The tension between father and son hung thick in the air as Min-jae sat at the luxurious mahogany desk in his father's office, his expression as stoic as ever. His father, Kang Tae-hyun, stood by the window, his back turned, staring out at the sprawling skyline of Seoul. The city, with its gleaming towers and bustling streets, was a symbol of the Kang Group's empire—a world Min-jae had once been born into, but now felt increasingly alien to.
Tae-hyun turned slowly, his sharp eyes narrowing at his son.
"You're here, Min-jae," his voice was low, controlled, but tinged with frustration. "Now, it's time to show your loyalty. I want you to revoke your American citizenship."
Min-jae met his father's gaze, unflinching. The words landed like a blow, but he refused to show any emotion. This was the same man who had forced him back to Korea, who had made him abandon the life he had built in the U.S. The life that had been the only thing he had truly fought for. And now, his father wanted to take the one piece of independence he had left—the one thing Min-jae had worked tirelessly for—the one thing he had earned on his own.
"Why?" Min-jae's voice was cold, flat. "Why would I do that?"
Tae-hyun's jaw clenched. "Because you are the heir to the Kang Group, Min-jae. You belong to this family. You belong to Korea. You're not some foreigner who can hide behind a passport. You have responsibilities. I've already made you CEO. You need to return to the family fold completely—no more of this... American nonsense."
Min-jae stood up from the desk, his movements deliberate, slow, as if he were weighing each step carefully. He looked his father dead in the eyes, his voice unwavering.
"I've already told you, Father. I'm not revoking my American citizenship." The words were firm, final. "It's the only thing I've worked for in the past four years. It's the only thing that's mine."
His father's eyes flashed with anger, but Min-jae didn't flinch. He had become a man of his own making, and if Tae-hyun wanted to see him break, he would be disappointed.
"Everything you've achieved," Tae-hyun spat, "has been handed to you by the Kang Group's name. Your degrees, your job at Goldman Sachs, all of it was possible because of the reputation and wealth of this family. You owe everything to me. And now, you refuse to give back the one thing that will make you truly ours? You've already abandoned your duty for four years."
Min-jae took a step closer, his voice low, almost a growl. "You've already taken everything from me, Father. Everything. You forced me back here, you forced me into this position, and you don't even care about the work I've done to get here. The only thing that's mine, that I can call my own, is my American citizenship. It's the one thing I have left to hold on to. It's the only thing that proves I did something on my own."
Tae-hyun's fists clenched, his patience beginning to thin. "You're a fool, Min-jae. You'll regret this. I won't tolerate disobedience in my family, especially from you. You're my son. You will revoke that citizenship, or I will make you regret it."
Min-jae's expression hardened, his jaw set in stone. "If you don't want me to screw up in the board meetings, Father," he said coldly, "if you don't want me to embarrass the family in front of the world, then let me keep one thing—just one thing—that I earned myself. You can control everything else. But this? This is mine, and I'm not giving it up."
The silence between them was deafening. Tae-hyun's eyes bore into Min-jae's, a storm of emotions flickering in his gaze. His pride, his authority, his control—all had been challenged by the son he had once written off as a failure. And now, the boy who had once been a playboy, a disgrace, was standing before him as a man who knew exactly what he wanted.
"You think you've earned it?" Tae-hyun finally said, his voice ice-cold. "Fine. Keep your precious citizenship, then. But know this—this is the last line you draw. If you refuse to comply with the family's expectations, don't expect me to protect you anymore."
Min-jae didn't back down. "I'll take my chances. I've fought too hard to get to this point. I'm not going to let you take this from me."
Tae-hyun turned away, his expression a mix of fury and defeat. He couldn't understand his son anymore. Min-jae had changed beyond recognition, and that change frightened him. The boy he had once known was gone. In his place was a man with the strength of will to fight for something that didn't belong to his father or the Kang Group. It was the one thing he had that was purely his own.
"You will regret this, Min-jae," his father muttered, as he walked toward the door. "You will see."
Min-jae watched him leave, his heart pounding with a strange sense of triumph. It was a small victory, but it was a victory nonetheless. He had stood his ground, even against his father. And for the first time in years, Min-jae felt something close to freedom.
For the first time in his life, he had something he could truly call his own.
As the door shut behind his father, Min-jae sat back down at his desk, his fingers tracing the edge of the American passport that lay in front of him. He didn't know what the future held. But for now, he had this.
And it was enough.