Ch.309309. A Busy Daily Life

After telling my brother that I wanted to learn about the company business, my daily schedule became even busier. In the mornings, I attended lectures at school, and in the afternoons, I studied the basics of business by following my brother. After all that was done, I would return home to help Hwa Nabi take care of Uhee and finish the housework.

Speaking of which, could there be a more murderous schedule for someone in their twenties? If I hadn’t been exercising regularly, I probably would have collapsed from overwork by now. That’s not an exaggeration, really.

“…This isn’t what I was training for.”

I tilted my head left and right to stretch my neck. By my rough calculation, I was getting about five hours of sleep a day, which might be why increasing my coffee intake from one cup to three cups a day didn’t seem to have much effect.

But anyway, as of today, I’m free from this grueling work. My final exams ended yesterday. In other words, I’ve finished the semester and have about two months of free time.

…No, that’s not right. I still have a few courses to take during the summer semester for early graduation. However, these are all general education courses where I can get straight A’s just by attending classes and doing assignments well. Since I can handle them relatively easily, I can rest for more than half a day, right? Therefore, I can devote more time to company work and family.

“…”

I wonder if there are any other people in their early twenties in Korea who think like this. Probably not many? Of course not. Most people my age are either in the military, attending school, or working.

Oh, right. Speaking of the military, I should talk to my brother about that too. He’s such a busy person that we hardly have time to talk about personal matters apart from work.

My brother is doing what he has to do as the eldest son of our family. I’m not upset about it, but it’s a topic we need to address at some point. We should have a conversation about it. When would be a good time? Should I visit his office later and casually ask?

As I sat on the sofa, tapping the armrest and pondering—

-Ding dong.

Suddenly, the intercom bell rang. Someone was at our door.

“Is it Nabi?”

She said she was going to the nearby mart for a bit, but it seems she’s back already. But why is she ringing the bell instead of entering the passcode?

I looked at the screen without thinking much and was surprised. It wasn’t Hwa Nabi, but a man standing there.

—Siwoo, are you home?

“Oh, brother. Wait a moment!”

What brings him here at this hour? I pressed the unlock button and rushed to the entrance.

Click, the front door opened, revealing my brother. He was dressed casually. Shirt, slacks, cardigan. Every time I see him, I think about how our clothing styles are similar. Maybe it’s because we’re brothers.

“How did you open the main entrance?”

“I gave you the key last time. Don’t you remember?”

“Ah, right. But what brings you here at this hour?”

“I had some business nearby, and I thought of you, so I stopped by.”

“What? Come on, brother…”

We’re going to see each other again in two days anyway, so why did he personally visit? I chuckled in disbelief but guided him inside.

“It’s quiet here. Where are my niece and sister-in-law?”

“They went to the nearby mart. Nabi said something about showing Uhee the world.”

“Really? Why didn’t you go with them?”

“I was going to, but she told me to just rest at home. She asked why I needed to come along when they weren’t going far… By the way, would you like some coffee?”

“No, just a glass of water. I have to go for lunch later anyway.”

“With whom and when?”

“With a buyer from Singapore, around two o’clock.”

“Oh, saying ‘buyer’ makes you sound like a real businessman.”

I handed him a glass of water with a joke, and he chuckled like I did.

“It’s not just sounding like one, I am a businessman. Ah, thank you.”

My brother neatly drank the water with both hands and put the glass down. Then he stared at me intently, as if he had something to say.

“What is it?”

“Nothing much. I was just wondering how childcare is going for you.”

“I can’t say it’s easy, even if my mouth were torn… but it’s rewarding. Maybe because Uhee is still young, she grows noticeably every day. How should I put it, it’s like observing bean sprouts growing when you were a kid.”

“Siwoo. What do you mean comparing a child to bean sprouts…?”

“Why, bean sprouts are cute. And when you see Uhee’s hair growing, it really looks like bean sprouts. I’m telling you, you can literally see her crown filling in every day.”

“Oh, really? That must be fascinating. Take pictures and send them to me sometime.”

“Yeah, I will. By the way, aren’t you dating anyone?”

I asked casually while sipping my coffee. Every time I see my brother, I wonder why he doesn’t date, given that he’s capable, good-looking, and has a nice personality. It’s not like he has a fiancée arranged by the family like I do.

Objectively speaking, even setting aside the fact that he’s my brother, he’s a man who could date anyone he wants. Right? Heir to a wealthy family, highly capable, tall and handsome, good-natured and considerate…

“It would be a social loss if someone like you doesn’t have children.”

“Come on, that’s going too far…”

“Huh? You think I’m joking. Last time, mother, I mean mom, told you that someone like you should have children and give back to society.”

“Well, that’s just what our mother would say. Besides, I’m not interested in dating right now, I’m too busy with work.”

“Do other people have a lot of free time to date? Everyone makes time for it. Aren’t there any good people around you? You know, there are many female colleagues at your office.”

“Siwoo, did you forget? Office romance is prohibited in our department.”

“Brother, they say forbidden love burns the brightest.”

“…”

My brother seemed at a loss for words as he just stared at me. Since I had no intention of changing my mind, I simply shrugged in response.

“Or should I introduce you to someone? I know many nice people among my classmates or Nabi’s friends.”

“No thanks. At my age, dating a college student would make me look like a thief.”

He’s not budging at all. No matter how hard I try to persuade him, he doesn’t show any sign of changing his mind. His resolve seems firm. Does he dislike dating that much? Or is there some reason why he shouldn’t?

Unless, perhaps, there’s someone he already has feelings for…

“Oh right, Siwoo. Take this.”

My brother pulled out what looked like a bundle of papers from his bag. I took them, curious, and found they were well-organized company business documents.

“What’s all this?”

“These are the financial statements for each LP Group affiliate, and below are the consolidated financial statements.”

“LP Group…?”

I repeated slowly and then remembered. LP Group. The group whose chairman’s children were caught doing drugs, causing the stock price to crash, and it’s still crashing in real-time.

“Yes, LP Group.”

“Why are you giving these to me…?”

“Why do you think?”

My brother returned my question with a question and smiled brightly. It was quite a refreshing smile, but at this moment, it was a smile I didn’t want to see.

“Siwoo, the semester’s ending soon, right? Or has it already ended?”

“Yeah, it ended yesterday.”

“Really? That’s good. Now that you don’t have to go to school, you must have plenty of free time.”

“Ah, no. I still need to go two days a week. I need to take summer courses to meet the credits for early graduation…”

“Summer courses don’t require daily attendance, right? Two days a week should be enough? I’m sure our smart Siwoo wouldn’t have made an inefficient schedule.”

“…”

This is the problem when talking with my brother. He seems to acknowledge me, but then implies that if I can’t handle even this much, there’s something wrong with me… making it difficult for me to express my complaints.

Because the moment I voice my complaints, it’s like I’m belittling myself.

“…Well, that’s true.”

“Then it’s settled. Here, study these.”

My brother pushed the bundle of documents toward me. I wanted to ask what exactly was settled, but I held back.

With trembling hands, I took the bundle of documents, and just a glance revealed a dizzying array of numbers.

Current period performance, previous period performance, cumulative performance, same period last year’s performance… so many enemies everywhere, it’s like the star on the Vietnamese flag, enemies in all directions.

“One day should be enough, right?”

“Huh? Enough for what?”

“The time needed to compile, analyze, and establish investment strategies for each affiliate. You finished the one from two years ago in six hours, so a day should be more than enough, right?”

“No, brother. That was then, and today Nabi and Uhee will be back soon, so how can I finish in just one day…”

“If you had started instead of talking, you would have done half of it by now.”

“…Ah, really.”

Have you ever seen such an unreasonable brother? He suddenly visits and dumps work on me? While complaining internally, I immediately sat on the sofa and began reviewing the financial statements and various documents he gave me.

“I have about thirty minutes to spare, so I’ll stay here until then. If you have any questions, just ask.”

“No thanks. You helping me means staying quiet.”

My brother is usually very kind and nice, but strangely, when it comes to company work, he becomes twisted and confusing. He probably thinks he’s doing this for my benefit, but knowing that doesn’t change his behavior, which is really frustrating.

So rather than seeking help from him, it’s better to handle it on my own. I sipped the remaining coffee in my cup and mentally compiled the information.

When looking at financial statements, sales, operating profit, and net profit are important, but there’s also a lot of information in the notes that shouldn’t be overlooked. The notes often conceal hidden liabilities…

“Oh, right. Siwoo.”

“Yeah?”

“Grandfather wants to see you tomorrow, is that okay with your schedule?”

“Tomorrow? Hmm, should be fine.”

“Good, I’ll let him know we’ve set the appointment.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I nodded absent-mindedly while sipping my coffee, then belatedly realized.

…Wait, what did he just say?

“Hold on. Brother? Who? Our grandfather? Grandfather wants to see me?”

“Yes. Grandfather wants to see you.”

“But why? For what reason?”

“Well, I’m not sure about the reason either… but maybe he wants to scold you?”

“…What?”