Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 170

170. 48th. Expanding Territory (4)

After Standard Capital’s ₩3.4 trillion investment in Miryong Group was announced, Seon Hae-cheol, Park Tae-jin, and I became incredibly busy.

“It’s a problem even when there are too many places asking for investment.”

“Tell me about it. It feels like the more we handle, the more work piles up.”

Seon Hae-cheol and I sighed as we looked at the investment proposals stacked on our desks.

In just over a month since investing in Miryong Group, we had received over 100 investment proposals in our office.

We had decided on investments in over forty places and were coordinating investment amounts and conditions with about ten others, including ‘Oh! Ramen’s’ ‘Ohsung Food,’ which would rank among the top inheritance taxpayers, and ‘Kyobo Life Insurance,’ famous for Kyobo Bookstore.

As we were reviewing documents for a while, the phone rang.

“This is Lee Seong-min, Director of Standard Capital.”

[Ah, is that Lee? This is Kim OO, haha.]

I was startled by the hearty laughter coming from the receiver.

“Mr. President?”

[Ah, I’m still the President-elect. I need to have the inauguration ceremony in a few days to become President, haha.]

I’m experiencing all sorts of things in my life. I can’t believe I’m receiving a call from the President.

‘The President?’

‘Is that the President?’

I nodded at Seon Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin, who were widening their eyes and asking with their mouths, and focused on the call again.

“Yes… but why are you calling me…?”

[I’m calling because I have a favor to ask of you, Lee. I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, haha.]

What favor could the President be calling me for? Did he realize that I am the owner of Standard Capital?

I stopped the tangled thread and quickly shook my head.

“Not at all, Mr. President. Please, tell me what it is.”

[Good. After the inauguration ceremony in a few days, I will immediately meet with Henry Royce, Chairman of Triumph, to hold a $10 billion investment signing ceremony.]

“Congratulations, Mr. President.”

[It’s all thanks to your grandfather, Lee. Anyway, after the signing ceremony, I would like to seek Mr. Royce’s insights on which industries our country should focus on in the future.]

President Kim had previously held one-on-one talks with Masayoshi Son and Bill Gates, seeking their advice on future industry trends. It seemed that in this life, Henry, who would invest $10 billion, was the first in line.

[I would like you to be Mr. Royce’s interpreter at that meeting. Can you do it?]

“Excuse me?”

I felt goosebumps all over. Does he know about my relationship with Henry and is ordering this? Or… does he want to show the public that he uses chaebols [large family-owned industrial conglomerates] like this?

[Is it not possible?]

“Ah, no, Mr. President. There are many professional interpreters, but I’m not sure if I’m qualified to be the interpreter…”

I indirectly asked why I had to be the interpreter, and the President-elect’s voice came through.

[You may or may not know, but your grandfather greatly helped in this presidential election. My relationship with Mr. Royce was also made possible thanks to your grandfather.]

I felt like bursting into laughter at the President’s words. How surprised would he be if he knew that I had laid the groundwork for his election? I suppressed my laughter and played dumb.

“I had no idea that would happen, Mr. President.”

[But I don’t know if you are acquainted with Mr. Royce. So, if you are not acquainted with Mr. Royce, I want you to use that opportunity to build connections, haha.]

I almost sighed in relief. The President didn’t seem to know about my relationship with Henry.

“I understand, Mr. President. I sincerely appreciate you giving me this valuable opportunity.”

[Thank you. See you on the inauguration day, haha.]

“Yes, Mr. President.”

After confirming that the call had ended, I put down the phone.

“Puhahaha!”

Seon Hae-cheol’s question popped out at me as I laughed, bending over.

“What’s so funny? What’s this about interpreting?”

“That’s right, Director. Why did the President ask you to interpret, Director?”

Even Park Tae-jin added a question with a frustrated expression, but I had no time to answer.

“That’s, that’s… Puhhehehe!”

After laughing for a long time, I barely suppressed my laughter and opened my mouth.

“The President said that on the afternoon of the inauguration day…”

As I told them about my conversation with the President, Seon Hae-cheol burst into laughter.

“Puhahaha! You don’t need to be introduced!”

“Hahahaha! This has become interesting!”

Seon Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin also laughed loudly for a while.

How funny would it be? The President is arranging a meeting thinking he’s helping me, but Henry and I don’t need that kind of help.

As the laughter that filled the office subsided, Seon Hae-cheol said.

“Still, it’s a good thing. If you and Henry officially become acquainted this time, the alliance between Triumph and Haedong will be natural, right?”

“You’re right, Director. It’s a great opportunity to package Director Lee’s relationship with Mr. Royce above the surface.”

I listened to their opinions and smiled.

“I think so too. If this incident creates the appearance of officially meeting Henry in public, it will become natural to meet Henry. Shinseong won’t suspect our relationship with Triumph either.”

“You should bow to the President. Hehe.”

As Seon Hae-cheol said, I felt like I should bow in the direction of the Blue House [the executive office and official residence of the South Korean president]. It was a golden opportunity to cover up the eyes and ears of the Shinseong Group.

***

A few days later.

February 25, 1998, is the day of the 15th Presidential Inauguration. The inauguration hall set up in front of the main building of the National Assembly in Yeouido was decorated with dignitaries from home and abroad.

[Respected and beloved citizens!

Today, I am inaugurated as the 15th President of the Republic of Korea.

…During this year, prices will rise and unemployment will increase. Income will fall and corporate bankruptcies will surge.

We are all now being asked for sweat! Tears! …and pain!

We must calmly reflect on how we got to this point.

If the leaders who led politics, economy, and finance had not been tainted by collusion between politicians and businessmen and government-controlled finance!

And if large corporations had not controlled uncompetitive companies like octopus tentacles, this unfortunate event would not have happened.

When I think about how the leaders committed the wrongdoings and the innocent people are suffering, I cannot help but feel endless pain and resentment. The responsibility for this collapse must be revealed to the people…]

The President’s speech was a very polite way of saying, ‘The responsibility for this foreign exchange crisis lies with the chaebols, the previous administration, and the current opposition party. We will work with the people to clean up the mess you have made.’ I smiled bitterly as I watched TV.

“It feels a bit bitter.”

“It’s not wrong. Haedong Group has been taking care of its financial structure from the beginning, but the other guys didn’t know their place and played octopus.”

“That’s right, Director. Our group is so financially sound that even the government and political circles acknowledge it, so you don’t have to worry, haha.”

I nodded at Seon Hae-cheol and Park Tae-jin’s answers. Thanks to its solid financial structure, no one could criticize Haedong Group even if it acted like an octopus.

“I guess I have to accept it. I’ll go to the Blue House when I have time.”

I turned off the TV and focused on work. I drove myself to the Blue House on time for the appointment.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Lee Seong-min from Standard Capital. I’m here to attend the investment signing ceremony as an interpreter by the President’s order.”

The police officer guarding the main gate of the Blue House received my official letter and resident registration card from me, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, and nodded.

“You may pass. Please wait a moment.”

The police officer who returned the official letter and resident registration card opened the gate with the police officer on the opposite side.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

I drove in, parked the car in the parking lot, and made a call.

“This is Lee Seong-min, Chief. I have arrived in the parking lot.”

[You came an hour earlier than scheduled.]

“Shouldn’t I be fully prepared for such an important matter for the country?”

[Good. I’ll send someone, so please wait a moment.]

A staff member in a suit arrived as I waited for a few minutes without turning off the engine.

“Are you Lee Seong-min?”

“Yes. I’m Lee Seong-min.”

The staff member tilted his head as he looked at me getting out of the driver’s seat.

“Don’t you have a driver?”

“I drove myself. I’m not even thirty yet, so a driver is too early, haha.”

It was the newly born power of the honeymoon period [the early months of a new political administration when the leader enjoys high approval]. If a guy who is not even thirty brought a driver, there would be all sorts of gossip and excuses to find fault, so I got permission from Jang Ha-yeon and drove myself.

The staff member seemed to have noticed and opened his mouth with a smile.

“I understand. Please follow me.”

I was guided into the building by the Blue House staff and was able to meet the President.

“Congratulations, Mr. President.”

“Thank you, Lee. Welcome.”

The President, who accepted my greeting, came to me and extended his hand.

“I heard that you have achieved many successes inside and outside the Haedong Group. You have achieved outstanding results from a young age, so I look forward to how much bigger you will become in the future, haha.”

I took the President’s hand with both hands, and the President patted my shoulder with his other hand. I can’t believe I’m receiving encouragement from the President…

“Thank you, Mr. President. I will continue to work hard in the future.”

“Good. Mr. Royce will arrive shortly, so let’s move accordingly.”

After greeting, I sat on the sofa and relaxed with the refreshments brought by the staff. Today’s investment signing ceremony was broadcast live nationwide, so there should be no mistakes.

***

Shortly after.

I got up from my seat in time for the investment signing ceremony and moved with the President’s party.

“Long time no see, Henry.”

“Congratulations, Mr. President.”

The President, who shook hands with Henry, gestured to me, who was behind him. The President introduced me, who was standing next to him, to Henry.

“This friend will be Henry’s interpreter today. Lee.”

“Yes, Mr. President. Hello, Mr. Royce. My name is Lee Seong-min from Standard Capital Korea.”

I politely greeted Henry as if I were meeting him for the first time. Henry also nodded with a calm expression as if he were seeing me for the first time.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Lee. By the way… is Standard Capital the company headquartered in the United States?”

“Yes. I joined the company because I wanted to gain experience before taking over the family business.”

After that, Henry and I talked about our personal histories that we had exchanged so far, as if we were talking to each other for the first time.

“I’m sorry for the long story, Mr. President.”

It was only a few minutes of conversation, but the main character of today’s event was the President, not me. The President waved his hand with a generous smile to Henry, who offered an apology out of courtesy.

“No, Henry. I thought Henry would have recognized a talent like Lee, haha. Then let’s start the signing ceremony now.”

“Let’s do that, haha.”

With a short conversation, the investment signing ceremony began.

The two people sitting side by side in front of the table signed the contract with a fountain pen, and then signed the contract again, which was replaced by the Blue House staff.

“With this, we announce to the public that Triumph Capital’s $10 billion investment has been officially established.”

As soon as the host’s announcement ended, applause erupted from all over the signing ceremony hall. How happy would they be that a huge sum of $10 billion has entered this country, which is faltering due to the lack of dollars?

Above all, this $10 billion investment only earned Triumph $600 million in interest per year. If they had followed the interest rate in Korea, where money was running out, they could have earned more than $2 billion in interest income per year, but Henry chose name value instead of money.

‘I need to get Henry some money-making opportunities. The Russian moratorium will burst around August and LTCM (Long Term Capital Management) [a large hedge fund] will collapse, so I need to go to the United States and talk to him before that happens.’

As I was watching the signing ceremony and planning future business directions, a Blue House staff member approached me.

“Mr. Lee Seong-min?”

“Ah, yes.”

“The President and Chairman Royce will have a conversation in 10 minutes. It will be broadcast, so are you ready?”

I didn’t like the way he treated me as if he was looking down on me. But what can I do? He is next to the President, whose honeymoon period has begun. I started answering with a smile.

“Of course. There will be no mistakes in the interpretation process, so you don’t have to worry, haha.”

Even though I’m a domestic派 [someone who studied domestically rather than abroad], I’m armed with Yongin pronunciation used by British royalty and nobles. I answered as if to show off, and moved to the conversation venue with the staff member with a dissatisfied expression.

***

President Kim and Henry, who were sitting on the sofa, started the conversation only after the other interpreters and I sat in our respective seats.

“Thank you for your help in this difficult time, Henry.”

“No, Mr. President. I would appreciate it if you would think of it as an investment in the future of Korea, haha.”

The President’s interpreter, who will become the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the future, and I diligently interpreted to ensure smooth communication between the two sides.

As the conversation was in full swing, President Kim brought up the main point.

“In the future, Korea wants to break away from the chaebol-large corporation-centered economy and create a new economic paradigm. I would like to seek the opinion of Mr. Royce, the CEO of a global investment company.”

Henry nodded with a calm expression after listening to my translation of the President’s question.

“I understand, Mr. President. Before that… I would like to hear the opinion of Mr. Lee, who is in charge of interpretation.”

At the unexpected situation, the eyes of the President, the interpreter, and the Blue House staff outside the broadcast camera frame widened. Unlike them, Henry didn’t blink an eye and took a sip of tea.

“Mr. Lee is a member of Standard Capital, which is raising its name in the United States, although it is a local corporation, and has sufficient skills. He is also one of the successors of Haedong Group, which our Triumph is eyeing as an attractive investment destination. So, I think it would be good to hear the opinion of Mr. Lee, one of the next-generation leaders who will lead the country’s economy, haha.”

Unlike Henry, who was laughing, the Blue House staff swallowed dry saliva and stared at my face. Depending on what I said, it was as if it would be decided how this regime would appeal to viewers who were watching TV across the country, so they seemed very nervous.

“Let’s do that. Tell me what you think, Lee.”

“Yes, Mr. President.”

I answered the President’s order, who was making a sound of silence, and took a breath.

‘I’m sorry, Mr. Son.’

I apologized to Masayoshi Son, who would be across the Korean Strait, and opened my mouth.