Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 142

142. 41st. The Start of the Deal (3)

From then on, my grandfather, along with the top executives of the group, remained at the table in the study. They enjoyed refreshments or chewed on jerky with whiskey while watching the vote counting. A bitter smile unconsciously crept onto my face.

‘To think I’d be influencing a presidential election…’ I mused.

How many times had I bet money on the presidential candidates of both parties during past elections? The memory of painstakingly calculating how much to bet on each side was exhausting.

However.

This time, I was glued to the TV, completely losing track of time. I relished confirming whether the scenario my grandfather and I had designed would play out perfectly until the very end.

It wasn’t until well past midnight, stretching into dawn and finally into the morning, that the election results were officially announced.

[…Candidate No. 1 ‘Lee XX’ received 39.3 percent, Candidate No. 2 ‘Kim XX’ received 42.1 percent, and Candidate No. 3 ‘Lee XX’ garnered 17.7 percent, resulting in the election of Candidate Kim XX. This election result highlights the limitations of regionalism and reflects the public’s expectation that Kim XX will effectively address the foreign exchange crisis facing our country…]

Upon seeing the election results, my grandfather slammed his hand on the table.

“That’s it!”

“We did it, Brother!”

“Congratulations, Chairman!”

Bae Jae-hoon’s congratulations were echoed by the other adults, but I felt a twinge of disappointment.

‘To give 57 percent to those who ruined the country…’ I thought with dismay.

Even with the support of a heavyweight like Henry, only Candidate No. 3 ‘Lee,’ who would later become famous as a phoenix [a person who rises from the ashes of defeat], saw a decrease in votes. Both Candidate No. 1 ‘Lee’ and Candidate No. 2 ‘Kim’ saw their approval ratings increase.

‘A reality check. The Gangnam 3 districts [affluent neighborhoods in Seoul], Yongsan-gu [another wealthy district in Seoul], and Yeongnam [a conservative region in southeastern Korea] didn’t budge.’

I could only offer a wry smile at the steadfast walls of conservatism and regionalism. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that politics in this era was almost a religion.

Still.

Compared to the original timeline, it was almost 2 percent better, and I decided to be satisfied that he was elected. Looking at this score, wouldn’t Candidate Kim, or rather President-elect Kim, believe that he wouldn’t have been elected without Henry’s hidden card?

In the study, which was buzzing with excitement except for me, my grandfather cleared his throat.

“Now, we need to initiate the new deal. Everyone, stay sharp and execute the plan as scheduled.”

“Yes!”

As my grandfather instructed, we had to begin the new deal. Starting with that deal, Haedong Group would accelerate its journey to becoming the leading company in the country.

***

8 AM on Monday, December 22nd, a date the Haedong Group executives had been eagerly anticipating.

[…After receiving the report, I am utterly dismayed. There is no money. It’s completely depleted. …We are in a state where we might face bankruptcy tomorrow or the day after tomorrow…]

President-elect Kim, who had been biting his lip while lamenting the dire situation, parted his lips and looked directly at the camera, saying:

[Citizens, your help is needed. If you have dollars, please trust the nation and release them. I implore you to do this.]

Seeing the President-elect bowing his head on TV, Lee Dae-soo picked up the phone.

“It’s me, Seung-joo. Did you see the news just now?”

[Yes, Chairman. I’ve confirmed it.]

“We need to firmly secure the phoenix chair [a position of power and influence] that that man will sit on. Initiate the operation.”

[Understood, Chairman.]

After ending the call with Lee Dae-soo, Go Seung-joo began making calls.

“This is the Chairman’s order, Director. Sell all 5.7 billion dollars held by Haedong Securities, starting today and continuing until Friday. Also, contact Moolsan and sell all 4.3 billion dollars.”

Go Seung-joo made calls to Bae Jae-hoon, Tae Jae-ho, and others, relaying the order to sell dollars within the group, starting with Jo Young-chan.

After taking a sip of water to moisten his lips, Go Seung-joo rose from his chair and retrieved his cell phone from the safe.

“This is Go Seung-joo. The Chairman has ordered to release all the collected dollars. Bank counters are acceptable, as are the black market dollar exchanges in Myeongdong [a bustling shopping district in Seoul] and Namdaemun [another major market district in Seoul]. Release them all from today until Friday.”

After making about a dozen more calls, Go Seung-joo placed his cell phone back in the safe.

“It has to go well…”

Go Seung-joo’s face, flushed red, was a mixture of anticipation and worry. Today marked the first day of a deal where Haedong Group would secure its business interests and President-elect Kim would solidify his support.

Go Seung-joo’s heart pounded with a thrill that surpassed even the financial real-name system [a financial reform implemented in South Korea] of four years prior.

###

Upon receiving Go Seung-joo’s call, Jo Young-chan immediately contacted Min Joo-hyung.

“Ah, Director Min? This is Jo Young-chan. As I mentioned before, transfer 5.7 billion dollars to the Haedong Merchant Bank account. Process it all by the market close on Friday. Understood? Begin immediately.”

After hanging up the phone, Jo Young-chan promptly left his office and went down to the floor where the International Finance Department of Haedong Merchant Bank was located.

“Have you arrived, CEO?”

Jo Young-chan nodded in response to the greeting from the managing director in charge of the International Finance Department.

“The preparations?”

“We just received the dollar sales rights from Haedong Securities. When the foreign exchange market opens at 9 AM, we will sell 500 million dollars per hour, and from 2 PM to 3 PM until the market closes, we will sell 700 million dollars. For the remaining three days, excluding Christmas…”

Listening to the plan to sell approximately 700 million dollars a day, Jo Young-chan took a shallow breath and nodded.

“Moolsan will sell similarly. Although the absolute amount is larger for us… you understand what I mean, right?”

At Jo Young-chan’s narrowed eyes, the managing director of the International Finance Department swallowed hard. Even if they were affiliates within the same group, competition was still competition, meaning they had to generate even one more won [Korean currency] of exchange profit per dollar.

“Yes, CEO. Everyone, including myself, is planning to remain glued to our seats from the opening to the closing bell until this Friday.”

The managing director of the International Finance Department’s voice, filled with determination, was not an empty promise. All the members of the International Finance Department were wearing diapers, making their hips appear more plump than usual.

Observing the 모습 [appearance/state] of the managing director of the International Finance Department and the other managers, Jo Young-chan smiled wryly.

“Endure only this week. I will generously compensate your hard work with year-end bonuses.”

At the incentive offered by Jo Young-chan, flames ignited in the eyes of all the International Finance Department managers. None of them seemed to care about the discomfort they would experience for four days.

###

Around the same time, Bae Jae-hoon was also encouraging the managers of the International Finance Department of the Trading Division, not wanting to be outdone by Jo Young-chan.

“Even if the Merchant Bank guys are skilled at handling money, I believe we won’t be inferior. Even if the absolute amount is less, make sure to be ahead by even one won in exchange profit per dollar.”

Bae Jae-hoon’s order was not unreasonable. As Haedong Moolsan’s International Finance Department played the role of an export insurance company for its clients within the group, his expectations were not in vain.

“Everyone from me to the youngest has made full preparations, CEO. We will secure even one won more.”

Looking at the pelvis of the managing director of the International Finance Department, who answered with a determined look, Bae Jae-hoon smirked. Because the other managers were also wearing diapers, their pelvises and hips were more bulging than usual.

“Everyone’s determination is properly set. It’s four days from now. If you endure for four days, I will ensure you all hit the jackpot at the end of the year.”

At Bae Jae-hoon’s promise, the International Finance Department managers clenched their lowered fists. It was a battle of pride, but because it was a matter of money, they didn’t care about the poop and pee pressed against their diapers for four days.

***

As soon as the clock struck 9 AM, the foreign exchange market began to fluctuate.

Following Standard Capital, Haedong Group was selling dollars, so the exchange rate in the foreign exchange market did not rise as much as experts had predicted. However, due to the impact of the President-elect’s words, the initial quote was well over 1,800 won per dollar.

Because of that, bank counters were swamped with people who had gathered to buy dollars.

“Please calm down and line up!”

Bank employees tried to calm them down by squeezing through the customers, but due to the aftermath of the morning news, people had long lost their composure. Whether it was for children studying abroad, currency speculation, or repayment of foreign currency loans, they were desperate to acquire dollars.

In the midst of the chaos, a large man pushed his way through the crowd and stood in front of the counter.

When everyone lowered their eyes and couldn’t bring themselves to say anything to his menacing face, the man placed a black duffel bag he was carrying on the counter and opened the zipper.

“200,000 dollars. I want to exchange it all for won in cash. Is that possible?”

“…Excuse me?”

Looking at the counter employee with wide eyes, the man said bluntly.

“I didn’t receive much education, but I can’t bear to see the country in trouble because I don’t have a single dollar. Please exchange it all for won.”

“…Understood, customer! Please wait a moment!”

At the rough man’s request, the counter employee hurriedly ran to find someone. After a short while, a middle-aged man who appeared to be the branch manager stood in front of the counter and addressed the man.

“Are you, are you going to exchange it all for won?”

“That’s right. I brought it because they say the country will survive if we repay the dollars to those IMF [International Monetary Fund] guys.”

Even though the menacing man spat it out, the branch manager couldn’t hide his smile. They were on the verge of collapse due to a lack of dollars, and he was offering to sell them?

“Thank you, customer! What are you doing! Bring the money right now!”

“Yes? …Yes!”

The employees hastily opened the safe and brought out a wad of money according to the current exchange rate. The man placed 368 bundles of 10,000 won bills in his bag and received 420,000 won, which the employee handed over with both hands after running it through the counter.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

With those words, the man left unhurriedly, but bank branches across the country had to deal with similar individuals. Because of the people from Lee Dae-soo’s private loan organization who were selling 100,000 to 500,000 dollars, the bank employees who were unaware of the situation were constantly exchanging money.

But.

It wasn’t just banks that were releasing dollars.

“You’re… selling dollars?”

A large company representative who visited a mansion in Seoul looked at the middle-aged man, the owner of this house, whom he was usually close with, with wide eyes.

“Everyone is on the brink of ruin because they don’t have dollars, so I have to sell them. I barely managed to acquire them and am now selling them.”

Listening to the answer of the owner of this house, who was known as ‘Kim Manager’ and handled trillions of won in Myeongdong, the representative’s face lit up. They couldn’t export due to the lack of dollars, so this news was incredibly welcome. The representative swallowed hard and asked cautiously.

“How much can you sell?”

“Up to 10 million dollars. I’ll give you 1,800 won per dollar.”

Listening to the answer, the large company representative’s eyes widened. 10 million dollars was an amount that none of his colleagues who were scrambling to obtain dollars had been able to secure.

“Please wait a moment, sir!”

The representative hurriedly got up from his seat, took out his cell phone, and stepped outside. After a while, the man who returned said to ‘Kim Manager,’ who was sitting on the sofa.

“We will buy all 10 million dollars!”

Looking at the representative who was bowing at a 90-degree angle, a smile spread across ‘Kim Manager’s’ face. Thanks to quietly collecting hundreds of millions of dollars as ‘Chairman’ in the Samcheong-dong study had instructed, he was not only compensating for bad debt losses but also generating a profit.

“Good. Will you pay with cash? Or will you provide bonds?”

These kinds of deals weren’t limited to ‘Kim Manager.’ From the moneylenders under Lee Dae-soo other than Kim Manager to the black market dollar dealers who received dollars from them, they were all releasing dollars.

Almost all the people of Korea came to believe that all of this happened thanks to the national support for President-elect Kim, unaware that Lee Dae-soo in the Samcheong-dong study was the mastermind behind it all.

***

That evening.

Sun Hae-chul, Park Tae-jin, and I were sitting on the sofa in our living room, watching TV.

[The foreign exchange market, which was expected to face the worst crisis in history, closed today at 1,792.7 won per dollar. It briefly exceeded 1,900 won during the day, but approximately 5 billion US dollars were released into the foreign exchange market due to large-scale dollar sales by domestic companies and citizens who responded to the President-elect’s appeal…]

There was no need to watch any further, so I turned off the TV with the remote control.

“With this, the President-elect’s approval rating will increase even further.”

“That’s right. The current president stated that he wouldn’t inquire about or question amounts up to 500,000 dollars, but the President-elect brought out dollars with just a single word, haha.”

Sun Hae-chul was right. Our family had bolstered the President-elect’s appeal, and the people would have clearly felt the power of the President-elect’s influence.

While we were wearing pleasant smiles, Park Tae-jin put down his teacup and said.

“With this, the exchange rate will stabilize, and the President-elect’s side will further solidify their trust in our Haedong. The dollars released by the group in just one day are well over 4 billion dollars, right?”

“That’s right. I think it wasn’t a bad start for the first deal.”

I attempted to say it calmly, but in the current situation, the dollars we were holding were also a burden. Since the exchange rate would stabilize, we had to dispose of the dollars as quickly as possible to be 확실히 [certainly/definitely] rewarded for our three years of effort, right?

Sun Hae-chul looked at me with a satisfied expression.

“You’re starting to resemble the Chairman now. Seeing you become so composed in handling money, haha. What are you planning to do when you sell all the dollars?”

At Sun Hae-chul’s question, who was laughing heartily, I immediately responded.

“I have to begin with the settlement. My cousins and I have to pay inheritance tax, and my sister will want to silence Jang Yong-jae, Jang Soo-yeon, and Jang Min-jae when she brings in the Goryeo Hotel.”

Unlike me, who spoke as if it were nothing, Sun Hae-chul made a 침음성 [a sound of contemplation] and rubbed his chin.

“If we dispose of the dollars like this, 1 trillion won will be 찍힐 [recorded/deposited] in our niece’s account… To acquire 100 percent of the Goryeo Hotel shares, you’ll have to use all that money.”

As Sun Hae-chul said, to acquire 100 percent of the Goryeo Hotel shares, we had to invest 1 trillion won. Unlike before, 50 percent of SH Asset Development shares, resorts, and golf courses were all tied to the Goryeo Hotel.

“It’s a bit disappointing.”

“Still, the reaction to ‘Titanic,’ which was released last Friday, is positive, so if we get that settlement, we’ll be able to recover to some extent. Don’t be discouraged.”

Even though Sun Hae-chul comforted me, something felt lacking. Shouldn’t we have an important event after the dollar sale is over? After 고민 [deliberating] for a while, I asked Sun Hae-chul.

“Uncle.”

“Why?”

“Can I transfer the Titanic investment shares invested under my domestic name to Ha-yeon noona [older sister]?”

After 고민 [pondering] for a moment at my question, Sun Hae-chul spoke.

“There’s no problem if you pay the gift tax, but are you sure about that? You’ll lose out if Titanic is a hit, right?”

“Movies are either a hit or a flop. The domestic funds are sufficient to be settled by Haedong Securities. I’ll ask noona while watching the movie this Christmas and let you know.”

Although I thoroughly concealed my intention, Sun Hae-chul pointed at me with a mischievous smile.

“This, this, you’re completely head over heels. Good! My nephew is going to take care of his woman, so who else but this uncle would help? Haha.”

“Director Lee also helped 형님 [older brother] and 형수님 [older brother’s wife] have a happy marriage, so it’ll be a 주고받는 [giving and taking/reciprocal relationship], haha.”

Looking at Park Tae-jin, who was laughing heartily next to him, Sun Hae-chul smirked.

“By the way, when are you going to bring your 제수씨 [younger brother’s wife]? I’m worried I won’t be able to keep the promise I made with you, haha.”

“Don’t worry, 형님 [older brother]. I’ll formally propose soon and show you, haha.”

Looking at Park Tae-jin’s confident smile, it seems like he has prepared a proper plan. Surely… it’s not similar to mine, right?