Chapter 220: A Deal with Oh Se-hyun

Oh Se-hyun seemed disappointed by Chief of Staff Lee Hak-jae’s parting words, which left something to be desired, but I wasn’t.

“This level of response is sufficient for now.”

“You seem satisfied?”

“Yes. Seeing him today, Chief of Staff Lee Hak-jae is similar to me.”

“Chief of Staff Lee is like you? In what way?”

Oh Se-hyun asked.

“He doesn’t easily reveal his ambition. You offered him the Chairman position at Soonyang Group. It’s a position where he can exert control even if he can’t own Soonyang outright. Yet, he didn’t say a word to try and secure that promise.”

“Still, it doesn’t change the fact that he’d be a salaried chairman.”

“No. He already knows I’m the owner of HW Group. He also knows I’m barely involved in its management. It’s true he’d be a salaried employee, but he’d wield absolute power. It wouldn’t be wrong to say he’d be in control.”

“Still, it’s a far cry from enough. A salaryman can be dismissed at a moment’s notice based on performance….”

“There’s one more thing. He knows I’ve never pressured the presidents of HW subsidiaries about profits or sales figures. Wouldn’t he realize he won’t be dismissed for poor performance?”

“That’s true. You’re not like the two vice-chairmen, obsessed with hoarding money…. On the contrary, when the company faces difficulties, you’re always ready to provide emergency funding with your own money. Honestly, it’s practically free money, so why didn’t he ask for it?”

“He doesn’t trust verbal promises. Chief of Staff Lee Hak-jae promising to protect the share structure, and me offering him the Soonyang Chairman position—both are just words right now.”

“He only wants concrete deals?”

“It seems so. This deal will take effect when the uncles attempt to adjust the shareholding. He protects it, and you give him the position.”

Oh Se-hyun was silent for a long time.

When he finally spoke, his words were unexpected.

“Then, let’s make a deal between us now.”

“Excuse me? What are you… talking about?”

“My severance package. I’ve been the CEO for quite a while. It should be a substantial amount, don’t you think?”

He wasn’t suggesting negotiating the severance package down from an astronomical figure. He was hinting at his retirement.

It seemed he had decided I was secure now that protecting the shares was certain.

This time, I couldn’t speak. It was something I knew I’d have to face eventually, and I always kept it in mind, but it wasn’t easy to accept readily.

I finally opened my mouth after a long silence.

“Starting now, we’ll calculate your severance package at double the rate. Let’s discuss this again in a few years.”

“A shrewd one like you resorting to stalling tactics…. I’ve done my part. My lifelong dream is to retire at fifty, play golf in a Southeast Asian resort, and enjoy good food for the rest of my life.”

“Weren’t you determined to stay on for another ten years?”

“I never said that.”

A smile spread across Oh Se-hyun’s face.

“Extending it by six years was long enough. But I made a tremendous amount of extra money, so I’m not complaining. Heh.”

That was true.

He had earned enough and had been more than considerate to me.

“And it seems my second dream has come true on its own.”

“Are you perhaps referring to Kota Kinabalu?”

“Yes. It opened last year. Get me a bungalow there.”

There couldn’t be a more suitable place for playing golf in a resort and enjoying good food. It seemed he had been waiting for the right moment to bring this up since last year. If it weren’t for the credit card crisis, he would have mentioned it when the Kota Kinabalu resort was completed.

“Not a bungalow, but a private villa, right? When we were designing it, didn’t you insist on including several luxury villas? Isn’t that what you’re talking about?”

“Ah, the Marble House?”

“Yes.”

“You’re sharp as ever, heh.”

The Marble House was built as a summer cottage for William K. Vanderbilt, a tycoon from the 18th century US.

Vanderbilt controlled shipping and railroads across the American continent at the time, amassing wealth nearly half the size of the US Treasury’s finances.

Completed in 1892, the Marble House was decorated in Baroque and Rococo styles, resembling the Palace of Versailles in France. Its white marble exterior and interior with yellow and pink marble gave it its name.

Oh Se-hyun had suggested preparing about a dozen lavish villas for the wealthiest clients, and I agreed.

I didn’t necessarily see them only as homes for the rich.

I envisioned them as places for the people who loved, supported, and helped me without reservation.

“Are you really going to give me one of those?”

“It’s for you, Uncle. How could a bungalow be enough? It has to be a villa at least.”

“Is that your severance package? Or is this some kind of trick?”

“A trick? What do you mean?”

“Like you’ll give me the villa if I work a few more years, or something?”

Oh Se-hyun said it jokingly, but I would have liked that if it were possible.

However, this deal would mean a significant loss for me.

“I wouldn’t use your dream as bait for a deal.”

“I feel relieved that you’re not being stubborn.”

I desperately wanted to protest, but what could I do?

The people around me don’t exist solely for my benefit. I’ve merely intersected with their lives as they write their own stories.

If they want me to leave their lives, I should naturally step aside.

“When should we process your resignation?”

“I plan to spend this winter’s Christmas at the Marble House in Kota Kinabalu. Let’s quickly settle everything before then.”

“Understood. By the way, are you planning to move there permanently?”

“Not really, I’ll be going back and forth. I can’t miss out on the fun of watching you struggle, can I?”

It was a joke, but I couldn’t smile. Oh Se-hyun noticed my stiff expression and subtly shifted his tone, speaking seriously.

“Chairman Song Hyun-chang will also be retiring at the end of this year.”

“It would be perfect if you took his place, Uncle.”

“Let go of that thought.”

Oh Se-hyun waved his hand dismissively and continued.

“The most urgent matters are finding someone to fill the Chairman position and someone to take charge of Soonyang Card. The current president of the card company needs to be dismissed.”

“Actually, if Chief of Staff Lee Hak-jae had asked for a down payment, I would have given him the Chairman position at HW Group. But that’s off the table now…. The position will be vacant for the time being until we find a suitable person.”

“Do you have someone in mind for the card company?”

“I was planning to appoint the president of Daehyun Card if we acquired them. He’d be the perfect fit to prevent the Daehyun Card employees from feeling like they were being absorbed during the merger. There’s also the issue of their morale.”

“Is the acquisition feasible?”

“After seeing Soonyang Card’s situation, they seem to have backed off quickly. They’re announcing strong self-rescue measures daily, so the government has also taken a step back. It seems they’ve decided to observe the situation a bit longer.”

“Is the acquisition funding sufficient?”

“They say 600 billion won is needed to put out the immediate fire. We have the 800 billion won your uncle gave us, so there’s no problem.”

“Alright. Anyway, prepare to take over as CEO of Miracle next year. There are many who want my position within the company, but no one suitable to entrust it to.”

“Yes.”

Oh Se-hyun gave my shoulder a pat, a bitter smile on his face as he heard my listless reply.

“Don’t act like that. You’ll continue to do well.”

“I’m just feeling a bit sentimental.”

“Then show your sentimentality with your severance package. Heh.”

“Isn’t the Marble House enough for you?”

“What? You think a single house is the end of it? Are we recalculating things now?”

With these pointless jokes, Oh Se-hyun’s retirement was finalized.

Even as someone achieving their dream was leaving, words of congratulations didn’t come easily.

* * *

Autumn arrived as it always did, but this year felt different.

Around 8 PM on September 12th, the last day of the Chuseok holiday, the super typhoon ‘Maemi’ struck Tongyeong in South Gyeongsang Province.

Maemi, which had battered the Korean peninsula, moved out into the East Sea around 2 AM the next day, the 13th.

It only stayed in South Gyeongsang Province and the East Sea for a little over six hours, but the power of nature was overwhelming.

It left behind 4.78 trillion won in property damage, ten thousand displaced people, and over 130 casualties as it swept across the Korean peninsula.

The moment dawn broke on the 13th, I received a call from Oh Se-hyun and rushed to HW Group headquarters. Soonyang Financial Group was also facing an emergency, but I saw an opportunity rather than a crisis.

The expressions of the subsidiary CEOs and executives weren’t grim. In fact, some even had faint smiles.

The places destroyed by the typhoon would need to be rebuilt by people. Under the name of construction.

“The construction projects our HW Construction is currently undertaking have been temporarily halted, and we’ve issued instructions to investigate the exact extent of the damage and prepare countermeasures.”

“Any casualties?”

“Thankfully, none of our employees have died. Some who were working the night shift sustained injuries, but their lives are not in danger.”

Chairman Song Hyun-chang let out a deep sigh of relief.

His final days wouldn’t be marred by an accident.

“Ensure the injured are well taken care of and provide them with adequate compensation to avoid any grievances.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

As the president of HW Construction responded, Chairman Song Hyun-chang stood up.

“You all can handle the rest. I don’t think there’s any need for me to interfere… wouldn’t you agree?”

Chairman Song winked at Oh Se-hyun.

“Then please head back first, Chairman. We’ll compile a report and present it to you later.”

“Reports are unnecessary. Focus on developing effective countermeasures.”

Song Hyun-chang casually placed his hand on Oh Se-hyun’s shoulder and left the conference room.

All the subsidiary executives seemed to have accepted his retirement as a given, bowing their heads in acknowledgment without any sign of surprise.

“The damage to public facilities from this typhoon will undoubtedly exceed trillions of won. The government has already begun the process of allocating emergency funds, so… it’s a sensitive topic, but this is an opportunity for our construction industry.”

We wouldn’t be the only ones. Every construction company in South Korea would undoubtedly be engrossed in fervent discussions like ours at this very moment, vying for a share of the trillions of won being poured into disaster recovery and reconstruction.

In an economic downturn caused by the credit card crisis, a boon like this was rare.

Our main conference room was buzzing with excitement.

Various opinions flooded in about taking the initiative and securing a favorable position, and there was much debate about the extent of our capabilities.

Oh Se-hyun, who had been listening quietly, whispered into my ear.

“This meeting won’t end today if you don’t set some guidelines.”

“Me? Set them?”

“Then who else would?”

Oh Se-hyun nudged me towards the center of the conference.

“Everyone, just a moment. How about we shift our approach?”

As I raised my hand slightly to speak, everyone’s attention turned to me.

No one could ignore my position as the second-in-command of the holding company, Miracle, and a member of Soonyang’s lineage. They fell silent simultaneously.

“I’m well aware that a tremendous opportunity has presented itself, but this is a tragedy. Instead of exploiting this tragedy for profit, let’s use it for a different kind of opportunity.”

“A different opportunity? Like what?”

Oh Se-hyun chimed in to move my idea forward.

“Enhancing the group’s image.”

“How so?”

“Since public construction projects will be conducted through bidding, we’ll withdraw from the lowest-bid competition and approach it differently. For instance, we can donate all our profits to the disaster victims….”

“Are you suggesting we donate the profits as donations?”

“No. Donations are common and don’t stand out. As a construction company, we’ll give back through construction. We’ll build apartments and distribute them to those who lost their homes… something like that.”

“Chief of Staff, these are people who have lost their homes right now. When will we build the apartments and distribute them?”

Someone raised a point about practicality.

I need to get rid of that person. If he had considered how to approach the issue before raising it, he wouldn’t have said something like that.

“We can buy houses for the disaster victims to live in while the apartments are being built. We’re not responsible for all the victims, so we don’t need to buy thousands of homes. We just need to buy as many as we can afford.”

At this point, another person tapped the table.

“This is a perfect opportunity to purchase non-business-purpose real estate.”

That person is getting a promotion.

He accurately grasped the hidden meaning in my words.