Chapter 772: This Investment Proposal, You Must Not Refuse.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 772: This Investment Proposal, You Must Not Refuse.
"This is insane."
Yorang spoke, her expression completely stiff.
The contents of the investment proposal were simply too preposterous.
"Pavilion Master... exactly... what is written in there...?"
Tang Hye, who was standing beside her, asked with a worried look. She had grown concerned seeing Yorang, who had been happily sucking on a tang-gwa just moments ago, suddenly turn so dead serious.
In response to Tang Hye's question, Yorang silently handed her the investment proposal. It was a gesture telling her to read it for herself.
Tang Hye began to slowly read through the proposal Yorang had offered.
What could possibly be written in there to make the eternally cheerful Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion look so grim?
After some time had passed...
Tang Hye’s complexion began to turn deathly pale. The contents were truly shocking.
"Did... Sun-woo... really write this...?"
Tang Hye asked Yorang, her voice trembling. She looked as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
Yorang nodded silently. Then, she began to walk slowly toward the exit.
"Wh-where are you going?!"
Seeing this, Tang Hye asked in bewilderment.
"I think the person in power needs to know about this."
Having said her piece, Yorang walked out the door with the proposal in hand, never once looking back.
Soon, only Tang Hye and Tang Sam remained in the room.
*
Clan Head's Office.
Thud.
Tang Seo-yoon buried her head onto her desk. Her body and mind were exhausted from the endless mountain of approval documents that never seemed to shrink, no matter how many she processed.
She had clearly hired more staff and subdivided the tasks, yet for some reason, the intensity of the labor remained unchanged. It was still exhausting, and she still had no free time.
'I want to go somewhere. Anywhere.'
She thought to herself. She wanted to leave it all behind and escape this leech-like hell of approvals.
"......Miss...... are you alright?"
Geum Jeok-hwa, sitting at the desk opposite her, asked with a worried expression. She seemed concerned by Seo-yoon’s look of total exhaustion.
".......I am fine.... A little... rest... and I will recover soon."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke in a calm tone. She tried to sound as if nothing was wrong, but her voice was thick with fatigue.
"Why don't you go take a nap?"
Noticing her exhaustion, Geum Jeok-hwa suggested she take a break.
".....I can still hold out."
"Haven't you been pulling all-nighters for three days now? You might collapse at this rate."
"Isn't this exactly why I trained—to endure times like this?"
Tang Seo-yoon offered a smile to Geum Jeok-hwa. She was genuinely grateful for the other woman's concern.
"Still......"
But Geum Jeok-hwa could not hide her worry. Tang Seo-yoon had been immersed in work for three days without proper sleep. How could she not be worried?
"I'm really okay. If I feel like I can't handle it, I'll stop."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke with a forced look of composure.
".......Alright."
Hearing that, Geum Jeok-hwa nodded in resignation. She knew she couldn't break that stubborn streak of hers.
'If only Sun-woo were here......'
She looked regretful. Sun-woo was the only person for whom Tang Seo-yoon would set aside her stubbornness. If he were here, he would have forced her to rest, even against her will. His absence made the regret feel even sharper.
Patter, patter, patter.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps reached their ears.
Bang!
The door swung open violently. Tang Seo-yoon and Geum Jeok-hwa both turned their gaze toward the entrance.
There, they saw a peerless beauty with a cute impression.
""Yorang-nim?!""
The two women spoke in unison, their expressions filled with confusion. They were caught off guard by Yorang's sudden visit.
"I'm here."
Yorang spoke as she looked at them.
"What brings you here so suddenly...?"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked, looking puzzled. She couldn't understand why Yorang had come to Tang Seo-yoon's office.
"I have something to discuss."
Yorang spoke with a remarkably serious expression.
"Something to discuss?"
Tang Seo-yoon tilted her head. She couldn't even begin to guess what Yorang would want to discuss so abruptly.
Stomp, stomp.
Yorang strode forward.
Thwack.
She placed a single letter directly onto Tang Seo-yoon's desk.
Tang Seo-yoon slowly picked up the letter.
Crinkle.
She unfolded it and began to read carefully, as if determined not to miss a single character.
After a while...
Tang Seo-yoon's expression became incredibly grave. The contents of the letter were quite serious.
"Yorang-nim, who sent this?"
"Sun-woo."
"He's insane."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke, her expression turning hard as stone.
"I know. I think he's lost his mind."
Yorang vehemently agreed. She felt that no one in their right mind would make such a proposal.
"....Um.... excuse me.... what exactly is written in there.... for you both to react like this?"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked, her curiosity piqued by their reactions. She was dying to know what was in the letter.
"Sun-woo proposed an investment."
Yorang answered in a flat tone.
"An investment?"
"Yeah. He said he's going to swallow the Cheonmu Alliance whole, rename it the Uicheon Alliance, and told us to invest because he plans to rally all the remaining forces."
"He's going to swallow the Cheonmu Alliance?"
"Yeah. He said he's going to be appointed as the Alliance Leader and consolidate all the remnants."
Yorang began to summarize the contents of the proposal. She left out the parts she deemed unimportant.
".......But what exactly is the problem?"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked back, looking confused. She didn't see the issue. To her, it sounded like a plausible proposal. It seemed like something well worth investing in. If they could bring the Cheonmu Alliance under their influence, it would be like owning a goose that laid golden eggs.
"The problem is the investment amount."
Yorang spoke with a grim expression.
"The investment amount?"
Geum Jeok-hwa tilted her head and asked again.
"He asked for an impossibly astronomical sum."
".....How much is it?"
"30 Million Nyang."
Yorang stated calmly.
"Whaaaat?!"
Geum Jeok-hwa let out a scream. Even as the daughter of the Head of the Mangeum Bank, the amount was so staggering it left her in total shock.
"You think it's crazy too, right?"
Yorang asked, looking at the stunned Geum Jeok-hwa with an exasperated expression.
*
"What on earth is he going to use that much money for?!"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked, her face full of bewilderment. She simply couldn't fathom it. 30 Million Nyang wasn't pocket change; how could he suggest such an investment so easily?
As the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion, Yorang’s annual salary was 2,400 Nyang, the highest in history. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she received the highest salary in the Tang Clan, excluding the Acting Head. Yet even for someone like Yorang, it would take a million years of labor to save up 30 Million Nyang. It was a truly astronomical figure.
And he wanted them to just invest that kind of money? Where did he plan to spend it all?
"He said he's going to relocate the Uicheon Alliance. And to prevent speculation, he plans to use the alliance's public funds to buy up all the surrounding land."
Yorang gave a rough explanation of the investment's purpose so Geum Jeok-hwa could understand.
"You absolutely must not accept!"
Upon hearing this, Geum Jeok-hwa raised her voice in fierce opposition. She felt it was a proposal that should never be entertained.
"30 Million Nyang! An amount like that would bankrupt the Tang Clan's assets!"
30 Million Nyang was such a massive sum that even the Tang Clan, known as the greatest power in Sichuan, couldn't raise it without selling off their estates. And he wanted them to invest that kind of money into the Uicheon Alliance, which was only just starting out? It was absurd. It had to be rejected.
"..............."
Tang Seo-yoon remained silent, her expression heavy. She began to read the investment proposal once more, very carefully. It seemed she intended to review it again.
"Miss! You mustn't accept! It's too dangerous!"
Seeing this, Geum Jeok-hwa urgently tried to dissuade her. She was worried that Seo-yoon might actually be tempted by Sun-woo's proposal.
"It is... certainly a dangerous investment."
Tang Seo-yoon finally spoke. She was well aware of the risks. To begin with, the Uicheon Alliance had no credit—certainly not enough to justify a 30 Million Nyang loan. That meant there was a chance they might never recover the principal. How could it not be dangerous?
"However..... it is also an equally attractive investment."
"Huh?"
Geum Jeok-hwa stared blankly. She was bewildered to hear something positive coming from Seo-yoon's mouth.
"The Uicheon Alliance promised one specific benefit as a condition for the investment. I believe that benefit alone makes it worth investing in."
Tang Seo-yoon continued in a calm voice.
"What is that benefit?"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked, still not understanding. What kind of benefit could possibly tempt this cautious and principled woman into such a dangerous investment?
"Speculation rights."
"Speculation rights?!"
"Yes. Only the Tang Clan will have the right to speculate on the land near the Uicheon Alliance."
Tang Seo-yoon looked at Geum Jeok-hwa with sparkling eyes.
"Isn't it attractive?"
A smile even began to form on her lips. She seemed quite taken with the proposal.
"Wait.... so... he's going to allow the Tang Clan to speculate?"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked, looking incredulous. He said he was buying up the surrounding land with public funds to prevent speculation, yet he was going to allow it only for the Tang Clan? It was absurd.
"Yes. He said he would hand over half of the purchased land to the Tang Clan."
".....Half of it?"
Geum Jeok-hwa asked, her eyes wide with shock. This was a land purchase involving a massive sum of 30 Million Nyang. He was likely planning to buy millions, if not tens of millions, of pyeong. And he was going to just hand over half of that? How could she not be shocked?
"He said he would give us exactly half."
Tang Seo-yoon nodded as she spoke.
"..............."
Hearing this, Geum Jeok-hwa fell silent, her expression turning serious. She now realized just how attractive Sun-woo's proposal was. Exclusive speculation rights? It was an opportunity to rake in profits so massive it would be like using a harvester to collect gold.
She could understand why the cautious and wise Tang Seo-yoon was so tempted. Anyone would be, given such an insane rate of return.
'We have to do it! We must do this!'
Geum Jeok-hwa immediately changed her mind. She felt that for this level of profit, the risk was well worth taking.
"Yorang-nim."
Tang Seo-yoon called out to Yorang, who had been watching from the side.
"Yeah?"
"Can you raise 30 Million Nyang?"
"What's the deadline?"
"Hmm....... about three months?"
"I can raise it. But I'll have to liquidate most of our businesses at bargain prices. To get a fair price, it would take at least half a year."
Yorang began to state her rough calculations. Raising 30 Million Nyang itself wasn't impossible; the Tang Clan certainly had the capacity. The problem was that they would have to clear out most of their businesses.
"It doesn't matter. Far more money will be coming back to us."
Tang Seo-yoon spoke, her eyes shining like starlight.
"Aren't you being too hasty? What if we can't even recover the principal?"
Yorang asked with a worried look. She feared Tang Seo-yoon might be making a rash decision.
"No, I've reached this conclusion after careful consideration. This investment proposal... we must not refuse."
Tang Seo-yoon looked at Yorang with a steady gaze.
"This proposal is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the Tang Clan the greatest power under heaven."
Her eyes were filled with absolute conviction.