» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate - Chapter 241
[241] The Sky Falls, Part 2
My grandfather was the person I had spent the longest time with in this reincarnated life.
He had held many expectations for me, and I had never betrayed them. As a result, I had received a great deal.
His last words before his life ended were also for me. This fact held more significance than even the group's controlling shares.
After those words, my grandfather lost consciousness again, and I simply gazed at him for a long time.
The image of him smiling brightly and lifting me into his arms when we first met.
The image of him proudly boasting about my Suneung score, ranked 10th nationwide, to everyone in the neighborhood, no different from any ordinary grandfather.
The image of him being deeply moved when I handed him a billion dollars.
The image of him not knowing what to do with himself, so proud that I had taken control of Ajin Group.
These past memories overlapped with his present appearance, now on the verge of death, blurring my vision.
But I had to pull myself together.
Noisy sounds echoed through the hospital ward. It seemed people were flocking here.
I had to leave the room before they entered. After all, it wasn't the grandson who should witness his death most closely, but his children.
Standing in the hospital corridor, I bowed my head towards my rushing uncles.
But they didn't even glance at me, rushing straight into the hospital room.
"Father!"
The children's cries of anguish were audible even from outside. He hadn't even passed away yet... I made my way to the cafe at the end of the corridor, lost in a foolish thought: how wonderful it would be if he were to be startled awake.
* * *
The hospital director, beads of cold sweat trickling down, once again explained Chairman Jin's condition to the fierce brothers.
"You should all prepare yourselves. There isn't much time left."
"There's no chance of recovery?"
"...No."
The hospital director worried they might shout again, but they didn't.
Vice Chairman Jin Younggi closed his eyes and lowered his head.
"Since everyone is gathered, there's something I must tell you. In this condition, it will be difficult for the Chairman to last beyond 48 hours. If you wish, we can use more aggressive medical devices, but..."
"Like intubation?"
Vice Chairman Jin Donggi asked, his face contorted in a grimace.
"Yes. However, the Chairman has always been against such invasive procedures..."
"Don't. Let him pass naturally and peacefully."
Jin Younggi stated firmly.
Even without the hospital director's recommendation, they all remembered their father's instruction not to forcefully prolong his passing.
"Yes, I understand."
The hospital director quietly left the room, and the attending physician waited silently in a corner of the room.
"But what about Mother? Still no contact?"
Jin Seoyoon asked her three older brothers, but no one answered.
"What on earth are you doing? If Mother can't be reached, doesn't she at least have attendants with her?"
"The attendants are out of reach too. The last time she picked up the phone was when Father was first admitted to the hospital."
At Jin Donggi's sigh-laden words, Jin Seoyoon began to glare at Jin Younggi.
"Big Brother. You should at least send the secretarial staff to find her! And Hyegyeong? Isn't that girl always glued to Mother's side? Can't even reach her daughter?"
"We only confirmed she left the villa in Switzerland. After that, that child stopped answering calls too. Mother must have blocked her."
"Are you calling that an answer?! What if she doesn't make it for Father's final moments at this rate?"
Jin Younggi glared at Jin Seoyoon, who was screaming sharply.
"Are you really unaware she's avoiding calls so she doesn't have to witness his passing? And you? What kind of daughter doesn't even know her own mother's phone number? How dare you raise your voice with that kind of attitude!"
"Let's lower our voices. Is this really the time for such talk?"
Jin Donggi sighed, speaking to the two of them. It was clear that their mother, who harbored extreme hatred and contempt for their father, cared not one bit about his death.
It was fine if she didn't attend his final moments. He just prayed she would appear before the funeral. A funeral wasn't just for family. Cameras might be present, with the whole nation watching.
If the Chairman's devoted wife was nowhere to be seen, who knew what conjectures might circulate, and if strange rumors spread through tabloids, there would be no greater disgrace for their family.
He could only pray she would return to the country as soon as possible. The only reason he wasn't overly worried was that his mother also placed great importance on appearances. At the very least, she would be able to present herself as a grieving wife at the funeral.
"Excuse me, Doctor."
"Ah, yes?"
The attending physician, who had been standing in the corner, startled and approached Vice Chairman Jin Donggi.
"We'll have time to step out for a bit, won't we?"
"Excuse me?"
"I'm asking if anything major will happen in the next hour or two. It'll be fine, won't it?"
"Yes."
It was a meaningless question, so the attending physician answered dryly.
In his unconscious state, the chances of him waking up were virtually nil. The time remaining would merely be spent breathing. There was no absolute reason to stay and witness his final moment.
Confirming the doctor's answer, Jin Donggi gestured to his older brother, Jin Younggi.
Stepping out of the room, the two men each lit a cigarette.
"Is Mother really unreachable?"
"I'm going crazy too."
Jin Younggi inhaled a couple of times, then threw his cigarette down.
"Why? Did you talk to her?"
"What about you?"
"She doesn't pick up my calls at all. But Mother usually listens to you, Big Brother, since you're the eldest son."
"She did pick up a few times. But it was always the same thing. She said that old geezer is too tenacious to die easily. She told me not to bother her, that she'd come when it was time."
"She really needs to come this time..."
Jin Younggi, knowing what was on his younger brother's mind, sighed and said.
"When I got the call earlier, I sent her a text. I told her he wouldn't last more than a day, so she's probably on a plane. She has that much common sense."
"She absolutely has to come... If not, it'll be a real disgrace for the family..."
"Perhaps Father's death might just get quietly buried."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Jin Donggi's eyes widened at his brother's unexpected words.
"It's been noisy lately, you know. Because of the President."
"What does that have to do with us? The presidential campaign fund issue has almost settled down."
"He might even be impeached."
"What? Impeachment?"
"Yes. It seems the other side has prepared thoroughly. They were just waiting for an opportunity and found a weakness."
"No way? Impeachment for that? Is it even possible?"
Jin Donggi frowned, as if calling it nonsense, and shook his head slightly.
"They're confident the impeachment motion will pass in the National Assembly. With the ruling party fractured, the number of opposition assemblymen is now overwhelming."
Jin Donggi felt uneasy because Jin Younggi's influence was steadily growing.
No one was providing him with such high-level information. He had numerous assemblymen placed in Yeouido's National Assembly, but truly critical intelligence only reached Sunyang's eldest son.
Indeed, just as his brother said, he grew increasingly uneasy, fearing that after the funeral, Jin Younggi, as the eldest son, would outwardly solidify his position even further.
"Even so, it'll probably just end with the President's duties being suspended, won't it? The administration won't actually end like that."
Seeing Jin Younggi smile faintly at his words, Jin Donggi realized his mistake.
His brother had another idea, and he hadn't managed to read it. He would have to endure his brother's condescending arrogance again.
"Surely you don't have someone in mind? To completely change the administration?"
Jin Younggi shook his head at Jin Donggi's startled question.
"I'm not interested in that. I looked into it, and if the impeachment motion passes the National Assembly, the Constitutional Court can delay it for a maximum of six months."
Only then did Jin Donggi grasp his brother's true meaning.
"It'll be six months of chaos then."
"Exactly. It's the first presidential impeachment in history. And the general election is coming up soon too. The world's attention will undoubtedly be focused on Cheongwadae and Yeouido, more than on Father's death. We mustn't miss this opportunity; we'll push our plans through swiftly and decisively."
"Six months where no one will care what we do?"
"Precisely. We absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip away."
"Is Father giving us a gift even in his death?"
"Most of the people we need will come to pay their respects at the funeral. We must finalize our discussions then."
The brothers exchanged faint smiles for a moment but quickly erased them. Wasn't it a time to hide laughter?
"Let's go in. We should be by his side."
* * *
People arrived at the hospital in quick succession.
The daughters-in-law, their faces taut with tension, entered the room, and soon after, several affiliate company presidents arrived.
They stopped by the room only to confirm the grandfather's condition, then came out and looked for Chief Lee Hakjae. Witnessing his final moments was a duty for the family.
The grandsons also began to appear.
The first to arrive was the eldest grandson, Jin Youngjun.
"Ah, Big Brother."
"Oh? Dojun. You came early, as expected."
I took the hand he offered.
His aura had changed considerably in the time we hadn't seen each other.
Perhaps due to him approaching his mid-thirties and his position at the company, his childish demeanor was nowhere to be found.
"How is Grandfather?"
When I shook my head slightly, a low groan escaped his lips.
"Hmm... Today...?"
"Most likely."
"Let's go."
We entered the room, walking side by side.
The spacious special room was packed, and I took a spot in one corner.
Jin Youngjun pushed through the crowd and approached the bedside.
As more cousins continued to arrive and the room became cramped, only the children remained inside, and the rest moved out into the corridor.
The sorrow of not being able to share my grandfather's last breath weighed heavily on my chest. No matter how much I wiped them, my tears wouldn't stop.
I didn't even check how many hours had passed. I wished for this time to be prolonged, even just a little, but my desire was not fulfilled.
"Father!"
"Father! *sob*"
As cries and laments erupted from the room, I rushed in frantically.
When the doctor removed the oxygen mask, my grandfather's expression was fully revealed. A perfectly impassive face.
I couldn't bring myself to touch that face.
My aunt began to wail, embracing my grandfather's neck, and I, clutching onto my half-faded consciousness, dragged my feet towards his side.
Pushing my way through the people surrounding the bed, I tightly grasped my grandfather's hand, which still held some warmth.
May his death not have been painful.
May he have had not a single moment of regret.
May there not have been even a single second he wished to erase from his eighty-plus years of life.
I prayed and prayed.
For a while, only sounds of weeping and wailing echoed within the hospital room.
Then, a completely out-of-place sound emerged, and at that signal, the wailing also subsided.
"Gr-Grandmother."
Because one of the grandchildren had spotted their grandmother standing at the entrance of the room and let out a sound close to a shriek.
"M-Mother!"
"Mother! Why are you so late? You should have been here for Father's final moments!"
"I'm not late. I arrived precisely on time."
Unlike my aunt, who was sobbing and shouting, my grandmother wore a cold expression, utterly unperturbed.
"Mother! What on earth are you saying right now?"
"Mother! Is that really something to say at a time like this?"
My uncle and aunt spoke with incredulous expressions, but my grandmother continued, completely unfazed.
"I didn't want to breathe the same air as that man. So I came at precisely this moment."
I doubted my own ears.
I knew my grandmother hated my grandfather, but to say this in front of the deceased... and with his children and grandchildren watching?
But that wasn't the end.
My grandmother, spotting me, raised her hand and pointed, saying.
"Why are you here, you wretch?"
Her fingertips trembled, as if seeing me was more difficult than witnessing her husband's death.