Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 109

109. The Future Has Changed (1)

Tae-soo stopped Jang Joon-yong.

“Why are you suddenly doing this? Even Chairman Rahman is letting it slide.”

“No. It’s all my fault that things have turned out this way.”

Jang Joon-yong sighed, filled with regret.

“To think I cherished such a guy as talent, praised his work ethic… my eyes must have been blind.”

It was a bitter laugh.

“The damage is already done, just as that guy wanted.”

“It was his unilateral action. Chairman Rahman isn’t a fool. So, considering the circumstances, he might turn a blind eye one more time…”

“Once trust is broken, it’s broken. Do you think patching up a broken water bowl will stop it from leaking?”

“Chairman.”

Jang Joon-yong closed his eyes.

“You know it too. Building trust takes a long time, but breaking it takes only five minutes. In this situation, how can I shamelessly ask you to trust Geumsan? I can’t do it.”

Jang Joon-yong bowed to Rahman.

[This is an alliance built on trust. If, in any case, I have shown a disappointing side and broken that trust, I must reflect on myself and pay the price accordingly.]

Jang Joon-yong patted Tae-soo on the shoulder.

“I hope you succeed with the Jubail Industrial Port project.”

“Chairman, you don’t have to go this far.”

“I won’t beg for trust. It’s not something you can force. It’s something you prove yourself over a long period, through actions.”

His voice was mournful.

“I’ll accept it as fate.”

This isn’t fate.

In his past life, Jang Joon-yong successfully secured the Jubail Industrial Port project.

The variables are Tae-soo and Lee Moon-bok.

‘The future is changing. Because of Lee Moon-bok’s sabotage.’

Tae-soo grabbed Jang Joon-yong’s arm.

“Chairman, are you going to give up a $1 billion project over something like this?”

“I regret it too. But I don’t dwell on ruined things. I can just find other work. There’s plenty of work in the world.”

Even though it wasn’t his fault, Jang Joon-yong was cleanly giving up.

“Won’t you regret it? Isn’t the time and effort you put in a waste?”

“There’s no habit that ruins you more than the habit of not letting go.”

Jang Joon-yong smiled, relieved.

“You can fail in life. It’s better to just admit it cleanly and shake it off. Hahaha, you have to cut off regrets ruthlessly to not miss new opportunities.”

Jang Joon-yong said firmly.

“I feel much better now. I was begging and pleading so uncharacteristically that even I found it unsightly.”

Jang Joon-yong mimed snapping a glass and laughed.

“My heart aches, so how about we have a drink together to console ourselves today?”

It was a request hard to refuse.

“I will.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve had straight liquor. Strong liquor suits a strong man.”

Probably, if Secretary Kim joins us, I should be prepared to not go home sober again today.

At that moment, Rahman, who had been silently watching Jang Joon-yong, said quietly.

[I think you’re mistaken about one thing. There was no trust between you and me from the start. We were not allies.]

Jang Joon-yong nodded.

[That’s right. The alliance was between you and Kang Tae-soo, so you don’t need to turn a blind eye to me as if I were an ally.]

[Aren’t we meeting for the first time today?]

[That’s also correct.]

Rahman said firmly.

[Since we couldn’t build trust, there’s no trust to lose. Since I didn’t give you a chance, there’s no chance to lose. So, shouldn’t I give you a chance to build trust?]

Jang Joon-yong was puzzled, not knowing what he meant.

[I’ve already given up on bidding for the Jubail Industrial Port project…]

[Just as the words of a king governing a country are heavy, I know that your words, building a large company, are also heavy. So, I won’t tell you to retract your statement.]

Rahman smiled.

[The Saudi Jubail Industrial Port project will go to the Tae-yang Group as a sole bid. But wouldn’t Geumsan like to join the construction in Saudi Arabia as a subcontractor?]

Rahman glanced at Tae-soo.

[Am I being too nosy?]

[No. Thank you, Chairman Rahman. I was already planning to offer Geumsan a subcontract.]

Tae-soo was sincere.

The scale of the Saudi Jubail project was too large for Tae-yang Construction to handle alone.

It wasn’t impossible, but it would be difficult to meet the scheduled completion date.

From the beginning, the plan was to proceed with Geumsan, and there was also an additional urban development proposal.

[If Geumsan tries to enter Saudi Arabia alone, it will face considerable difficulties due to its title as a foreign construction company. Tae-yang Construction also has shortcomings in bidding for the Jubail Industrial Port alone.]

Saudi Arabia has quite high barriers to entry for foreign companies.

Geumsan has not yet entered the Saudi construction market for that reason.

[In the end, we prepared a joint bid with Tae-yang Construction’s connections and Geumsan Construction’s technology and scale as weapons. If even one axis is missing, the possibility of losing the bidding competition is quite high. So…]

Tae-yang Construction has connections with the Saudi royal family, who are local partners.

However, it cannot prove its technology because it has no track record of building industrial ports.

On the other hand, Geumsan has a track record of building the Geumsan Shipyard and several ports in Korea.

However, it does not have a sponsor company rooted in Saudi Arabia.

The two can help each other.

[I also need Geumsan’s help, Chairman Jang.]

Tae-soo politely asked Jang Joon-yong.

Jang Joon-yong knew that Tae-soo’s skills would allow him to complete the project excellently without Geumsan.

How could he not know who those words were for?

Rahman chimed in.

[I happen to be in charge of Jubail city development.]

It was one of the urban development plans presented by Tae-yang Construction during the briefing earlier.

[A lot of manpower and heavy equipment will be mobilized for the industrial port construction. I’m thinking of building accommodations for the workers and commercial facilities for the people who will use the industrial port together.]

You should approach it systematically from the beginning to avoid the trouble of reorganizing later.

Rahman, who is in charge of urban development planning, knows that better than anyone.

[This is the opinion of the Tae-yang Group’s construction planning manager. I am also positively reviewing this. I was wondering if it would be better to add and expand the scale as a project linked to the Jubail Industrial Port construction.]

Rahman held out his hand to Jang Joon-yong.

[Tae-yang Group is considering a joint bid with Geumsan and has drafted this plan. So, if Tae-yang Group wins the bid, I’m thinking of subcontracting part of the Jubail city development to Geumsan.]

There is only a difference in the method of subcontracting, but in reality, it is not much different from a joint bid.

However, due to the sole bid, Tae-soo’s decision-making power and authority will be much greater than in a joint bid.

[What do you think?]

Jang Joon-yong stared blankly at Rahman’s outstretched hand.

Tae-soo smiled and urged.

“It’s a rare opportunity, are you going to let it slip away?”

“Ah, no! It’s just that I can’t believe it.”

Jang Joon-yong quickly came to his senses and grabbed Rahman’s hand.

An enthusiastic handshake between the men.

“Lee Moon-bok said he would show it most effectively, and he really did.”

“Show what?”

“I sent him to promote Geumsan Construction, but he ended up promoting the Chairman properly, didn’t he?”

Since ancient times, the most sure-fire method has been ‘showing’.

Lee Moon-bok tried to use Tae-soo as a sacrifice to promote his competence and excellence.

Instead, he only showed Chairman Jang’s capacity and contributed to winning Rahman’s favor.

“Chairman, you were right. I cut off my regrets cleanly, and a new opportunity came along.”

“Hahaha, what did I tell you?”

Rahman rested his chin on one hand and said dissatisfiedly.

[You keep leaving me out. Why don’t you stop promoting friendship between the two of you?]

It’s because people who can speak English are talking in Korean.

[I thought you were allies, but were you actually friends?]

[Do you happen to know about drinking buddies?]

Tae-soo looked back at Rahman and smiled.

[Chairman Rahman, do you drink liquor? Straight, without ice? That’s how we drink when we meet at this hotel bar.]

[Hmm?]

Tae-soo grinned.

[It looks like we’ll have to drink celebratory drinks instead of consolation drinks today. In commemoration of reaffirming the trust of the alliance. What do you think?]

Lee Moon-bok failed to alienate them and separate them.

Moreover, he failed to ruin the Jubail Industrial Port bidding plan, and he even failed to brand Geumsan’s image as the worst to Rahman.

Rahman also grinned.

[Liquor… I can’t help it. I guess this hotel bar stocks more liquor than red wine?]

Jang Joon-yong couldn’t stand it and jumped up.

[Our hotel bar’s bartender is amazing at making mixed drinks. Shall I ask him to make one based on red wine?]

[I look forward to it.]

The three of them went up to the Geumsan Hotel bar amicably.

It was the same hotel bar that the three Tae-yang affiliate presidents had gone up to earlier.

* * *

Geumsan Hotel underground parking lot.

Two people were sitting side by side in a black jeep.

It was the president and vice president of Geumsan Construction.

The president of Geumsan Construction asked, smoking a cigarette.

“Why did you do that?”

“What are you talking about?”

Lee Moon-bok feigned ignorance.

“Are you talking about the sole bid? I’ll say it again, that was the best way for Geumsan Construction. Do you think that Tae-yang Construction, which I’ve never heard of, can stand shoulder to shoulder with our Geumsan Construction?”

“No.”

“See? That’s why I took the lead for Geumsan with all my heart. I’m sure the Chairman knows my sincerity. So, please make sure the president doesn’t misunderstand in front of the Chairman…”

“No, not that.”

The president of Geumsan Construction frowned, puffing on his cigarette.

“My wife. Why did you do that?”

Lee Moon-bok’s eyes trembled slightly.

But he still maintained his ignorance.

“I, I don’t quite understand what you mean.”

“I think you’ll understand if you see this.”

The president of Geumsan Construction took out some papers and photos from above the steering wheel.

The paper stated when, where, who he met, and how much went back and forth.

The photos showed where Lee Moon-bok and the celebrity, and the celebrity and the president’s wife met.

Lee Moon-bok’s eyes widened at the undeniable evidence.

“H, how, how did you…!”

“I picked it up.”

Jang Mal-dong had given it to him in the bathroom earlier.

He just dropped it casually at his feet.

As soon as he saw the picture of his wife, he lost his mind and didn’t even check who the grateful person was.

“Enough reason to get hit, right?”

He is a president with a stone fist from the military.

“The Chairman said it was a dismissal, but now that I know exactly what you’ve done, I can’t let you go like this. There’s no dismissal, and I won’t accept your resignation. We’ll see each other again tomorrow.”

President Jo had no intention of letting Lee Moon-bok go free yet.

“The time will come when I hear the voice of truth every day. It will be a very enjoyable time, right?”

President Jo’s eyes shone maliciously as he looked at Lee Moon-bok.

He clenched his fist tightly and held it in front of Lee Moon-bok’s eyes.

“Let’s talk again after I hit you first.”

The president of Geumsan Construction has one unwavering belief.

-If you want to know the truth, the fist is the truth.

You’ll know if you hit him.

Whether this is real or fake.

* * *

Geumsan Hotel Bar.

The three people who came up amicably were faced with a shocking sight.

“If you’re going to drink, drink nicely.”

“Why are you picking on us for no reason?”

“Is this person crazy?”

The three Tae-yang affiliate presidents were in a difficult situation, caught up in a quarrel with a drunk.

The drunk in his late 30s staggered and shouted.

“Hey, your chairman? Is that brat so great? A kid younger than me is already the head of the group! The world is so unfair!”

He saw the article about the launch of the Tae-yang Group, which was launched today, in the evening newspaper.

It was also on the radio and television news.

That was why the drunk came all the way here and got so drunk.

“I went bankrupt because of the oil shock, but why are you guys doing so well? Even the president and the Saudi royal family came to congratulate you. Let me see that face! He’s staying here, right?”

Tae-soo frowned as he recognized the drunk.

‘Isn’t that Kim Woo-jin, the president of Daewoon Construction?’

But he was puzzled.

He is a man who will earn a lot of foreign currency through aggressive Middle East construction and grow the company to a chaebol group [a large South Korean business conglomerate].

But why is he saying he went bankrupt?

“What’s so different about him and me? I heard that all the banks banned him from lending and urged him to repay the loans all at once? But he’s fine, so why did I go bankrupt! What’s so different!”

Tae-soo’s face changed.

“Are you saying that all the banks simultaneously banned Daewoon Construction from lending and urged them to repay the loans all at once?”

“Yes! Thanks to that, I couldn’t last three months and went bankrupt! Unlike you, who endured for half a year and solved the problem in one shot!”

That didn’t happen in his past life.

Daewoon Construction expanded the group at a tremendous rate due to the aggressive investment of the young president and the simultaneous lending of loans from the banking sector.

‘The future has changed.’

The future, which had been changing little by little, was gradually increasing its scope.