The Genius Grandson Of The Cash King Becomes A Tycoon [EN]: Chapter 64

#064

Donghoon Development was located on the second floor of an old concrete building.

*Whether they manufactured drugs or just rented out the space, they must have made quite a bit of money…*

Its excessive shabbiness seemed like a disguise.

He pushed open the door to the president’s office and went inside.

The president glared at him.

Jeong-hoon, unconcerned, sat on the sofa.

“I’m Yoon Jeong-hoon.”

The president’s eyebrows twitched.

Kwak Hyun-soo, who had entered the room with him, approached the president.

He scattered photos on his desk.

The photos showed the drug manufacturing facility and marijuana field inside the abandoned mine.

“Ahem.”

He showed no reaction even after seeing the photos.

“Sell the company.”

At Jeong-hoon’s words, the president, enraged, tried to stand up.

Kwak Hyun-soo pressed down on his shoulder.

“Ugh, what are you doing?”

“Clean up and get out. I’m giving you a chance. Otherwise, I’ll send all the data to the prosecution.”

Hearing Jeong-hoon’s words, he looked troubled.

“Are you planning to sell the drugs? Distribution is more important than production in that business.”

“I’m going to burn them.”

“Do you even know how much money that makes? It earns billions of won a year. And you’re going to burn it?”

“You made so much money, so why is this place so run-down? It’s obvious the money is going somewhere else.”

He avoided Jeong-hoon’s gaze.

“Do you think drugs will disappear if you get rid of that factory?”

“I don’t care about that. Whether they disappear or not. I’m just going to burn anything that catches my eye. It’s fun.”

Jeong-hoon, sneering, threw the contract on the desk.

“I think 2 billion won is not a bad price.”

“What are you going to do with this rotten company? The only money we made was from renting it out to them.”

“I’m going to get into mining. I’m going to properly cultivate the land you’ve been plundering.”

The president gave a sinister smile.

“You’ll regret it.”

He examined the contract and then signed it.

“You’ll regret it. This place is like a swamp. High wages, low profitability, and if there’s an accident… Still, it was the Cheonji Association [a powerful, possibly criminal, organization] that helped me maintain this place. Now you’ll suffer the same fate as me. Oh, and I’m sure you know about the 10 billion won in debt here, right?”

Jeong-hoon, seeing him spew curses, smirked.

“Ten billion? That’s nothing.”

Seeing Jeong-hoon’s smile, he felt uneasy.

It seemed like he was buying this company even knowing everything.

No, it was clear he was aiming for this.

He wondered if a gold mine had been discovered in the abandoned mine.

But he soon changed his mind.

He had explored it dozens of times but failed.

He was convinced that getting 2 billion won was the best he could do.

Jeong-hoon looked at him with pity, satisfied with his choice.

He came out and took Kwak Hyun-soo’s car back to Seoul.

“Young Master, is it really necessary to acquire this place?”

“Do you know the story of the Ugly Duckling?”

“Yes.”

“Just in case. I have a feeling that this place might not be an ugly duckling but a swan that will soar high.”

Kwak Hyun-soo looked disbelieving at Jeong-hoon’s smile.

A dilapidated mine on the verge of collapse and a company with mining rights.

Even someone who didn’t know economics could tell that it wouldn’t make money.

Kwak Hyun-soo looked at Jeong-hoon with worried eyes.

***

Chairman Song Cheol-ho was in a good mood, having drunk heavily at Daewongak in Seongbuk-dong [an upscale traditional Korean restaurant] after a long time.

The taste of the liquor poured by Madam Jeong was amazing.

He smiled wryly, thinking of her, who would one day be his.

For a while, things had been messed up a lot because of that Yoon Jeong-hoon.

But today was okay.

He felt bad about losing Jungbu Market, but it didn’t matter.

It wasn’t because of the ruling party’s dramatic victory in the local elections, where a defeat had seemed certain.

It was because a large number of puppets in the hands of the Cheonji Association had been elected.

Regardless of conservatives and progressives, those who had been bought with money were elected as mayors and governors.

Moreover, there were places where they had even seized control of the local councils.

It was the icing on the cake.

The Cheonji Association’s momentum was soaring.

Seeing the chairman’s happy face, Chief Secretary Han Hyun-dong prepared to report the unpleasant news.

This was the time to report and gloss over it.

“Chairman, I have something to report.”

“Yes, speak.”

“Yoon Jeong-hoon has acquired Donghoon Development.”

“For how much?”

“12 billion won. It seems there was 10 billion won in debt.”

“It would have been nice if he had bought it for 1 trillion won, hahaha.”

“Yes, I regret it too. All connections with us have been severed.”

“Yes, still, it’s a shame when I think about the old days. They used to send us billions of won a year from that useless abandoned mine.”

“That was when the economy was good and the equipment was good, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Song Cheol-ho thought for a moment and then continued.

“Isn’t there another reason why Yoon Jeong-hoon bought Donghoon Development?”

“I don’t think so. I’ve checked everywhere, and there wasn’t anything. It seems to be for the people of Yujeong-ri who are suffering because of the abandoned mine.”

“What? Is that bastard a philanthropist? Hahaha.”

“And it seems the youngest master [referring to Song Cheol-ho’s son] is having some trouble with Park Da-hye.”

“Yoon-ho? What trouble?”

“That is… Yoon Jeong-hoon and Park Da-hye’s relationship is not ordinary.”

“What? Why is that bastard’s name coming up here?”

“That is, when Park Da-hye was at Jungbu High School, they had something going on.”

“What? Tsk tsk, Romeo and Juliet? Sooner or later, one will die, or both will die.”

His voice was chilling.

“Hyun-dong, I want to give my late-born son a good toy. As a father, I can do that much, right?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll arrange it and bring her to Master’s side.”

“Yes. She needs to be in a clean state next to Yoon-ho.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Yoon Jeong-hoon, who was constantly getting on his nerves.

Song Cheol-ho’s patience was running out.

*

The WorldCom accounting scandal caused a great shock on Wall Street.

The aftermath shook even the Legend Company headquarters in San Francisco, on the opposite side of Wall Street.

“Boss, boss.”

Jennifer, her blonde hair flying, rushed into Im Cheol-soo’s office.

“The WorldCom accounting fraud isn’t just one thing.”

“What? Really?”

“It seems there are several cases of accounting manipulation.”

“If this happens…”

“Bankruptcy.”

They both shouted at the same time.

An absurd incident had occurred.

He had been absolutely certain that Apple would go bankrupt, but WorldCom was on the verge of bankruptcy, no, bankruptcy was a foregone conclusion.

“Jennifer, what’s WorldCom’s stock price?”

“Just a moment.”

Jennifer went outside to check the stock price and shouted.

“6.”

“What? Six dollars?”

He had made several times the profit.

Jennifer, who had entered the room, gasped and said again.

“Huff… 6 cents.”

“What? Cents?”

It had fallen to a price of less than 100 won in Korean currency.

Im Cheol-soo had to inform Jeong-hoon.

His fingers, dialing the phone in a hurry, were trembling.

“Jeong-hoon, Jeong-hoon.”

Jeong-hoon, hearing Im Cheol-soo’s panicked voice, asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“It really went bankrupt. WorldCom really went bankrupt as you said. The stock price is 0.6 cents now.”

Jeong-hoon clenched his fist.

He tensed his whole body and shouted inwardly.

‘It’s done!’

He had earned 1.5 trillion won in a month.

The rate of return was meaningless. It was an important moment to know how much he had earned.

“How much is the profit?”

“Profit? 1.5 trillion won.”

It was always thrilling to make money.

His heart was pounding.

“Uncle, you’ve worked hard. Liquidate at the right time. Oh, and have a company dinner or give out bonuses today. Everyone should be happy on a day like today.”

“Huff, okay. I understand. I’ll report again later.”

Im Cheol-soo, who couldn’t even breathe properly, barely answered.

At 6 a.m., he saw the drizzling rain.

Jeong-hoon resolved to normalize the mining company and pharmaceutical company in earnest when this rain stopped.

*

The long rainy season ended, and the scorching heat began.

Park Chang-soo unified and managed the gangsters in Jungbu City.

He gave a few warnings and strictly forbade any harassment of ordinary citizens.

He only allowed the operation of a few entertainment businesses that could not be eradicated.

He selected agile and trustworthy people from there and managed them separately.

He assigned them to the security service company under Jungbu Construction and trained them professionally.

Kwak Hyun-soo was in charge.

Eun-soo, who had acquired most of the skills from Kwak Hyun-soo, stayed by Jeong-hoon’s side again.

He was worried about it.

Eun-soo, who had disappeared without a word in his past life.

He couldn’t just watch Eun-soo disappear again.

He had to change his fate.

Jeong-hoon took the car driven by Eun-soo to the abandoned mine in Yujeong-ri.

Although the drug manufacturing facility and marijuana had been destroyed, the problem was the groundwater contaminated with heavy metals.

To solve that problem, Park Chang-soo was carrying out a purification project at the abandoned mine.

“Is it finished now?”

He saw him at the entrance of the abandoned mine, soaked in sweat.

“Yes, Young Master. It’s almost finished now. If we connect the purification facility and the waterway, the groundwater will be clean now.”

“You’ve worked hard in this heat.”

“It’s no trouble. It’s all thanks to the Young Master’s help. All the villagers are grateful to the Young Master.”

“It’s nothing. Then finish this and pay attention to the integrated organization in Jungbu City.”

“I understand.”

On the way down in the car.

An old woman stopped the car.

“I heard from Chang-soo. Go and eat this.”

“Ah, thank you.”

In the old woman’s wrinkled hands, there was a plant wrapped in newspaper. It looked like wild bellflower or deodeok [a type of Korean root vegetable].

He thought he should bring it to the old woman.

He went with Eun-soo to Buk-gu, Daegu, where Donghoon Development was located.

It had to be remodeled cleanly for those who would visit it soon.

It had to be clean to get the right price.

He set the concept with an interior design expert from Jungbu Construction and scheduled the construction to begin soon.

Jeong-hoon had to look at Shinwha Development’s personnel records and choose someone to replace the former president.

He didn’t even expect there to be talent in the rotten mining company.

But there was someone with an unlikely resume.

‘Deputy Director Yoo Min-cheol.’

He called him.

“Did you call me?”

In his late 40s, with dark skin tanned by the sun.

Although the headquarters was in Daegu, the site was in North Chungcheong Province.

His rough face showed that he had been to many sites.

It was evidence that he was working properly.

He looked strong and determined.

His first impression was good.

“You seem to go to the site a lot. Your face is very tanned by the sun.”

“Yes, there are so many old places that I have to check them at least once.”

“Is it better to keep abandoning the abandoned mines?”

“No. If possible, we should take action immediately. I told the former president several times, but…”

Where did he pour the money he had made in collusion with the Cheonji Association?

“It’s hard to say, but the former president lent the mine to a strange place and made quite a bit of money. But he went to Jeongseon [a region known for casinos] and squandered it all on gambling.”

“Breach of trust and embezzlement…”

It made sense.

A foolish man who secretly lent it out and secretly squandered it all.

He must be satisfied with 2 billion won.

A bitter smile came to his face when he thought of him.

“Looking at your resume, it doesn’t fit in here. Why are you in a place like this?”

“Because of money. What. Hospital bills, education expenses, well, I’m here for common reasons like everyone else. My wife’s private loan has become a big problem.”

“Private loan? Is it a company in Myeong-dong [a district known for private loan companies]?”

“Yes. I’m still paying it off. Anyway, those guys are vicious.”

The word private loan reminded him of his grandmother, the Cash King.

Hearing the word vicious, it didn’t seem like it was his grandmother’s side.

“Really? I can help you with that.”

Yoo Min-cheol’s tense expression softened.

‘Yoo Min-cheol.’

Korea Mining Promotion Corporation, later renamed Korea Resources Corporation.

The person who had been a section chief at a public corporation specializing in resource development was standing in front of him.

It was a specification that didn’t fit in with a small mining company at all.

“Is there a reason why you left the Mining Promotion Corporation? Embezzlement, breach of trust, sexual harassment, which one is it? Surely not all three? And I’m also curious about why your wife took out a private loan. Usually, wives’ private loans are often because they’re having an affair with young guys.”

Jeong-hoon looked at him and smiled, raising the corners of his mouth.

His eyebrows fluttered when he saw Jeong-hoon.

“You’re going too far. Don’t insult my wife. I was forced to resign from my job and there wasn’t enough money for living expenses, so that’s what happened. I thought I’d be able to change jobs soon, but that didn’t happen. It’s my fault.”

It seemed like the couple had a good relationship.

“Really? That’s a relief. Then what’s the reason for your resignation?”

“The reason why I left there? The corruption was so bad that I had to blow it up once, so I had no choice but to leave. But this industry is too small. I’m marked and there’s nowhere to go. Still, this was the only place that accepted a whistleblower. That’s why I’m here.”

Yoo Min-cheol glared at Jeong-hoon.

“Looking at you, it seems like I can’t stay here any longer. It’s a shame, but do your best. Who knows, maybe a treasure will pop out of here?”

“You’re being rude.”

“I’m going to be fired anyway, so isn’t it natural to speak informally to a young friend who isn’t even the president?”

Jeong-hoon stared at his face.

“Is that the answer to why you’re here? Because of money?”

“The reason why I’m here? I like dirt and stones. I knew about your rumors and I was expecting it, but I was foolish.”

Yoo Min-cheol shook his head and stood up.

Jeong-hoon looked at him and smiled once before standing up.

He went to the map hanging on the wall of the president’s office.

“I know that the Korea Mining Corporation explored the Goesan and Okcheon areas. You participated at that time, right?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“It seems you don’t just like dirt and stones. It seems you’re also aiming for a jackpot. That’s why you have 5 percent of Donghoon Development’s stock, right?”

“No. Resource-rich country. I just wanted to help the country with resources.”

“Then let’s work together.”

Jeong-hoon said, looking at him.

“Are you kidding me? Suddenly you want to work together, what are you talking about?”

“You said it yourself. You said a hidden treasure could pop out. We have to find it. Sit over there. I’m curious to see what will happen if a proper person manages it.”

He pointed to the president’s seat.

“Yes? Are you serious?”

He spoke in a somewhat polite tone.

“Of course. I only look at skills. So just make money. That’s all you have to do.”

“…”

“And the treasure you know, that’s still a secret.”

“Ah, I understand. I’m so dazed that I can’t believe it.”

“Then I’ll make it even more unbelievable. I’ll give you 5% more incentive on top of the 5% stake you have. If it’s a hit!”

Yoo Min-cheol’s eyes widened. His trembling pupils lost their way.

Calming his surprised heart, he bowed deeply and showed his loyalty.

“Thank you. I will work hard.”

His grandmother was right.

It was the power of money that kept the oath of allegiance.

That was power.

Donghoon Pharmaceutical, which was an affiliate of Donghoon Development, changed its name to Shinwha Pharmaceutical.

He was going to move it to Seoul, but he heard that the Yeonsu-gu Office in Incheon was offering cheap rent to new venture companies.

So he moved the company there.

Despite the opposition from those around him, he forced it into the Yeonsu-gu Office.

He made the excuse that it was a company with no sales yet, and he had to save every penny.

A place where venture companies gather.

Jeong-hoon remembered that a pretty good company was born there.

***

Jeong-hoon placed the plant he had received from Yujeong-ri on the living room table a while ago.

“Grandmother, this looks like deodeok, should we eat it for dinner?”

He said to his grandmother, who was coming out of her study after working.

She looked around for a while.

“Hmm, where did you get this?”

“I received it as a gift. I cleaned up the area around the abandoned mine of the mining company I acquired this time.”

“How?”

“While the Cheonji Association guys were making drugs, they illegally dumped gunpowder chemicals, making the surrounding land unusable. I purified that place. And the groundwater coming out of the abandoned mine was also contaminated with heavy metals, so I purified it. So they gave it to me as a thank you.”

Jeong-hoon said proudly.

“Isn’t it a waste of money? You’re doing things you don’t have to do, you rascal.”

His grandmother gave a not-so-bad smile.

“I’m making money and doing good things. Who knows? Maybe that land will bring great fortune.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

His grandmother stared at Jeong-hoon.

“That old woman must have liked your good deeds.”

“Yes?”

Jeong-hoon looked puzzled.

Cash King’s Genius Grandson Becomes a Tycoon.