A Light Jab to Start
But when has anything ever gone smoothly when you’re trying to kill two birds with one stone?
In the midst of acquiring land in Susaek-dong, Jin Young-jun was summoned by his father, Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi. He tossed aside his drink and rushed home.
The icy expression on his father’s face made his heart pound.
The atmosphere was tense enough that he was relieved he hadn’t drunk too much.
He quickly racked his brain, trying to recall if he’d made any recent mistakes, but nothing came to mind.
The ominous sign was his wife sitting beside his father in the living room.
Surely she hadn’t complained to his father about his frequent nights out?
She wasn’t that naive. Hadn’t she said herself that she’d never interfere in his private life?
“What have you been up to lately?”
His father’s voice was calm, which was worrying. When angry, he usually started by shouting.
“Nothing special. Why do you ask?”
“I heard you’re going around buying land. Is that true?”
In an instant, the faces of those involved in the land deal flashed through Young-jun’s mind.
Who could have blabbed?
“Why aren’t you answering? Is it true, or just a rumor?”
“Ah, Father. Let me explain.”
“Explain? So it’s not just a baseless rumor, then?”
For the first time, Young-jun felt grateful for being married.
If he were still single, his father would have slapped him before starting any conversation. But with his daughter-in-law watching, his father’s trembling hand stayed put.
“Fine. Explain. Let’s see if it makes any sense.”
“I told you I had a good talk with Do-jun, right?”
“Yes, you said he was quite fond of you and that you two hit it off.”
“Yes. That’s where this all started.”
Young-jun recounted the events of that night once more, this time including the details about the Digital Media City and the land, which he’d omitted before.
When he finished, Vice Chairman Jin’s expression was even colder.
“So, according to you, you’re pouring money into land based on what Do-jun said. Is that right?”
“No, Father. I verified it myself. I confirmed it with what Uncle said at his inauguration, and Do-jun reiterated it. Finally, I double-checked with a city official. The development is certain.”
Vice Chairman Jin suddenly turned to his daughter-in-law.
“When did you find out about this?”
“What?”
Hong So-young had never seen her father-in-law so angry. It was too late to feign ignorance; she knew her face was already pale without needing a mirror.
“Did you also buy land with your money?”
”…Yes.”
“Based on what he said?”
Her father-in-law pointed at her husband, who was biting his lip.
“Yes. But I also confirmed it, Father.”
“Did you have your journalist friends check it out? Did they confirm it?”
“Yes. Everyone who needs to know already knows. It’s confirmed for Sangam-dong in Mapo and Susaek-dong in Eunpyeong. The land prices are already rising.”
“Where did you get the money? Did you borrow it from your family?”
”…Yes.”
She nodded, though it was more of a gift than a loan.
“So your family knows too. I bet they’ve bought up a lot of land as well.”
She couldn’t lift her head, knowing her father-in-law was right.
How was this any different from siphoning money from her in-laws to give to her own family?
Information is money in this era, after all.
“You two really are a perfect match. Tsk tsk.”
Feeling his father’s disdainful gaze, Young-jun’s suppressed defiance flared up.
“Father, the information is accurate. And isn’t making money from development news nothing new? I don’t understand why you’re so upset.”
“You… you brat. Still!”
Slap—!
Vice Chairman Jin’s hand finally came down. Despite his resolve not to hit his grown, married son, his foolishness was too much to bear.
“You idiot. What money did you use to buy the land? If you used your own assets as collateral for a loan, I wouldn’t care if you lost it all. If you’d stopped there, I might have turned a blind eye.”
Young-jun closed his eyes, grimacing.
“Damn, he found out everything.”
“You even used company funds… siphoning from dozens of subsidiaries? You even took advances from the construction division? Are you out of your mind?”
Vice Chairman Jin couldn’t raise his voice.
Everyone in this family had dipped into company funds like it was their personal piggy bank more than once.
He himself had done it dozens, if not hundreds, of times and still did.
But his son’s case was different. He should have taken only what he could handle, but the amount was already in the hundreds of billions.
If things went wrong and that money disappeared, it could be embezzlement at worst.
But the look on his son’s bowed head infuriated Vice Chairman Jin. His son’s protruding lips said it all.
The land prices are rising, and the profit from the sale will cover it, so what’s the problem?
“Listen carefully. Do you think your grandfather doesn’t know what I know? Do you know why he hasn’t said anything?”
“Grandfather too?”
Seeing his son more afraid of his grandfather than himself hurt his pride, but he couldn’t show it. It’s only natural to fear the one with real power.
“If the end is good, he won’t make an issue of it. He’s the type to overlook a messy process.”
Seeing his son’s face brighten, it was clear he was confident the speculation would succeed.
“Since the die is cast, I won’t say more. But if things don’t end well, don’t come begging me to save you. You’ll have to take responsibility.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll be a grand finale.”
Seeing his son thump his chest with confidence, Vice Chairman Jin sighed.
It was like looking at his younger self.
The “New Seoul Town Development Plan,” also known as the Digital Media City project, was quietly announced by the city, but the construction industry was abuzz with excitement.
It was a massive undertaking to build large buildings on 170,000 pyeong of land, a construction site that wouldn’t stop for over a decade.
Coincidentally, the son-in-law of the chairman of Sunyang held the reins, so construction companies couldn’t easily step forward.
Only Daehyeon Construction was actively lobbying to secure a spot.
“I had brain surgery, and you didn’t even visit, but now that there’s money to be made, you want to have lunch? Isn’t that a bit too obvious?”
“The old man has a long life. He should’ve kicked the bucket in the operating room, what a shame. Haha.”
“If I go first, how will you endure the lonely years alone? You need me to keep you company. Haha.”
Chairman Jin raised his glass, and Daehyeon Group’s Chairman Joo Young-il gave him a curious look.
“Can you drink?”
“I’ll just watch you drink, that’s all I can do in this state.”
“Just keep it on. Seeing that scar will ruin the taste of the drink.”
When Chairman Jin tried to show his surgery scar, Chairman Joo quickly waved his hand.
“By the way, about that car accident. Did they catch the real culprit?”
Chairman Joo asked casually as he brought his glass to his lips.
“You have sharp ears. How did you know about that?”
Chairman Jin frowned. He’d silenced the police, but Daehyeon’s information network was hard to avoid.
“Just divide it up and distribute it evenly. That’s the easiest way.”
Chairman Joo pretended not to hear and made an unrelated comment, but Chairman Jin understood. Just as he suspected his own children, Chairman Joo seemed to have guessed the cause of the accident.
“Is that why you split everything up?”
Chairman Joo had nearly completed the succession process for Daehyeon Group. He divided the company among his children based on their birth order and abilities, maintaining the Daehyeon name.
“Do I have too many sons?”
“That’s something to brag about! You should’ve stuck with one woman. Why were you so into women?”
Chairman Joo had seven sons, all from three different women.
“When you suddenly come into money after having nothing, women just appear. Haha.”
Chairman Joo laughed awkwardly but wasn’t embarrassed.
“It’s better to back one horse. If you divide it, after you’re gone, they’ll fight to take it all. You’re just making them stab each other to keep your peace of mind.”
Chairman Jin criticized, but Chairman Joo seemed unfazed.
“That’s their problem. I won’t be watching from the afterlife, so why should I care if they fight?”
“You old rascal. Tsk.”
Chairman Joo drank, and Chairman Jin picked at his food in silence. It was Chairman Jin who broke the silence.
“Don’t eye the project my son-in-law is handling. It’s not for us.”
“Really? You’re not in on it either?”
“Right. We have to consider the political climate. This time, it’s for the smaller companies. We can survive without it, but there are companies lined up to be revived by this project. They’ll take it. The Blue House knows this, which is why they approved it.”
Chairman Joo emptied his glass with a look of regret.
“Well, if I want to pick up the crumbs, I’ll need your permission.”
“Then don’t drool over it and wait quietly. I’ll make sure you get a piece, so don’t make a fuss.”
Chairman Jin spoke magnanimously, and Chairman Joo put down his glass with a satisfied smile.
“I’ll cover the drinks today.”
“Of course, you should.”
Chairman Joo observed Chairman Jin’s expression before speaking up.
“By the way, I’ve heard rumors about your son-in-law. They say he’s planning to run for president after his four-year term as mayor of Seoul. Are you backing him?”
“President? Not a chance! That guy’s just a puppet for his wife. Without her, he couldn’t even manage a meal, let alone dream of the Blue House!”
“What does that matter? It’s the people who vote, after all. If he gets some media attention and his popularity rises, it’s not such a far-fetched dream. If he starts preparing now, his chances could be quite high.”
Chairman Jin shook his head firmly.
“That will never happen. His political career will end after his four years of playing mayor. But why is our Chairman Joo so interested in someone else’s family affairs?”
“I’m just asking out of curiosity. Wouldn’t it be a big deal if the son-in-law of Sunyang Group became president? If he starts targeting Daehyun Group, we wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
“Heh. If he becomes president, Daehyun would be second on the list. Sunyang would be first.”
“Of course. Your daughter seems quite ambitious.”
“She’s our only child, and we spoiled her too much. Her ambitions have grown too big.”
“Then you should divide and share it quickly!”
Chairman Jin could only manage a wry smile at Chairman Joo’s teasing.
“Enough of this nonsense. Let’s get going.”
“Oh dear, I’ve kept an old man with a frail body here for too long. You go ahead. I have someone else to meet here.”
“If you’ve given everything to your children, just live quietly as an old man in the back room. Don’t make a fuss.”
“As long as I’m alive, I have to work. I need to earn my keep.”
Chairman Joo gave Chairman Jin a gentle pat on the back as he left the room.
“It’s tough to be old and sick. Take care of yourself.”
Chairman Jin nodded, acknowledging Chairman Joo’s words of advice, and left.
Once Chairman Jin was gone, Chairman Joo Young-il opened the door to the adjacent room where he had been dining with Chairman Jin.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting so long, Mayor Choi. I’m sorry.”
Despite Chairman Joo’s greeting, Mayor Choi Chang-jae of Seoul remained seated with a stern expression, not moving an inch.