Chapter 162: The Winner Takes It All

“Have you ever seen such a wicked bastard? Hahaha.”

“Wasn’t this what you wanted, Grandfather? To use what’s in hand most effectively?”

“Yes, it’s good you understand. Just try not to use it too often. The effect wears off.”

“As long as those two uncles of mine don’t give up their greed, I don’t think the effect will wear off any time soon.”

“Do you really think so?”

Grandfather chuckled softly.

“I’ve given your two uncles a stern warning. I told them to work together to reclaim Soonyang Automobile. Those guys aren’t just blindly greedy either. To satisfy their larger desires, they might join forces, at least temporarily. Being brothers, it might be even easier for them to do so.”

“The automobile company?”

“Of course. In this world, the powerless get robbed. Isn’t that right?”

What a sly old fox!

He thoroughly blocked any infighting that spilled outside, yet he gladly welcomed internal strife and even instigated it at the slightest opportunity.

Knowing him, his favorite song must be ‘The Winner Takes It All’.

“I will be fully prepared.”

“You’d better be. Even that 17% stake you wield like a weapon could become useless. Do you know why?”

“If the size of Soonyang Group grows, Miracle’s shares will become insignificant.”

“You understand well. In fact, it’s already dropped to the 16% range. Quite a few subsidiaries have increased their capital after a slight economic recovery. Can you catch up?”

“I have to try my best not to fall behind. Wouldn’t that be failing your expectations, Grandfather?”

“Only mine?”

“I also intend to fulfill my own ambitions, but this time I realized… it definitely won’t be easy.”

Seeing my bitter expression, Grandfather’s eyes gleamed.

“Why do you think that?”

“I forgot about my uncle’s life experience. The people he’s solidified over that time. The power they hold. For me to have the same power as my uncle, it would take at least twenty years. No, maybe even longer. My uncle is your eldest son, while I’m the youngest, in the most distant position in the hierarchy. Would powerful people even notice me?”

Grandfather slapped his knee, his voice rising.

“That’s the true power of Soonyang.”

“Yes. I knew it in my head, but I hadn’t truly felt it. This time, I’ve experienced it firsthand.”

“If you were to do it alone, it would take you fifty years. More than half of Young-gi’s power was handed down by me. He just added twenty years to what I gave him.”

I flashed a smile at Grandfather.

“You’re planning to give me some too, right?”

“To have a fair fight, I have to give you something. But remember one thing. Even if I give it to you, it won’t truly be yours. Because it’s not an object, but people.”

“Since they’re people, I don’t have to worry about losing them.”

“What? Losing them? Goodness…. Hahaha.”

Grandfather even hit his desk as he burst into joyful laughter.

“If you give them to me, Grandfather, I’ll make sure to keep them safe. Aren’t they just people bought with money anyway? I’ll pay the highest price to use their power more than anyone else.”

“It’s only like that at first.”

“Yes?”

“In the beginning, it’s money, but later, you’ll need something more.”

“What could that be?”

“Telling you won’t make you understand. You have to figure it out and fulfill it yourself.”

“It’s not easy.”

“Because they’re people. Because people are complex and difficult. People’s desires are so diverse that it’s impossible to fathom. You have to do that difficult thing to make them your people.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Grandfather cleared his throat a few times, composing himself. He looked at me with clear eyes and said,

“The share inheritance process will be completed soon. The two of them will divide it, but judging by the growth rate, it seems Young-gi, who focuses on electronics, will receive a bit more.”

“I see.”

“What’s left is the financial sector, and we’re currently adjusting the group’s shares.”

I swallowed hard. Bringing up this topic meant he was giving it to me….

The phrase ‘adjusting the shares’ bothered me.

“You know that the financial affiliates are the real gems, right?”

Especially Soonyang Life Insurance, with its steady cash flow, is a major player with vast real estate holdings.

The company buys real estate like crazy with the cash it has, generating enormous rental income, so it’s no wonder it’s called the group’s bank.

It’s also a major shareholder, holding 7% of Soonyang Electronics’ stock.

“Yes. Isn’t it one of the core affiliates that controls the group?”

“What do you want to do with it?”

“Are you going to give it to me?”

“You forgot the ‘what if.’ Hahaha.”

“I will focus on expansion with Soonyang Life Insurance at the center. Until it becomes another huge conglomerate.”

“You’ll grow it externally, not with your uncles’ Soonyang affiliates?”

“That’s not what I meant. Soonyang affiliates are also targets for expansion; they’re just not everything to me.”

I hoped that was the right answer.

To endlessly expand the company—isn’t that the ultimate goal of the chaebols?

A bloodline that dreams of expansion rather than maintenance. My heart had to align with his. Only then could I get even a single extra share.

“You always rattle off textbook answers. And you back it up with results, so there’s really nothing to criticize.”

“Are you in a difficult position?”

“About what?”

“Because your eldest sons will surely object to you handing over the financial sector to me.”

“It’s not just your uncles who will object. All the executives of the financial affiliates will rise up. It’s not easy for them to bow their heads to someone young enough to be their grandson.”

“My job is to fulfill their desires. If you entrust it to me, I’ll turn their opposition into unanimous welcome.”

“Usually, the louder they boast, the less they deliver, but with you, I actually believe it….”

Grandfather chuckled and shook his head.

“I’m going to entrust the financial affiliates to you. The process is underway, so prepare yourself well.”

It was expected, but hearing it confirmed made me feel like I was flying. However, there was still an uneasy feeling.

He didn’t mention how many group shares the financial affiliates held. It should be at least 30%….

If so, combined with the automobile company’s 16%, it would be close to half.

There’s no way Grandfather wouldn’t know this, right?

The share adjustment must be a process of lowering the proportion of shares held. How much will he leave?

“Hey! Why aren’t you saying thank you? What are you thinking about?”

“Ah, no. As I said, I will build another group of companies.”

I stood up and bowed deeply.

I prayed he would leave at least 20%. If I had just over 30% with the automobile company, a three-way structure would be created. If I could just walk a tightrope in the center of the scales for 10 years, no, even 5 years, and gradually chip away, I could take half. And after another 10 years, I’m confident I can make it all mine.

The chair Grandfather is sitting on, looking at me with a satisfied smile. Fifteen years is enough to become the owner of that seat.

* * *

Gathering the family together, what a spectacle it was.

A wife who gambled away billions, an eldest son who was entangled with a female celebrity, and a second son who I thought had come to his senses had secretly started living with someone.

My daughter, who’s over thirty, has no intention of getting married and won’t return from Europe. The only good thing is that she stays quietly by her grandmother’s side.

But a spinster in a chaebol family! It’s such a disgrace. Rumors are rampant in business circles that there must be something wrong with her.

Lastly, my daughter-in-law, whose intentions I can’t fathom.

Even when her husband stays out all night every night, she doesn’t nag, not even a flinch.

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki suppressed his boiling anger and slowly opened his mouth.

“Starting today, you’re not leaving this house. No going out for a year. Remember that.”

“Honey! What are you…? Am I a child?”

“Shut your mouth. If you knew how I felt right now, you’d be kneeling and begging for forgiveness….”

“Honey, still….”

“Shut up! Should I make you rot in jail for a few years? Should I plaster the newspapers with headlines about a crazy bitch who lost billions to gambling?”

Park Hye-young, the lady of the house, lowered her gaze. What a disgrace in front of her children?

Her daughter-in-law and two sons were already staring with their mouths wide open at their mother, who had committed such an outrageous act.

“I’ll block the summons to the Prosecutor’s Office no matter what it takes. It means it’ll end with a written investigation. So stay cooped up at home and don’t even breathe. If you step one foot outside this house, I’ll destroy your family first. Do you understand?”

Park Hye-young could only nod at her husband’s roar.

“I met with the elders of your family. When I told them about this ridiculous thing you did, they were all dumbfounded and couldn’t even lift their heads. They also asked me to fix your bad habits as their aged daughter. So, you won’t be getting any more money from your family.”

She wanted to argue with her husband, who had cut off all her financial support, but she only suffered in silence at his frosty demeanor.

“Kyung-joon, you’re dropping out of school and everything else. Get married and learn the business.”

“Ah… Father.”

“Don’t argue. You’ve broken things off with that Hong Kong actress you were with. You won’t be seeing her again. Your marriage partner has already been decided, and everything has been settled. It’s the daughter of Segwang Group. I hear she’s quite attractive and well-educated. If you say anything out of line, I’ll make you just like your brother.”

Jin Kyung-jun bit his lip. He knew his brother’s situation well. With only a ten-thousand-won bill in his pocket and no credit cards, he goes back and forth between home and the company, living through terrible days.

It was a life he didn’t even want to imagine. But to marry a woman he didn’t even know? This isn’t the Joseon Dynasty.

Jin Kyung-jun had a lot he wanted to say, but he didn’t open his mouth. He had to lay low right now. It was wise to plead when his father’s anger had subsided a bit.

“I’ve cut off all the money coming into this house. All of you, do nothing but eat and breathe. You can never go back to the way things were until you start acting like human beings.”

Jin Young-ki spoke to his daughter-in-law, who was sitting with her head bowed.

“Daughter-in-law, you remember this too. If you use even ten won from your family, I’ll cut off all advertisements in Hanseong Ilbo starting that day. Whether you become enemies with your in-laws is entirely up to you. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Father.”

Hong So-young answered promptly. Judging by the current atmosphere, wouldn’t he kick her out if she said even one word back?

“From now on, your aides will report everything to me. Where you are, what you’re doing, even how many side dishes you had with your meal. The only time you can be alone is when you’re pooping or peeing. If you say even one word you don’t like to your aide, you’re grounded.”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki looked down at his bowed family and spat out his words.

“I don’t even expect a harmonious family. Just please, let’s try to live like decent human beings.”

As soon as Jin Young-ki finished speaking and went upstairs to the second floor, everyone sighed and scattered.

Hong So-young checked that her family members had gone into their respective rooms and quickly ran towards her father-in-law’s study.

The saying that a crisis is an opportunity doesn’t only apply to big events. It also applies to family matters like this. Is this family a normal family? Doesn’t even the smallest thing happening in this household move the country’s economy?