The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 269

269. Tokyo Blues (5)

An exclusive Japanese restaurant in Ginza, Tokyo.

The private room, sealed off on all sides, was tastefully lit with soft lighting, but the three people gathered there showed no interest in the taste of the food or the restaurant’s decor.

“There’s word that Charlie Jung has entered Japan.”

Although the setting was Japan, the three were conversing in English.

“I heard his point of entry was Osaka, not Tokyo.”

“Osaka, then…”

“He apparently visited Nintendo in Kyoto.”

A middle-aged man with a square jaw hardened his expression.

“If it’s Charlie Jung, he won’t just turn back. He’ll definitely stop by Tokyo.”

He was Howard Robinson from Morgan Stanley. And sitting across from him were President Mori of Kajima Construction and Yoo Tanaka, the Japanese branch manager of Victoria Fund.

“You’re not going to fire me, are you?”

At Yoo Tanaka’s question, President Mori sighed briefly.

“Well… we don’t know what will happen to you.”

It was his way of saying that he didn’t know much about the internal affairs of Victoria Fund.

“Mr. Mori, that’s a bit cold.”

At Howard Robinson’s words, President Mori raised his tone.

“Isn’t it true that I don’t know?”

“We’re all in the same boat.”

President Mori was, in fact, uncomfortable with this meeting. He didn’t like the plan that Chairman Kajima was pushing.

‘It’s certainly not stabbing an ally in the back, but it’s definitely turning against them.’

This deal wouldn’t mortally wound Victoria Fund.

But he thought it was not something to be talked about anywhere.

‘We could see a considerable profit if we worked with Charlie Jung….’

He couldn’t understand why Chairman Kajima was being so greedy.

“Are you saying we’re in the same boat?”

“Mr. Mori, what would happen if Mr. Jung found out about this?”

Kajima Construction could be caught up in a massive lawsuit.

‘If things go wrong, it could turn into a scandal connected to the political world.’

The scale of the funds that Victoria Fund was managing was so large that the Japanese political world couldn’t turn a blind eye if something happened.

“Isn’t the reason we’re gathered here to ensure this doesn’t get out?”

As Howard Robinson and President Mori engaged in a subtle war of nerves, Yoo Tanaka forced a smile and said,

“Now, now, this isn’t the time for us to argue among ourselves.”

Howard Robinson nodded first.

“Mr. Tanaka, you’re right.”

President Mori frowned slightly.

“So, how are we going to deal with Mr. Jung?”

Howard Robinson put his hands together and said,

“First, let’s see if he fires Mr. Tanaka and then decide.”

“So, Tanaka’s presence is crucial to the success of this plan.”

If Yoo Tanaka continued to work as the Japanese branch manager, they would likely secure exclusive negotiating rights.

Conversely, if Yoo Tanaka was fired, Jung Hyun-woo would likely come up with another solution.

Yoo Tanaka asked the two men,

“If I get fired, what happens?”

President Mori replied coldly,

“Go to Bangkok and live quietly.”

Leave Japan.

Yoo Tanaka had no choice but to swallow hard.

‘Are you saying my life wouldn’t even be guaranteed if the story leaked?’

Kajima Group wasn’t the Yakuza [Japanese organized crime syndicate]. But he didn’t take President Mori’s warning as a joke.

‘Because there’s too much money at stake.’

He asked, trying to sound cheerful,

“Ha, how about Hawaii?”

Yoo Tanaka tried to lighten the mood, but President Mori remained cold.

“Hawaii would be difficult.”

“Hawaii would be difficult?”

“There are too many people connected to Victoria Fund there.”

President Mori had already secured information that Jung Hyun-woo had visited Hawaii several times.

Howard Robinson raised his voice and said,

“Nothing’s been decided yet, has it? Instead of Mr. Tanaka being fired, let’s talk about a more constructive outcome.”

A constructive outcome.

President Mori clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘Tsk, aren’t you just trying to steal Victoria Fund’s money, no matter what?’

He was only following this plan because Chairman Kajima had instructed him to do so.

If there had been another option, he would have likely chosen it.

* * *

Jung Hyun-woo used a private jet, not the Shinkansen [Japanese bullet train], to travel to Tokyo.

This was for security and protection. Of course, despite this, the news that he had arrived in Japan was already spreading everywhere.

Two hours later.

Victoria Fund’s Tokyo branch.

John Pier greeted Jung Hyun-woo in his personal office, not the branch manager’s office.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Jung Hyun-woo received his greeting with a calm expression.

“This time, thanks to the private jet, it was easy to get here.”

“A private jet… what model did you purchase?”

If it was a passenger plane in the 1980s, Boeing was the best, but business jets were different.

“I didn’t buy it, I borrowed it.”

John Pier paused and said,

“Ah, it was a lease.”

“No. I just borrowed it.”

“You just borrowed it?”

Borrowing a plane.

Did he rent it short-term from an airline?

John Pier thought that might be the case.

‘Charlie values efficiency, after all.’

But his expectations were different from Jung Hyun-woo’s answer.

“I borrowed it from Aria. She said she didn’t have any use for the plane this month.”

“I see.”

John Pier was more surprised by the cool spending habits of the wealthy than by Jung Hyun-woo’s frugality.

‘The wealthy in New York just lend their private planes to acquaintances.’

He had met many wealthy people while working at JP Morgan, but he hadn’t often seen someone as wealthy as Jung Hyun-woo or Aria Walton.

“John, the important thing isn’t the plane.”

It was a signal to get to the point.

John Pier nodded and said,

“As I mentioned on the phone, Kajima Group wants priority negotiating rights.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked briefly,

“What’s the price?”

“That’s the problem, they want it without paying anything.”

Jung Hyun-woo clicked his tongue briefly after hearing his answer.

“Tsk, they’re just going to take everything.”

John Pier said in a dry voice,

“Considering the convenience of the sale, that might be better.”

“But there’s no premium for a bulk sale, is there?”

“If we give up the premium for convenience, a deal might be possible.”

Jung Hyun-woo stretched his legs and said,

“John, do you think it’s better to accept Kajima Group’s offer?”

“I’m fifty-fifty.”

It was his way of saying that he would remain neutral between Jung Hyun-woo and Kajima Group.

“Aren’t you the CEO of Victoria Fund?”

He was implying that neutrality was not an option for the CEO of Victoria Fund.

John Pier had somewhat expected this story to come up.

“If I had to pick one side, I think it would be better to accept the offer.”

Jung Hyun-woo let out a long sigh, as if he had expected it.

“Hoo… Did you hear something while you were in Tokyo?”

John Pier shook his head and replied,

“I didn’t hear anything special. However, when we need to withdraw faster than expected, we have to accept some losses.”

Losses occur not only in war but also when withdrawing from a business.

Jung Hyun-woo knew this as well.

“How much loss do you think will occur if we give everything to Kajima Group?”

“5% would be appropriate.”

“What’s our current asset size?”

“Even if we only consider real estate, it would be $90 billion.”

In 1987, Japanese real estate was rising more frighteningly than ever before. In particular, the heat in Tokyo’s central commercial districts was intense.

“5% of $90 billion is $4.5 billion. Don’t you think that’s too much for the cost of getting out?”

$4.5 billion could buy a decent global company, even after accounting for several years of inflation.

“Then should we aim for around 2%?”

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t mention the amount and put his hands together.

“John, there seems to be another reason.”

“Are you saying I have another reason to deal with Kajima Group?”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded.

“Yes. Of course, I’m not saying you’ve been bought off.”

He thought John Pier had a different reason than Yoo Tanaka.

John Pier let out a long sigh after hearing his words.

“Hoo… I can’t fool Charlie.”

“There’s a reason.”

“Two reasons.”

Jung Hyun-woo released his clasped hands and said,

“Tell me slowly.”

John Pier nodded and explained the two reasons.

“The first reason is that I can’t trust the employees of the Japanese branch.”

“Are you saying there might be employees who have been bought off besides Mr. Tanaka?”

“It’s possible that not just one or two, but the entire branch has been bought off.”

“What makes you suspect that?”

John Pier might have come to the Tokyo branch and found some evidence.

“Because we’re withdrawing.”

“Because we’re withdrawing?”

“Charlie, what will the employees do when we withdraw? Can we maintain a large workforce even without investment funds?”

Jung Hyun-woo could understand what John Pier was saying.

“Are you saying that Kajima Group might have promised to take in the Tokyo branch’s personnel?”

“In that case, the employees currently working here could be considered our enemies.”

“It’s enough to make you sigh.”

John Pier said in a dry voice,

“It’s a cold reality, but it can’t be helped.”

“What’s the second reason?”

“Because Kajima Group can’t be trusted either.”

“Are you saying Kajima Group might deceive us?”

John Pier nodded.

“Even if we don’t give them exclusive rights, Kajima Group can use shell companies or agents to take our real estate.”

Jung Hyun-woo was most worried about this scenario.

“Are you saying there are plenty of ways Kajima Group could deceive us if they wanted to?”

“They can also deceive us about the transaction amount.”

Kajima Group was involved in both real estate development and brokerage, so it was entirely possible.

“You’re saying that the risks of rejecting Kajima Group’s offer are too great, so we should just compromise at a reasonable level.”

“That’s right.”

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t get angry or surprised. He calmly said to John Pier,

“First, let’s hear what Mr. Tanaka has to say.”

John Pier asked,

“Does Charlie still trust him?”

“Isn’t it possible that our worries are unfounded?”

“I understand. Then I’ll call him in.”

After John Pier left.

Yoo Tanaka entered.

“You called for me?”

Jung Hyun-woo extended his right hand forward, offering him a seat.

“Please, sit down.”

Yoo Tanaka sat down with a nervous expression.

‘Am I going to get fired here?’

If he was fired, he would have to leave Japan and live in Bangkok or Singapore for a while.

‘I don’t want to do that.’

He was fluent in English, but he wasn’t the type to enjoy living in a foreign country. If he had enjoyed living abroad, he would have been working in New York, not Tokyo.

“You must have been taken aback by the sudden news.”

Yoo Tanaka raised his eyebrows and asked,

“Sudden news?”

“About withdrawing from Japan.”

“Ah……”

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the timeline has been moved up.”

Yoo Tanaka lowered his eyebrows and responded,

“I believe the withdrawal schedule can change at any time depending on the circumstances of the head office.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s voice was calm enough that it was difficult to detect any emotion.

“I heard that Kajima Group made us an offer.”

“They offered to buy the real estate we’re selling this time. And they added that if there’s any real estate to be sold in the future, they would buy it all.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded and asked,

“What about the price?”

Yoo Tanaka answered exactly as he had told John Pier.

“They said they would pay according to last month’s asking price.”

“Last month’s asking price, then…”

“That means they’re willing to reflect the market price to some extent.”

Jung Hyun-woo slightly raised his tone.

“Mr. Tanaka, what do you think of their offer?”

Yoo Tanaka seized the opportunity and quickly replied,

“I think it would be good to do business with them.”

So far, it was as Jung Hyun-woo had expected.

“Why?”

“Because it’s beneficial for us to do business with them.”

“Because we can skip unnecessary real estate transaction procedures?”

“Sir, as the old saying goes, time is money. If we can recover our investment funds by doing business with them, the head office will save a considerable amount of time.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded after hearing his answer.

“That might be the case.”

Yoo Tanaka regained his composure, realizing that Jung Hyun-woo wasn’t trying to fire him.

‘I was worried for nothing.’

He thought Jung Hyun-woo had come to Tokyo to oversee the withdrawal.

“Sir, Kajima Construction is also involved in real estate brokerage, so they can process transactions quickly.”

“Are you saying the price is also reasonable?”

“I don’t think last month’s asking price is a bad price.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked him again,

“How much does last month’s asking price fall short of the latest market price?”

“There will be a difference of about 5%.”

“5% of $90 billion isn’t a small difference, is it?”

As Jung Hyun-woo had told John Pier, 5% of $90 billion was a whopping $4.5 billion.

“That’s true in absolute terms, but considering the relative amount, it’s not that significant.”

“Are you saying it’s an amount we can afford to bear?”

“I think so.”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed briefly and then asked,

“Hoo… What if the asking price they’re offering is fake?”

Yoo Tanaka widened his eyes and raised his voice.

“T, there’s no way that could happen, is there?”

He looked as if he had never doubted it.

“I said, what if.”

“Are you saying you want to verify the market price?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, we at Victoria Fund’s Tokyo branch will proceed with it directly.”

Jung Hyun-woo didn’t object.

“I understand. Then, first, bring me the data on the buildings and real estate that are up for sale in January.”

Yoo Tanaka realized that Jung Hyun-woo wanted to compare the market price investigated by the Tokyo branch with the amount presented by Kajima Group.

‘Hehehe, there’s no way there will be a difference in the amount if I investigate and Kajima Group proposes it.’

He thought the deal was as good as done.

“I understand. I will immediately compile the data and report it.”

Jung Hyun-woo got up from his seat and said,

“I have somewhere to go, so submit the data to John.”

Yoo Tanaka received his instructions in a bright voice.

“I understand.”

As Jung Hyun-woo came out of the office, John Pier, who had been waiting outside, asked,

“Charlie, how did it go?”

“Let’s talk outside.”

The two headed to the rooftop of the building where Victoria Fund’s Japanese branch was located.

This rooftop was a place where office workers in the building smoked.

“There aren’t any cigarette butts on the floor.”

“Because there’s an ashtray.”

Jung Hyun-woo asked John Pier,

“Do you smoke?”

John Pier shook his head.

“I don’t.”

“Then the employees will suspect us.”

“Probably.”

Jung Hyun-woo and John Pier’s secretaries and escorts were waiting at Victoria Fund’s Tokyo branch.

“John.”

“Charlie, feel free to speak comfortably.”

Jung Hyun-woo turned his gaze to the sky and said,

“It seems our worries are real.”

He was saying that Yoo Tanaka seemed to have joined hands with or been bought off by Kajima Group.

“Things have become difficult.”

“It’s not 100% certain, but I’m about 90% sure.”

John Pier asked with a dark expression,

“Then, would it be better to fire him?”

Jung Hyun-woo raised his right hand.

“I don’t think it’s time yet.”

“It’s not time yet?”

“We need to hear what Kajima Group has to say as well.”

John Pier couldn’t help but pause at his words.

‘What Kajima Group has to say.’

Jung Hyun-woo said,

“I’ll meet with Kajima Group tomorrow. Set up a place and time.”

John Pier slightly bowed his head at his request.

“I understand.”

He thought tomorrow was the real deal.

‘When Charlie meets with Kajima Group, a decision will be made on the spot.’