» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 225
[225]No Room for Complacency 2
No sooner had the news broken that Chairman Joo Gwangshik would inject one hundred billion won of his personal funds into Daehyun Card than the creditor banks also approved one hundred billion won in emergency financial support.
It was certain that Chairman Joo Gwangshik could now breathe a sigh of relief.
He wasn't so petty as to sell off a credit card company just to save one hundred billion won from his own pocket. The fact that he had even discussed an acquisition, despite such a straightforward solution being available, clearly pointed to some other ulterior motive.
"They said they've reached a dramatic settlement with the bank creditors."
Vice President Jang Dohyung, who had rushed out to confirm the news as soon as it broke, even recounted rumors that were difficult to verify.
"At first, he boasted loudly that he could resolve it easily, but he kept procrastinating with one excuse after another. It seems he finally decided to contribute his personal funds after the creditors' final warning."
"Surely that boast didn't mean he'd sell the company, did it?"
"He boasted he would pull funds from Daehyun Motors."
Chairman Joo Taesik of Daehyun Motors, helping his younger brother?
That was harder to believe than if the greedy Nolbu had helped the kind Heungbu.
I pondered why Chairman Joo Gwangshik had made such a boast, then shook my head.
I decided not to dwell on the affairs between those brothers, or why he tried to involve Miracle Investment.
Now was the opportune time for business expansion.
LG Card, which had reached the peak of its external growth last year by becoming the first in the nation to surpass ten million cumulative customers, was now beginning to scream for help.
It was the result of issuing cards with just a single signature, without even a credit check. Among its cardholders were not only the unemployed but also high school students.
Having been driven to the brink of bankruptcy by accumulated bad debts, LG Card had now requested public funds from the government.
They had played their last cards—relinquishing management rights and applying for a workout program—and were now simply awaiting the government and creditors' decision. Meanwhile, the government and creditors were discussing whether to inject a whopping two trillion won in public funds.
Thus, the credit card market was a time when collapse and reconstruction were occurring simultaneously, and fortunately, Sunyang Card had already preemptively secured its position for reconstruction.
Just as I hadn't coveted Daehyun Card, I would similarly watch LG Card's struggles as if spectating a fire at someone else's house.
Wasn't this the company Shinhan Bank would acquire a few years later, pouring in a whopping seven trillion won? I felt no need to mobilize such an enormous sum now.
Even by investing just one-hundredth of that money, I could sufficiently distinguish myself in the collapsed credit card market.
In chaotic times like these, it wasn't too late to discard arrogance and move forward cautiously, one step at a time.
* * *
The greatest turmoil, however, was in the political sphere.
With the general election approaching next year, the political landscape had begun to violently fluctuate.
The President attempted reforms by founding a new political party, while the remaining faction became an opposition party even more formidable than the original.
The ruling party began as a super-mini third party in the National Assembly, and with the opposition holding the majority, the opposition bloc spared no means or methods to secure victory in next year's 17th general election.
In particular, they began to pressure the President and the ruling party by raising the issue of presidential election funds, an inevitable weakness for anyone. All while unknowingly setting a boomerang in motion that would cost them their own heads....
Illegal presidential election funds were the most concerning issue.
I, too, had contributed illegal presidential election funds. While other chaebols were brimming with loyal subordinates ready to take the fall for election law violations, I had no such loyalists.
If the media mentioned my name and decisive evidence emerged, it would be I, myself, standing on the prosecutor's office photo line.
I had no one to put forward in my stead, nor did I want to do such a thing.
Noah's Ark was built during fair weather, before the rain came, and there's also the saying, "Better safe than sorry."
I quietly called Managing Director Woo Byungjun to my home.
"There's one thing I need to confirm."
"Tell me, Director."
"Regarding the last presidential election, please trace the election funds I prepared and delivered."
"Why that, suddenly...?"
"Hasn't the political sphere slowly begun its negative campaigning and mudslinging? The opposition, in particular, seems to be stirring up trouble, even mentioning a special prosecutor to investigate election funds. I don't want any trace concerning me to emerge. Managing Director, please reverse-trace those funds, and if any trace of me appears, erase it."
Managing Director Woo Byungjun blinked a few times, then asked again.
"Does 'erase' also include people?"
Erase people?
I couldn't close my gaping mouth for a while at those astonishing words. Seeing me react this way, Woo Byungjun subtly smiled.
"It seems you've misunderstood. You might have watched too many movies..."
"E-Erase? What do you mean?"
"It means erasing them from Korea. It means sending them abroad until the current issues subside. Surely you didn't think I meant killing them to silence them?"
"My apologies. I seem to have watched too many movies. Haha."
I tried to dispel the awkwardness with a laugh, but it wasn't easy. Woo Byungjun, however, didn't seem to mind.
"You said at the time that tracing those funds would be impossible, didn't you? That it was money that had gone through several cycles in the US."
"Yes."
"So, I just need to confirm if those funds can indeed be traced?"
"Exactly. Just take a look."
"You confidently stated it was impossible, but are you uneasy?"
"Just in case."
"Understood. I'll look into it. But..."
Managing Director Woo Byungjun looked straight into my eyes and spoke slowly.
"Who saw the cash back then? Especially the person who brought the money to the officetel."
"I told you they were trustworthy. There's no problem on that front."
"This is a fight between political parties ahead of the general election. They'll throw themselves into it with their lives on the line, pouring all available resources into the fray. That includes prosecutors and police. If they target you, Director, they'll start with those around you. If they thoroughly investigate and threaten those close to you, loyalty and trust will shatter more easily than a wine glass. That's just how people are."
This man must have witnessed countless betrayals. He saw everything through a negative lens, first and foremost.
Yet, he failed to realize the contradiction in his own words.
"The person who packed the money and delivered it from the officetel back then was none other than you, Managing Director. So, should I also look at you with suspicion?"
Perhaps it was unexpected, but he couldn't answer immediately.
After a long silence, he nodded his head.
"I see. While telling me not to trust even those who have spent a long time with you, Director, I, myself, haven't quite shown you my trust."
"That's not necessarily what I mean. My trust in you, Managing Director, will also solidify with time. I'm not rushing it."
He closed his mouth again. He was a person whose thoughts were utterly difficult to guess.
"I think we need to shorten the time somewhat. Truthfully, Director, I've grown to like you."
Wearing a rare smile, he took out his mobile phone from his pocket.
He opened the phone, fiddled with it, then showed me his address book.
"This is Chief of Staff Lee Hakjae's number. I will delete it."
Without giving me a chance to say anything, he deleted it.
"And this is Chairman Jin's number. I will delete it."
"M-Managing Director. Th-that..."
It was already too late. He had already deleted both numbers.
"I don't answer numbers not saved in my phone. How's this for a gesture?"
He might still remember the phone numbers of those two important people. If not, he could simply go to the company and check again. In a way, it was nothing much.
But this man was clearly trying to make a symbolic gesture to earn my trust. Hadn't he shown his willingness to carry out only my orders?
As he said, he had significantly shortened the time it took to build trust. Was it my turn to reciprocate?
"The one who procured the money was CEO Oh Sehyun of Miracle Investment. And the person who brought it to the officetel was an employee."
Managing Director Woo Byungjun smiled again.
"I'm well aware of your relationship with CEO Oh. He is a trustworthy person. But the employees..."
"I'll send them to the US within this week. If I send them to Miracle Investment's New York headquarters under the guise of training, they'll like it too. Once next year's general election is over and things quiet down, I'll call them back."
"Since you're so quick and thorough, I don't think there's anything to worry about, but just in case, I will retrace the funds you instructed me to."
Woo Byungjun quietly rose from his seat.
"Is there anything else you'd like me to do?"
"May I ask you one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"Earlier, about 'erasing people,' does that 'surely not' also include... the actual, permanent kind of erasing?"
Silencing them by killing—had that truly never happened?
"Is there anyone you need me to kill?"
His talent for flustering people was truly extraordinary. As I, speechless, let out a hollow laugh and shook my head, Managing Director Woo laughed too and left.
* * *
"You can go now. It's not like I'm immigrating, why come all this way?"
"You rascal. Just by looking at your luggage, it looks like you're immigrating. How many bags does a guy who says he'll be back in three months possibly need?"
"My wife packed them. She says she's going to settle down there permanently."
As December arrived, Oh Sehyun packed his bags as if he had been waiting for this moment.
My father also took time out of his busy schedule to come to the airport and see him off.
He believed that Oh Sehyun had looked after his son in his stead, and for a whopping ten years at that.
So, it was natural for him to come to the airport to see off such a friend departing for abroad.
"Anyway, you settle down well there too. I'll be visiting soon."
"You, to Kotakinabalu? Do you have time to visit? You, a guy who can't even manage to take a vacation?"
"I'm going to shoot a program there. This guy keeps pestering me to promote the resort. He even offered to cover the production costs, so I'm scheduling it for next year. Thanks to that, I'm subtly getting involved too."
"That's great. Bring plenty of famous people. I'll treat everyone to a grand feast. Hehehe."
The two men continued to exchange only lighthearted jokes.
They didn't use any words that might evoke farewell. They knew that once this moment passed and a few months went by, it wouldn't truly be a farewell.
Parents shed tears watching their daughter marry and leave, but after the short period of the wedding and honeymoon, when they resume contact, they realize it wasn't a true farewell.
The two men knew this fact well.
I knew it well too.
In my previous life, when I went to the army, my mother cried profusely, but with my frequent leaves, she seemed to even forget that her son was a soldier.
"When you go to Kotakinabalu, please get some exercise. The resort's fitness center is really well-designed, isn't it?"
"Stop nagging. If you go to a place with good air and sunshine, you'll get healthy even without exercising."
Oh Sehyun poked my side.
"More than that, you'll be healthier if you just don't send me emails. Don't make me worry about unnecessary things. Understood?"
"I'll send reports every day. Hehehe."
"You're messing around."
My father said to Oh Sehyun, who was smiling brightly at me.
"Go on in. Your wife is waiting."
"Hey, you! Watch your manners! She's my wife, not your younger brother's wife! You're two years younger than me!"
My father laughed and pushed Oh Sehyun inside.
Oh Sehyun, entering the departure gate, kept looking back and waving.
Just as his figure completely disappeared, I barely managed to hold back the tears that threatened to burst forth.
If my father hadn't been there, I would have cried profusely.
"Let's go. Oh, right, do you have to go to the company?"
"No. Today, I'll go home and have dinner for the first time in a while. I'll call Hyung Sangjun too. Let's all gather as a family for a cozy time after so long."
"Are you finally growing up? Seeing Sehyun go far away makes you want to be more filial? Hehehe."
As my father laughed and was about to put his arm around my shoulder, my mobile phone rang loudly.
"Huh? What's up with this old man?"
"Who is it?"
"The hospital director. Did another VIP get admitted?"
My father took the call, tilting his head in confusion.
"Yes, Director. This is Jin Yoonki."
Perhaps because the airport was noisy and he couldn't hear well, he covered his other ear with his hand.
"Huh? Who...? What?!"
Suddenly, the mobile phone dropped with a thud from my father's pale, shocked hand.