[060] Fight or Sport? 3
“Have you had a chance to talk to him? What do you think?”
Jin Young-jun approached the sulking Hong So-young.
“He’s polite.”
“That’s it?”
“He doesn’t come off as a spoiled rich kid. Was he always like that?”
“Yeah, when he was young, his family was struggling. He was always a bit timid.”
“I see. Anyway, he seems like someone who doesn’t show his true colors.”
“Don’t worry. I’m planning to make Do-jun my right-hand man, so there’s no need to be cautious.”
Jin Young-jun extended his arm.
“Let’s go. We still have a lot of people to meet.”
Hong So-young linked her arm with his, still wary of Jin Do-jun, but if he could become a reliable ally as her fiancé suggested, she had no complaints.
“By the way, I promised to give him a generous allowance. Is that okay?”
“It’s natural for a sister-in-law to give her youngest cousin some pocket money.”
Jin Young-jun spoke as if it were no big deal, but Hong So-young thought differently. She believed nothing revealed a person’s true nature more than how they spent money.
As soon as he stepped into the restroom, someone was waiting for him.
“Sir.”
“Mr. Kim, I told you to take it easy today. It’s a family event; you didn’t have to come.”
He smiled, but Kim Yoon-seok looked a bit tense.
“Do you have a moment? There’s something I need to discuss.”
Seeing the cautious and guarded look on his face, Jin Do-jun didn’t brush him off. He glanced around and lowered his voice.
“You know my car, right? It’s in the garage. Wait for me there. I’ll be right over.”
After Kim Yoon-seok quietly disappeared, Jin Do-jun took a quick look around the guesthouse before heading to the garage.
Once inside his car, surrounded by a sea of vehicles, he found Kim Yoon-seok in the driver’s seat, turning to face him.
“What’s going on?”
“Please wait a moment. Team Leader Shin will explain.”
“Team Leader Shin?”
“Yes, he’s our strategy team leader. I mentioned him before. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh…”
Just then, the backseat door opened, and a man slipped inside.
“Hello, I’m Team Leader Shin Seok-ho.”
His face was familiar, but Jin Do-jun couldn’t quite place it.
“Sorry for the inconvenience.”
“It’s fine. Have we met before?”
“You don’t remember? We met at the Yangpyeong villa. I drove you home early in the morning.”
“Oh…! You’re that guy.”
He was the one who got kicked by Jin Young-jun. Jin Do-jun had thrown him a bait back then, but since there was no reaction, he had forgotten about him.
“I’ll keep it brief since we’re short on time. You might not know, but I’m part of a team that handles the so-called third-generation heirs.”
As a team leader, he couldn’t oversee everything. He probably only managed those in Korea, while the cousins studying abroad were handled by the respective branch offices.
“Someone’s been tailing us for about a month now.”
“All of us?”
“Yes. They’re not tracking every move, just our routes.”
“Is Young-jun included in that?”
“Yes, every single one of you is being followed.”
Is Uncle checking on his own son? That’s a bit much. If not him, then who?
“Have you figured out who’s behind it?”
“No, our team doesn’t have the capability. We’re not experts in backtracking.”
True, the team members are more like personal assistants, so tracking someone would be beyond them.
Jin Do-jun studied Team Leader Shin for a moment before asking what he was curious about.
“Why are you telling me this? According to protocol…”
“I know the protocol. We’d report to the head of the strategy office, then it would go up to Secretary Lee Hak-jae. Then the information team or Sunyang Security agents would take action.”
“You know it well. So why?”
Team Leader Shin’s eyes wavered slightly before he spoke.
“Frankly, I want to align myself with you.”
“Align? You mean what I think you mean?”
“Yes. Our strategy team… we have no future, no one to rely on. It’s rare for anyone to last a year.”
“Even someone like you, who’s been here for years, sees no light at the end of the tunnel…”
Shin Seok-ho’s face flushed with embarrassment.
“Why me, though? I’m just the youngest, with no say in the company. I don’t even know if I’ll be involved in the group business. Can I really be the one you align with?”
“You extended your hand to me, didn’t you?”
He remembers that day clearly. But it took him too long to take the bait. Is he slow to judge, or just cautious? I need to understand him better.
“Is that why you’re grabbing onto me? Honestly, no one else extended a hand, right? Am I the only option?”
It was a difficult question, but he answered without hesitation.
“You’re the only one, but I trust you. If I didn’t, I would’ve ignored it with a scoff. Among the chairman’s grandsons, you’re the only one who’s disciplined, diligent, and doesn’t mess around.”
“Does the entire strategy team follow you?”
“No. Our team has a high turnover because it’s mostly grunt work. So I only chose those who’d stick around. Kim Yoon-seok is one of them.”
I pondered for a moment, meeting their earnest gazes. Having eyes and ears to monitor my cousins’ every move is invaluable.
The key is to make them indispensable, unlike before.
“Team Leader Shin, Mr. Kim, listen carefully.”
As I spoke, they swallowed hard, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
“You didn’t grab the hand I extended. The strategy team asked me to be your roof, and I agreed. Understand?”
The words lead to the same outcome, but the order is different. Team Leader Shin quickly caught on and nodded.
“Yes, of course.”
“Don’t answer so easily. I didn’t extend my hand for you to grab. This difference is significant.”
“I understand. It means you can take away the roof covering us at any time.”
Is it because they’ve been through tough times, or are they just quick thinkers?
“We’ll follow your expectations and standards. If we fall behind, we won’t blame you for cutting the line.”
Their eyes were so earnest that I needed to temper their expectations. A more realistic mindset is more effective for work.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not asking for loyalty. This is just a transaction. The strategy team provides what I need, and I pay for it. The reward could be a bright future or money.”
“Is it because you’re not yet part of the Sunyang Group?”
“No. I don’t have high expectations or trust in you yet. So it’s just a transaction. If you want more from me, show me something that can change my mind. That’s all.”
I’ve never had anyone pledge loyalty to me before. But I know there’s nothing more dangerous than the loyalty of a foolish and incompetent person.
Though they didn’t hear the answer they wanted, they seemed relieved to have seized an opportunity.
There’s a chance to test their capabilities right away.
“Mr. Kim.”
I dropped the formal honorifics. They were now my first employees to command as I pleased.
“Yes.”
“From tomorrow, I’ll be taking taxis. Follow the people tailing me. Don’t rush; take your time. It’s okay if it takes a while.”
“Yes.”
“And Team Leader Shin.”
“Yes.”
“Send me the strategy team’s reports first. Anything I mark in red shouldn’t be reported up the chain.”
“I’ll make sure of it.”
Before wrapping up the conversation, I offered a small reward.
“Don’t worry about money. Use the activity funds freely. If you need personal funds, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about money.”
Indeed, all worries and concerns stem from money. Their faces brightened considerably.
Sometimes, a cousin’s engagement can be beneficial. I gained quite a bit today. I identified a woman to be cautious of and found eyes and hands to act on my behalf.
Even as the decision to sell Ajin Motors was being finalized, major corporations were collapsing.
Jinro Group, synonymous with soju, filed for court receivership, and Samlip Foods, known for its bread, went bankrupt. Daenong, the parent company of Mido Department Store, one of the four major department stores in Korea, also fell, and rumors of bankruptcy began to circulate about Haitai, associated with Kim Eung-ryong and Sun Dong-yeol.
Despite these clear warning signs, presidential candidates were tearing each other apart to enter the Blue House, and Daehyeon Group was doing everything to expand.
As my grandfather said, they were starting their counterattack.
Daehyeon waited patiently, and as soon as we submitted our letter of intent to acquire Ajin Group, they launched a media campaign, using keywords like “national wealth outflow” and “foreign speculative capital.”
We expected this kind of attack, so we didn’t respond.
We have only one chance to deliver a decisive blow. We must hold back and then turn the tables with a single move.
Before the sale review begins, we have a trump card that can sway public opinion and change the minds of the review panel.
But a plan is just a plan. If everything went as planned, life would be so much easier.
“Another suspicion has been raised about Miracle Investment, which submitted a letter of intent to acquire Ajin Group. It’s been revealed that the source of Miracle Investment’s funds is Japan. There’s a possibility that Ajin Motors could become a bridgehead for the Japanese automotive industry to enter Korea.”
As soon as the TV news aired, my phone rang.
“Yes, I saw it too.”
Oh Se-hyun’s voice was filled with urgency. National interest and wealth outflow are nothing compared to the power of anti-Japanese sentiment.
“Is there any basis for that news? They wouldn’t just make it up, would they?”
“Requesting a correction from the press is probably pointless, right?”
“It’ll likely take until next year to see any results.”
“Let’s watch how the follow-up reports unfold for a day. We can decide on a rebuttal press conference after that.”
“Can’t we leverage Chairman Jin’s influence…?”
“That’s difficult. Daehyun is the one steering the ship right now.”
This isn’t the kind of situation where you can just ask for help. You only reach out when the stakes are as high as those involving the Sunyang Group.
I could hear Oh Se-hyun’s disappointed sigh over the phone.
“Uncle, if the follow-up reports keep coming, let’s join forces with Chairman Song. We can have the Ajin Group union leaders as our backdrop.”
“Hey, that’s our last hidden card…”
“I don’t think we can wait for the hidden card. Let’s play it.”
As soon as the call ended, a chill ran down my spine.
Korean conglomerates are truly terrifying.
To think that a public broadcaster would air news without fact-checking, just because a conglomerate dictated it.
What’s even scarier is that this has been going on non-stop for two days.
In the end, Miracle Investment prepared for a press conference, but it still felt like we were giving Daehyun another chance to strike back.
Isn’t Daehyun known for being adept at this kind of dirty fight?
“The rumors about Japanese funds are completely false. While Miracle Investment did invest in Japan, it was a short-term investment. We withdrew after making a profit. In fact, we earned Japanese yen.”
“But didn’t that yen remain as American capital?”
“We’re pouring that yen into saving Ajin Motors right now.”
The journalists tore into Oh Se-hyun as if he were their sworn enemy.