The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 125

#125

“It’s been a while, Chairman Yoon.”

“Have you been well, Chairman Han?”

Jeong-hun showed his respect with a slight bow.

“Barely alive, thanks to you, Chairman Yoon. My company has shrunk considerably.”

Han Pan-soo’s voice dripped with hostility.

He had lost several affiliates as the price for betraying Chunjihoe [a shadowy organization] during the sale of Korea Bank.

For others, such a betrayal would have meant outright dismissal.

But thanks to being the chairman of a conglomerate, he managed to resolve it by handing over those affiliates.

“But I heard you handsomely profited from the land in Yeongi-gun that you bought from me.”

Han Pan-soo, after providing the acquisition price for Korea Bank to Jeong-hun, had purchased 200,000 *pyeong* [approximately 165 acres] of land from Jeong-hun.

After the Special Act on the New Administrative Capital was passed, the land price had soared several times over.

However, with the Constitutional Court’s decision deeming the act unconstitutional, his land price plummeted.

It even fell below the price he had originally bought it for from Jeong-hun.

“Ahem, if I hadn’t been so greedy for that land… tsk. What’s the use of regretting it now?”

His face was etched with regret.

“I heard the market price has fallen below your purchase price.”

“Heh heh heh, why? Are you interested in buying it?”

“Are you thinking of selling it? How much land do you have now?”

“I have 500,000 *pyeong* now. I was going to build my grand empire there. Hahaha. But it’s unconstitutional… that crazy old man Park Soo-gil has properly blocked my path.”

“Sell that land.”

“How much will you buy it for?”

“How about 500 billion won for 500,000 *pyeong*?”

“What?”

*’500 billion won for useless land where the administrative capital was canceled? Does he really have that much money? Or…’* Han Pan-soo wondered.

“Are you crazy?”

“Think of it as helping a poor person. Like a charitable donation or something. As you know, I made a lot of money with Chairman Han’s money, didn’t I?”

Jeong-hun sneered at Han Pan-soo.

Jeong-hun had multiplied the 200 billion won he got from selling the land several times over.

But he hadn’t enjoyed it at all.

A cold, murderous intent flickered in Han Pan-soo’s eyes.

But his overall appearance had changed significantly.

“Your face doesn’t look good. What’s been going on lately?”

Unlike before, when his face was greasy and robust, his skin was now dry and his eyes were hollow.

Han Pan-soo wasn’t suffering from malnutrition due to lack of funds…

He was clearly suffering from severe stress.

“What’s going on? Nothing’s been going right since you screwed me over.”

“The rumors are rampant in Yeouido [South Korea’s financial district]. I heard that cash isn’t circulating properly within the group.”

“You don’t need to worry about that.”

He spoke with bravado, but the situation was indeed serious.

They had been focusing their investments on next-generation energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen as new growth engines.

However, they had been forced to postpone investments due to a lack of available cash.

Solar power, in particular, required a massive capital outlay, making the situation a significant problem.

While Han Pan-soo was lost in thought, Jeong-hun’s voice cut through the silence again.

“Ah, Chairman, there’s a condition. You must also sell Hanho Technology, your defense company. Anyway, it doesn’t make money, and it’s just annoying in many ways, isn’t it?”

“What are you talking about? Do you not know how much of a golden goose Hanho Technology is?”

Han Pan-soo attempted a shallow bluff.

“At best, it’s a loss-making company. It’s a worthless company that the government heavily controls.”

Jeong-hun deliberately downplayed the value of Hanho Technology.

Deep wrinkles etched themselves onto Han Pan-soo’s forehead.

Hanho Technology was the very foundation of the group.

A sale… it would have been unthinkable in the past… but now, frankly, he was wavering.

While Han Pan-soo was deep in thought, his phone rang.

Han Pan-soo glanced at Jeong-hun and then reluctantly answered the phone.

He looked like he didn’t want to answer.

“What’s going on?”

“There will be military personnel changes soon. I need 5 billion won. It’s money to grease the wheels in the political world. Send it by tomorrow.”

“What? 5 billion won by tomorrow?”

“Send it right away.”

After saying that, Chun Seon-han hung up the phone.

A curse word escaped Han Pan-soo’s mouth involuntarily.

“That son of a bitch…”

A thug-like, ignorant bastard.

He was taking advantage of his weaknesses and extorting money like this.

He had become Chun Seon-han’s personal ATM.

Jeong-hun observed Han Pan-soo.

His face was severely distorted with anger and frustration.

“Are you okay? What’s this about 5 billion won?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Jeong-hun pressed Han Pan-soo again.

“I will buy the land and Hanho Technology together.”

“How much will you buy it for?”

“I’m thinking of more than 1 trillion won.”

Jeong-hun had considered offering 2 trillion, but changed his mind at the last moment.

He planned to buy it for 2 trillion after a few rounds of negotiations.

“That’s too cheap.”

“No one will buy that company except me. The same goes for the land in Yeongi-gun.”

Han Pan-soo was thinking so hard that you could practically hear his eyeballs rolling around in their sockets.

Yoon Jeong-hun’s words were not wrong.

The only people who could realistically buy the land and the company now were Yoon Jeong-hun’s Shinhwa Group.

*’1 trillion won? Ha, damn it,’* he thought, his pride wounded.

“How about 2.5 trillion won?”

“I don’t have that much money.”

As Jeong-hun smiled disarmingly, a blood vessel bulged on Han Pan-soo’s forehead.

“What? You don’t have money? Are you kidding me? Shinhwa Shipbuilding is raking in trillions of won every year thanks to the shipbuilding boom, isn’t it? And Shinhwa Heavy Industries, Shinhwa Mipo Shipbuilding… and Shinhwa Electronics’ semiconductors are pulling in tens of trillions, and you don’t have money?”

Han Pan-soo’s voice grew louder with each accusation.

“I’m sorry. I misspoke. That’s all the money I’m willing to spend on the chairman.”

“What!”

“Think about it calmly. 1.5 trillion won is not a small amount of money.”

After staring at him for a long time without saying a word, he finally opened his mouth.

“Ahem, I understand.”

“I’ll be going now.”

Jeong-hun got up from his seat and left the chairman’s office.

Han Pan-soo saw him off.

Han Pan-soo sniffed the air.

“Is that the perfume you’re wearing?”

“No. That bastard is wearing it.”

He pointed to Eun-soo, who was sitting on the sofa in front of the chairman’s office, quietly reading a book of poetry.

*’He’s wearing the same perfume as Madam Ha In-seon… why do they look so alike?’* Han Pan-soo wondered, tilting his head slightly.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Okay, I’ll call you. Think about it positively. Hanho Technology is a good company.”

An unusual humility was evident on Han Pan-soo’s face.

The sight of the chairman of a major conglomerate groveling for money underscored the severity of the situation.

The crisis within the Hanho Group was undeniable.

“I understand.”

It was clear that Han Pan-soo was seriously anxious.

He even escorted him to the elevator…

Should he give him the money and deal with it quickly?

Or should he drag out the time and try to lower the price even further?

Jeong-hun wondered which approach would torment Han Pan-soo more.

“Hey, why is that chairman glaring at me?”

“Han Pan-soo?”

“Yeah, he kept staring at me… I’m a little handsome, hehehe.”

“You must be his type.”

“You son of a bitch.”

Eun-soo spat out a rough curse and tried to kick Jeong-hun’s butt with her right leg, but her attempt failed, as usual.

-Thud

-Ugh

-Bang

Eun-soo’s whole body suddenly lost strength, and her knees buckled, hitting the floor with a thud.

Then her head followed, striking the floor as well.

“You should experience it once too. How painful it is… hehehe.”

Inside the elevator, he saw Eun-soo trembling, clutching her stomach in pain.

For the first time in a while, a satisfied smile spread across Jeong-hun’s face.

***

A call came in from Kwak Hyun-soo.

“I caught him. I’ll take him to the Incheon warehouse.”

“Yes, I’ll leave too.”

Jeong-hun headed to Incheon with Eun-soo.

Some time ago, he had instructed Kwak Hyun-soo to find and apprehend someone.

It was an employee he had spotted at Daewongak [an exclusive establishment].

A woman who had once been the manager of Sugeumjae [another exclusive establishment].

Jeong-hun had been secretly searching for her ever since, but had been unable to find any trace of her.

But there she was, working at Daewongak.

Sugeumjae and Daewongak, and other membership-based *yujeongs* [exclusive restaurants/clubs] in major cities.

It smelled fishy, like something was being hidden.

And if his guess was correct, she clearly possessed a wealth of valuable information.

The information secured from Sugeumjae alone was a treasure trove of the members’ shameful secrets.

Their darkest desires were meticulously recorded in detail.

“Name?”

“Park Hyang-mi.”

“Address?”

“People’s Republic of China…”

Kwak Hyun-soo frowned.

“Name again.”

“Cheon Mi-hyang.”

“Address?”

“14th arrondissement, Paris…”

Jeong-hun, who was observing the interrogation, also clicked his tongue in disapproval.

“Is she properly trained in counter-interrogation techniques?”

“Yes, she is.”

She kept answering with different names and ages, providing false information.

He questioned her for a long time, but couldn’t extract anything of substance.

All the information she provided was fabricated.

Cha Young-mi had also investigated the mysterious woman, but nothing concrete had surfaced.

A woman with no verifiable information in Korea was sitting right in front of him.

“Shall we resort to torture?”

“No. I don’t think that will work with her.”

How could he get her to open her mouth and reveal what she knew?

He racked his brain, but nothing came to mind.

Then, unexpectedly, her phone rang.

As Kwak Hyun-soo gave her a pointed look, she nodded slightly.

“Hello.”

“Now? I’ll send it to you by tomorrow. I have something I need to take care of right now. I’m sorry. Please take good care of the surgery.”

After hanging up the phone, she lowered her head and remained silent once more.

“I can help you. What’s wrong?”

She didn’t respond.

Jeong-hun picked up her phone and made a call to the last number dialed.

“Hello, where is this?”

“Are you calling about Baek Yoon-ja?”

A woman’s voice answered.

Jeong-hun responded, “Yes. I’m a friend of hers. Yoon-ja is very worried. What’s wrong?”

“She hasn’t paid for Coco’s surgery yet. We need to perform the surgery today…”

“How much is it?”

“It’s 2 million won.”

“Yoon-ja is having a hard time because she was recently scammed. Please just euthanize her pet.”

“Yes? I understand. It can’t be helped then. I’ll take care of it that way.”

Jeong-hun looked directly at Baek Yoon-ja.

Her pupils were dilated and shaking uncontrollably.

“What are you going to do? I guess a pet dog or something isn’t that important to you.”

She shouted urgently, “No, no! Please save Coco!”

“I can save her. But it depends entirely on your actions.”

At Jeong-hun’s words, deep wrinkles of worry and desperation etched themselves onto her face.

Jeong-hun continued to pressure her.

“Don’t do bad things in your next life. Coco will die with you today because of your choices.”

“No, no! I’ll tell you everything! Please, just save Coco! I’ll tell you everything you want to know! Our Coco is a poor, defenseless child. Our Coco has already gone through several abandonments…”

“I’m not interested in that sob story.”

Jeong-hun cut her off abruptly.

“Don’t say useless things and just answer the questions I ask.”

“Yes, I will.”

Jeong-hun bombarded her with questions.

Once her defenses had collapsed, she gave up completely.

She answered Jeong-hun’s questions in detail, as if she were reciting from a textbook.

According to her, the owners of Sugeumjae and Daewongak were the same individuals.

They operated business locations in the suburbs of major cities across the country, in addition to these two establishments.

Their primary business was to collect and exploit the weaknesses of their members.

They also managed the careers of famous ten-percenters [high-end escorts] in Gangnam [affluent district in Seoul].

Madam Jeong was the chief executive of Daewongak.

She also revealed that there was someone even higher up pulling the strings behind her.

But that was all she knew.

Daewongak in Seoul.

He asked her about the extent of the compromising information they held on people in the political and business worlds.

The words that poured out of her mouth were almost unbelievable.

They possessed damaging secrets about the chairman of a major conglomerate and his children.

There was also evidence of Han Pan-soo’s alleged sexual assault of a minor.

“Han Pan-soo committed sexual assault?”

“No. That was fabricated. They edited existing footage to make it look that way and then used it to threaten Han Pan-soo.”

“Why? What was the reason for targeting him?”

“I don’t know. I only do what I’m told. I follow orders.”

Jeong-hun then asked for Park Soo-gil’s name.

“Park Soo-gil?”

“He’s the same. He pretends to be kind and virtuous on the outside, but he’s actually one of the dirtiest guys you’ll ever meet. He only looks for the purest, most innocent things.”

“What does that mean?”

“He always looks for virgins.”

“What?”

Jeong-hun could hardly believe his ears.

His mouth hung open in disbelief.

That was the true face hidden behind the mask of the respected former Supreme Court Justice.

“Could it be that Gu Han-soo is also involved in this?”

“I… I don’t know.”

She claimed she didn’t know. It was the first time she had given that answer.

But he had clearly detected a very brief moment of hesitation in her voice.

Jeong-hun decided not to press her further on that point.

*’I can ask Madam Jeong directly,’* he thought.

He couldn’t simply leave Daewongak alone.

Jeong-hun was determined to bring Daewongak crashing down.

He called Park Chang-soo.

It was time to move forward with the takeover of Gangnam, which had been postponed until now.

“We need to take over Gangnam now.”

“We are fully prepared. We can strike tomorrow if necessary.”

“I understand.”

Jeong-hun resolved to conquer Gangnam by eliminating Daewongak.

***

He took Eun-soo to Daewongak.

Daewongak was deserted and quiet in the afternoon.

He went inside and informed the staff that he had come to see Madam Jeong.

An employee who appeared to be a manager guided Jeong-hun and Eun-soo to a deep, secluded room.

“She will be here shortly.”

After a short wait, Madam Jeong opened the door and entered the room.

She stared at Eun-soo intently, scrutinizing her.

*’This perfume is what the Madam uses… they look a lot alike,’* she thought.

“What brings you here, Chairman Yoon?”

She bowed slightly and sat down across from Jeong-hun.

“Are this place and Sugeumjae part of the same organization?”

Madam Jeong’s expression hardened and twisted slightly.

“You have a lot of unnecessary curiosity, Chairman Yoon.”

“Is that so? I can’t simply ignore a place like this, which is involved in such dirty and underhanded dealings.”

“Say whatever you want. You won’t be leaving this place alive anyway.”

Madam Jeong finally revealed her true colors.

“Yes?”

Jeong-hun feigned embarrassment, even trembling slightly.

*’She’s definitely connected to Chunjihoe after all. Seeing that she’s targeting me, it’s clear that she’s friendly with Chunjihoe,’* he thought.

Madam Jeong stood up and turned to leave the room.

As Jeong-hun nodded subtly to Eun-soo,

Eun-soo swiftly blocked her path.

“Who is the owner of this place?”

“You look pretty, but you’re being awfully informal with me.”

“Pretty?”

Eun-soo clenched her fist tightly, her expression darkening.

She had touched a nerve, reminding Eun-soo of her insecurities about her appearance.

“Eun-soo, no!”

Jeong-hun quickly intervened, stopping Eun-soo from acting rashly.

“Who is the owner of this place? If you tell me the truth, I’ll spare you.”

Jeong-hun said in a low, menacing voice.

“Hmph, who is sparing who here? Chairman.”

The door suddenly burst open, and a dozen burly young men stormed into the room.

They were brandishing sharp knives in their hands, their eyes filled with malice.

And Madam Jeong, with a predatory glint in her eyes, raised her skirt and pulled out a wickedly sharp knife from a hidden sheath strapped to her thigh.

“I will kill you painfully.”

“Well. I don’t particularly enjoy these kinds of situations.”

A bitter smile played on Jeong-hun’s lips.

And then,

A deafening roar echoed throughout the once-silent Daewongak, shattering the tranquility. The battle had begun.