Chapter 7: Myungjin Construction (2)
A nearby café.
Having moved locations, Go Chang-beom watched the phone video Kim Hyunsung handed him, unable to hide his confusion.
“This is the original black box footage. The police deleted the first part, thinking only the latter half was needed to prove your self-defense, Mr. Go. But this part—what you’re seeing now—is the undeniable proof that what happened wasn’t a ‘coincidence,’ like I mentioned earlier.”
His voice was calm.
Kim Hyunsung took a sip of his coffee and stared coldly at Go Chang-beom.
“…Ahem.”
Go Chang-beom swallowed hard.
It was just as Kim Hyunsung had said.
In the footage—
A scene proving premeditation played out.
Rewinding it again, Kim Hyunsung narrated in sync with the video, as if watching it alongside him.
“Thirty minutes before the incident. Three men gathered in front of a convenience store. At a glance, they looked like customers, but they didn’t move an inch for the next thirty minutes. As if waiting for someone. The pile of cigarette butts at their feet proves it. And the moment you appear, Mr. Go, they immediately pick a fight. They shove their faces close, taunt you with curses, and unlike their statements to the police, they clearly throw the first punches.”
Clack.
He set down his cup.
Despite Go Chang-beom’s troubled expression, Kim Hyunsung didn’t stop talking, as if forcing the truth into him.
“The truth is, you were already suspicious, weren’t you? A series of strange incidents have been happening ever since the successor competition with your brother Go Chang-seok began—as if someone were intentionally targeting you. It’s simple. If we assume that all these incidents were orchestrated by Go Chang-seok to tarnish your reputation, everything makes sense. Even the behavior of these men, who smoked nonstop for thirty minutes without leaving.”
The mood froze.
Accident vs. premeditation.
A world of difference.
And if the one behind it all was his only brother, then there was no way Go Chang-beom could overlook this. In truth, he had suspected it. But even then, he couldn’t believe that his polished, prestigious, and well-educated brother would stoop so low as to hire thugs.
A final shred of hesitation.
His brow twitched.
Go Chang-beom looked as if he might explode at any moment, anger boiling just beneath the surface.
“So, why are you telling me all this?”
In his current state—
Even Kim Hyunsung, who was only telling the truth, was hard to look at kindly.
—
Myungjin Construction.
In his past life, they had become one of Korea’s top corporations.
Right now, they were only a respected company in the provinces, but eventually they would ride a wave of capital and engineering success, launching a popular apartment brand. Their success was all thanks to Chairman Go Myungjin’s dedication to craftsmanship. He believed that homes—where people lived—should never be treated carelessly. He even cut into profit margins to improve quality, and that philosophy had propelled Myungjin Construction into the ranks of major corporations.
A real estate boom awaited in the future.
And alongside it, growing safety concerns.
People began to trust Myungjin apartments, and from there, the company soared.
But in that journey—
The two sons played no part.
It was quite a story.
Even Kim Hyunsung, who had only been a high school student at the time, remembered the stir they had caused in Daesan.
‘It all started with Go Chang-seok. As he schemed to secure the successor position, his dirty tricks were uncovered by Go Chang-beom. But instead of using that information wisely, Go Chang-beom stormed over and smashed his brother’s jaw. That single punch left Go Chang-seok permanently disabled. Furious, Go Myungjin declared both sons unfit and removed them from the line of succession. That incident led to the hiring of a professional manager, and oddly enough, that combination of capital and expertise became the springboard that propelled Myungjin Construction into a corporate giant.’
Back then—
Everyone talked about Myungjin Construction.
Rumors spread that the company would collapse because of its idiot sons, and the full truth behind the brothers’ feud came to light. How Go Chang-beom ended up throwing that punch, and how Go Chang-seok’s dirty dealings were exposed. They became infamous as an example of bad sibling rivalry.
And so, Kim Hyunsung remembered.
The Go family’s future.
Everything Go Chang-beom had gone through.
This incident was one of many, which was how Kim Hyunsung had known exactly where the assault would take place.
‘To be honest, Myungjin Construction is probably better off if the future stays unchanged. The eldest, Go Chang-beom, isn’t evil enough to sabotage a rival but is a classic thug with lazy, useless tendencies. The younger, Go Chang-seok, is ruthless—willing to do anything to achieve his goals. For Myungjin to become a symbol of Korean real estate, it’s best if both sons are out of the picture. But that doesn’t matter to me. What matters isn’t their future, but how useful they are to mine.’
What was right or wrong.
What kind of butterfly effect his actions might trigger.
None of that mattered.
Even if his decisions led the future down a worse path, Kim Hyunsung wouldn’t care in the slightest.
In this life—
Revenge came first.
He would protect only his family.
Myungjin Construction was merely a stepping stone for his goal.
Therefore—
“I’ll help you. I’ll help you take revenge on Go Chang-seok, and make sure you, the eldest son, become chairman of Myungjin Construction.”
Kim Hyunsung didn’t bother hiding his intentions.
—
It was absurd.
His opponent was a 17-year-old high school student.
To hear such talk of chairmanship from such a youthful face—it was almost laughable.
Normally, Go Chang-beom would have cursed him out on the spot. But strangely, he felt his heart pounding.
‘This kid isn’t normal.’
Think about it.
Calling him just a high schooler didn’t make sense. This boy had completely saved him from a criminal charge. He’d confirmed the absence of CCTV, secured black box footage, and even interpreted the video to uncover Go Chang-seok’s plot. Sure, it was something anyone could piece together. But for a 17-year-old to articulate it all so calmly and precisely—it was something else.
His mouth felt dry.
Myungjin Construction.
The leading company in Daesan.
The idea of entrusting such a company’s succession battle to some brat was utterly ridiculous no matter how he looked at it.
Just then—
“Mr. Go Chang-beom, surely you’ve got people helping you with this succession fight. But isn’t it strange? Even a mere high schooler like me can speak of Go Chang-seok’s schemes, yet those people supposedly supporting you are only whispering sweet nothings into your ear. It’s obvious, isn’t it? They’re Go Chang-seok’s lackeys. I didn’t expect you to trust me right away. We’re strangers, and Myungjin Construction is a respected company in Daesan. So just give me a chance—a chance to build a relationship of trust between us.”
Go Chang-beom flinched.
Just as Kim Hyunsung said—
The people around him always whispered sweet words.
Thinking about it now, if they truly intended to put him in the chairman’s seat, they should have taken a stance more like Kim Hyunsung’s.
“I have a clear plan for Mr. Go Chang-beom to win. At the very least, hearing how we start isn’t exactly a bad deal. So what do you think? Should I continue?”
“…You’re seriously insane.”
Creak.
Go Chang-beom leaned back in his chair.
It was an unspoken agreement.
He tried to deny the situation, but he had already shown a willingness to listen.
Kim Hyunsung smiled.
“To win this succession battle, we need to face reality. Between Go Chang-beom and Go Chang-seok, who is more suited to become chairman of Myungjin Construction? The answer is obvious—Go Chang-seok. While Mr. Go barely graduated high school, Go Chang-seok studied business at a prestigious university overseas. He’s made his ambitions clear since then. As soon as he returned to Korea, he married into one of Daesan’s most prominent families. Ever since, the people within Myungjin Construction whom he won over have been vocally supporting him as the next chairman. That’s how the official succession structure formed. There were no coincidences. Go Chang-seok carefully and methodically planned every step to strip you of your birthright. And in the end, he created a clearly advantageous battlefield. Personal ability. Background. If we exclude the fact that you’re the eldest, there’s no area where you can beat him. On top of that, with incidents like the recent assault, who in Myungjin Construction would ever support you?”
“…Tch.”
Go Chang-beom turned his head, visibly displeased.
But it was true.
There wasn’t a single part he could refute—Kim Hyunsung had a perfect grasp of Myungjin Construction’s reality.
In his previous life—
As a vegetative patient, Kim Hyunsung had pondered many things.
He dreamed of revenge built on ‘what ifs,’ and even though he knew it could never come true, he still assembled plans like puzzle pieces—Myungjin Construction among them. This wasn’t a strategy born overnight. Just as he had slapped Park Mincheol the moment he returned to the past, he had imagined countless times how he’d persuade Go Chang-beom.
It was his first time experiencing this reality.
But he had gone through this scenario too many times in his mind.
With a heart slowly turning cold, Kim Hyunsung kept his gaze fixed on Go Chang-beom, as if urging him to focus.
“Even considering all those differences, I still believe Mr. Go Chang-beom has a real chance at winning this.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Go Chang-beom showed interest.
Even after fully recognizing the harsh reality—
What could possibly justify talk of victory?
“Between Mr. Go Chang-beom and Go Chang-seok, it’s obvious the latter has the upper hand. Yet Chairman Go Myungjin remains silent in the face of this situation. Why? It’s likely because of his old-fashioned belief that the eldest son should inherit the family business. That’s the only reason there’s even a competition. Truthfully, the gap is so wide that there shouldn’t be any competition at all. Yet Chairman Go hasn’t named a successor. So let me ask you one thing. Just one—hypothetically.”
He smiled.
And locked eyes with Go Chang-beom.
“What do you think would happen if the superior Go Chang-seok were dragged down to your level? If ability were taken out of the equation, which of the two sons would Chairman Go Myungjin choose?”
For a moment—
Go Chang-beom felt goosebumps.
Every single word from Kim Hyunsung lodged itself in his chest.
“The real battle begins from that moment. When you’re standing on equal ground with your opponent. At that point, being the eldest son—the one and only advantage—becomes an unshakable deciding factor.”
—
That afternoon.
Myungjin Construction’s second son.
Go Chang-seok received a call.
[…That’s how it turned out.]
“You fucking idiots!”
Smash.
CRACK.
Overcome with rage, he hurled his phone across the room.
Even seeing the shattered mess, he couldn’t calm his fury and breathed heavily.
“How hard could it be to pull this off?!”
The assault incident—
Had been orchestrated by Go Chang-seok.
To ruin Go Chang-beom’s reputation, he had engineered a number of schemes, one of which was deliberately dragging him into a violent confrontation. Failure wasn’t even a possibility he considered. It was such a foolproof setup that he had planned to publicly raise the issue once the scandal brewed.
And yet—
It had failed.
Hearing that the black box footage had turned the case into mutual assault filled him with seething frustration.
“This is all that old man’s fault, with his stupid obsession with the eldest son. What era do we live in that he still clings to the idea that the firstborn should inherit everything? If I were even slightly less capable, he wouldn’t have hesitated to hand the company over to a moron like Go Chang-beom.”
A degree from a top university.
A marriage into a prestigious family.
All efforts to bridge the gap between him and his older brother.
He had especially hated the marriage, but if it brought him closer to his goal, he had no choice but to endure.
Greedy to the core, Go Chang-seok had no intention of losing the successor’s seat to an incompetent fool like Go Chang-beom.
