Chapter 50
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: I'm Disappointed in You, Chairman.
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Scene.50
I'm Disappointed in You, Chairman.
The Chairman's office at HS Group.
Receiving a report from Jung Dae-soo while observing the scene through Lee Jae-eun’s phone, Chairman Lee Won-cheol let out a continuous stream of sighs.
At the sound of the chairman's sighs, the secretaries gathered in the office were careful not to make even the sound of a pin dropping.
When they first heard that a call had come from Saudi Arabia, everyone had worn expressions of anticipation, but now the situation was so precarious they didn't know when the chairman's fury might erupt.
“This is driving me mad.”
Upon hearing that his son had gone all the way to the drama set in Malta to cause trouble, Chairman Lee Won-cheol pressed his temples firmly, trying to suppress his anger.
Han Mi-ra. He had heard the name before and knew that his son, Jae-yoon, had been unable to let go and remained interested in her. However, he had never imagined that this interest would manifest in such a despicably crude manner.
And not just for a day or two. To think he had been repeating such acts for over a decade. Was this something a human being should do?
It wasn't as if Han Mi-ra was the only woman in the world. What kind of foolishness was this?
If he had feelings for her, he should have expressed them clearly. If the woman said no, even if it killed her, he should have backed down.
Roughly calculating the years, it seemed the harassment had begun in earnest after Jae-yoon’s divorce.
Even though he hadn't committed the act himself, his face flushed with shame.
“Do we have the file on Kang Man-dong yet?”
“My apologies, sir.”
If he were a Korean national, it would be a different story, but he was a foreigner who had emigrated long ago. No matter how competent the group's intelligence team was, they couldn't instantly find information on a private individual they had never even met.
While his son’s actions were a problem, Lee Won-cheol had something else on his mind that was even more pressing. Who on earth had mobilized the Saudi royal family to make him see and hear all of this?
‘Not Han Mi-ra.’
If Han Mi-ra had connections in that circle, he would have received a warning long ago, not today.
For now, the man named Kang Man-dong was the most suspicious, but he seemed unaware that Lee Won-cheol was being briefed on the situation.
If Kang Man-dong had orchestrated this, he would have intentionally conveyed what he wanted to say. But there was no sign of that.
Just then, the conversation between Han Mi-ra and Yu-hyeon flowed from the phone that had first connected.
Lee Won-cheol silenced Jung Dae-soo and listened intently to their dialogue.
As their conversation concluded, a low groan escaped Lee Won-cheol's lips.
Based on the conversation, the one who had analyzed Jae-yoon's tendencies seemed to be a complete outsider until this incident. But the words he spoke didn't sound like they were meant for Han Mi-ra alone.
‘It’s as if he’s telling me, this is what will happen from now on, so be aware.’
On the video call screen, he could see the war of nerves between Lee Jae-yoon and Kang Man-dong.
After a brief exchange of words, a powerful punch and a roundhouse kick flew out.
Not only Lee Won-cheol, but also his chief of staff, who was watching beside him, had their expressions harden.
“Tell Jung Dae-soo to show me the man who was just talking to Han Mi-ra. And find out who he is. Is the file on Kang Man-dong still not ready? Why is it taking so long!”
Perhaps it was because of Kang Man-dong’s punch and kick, but Lee Won-cheol's voice was rougher than usual.
At that moment, Yu-hyeon’s voice came through the speaker.
-Chairman, there’s no need for that.
Lee Won-cheol paused for a moment, then let out a hollow laugh.
“Right. I’d forgotten we were on a call.”
He had been so focused on hearing about the situation on the ground that he had completely forgotten the person on the other end could also hear what he was saying.
The chief of staff and the other employees, realizing the situation belatedly, looked tense.
Someone should have been aware of it, but everyone had been so focused on their own tasks, it was as if they were all hypnotized.
‘Chairman, the man who spoke with Han Mi-ra is reportedly Kang Man-dong’s son.’
‘His son?’
Lee Won-cheol stared intently at Yu-hyeon’s image on the screen.
‘He looks too young.’
‘He’s the co-writer for this drama.’
Whether he was a drama writer or not, it didn't seem to be on the level of someone connected to the Saudi royal family.
‘According to the young lady, he also has a connection with the head designer of Dior.’
‘Anything else?’
‘I apologize, sir. That is the only information we can confirm at the moment.’
Chairman Lee Won-cheol gathered his thoughts for a moment before speaking to Yu-hyeon.
“For my son’s wrongdoing, I have no excuse, even if I had ten mouths.”
-That’s right.
The other party replied briefly and concisely, as if he had no interest in small talk.
“Heh heh heh.”
After a short laugh, Lee Won-cheol spoke again.
“Is there something you want from me? To be able to move the Saudi royal family, it seems a formidable person is involved in this.”
-They have a great interest in HS Group’s shares.
“What did you say?”
At the sudden mention of the group's shares, Lee Won-cheol's expression instantly turned icy.
-They said they don’t want to see the value of their holdings decline.
At Yu-hyeon’s words, Lee Won-cheol’s expression changed once more.
He realized they weren't trying to take over the group’s shares or launch an attack, but were concerned that a problem with the group's image would cause its value to drop.
“May I know who this person is?”
-If they intended to reveal themselves, they wouldn't have gone through me, a mere drama writer.
“Hmm.”
-To be honest, I don't know who they are either. They happened to be traveling here, saw something unpleasant, and reacted when they heard it was connected to HS. From my perspective, I just didn't want any trouble for the drama production, and they simply needed someone to relay the situation here.
Lee Won-cheol wore a contemplative expression.
He couldn't immediately judge how much of Yu-hyeon’s words to trust, but the statement about not wanting the group's value to fall seemed genuine.
If that weren't the case, they could have publicized the incident, created an issue, and caused some trouble, however small.
Since it involved the group's heir, of all people, the fallout would have been considerable.
“Then I have that person to thank.”
-I am also grateful. If they hadn't been traveling nearby, our drama probably would have ended here, and Ms. Han Mi-ra’s suffering would have continued.
“What do you want me to do?”
-What will you do for us?
Lee Won-cheol frowned slightly at Yu-hyeon's method of answering a question with a question.
At any other time, he would have continued with pressure tactics to gain the upper hand, but since the other party had approached with goodwill, turning it against them could backfire.
Although he was speaking with a drama writer, the person he was truly dealing with could be a Saudi royal or a royal investment institution.
‘He seems young for a drama writer, but he’s got a strong backbone.’
Even if he was just acting as an intermediary, his attempt to negotiate on equal footing with him, the chairman of a major corporation, was noteworthy. And his concise, to-the-point manner of conversation wasn't bad either.
Plus, perhaps because of his unique voice, he had a strange way of drawing people in.
If he was a capable talent, it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in him for the future of the group.
-Do you need time?
“No. First, I will handle the compensation for damages immediately from my end.”
-…
When there was no response even after mentioning compensation, Lee Won-cheol found himself thinking, *what kind of person is this?*
Shouldn't he have reacted in some way, either by agreeing or saying thank you?
As if sensing Lee Won-cheol's thoughts, Yu-hyeon, who had been silent for a moment, spoke again.
-Is that the best you can do?
“What?”
-I’m disappointed.
“…”
-I thought a leading company like HS would be different. But in the end, it’s just this.
“For an intermediary, you’re quite harsh. Do you not know who you’re speaking to?”
-Of course I do. You became chairman at the young age of thirty-five, weathered the harsh waves of the IMF crisis, and transformed Hansung Group, which hovered around 40th in the business world rankings, into the HS Group of today. The Iron Man, are you not?
“Ahem.”
Lee Won-cheol nodded with an awkward expression. But his face quickly hardened again.
-That’s why I’m disappointed. Anyone else, I could understand. But the Chairman Lee Won-cheol I admire would have said that financial compensation is a given, and that he would also clear up the rumors President Lee Jae-yoon has spread over the years. You can't turn back time, but the Chairman Lee Won-cheol I know is someone who rights what is wrong. I thought the ethos of HS Group was built on that same mindset. It seems I was greatly mistaken.
“…”
-If you’re not going to apologize, then you should fight to the end. If you are, then a proper apology is one that makes the other person feel sorry for you. What do you think, Chairman? I am genuinely curious if you would have said the same thing if your son had been treated like a worthless human being, tormented by all sorts of rumors for seventeen years.
“…”
Though sharp, Yu-hyeon's words were not wrong, and Lee Won-cheol was momentarily at a loss for words. Then, a completely unexpected question came.
-Chairman. Do you like to drink?
“I can hold my liquor.”
-Then I’ll call you back.
“Huh?”
Chairman Lee Won-cheol asked what he meant, but the call ended there. The person on the other end had terminated it.
“What in the…”
Lee Won-cheol looked dumbfounded for a moment, but quickly composed himself.
“The person I was just speaking to was Kang Man-dong’s son?”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“Tell Jae-eun to stick by that kid.”
“You mean Executive Director Lee Jae-eun?”
“Tell her to observe what kind of person he is. If necessary, she can also act as my messenger.”
“Yes, I understand!”
"And look into the drama. See if there's anything the group can do to support it. Contact the broadcast station and see if additional investment is possible. Secure ad spots before and after the show."
"Yes, Chairman!"
"Bring me everything that has happened concerning Han Mi-ra. Find every single person who wrote those strange articles! And get her bank account number immediately so we can process the compensation."
"Yes, I understand."
Lee Won-cheol gestured to his chief of staff.
"Yes, Chairman."
"Look into our shares. And monitor the stock market. Report any small movements without fail. Also, check for any strange articles. Tighten security around Jae-yoon so this incident doesn't spread."
"I will instruct the operations and management teams."
After rattling off a storm of orders, Lee Won-cheol turned his head toward the video call. Seeing Jae-yoon's tense face, he let out a sigh that could have cracked the earth and added one more thing.
"And tell them I'm handling things as they wish, so... ugh, that damn Jae-yoon... tell them to go easy on him."
"Shouldn't we just have them stop?"
"No. That's not it. If he made a mess this big, he deserves to be punished. Tell him to get hit and come to his senses. Of all the things to do... I can't even lift my head from the shame. What an embarrassment at my age."
“…Yes, Chairman.”
*
After finishing the call, Yu-hyeon blocked Chairman Lee Won-cheol’s number.
A top-down solution wasn't bad, but continuing a direct conversation with a chairman-level figure was not a good idea.
“A long night leads to many thoughts.”
The longer the conversation, the more holes appear, which can be exploited in return.
He had said everything he wanted to say, so there was no reason to continue negotiating or make it a transactional exchange.
Yu-hyeon tossed the phone and earpiece to Liong, who was trailing him like a shadow.
"Stop following me around. Are you a voyeur?"
Liong gave an awkward, sheepish grin and took a step back. Yu-hyeon shook his head as he looked at him.
"Your boss must not have much to do."
"That can't be true. He's only showing interest because it concerns you, Camu-nim."
Liong waved his hands in denial and moved to the side of the ring.
He could see the HS employees busily moving about, phones pressed to their ears.
Yu-hyeon nodded with a satisfied expression. It was clear that Chairman Lee Won-cheol, famous for his decisiveness, had issued orders immediately.
‘I should ask them to send the compensation with the taxes already taken care of.’
It would have been difficult to get all that money from President Lee Jae-yoon in the first place, and the process would likely have been messy. There was a high chance Han Mi-ra would have suffered again because of it.
To solve all these problems at once, Yu-hyeon had dragged Chairman Lee Won-cheol into the picture.
Preventing Lee Jae-yoon from causing any more trouble or doing anything foolish here was an automatic bonus. If he tried anything, Chairman Lee Won-cheol would not tolerate it any longer.
‘Looks like my work here is done. My father can handle the rest.’
Yu-hyeon gave a passing wave to Jung Dae-soo, who was pointing a phone camera at him.
When Jung Dae-soo looked at him with a questioning ‘Huh?’, Yu-hyeon clarified, “Not you. The person on the other side of the camera.”
Lee Jae-yoon, who had turned pale at Kang Man-dong’s show of force and his demand to take just seventeen hits, now turned deathly white upon hearing that the chairman was watching from his office.
*How? Who! Who dared to do this without my permission!*
Lee Jae-yoon looked around at his subordinates and snapped, "Who was it? Who snitched!"
Yu-hyeon looked at Lee Jae-yoon with a pathetic expression before approaching his father.
“Who’s going to be the referee?”
“Jimmy should do it. He’s a cop.”
“I think we’ve applied enough pressure.”
“Okay. Short and sweet. I’ll end it in one blow. President Lee Jae-yoon, if you’re ready, let’s begin.”
At Kang Man-dong’s words, Lee Jae-yoon took off his shirt and entered the ring. He must have worked out a fair bit; his muscles weren't bad, and his form was well-defined.
Kang Man-dong scanned Lee Jae-yoon’s body up and down with a smirk. Then he, too, ripped off his shirt and stepped into the ring.
Lee Jae-yoon, who had been muttering, "Fuck, fuck, fuck," in the opposite corner, lost focus in his eyes when he saw Kang Man-dong’s bare torso.
“Is… is that a human body?”
His muscular upper body, with round, rugged muscles that looked like they were studded with cobblestones, rippled menacingly like a growling beast.
If Yu-hyeon’s body was a finely honed sword, Kang Man-dong’s was a war hammer that looked like it could smash anything to pieces.
“P-Park Gyu-hyeon.”
“Yes, President.”
“What kind of workout do you have to do to get a body like that? Give me some expert advice. And come up with a countermeasure!”
“Well… that is…”
Park Gyu-hyeon couldn't finish his sentence and lowered his head. Then he let out a sigh, audible only to himself.
“Damn it. I don’t know anymore either.”
“What?”
“Nothing, sir. It’s a single three-minute round. Maintain your distance and try to run out the clock as much as possible. Right now, that’s the only way.”
“Damn it. Even I could have said that!”