Chaebol Fate

THE OPPOSITION

JIMIN'S POV

My life was good. Hell, it was almost perfect. I lived an easy life. As the only son and heir to my father's many businesses, my parents doted on me and ensured I had the best of everything. My father wanted to know his hard work wouldn't be all for naught. His companies were his legacy. Never mind what I wanted for my life. Fortunately, I loved business and had a natural knack for it. In fact, I was good at a lot of things. School, sports, art, singing, dancing, fashion sense, making friends...all my talents made me quite the popular guy. I only had one major weakness–beautiful women.

In my youth, my father gave me some advice that I have taken to heart, and it has worked wonders for me. He said, "Never let your opponent see one of your weaknesses, son. Spin it. Convince your opponent that your weakness is your strength." Of course, that meant the best way to handle my weakness for women was to do everything in my power to make them weak for me instead. And I excelled at it. Early in my teen years, I studied the art of flirting. It didn't take long for my friends to become envious of my track record. Not once did a girl turn me down for a date. Ever.

It was the same for college. By then, I was more focused on my studies, which attracted even more women. I impressed them with my major academic chops. Of course, being the sole heir of a multi-million dollar corporation didn't hurt when it came to attracting women, either. Don't get me wrong–--I am a hard worker. I care about my family's legacy. But I also love the perks that come with it, especially the fast cars and beautiful women. To be honest, every now and then, I met a woman who I thought just might be the one. But every time that happened, I discovered I was more committed to the relationship than she was. I never let her know, though. That would make me appear weak. And I will never let that happen.

As I said, life was good. That is, until that fateful night when Ji-Hye entered my life. I knew who she was. It was difficult not to. She was prominent on social media, posting fashion and decorating tips as well as promoting numerous social causes. Plus, she attended all of the same charity events my family attended. She never brought a date with her, though. Low grumblings in my social circle hinted at her sexuality leaning toward the female persuasion whenever she was seen in public with another woman. But then, two female friends going out to eat or shop together is normal female behavior regardless of sexuality. And who cares? I, for sure, didn't.

Yeah, I'm sticking with that. Why? Because it's the only way to play it safe. Because, in reality, I suspected she was just my type. I'm not talking about girlfriend material, either. I'm talking about soulmate material. And the last thing I wanted to do was settle down. I was having too much fun. I intentionally avoided her like the plague at social events for that very reason.

My parents also believed I was having too much fun. So, under the guise of dinner with another CEO and his family to discuss a possible joint business venture, she walked into our home along with her parents, and my heart momentarily skipped a beat when she looked me in the eyes and bowed. We sat down and ate, and the casual conversation between our parents was a stark contrast to our silence. Had it just been the two of us in the room, one would have been able to hear a pin drop.

My father dragged me into the conversation, asking for my opinion on a business matter, claiming he wanted to hear a younger person's perspective. Suddenly, she spoke up. Not only did she speak up, but she also dared to disagree with me. Even more, she dared to have evidence to back up her reasoning. It was a foreign experience to have a young, beautiful woman disagree with me. It was even more unusual to have one prove my opinion to be faulty so effortlessly and speak to me like she was just one of the guys. Things like that just didn't happen when women talked with me. Did she seriously not find me intimidatingly handsome and irresistibly charming?