Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 302

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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302. There’s the plane we’ll be taking over there.

“I’ve packed ten sets of underwear and dress shirts in the large trunk. I even threw in an extra suit just in case.”
“Mm. Alright.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun was brushing his teeth when he heard his wife’s voice, poking just his head out from between the bathroom door to respond.
His wife, wearing an apron, had unfolded a large travel suitcase in the living room and was methodically stacking newly purchased dress shirts still in their packaging, continuing to speak.

“Don’t be lazy and wear the same shirt two or three times. When you return to your accommodation, put it straight into the washing machine. Always wear a fresh one. Understood?”
“Come on. Two days is fine. It doesn’t even smell.”
“It doesn’t smell, sure.”

His wife rolled her eyes as if she’d expected exactly that.

“Do you know how shabby a person looks wearing wrinkled, stained dress shirts?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue at her pointed glare.

“Fine. I’ll just change every day.”
“You’re not going alone—you’re going on an overseas business trip with your subordinates. You can’t afford to look disheveled.”
“Honestly. I said I understand. I’m not a ten-year-old child.”
“If you were, at least you’d listen to what I tell you.”

Manager Choi Ho-geun knew that if he said anything more, the nagging would only get longer, so he simply nodded and let it go.

“I’ll do laundry properly and keep myself neat, so don’t worry.”

His tone was hardly convincing, but since it was the day of his long-term business trip across the Pacific to the United States, there seemed no point in upsetting her mood.
Eventually, his wife stopped nagging at this point and finished packing, double-checking to make sure nothing was missing.
After closing the suitcase lid and zipping it shut, she wheeled it to the apartment entrance, and just then Manager Choi Ho-geun emerged from the master bedroom in fresh clothes.

“But will really just one suitcase be enough? You said it’s a one-month schedule, but it could stretch longer depending on the situation.”

Unlike his wife’s worried question, Manager Choi Ho-geun answered casually.

“It’s not like I’m emigrating. This will be more than enough.”

Manager Ho-geun said it was fine, but his wife couldn’t shake the worry that he was packing far too little luggage.
Truth be told, she’d originally bought another large suitcase of the same size, but when Manager Ho-geun complained that he had too much to pack, she’d reluctantly cut it in half—which only made her more anxious.

“Why don’t you take a few more comfortable clothes to wear, some underwear and socks? If we squeeze them into the gaps, I’m sure they’ll fit somehow.”
“This is enough. And if I really need something, I can just buy it there anyway.”
“But what if the food doesn’t suit your taste? At least let me pack some gochujang and kimchi.”
“If I accidentally bring something like that and they won’t let it through customs at the airport, that’ll just be more of a headache. Let’s skip it.”

Watching his wife rack her brain trying to squeeze in just one more thing, he had the distinct feeling she’d keep stuffing until the suitcase literally burst.

“I feel terrible that you’ll have to spend the end of the year with just the kids because of this business trip.”

When Manager Ho-geun hastily changed the subject, his wife’s nose wrinkled slightly.

“It’s not like you’re going on vacation alone—you’re going to the United States for work, so there’s no helping it.”
“Yeah, that’s right. There’s no helping it. It’s all because of the company.”

In truth, thinking about escaping the house and having free time made him want to break into a smile, but Manager Ho-geun summoned every ounce of willpower to barely suppress it.
Instead, he let his eyebrows droop apologetically and spoke with a remorseful expression.

“I’ll buy you a gift when I come back, so tell me if you need anything.”
“What gift? Just come back safe and sound without getting hurt.”
“Even something expensive is fine—just tell me.”

His wife glanced at Manager Ho-geun and then spoke up.

“Now that I think about it, the moms in our building were raving about this cosmetic in a brown bottle…”
“A brown bottle?”
“I’m not saying you have to buy it. But they said it removes wrinkles and makes your skin firm and plump. And it’s cheaper at duty-free than at department stores.”

Seeing the gleam in his wife’s eyes, Manager Ho-geun knew for certain that if he forgot to bring it back, he’d be in for some serious nagging—not just for a while, but for quite a long time.
With the instincts of a married man, Manager Ho-geun awkwardly nodded with a smile.

“If it’s that good, of course I have to bring it back. You said a brown bottle, right?”
“Oh my. If it’s too expensive, you don’t have to buy it. The brand name is Estée Lauder, and you’ll find it at the airport duty-free or department stores. And if possible, get the largest size—you know that, right? Even though it’s pricey, it’s more economical that way.”

Watching his wife rattle off her request without hiding her pleased expression, as if she’d prepared it all in advance, Manager Ho-geun let out an inward chuckle.

‘I knew it. If I’d just ignored her and didn’t buy it, I’d be in real trouble.’

Hearing his wife’s insistent reminders to bring back all the complimentary gifts and samples, Manager Ho-geun asked.

“Besides your cosmetics, is there anything else you need?”
“Oh, and don’t forget the things the children asked for yesterday. You absolutely must buy them.”
“The Barbie doll set and the Walkman, right?”
“Yes. The children are so excited that they made me promise again this morning before school to remind you once more.”

Recalling his two sons and daughter, who were as cute as rabbits, Manager Ho-geun replied.

“Tell them to wait—I won’t forget to bring them back.”

Then, glancing suddenly at the clock on the wall, Manager Ho-geun brushed himself off and stood up.

“I should head out now.”
“You’re meeting the staff at the airport, right?”
“Yes.”

Manager Ho-geun nodded as he draped his coat over his shoulders.
Just as his wife was brushing off his coat shoulders and about to see him off at the entrance, she suddenly remembered something and asked.

“Oh, you did pack your passport and visa, didn’t you?”
“Of course.”

Manager Ho-geun answered while reaching into his inner pocket, but finding nothing there, his expression turned to alarm.

“Huh?”

His wife’s eyes widened in response.

“You don’t have them?”
“No, they should be here…”

Patting his chest frantically, Manager Ho-geun let out a gasp and rushed urgently into the bedroom.

“Oh no! I put them carefully in the bedroom drawer and forgot to take them out.”

Watching her flustered husband’s retreating figure, his wife placed her hands on her hips and shook her head with exasperation.

“He’s like a child left by the water’s edge—I can never stop worrying about him.”

My wife let out a deep sigh.

* * *

Gimpo International Airport International Terminal.
Manager Choi Ho-geun stepped out of the taxi, dragging a large suitcase into the crowded lobby, and glanced around searching for his group.

“Manager!”

At the familiar voice, I turned my head to the left and saw Jung Hwan-yeop and the other employees already gathered there.

“You all arrived early.”

As Manager Choi Ho-geun approached with his suitcase, speaking with a smile, Jung Hwan-yeop, who looked even more excited than usual, grinned mischievously.

“You’re the last one, Manager. The very last.”
“Come on now. So you finally found something to nitpick about? Why don’t you show up this early in your daily life?”

Manager Choi Ho-geun clicked his tongue and pointed at Jung Hwan-yeop’s face with his fingertip.

“And what’s with those sunglasses?”
“Well, how do they look?”

Jung Hwan-yeop shrugged his shoulders and tilted his sunglasses up slightly.

“Pretty cool, right? Just like Chow Yun-fat in Heroes Among Heroes, wouldn’t you say?”
“You’re talking nonsense about Chow Yun-fat. Who wears sunglasses indoors? Take them off right now—it’s embarrassing.”

But Jung Hwan-yeop stubbornly held his ground against Manager Choi Ho-geun’s scolding.

“Tsk, you don’t know anything. Haven’t you seen movies? When you look at Americans, they wear sunglasses as a standard accessory.”
“They’re American, but you’re Korean.”
“I’ve decided to become an honorary American starting today.”
“This crazy guy….”

Manager Choi Ho-geun pressed his hand to his forehead as if his head ached and groaned.

“Just thinking about being stuck with this guy day and night for over a month is already giving me a headache.”

Hong Jae-hee and Yu Seok-hyun, standing beside each other, exchanged glances and giggled.

“You two are exactly the same even outside the office.”
“I can’t tell if you get along well or poorly.”

In any case, Manager Choi Ho-geun, who had bickered with Section Chief Jung Hwan-yeop as usual that day, gathered the group and raised his voice with a question.

“Everyone brought their passports and visas, right? No one forgot anything?”
“Yes.”
“Of course.”

As Hong Jae-hee and Yu Seok-hyun answered in unison, Section Chief Jung Hwan-yeop pulled out his passport from inside his coat pocket to show it.

“I was so worried I might forget it that I’ve been sleeping with it since last night.”

At his laughing response, Manager Choi Ho-geun frowned and clicked his tongue.

“Why didn’t you just leave your passport behind?”
“That’s too much! Just leave me here and go!”

At his plaintive cry, Manager Choi Ho-geun openly displayed a regretful expression and silently nodded in agreement.
Watching the two supervisors bicker like children whenever they were together, Hong Jae-hee let out a small sigh and interjected.

“Manager, do you happen to know what aircraft we’ll be taking today?”
“I have no idea. I was only told to arrive at Gimpo Airport by 1 PM.”

Hong Jae-hee’s expression grew troubled.

“We need the aircraft number and departure time to check our luggage. What should we do?”
“Before that, shouldn’t we get our boarding passes issued first? With so many people, I’m not sure we’ll have enough time.”

If they made a mistake, they could easily miss their flight by falling behind on check-in procedures.
Among the bustling crowd, the group stood motionless with their large suitcases, unsure of what to do.
Finally, Manager Choi Ho-geun, seeing no other choice, stepped forward.

“I’ll call the secretarial office. Wait here for a moment.”

As he turned his head to look for a public telephone booth, someone approached and spoke to him.

“Everyone arrived right on time. How punctual of you all.”

As I turned to look, I saw Han Ji-sung, Seok-won’s Attendant Secretary, approaching in a gray coat.

“Han Ji-sung.”

Choi Ho-geun, who had been flustered upon arriving at the airport without knowing which flight to board, brightened at the sight.
Han Ji-sung gave a light bow and scanned the luggage the group was carrying with his eyes.

“Is that all your baggage?”
“We couldn’t do anything because we didn’t know which flight we were supposed to take. We need to get our tickets and check our luggage, but we’re stuck.”

At Jung Hwan-yeop’s quick response, Han Ji-sung smiled faintly and spoke.

“I thought as much, so I came. Everyone, please follow me.”

With that, Han Ji-sung led the way, and Choi Ho-geun and the staff members hurriedly gathered their luggage and followed behind him.
Hong Jae-hee, the only female staff member, had brought two suitcases as large as herself, so Yu Seok-hyun had to pull one for her.
As Hong Jae-hee followed Han Ji-sung across the spacious, crowded lobby, they passed right by the airline desks with their long queues, and she tilted her head in confusion.

“Han Ji-sung! Shouldn’t we get our tickets at the desk?”

Han Ji-sung glanced toward the airline desk and spoke casually.

“Normally, yes. But we don’t need to.”
“What?”
“You’ll understand once we get there.”

Han Ji-sung wore a mysterious smile as he continued forward.
Not just Hong Jae-hee but the others were equally puzzled, yet they followed Han Ji-sung as he led the way.
After passing through immigration and entering the departure area, the group emerged directly onto the parking lot with a clear view of the expansive runway.

“Huh?”
“Is this really the right place?”
“It feels like we just walked outside.”

While everyone looked bewildered, Han Ji-sung pointed to a waiting minibus.

“There. Just board this bus.”

Though we’d managed to load the luggage and board the minibus, the moment it pulled out across the parking lot, Jung Hwan-yeop could no longer contain himself and burst with questions.

“Hey, Han Deputy Manager. Where exactly are we headed?”
“To catch a flight, as I mentioned.”
“Pardon? Where are the other passengers?”

Han Ji-sung smiled at Hong Jae-hee’s question.

“There are no other passengers.”
“?”

Everyone turned to stare at Han Ji-sung with bewildered expressions.
Just as Choi Ho-geun was about to ask something, Han Ji-sung raised one hand and pointed toward the left window.

“There—that’s the aircraft we’ll be taking.”

At that, Choi Ho-geun and the staff all turned their heads in unison to look where Han Ji-sung was pointing.

“Wow.”

Hong Jae-hee’s eyes widened in wonder as she beheld Seokwon’s sleek private jet, its fuselage painted in a striking two-tone livery of Norton Blue and Crystal White.

“We’re… we’re flying in that?”

Jung Hwan-yeop stammered with excitement, and Han Ji-sung, as if he’d anticipated such a reaction, replied matter-of-factly.

“Yes. We’ll be traveling to the United States aboard the Chairman’s private aircraft.”

Even someone unfamiliar with aviation could see how extraordinarily expensive the business jet was, and learning it was Seokwon’s personal property left Choi Ho-geun and the staff reeling from the shock.
Moreover, hearing they would soon be boarding it themselves rendered them speechless with astonishment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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