Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 143

143. Cha Ki-beom’s Reward (3)

The construction site of the Taeyang Apartment was bustling with broadcasting station personnel.

It was because the filming of a drama series was in full swing in the studio.

CP [Chief Producer] Go Seok-man banged on the script and shouted loudly.

“Alright, quiet! Let’s start filming! All staff, step back! Actors, come forward.”

The director of photography, sound director, and lighting director took their places.

The actors, having finished their makeup, also entered one after another.

As the start of filming was announced, the staff closed their mouths and focused.

“Team 1 will go out for outdoor shooting, Team 2 to Studio 3, and Team 3 to Studio 1.”

The staff dispersed to film their respective scenes.

Tae-soo and Song Chang-joon were watching the scene from afar.

Song Chang-joon grinned.

“Did you see the CF [Commercial Film, advertisement] shooting earlier? The female lead is so pretty, don’t you think?”

Jeong Yoon-ah had just finished filming the CF.

She was expected to change clothes and fix her makeup in the container prepared as the actors’ waiting room.

“Our Taeyang Apartment ad copy and Jeong Yoon-ah’s image match so well.”

-I want to live with you. Here. How about it?

“Isn’t Jeong Yoon-ah so wistful? She really reminds me of my first love.”

Just then, Jeong Yoon-ah came out of the actors’ waiting room after changing her clothes and makeup.

Her eyes met Tae-soo’s.

She smiled brightly, raised her hand high, and waved it vigorously.

“Wow, she’s so pretty. Did you see? She waved at me.”

Song Chang-joon, who was making a fuss, also raised his hand high and waved back.

Jeong Yoon-ah was startled and quickly lowered her hand.

Then, without looking back, she returned to the set.

“These days, I live for seeing Jeong Yoon-ah. I’ve never been so happy to come to the site. The workers are all going crazy over how pretty Jeong Yoon-ah is.”

Tae-soo said indifferently.

“Have you switched from Secretary Song to Jeong Yoon-ah, Chief Song?”

“Ugh! N, no, that’s not it······.”

“I think Secretary Song is watching over there.”

“Gasp!”

Secretary Song was indeed coming from afar, to report to Tae-soo about the meeting with the bank presidents.

Song Chang-joon hurriedly made excuses.

“First love never works out anyway. It’s not a sin to reminisce about a past first love, is it?”

“A first love that comes to mind when you see Jeong Yoon-ah’s face. I wonder what kind of woman she is.”

“···If she looked like Jeong Yoon-ah, I would have been hung up on my first love until now. By the way, this is a secret from Chief Song and Secretary Song. Ahem.”

Secretary Song approaches.

No matter how much he looked at it, he couldn’t get used to that waddling gait.

Secretary Song, wearing a fedora and sunglasses, even carrying a cane.

“I gave the bank presidents plenty of carrots [incentives] for overseas bank investment and acquisition.”

“Good.”

“I obtained quite a few shares in return for the investment. If we collect a little more from the market, we will become the majority shareholder.”

“Good. Are the funds sufficient?”

“Sufficient.”

Secretary Song says with a proud face.

“The Chairman sent an enormous amount of money.”

It was the money he had taken from Park Jeong-hwan’s secret vault and the Saudi Minister of Finance’s underground vault.

“The banks that the Chairman specifically pointed out for acquisition are solid. Just by restructuring and slightly modifying the system, they have turned to profit.”

He deliberately chose only such places.

All he had to do was choose the place where the smell of money was most ecstatic.

Thanks to the smell of money, Tae-soo was a publicly recognized leader in mergers and acquisitions in his previous life as well.

“Han-soo invests quite well. He bought up the company’s stock that had hit rock bottom during the oil shock, and the price has already risen several times.”

He was pleased.

“The crisis is an opportunity, and thanks to this oil shock, money has been making money, and the bank vault has become very thick.”

“Good.”

“So you don’t have to worry about funds. Moreover, a large sum of money came in from Saudi Arabia, didn’t it?”

Half of the $1 billion from the Jubail Industrial Port construction project had come in.

It was an amount equivalent to one quarter of the total budget for the national administration of a country.

“I have given enough carrots. If the Chairman orders, I will use stocks and ledgers to pressure the bank presidents.”

“Good.”

“I will start restructuring the acquired banks.”

He would have to.

He had acquired three banks that were faltering due to corporate bankruptcies caused by the oil shock.

If he left the festering wounds as they were, the inside would rot away.

“Let’s clean up the non-performing loans and collect the loans that need to be recovered.”

“In order to prevent the deterioration of management······.”

“Do you mean to reduce the workforce?”

“···Isn’t it inevitable?”

Tae-soo paused for a moment in thought.

“Let’s think again about the workforce reduction. First, let’s solve the problems caused by poor management.”

“If you’ve drawn your sword······.”

Tae-soo raised his hand and covered Secretary Song’s mouth.

“I know very well that if you’ve drawn your sword, you have to deal with it decisively. But I hope to avoid workforce reduction as much as possible.”

“What is the reason for your reluctance to reduce the workforce?”

“There are many single-income families. There are also many dependents. If the head of the household loses their job, the family will fall apart. I hope we don’t have to go that far if possible.”

Secretary Song smiled gently.

“You are very meticulous, but you are very kind in these matters.”

Tae-soo took it as a sharp reprimand.

Secretary Song had always emphasized rational decisions, macro perspectives, and preemptive advantage based on gains and losses in business.

But this time, it was not a rational decision, so he was prepared for friction.

“I know very well that businessmen must be cold-hearted. It may seem like emotional indecision. But from a macro perspective, this is more advantageous.”

Secretary Song just smiled silently.

He felt a little unfamiliar with the image of his teacher, who used to scold him sharply when he was being scolded.

“Taeyang Group is currently suffering from a shortage of talent. It’s good to recruit new talent, but it’s also good to make good use of existing talent. Let’s make it possible to absorb them into Taeyang.”

Secretary Song opened his mouth.

“Businessmen need a cold head, but they also need a warm heart. After all, business is done by people.”

It was a more gentle voice than usual.

Tae-soo, who had been prepared to be scolded, was taken aback by the tone full of pride.

“A company that thinks of people first without being buried in money. A leader who does not see employees as a condition for creating corporate profits, but as the head of a family. Very impressive.”

Secretary Song nodded.

“I hope you will continue to take both money and people with you like this in the future.”

Tae-soo asked cautiously.

“Secretary Song’s philosophy of corporate management is very different, so are you not dissatisfied?”

Secretary Song had repeatedly emphasized that to Tae-soo.

But now that he highly valued Tae-soo’s philosophy, he was puzzled.

“Dissatisfied? I am very proud. I don’t know who the Chairman’s teacher is, but they really raised their disciple well.”

Teacher.

I made a decision against your teachings.

Why are you praising me?

“If I had been raised in Cheongil, would I have turned out like this?”

“No. In that case, I would have severely reprimanded you.”

In his previous life, Secretary Song had always worried about this aspect of Tae-soo.

“May I ask why?”

“If the Chairman were raised in Cheongil, if he had uttered this philosophy, he would have been eliminated by Chairman Han Cheong-ho first.”

Tae-soo closed his eyes.

‘So that’s why Secretary Song always urged me.’

Secretary Song always wanted Tae-soo to survive for a long time.

The reason why he raised Tae-soo, who was appointed as the next chief secretary, to be the head of a chaebol [large family-owned business conglomerate], was also for that reason.

“Cheongil and Taeyang are different. Chairman, please continue on the path of Taeyang as you are now. Like the sun that rises high, shines far, and warmly embraces everything.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

His heart grew hot.

* * *

Taeyang Apartment construction site.

Song Chang-joon approached and said to Tae-soo.

“Chairman, Chairman Jang Joon-yong, the head of Geumsan Group, has arrived.”

“Chairman Jang?”

“In addition, Director Lee Geon-hoo of Dongin Broadcasting Station has also arrived.”

“Did they come together?”

Why on earth would the two of them come here together?

Tae-soo took off his hard hat.

He handed the blueprint he was holding to Song Chang-joon and said.

“Where are they?”

“They are looking around the studio.”

“Let’s go.”

Tae-soo hurried to the studio.

The broadcasting station’s filming team was gathered in front of the studio.

Among them, the cast, including Jeong Yoon-ah, could be seen.

“What are you doing here instead of filming?”

“Ah, we’re just taking a 10-minute break from filming.”

“Will you be able to make it in time for the broadcast?”

“Don’t worry. We’ll start right after we have a snack.”

CP Go Seok-man glanced over there.

The staff held up baskets filled with food.

“Chairman, please go inside. The director is waiting for you inside.”

Tae-soo entered the studio.

With Lee Geon-hoo’s guidance, Jang Joon-yong and Secretary Kim were looking around the studio.

Looking at the 128-pyeong [approximately 4550 square feet] unit, Jang Joon-yong exclaimed.

“Wow, this place is amazing. How can an apartment be so magnificent?”

The perception that it was a residential alternative for the poor, a chicken coop apartment, was shattered at once.

“At first, I tried to stop Chairman Kang from building a top-class premium apartment, but I did something unnecessary. A born talent is a born talent.”

“I was also surprised when I first saw it. So I made a reservation to have one sold to me.”

“At this rate, I should buy one too, shouldn’t I? I should buy it for our princess.”

“There are only 8 units. The competition will be fierce.”

Tae-soo came in and greeted them.

“Chairman Jang, Director Lee, what brings you two here together?”

“Yes, we came together. We had lunch together.”

“We are on our way back from the KEF meeting.”

KEF.

Korea Economic Federation.

It is a meeting of Korean chaebols, and Jang Joon-yong is the chairman of the federation.

Today was the day of the regular luncheon meeting.

“Why don’t you join our KEF as a new member? You can join if you get recommendations from five members.”

“Did you come because of the KEF membership?”

“No, that’s not it.”

Jang Joon-yong shakes his head but says subtly.

“Isn’t it about time for you to join the KEF? You’ve even finished the Taeyang Group launching ceremony, but why haven’t you said anything about joining the KEF?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Join quickly during my term. Han Cheong-ho is aiming for the next federation chairman position.”

I don’t have to hear the rest.

It means that if Han Cheong-ho becomes the next federation chairman, he will desperately block Tae-soo’s KEF membership.

“Han Cheong-ho may harm Taeyang Group by leading the KEF. There’s no match for being ganged up on. If you don’t want to suffer that fate, you should quickly establish yourself in the KEF.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“Why do you keep thinking? There’s nothing to lose by joining. It’s a meeting that others want to join but can’t.”

Lee Geon-hoo also nodded.

“If Chairman Kang is willing to join, Samcheong will also lend a hand in recommending him.”

“Thank you. But didn’t you say that you came for other business besides recommending KEF membership?”

“There is something you need to know as well.”

Jang Joon-yong’s expression hardened.

“Cha Ki-beom showed his face at the KEF meeting.”

Lee Geon-hoo also nodded.

“It’s the first time that the Chief of the Presidential Security Service has appeared at a KEF meeting.”

I can guess the reason.

It must be because of the request Tae-soo made.