Chapter 100: Chapter 1
by xennovel“What’s with you lot? Why the shock? Think about Father’s age. It wouldn’t be strange if he passed away tomorrow. The succession process isn’t fully complete yet, and there aren’t any countermeasures in place for such an unforeseen event.”
The lawyers shifted their expressions, wary of causing any unnecessary misunderstandings. After all, he was the eldest son and the vice-chairman.
“Chairman’s shares are 23% held by Madam, and the children inherit roughly 15% equally. In this scenario…,”
“What about a will? Isn’t there a valid will?”
“We don’t know. Currently, no one among the group’s legal team has received a separate will. However, we can’t rule it out. It might be with one of the Chairman’s personal lawyers.”
“But Vice-chairman, in my opinion, there probably isn’t a separate will. The inheritance tax on the group’s shares is enormous. We’ve been working to avoid that all this time… If a personal will exists, it would likely only cover the Chairman’s personal assets, excluding the group shares. Things like land, houses, and collectibles.”
Without resorting to illegal inheritance methods, they might face taxes in the hundreds of billions, possibly even trillions of won. That’s why most chaebol families transfer management rights through illegal gifting while they are still alive.
No one believes Chairman Jin is righteous enough to properly pay inheritance tax.
“In that case, let’s assume there’s no separate will. If we proceed with equal inheritance, what happens to the management rights?”
“It becomes complicated. Depending on how they align themselves, the occupant of the chairman’s office could change.”
“What if Mother sides with me?”
“We’d need precise calculations, but… Ah, right, isn’t the third son, President Jin Sang-ki, one of your people? If Madam and President Jin Sang-ki are on your side, there won’t be any issues.”
Hearing the optimistic analysis, Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi’s face brightened.
“That’s reassuring… Still, it’s best to finish the succession process before Father passes away.”
At that moment, one of the lawyers smacked his forehead and spoke.
“Ah, there’s one variable. When Soonyang Automobile was transferred, about 17% of the shares went with it.”
“Damn it, I forgot about that.”
His brightened face clouded over again.
“It’s American capital, so it shouldn’t be a major variable, right?”
“I heard Miracle’s Oh Se-hyun and President Jin Yun-ki are close…”
The lawyer wore a slightly worried expression.
“Yoon-ki is in the movie business, he’s not interested in family squabbles. It’ll be fine.”
Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi waved his hand dismissively, thinking of his youngest brother. However, he didn’t forget that this brother, previously out of the picture, had emerged as a significant variable.
“Alright, you can leave now.”
As the lawyers bowed and left, the frustration he had been holding back erupted.
“This is a damn mess!”
The youngest, whom he had barely paid attention to, was suddenly wielding a knife. Moreover, the single knife was on the verge of becoming two.
The mere thought sent shivers down his spine.
# # #
President Jin Dong-gi reached for a cigarette, something he only did occasionally when drinking.
His office had floor-to-ceiling windows, making it impossible to ventilate the smoke, but the cigarette was the only thing soothing his troubled mind right now.
Various faces flashed through the smoke he exhaled.
The face that lingered the longest was his father’s.
Damn old geezer!
Unpredictable actions, volatile temper. A spiteful nature that grated on people’s nerves.
How long does he think he’ll live, anyway…
He’ll have to leave this world empty-handed, yet he’s trying to sow seeds of discord within the family.
“The youngest is…”
He never imagined the two youngest would emerge as dark horses.
Youngest brother Jin Yun-ki, youngest nephew Jin Do-jun.
He hoped those he cherished wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire.
The eldest and second sons are more than enough for this battle.
But…
He was more worried that his reckless older brother might cause trouble.
* * *
The loud ringing of his cell phone woke him up.
Judging by how heavy his eyelids felt, it was still early morning. Who could it be?
“Y-yes, hello?”
– You idiot. Didn’t I tell you to come early in the morning? Are you still sleeping?
“Ah, Grandpa.”
He checked the time. It was a little past 4 AM.
“It’s dawn now, not morning.”
– Enough with the chatter. Hurry up and get washed. We need to leave before the traffic gets heavy.
For someone who had turned his back on him yesterday, his voice was awfully cheerful. Wasn’t he like a child excited about a field trip?
Knowing his place, he jumped out of bed. He quickly showered and went outside.
It was highly unlikely that taxis frequented the upscale residential area where everyone even had their own drivers. He sighed at the thought of having to walk to the main road where taxis were available.
“Chief of staff!”
Suddenly, car lights flashed from behind, and he heard someone calling him.
“Phew, I’m not late. Thankfully.”
Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk got out of the car with a sigh of relief.
“What’s this? I told you to take the day off.”
“How could I? Didn’t you say the Chairman called you early this morning?”
“But did that mean you had to come this early?”
Assistant Manager Kim scratched the back of his neck and chuckled.
“Just in case, I asked Chief Shin, and he said that according to the Chairman’s standards, early morning means 4 AM. So, I figured there wouldn’t be any taxis around and came to pick you up.”
He had changed a lot since returning from Israel. He was emphasizing his greatest strength: diligence.
He was so dedicated to assisting him that he didn’t seem to care about his consideration. It was both touching and appreciated.
“This is a great help. Grandpa was just urging me to hurry.”
“It’ll take about 20 minutes since it’s early.”
He hadn’t noticed in the darkness at first, but this wasn’t the usual Soonyang Automobile he rode in.
“What’s with this car?”
“Ah, I switched cars yesterday. You have five chief of staff cars at the Chairman’s residence, don’t you? You only ever ride the Soonyang car, leaving the better ones… Did I make a mistake?”
Aside from the Soonyang Automobile, all the other cars were too extravagant.
Driving them was fine, but getting out of the back seat drew too much attention.
“No, it’s fine. Let’s just use the cars we have. We can rotate them. Haha.”
He couldn’t dismiss Assistant Manager Kim’s sincerity, so he smiled and settled into the back seat of the large BMW 7xx.
Just as Assistant Manager Kim said, they arrived at his grandfather’s residence in less than 20 minutes.
“Thanks for your hard work. You can head home now. I don’t think there will be any more work today.”
He left Kim Yoon-suk bowing respectfully behind him and hurried inside. His grandfather was already waiting for him at the entrance.
“The early morning air is refreshing, isn’t it? Let’s go.”
He still hadn’t mentioned their destination, but he didn’t ask. He’d find out soon enough.
He sat next to his grandfather in the back seat, and the car smoothly pulled away.
They sped along the open road, quickly leaving Seoul behind.
As they got on the gradually developing West Coast Expressway, it seemed they were heading towards Chungnam or Jeolla Province.
His grandfather remained silent, gazing out the window.
As the hazy dawn began to break, he finally spoke.
“Do-jun.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you curious about where we’re going?”
“I’m dying of curiosity. But you looked so stern, Grandpa, that I didn’t dare ask.”
His grandfather gave a faint smile and placed his hand on his knee.
“We’re going to where the Soonyang Group began. Gunsan.”
Gunsan, the birthplace of the Soonyang Group.
Memories flooded back instantly.
The history of the Soonyang Group, memorized as if for an exam. It was where the Joseon Grain Warehouse was located.
Following liberation, the confiscated assets left behind by the Japanese.
Among them was the prized Joseon Grain Warehouse, which he acquired and used to smuggle rice. The money he made from selling that rice became the seed money for the current Soonyang Group.
“Is the Joseon Grain Warehouse still there?”
His grandfather’s eyes widened.
“How do you know about the Joseon Grain Warehouse?”
“It’s been in many magazines, and you’ve often mentioned it in interviews, Grandpa. All Soonyang Group employees know about it. As your grandson, how could I not?”
“Ah, you always know how to earn my favor. I have over ten grandsons, but they only know how to take my money. You’re the only one who knows how I earned it.”
If he were a normal grandson, he wouldn’t be interested either. It’s rare to find a grandson curious about his grandfather’s life.
“The American military seized the warehouse during the war. It was returned much later. Now it’s a history museum. I thought it was meaningful, so I donated it to the country. Thanks to that, it’s being preserved without costing me a penny.”
“If it’s a history museum, does it include stories about you?”
“Absolutely not. Why would I leave a record of my thievery? Haha.”
“Ah, back when you smuggled rice…”
His grandfather nodded.
“That’s when I learned that small-time theft gets you finger-pointing and punishment, but large-scale theft goes unpunished. Do you know why?”
“Because it’s too big to touch?”
“That’s part of it, but the real reason is that the biggest thieves are the ones in power. If you offer them a cut of the stolen money, they’ll turn a blind eye.”
The beginning of political-business collusion?
“So, the rice you smuggled back then… ?”
“Yes. I shared it with influential people. With that money, I built factories and started companies. There wasn’t even time to count how much money I was making.”
His grandfather’s face, reminiscing about his youth with excitement, couldn’t have looked happier.
“Back then, I poured all the earnings into expanding the company. As the number of factories and buildings under the Soonyang name grew, the only thing left to do was protect it. It’s a boring task.”
“Was your split with your older brother to protect Soonyang?”
He asked cautiously, observing his grandfather’s reaction. The Iron Face, the grandfather who had even turned on his own brother. What were his feelings?
“No. It was to survive.”
He spoke calmly, without surprise or agitation.
Did he believe that betraying his brother for survival was justifiable?
“The military junta seized power and started cracking down on the wealthy to gain public support. Back then, my brother was like a factory manager. He didn’t understand company management. Either way, Soonyang was a target of the regime. Either me or my brother would have faced their wrath.”
The car left the highway, which was under construction, and entered a national road. His grandfather slightly opened the window, taking in the cool morning air.
“If I were arrested, it was clear that Soonyang would fall into the hands of others, so I steeled myself. I betrayed my brother.”
Was it an unavoidable choice to protect, or a betrayal to possess everything? What was the truth?
He didn’t ask further. It was just curiosity anyway. Knowing the truth wouldn’t change anything.
“What about you?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m asking if you would betray your family to protect what’s yours.”
Should he tell the truth, or give the answer his grandfather wanted? It was difficult to answer immediately.
Even though there wasn’t a single car passing by, the car stopped at a traffic light at an intersection. The only sound in the cabin was the low hum of the idling engine.
“I…”
He decided not to play mind games this time. He wanted to honestly express his feelings and see his grandfather’s reaction.
But he couldn’t finish his sentence.
Vroom-!
The deafening roar of a car filled the air, and everything before his eyes instantly turned white.
Crash- Bang-!
His body covered his grandfather, and he felt shards of glass raining down as he lost consciousness.