As befitting Daeseol —the day that usually sees the heaviest snowfall of the year—the entire
world had turned white from the snow that had begun falling the night before.
It was the day of the month when the entire family gathered for a meal, so Seok-won arrived
early in the morning at the family's main house in Hannam-dong.
As he passed through the large gate, the familiar garden came into view.
Kim Hyeong-gi, who was sweeping the thick blanket of snow off the lawn with a long broom, noticed Seok-won, gave him a polite bow, and greeted him with a warm smile.
"Good morning, young master."
"Have you been well?"
"Yes, sir. Ah, by the way—my eldest daughter asked me to thank you again for the gift you gave us last time."
Since last month, MP3 players developed by Digital Wave—following their success in the U.S.— had officially launched in Korea as well.
Seok-won had received a few of the newly packaged domestic models and had gifted them to some of the staff at the family home.
"Unlike cassette players, you have to convert and load MP3 files to listen to music. Wasn't it
inconvenient?"
"She found it a bit unfamiliar at first, but as expected of the younger generation, she got used to it quickly. She actually loves it—it's smaller and lighter than a cassette player, so it's easier to carry around."
"I'm glad to hear she's using it well."
"She said her classmates were really impressed and jealous when they saw her with it."
Kim Hyeong-gi added with a laugh, "Thanks to you, young master, I got to look pretty cool in front of my daughter."
"It was nothing."
Just as Seok-won had predicted, New Wave , the first MP3 player, was selling better than
expected and gaining solid popularity among the younger generation.
Even though the economy was in a slump due to the IMF crisis, they had successfully used the female lead of the blockbuster film Beat as their exclusive model after its strong box-office performance earlier that year.
On top of that, the product was prominently featured in sitcoms popular among young viewers as part of their aggressive product placement strategy, which turned out to be highly effective.
Additionally, following Seok-won's suggestion, they had priced the product as low as possible—
an absolute masterstroke.
While countless businesses were shutting down due to halted operations or cash flow problems, Digital Wave was thriving thanks to its MP3 player sales.
The memory of Ahn Byeong-deok, the CEO of Digital Wave, calling him in high spirits about expanding production to meet overwhelming demand brought a deeper smile to Seok-won's face.
Then, noticing an unfamiliar structure in one corner of the garden, Seok-won tilted his head and asked curiously,
"What's that?"
Following his pointing gesture, Kim Hyeong-gi looked over and replied,
"That's Pony's house."
Pony was the name of a stray cat who had wandered in one day and quietly made herself at home.
"…That's a cat house?"
Seok-won turned to look at him with a baffled expression, and Kim Hyeong-gi responded with a sheepish smile.
"Yes. It's… a bit big, isn't it?"
It wasn't just slightly big—it was enormous .
At first glance, he had even assumed his flower-loving mother had built a greenhouse.
Nestled beneath a thick maple tree beside the terrace was what looked unmistakably like a
miniature greenhouse—but was, in fact, a cat house.
Beneath a sharply angled triangular roof, sturdy metal frames supported the structure, with
transparent glass panes on all sides to let in the sunlight.
It was so extravagant that Seok-won stood speechless, unable to process that this was, indeed, meant for cats. Sensing this, Kim Hyeong-gi chuckled softly and explained.
"The kittens have grown, and since they're all living together, Chairman said the house needed to be bigger. So he had this built."
"Father did?"
"Yes, sir."
It was even more surprising to hear it had been built not by his mother, but by Chairman Park
Tae-hong himself.
As Seok-won stepped closer for a better look, he couldn't help but chuckle under his breath at
how well-built it was—even the entrance had a small cat door.
Inside the glass door, multiple large cat towers were installed for the cats to play on. Scratching posts, hammocks, and various toys were strewn about the interior.
The floor was even carpeted to ensure the cats stayed warm through the winter—clearly, no detail had been overlooked.
"Meow."
"Mrrrow?"
As a cold breeze slipped in, Pony and her kittens—who had been dozing in their dome beds and donut-shaped cushions—lifted their heads with yawns.
Their expressions clearly said, It's cold—hurry up and shut the door, exuding all the entitlement of royalty.
"You little things. Looks like you're living the high life."
"Mrrreow."
***
"Please, enjoy the meal."
"Thank you for the food."
The dining table was lavishly covered with mouth-watering dishes—rich galbitang (beef rib soup) that had been simmered to perfection, crispy oyster pancakes, abalone stew, and an assortment of seasonal greens that made one's mouth water just by looking.
Even the bowls and spoon rests weren't ordinary—they were handcrafted pieces made by a
master ceramicist recognized as a living national treasure. Every item on the table reflected luxury and care.
As the family conversed and ate together, Chairman Park Tae-hong suddenly turned to his eldest son and daughter-in-law, seated to his left.
"You said the baby is due in April next year, right?"
President Park Jin-hyung glanced at his wife before answering.
"Yes, that's correct."
Amidst the national turmoil of the IMF crisis, the family had received wonderful news: Choi Bokyung, the chairman's eldest daughter-in-law, was pregnant.
It was to be the first grandchild, and upon hearing the news, Chairman Park had been overjoyed.
"Well, as your belly gets heavier, you shouldn't be coming here. Just rest at home until the baby's born."
"Oh no, Father-in-law, I'm fine—"
"I'm only saying it because I'm worried about our grandchild, who's due soon."
Madam Jo Deok-rye, seated beside him, added her agreement.
"He's right. Even if you're in a stable period now, it's better not to move around too much. Just take it easy, dear."
Choi Bo-kyung gave a small nod, recognizing their concern.
"Yes, I will."
Chairman Park then turned to his eldest son, wearing a more stern expression.
"You make sure to take especially good care of her so she's comfortable and has no difficulties."
"I understand, Father."
At that moment, Seok-won, who had been sitting across the table, interjected with a question.
"By the way, have you decided on a name for the baby?"
"No, not yet."
Choi Bo-kyung smiled sweetly and looked over at Chairman Park Tae-hong.
"We were actually thinking of asking Father to name the baby."
"You mean me?"
"Yes. We want to give the baby a good name, but we just can't come up with anything."
"Hmph. In that case, I'll give it some thought."
"Thank you."
Though he tried to maintain a stern expression, the corners of Chairman Park Tae-hong's mouth twitched—making it obvious how pleased he was.
Seok-won stifled a chuckle as he sipped the galbitang broth with his spoon.
Once the meal ended, Chairman Park moved to the living room with his two sons.
After the housekeeper brought out rich, aromatic coffee and stepped out, Chairman Park—seated at the central head seat—habitually lit a cigarette and asked,
"There are only two weeks left until the presidential election. Who do you think will become the new master of the Blue House?"
Receiving the chairman's gaze, President Park Jin-hyung answered without hesitation.
"Although Candidate Chu Tae-guk has narrowed the gap thanks to a consolidation of ruling-party support, given the lingering effects of the IMF crisis, I believe Candidate Kim Jae-chun of the New Era National Council has a higher chance of winning."
As Park Tae-hong turned his head in the other direction, exhaling a cloud of white smoke, Seokwon picked up the conversation.
"I think so too. If you analyze the polling data, it shows that white-collar workers and college- educated middle-class voters tend to support Candidate Chu. But those are the very people who've suffered the most from the IMF crisis, so it's likely many of them will withdraw their support."
Chairman Park nodded in agreement.
"It's true. Countless companies have gone bankrupt. If you add up all the laid-off workers and their families, you'd have a population equivalent to a major city."
"Like Seok-won said, those people aren't likely to vote for the ruling party's candidate."
"Indeed."
Chairman Park's expression turned pensive.
"If things continue like this, we really might see a change in power for the first time in 36 years."
Though there had been two regime changes since the founding of the republic, both were the
result of military coups or the April 19th Revolution. This would be the first peaceful, democratic transition of power through a popular vote.
Because it was the first in 36 years, it was certain to bring major change—sparking both
anticipation and concern.
"Now that his chances of winning are higher, more companies and individuals are scrambling to align themselves with Candidate Kim Jae-chun."
"They likely ignored him up until now, thinking he had no chance. Now they're panicking."
Chairman Park glanced sideways at his younger son and spoke in a relaxed tone.
"Thankfully, we followed Seok-won's advice and evenly distributed political funds, including to the New Era National Council and other opposition parties. That's why we're not in a frenzy now, unlike the rest."
President Park Jin-hyung looked at his younger brother with a smile.
"Exactly. If not for Seok-won, we might've ended up in a very bad situation."
A bit embarrassed by the praise from his father and brother, Seok-won quickly opened his mouth to change the subject.
"Once the election is over and the new administration takes office next year, there will be major changes across the board. But especially in the economic sector, under IMF guidance, we can expect large-scale restructuring deals—'big deals' to resolve the excess and overlapping investments of major conglomerates."
"Did you say… big deals?"
Chairman Park Tae-hong narrowed his brows and asked, and Seok-won nodded gravely.
"Yes. You're probably aware that the sprawling expansion of large conglomerates—recklessly jumping into any business that seemed profitable—has been heavily blamed for the foreign exchange crisis."
Since it wasn't just the IMF but also the media criticizing the situation nonstop, Chairman Park and President Park Jin-hyung both stiffened, listening closely.
"That's why a massive restructuring effort will soon be implemented—swapping or selling off non-core and underperforming subsidiaries to pursue specialization within each corporation."
Chairman Park frowned, holding his cigarette between his fingers.
"You mean the Blue House will force companies to buy or sell businesses?"
He sounded disapproving, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of government interference.
President Park Jin-hyung also couldn't hide his unease—an understandable reaction from anyone in the corporate world.
"If these restructuring moves came about naturally as a result of market forces, I wouldn't mind. But if it's forced and artificial, like this big deal push, I think the side effects will be serious,"
Seok-won replied with a shrug.
In reality, most of the big deals orchestrated hastily by the Blue House—without regard for each company's situation or the surrounding industry—ended in failure.
And the aftereffects left a heavy burden on the Korean economy for quite some time.
"Still, this is one of the conditions for receiving the IMF's bailout support. And more importantly, the new administration will want to showcase visible achievements to the public early on—so they'll push hard for these big deals."
"Hmm…"
Chairman Park let out a low hum, his face filled with concern.
"There will be considerable upheaval in the business world because of the big deals. But looking at it from another angle, this could be a major opportunity."
"You're saying we could seize the chance to enter or acquire prime businesses amidst this largescale asset reshuffling?" President Park Jin-hyung's eyes lit up as he spoke.
A sly grin curled up on one side of Seok-won's lips.
"Exactly."
Chairman Park also seemed intrigued now, straightening his posture as he asked,
"So, which company do you think we should go after?"
Seok-won didn't hesitate for a second.
"Korea Express."