Chapter 808: Strategic Dealings

Eva extended her hand, greeting Yoon Hyun-joo with a bright smile.

The strikingly beautiful woman’s friendly demeanor quickly put Yoon Hyun-joo at ease, and she warmly clasped Eva’s hand.

“I’m Yoon Hyun-joo. I’ve often heard about you from our museum patrons, Eva. They say you’re a prodigy who wields great wealth at such a young age.”

They exchanged pleasantries, each complimenting the other. Soon after, they concluded their greetings and took their seats.

“Eva, the reason I called you here is…”

I gave a concise summary of the tasks I needed Eva to handle.

Instead of asking questions, Eva simply nodded as she listened.

“I understand what you’re saying, Boss.”

Perhaps it was because there was another person present, but Eva’s usual playful tone was replaced by a serious demeanor.

“Could I take a look at the documents first?”

I handed over all the relevant papers to Eva.

After receiving the documents, Eva meticulously reviewed each page, taking her time.

Yoon Hyun-joo and I quietly observed, not engaging in any other conversation.

The only sound in the office was the rustling of paper as Eva reviewed the documents. I used the time to replay my earlier conversation with Prime Minister Wen Jiabao.

“Boss, did you personally check these out? These real estate properties?”

Finally finishing her review, Eva closed the binder and asked.

“I had my staff look into it. They reported that they weren’t bad.”

“Then it’s fine. There are no problems with the documents I’ve prepared.”

“However, the contract might be a bit complex. We’ll be swapping Future Investment’s KS shares with the ones I have.”

As I explained the unique method of the transaction, Eva’s expression shifted rapidly.

Eva frowned, crossed her arms, and after a moment of thought, spoke up.

“It’s a bit complicated. We need to pay a sum in order to transfer the ownership to our company, but if we aren’t getting the shares right away…”

Eva paused, lost in thought.

“It’s complex, but you can handle it, right?”

At my question, Eva who had been deep in thought, nodded.

“Well, we might have to grease the palms of the National Tax Service, but it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

With that, Eva turned her gaze to Yoon Hyun-joo.

“Director, you brought all the nominee bankbooks, right?”

“Yes, I brought everything.”

“Then I’ll deposit the funds into those accounts first and then transfer them to a foreign corporation over the course of a month. It may be a little complex, but it’s nothing too difficult, so don’t worry. And we’ll keep our shares until you ask for them. Do you agree?”

Yoon Hyun-joo’s expression became subtle. She then spoke honestly.

“Honestly, I don’t fully understand all the technical terms. But I’m sure you wouldn’t cheat me, Eva.”

“Then… do you have a personal attorney? If this complex contract goes wrong, it will be a problem for our company, but it could be an even bigger problem for you. Even if it’s under a borrowed name. We should handle it before things go south, because once problems arise, it’ll be impossible to keep everyone quiet.”

Yoon Hyun-joo nodded. She didn’t mention that she trusted any of the warehouse keepers anymore.

“I don’t have a personal attorney. However, I am working with Yun & Jang for my divorce case.”

I chimed in, picking up on Yoon Hyun-joo’s words.

“We can use Yun & Jang for this deal too. That’s how we did the last one.”

“Then I’ll go with the director to Yun & Jang to draw up a detailed contract. These types of deals require a complex contract.”

Even if I missed something, Eva would surely take care of everything.

I didn’t voice any objections and simply nodded.

“Alright, let’s finalize the real estate deal that way. Have you finished preparing for the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting of KS Group?”

“Yes, Boss. We’ve completed all the legal reviews and it meets all the requirements. All we need is a request. The problem is if the board of directors doesn’t agree, then we’ll have to engage in another legal battle. In that case, it’d be difficult to hold it anytime soon.”

The authority to call an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting generally lies with the board of directors.

However, minority shareholders could also request a meeting by submitting a request to the board along with the purpose of the meeting and the reason for its convocation, provided that they obtained consent from a certain percentage of shares.

In South Korea, the board of directors, which is essentially a rubber stamp for the owner, tends to reject any external requests to convene an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting by citing all sorts of excuses.

Thus, most people end up filing a lawsuit to get court approval for the convocation.

If the legality of the process and the validity of the reasons for the convocation are satisfied, the court will mostly approve the request.

Of course, if the company side stalls indefinitely, the process can take a long time.

“Half of the board of directors are on my side, so you don’t have to worry about that. If we follow the due process, it should be easily approved by the board.”

Eva brightened at Yoon Hyun-joo’s confident words.

“Oh, then there shouldn’t be any big issues. If the board approves, that is. That’s great. Waiting for a court decision is the most annoying part.”

Eva accepted the explanation, but I asked with a dubious expression.

“Is it true that you’ve secured half of the board of directors? Did you check properly?”

Yoon Hyun-joo, who had been looking at Eva, turned her gaze towards me.

“What are you talking about?”

“If it were Choi Woo-sik, he would have met the board members again separately. Although we are monitoring him, we can’t investigate everything happening within headquarters. Especially the chairman’s office.”

“It’s fine. The chief secretary is on my side. I already know everything about Choi Woo-sik’s movements.”

“You’ve secured the chief secretary?”

That was truly unexpected.

The chief secretary was one of the key people who directly assisted the owner.

Naturally, they were mostly people who could be trusted.

And Choi Woo-sik’s chief secretary was his longtime friend who had gone to the same elementary, middle, high school, and even studied abroad with him.

Therefore, it was hard to believe that Yoon Hyun-joo had managed to win him over.

However, she confidently spoke even under my skeptical gaze.

“I know the chief secretary’s weakness. A weakness that Choi Woo-sik would never forgive him for if he ever found out.”

A weakness that would cause a friend to betray. I wondered what it could be, but didn’t ask.

However, Yoon Hyun-joo knew everything I had discussed with Choi Woo-sik.

Just from that, it was obvious that she had placed someone in the secretarial office.

If the spy you planted was the chief secretary, it was actually a good thing.

“I see. Then, that means once we call for an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, it will pass the board of directors right away. Correct?”

“Yes, that’s right. Unless there’s another variable.”

“There won’t be any variables. When the new year arrives and the holidays are over, the Prosecutors’ Office will be requesting a detention warrant for Choi Woo-sik right away. The court has already agreed to that. Once Choi Woo-sik is arrested, we can immediately request an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and force him to step down from his position, then you can take over as the owner, Director. We’ll also replace the entire board of directors at the same time.”

Choi Woo-sik’s arrest had already been decided.

To maintain security, only a few people knew about this.

“Only you know about Choi Woo-sik’s arrest. No one else can know about this. We need to catch him off guard so that we can arrest him at once.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After discussing things further with Yoon Hyun-joo, I sent her out first and talked to Eva alone.

“Eva. You’re going to have it rough. Thank you as always.”

“Boss, it’s my job. Don’t thank me.”

“I still worry about you. I’m planning to go down to Busan to spend time with Grandma for the end of the year, so you take care of the situation with Director Yoon Hyun-joo. Contact me if you have any problems.”

Seeing me worry and talk too much, Eva grinned and made a bold claim.

“Alright. Trust me and take a good rest, Boss. I’ll take care of everything.”

“Oh, and it seems like we’ll have to wait a little longer for the business in China. For now, continue to reduce its weight as we’ve been doing. Go on now, Director Yoon Hyun-joo must be waiting.”

After sending Eva out, I asked Manager Ma.

“Manager, are there any other urgent matters?”

“You have a dinner appointment this evening, Boss.”

“Ah, I was supposed to have dinner with Hyeon-woo. Let’s wrap that up and don’t make any new appointments for a while.”

“Understood, Boss.”

I had been calling Grandma whenever I had time, but it was different from seeing her in person.

So, just like I told Eva, I planned to spend the end of this year with Grandma in Busan.

As evening approached, I arrived at the restaurant where I was supposed to meet.

“What? You were here already?”

Oh Hyeon-woo, who was sitting at the table, waved his hand.

“I just got here myself. Come and sit down.”

I hung my coat on the coat rack and sat facing Oh Hyeon-woo.

“Where’s Min-kyung? Why are you alone?”

“She must be busy with work. She was determined to get a meal out of you today. She said she’d come once she finished up, but I don’t know if she’ll be able to.”

“Everyone is living such busy lives. Let’s eat first. The basic set meal is fine, right?”

“Yeah. Their set meal is good here.”

After pressing the call bell to request the meal, I opened the soju and beer bottles on the table.

“How about a somaek for old times sake?”

“Sounds good.”

I filled the glasses using the golden ratio that I’d learned hanging out with my college buddies.

We clinked our glasses and emptied them in one go.

“Ah, this brings back college memories. It’s so good when you make it. Like always.”

Oh Hyeon-woo licked the foam off his lips and smiled.

“Don’t give me that.”

“Why would I lie to you? I drink somaek at the Prosecutors’ Office dinners, but it’s not that good. Is it because it’s not as comfortable as drinking with our friends like this?”

After downing a couple of glasses while talking, our food arrived.

We ate and drank continuously. After finishing the meal, I asked Oh Hyeon-woo something I’d been curious about.

“Now that I’ve got a full stomach, let’s talk seriously. What’s the atmosphere like at the Prosecutors’ Office? It’s been quite turbulent with all the reforms, right?”

“Well, the President’s will is very strong, so what can you say? On top of that, the Prosecutor General is also on the President’s side, so they’re pushing hard. That’s why there isn’t much opposition. When the President, Prosecutor General, and even the Minister of Justice are working together, who would go against it?”

Hearing it from Oh Hyeon-woo, I had a rough idea of the atmosphere.

In such a situation, it would be difficult for the prosecutors in the field to act carelessly.

“Well, things should improve once Choi Woo-sik is arrested.”

“Ah… my mouth is itching so bad. I should tell this to all those whiners.”

“Haha, just hold it in a little longer. You’re keeping it a secret, right? It’s rumored that the Legal Department Head at KS Group has a lot of connections in the Prosecutors’ Office. Isn’t he technically your senior?”

“Ah, that guy? Ugh. I don’t even want to call him a senior. Do you know how much of a lapdog he’s become for the chaebol? There are a lot of people at the Prosecutor’s Office who hate him.”

The Prosecutor’s Office and chaebols were an inseparable duo.

Especially the Special Investigation Unit, which was basically meant to bring down the chaebols.

However, it was rare for a chaebol owner to be arrested.

Even if they were investigated, they would often face many obstacles and end up with a non-detention investigation.

“Just arresting the head of a top ten conglomerate will be enough to save the face of our Prosecutors’ Office, right?”

Oh Hyeon-woo said proudly. It was a typical reaction from Oh Hyeon-woo who had a strong sense of belonging to the Prosecutors’ Office.

“You’re right. It’s definitely a unique situation.”

“Thank you. It’s all thanks to you that we can arrest someone like Choi Woo-sik. Otherwise, it would have been a non-detention investigation.”

The judge designated for the warrant review was Han Min-kyung.

“Since Min-kyung will be handling the warrant review, there won’t be any issues with the issuance of the detention warrant. So, all the Prosecutors’ Office has to do is request the detention warrant through due process.”

“What? Wait a minute? My wife, Han Min-kyung, is conducting the suspect questioning before the arrest?”

“…You didn’t know?”

“Hey! How would I know if no one told me!”

I told Han Min-kyung to keep it secret, but I didn’t know she would keep it a secret even from her husband.

“Wow, Min-kyung is really something. I didn’t think she wouldn’t tell even you.”

“It’s so unfair! I tell her everything!”

Oh Hyeon-woo grabbed me and complained for a long time.

Well, half of his complaints were just boasting about Han Min-kyung.

“Stop complaining and file the warrant request as planned once the new year begins. After that, we’ll hold an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and immediately remove him from his position. Then the Prosecutor’s Office’s burden will decrease significantly.”

“What about Hanjong? If they cause trouble, it’ll be a burden for us.”

“I’ll take care of that. For now, just file the detention warrant, and I’ll step in and resolve things when it’s made public. So don’t worry.”

We continued to talk about Choi Woo-sik as we clinked our glasses.

Unfortunately, Han Min-kyung didn’t come before the gathering ended.

After leaving the restaurant, I sent Oh Hyeon-woo home first and headed towards my car.

Manager Ma opened the back door as I approached. I told him.

“Let’s head straight to Busan, Manager.”

“Yes, Boss.”

The car carrying me sped off toward Busan.