Koreans eat a lot of noodles in the morning, usually dry noodles, usually with a poached egg for nutrition, and some carrots and green vegetables. The soul of dry noodles is the sauce and a small dish of kimchi.
Before leaving, Park Min-jeong first glanced at her son's portrait and lit a stick of incense for him. She muttered, "Taeyong, I'm going to vote for Councilman Park Dong-ho today. If you hear what your mother said, please bless Councilman Park to be elected mayor of Seoul!"
"Councilman Park and Councilman Song Woo-seok are both good people. They helped poor people like us to fight the lawsuit for free in order to seek justice for you."
"Xinyi Pet Shop is the last resort for parents in Seoul. If there is no mayor like Mr. Park who cares about us, our pet shop will have to move if the Dongdaemun Pet Market is demolished."
"Without these old customers, our pet shop business can't continue. Mom also joined the support group of Councillor Song Woo-seok, and everyone affectionately calls this support group the Love Song Club."
"Your father is jealous about this and says that I seem to love Councillor Song Woo-seok more. Don't you think it's funny?"
"I heard that the damned guy Quan Zhanfa is contacting booksellers to prepare to publish his memoirs. I don't think he will apologize to the victims of the Bulin incident in the book. He will definitely distort and deny the facts in his memoirs, and may even attack you or the victims' families."
"I don't understand politics, and I don't know why President Zhong Xiaotong pardoned Quan Zhanfa. When I tried to reconcile with myself, he kept rubbing salt into our wounds, continuing to live in a luxurious private residence and go to the golf course to play."
"I asked Chairman Song Yi, a customer in our store, before, and he told me that it would cost about 400,000 won (about 2,400 yuan) to play a round of golf at a golf course near Seoul. If you want to fly to Jeju Island to play golf, the cost may even be as high as one million won."
"The government of the state of Jeonjong has declared itself bankrupt and unable to pay the families of the victims of the Bulim Incident, while at the same time squandering money. If the fate of South Korea or the city of Seoul is once again in the hands of such people, what hope is there for this country?"
"Park is a great man. He was previously considered a shadow of Song Woo-seok. But through this Seoul mayoral election, more people have come to know Park's charisma."
"Councilman Park said that after he was elected mayor of Seoul, he would launch a long-term rental apartment plan. If you were still here, at least you wouldn't have to worry about housing issues like I do. Taeyong, Mom is out."
Seeing that her husband was awake, Park Min-jeong reminded him to brush his teeth, eat breakfast, and then leave home.
Before going to Dongdaemun Market, Park Min-jeong went to the polling station in Dongdaemun District to vote for Park Dong-ho.
Park Min-jeong thought she had arrived early enough, but there were many voters who arrived earlier than her, and a long line formed outside the polling station. Everyone was very quiet, no one talked, and no one discussed with the people around them who they should vote for.
It was Park Min-jeong's turn. She had previously voted for Song Woo-seok's candidacy for a member of parliament and was already familiar with the process.
The staff at the polling station first verified Park Min-jeong's identity to confirm that she was an eligible voter.
After verifying her identity, she received the voting paper. There were three semi-enclosed voting rooms in the voting room, with a simple writing table inside. She stood in front of the table and stamped Park Dong-ho's name.
After she has written the ballot, she needs to put the ballot into the ballot box in the center of the voting room under the supervision and accompaniment of the staff, and the voting process of the entire mayoral election will be completed.
The voting day for the Seoul mayoral election is July 22, 2002, and the voting hours are from 6:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. Seoul time.
According to election regulations, if voters in each constituency are unable to vote on voting day, they can vote by absentee ballot from 6:00 to 18:00 on the 23rd and 24th. During the absentee voting period, voters can check the nearest polling station through the official website of the Seoul Election Commission and complete the voting with relevant identification documents without having to declare separately.
When Park Min-jeong left the polling station, she felt much more relaxed. Voting for Park Dong-ho was her top priority these days. She even made a note on her calendar because she was afraid that she would not remember because of her age.
Park Min-jeong entered Dongdaemun Market, which was already bustling with activity, and many shops had already started loading and unloading goods in front of their doors.
She walked through the busiest clothing street in the market, then turned a corner and entered the pet street behind Dongdaemun Market.
Park Min-jeong discovered that there was a small change in Pet Street, with a colorfully painted promotional billboard placed at the entrance.
The billboard has a rendering of the renovated pet street, which was originally one floor and has been expanded to two floors. The renovated shops are spacious, bright, clean and tidy. There are no more messy cages in front of the shops, and no more chaos of businesses occupying the road.
Park Min-jeong found the location of her Xinyi Pet Shop on a billboard and discovered that her new store was right next to the escalator between the first and second floors. Customers would see her store sign at first glance when they went up and down the stairs.
The advertising agency was the Seoul City Government, and the production company was Shinhan Media. Park Min-jeong felt like she had heard the name of this company from somewhere, but she couldn't remember it for a moment. As soon as she opened the door of the store, the cats and dogs in the store heard the noise, and when they saw Park Min-jeong, they immediately became active, barking one after another.
Park Min-jeong carefully checked the health of each pet, then touched their heads affectionately, changed the water for the pets in the cages, and then started to clean the store. Unlike other pet stores, Park Min-jeong always treated the pet store as her home, and could not bear to see pet hair or scattered cat and dog food on the floor of the store.
While mopping the floor, she continued to think, "Shinhan Media? Where did I hear the name of this company? I must have heard it recently. These billboards were set up by the city government. Does it mean that the plan to relocate to the original site of Dongdaemun has been recognized by the city government and the developer and has been approved?"
Because of the documentary "Hello, I'm Song Woo-seok", Park Min-jung has become a star shop owner on Pet Street, and everyone knows that she knows Song Woo-seok, the presidential candidate of the Millennium Democratic Party.
At this time, the owner of the shop next door came over to inquire about the news and asked her if she knew when the billboard was set up, after all, it had not been set up when she closed the stall last night.
Park Min-jeong shook her head. She didn't have any inside information. But she suddenly remembered where she had heard the name New Korea Media.
Song Yi previously served as the executive director of Shinhan Media, and in a TV debate a few days ago, Lee Guangxue attacked Park Donghao, saying that Congressman Park's wife bought shares of Shinhan Media.
The other shop owners could not get any information from the shop owners and left. If the Dongdaemun Market Pet Street is relocated to its original location, the location and order of the relocated shops will not change, but the escalator between the first and second floors will directly affect the flow of people and exposure of the shops.
The original location of Xinyi Pet Store was in the middle of Pet Street, and the location was not conspicuous. According to the renovation plan on the billboard, Xinyi Pet Store suddenly became a prime stall. Other shop owners naturally suspected that Park Minzhen had some connections, so they came to inquire about the situation out of jealousy.
Although Park Min-jeong and her husband have been running the pet street for many years, they are not native to Seoul. Their son died a long time ago, and they have no one to rely on in Seoul.
If it weren't for the fact that Park Min-jeong knew a big shot like Song Woo-seok, the other shop owners would have united to force Park Min-jeong out of Pet Street, forcing her to voluntarily give up her storefront after the relocation and move to a smaller storefront in the corner.
After Park Min-jeong finished cleaning up, she took turns putting the kittens and puppies in the cages on the ground for a walk. However, these furry kids were well trained and stayed in the store well-behaved, and did not run out.
While she was busy, she heard someone greet her, "Good morning, Auntie Park!"
She turned around and found Song Yi and Kim Tae-hee standing at the door of her store with smiles on their faces. Next to Kim Tae-hee was a beautiful woman in a royal blue dress.
Park Min-jeong was very surprised. "Speaking of the devil, here comes the devil. I was talking about you guys this morning."
Kim Tae Hee also felt very close to Park Min Jung, because Song Yi and Song Yi's first Maltese dog was bought from Park Min Jung. She likes to be friends with Park Min Jung, who is simple-minded, and the atmosphere of the chat is more relaxed.
As Song Yi's status and position improve, more and more people are preparing to take the wife route and want to curry favor with Song Yi by getting to know Kim Tae-hee.
Kim Tae-hee originally thought that the students at Seoul University were all gifted and would not be so worldly, but she did not expect that a senior student majoring in computer science at Seoul University would find her through the school’s teacher, hoping that Kim Tae-hee could recommend him and let him work at Shin-Asia Network.
Later, when she inquired, she found out that this senior brother had actually interviewed at Xinya Network, but was eliminated after entering the re-examination stage. The examiner of the interview that day was not Song Yi, but Xinya Network's technical director Liu Yongjun.
Jin Taixi seldom asks about the affairs of Song Yi's company, and she doesn't want to put on airs like a boss lady and let people laugh at her. No matter where you work, an amateur leading an expert is a management disaster.
Even in the fields of film, television and advertising, which she is more familiar with, if she finds any problems, she will communicate with her sister Jin Xiyuan as soon as possible, and let Jin Xiyuan handle it. In this way, the company employees will feel better when they are criticized.
Park Min-jung first asked about the dog Black's condition, and was relieved to hear that Black was doing well. "I haven't seen Black for a long time, Tae-hee, and I guess there's not much dog food left from the last time you bought me."
Song Yi also introduced the long skirt beauty to Park Minzhen, "Aunt Park, this lady is Cui Shanji, she is the public relations director of our Xinya Media Real Estate Group, and she is also the head of our Xinya Welfare Foundation."
"The renovation plan for the Dongdaemun Market Pet Street has been approved, and we are just waiting for you tenants to sign. Tenants who agree to sign can move back to the original site. For those who disagree, the market will terminate the contract with them and rent the space out again."
"Xinya Construction is also the contractor for the renovation of Dongdaemun Market's pet street. If it is not necessary, there is no need to find a new store."
"I believe you have also seen the renovation plan for the billboard at the door. After the renovation, the store will be deeper and the store area will be larger than before. Your store will also have a deeper space."
"We at Xinya Construction are planning to make a documentary about the Cheonggyecheon renovation project. Cheonggyecheon is right behind your Pet Street, so we want to use your store as a pilot for the renovation and record every detail of the changes in your store and Pet Street."
"Because we want to use your store and you need to appear in person, in order to compensate for your losses, our New Asia Welfare Foundation is willing to sponsor the cost of decorating your store. What do you think?" Song Yi said to Park Min-jeong.
Park Min-jeong was shocked to hear Song Yi say that. When she saw the billboards erected on the pet street, she had already started to prepare to raise funds for the renovation of the store. Just when she was worrying about the renovation costs, the New Asia Welfare Foundation was willing to sponsor the renovation costs of her store.
In line with the principle of no reward without merit, Park Minzhen still rejected Song Yi's proposal, "No, I know you want to help me, but I can't accept your help. Although I'm at retirement age now, I have hands and feet. Now I have a group of old customers like you who have been taking care of my business. I can still pay for the renovation by squeezing a little. The New Asia Welfare Foundation can give this money to those who need help more."
Cui Shanji looked at Park Minzhen, who was dressed simply and neatly, and felt a little inferior. In fact, the decoration cost of a store was not much, at most 20 to 30 million won, sometimes not even enough for a meal that Song Yi entertained guests.
She could also see the excited look in Park Min-jeong's eyes and knew that she was not financially well off, but she was still very stubborn and rejected Song Yi's proposal.
Song Yi gave Cui Shanji a look, and Cui Shanji understood what he meant and knew that she was needed to step in to persuade Park Minzhen.
"Auntie Park," Choi Sun-hee stepped forward, "We, Shin-Ah Construction, are the only developer of the Dongdaemun Market Pet Street renovation and upgrade plan."
"In order to protect the interests of your original tenants, we at Xinya Construction have agreed to allow all of you to move back to your original location despite the pressure, in order to protect the interests of you tenants as much as possible." Cui Shanji continued.
"Thank you very much, thank you very much." Cui Shanji said sincerely.
"Our president said that Aunt Park is a mutual friend of him and Tae Hee, and they also hope to keep Xinyi Pet Shop in the Dongdaemun Market Pet Street. Aunt Park, who does business with integrity and makes friends, is the living signboard of the Dongdaemun Market Pet Street."
"By the first half of next year at the latest, Cheonggyecheon Stream will be completely renovated. When we renovate and upgrade Pet Street, we also reserved an entrance on the bank of Cheonggyecheon Stream so that tourists can directly enter Pet Street, bringing more traffic and popularity to Dongdaemun Market."
"To be honest, we at Xinya Construction have also set our sights on the Cheonggyecheon renovation project, which is a major project worth 600 to 700 billion won."
"The reason why our New Asia Welfare Foundation is willing to sponsor the renovation of your store is that we want to make the renovation process of Pet Street a model project in the Cheonggyecheon renovation project, so that the citizens of Seoul can clearly feel the changes after the Cheonggyecheon renovation."
"Compared to taking up your valuable business time and your portrait rights when you travel abroad, I think it's more profitable for us to sponsor the renovation of your store."
"Even if you are unwilling to accept the sponsorship from our welfare foundation, we will choose other shop owners in Pet Street to sponsor you. This is a mutually beneficial thing in itself. You and our president are good friends. Don't you want to help him and let our Xinya Construction win the Cheonggyecheon renovation project?" Choi Sun-hee said sincerely.
Park Min-jeong felt embarrassed when she heard Choi Sun-hee say this. "Of course I am willing to help, but I really don't want to accept sponsorship from your welfare foundation. I always feel like I am taking advantage of you."
"Auntie Park, please don't say that. In fact, through the documentary "Hello, I'm Song Woo-seok", many college students in Seoul know you. I believe that many students come to Pet Street specifically to buy pets from you." Choi Sun-hee said.
Talking about this, Park Min-jeong was very excited. "Although college students all want to buy pets, I don't do every business. If they buy a pet and keep it at home, then I agree to sell it to them. If they keep it at school, then I will definitely not sell it."
"In the past, some college students kept cats in their dormitories, but after graduation, they found it troublesome and abandoned the cats on campus, turning them into stray cats. After being fed by people, pet cats' hunting abilities have degenerated, and they simply cannot adapt to this contrast in life."
"Their love that comes from a whim during their school years is actually cruelty towards cats. If you can't take responsibility for a cat's life, don't start feeding it. If you don't love it, don't hurt it."
"Every time I see a pet abandoned, I feel sad. I will do my best to take these pets back and help them choose a good owner. However, most abandoned pets become sensitive, timid, and aggressive, and it is difficult for them to adapt to a new family," said Park Min-jeong.
Cui Shanji was somewhat moved. "Aunt Park, you are so right. I can see that you are really a kind person. I know that kind-hearted people pay attention to doing good deeds without leaving a name, and do good without expecting rewards."
"But for those of us who run businesses, we must leave a name for good deeds. This is the only way for us to build our corporate brand and maintain our corporate image. Our chairman is determined to lead Shinya to become a first-class Korean or even world-class great company."
"Compared to those arrogant and rigid real estate companies under the big conglomerates, I believe you would prefer us, Xinya Construction, to take over the renovation project of Cheonggyecheon. Because Xinya Construction will protect the interests of the residents along the Cheonggyecheon as much as possible, do a solid job in the construction, ensure quality and quantity, and never cut corners, so as to give the citizens of Seoul a Cheonggyecheon scenic area with clear water, shady trees, and picturesque scenery on both sides."
"So in order to help us, please be sure to accept our president's kindness." Choi Sun-hee said to Park Min-jeong.
At this point, Park Min-jeong was too embarrassed to refuse. "Thank you for your kindness. I know you are trying to help me in different ways. In fact, there are still many kind-hearted people in society. I also know many volunteers who help stray cats and dogs on the streets of Seoul."
"I saw on the news that Chairman Song plans to transform Jiulong Village into long-term rental apartments, allowing the residents of Jiulong Village to escape from the slums and live in spacious and bright new houses."
"Some companies do charity mainly for show and fail to help the poor, but Chairman Song actually helps ordinary people like us."
"I also support leaving a name behind when doing good deeds. If you do good deeds without leaving a name behind, then it will be difficult for everyone to distinguish who is a good person and who is a bad person. Leaving a name behind when doing good deeds can also encourage more people to follow suit, promote social trends, and allow more people to devote themselves to social welfare." Park Min-jeong concluded.
"Aunt Park, you said it very well." Kim Tae-hee exclaimed sincerely.
When Park Min-jeong saw Kim Tae-hee, her attitude became more kind and gentle. She cared about the progress of Song Yi and Kim Tae-hee's relationship like an elder.
"Tae Hee, I remember that you and Chairman Song have been dating for almost two years, and you have also met Chairman Song's parents. When do you plan to get married? If you hold the wedding in Seoul, please be sure to send me an invitation. I will send you my blessings in advance and prepare wedding gifts." Park Min-jeong said happily.
"Thank you, Aunt Park. You can just come over. You don't need to prepare any gifts. I will notify you when I hold the wedding." Kim Tae-hee promised.
What Kim Tae-hee and Park Min-jeong did not expect was that Kim Tae-hee later attended Park Min-jeong's funeral. Park Min-jeong did not receive Kim Tae-hee's wedding invitation until her death. Song Yi had a solemn face at the funeral, while Kim Tae-hee cried and her tears fell like rain. Update in advance for the weekend. There will be no more in the evening. See you tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)