Chapter63: < Those Who Threaten the Future (1) >
Lately, Senior Managing Director Cha Ji-yeol felt like he was losing a kilogram a day.
He had no appetite, and whenever the phone rang, he would grow tense, taking a moment to compose himself before answering.
Executive Director Yang Cheol-gi, the company's de facto number two who had supported and built it up, had been ousted without so much as a scream, and ominous rumors were circulating that his entire faction would be purged in the upcoming personnel reshuffle.
He knew he was overreacting, but given the circumstances, it was a situation where his head could roll at any moment if he didn't keep his antennae raised to the absolute maximum.
And in the midst of all this, of all people, it was Kim Tae-min, the Director of Management Planning for Hyunjin Heavy Industries, who had summoned Senior Managing Director Cha to a location in Seoul.
He had no choice but to be extremely cautious.
“You sent for me.”
“How have you been?”
Tae-min picked up the liquor bottle as soon as Senior Managing Director Cha sat down, and Cha quickly raised his glass.
“I'm just collecting my paycheck, as usual.”
“The Director of Sales can't just be collecting a paycheck, can he?”
“With this bitter winter wind blowing, it's too cold to even stick my head out.”
Senior Managing Director Cha was subtly voicing the dissatisfaction he had been harboring.
With Executive Director Yang Cheol-gi ousted and President Song Eun-chae openly signaling a personnel reshuffle, Kim Tae-min, a key figure in the Chairman's faction, had done nothing but stand by and watch.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't resentful.
“I've been a bit neglectful, haven't I?”
“Not at all, sir.”
Kim Tae-min glanced at Senior Managing Director Cha as he drank his liquor, then spoke.
“As you know, I've been down in Geoje, so it hasn't been easy for me to make a move. The old man loves the seaside so much, and as his grandson, I couldn't just leave him there alone.”
“That's perfectly understandable.”
“We were also taken aback when that happened to Executive Director Yang. We never imagined he would be involved in something like that. We respect his abilities, but what he did was unacceptable. Don't you agree?”
“Absolutely.”
“So I've been thinking. About whether we should really take Hyunjin Corporation under our wing... or if we'll just get stabbed in the back for our troubles... It's been weighing on my mind.”
Seeing Tae-min speak with a smirk, Senior Managing Director Cha Ji-yeol felt a chill run down his spine.
“D-don't tell me you're planning to give up on Hyunjin Corporation...?”
“Things are heading in a strange direction, aren't they? We have a situation where someone gets reported to the prosecutors for a crime committed internally that no one could stop, no matter what outsiders wanted to do. And you, the Director of Sales at Hyunjin Corporation, of all people, didn't know about the stock acquisition from Shinyoung Investment, and you didn't know about a 500 billion won loan coming in. If I were to trust someone like that and struggle to take over Hyunjin Corporation, wouldn't that make me an idiot, a fool?”
“...”
Senior Managing Director Cha was speechless.
He felt it was unfair, but in the end, nothing Tae-min said was wrong.
But Hyunjin Corporation, excluding the heavy industries affiliates, boasted the most solid organization and highest sales among all Hyunjin Group subsidiaries.
Giving up on Hyunjin Corporation, the crown jewel? Was that even plausible?
As expected, Tae-min's expression changed, and he casually changed the subject.
“I'm kidding. Honestly, I know it's hard to expect trust in a relationship where we're not family and there's no clear give-and-take. In a way, I may not have shown you a satisfactory side of myself, Senior Managing Director.”
“That's not what I meant.”
As Senior Managing Director Cha fidgeted nervously, Tae-min's eyes narrowed as he spoke.
“Senior Managing Director, I need you to help me.”
“What?”
“Help me.”
He said "help me," but his intimidating expression looked as if he was about to devour Senior Managing Director Cha.
“O-of course. I must help you.”
“Not like that!”
Overwhelmed by Tae-min's sudden shout, Senior Managing Director Cha bowed his head, his face flushing red.
“I will help you!”
“Don't just play it safe, testing the waters. I need you to throw your whole self into this... understand? Your life isn't just your own, is it? You have your precious children, a nagging wife at home... Throw yourself into this for their sake.”
“What do you need me to do?”
Tae-min picked up the liquor bottle again.
As Senior Managing Director Cha, unlike before, raised his glass with a trembling hand, Tae-min filled it to the brim and said,
“What's the most important project at Hyunjin Corporation right now?”
“That would be the Proxia bid... Should I find out the exact bid price and send it to Sewon?”
He had said it with a certain resolve, but Tae-min's response was lukewarm.
“Forget it. What's the big deal...?”
“What? If we win the bid, for the Chairman...”
“Ah, fuck, the heavens are cruel. Of all things, why did Shinyoung Bank have to put a noose around my mother's neck?”
“Then...?”
“My mother made a mistake in her desperation. She was desperate for money and shouldn't have given up the Hyunjin Tourism stock... If Hyunjin Corporation fails the bid, they'll be left holding that Hyunjin Tourism stock, won't they? It's a headache, but it's too late to turn back now, so what can we do? We have to look on the bright side. If the bid fails, we'll get on the Chairman's bad side, but if it succeeds, we can get the stock back.”
If Hyunjin Corporation wins the bid, the Hyunjin Tourism stock and 800 billion won in cash will be transferred to the lead manager of the Proxia sale.
He was saying that the stock transferred to the lead manager could be bought back at any time.
Senior Managing Director Cha realized the strategy had changed.
“What do you have in mind?”
“After acquiring Proxia, how much debt will Hyunjin Corporation have?”
“The Shinyoung Bank loan alone is 1 trillion won, and with debt from other financial institutions, it's over 3 trillion won. The interest payments alone are over 70 billion won a year. Even if we acquire Proxia, it will take a considerable amount of time before any money from it starts flowing into Hyunjin Corporation's accounts.”
“So if the bid fails, we'll be on Grandfather's bad side, which isn't so bad, and if it succeeds, the coffers will be completely empty, is that right?”
Senior Managing Director Cha realized that he intended to make Hyunjin Corporation acquire Proxia at the highest possible price, pushed to its absolute limit.
“That's right.”
“Then if a few ongoing projects fall through, the company will be reeling, won't it? Let's see... Ah! Senior Managing Director Cha, you led the project to import coal from Heilongjiang Province in China, right?”
Senior Managing Director Cha felt a cold sweat run down his back.
“That's correct.”
“I hear the mining permit was approved and production is set to begin at the end of this year... It would be a huge problem if someone high up suddenly pulled the plug, wouldn't it? I've heard there are many cases in China where businesses suffer huge losses because the government has a change of heart. If you're unlucky, that could happen, right?”
Senior Managing Director Cha's mouth went dry.
“Many things can happen when you do business in China.”
“Good. And what was it, you're preparing to win the rights for that apartment project in Bongseon-dong?”
“Yes, we are.”
“You're all working your asses off. Seriously, why do you all work so hard? It seems like the employees at Hyunjin Corporation are the best in all of Korea. That's why I have such high hopes.”
“It will be a great help when you become the owner of Hyunjin Corporation one day, Director.”
“That's a long way off... Anyway, that project is also making a lot of noise, so take care of it. Understood?”
“Understood.”
“Help me out, Senior Managing Director. This isn't just for my own good, you know. Let's make it so we both do well. It's time for you to get that 'President' title, don't you think?”
Senior Managing Director Cha couldn't bring himself to ask if he was serious.
It was out of fear that the moment he showed doubt, the last thread connecting them would snap.
***
Yeon-hee was driving down to Gwangju with Yeonghun.
Yeon-hee was, of course, the one behind the wheel, while Yeonghun sat in the passenger seat, studying by working through a driver's license practice test.
Focusing her eyes on the road ahead as they were on the highway, Yeon-hee spoke.
“Doesn't Chief Kang No-sik have to catch his wife in the act of cheating? What if he goes all the way to America and comes back empty-handed with no evidence?”
“Then there's nothing to be done.”
“Wow... isn't that a bit reckless?”
Yeonghun chuckled.
“He's a smart man. I haven't met a single person here who wasn't sharp, and Chief Kang is no exception. He's particularly well-developed on the rational side rather than the emotional, and he's highly logical. He's the type of man who plans everything, restrains emotional impulses as much as possible, and only knows how to move straight ahead.”
“What does that have to do with you acting so recklessly?”
“He's a man who values honor and his family. The idea of his wife cheating would be an unimaginable shock to him. A man like that goes all the way to America and just comes back without any solid evidence? He'll dig deeper and more thoroughly than any private investigator. If a man like that comes back empty-handed, it will be as good as concluding that his wife wasn't cheating.”
“What if she really isn't cheating?”
This time, Yeonghun's expression hardened.
“Hmm... that's a valid question... That in itself would not be desirable. Of course, it would be a bit awkward for me personally, but that would be my mistake, so I'd have no one to blame. However, if she isn't cheating, contrary to what I said, the chances of his wife dying suddenly will increase significantly.”
Yeon-hee, her hands on the wheel, spoke with a somber expression.
“So no matter what, he can't escape losing his wife? Is that what the four pillars of destiny are, something truly unavoidable?”
“No. Life and death are unavoidable, but this is a little different.”
If it were absolutely unavoidable, he would have already become a shaman.
“How so?”
“In life, how many things go according to plan? Not many. As you live, circumstances arise, and the person who made the plan might have a change of heart. Of course, there are many people who make plans and strive to follow them, but this is a man so ruled by reason over emotion that he even calculates his interactions with women in his head. What do you think that means?”
“Ah! You mean that someone so rational and cold probably couldn't have had a warm, emotional connection with his wife?”
She was certainly a smart woman.
“Exactly. If he wanted to avoid the Gojinsal, he should have tried to change his cold personality. But since he failed to do so, he won't be able to escape the hex. The four pillars of destiny might seem like a fate handed down for no reason, but if you delve into the 'why,' you'll find it's all woven together by an intricate web of cause and effect.”
“...”
Yeon-hee nodded silently.
She seemed to be thinking about her own four pillars again.
Then, as if a thought suddenly occurred to her, she asked.
“I understand that you know so much because you've continued to study the four pillars, but how do you know so much about a woman's heart? It's not like you dated a lot of women in the mountains, right?”
“I've probably read more dating tips online than anyone else. You could say I learned how to date from YouTube.”
“Ah~”
A smile spread across Yeon-hee’s face before she even realized it.
After another three hours in the car, filled with a pleasant atmosphere, they arrived at the Ramada Hotel in Gwangju.
After parking and entering the lobby, they saw a sign at the entrance that read: [Publication Ceremony for Assemblyman Jo Jae-min's 'Path of the Iron Man'].
Yeonghun and Yeon-hee followed the sign up to the 3rd-floor convention hall.
The place was already bustling with a crowd so large it was impossible to take in at a single glance.
“Wow, this is incredible.”
“It’s a publication ceremony for a member of the National Assembly, after all.”
Yeonghun nodded at Yeon-hee’s reply and led the way.
The reason they had come all the way to Gwangju today was for the preliminary work needed to select the construction company for a new apartment complex in Bongseon-dong.
Originally, he hadn't planned to provide such serious support, but Department Head Go was taking this project very seriously, and it would bring a huge profit to the company if it succeeded, so he had changed his mind.
As Yeon-hee stood in a long line, holding the envelope she had prepared, someone tapped her on the shoulder.
When Yeon-hee and Yeonghun turned toward the owner of the hand, they saw a tall, handsome young man who looked like a model, smiling brightly.
“You're Im Yeon-hee, right?”
“Oh? Chang-hoon! It’s good to see you!”
Yeon-hee extended her hand, and she and the man named Chang-hoon shook.
Then, Chang-hoon looked over at Yeonghun, and Yeon-hee introduced them.
“You know I got a job, right? This is Manager Choi Yeong-hun from our company's Secretarial Office. And this is a college classmate of mine. His name is Kim Chang-hoon.”
“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Choi Yeong-hun.”
“Kim Chang-hoon.”
After they shook hands, the man named Chang-hoon spoke to Yeon-hee.
“I heard you joined Hyunjin Corporation.”
“When did you get back to Korea?”
“About a month ago.”
“You should have called.”
“I was busy. My father was making such a fuss. And I had my own things to prepare.”
“So, did you join a company?”
Chang-hoon smiled and nodded.
A strange sense of revulsion made Yeonghun frown and lean back instinctively as Chang-hoon continued.
“I became the Director of the Housing Sales Division at Umyung Construction.”
“Umyung Construction? Of all the affiliates, why that one?”
Yeon-hee’s eyes trembled.
She now understood why she had run into Chang-hoon here.
But what Chang-hoon said next was even more astounding.
“I’m going to win the Bongseon-dong project this time. And then I’m going to make a demand of my father. That I’m going to marry you.”
< Those Who Threaten the Future (1) > End
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