Chapter87:< The Leap of Hyunjin Construction (1) >
“Hahaha! What an audacious young man. You're right. It's incredibly unsettling. Is there anything else you plan to take?”
“I haven't really thought about it.”
“Why not? Is it because there's nothing left to take? Or are you worried about what I'll think?”
“Neither. Even just Hyunjin Heavy Industries is actually very tempting. But it's not that I don't have the desire to acquire it because of you, Chairman.”
“Then?”
“Because there's no reason to. Hyunjin Heavy Industries is doing perfectly fine even without us acquiring it.”
“Then did you think Hyunjin Tourism would have gone bankrupt if Hyunjin Corporation hadn't acquired it?”
“That's not it. It was simply a sign for you, Chairman.”
At the unexpected answer, Chairman Im leaned forward and asked.
“A sign? What kind of sign?”
“It was a sign asking you to consider Hyunjin Corporation as separate from Hyunjin Group.”
Despite the rather insolent reply, Chairman Im did not show any anger.
“Are you asking me to spin off the affiliate?”
“Well... I don't know your intentions, Chairman, but I felt that hardworking employees would be harmed by a pointless fight. The employees of Hyunjin Corporation work tirelessly day and night, and I couldn't stand by and watch the company become unstable because of someone else's greed.”
To Chairman Im, it was a way of thinking he simply couldn't comprehend.
Judging by his expression, he didn't seem to be lying, and even if he were, one wouldn't use this kind of excuse.
“So you planned to acquire Hyunjin Tourism?”
“A wounded beast is bound to have trauma. Of course, many people helped. I didn't do it alone.”
“Of course, you didn't. But that's how life is, you know? It's hard to have that initial thought that seems like nothing. And deciding to act on it is even harder. I have no idea how a new employee at a loan company could have come up with such an idea, but I'll trust that it's your ability.”
“Thank you.”
Chairman Im turned his head to President Song and asked.
“Are you paying him well?”
“He was promoted to Manager and given an Officetel just three months after joining. I want to give him more, but he refuses, so I can't.”
“In all my life, I've rarely met anyone who dislikes money...”
Yeon-hee thought her grandfather might needlessly suspect Yeonghun, leading to unnecessary conversation.
So she brought up the topic she had already decided to raise before they arrived.
“And we're dating.”
“What?”
At the sudden remark, not only Chairman Im Chang-ho but also President Song and Yeonghun were startled.
Yeonghun was so shocked that if he had been eating something, it would have surely flown out of his mouth. He turned to look at Yeon-hee with wide eyes, but she paid him no mind and continued.
“I didn't think you'd find a husband for me, Grandfather, so I just chose one myself. His family background is nothing special. But he's a better person than anyone I've ever met, and he's more capable than anyone else.”
“He does seem capable. So you're declaring it in front of this old man because you're afraid you might lose him?”
“Honestly, you don't trust me because I'm a woman, do you? You're afraid I'll meet some worthless man and ruin a perfectly fine company. I'm telling you I won't meet a man like that.”
President Song was inwardly surprised by Yeon-hee's attitude as she clearly stated her thoughts.
He had thought she'd just blurted it out without thinking, but after hearing her out, he understood why she was acting this way.
In her own way, Yeon-hee was imprinting her presence on her grandfather.
Since she couldn't immediately showcase her own abilities, she was using Yeonghun to tell him not to meddle with the management rights of Hyunjin Corporation.
“You've grown up. I understand. I wasn't expecting this, but it seems I'm meeting my future grandson-in-law today.”
Chairman Im nodded his head with a satisfied look.
But just then, Yeonghun opened his mouth.
“To be honest, I came because I was told it was a dinner, but I'm not thick-skinned enough to have a meal with you after taking your daughter's company. And since this is a rare occasion for your family to gather, I think I should be leaving now.”
“Is this seat really that uncomfortable for you?”
“I feel like you won't be able to speak freely with an uninvited guest present. Even if you say that's not the case, I just feel uncomfortable.”
“Well, if you insist.”
“Pardon me, but when will you be heading back down?”
Im Chang-ho's curiosity was strongly piqued.
This man dared to say he was leaving a meeting the Chairman himself had called, claiming it was family time and there was nothing more to discuss, and was now trying to schedule a meeting himself.
Not a hint of hesitation could be felt in his demeanor, which showed no tension while sitting across from a group chairman, or in his voice as he casually tried to set an appointment.
“What's there for an old man to be busy with? I'll go when I feel like it.”
“Then, if you have time tomorrow, I'd like to treat you to a nice eel dish.”
“Eel... that sounds good.”
“Then I'll be on my way.”
Yeonghun stood up and said something rather unexpected to Chairman Im Chang-ho.
“It's an honor to have met you like this. May I ask for a handshake?”
“There's no reason why not.”
Yeonghun shook his hand politely, bowed his head again, gave a slight nod to President Song, and left the room.
After he left, Chairman Im said to President Song.
“He's a remarkable man.”
“I think so too. To be honest, I didn't trust him from the beginning. I put him in the sales team with Yeon-hee, but I started to trust him after he brought back the Hyunjin Corporation shares that Shinyoung Investment & Securities held.”
“He's the one who brought back the company shares?”
“That's not all. He's also the one who brought in the 500 billion won plus alpha from Shinyoung Bank. That's what got him promoted to Manager.”
Chairman Im let out a sound of admiration with genuinely surprised eyes.
“Hah... he really is a remarkable man. Yes, since he's that remarkable, you wouldn't have refused when he suggested taking over Hyunjin Tourism.”
“Besides that, there are countless other things he's handled since joining the company. And on top of his incredible abilities, his way of dealing with people is extraordinary. He currently holds power within the company that is practically equivalent to a Vice President's. At his word, the Planning and Coordination Office and the Special Projects Department, which led this acquisition, move with all their might.”
“At the word of a mere Manager who just joined the company, Kang... who was it? Kang No-sik, right?”
“Yes.”
“Kang No-sik acts as his hands and feet?”
“That's right.”
“I can't believe it.”
There's a limit to how capable someone can be.
But this was beyond any limit.
Not even the heir of a Chaebol family could command people like that at his age and rank.
That's why they are promoted to executive positions as soon as they've learned the ropes, to give them authority. But to move company executives with a single word from the rank of a mere Manager—he had never heard of such a case anywhere.
“A while ago, Umyung Group contacted Yeon-hee. They said they wanted to introduce her to their third son. But Yeon-hee refused, saying she was seeing someone. When she said that person was Manager Choi, I couldn't press her any further.”
“Umyung Group? Kim Tae-hyun is interested...”
Im Chang-ho closed his eyes and sank into thought.
There was no way a man who barely knew his own prospective daughter-in-law's face would have asked for a meeting based on Yeon-hee's character.
It must be because he coveted Hyunjin Corporation.
But with Hyunjin Corporation's acquisition of Hyunjin Tourism, its size had more than doubled.
He hadn't realized it before, but a mere third son was no longer good enough in Chairman Im's eyes.
“Grandfather, I...”
As Yeon-hee tried to say something, Chairman Im raised his hand to stop her.
“That's enough. Even if Umyung Group's eldest son comes, I have no intention of pushing it if you say no.”
Yeon-hee's eyes widened in surprise.
“Really?”
“You introduced this old man to a man who took over Hyunjin Tourism less than a year after joining the company. Who else could possibly catch my eye?”
What Chairman Im had been thinking was, ‘Why does Umyung Group covet Hyunjin Corporation?’
Watching Yeon-hee clench her fists and cheer with just her eyes, Chairman Im said softly.
“If Yeon-jun had grown up, he would have been that smart.”
The atmosphere suddenly turned icy cold.
Despite having uttered a taboo word, Chairman Im continued speaking with a calm face.
“That boy understood everything as soon as you told him. If you taught him one thing, he knew ten? No, he was a boy who could figure out twenty, thirty things. And his character was so good, he would bring home any stray dog or cat on the street to feed and play with. Hahaha... It was so cute watching him give dog food to a dog bigger than himself with his tiny hands... If that boy had grown up, he would have been as smart as Manager Choi.”
Yeon-hee was angry at the Chairman for bringing up the painful past, her eyes welling with tears, but President Song realized what the Chairman's words meant.
“Father...”
“It's alright. I was just reminiscing. When you get old, you become sentimental for no reason. When is the food coming? I've been using my head all day, and I'm starving.”
President Song quickly had a waiter bring out the prepared meal.
Afterward, while eating, Chairman Im asked Yeon-hee what she had studied abroad, who her friends were, and if she had faced any hardships.
Unable to understand why his heart had changed so suddenly, Yeon-hee simply answered his questions and ate.
After finishing his meal, Chairman Im silently rose from his seat and said.
“Take me there.”
President Song and Yeon-hee had their driver take their car alone and rode with Chairman Im Chang-ho in his.
Upon arriving at Shinchon Severance Hospital, Chairman Im Chang-ho took a few sips of warm honey water he had bought from the convenience store on the first floor to catch his breath, then went up to the VIP ward.
“I'm sorry, but the patient is asleep right now.”
At the nurse's words, Chairman Im said it was fine and quietly entered the hospital room.
Entering the room alone, Chairman Im sat down next to the sleeping former President Im Ji-hun.
Gently stroking his son's head and hands, Chairman Im murmured.
“Why are you so thin... You've lost so much weight. I'm sorry. Your father was too late. It was because of all the anger in my heart. You should have taken care of yourself. You should have rested when you were sick.”
He wasn't scolding his son.
He was scolding himself for not paying attention until his son had ended up in this state.
Chairman Im spent about an hour like that in the hospital room with his son.
*
A large sedan appeared in Samcheong-dong, where a drizzling rain was falling despite it being winter.
The large sedan, which had been gliding silently, stopped in front of a small eel restaurant, and a chauffeur opened an umbrella and then the back door.
“That’s enough. It’s right here, what’s with the umbrella...”
As the chauffeur gave an awkward laugh, Chairman Im Chang-ho went inside the restaurant.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Did you rent out the whole place?”
He asked because Yeonghun was the only customer in the restaurant.
“I thought you would prefer to dine quietly. And there are no private rooms here. I paid the owner more than a day's worth in advance.”
“Well done.”
As Chairman Im took a seat in the center, Yeonghun also sat down.
Then, as if on cue, the food was brought out.
“The eel will be grilled in the back and brought out.”
“Good, no smoke. Do you drink?”
“I don't particularly like it, but I drink according to the occasion.”
“You don't like to drink? I like that. They say there's no man who loves alcohol who doesn't also make his wife's life difficult. That was me.”
Chairman Im chuckled and raised his soju glass.
It was a gesture asking him to pour a drink.
Yeonghun quickly poured the soju, and after downing a glass, the chairman popped a piece of kimchi into his mouth as a side dish and asked.
“What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“By any chance, are you interested in the Gunsan shipyard?”
Chairman Im Chang-ho, who had been chewing, stopped abruptly.
“Why do you ask?”
“I'm asking if you'd be interested in taking it, if it were packaged nicely for you.”
Chairman Im straightened his posture.
Then, he wiped the benevolent smile from his face and spoke with a sharp gaze.
“I'm an old-fashioned man, so I don't care much for packaging. It's what's inside that matters.”
“But things that look good also taste good.”
“I'm saying that excessive packaging drives up the price.”
“If you start complaining before we even negotiate, the seller will just find another buyer.”
“You speak as if you already have the item in your hands.”
“They say that in this day and age, the distributor is more important than the producer. After all, don't the platforms that sell the music make more money than the people who create it?”
“So you don't have it, but you can sell it?”
“Yes.”
Chairman Im Chang-ho's throat suddenly felt dry.
Watching Chairman Im, who was now deep in thought, Yeonghun felt his palms sweat for the first time.
There wasn't much time.
Chairman Im didn't have much time left.
< The Leap of Hyunjin Construction (1) > End
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