Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: Old Fox and Baby Tiger
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Han Yura barely touched the neatly prepared meal.
After 'coincidentally' running into Cheon Myeonghwan, she couldn't refuse his invitation and had been dragged to this table.
The air in this intimate space, where they sat facing each other alone, was thick with the aroma of premium sake and an invisible tension.
Cheon Myeonghwan was the first to break the silence.
He opened his mouth with a kindly smile.
"Director Han, I heard about your lecture at the university yesterday. Quite groundbreaking, wasn't it?"
"You're too kind, Chairman."
"Haha, too kind? CEO Kim has truly found himself an excellent partner."
Cheon Myeonghwan paused for a moment and refilled his sake cup.
His gaze gleamed with profound meaning.
"CEO Kim is a born conqueror. A brave general who charges straight ahead. But... the path of a conqueror always comes with destruction and loneliness."
'Here we go...'
Han Yura murmured inwardly.
It was the expected move to drive a wedge between her and Kim Cheolsu.
Cheon Myeonghwan clicked his tongue as if genuinely regretful.
"A capable executive like Director Han should be building castles on stable ground rather than wasting away in that chaos to truly have her value recognized... It's regrettable in many ways."
'Stable ground.'
Han Yura immediately grasped the implication.
He was trying to shake her with the 'stability' and 'prestige' that the Taesung Group name offered as bait.
Han Yura decided to cautiously bite.
She let out a faint sigh, feigning exhaustion.
"There are times when I think it would have been nice to learn management under someone like you, Chairman. Honestly... sometimes it's overwhelming to keep up with the CEO's pace."
At her response, satisfaction lit up Cheon Myeonghwan's eyes.
He was convinced he'd found a crack in the mind of this competent second-in-command.
Wearing the face of a senior offering advice, he subtly revealed his true weapon.
"Director Han, in business, direction matters more than speed. And above all, what matters most is upholding 'procedural legitimacy' and enduring long-term. No matter how fast you run, if the path is wrong or obstacles pop up everywhere, you're bound to trip."
'Procedural legitimacy,' 'obstacles.'
The moment she heard those words, all the puzzle pieces clicked in Han Yura's mind.
Cheon Myeonghwan's attack wasn't direct combat like M&A or tech theft.
He planned to use legal 'obstacles'—laws, regulations, administrative procedures—to grab Blue Sky by the ankles and slowly strangle it.
The meal ended in a cordial atmosphere.
Cheon Myeonghwan maintained his 'benevolent elder' persona to the end, while Han Yura perfectly played the 'respectful junior.'
The moment she stepped out of the restaurant and got into her car, every trace of smile vanished from Han Yura's face.
"That old geezer picked the wrong direction..."
Procedural legitimacy? Laws and regulations?
Han Yura was dumbfounded.
In Korea—no, on Earth—who else was as much of a 'pushover' businessman as Kim Cheolsu?
When it came to legal matters, he was a pathological perfectionist.
In the past, a high-ranking National Tax Service official introduced by Park Sojin had looked over Kim Cheolsu's tax filings, stuck out his tongue, and asked:
'CEO Kim, there are so many legal tax-saving methods... Do you even make any profit paying taxes this honestly?'
And this Kim Cheolsu was going to be bound by 'procedures' and 'regulations'? Cheon Myeonghwan hadn't even done the most basic research on his prey.
A genuine smile finally curved Han Yura's lips.
Kim Cheolsu's one and only weakness was that his brain was attached to his dick.
In other words, he wouldn't waver for anything except the women he cared for and his family.
He couldn't be judged by law or shackled by regulations.
Kim Cheolsu was a 'Deus ex machina' that had suddenly appeared in this financial market.
An alien, overwhelming existence that defied existing rules and common sense.
Cheon Myeonghwan, blind to that essence, was swinging his sword at the toughest armor.
Han Yura leisurely pulled out her phone and messaged 'Kim the Retard.'
Realizing Cheon Myeonghwan's strategy was digging his own grave made her bold.
This victory deserved a reward.
[You're giving me the Paju Bio Complex this time, right?]
Not long after, a razor-sharp reply came from 'Kim the Retard.'
[Or you'll stab me in the back?]
Han Yura chuckled at the message laced with suspicion and testing.
She was enjoying this razor-thin tension.
She deliberately sent a more provocative reply that sounded even more truthful.
[Yeah, that old geezer likes me too much?]
A threat hinting at betrayal, implying 'Cheon Myeonghwan might offer me better terms.'
Moments later, a characteristically crude response flew back.
[You bitch lololol shut your cock-sucking mouth and come suck my dick]
Han Yura shook her head in disbelief at the message.
She knew full well that this mix of profanity and sexual harassment was his signature 'approval.'
The Paju Bio Complex was now hers.
She tossed her phone into her bag and quietly told the driver.
"Chae-won, head to the postpartum care center."
At the king's summons, his most capable and loyal vassal was heading off with her 'spoils of war.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rumble, rumble.
The car, shaking violently in rhythm with my thrusts, finally fell still.
Han Yura's melted body trembled faintly on the back seat.
Under the dim streetlight glow, I looked down at her sweat-matted, disheveled hair and her goofy smile.
I roughly wiped my dripping lower half on her black, soft hair.
Only after a long while did clarity return to Han Yura's dazed eyes.
She fiddled with her sticky hair, scowled, and spat out a short complaint.
"Fuck, I told you not to wipe it on my hair."
"You're washing up at home anyway, right?"
She shut her mouth, deeming my nonchalant reply unworthy of response.
The 'reward' time was over.
I straightened my pants and got to the point.
"Cut the bullshit and tell me what that old geezer Cheon Myeonghwan blabbered."
No trace of lust lingered in my voice.
Han Yura, too, snapped back to business mode, her eyes sharpening as she sat up.
Now it was business time.
"Procedural legitimacy and regulations. He's probably planning to use his connections to throw legal roadblocks at everything we're doing."
I pondered for a moment.
Her analysis made sense, but something felt off.
"He knows damn well we can't be touched legally..."
"He's just scared shitless. Gotta try something, right? Especially after what we did to his precious daughter."
Han Yura figured it was an emotional reaction from Cheon Myeonghwan.
But I saw it differently.
"That's not his style."
I shook my head.
Cheon Myeonghwan wasn't like his impulsive daughter Cheon Hye-yeon.
He wielded anger as a strategy, not one swept away by it.
So what was his real aim?
Why pull the 'regulation' card when he knew he couldn't win legally?
'...Ah.'
The puzzle clicked.
"He's not trying to beat us."
I snapped my fingers and continued.
"He's trying to make us a pain in the ass."
Vivid scenarios played out in my mind like a simulation.
'No charges? Prove it!'
'Taxes paid? Prove it!'
Financial Services Commission, Fair Trade Commission, National Tax Service, Ministry of Environment, Food and Drug Safety Ministry...
What if every government agency came at us full force?
We could defend legally every time.
But the fatigue my people and I would endure?
The wasted time and resources?
Blue Sky was short-staffed.
All these attacks aimed at one goal.
Lock the 'joker' of this game—me—into an endless hell of paperwork and explanations, force cracks where there were none.
I chuckled.
"What a vicious old bastard."
But my laugh carried not fear, but amusement.
Han Yura looked at me.
"...What're you gonna do?"
"What else? If the old man wants to play, we play."
I started the engine.
"But by our rules."
My mind cooled to ice.
I'd grasped the essence of Cheon Myeonghwan's strategy.
Now, craft the counter and move the pieces.
I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Han Yura.
She waited tensely for my next words, still on edge.
"........."
I paused in silence, weighing her mettle.
Then tossed a completely different, personal question.
"Yura, wasn't your dream to land a big corp job?"
Her eyes narrowed at my out-of-left-field question.
She knew me too well.
Whenever I asked something personal, a brutal task always followed.
"......Fuck. What're you making me do now?"
Her voice dripped with wariness and irritation.
I smirked and dangled the first bait.
"The Bio Complex? It's yours."
The massive bio research complex going up in Paju.
I figured that reward would make her do most jobs without complaint.
But Han Yura exceeded expectations.
She pondered briefly, then demanded more.
"Double Dragon Motors too."
Her voice was bold, unwavering.
I laughed in disbelief.
"That was supposed to be Cheon Hye-yeon's 'dowry'?"
"Then forget it."
Han Yura crossed her arms and turned to stare out the window.
A clear declaration: no more negotiations.
This bitch had grown some balls.
"Fine. Double Dragon's yours too."
I grabbed her chin and turned her fully toward me.
"But you snatch it from that bitch Cheon Hye-yeon yourself."
Her eyes narrowed at my proposal.
Moments later, a sly, confident smile—like mine—spread across her lips.
"Deal."
The deal was struck.