“No matter how much you shout about living diligently, no one’s really listening. There are countless people in this world who work hard yet barely make ends meet. Do you really want to waste your life struggling like that?”
“Isn’t struggling still better than doing nothing?”
His sincerity about not wanting any money was palpable.
“I heard Do-jun decided to give you three chances. You must have been quite hopeless for him to do that.”
“I’m just grateful for his generosity. What more can I say?”
Chairman Jin paused before continuing.
“Why didn’t you ask me for help earlier? With just a word from me, you could have been one of Do-jun’s people. But you turned down even that opportunity.”
“There’s nothing wrong with what you said, Chairman. I realized I was only holding Director Jin Do-jun back. Keeping someone who only drags you down is just pity, isn’t it? I don’t want to be in that position anymore.”
“You seem to have a good grasp of your situation. Fine. I won’t cast you aside. I’ll find you a suitable position so you can continue working at the company.”
Despite the kindness in his words, Kim Yoon-seok could only manage a bitter smile.
“Didn’t I just say? Please, no more pity.”
“Even a governor can refuse if he doesn’t want the job. I understand.”
Chairman Jin turned away, not bothering to offer again, even as a formality.
“Oh, there was something I wanted to ask you, but we got sidetracked.”
“Please, go ahead, Chairman.”
“That truck you stopped—do you think it was an accident?”
Kim Yoon-seok answered without hesitation.
“I’ve already discussed it with Director Jin Do-jun.”
Chairman Jin was taken aback by his response. So, he told his grandson, and I should hear it from him?
Clearing his throat, he opened the door to the hospital room.
“A man with a grudge, huh. Ha.”
The VIP room was well soundproofed.
I could only catch muffled voices from outside the room.
Grandfather glanced at me, chuckled, and walked back into the room.
“What did you talk about?”
“Nothing you need to know. But…!”
Suddenly, he stopped and lowered his voice.
“That guy said something to you about the accident, didn’t he? What did he say?”
An accident…
Manager Kim had kept his mouth shut with Grandfather. A wise move.
It means he trusts me with sensitive information and secrets, while he himself remains silent.
“He was cautious because he wasn’t sure. He suggested it might not have been an accident.”
“Not an accident?”
“Yes. He wasn’t certain, but he felt like the truck was waiting for us.”
Grandfather’s brow furrowed.
“Hmm…”
“It’s just a memory. Nothing definite.”
“Alright. I’ll handle it.”
I understood why he didn’t want to delve deeper. If it wasn’t an accident, it likely involved family. To break the awkward silence, I quickly changed the subject.
“What about Manager Kim Yoon-seok? Are we just leaving it like this?”
“I’ll take care of that too. I’ll make sure he becomes useful, so just wait. If he shows no potential, he’ll only be a burden to you.”
“Will you, Grandfather?”
“Yes. He has one good quality.”
“And what’s that?”
“Respect. It’s the first and most important condition for a subordinate to follow a superior. That guy respects you.”
Grandfather resumed his steps.
“He seems to have the basics down, so he needs to learn the job. If he lacks the aptitude, it won’t matter how well-grounded or qualified he is.”
Kim Yoon-seok is a lucky man.
With the chairman of Sunyang Group personally backing him, he’s been given a chance to grow rapidly.
Though it will be tough on both his body and mind.
Early Sunday morning, luxury sedans began arriving at Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki’s villa.
The people stepping out were all dressed for golf, but this was no golf course—it was a villa.
As they exchanged handshakes and disappeared into the villa, their expressions were far from matching the bright weather.
Unlike his guests, Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki greeted them with a broad smile.
“Sorry for the inconvenience. There are just too many eyes watching these days. Haha.”
After shaking hands with each person, he led them to a spacious dining table.
Once the dozen or so people filled the table, Vice Chairman Jin picked up his utensils.
“The water here must be good because the rice tastes different. Let’s eat.”
As they slowly ate breakfast, he broached the important topic.
“Have you confirmed what I mentioned?”
Jin Young-ki spoke without looking at anyone, focusing on his bowl, but it was clear who needed to answer.
“We’ve checked around Myungin University Hospital. The surgery was successful, and he’s healthy enough to be discharged.”
“What was the surgery for?”
“It was for the removal of a malignant brain tumor.”
At the mention of a malignant brain tumor, even the clinking of utensils ceased.
Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki was one of the few who heard the results first after the surgery. Bringing it up at this table had another purpose.
“But, Director.”
“Yes.”
“What are the chances of the malignant brain tumor recurring?”
The director of Sunyang Medical Center licked his lips.
“The brain is the most unpredictable area. Malignant tumors are called malignant because they always have a high chance of recurrence.”
“In my father’s case, what are the chances of recurrence?”
“For elderly patients, recurrence is always over 50%. The reason the probability is only half is… because they often pass away from old age before it recurs.”
No one at the table was unaware of why Vice Chairman Jin and the director were discussing this.
It was a clear indication that Sunyang’s founder, Chairman Jin Yang-cheol, didn’t have much time left.
“Director, you’ll need to keep a close eye on him. The chairman needs to live a long life.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best.”
Hearing this, Jin Young-ki looked up.
“Director, your secret to health is eating lightly, I see. Have you already finished?”
“What? Oh…”
The director put down his utensils and stood up from the table. His face was visibly crumpled, but what could he do?
He was only the opening act for the show, so it was natural for him to leave the stage before the main performance began.
Once the director left, Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki fiddled with his chopsticks and spoke.
“I’m sure all the presidents of Sunyang know the significance of the Joseon Rice Museum in Gunsan, right?”
The presidents exchanged glances and nodded.
“Recently, our chairman even took his grandson there. It’s all because of my shortcomings.”
A gasp was heard at the quiet table. Everyone could guess who the grandson was and what it meant.
Another successor had emerged.
The tense standoff between the two sons was now split into three.
“The chairman could pass away at any moment… Yet the group is shrouded in even thicker fog. The business situation is deteriorating, too.”
The presidents of the subsidiaries began to feel uneasy about the breakfast invitation. It seemed they were about to hear something they shouldn’t.
“I’ve gathered you here to clear away the fog and make the uncertain future a bit clearer.”
“Vice Chairman, if you’re talking about the succession structure, we only follow the chairman’s wishes.”
The most timid one spoke up, fearing that if this meeting leaked, they would fall out of favor with Chairman Jin.
“We will discuss the succession structure.”
Jin Young-ki’s voice grew firm as he glared at the frightened president.
“A kid who’s only twenty-one could end up with a third, maybe half, or even the entire group. All because of an old man’s misguided affection. Isn’t it natural to discuss this risk with the board of directors?”
“Vice Chairman, we’re not in a position to discuss the group’s overall management… We’re not even the main subsidiaries…”
“Each subsidiary has different sales and scales, but there’s a commonality, isn’t there? All subsidiaries hold shares of the group. Doesn’t your company hold shares in other companies too? Isn’t that right, President of Sunyang Electric?”
The subsidiaries held each other’s shares. The magic of cross-shareholding allowed Chairman Jin Yang-cheol to control the group with just 1.65% of the total shares.
“The CEO is the manager of the company. The final approval on official company documents is the CEO’s. Legally, the chairman and vice chairman don’t even exist. Isn’t that right?”
“Practical authority is more important than legal status. Don’t we get the chairman’s approval on confidential documents?”
The president of Sunyang Electric waved his hand dismissively, but Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki just smiled.
“Would you like to feel the authority you have?”
The vice chairman signaled to a man standing near the table.
The man took out a file and began distributing a sheet to each subsidiary president.
“The document lists the shares your company holds.”
They were well aware of this information, but the document contained more than just the share status. It was a contract.
“All you need to do is stamp your corporate seal. Then all the shares your company holds will be transferred to Sunyang Precision Machinery. Sunyang Precision Machinery will buy them all.”
Naturally, the largest shareholder of Sunyang Precision Machinery was Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki. It was an unlisted company and not very large.
“How about it? Selling the company’s assets is within the CEO’s authority. Do you now feel the power you hold?”
The breakfast they had barely touched felt like it was stuck in their throats. Despite the air conditioning blowing cold air, some presidents were sweating.
What if all the group shares held by the dozen subsidiaries gathered here were consolidated into one place?
Everyone was racking their brains, but no one could say for sure how the complex power structure would change. However, they all knew that Sunyang Precision Machinery Co. had enough clout to shake the entire group.
“V-Vice Chairman, approving this contract is overstepping your authority. Even if we had several lives, it wouldn’t be enough to save us.”
This wasn’t just the opinion of a president from a minor affiliate. Even the president of Sunyang Electronics, the group’s flagship company, would have said the same.
As the presidents’ anxious gazes fixed on Vice Chairman Jin Young-ki, he burst into laughter.
“Ha ha, come on now. Why the long faces already? I’m just reminding you of the power you hold. I’m not asking you to act immediately. When some wet-behind-the-ears kid starts playing chairman and throws a tantrum about splitting the group, that’s when you use your legitimate power. Understand?”
Everyone let out a sigh of relief, their hearts settling. The reckless idea of challenging the chairman, who ruled with eyes wide open, was now a problem for the future.
“Looks like my speech went on too long, and the stew and soup have gone cold. We’ll prepare them again, so please enjoy your meal.”
Before anyone could respond, Jin Young-ki swiftly rose and left the dining table.
The burden of worry was theirs to bear. If their deliberation dragged on, he could always force a decision with a mix of incentives and pressure.
An affiliate president was no different from a horse in a race.