“How much did you say?”
“Well… it’s, um, fourteen billion won.”
“You blew that much on stocks?”
Chairman Jin frowned at his daughter, who couldn’t even lift her head.
“I gave you a department store, and you gambled away the money meant for the tenants on stocks? Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m sorry, Father. I was under so much pressure to manage the funds that I thought it was the only way…”
“You think life is that easy? Do you think management funds just roll around in Yeouido?”
“Father, even Sunyang Electronics invested in that company. That’s why I trusted it…”
Jin Seoyun stopped her excuses under her father’s piercing gaze. She knew that if she pushed any further, she might be thrown out with nothing.
“Aren’t you already separate from the Sunyang Group? Is it sensible to just follow other companies around?”
“Isn’t it Sunyang Electronics’ fault for investing two billion in a company that collapsed in a few months? It’s not just me who made a bad investment.”
“So, what’s your point? Why are you here? To nitpick at other companies?”
Seoyun realized she had made a mistake. Now was the time to kneel and beg for forgiveness.
“Can’t you help me just this once? If I can get through this…”
“Can’t you just go to Oh Sehyun again? What do you need me for?”
“No, I can’t borrow from him anymore.”
Chairman Jin watched his panicked daughter and pulled out a stack of documents from his drawer, tossing it onto the table.
“I’ve completed the separation of the affiliates as you wanted. Even if you remove the Sunyang name, it doesn’t matter. It’s a completely separate company with no shared stocks. If I help you, it would be like embezzling Sunyang’s money. Do you want to see your old father go to jail?”
Seoyun turned pale, unable to even open the file.
“Father, you can’t do this. If the department store group falls into my hands now, it’ll be a disaster. We need to reverse this!”
“You didn’t just lose money on stocks; you’ve lost your mind too. I gave you what you wanted, and you refuse it?”
“That’s not it…”
“How pitiful, my daughter. You’ve already lost your husband, and now you’re going to lose the company too?”
“No, that’s not it. I’m just asking for a delay.”
“Are you in your right mind? Do you know how much money was lost to give you this? You want to throw it all away? What on earth are you thinking?”
As Chairman Jin exploded in anger, Seoyun squeezed her eyes shut.
The tangled web of debts, the missing fourteen billion won, and the new millennium’s first business venture—a large supermarket—everything was a mess.
Then, a fact Seoyun had completely forgotten slipped from her father’s lips.
“By the way, whose name did you use for the stock investments? Was it under a borrowed name?”
He wasn’t asking because he didn’t know. Everyone uses borrowed names to ‘utilize’ company funds, don’t they? This was just confirmation.
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“Just answer me! Was it?”
“Yes.”
“This is driving me crazy.”
Chairman Jin leaned back in his chair.
“Father, what’s wrong? Is there a problem?”
At his daughter’s cautious question, Chairman Jin kept his lips tightly sealed, saying nothing.
Seoyun knew that in times like this, she should wait in silence. She just watched her father’s face quietly.
“Seoyun.”
“Yes, Father.”
After a long pause, Chairman Jin spoke softly to his daughter.
“Is Im the person you trust the most?”
“Yes, he’s someone I could trust with the keys to the warehouse.”
“Does he follow you loyally?”
“Probably. But Father, why are you asking? You’re making me nervous…”
Though she asked in a trembling voice, Chairman Jin avoided giving a clear answer.
“Never mind. I’ll handle the aftermath. You just go back and take care of the company.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Those words felt like a beacon of hope.
“Father, thank you so much. I’ll do my best. And the fourteen billion… I’ll work to sort it out within a year.”
“What are you talking about? Fourteen billion?”
“What? Didn’t you say you’d take care of it…?”
Mother and daughter stared at each other, eyes wide with confusion.
Chairman Jin was the first to realize the misunderstanding.
“The money is your problem to solve. Are you still spouting nonsense like that? Now that the company is split, the work and the money are your responsibility. Even if you lose it all, don’t come to me with your hand out!”
“Father…”
“What I’m handling is making sure you don’t end up in jail. You’re my only daughter, and I can’t bear to see you behind bars.”
“Jail? What do you mean…?”
“That’s none of your concern. Just go back. I don’t want to see you right now. Go!”
Seoyun had no choice but to retreat under her father’s stern command, burdened with worries about the money.
“So, did you find out everything?”
“Yes. We traced it around Myeongdong. It was spread across 16 different names.”
“Ugh—”
A groan escaped Chairman Jin’s lips.
“How did you extract the money?”
“From the company to the CEOs, then to Myeongdong.”
“Did Seoyun leave any traces?”
“None.”
“That’s a relief.”
Chief Lee Hakjae spoke with a calm expression.
“I don’t think you need to worry too much. It seems she was cautious in her own way.”
“You figured it out in a day, but the prosecution? They’ll trace the money flow in half a day.”
Watching Chairman Jin shake his head, Lee Hakjae wondered if he was worrying too much.
“Would they investigate down to the individuals who bought the stocks, no matter how serious the situation?”
“Over five trillion won has vanished. That five trillion isn’t from a conglomerate or taxes. It’s from housewives who went in and out of securities firms with their children, trying to earn some side money. The anger of millions is sky-high. If this isn’t handled properly, it could shake the government. Until they find a scapegoat, we must be cautious, very cautious.”
Chairman Jin didn’t see this as just a stock market crash.
“When New Data’s stock was at its peak, I stopped Sunyang Electronics from selling its shares. Youngki came foaming at the mouth, saying it was a tenfold profit.”
“Did you foresee this happening?”
“It was obvious that corrupt politicians were involved in the scheme. How could I not know? I thought it was better to lose two billion than to be the main player in this mess.”
“Now that we’re victims, that won’t happen.”
How could he still have such sharp judgment at nearly eighty? It was truly impressive.
“The prosecution and the Financial Supervisory Service have already drawn their swords to investigate. They’ll start by rooting out the operation forces, so make sure Seoyun’s name doesn’t come up.”
“Yes, Chairman. But the Myeongdong guys might mention Seoyun’s name.”
“Im is in charge of the funds, so dig into him. He’s handled department store and hotel money for over a decade, so he’s bound to have crumbs on him. We need to make him take responsibility in exchange for turning a blind eye to that.”
Just in case, a scapegoat had already been chosen. It was Lee Hakjae’s job to make sure he took the fall for Seoyun’s crimes and walked into the prosecutor’s office willingly.
“I’ll handle it that way. But what about the company? If we’re not careful, we could lose management control.”
The contract with Miracle is indeed serious. They might claim the bonds and take the collateral. That collateral is already in Seoyun’s hands.
If Oh Sehyun decides to be ruthless, he could take it away.
“Things always collapse all at once. They hold on until they can’t anymore, and then they fall all at once. When you look at a tower, you feel uneasy because something that should have collapsed hasn’t.”
Chairman Jin’s words came out softly. Lee Hakjae thought he had heard them somewhere before.
“Isn’t that a poem?”
“Yes, it’s a poem called ‘Tower.’”
“Were you worried?”
“The company will be fine. The tower that’s going to collapse is the child.”
He must have already thought that defending management rights was difficult. But was he waiting for the tower to collapse?
Or was he deliberately watching the unstable tower fall?
Did he want a new tower that could withstand the wind and rain for a thousand years in the most stable position?
Lee Hakjae felt it was more of a certainty than a question.
And he knew exactly who the new tower was.
“So, what are you planning to do now?”
“Are you talking about Aunt?”
“Yes. Thanks to President Lee, over five hundred billion won has come in. You made back the money you spent taking over your aunt’s company in one go.”
Oh Sehyun used the word ‘taking over’ instead of ‘loaned.’
It meant he knew exactly what my goal was.
“Your grandfather definitely helped. The timing of the group separation was perfect.”
“It’s not help; it’s something he gave me.”
“It’s a bit lacking to say he gave it to you. We only have 30% of the shares as collateral. President Jin Seoyun still holds 35%.”
“Aunt lost fourteen billion on stocks. We need to get another 25% with that money.”
“Will she give it up easily?”
“She lost company money on stock investments. It’s a serious crime. We need to factor in covering that up.”
A major shareholder with 30% of the shares turns a blind eye to the CEO’s embezzlement. Of course, they also cover the fourteen billion lost.
It’s not a bad deal for Aunt either.
“Am I supposed to take the lead? Do I have to play the villain again?”
“No, this time I’ll step up. It’s time to show who the true owner of the department store group is.”
Looking at Oh Se-hyun’s surprised expression, I felt a bit awkward. I hadn’t meant to sound impressive, but somehow it made me cringe.
“Your aunt might be shocked, but won’t your family become even more wary of you? Are you okay with that?”
“My aunt will keep quiet. She hasn’t given up her ambitions yet, so she’ll stick close to me for a while.”
“You’re planning to use your aunt like a pawn? You’re quite ruthless.”
“You mentioned it before, didn’t you? It’s a family trait. Just let it be. Haha.”
“But why is your aunt, who should be rushing over, staying silent? Is she waiting for us to make the first move? Still playing the princess, I see.”
Just as Oh Se-hyun grumbled, the door burst open and someone rushed in. It wasn’t the aunt we were expecting.
“Mr. Oh, please save me! Help me, Mr. Jin!”
The unexpected visitor was none other than Executive Director Im.
“What is it? What’s happened now?”
I was both bewildered and worried that my aunt might have done something outrageous.
“S-Sunyang is using me as a scapegoat. If I stay quiet, I’ll end up taking the fall for everything. Please, you have to help me!”
The word “scapegoat” was enough to understand the situation.
Embezzlement is a serious crime.
Oh Se-hyun wasn’t clueless, but he calmly asked Im for the details.
“Director Lee Hak-jae came by. He scrutinized every mistake I’ve made, trying to pin the blame on me… I’m truly innocent.”
If Lee Hak-jae was involved, it meant they had uncovered not just mistakes but illegal activities committed by Im. Lee Hak-jae is never careless.
Executive Director Im knows all about the contract between Miracle and my aunt. He understands that Miracle, potentially the future owner of the department store group, is his only hope against Sunyang’s threats.
But he made the mistake of not knowing our true nature.
A fox fleeing from the tiger of Sunyang, only to run into the wolf’s den.
This is the fate of Executive Director Im.