-Class for special occasions.
"Let's go."
Since it was a wedding car, I wanted it to be spotless, so I had asked my parents to go to the wedding hall ahead of me.
I savored the smooth ride of the luxury car as I headed to the wedding hall.
Other cars seemed to give way as I drove, as if intimidated by the presence of the expensive foreign car. This is what it felt like to drive a luxury car, I thought.
After a while, I arrived at the wedding hall.
The ceremony was still hours away, so it was relatively quiet.
I approached a staff member and said,
"The wedding car is here. Where should I park?"
The staff member's eyes widened.
"This is the wedding car? Can you tell me whose wedding it is?"
"Yes, it's the Park Jong-chan and Han Go-eun wedding at 1 p.m."
The staff member checked his documents and mumbled,
"They said it was a Grandeur…"
"It's been changed, so don't worry about it."
"Ah, okay. Please park it near the main entrance, and we'll decorate it."
I parked the car, handed the keys to the staff member, and said,
"Make it as flashy as possible. As flashy as possible."
I entered the wedding hall lobby, and the first thing I saw was my family and what seemed to be my brother's in-laws, engaged in conversation.
But the atmosphere didn't seem very pleasant.
"Son-in-law, is that all the congratulatory wreaths from your side?"
"Hehehe, Father, well…"
"Tsk, tsk. It can't be helped. I didn't approve of this marriage because of your family background, but I have to accept it. But still, three wreaths is a bit too much, isn't it? This is why I opposed this marriage, saying families with similar backgrounds should marry."
From the conversation between a plump middle-aged man and Park Jong-chan, I deduced that the man was Park Jong-chan's father-in-law.
And he seemed to be just as arrogant as Park Jong-chan.
"Hello everyone, Sol is here!"
I waved and approached them with a bright smile.
"…Sol, you're here. Welcome."
My father was desperately trying to suppress his anger, and my mother looked at me with worry.
"Honey, Sol is here now, so please calm down."
"I know, I'm not angry."
My father closed his eyes, trying to control his anger, and Park Jong-chan's father-in-law said,
"By the way, son-in-law, isn't your house a bit small?"
"We're newlyweds, we'll gradually upgrade."
"You're taking my precious daughter to an 18-pyeong apartment? 18-pyeong? Ugh, there's not a single thing about you that I like."
They were talking to each other, but their voices were so loud that they echoed through the spacious lobby.
My father was on the verge of exploding, so I approached Park Jong-chan's father-in-law and greeted him first.
"Hello, I'm the second son, Park Sol."
The father-in-law glanced at me and asked Park Jong-chan,
"Isn't he the one who runs a junkyard…?"
"Yes, Father, he's my younger brother."
The father-in-law frowned at me and said,
"Nice to meet you. I'm Han Sang-deuk, Go-eun's father."
And then he ignored me and even wrinkled his nose.
I couldn't help but smile brightly, feeling genuine joy welling up inside me.
"As expected of my brother's father-in-law. He's a perfect match for my brother. I was worried about what I would do if they were good people."
"What? What do you mean?"
Park Jong-chan, who hadn't heard my mumbling clearly, asked, but I ignored him and looked at my watch.
"They should be arriving soon."
Just then, a man entered the lobby carrying a wreath.
"Is Mr. Park Jong-chan here?"
The man placed the wreath near our family and left. The ribbon on the wreath read:
'From Yeondae Electronics. Congratulations on the marriage of Mr. Park Jong-chan, brother of CEO Park Sol.'
I smirked and said,
"This is just the beginning."
Wreaths started pouring in like a flood.
Every large corporation and mid-sized company we did business with sent a wreath.
Even though it was just an electronic scrap deal, they were still our clients.
And most of the people in charge of waste disposal had received bribes from me, so asking for a wreath was nothing.
Adding the wreaths from the small businesses we were dealing with, the line of wreaths extended beyond the lobby and out the door.
My father, amazed by the long line of wreaths, said,
"Sol, what is all this? Why are so many large corporations sending wreaths?"
"It's nothing, Dad. They're just from our clients. They sent them because my brother is getting married. I even told them not to bother, but they sent so many."
The wreaths from Han Sang-deuk's side, which he had criticized for being too few, were now completely obscured.
Han Sang-deuk, flustered, asked Park Jong-chan if I wasn't running a junkyard. Park Jong-chan, also clueless, just looked confused.
Moments later, guests started arriving.
Most of them were parents from both sides and friends of the bride and groom. The number of guests from the bride's side was almost double that of the groom's side.
Han Sang-deuk and Park Jong-chan's faces brightened.
Park Jong-chan constantly bowed and flattered his father-in-law, praising his connections.
"Does he have no shame? His father-in-law is rich, right? Anyone would think he's from the bride's side."
"I know, right? My older brother was bragging about him, saying he's a rich man with several buildings."
Hwa-young's words made me understand.
Now I knew why my self-centered brother was willing to grovel and endure such humiliation to marry into this family.
"So that's why he's sucking up to him. Well, I can't lose."
I took out my cell phone and said,
"Hey, it's me. Tell them to come in now."
"Boss, brother, we're here."
"Welcome. Enjoy the meal."
It was the three thugs from Three Brothers Resources and 20 other gangsters.
"Is it okay to bring this many people? It's a bit overwhelming, isn't it?"
"No, thank you for coming."
"What, they were just hanging out at home. They were happy to come for a free meal and some pocket money."
I took the gangsters to Park Jong-chan and Han Sang-deuk and introduced them.
"These are the CEOs and their brothers from our client companies."
"Well, well, nice to meet you. So this is Park Jong-chan. I've heard a lot about you. Congratulations."
He slapped Park Jong-chan on the back a couple of times with his large hand, and Park Jong-chan stammered,
"Y-yes… Th-thank you…"
Their black suits and shaved heads, the trademark of gangsters, exuded an intimidating aura.
Han Sang-deuk and Park Jong-chan trembled before them like mice before a tiger.
"Alright, everyone, go inside."
"Yeah, alright. Brother, if you need anything, just call me. I'll help you out with all my might."
The gangsters entered in a group, and Park Jong-chan hurriedly approached me and said,
"Are those gangsters? Are you working with gangsters?"
"They used to be in that line of work, but they've retired."
"But still, why would you bring gangsters to a wedding?"
"I talked them down from 100 to 20. Anyway…"
I glanced at the frozen Han Sang-deuk and Park Jong-chan and grinned.
"If there's anyone you don't like, just let me know. I'll have them beat them up for you."
I enjoyed their flinch and then greeted the next guests.
"Sir, nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you!"
"Welcome, everyone. Thank you for coming."
It was 100 employees from Chunha Trading, led by Maru and Park Jong-bum.
Maru and Park Jong-bum handed their business cards to Han Sang-deuk and Park Jong-chan.
"I'm Kim Maru, managing director of Chunha Trading. You're the CEO's brother, right? Nice to meet you."
"M-managing director?"
"I'm Park Jong-bum, director of Chunha Trading. We have the same name. Nice to meet you."
"Director?"
As the two men gaped in astonishment, Maru said to me,
"Sir, the sampling for the goods that were shipped on Monday is complete."
"Really? What were the results?"
"About 500 million won this time."
I put on a disappointed expression and said,
"Only 500 million won? So our sales this month are only 7 billion won?"
"I'm sorry."
"Everyone, step up your game. How are we supposed to make a living with just that? I'll let it slide today because it's a special occasion, but next time, there will be no mercy."
"We're sorry, sir."
As the employees entered, Park Jong-chan, who had been standing there with his jaw dropped, approached me and said,
"What? Managing director? Director? 500 million won? 7 billion won? What's going on? I thought you were running a junkyard?"
Han Sang-deuk, also curious, inched closer, and I put my arm around Park Jong-chan's shoulder and said,
"It's a junkyard, alright. But a really big one. Do you know how much our company's sales are this year?"
Park Jong-chan shook his head, and I said,
"It'll be around 40 billion won this year, and we're aiming for 100 billion won next year. Can you even imagine that amount?"
I heard Han Sang-deuk gulp behind me and struggled to suppress my laughter. I leaned closer to Park Jong-chan's ear and whispered,
"Hyung, I think I'm richer than your father-in-law."
"Well…"
I cut him off and whispered,
"Try sucking up to me too. Who knows? I might throw you some scraps."
After the wedding ceremony, the guests gathered at the main entrance of the wedding hall.
They were there to see the bride and groom leave in their wedding car, but there was already a line of people standing between the entrance and the car.
"What's going on? Why are they standing in line like that?"
It was 100 Chunha Resources employees, 50 on each side, forming a path between the wedding hall and the wedding car, all dressed in suits.
The guests looked confused, and then the bride and groom, who had finished the traditional Korean wedding ceremony, emerged with their families and relatives. The employees bowed and said,
"Have a safe trip!"
It was Park Jong-bum's idea, inspired by the scenes of CEOs arriving at work in dramas.
"W-what is this?"
As everyone looked around in bewilderment, Maru, who was at the front of the line, gestured with his hand and said,
"Sir, let's go. I'll drive."
I nodded and looked at the bride and groom, who were frozen in shock.
"Hyung, what are you waiting for? Our employees are seeing us off. Let's go."
The guests and relatives started murmuring.
"Is that Jong-chan's brother? I heard he runs a junkyard, but it doesn't seem like it."
"Oh my, Go-eun's brother-in-law must be the CEO of a huge company. I'm so envious. The wreaths were amazing. She's so lucky."
Amidst the surprised and envious gazes, the bride and groom walked between the employees and got into the car.
As I was about to follow them, Han Sang-deuk approached me with a wide smile.
"Brother-in-law, about what I said earlier…"
"What? What did you say?"
"Well, let's get along from now on. It's good for in-laws to be close."
I looked him up and down, put on my most sarcastic expression, and waved my hand dismissively.
"We're not quite on the same level… I'll think about it."
I left Han Sang-deuk with a red face and got into the passenger seat of the wedding car.
"Managing Director Kim, let's go."
"Yes, sir."
"Sol, um, what exactly do you do?"
Park Jong-chan asked as we drove towards Gimpo Airport. I answered kindly,
"What else? I run a junkyard."
"But it doesn't seem like just a junkyard. Why didn't you tell me about it?"
It was the most polite I had ever heard Park Jong-chan speak.
"Hyung, let's just go to the airport quietly. I'm tired."
"O-okay. You must be tired from all the work. Get some rest."
"Tell me what you want to say when you get back. And if you need any favors…"
I rubbed my hands together.
"Add this to it, and I'll consider it. And hyung…"
I turned my head towards the back seat.
"I'm watching you from now on. You better behave."
"O-of course. Wow, I never knew my brother was so successful. Right, honey?"
"Y-yes, he's amazing, brother-in-law."
I ignored the newlyweds showering me with compliments and said to Maru,
"So, is he crushed?"
Maru glanced at the back seat through the rearview mirror and chuckled.
"Completely."