Chapter 218: Is This It?

“Is this the place?”

“Yes.”

“This is a bit shabby for the favorite haunt of Soonyang Group’s second-in-command.”

“Looks can be deceiving.”

The place Assistant Manager Kim Yoon-suk had led me to was a narrow alley in Seocho-dong.

A small sign with the character <象> hung there, marking a narrow staircase leading down to the basement.

“The interior isn’t huge, but the decor is top-notch. Plus, the drinks are expensive enough to rip off any high-end parlor.”

Expensive drinks were a good way to keep just anyone from wandering in.

“A man who likes to meet quietly and doesn’t mind paying for it. Thanks for your work.”

Kim Yoon-suk bowed deeply and turned away. He didn’t offer to wait until I was done like he used to.

The glares from the Soonyang Security employees watching him intensely would be uncomfortable.

I descended the stairs and opened the door. A young man in a vest and bow tie, who had been bowing deeply, darted his eyes around.

He was probably surprised by my appearance, being too young to fit in here.

“Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae is inside, right?”

The young man’s face brightened.

“Ah, you’re with him. This way, please. I’ll show you.”

As I followed the employee, I looked around the interior. Kim Yoon-suk had been right.

Everything was adorned in gold, as if to warn anyone without money to stay out.

Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae was sitting at the bar.

Across from him, a middle-aged woman, who must have been a great beauty in her youth, was smiling and keeping him company.

Come to think of it, there weren’t any young women here. Only a few ordinary middle-aged women were visible, solely focused on serving drinks, preventing any other distractions.

I approached Lee Hak-jae and quietly called out to him.

“Chief of staff.”

“Huh? Oh! Do-jun!”

He looked surprised enough to drop the glass he was raising to his lips. I bowed my head towards him.

“How have you been?”

“How did you…? Ah… Kim Yoon-suk must have told you.”

“Yes.”

“Have a seat first. Ah, you look like you have a lot to say. Shall we move to a more private setting?”

Lee Hak-jae, who had been about to pull out a bar stool, nodded to the middle-aged woman and stood up.

The young man from before scurried over and led us to a small room on the opposite side, where a curtain served as a door.

Once the table was reset, Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae picked up a bottle of liquor.

“Care for a drink?”

I quietly raised my glass.

As he poured, he said,

“Seeing you do something you normally wouldn’t… did something serious happen?”

“Things have been serious since I took over the financial affiliates.”

“Don’t exaggerate… You’re doing well enough. I heard you’ve mostly delegated to the executives?”

“Yes.”

“But you make the big decisions?”

“Not entirely. I only get reports on the major changes and issues daily.”

Lee Hak-jae gave a knowing smile, filled his own glass, and then raised it.

I quickly lifted my glass and clinked it lightly against his.

“So, what urgent business brings you here unannounced?”

“What do you think?”

Lee Hak-jae put down his glass, his brow slightly furrowed.

“Anyway, you sometimes show a disrespectful side. That’s not a good thing.”

“But I’m much more polite than my cousins, aren’t I?”

“Your cousins are not only stupid but also ill-mannered.”

Our eyes met for a moment, and we both chuckled.

“Tell me, what is it?”

I swallowed hard and said quietly.

“I’ve come to ask if you would be on my side.”

“Your side?”

“Yes.”

The word ‘side’ becomes more complex as you get older.

In childhood, being on the same side meant simply having friends in an equal relationship.

But as you become an adult, you can be on the same side with an enemy for mutual benefit. Even when you’re on the same side, the relationship is mostly hierarchical, not equal.

Some are on the same side as secretaries, some as employees, and even some as bodyguards.

The twist in Lee Hak-jae’s lips told me he had misunderstood my words. The misunderstanding would clear up by the end of this meeting, so there was no need to elaborate.

“The most powerful man in Korea is on your side, what more could you want? Are you getting greedy for people now?”

“Now that I’ve left Grandfather’s wing, he’s no longer on my side. He’s more like a supporter in the stands.”

“No. Chairman can jump back onto the field anytime. This isn’t about shares. Even if he didn’t own a single share, everyone would still line up behind him. All of Soonyang’s executives are on Chairman’s side.”

“Or perhaps that’s just Chief of staff’s wishful thinking?”

“What?!”

Did I hit a nerve?

His face was much redder now, and not entirely from the alcohol.

“Grandfather will continue to watch from the sidelines. Even if the Soonyang ship sinks, he won’t intervene.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“The recent Soonyang Card incident convinced me. Second Uncle, Vice-chairman Jin Dong-gi’s shares have significantly decreased. Grandfather’s plan for his two sons to lead the group in balance has been shattered. Yet, he said nothing. Furthermore….”

I took a sip of my drink.

“Soonyang Card fell into someone else’s hands. Of course, he wasn’t keen on the credit card business, but he’s never tolerated Soonyang’s name being tarnished. Yet, he watched it all unfold like a spectator. He’s completely decided to retire.”

Lee Hak-jae, having regained his composure, simply listened to my words. But his expression was changing, contrary to my expectations….

A faint smile lingered on his lips.

“He’s staying still because things are going exactly as Chairman wants. Do you think he’d just stand by if the results went against his wishes?”

“An affiliate went under, and Second Son’s shares vanished into thin air… that’s the result Grandfather wanted?”

“Of course. The card company and the shares went to his most beloved grandson, how proud must he be? His youngest grandson single-handedly took down the wolf-like First Son without any help. He’s probably dancing with joy!”

The expression I wanted to see was probably appearing on my face.

What is this man saying? Does he know everything?

I was too shocked to respond, only blinking.

“What are you so surprised about? Did you think I wouldn’t know? Ah, you probably thought only Chairman knew. A mysterious figure gradually taking control of Soonyang Group from behind the black curtain. Is this what you wanted? Isn’t it a bit childish? Haha.”

The time for pretending ignorance was over. This man knew about my connection to Miracle.

“When did you find out?”

As I calmed myself and asked, Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae casually waved his hand.

“That’s the wrong question. When I found out isn’t important, is it?”

I rephrased my question.

“How much do you know?”

“That you’re the majority shareholder of New York’s Miracle Investment… no, the sole shareholder, and most of the investment comes from your own funds. Korean Miracle is a subsidiary of New York Miracle, so that’s your company too, right? Then HW Group, Soonyang Automobile, and Soonyang Card are also yours, and the controlling stake in Soonyang Group held by Miracle is practically yours as well. Let’s see… 33%, right?”

He knew everything except for my overseas investments and personal wealth.

“You, the second-largest shareholder of Soonyang Group, the CEO of HW Group, with a vast amount of money held in overseas investment firms. It’s a bit funny that you’d come running to me asking for help, asking me to be on your side. Don’t you think?”

I couldn’t gauge what he was thinking.

But thankfully, Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae was a little drunk. If he were in his right mind, he wouldn’t have revealed that he knew everything about me.

I needed to probe deeper into his true intentions.

“It must have taken quite some time to verify even the American Miracle.”

“Indeed. I mobilized all my connections.”

I refilled his empty glass.

“You must have been very surprised.”

“Incredibly. You achieved all this without Chairman’s help? It’s truly miraculous, just like the company’s name.”

Lee Hak-jae drained his glass and held it out for more.

“With your abilities, taking over all of Soonyang Group seems like it’s only a matter of time. What are you lacking?”

“Soonyang is a fortress.”

Lee Hak-jae shook his head.

“Not really. Especially Jin Young-gi, he’s unreliable. He’ll cause a big accident soon enough.”

“What if he doesn’t? If the two Uncles are careful and tread on thin ice, it’s a fortress. There’s no gap to squeeze through.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Lee Hak-jae’s voice rose.

“Why are you so fixated on Soonyang Group? With your capabilities, you should focus all your efforts on HW Group. In 10 or 20 years, it could become a group comparable to Soonyang. No, even now, you could spin off a dozen affiliates from your Soonyang shares and attach them to HW. Then you’d instantly be within the top 3 in the business world. A chaebol CEO in his twenties. You’d be rewriting history.”

He wasn’t wrong. It was entirely possible right now.

But I wasn’t reincarnated just to play ranking games in the business world, was I?

“Chief of staff.”

“Yes, go on.”

“Simply growing in size doesn’t make every company like Soonyang. Look at Woosung Group. It was once the top conglomerate, but now only traces remain.”

“It’s wrong to compare you to Woosung, which only inflated its size with accounting fraud and debt. If anything, HW is probably more solid than Soonyang. At least you’re not siphoning off company funds.”

“No matter how solid I build HW, I can’t catch up to Soonyang.”

“Why not?”

“Because it lacks history.”

“History?”

“Yes. Soonyang’s history of over 50 years, the people recorded in that history book. That’s what Soonyang is. Things that can never be bought with money.”

Lee Hak-jae fiddled with his glass, staring intently at my face.

“Your ambition rivals Chairman’s. You’re not thinking of writing your own history?”

“No. It’s safest to just take that history.”

“I don’t think it’s impossible. You could succeed.”

“I’ve already hit a roadblock.”

Lee Hak-jae’s eyebrows twitched.

“A roadblock? What is it?”

“The two Uncles are trying to restructure the controlling shares. They’ll change the holding companies and adjust the ratios. It’s a move to make Miracle’s shares worthless. They’ve also asked for my voting rights. Telling me not to oppose it.”

“They’re out of their minds!”

He shouted as soon as the word ‘restructuring’ came out.

“The controlling shares are only 5% of the total shares of Soonyang Group affiliates. They’re controlling the group with just 5%. If even one small thing goes wrong, the cross-shareholding structure will collapse. The ownership of Soonyang will change in an instant.”

“They say they’ll proceed carefully and slowly.”

The astute Lee Hak-jae understood the implication of my words immediately.

“They’ll reorganize everything after Chairman passes away?”

“Yes.”

“Let them do as they please. Soonyang Group without Chairman is none of my concern. Whether they tear it apart or ruin it, it’s up to his children.”

“Are you thinking of retiring?”

“Of course. Work with those bastards who are wary of me? The vice-chairmen have their own lackeys. Ah, perhaps this share restructuring is a way to push me out. If they take over the board I’ve set up, they’ll have to watch my every move. Haha, that’s something.”

“Even after Grandfather passes away, I will continue to serve you as I do now, Chief of staff.”

“Is that what you meant by being on your side? No thanks. I have no intention of growing old as some kid’s secretary.”

Whether he was feeling displeased or not, he raised his glass and emptied it in one go.

“Secretary? That’s absurd. I was referring to the owner of Soonyang Group’s chairman’s office.”

Lee Hak-jae gripped his glass tightly, trying to hide his trembling fingertips.