Incheon Songdo University Hospital

Incheon, Yeongjong Island. Yoon Eun-hui’s execution was remarkably high; the moment he recovered his stamina, he went to discuss the fashion charity gala with Aunt Tian.

What somewhat surprised Yoon Eun-hui, however, was that someone sought him out first.

Following the opening of the port in Incheon, the surrounding area became the city’s center, known today as Jung-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City.

Consequently, when the Yoon clan evacuated Songdo (Gaeseong) alongside a large retinue of landowners and merchants to take refuge in Incheon, they chose Jung-gu as the place to settle and plant their roots.

Songdo University was established right there, alongside a tertiary comprehensive hospital: the Affiliated Hospital of Songdo University.

In the days that followed, the Songdo merchants successfully integrated with the locals.

In truth, there were very few true locals left in Incheon; those whose lineage spanned three generations or more were pitifully scarce, and most of them lived on the islands. The majority of Incheon citizens were migrants who had relocated from all over the country after the port opened.

Where else were they supposed to come from? Weren’t the people of Songdo also part of the peninsula? These wealthy yet landless Songdo merchants huddled together for warmth and developed exceptionally well.

Even during the massive reclamation and development of Yeonsu-gu in Incheon, citizen groups, spearheaded by the descendants of those Songdo merchants, rushed forward and successfully named this new free economic zone the "Songdo International City."

Songdo and Songdo—written identically in Hangeul. Who on earth came up with this?

The person who suddenly paid a visit to Yoon Eun-hui was none other than the newly minted Assemblyman for Yeonsu-gu B this year, Jung Il-young.

The Yeonsu-gu B electoral district was neither too large nor too small; its boundaries coincided precisely with the "Songdo International City."

To be precise, Assemblyman Jung was here to pay a courtesy call to the current Chairperson of the Songdo Memorial Foundation...

Namely, Director Wu of the In-Song University Affiliated Hospital.

As for Yoon Eun-hui—who hadn't visited Incheon in a while and would certainly have dropped by to greet Grandma Wu anyway—he was essentially basking in Director Wu’s reflected glory.

"Director Yoon is here too."

Assemblyman Jung Il-young looked quite surprised. His intelligence network wasn't that sharp, so he hadn't known Yoon Eun-hui was currently in Incheon.

He was a freshman lawmaker elected just this year, having previously served as the president of the Incheon International Airport Corporation.

The reason he hadn't run in the constituency where the airport was located was because he had joined the Democratic Party, whereas the conservative party held greater influence in the airport district, making victory a steep uphill battle.

"Assemblyman Jung, there's no need to look that surprised, is there? Am I really such an elusive figure? If you turn on the television and watch SBS lately, you're guaranteed to see me."

Yoon Eun-hui joked self-deprecatingly, incidentally easing the other man's awkwardness.

Although the man was a freshman lawmaker elected under the Democratic Party's banner, he had still won by a 2.03% margin despite vote-splitting by progressive parties, indicating a rather bright political future.

If he managed his constituency services well, this fellow was bound to be re-elected if he ran in the next term.

"Haha, it's even better that Director Yoon is here."

Assemblyman Jung Il-young smiled knowingly, refraining from making any commentary on Yoon Eun-hui debuting as an actor.

Whatever the young master wished to do was his own business; the ancestral shelter of his family was enough to enjoy blessings for several generations.

Assemblyman Jung Il-young was quite pragmatic.

"My purpose in coming today is to invite the Songdo Memorial Foundation to participate in the medical facility bidding for the 'Songdo International City'."

"Oh? If I remember correctly, didn't the previous assemblyman secure investment from Yonsei University Affiliated Hospital?"

Jung’s predecessor hailed from the conservative party.

Yoon Eun-hui still had some recollection of the matter concerning the construction of a hospital in the "Songdo International City."

Under the Songdo Memorial Foundation, there were two tertiary comprehensive hospitals: the older one right here in Incheon, though located in neighboring Jung-gu, and the newer one in Bundang-gu, Seongnam City.

It felt unnecessary.

It wasn't as if the Songdo Memorial Foundation hadn't built a secondary hospital in the "Songdo International City"; why would they need to expand and upgrade it?

Yoon Eun-hui turned his head to glance at Director Wu, his grandfather’s favorite student.

Director Wu smiled without speaking. Whenever Yoon Eun-hui wanted the chairmanship, she could hand it over at a moment's notice. She was completely detached from fame and wealth—truly a trustworthy confidante entrusted by his grandfather before his passing.

Since Yoon Eun-hui happened to be present, it was only natural to let him step forward more often.

"That is precisely the issue. My predecessor did indeed secure investment from Yonsei University Affiliated Hospital.

"Yet for reasons unknown, when I approached Yonsei University Affiliated Hospital, they claimed the land had never been allocated to them."

Assemblyman Jung Il-young vented his grievances about his predecessor without reservation; in any case, he and his predecessor belonged to opposing parties.

"Aha? What's going on?"

"That plot of land has now become a public baseball stadium, and I can't even figure out who gave the order."

Jung was quite familiar with these tactics; all those years as a civil servant hadn't been spent in vain.

Yoon Eun-hui thought for a brief moment and more or less grasped the intricate webs hidden behind the scenes. He gave a bitter smile:

"Assemblyman Jung, it truly isn't that I want to refuse, but our Songdo Memorial Foundation already has a tertiary comprehensive hospital in Incheon. It is thoroughly inappropriate to build a second one.

"Why trouble two parties with a single task? Since an agreement already exists with Yonsei University Affiliated Hospital, it would be better to urge Yonsei to break ground as soon as possible.

"Besides, sorting out what the previous administration failed to accomplish would showcase your capability even more, wouldn't it?

"How about this: I won't be staying in Incheon much longer. When the time comes, we can return to Seoul together and go directly to Yonsei to discuss the details in depth."

When it came to land disputes, Yoon Eun-hui was extremely vigilant.

The current Songdo Memorial Foundation needed stable development; why would anyone willingly leap into the bottomless abyss of a land dispute?

However, the Memorial Foundation held some sway with Yonsei University, and Yoon Eun-hui didn't mind offering the man a helping hand.

Not getting the exact answer he most desired, Assemblyman Jung Il-young wasn't particularly disappointed. Pressing forward with his predecessor's plan and successfully landing Yonsei University's comprehensive hospital in the "Songdo International City" was his backup plan anyway.

He promptly expressed his gratitude and finalized the schedule for their joint trip to Yonsei University.

Besides, Yoon Eun-hui had to return to Yonsei for his graduate school interview anyway—it was right on the way.

After sending Assemblyman Jung Il-young off, Yoon Eun-hui wore a rather smug expression:

"Grandma Wu, I handled that pretty well, didn't I?"

"Of course you did. I only hope you maintain this steady and cautious demeanor."

Director Wu said with a warm and benevolent smile, prompting Yoon Eun-hui to laugh awkwardly.

How was he anything less than steady?

He was steady as a rock!

He might play around a bit in his daily life, but Yoon Eun-hui would never make a joke of the Songdo Memorial Foundation.

"Oh right, does Judge Wu have any intentions of advancing further?"

Yoon Eun-hui thought of Director Wu's younger brother.

Both siblings of the Wu family were born in the 1960s. Judge Wu, the younger brother, hadn't had much luck with examinations; it took him three attempts to pass the bar exam. Because his study period was quite long, he married very late, with his eldest daughter born in 1998 and his youngest in 2003.

"He has no plans to leave Incheon. If he had wanted a promotion, he would have had the chance before—his senior from university even invited him out for drinks over it."

Director Wu shook her head; her younger brother had no obsession with official rank.

"That's true. After all, Judge Wu is also a member of 'Our Law Research Society'."

'Our Law Research Society' was a progressive association of judges that had produced numerous Constitutional Court justices and Supreme Court justices. It was quite a closed circle internally and wielded immense influence.

Yoon Eun-hui felt it was a bit of a pity. If Judge Wu had been willing to advance, he definitely would have given his full support, as his family lacked deep connections in the legal world.

Yet everyone had their own aspirations; Yoon Eun-hui certainly couldn't force Judge Wu.

"Eun-hui, do you have somewhere else to be? If you want to leave, go ahead. There's no need to stay here and keep an old woman company."

Director Wu chuckled good-naturedly, instantly reading right through Yoon Eun-hui's restless nature.

"Ah—then I'll be off?"

Yoon Eun-hui smiled bashfully. He always felt somewhat ill at ease in front of elders. Director Wu waved her hand dismissively:

"Go on, go on."