As soon as I returned to Korea, the first thing I did was visit the hospital where Grandfather was hospitalized.
“You’ve arrived?”
Manager Ha greeted me in front of the hospital room. His face, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, had grown noticeably gaunt.
“You look exhausted, Manager Ha.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“Is my grandfather’s condition still the same?”
“……Yes.”
We walked down the hallway for a moment while I spoke with Manager Ha. I could have gone straight into the room to check on Grandfather’s condition, but I wanted to talk with him a bit more.
“How about leaving the hospital in someone else’s hands now and taking office as Taesan Financial Chairman? You need to look after your own health, Manager.”
“I wish to continue attending to the Chairman a little longer.”
I was grateful he would say that, but it also pained me.
“I’ve heard there are no signs of my grandfather’s condition improving, Manager Ha. I think it might be good to leave caring for Grandfather to someone else and start easing back into work.”
“Even so……”
Manager Ha trailed off, unable to answer readily, so I cut him off.
“It’s not good to leave the top position at Taesan Financial vacant for too long. Eva has been looking after it with her own kind of care, but even that has its limits.”