(Episode 54)
Do you know what it is that I fear the most?
The angrier I get at Jang Se Hoon,
the more competitive I become.
And it looks like this is going to change my life.
Will it open a whole new world if I win this fight?
Dad, if I step into the world you live in,
I know I'll be a lot more relentless than you.
(Incorrect password. Please try again.)
(Tax Database, Work Assessment, Personnel Record of the Executives)
It's Mom's birthday.
Gosh, Dad.
(Personnel Record of the Executives)
Director Kim In Sik's weakness is his son.
It looks like his son is pretty smart.
He couldn't stop boasting about how his son got into S University...
as the top student in the department of business.
If you tell him we'll guarantee a job for his son...
once he graduates from university...
and help him become the president of an affiliate one day,
he and his son will stay loyal.
Director Kim knows very well...
that he's not competent enough to become an affiliate president.
And all fathers want their sons...
to achieve their dreams for them on their behalf.
He's not on good terms with Executive Director Yoo.
You should use their relationship to your advantage.
So you're telling me to make them compete...
with each other, right?
Yes.
And make sure you give hope to both of them.
(Director Kim In Sik)
(Personnel Record, Kim In Sik)
Executive Director Yoon is known to be a sneaky man.
He loves money, women, and bribes.
If you let him have his fun to a certain level,
he won't backstab you.
Guys who put on airs tend to be cowards.
But sometimes, you need to give him a warning...
so that he doesn't cross the line.
It's kind of like fishing.
You sometimes need to know when to let go when you fish.
But of course, you need to make sure the fishing line is nice and strong.
Business is all about seeing through people.
And you always need to have an alternative ready.
Sir, an unknown man just entered the gallery.
It's too dark right now, so I couldn't see his face properly,
but I think it was Choi Yong Min,
the guy who helped Director Choi forge her identity.
The guy who pretends to be her brother living in New Zealand.
There's another guy here. I'll call you later.
It looks like they're busy trying to come up with a plan.
It looks like your lawyer is also helping Director Choi.
That ungrateful crook.
Do you know what it is that crooks don't have?
Loyalty and money.
How could he be so ungrateful?
He was able to finish his studies...
thanks to the help of the late chairman.
I can't believe he chose to betray you like this.
If you continue to be nice,
people tend to take it for granted.
He's very quick-witted,
so that's why he chose to help Myung Hwa.
Your allies...
can sometimes be more dangerous than your enemies.
Sir.
The chief prosecutor says he'll be ready to indict Director Choi...
the moment you give him evidence to prove that she's guilty...
and told you not to worry.
I'll find evidence regarding the purchase...
of borrowed-name accounts and inflow of illegal funds...
and have that witch get arrested...
and locked up in jail.
She'll try to write up a fake will,
so she'll also get indicted for forgery of documents,
and that will get her locked up for at least over 10 years.
We should prepare a fake will...
just in case Chairman Seo wakes up.
Of course.
Like we planned,
write down that he chose me to be the acting chairwoman.
And just in case he wakes up, it'll be safe to write up a will...
saying he chose me as his adult guardian.
According to Dr. Lee, even if the chairman wakes up,
he'll have a decline in his cognitive ability,
and I was also told that his memory...
and thinking ability will also be extremely severe.
His life expectancy is even less than a year.
So things will most likely go our way.
Ambition is also a form of competence.
I bought your ambition,
we both signed a memorandum,
and we promised to help each other...
to achieve an ambitious goal.
So I trust that you won't do anything to make me worry.
We already sealed our deal through documents and cash.
And money is our assurance.
And you told me you'll switch...
the chairman's old will with our new one.
Don't worry about that.
I'll visit your place tomorrow...
and tell Seo Jung Min what the chairman said.
Then I'll announce that he'll be able to see...
the chairman's will after a week.
What are you thinking about?
I was thinking whether or not I should pat you on the back...
and tell you how much I'm proud of you.
You were so stubborn about taking revenge on Chairman Seo.
And I'm starting to wonder if I should've stopped you.
After I found out that he actually collapsed,
it made me feel a bit uneasy.
I'm not being stubborn. I'm just doing what's right.
He deserves to get punished for his evil acts.
I don't need anyone who's kind or honest.
What do you want me to do now?
Should I convert the borrowed-name stocks into your own?
I need to gain enough votes for the board meeting,
and I need to find a way to limit Jung Min's voting rights.
And I need a lot more money to recapitalize.
After you recapitalize,
buy the newly issued stocks...
and gain a majority of votes,
you'll finally become the owner of Seorin.
First, I need to become...
the acting chairwoman next week.
I'm sure you already know this,
but out of the 20 affiliates, Seo Mun Su only established 4.
He approached businesses promising to invest.
Then he pressured them with money and stole their technical skills.
He stole other people's businesses.
He stole my dad's firm,
so it's my turn to steal Seo Mun Su's firm.
It took me a lot of effort to get this far.
I even made Mi Ran lie...
in front of the entire country so I could have an alibi...
and make Seo Mun Su collapse.
So I must use this chance to take everything from him.
(Seorin)
Mr. Kim, I heard your son got accepted...
to S University as the top student in the department of business.
Congratulations.
The chairman told me he'll buy him a fountain pen as a gift...
on his way back from his business trip in Europe.
He's been buying fountain pens for 20 years, hasn't he?
He's a very consistent man.
It's the chairman's principle to ban our executives' families...
from getting involved in any of the businesses...
that's managed by our company.
But Mr. Yoon, I've been hearing odd rumors lately.
I heard rumors saying your sister-in-law...
is running our cafe in Dogok-dong. That's not true, right?
Please wait until he goes up first.
(Seorin)
You must make people fear you.
Let them know that you're unapproachable.
I don't want to be an arrogant jerk.
Listen to what I say...
if you want our deal to stay valid.
You're busy trying to kick me out.
Did you find the evidence regarding the illegal transfer?
Now that we've started a fight, I have no choice but to win.
You can't win just by trying.
The winner is the one who knows how to win.
(Director Seo Jung Min)
So you're saying...
the plan was to make me become the second biggest shareholder...
by giving me the convertible bonds that were bought at a low price?
And if things go wrong, I could get arrested for insider trading,
or my father could end up getting investigated for malpractice.
It doesn't make sense to pay so much gift tax...
to take over your father's company.
And if not this, the only way to take over...
is to pay a huge amount of tax.
Listen.
Don't you think the world is unfair?
The top 1 percent owns 50 percent of the country's wealth.
On top of that, only 20 percent of them work.
The other 30 percent are just dumb inheritors.
But you see,
I'm not one of them.
Stop making the employees sign a memorandum to give up the shares.
I want you to come up with how to improve the corporate governance.
But we're already on stage three.
And we can't just cancel it without the chairman's order.
You can if you trust me.
And of course, I expect this to stay confidential.
You must lead change, not chase it.
I'm going to become the leader of Seorin.
And I plan to do things my way.
If I think something is right,
I'll do everything I can to make it work.
So will you give me the answer that I want or not?
I'll form a separate team...
for the project.
Thank you.
You're one of the leading members of our company,
so I'll look forward to seeing what you can do.
Yes, sir.
Do you think there's no way to compromise?
Seo Jung Min may seem kindhearted,
but don't forget that his father is Chairman Seo...
who's very sly and cunning.
I thought Seo Jung Min might be different.
But I guess he's going to break the law...
to inherit the company just like his father did.
But the record regarding his illegal transfer of the firm...
is probably kept top secret by the future strategy team.
It won't be easy to approach it.
You might be able to find a record of the document...
in their hardware system.
I'm sure you can find a way to get your hands on it.
Se Hoon.
It's always best to be careful.
Must you clash with him like this?
I feel like this is more personal than a righteous indignation.
It's hard to get why you're doing this.
Ho Jin.
I must destroy Jung Min.
It's not just because of Ji Eun.
I want to try fighting against the tyrannical governance.
(Yoon Mi Ran)
Let me talk to security.
I'm the CEO's fiancee. Get out of my way.
Please leave. He told us not to let you in.
What?
Call him right now. Do it now!
Do you want to ruin your life even more?
Take her out of here.
You should watch whom you're messing with.
Do you want me to start exposing what I know?
Do you want to get disciplined?
Take her out of here.
Let me go. I'll leave on my own.
You're going to ignore me now that I'm useless?
Do you think I'll forgive you for this?
Let me go! Let go of me!
I told you let go! Get off me!
She really knows how to cause a scene.
She's so brazen.
How could she come here after the mess she caused?
She's such a nuisance and con artist.
I really hate her.
I've never seen such an insane woman before.
I know, right?
By the way,
is your friend doing okay?
I was worried about your friend,
so I wrote tons of mean comments on Yoon Mi Ran's social media page.
I really put in a lot of effort.
Thanks.
Yoo Na, you're a lot more loyal than I thought.
Will this be an opportunity for us to become close?
Are you asking me to be your friend?
No, not exactly a friend.
But I'd like to get along with you as a colleague.
Then why don't you help me...
tease Yeo Jin a little?
He really likes you a lot, you know.
I know.
But I'm 10 years older than him.
If his parents find out, they'll get furious at me.
Were you badmouthing me to my girlfriend?
As you know, I'm dating Ho Jin right now.
So I asked her some stuff about physical interaction.
Thank you.
What are you thanking her for?
Director Nam, a woman needs to play hard to get.
Mr. Kim is a playboy, you know.
I prefer playboys than guys who know nothing about love.
Okay, fine.
I'm going to go to the rooftop and throw a fit.
Stop me. Please. Come and stop me.
I know you like me.
But you should've asked me out sincerely.
For the past 10 years, you only kept joking about it.
That's why I didn't even consider you.
Does this make things a bit more serious now?
Let's start over again.
Will you please empty your mind?
And learn to trust the person you held hands with.
I became a psycho because I trusted you.
Act more mature.
I promised that I'll make you become the company's brand model...
and help you get what you want, but you need to be patient.
You wanted to ruin Se Hoon's life, and that's what's happening.
So why are you being so fickle?
Will keeps ignoring me and treating me like a leech.
And I can't stand it anymore.
He's not the only guy in this world.
He's the only guy I love.
You're just being possessive and obsessive. It's not love.
If you really love him, you wouldn't want to ruin his life.
That's why I regret it.
If you didn't incite me,
I wouldn't have crossed the line...
even if Ji Eun made me jealous.
So what now?
I don't want to be the brand model, and I don't need your money.
So help me get Will back again.
Just give me a week.
Then we might be able to find a way.
How do you expect me to trust you when you're nothing but talk?
What else can you do if you don't trust me?
Gosh, you're too obsessed about cleaning.
It's nice to keep things clean.
Just get some rest.
Do you have a lot on your mind?
I'd be lying if I said I'm okay.
Tons of people are talking about me...
because of what Mi Ran did at the press conference.
Rumors don't last for more than three days.
Don't worry about it.
Ji Eun, it's Director Choi.
(Director Choi Myung Hwa)
Hello, this is Lee Ji Eun speaking.
Right now at the gallery?
Okay, I'll be right there.
What did she say? Why does she want to meet you?
I'm not sure. She wants to eat dinner with me.
I guess she wants to act like she supports you...
so she could get on Jung Min's good side.
I'm really not interested in receiving her support.
But still, it's best to get along.
She's Jung Min's stepmother.
And she's no pushover.
She may not be his legal wife,
but she seduced Chairman Seo and managed to move in with him.
Didn't the chairman say anything after he found out...
about you and Se Hoon?
No, not really.
He went on a business trip to Europe.
I'm even more nervous to hear he hasn't said anything.
Let's just leave it to Jung Min to convince his father.
I should get ready to go outside.
Don't get intimidated.
If Choi Myung Hwa is hard on you by any chance,
just ignore what she says...
and forget about it.
(Director Choi Myung Hwa)
Those two flowers...
look as if they're about to fly just like two phoenixes.
When a phoenix throws itself into a burning fire...
so it can be born again as a young phoenix,
it sheds tears due to the excruciating pain,
and that's what turns into a flower.
Its tears of pain turn into a flower?
So it's a flower that gives you hope and reminds you...
that good days will come.
Isn't it so contrived?
They say when a phoenix sheds tears in pain,
its tears turn into flowers.
But pain is just pain.
Jung Min told me about the legend...
as he lent me this painting.
I'm sure he told you too.
I never thought you'd say this painting was fake.
I never thought you'd witness Mi Ran walking either.
And I didn't know you'd be against...
with letting her go up on stage.
I thought you'd just do as I say since you're better off...
pleasing me instead of doing the opposite.
I also didn't think you'd be so two-faced like this.
Talk about yourself.
I'm the only one who knows that you were the one...
who tipped off the reporter.
How do you think Jung Min will react if he finds out?
Things didn't get out of hand because that reporter...
ended up taking money from the chairman.
But you still tipped him off,
and it could've done a lot of harm to Seorin.
Did you split the money with that reporter?
Was money what you were after?
If that's the case, things will go a lot smoother from here.
Why did you call me here?
Jung Min got really angry at me for being harsh to you.
So I called you here to at least pretend like I apologized.
(Director's office)
Then I guess I should also pretend like I accepted your apology.
Director Choi is with a guest.
Is it Lee Ji Eun?
Yes. Should I tell her you're here?
No, I just dropped by.
I'll come back next time.
Hey, it's me.
What?
You heard them chatting and laughing together?
It's really hard to understand what Director Choi is thinking.
Do you think she planned this with Ji Eun from the start?
Come to think of it, I ended up becoming a liar...
because Ji Eun turned on the recording file...
at the press conference.
And if Director Choi purposely made me lie,
it means they had some kind of a deal.
What kind of benefits would that have given each other?
Although I still don't know why,
Director Choi has a deep grudge against the chairman.
Do you think Ji Eun also has something against Seorin?
Let's hang up for now.
Wouldn't it be nice if I get Jung Min involved in this game?
We're not really close enough to call each other.
We might call each other a lot from now on.
I have something to tell you about Director Choi.
About what happened at the press conference...
You don't think I planned that all by myself, do you?
It's a long story, so I'll tell you once we meet.
I'll meet you at the gallery.
Jung Min, you're late.
Yes. I had a lot of meetings.
Did Director Choi apologize to you?
I told her I was harsh to her that day...
because your father collapsed, and I apologized for it.
And that's why I offered to treat you guys to dinner.
Considering the situation, we should support each other.
Considering the situation, we shouldn't let things slide.
If you keep doubting me, it'll only cause misunderstandings.
Let's go eat first.
Mi Ran just called and told me she's also going to come here.
Why don't we wait and go with her?
Why would she come here?
She must have something to say.
She's a very unpredictable person.
But I guess we should listen to what she has to say.
I wonder how Director Choi will react...
once Mi Ran joins us.
Director Choi.
The painting that was sent to Seongbuk-dong...
just received a complaint.
I'm sorry. I think I need to go.
It's an important client, so I need to get it taken care of.
I'll call you later. Let's go.
She's busy trying to hide her cunning tricks.
How much do you know?
What about you, Ji Eun? How much do you know?
Make sure Mi Ran doesn't leave the house.
And take her cell phone away.
I'm on my way right now, so make sure she doesn't leave.
Open the door.
Since when did you start working for Choi Myung Hwa?
Open the door! Open the door!
Open the door! I said open the door!
Who are you to slap me?
I have the right to slap you.
Because I'm your mother.
(Phoenix 2020)
The chairman kept his will in his personal safe.
You will get to see his will one week after the day he collapsed.
You'll soon have to take off that mask of yours.
You can try your best to find out,
but you won't get to find anything since I'm not Choi Myung Hwa.
Today, I found out who my mother is.
Can't you at least try to understand me?
You have a grudge against the chairman, don't you?
Then you must be seeing Jung Min with an ulterior motive.
Ji Eun, you really have a way of surprising me.