» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
Reborn Rich - Chapter 221
[221] Get Caught 1
"I wasn't just talking about acquiring non-business real estate. I'm suggesting this as another possible approach. At the very least, our HW Group should not exploit this national disaster for profit, but rather project an image of doing its utmost for recovery. To both the government and the public."
The construction president, listening to my opinion, carefully opened his mouth. He wanted a definitive answer from Miracle, the owner of the group.
"Is CEO Oh of the same mind? Can we truly forgo profit?"
"Of course."
Oh Sehyun nodded.
"However, there's one thing we absolutely cannot miss. We must elevate HW Group's prestige beyond the profits we forgo. An effect commensurate with what could amount to hundreds of billions of won. That's the core."
The construction president's face brightened.
If they returned profits to society, they could secure a very advantageous position in tenders. And besides, wouldn't it be the CEO himself who gets to make a show of it in front of reporters?
"Please come up with every idea you can, within the scope of not incurring losses. That will bring us more than immediate profit."
Oh Sehyun winked at me and stood up.
"Let me know as soon as you have results."
As we stood, executives from other affiliates, excluding construction, also rose. They had to restart their plans from scratch.
I left the meeting room and waited for President Jo Daeho of Motors.
"President, I have something to tell you."
"Alright. I need to borrow some of your ideas too. Let's go to my office. CEO Oh, do you have a moment?"
President Jo Daeho looked at Oh Sehyun, who smiled and shook his head.
"Speak with this guy. I'm practically useless. Heh heh."
Oh Sehyun quickened his steps, just in case he got caught.
"What? What's wrong with him?"
"I'll explain once we're there."
I took President Jo Daeho's arm and headed to his office.
Drinking a cup of tea, I checked the news reporting typhoon damage. Perhaps due to the media's race for breaking news, damage figures of three trillion, even four trillion won, were occasionally being announced.
"Considering what you said in today's meeting, our Motors division can't just stand by, can it?"
"No. We need to show a completely different approach from Daehyun Motors."
"How?"
"First, call all customers in the Gyeongnam and Gangwon regions who have purchased our vehicles."
"And then?"
"Conduct free inspections and repairs. Even for customers who say they're fine. They'll be grateful to us for taking good care of them."
"Inspections are no burden, so that's fine. But free repairs will cost a lot. Even if it's within the free A/S period, natural disasters aren't covered, are they?"
President Jo Daeho seemed intent on clarifying the cost aspect. He wanted a definitive answer from me.
"I'm thinking of something even more."
"Even more?"
"Yes. Collect all flooded vehicles that are beyond repair and give them new cars."
"Whoa!"
I calmed President Jo, who was jumping up and down, with a smile.
"It's nothing. Our Isquillo isn't a bestseller, so the number of cars sold isn't that high. Moreover, we're talking about the Gyeongnam and Gangwon regions. As you know, most sales happened in the metropolitan area. It won't be many units."
President Jo, after a moment of thought, pressed the intercom.
"Bring me the regional sales status."
He remained silent while the secretary brought the relevant documents and he checked them. President Jo, having meticulously reviewed them, let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. Let's do it. Before that, let's distribute a press release. This will cause a stir when it hits the news. Heh heh."
"No. We shouldn't distribute the information to the media first."
"What? You mean we'll do this secretly?"
"Yes. We must do it secretly. Covertly."
"That's absurd! We're even doing free replacements. That'll easily cost tens of billions of won. We should at least get promotional effect commensurate with that amount. Didn't CEO Oh himself say that the losses incurred would be recouped by enhancing the group's image?"
"President, that's..."
Thinking about tens of billions of won being thrown away, he didn't give me a chance to speak.
"No. This needs to be publicized. Are we religious figures? To let our left hand not know what our right hand is doing?"
"Of course not. Good deeds should be known by everyone."
"Then why are you saying we shouldn't distribute a press release?"
"President. Good deeds shouldn't be announced; they should be discovered."
"What?"
He blinked, as if he hadn't quite grasped the precise meaning.
"These days, there are no secrets. Isn't this an era where the internet reveals everything? Even the president of the new administration openly says he won the election because of the internet. Even if we don't step forward, those who receive free replacements will be excited and spread the word for us."
"Ah..."
"We only need to focus on kindness. Then our good deeds cannot help but be discovered. The media will also surely report it even more prominently. When we hand out press releases and ask them to publicize it, will they do it for free? These days, the media reports internet buzz more prominently than official press releases."
President Jo let out a hollow laugh and said,
"Oh, dear... I'm getting old, I can't keep up with how the world works anymore."
"While construction needs to announce our intentions to get good results in bids, Motors is different. Being discovered, rather than announced, will appear far more sincere and spread more widely and exaggeratedly."
"Right. Don't announce it, let it be discovered. I'll prepare based on that principle."
President Jo, with a satisfied expression, suddenly spoke as if remembering something.
"Oh, by the way, what's up with CEO Oh? Is something going on?"
"Well, the truth is..."
I honestly recounted the conversation I'd had with Oh Sehyun. Upon hearing about his decision to retire, President Jo Daeho couldn't hide his incredulity.
"What! Isn't fifty the age when a man really starts getting things done? I'm past sixty and I've never even thought about retiring... Is that guy out of his mind? Why would he let that brilliant mind go to waste?"
"What can we do? He said it's something he's always dreamed of, so it's not something we can stop him from doing."
President Jo's expression became even more awkward than before.
"This is a big problem. Chairman Song Hyun-chang also announced to the presidents that he would retire at the end of this year... I had thought of CEO Oh Sehyun as the next chairman of our group. He certainly has the qualifications, doesn't he?"
"Is that just your thought, President? Or the entire board of presidents'?"
"All the presidents think that way. In fact, we thought Chairman Song and CEO Oh were in agreement."
"Then what should we do?"
"What? Chairman Song's successor?"
"Yes. If you, President, were considering it..."
I subtly probed... No. Before I could even finish speaking, he waved his hand.
"Not me."
"You lack nothing, do you? Your modesty is excessive."
"No. You trust your grandfather Chairman Jin's judgment, don't you?"
"Yes."
Why bring up my grandfather all of a sudden?
"He made a diagnosis. He said I'm a man who digs one well, not one who can manage a river. That's why he placed me in Motors and didn't interfere much. The chairman's seat is unthinkable for me. Find someone else."
The problem is, there's no one else.
The two of us fell silent, staring only at the TV, which was broadcasting news of the typhoon damage.
* * *
When I hurried to the Sunyang headquarters, everyone was in a meeting, wearing somber expressions.
It was natural that their heads would be throbbing, considering the insurance payouts they had to make.
In particular, the president of Sunyang Fire's expression was the most serious.
This was because he was responsible for the wind and flood insurance, a product that compensated for losses incurred from typhoons, heavy rains, floods, strong winds, earthquakes, and so on.
Seeing me, who had joined the meeting late, they became even more tense, but offered no further opinions.
However, I refrained from saying a single word about cutting down on insurance payouts. Instead, I alleviated their pressure by telling them to do their best to ensure no one who suffered damage felt slighted, and then I left the meeting room first.
Vice President Jang Dohyung caught my eye and quietly followed me.
Facing Vice President Jang Dohyung in my office, I said,
"What I said in the meeting room was not empty words. So, please relay that they shouldn't make any baseless speculations. They must not try to avoid paying insurance claims by making this excuse or that."
"Yes. I'll make sure to nail that down firmly."
"And please make a donation in the name of Sunyang Financial Group."
"I was already planning to do so. Calls from the three major broadcasters and newspapers are already pouring in."
This is also a competition.
The disaster relief fundraising effort stemmed from media outlets competing to flaunt their influence.
Distributing it evenly would prevent any complaints. However, the moment the amount is divided, it disperses the funds, which isn't a good option for a corporation.
"By the way, Director. Are we making this donation independently? Wouldn't a donation also have to be made in Sunyang Group's name?"
"Just make the donation first under the financial group's name. Then everyone else will handle it themselves. If it's made under the entire group's name, we'll just be overshadowed. Sunyang Electronics would obviously stand out, and we should avoid such a foolish move."
"Vice Chairman Jin Yeonggi will be furious..."
"I'll handle that. Don't worry, just go for it."
"Yes. Then, how about by media outlet..."
"Leave out the media outlets. Let's donate to the Disaster Relief Headquarters. A big single contribution stands out more than several small ones."
"Understood. How much should it be?"
"Five billion won should be enough, right?"
He seemed a little surprised but nodded lightly. Given that Daehyun Group as a whole donated three billion won, this amount is enormous considering our corporate scale.
"It's more than enough. Understood. And are there any other instructions?"
"Do you happen to know a trustworthy reporter?"
"A reporter?"
"Yes. A reporter who won't prematurely wield their pen and who has decent writing skills."
"I'll check with the PR team. But why are you asking?"
"I plan to make a personal donation, and I'd like it handled anonymously."
A smile spread across the quick-witted Vice President Jang Dohyung's face.
"You're thinking of creating a heartwarming story, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Donating anonymously, and then a few days later, that trustworthy reporter breaks the story. Is that right?"
"Exactly. Haha."
"But Director. For a heartwarming story to become news, the amount needs to be somewhat large... How much are you planning to donate?"
"Wouldn't fifty billion won be newsworthy?"
"F-fifty billion won?"
Seeing his widened eyes, I added another remark.
"Is that not enough? Should I raise it to one hundred billion won?"
"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just so much."
"It only has an effect if everyone's jaws drop, just like your reaction now, Vice President. A paltry sum will only earn us scorn for merely showing off. When you really go for it, you need to add another zero to the anticipated amount for the effect to explode."
"This isn't just an 'effect,' is it? If this news breaks, it'll overshadow the typhoon reports."
"That's precisely what I want. I need to make sure people don't say that a twenty-something is playing at being a chaebol chairman just because he met a good grandfather. I need to completely transform this image into that of a respectable business leader who truly practices what is known as Noblesse Oblige."
The invisible support of the people in the fierce succession battle that will unfold later. That is what I desire.
Government agencies and banks are also major shareholders in Sunyang Group.
They, too, will eventually have to choose sides among the three of us. At that time, wouldn't they be entities unable to ignore public opinion?
"This won't just change our image; I expect widespread praise."
"Even better then."
"This donation will also go to the Disaster Relief Headquarters, right?"
"That's right. If we favor one media outlet, would the others write about it? They might even criticize it as a fixed game, calling us out for conspiring..."
"Understood. I'll make sure to create a proper heartwarming story."
Vice President Jang Dohyung couldn't hide his excitement, as if he had been entrusted with a top-secret mission.