Chapter 115: What Do You Mean? Is There Really a Way?

“What? What do you mean by that? Is there really a way?”

“There’s an easy way, but it’s not simple. You’d have to get your hands dirty with blood.”

The word ‘blood’ elicited a confident reaction from his uncle by marriage.

“Aren’t I from the Prosecutor’s Office’s ‘knife squad’? I’m not someone who’s afraid of getting his hands bloody.”

“Do-jun, if you’re thinking of something strange, just stop.”

Oh Se-hyun shook his head with an uneasy expression. It was hard to tell if he was just trying to play along or if he was genuinely worried, but I ignored him.

Right now, I need to subtly provoke my aunt and uncle.

Someone blinded by greed is the easiest to exploit, isn’t he?

“Think of someone Grandfather dislikes the most, someone whose minor injury wouldn’t harm the Soonyang Group, someone whose usual behavior makes you think they deserve it. Pick one person.”

Considering the potential damage to the Soonyang Group, second-generation family members should definitely be avoided. That leaves the third generation.

Aren’t they the chaebol third generation that society loves to point fingers at?

“If those are the conditions, it can only be Young-joon. He’s careful these days since he got married, but he’s been the biggest disgrace to the family. Celebrity scandals, drunk driving, assault… he’s been involved in every kind of accident imaginable.”

“Then Older Brother Young-joon will have to shed some blood. He’s the eldest grandson of the Soonyang Group and the nephew of the Seoul mayor, but to build a righteous Seoul, a fair Seoul, we’d have to act with a heavy heart… something like that?”

His uncle by marriage couldn’t answer easily.

If it were his own nephew he was sacrificing, he wouldn’t hesitate. But messing with his wife’s family meant risking crossing a point of no return.

Isn’t she a goose that lays golden eggs every day?

The one who can decide this isn’t my uncle by marriage, but my aunt.

“B-but, would it be okay? No, is there a way? Young-joon hasn’t caused any trouble lately and has been behaving himself. We can’t just dig into his private life. Even if that guy got into a hit-and-run while drunk with a celebrity, the Seoul mayor couldn’t say anything.”

“You need to figure out the method, Uncle. I’m just saying that if you were to cut the head off one of your family members, you could overcome the handicap of being a chaebol family’s son-in-law.”

It would be more than overcoming a handicap; it would be something to be praised for, but he still couldn’t bring himself to say it.

There’s no more to discuss with this man. The person to plot with is definitely my aunt.

His uncle by marriage finally spoke after a long pause.

“I’ll think more about that part. But Representative Oh, how about it? Will you grant my request?”

Oh Se-hyun coughed a few times, seemingly burdened by Mayor Choi’s expectant gaze.

“As you know, I’m an investor. There are various investment methods, but they all have one thing in common. It’s finding hidden value. Four years from now, if I discover Mayor Choi’s value, I’ll invest without being asked.”

“It might be too late by then.”

Oh Se-hyun threw out the idea of considering it in four years, and his uncle by marriage reacted as if the opportunity would be gone if he didn’t secure it first.

My thoughts?

Wouldn’t it be impossible for someone at his uncle by marriage’s level to overturn the relentless tide of history?

That’s about it.

* * *

“Welcome, my nephew. Why do you look more and more like your mother as you grow up? You’re so cute I could die.”

My aunt playfully poked my backside and offered me a glass of liquor.

“Want a drink?”

I shook my head, and my aunt chuckled.

“I heard you weren’t hurt anywhere, is that right?”

“Yes. It’s a waste to drink expensive liquor when I don’t even know the taste.”

“You think about everything. Anyway, sit down.”

She still lived in a hotel, but now that her husband was the mayor, this lifestyle would end. If she were spotted by reporters, she’d become a topic of gossip, so she’d have to move back home now.

“I hear you said something interesting to your uncle by marriage.”

“Ah, that? My uncle by marriage seemed eager to shed the ‘chaebol son-in-law’ label, so I just mentioned it.”

“You’re subtly sly, aren’t you? Did you know your uncle by marriage is easily swayed?”

“What do you mean?”

“Playing innocent. Why? Because your dad, no, your father, nominated you as the third successor, are you getting greedy too?”

Everyone’s in an uproar.

Even if just 10% of the group’s shares came into my hands, I’d become a strong supporter, so everyone is trying to pull me in, their eyes bloodshot.

“Is that how you see me too, Aunt?”

“Aunt too? Oh dear, your older brothers have already visited.”

My aunt bit her lip.

“Yes.”

“What did they say?”

“What others say isn’t important. I’m curious about your thoughts, Aunt.”

“I don’t have anything yet. So, I don’t have any thoughts either. Representative Oh said so. If you don’t have anything, you can’t even join the game.”

“Then why did you ask to see me? I thought you would say something to me, just like my uncles.”

“I’m a little easily swayed too. Haha.”

Her hearty laughter filled the room.

“Let’s talk about our third successor story later. After I’ve raised the stakes. More importantly, is ‘cutting off Ma Su’s head with tears’ possible?”

“Can you handle it? If so, I’ll brainstorm some ideas.”

“Young-joon?”

I nodded.

“You dislike Young-joon. Why?”

“I just can’t stand his know-it-all attitude. Just because he was born first, he thinks he’s superior. Even if I let that slide, he tries to put people below him….”

“He is like that.”

My aunt paused for a moment before speaking again.

“Even if Young-joon gets disciplined a bit, your grandfather won’t be too angry. I’ll handle it.”

She believes that whatever he does, it will end with just a scolding.

The people in this family don’t worry about the stern judgment of the law. They can evade everything. Instead, they only fear Grandfather’s judgment.

My aunt seems to think that since Jin Young-jun is his grandson, his eldest grandson, it will end with a reprimand and a scolding.

Will it really end that easily?

“Then I’ll trust you, Aunt, and get started.”

“With what?”

“Tell your husband to add just one regional word when announcing the Digital Media City project.”

“A word?”

“Yes. Don’t just announce Sangam-dong, but Sangam-dong and part of Susaek-dong.”

“Susaek-dong?”

“Yes. I have the next steps in mind, so don’t worry.”

My aunt smiled as she looked at my face.

“You didn’t brainstorm ideas; you already had them in mind.”

“Not all of them. Just the basic framework.”

“That’s why your father is so taken with you.”

“He’s just being like that because I’m the youngest.”

I tried to downplay it, but it was no use. My aunt started to look at me with the same eyes as my uncles.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes.”

“When I gain power, if you contribute what you will get to me, I’ll give you half. Think carefully. Your older brothers probably won’t even give you half of half.”

“What is your power, Aunt?”

“It’s when your uncle by marriage sits on the chair with the phoenix emblem.”

“Even if he becomes president, he won’t be able to do anything to the Soonyang Group, will he?”

“The National Tax Service, the National Intelligence Service, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Board of Audit and Inspection, the Fair Trade Commission. I’ll hold these powerful institutions in my hands. As you said, I might not be able to do anything to the Soonyang Group. But I can do things to people.”

“By ‘people,’ you mean my uncles.”

“If I wipe away all the dust and mud on your older brothers’ hands, only I will remain. The shareholders will know that there’s no one else to choose but me.”

My aunt clenched her fist.

“You’re a shareholder, so side with me. Then I’ll give you half.”

One person will be made second-in-command. Another will be bought at a high price. The last one will get half….

Such diverse offers.

Wait, there’s one more person?

Ah, Jin Sang-ki, the third son, is the eldest brother’s lackey.

“Aunt, it seems like it will be ten years from now. Let’s take it slow. And if Grandfather has a change of heart, I might just end up as the youngest.”

After feigning weakness, my aunt said something unexpected.

“Then we need to hurry? Before your father changes his mind.”

* * *

His uncle by marriage acted like the president at the inauguration ceremony.

He loudly proclaimed that Seoul City would do everything possible to overcome the current economic crisis, minimize the fiscal deficit, and lighten the heavy burden on Seoul citizens’ shoulders.

And he didn’t forget to set the stage beforehand.

He publicly declared that he would lay the foundation for economic revitalization by utilizing 200% of the publicly owned land in Seoul City.

Construction businessmen with a keen sense already recognized this as a signal to break through the current recession and were frequenting the mayor’s office until the doorstep wore out.

But that opportunity won’t go to them.

I hold that opportunity.

“You idiot. You’re not even giving me half?”

“You’re being too harsh. If I give you half, what will I live on? Soonyang Construction can survive even without this, but our Dae-ah Construction will go bankrupt without it. Do you know how much money we poured into this, counting on this alone?”

Now, having removed his bandages, he was grumbling in a beanie that looked like it belonged to a roasted chestnut vendor… no, in this era, it’s just called a beret. Anyway, Grandfather was complaining in a tacky outfit.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch. I’ve heard rumors that Daehyun Group has your uncle by marriage wrapped around their finger. You might get backstabbed if you’re not careful.”

“You were the one who confidently said you’d prevent that, so you need to take care of it, Grandfather. I’ll give you 30%.”

“Don’t just talk about making money from construction. You and Oh Se-hyun aren’t the type to just sit still, are you? Be honest. You’ve already secured the land in Sangam-dong and the surrounding areas, haven’t you? You’ll make a fortune from that alone, right?”

“No. I didn’t speculate on land. Isn’t the mayor my uncle by marriage? I wanted to avoid any misunderstandings that Representative Oh, who’s friends with my father, leaked development information in advance. Besides, this is Dae-ah Construction’s first project after the acquisition… I prevented any unsavory dealings from the start.”

“You did well there. Heh heh.”

Grandfather clapped his knees and laughed.

“Alright. Let’s settle for 30%. But you owe me one. I knocked off 20%, you know.”

This is a negotiation. But in Grandfather’s mind, it wasn’t a negotiation but a concession, and he imprinted it as a debt.

This kind of absurd coercion is the foundation of a chaebol.

* * *

“How much did you borrow from the other subsidiaries?”

“About 20 billion won.”

“They only gave you that much?”

“Everyone is in a difficult position because I’m handling this without the knowledge of the subsidiary presidents. They gave this money risking their necks.”

“Those bastards…. What good are they if their livers are this small? Even when I said I’d take responsibility, this is all they could manage. Tsk tsk.”

68 billion won.

Jin Young-jun felt a surge of annoyance at the thought of the money, which was far short of his target amount.

He wasn’t aiming for anything too greedy, just a fivefold return, but he was still very disappointed.

“Call the thugs and sweep up Susaek-dong. Be careful not to spread rumors. If rumors get out, those poor bastards will refuse to sell their homes.”

“I’ll take care of it. And isn’t this the most difficult period since the founding of the nation? The market price is at rock bottom, so they’ll sell if we offer a little more.”

“Give up to double the market price for the ones who resist until the end. The key to this is to proceed quietly.”

“Yes, Senior Manager.”

Jin Young-jun still couldn’t shake off his disappointment.

How often do you encounter such a lucrative opportunity?

He was tempted to pull a large sum from the private loan market in Myeong-dong, but he held back.

Rumors spread quickly in that world, and it could reach his father’s or grandfather’s ears.

“Three hundred billion won….”

Thinking about the money that would soon be coming in made him smile involuntarily.

Money he hadn’t told anyone about.

Jin Do-jun was the only one who knew. If he gave that bastard a cut, he’d be happy and stick by his side.

He’d make money, and he’d have Jin Do-jun, whom his father was worried about, in his grasp. It was like killing two birds with one stone.