Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 101

101. The Launch of the Taeyang Group (4)

Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan said,

“Han Cheong-ho of Cheongil sent out invitations to political and business figures for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Cheongil Hotel. It’s on the same day, at the same time. Everyone must have gone there.”

It was deliberately done to interfere with Taesu’s event.

It was petty and mean.

“I’m sure you received an invitation from Changsu Bank as well, so why did you attend this event instead of Han Cheong-ho’s?”

“And why did Chairman Jang of Geumsan come here?”

“Well, I preferred attending this one.”

“Let’s just say I feel the same way.”

Jang Jun-yong and Jang Mal-dong smiled slyly.

“I heard Kang Taesu is out of favor with the President, and his bank loans are completely blocked. But it seems he still has friends in the banking world.”

“I’m glad to confirm that Chairman Jang of Geumsan is indeed at odds with Chairman Han of Cheongil.”

Lee Chang-won of Heavy Machinery and Noh Il-guk of Oil Refining came to greet him.

“It’s been a while to both of you.”

“Thank you so much for attending.”

Jang Jun-yong was bewildered.

Lee Chang-won and Noh Il-guk were known to fight like cats and dogs whenever they met.

But instead of fighting, they seemed to be on surprisingly good terms.

“How come Cheongil’s rampaging two-headed monsters are so docile at Taeyang?”

They both answered simultaneously.

“Because of overwork.”

“It’s due to overwork.”

They were so overwhelmed with work that they didn’t even have the energy to fight.

Jang Jun-yong laughed heartily.

“Chairman Kang must be really working you hard.”

Just then,

More than ten taxis started entering the parking lot in a single line.

All eyes were on them.

From the first five taxis, foreign bodyguards in black suits poured out.

The same happened from the last five taxis.

They quickly formed a security line and opened the door of the taxi in the middle.

A lavishly dressed foreigner got out of the taxi.

Taesu recognized the familiar face and chuckled.

“Rahman, thank you for coming all this way.”

“How could I not come when my friend is starting a business and having a launch event?”

Rahman approached Taesu.

The bodyguards quickly secured the area.

A path was created as if the Red Sea had parted, and everyone was speechless.

“What’s going on?”

“Who is that foreigner? He’s covered in bling?”

“Is he some kind of royalty or king?”

Their guesses were half right.

Rahman was indeed a member of the Saudi royal family.

“Congratulations.”

“Congratulations to you too, Rahman. I heard you were promoted to head of the eastern city development in Saudi Arabia?”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Rahman patted Taesu on the shoulder.

“I’m directly planning the Jubail Industrial Port construction. I think I can move up the bidding date sooner than expected.”

At that moment, Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan jumped up.

“I’m so glad to meet the person in charge of planning the Jubail Industrial Port construction! I’m Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan!”

He was the person in charge of a project worth a whopping $1 billion.

It was nearly half of the South Korean government’s budget.

Jang Jun-yong of Geumsan was meeting the person in charge of the project he was so eager to win.

“Who is this?”

“He’s very interested in the Jubail Industrial Port construction. He might be looking to pursue a joint bid with me. You must have heard of Geumsan.”

“So, you’re the one who brought water to Saudi Arabia with oil tankers.”

As soon as Rahman recognized him, Jang Jun-yong quickly stuck close to Rahman.

“When are you planning to start the bidding for the Jubail Industrial Port construction?”

That was why Jang Jun-yong was so eager.

Taesu recognized another familiar face getting out of the taxi.

“Ms. Song Sori.”

“It’s been a while. How have you been? My father told me to report directly to you, so I came with him.”

“I was waiting for you. How did the task I asked for go?”

“I brought it. Whose name is it under?”

That was great.

He had visited Elder Jang Mal-dong, worried that he might not be able to make it on time, but he arrived right on schedule.

The preparations were more than sufficient.

“Where is the item?”

“It’s in the trunk of the taxi. Here it is.”

Taesu called Han-su.

“Move the items that Ms. Song Sori brought to the trunk of my car.”

“Got it.”

Song Sori glanced at Taesu.

“The higher-ups sent a telegram to this side, saying they’re willing to offer a private jet to come to Jubail.”

“I sent a telegram to Rahman in advance, just in case. Otherwise, Ms. Song Sori would have had to smuggle it in.”

Song Sori nodded.

“So that’s how it worked out. You have a very good friend. Thanks to a wealthy friend with high status, you get a private jet, minimal searches, things get overlooked, and even a taxi ride.”

“Thank you for coming all this way.”

Taesu checked his watch and shouted loudly.

“Let’s start the Taeyang Group launch event!”

* * *

The Taeyang Group launch event was in full swing.

While Taesu was giving his commemorative speech, a black jeep entered the center of the venue.

It had the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) mark emblazoned on it.

“The CIA is here?”

“What’s going on?”

The employees all looked uneasy.

It was common for the CIA to take someone away when they showed up.

So, it was natural to feel anxious and worried.

Beeep-

Taesu put down the microphone and calmly observed the situation.

The CIA agent got out of the car and walked towards Taesu.

“I’m from the CIA.”

“What brings you here?”

“The President has a message to deliver, so I came in his stead.”

Park Jeong-hwan did not attend the Taeyang Group launch event.

But instead of a member of the security service, a CIA agent came to deliver a message.

“There are three things.”

Everyone listened intently.

The venue where hundreds of Taeyang employees had gathered became as silent as a graveyard.

“First, the President congratulates the Taeyang Group on its launch as a chaebol [large South Korean conglomerate] today. He hopes that it will contribute greatly to the national economy in the future.”

Hearing that, the employees breathed a sigh of relief.

That was a relief.

“Second, the national economy is in severe difficulty due to the oil shock, so he will take special measures for insolvent companies.”

The Taeyang Group was very far from being an insolvent company.

The employees were about to breathe another sigh of relief.

“In that sense, the President ordered the Taeyang Group to repay all the debts of the companies it acquired at once.”

The sound of someone gasping could be heard from all over.

How much debt did the companies have?

How could they repay it all at once?

This was a serious problem.

‘I knew it. I knew it would happen.’

The thing Taesu had been worried about had finally happened.

“The third and final matter.”

The CIA agent walked towards him again.

The man snatched the microphone Taesu was holding and turned it off completely.

He whispered in Taesu’s ear.

“If you want to make money in Korea, you know you have to pay your dues, right?”

He was demanding political funds.

“I only told you to take Cheongil Oil Refining, but you took Heavy Machinery too. So, you have to pay the price. Don’t you think?”

“How much do you want?”

“1 billion won.”

That was nearly 30 billion won based on 2020 standards.

It was an excessive amount to demand as soon as the group was launched.

But the CIA agent didn’t think so at all.

“The President said that the amount and duration of installment payments will be determined by how you act.”

That was ridiculous.

“Kneel down, bow your head, and beg the President. Otherwise, the Taeyang Group, which was launched today, might be dissolved tomorrow.”

The CIA agent smiled slyly.

Taesu smiled back at him.

“Is the President currently attending the groundbreaking ceremony for the Cheongil Hotel?”

“What if he is?”

“I’ll have to meet him in person and increase the dues.”

The CIA agent’s eyes widened.

When they visited most companies to demand the first political funds, the reactions were generally divided into three categories.

-First, the guy who stubbornly refuses to pay and tells them to do whatever they want.

-Second, the guy who begs them to lower the amount, grabbing their pant legs and pleading.

-Third, the guy who tries to bribe them and asks them to manipulate the documents.

But this guy was different.

He was readily offering to pay the political funds directly.

And a whopping 1 billion won!

“Did I hear you wrong? It’s not 100 million won. It’s 1 billion won.”

“I heard you correctly. 1 billion won.”

“You’re going to give it to me right now?”

“Isn’t that why you came all the way here to get it?”

“…….”

He was speechless.

It was true that he came to get the money, but he never dreamed that he would actually be able to get it.

‘Logically speaking, who would suddenly come in and demand 1 billion won and be able to get it right away?’

Even when they visited the heads of chaebol companies, this never happened.

Without exception, they always begged for time to prepare a bag of money soon.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

The CIA agent asked dumbly.

“Let’s go to where the President is. He’s at the Cheongil Hotel groundbreaking ceremony, right?”

“…Maybe.”

“Let’s leave right away. It would be troublesome if the President left while we were delayed.”

“…….”

Taesu snatched the microphone from the CIA agent.

He turned on the microphone and smiled at the employees.

“I will now conclude the Taeyang Group launch event.”

What?

The commemorative event was ending just five minutes after it started.

They had left Gangwon-do, Seoul, and Incheon to attend this event.

“Are you dissatisfied that the event is short? Should we stand in the scorching heat of August for several hours to strengthen our camaraderie? I’m also confident in giving a long congratulatory speech.”

Everyone was horrified and answered loudly.

“We are not dissatisfied at all!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

Taesu smiled contentedly.

With this short joke, the employees were relaxing and laughing.

“I’m going to visit the hotel groundbreaking ceremony next door with this gentleman. So, don’t worry, everyone, and enjoy the delicious lunch we’ve prepared.”

All the employees of the Taeyang Group buzzed and looked at each other.

“My mother’s cooking is amazing. I think it will be a delicious lunch, so you can look forward to it.”

“Wow!”

The miners who knew Taesu’s mother’s cooking were the first to shout loudly.

Then, the other Taeyang employees showed curiosity.

The worry had already disappeared far away.

‘Good, I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.’

Taesu looked for Lee Chang-won of Heavy Machinery and Noh Il-guk of Oil Refining.

“Vice President Lee Chang-won, Vice President Noh Il-guk. You will come with me.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Taesu then turned to Jang Mal-dong.

“President of Changsu Bank, please come with us as well.”

“Huh? Even me?”

“Don’t come if you don’t want to receive the money.”

“Let’s go!”

As Taesu turned off the microphone, Rahman quietly approached him.

“Did Han Cheong-ho pull a trick?”

“As you can see.”

“Where are you going now?”

“To Han Cheong-ho’s event venue. I’m planning to meet the President and the bank presidents there to settle things.”

It seemed like he could have a very interesting time.

“If that’s the case, I’ll go too.”

Wasn’t that why he had come all this way?

When Rahman said he was going, even the bodyguards followed along.

“Ah, that’s too bad. I can’t go.”

The place they were going was Han Cheong-ho’s event venue.

Only Song Sori looked upset.

But she was diligently preparing food with a tray.

How long had it been since she had eaten a proper Korean meal?

Vroom.

The cars and taxis left in a line.

To make a scene at the Cheongil Hotel groundbreaking ceremony.

What kind of scene? A chaotic scene.