Chapter 145: A Deal with the Devil

“D-Do-jun… What are you saying right now…?”

It took a while for my aunt to speak, and even then, her words were broken.

“Exactly what I said. Oh Se-hyun isn’t interested in this deal. Proceeding with the contract is solely my decision.”

“So, what exactly are you planning? Are you serious? You’re going to take my company…?”

“Have I ever spoken nonsense? Starting next year, I will be the owner of Soonyang Distribution. Of course, that includes the department stores, hotels, golf courses, condo discount mart chains under the distribution umbrella. Do you understand the situation you’re in now?”

Understanding it fully would be difficult. It’s a puzzle you have to piece together yourself. Having never even touched the puzzle pieces, there’s no way to know what the picture looks like.

If it were a still life, it would be easy to grasp, but this painting is abstract. It takes time to understand. But as time passed, a single truth became clear.

“Y-You… you little bastard, are you betraying me? Did you use me?”

“When were we ever on the same side? Haven’t the people in our family always been wary of each other? Betrayal, using… those words never really existed. Just like you never considered me a partner, Aunt. You only ever intended to exploit me.”

“You little punk, you dare to play me for a fool? Wait a minute… that stock investment, was that all part of your scheme too?”

“I was the one who told you to sell when you had doubled your money. Did you forget? You said you sold everything, and wasn’t it you who secretly bought them up again without me knowing? What are you talking about?”

“You!”

Surprise, shock, and confusion were gone. No, she discarded them, leaving only anger to unleash upon me.

I don’t need to absorb this woman’s anger, nor do I have the charity to do so.

“Stop shouting and calm down. We’re at the crucial moment of deciding the fate of the department store group. As the major shareholder of Soonyang Distribution, I haven’t decided whether to keep President Jin Seo-yoon in her position or not. You should be showing a calm and rational demeanor.”

“You little brat! Go through with the contract! It’s only 30% anyway. Major shareholder? I acknowledge that. But Miracle… no, you can’t do anything. You just collect the dividends.”

My aunt, her magnificent fur coat swirling around her, stood up from her seat.

“Get out! Get out of this building right now! You’re not qualified. Just show up for the shareholder’s meeting once a year!”

“Please, sit down. The major shareholder isn’t finished speaking.”

“What?”

Crimson veins covered the whites of my aunt’s eyes.

“As I said, as the major shareholder with 30% of the shares, I’m planning to sue you for breach of trust and embezzlement for squandering company funds through stock investments.”

The word ‘sue’ hit her like an arrow, and my aunt’s mouth fell open.

“When the major shareholder makes a move, replacing the CEO or executives is nothing. Especially someone like you, Aunt, who messes with the company without any formal role, causing losses and siphoning off money – you need to disappear as soon as possible.”

Regaining her composure, my aunt curled her lips into a sneer.

“Didn’t your grandfather teach you that? Why we exist outside the company’s formal structure? It’s precisely for times like these. To have control without having any responsibility. That’s who we are.”

“You don’t need to teach me that. It’s not just me. The entire nation knows it.”

“Even if they know, there’s nothing they can do but watch. You’re no different from those ordinary people. What can you possibly do? As you said, the major shareholder can replace the CEO or executives. They’re the ones who have to take responsibility.”

“Are you sure about that?”

I pulled out my phone and speed-dialed a number.

“Yes, it’s me. Please come in, everyone. I think it’s time for some explanations.”

“W-What? Who are you talking to?”

“The people who will be held responsible. We should hear what they think. Whether they’re willing to take the blame in your place, Aunt, or if they’d rather point their fingers at you to save themselves from charges you may or may not be guilty of.”

The sound of footsteps echoed from outside the conference room, and my aunt’s gaze snapped towards the door.

“If they all point the finger at you simultaneously, there’s nothing I can do. Ah, that’s what you call betrayal.”

Just then, the conference room door swung open, and Director Im, along with the CEOs of the department store and hotel, filed in.

They avoided my aunt’s gaze and took their seats at the conference table.

“Let’s skip the unnecessary pleasantries. Everyone here is already familiar with the terms of the contract with Miracle.”

The color was draining from my aunt’s face as she sat at the head of the table.

“President Jin Seo-yoon, the missing eleven hundred billion won… the source of that money is from the companies you all manage. And President Jin Seo-yoon firmly believes in your loyalty. That you will bear the responsibility for that money. Is that correct?”

Not a single person spoke.

“Silence means agreement. Are you going to take responsibility?!”

I slammed my hand on the table, and the first person to speak was Director Im.

“I’m sorry, Madam President. I can’t spend my retirement in prison.”

“I’m sorry, Madam President.”

Once one person started, the rest followed, bowing their heads to my aunt and offering their apologies.

“Y-You…”

My aunt, now completely pale, was struggling to comprehend the situation. These were people who had devoted their lives to Soonyang Group, to whom she had given her loyalty, making it even harder to believe.

“W-Who said anything about going to prison? Don’t you trust Soonyang? Even if that brat makes a fuss, there won’t be any real problem. Even in the worst-case scenario, it’ll end with a suspended sentence.”

Director Im spoke for everyone else.

“If people like us at the bottom can get a suspended sentence, then you, Madam President, will be found not guilty, right? Or maybe it’ll be a stay of prosecution? What are you afraid of?”

“Director Im!”

My aunt shouted, but it was too late. Director Im merely glared at her with a cold look.

“Forget about digging up dirt on the executives and CEOs to use against them. If even one of us becomes a target of investigation, I will personally sue you, Aunt, and all of these people will be my witnesses.”

My final warning hung in the air, followed by an uncomfortable silence.

Everyone had rolled their dice; now, they were just waiting for the outcome. And I was the only dealer who could reveal the results.

“Regardless of where the company is headed, your positions will remain unchanged. You’re all in a stalemate, pointing knives at each other, preventing anyone from recklessly making a move. You can all relax and go back.”

They scrambled to their feet and hurried out of the conference room. Their retreating figures, leaving the suffocating atmosphere, seemed lighter, as if they’d shed a heavy burden.

Left alone in the empty conference room, my aunt stared blankly at the ceiling, half out of her mind.

“Now that you understand the situation… let’s talk about practical matters. The eleven hundred billion won promissory notes due in a few days, how are you going to handle them? Grandfather won’t throw money at a company that’s been spun off, so there’s no way to stop it. Ah, but there are my uncles… never mind. They’re even more ruthless than me.”

It was hard to tell if she was even listening to me; her expression was completely blank.

A hint of annoyance began to bubble up, but I waited for my aunt to regain enough composure to think clearly. She needed to be able to read the words on the contract I had prepared.

When her gaze finally shifted from the ceiling to me, she seemed to have regained her senses.

“Aunt, I’m going to offer you a hand. If you take it, we’ll be allies. I’m not like you, Aunt, someone who stabs loyal people in the back to save their own skin.”

“Me, under you…? How dare you say such nonsense to me?”

“Look at Oh Se-hyun. Does he look like he’s beneath me? Doesn’t it seem like we’re equals?”

My aunt blinked, taking a long moment to grasp the meaning of my words.

“S-So… you’re saying you’re the real CEO of Miracle Investment?”

“Think bigger than that. I’m the major shareholder with over 95% of the stock, and over 70% of the funds this company manages are mine. Oh Se-hyun is indeed the official CEO. I don’t see professional managers as mere servants or subordinates. I only own; the management is entirely in their hands.”

Revealing that even the massive funds were my money shocked her even more than when I said I’d take over the company.

“Now, look me in the eyes again and decide. Acquiring Ajin Group and taking over Soonyang Automobile, those were my achievements. And that was two years ago, when I was a freshman in college. Do you really want to make me your enemy? Or your ally?”

“W-Who the hell are you…?”

“Take my hand. No matter how much you struggle, you can’t beat me. Instead, take my hand and continue to enjoy the life of a chaebol family member. Your brothers would never give you this chance. You know that, right?”

“Does your father know about this? I mean, your grandfather.”

“He’s the only one who knows my true nature. That’s why he willingly gave up the automobile division. Do you understand? It’s not that Grandfather favors me and is pushing me forward; it’s because I’m the only one in our family he believes is capable of running Soonyang Group.”

“I-Is it… already…?”

She couldn’t finish her sentence, but it was obvious what she wanted to know.

“Grandfather loves his son more than his grandson. That’s why he’s only giving him the financial sector. But Grandfather already suspects it. That one day, I will take it all.”

The true form of the abstract painting was slowly beginning to take shape in my aunt’s mind. The shadowy figure that had been so difficult to discern was now revealing its substance, causing a reaction that went beyond shock to utter dismay.

Perhaps she was giving up. If I lowered a rope when she was completely broken, the tedious battle with my aunt would finally be over.

“I’ve told you everything without hiding anything; now, it’s your choice. If you refuse my hand, I’ll make sure you rot in prison for ten years. The embezzlement of eleven hundred billion won will be the top news story of the new millennium.”

I wanted her to understand just one thing.

No matter what happened, Grandfather wouldn’t help her. He believed that I was the only one capable of sustaining Soonyang Group, a group he loved even more than my aunt.

“If I take your hand… what happens?”

“I’ll let you lead the department store group in my stead, just like Oh Se-hyun leads Miracle for me.”

“L-Like now?”

“I will make the final decisions on personnel matters. You won’t be able to use company funds as you please, like before. Ah, but you’ll still live a luxurious life. As long as you don’t make any significant mistakes.”

Putting a little honey on the rope is a good way to encourage a quick decision.

“What do I have to do?”

She seemed to have regained enough mental clarity to at least read the words on the contract.

I handed her the prepared documents.

“Let me get straight to the point. I will buy a portion of the Soonyang Distribution shares you hold for eleven hundred billion won. That will make me the majority shareholder with 55% of the stock.”

No objections came. She knew the consequences of refusal.

First default, then breach of trust and embezzlement, and finally, legal detention.

I offered the pen to my aunt, whose face was twitching.

“Take my hand. Then you won’t lose anything you’re entitled to as Chairman Jin Yang-cheol’s daughter.”

Her trembling hand grasped the end of the pen.