The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 36

#036

Jeong-hoon counted the vans parked at the cafe entrance.

There were about ten.

Assuming ten people per van, that’s at least a hundred.

His head throbbed as the scenario he’d feared began to unfold.

The potential consequences played out vividly in his mind.

The image of a hundred burly men wielding wooden bats and iron pipes flashed unbidden into his thoughts.

Faced with this blatant provocation, Jeong-hoon had no choice but to implement the contingency plan he’d prepared.

He couldn’t afford to ignore such a brazen challenge.

The plan was based on the worst-case scenario.

But he desperately hoped it wouldn’t be necessary.

However, vain hopes rarely materialize.

Jeong-hoon picked up his phone.

“It’s me.”

Gwak Hyun-soo answered Jeong-hoon’s call.

Just as Jeong-hoon had predicted, he saw about ten cars in front of him.

He was amazed at the accuracy of the prediction.

‘Does he have some kind of psychic power? He should open a fortune-telling shop in Mia-ri [a district in Seoul known for fortune tellers].’

He’d thought raiding the polling station was reckless, but the situation was unfolding exactly as Jeong-hoon had foreseen.

***

“Let’s see… how many cars are there? Nine, ten…”

“We prepared ten cars, Director Chun.”

“Okay, seeing you put in some effort, it seems you’ve finally come to your senses. Haa, all that time spent wining and dining our reconstruction representatives, buying them gifts, and giving high-end tableware sets to the wives of the union members… is this betrayal?”

Secretary Oh froze at the sight of Chun Jin-hyuk’s smirk.

Days when Chun Jin-hyuk wore that expression always ended badly.

“I’m sorry, Director Chun.”

“Should I believe that? Weren’t you saying we were guaranteed to win?”

“…”

Chun Jin-hyuk’s secretary, Oh Jeong-soo, was equally stunned.

The representatives had seemed friendly until just two days ago.

The atmosphere had shifted abruptly.

The Heaven Construction side, flustered, had tried to meet with the representatives, knocking on their doors, but they were rebuffed at every turn.

It was as if they were possessed.

Rumor had it that Jo Young-jin had thrown his support behind Joongbu Construction.

They said he was the one calling the shots.

Heaven Construction belatedly offered a meeting, but he wouldn’t even grant them an audience.

Chun Jin-hyuk, cracking walnuts with a walnut hammer in one hand, fixed his gaze on Secretary Oh.

“You should be sorry. You screwed up something involving money you couldn’t repay even if you sold every organ in your body.”

“…”

Secretary Oh, sitting beside him, felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead.

“I’ll do it.”

“Do what?”

“I’ll crack them for you.”

“This? Did you think I brought this to crack walnuts?”

Secretary Oh’s face paled.

“Please spare me, Director Chun. I’ll do… I’ll do better.”

“Do better… well, now that it’s come to this… those guys have to do well.”

Director Chun Jin-hyuk looked at the cars in front of him and smiled brightly.

The secretary’s body went rigid at the sight of his chillingly emotionless face.

“Let’s watch and see. You know we’ll be taking a swim in the Han River together if this last resort fails, right? [A euphemism for suicide, implying the dire consequences of failure].”

“Yes, if we can disrupt today’s vote, we can still find an opportunity.”

“Haa, I never thought the situation would come to this.”

Chun Jin-hyuk raised the walnut hammer.

The secretary instinctively covered his head and cowered.

Chun Jin-hyuk smirked.

“It’s a shame to get blood on an expensive car, so we should be patient today. It’s a bit much to get blood on a new car, right? The car saved you.”

“Th, thank you.”

“Now, whenever you see this car, you should think of it as your savior and bow to it once. Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand, Director Chun.”

Chun Jin-hyuk raised his head.

He gave a triumphant smile as he looked at the vans that had just arrived.

But his expression soon twisted.

***

“Please, as quietly as possible.”

“Yes, young master. Don’t worry too much. They’re all smart kids. We’ll handle it discreetly.”

Gwak Hyun-soo’s gruff voice came through the receiver.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes, I’ll contact you when it’s over.”

Gwak Hyun-soo still found the situation surreal.

“Heo, heh heh…”

He let out a hollow laugh and pushed open the heavy iron door leading outside.

He squinted in the bright sunlight.

At that moment, burly men began to pour out of the building’s narrow alleyways.

They quickly surrounded the vans.

The occupants were trapped inside, unable to even open the doors.

The gangsters inside the cars were at a complete loss.

They needed to get out to do anything, but they were immobilized.

The doors were blocked from the outside.

Whether it’s a national war or a gang fight, the principles of warfare remain the same.

He had been raised as a weapon, but he had also learned the fundamentals of military strategy.

In defense, vigilance is paramount, and in attack, reconnaissance is crucial.

They had charged into the enemy’s territory without scouting ahead.

Perhaps the encirclement had been anticipated.

The second law of war:

Behead the enemy commander first.

A group whose command structure has been destroyed will self-destruct.

Finding and eliminating the boss was his priority.

Taking out the leader would ensure an easy victory.

Gwak Hyun-soo began to search for the enemy commander.

***

Jeong-hoon watched as the vans were surrounded, a tense standoff unfolding.

‘We need to end this quickly. It won’t do to be on the news or in the media.’

He scanned his surroundings.

A gleaming car stood out in the distance.

‘There he is, making such a show of it…’

Jeong-hoon smiled slightly and headed towards it.

An ultra-expensive car that seemed completely out of place in the rundown reconstruction district.

It had to be Chun Jin-hyuk.

A conservative construction company director in his late twenties.

A position where promotion was impossible, regardless of talent.

One hundred percent parachute appointment [meaning he got the job through family connections], definitely a descendant of the Heaven Group.

His suspicions were confirmed after checking with Uncle Man-ho.

A computer engineering major.

He was known as a self-proclaimed genius.

And a man rumored to be a psychopath.

Chun Jin-hyuk.

Jeong-hoon was certain he was in that car.

He’s not a kid.

He just thought it was a habit.

He doesn’t know when to hide his appearance.

Why?

Those who have never needed to hide themselves wouldn’t understand.

Jeong-hoon approached the car.

He knew he had to end this confrontation.

The dark tint made it impossible to see inside, but he was sure Chun Jin-hyuk was sitting on the right side of the back seat.

He punched straight down.

The window shattered instantly, breaking into small, square pieces.

Inside, Chun Jin-hyuk, startled and terrified, stared at Jeong-hoon.

“Nice to meet you, Director Chun. Let’s end this here.”

“…”

Chun Jin-hyuk didn’t answer.

No, he couldn’t answer.

He was simply overwhelmed by the sheer force of the man before him.

“Many people will get hurt if you don’t stop this now.”

“…”

“I’ll give you one minute.”

“Kkeueung.”

Chun Jin-hyuk made a short, guttural sound.

“…Withdraw.”

He finally spoke, addressing the man standing before him.

After a moment, the vans began to start up.

Not a single person had managed to get out of the vehicles.

They were trapped inside, unable to use their strength, and then they left the alley.

“You know this isn’t the end, right?”

Chun Jin-hyuk said, trying to mask his fear.

“Of course.”

Jeong-hoon replied curtly.

His dismissive attitude seemed to irritate Chun Jin-hyuk.

“I’ll deal with you properly next time.”

Chun Jin-hyuk glared at Jeong-hoon, attempting to provoke him.

Jeong-hoon thought it was a shame to let him leave so easily.

Anyway, he had to be punished for the provocation.

– Thwack!

He planted his fist right into the face of the seated man.

“E-Executive Director!”

Chun Jin-hyuk lost consciousness with one blow.

He fainted without even twitching.

Secretary Oh, standing next to him, couldn’t move an inch, intimidated by Jeong-hoon’s imposing presence.

“Tell him to come back prepared to lose a wrist next time.”

Jeong-hoon quietly spoke to the man who had turned pale.

“S-Start the car. Quickly.”

Watching the car hurriedly drive away, he resolved,

‘Next time, I’ll give it my all too, Chun Jin-hyuk.’

***

“The results are 32% for Heaven Construction and 68% for Joongbu Construction. Joongbu Construction has been selected as the redeveloper for Joongbu City’s Hwanggeum-dong Jugong Apartments 1 and 2 complexes.”

Joongbu Construction’s CEO, Lee Soo-hong, clenched his fist.

It was an unbelievable result.

A company that barely made 10 billion won in sales had won a redevelopment project worth hundreds of billions.

He couldn’t fathom Yoon Jeong-hoon’s capabilities.

He made a call to deliver the good news.

“Young Master, we’ve been chosen as the construction company!”

CEO Lee Soo-hong shouted into the phone.

“Yes? Hello?”

It was an unfamiliar woman’s voice.

“Isn’t this Yoon Jeong-hoon’s phone?”

“Yes, it is. Just a moment. Ah, but what did you say just now?”

Lee Soo-hong recognized the owner of the familiar voice.

“Madam Hyun, this is Soo-hong. Lee Soo-hong from Joongbu Construction.”

“Ah, yes, yes, I remember. So, the results are out?”

“Yes, Elder [referring to Hyun Jeong-ok as a senior figure]. Joongbu Construction won.”

Lee Soo-hong, still caught up in the excitement, shouted again.

“You’ll make my ears fall off, you!”

“Hahaha, I’m sorry.”

“Well, have a big celebration today. I’ll send you some money for the company dinner.”

“Thank you, Elder. Where is the Young Master?”

“Ah, I’ll tell him. Goodbye.”

Hyun Jeong-ok hung up the phone.

She wanted to deliver this good news herself.

Her trembling hands wouldn’t calm down, but she didn’t stop them.

She didn’t want to stop them.

He had won the redevelopment construction rights on his own, without her help.

The achievement of her grandson, who wasn’t even 20 years old, was unbelievable even when she saw it.

“Jeong-hoon! Eun-soo!”

Hyun Jeong-ok shouted loud enough to shake the house.

“Yes, Grandma.”

“Yes.”

Eun-soo ran out, followed by Jeong-hoon.

“What’s wrong?”

Hyun Jeong-ok, having calmed down her excitement, opened her mouth.

“Jeong-hoon, I just got a call. From… from Lee Hong-soo.”

“You mean CEO Lee Soo-hong?”

“Yes. Jeong-hoon… Joongbu Construction won the bid.”

“Really?”

Jeong-hoon clenched both fists.

‘That’s it. This is just the beginning.’

Jeong-hoon was overflowing with joy, but he acted calmly.

“Yes, oh, my good boy.”

Eun-soo and Grandma were hugging each other, overjoyed.

They were jumping up and down, happier than he was.

“Today, this grandma will personally cook dinner. I should make Jeong-hoon’s favorite braised short ribs [galbijjim] for the first time in a while.”

“Yes?”

The Chinese idiom that came to Jeong-hoon’s mind was:

‘Good things come with bad omens [meaning that good fortune is often accompanied by misfortune].’

Grandma’s cooking… was so terrible it could be called a demon.

He quickly racked his brain to escape the crisis.

Eun-soo also glanced at Jeong-hoon, giving him a signal.

‘Company dinner.’

The escape route that came to mind.

“I need to go to the market quickly.”

Jeong-hoon quickly grabbed Grandma’s wrist.

“Grandma, I have to go to the Joongbu Construction company dinner tonight.”

For some reason, Jeong-hoon’s firm demeanor made Hyun Jeong-ok back down.

“R-Really? It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. Then, next time.”

“Phew…”

Eun-soo, who was next to her, relaxed and took a long breath at Grandma’s words.

Hyun Jeong-ok looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“I’m sad too. Because I can’t eat Grandma’s special braised short ribs.”

Jeong-hoon also put on a regretful expression out of courtesy.

“You rascal, come here and let me hug you. You’ve done well.”

Hyun Jeong-ok stroked Jeong-hoon’s back.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

***

On January 19th, two bid proposals were submitted for the acquisition of BHC Securities.

One was from Giant LLC, and the other was from Korea Securities.

The atmosphere suggested that Giant was the key player, and Korea Securities was just a placeholder to avoid a failed bid.

The employees of BHC Securities were curious about the company that had submitted a bid proposal to this place, where a bomb had exploded and blood was splattered everywhere.

And they held onto a glimmer of hope that they might be able to start again.

“Giant LLC? What kind of company is that?”

Team Leader Lee Byung-seok, with his hair a mess, asked while engrossed in the monitor.

“I don’t know. It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”

Assistant Manager Cha Young-mi, with her hair tied back, replied nonchalantly while looking at the monitor.

“Does anyone know anything about them?”

Team Leader Lee asked around, but everyone had a look on their face that said they didn’t know the company.

BHC Securities wasn’t a large corporation, but it wasn’t small either.

They were curious about who would buy this company on the verge of bankruptcy.

Could they handle the 100 billion won loss?

They must have enormous financial resources.

“Young-mi… did you find those guys’ traces last time?”

“Hmph, it’s Assistant Manager Cha.”

“Okay, Assistant Manager Cha. Young. Mi. Did you find any traces?”

“I did.”

“Where did they come in from?”

“That’s a secret.”

“Ah, why are you like this? It’s frustrating me to death. I’ve been losing sleep these days because of those guys.”

“Losing sleep? You sleep very well…”

She hurriedly cut off her words and changed the subject.

“So, it’s all about fixing the barn after the cow is lost [a Korean proverb meaning ‘locking the stable door after the horse has bolted’]. You cut the budget for the security program back then, so serves you right. Ah, the cow is lost… and the barn is gone too. Hehehe.”

Lee Byung-seok felt bad because of Cha Young-mi’s laughter, but her point wasn’t wrong.

If the budget had been properly executed, it could have been prevented.

Himself, the undisputed best, and his only rival, the genius programmer Assistant Manager Cha.

If the program had been proper, he could have crushed them…

Still, he took comfort in the fact that he had blocked it in 10 minutes.

“Well, what can we do? It’s not like we’re doing it.”

“Tsk, I wonder where the next company will be? I have to follow you too.”

“…Why would I take you with me?”

“Where the needle goes, the thread follows [meaning they are inseparable], tsk.”

He was speechless at her absurd analogy.

“Hehe…”

He briefly lamented his situation of being chained to an inescapable shackle.

His head started to throb.

It was when Team Leader Lee Byung-seok was nervously pressing his temples.

“Team Leader Lee.”

“Yes, Director Ahn.”

“Did you take care of everything?”

“Not yet… The… the retention period is still left, so I can’t delete it carelessly.”

“Hey, we ended up like this because we were worried about that kind of thing. Delete it quickly. Then we might be able to avoid bankruptcy somehow.”

“Yes? What does that mean?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“I’m sorry. But I can’t delete it carelessly. I’ll go to jail.”

Director Ahn, his eyebrows twitching, threw the documents on the desk at Team Leader Lee’s face.

“Hey, are you kidding me right now? How dare you ignore the director’s words? Huh?”

Team Leader Lee glared at him at Director Ahn’s humiliating behavior.

“I can’t.”

“Get out of the way, I’ll do it.”

Director Ahn tried to enter the server room, and Lee Byung-seok blocked him.

A touch-and-go situation.

“What are you doing?”

A man’s voice echoed through the office.

“Who told you to delete the data during a corporate due diligence? Is BHC Securities doing whatever they want?”

A tall man with a somewhat youthful face was glaring at Director Ahn.

“Who are you?”

Director Ahn, startled, asked him.

The Cash King’s Genius Grandson, Becoming a Tycoon.