[084] The Bad Guy, The Ruthless Guy 1
“The financial audit is off the table. Someone from Oh Se-hyun’s side will be taking that seat.”
“So, you’re holding the keys to the vault, huh? Ha! Do you really think those number-crunchers can guard the vault?”
Damn, why is he making me so uneasy?
“Do-jun.”
“Yes.”
“Those construction company guys are masters at skimming. They can add and remove hundreds of day laborers from the books with their eyes closed. Skimming a million won a day without Oh Se-hyun noticing? That’s nothing.”
He’s not saying this just to tease me.
It’s either a warning or advice… but which?
“And that’s not all. What if they swap expensive timber for cheap wood worth only a few thousand won? Do you think Oh Se-hyun or his staff can tell the difference? They even skim on rebar weight and steal from the catering budget. You’ll be left wide-eyed and cheated.”
“Why are you scaring me like this?”
“Don’t you get it yet? What your grandfather is trying to say?”
I focused all my attention on his sharp gaze. I couldn’t afford to disappoint him by missing his point.
“Are you saying I need to get my hands dirty to see the truth?”
The heart of corporate corruption in Korea is the construction industry.
Collusion, union corruption, inflated construction costs, subcontractor fraud, and so on.
I concluded that he was advising me to understand the entire flow.
“If you can control the executives of a construction company, you’ve learned how to handle servants. Then they’ll bring you the money you need. When you need to use money of unclear origin, there’s no better place than a construction company.”
I got half of it right.
Instead of getting dirty, he meant to secure a slush fund channel.
At least he seemed pleased with my understanding.
“You said you’re reviewing the accounts tomorrow, right?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll send the Sunyang Construction audit team with you. Take them along. They’ll be far superior to the accountants under Oh Se-hyun. They can spot discrepancies just by glancing at receipts and tax invoices.”
“Thank you, Grandfather.”
I stood up and bowed.
With this much help, if I can’t take over Daehan Construction, I have only myself to blame.
“You might want to save your thanks for later.”
“Sorry?”
“You should know that all of this might be for Sunyang Group. Don’t come crying to me if you get blindsided. Ha!”
Oh, seriously. He keeps me on my toes until the end.
Seeing my grandfather chuckle, I could only sigh.
“Do-jun, who are these people…?”
Oh Se-hyun blinked at the dark-suited men who came with me.
“They’re from the Sunyang Construction audit team. They know construction materials like the back of their hand. With just a few receipts, they can trace any embezzlement, so we’ll have plenty of evidence to submit to the prosecution tomorrow.”
Oh Se-hyun’s face lit up as if he’d gained a thousand reinforcements.
“Looks like we’ll need to celebrate with a drink tonight. I’m counting on you.”
“Leave it to us. We’ll strip everything bare before the workday ends.”
Seeing the confident audit team members made me feel reassured.
As we split into several vans and headed to Daehan Construction, I felt like a special forces unit on a surprise attack, and the excitement wouldn’t fade.
As we entered the Daehan Construction building, Oh Se-hyun pulled out his phone.
“Ah, Director Kang. Have you found a buyer willing to pay a high price for our shares?”
“Did I misspeak, or did you misunderstand? It was supposed to be by this morning, not tonight… So… ding! That sound means… our deal is off.”
“Let’s do that. I’m in the Daehan Construction building lobby, so let’s meet face-to-face in ten minutes.”
With his phone still in hand, Oh Se-hyun gestured to me, and I strode over to the reception desk.
“Which floor is the main conference room on?”
“The, the eleventh floor.”
With dozens of men in suits occupying the lobby, the receptionist stammered in fear.
I signaled to Oh Se-hyun that it was the 11th floor, and he spoke into his phone.
“I’m heading to the 11th-floor conference room now. Let’s meet there.”
Closing his phone, we boarded the elevator.
When the elevator doors opened on the 11th floor, Director Kang Moo-jin was waiting, fuming.
“Mr. Oh, what is the meaning of this? How can you find a buyer overnight? I told you I’d resolve it today!”
“Director, haven’t you realized yet? It’s over. Now I’m going to exercise my rights as a shareholder.”
A man standing right next to Oh Se-hyun spoke up.
“According to the External Audit of Stock Companies Act, Article 14, Section 5, shareholders or creditors can inspect documents during business hours and request copies at the company’s expense.”
As the dry voice finished, Oh Se-hyun smiled.
“You heard him, right? Bring all the financial statements and supporting documents for the past two years to this conference room. As a shareholder, I’m questioning the management’s competence. I need to see how the company ended up in this state.”
Director Kang Moo-jin could only watch in a daze as people filed into the conference room, ignoring him.
“Director, do you have time to waste? Bring the documents the shareholders are requesting, unless you want this to escalate.”
I delivered the final blow and entered the conference room.
“Brother! Those guys…”
Director Kang Moo-jin burst into the president’s office of Daehan Construction.
“What is it? Why are you making such a fuss?”
President Kang Moo-sung sensed something was wrong when he saw his brother’s pale face.
“People from Miracle have swarmed in. They’ve taken over the conference room, claiming they’re conducting an external audit!”
“What are you talking about? Didn’t you say you resolved it yesterday?”
“They clearly stated their intention to resell the shares and left. I didn’t expect them to backstab us like this…”
“What kind of work are you doing!”
President Kang yelled at his brother and quickly picked up the phone.
“Mr. Song, it’s me… What? They’ve stormed in there too? Damn it!”
President Kang slammed the receiver down.
“They’ve even gone to the accounting office.”
“What? That bastard…”
President Kang began pacing his office.
“Why is he doing this? Does he really intend to conduct an external audit?”
“Brother, could it be a ploy to raise the stock price?”
“What?”
“Isn’t it? I still remember the look in his eyes yesterday. He’s not the type to do something unnecessary. It’s definitely about money. He’s a stockbroker, isn’t he?”
“This is all a show?”
“Without a doubt. There’s no benefit for him in conducting an external audit.”
“So? What do you suggest? What’s the conclusion?”
President Kang shouted.
With every second counting, he couldn’t let those professional investors scour the company.
If word reached the creditors, they might demand an audit too.
“I’ll bring Oh Se-hyun here. Let’s settle this and send them away.”
President Kang hesitated, but his brother urged him again.
“Brother, we don’t have time to hesitate. We need to end this before it gets louder.”
“You fool! You said it was nothing just a day ago. Settle it here? What if it all goes wrong?”
“We can’t just leave it like this, can we? Before they cause a scene under the guise of shareholder rights…”
“Fine. Stop talking and bring him here. Damn it, all these leeches are clinging on.”
“What are you saying? If the CEO has something to say, he should come here. And stop stalling, bring the financial documents quickly.”
“Mr. Oh, I’m asking because there’s something important to discuss. Please don’t be so difficult…”
Director Kang’s pitiful expression almost made me laugh.
As Oh Se-hyun said, how can someone at the director level be so clueless…
“Director, I know you’re here to say you’ll buy our shares at a high price, but our CEO already said it’s too late. Stop wasting time and bring the documents. You have ten minutes.”
My warning made the young director’s face flush with anger, but he knew he had to endure.
As he continued to glance at Oh Se-hyun for guidance, I pressed him again.
“If you don’t bring the requested documents to this conference room within ten minutes, we’ll move to the next step. Our lawyer is waiting at the court. If you ignore the rightful demands of a shareholder, he’s ready to file for an injunction to suspend Daehan Construction’s management.”
The law is indeed stronger than words.
Hearing the words “lawyer” and “court,” Director Kang turned pale.
At that moment, a member of the Sunyang Construction audit team shouted.
“Man, just looking at this, I can tell there’s a ton of shady stuff. Hey, Director, we need something in hand to negotiate, right? Give us half a day, and we’ll figure out the fair price for the shares we hold… don’t you think?”
Despite the harsh words, he smiled, even winking.
The hidden implication was that it was merely a formality to drive up the resale price of the stocks. Director Kang still hesitated.
He wasn’t entirely sure if our intentions were truly just a formality.
“Come on, why are you so slow to decide? What good would it do us to stir up trouble? Can’t you see that yet? This won’t do. Call the lawyer. Let’s turn the tables!”
“Okay, okay. Hold on! You should’ve just said that from the start…”
Director Kang quickly covered my mouth with his hand and swiftly left the meeting room.
The men from Yeouido looked at the Sunyang Construction employees with curiosity, and they responded with awkward smiles.
“If those guys are corrupt, we just pretend to be a little tainted too. In this business, most things can be smoothed over with some under-the-table deals.”
“How did it come to this? In the construction industry?”
I asked out of curiosity, and they scratched their heads.
“It’s because of the tight deadlines. Completing the project by the set date is the top priority, isn’t it? There’s no time to worry about legality or shortcuts. If money can fix it, you have to use it. That’s how principles and rules get ignored, and it becomes a habit in this industry.”
The Yeouido men nodded in agreement.
One group dealt solely with numbers, while the other handled rough men. It wasn’t exactly a harmonious mix.
As I pondered this odd combination, Director Kang returned to the meeting room.
“Alright, I’ve brought everything. Enjoy exercising your shareholder rights, and if you ever feel like negotiating, come to the president’s office. We’ll be waiting.”
Following Director Kang, employees from Dae-A Construction entered, each pushing a cart piled high with boxes of documents.
It was a strategy to bury us in paperwork, like something out of a legal drama.
As I sighed in disbelief, a Sunyang employee grinned and said, “Do they really think these outdated tactics will work these days?”