[305] I Have One Too. 2
“Even though he was being evasive, it’s clear that guy has a lot of money. Maybe not all of Maracle’s assets are his, but he definitely has the power to mobilize trillions, maybe even tens of trillions of won.”
“Did he say that himself?”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi was fixated on his son’s words.
“No, if he had said it directly, I might have thought he was bluffing. It was his demeanor.”
“Demeanor?”
“Yes.”
Jin Young-jun couldn’t recount everything that had happened a few hours earlier.
The way that guy had stared him down, speaking slowly, the smile on his lips, the intense look in his eyes.
It was hard to admit that his chilling demeanor had made him feel small.
“Right. The tongue can lie, but the body can’t. So, what was his demeanor like?”
“He looked down on me. I wasn’t even on his radar.”
“Confidence, then?”
“More than that.”
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi understood exactly what his son had seen and felt.
The kind of confidence that comes from deep pockets, the natural ease that shows when you’re much stronger than your opponent.
These two traits had been ingrained in him like limbs throughout his life. As the eldest son of Korea’s top corporation, everyone bowed their heads, and no one dared to meet his eyes directly.
Even when meeting with the second generation of other conglomerates, no matter how much they boasted, he found them laughable and nodded along.
But he could never hide the look and demeanor of looking down on them. Even Joo Tae-sik of Daehyun Group was naturally seen as a step below, not out of pride but simply because it was natural.
Now, holding a group that was half its former size, he realized it clearly.
He was showing the same demeanor as those people.
At the Federation of Korean Industries meetings, the looks from the group chairmen bothered him, and his pride was hurt by the smallest comments.
And he felt it clearly.
The ease in their eyes as they looked at him, the victorious smile on their lips.
“Father, if Do-jun uses his trillions to buy up all the shares of our electronics and trading subsidiaries…”
“That’s a pointless worry.”
“What?”
“Buying up all the shares or your current worry, it’s all pointless.”
Jin Young-jun knew it was a futile concern. He just wanted to confirm it once more.
“If someone could take over the company by sweeping up Sunyang Electronics and Sunyang Trading shares in the stock market, the word ‘conglomerate’ would have disappeared from our country long ago. The second-generation heirs who strut around as chairmen would just be shareholders with about 1% of the shares, drooling over how much dividend they’ll get each year.”
“I know that. But isn’t there always a ‘what if’?”
“It’s not that easy. To take over electronics and trading, we’d have to be as bankrupt as your uncle, unable to handle our debts, and step down ourselves.”
“There are shares held by institutions that aren’t on the market. If Do-jun offers them two or three times the price…”
“Think of institutional shares as being decided by the government. Why would the government change Sunyang’s owner when there’s nothing to gain?”
Despite his words, Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi couldn’t shake a lingering unease.
There was only one way to eliminate this unease: to restructure the shareholding in a way that favored his son, even if it meant taking risks.
It wouldn’t be easy. There would be complaints and opposition from all sides. Even his own blood might come at him with eyes blazing.
“Hyung, it’s Do-jun.”
― Oh? Ah… Do-jun. What’s up?
“I felt bad for not greeting you after coming back from my honeymoon and starting my new life, so I called.”
― Don’t worry about it… I’m the one who should apologize for missing your wedding.
Jin Kyung-jun, running around in Australia for Sunyang Trading’s first smartphone launch.
Whether he’s working hard or just holding his position, he’s been rotating through overseas branches since finishing his studies abroad.
“How could you come all the way from there just for a photo? Don’t worry about it.”
By now, he must be dying to know why I called.
We’re not close enough to make regular courtesy calls, and he knows full well that his father, Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi, and I are at odds over management rights.
― So, how’s married life treating you?
“After dating for so long, it’s just like having my girlfriend at home all the time. Haha.”
Jin Kyung-jun didn’t share my laughter. A long call would only make him uncomfortable.
― I see. Anyway, thanks for calling. Let’s talk again. I’m a bit busy right now.
“Yeah, I’ve kept you on the phone too long. You’ll be back soon, right? I’ll buy you a drink then. See you.”
― Soon? I don’t have any plans to return to Korea for a while.
Gotcha, you little…
“Really? There’s a rumor going around that your uncle is restarting the group succession process. Did I get it wrong?”
Jin Kyung-jun was silent for a while. When he finally spoke, his voice was hard.
― Are you trying to stir things up? Or cause trouble?
“I’m just passing on the facts… Let’s call it causing trouble.”
― You little…!
“I’m just sharing the facts. Whether it stirs things up or causes trouble, who knows… But isn’t it worse if you, the second son, don’t inherit a single penny? If you’re content with being a powerless relative running around overseas branches, then hang up.”
One, two, three, four, five…
I counted silently, but the call didn’t end.
― Is it true?
“Of course.”
― You’re going to do something crazy to stop it again, aren’t you?
“Oh, I can’t do that anymore. I lost 600 billion won last time trying to stop the succession. By the way, shouldn’t you at least thank me for stopping it? I’m a bit hurt.”
― You crazy bastard!
I heard the receiver slam down.
Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi’s second son. Five years younger than Jin Young-jun, with a sister in between.
This family isn’t modern enough to worry about daughters.
In the past, Vice Chairman Jin Young-gi intended to give a fair share of subsidiaries to his second son, Jin Kyung-jun. Back then, they had the entire Sunyang Group.
But would the greedy Jin Young-jun just sit back?
I don’t remember exactly, but there were investigations and trials, and Jin Young-jun seized the opportunity to swallow his brother’s share.
I remember Jin Kyung-jun going wild after being released on probation.
Did he trash the chairman’s office?
That alone shows Jin Kyung-jun isn’t lacking in ambition.
Knowing that the succession process started without him, far across the sea, he won’t sit still. He should fly back immediately and kick the table before his brother Jin Young-jun can feast. Whether it goes as planned remains to be seen.
If Jin Kyung-jun struggles to break things up, I’m ready to help. The more their family breaks and splits, the easier it is for me.
“Our last conversation ended with curses… Are we continuing that?”
“If you’re joking, stop. It’s not funny.”
A few days later, I got a call from Jin Kyung-jun, and it wasn’t an international call.
When I suggested meeting for a drink, he wanted a discreet location.
He must want to keep his return a secret, and the best place to avoid prying eyes is home. Especially a newlywed home. I thought of it as a housewarming.
“Where’s your wife?”
Jin Kyung-jun looked around the house as he spoke.
“The legal field is a tough job. She rarely gets home before midnight. It’s a bit of a relief for me.”
“She comes home and crashes, so she doesn’t have time to nag?”
“Something like that. By the way, how are things with you and your wife?”
“For a couple who only met a few times before marrying, we’re doing okay.”
Marital discord often starts with money issues.
If you can spend freely and aren’t financially strained, you get by. Even without a sweet romance, a comfortable lifestyle makes up for it.
“Since you came in quietly, I guess no one knows yet?”
“Yeah. I came straight here from the airport. Neither my family nor the company knows. I told them I was on a business trip to New Zealand.”
“You’ve changed a lot.”
“Me?”
“Yeah. I thought you’d rush to your uncle in a fit of anger, but you came to me first.”
“I wanted accurate data. Living abroad, I’m out of the loop.”
He’s no longer the reckless kid who used to invite rookie singers and actors to his villa for fun. He knows how to control his temper and is willing to swallow his pride to get what he needs.
“Can you trust the information from someone who just stirs things up?”
“I’ll filter it. And… sometimes you have to bite the bait even when you know it’s bait. It’s better than biting without knowing.”
His sly smile suggested he was talking about Jin Tae-jun.
“Are you talking about Tae-jun?”
“I heard he lost a billion because of you. You covered 600 million of the company’s money, though.”
I learned today how much Jin Tae-jun lost in personal funds through derivatives…
When I showed surprise, Kyung-jun seemed taken aback.
“You didn’t know? About his losses?”
“I knew he lost money, but not that it was 400 million. Tae-jun has a lot of money.”
“You’re one to talk, having thrown away 600 billion in taxes. Now, let’s finish our phone conversation. What subsidiaries can I get if I talk to my father?”
“Subsidiaries that didn’t make it into Sunyang Group. Companies that can’t use the Sunyang name.”
“What?”
“Uncle won’t make the same mistakes as Grandpa.”
Jin Kyung-jun furrowed his brow, not quite grasping the meaning.
“He thinks the way Grandpa handled the succession is why things turned out like this. By splitting up the shares, he left the door open for outside forces like HW Group and Miracle to slowly eat away at the company. If Grandpa had just passed everything to Uncle, none of this would have happened.”
“I’ve heard the rumors. HW Group and Miracle are basically your pockets, aren’t they? So, the ‘outside’ is really just you, isn’t it?”
“How you see it isn’t my concern. But I’m impressed. You’ve got people in the main office feeding you all sorts of gossip?”
“How you see it isn’t my concern either. But is it true that’s what Dad thinks?”
His face twisted even more.
“Have you ever talked to your brother about the inheritance? Uncle’s almost seventy. Baek Jun-hyuk’s been running around Myeong-dong for ages, trying to sort out those proxy shares.”
Jin Kyung-jun fell silent.
If his father’s mind was set, there was little he could do.
Throwing a tantrum like a child in front of his father? How humiliating would that be?
Reality wasn’t aligning with his ambitions, leaving him frustrated and speechless.
He hinted at a suggestion.
“Want to know a way? Flip the table.”
“What?”
“Do you know what first made Grandpa take a liking to me?”
“What are you getting at?”
His face was still scrunched up, but there was a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes.
“If I can’t have it, I’d rather destroy it. I must have said something like that.”
“What? When did you say that?”
The memory was still vivid. The satisfied smile on Grandpa’s face when he heard those words.