Chapter 167: A Glimpse of the Future and a Taste of Power

“You could interpret it that way. But is that the only reason I’m better than my uncles?”

“There’s more. I also have quite a few acquaintances in the Yeouido circles. Some of them say Jin Do-jun is the future of Miracle. If Jin Do-jun rises to a position where he wields absolute power in Miracle, the Korean financial market might dance in the palm of his hand.”

“Who’s going around spreading such nonsense?”

“How modest. Haha.”

Jang Do-hyung burst into hearty laughter.

“My connections aren’t limited to Yeouido. Many of my friends from my Yale days are on Wall Street. They say Miracle Investment has a Miracle Boy. A prodigy of investment. Especially someone with the insight to accurately recognize the value of startup companies. An investor with not a single failure… They call him Howard Jean.”

Executive Director Jang stared intently at my face with sparkling eyes and asked,

“Miracle Boy, that’s you, isn’t it, Chief of Staff?”

“No, it’s not.”

Seeing his sparkling eyes, I answered immediately without hesitation, and his expression clearly showed his embarrassment.

“……”

“I am an investor in Miracle US. Chief Oh Se-hyun invested the money I got from selling the ranch when I was young in the US. It grew quite a bit. Maybe that’s why such rumors are circulating, but I’m not an investment genius.”

“So, is Howard Jean the Chief of Staff?”

“Could be, could not be. People at the US headquarters sometimes call me Howard. That’s all there is to it. So, please don’t praise me too highly. And drop any thoughts of joining forces with me based on the misconception that I’m some kind of investment prodigy.”

“I haven’t made any decisions yet. I simply feel fortunate that the Chief of Staff is in charge of our financial affiliates rather than the two vice-chairmen.”

“Then you’ll have to protect and safeguard me. Because the two vice-chairmen are clearly – no, blatantly – trying to push me out and seize the financial affiliates.”

Executive Director Jang now seemed to understand the exact meaning of my words, ‘Someone will threaten, and someone will try to win you over’.

“Making the wrong choice here is like stepping into the eye of a storm.”

“I’m already in it.”

“That’s my answer. Now, I’ll just wait for the decision maker’s conclusion.”

That old man is quick on the uptake.

If he were to refuse to walk the same path as me now, I’d draw my sword immediately. If he had left the door of choice open without anticipating my move, we wouldn’t have talked for so long, nor would he have brought up my current situation.

From the beginning, Jang Do-hyung had decided that I was his only option.

If that’s the case, my job is to make him feel like he made the right choice.

“Life, Fire Insurance, Securities, Credit Cards. Devise a plan on how to grasp these affiliates at a glance. So that on the day the company falls into my hands, we can execute that plan like lightning. Is that possible?”

“From what I know, the succession process has about two months left. I will prepare.”

“I trust you will handle it splendidly.”

“Chief of Staff.”

“Yes?”

“I can’t pledge loyalty to a person. The reason I flattered and brown-nosed President Yang Woo-chan was for my own advancement.”

Suddenly, doubt crept in. Could this person have thoroughly investigated me? Could he have somehow heard about my belief that accurate transactions last much longer and are more trustworthy than loyalty?

“I understand what you mean. In two months, you will receive the same treatment as the CEO of Soonyang Electronics, who earns the highest annual salary in all of Soonyang Group. That is, of course, if the plan I mentioned is exceptionally well-executed.”

Executive Director Jang’s mouth hung open, unable to offer even a word of thanks.

“We can decide on your title later. Initially, I considered making a groundbreaking personnel move, but I should probably decide after reviewing the plan. Is that alright?”

“O-of course. The offer you’ve already given is groundbreaking. Thank you.”

“Save the thanks for when you’ve successfully carried out my instructions. It’s still undecided.”

I deliberately emphasized the word ‘instructions’. But Executive Director Jang didn’t show even a hint of displeasure.

“Naturally. I don’t want rewards without results either.”

Executive Director Jang crushed his empty can of beer and stood up.

“I have a lot to do, so I’ll take my leave.”

“Yes. Thank you for your hard work.”

We exchanged a firm handshake.

“But, Executive Director. I have one last question.”

“Yes, Chief of Staff?”

“I’m just a young guy, doesn’t that make you uneasy?”

Executive Director Jang gripped my hand tighter and replied,

“I believe in the miracle before my eyes. Haha.”

* * *

When the succession process was in its final stages, I was on edge, but I didn’t do anything rash like running to grandfather.

What percentage of the group’s controlling shares will he give me?

I wouldn’t ask for anything more if he gave me exactly 20%, no more, no less.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, nothing.”

“Ugh… I must be the only crazy girl who thinks her boyfriend is cool even when he’s spacing out on a day meant to celebrate me.”

“The fact that you say that out loud is even crazier. You need to learn how to hide your feelings.”

“Being honest is my only strength. Why hide my strengths?”

“You have other strengths too. Like your pretty face.”

“Even though I know you’re just saying that to flatter me, it still makes me feel good. Hehe.”

Seo Min-young grinned and put a piece of meat in her mouth.

“Now, it’s not the end of hardship and the beginning of happiness, but the start of even more grueling work, right?”

“Yeah. The first year at the Judicial Research and Training Institute is supposed to be hell. They even say the bar exam is just the preliminaries, and the institute is the main event.”

“I’ll come visit you sometimes.”

“I won’t get my hopes up… but I’ll believe you.”

Seeing her still cheerful face made me feel inexplicably sorry.

If I were just an ordinary young man in his twenties from a wealthy family, I would be spending a happy youth with her. But I don’t have the luxury to think about such things.

Time is passing by like crazy, and Soonyang’s governance structure is becoming increasingly complex.

Right now, I’m here to celebrate Seo Min-young passing the bar exam while still in school, a difficult feat, but my mind is filled with nothing but share structures.

“Oh right. I heard there’s someone else who passed along with you?”

“Yeah. Only two of us passed while still in school this year. Me and Kim Ji-hoon. You know him, right?”

“Kim Ji-hoon? Who’s that?”

“You know, that guy who looks like a reservist soldier.”

“Ah…. Right.”

As I nodded, Seo Min-young let out a light laugh.

“But do you know that Ji-hoon, he’s a ‘fast-year’?”

“Fast-year? He’s a year younger than us?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that amazing?”

That guy looks ten years older than me…. It’s absurd. And his name is so sophisticated? But it seems he’s one of those rare cases who went straight from being a child to an old man.

“What’s his preference? Prosecutor?”

“Probably.”

“You want to be a judge, right?”

“Yeah. To get a posting in the capital area, I have to study like crazy and get good grades at the institute. Just thinking about it makes me want to go crazy.”

Watching Min-young let out a long sigh, I thought I should cheer her up a bit.

Isn’t today a day for celebration?

I handed her the shopping bag I had prepared.

“What’s this? A congratulatory gift?”

“Yeah. When you become a judge, carry this around. It’s a briefcase.”

She hurriedly rummaged through the shopping bag.

“Wow…. It’s beautiful…….”

She examined the bag from all angles for a while before stammering,

“Ermeni… gil? Gil? How do you read this?”

“Ermenegildo Zegna.”

“You know a lot about these things. You’re a chaebol, so you’re different.”

I smiled at her, her mouth stretched wide.

“Believe it or not, I’m a shareholder of the department store. I should at least know this much.”

As if I would know these things? I asked my aunt to pick it out. Her eye for fashion is the best.

I handed her another small box.

“What’s this one?”

“You’ll use the bag later, but you’ll need this one soon.”

Seo Min-young’s eyes sparkled as she opened the gift box.

“I’m giving it to you in advance, just in case. Your parents will definitely prepare something for you when you enter the institute. Tell them beforehand that you don’t need it.”

Seo Min-young dangled two keys from her finger and said,

“I don’t have a driver’s license yet.”

“Get it before you enter the institute. You’ll need to drive when going back and forth between Ilsan and Seoul.”

“This looks like a master key?”

She held out another key.

“Yeah. I got you a studio apartment near the institute. Don’t bother staying in the dorms. It’s hard enough as it is, and it’s full of male bastards….”

“Are you worried?”

It’s not like she would be worried, but isn’t it polite to play along with her mood today?

“Of course. Have you even looked in a mirror?”

“If we’re talking about being worried, wouldn’t I be more worried?”

“Don’t you know me? What’s there to be worried about?”

She nodded as if she agreed with me. She knows that my daily routine of going back and forth between home and the office is much busier than most office workers.

“I told the department store staff your preferences. They’ve filled it with all the necessary furniture, so you can go in and use it anytime. Oh, it’s a digital door, so reset the code.”

“I’ll set it to your birthday.”

“Can I barge in whenever I want? Hehe.”

“Then be prepared when you do.”

“Prepared for what?”

“I might just pounce on you! Be prepared for that!”

Seo Min-young is truly… honest.

* * *

Even the cold wind of December didn’t feel harsh.

My tension wouldn’t ease, so it felt like my body was constantly generating heat.

So many decision boards lay before my eyes. Thick documents were piled on top of them.

The name and signature of Jin Do-jun at the bottom of these documents kept me from relaxing.

“Hey. Just stamp them. Why are you examining them so closely?”

“Ah…. Yes.”

“Don’t bother checking the numbers. The share structure is so complicated that you can’t calculate it all at once. I’ll tell you after you’ve stamped everything. Or you don’t have to stamp them if you don’t want to.”

“No, it’s alright.”

I stamped my seal on the top few documents.

A kind of ceremony.

I handed the seal to the employee waiting beside me, and they quietly left the study with the stack of documents and my seal.

They would stamp those thick documents with my seal instead of me.

“Curious?”

Grandfather just kept laughing as he watched me try to resist the urge to unwrap the gift.

“I’ve bundled four core financial companies and some smaller subsidiaries. I’ve also thrown in some group shares as a bonus.”

But how much did you put in!

I forcibly suppressed the urge to shout and waited with a composed expression.

“The weight of your voice in Soonyang Group is only one-tenth.”

Only 10%.

Grandfather didn’t miss the disappointment that flashed across my face.

“Why? Is it not enough?”

“No, it’s fine.”

“Look at this one. Not ‘it’s sufficient’ but ‘it’s fine’? Such greed….”

“I’m serious. It’s enough.”

“But the assets held by those affiliates are the largest in the group. You know that, right?”

What good is having a lot of assets? What money can’t buy is the controlling stake in Soonyang Group. Aren’t all the unlisted companies holding onto it?

“Didn’t you confidently say that you would create another Soonyang Group based on those affiliates and the HW Group owned by Miracle?”

“I certainly will.”

When I answered resolutely, Grandfather got up and sat beside me.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes?”

“Do you understand how this old man feels doing this?”

Seeing the sorrowful look in my grandfather’s eyes, my disappointment vanished instantly.

“Yes. I understand well.”

A perfect number, 10%.

A number too small for my two uncles to risk a dangerous gamble to seize my shares, yet too large to ignore me.

A number that would make them treat me kindly to try and bring me to their side.

I fully understand my grandfather’s intention to protect me.

“Thank you, Grandfather.”

I held my grandfather’s wrinkled hands tightly.