Mining And Construction Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 127

127. A Feast of Stars (4)

Jeon Doo-ho led Tae-soo out onto the terrace.

The people inside the hall merely watched, none daring to follow.

Jeon Doo-ho leaned against the terrace railing and asked,

“How old are you?”

“I’m 26 years old.”

“Too young. Too green to be the head of a chaebol [large business conglomerate].”

There was a barb in his words.

“Should I say you’re lucky, or that you have good backing? Seeing you frequenting VIP rooms already, it’s clear you have connections. You’ve caught the President’s eye, haven’t you?”

His eyes on Tae-soo were far from friendly.

He was incredibly rude, especially considering it was their first meeting.

“You have close ties with the Saudi royal family, so you easily import oil and became a chaebol, right? I heard you went to do highway construction in the backwoods and rendered distinguished service by prematurely ending the Middle East war?”

He didn’t seem curious at all.

A probe to test Tae-soo.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“A guy who goes back and forth between Saudi Arabia and Korea, stirring things up like a bat, making money off connections… They call it a Medal of Honor, but it reads as connections.”

“…….”

“What did you do?”

Tae-soo didn’t bother to deny it.

‘The kid’s not shaken. He should have reacted in some way by now.’

Jeon Doo-ho frowned slightly as his provocation didn’t elicit the desired response.

“Are my words meaningless to you?”

Tae-soo’s gaze gradually deepened.

Jeon Doo-ho sharply scrutinized Tae-soo.

“I am a soldier from the Korea Military Academy and the commander of this country’s Security Command. You rendered distinguished service in the Middle East war, but shouldn’t I know about it?”

He pressured him with an overbearing and autocratic attitude.

But Tae-soo wasn’t one to be intimidated by such tactics.

“It’s a top-secret matter of another country, so it’s not an easy story to tell.”

He couldn’t bring himself to call Rahman’s bluff.

In fact, Khalid had given Tae-soo a medal for his contribution to the early end of the war.

He’d rather keep his mouth shut than accuse the Saudi King and his son of lying.

“I made a promise to the Saudi royal family. That I wouldn’t disclose it to the outside.”

“This is something I consider important to the security of this country.”

“The President has also approved it.”

The President was one step above the Security Commander.

“So you won’t tell me?”

“I am not a soldier.”

Tae-soo looked directly at Jeon Doo-ho.

“Therefore, I have no obligation to report.”

It was a provocative remark, but his demeanor was calm.

There was nothing to criticize.

‘He’s not scared. He’s got guts?’

Jeon Doo-ho chuckled.

“You’re saying you’re not a soldier, but a civilian? Do you think I can’t do anything to you?”

His eyes on Tae-soo turned cold.

But Tae-soo was looking at Jeon Doo-ho with equally calm eyes.

“I’m sure I’ll be able to find out about that secret when we meet in the Central Intelligence Agency’s [Korean intelligence agency] interrogation room later.”

He was openly picking a fight.

This was a threat.

That he would throw Tae-soo into the Central Intelligence Agency’s interrogation room.

“I believe this is our first meeting, but why are you being so hostile?”

He was curious.

The so-called high-ranking people don’t openly make enemies.

They stab you in the back with a smile.

Eloquent flattery and concealed daggers are basic, aren’t they?

‘But Jeon Doo-ho is pressuring me from the first meeting. Even though he’s a soldier and I’m a civilian, a chaebol businessman at that, who have nothing to do with each other.’

It’s understandable that he fought as soon as he met Cha Ki-beom.

Because if you think of it as a power struggle over Park Jung-hwan.

But Tae-soo is a chaebol.

Even though he’s just stepped into the ranks of chaebols, only in the top 200 in the business world.

‘There’s no need for Jeon Doo-ho to step up and pick a fight with me. There’s no conflict of interest.’

That’s the part Tae-soo was wondering about.

“Using the Saudi oil supply as an excuse, you took Cheongil Oil and Cheongil Heavy Industries for nothing, and passed on a lot of debt.”

Jeon Doo-ho glared at Tae-soo openly.

“Do you know that the slush fund that was flowing this way has been cut off thanks to you?”

Slush fund.

Funds are needed to run the Oseonghoe, a private organization within the military.

He says that funding has been cut off because of Tae-soo.

“It seems Han Cheong-ho has been bribing even the soldiers.”

‘Then Jeon Doo-ho’s intention is one of two things.’

The intention of pressuring him by mentioning Han Cheong-ho.

The reason why he’s trying to break Tae-soo’s spirit and make him submit.

‘Either he’s taking Han Cheong-ho’s side and declaring war on me, or he’s making a blatant demand for me to fill the insufficient slush fund.’

What is Jeon Doo-ho aiming for?

“How should this damage be repaid? I’m not the kind of person who’s nice enough to just let it go.”

“What do you want me to do? Would it be enough to fill the insufficient slush fund?”

It’s easier to deal with if he’s just asking for money.

Jeon Doo-ho’s eyes gleamed with greed.

“I heard you gave 1 billion won to the President, so you should offer me 1 billion won as well.”

“Should I take that to mean that the President and the Security Commander are on the same level?”

“…….”

As if caught off guard, Jeon Doo-ho flinched for a moment.

He snarled even more fiercely than before.

“You insolent bastard.”

“1 billion won. That’s not a small amount of money.”

It was an unreasonable demand.

1 billion won now is close to 30 billion won [approximately $25 million USD, adjusted for inflation] in 2020.

No wonder Park Jung-hwan was surprised when Tae-soo readily offered it.

Moreover, it hasn’t been long since he offered it to Park Jung-hwan.

‘Jeon Doo-ho knows better than anyone that this is a demand that I, who have just entered the ranks of chaebols, cannot meet.’

Yet Jeon Doo-ho deliberately provoked Tae-soo.

“Don’t have money? Then give me something else.”

Tae-soo looked at Jeon Doo-ho without a word.

Jeon Doo-ho said it openly.

“Everything you took from Cheongil, spit it all out. Then I’ll let it go.”

Even gangsters wouldn’t act this recklessly.

This was simply asking for a fight.

“I can’t do that.”

He had no intention of backing down easily when they started picking a fight out of the blue.

Even if it was Jeon Doo-ho.

“Those are things I acquired at a fair price.”

Cheongil Heavy Industries for 10 won, Cheongil Oil for 10 won.

Isn’t that a company he bought for a total of 20 won [less than a penny]?

Moreover, he exchanged the commercial district site that would become Cheongil Town for a farmhouse in Jamsil.

“If you regret that the slush fund has been cut off, I can fill that pocket instead. More than Han Cheong-ho, if you want.”

Tae-soo has plenty of money.

There’s nothing he can’t give.

But he doesn’t feel the need to give it.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that Jeon Doo-ho’s attitude was excessive.

“It would have been easier to talk if you had just asked for the slush fund from the beginning. Why are you being so hostile?”

“You insolent bastard, are you trying to interrogate me now?”

“1 billion won. That’s not a small amount of money.”

The same words Tae-soo said earlier came out again.

But the weight was different.

Jeon Doo-ho’s eyebrows twitched wildly.

Tae-soo said, watching those eyebrows.

“I need to know why you’re demanding 1 billion won to decide whether to give the money or not, right?”

Tae-soo chuckled.

“I’m not a pushover.”

An invisible spark flew between Jeon Doo-ho and Tae-soo.

Jeon Doo-ho stared at Tae-soo for a long time before opening his mouth.

“I think I know why Han Cheong-ho gnashed his teeth while looking at you.”

Jeon Doo-ho was smiling.

“If you had lived as a pushover, you could have avoided a miserable end.”

Jeon Doo-ho took his body off the railing.

“You just threw away your last chance.”

Tae-soo also opened his mouth.

“You don’t need the slush fund?”

“I’m not Jeon Doo-ho, who would be lacking even without your money.”

“1 billion won. That’s not a small amount of money, is it?”

That’s why Jeon Doo-ho was wavering.

He tried to suppress Tae-soo by demanding excessive money, but rather, Jeon Doo-ho’s pride was hurt.

Jeon Doo-ho clenched his fist and glared at Tae-soo.

“Insolent bastard.”

If he doesn’t want 1 billion won, there’s nothing he can do.

He just has to accept the declaration of war.

“If you had just asked for money honestly, this wouldn’t have happened.”

Tae-soo’s eyes were as cold as could be.

“Since you’re refusing a 1 billion won slush fund, there’s nothing I can do either.”

He has no intention of backing down if they pick a fight by mentioning Cheongil.

“I understand the Security Commander’s intentions. Then I’ll be on my way.”

Tae-soo turned his back.

Then Jeon Doo-ho gave Tae-soo a final warning in a stern voice.

“Can I shatter the Taeyang Group into pieces, or can’t I? Don’t think that I can’t touch civilians because I’m a soldier, right? If you did, that’s a misjudgment, arrogance, and miscalculation.”

He saw it in his past life.

How a chaebol group that Jeon Doo-ho didn’t like was shattered into pieces in an instant.

“There’s nothing I can’t do if I set my mind to it. It will be the same in the future.”

Jeon Doo-ho smiled.

“Try running the Taeyang Group well. I don’t know how long you can last, but it’ll probably be soon.”

It was a clear threat.

Tae-soo wasn’t one to let it go after hearing that he would destroy the Taeyang Group.

It was then.

“Oh, future in-law. I’ve been looking for you for a while.”

Han Cheong-ho found Jeon Doo-ho and stretched out his arms to welcome him.

It seems he came out of the VIP room.

“In-law?”

Tae-soo looked at Han Cheong-ho and Jeon Doo-ho.

They were smiling.

‘Jeon Doo-ho’s children are still young, though?’

The eldest son is only 16 years old.

The eldest daughter is 12 years old, right?

But he’s becoming in-laws with Han Cheong-ho.

“Hyung [older brother/term of respect], what are you doing there?”

It was Jeon Doo-ho’s younger brother.

He’s Jeon Doo-ho’s late youngest brother, who is more than 10 years younger than him.

Isn’t he the person who becomes the presidential security aide as Jeon Doo-ho becomes president?

Next to him was Han Cheong-ho’s daughter.

‘I think I know what’s going on.’

The past life has changed.

In his past life, Han Cheong-ho’s daughter did not marry Jeon Doo-ho’s younger brother.

The politician Han Cheong-ho used his daughter to tie up as in-laws was someone else.

‘Why has the future changed?’

Why did Han Cheong-ho give his daughter to Jeon Doo-ho’s younger brother?

Han Cheong-ho gnashed his teeth at Tae-soo.

“Get lost. I don’t want to mix words with someone like you at a meeting with my in-laws.”

Why did Jeon Doo-ho openly pick a fight with Tae-soo at their first meeting?

Why did he talk about destroying the Taeyang Group without any conflicting interests?

It was such a clean reason that Tae-soo actually liked it.

Jeon Doo-ho smiled at Tae-soo.

“I already promised my in-law that I would refine the Taeyang Group and give it to my younger brother as a wedding gift. I’m serious about keeping that promise. Just watch.”

“Hahaha, oh, future in-law. It’s truly an unparalleled gift. I’ll look forward to it.”

My daughter’s value is about the Taeyang Group.

Han Cheong-ho laughs loudly.

Tae-soo’s eyes grow deeper and deeper.

‘I’m not a national martyr, and I don’t intend to get worked up about the democratization movement.’

He knows the future.

He also knows what kind of tragedy will happen.

But Tae-soo has been hesitating and worrying for a long time.

About how far to intervene and what kind of future to create.

‘Honestly, I don’t have any intention of getting into politics. I was just planning to take my personal revenge, but…….’

Revenge against the Han Il-kwon family, who killed Tae-soo’s family and eventually killed Tae-soo.

Revenge against the Cheongil Group, who raised Tae-soo like a slave, a dog of Cheongil.

‘Now that Jeon Doo-ho has joined hands with Han Cheong-ho and declared war that he will block my path, I have no choice but to respond properly. You started the fight first, Jeon Doo-ho.’

He will remove all obstacles that get in the way of destroying the Han Cheong-ho family.

‘While I’m taking out Han Cheong-ho, I’ll take you out too, Jeon Doo-ho.’

The deliberation was short, and the decision was quick.

Tae-soo asked Jeon Doo-ho’s younger brother.

“When is the wedding?”

“It’s May 18th next year.”

Jeon Doo-ho’s younger brother scratches his head and is embarrassed.

“Women want to be brides in May, so we decided on that date. I hope you will attend my wedding and grace the occasion.”

“The date is amazing.”

May 18th.

It’s as if someone in the sky is sending a revelation to avenge the sorrow of that day.

In his past life, on the same day, in a different year, innocent lives were lost all at once because of Jeon Doo-ho.