Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 127

127. 37th. That Summer, a Time of Passionate Movement (4)

After unpacking at our accommodation with Park Tae-jin, I reported for duty at Haedong Securities’ Hong Kong branch the morning after recovering from the journey.

“Has everyone been well?”

“D, Director?”

Min Joo-hyung and Joo Seung-bin, who were sitting in front of their computers eating breakfast, jumped to their feet. They quickly instructed the other employees to sit down before approaching us.

“What brings you here?”

“Just trying to avoid a rain shower back home. Can we talk inside?”

“Of course. Please, come in.”

We entered the glass-walled office, and while sipping the Pu’er tea [a type of fermented tea] that Joo Seung-bin had poured, I recounted the events that had transpired in Korea.

“So, that’s why you’ve come to Hong Kong.”

“The US headquarters now believes is the opportune moment to invest in Korea. So, we’re absorbing a loss and converting dollars into won.”

Min Joo-hyung nodded, glancing at me after I finished explaining.

“With Standard Capital injecting $100 million and the Director here, we feel very secure, haha.”

“Don’t mention it. How are the investments progressing?”

I smiled and waved my hand dismissively. Joo Seung-bin answered my question.

“We’re focusing on a cash sell-futures buy position, observing the Hang Seng Index [a stock market index in Hong Kong] rise thanks to red chips [shares of companies incorporated in mainland China but listed in Hong Kong]. Naturally, the rate of return is positive.”

After his verbal report, Joo Seung-bin left the room and returned with the current rate of return status report.

“Even considering the initial investment, it’s $300 million in US dollars… That’s amazing, haha.”

Min Joo-hyung’s expression brightened as he looked at me, who was smiling pleasantly.

“It’s nothing, Director. If the index continues to climb like this, we’ll generate even more profit. Isn’t that right, Manager Joo?”

“Of course, Director. Even after accounting for the losses incurred until March, didn’t we earn close to $100 million? Haha.”

Min Joo-hyung and Joo Seung-bin, with their contrasting personalities like fire and ice, complemented each other well.

I need to closely observe whether they are suitable candidates to lead the financial sector of the Haedong Group in the future, while also generating funds for the acquisition of Ado Motors.

***

While Lee Sung-min was preparing to manipulate the Hang Seng Index after relocating to Hong Kong, a bombshell announcement rocked the business world in Korea.

[As of this moment, Standard Capital announces its participation in the Ado Motors acquisition bid. This decision was made by the US headquarters’ board of directors and investment committee, who have high expectations for the diligence and integrity of the Korean people…]

Myeong Jin-ho’s eyes blazed as he watched the TV.

“That, that, greenhorn… !”

Myeong Jin-ho, unable to contain his rage, hurled the remote control at the TV. As the remote shattered against the screen, the youngest executive quickly turned off the TV and sat down nervously.

“That foreign broker is trying to compete with me!”

Myeong Jin-ho, who had been shouting at the top of his lungs, calmed down slightly and asked.

“How much capital do those guys have?”

“We’ve checked with the banks, and they’ve exchanged $2 billion for won. In addition, they have well over $10 billion in funds operating in the United States.”

“This is ridiculous…”

Myeong Jin-ho gritted his teeth.

If they exchanged $2 billion for won, that’s close to 1.7 trillion won [Korean currency]. They have almost 200 billion more than us, and that’s only a portion of their resources… Myeong Jin-ho pressed his fingers against his throbbing temples.

“How are our funds looking?”

“Currently, even if we squeeze every last drop, 1.8 trillion won is the absolute limit, Chairman.”

Myeong Jin-ho’s brow furrowed at the financial officer’s report. Even if we pull out all the stops of the Taehyun Group, 1.8 trillion won is all we can muster?

Myeong Jin-ho, unable to contain his anger, widened his eyes.

“Phone!”

“Yes?”

“Give me the phone!”

“Yes!”

Myeong Seon-gu, who was closest, quickly got up and handed over his cell phone. Myeong Jin-ho snatched his son’s phone and frantically dialed a number, then waved his hand to dismiss the executives from the conference room.

“Chairman Lee, what is the meaning of this? Are you trying to fight me!”

[Are you drinking during the day? Since when do you yell as soon as you pick up the phone?]

Myeong Jin-ho, who was shouting into the receiver in the empty conference room, barely registered Lee Dae-soo’s sharp tone.

“Wasn’t it you who tried to set me up with Jang Ho-gun, and tried to lay the groundwork for that bastard Seon Hae-cheol!”

[Are you even making sense right now? Didn’t you agree to it, Hyung-nim [an honorific term for older brother or senior colleague]?]

“Seon Hae-cheol! Didn’t you say he was like a son to you during the yen appreciation speculation! How dare such a guy interfere with my meal… !”

Myeong Jin-ho shouted into the receiver, but he was silenced by Lee Dae-soo’s even louder roar.

[What does the fact that he’s like a son to me have to do with the company he works for participating in the Ado Motors acquisition bid?]

“If Standard or whatever takes Ado Motors, wasn’t it supposed to be you who would take a bite!”

[If I was going to take a bite, why would I do something so complicated? I would have stepped up myself! And! Have you already forgotten how my eldest son and his wife passed away?]

Lee Dae-soo lost his eldest son because of a car accident. It was clearly his own mistake, so Myeong Jin-ho frowned and only made a groaning sound.

“Kkeueueung…”

[Our family, you know we’re hoarding dollars because of our business in Australia and Panama, and you’re still saying that? Why didn’t we take Hango Steel when Hango Group was up for acquisition?]

Only then did Myeong Jin-ho realize. Wasn’t Lee Dae-soo and the Haedong Group the ones who could have cleanly taken over all of Hango Group’s affiliates, leaving Jang Ho-min in the dust, if they had wanted to?

“L, Lee Chairman…?”

[If you want it that badly, I’ll go around telling everyone that I’m going to eat Ado Motors right now. If I just raise the acquisition price and pull out, only the bankers will be happy!]

“C, calm down, Chairman Lee! I was out of my mind and made a mistake. I’m sorry!”

Myeong Jin-ho gritted his teeth and lowered his stance. If he could save even a penny on the acquisition bid cost, he could endure this humiliation as much as possible.

[While we’re on the subject, let me ask you one thing. If Hae-cheol was trying to put a dent in your rice bowl, how would you explain the previous yen appreciation speculation? Speak up if you have a mouth!]

At Lee Dae-soo’s rebuke, Myeong Jin-ho smacked his lips with a face full of bitterness. Wasn’t it thanks to Seon Hae-cheol and Lee Dae-soo’s inclusion in the yen appreciation speculation that he was able to save Taehyun Construction, the starting point of the group and where he had devoted everything, and even promote the construction of the Hadong Steel Mill?

“I’m sorry, Chairman Lee.”

[Think before you speak next time. Tch!]

The call ended abruptly, and Myeong Jin-ho sighed. An ominous premonition washed over him that the Ado Motors hunt, which he thought would be easy, would not go smoothly.

***

Lee Dae-soo sighed after ending the call with Myeong Jin-ho.

“One family is finished.”

It was something he had prepared for. It was about saving an old friend, and wasn’t it something he had planned with his grandson for the prosperity of his family and group?

“That damn old man…”

Lee Dae-soo gritted his teeth.

He wanted to lash out at Myeong Jin-ho about the drinking party he had with Jang Byeong-ho during the 8.3 private loan freeze [a financial crisis in South Korea in 1972], but he couldn’t because he had given Myeong Jin-ho advice on the Ado Motors acquisition bid. If the Haedong Group was going to join hands with Standard to acquire Ado Motors, he had to be careful to avoid suspicion, right?

As Lee Dae-soo was taking a sip of water to calm himself, he heard the phone ring.

“Is it the other one… Hmm! Hmm!”

Lee Dae-soo muttered quietly, cleared his throat, and answered the phone.

“This is Lee Dae-soo. Who…”

[You’re too much, Uncle! Do you hate me that much?]

Before he could even finish speaking, Jang Ho-gun’s loud voice rang out.

“Is that Chairman Jang?”

[Yes, it’s Ho-gun! Jang Ho-gun, your eldest son’s friend!]

“What’s the reason for raising your voice in the middle of the day, Chairman Jang?”

[I saw the news about Standard Capital. You moved Seon Hae-cheol because you didn’t want me to take Ado Motors, did you!]

“What? Watch your mouth, you rascal! What power do I have to tell a company that manages so much money what to do!”

Unlike the thunderous roar, Lee Dae-soo was enjoying the situation. Wasn’t it about returning the favor to Myeong Jin-ho, who had always looked down on the Haedong Group and fed them water, and even Jang Ho-gun, as planned with his grandson? It was only the beginning, though.

“If I didn’t want you to eat Ado Motors, how would you explain the joint venture for the Yeongdeungpo redevelopment project and the extension of Shinseong Electronics’ loan! If you have a brain and a mouth, tell me, you rascal!”

“U, Uncle?”

Unlike Jang Ho-gun’s flustered voice, Lee Dae-soo raised the corners of his mouth. How flustered would he be to hear such vulgar language from him, who always spoke politely outside the group?

With the justification he had built up so far, Lee Dae-soo continued to shout.

“Even if I don’t like you, I wouldn’t do something like you. You tried to steal our business in Australia…! Stop being so brazen, you rascal!”

[The Australian business… Did Sung-min tell you?]

Lee Dae-soo snorted at Jang Ho-gun’s cautious question.

“So what if he did? Would I have stood by and watched if CEO Seon had tried to lend you money? And.”

Lee Dae-soo threw a dagger at Jang Ho-gun’s most painful spot.

“If I didn’t like you that much, I wouldn’t have even thought about bringing your daughter into our family!”

“…Yes?”

“That child who is too good to be your offspring. She’s so virtuous that I was going to connect her with my son, so I gave you so much, but what are you doing in the middle of the day!”

Even if you only look at the size of the group he controlled, Lee Dae-soo was above Jang Ho-gun in terms of family relations. Unlike Lee Sung-min, the legitimate eldest grandson of the Lee family, Jang Ha-yeon was Jang Ho-gun’s illegitimate child, wasn’t she?

As Lee Dae-soo shouted again, Jang Ho-gun’s low voice flowed from the receiver.

“…I’m sorry, Uncle.”

“While we’re on the subject, let’s talk about one more thing. How would you explain Seon Hae-cheol making money through yen appreciation speculation!”

It was a trick he had used on Myeong Jin-ho, but Lee Dae-soo couldn’t be happier to use it again. Lee Dae-soo’s face now seemed to be enjoying the refreshing feeling of being Rambo, firing a barrage of bullets that he had been accumulating.

“Get a grip, Jang Ho-gun. Think before you live!”

With that last shout, Lee Dae-soo slammed down the receiver. As Lee Dae-soo took a light breath, the blood gradually drained from his face.

“Look forward to it, Brother Byeong-ho. I’m going to collect the debt from 20 years ago, with interest, from your descendants.”

Lee Dae-soo’s face, which had returned to normal, wore a more sinister and cold smile than ever before.

###

As the call ended, Jang Ho-gun also put down the receiver and sighed.

“I did something unnecessary.”

He had probed just in case, but it was as he expected. Seeing Standard Capital’s M&A, he thought that Lee Dae-soo had been interfering with his business all along…

He couldn’t erase his doubts, but everything Lee Dae-soo said was correct.

No matter how much Lee Dae-soo wanted to, it was impossible to move an investment company with over $10 billion in assets under management.

In addition, the Yeongdeungpo redevelopment and the extension of Shinseong Electronics’ loan were things that were greatly disadvantageous to Lee Dae-soo but advantageous to him, weren’t they?

“It’s not like you have to eat shit to know it’s shit…”

He was full of regret.

Because of his greed, he was worried that his always grateful and apologetic daughter would suffer hardships in her in-laws’ house in Samcheong-dong [a wealthy neighborhood in Seoul]. Wasn’t Haedong Group a family that he couldn’t even raise his voice to, no matter how much money he gave them?

“Seon Hae-cheol… I need to meet him in person.”

Muttering to himself, Jang Ho-gun got up from his chair and left his office. He felt like he needed to meet Seon Hae-cheol in person to confirm his intentions.

***

“Really?”

[Yeah, you rascal. The Chairman gave Taehyun Group one shot, and Shinseong Group one shot, sharing the love, hehe.]

I was doing futures trading at the Hong Kong branch when I received a call from Seon Hae-cheol, and I felt like the corners of my mouth were about to reach my ears. To raise his voice to the high and mighty Myeong family of Taehyun Group and the Jang family of Shinseong Group!

It was a shame that it wasn’t me who did it, but what did it matter? It felt so refreshing to have given those who knew our family as their money bags a taste of their own medicine.

I chuckled and threw a question at Seon Hae-cheol that suddenly came to mind.

“When is the acquisition bid announcement date?”

[October 31st. It seems like the 150 billion won I fed them was worth it.]

“You’re definitely getting your money’s worth. There’s no match for money…”

[The Blue House aides’ [referring to the South Korean presidential office] term ends this year, and whether it’s the ruling party or the opposition party, they have to hold elections at the end of the year. The prosecutors, courts, media, and banks are all beggars who use power, hehe.]

Among the elites who are recognized in this country, there are only a handful who faithfully fulfill their duties. If you take those people out, they are all maggots among maggots who are busy filling their own bellies with their own power.

I didn’t like the fact that they were using those maggots to postpone the Ado Motors acquisition bid date as much as possible, but what could I do? If we didn’t use them, the guys who were trying to kill us would use them.

Seon Hae-cheol’s voice reached me as I gave a bitter smile.

[Anyway, we’re doing our best here, so you do your best in Hong Kong too. Be prepared to recover the losses you made while converting $2 billion into won this time. Got it?]

“I’ll work hard to earn it, hehe.”

After ending the call, I went back to my room and sat down.

“What’s wrong, Director? It sounded like a call from your brother.”

At Park Tae-jin’s question, who was next to me, I said with a pleasant smile.

“My grandfather told Chairman Myeong Jin-ho, Uncle Ho-gun…”

When I told him the story of how he had shouted at them and sewn up their mouths, Park Tae-jin also smiled.

“It seems like the Chairman has relieved some of the things that have been building up inside him.”

“That’s what I’m saying. The acquisition bid result announcement is on October 31st. Let’s work hard until then too.”

The best general weaves a board where they can never lose and lures the enemy in.

Now that a board has been created where we can never lose, all that’s left is to gather the bullets to pour into that board in Hong Kong.