The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 244

244. The Sun is Rising (2)

January 1, 1987.

Jung Hyun-woo woke up with a throbbing headache.

“Ugh…”

Was it because he drank too much beer?

“Charlie, are you finally up?”

The owner of the bright voice was Sarah. She was cleaning up the party venue by herself.

“Sarah.”

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to reach out and help her, but he couldn’t shake off the hangover.

‘Did just a few beers do this to me?’

If he were in South Korea, he would be a sophomore in college soon. In the 1980s, most sophomores in South Korean universities were heavy drinkers.

“Charlie, you should rest. You overdid it yesterday.”

Jung Hyun-woo sat on the sofa and asked,

“What about the guests?”

“They all left.”

The guests were just a few of Victoria Corporation’s early members.

Still, it was a fun party.

“Sarah, stop cleaning and rest too.”

Sarah said while tidying up the table,

“Just finishing this up.”

1987.

Jung Hyun-woo couldn’t think of anything in particular.

‘There was the Olympics in 1988, but 1987 is a bit…’

The only thing that came to mind was the democratization movement in South Korea.

‘Was the presidential direct election system announced this year?’

The constitutional amendment for the presidential direct election system was achieved as a result of the democratization movement, commonly known as the June Struggle [a series of mass protests against the authoritarian government].

“Ugh.”

As Jung Hyun-woo groaned, Sarah stopped and asked,

“Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his right hand and replied,

“It’s just a hangover.”

“You don’t look good.”

“I’m a novice when it comes to alcohol.”

“So, Charlie has weaknesses too?”

Jung Hyun-woo replied with his eyes closed,

“Where aren’t I weak? I’m bad at sports, I don’t have a driver’s license, and I can’t drink well.”

Sarah chuckled as he listed his weaknesses.

“Charlie is ruthless even to himself.”

“I’m just stating the facts.”

“So, is it a day of rest today?”

“Isn’t it a holiday?”

“Didn’t you say there was a test yesterday?”

Jung Hyun-woo suddenly remembered what he had to do.

“I’m doomed.”

“Doomed?”

“I was supposed to test a new modem at the lab today.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s lab was located at Victoria Corporation headquarters.

“It’s impossible to go to work now.”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed deeply.

“I know.”

“What about canceling?”

“I’ll do it.”

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to inform Victoria Corporation headquarters that all his schedules for today were canceled.

As Victoria Corporation was the world’s largest company by market capitalization, a minimum number of employees were stationed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“Mr. President, I will cancel all your schedules for today. And…”

As the secretary on duty hesitated, Jung Hyun-woo asked,

“Is there anything unusual?”

The secretary on duty replied to his question,

“We received a call from a person named Mr. Choi this morning.”

Mr. Choi.

It was Choi Kyung-min.

Jung Hyun-woo recalled that he was supposed to talk to Choi Kyung-min in the morning and sighed inwardly.

‘Hoo… Sleeping in messed up my whole schedule.’

He cleared his throat and said,

“I’ll take care of that.”

“Understood.”

As Jung Hyun-woo hung up the phone, Sarah asked,

“Is there something going on at the company?”

“It seems like there’s something going on with me, not the company.”

“With Charlie?”

“It’s like I completely forgot what I said yesterday, even though I didn’t black out.”

Jung Hyun-woo headed to the bathroom to clear his head.

‘Let’s get a grip.’

Just because he was the CEO of the top company in the U.S. by market capitalization and became the richest man in the U.S. in 1986, it didn’t mean everything was over.

The number one ranking could be taken away at any time, and the company’s value could fluctuate greatly with just one wrong decision.

‘It’s not like a college entrance exam that ends once you take it.’

Now, Victoria Corporation and he would have records every day, every month, every year.

Some years would rise, some would fall, and some might be engulfed in shock.

* * *

Choi Kyung-min answered Jung Hyun-woo’s call with a dry voice.

“You’re calling too late.”

“I’m sorry.”

Choi Kyung-min’s attitude was more respectful than ever.

“First of all, Happy New Year.”

“I hope the young master has a Happy New Year as well.”

Jung Hyun-woo ended the New Year’s greetings briefly and moved on to the main topic.

“Shall we start with the Daewoon Group story this year?”

He could have heard the Daewoon Group story from Jung Min-young or Chief Hong Won-ik, but he wanted to hear it from Choi Kyung-min first.

“As the young master knows, Daewoon Group had a tumultuous year last year.”

The biggest event was the death of Jung Min-seok, the president of Daewoon Construction. His death made Jung Min-young the sole successor of the group, and the succession competition also ended.

“Let’s skip that. I already know about it.”

What Jung Hyun-woo wanted to know was Daewoon Group’s second half of the year and its outlook for 1987.

“Entering the second half of this year, the group was somewhat excited.”

“What do you mean by excited?”

“Should I say the performance is strangely good?”

Daewoon Group’s performance increase was thanks to the Three Lows boom [referring to the simultaneous low interest rates, low oil prices, and a weak US dollar, which boosted the South Korean economy].

“It’s thanks to the influence of the Three Lows boom.”

“The group’s top executives seem to think that it will be difficult to be better than this next year.”

They are wary of the boom.

This was a natural decision considering risk management.

“Is there any movement within the group to reduce the scale of business?”

“It seems a bit like that.”

The first to be reduced was Daewoon Construction’s overseas order-related business.

Jung Hyun-woo listened to Choi Kyung-min’s story and stroked his chin with his left hand.

“It can’t be said to be good.”

“Do you think they are shrinking too much?”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and replied,

“South Korea will be good this year and next year. I don’t think we need to shrink already.”

Moreover, if Japan’s bubble burst, South Korea could gain a windfall.

‘Because we can reduce the trade deficit with Japan.’

Jung Hyun-woo predicted that South Korea’s economy would be good for the next five years or so.

“Then shall I suggest it to Chief Hong?”

The highest-ranking person Choi Kyung-min could meet was Chief Hong Won-ik.

“I’ll take care of that story.”

“Understood.”

“Is there any other news?”

“If it’s internal group news, it’s just that the chairman is reducing his attendance days.”

Chairman Jung Woo-sun was old, so he was absent more often than he was present.

“That means Grandpa’s health isn’t good.”

“It seems so.”

“How about Uncle’s side?”

Vice President Jung Min-young, who became the sole successor of Daewoon Group.

His promotion to president was scheduled for this year.

“He seems busy.”

Daewoon Group was bound to be crowded with those who wanted to impress Jung Min-young and those who wanted to get on the last bus [idiomatic expression for people trying to secure their positions before a major change].

‘This is also an expected result.’

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and took the words,

“The group’s power will be transferred to Uncle in a few years, so it’s a natural thing. Has Secretary Choi been notified of anything?”

Choi Kyung-min was Jung Hyun-woo’s man. Jung Hyun-woo had revealed that last year.

“Not yet.”

“Really?”

“I think we’ll know after the New Year’s greetings results come out.”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his voice at the end because he thought Choi Kyung-min might be alienated within the group.

‘Is the successor competition over now?’

He thought Jung Min-young should take care of Choi Kyung-min, even if he didn’t take care of anyone else.

But Jung Min-young seemed satisfied with becoming the sole successor.

‘Is his capacity not that great?’

Jung Hyun-woo frowned.

“Have you talked to Chief Hong?”

“I met him once at the end of the year.”

“Was there anything special said?”

“No, there wasn’t.”

When Chairman Jung Woo-sun stepped down, Chief Hong Won-ik would also step down.

‘It would be impossible for Chief Hong to run as a running mate [referring to the political concept of a vice-presidential candidate].’

He roughly summarized the Daewoon Group situation and moved on to the next.

“How is the domestic situation?”

Jung Hyun-woo knew the future of South Korea, but he needed to check the details separately.

“It’s complicated.”

“Complicated?”

“The economy is good, but protests are happening and being suppressed repeatedly.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked again,

“Is the scale of the protests getting bigger and bigger?”

“I don’t know about that.”

In 1987, the South Korean media was controlled. In this situation, there was no way for Choi Kyung-min to know the scale of the protests.

‘The fact that Secretary Choi doesn’t know the exact situation means that the protests are not yet affecting the general public.’

He nodded and said,

“I understand. I’ll look into it separately.”

He could find out the situation in South Korea in some detail through the National Security Planning Agency [South Korea’s intelligence agency, known for its involvement in domestic politics and suppression of dissent].

“I’m sorry for not giving you a specific answer.”

Jung Hyun-woo cleared his voice at Choi Kyung-min’s apology.

“I’m not angry with Secretary Choi. It’s just that the situation isn’t smooth.”

The situation is not smooth.

Choi Kyung-min had described it as complicated.

“Shall I contact you again?”

“We’ll contact you from this side soon.”

“Young master, which side should I wait at?”

Home and company.

There were two places where Choi Kyung-min stayed.

“We’ll take care of that from this side too.”

“Understood. Then I’ll wait for the young master’s call.”

Jung Hyun-woo hung up the phone with Choi Kyung-min and lay down on the bed.

“Ha… My head is spinning from January 1st.”

Knock. Knock.

Then, Sarah knocked on the door.

“Are you okay?”

“Come in.”

“You don’t look okay.”

Jung Hyun-woo said while lying on the bed,

“It’s January 1st, but I can’t smile.”

“Did you get bad news from Korea?”

“Something like that.”

“Wasn’t Charlie’s family situation settled?”

Sarah thought that those who wanted to drive Jung Hyun-woo out had been settled with Jung Min-seok’s death.

“The people who hate me are gone, but it seems like a chaotic situation.”

“That doesn’t mean Charlie can cross the ocean to fix it.”

“Of course.”

Jung Hyun-woo had no intention of crossing the ocean for Daewoon Group.

‘The situation isn’t perfect, but it’s not so chaotic that I have to take a plane and fix it myself.’

The current chaos was caused by the power change between Chairman Jung Woo-sun and Jung Min-young.

“What are you going to do about this year’s CES [Consumer Electronics Show]?”

Jung Hyun-woo got up and replied,

“I have to go.”

Sarah smiled at his answer.

“I’ll go with you this year.”

It meant that she would leave Victoria Corporation to Robert. However, the two were unable to attend the 1987 CES due to a sudden incident that occurred that evening.

* * *

Jung Hyun-woo was slightly surprised that a State Department official visited his mansion in person.

‘The U.S. government is visiting my home, not the company.’

Of course, there was a reason.

Since most companies were closed on January 1st, they thought that Victoria Corporation and Jung Hyun-woo were too.

“I’m sorry that there aren’t many servants.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s mansion was a large mansion that required several resident managers as well as commuting servants.

However, due to January 1st, only a minimum number of people were working, and communication became difficult, so the State Department officials had to wait outside for about 10 minutes.

“It’s probably the fault of the side that came without notice.”

There were three State Department officials in total.

“The fact that the State Department came so urgently means there’s something going on, right?”

The official in the black suit nodded.

“It’s something that requires an urgent answer, so we came in person like this.”

Sarah, who was sitting next to Jung Hyun-woo, asked him,

“If it’s urgent, can’t you just call?”

The State Department official shook his head and replied,

“I didn’t think it was possible to do it by phone alone because it’s an important matter.”

Since there were three State Department officials, it was definitely not a light matter.

“So, what’s the matter?”

This time, a middle-aged man with broad shoulders answered.

“Mr. Jung, Ms. Hilton. Would you like to go to the Soviet Union?”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his voice at his suggestion.

“If it’s the Soviet Union, is it Moscow?”

The State Department official nodded.

“That’s right.”

The U.S. government wants Jung Hyun-woo to visit the Soviet Union.

‘What for?’

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t have much contact with the Soviet Union except for Tetris.

‘Tetris isn’t such a great thing that the U.S. government would step in and move.’

It was when he narrowed his brows.

“At the end of last year, the Soviet Union secretly requested a large-scale economic delegation.”

“Was my name missing from that delegation?”

If he had been included in the list, he would have been contacted first.

“I’m sorry.”

Was it someone’s mistake?

Or was it because they judged that Jung Hyun-woo was not yet a big shot?

Either way, the State Department had omitted Jung Hyun-woo’s name from the economic delegation heading to the Soviet Union.

‘January 1st. The reason why three men in suits came to see me is not just because it’s urgent.’

He could see that the U.S. State Department had come to him to apologize for their mistake.

“How many days?”

Jung Hyun-woo wanted to check his schedule right away.

“Departure is on January 12th.”

“There are only about ten days left.”

“That’s…”

As the middle-aged man with broad shoulders hesitated, the man in the black suit answered instead.

“The schedule has been moved up.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked calmly,

“At the request of the Soviet Union?”

“That’s right.”

When it was ambiguous, it was enough to make excuses that it was at the request or will of the Soviet Union.

Jung Hyun-woo knew that much too.

‘There’s no benefit to blaming the State Department’s neglect.’

The invitation from the U.S. State Department.

There was nothing bad for him.

‘There’s also something to negotiate with the Soviet Union.’

He put his hands together and asked,

“On this visit, are we just going to have a simple refreshment and come back?”

The State Department official shook his head.

“That’s not the case.”

“Then does that mean we can have detailed negotiations?”

“It will be possible to some extent.”

It was an answer that discussions on economic cooperation could also be conducted on a limited basis.

Jung Hyun-woo gave a cold smile.

“Good.”

He was planning to bring the Tetris copyright on this visit to the Soviet Union.

‘An unexpected stroke of luck.’

As he was making plans for his visit to Moscow, Sarah slightly raised her voice.

“The schedule overlaps?”

Jung Hyun-woo turned his head at her words.

“If the schedule overlaps…”

“Charlie, the schedule overlaps with CES.”

Jung Hyun-woo, Sarah, Robert.

One of the three had to go to CES to represent Victoria Corporation.

‘If I and Sarah head to the Soviet Union, the only one left is Robert.’

But Robert had to protect Victoria Corporation headquarters.

Jung Hyun-woo put his hands together.

‘Hmm… This is difficult.’

But his 고민 [romanization of Korean word meaning ‘worry’ or ‘concern’] was not long.

“Sarah, let’s send Anne this time.”

Sarah raised her eyebrows at Jung Hyun-woo’s answer.

“Anne?”

“We have to give Anne a chance too.”

If Robert replaces Jung Hyun-woo, Anne had to be able to replace Sarah.

‘The company should not be shaken by the absence of one person.’

Victoria Corporation was no longer a small company.