The Youngest Son of Sunyang

Yun-ki was watching a film in his home theatre, which was his favorite room in the house, with his wife. He silently kept sipping a glass in a room that showed how he loved his only hobby: watching movies and plays. His home theatre was like a miniature of an actual theatre, but his wife could see his concentration was elsewhere.

“Is it because of Do-jun?”

“Ah? You may say so…”

Yun-ki was hating himself for having been interested in the bankbook that had been shown to him instead of his son.

“Our son had good intentions, despite being immature. Don’t think it so deeply.”

“Dear wife.”

“Yes.”

“I was embarrassed, not angry.”

Yun-ki smiled softly as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulder.

“When he showed me that much money…my heart beat faster. It seemed this was the opportunity I had been waiting for! However, then I realized I was a father who wanted to spend his son’s money.”

“You did so because of the sheer amount. I also thought our entire family could go abroad with that money.”

However, his wife’s words could not revive his pride as a father.

“Husband, I’m just curious…What do you want to do with all that money? Do you want to realize your dream as a film director?”

While Yun-ki did not want to talk about his failed dream, he could not ignore his wife’s attempt to change the subject.

“No, I’ll probably shoot a really boring film.”

“Then you lost all interest?”

“Actually, no. I want to plan one, and the novel I’m reading now would really make a good adaptation.”

Yun-ki’s eyes shone like a dreaming boy when he talked about films.

“If I manage to cut down the production costs and make enough profit, I could go on my next film.”

“How can you do that?”

“By making sure the right amount is spent in the right places. You know how the system works.”

Yun-ki’s wife had been an actress when young.

“I only shot one film, and there had been no time to learn the ropes.”

“You could have been a star…”

“You were the one who told me my acting was horrible.”

“That’s true.”

Yun-ki stared lovingly at his wife, who had made him forget his embarrassment.

**

“How much is it?”

“14 billion won just to compensate for the land, and over 10 billion for the leftover commercial property.”

Sunyang’s vice president and President Jin’s eldest son Yeong-gi Jin wiped his brow at the new town map.

“That kid could earn one billion won just by interest. Nice.”

Yeong-gi shouted at his son Yeong-jun’s remark.

“Do you think this is the right time to think about bank interest rates?!”

Yeong-jun lowered his head at his father’s words.

“You’re graduating soon! Be an adult!”

“Stop pressing our son! He’s depressed because he could not study abroad!”

Yeong-gi’s secretary cleared his throat to remind the family that he was also present in the living room.

“Mr. Kim.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Keep watching over Yun-ki’s house and report immediately if something happens.”

“I will.”

“You can leave.”

Yeong-gi glared at his son after his secretary left the room.

“Are you going to keep chasing women’s tails?! Why do you keep going after famous actresses?!”

Yeong-jun could not raise his head at that remark. Yeong-gi had secured a place at a prestigious American university for his son, but Yeong-jun had impregnated the most well-known actress of this era, who was seven years older than Yeong-jun. He had spent a small fortune to have that fact erased, but he could not keep this from his father.

-What? I will not have my grandson sire children in America? Is he in heat or something?!

Now, Yeong-jun was being watched by two men at all times and was even envious of his younger cousin.

“Listen. Your grandfather does not give out even ten won in vain.”

“Please, it’s the past…”

Yeong-gi ignored his wife Hye-young’s words. As a daughter of a rich family, she did not know finance and was irritated at her husband’s subservient attitude to his father.

“He has valued Do-jun at over twenty billion won! Do you know what this means?”

Yeong-jun did not think much of his father’s words, as he believed that Sunyang would be his after his father became president.

“Did your grandfather give you a bankbook? That is how he views you.”

“Why are you so worried? You’re vice president, and Sunyang is yours already.”

Hye-young smiled.

“Time is on our side, as your father is getting old.”

However, Yeong-gi did not think he was worrying too much, as his wife and son did not know who Yang-cheol was. While he had never worried about his succeeding his father, he had to be cautious. He did not want to share even a bit of Sunyang with any other person.

**

I went to sit next to Father, who was reading a newspaper on the living room sofa.

“I am sorry.”

“It’s nothing, Do-jun. I was just surprised.”

Father gave me a hug.

“You’re growing up so fast.”

I did not know what to say to those words, as I had never raised a child. I could only hold my father’s hand.

“Tell me what you want to say, Do-jun.”

“I heard Mother tell Grandfather that she wanted me to do what I wanted.”

“She did?”

“Yes.”

Father looked surprised at that.

“I…became curious about what you wanted to do. Mother told me you liked movies.”

“She did?”

“Yes.”

Father’s smile was bittersweet as he spoke.

“I went abroad during my third year at the university to England under Father’s orders. I never thought of any other path than taking an MBA, as I thought I would get some of Sunyang’s subsidiary firms.”

He hesitated a bit before speaking further.

“There’s a district called West End in England, where hundreds of plays and musicals are put on every day. I went to see works like Shakespeare, Osbourne’s Look Back in Anger, and Miller’s A Death of a Salesman.”

I was relieved to see that Father had been attracted to art rather than the glamor of entertainment. Maybe he could do well if given another chance.

“I fell in love so deep that I enrolled in an art school. However, your grandfather found out, and I was sent back to Korea.”

I thought such memories would rekindle my father’s former dream. Also, he had given me a hint to get the help I needed to achieve mine.