Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 32

32. Came from Cheongil Group (5)

Han Cheong-ho deliberately looked around the office.

“Isn’t the office too shabby and small? It’s a waste of youth to rot in Gangwon-do selling molybdenum.”

Han Cheong-ho tapped the table.

“Come work for me. I’ll give you the position of president of a Cheongil Group affiliate.”

Tae-soo scoffed.

‘Han Cheong-ho is really trying to get to me. A sweet offer followed by fierce threats, then another sweet offer – is that his game plan?’

Han Cheong-ho smiled gently, as if he had never threatened anyone.

“It’s a position that can’t even be compared to the president of this tiny mine. Think about it. How often does someone your age get to sit in the president’s seat of an affiliate company?”

“The textile factory has a president, and the coal mine has a president too.”

“Surely you don’t think I’d give you the president’s seat at some run-down textile factory or failing coal mine?”

“Yes, I think you would. You’ve been changing your mind like flipping your palm since a while ago.”

“······.”

Han Cheong-ho was momentarily speechless because that was exactly what he was thinking.

Tae-soo clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight.

‘He was serious. What a brazen man.’

Han Cheong-ho, who had been momentarily taken aback, quickly composed himself and plastered a smile on his face.

He laughed heartily and said.

“The president positions I can offer are at Cheongil Trading, Cheongil Corporation, Cheongil Business, Cheongil Timber, and Cheongil Academy. Which one would you like? Take your pick.”

“No, thank you.”

“You’re making it obvious that you’re pushing second-rate affiliates while keeping all the valuable ones for yourself.”

“Isn’t that the truth?”

“Look here, think about your age. Just 24 years old? Turning 25 this year? You should realize that this level of position at that age is an incredible offer.”

‘I suppose so.’

‘But I have no intention of working under you, Han Cheong-ho.’

Tae-soo scoffed.

Then Han Cheong-ho clicked his tongue.

“Do you know how hard it is to get to that position? It’s a dream that others can’t achieve even if they devote their whole lives.”

‘No thanks.’

‘My dream isn’t just that.’

“If you rely on the shadow of a *chaebol* [family-run conglomerate], how bright will your future truly be? You’d have more than enough power to fulfill your ambitions to your heart’s content.”

‘No thanks.’

‘It’s not like I haven’t relied on the shadow of that *chaebol* family before.’

“Imagine the moment when you are introduced as the president of a Cheongil Group affiliate. How people will look up to you, how much they will flatter you to get on your good side.”

‘No thanks.’

‘What’s so great about that?’

‘It’s just annoying to have worthless flies buzzing around.’

‘I’m the one who used to shake my head trying to chase away flies all my life.’

“Just prove your ability. Then I’ll pull you up right away. Surely your beginning and end will be very different.”

‘No thanks.’

‘It’ll just end up with me as Cheongil’s dog.’

‘It’s not like I don’t know how that future ends.’

“Who knows? After I die, you might even become the chairman of Cheongil Group.”

Han Cheong-ho smiled subtly.

“How about it? Has your mind changed now?”

“Hahaha!”

Tae-soo laughed loudly.

“I’m not stupid enough to believe that will ever happen, even if I die and come back to life. Also, I’m not greedy for something like the chairman of Cheongil Group.”

From the beginning, there was no way he would be greedy for the position of chairman of Cheongil Group.

If he had coveted that position, he would have pushed Han Il-kwon out in his previous life and taken it long ago.

‘Cheongil Group, I will tear it apart and swallow it with my own hands. One by one, whenever I get the chance.’

Tae-soo smirked.

Tae-soo raised his finger and pointed to the ceiling.

“I’ll take care of going up on my own.”

Tae-soo swallowed the rest of his words.

-Above Han Cheong-ho, even above your head.

Han Cheong-ho hardened his face.

“You’re taking this opportunity too lightly. You don’t seem to realize how much I’m offering you right now?”

“You must be busy enough throwing dog bones to the dogs who devote themselves to Cheongil, so you don’t need to take care of me. I’ll take care of myself and make a living on my own.”

“…I thought you were a smart friend.”

Han Cheong-ho also sipped the corn tea.

Without taking his eyes off Tae-soo.

It was the gaze of a predator sizing up its prey.

“You don’t seem to know, but Cheongil Group is much bigger than you think.”

Tae-soo scoffed inwardly.

‘What do you mean I don’t know? I’m the one who grew that great Cheongil Group bigger than you.’

Han Cheong-ho said.

“Cheongil Group is on a different level from ordinary *chaebol* companies. Who supports our Cheongil? Who did I join hands with? With that backing, what can’t I do?”

Cheongil Group is a *chaebol* company that is pointed at behind its back for being built on bribes and lobbying, not legitimate business.

Starting with pro-Japanese activities during the colonial era and continuing through the dictatorial regimes.

Cheongil Group is a textbook example of political-economic collusion.

Han Cheong-ho began to subtly threaten again.

“You might end up rotting in Gangwon-do for the rest of your life. Shall I guarantee it this time too?”

“Hahaha!”

This time, Tae-soo laughed loudly.

“Even if I rot in Gangwon-do for the rest of my life, I won’t live as a dog guarding someone else’s house.”

In his previous life, he lived as Cheongil’s dog.

He did his best, but in the end, he was betrayed.

He has no intention of living like that this time.

Crack.

Invisible sparks flew wildly between Tae-soo and Han Cheong-ho.

“A dog, that’s too much. I came all the way to Gangwon-do with good intentions. But you calling the people of Cheongil Group dogs is very rude.”

Tae-soo pointed to the clock.

“Time’s up. Let’s wrap this up.”

“Kang Tae-soo.”

Han Cheong-ho stared at Tae-soo with cold eyes.

“This is your last chance. Come to Cheongil Group. Then I’ll turn a blind eye to all the rudeness so far.”

Han Cheong-ho put down the teacup he was holding.

“Think carefully. I’ll give you more time than I gave myself.”

Han Cheong-ho spread out his fingers.

“I’ll give you 5 days.”

Han Cheong-ho got up from his seat.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret.”

“Take care. I won’t see you off.”

Han Cheong-ho straightened his clothes and left Tae-soo’s office.

Thump.

Han Cheong-ho glared at the door of Tae-soo’s office and gnashed his teeth.

“Arrogant bastard.”

He said to the driver who was waiting outside.

“Let’s go to the Blue House [the South Korean presidential residence]. I need to meet the President.”

After a while, the car started with a rumble.

* * *

After Han Cheong-ho left, Tae-soo slumped into the office chair.

His body, which had been stiff with tension, felt drained.

“I met Han Cheong-ho again. After 25 years… I’ve been waiting for the moment to meet you, and I was just as afraid of this moment.”

Tae-soo closed his eyes.

His heart was still pounding.

Tension and excitement had not subsided.

“I have to destroy Cheongil Group, but I was always afraid of whether I could face you, who would be blocking the way. It remained as anxiety in one corner of my heart.”

Tae-soo took a deep breath.

His violently beating heart gradually stabilized.

“Han Cheong-ho, he’s definitely someone. Even though it was just a probing battle, I was so nervous.”

Tae-soo clenched and unclenched his fist.

It was electrifying to the tips of his fingers.

“Surely you, whom I met a while ago, are not an easy person. Strangely, you are a little different from you in my memory?”

He was always a person who seemed larger than life.

He was always a person who was difficult, scary, and overwhelming.

“It’s strange. The you in my memory was a much greater and more powerful figure than you are now. No matter how hard I struggled, I couldn’t overcome you until the end.”

After Han Cheong-ho died, Tae-soo had been practically leading Cheongil Group behind Han Il-kwon for 25 years.

The difficulty was indescribable.

Every time, Tae-soo recalled Han Cheong-ho in his lifetime and asked himself again and again.

-If it were Han Cheong-ho, how would he have overcome this crisis?

-If it were Han Cheong-ho, how would he have persuaded this person? Or how would he have threatened him?

-If it were Han Cheong-ho, how would he have seized this opportunity?

-If it were Han Cheong-ho…

Whenever difficulties arose, Tae-soo recalled Han Cheong-ho in his memory and followed in his footsteps.

He wanted to resemble the great figure of Han Cheong-ho.

He wanted to handle things as wonderfully as Han Cheong-ho.

“I was always lacking compared to you. That’s why I always wanted to be like you, to be with you, and to surpass you.”

Tae-soo smiled bitterly.

“Why is that? But now…”

The bitter smile gradually turned into a confident smile.

“I think it’s worth a fight.”

No matter how much he thought about it, it was really strange.

“Yes, this is exactly what you have been insisting on. That people’s minds change.”

Tae-soo grinned.

“Han Cheong-ho, you’re not as scary as I thought. You’re not as difficult as before.”

Tae-soo laughed loudly.

“Hahaha! I’m really glad I met you.”

* * *

Pohang Steel was very busy these days.

Orders for chromoly steel and stainless steel were backed up.

The factory was still running in three shifts.

Smiles bloomed on Park Tae-jong’s face as he looked around the factory.

“To think that I would raise funds for the construction of a steel mill by selling chromoly steel and stainless steel.”

The face of the young man who boldly declared in the president’s office of Pohang Steel in the midsummer heat that the price of molybdenum would soon double or triple came to mind.

“Double or triple is nothing. It seems to have jumped about 15 times.”

Park Tae-jong laughed loudly.

“Hahaha! Since we are supplied with a sufficient amount at such a good price, I don’t even know what the international price of molybdenum is these days.”

It was a comfortable sentiment that companies desperate to buy molybdenum would have been enraged to hear.

“When you think about it, it was Kang Tae-soo, that friend, who told me to raise funds for the construction of the steel mill by selling chromoly steel and stainless steel.”

Predicting the future by looking at the current situation was not something anyone could do.

He was a truly smart friend.

“I heard that friend has become a *nouveau riche* [newly rich] these days? Thanks to him, we’re all sitting on a pile of money, hahaha.”

That was why Park Tae-jong could laugh so much.

These days, Park Tae-jong couldn’t help but smile contentedly whenever he thought of Tae-soo.

“Even though a proper blast furnace hasn’t been built yet, we’re still in the black this month thanks to molybdenum.”

The pressure on the shipyard’s finances was relieved.

This is because Tae-soo is supplying molybdenum at a reasonable price and in sufficient quantities.

“I’ve incurred another debt. How do I repay this again?”

It was when Park Tae-jong was worried about repaying.

An employee came running in a hurry.

“The President is looking for you, Mr. Park!”

“The President?”

“I heard that he was very pleased to hear the news that the construction of the steel mill is progressing rapidly!”

It is thanks to the Japanese Mangjong who has come to his senses and is participating in the construction of the steel mill day and night.

The construction of the steel mill, which had been so difficult and sluggish for three years, now seems to be being built quickly even if you sleep for one night.

How pleased he is every time he sees the steel mill taking shape quickly.

These days, Park Tae-jong was full even if he didn’t eat.

“We should have built it at this speed long ago. I’m sorry to the President.”

Come to think of it, there was another admirable thing.

‘It was that young man who put a leash on the Japanese Mangjong.’

Everything he does is so admirable.

Everything he does goes smoothly, and every suggestion he makes is a jackpot!

So I can’t help but admire him.

The employee didn’t know that Park Tae-jong was smiling contentedly while thinking of Tae-soo, and raised his voice even more, thinking that he was greatly pleased with President Park Jeong-hwan’s praise.

“The President said that he was very pleased to hear the news that he was earning funds for the construction of the steel mill with chromoly steel and stainless steel these days, and he stood up from his seat and laughed heartily.”

“I’m glad he was pleased.”

“For that reason, the President has made a big decision.”

“Decision? What decision?”

“He has decided to come to inspect the steel mill.”

“The President is coming to inspect?”

It was unexpected.

Did that man of few movements abandon his important work and decide to come down to Pohang?

Even though the steel mill hasn’t been completely built yet.

‘It’s not time for him to come here yet? Does he have another intention?’

When Park Tae-jong was wondering, the employee continued to answer.

“When did the President say he would come to inspect?”

“He said it would be in ten days.”