Chapter 147: The King’s Advocate: Navigating Power and Ambition

“Furthermore, the position of chairman in this company isn’t like the dictatorial chairmen of other conglomerates, absent from the organization and systems. You will have the authority to appoint the CEOs of each department store, hotel, and large discount store, and to dictate the overall direction of the business.”

“So, Miracle’s involvement will be limited to the appointment of the chairman?”

“Precisely. As I mentioned, it’s a complete separation of ownership and management.”

The presidents exchanged glances before taking turns to speak.

“Before that, I think we need to clarify our relationship with Vice-chairman Jin Seo-yoon.”

“Indeed. To be honest, our relationship with her has been quite strained since the last incident.”

Their united front to testify if the responsibility was passed to the CEOs was clearly defiance against their aunt. She might be grinding her teeth in anger.

“She is, without a doubt, the vice-chairman. Until a chairman is appointed, we must follow her instructions.”

“You don’t have to.”

A slight smile played on my lips, drawing their attention to me.

“Approach Vice-chairman Jin Seo-yoon with an open mind. You should take what you need from her words, opinions, and instructions, and discard the rest.”

“Wouldn’t that lead to a lot of conflict?”

“I will always mediate. Let me reiterate, let’s work together with an open mind.”

I scanned the faces of the people I would be working with, making sure to leave them with a final reminder.

“You’d be making a grave mistake if you think of me as a Soonyang Group person. If it benefits our distribution group even slightly, I won’t hesitate to do something that causes significant damage to Soonyang Group. Never forget that I am a Miracle person, not a Soonyang person.”

Could they truly sever their ties with Soonyang Group?

* * *

“That bastard is starting to show his claws. Seo-yoon, that idiot, lost everything with stocks.”

“I heard. It was easier for Miracle to take because Father packaged it so neatly for them. It wouldn’t have been so easy if the governance structure was more complex.”

“The management support division informed me that they’ve paid back all the leftover money they borrowed from our group. We can consider the Seo-yoon matter completely closed now.”

Unlike the agitated Jin Young-gi, Jin Dong-gi remained calm, as if it were nothing.

“We filled a lot of our funding shortage thanks to that, so it’s fine.”

“Hey! Aren’t you bothered at all?”

Jin Young-gi yelled at his nonchalant younger brother.

“Department stores, hotels, marts, condos, golf courses. It’s a business where you build buildings and buy land. Do we need technology? Do we need machines? It’s all about real estate and people. What’s there to be upset about?”

“What are you talking about? That’s…”

“If you and I invest in real estate and build hotels with the Soonyang name, that’s it. And the people? We can just bring all the people under Seo-yoon over.”

Jin Dong-gi believed that they only needed to start with one thing. Whether it’s a hotel or a department store, start with one, poach all the talent, and shake the company that went to Miracle, and it would collapse without a major fight.

Jin Dong-gi’s idea was that the moment they couldn’t use the power of the Soonyang name, they would surrender.

“Oh, by the way, you’ve been seeing Oh Se-hyun often because of the Woosung Shipbuilding acquisition, right? Did you discuss this matter?”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Oh Se-hyun is living in a fantasy.”

“What fantasy?”

“The fantasy of becoming a conglomerate’s chairman. Miracle’s funds rely on the US, and those Americans completely trust Oh Se-hyun, who bought the company by taking advantage of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity called the IMF. So, he thinks the American investors won’t say anything even if he plays chairman.”

“That guy is insane.”

“No. He also has the ability to make that fantasy a reality.”

“What?”

The discomfort that had been lurking in a corner of Jin Young-gi’s mind reared its head because of his brother’s words.

“Did you forget? Soonyang Automobile owns 17% of the group’s shares? What if Do-jun takes control of Soonyang’s financial sector and swaps Soonyang Automobile’s 17% stake with Soonyang subsidiaries? He’d be in the top 5 of the business world, guaranteed.”

Those words meant that it was equivalent to the combined size of what the two brothers owned, and it was no different from losing half of Soonyang. A chill ran down his spine.

“Bringing down the department store and hotel isn’t something for the distant future.”

“Exactly. If we topple just one, the Soonyang people who were pushed out will come running to us. That will be a warning to Oh Se-hyun.”

The brothers, who were always wary of each other, temporarily reverted to their true brotherly selves due to an external enemy.

* * *

1999 was the end of the 90s and a year of great anticipation for the new millennium approaching 2000.

Especially since they had overcome the worst economic growth rate of -6.9% experienced last year with a leap to +9.5%, expectations were high for the new year.

And this year was dominated by the fear of Y2K along with the anticipation of the new millennium. However, when January 1, 2000, dawned, the feared events did not occur.

Banks worked overtime to prepare for any contingency, and government agencies and large corporations did the same. When the new year arrived, those who had been tense all night let out sighs of relief and went home feeling deflated.

Thus, the 21st century began.

This year, none of the relatives went to Grandfather’s house. They had to prepare from morning for the flood of guests.

Executives from Soonyang Distribution and its affiliates were caught between Oh Se-hyun and Jin Seo-yoon, but following Oh Se-hyun’s notice that he would be going to the countryside, they all headed to their aunt’s house.

I slipped out of the bustling house, where it was difficult to even see who was coming and going, and quietly headed to Pyeongchang-dong.

It was to have a serious conversation when Grandfather’s house was quiet.

As it was the first day of the new millennium, I bowed deeply and took a seat in the living room.

“Has Grandmother not returned yet?”

“No. She’s still living the good life of a noble in Europe, I hear.”

“Wasn’t she in England?”

“She bought a few paintings and moved to her villa in Geneva. I don’t know what she’s doing.”

Grandfather’s expression wasn’t good, so I didn’t ask further. Although they had been married for almost 60 years, their relationship seemed to be growing more distant.

“President Jo isn’t here yet, I see.”

“That friend of mine also needs to receive New Year’s bows from his children. I told him to come at his leisure.”

Perhaps because he had let go of many responsibilities, Grandfather even seemed carefree.

“But why suddenly automobiles? Hasn’t the restructuring of Ajin and Soonyang finished? The business circles are praising Jo Dae-ho and Chairman Song Hyun-chang for their excellent handling of the matter, so what are you planning?”

“I want to bring about some change.”

“Change?”

“Yes. After all, it’s an undeniable fact that surpassing Daewoo Motors is difficult. So, we need to look towards the world.”

“You idiot. Even Daehyun is a minor player outside. What world are you talking about if you can’t even catch up to Daehyun?”

Grandfather shook his head as if it were out of the question.

“Production volume and sales aren’t everything. There are various events in the Olympics.”

“Hmph, you haven’t lost your gift of gab… So, what is it you want to say?”

“We need to transform into a beloved automobile company.”

“What? Beloved?”

Grandfather let out a burst of incredulous laughter.

“You idiot. You can’t even handle dating properly, yet you’re talking about love? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

“Is this love the same as that love? Are you pretending not to know?”

“Since the topic came up, let me ask you something.”

“Yes.”

Grandfather leaned closer, his expression serious. What could it be?

“That girl you’re seeing. Do you meet her often?”

“Min-young? No. We meet once or twice a month for a meal and a beer. I’m busy, and she is too, as she’s preparing for the bar exam….”

Indeed, Min-young had said she needed to go into seclusion. Passing the exam before graduation seemed to be her primary goal, and she was so stressed that she would quickly eat and return to the library.

“You idiot. Meeting once or twice a month for a meal, is that dating? Even friends see each other more often than that.”

“Is there any rush? If we drift apart, we’ll just remain schoolmates.”

Wait a minute….

“Grandfather, did I ever mention that I was seeing someone? I don’t remember saying anything… ?”

“What? Oh, no, I mean, you did. Why can’t a young man remember something this old man can!”

He even raised his voice.

I knew why he was doing this, so I didn’t say anything more. He must have someone tailing me. It must be with good intentions.

I was fine with it, but a savior appeared just as the flustered Grandfather was about to make more excuses.

“I’m very late, Chairman.”

President Jo Dae-ho entered the living room, holding a wrapped cloth in one hand.

“Nonsense. You must be busy receiving New Year’s greetings from your children, yet I’ve called you here on the first day of the year. I apologize.”

“It’s alright. What kind of greeting is it from grown-up children? It’s a burden. Rather, it’s a good excuse. Haha.”

President Jo bowed slightly as he gently placed the New Year’s gift he was holding.

“Happy New Year, President Jo. May you have good health.”

“Ah, Do-jun is here too?”

President Jo Dae-ho lightly tapped my back and straightened up.

“Please sit down. I’ll give you a deep bow.”

“Don’t bother. Getting older is sad enough; why make it more obvious? By the way, why are you here alone?”

“This friend of mine, you’re the one who called him. You’re losing your touch as you get older. Haha.”

“Oh, is that so? This makes me nervous. To be summoned by the largest shareholder. Haha.”

I was startled when the word ‘shareholder’ came out of President Jo’s mouth. Did this man already know that I was the de facto owner of Miracle?

President Jo Dae-ho looked slightly embarrassed at my surprised expression.

“Should I have kept that a secret?”

At this, Grandfather patted my back and said,

“It’s alright. He’s a man of his word. He deserves to know the full story, considering he gave up Soonyang Automobile so easily.”

“Yes. I was surprised, but it wasn’t something that needed to be hidden. I apologize for my discourtesy, President Jo.”

“No, no. With so many eyes watching, it was necessary. Imagine the uproar if it became known that Ajin Group had been taken over by a twenty-year-old college student. Who would believe that? Moreover, that college student is the third-generation heir of Soonyang Group. There would be talk of special favors and illegal inheritance. It was a wise decision.”

He interprets the concealment of the truth from a completely different angle. I was merely trying to avoid my uncles’ scrutiny.

“Alright, alright, let’s go to the study and talk quietly. It seems this young man has a lot to discuss with you.”

* * *

“You want to change the company’s image?”

“Yes.”

“You’re thinking of doing something difficult.”

President Jo Dae-ho didn’t show surprise or curiosity. It meant he already had an idea of what I was trying to do.

“We’re just barely seeing the normal track ahead of us. Even if you can see it, getting on it isn’t easy. If we branch out from here, we might not be able to get on the track at all.”

Numbers from management performance must be swirling in President Jo’s head. No matter how much he squeezes, the numbers needed to branch out from those figures won’t appear, so negative words come out first.

“Let’s not worry about the money for now.”

“For now? Alright. Then can I hear what color that image is? Is it red, blue… ?”

Grandfather chuckled as he chimed in.

“He wants to make it a beloved company.”

“Beloved?”

President Jo’s reaction was no different from Grandfather’s. His expression was one of bewilderment.