Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 104

31st. Meeting Another Giant (1)

A day had passed since returning to New York from Panama.

“Cheers!”

We were having a company dinner at a barbecue pub from midday. It was Grandpa’s order to rest comfortably for a few days after winning the Panama copper mine development rights.

Thanks to that, we were freely tearing into ribs and drinking craft beer at the restaurant with the corporate card.

“Kuh~! There’s never been anything as satisfying as this, Director! I was envious when I heard about Director Ma of the Australian branch, but this is like a dream, haha!”

Kim Dong-seok, the director of Haedong Corporation’s New York branch, wiped the beer foam from his mouth and laughed heartily. Even within the same company, the heads of branches in different parts of the world were in fierce competition for performance, and I was really feeling that I was working at our company.

I lightly clinked my beer glass against Kim Dong-seok’s, took a sip of beer, and handed him a gift.

“The Panama copper mine will be managed by the New York branch from now on, Branch Manager.”

“You mean us?”

Kim Dong-seok, who was drinking beer, put down the cup he was holding to his mouth and blinked. I smiled gently at him.

“Yes. The mine’s shares will be held via Hong Kong for convenience, but the actual mine management will be the responsibility of the New York branch.”

Kim Dong-seok took a light breath after hearing my words.

“I honestly don’t know how great the Cobre Panama mine is. But I wouldn’t ask for more if it was even half the size of the Kazakhstan copper mine, haha.”

Kim Dong-seok laughed heartily after hearing my words, but he would be shocked later. Cobre Panama would be a bonanza that would produce up to 350,000 tons of copper concentrate annually for more than 30 years.

I smiled at the future of the Haedong Group, which would become an even bigger giant, and drank a celebratory drink alone.

***

After finishing the meal with the Haedong Corporation family, I took a nap and then went to Henry’s mansion with Park Tae-jin after receiving a call from him. Seon Hae-cheol and Claire said they would have dinner and come because they were choosing furniture for the penthouse they would set up on 5th Avenue in Manhattan, New York.

“Welcome, Johnny. Did the Panama job go well?”

Henry greeted me as I opened the front door and entered, and I also smiled at him.

“Thanks to your help, it was resolved well, Henry. Thank you sincerely.”

Triumph Capital, or rather Henry’s assistance, played a big role in making this happen. Wasn’t it thanks to laundering Grandpa’s slush fund that I handed over the money to Park Byeong-jun, took over his connections, and succeeded in lobbying? Henry smiled awkwardly at me, who raised his head.

“I’m embarrassed to receive thanks for just $40 million. We also receive commissions while managing your grandfather’s funds, so we have to do that much. Come on! Let’s go in.”

Henry put his hand on my shoulder and pointed to the dining room with his other hand, walking together. Park Tae-jin, who was walking side by side with me on the opposite side of Henry, smiled at me.

We entered the dining room and shared the food that was generously prepared, seasoning it with stories we hadn’t been able to share.

“…Thank you so much, Johnny. I was worried about when my only daughter would get married, but your help was great.”

“No, Henry. I wondered if I had made a mistake with Claire after committing it, but I’m just grateful that the parties involved welcomed it, haha.”

Henry, who was pleased, took a sip of Romanee Conti [one of the most expensive and prestigious wines in the world] and wiped his mouth. He seemed to have something important to say.

“I want to express my gratitude to you… Butler.”

“Yes, Master.”

When Henry flicked his hand towards the butler, the butler left the dining room and came back with a file in his hand on a silver tray.

“Give that to Johnny.”

“Yes, Master.”

The butler walked to me and held out the silver tray at shoulder height.

“Please accept it, Mr. Lee.”

“Yes…”

I swallowed hard and picked up the file because it didn’t seem like an ordinary gift. When I glanced at him, Henry smiled and held out his hand, which had put down the knife, and recommended that I read it, so I carefully opened the file.

“This is…?”

I couldn’t believe it. He was going to put $3 billion from the funds managed by the Royce family and its backers into Standard Capital?

Moreover, it was a contract that all profits exceeding 20 percent per year would be handed over to Standard.

I took my eyes off the contract and looked at Henry with wide eyes. Henry smiled warmly at me.

“It’s a small reward for helping with our daughter and Sun’s wedding. Do you like it? Haha.”

It wasn’t a small reward. $3 billion was a big gift to me, who was short of even $1.

“Still, $3 billion is…”

“Ah, don’t worry. We made $18 billion in the yen appreciation speculation, so $3 billion is not a big burden. Thanks to that yen appreciation speculation, everyone’s thinking has changed.”

“Ah…”

“When I said I would entrust it to your company, everyone was eager to invest even $1 more. Who would ignore my words when I hold nearly 40 percent of Triumph shares, including what I have entrusted to Standard? Haha.”

Looking at Henry laughing heartily, it seemed that the Royce family was also changing. Whatever the process, who could ignore the instructions of the head of the family, who had shown his ability, and the instructions to invest in a partner who had clearly demonstrated his skills? In the end, it was a win-win situation for each other.

Henry turned his gaze from me, who was exclaiming in admiration, to Park Tae-jin.

“What do you think, Mr. Park? As Johnny’s guardian and a shareholder of Standard Capital.”

“There’s no reason to object, Lord Royce. I don’t know what to do with such generous help.”

Henry laughed heartily as Park Tae-jin bowed his head in gratitude.

“Thank you. There’s no better friend or better investor than Johnny, so we have to do this to continue the relationship, right? Finish eating and prepare to welcome the two of them.”

***

We finished the meal in a good atmosphere, and we greeted Seon Hae-cheol and Claire, who arrived around the end of the meal.

“Uncle! Claire!”

“Wow! Our nephew, your pale face has turned black? Haha!”

Seon Hae-cheol and I hugged each other and then smiled at each other.

“Thank you, Uncle. It worked out well thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome. I caught Claire thanks to the chairman and you, so that’s nothing, haha.”

Seon Hae-cheol, who was laughing heartily, smiled at Park Tae-jin.

“You worked hard to help Seong-min. You must have won him over well? Hehe.”

“That’s what construction companies are all about, hehe. We opened the door to this project with a few bottles of alcohol and $40 million, so it was cheap, haha.”

Claire smiled softly as she watched the two people laughing while holding hands.

“Loyalty is thicker than blood, huh? Hehe. You can’t miss alcohol on a day like this, right, Father?”

“That’s right. The veterans of the war have gathered for the first time in a while, so how can we miss alcohol? Everyone has eaten, so let’s have a glass of cognac.”

We went to the drawing room with Henry, sat on the sofa, enjoyed the sweet taste and aroma of Remy Martin VSOP [a type of cognac], and talked.

“…I’ve matched all the tableware and chosen the furniture I like. Now all I have to do is have the ceremony, Father.”

Henry smiled contentedly as he looked at Claire’s sparkling eyes.

“Well done. But prepare for the ceremony with your mother. Isn’t it the only daughter’s wedding, haha.”

“I guess so. Johnny told Tom Ford [a famous fashion designer] about the dress, so I’ll get it from there…”

I listened carefully to what Claire was saying. Wasn’t it a story from a faraway country?

I made eye contact with Park Tae-jin, who had a smile on his face, but I didn’t have time to be embarrassed, so I focused on concentrating when Henry called Seon Hae-cheol.

“Sun, the officiant for your wedding will be the chairman, right?”

“Yes, Henry. He said he would come to check on the US business.”

It seemed that the wedding preparations had progressed quite a bit while Park Tae-jin and I were staying in Panama. If Grandpa came to New York for no reason, Jang Ho-geon’s people might follow him, so it seemed like he was packaging it as a business trip.

“That’s good. I wanted to meet the person who raised a man like you or Mr. Park.”

After taking a sip of cognac with a satisfied expression, Henry opened his mouth.

“I’ve been watching the situation in Korea after hearing Johnny’s words, and it’s not good. The semiconductor market is in a downturn, and the reverse Plaza Accord [an agreement to devalue the US dollar against the Japanese yen and German mark] is pushing us out of the US export competition to Japan, but…”

Henry, who was slurring his words, looked at me and said.

“Those amateurish merchant banks are fearlessly bringing in short-term foreign debts and placing high-interest loans of more than two years in Southeast Asia or Russia. You were right.”

“It can’t be helped. Korea is still a clumsy country.”

I couldn’t hide my bitter feelings even in front of the person who was helping me. How many people in Korea, whether they are companies or politicians, are sane? Even I, who knows everything, am trying to use it.

I wanted to wash away all that bitterness, so I swallowed the cognac that filled my mouth. Just as the tingling sensation of the cognac that swept through my esophagus and spread to my stomach wall disappeared, I said to Henry with a firm expression.

“It would be best to withdraw all funds from Hango Group and Ado Group, whether it’s bonds or stocks, by the end of this year, Henry.”

Park Tae-jin’s eyes widened, and Henry’s eyes narrowed as he listened to my words and looked at Park Tae-jin’s expression.

“Is there a problem with those two places?”

“Hango Group is until this year. As they are now, they can’t even repay promissory notes, let alone bonds. If Hango collapses, Ado Group’s accounting fraud of more than 2 trillion won, which they have been hiding until now, will explode.”

I didn’t want to spoil the wedding of Claire and Seon Hae-cheol, but I couldn’t hide it because I thought it would be better to know now if it was a problem that would be known.

“Then…”

“The best thing to do is to pass all the bonds and stocks of Hango Group and Ado Group to your opponents, Henry.”

If they are bonds and stocks of a company that will fail anyway, it is better to sell them to Henry’s enemies. Isn’t it selling two bombs, Hango Group and Ado Group, at an expensive price following the Korean government bonds?

The corners of Henry’s mouth slowly went up as he looked at me.

“Is it a reward for $3 billion? Haha.”

“I hope it will be a small but useful gift, haha.”

While Seon Hae-cheol, Claire, and Park Tae-jin were laughing pleasantly, Henry took a sip of cognac and asked.

“How is Haedong Group, Johnny? You must have spent quite a lot of money because of the acquisition of North Limited, the Australian iron ore, and the Panama copper mine.”

Perhaps because of Grandpa, who is like Seon Hae-cheol’s father even though he is not related by blood, Henry expressed his concern. I smiled to reassure him.

“It’s okay, Henry. We have enough liquid cash, little debt, and the asset revaluation work has increased the asset value, at least on paper. The money we put in the US stock market is also growing. Among them…”

When I told him the value of the Kazakhstan copper mine and the Australian zinc mine, which had been audited by Deloitte headquarters, Henry exclaimed.

“As expected, Johnny, your eyes never miss. It’s a shame that Haedong Corporation and Haedong Merchant Bank are unlisted companies. If we withdraw from Hango Group and Ado Group, we should buy even the listed Haedong Group affiliates’ stocks, haha.”

“Thank you, Henry.”

Henry, who was laughing heartily, stopped laughing and smiled gently.

“Copper and zinc are resources that will increase in demand, so they are sufficient as collateral value. If you want, we can take care of it and write a contract to hand it over again.”

“No, Henry. Actually, this business trip is…”

When I told him the details decided at the group’s top management meeting in addition to the Panama copper mine acquisition, Henry exclaimed softly.

“Oh… The descendants of the Rockefeller family will get a good hit.”

“It can’t be helped. Isn’t it all about making a living?”

In a few days, the ‘descendants of the Rockefeller family’ will be furious when they see the mask I will wear.

***

A few days later.

After completing the remaining procedures at Standard Capital, we went straight to the headquarters of Chase Manhattan Bank.

“It’s strange.”

When I looked up at the building in front of me and said it unconsciously, Seon Hae-cheol asked me.

“Because of the name?”

“Yes. The Rockefeller family still controls it, right?”

Chase Manhattan Bank.

It is the largest commercial bank in the United States, created by the merger of Chase National Bank, of which the Rockefeller family was the largest shareholder, and Manhattan Company, followed by Chemical Bank in 1991.

It is a story that is not well known to the revealed world, but according to what we have learned, the Rockefeller family still influences Chase Manhattan Bank with its astronomical amount of real-name assets and borrowed-name assets, and the connections of the American high society that have been built over five generations.

I felt strange when I saw the headquarters of Chase Manhattan Bank.

Isn’t it me, the owner of Standard Capital, whose name overlaps with Standard Oil, the root of the Rockefeller family, and who uses the same English name as John Davison Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil?

Claire smiled at me, who was immersed in emotion.

“But today, you’re not the owner of Standard Capital, John Davison Lee, but the eldest grandson of Haedong Group, ‘John Seong-min Lee’, so are you okay?”

“What does it matter? Even if I take on many roles, the fact that I’m playing that role doesn’t change.”

Actors often fall into tragedy when they become so engrossed in their roles that they become depressed or make extreme choices when the work to which the role belongs ends.

Nevertheless, compared to the real actors who put everything on the line and wear the mask of acting, the mask I wear is infinitely light. Because all those masks are used for a common purpose.

It would be an insult to real actors if I were crushed by the weight of those masks. Is it possible for me to swallow up the Shinseong Group?

Seon Hae-cheol opened his mouth as he looked at me, who answered calmly and almost indifferently.

“Well, shall we go in then? To hook the descendants of the oil king.”

“This is going to be quite fun, haha.”

We laughed with Park Tae-jin and confidently moved our steps towards the main entrance of Chase Manhattan Bank.