» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 272
[272] Snake's Head 5
"Who were all those people today?"
That was the first question a thoroughly terrified Chun Sangpil blurted out the moment he stepped into the officetel.
"They are employees who handle less savory tasks. They are very capable, so you don't need to worry about your family."
"Oh, where did my family go?"
His face was contorted with such utter terror that his usually artful pretense now seemed entirely an act.
"They've gone to Bali, Indonesia. I've made arrangements for them to rest for a few days at a beach resort, so please be at ease. One of my subordinates accompanied them, so they will ensure everything is comfortable there."
"Th-then what about me...?"
"Once your work here is done, you can go wherever you wish. I will send your family there."
Chun Sangpil's expression instantly twisted, and he cried out,
"Don't tell me you're holding my family hostage?!"
Had he watched too many movies? Or was his eldest uncle's threat truly that terrifying?
"Do you think I'm a mob boss? What nonsense about hostages... They've merely been evacuated due to a potential risk. They probably haven't even arrived at the airport yet; should I have the car turn back?"
"Ah, no. I seem to have misspoken."
"Given the circumstances, it's natural for all sorts of thoughts to cross your mind, but please calm down."
When I offered him a glass of whiskey, he gulped it down without breathing.
"Could you tell me what conversation you had with the Vice Chairman?"
"Vice Chairman Jin Younggi... That bastard started right off with threats."
Chun Sangpil recounted their conversation, brimming with indignation.
He was a man who possessed both wealth and power, and he was not one to hold back what he had. This time, he wielded his power.
When his story concluded, I spoke.
"Now, Attorney. What will you do?"
"Excuse me?"
"Make your decision. Everything, from what you will do with the shares."
He remained silent. When the silence ended, he asked me,
"How about you make a proposal, Team Leader? I will decide after hearing it."
Slander, threats, fear, safety, and greed.
With all these tangled together, he likely couldn't organize his thoughts.
Uncertain of the right decision, he was looking to me for a benchmark.
"I've already leaked information to the opposition party. This matter will come to light at most two days from now. Before then, I suggest we settle everything, and you leave this country."
"Settle... meaning the shares?"
"Yes. Can you convert them to real-name accounts within two days?"
"I could, but..."
There was only one reason for his faltering reply.
Money. No, in this case, it wasn't *just* about money.
The price of loyalty he'd dedicated his life to, the betrayal from his shattered trust in his grandmother, and the terror caused by his eldest uncle's threats.
Of course, he hesitated to release what he held in his hands, not having received compensation for any of this.
"Let's do this. If you join my side, I will give you 100 million dollars right away. Use that money to settle wherever you wish. Surely, you don't think that's insufficient for initial settlement funds, do you?"
"Ah, no."
"I will give you the rest as soon as the insurance money comes in. Have you made up your mind now? Even if I were to break my promise later, you'd still be a multi-hundred-billion-won asset holder. Do you need more time to consider?"
On one side: three years in prison and meager living expenses. On the other: a minimum of one hundred billion won.
Chun Sangpil was no fool. The immediate payment of the money would also be a factor accelerating his decision.
He opened the bag he had brought, spilled out all the thick folders, and opened his laptop.
"Let's look at the stock status first. I need to check some overseas accounts."
Rifling through the documents he had given me, I picked up the phone.
"Uncle, I need to use some of the Labuan funds now. Please prepare them."
Before Oh Sehyun's furious yell could erupt, I quickly hung up. I had many calls to make.
"Vice President Jang, I need you to come to my Yeouido officetel urgently."
I also instructed Assistant Manager Kim Yoonseok to be on standby from now on.
After finishing the calls, I confirmed with Chun Sangpil once more.
"You'll start converting the shares to real-name accounts tomorrow morning, right?"
"Yes. In the Team Leader's name..."
"No. The owner of those shares is someone else. I'll provide you with the personal details and necessary documents in the morning."
These were shares my grandmother had painstakingly accumulated.
I had no right to them.
* * *
Smack!
Smack!
Following a series of slaps, Vice Chairman Jin Younggi's shouts erupted.
"You idiotic bastards. What were you doing to let him get away?"
Apparently, slaps weren't enough to quell his anger, as punches and kicks followed.
Chief of Staff Baek Junhyeok, completely frozen, frowned at the violence.
"Oh, what's this? Frowning? Do you think this doesn't concern you right now? What exactly are you doing?"
As Jin Younggi's hand flew towards Chief Baek, he couldn't help but squeeze his eyes shut.
But feeling a light tap on his cheek, he opened his eyes.
"Do better. Huh? Just do a little better!"
"I apologize, Vice Chairman."
As Chief Baek bowed his head deeply, Jin Younggi spoke in a calmer voice.
"Go get that bastard, quickly. Just in case, deploy personnel at the airport."
The employees rushed out, and Jin Donggi, who had been contacted, appeared.
"He fled?"
"Yes. It seems a meddler has appeared, wouldn't you say?"
"Dojun's people?"
"Likely. At this point, Dojun is the only one who needs to look after that guy. After all, he was the biggest accomplice in Mother's crimes."
Despite losing an important figure, Vice Chairman Jin Younggi exuded confidence.
"Well, it doesn't matter if he fled overseas. He's facing criminal charges, so people will just assume he ran away."
"The shares are a bigger problem, aren't they? His whereabouts aren't that important, are they?"
"I've already set a trap for those guys working in Myeongdong. We'll get a call as soon as Chun Sangpil shows up."
Jin Younggi said, looking disapprovingly at his brother, who seemed nothing but worried.
"Chun Sangpil won't immediately side with Dojun either. He knows his life depends on those shares, so he won't hand them over right away. He'll hold onto them tightly until he figures out his own way out, watching the news. We still have time."
Seeing his brother only questioning everything, Jin Younggi continued,
"Now, let's review your homework. What happened with your meeting with Dojun?"
"It's unclear whether he knows about the nominee shares or not. However, he seems to be filled with hatred for our mother. For how she tormented his wife, the truck accident... But the spark, I think, was Mother's blatant actions to kick him out of the group. Anyway, Mother, as the lady of Sunyang, openly spreading rumors everywhere must have been a burden for him."
Jin Donggi meticulously recounted the conversation he had with Jin Dojun over drinks.
When his story ended, Jin Younggi's eyes gleamed.
"He doesn't know about the nominee shares?"
"It's not certain. You can't win against his slyness, after all."
"Perhaps we could even make it look like he orchestrated all of this to target the nominee shares."
"We should keep that possibility open."
Jin Younggi, who had been pacing the room, suddenly smiled.
"Hey, if this goes well, we might be able to wrap this up surprisingly easily, to the point of being anticlimactic!"
"What are you talking about?"
"We can just give Dojun what he wants and cover up this whole thing. Then Chun Sangpil won't have reason to press charges against him either. What do you think?"
"What?"
"It's true, isn't it? What that bastard Dojun wants is our mother's exile. Honestly, spending the rest of her life touring a few European villas wouldn't be bad for Mother, would it? And how much longer does she have to live?"
"Are you serious?! When people get old, they want to live on their homeland. Does it make sense for an elderly person to spend their remaining years in a foreign land, unfamiliar with the water and food?"
Jin Donggi roared, but Jin Younggi merely scoffed.
"Unfamiliar? Don't you know Mother acts like a French aristocrat? It's been ages since she touched doenjang jjigae or kimchi jjigae. Europe might feel more like home to her. She lived in Switzerland for seven years while Father was alive. You're worrying about everything for nothing."
Jin Donggi couldn't think of a retort. Looking back, his mother had indeed always seemed fed up with this land.
"So, if Mother just stays abroad, everything will be over. Isn't this the very definition of a win-win? We get the shares, Mother lives comfortably, Dojun gets his revenge, Chun Sangpil continues his ordinary life, and the Sunyang Arts Foundation keeps running smoothly as it is now. What's the need to stir up the world?"
Jin Younggi found his brother, still frowning, exasperating.
"Hey! Stop pretending to be so kind. Honestly, aren't you just annoyed by Mother's constant nagging? Aren't you?"
"So? Should I go to Dojun and tell him I'll make sure his grandmother never steps foot on Korean soil again if he just shuts up? What if he knows about the nominee shares? And what if his real goal is precisely those shares?"
"Then we'll crush him. So let's confirm it. What his true intentions are."
Jin Donggi was always bothered by this side of his brother. No, perhaps 'feared' was the more accurate word. To get what he wanted, he became utterly ruthless.
When focused solely on his target, his mind worked at an astonishing speed.
This was something Jin Donggi, who considered himself rational, could never emulate.
"I can't do it. I already spoke so aggressively to that bastard Dojun; how can I go back on my words? I told him to go all out, and now I have to sweet-talk him again?"
"Oh, that damn pride of yours... Alright, I'll do it. We need to hurry to prevent the opposition party's exposé, don't we?"
Jin Younggi unhesitatingly picked up the receiver.
* * *
When the phone first rang, I didn't answer it.
It was true that I was flustered, as I hadn't expected him to be so blatant.
But when it rang a second time, I answered without hesitation. Since he had already revealed his hostility through my second eldest uncle, there was nothing more to lose.
"Yes, Eldest Uncle."
—Oh, our Dojun. You must be very busy?
What was this now?
I had expected him to immediately shout in anger, but his voice was incredibly gentle, as if simply asking about my well-being.
Was he suppressing his anger? Or was he trying to coax me?
"Not at all. Please speak."
—That Chun Sangpil fellow you have with you, I won't demand you hand him over, so let's meet.
Why wouldn't he dispute that I had snatched Chun Sangpil?
As I hesitated, unable to answer, my eldest uncle's voice became even softer.
—Perhaps we can resolve this situation very neatly, I think. Don't be too scared; just come.
"Understood, Eldest Uncle. I will visit you early tomorrow morning."
This was also a way to buy time. Keeping him tied up tomorrow morning, while my people moved, wouldn't be a bad idea.
—Alright. Let's have breakfast together. Come to the house.
"No. The house is a bit uncomfortable. I will prepare a spot at Sunyang Hotel. Is that alright with you?"
—Alright. I'll be there by 8 o'clock.
"Yes. I'll see you tomorrow."
After ending the call, the gazes of Chun Sangpil, Jang Dohyung, Kim Yoonseok, and Executive Director Woo Byungjun all turned to me.
"It was Vice Chairman Jin Younggi; you don't need to worry about it."
But Chun Sangpil's eyes were wavering. He seemed worried that I might make some kind of agreement with Vice Chairman Jin Younggi and hand him back over.
"Attorney Chun. Please convert the shares to real-name accounts as quickly as possible tomorrow morning. Nothing has changed."
"Alright. I'll trust you. I don't really have a choice but to, after all. But whose name should the shares be under?"
"Lee Sehyun. I will prepare the relevant documents."
Everyone just blinked. They didn't seem to grasp who that was.
"Ah, she's my mother."
She was the daughter-in-law my grandmother hated the most, but by tomorrow, she would transform into the daughter-in-law my grandmother loved the most.
After all, she would be the one to inherit all her assets.