Still, I Will Live As The Son-In-Law Of A Conglomerate [EN]: Chapter 218

218. 61st. Big Ripple (4)

“What do you mean it doesn’t make sense?”

“Y-You, honey!”

Hwang Na-yeon was startled by Jang Ho-geon’s voice. Seeing her expression, Jang Ho-geon’s eyes narrowed.

“Give me the phone.”

“N-No!”

Hwang Na-yeon hid her phone behind her back, but Jang Ho-geon glared at her and held out his hand. Under the unspoken pressure from her husband, Hwang Na-yeon handed over her phone with a resigned expression. Jang Ho-geon then called his wife’s brother’s phone number.

[Did you send my brother-in-law back safely?]

“I couldn’t send him back, brother-in-law.”

[B-Brother-in-law?]

Jang Ho-geon’s eyes sharpened as Hwang Hyeon-seong stammered.

“Tell me what you told my wife.”

[N-No, brother-in-law! It’s nothing!]

“Why are you stammering if it’s nothing? Should I check the call history myself?”

Hwang Hyeon-seong’s sigh flowed from the phone at Jang Ho-geon’s chilling threat. With that ruthless brother-in-law’s temperament and power, wouldn’t he be able to dig up the call history and cut off the *Joong-il Daily’s* advertisements?

[A-Alright. You know your eldest son-in-law is volunteering in New York, right?]

“I know. What’s the matter with that?”

[The U.S. President went to that site…]

Jang Ho-geon’s eyes widened at Hwang Hyeon-seong’s confession.

“Is that true?”

[Our New York correspondent told me after covering the scene with other journalists. Jo Young-ran from *Dongyang Daily* was there too, so your eldest daughter’s in-laws probably know as well.]

Jealousy and envy dripped from Hwang Hyeon-seong’s voice, and Jang Ho-geon wore a look of disdain.

“I understand. Rest well.”

After ending the call, Jang Ho-geon handed the phone back to Hwang Na-yeon and went up to his study.

“Received encouragement from the U.S. President…”

It was a minor thing, but no one knew what kind of repercussions that minor thing would cause. It was none other than encouragement from the U.S. President to his eldest son-in-law, who was taking his test.

“I’m curious how our eldest son-in-law will capitalize on this.”

A subtle smile spread across Jang Ho-geon’s face as he sat down at his desk.

***

The next morning.

Lee Dae-soo, who had stepped down as an advisor to give strength to his son and grandson, went to the Haedong Group’s headquarters for the first time since then.

“Everyone saw today’s *Dongyang Daily*, right?”

Sitting at the head of the conference room, Lee Dae-soo held up today’s *Dongyang Daily* newspaper with a satisfied expression. The executives also opened their mouths with proud expressions.

“Yes, Advisor!”

“Chairman Lee, Chairman Go, Chairman Shin, and Vice President Park have greatly promoted our group’s name in the United States.”

Lee Dae-soo paused for a moment, put down the newspaper, and made a major announcement.

“Give bonuses to all employees in the group immediately. Everyone, including the cleaning staff and part-timers.”

It is only natural to give rice cakes or hold a village feast when one’s children pass the bar exam. Moreover, the three owners of Haedong Group received encouragement under the auspices of the U.S. President, so shouldn’t the group celebrate at the group level?

“As I have stepped down as an advisor, it may seem like overstepping my authority, but Chairman Lee in New York has also agreed to this bonus payment. Make sure to pay according to rank, haha.”

Lee Dae-soo, laughing heartily, left the conference room and went to the office he used to share with Bae Jae-hoon, Tae Jae-ho, Jo Young-chan, and Lee Myung-jin. On the desk there, a mother-of-pearl nameplate was placed that read ‘Haedong Group Advisor Lee Dae-soo (海東그룹 顧問 李大秀)’.

“Haha, they still treat this old man well.”

“Seong-min said this room is forever your room and left it as it is, except for the nameplate, haha.”

“He says he still feels more comfortable working in the Standard Capital office, hehe.”

“Seeing that he is not bound by formalities, he can’t hide the blood of his eldest brother, haha.”

Lee Dae-soo smiled gently as he watched Bae Jae-hoon, Tae Jae-ho, and Jo Young-chan laugh heartily.

“How could he not be when his blood is boiling? Have a cup of tea first.”

The five men sitting on the sofa drank green tea set up by two male secretaries and talked.

“What kind of benefits do you think this will bring to our family and group?”

“No matter what anyone says, it will greatly help improve our group’s image in the United States. The way the U.S. political and business circles view us will also change favorably.”

Even if the world of business is cold, the difference between having a good impression and not having one cannot be ignored. There is a saying that ‘a piece of paper makes a difference’ for no reason.

Lee Dae-soo nodded at Lee Myung-jin’s answer.

“I think so too. What the U.S. President said to Seong-min doesn’t seem to be empty words.”

“That’s right, brother. According to the report from the U.S. branch, George W. Bush’s personality is not bad, unlike his political power or words and actions. If we build on this relationship and attract investments from Triumph and Chase Manhattan, the Russian resource development will also go smoothly.”

In addition to Bae Jae-hoon, who pointed out the Russian resource development, Tae Jae-ho expressed his opinion that Aqua Store could benefit from the distribution of online content in the United States, and Jo Young-chan said that Haedong Group could benefit from the remittance of funds entrusted to Standard Capital. Lee Dae-soo nodded slowly at this.

“You’re all right. But the most visibly profitable thing will be Haedong Construction.”

“…Are you talking about Memorial Park, Father?”

Lee Dae-soo smiled at Lee Myung-jin’s cautious question.

“Our family and group, and even Seong-min’s American friends, have donated hundreds of millions of dollars so far. Haedong Construction has been constructing without any defects so far, so what could we lack in terms of justification or skill?”

“I see. We even prevented poor construction with the Seongsu Bridge incident…”

“Moreover, if we form a consortium with Chairman Seo’s Miryong Construction, the chances of winning the bid will be even higher, euhehe.”

Haedong Construction, famous for its solid construction, and Miryong Construction, the *myeongga* [prestigious family] of luxury architecture, are a winning combination if they join forces. Lee Dae-soo laughed heartily and drank his tea.

###

While the Haedong Group’s leaders remaining in Korea were calculating the benefits that could be gained based on Lee Seong-min and Bush’s meeting, the atmosphere in the Shinseong Group’s headquarters conference room was sinking.

“What benefits do you think Haedong Group will gain from this?”

“One is that they have become acquainted with the U.S. President. The other is…”

Jang Yong-jae, who was answering, couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth. Wasn’t it related to Haedong Electronics, which they had dismissed as a *japtang* [hodgepodge] company that mixed mediocre things?

“Aqua Wave made a splendid debut. In the middle of New York!”

Jang Ho-geon, who burst into a loud voice, glared at Jang Yong-jae and the executives of Shinseong Electronics.

“Haedong Electronics’ marketing is okay because the timing was right. But why couldn’t you develop such a product?”

“That’s…”

Haedong Electronics’ Aqua Wave is a product that no electronics company has ever imagined or challenged. Jang Ho-geon’s loud voice erupted once again at the hesitant executives.

“What’s the point of making semiconductors smaller if you don’t think that smaller parts can contain more functions in one product!”

“We haven’t reported it, but we have been conducting research internally, Chairman. However, it is not an easy problem considering the conflict between functional software.”

Jang Yong-jae couldn’t stand it this time and protested, but Jang Ho-geon glared at his eldest son with cold eyes.

“Then, if we push the budget as much as needed, can you do it?”

“That’s…”

Jang Yong-jae couldn’t commit at Jang Ho-geon’s suggestion. If he rashly made promises about software development, which he was unfamiliar with, it would be only a matter of time before he was pushed back in the Shinseong Group’s succession battle.

“You are a manager. Isn’t it a manager’s job to find the people you need?”

Jang Yong-jae clenched his fist under the desk at Jang Ho-geon’s questioning, mixed with scolding, as if he had to teach him everything from A to Z.

“…I understand, Chairman.”

After finishing the meeting, Jang Ho-geon returned to Seonguiwon and sighed.

“Lee Seo-bang [term for son-in-law] is coming out too strong. At this rate…”

Jang Ho-geon, who couldn’t finish his words, shook his head. Jang Ho-geon was only frustrated by the results of decades of educating his children.

***

Some time later.

Was it a butterfly effect caused by me? The rescue operation ended sooner than expected, and we returned to our daily lives.

“There’s a fuss because of Aqua Wave, hehe.”

I couldn’t stop laughing as I read the newspaper in the Standard Capital office. The newspaper I was reading was filled with articles including the headline ‘Aqua Wave Release D-30!’

“You reap as much as you sow. I didn’t want to be told that I was setting up a stall in front of a funeral home, so I painted all the wireless internet relay vehicles in black, right? Parked in inconspicuous places.”

As Sun Hae-cheol said, I spared no effort to avoid being caught for testing Aqua Wave at this accident site. Park Tae-jin also nodded slightly and opened his mouth.

“It seems that Chairman’s efforts were not in vain. The U.S. government and media are not publishing articles questioning the sincerity of our group’s volunteer work.”

“That’s right. There were many testimonies that the Aqua Wave sped up the rescue operation.”

Thanks to this, the perception of Aqua Wave, Haedong Electronics, and even the pan-Haedong Group among Americans was flowing in a favorable atmosphere. Of course…

‘Henry and Isaac also helped. I also lent a hand.’

Henry and Isaac, as major shareholders of Haedong Electronics, cracked down on major U.S. media outlets to prevent malicious articles about Haedong Electronics from being published. I, who had contributed a share, felt relieved and bitter.

‘It’s true that I did business with dead people. Hmph…’

I, who admitted that I was a *gae-sae-kki* [son of a bitch], swallowed the bitterness with a sip of tea when I received a phone call.

“Yes. This is John Seongmin Lee.”

[This is Bush, Mr. Lee. Is it possible to talk?]

“Yes?”

I was not only able to meet him on site, but also received a call from Bush… Bush’s voice was surprising.

[Is it difficult, Mr. Lee?]

“Ah, no, Mr. President! What’s the matter?”

[We are planning to build a Memorial Park on the site of the World Trade Center, and I would like to entrust the construction to Haedong Construction, which is managed by Mr. Lee’s uncle.]

“Memorial Park?”

[I had something to talk about with Triumph Capital Chairman Henry Royce…]

The story that Triumph Capital and Chase Manhattan, Standard Capital, and Haedong Group would bear all the costs, and that he had heard about Haedong Construction and Miryong Construction, which is in a partnership with Haedong Construction, and made a decision came into my ears through Bush’s voice.

“I see.”

[I wanted to introduce Aqua Wave as a work device for federal government officials, but I heard that it is difficult due to security issues.]

Regret was evident in Bush’s voice, and I unconsciously smacked my lips. It was an opportunity to enjoy the halo effect of ‘U.S. government-certified device’…

‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’

I decided to bet as if I were crazy.

“I have a request, Mr. President.”

[Tell me, Mr. Lee. I’ll grant it if it’s not an unreasonable request.]

“First, I will build Aqua Store and Haedong Electronics’ North American-only data centers in the United States. I will also build e-commerce logistics warehouses.”

[Aqua Store is an e-commerce company, isn’t it?]

“Yes. Not only that, but I will try not to violate antitrust laws, so please treat us the same as American companies.”

Later, when Trump becomes president, it will become blatant, but even now, the United States has a sense of prioritizing its own country. I could bet as much as I wanted because I had to penetrate that national priority to grow our business.

[Hmm… Instead, I would like you to allow U.S. capital to participate in Aqua Store America’s equity.]

“Of course. I will allocate 15 percent each to Chase Manhattan and Triumph.”

If I can’t avoid capital participation, it’s much better to bring in my friends. Bush’s hearty laughter was heard at my cool answer.

[Hahaha! I’m glad Mr. Lee is answering so coolly. What are the other conditions?]

“The amount of funds for Haedong Group currently managed by Standard Capital is quite large. I hope that the United States will not restrict the movement of those funds.”

The United States is a country that cannot stand foreign funds invested in its financial market from flowing out. Bush seemed to be talking to someone next to him about the request to lift the tacit remittance restrictions.

[That’s a little difficult, Mr. Lee. The amount of funds that Haedong Group has entrusted to Standard Capital is so large that it will have a big impact if it all goes out at once.]

It was a request that I had poked at even though I couldn’t get it, so I nodded with a calm expression, but Bush’s voice continued.

[Instead, I will release the remittance limit up to $5 billion each year and increase the upper limit in proportion to the economic growth of our United States. How about it?]

$5 billion is by no means a small amount of money. Isn’t that more than 5 percent of the Republic of Korea’s budget last year?

“Thank you, Mr. President.”

I got everything I could get.

***

Some time later.

I received a call from Masayoshi Son of SoftBank. Unlike a person who grew up in Japan, Masayoshi Son cleanly put out the main point from the beginning.

[From now on, our SoftBank will use Aqua Wave as a work device, Johnny.]

[You’re going to use it as a work device?]

[Aqua Wave will become the *katana* (刀, sword) that a salaryman must have in the future. I ask for your help.]

‘I never thought that Aqua Wave would take the place of the iPad…’

Before, Masayoshi Son said that salarymen in the 21st century must have iPhones and iPads like two samurai swords and be able to use them skillfully.

I smiled helplessly, but Masayoshi Son ordered a large quantity of Aqua Waves through a phone call with me and distributed one for each of SoftBank’s employees as a work device.

Not only that, but Masayoshi Son also put in another request.

[From now on, SoftBank will be responsible for the distribution of Aqua Wave in Japan. So, let’s jointly invest in Aqua Store Japan together.]

As expected of Masayoshi Son, who is familiar with the Internet industry, he saw that Aqua Store would serve not only as a simple open market but also as an online content distribution platform.

I called, and Masayoshi Son preached the Aqua Wave eulogy to Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Tencent’s Ma Huateng, who invested 15 percent of their shares at my recommendation, leading to large orders from the two companies.

‘This is like a multi-level marketing scheme…’

It was a bit absurd, but as Aqua Wave’s orders flooded in, the sales of GK Display and GSMC, which supply core parts, increased explosively…

[When will GK Display and GSMC, Haedong Electronics, be listed?]

[Prepared IPO big fish trio! GK Display, GSMC, Haedong Electronics!]

The capital market’s interest in GK Display, GSMC, and Haedong Electronics was sky-high enough for economic magazines to publish articles.

Nevertheless, the shareholders of the three companies were not interested in listing because they were overflowing with funds. In the end, the funds in the stock market flocked to GK Electronics, a listed company that held 40 percent of the shares of GSMC and GK Display.

Having spent the end of the year thrillingly like this, I will now welcome 2002. The year 2002, when the wave of red devils [Korean soccer fans] will surge.

In that year, I will feed another bomb to the in-law bastards. When that bomb explodes in the in-law bastards’ stomachs, the in-law bastards will not be able to withstand the credit card crisis that will erupt in two years and will fall.