Chapter 239: A Brother’s Plea

“That’s hard to stomach. Your Soonyang, hyung-nim? It’s our Soonyang.”

Jin Young-gi’s expression hardened at his younger brother’s serious tone.

“Don’t nitpick my words. When Father passes, whose face will the media focus on during the funeral? Mine, the chief mourner. Everyone watching the broadcasts will assume I’m the successor. That’s all I meant.”

Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi saw this as an opportunity and began to persuade his brother.

“Let’s drop the pretense for a while. Just support me until we’ve purged all the leeches clinging to Soonyang. I won’t touch your share, not ever.”

“Supporting you means you’ll take over the chairman’s office when Father dies, right?”

“Isn’t that the natural course? How long will we leave it vacant? The group will be in turmoil when Father passes. Someone needs to take the helm then. And…”

Jin Young-gi pulled a bundle of papers from his drawer.

“Father gave me these. Resignation letters from the presidents of the subsidiaries. So we can reshuffle things whenever necessary.”

Jin Dong-gi chuckled when he saw the stack of resignations.

“You think you’re the only one who received those? I have the resignation letters of the presidents of the subsidiaries I manage too. That’s Father’s intention—for us to manage the group together…”

“Exactly, let’s get rid of these pests together. Let’s clean house of those old geezers who act like they own the place just because they were there at the start, step on Lee Hak-jae to create a holding company, and cut off Do-jun and Miracle. Until then, I’ll be the general chairman of Soonyang Group.”

“And after that? You’ll get rid of me?”

Jin Young-gi pretended not to notice his brother’s displeasure and continued.

“You can be vice-chairman. I told you I wouldn’t touch your share. You can do whatever you want with those subsidiaries, make them or break them. And…”

“Is there more?”

“We’re both getting old anyway. Our kids are growing up. Let’s split things up when our kids are ready to take over the group. A complete separation of affiliates. Let’s end the fighting with our generation and let our children take what’s theirs.”

Jin Dong-gi understood what his older brother meant.

Their children would fight just like them. They would fight to claim even a little bit more. Their relationship as brothers would only last until they got involved in management, just like them.

The moment they stepped into the company, they would transform from brothers into executives fighting over ownership. They shouldn’t extend that fight to their cousins.

Their children were partly the reason why the two brothers were arguing so fiercely now. They were watching and fighting to pass on as much as possible—no, to pass on the entirety of Soonyang Group.

“I agree to work together until all the gnats around us are gone. But I won’t accept you remaining as chairman after that.”

“Come on! If we establish a holding company and have 55% of the shares, our control is secure. Besides, I’ve made significant concessions! You still don’t trust me?”

The two men agreed to split the 55% stake, 55:45.

Considering that Jin Dong-gi currently held only 26% of the group’s shares, while his older brother held 36%, it was true that Vice-chairman Jin Young-gi had conceded quite a bit.

“The longer you sit in the chairman’s seat, the easier it is to increase your stake in the holding company. I know you’re planning to keep increasing your share. Because I’d do the same if I were you.”

Jin Young-gi sighed deeply and closed his mouth.

For now, he would go along with his younger brother’s plan. He had to be satisfied with this much.

At the very least, he had secured the chairman’s position after their father’s death—a step forward.

The next step could be planned once he was in the chairman’s seat. Even if the bigger picture wasn’t clear now, it might become apparent once he was chairman.

* * *

Grandfather’s fainting spells were becoming more frequent and the intervals between them were shortening.

There was a strict order not to put a knife to his body, but minor procedures to widen his blood vessels were unavoidable.

“You fools. I’m going when my time comes. What good is extending my life with knives? How much longer would that be? Just a month or two? No need to make a fuss. And it’s painful for me too. Stop it.”

Every time he collapsed, Grandfather repeated the same words to his gathered children.

However, the doctors’ recommendations to do their best and the children’s guilt if they didn’t try made it an unavoidable choice, despite Grandfather’s objections.

I moved to a hotel near the hospital so I could rush over at any time. Grandfather would call when his children weren’t there, and I would keep him company in his hospital room.

“Southeast Asia seems to have reached the end of its lifespan as a production base. However, it will grow into a significant market. You should pack some gifts and build strong relationships with the politicians there.”

“Instead of that, could you tell me about the most dynamic and spectacular moments from your past? Like a typical grandfather telling old stories.”

“Quiet. Don’t talk nonsense and listen carefully.”

It seemed Grandfather would continue doing what he had done his entire life until the day he died.

“There’s a guy who was the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in the last administration. I heard he’s got a lot on his mind before retirement. His dream is to get a lawmaker’s badge, but his public recognition is weak, and he doesn’t have much to show for it, so he didn’t get a nomination for the upcoming general election. Bring him on board.”

“An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?”

“Yes. He’s been all over Southeast Asia since he was young. I hear his connections there are extensive. The reason National Assembly members can go to Southeast Asia under the guise of inspections and play golf without any issues is all thanks to him. He prepares the materials and arranges photo opportunities with the politicians in those countries. He’ll be useful.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll give up an executive position at Dae-ah Construction and bring him in.”

Agreeing and quietly following instructions was the way for a grandson to please his grandfather.

“By the way, how’s that slush fund issue from the presidential election going? The ‘truck delivery’ thing?”

“We can’t avoid the investigation either. But it seems they intend to end it by sacrificing LG Group. Isn’t it all anyone’s talking about these days?”

“How much did they allegedly contribute?”

“They estimate around 15 billion won.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But their methods were so clumsy, they left traces everywhere.”

LG Group had a special space in their headquarters building’s finance team, built with fireproof walls. Commonly called the ‘vault room,’ it was a space where 16 billion won in cash was kept for inheritance and gifting purposes for related stakeholders.

The person in charge of these funds, Chief Kang, had the finance team staff move 15 billion won out of the 16 billion won in cash from the vault room, after the other employees had left for the day. The cash-filled boxes were transported via the emergency elevator to a truck waiting in the underground parking lot.

There were a total of 63 cash boxes: 62 boxes containing 240 million won each and one box containing 120 million won.

The truck arrived at the ‘Meeting Square’ parking lot on the southbound Gyeongbu Expressway, where the key to the vehicle and the key to the cargo hold were handed over to the lawyer who managed the election campaign funds.

However, the truck couldn’t enter the narrow underground parking lot of the opposition party’s headquarters.

They moved the truck to the Han River embankment and, in a comical scene, hastily loaded the cash boxes onto two rented vans before moving them to the party headquarters.

Other major companies also delivered anywhere from billions to tens of billions of won, but most of them split the money into smaller amounts and delivered it multiple times using vans or cars, without resorting to such reckless methods.

This was the first time a veritable ‘truck delivery’ appeared in the ‘dark history’ of illegal presidential election funds.

“Hahaha. Those who’ve eaten meat know how to eat it well.”

Grandfather laughed, not taking the matter too seriously.

It was an issue that couldn’t escalate too much anyway. Wasn’t it a presidential election?

One executive-level person responsible for this would stand trial, and when the public’s interest waned, they would quietly be released on bail. The world doesn’t change easily.

“Do-jun.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are there any vacant positions in your company?”

“Well, I haven’t done any executive restructuring like my uncles, so there probably aren’t many.”

“No. Not Soonyang Financial. I’m talking about your company.”

“Ah, you mean HW Group? It’s probably the same there, but I’d have to check. I’m not heavily involved in personnel matters.”

“Not just executive-level. After I die, there will be presidents and executives who’ll have to step down, and quite a few of them are worried about their lacking sons. I was wondering if you could take care of those inadequate sons.”

“If it’s someone Grandfather is concerned about to that extent, I’ll have to create a position even if there isn’t one.”

I answered with a seemingly casual smile, but a pang of sadness hit me.

He was going back through his past, settling anything that bothered him even slightly. It seemed like he was trying desperately not to have any regrets before he passed.

“Should I make a list of everyone you feel indebted to? I’ll repay them generously, many times over, so don’t worry.”

Grandfather, understanding my meaning immediately, gave me a bright smile.

“You’re my grandson, alright. Your wits are sharp as a tack, ha-ha.”

This was ingenious, even upon further reflection.

After that, Grandfather gave up on thinking about the future of Soonyang Group.

During our private time together, Grandfather would look at the names in the slush fund ledger he had given me and Soonyang Group’s past personnel records, reminiscing about the past.

He would recall those he felt indebted to, and he would fume over those he felt he hadn’t gotten enough out of yet and needed to squeeze more.

As he began this journey into the past instead of the future, Grandfather’s expression became brighter, and the time he spent reminiscing grew longer. Instead of worry, joyful moments continued.

Sadly, Grandfather was getting weaker, and I could clearly feel that time was running out.

The time he spent sleeping grew longer and longer, and the time he was awake grew shorter. When he lost consciousness, it took a very long time for him to wake up again, and the doctors had to watch over his hospital room with extreme vigilance, 24 hours a day.

Still, what could be considered fortunate was that his mind was clearer than ever when he was awake.

He remembered even trivial events from the past clearly, and he accurately recited the names, and even the ages, of all thirteen of his grandchildren, whom he often confused.

Grandfather pulled out all his memories, and we completed a densely filled list.

“Your shoulders must feel heavy, tending to all those people.”

“How can I take care of all of them? Most of them just need a wad of cash as a token of goodwill, right?”

“Yes. Deal with those who can be settled that way.”

Grandfather looked at me with a satisfied expression and then said something unexpected.

“Could you call your mother? Quietly.”

“Yes? You want to see Mother?”

“Yes. I’ve wronged your mother greatly. I can’t ask you to repay that debt for me, can I? The last person I need to settle things with is your mother. And I need to do it myself. Do you understand?”

Since when did Grandfather start feeling sorry towards Mother?

Since I had caught Grandfather’s eye, he hadn’t scolded or humiliated Mother. He simply acknowledged her as one of his daughters-in-law, maintaining the aloof demeanor of a father-in-law.

The resentment in Mother’s heart must have faded by now…. This time of forgiveness isn’t for Mother; it’s for Grandfather.

“Yes, sir. I will bring her tomorrow.”