Securing a Position 1
“It’s necessary, but not this time. We’re not there yet.”
“Not there yet? What do you mean?”
“I mean forming close ties with politicians. Now that even Uncle has stepped down from his mayoral position, we don’t know any active politicians. When we need influence, not money, that’s when we’ll meet them.”
“Still think you’re a kid, huh?”
Grandfather clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.
“No matter how much you deny it, you’re already labeled as the third generation. You’re the rightful successor handling Sunyang’s financial sector. No one sees you as a child anymore, especially after all the media coverage.”
Oh dear, he’s misunderstood. That’s not the reason…
“Even companies at the bottom of the business rankings are quietly trying to connect with election campaigns. If you’re the only one not doing it… it’s not about gaining an advantage. You should at least avoid losses, right?”
I nodded, unable to explain further.
“Yes, I was short-sighted. I’ll meet with people from both camps.”
“You’re just stepping into the muck a bit earlier. Be polite and get to know them.”
“Understood. But that’s not why I came today. I wanted to see how you’re doing…”
“Greedy, aren’t you? Haha.”
“Sorry?”
“Did you think we could have a normal grandfather-grandson chat? Where the grandson worries about the grandfather’s health, and the grandfather frets over the grandson’s well-being… You should give up on that. We just talk about the company whenever we meet. Haha.”
I realized from his expression that he wasn’t joking.
The best way to show filial piety to Grandfather wasn’t to ask about his health, but to discuss business, letting him feel that his managerial prowess was still sharp.
“Shall we talk about something else then?”
“Hmm? Like what?”
“It seems Daehyun Motors is gearing up for a fight. I’ve heard they’re planning to launch a new model to compete with ours. It looks like it’s going to be a tough battle.”
“You’ll lose.”
He said it without a moment’s hesitation.
“Really?”
“You must have expected it to some extent. How do you expect to win with a niche sports model against a standard four-seater?”
“Still, I have this urge to beat them. Is there no way?”
“Are you trying to keep me entertained?”
This old man, always so perceptive…
“No, it’s not that. If only it were that simple.”
“Enough. Do you think I’ve forgotten what you said? My memory might be fading, but I don’t forget company matters. You said the goal wasn’t to make a best-selling car, but a car that people would want the moment they see it. Taking one step at a time, right?”
Seeing how well he remembered what even I had forgotten, I wondered if my worries about his health were unfounded.
“We can’t win in terms of sales volume. But…”
“We can’t lose in terms of buzz, right?”
“Exactly. Neither Daehyun nor our Sunyang makes money from compact cars.”
I wanted to correct him and say HW, not Sunyang, but I held back. To him, the company he gifted me would always be a part of Sunyang.
“For Daehyun, compact cars are just for show. But you see it as more than that, right?”
“Yes. I see it as the first step in establishing Sunyang Motors’ identity.”
“Good. Then make that compact car not the star, but a supporting role… like those Red Devils from the World Cup. They were even covered by foreign media.”
“Yes.”
“Make it like that. The World Cup might be over, but those red shirts are still selling.”
His thoughts matched mine exactly.
Even at over eighty, Grandfather’s instincts were as sharp as any young marketer’s. Maybe my worries were unnecessary.
“Is 2 billion won a burden?”
“It’s a burden, but what can I do? I have to meet the quota.”
“Alright. We’ve decided to hand over 15 billion won in the first round. You need to contribute 2 billion to make it look balanced.”
I think I know where this 2 billion allocation came from.
It’s divided based on the 10% stake I hold in Sunyang Group.
“But Uncle, as I mentioned before, I don’t know how to create slush funds from the company…”
“Just like they say, the rich get richer. You’re just like that. Haha.”
Vice Chairman Jin Dong-ki laughed as if he found it absurd.
“The money you found in Indonesia must be around 100 billion won, right? 2 billion is just 2% of that. Can’t you spare that?”
“Oh, that money needs to be cycled once more. It’s probably somewhere in South America by now.”
“Did Oh Se-hyun say that?”
“Yes.”
“Damn, the money we need to send over there is urgent…”
There must be no trace of my money being transferred. This illegal election fund will eventually be exposed, and someone will have to take the fall.
Uncle and the others will likely choose an executive to pin the blame on.
But I can’t do that.
I’ve only been in charge of the subsidiary for about two years, and there’s more dissatisfaction about working under a young boss than loyalty. There’s not enough time to build loyalty to the point where someone would willingly go to the prosecutor’s office for me.
For now, I have to protect myself. I can’t afford even a single blemish.
“If you work on it for a couple of days at Sunyang Securities, you can easily gather 2 billion. Want to give it a try?”
Just before the market closes, you place a large order to buy stocks at a slightly higher price, driving up the closing price. For some reason, when the stock price rises, individual investors jump in, and as the price goes up, you pocket the profit.
If you do this for just a month, you can easily rake in hundreds of billions, and the individual investors bear all the losses.
This is what he means by a couple of days’ work.
Seeing Vice Chairman Jin Dong-ki’s eyes gleam strangely made me feel a chill.
“Ah, right. I understand what you mean. I’ll prepare it that way.”
Election funds are illegal, but the source of those funds is an even bigger issue. The rich get richer, and despite having personal assets worth billions, they never dip into their own pockets. They always siphon off company money.
When political funds become the subject of investigation, the prosecution subtly shifts the focus from politics or the presidential election to embezzlement and breach of trust.
And it usually ends with a suitable scapegoat from the conglomerate voluntarily turning themselves in.
Is Vice Chairman Jin Dong-ki hoping that my hands will soon be stained with indelible dirt?
“Once the funds are ready, how should I deliver them?”
He scribbled a phone number on a piece of paper and slid it over.
“Give it to this guy. I’ll handle the rest.”
As I stood up, he gave a sly smile.
“Do-jun.”
“Yes.”
“Welcome to this world. Or should I say, I’m sorry for you? Haha.”
Not yet. I’ll postpone getting drenched in filth for now.
“We need to completely block it. Make sure they can’t trace it back to me.”
Director Woo Byung-jun alternated his gaze between the memo with the phone number and the sports bag filled with bundles of ten-thousand-won bills.
“Is that all money?”
“Yes. It’s 2 billion won.”
“If the prosecution starts an investigation, they won’t track the messenger. They’ll follow the money trail. They’ll scrutinize both the company accounts and your personal accounts to match the 2 billion figure. They don’t care who the errand boy is.”
“They won’t find it through those channels. It’s money that’s been cushioned through a U.S. account. There’s no trace of me.”
“Ah…”
Just as I don’t know much about this person, Director Woo Byung-jun seems to know little about me. It seems Grandfather didn’t give him a detailed explanation.
“Is it personal money?”
“Yes. We shouldn’t touch company funds. It’s not urgent, and it’s not a large sum.”
“2 billion isn’t a large sum…? It seems you have much more money than I imagined.”
“Are you curious?”
I asked with a smile, and he returned a faint smile.
“No, I’m just relieved that I won’t miss my paycheck.”
Seeing him make such jokes, I wondered if he was getting more comfortable with me.
“Don’t worry about the people. The courier will think it’s money from a completely different source. And…”
Director Woo glanced at me cautiously.
“Go ahead. Is there something wrong?”
“Who delivered this money to the officetel?”
He’s thorough, checking even that.
“It was sent by someone trustworthy. It’s fine.”
“The trustworthy person didn’t bring it themselves, right?”
“No.”
“In the future, have our guys handle such tasks. There’s a difference between a trustworthy person and their employee. They can always spill the beans.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Where does this caution come from? Is it just this person, or is this level of prudence standard for Sunyang Security employees working with my uncles?
I was curious but didn’t voice it.
Director Woo called in his staff to move the bag.
“I’ll contact you once it’s done.”
As Director Woo Byung-jun left, I felt a wave of relief.
He’s reliable, but somehow, I find him a bit uncomfortable.
I should take a day to get him drunk. I can’t call him my own if there’s still a wall between us.
The chilly winds had started to blow, but the fervor in our country hadn’t cooled down.
This presidential election was truly intense.
There were constant ups and downs, with all sorts of issues shaking both camps.
Exemptions from military service for children, the emergence of a dark horse riding the wave of the World Cup semi-final miracle, the persistent color politics, and even ruling party members starting to shake their own candidate.
Even President Cho Dae-ho was shaken as we approached the official launch of our new car.
“The news is all about politics. Even if we advertise our car, I wonder if anyone will pay attention.”
“Fortunately, our target audience is young people who aren’t interested in politics.”
“Politics is a problem, but so is Daehyun. I’ve heard they’re determined to crush us.”
“They’re launching a compact car too, right?”
“Yes. It’s called the ‘Click.’ They’re pricing it over 3 million won cheaper than ours…”
“Three million?”
The launch price is in the high six million won range. How can they sell it at that price when there’s barely any profit from selling a compact car? They’re prepared to take a loss with this launch.
President Cho Dae-ho’s words about trying to crush us aren’t just exaggeration.
I wavered for a moment but quickly regained my composure.
“Sir, let’s set aside our competitive spirit.”
“Hmm? What do you mean?”
“This car wasn’t made to sell in large numbers, nor was it developed to make a profit, right? Let’s just focus on our original goal of selling 7,000 units by next year.”
“The team on the ground is already whining that even that target is hard to hit. When the competition slashes prices like that, it’s inevitable we’ll fall behind. And also…”
His expression hardened, revealing another weakness.
“They say the performance isn’t quite up to expectations.”
“Is it problematic?”
“No, it’s just not meeting consumer expectations.”
President Cho sighed.
“It looks like it should zoom around with insane power, but it’s still a compact car, isn’t it? Consumers keep forgetting it’s just a ‘sports look.’”
“That just means the design is that good.”
“Right. Performance that doesn’t match the design. It might be forgiven here, but overseas, it’s a problem. There are too many strong competitors.”
Ultimately, it’s a matter of technology.
A company with a short history can’t stand shoulder to shoulder with traditional powerhouses. But foreign consumers, with their wide range of choices, don’t care about our short history.
Seeing the worry etched on President Cho Dae-ho’s face, I made a decision. If our history is short, why not bridge the gap with some special tutoring?
“Sir, how about we just buy a company?”
“What? Buy a company?”
“A European or Japanese one. Let’s acquire a company that makes supercars and make their technology ours.”
“Do you think a supercar manufacturer is a toy company you can just buy on a whim?”
President Cho was about to dismiss my suggestion as nonsense, but then he looked closely at my face and his jaw dropped.
“You’re not joking! You really want to buy one?”