Page 23 of Idol Lives
Seong Woo shrugged and smiled. “There you go. Her jobwill mostly be making the big calls and delegating the rest. And the rest were all hired by your father, right?”
Jason frowned. “Yeah. About that–”
Seong Woo’s eyes narrowed. “David Soh?”
“Did you dig anything up on him?”
Seong Woo chuckled. “There was hardly any digging involved. Honestly, I just asked my father. Turns out Gerald Park and David Soh Sr. have a long history.” He paused, weighing his words. “Let’s just say they were competitors. Both immigrants. Both found success in the American market. The usual story—until they had a falling out.”
Jason sat forward, an uneasy tension in his shoulders. “Competitors as inrivals?”
Seong Woo slowly nodded. “Seems that way. My father didn’t share specifics, but I got the impression Soh felt slighted. Maybe even cheated.” He shrugged. “Who knows the real story, right? It’s old corporate gossip by now.”
“But if he felt cheated by my father–” Jason trailed off, the implication clear. David Sr. had taken a position at Brightstar despite whatever had happened between him and Gerald Park. And he’d done well enough that Jason’s father had hired David Jr. to replace him when he retired. That should’ve meant David Jr. was the right person for the job. Gerald Park didn’t believe in handouts for anyone who wasn’t his son. But, the more he thought about it, the more David Jr.’s rapid rise still felt off somehow.
Seong Woo toyed with a napkin, his expression thoughtful. “Maybe he wanted to prove something. Even if it meant working for your father, taking a job at Brightstar could’ve been a way to establish himself and ensure his family was secure.”
“But why would my father hire a guy he clearly had history with?”
“Who’s to say?” Seong Woo reached for his glass, swirling the amber liquid before taking a sip. “But a man like Gerald Park would’ve understood the value of keeping your enemies close. Maybe he saw Soh as a threat and wanted him where he could control him.” He chuckled, but there was a hint of unease in it. “Then again, maybe he recognized a skilled rival and respected him enough despite their past.”
Jason could see the truth in both possibilities. “What do you know about Soh’s son, David Jr.?”
Seong Woo raised an eyebrow. “Well, that’s the interesting part. We actually went to grad school together.”
Jason snorted. “Of course.” It would’ve been too big of a coincidence had both men not come from families of means. There were only a handful of schools where someone like Seong Woo would get his MBA. “So, you know him.”
“I know of him,” Seong Woo corrected. “We were never in the same social circle, but our circles definitely intersected. He’s at Brightstar, too. Right?”
Jason nodded. “He’s Brightstar’s Chief Counsel now.” He paused, sipping his drink to calm his nerves. “He took the position after his father retired.”
Seong Woo frowned. “Yeah, I heard that. Word was that several senior members of Brightstar’s legal team walked out after that. They claimed they were passed over when the position opened up.”
Jason frowned, openly skeptical. “How’d you hear that?”
“One of them works for the Imperative Group now.”
Jason huffed. “That figures. Nepotism seems to be a Brightstar tradition.”
Seong Woo waved off Jason’s complaint. “It happens everywhere. Legacy is a powerful motivator for men like our fathers.” He swallowed the last of his drink, setting the empty glass on the table. “But that’s not the most interesting part.”
Jason raised an eyebrow. “Interesting?”
Seong Woo nodded. “Well, you know how your father was in bed with KBR?”
“Yeah.” Jason scowled, recalling that disastrous episode.
“That was right around the time Soh Sr. stepped down,” Seong Woo continued. “Apparently, it was David Jr. who went to Seoul and brokered the whole deal.”
Jason’s mouth dropped open. “Him? He was there?”
Seong Woo nodded. “That’s what I heard. Of course, I didn’t learn any of this until after everything went down with Choo Ji Hoon.”
Jason angrily frowned. “If you knew about that, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I assumed you already knew.”
Jason’s sigh was deep and heavy. That meant David Jr. knew much more about him than he’d let on. What else did he know? “I guess it doesn’t matter. I know now. So, why’d his father step down?”
