Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 140

140. Three Matters (5)

Secretary Song spoke.

“These are the ledgers.”

I was puzzled.

“I already received those from Saudi Arabia.”

It was a somewhat crude ledger.

However, Tae-soo used it to corner Han Cheong-ho.

Thanks to that, he acquired Cheongil Oil and heavy equipment for next to nothing.

Furthermore, he even secured his family’s safety by threatening Han Cheong-ho.

However, Secretary Song shook his head.

“Those were ledgers aimed at Han Cheong-ho. This is different.”

“Then what is it?”

Secretary Song grinned.

“It’s a ledger to tighten the nooses around the necks of the bank presidents.”

Customized ledgers for the bank presidents, huh?

“Are you perhaps referring to the bribes Han Cheong-ho gave to the bank presidents?”

“No, Han Cheong-ho has a much firmer grip on that than I do, so it’s not even worth considering.”

Then what on earth makes it a ledger?

“It’s literally a ledger. How do you think those bank presidents spent the money they received on the side?”

Secretary Song smiled meaningfully.

“Since Han Cheong-ho is bound to come out dirty, I prepared something dirty as well.”

Secretary Song seemed quite determined.

“Secretary Song, how did you prepare something like this? It must have been difficult being abroad.”

“There was a separate expert for this.”

An expert?

Tae-soo’s mind raced in an instant.

Before the words were even finished, Tae-soo chuckled.

“When did you manage to win over Song Jin-gu?”

“How did you know?”

Secretary Song’s mouth dropped open.

Han-soo, who had already heard it from Secretary Song, was equally surprised.

“Song Jin-gu promised not to breathe a word. You didn’t even know until I brought it up. But how did you figure it out so quickly…?”

“Secretary Song, you gave me a hint just now.”

“No, I mean, how did you know?”

Everyone was curious.

Tae-soo had no choice but to explain.

“First, the information source routes that Secretary Song, who was presumed dead, could access were limited.”

This meant he was cut off from the informants who were active in the Cheongil Group.

“Second, Secretary Song met Song Jin-gu in Saudi Arabia. Third, Song Jin-gu is a subordinate of the information merchant Jang Mal-dong. Fourth, Secretary Song is the supervisor of the Saudi construction project.”

These were facts that everyone else knew as well.

“Fifth, Song Jin-gu, who should be working in Saudi Arabia, is in Korea.”

I met him at Jang Mal-dong’s house.

Tae-soo came to a simple conclusion.

“Conclusion: Song Jin-gu and Secretary Song traded information. Am I wrong?”

“It’s astonishing. Amazing. Perfect.”

Secretary Song shook his head.

He could only marvel at how accurately Tae-soo could deduce things in such a short time.

“It’s exactly as the Chairman said. I traded information in exchange for sending Song Jin-gu back to Korea.”

“Well done.”

Tae-soo smiled, waving the notebook.

“If Secretary Song hadn’t ordered it, I would have. Even if it meant repatriating someone from Saudi Arabia.”

“…….”

“I was already having Song Jin-gu investigate Jeon Doo-ho and Oseong Group. I felt bad about asking him to do this as well, but this worked out perfectly.”

“…….”

It was a story that would have made Song Jin-gu clutch the back of his neck if he had heard it.

“Ledgers can be a powerful weapon. Money controls the banks, and ledgers bind the bank presidents. Very good.”

Secretary Song bowed.

“Leave the task of tightening the nooses around the bank presidents’ necks to me. I specialize in dirty, underhanded fights.”

Secretary Song had been hardened by cleaning up after Han Cheong-ho and Han Il-kwon.

He was very reliable.

“I’ll take care of the dirty fighting, so Chairman Kang, please continue on your path. I’ll support you from behind.”

It couldn’t be better.

However, Secretary Song added.

“There’s another reason why I came to Korea.”

Secretary Song opened his bag and took out a few more notebooks.

“These are the items you instructed me to prepare.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“It’s nothing. I’m just glad I can be of help in some way.”

Tae-soo flipped through the notebooks, looking at them.

Han-soo, as well as Song So-ri and Kim Gwang-rok, all focused their attention on the notebooks.

Only Secretary Song was smiling brightly.

Song So-ri cautiously asked.

“Chairman, what are those?”

“It’s a list of potential recruits.”

“Yes?”

For some reason, even Secretary Song was taken aback.

“A list of potential recruits? Didn’t you ask me to create a personnel evaluation report for Cheongil?”

“Yes, I intend to use that as a list of potential recruits.”

Tae-soo cleared up their confusion.

“I plan to poach talent from Cheongil. I’ll bring them into our Taeyang as talent.”

Everyone’s mouths dropped open.

“Taeyang has grown too quickly. We’re still struggling with a shortage of personnel.”

In just two or three years, it had become a conglomerate, with as many as 16 affiliates.

“With Taeyang Apartments being built, we need even more talent. There are even more projects to be pursued in the future.”

The projects that Tae-soo was pursuing were not just one or two.

A tremendous amount of work had to be handled in a short amount of time.

Everyone was suffering from overwork.

“We need to discover, nurture, and utilize talent in the right places. One talented person can do the work of ten. It’s an important factor in technological development and improving work efficiency.”

“Isn’t that why you said you would send us on technical study abroad programs?”

“That alone is not enough. It’s time for Taeyang Group to nurture talent within itself. In addition, I plan to bring in talent that has already been developed.”

Tae-soo had a great desire for talent.

Anyone who has properly managed a company knows.

How great an impact a proper talent has on a company.

“Ultimately, business is done by people. The more good people there are, the faster the company can grow. Quality is more important than quantity.”

What was the reason why Cao Cao wielded the greatest power in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms [a famous Chinese historical novel]?

It was because he had the backing of the imperial family and almost monopolized the supply of excellent talent.

“Chairman Han Cheong-ho has gathered a lot of talent over the years. They are the ones who are firmly supporting Cheongil.”

Why wouldn’t they be?

Even Lee Chang-won and Noh Il-guk, who were called the two mainstays of Cheongil Heavy Industries, were good at their jobs.

“Han Cheong-ho is busy clinging to the regime and spreading bribes and lobbying. But the reason why Cheongil is growing so well is because the people who support it are doing a good job.”

Tae-soo knows well because he has run Cheongil in place of Han Il-kwon.

Even when Han Il-kwon was ruining the business, Cheongil’s executives worked hard to fill the holes.

“Han Cheong-ho certainly has an eye for talent. He’s also good at scouting with sweet words.”

Wasn’t Han Cheong-ho the one who, in his previous life, appointed the son of Park Tae-jong of Pohang Steel as the president of Cheongil Construction?

Lee Chang-won and Noh Il-guk were also talents scouted by Han Cheong-ho.

“But we also have talent that is no less than him. That’s Secretary Song.”

Everyone looked at Secretary Song.

“He is an expert who directly selects and nurtures Cheongil’s talent. He is also the person who knows Cheongil’s talent better than anyone else.”

He is an expert who could even be the director of a talent training center.

“To bring down Cheongil, we have to beat it from both inside and outside.”

Now I understand.

“We will pressure the lifeline from the outside through the banks, and we will poach talent from the inside to make it falter.”

Tae-soo turned to Secretary Song.

“That’s why I asked Secretary Song, who knows the inside story of Cheongil so well.”

“I understand why you asked me to create a personnel evaluation report.”

“Because we need to select who to poach, who to cut off, and who to leave in Cheongil based on that.”

Secretary Song nodded.

“I have evaluated Cheongil’s talent based on their abilities, skills, growth potential, and character. If you give me some more time, I will add a few more items.”

Tae-soo also nodded.

“Please prioritize the scouting. It would be good to have additional tactics or weaknesses.”

If you say one thing, he knows ten [idiom meaning someone understands perfectly with minimal instruction].

The teacher and disciple had always been a good match like that.

But Secretary Song was just impressed.

‘Amazing. How can he do so well without me even telling him? Who on earth raised such a big shot? I respect them.’

Secretary Song cautiously suggested.

“Chairman, how about entrusting the nurturing of talent to the person who trained you? I think that person is more of an expert than I am.”

“That’s why I’m asking you.”

Tae-soo looked at Secretary Song and smiled.

“I look forward to your taking good care of our Taeyang’s talent in the future.”

Teacher.

* * *

A welcome party was held for Secretary Song and Han-soo.

It turned out to be a dinner for the executives who supported Taeyang.

They ate their fill of beef at the first round, and drank plenty of draft beer at the second round.

And now, they were holding a third round in the VIP room of the Geumsan Hotel bar.

The attention of Taeyang Group’s executives was entirely focused on Skinny’s prized liquor.

“Is this the expensive liquor I’ve only heard about?”

“Rémy Martin Louis XIII? It’s one of the most famous cognacs?”

“Wow, where did you get this? Can I have just one glass, or even just one sip?”

Skinny puffed out his chest, revealing his ribs.

He was holding the liquor bottle with great pride.

“This liquor is worth a house. Get away!”

His liquor pride was immense.

Tae-soo poured liquor into Secretary Song’s glass and casually asked.

“Secretary Song, I haven’t heard the last of your reasons for coming to Korea.”

“Ah, this is a personal matter.”

Secretary Song smiled, looking at his daughter Song So-ri, who was distracted by the liquor.

“Before she misses her chance, I have to find a marriage partner for our daughter.”

Song So-ri was startled.

“Dad!”

Secretary Song smiled, looking around at the people with a pleased expression.

“I’m thinking of choosing a son-in-law from among these people.”

Everyone froze for a moment.

There were plenty of bachelors here anyway.

The men all looked at Song So-ri.

‘Our Song Manager is pretty, isn’t she?’

‘She’s capable, decisive, and smart.’

‘A cold city career woman. Even the way she puts up a wall is charming.’

Song So-ri shook her head with a serious expression.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Dad, you’re being ridiculous.”

“Why? A woman’s age of 23 is the prime time to get married. If you get any later, it’ll be hard to get married. What’s wrong with you that you want to be called an old maid?”

In the 70s, everyone got married early.

“My daughter is getting older, and I can’t just sit back and wait until the Han Cheong-ho family goes bankrupt. I’m going to finish the meeting between families [formal introduction between families for marriage consideration] before I go back.”

“Dad!”

Song So-ri jumped up.

She grabbed Secretary Song’s arm.

“Are you drunk? Get up. This is embarrassing.”

“What’s embarrassing about it? I’ve met everyone here at least once. They’re all good enough to be your groom.”

Suddenly, Skinny jumped up and held out the liquor bottle he had been holding close to his chest.

“Please give me your daughter, Father-in-law!”

Skinny was offering the half-empty Rémy Martin Louis XIII as tribute.

Secretary Song smiled, greatly pleased.

“Yong-sik is a good person and a gem. He’s full of affection, meticulous, and cheerful. He’ll be a good husband and a good father like a friend.”

“Dad!”

Suddenly, Song Chang-jun jumped up.

He suddenly pulled the fruit platter in front of him and offered it.

“Father-in-law, I’m a better match for your daughter.”

Secretary Song nodded as well.

“Chang-jun has a good family. Moreover, he has a gentle nature and is quick-witted. He’s good at saying things that women like, and he’ll take good care of the family. He’s the best as a caring husband.”

“Dad, what are you talking about?”

Secretary Song then looked at Han-soo.

“Han-soo is handsome. As sharp and keen as he is, he also has good taste. He’s deep and has a strong character, so he doesn’t know how to betray. He’ll never cheat and will only look at one woman for the rest of his life.”

“Dad, stop it!”

Secretary Song finally looked at Tae-soo.

“He’s too good. Give up on this one. You’ll never get him, even if you die.”