Chapter 68: Theater?

“A theater?”

“Yes.”

“Do-jun, wouldn’t a high-rise building be better than a theater? If the location is good, the monthly rent alone would be better than most companies.”

My aunt was incorrigible.

She was already spouting off with overly meddling remarks as if her husband was the mayor of Seoul.

“No, it’s a bit different from a regular theater. I’m thinking about creating a new kind of theater.”

I doubt she’d know what a multiplex is.

Since she wouldn’t understand anyway, there was no need to explain it in detail.

“Oh my, Yoon-ki is truly blessed with his children. His father funds whatever he wants to do, and on top of that, he’s planning new businesses to help his company grow… I’m so jealous.”

“Tell me about it. We have three kids, and all they do is spend our money and stay out all night… tsk tsk.”

It was awkward to keep listening to their complaints about their unfortunate children.

“Aunt, shall I casually mention it to Grandfather?”

“What? Oh, no!”

I gave my aunt, who was jumping in surprise, a small smile and said,

“We need to know exactly why Grandfather is against it. That way, we can persuade him to change his mind.”

“No. Don’t do it.”

My aunt jumped again.

It seemed her plan to make my uncle a political heavyweight was a strategic move in case they ever had to oppose my grandfather.

“Okay, okay, I understand. It’s a secret from Grandfather.”

I raised my finger to my lips.

“Uncle, please confirm the amount of money to give to the Democratic Justice Party, and I’ll check the funds we can mobilize.”

My aunt and uncle each grabbed one of my hands, their eyes turning to me as if I were their savior.

Maybe making him the mayor of Seoul wouldn’t be so bad after all.

* * *

“Do-jun, can I see you for a moment?”

“Oh, am I a bit late? Sorry to keep you waiting. I’ll try to be home earlier.”

“I’m not such an old-fashioned father that I keep track of my grown son’s curfew.”

It had been a while since I’d seen my father with such a serious expression. He hadn’t lost his smile for the past ten years, no matter how tough things got… or maybe things weren’t that tough? Thanks to his successful son, he had been on a winning streak.

I needed to find out what nonsense my aunt had been spouting. But my father said something I hadn’t anticipated at all.

“Your uncle from your mother’s side visited during the day. Your aunt came in the evening. They both told very different stories, but the conclusion was the same.”

“The same conclusion…?”

My father gave a slight smile.

“You seem more curious about the conclusion than the stories themselves.”

“The process isn’t important.”

“Indeed. You’re different from others, my son.”

Unlike his gentle voice, my father’s smile had already vanished.

“Shall we have a drink? It seems like it’s time for a heart-to-heart, don’t you think?”

Before I could even reply, he had already stood up and was standing in front of the display cabinet filled with liquor, choosing a bottle.

My father poured a little liquor into two glasses and handed one to me.

“Shall we toast?”

As I received the glass with both hands, my father’s smile returned.

“What shall we toast to?”

“I don’t know. The box office success of Titanic, which will be released next year?”

My father shook his head slightly.

“Not me, you.”

“Me? I don’t really….”

I shrugged and observed my father. He seemed different.

“Hmm…. Then let me say it, and you pick one. Property worth over 3 trillion won, the acquisition of Ajin Group, an investment firm that controls Hollywood, and Chairman of Soonyang Group’s boundless affection. Which one do you like the most?”

I hadn’t had any alcohol, but my complexion turned crimson and then pale white.

Damn that blabbermouth uncle!

No, was I being naive? It was a friendship forged in a distant land during their youth, relying on each other. It’s more unusual that he kept his best friend’s son’s secret for ten years.

“Your expression right now is the same expression I had when Se-hyun told me about you. Haha.”

My father laughed heartily as he downed his drink, as if it were nothing, but I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“Isn’t it strange? You’re clearly my son, but you don’t resemble me at all. I take pride in my artistic and aesthetic senses, but you don’t even listen to popular music or pop songs. Conversely, calculating money is tedious for me, but our son was born with a miraculous talent for investment. How can we be so different?”

I emptied the glass in my hand in one gulp. I needed to calm my pounding heart before I could say anything.

“It’s alright. Take a slow, deep breath. Or would you like another drink? Haha.”

My father smiled and refilled my glass.

“At first, I was incredibly surprised, but then I even felt proud. It’s not about being proud of the money you’ve made, but I was proud of such incredible talent.”

“I apologize for not telling you sooner.”

“It’s a relief you didn’t tell me sooner, you know? A middle school student juggling hundreds of billions of won and negotiating in fluent English? Do you think I would have believed that?”

My father calmly continued, watching my expression.

“Anyway, I applaud what’s happened. Frankly, it’s amazing! Fantastic.”

My father lightly clapped his hands a few times.

“Now, let’s talk about the future. What do you ultimately want to achieve?”

“Well… I don’t have any specific goals or plans yet. I’m just busy dealing with what’s coming up.”

“Do you perhaps want to take over Soonyang Group?”

Should I tell him the truth? And ask for help? I considered it for a brief moment. But it was too early to switch sides.

If one person knows, it’s only a matter of time before everyone knows.

“That’s just a means or a tool to reach my dreams, not the goal itself.”

“Is that so? Then what is our son’s dream?”

“A top-tier mega-corporation that surpasses Soonyang Group…? To create such a company, I’d need to establish companies from scratch and acquire decent subsidiaries from Soonyang Group. Of course, I’d also need subsidiaries from other big companies. It can’t be limited to Soonyang.”

“Acquire?”

“Yes.”

“Hey! Is Soonyang Group a corner store? A neighborhood supermarket? You’re going to buy it?”

“Father, it’s not what I want for Grandfather to just hand over Soonyang Group. Wouldn’t people just say I’m a lucky bastard born into a chaebol family?”

“So you’re going to buy it? Soonyang’s core companies?”

“If they’re truly core, that is. Well, it’s still just a dream, you know.”

Did it sound plausible?

Did my true intention—to make all of my father’s siblings and nephews into servants bowing at my feet—slip out?

He looked somewhat surprised, but it seemed my true intentions weren’t revealed. Within his surprise, I could see a hint of pride.

My father, having finished the liquor in his glass, spoke.

“If that’s your ambition, it seems there’s nothing I can really do for you. I worried for nothing. Haha.”

“What were you worried about?”

“I was worried about how I could help you achieve your dream, even just a little. I was thinking of using the legal rights of being the chairman’s son, if necessary.”

What was this about? The rights of his son?

My father got up from the sofa, patted my shoulder once, and smiled.

“Anyway, thanks. I was giving a lot of thought to whether I should fight with your uncles even if it strained our family ties, or if I should negotiate by demanding a few subsidiaries or cash or stocks….”

Wait a minute? This was a completely unexpected new card?

“I don’t like fights that make us turn red in the face, and I don’t like humiliating negotiations, but since you don’t need it, well…. It’s late. I’m going upstairs to sleep. You should too.”

My father turned around and started walking towards the second floor.

“Ah, Father. That’s not right. Just a moment. Let’s talk a bit more. Please?”

I called out to my father, following him up to the second floor.

I had never called him ‘Father’ so earnestly as I did today.

* * *

When I arrived at my grandfather’s house to discuss the merger of the two automobile companies, I found the parking lot packed with over ten black sedans.

This meant that all the key figures of the group were gathered.

I waited in the living room for the meeting in the study to end.

I already knew what the meeting was about.

The media was reporting on the unusual exchange rates daily, and there were continuous warnings about the risky behavior of merchant banks that introduced short-term foreign capital and operated funds with long-term loans.

However, the government’s announcements continued to ignore these warnings.

Korea’s industrial structure was solid, and with the accumulated trade surplus, they kept harping on the famous ‘economic fundamentals’.

The Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy’s famous rhetoric had the power to make people ignore the impending crisis.

But the salarymen who felt the crisis firsthand were different. They had already realized it was too late and could only pray that the coming typhoon would be weak.

Just like the people gathered in the study.

# # #

“Not a single dollar, yen, or mark flowing into the group should be used. We need to settle the hot money payments that are due soonest.”

“It seems the banks aren’t even considering releasing dollars. They’re holding onto them tightly.”

“The exchange rate surge is good for export profit margins, but we’re holding off on converting to won.”

The presidents of the subsidiaries spoke urgently.

“Have you contacted the Deputy Prime Minister?”

Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae, sitting next to Chairman Jin, asked cautiously, gauging the atmosphere.

“What about you? Haven’t you spoken with him?”

“He’s avoiding my calls.”

“That bastard knows your call is my call. That son of a bitch is definitely avoiding calls from business leaders.”

The fist of Chairman Jin, clenched tightly, tightened further.

“How much money can we gather within the group, all together?”

“If we settle the hot money payments by the end of the year, it’s a little over 400 billion. Of course, our foreign currency reserves are empty.”

“A huge chunk of money went out during the acquisition of Hando Steel, and money keeps going in even now.”

Chairman Jin shouted at the presidents of the subsidiaries.

“Don’t give money that you owe, and collect money owed to you right now. And convert all the money you have into dollars.”

But the reactions he received were disappointing.

“Even if we offer more than the market price, it’s not working. Everyone is just crying about not having dollars.”

It was clear that this crisis was extraordinary.

Even with the chairman’s roar, no one was intimidated. Because when something is impossible, you have to say it’s impossible and find other ways to survive.

“A singularity is coming soon. Even if the exchange rate goes up to 2,000 won or even 3,000 won per dollar, we might not be able to find any dollars because they’ll be so scarce.”

Silence filled the study. No one spoke. Or rather, they couldn’t.

No one had anticipated that the tsunami of the financial crisis that hit Southeast Asia would reach Korea.

No one knows how to stop the tsunami yet.

At that moment, Chief of staff Lee Hak-jae opened his mouth. He had realized where the lifeboat was.

“Chairman, what about Ajin Group?”

“Why? Did those bastards stash away dollars in a secret vault?”

“No, it’s about the acquisition money, sir? 1.2 trillion won.”

Chairman Jin abruptly straightened his upper body, which had been leaning back on the chair.

“That’s right! That’s Miracle’s funds, isn’t it? They must have it in crisp dollars, right?”

“Yes. We can receive those dollars and give them 1.2 trillion won. We can easily handle the shortage with bank loans. We’re short on dollars, but we have plenty of won.”

The faces of everyone in the study brightened. Miracle’s dollars weren’t just a lifeboat. They were like a harbor that would safely protect the ship from the tsunami.

“Moreover, we can collect all the dollars Miracle holds by issuing Soonyang bonds. If we offer an interest rate higher than Miracle Investment’s annual return, it will be possible.”

“Chief of staff Lee, they will also feel the crisis in our country. If the exchange rate doubles, they’ll earn double just from the exchange rate difference. Would they be satisfied with just the bond interest?”

The president of Soonyang Life pointed out a realistic problem.

“We have to pay the 1.2 trillion at the current exchange rate. I’m talking about bond interest for their extra dollars.”

Soon, the study became noisy. Once they found a glimmer of possibility, ideas on how to turn that possibility into reality flew back and forth.

At that moment, Chairman Jin burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Everyone stop. I can handle that problem.”

Everyone’s gaze turned to Chairman Jin.

“I’m very close with the owner of Miracle Investment, you see. Hehehe.”