The Conglomerate Family Became A Villain [EN]: Chapter 68

Becoming a Villainous Conglomerate – Meeting a Legend 02 –

***

Chairman Jung Woo-sun had been having breakfast with Jung Hyun-woo every morning since his return. Because of this, Chief Hong Won-ik found it challenging to manage Chairman Jung Woo-sun’s schedule.

‘The Chairman used to come to work before 7 AM, but now he arrives after 8 AM, pushing all the schedules back by an hour.’

The reason Chairman Jung Woo-sun could come to work before 7 AM was that he didn’t eat breakfast.

Among the business leaders born during the Japanese colonial period, not many skipped breakfast like Chairman Jung Woo-sun. Most corporate chairmen ate breakfast with their families.

A prime example was Chairman Park Joon-young of Daehyun Group, famously known for living with his six sons and eating breakfast together.

Chairman Jung Woo-sun did the same until he was around thirty. However, after opening Daewoon Trading, which required shipping goods early in the morning, he could no longer eat breakfast with them.

In other words, he skipped breakfast more out of necessity than choice. And that habit had continued until he was over seventy.

“Where is the Chairman?”

“He hasn’t come out yet.”

“Is that so?”

Today was no different.

‘But I can’t afford to come in late too.’

Chief Hong Won-ik came to the office even earlier than Chairman Jung Woo-sun. His arrival time was 6:40 AM.

Two other employees who assisted Chairman Jung Woo-sun also came to work at that time.

Knock. Knock.

Someone knocked on the door of the chief secretary’s office.

‘It’s not the Chairman, so who could it be?’

If it were Chairman Jung Woo-sun, he would have opened the door wide instead of knocking.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me.”

The low voice was familiar.

“Vice President Jung?”

Jung Min-seok, the vice president of Daewoon Trading, opened the door and came inside. He was steadily advancing towards the position of chairman of Daewoon Group.

“Chief, do you have time?”

Chief Hong Won-ik nodded and offered him a seat.

“I can make time until the Chairman arrives. Have a seat.”

Jung Min-seok held a higher position. However, Chief Hong Won-ik was ahead in terms of age, authority, and his relationship with Chairman Jung Woo-sun. Therefore, Jung Min-seok could not treat him disrespectfully. As he sat down, the two employees who had been standing beside him quietly left the room.

Jung Min-seok made sure they were gone before he began to speak.

“You look tired, Chief.”

Hong Won-ik waved his hand dismissively.

“Tired? Isn’t it still early in the year?”

January was always a busy month for the secretary’s office.

“You’re not busy with something else, are you?”

“Something else?”

“I heard you met Hyun-woo last weekend.”

Hong Won-ik immediately frowned.

“How did you know that?”

‘Does he have a spy in the secretary’s office?’

“An acquaintance said they saw you and Hyun-woo at the hotel.”

“An acquaintance?”

“Should I reveal who it was?”

Hong Won-ik shook his head.

“No, there’s no need for that.”

He focused on the fact that Jung Min-seok had come to him because of Jung Hyun-woo.

‘Min-seok is concerned about Hyun-woo? Has Hyun-woo’s position risen that much?’

Of course, Jung Min-seok had interfered in Jung Hyun-woo’s affairs before.

‘But the feeling is a bit different now.’

Jung Hyun-woo was the only son of the deceased Jung Min-hyuk. This meant that any inheritance or shares that would have gone to Jung Min-hyuk could be passed on to Jung Hyun-woo.

“Chief, if you don’t mind, may I ask why you met Hyun-woo?”

Hong Won-ik raised his right hand as if it were nothing significant.

“It was a child’s request.”

“A request?”

“Yes.”

Jung Min-seok narrowed his eyes.

‘Hong is subtly dodging the question.’

He thought that Hong Won-ik was trying to slip away like a snake, using diplomatic rhetoric.

‘Such tactics won’t work on me.’

Jung Min-seok asked again.

“What kind of request?”

He believed that the next conversation would depend on the answer to this question.

Hong Won-ik did not answer immediately but instead asked back.

“Vice President Jung, do you really want to know?”

The tension between them was about to escalate.

Jung Min-seok backed off slightly.

“If it’s a private matter, you don’t have to answer. However, I heard a strange rumor.”

Hong Won-ik raised his eyebrows at the word “rumor.”

“A strange rumor?”

“I heard that your father is giving Hyun-woo shares in the group.”

Shares of Daewoon Group.

Within Daewoon Group, the shares of Daewoon Group referred to the shares of Daewoon Co., Ltd., the predecessor of Daewoon Trading.

Hong Won-ik chuckled inwardly.

‘So, this is the real reason he came to see me.’

Jung Min-seok was aiming for the position of chairman of Daewoon Group. For him, the shares of Daewoon were more important than anything else.

However, what Chairman Jung Woo-sun had given to Jung Hyun-woo was not shares of Daewoon but shares of Daewoon Electronics.

Hong Won-ik smiled softly and said,

“Hahaha, that’s a baseless story.”

Despite his answer, Jung Min-seok frowned.

“Chief, it’s too detailed to be just a rumor.”

Hong Won-ik pulled out his trump card as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Vice President Jung, what the Chairman gave Hyun-woo was Daewoon Electronics stock.”

Upon hearing that what Jung Hyun-woo had received was not shares of Daewoon Co., Ltd., but shares of Daewoon Electronics, Jung Min-seok unfurrowed his brow.

“Daewoon Electronics stock, then…”

Hong Won-ik interrupted him in a gentle voice.

“I heard that Hyun-woo’s major is electrical engineering, so that’s what he did.”

Jung Min-seok leaned back in his chair.

“So, you’re saying that Daewoon Electronics will be passed down to Hyun-woo in the future.”

“Something like that.”

Daewoon Electronics was an affiliate that was struggling within Daewoon Group.

‘Daewoon Electronics is an affiliate that wouldn’t be strange to be liquidated right away. Receiving shares in such a company won’t be of any help.’

Jung Min-seok forced a smile and said,

“Then the story from Sunday must also be related to Daewoon Electronics. It seems the rumor has been greatly distorted.”

“Vice President Jung, if you want the throne, you should pay more attention to Min-young than Hyun-woo.”

Hong Won-ik was not usually one to give advice in this area.

Was that why?

Jung Min-seok felt that there was something significant in his advice.

“Chief, are you saying that there’s some movement on Min-young’s side?”

Hong Won-ik replied in a cold voice.

“Her in-law’s status has changed.”

Director Jung Min-young’s in-laws were a well-known family in the legal profession.

“Could it be…”

“Yes, that’s it.”

“Minister?”

Jung Min-seok realized that his younger sister, Director Jung Min-young’s father-in-law, had become the Minister of Justice.

‘If he’s the son-in-law of the Minister of Justice, he’ll have considerable power.’

Daewoon Group was different from Samjung or Daehyun Group. Rather than becoming the behind-the-scenes manipulator of the political world, Daewoon Group was more about building connections and asking for favors.

In short, if the powerful were the superiors, Daewoon Group was the subordinate. In this situation, having a relative as the Minister of Justice was not something to be overlooked.

Hong Won-ik replied in a slow but powerful voice.

“Higher than that.”

At his answer, Jung Min-seok’s poker face faltered severely.

“Higher than that?”

Hong Won-ik replied in a soft but pointed voice.

“I heard he’s a candidate for Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. You could say it’s the aftermath of the Rangoon bombing terror [a 1983 assassination attempt against South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan in Burma, now Myanmar].”

The Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs was the closest aide to the President and the center of power. Many powerful figures had held this position in the past.

‘The Blue House [the South Korean presidential residence] is becoming Min-young’s background?’

Jung Min-seok couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence at the thought that his younger sister’s father-in-law might be chosen as the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.

“That…”

If Jung Min-young, the youngest son of Chairman Jung Woo-sun, had his father-in-law become the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, it would be a welcome event for Daewoon Group.

But for Jung Min-seok, it was something that should never happen.

“Chief, isn’t there any way to stop it?”

Hong Won-ik sighed briefly.

“Hoo, how can salarymen like us interfere with national affairs?”

“But if this continues…”

“Vice President Jung, the only way is to achieve results so high that your younger sibling can’t catch up.”

The solution presented by Hong Won-ik was realistic. But Jung Min-seok thought that it wouldn’t be enough.

‘There must be a way! A way!’

He clenched his fist and stood up from his seat.

***

“How is Korea?”

“It’s cold.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

The person on the phone with Jung Hyun-woo was Sarah.

“Winter in Korea is similar to Chicago.”

Saying it was similar to Chicago was a bit of an exaggeration, but winter in Seoul was definitely colder than in New York.

“Is Korea that cold?”

“It’s okay here because it’s the south.”

“Are you saying the north is colder?”

“That’s what they say.”

Jung Hyun-woo subtly changed the subject.

“Sarah, more importantly, how’s the company?”

At his question, Sarah’s voice became heavy.

“I wish I could say everything is fine, but it’s not.”

She was trying her best to reassure Jung Hyun-woo. However, things she couldn’t handle were happening one after another.

“Something’s going on at the company.”

“John handled the technical aspects, but it seems Charlie needs to come back to handle the various proposals.”

The major decisions of company management could only be made by him, the owner and CEO.

“Various proposals… It’s not from MIT, is it?”

“They’re on vacation.”

MIT was on vacation until mid-January.

“Are there multiple places that have made proposals?”

“There are three in total, but the details are too complicated to explain over the phone. And Charlie is on vacation.”

For Jung Hyun-woo, life in Korea didn’t exactly feel like a vacation.

‘It feels like this is even more draining.’

Every time he had breakfast with Chairman Jung Woo-sun, he was mindful of every word and action. As a result, by the time he finished eating and returned to his room, he was as limp as a wet rag.

‘Is it because he’s not my real grandfather? It’s still difficult.’

Perhaps it was because there hadn’t been enough time to build a bond?

To him, Chairman Jung Woo-sun was not a grandfather but just a high-ranking elder.

To borrow from his military experience, it was like having a meal with the division commander.

“I understand. Then please organize those three proposals and bring them to Las Vegas.”

Jung Hyun-woo was planning to stop by Las Vegas instead of returning directly to Boston from Korea.

‘Because there’s CES [Consumer Electronics Show] in January.’

Victoria Corporation was an IT company, so it was not unrelated to CES. Moreover, this CES was a bit special.

“Okay. Then I’ll organize the details and take them to Las Vegas.”

“You know the hotel, right?”

“Isn’t it the same place as last time?”

“That’s right.”

After ending the call with Sarah, Jung Hyun-woo sighed deeply.

“Hoo… Various proposals, huh? If Sarah can’t handle them, they must be significant.”

It was like one mountain after another.

Just when he thought he had climbed over the mountain called IBM, another mountain had appeared.

‘For now, let’s not think about Victoria Corporation while in Seoul.’

Being a member of a conglomerate family was stressful. Especially for someone like him, who wasn’t born into it from the start.

He thought that if he dwelled too much on Victoria Corporation’s affairs, he might collapse from the stress.

‘That won’t do.’

Knock. Knock.

Someone knocked on his door.

“What is it?”

“Young Master, you have a guest.”

The person who knocked on Jung Hyun-woo’s door was one of the Jung family’s servants.

“A guest?”

“It’s Director Jung Min-young.”

Jung Hyun-woo knew who Director Jung Min-young was.

‘My father’s youngest brother.’

Currently, he was working as a director at Daewoon Construction.

“Where is he?”

“He’s waiting in the reception room on the first floor.”

“I’ll be down soon.”

Jung Hyun-woo roughly tidied up his clothes and went down to the first floor.

Creak.

As he opened the door to the reception room and stepped inside, Director Jung Min-young came into view.

“Hello.”

Director Jung Min-young greeted him with a bright smile.

“Oh! Hyun-woo, it’s been a while!”

He was an elite with a gentle expression.

‘The impression isn’t bad.’

When working in a company, there were no major problems with superiors like him.

‘Of course, it wasn’t that there were no problems at all.’

This type often lacked the decisiveness or responsibility to resolve major issues.

‘In other words, he’s not the type to suppress problems with brute force.’

He sat down across from Director Jung Min-young.

“I don’t know how many years it’s been.”

He really didn’t know.

“The last time I saw you was before you went to America, so it must have been five years.”

Five years ago.

In short, he wasn’t someone who had much interest in Jung Hyun-woo.

‘He’s the type who doesn’t do dangerous things and only picks the profitable ones.’

This type was particularly sensitive to profit.

‘Still, he’s the first to come looking for me, so I have no choice but to give him a high score.’

Chairman Jung Woo-sun had two more sons and two more daughters besides Jung Hyun-woo’s deceased father, Jung Min-hyuk. However, none of them had come to see Jung Hyun-woo in America.

‘Even Chief Hong didn’t come to see me.’

The only Daewoon Group person he met in America was Choi Kyung-min. In short, he was an abandoned child in Daewoon Group.

“Has it been that long?”

“Come to think of it, time really flies.”

Jung Hyun-woo nodded in agreement.

“Are my nephews doing well?”

Director Jung Min-young was the father of two children.

“They’ve both entered elementary school now.”

The 2020s and the 1980s were quite different.

‘He looks like he’s in his early thirties, but he’s already the father of two elementary school children?’

In the 2020s, being in your early thirties meant there was a high chance you weren’t married.

“I should have bought my nephews some gifts, but I was careless.”

This was a roundabout way of criticizing him for not taking care of his nephews. However, Director Jung Min-young scratched his head as if he didn’t know anything and replied.

“It’s okay. They’re children who lack nothing.”

“But there might be something they want.”

“I said it’s okay.”

“Still…”

As Jung Hyun-woo continued to emphasize the gifts for his nephews, Director Jung Min-young raised his voice and changed the subject.

“Hyun-woo! Congratulations on entering MIT!”

Jung Hyun-woo sighed deeply inside.

‘Hoo, there’s no point in cornering this person here.’

He decided to play along with Director Jung Min-young.

“I was lucky.”

“I heard you took a leave of absence?”

“Professor Noh-eul had a spot open in his lab.”

“Ah, so you’re a university researcher now.”

Jung Hyun-woo slightly raised his voice as he saw his awkward smile.

“By the way, Uncle, what’s the reason you came to see me after five years?”

Instantly, Director Jung Min-young’s face turned pale.

‘Was my question too sharp?’

Just as he was about to regret it, Director Jung Min-young let out a long sigh.

“Hoo… Hyun-woo. You can scold me for being opportunistic.”

Opportunistic.

Whose feelings was he being mindful of?

‘Grandfather?’

If not, it could be his wife.

‘Because no one would like taking in a troublemaking nephew.’

Of course, there was no reason for Jung Hyun-woo to consider his circumstances. He was just a child abandoned by the Jung family.

“What do you mean? I just want to know the reason you came.”

At his cold voice, Jung Min-young’s mouth went dry.

‘Ah, this… There’s a bone in his words.’

From the end of the first greeting, there had been bones in Jung Hyun-woo’s words. It was just that he hadn’t noticed it.

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