Chapter 212: Don’t Pretend to Be a Chaebol Boss

“Mr. Jin Do-jun, don’t bother pretending to be a chaebol boss.”

He tried to hide his displeasure, but the color in his face shifted. He wasn’t a completely corrupt politician yet.

“A chaebol boss wouldn’t bring up the topic of money directly like I am. They have plenty of underlings to handle things without a word being spoken. The fact that I’m talking about money directly like this is a favor. Like an allowance, if you will. I don’t expect anything in return for giving an allowance.”

“Don’t put labels on money. The amount of money is the label itself. A large sum is a bribe, a small sum is an allowance. Isn’t that right?”

“Size is relative… well, I’m not trying to argue semantics. My apologies if you were offended.”

Money that was pocket change to me could be life-changing for someone else. What he said wasn’t wrong.

The Senior Economic Secretary waved his hand dismissively.

“I didn’t mean to imply I expected an apology. I simply meant we should both be cautious. Anyway, I understand.”

“Can I take that as a positive response?”

“No. It’s hard to say anything definitively right now. But in my opinion, it’s definitely worth pursuing.”

That answer wasn’t enough. I needed a firm commitment. If things went south, I’d only secure 800 billion won in cash and lose everything else—the card company, the shares… I hadn’t spent three years preparing just to pocket a few hundred billion won.

“Secretary.”

“Yes?”

“Worth pursuing? I’m not meeting with you to confirm if it’s worth pursuing. It’s not just worth pursuing; it’s an excellent plan. That’s why I met with people from the Financial Services Commission to Oh Se-hyun, the CEO of Miracle Investment, to persuade them.”

Unlike the Senior Economic Secretary, I didn’t bother hiding my displeasure.

“Isn’t this a crisis that your administration faced right after taking office? I’ve created an opportunity to overcome that crisis head-on. Furthermore, it’s a chance to showcase the administration’s power. And yet, you say it’s merely worth pursuing…?”

Taken aback by my sudden shift in attitude, the Senior Economic Secretary tried to speak, but I didn’t give him the chance.

“This hesitation will also displease Miracle. Acquiring a failing company is a high-risk business. Shouldn’t the government be the one pushing this forward before Miracle changes its mind?”

“Now, Mr. Jin Do-jun. Let’s be reasonable….”

Seeing his fluster, I stood up abruptly.

“I’ll give you one hour. If I don’t get a firm answer within that time, consider this whole thing off.”

“Hah, an hour?”

“Aren’t you the Senior Secretary to the President? Call the relevant ministers and report directly to the President. I believe an hour is sufficient. Drawing this out any longer will only raise doubts about the current administration’s drive, and that doubt will breed distrust that this matter won’t be handled properly. In that case, I’ll withdraw. Goodbye.”

I bowed politely to him and turned away.

When pressing the attack, you can’t give them an opening.

* * *

An hour felt like a year.

I was confident, but I couldn’t completely ignore the risk-averse nature of public officials. It was hard to sit still, so I kept pacing.

“Goodness, you’re making me nervous. Sit down.”

Oh Se-hyun was relaxed. He reassured me that even if this deal fell through, securing 800 billion won meant it wasn’t a losing proposition.

But for me, getting 7% closer—exactly 7% closer—to Grandfather’s study was more important than 800 billion won.

“Don’t worry. This is a good scenario. No one’s the villain, and no one loses, except for us.”

“Us?”

“Yeah. You’re doing this because you believe the credit card business has a future. If the credit card industry stays like this, we’ll suffer enormous losses.”

“Uncle.”

“Yeah?”

“How much cash do you have in your wallet right now?”

“Huh? Why the sudden question?”

“Take a look. You have more credit cards than bills, right? If you exclude the cashier’s checks you carry as emergency funds, it’s just cards, right? That’s the future of the credit card business.”

Just as Oh Se-hyun was rummaging through his wallet, his phone rang.

Exactly one hour had passed since I’d parted ways with the Senior Economic Secretary.

“Yes, Secretary.”

—The meeting just ended, and the decision has been made to proceed with the plan.

A tired voice came through the phone.

“Yes. I’m here with Miracle’s CEO, Oh Se-hyun. I’ll pass it along immediately.”

—And you mentioned to the Financial Services Commission that you want to complete the acquisition within the first half of the year?

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

—No. We’re just checking if we can expedite the process further. To minimize the shockwaves, it needs to be done swiftly. That’s our final conclusion.

That was music to my ears.

“Give us the timeline, and we’ll stick to it. Even completing it within a month from now is doable. I heard the acquisition funds are already secured.”

—Excellent. I’ll be in touch again.

“Thank you, Secretary. And I apologize for my earlier rudeness.”

—Don’t mention it. It’s just business. Haha.

A clear laugh echoed through the phone.

—There will be a government announcement soon. That will be the starting gun, so let’s work together seamlessly.

I ended the call and smiled at Oh Se-hyun.

“It’s done.”

Oh Se-hyun clapped his hands and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! This is like getting free loot without investing anything. Your two older uncles have been played for fools.”

“My eldest uncle will be the most dumbfounded. He’ll have lost 800 billion won in just two months. Haha.”

I was really curious to see how his arrogant expression would change.

* * *

“Vice-chairman, we can’t just stand by and watch. We need to propose strong self-rescue measures. This is serious.”

“It’s been quite some time since we stopped cash advance services. The financial sector’s complaints are considerable.”

Several credit card company executives gathered in the vice-chairman’s office, sweating as they voiced their difficulties to Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi. Their sense of crisis was too strong to worry about appearances anymore.

“Consumers have already accepted the service suspension as a fact, haven’t they? They’re only using them for purchases now? Let’s hold out a little longer. I’ll resolve everything in one fell swoop.”

Although he appeared more relaxed than the executives, Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi looked gaunt, as if he wasn’t getting any sleep.

“Vice-chairman! Something terrible has happened!”

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a secretary rushed in. He didn’t even seem to notice that he hadn’t knocked before switching on the TV.

“What is it?”

One of the executives frowned and shouted, but after seeing the TV screen, he too was speechless.

A morning drama was playing on TV, but breaking news scrolled across the bottom.

That was two days away.

The only product of the credit card company, the credit card, would turn into a simple piece of plastic in just two days.

The executives’ cell phones were already ringing loudly. Jin Dong-gi’s phone was no exception.

But no one answered. The executives ignored their ringing phones and only stared at Jin Dong-gi.

“E-everyone, go out and find out what’s going on. And… and start controlling the media. Quickly….”

His pale face and stammering words showed the magnitude of the shock.

The executives jumped up and rushed out, while Jin Dong-gi buried his head in his hands, gasping for air.

When his breathing calmed, he stood up. Now that things had reached this point, he had to play his last card.

Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi headed towards his brother’s office, his lips pressed into a firm line.

“Come in. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi was already watching the breaking news on TV.

『…This suspension of Soonyang Card’s operations is known to be the new administration’s most powerful measure yet. With this, the credit card crisis has entered a new phase.』

『Although the government has demanded strong self-rescue measures from card companies, Soonyang Card has shown no particular response. Business circles have interpreted this as a strong warning from the government, aimed at resolving the credit card crisis quickly.』

『Soonyang Group has not yet issued an official response to the government’s measures.』

Jin Young-gi turned off the TV.

“This new administration isn’t messing around, are they?”

“Hyung-nim, you didn’t pull any strings here, did you?”

“I’m not close to this administration. Even if I were, this is too much. I’m telling you, I have nothing to do with this.”

Jin Young-gi shook his head.

“We have two days left. What are you going to do?”

“I can’t just let the company collapse. I have to save it. So give me 400 billion won in emergency funds.”

“Me? I don’t have any money.”

The look in Jin Young-gi’s eyes as he looked at his younger brother was that of a victor.

“I’ve already told you what I’ll do if I’m pushed to the edge, haven’t I?”

“Ah, you mean selling off your shares in the group?”

Jin Young-gi scoffed, and unease began to creep into Jin Dong-gi. Why was he so relaxed?

“If selling them off can stop this, I have to do it. That’s the role of a CEO who’s responsible for the company.”

“Hyung-nim!”

Jin Young-gi tossed a file folder at his shouting younger brother.

“Timing is everything. Your threats are no longer valid. Take a look at this.”

Jin Dong-gi hurriedly opened the file.

“Th-this is….”

“Signed it a few days ago. Now you owe me 800 billion won. If Soonyang Card collapses, I get an additional 7% of the shares. There’s no reason for me to help you anymore. No… honestly, I almost want it to fail. I can’t thank this administration enough. If I had known this would happen, I would have given them a few billion more in election funds.”

Jin Dong-gi read the contract in his trembling hands over and over again.

“Do-jun, that little…!”

“Don’t blame your young nephew. He was quite worried about your reaction. But what can he do? He might lose the 800 billion won he’s owed.”

“You think my collateral is worth only 800 billion won?”

“That kid knows that some shares can’t be bought with money. But now it’s clear, isn’t it? Do-jun values money more than control of the group. He’s a smart kid. He’s realized that taking over Soonyang is impossible.”

Doubt crept into Jin Dong-gi’s mind. Even though he was a young nephew, his ambition was greater than the two men in this room. That’s why he thought he would hold onto his shares no matter what. Had he misjudged him?

“Now my stake is 43%. Just 8% more, and I’ll put my name on the chairman’s office at Soonyang Group. It’s really just a matter of time. If I persuade the executives and give Do-jun and Oh Se-hyun a few of the group’s subsidiaries, it’s over.”

Jin Young-gi spoke mockingly to his younger brother, who was speechless with shock.

“Oh, are you just going to hand over your shares? In that case, I’ll let you keep your vice-chairman position and the subsidiaries you currently have. I know you’re a good manager. And we’re blood brothers. No matter what, family is better than some unknown outsiders.”

Jin Dong-gi didn’t listen to his brother’s taunts any longer.

He realized that no solution would come from this meeting. The only person who could pull him back from the edge now was his father.

As Jin Dong-gi turned to leave, Jin Young-gi’s venomous voice stabbed him in the back.

“Pay close attention to tomorrow’s headlines in Hanseong Ilbo.”

“What about it?”

“I’m going to send a signal that the media, which has been cautious until now, can freely criticize Soonyang Group. Then you’ll instantly become a shameless businessman. No one will agree to meet with you. You won’t escape this.”

For someone who was just talking about blood ties, the words coming out of his mouth were unbelievable.

Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi clenched his teeth and stormed out of the office.