Chapter 275: Did You Really Say That?

The heads of large corporations had no reason to trust one another. They would sometimes resort to arranged marriages to establish familial bonds, but such trust rarely lasted long.

Those gathered here were chaebols, all eager to seize any opportunity to acquire more companies from rival groups.

Chairman Seo Yong-geon’s proposal was ideal in theory, yet the real-world implementation would be a daunting challenge.

“If it’s the insight of Chairman Wang, we can all trust it. The other chairpersons here wouldn’t deny that either.”

“What a character. Just for show, isn’t it?”

With a playful jest, Song Young-ju smiled at Seo Yong-geon, who sat across from him.

Seo Yong-geon felt an unshakable sense of unease from that smile.

“Chairman Seo’s proposal sounds promising, very ideal indeed. But let’s be honest here—when did we ever trust those other chairmen?”

At Song Young-ju’s frank words, the chairpersons in the conference room all collectively inhaled.

During the last financial crisis, they had all been willing to strike each other down, looking to acquire anything they could from faltering chaebols at a bargain.

“Can you really trust me? Would you sleep easy knowing your core assets are left in the hands of rival chaebols?”

“………”

None of the chaebol heads could refute that remark. Even Seo Yong-geon, who initially proposed the idea, was left speechless.

The number of companies they had dismantled to build their vast conglomerates was countless; how many had they outright seized from others?

“There is an easier way. If you follow my suggestion, you’ll buy yourself plenty of time for necessary changes. You all need to recognize that this new legislation is an unavoidable natural shift for us.”

“What method are you talking about?”

Moon Seong-hak asked, speaking for the others as he took the lead.

Grinning widely, Song Young-ju surveyed the faces of the seated chairpersons before responding.

“I’ll provide funding against those shares of your subsidiaries as collateral.”

“Huh? Is there even any money in Daehyeon? I heard your funds are frozen as well.”

“Hey, hold on! You need to listen to the whole story.”

With a flash of seriousness taking over his jovial expression, Song Young-ju surveyed the bewildered chairpersons once more before continuing.

“I’m sure most of you know Kim Mu-hyeok, right? You can’t pssibly not know him.”

The mention of Kim Mu-hyeok made Seo Yong-geon’ face twitch noticeably.

“Are you referring to Chairman Cheon Tae-san’s successor, Kim Muok?”

At someone’s question, Song Young-ju nodded slowly.

“Taesan Financial is going to provide funding for you all.”

“The financial authorities are keeping a close watch, it won’t be easy to get a loan now.”

“Don’t worry about that. Taesan Financial will handle it. You just need to borrow the funds and quickly push through your governance restructuring with that money.”

“Hmm…”

Even Moon Seong-hak, who had been favorable toward Song Young-ju, stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Since loans were no longer available, aside from Seo Yong-geon’s proposal, this naturally stood out as the best option. It was impossible not to contemplate it.

The other chaebols gathered in the conference room felt the same way.

Except for Seo Yong-geon, who sat apart from the others.

Seo Yong-geon cleared his throat and looked at Jo Hang-seok with a knowing glanance. Following that look, Jo Hang-seok raised his hand to o speak.

“How can we trust Kim Mu-hyeok? If you see his actons towards Il-seong Group, trust is out of thhe question.”

The other chaebols were aware of the conflict between Kim Mu-hyeok and Seo Yong-geon. hile they didn’t know the full details, it was a hot topic in the industry.

Apart from a few chairpersons close to Kim Mu-hyeok, everyone nodded inagreement.

Sitting among the group, Seo Yong-geon was still one of the chaebols too. Additionally, he was quite capable.

It was a big deal for them to see someone so competent shaken by a mere loan shark. The fact this could become their future too brought a genuine sense of crisis to the chairpersons.

“We can always consult Chairman Kim Byung-woo of Jungwoo Group here. What do you think?”

Among the top 30 companies, the only owner absent was Kim Byung-woo, who held a managerial position instead.

Chairman Song directed his question to Kim Byung-woo, who answered without hesitation.

“Are you referring to President Kim Mu-hyeok? I can guarantee hewill never betray us first. I believe everyone here knows the stakes of the subsidiaries he holds. If he wants to, he can easily shake your companies harder than Il-seong Group could. But he hasn”t done so.”

“Ahem…”

Kim Byung-woo’s words rang true.

It was already well-known that he had acquired large shares of quality companies during the downturn of the financial crisis and the IT bubble, all thanks to Cheon Tae-san’s inherited stocks.

“I’ve never once experienced interference in my company’s management from Kim Mu-hyeok. Sure, he may draftgeneral acquisitions or long-term visions, but he never orders it directly. You know he just recently helped Jungwoo Group acquire a top semiconductor company in Japan? The very deal that Chairman Seo put so much on the line to land, Kim Mu-hyeok walked away with iteasily.”

“Hey there, Chairman Kim.”

Seo Yong-geon shot an uncomfortable look at Kim Byung-woo, who was bringing him up.

But Kim Byung-woo remained unperturbed by Seo Yong-geon’s gaze. He saw no reason to watch his words, nor should he.

“He’s a man who gets things done. If he makes a promise, he keeps it without question.”

“But why such praise for the Il-seong Group then? Isn’t that a bit excessive, considering they’re his former employer?”

Jo Hang-seok asked with a sharp p edge, making Kim Byung-woo chuckle faintly.

“Did you just call him a master? It seems to me that your true master is Chairman Seo Yong-geon, isn’t it? Weren’t you the one whose father was the former chairman of Il-sung Corporation?””

“You little—!”

Jo Hang-seok leapt to his feet, , offended. The founder of Hyo-san Group was a former president of Il-sung Materials..

After leaving Il-sung Materials, he estabblished Hyo-san Corporation with Seo Yong-geon’s support. That might explain the amicable relations between Il-sung and Hyo-san..

As the atmosphere in the conference room began to heat up, Song Young-ju slammed his fist on the table.

“Everyone, enough! We gathered here to discuss solutions, not to air our grievances.”

At Song Young-ju’s rebuke, Kim Byung-woo and Jo Hang-seok fell silent.t.

Once the tension in the conference room had eased, Song Young-ju composed himself to speak again.

“So everyone here can’t trust Kim Mu-hyeok. Should I take it yu’ll trust me instead?”

Moon Seong-hak quickly answered the question.

“Of course, we trust Chairman Wang. You’re a towering figure in the industry!”

“Haha, thanks for saying so. If that’s the case, I’ll give my backing. The stocks are just collateral; I’m not saying I’m buying them. I’m proposing they be placed in your pockets instead.”

“Is that really true?”

“Yes! The collateral will be secured, but tell me, is there anyone crazy enough to default on Myeong-dong’s cash? Nobody here would dare screw over Chairman Cheon! You can surely see that from Chairman Seo’s case over here, can’t you?”

In that moment, a chill flickered across Seo Yong-geon’s face. If it were anyone else, he might have cut them off by then, but Song Young-ju kept speaking.

“There’s something you all might not know: what Chairman Seo did to Kim Mu-hyeok. If you all understod why Kim is pressing down so hard on Il-sung, I believe everyonee would grasp the situation.”

“Chairman Song!”

Seo Yong-geon, momentarily taken aback, called out to Song Young-ju in shock.

“What are you saying? Are you declaring war on me in front of the industry leaders? Daehyeon and Il-sung have respected eachh other’s territories this whole time. Don’t forget that!”

“Well, after I’m gone, whether you respect that agreement is unknown.”

“Chairman Song!”

“It seems your ears aren’t working well enough. I can speak more calmly if you like it that way.”

Song Young-ju replied with a smile, causing Seo Yong-geon’s fists to clench tightly in anger.

No matter how respected Song Young-ju was, he shouldn’t speak to him so freely.

The other chairpersons in the meeting merely held their breath, lest they might disturb the competing energy between the two.

“This entirely stems from your misdeeds. The consequences you face shouldn’t ripple through the entire Il-sung conglomerate just bbecause of your stubbornness. You should never have tried to upend the hierarchy.”

“………”

“You shouldn’t be angry right now. You ought to visit Kim Mu-hyeok and beg for forgiveess. If you don’t, it won’t only be your family line that’s left without a beautiful end to its story.”

Seo Yong-geon’s face grew crimson in rage, but Song Young-ju remained unyielding and stood upright.

He slowly scanned the surroundings before continuing.

“It’s up to you all. If you want to sink along with Il-sung, I won’t stop you.””

There was strength behind Song Young-ju’s voice. The authority he commanded could make one forget he was gravely injured.

“I’ll vouch for it. If you grasp Kim Mu-hyeok’s hand, the blockag on the loans will lift. But if you break that promise, I’ll personally ensure you get no more support.”

“Is that true?”

“I have Kim Mu-hyeok’s word. He insists hat this new legislation marks a historic change. You need to depart from the restrictive structure keeping your governance stagnant. But there’s only one condition: cut all ties with Il-sung.””

A massive bombshell hit the conference room. The faces of those alternating gazes between Song Young-ju and Seo Yong-geon filled with shock.

“This is your last chance. I’ve made my choice: even if it means being an enemy of Il-sung, I’ll follow Kim Muu-hyek. Now you all should make your choice, too.”

With those parting words, Song Young-ju exited the conference room. Silence as deep as death enveloped the room afterward.

* * *

After a long time, genuine laughter erupted. I laughed until tears glistened in my eyes, finally bracing myself to speak.

“So, you mean… Chairman Song really said that?”

“Yes, sir,” Kim Byung-woo said.

As soon as the Hanjong gathering ended, Kim Byung-woo rushed over, recounting the day’s events with a smile.

“As expected from Chairman Song. He never shies away from saying what needs to be said. To see him throw down those choices like that…”

“I was surprised too. I felt tense hearing today was a big deal, but I never imagined Chairman Song would act in such a way.”

I nodded contentedly.

Chairman Song consistently did his utmost. I was bound to follow suit.

“But really, is Chairman Song sick or not? He looked just fine to me.”

“He probably pushed himself harder. He doesn’t like showing weakness in front of others.”

“Is that so?”

In the cutthroat world of finance in Korea, showing weakness often meant an end to one’s career, so Chairman Song probably overexerted himself to appear stronger.

“I wish I could have seen Seo Yong-geon’s face. How did it look? That proud man was humiliated in front of all those chairpersons, right?”

Just imagining it made me want to laugh out loud. He probably had never endured such disgrace in his life.

“If you had seen it, you would have been immensely satisfied. The fact that Chairman Song kept his cool and didn’t even yell back made it even funnier. If someone else had been in his shoes, they would have likely exploded with rage.”

“Haha. What a pity. I should’ve set up a camera or something.”

As I continued chuckling, Kim Byung-woo joined in with a soft laugh of his own.

“So what’s the atmosphere like among the other chairpersons? Are they really cutting all ties with Il-sung?””

“None of them gave a definitive answer. Chairman Song seemed determined not to listen when he left the room right away. I hastily followed suit. Staying there would invite pointless questions, after all.”

That had been a wise move. Those in Jungwoo would likely turn them into prime targets as they were linked to the chaebols.

“Good job. Their loss will be our gain. We need to ensure they get thoroughly subdued this time around.”

“Yes, sir. I’m sure they’ll be coming for us soon. If they miss this opportunity, they won’t find a way to secure the massive funds needed for restructuring.”

Nodding gently at Kim Byung-woo’s words, I pondered.

I wanted Il-sung to fall. Anyone preeventing that would be taken down together.

Chairman Song had upheld his end of the promise. Now, it was my turn to honor mine.