A few days later.
The controversy surrounding the false smear campaign against InoPhone was quickly resolved.
The newspaper that had initially raised concerns published a correction along with a full exposé of the incident.
Meanwhile, renowned international media outlets and industry experts came forward to defend InoPhone, flipping the situation entirely in its favor. Rather than harming its reputation, the scandal only fueled the phone's popularity.
With that momentum, InoPhone was officially launched—only for a new problem to arise immediately.
This was an issue I had anticipated from the very beginning.
"Director, we're completely out of stock. Even with round-the-clock production in three shifts, we can't keep up with demand."
"You're saying we've sold out everything?"
"We've received over 300,000 orders from the U.S. alone. Europe has placed another 100,000 orders, and domestic sales in Korea are approaching 100,000 units as well."
Selling out 300,000 units immediately upon release?
This was happening even faster than I had expected.
"I can understand the U.S. numbers because of the population size, but Korea ordered 100,000 units too?"
"Since the product was recognized overseas, interest in Korea surged as well."
Was this a case of national pride?
Well, if I were a consumer and saw a Korean-made product gaining traction internationally, I'd be curious enough to buy one too.
Taewoo Electronics' smartphones were relatively unknown in the Korean market, but their success abroad had triggered a flood of domestic orders.
"Even if we run the factories at full capacity 24/7, it won't be enough to resolve the stock shortage."
"Absolutely impossible. At least two additional factories need to begin production just to meet current demand. If orders continue to increase, we'll have no way to handle it."
The factory manager looked utterly defeated.
They had never faced a situation where they couldn't sell products due to overproduction—now, they were struggling with the opposite problem.
"An emergency executive meeting has been called. I'll report this issue to the chairman and board members and find a solution."
"Please act quickly. Retailers are even showing up at the factories, demanding stock."
I got into my car and rushed to the group's headquarters.
Executive meetings had been happening frequently these days, and today's agenda was Park Jin-hoon.
The media had reported that Taewoo Electronics' leadership had deliberately spread false information. Those in the know understood that the mastermind behind it all was none other than President Park Jin-hoon.
In other words, today's executive meeting was essentially a formal execution for him.
The audit team had meticulously investigated Park Jin-hoon's actions, and with the testimonies from Reporter Park and Vice President Woo, there was no way for him to escape.
Was I enjoying this a little too much?
Before I knew it, I had arrived at the headquarters.
I walked straight into the conference room, where the meeting was already underway.
"Now that the research director has arrived, we can begin."
Had they been waiting for me?
Well, it was only natural that they couldn't proceed without me—after all, I was one of the key players in this entire incident.
The chief secretary swiftly initiated the meeting.
The audit team presented their findings and began pressing President Park Jin-hoon for answers.
The evidence was overwhelming, leaving Park Jin-hoon unable to offer even a proper excuse.
On top of that, Captain Kang had handed over his own collection of proof to the audit team, ensuring there was no shortage of incriminating material.
Still, Park didn't go down without a fight. His expression was full of indignation as he clung to the only excuse he could come up with.
"I was set up. I've never even met the journalist who spread the false information."
"The journalist himself claims you handed him the money. What nonsense are you spouting?"
Grandfather hurled a brown envelope at Park Jin-hoon.
It was the same envelope that had once been in Reporter Park's possession, which had then been passed to Grandfather—only to now be returned to its original owner.
"...."
"The audit team even traced the check numbers. The funds came directly from Taewoo Electronics. Are you really going to humiliate yourself further?"
"I swear, it wasn't me."
"I saw President Park take the envelope from the safe with my own eyes. He also personally ordered me to gather false materials."
Vice President Woo Sung-il stepped forward boldly.
Without so much as a blink, he betrayed the man he had loyally served for years.
"Woo Sung-il! What nonsense are you spouting? When did I ever do such a thing?"
"President Park Jin-hoon attempted to sabotage InoPhone in order to remove Director Kim Min-jae. He spread false information to the media to achieve that goal."
"Weren't you the one who met with the journalist?"
Even in the face of ruin, Park Jin-hoon refused to go down alone.
The moment he realized Vice President Woo had turned on him, he decided to take Woo down with him.
But could he?
Woo Sung-il had a safety rope wrapped tightly around him.
"If I may speak," I interjected. "Vice President Woo came to me the moment President Park issued an unreasonable order. Thanks to him, I was able to detect the false smear campaign against InoPhone in advance and take countermeasures."
That safety rope keeping Woo from sinking? That was me.
As the biggest victim in this entire ordeal, I was vouching for him—who would dare challenge that?
"Why did the vice president go to Director Kim instead of reporting directly to me?" Grandfather asked.
"I didn't want to burden you with internal matters, Chairman. Since Director Kim was directly involved, I believed it was appropriate to report to him first. I sincerely apologize for not informing you sooner."
"Tsk. So, the group is already rallying behind the next chairman, is it?"
"Not at all, Chairman. With your firm leadership, how could I ever think such a thing?"
"We'll set that matter aside for now. President Park, do you have anything else to say?"
No one in the executive boardroom dared to meet Grandfather's gaze.
Even I had never seen him look this terrifying.
As for Park Jin-hoon, he could only lower his head in silence.
"If it were up to me, I'd have you prosecuted. But I can acknowledge the years you dedicated to Taewoo Group. So instead, I'll give you a chance—leave quietly."
"Chairman! I still have much to contribute to Taewoo. Please, just one more chance!"
This was the crucial moment.
Even though Grandfather held absolute power, he couldn't ignore public sentiment.
And here, in the executive meeting, public sentiment was reflected in the voices of the board members.
"President Park's past contributions are recognized, but he's gone too far this time. Simply accepting his resignation isn't enough—we must investigate him thoroughly and recover any misappropriated funds."
"Leaking internal confidential information alone is enough to render him untrustworthy. I can no longer share the same space with him."
"I agree with President Park's dismissal. However, he must sign a non-disclosure agreement before leaving. If he did it once, he'll do it again."
The tide of public sentiment was shifting in my favor.
The executives who had previously claimed neutrality remained silent.
Instead, it was those who had once been part of President Park Jin-hoon's faction who raised their voices the loudest in condemning him.
That was to be expected—defectors always tend to be the most extreme.
Having shifted their allegiance from Park to me, these executives now engaged in a fierce competition to prove their loyalty, hurling accusations at their former leader.
As the situation unfolded, I turned my head toward Vice President Woo Sung-il.
He gazed back at me with eyes full of eager anticipation, like a dog waiting for praise.
"President Park Jin-hoon, report to the audit team immediately. I will send lawyers there as well—make sure to handle your exit properly."
"Ch-chairman…"
"Don't make this any uglier than it already is."
Grandfather turned his head away completely.
It seemed that even he found it difficult to discard someone who had once been his trusted right-hand man.
Meanwhile, Park Jin-hoon was dragged out of the conference room.
Watching him get hauled away like a condemned man on his way to the slaughterhouse, I felt an immense sense of relief.
Whoever said revenge was petty?
Seeing someone from my past-life hit list finally get what they deserved felt like a weight lifting from my chest.
"Let's move on with the meeting. Please report on the production issues regarding InoPhone."
The chief secretary smoothly transitioned the discussion to a new topic.
Grandfather finally turned back to look at me.
"All 300,000 units of InoPhone have been sold out. From the early development phase, I had requested additional factories, but President Park Jin-hoon refused, preventing us from producing enough inventory."
"Park Jin-hoon again? Just how many orders have we received for us to be facing such a shortage?"
"We need to produce at least 100,000 units per month to keep up. In particular, demand in the U.S. and Korea continues to surge exponentially."
Both Grandfather and the executives looked visibly shocked.
Who could have predicted that over 300,000 smartphones would sell out immediately upon release?
Moreover, instead of demand decreasing over time, it was only growing stronger—it was no wonder they struggled to hide their emotions.
"Managing this solely from the research lab will be overwhelming, won't it?"
"We would need at least two additional factories to meet even the bare minimum demand. However, our research team alone cannot oversee all of them."
"Then why not transfer InoPhone's production from the research lab to Taewoo Electronics?"
After all, the research lab and Taewoo Electronics were part of the same corporate group.
Now that Park Jin-hoon was gone, there was no real obstacle to the transition—but I still opposed the idea.
"Taewoo Electronics still has many employees loyal to Park Jin-hoon. If we move production there, we risk another internal conflict. It's not a viable option."
"Then we just need to purge any lingering traces of Park Jin-hoon, don't we? If you take over as the new president of Taewoo Electronics, wouldn't that solve everything? What does everyone else think?"
Grandfather had finally made up his mind—he was ready to appoint me as the president of Taewoo Electronics.
With all the conditions perfectly aligned, there was no obstacle to me taking over the position.
[That is an excellent idea. Just as Kim successfully reformed the smartphone division with InoPhone, I believe he can transform Taewoo Electronics' home appliance division into something even better.]
[Kim has already proven his abilities. Though he is still young, the public will accept his appointment as president, given InoPhone's success.]
[There is no one more qualified to lead Taewoo Electronics than Kim.]
With even the executives eagerly competing to express their loyalty, there was no longer any issue.
Seeing how things had progressed, Grandfather posed the question once again.
"What do you think about taking over as president of Taewoo Electronics, Kim Min-jae?"
"...."
I remained silent.
Silence is often taken as agreement, but Grandfather knew there had to be a reason for my hesitation.
"Hmm… Let's take a short break from the meeting. Everyone, take some time to use the restroom or grab a coffee. Kim, come with me."
Without a word, I followed him into his office.
The moment the door shut behind us, Grandfather's expression darkened, and he let out a sharp reprimand.
"Didn't you say you wanted the position of president? Then why did you keep your mouth shut?"
"Even if I take the position, would I truly have the authority to run Taewoo Electronics properly?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"I don't want to simply manage Taewoo Electronics—I want to take full ownership of it."
"So, you don't just want to be president… You want to be the owner?"
There was only one difference between a president and an owner.
Whether or not they held shares in the company.
Simply put, I was throwing a tantrum to get a stake in the business.