Chapter 135: Kim Hyeon-jik’s Departure and Kim Mu-hyeok’s Acquisition

Kim Seong-hak, the Chairman of Hyunhwa Group, was well-known for his love for his children.

He’d rather discipline them himself, but if his children were ever bullied or disrespected by others, he would stop at nothing to get revenge.

I knew he wasn’t the type to just hand things over when asked.

Sure enough, the moment his son’s name came up, Kim Seong-hak became agitated and started yelling.

“What? Is my son some kind of object? Don’t talk nonsense!”

“Chairman, I’d appreciate it if you could maintain some decorum.”

I deliberately kept provoking him.

“Is etiquette really important right now? What are you even thinking!”

I calmly poured myself some tea from the teapot in front of me and asked,

“I’ve only met you twice, Chairman, but you seem like a completely different person now. It’s as if you’re not even the same man.”

I set down the teapot and smiled.

Kim Seong-hak stared at me, momentarily at a loss for words.

“It feels like only yesterday you were practically begging to borrow money, promising me the moon and stars. Now, you’re treating me like some subordinate. I may be young, but I’m not someone to be trifled with.”

He’d come all the way to Pyeongchang-dong himself, abandoning his pride to beg.

Now that he was doing better, his true colors were showing.

After a moment of stammering, Kim Seong-hak composed himself and asked in a suppressed voice, as if trying to control his anger,

“What’s the reason for all this? What did my son do to you?”

I put down my teacup and countered with a question.

“Chairman, do you think I’m buying up Hyunhwa Group’s stocks at great expense just because I’m bored? A simple mistake from your son wouldn’t be enough for me to consider a hostile takeover, would it?”

“Then why are you doing this? Even Chairman Cheon wouldn’t conduct business like this. Boss Kim, it seems you’re still young and don’t know how the world works…”

“Chairman? If he knew the truth, he’d be even more furious than I am. You should consider yourself lucky that I’m the one dealing with this because of the Chairman’s health.”

“So, what is it that’s making you do this!”

Kim Seong-hak shouted again.

Hiding my amusement, I asked,

“Are you acquainted with Cheon Ji-young?”

“Cheon Ji-young? Are you talking about Chairman Cheon’s granddaughter?”

“Yes.”

Kim Seong-hak looked bewildered.

“I haven’t seen her face, but I know of her. Assemblyman Kim used to brag about his granddaughter all the time when he was active.”

“She’s a very affectionate granddaughter. The Chairman dotes on Ji-young. You probably know our family situation. Ji-young is the only child the Chairman consistently seeks out.”

“Yes, but what does that have to do with anything right now?”

“Ji-young dreams of being a singer. Recently, she entered an agency to pursue her dream on her own.”

“No, but why are you telling me all this…”

“Just listen.”

I cut him off coldly, causing Kim Seong-hak to flinch.

“Her debut has been delayed, and she’s been stuck doing chores for the other trainees. I only found out about it recently and pulled some strings, but I’m still not happy about it.”

“……”

“Here’s where the problem lies. Your son, Kim Hyeon-jik, apparently offered to sponsor Cheon Ji-young. I don’t know if he knew who she was or not.”

Kim Seong-hak, who had been about to say something, stopped and gaped at me.

After a few seconds of silence, he asked, dumbfounded,

“What did you say?”

“I said he offered her sponsorship. She refused, but the fact that he offered is the important thing here, isn’t it?”

I shrugged and added,

“I know targeting celebrities is practically a chaebol trait, and it’s not really my business. But I never imagined something like that would happen to the Chairman’s granddaughter, my cousin.”

Silence descended upon the room once more.

I smiled at Kim Seong-hak, who was completely speechless.

“I was dumbfounded at first too. It was unimaginable. Who would dare to offer sponsorship to the granddaughter of the Cheontae Mountain Chairman?”

“……”

“Now do you understand why I’ve been secretly buying up Hyunhwa Group’s stock and spreading rumors to reach your ears? I have no interest in Hyunhwa Group itself. Just hand over your son.”

I said nothing more and waited for his response.

The tea grew cold.

After a long silence, Kim Seong-hak finally sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry. He must have made the offer without knowing who she was. He wouldn’t have done something like that if he were in his right mind.”

“If everything could be resolved with an apology, wouldn’t that be great? But your honor is at stake here. If I had said something like that to your daughter, wouldn’t you have come after me with a club?”

Kim Seong-hak was definitely capable of that.

He had even mobilized gangsters to beat up someone who had hit his son before.

“I’ll have my son go and kneel before her. Would that be enough?”

“No, that won’t do.”

It wasn’t even worth considering.

Kim Seong-hak frowned deeply.

“Ha… What do you really want?”

“Didn’t I already tell you? Just hand over Kim Hyeon-jik. Then I’ll leave the shares I’ve collected as friendly shares for you.”

“No matter how many shares you gather, they won’t pose a threat to my management rights.”

“We’ll see about that. I think I can cause enough trouble as it is. And there are also the convertible bonds that can be exchanged for stocks. The ones you personally brought to me when you asked to borrow money.”

Kim Seong-hak looked incredulous.

“Chairman Cheon said he wouldn’t convert them into stocks. Are you planning to break your grandfather’s promise? That kind of threat won’t work on me.”

“Under normal circumstances, that would be the case. But this isn’t something that can be glossed over with a mere promise. Who crossed the line first?”

The same conversation went back and forth like a broken record.

Eventually, Kim Seong-hak, his anger reaching its peak, slammed his hand on the table and shouted,

“Are you really saying you want to go all the way with this? I’m apologizing! Why are you being so stubborn? No matter what you do, I will never hand over my son!”

At the sound of the table being struck, Manager Ma, who had been waiting outside, opened the door and looked at me.

I shook my head, and the door closed again.

I coldly said to Kim Seong-hak, who was breathing heavily,

“Chairman, I asked you to show some respect. I’m not some Hyunhwa Group employee, and even Daehyeon’s Chairman Song doesn’t speak to me like that.”

I could see Kim Seong-hak gritting his teeth.

“If you can’t hand him over, then the solution is simple. I’ll request extraordinary general meetings of shareholders at every opportunity, demand to see the accounting books, conduct audits, and use every right a major shareholder has to obstruct everything you do.”

“What did you say?”

His murderous expression made me involuntarily furrow my brow.

“I don’t know why you’re looking at me like that. All of this would end if you just hand over your son.”

“Fine. I have nothing more to say to you, Boss Kim. I’ll meet Chairman Cheon directly and talk to him.”

“Didn’t I tell you that she’s his beloved granddaughter? His health isn’t good, so I can’t trouble him with something like this. Hand over Kim Hyeon-jik. This is my final warning.”

“Ha, a warning? Boss Kim, you’re truly fearless. You clearly don’t know the power a chaebol wields in Korea. Burying a loan shark like you is nothing for me.”

Was this guy an outcast in the business world?

Or had he simply not heard the rumors?

“Hahahaha. I can’t believe this.”

I laughed, dumbfounded.

“Chairman, haven’t you heard any rumors? Has no one told you anything about me?”

“What rumors? The ridiculous rumors that you forced the President to yield? Or the ones that your wealth is impossible to fathom?”

The fact that he knew and was still acting like this was even more laughable.

What kind of confidence did he have?

Kim Seong-hak abruptly stood up as if he had nothing more to say and pointed a finger at me.

“If you thought I was like those fools swayed by such nonsense, you’re gravely mistaken. Feel free to do as you please. I’ll also do my best to attack you.”

Kim Seong-hak harshly opened the door, glared at me once, and then stormed off, his footsteps echoing loudly on the floor of the Japanese restaurant.

Since it seemed like we couldn’t communicate, I didn’t bother stopping him.

Manager Ma looked at me with a worried expression.

“Are you alright?”

“I was originally planning to just give Kim Hyeon-jik a mild scolding, but it looks like we’re going all in now.”

I picked up the cold teacup and drained it.

Since he was personally starting a fight, I had to accept it.

* * *

Chairman Kim Seong-hak left the Japanese restaurant and headed straight home.

As soon as he entered the house, he started shouting.

“Where is that bastard Hyeon-jik!”

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Where is Hyeon-jik!”

The commotion drew Kim Hyeon-jik out of his room on the second floor.

Kim Seong-hak made eye contact with his son and yelled.

“Get down here right now!”

“What’s going on?”

“Don’t interfere. Either that bastard dies today, or I do.”

Kim Seong-hak’s wife, who had been trying to stop him, sensed that something was seriously wrong and gestured for all the employees in the house to leave.

“What’s wrong? Did Hyeon-jik cause another accident…?”

Before his wife could finish speaking, Chairman Kim Seong-hak roared.

“Get down here now?!”

In his haste to descend the stairs, Kim Hyeon-jik tripped and fell. He tumbled down the stairs with a loud crash.

Kim Seong-hak’s wife was shocked and rushed to Kim Hyeon-jik’s side.

“Hyeon-jik! Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“Don’t put on a show. Drag him over here!”

Kim Seong-hak’s wife exclaimed in disbelief.

“Honey! Hyeon-jik is hurt! I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t the time to be yelling!”

“Go inside. Unless you want a divorce.”

“What did you say?”

Kim Seong-hak, breathing heavily, approached and forcefully pulled Kim Hyeon-jik, who was sprawled on the floor, to his feet.

“What on earth have you done?”

“Huh?”

“Do you know Cheon Ji-young or not?”

Kim Hyeon-jik asked, bewildered.

“Cheon Ji-young? Who’s that?”

Before he could finish speaking, Kim Seong-hak slapped Kim Hyeon-jik across the face with all his might.

Kim Hyeon-jik, struck with full force by the burly Kim Seong-hak, was sent flying to the side.

Kim Seong-hak’s wife screamed in shock.

“Oh no, Hyeon-jik!”

“Aren’t you getting up?”

“Honey, his face is bleeding!”

“I told you to go inside.”

“What’s going on?!”

“Aren’t you getting up?!”

Kim Hyeon-jik was dumbfounded.

Due to Kim Seong-hak’s personality, he had been hit often as a child, but he hadn’t been hit once since becoming an adult. He had never been struck, no matter what kind of trouble he caused.

Kim Seong-hak, still breathing heavily, walked towards somewhere and then took out a golf club from a golf bag in the living room.

His wife ran over and grabbed his arm.

“What are you doing! Are you really trying to kill him?”

“I told you not to interfere.”

Kim Seong-hak shook off her grip and started hitting Kim Hyeon-jik, who was lying on the floor, with the golf club.

Thwack! Thwack!

Screams echoed throughout the living room.

“Honey!”

His wife charged again, but she was no match for the rampaging Kim Seong-hak.

“Even if you’re going to drink and play around with women, you need to be careful about who you mess with! Do you know what you’ve done?”

“What… what is it?”

Whether a trace of reason remained, he didn’t hit his head.

So, fortunately, he didn’t lose consciousness, but Kim Hyeon-jik still didn’t understand what Kim Seong-hak was saying.

“Cheon Ji-young! The granddaughter of the Cheontae Mountain Chairman! Sponsorship? Are you out of your mind?”

Seeing Kim Hyeon-jik’s clueless expression, Chairman Kim Seong-hak became even more enraged.

He threw the golf club away haphazardly.

“A trainee singer, you bastard. Did you offer to sponsor someone recently and get rejected, or not?”

As the merciless beating ended, Kim Hyeon-jik, who was barely regaining consciousness, was in pain all over his body, but he knelt down.

“Y-yes, I did something like that…”

“You really didn’t know?”

“Know what?”

“You met Il-sung’s Cheon Ji-won a few days ago! Cheon Ji-young is that bastard’s cousin!”

Only then did Kim Hyeon-jik’s face turn pale as he recalled the conversation from a few days ago.

‘Who did I just cross?’

“You really didn’t know?”

“How could I have known? I just liked her photo and asked him to offer her sponsorship.”

After cursing for a while, Chairman Kim Seong-hak sighed.

“You… go to the hospital for now. Get some treatment and leave for America right away.”

“Suddenly, America?”

“Because of you… Ugh, how could I have a son like you.”

Chairman Kim Seong-hak shook his head and said to his wife.

“You go to America with him too. I don’t even want to see your face.”

With those words, Chairman Kim Seong-hak left the house again.

Kim Hyeon-jik, left all alone, couldn’t say anything.

* * *

“Kim Hyeon-jik has departed for America.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“He still shielded his son, after all.”

His love for his children is truly remarkable.

How does he intend to handle the aftermath?

I sneered at Kim Seong-hak and raised the corners of my mouth.

“Just find out where he’s sending him. I’ll decide what to do later.”

“Yes, Boss.”

183: A few days after Kim Hyeon-jik left the country.

184: News broke that Kim Mu-hyeok had secured more than 5% of the shares in Hyunhwa Corporation and all its affiliates.