Chapter 30: Only Half? What About the Rest?
by xennovel“Only half? What are you planning to do with the rest?”
“I’ll let you know when the time comes. Maybe Grandpa will tell you.”
“Aha, I see. There’s still some unopened information left, is there? Haha.”
Beneath his hearty laughter, his mind was rapidly calculating, revealing his true nature.
Investing using Soonyang Group’s internal information. A quick in-and-out for a decent profit. With such a large seed money, the returns would be substantial.
Oh Se-hyun left with a twinkle in his eye, and I let out a long sigh.
It’s so hard to make excuses.
I have no intention of making money using Chairman Jin’s information.
It’s extremely risky to touch Soonyang before coming of age. It’s a foolish act that would only invite unnecessary suspicion.
Besides, I wasn’t a stockbroker, and I hadn’t even been to Wall Street. Only snippets of articles in newspapers comprised my future knowledge.
I only remember a few companies that are good investment opportunities, but there’s one definite investment that will build an undefeated legend over the next 30 years.
That’s movies.
Among the countless movies produced in Hollywood, I know most of the ones that made huge profits.
Immediately, there’s ‘Ghost,’ ‘Edward Scissorhands,’ ‘Home Alone,’ and ‘Total Recall’ that will dominate next year’s box office. Participating in the production is already too late, but we can import them through my father’s film company.
A film investment company that never fails.
With this alone, I’ll be known as the Midas of Hollywood.
***
“Thank you for making time for me, Chief of Staff Lee.”
“No, I wanted to see you too.”
Lee Hak-jae came running without any delay at Oh Se-hyun’s request to meet. He had many questions to ask.
“Regarding the handling of Do-jun’s assets, I thought I should let you know about this matter.”
“Assets? Power Shares is managing Do-jun’s assets. What are you talking about disposing of?”
“I’m not talking about money, but land.”
“Land? Are you talking about the Bundang land?”
“Yes. He wants to dispose of it.”
“Why? There’s absolutely no need to rush it.”
Lee Hak-jae’s eyebrows twitched. Oh Se-hyun had enough sense to know what that expression meant.
“Please don’t misunderstand. It’s Do-jun’s wish, not something I instigated. I tried to dissuade him, saying the land value is still rising, but he’s adamant.”
“You’re just following what some kid says? You’re not a proper fund manager. Shouldn’t you guide him in the right direction?”
“Chief of Staff Lee.”
Oh Se-hyun stared intently at Lee Hak-jae, who was still suspicious, and said,
“The final decision, of course, rests with the money owner. We only offer our opinions.”
“Listen here! Do-jun is just….”
“Just twelve years old? Do you really think so?”
“What?”
“Wouldn’t it be a bit of a stretch to see him as just a twelve-year-old kid? Isn’t he smart enough to outwit most adults?”
Oh Se-hyun waved his hand slightly, watching Lee Hak-jae’s frown.
“Anyway, I didn’t come here to talk about this. If you want to change Do-jun’s mind, do it yourself. If Do-jun changes his mind, he won’t sell the land, of course.”
“Then what do you want to talk about?”
“I’m trying to find out if Soonyang Group has any intention of buying the land. What do you think?”
“What?”
“Honestly, if I subtly hinted at it to brokers, they’d swarm in like bees. But it was a gift from his grandfather, so I’d like to return it to Soonyang Group, even if it means selling it a bit cheaper.”
“Is that Do-jun’s idea too?”
“No. This is my idea. I’m worried that Chairman Jin might feel disappointed in Do-jun if it’s sold to some random place.”
“Hold that matter for now. I’ll discuss it with the Chairman and let you know.”
Lee Hak-jae put down his teacup and asked the question he had been holding back.
“By the way, why did you go to Texas?”
“Wow, how did you know about that? You’re amazing.”
“Stop with the pointless talk. Why did you go? Did you buy oil or something?”
“As I mentioned before, the details are confidential. I invested in a few companies, and I can tell you it’s a pretty good investment. That’s all I can disclose.”
“Goodness, such unnecessary stubbornness….”
Lee Hak-jae frowned.
“Listen, Mr. Oh. Are you doing this to raise your own value?”
“Excuse me? What are you talking about?”
“You’re holding Do-jun, who has the Chairman’s special attention, hostage, and you’re planning to subtly step into our Soonyang Group when the opportunity arises, aren’t you?”
Oh Se-hyun was momentarily speechless, looking dazed.
“Foreign investment firms often kick people out for a single mistake, so it makes sense to have solid insurance. You’d hold onto Do-jun tightly, wouldn’t you? Am I wrong?”
“Hmm…. So, that’s how you see things. I see. Soonyang Group views people like that. If you give people the amount they value themselves at, they become Soonyang’s dogs.”
“You’re misunderstanding. That’s not it.”
“Is that so? Seems about right to me.”
“Soonyang buys you for twice the value you think you’re worth. I’ll give you three times. How much? What’s the price you’ve put on yourself?”
“Two hundred billion won.”
The number came out without the slightest hesitation: two hundred billion won.
Lee Hak-jae swallowed the words that were about to burst out with extreme self-control.
The words he swallowed were ‘you crazy bastard’.
Claiming 200 apartments in Korea as your worth is enough to get you called a madman.
“That’s an absurd number, but let’s hear your reasoning. You’re a money man, so your self-worth calculation should be accurate.”
“I’d be betraying someone who entrusted me with 10 billion won. Shouldn’t I get paid double to make the betrayal worthwhile?”
Lee Hak-jae let out a short sigh.
He prodded him once and got treated like a repulsive person who equates people with money, not even breaking even.
“We didn’t come here to fight… Somehow, talking to you makes me strangely agitated.”
“Don’t you know why?”
Lee Hak-jae just shrugged without answering.
“Because I’m not being subservient in front of the almighty Chief of Staff Lee Hak-jae of Soonyang Group.”
For a brief moment, Lee Hak-jae just blinked before bursting into a refreshing laugh.
“Hahaha. This is embarrassing. You’re right. That seems to be it.”
Lee Hak-jae picked up his teacup, emptied it cleanly, and stood up from his seat.
“Good. Keep taking good care of Do-jun, like you are now. Stay loyal. Maybe your self-worth of two hundred billion won could multiply dozens of times.”
Oh Se-hyun’s eyes twinkled, and Lee Hak-jae gave a sly smile.
“You’re a sharp one, so I trust you understand what I mean. Next time, let’s have some soju.”
Left alone, Oh Se-hyun watched Lee Hak-jae’s retreating figure with a faint smile.
“Let’s see if you’ll still have that smile when the balance in my account is hundreds of times your worth.”
***
“Father! You’re sending a kid who just graduated to Germany?”
“Grandpa. I’d like to study a bit more.”
From the dawn of the new year in 1990, Chairman Jin’s eldest son and eldest grandson were sweating bullets.
“Studying, now, after all this time? Our eldest grandson knows how to make this old man laugh, huh, huh.”
Jin Young-jun, his face instantly flushed red, closed his mouth and bowed his head.
“Father. Young-jun has matured now. He’s diligently taking management classes….”
Vice-chairman Jin Young-ki tried to make excuses for his son, but he shut his mouth at the sharp gaze of Chairman Jin staring at him.
“Management classes? Where can you find better lessons than this? The whole of Europe will be buzzing. Making urgent decisions in the midst of that change will naturally open your eyes. Don’t you think?”
Chairman Jin looked around at the key figures of the group sitting in the study, seeking their agreement, and they naturally nodded.
“Preparations are complete, so leave next week. Get out.”
As Jin Young-jun was about to leave the study with a reluctant expression, Chairman Jin warned the back of his grandson’s head.
“Stay cooped up at home for a week. If you run around with girls and cause trouble, your new nest will be the Africa branch, not Germany.”
Jin Young-jun turned around with a pale face, bowing his head deeply before leaving.
Chairman Jin turned his gaze back to the group executives.
“A new year has dawned, but I’m still sad that ’89 is over, and I want to turn back the clock…. How about you all?”
Chairman Jin glanced around the table and stopped at someone’s face. Realizing they weren’t the target, the others felt relieved, but the person caught in Chairman Jin’s gaze, Jo Dae-ho, the president of Soonyang Automobile, felt his heart pounding.
“I’m, I’m sorry, Chairman.”
He jumped up and bowed his head, but Chairman Jin only gestured with his hand.
“Sit down. It’s not like you’ve committed a crime punishable by death.”
As President Jo Dae-ho awkwardly placed his backside on the chair, Chairman Jin continued, clasping his hands together.
“If it has the Soonyang Group name on it, I can’t sleep unless it’s number one. And you, Jo Dae-ho.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“When we started Soonyang Automobile, what did I say? Let’s just be number two. Do you remember?”
“Of course, Chairman.”
“Then what was our performance last year? What rank were we?”
When President Jo Dae-ho hesitated and couldn’t answer, Chairman Jin slammed the long table.
“Are you suddenly pretending to be mute? Answer me!”
“We, we were fourth.”
President Jo stood up again and assumed a rigid posture.
“Can you sleep? Does the bright future of the new year fill you with hope?”
“I’m sorry, Chairman.”
President Jo remained bent over, unable to move.
Chairman Jin turned his gaze to Lee Hak-jae, who was sitting closest to him.
“Chief of Staff Lee.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Which of our subsidiaries has the smallest number of employees?”
At these words, President Jo Dae-ho’s body trembled. This was the moment his fate would change.
“Soonyang Packaging.”
“Packaging? When did we create that?”
“Ah, it’s a subsidiary of Soonyang Corporation. We used to outsource it, but the volume increased, so we absorbed it.”
“Absorbed it? So, the current president isn’t from Soonyang?”
“Yes.”
“Then fire that son of a bitch…. How many employees does he have?”
“Six hundred.”
Six hundred employees, Pyeongtaek.
The words flashed through President Jo Dae-ho’s mind. It sounded like ‘president,’ but it was a position with less power than a department head at Soonyang Automobile.
As the president of the packaging factory, he would have to work with manager-level personnel from Soonyang Corporation.
It was no different from being told to write a resignation letter.
“Jo Dae-ho.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“You will report to the packaging factory starting tomorrow. Reflect on your actions while smelling the glue.”
The words ‘reflect on your actions’ sounded like good news. Was this a chance for a comeback? Or just false hope?
As President Jo was about to hesitantly sit back down, Chairman Jin shouted.
“What’s that? Why are you sitting? What makes the president of a packaging factory think he can sit here?”
President Jo Dae-ho broke out in a cold sweat and hastily left the study. Being kicked out of the study meant there was zero chance of returning.
“Vice-chairman.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
Jin Young-ki was surprised to hear his father call him. He didn’t expect this to fall on him!
“Take charge of the automobile company. I’ll give you two years until next year. Make it number two within two years. The numbers match up perfectly.”
“Ch, Chairman. I’m already overseeing several subsidiaries, so I don’t have the capacity…. Please reconsider.”
“Ah, right. Our vice-chairman is so busy overseeing multiple subsidiaries.”
The way he spoke was ominous. Jin Young-ki regretted his pointless resistance.
“How many are you managing?”
“N, nineteen.”
“Is that so? Then let’s do this.”
The presidents of the subsidiaries gathered in the study dared not look at Chairman Jin’s face, but their ears were wide open.
What if the number of subsidiaries managed by the vice-chairman was reduced?
What if their company was included in that?
They would have many opportunities to meet directly with Chairman Jin, bypassing the vice-chairman. This was another opportunity. An opportunity to solidify their position.
However, they gave up on that expectation at Chairman Jin’s next words. He didn’t give anyone another chance; he only made things more difficult for the vice-chairman.
“Do you want to manage twenty? Or just one?”
Of course, everyone knew that the one he was talking about was the automobile company.