A Generous Gift
The marble dining table was set with tenderloin steaks. No one looked like they could tell whether the meat was going into their noses or their mouths. Hardly surprising, given that Han Doyeong had just been dragged out. The only sounds were the occasional clink of cutlery.
“Brother.” The silence was broken by my uncle, Han Taijin—the only person who called Father “brother.”
“There’s something I need to report. It’s about the nickel mine acquisition on Java Island in Indonesia that I mentioned last time.”
“Has the on-site inspection been completed?”
“Yes. The final report came in last night. The reserves are over thirty percent higher than initially estimated. The local government’s mining permit is expected to be finalized next week.”
“……”
“Chinese capital is also eyeing the project. If we put down a deposit, we can secure priority rights. With an initial investment of three hundred billion won, we’ll double it within three years.”
The Indonesia Java Island nickel mine. The name was familiar. Of course it was. In the original game, it was the site of a massive scam that dealt a devastating blow to Seojin Group. Depending on the route, it was one of the classic ruin routes where Han Seojun himself took the deal and got kicked out of the group after shouldering all the blame.
But now Han Taijin was pushing this deal? Not Han Seojun?
“So, Brother, why not let Seojun handle the final contract and wrap-up?”
Oh, look at this bastard. He’s trying to dump a three-hundred-billion-won project he’s spent half a year preparing onto me, the guy who just got the division head title?
“Seojun seems to have come to his senses lately. If he’s going to wear the division head title, he needs at least one solid achievement. I’ve already set the table; all he has to do is pick up the spoon.”
He wanted to hand me this bomb so it would explode and take me with it, no turning back. He must have been so worked up watching Han Doyeong get thrown out that he couldn’t hold back anymore.
In the original game, it was a perfect scam involving an Interpol red-notice fugitive that properly damaged Seojin Group. It wasn’t enough to topple a megacorp like Seojin, but it was more than enough to destroy the one who took the fall—Han Seojun. So this whole thing was Han Taijin’s design? That detail never appeared in the original, so even I hadn’t known.
Still, his intentions were obvious. When the bomb went off, I’d take the hit, and he’d swoop in to snatch my shares. I could expose the broker as an Interpol fugitive right now and have his head, but…
“Sounds good.” Since he was offering the bait, I might as well bite. “I’ll take full responsibility and finish it. Since Uncle’s feeding me, I’ll gratefully accept.”
“Good. Ask me anything if you don’t understand.”
“However.” I had no intention of playing errand boy, handling superficial tasks while becoming a bullet sponge. I wasn’t some idiot who’d fall for that kind of trick. “Since I’m taking full responsibility, I need the authority and resources to match.”
“……What are you saying?”
“The three hundred billion in investment funds. Transfer them to my division account by Monday morning. If you’re telling me to pick up the spoon, it’s a bit awkward if you’re still holding the bowl.”
“What?”
“And send me three of your key finance team aces, including Team Leader Kim Ji-hoon. Remove Uncle’s name completely from the final approval line on the contract. I’ll handle everything myself.”
He was about to lose his hands and feet along with the ammunition after trying to pin a scam on me. Must sting like hell. Not my problem, though.
“That’s unreasonable! No matter how much of a division head you are, you can’t just—”
“Do as he says.” An unexpected predator opened its mouth. I’d thought Father would draw a line and cut me down, but he was actually taking my side? That was quite the surprise.
“Brother!”
“You proposed this yourself, Taijin. Seojun says he’ll take it. Transfer the three hundred billion and send the finance team. Let Seojun handle the approval line alone.”
“But Brother! I spent half a year on this deal…!”
“You said you’d already set the table. That all he had to do was pick up the spoon. So hand over the money and step back.”
This family really was insane. Instead of stopping my outrageous demand to snatch three hundred billion, Father was openly laying out the board for me. He was content to watch and see whether his brother’s throat got ripped out or not.
“I’ll put it to good use, Uncle.”
Lucky me. I got a free rifle to hunt tigers with. Now all I had to do was use that money to backstab the scammers and seize the real prize for myself.
“Seojun.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I’ll call you to the study tonight, so don’t go anywhere. Stay home.”
Once Father left, Uncle also scurried out of the dining room like he was being chased. Losing three hundred billion must have left him in a foul mood.
“S-Seojun-ah.” It was Aunt. Han Doyeong’s mother.
“About what happened with Doyeong earlier… He just made a slip of the tongue. Could you put in a good word with Father? He’s only been vice president of the affiliate for less than a year…”
She hadn’t made a peep when her son was being dragged away, and now she was begging.
“Now’s not the time to worry about Doyeong hyung.”
“W-What do you mean?”
“I mean Uncle.” There were still plenty of spectators who hadn’t left the dining room. Perfect. If I was going to expose this, I might as well let everyone hear. “Check Uncle’s corporate card payment history from last night.”
“What…?”
“Rather than worrying about Doyeong hyung’s return, you should probably keep an eye on your husband first.”
In the original story, this woman’s fate was to be brought down after her husband’s affair gave someone leverage over her. Whether that downfall came sooner or whether she got a chance to struggle was up to her.
I finished speaking and left the dining hall.
“Division Head.” Kim Manager was waiting in the hallway.
“Compile all the transfer documents for the three hundred billion Uncle is handing over, along with the local Indonesia materials, and bring them up.”
“Understood. I’ll prepare them right away.”
Today’s harvest was quite sweet. I got rid of Doyeong, jabbed at Aunt’s weakness, and snatched three hundred billion plus key personnel from Uncle. I’d pulled the teeth from those aiming for my neck, so things should be peaceful for a while. Of course, how long that peace would last was another question.
And then there was Father’s last remark.
“I’ll call you to the study tonight.”
That left a distinctly unpleasant aftertaste.
—
I sat on the sofa and picked up the tablet. When I unlocked it, a document file appeared on the screen.
[Lee Soyul Movement Report]
Yesterday morning, right after she came to the mansion of her own accord, I’d separately instructed Kim Manager to monitor her. I flipped through the pages. As promised, her father’s bounced promissory note had been covered, and the loan sharks loitering around the factory had been cleanly dealt with. Everything was still firmly under my control.
The problem was the next page.
In the attached snapshot, a tall man stood in front of Lee Soyul at a university campus bench. Even in a worn hoodie, he carried himself with striking uprightness.
“Kang Jinwoo.”
According to the original, the two of them weren’t supposed to get involved yet. Kang Jinwoo’s role was to extend a hand out of some self-righteous sense of justice only when Lee Soyul was driven to the edge by her family’s debts. Even though I’d twisted the original flow by covering the promissory note myself, he’d still caught the scent and approached.
Scrolling down revealed a series of photos showing Kang Jinwoo persistently following her. Beneath the photos was a short comment.
[Target continues to refuse conversation and avoids the location.]
Of course she would. The owner of the debt had changed to Han Seojun. She wouldn’t have the luxury of entertaining some returning student’s cheap goodwill. She was probably drying up with fear, wondering when she’d be summoned and what would be done to her.
I tapped Kang Jinwoo’s face on the screen with my finger. Sending people to deal with that bastard right now would be trivial. If I ordered Kim Manager, it would end with a single line in a report. But I couldn’t do that.
After grabbing my relatives by the collar at lunch today, everyone would be watching me like hawks, hoping to catch even the smallest slip. If I drew attention now by stepping on some random college student, what would that make me? A division head who was still acting like a thug outside? That old frame would be reused immediately.
My current position wasn’t solid enough to take that kind of risk. There was no need to rush. I was the one holding Lee Soyul’s real leash, after all.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened and Kim Manager entered with documents in hand.
“Division Head.”
“Are the documents ready?”
“Yes. The fund transfer and personnel reassignment will be completed by Monday morning.”
After finishing his report, Kim Manager stopped and added, “Also… the Chairman has asked for you in the study.”
So it had come. I turned off the tablet, picked up the tie I’d thrown on the sofa, and fixed it while lost in thought.
The reason that old man had taken my side was obvious. It wasn’t because he believed I was the successor. Rather, it was closer to a test. Whether my crazy actions were a useful weapon or just an uncontrollable outburst. Father intended to weigh that himself.
It was too early to feel relieved just because I’d survived today’s crisis. Beyond that door waited the monster who had built the Seojin Group empire. He wasn’t the kind of man to protect an incompetent child just because of blood ties. If you proved useless, he would cut you off without hesitation and throw you to the hunting dogs as food.
Just as I had cut off my cousin Doyeong’s head today, my own neck could fall at any moment. One wrong move here and the three hundred billion wouldn’t matter—my head would go first. It was a position where even a single mistake was unacceptable.