Pinpointing Weaknesses (2)

She had reached into my head, plucked out exactly what I wanted, and set it on the table at the perfect moment.

Strategist was the word that fit Director Heo Ji-hye to a tee.

A mind like hers should have been born the eldest son of the Sunjin Ilbo family. Instead, for the simple fact of being a woman, she had married into another house and spent her days managing her husband's affairs from behind. A genuine shame.

I filed the impression away. Until I had built my world to perfection, she was someone I must never meet as an enemy.

She had thrown out a luscious bait. Now it was my turn to respond. While she still had no wariness toward me at all, I needed to lock the terms down cold.

"I'll be frank with you. Manager Han Se-ah has been shooting down every project our team tries to advance, and it's put me in a very difficult position. But if Han Se-ah finds out I've sided with you, given her temperament, she won't sit quietly. Whether I'll even be able to keep working at Iljin Group…"

"Don't worry about that."

Director Heo set down her teacup and looked at me.

"I intend to establish a company of my own before long."

"Director, that—"

The secretary lurched forward to advise her, but she raised a hand and stopped him.

"Associate Kang Minhyuk's livelihood is at stake. We ought to guarantee him at least a minimum of opportunity."

At her explanation, the secretary straightened again. Director Heo met my eyes once more.

"It will be a company capitalized entirely with my own money. Even my husband doesn't know yet."

Now this was getting interesting. So she hadn't merely been ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠playing the quiet, supportive wife. Then again, she was far too capable for a role that small.

"If Associate Kang Minhyuk pledges to cooperate with me, I will hire every member of New Business Development Team 1. The work they perform will be the same, of course."

Her gaze asked whether that was enough. The offer was unexpected enough that I needed a moment to think.

If I walked out of Iljin Group with the entire Team 1 and immediately stood up a new company, retaliation from Iljin was a foregone conclusion. That was why I had even considered parking headquarters in the United States and staying out of the Korean market until the company was strong enough to weather the storm. But that was only my thinking. Whether I could actually persuade the team was another matter. Jumping to a startup with no foundation was already a source of anxiety. If they also had to live abroad with no guarantee of success, I wouldn't have been eager either.

But if Director Heo Ji-hye became our shield? Iljin Group wouldn't dare touch us so easily. Could I find a better hut to wait out a passing shower?

Even so, accepting on the spot had a problem. I still didn't know her real purpose for creating a new company. It wouldn't be philanthropy, and she hadn't suddenly developed a passion for business.

Which left one possibility.

Is it because of her son?

CEO Han Seung-woo and Director Heo Ji-hye had one son and two daughters. The two girls had already followed their parents' wishes down the elite track, grown into their roles, and taken key posts at Iljin Group affiliates to learn the business. The youngest — the son — was studying abroad, or so I had heard. He was probably coming home soon.

But Iljin Group was the prize in an ongoing succession war between Chairman Han Chung-won, the second son CEO Han Seung-woo, and the third son CEO Han Seung-joon. Director Heo's boy was still far too green to step into that fight. Worse, CEO Han Seung-joon had married earlier than his older brother, and his sons had already finished their management training and were actively sitting in the leadership of major affiliates. If things went wrong, Han Seung-woo's side could lose the succession advantage. From Director Heo's position, it made sense to open another path and quietly put her weight behind her son.

Is she aiming for a reverse triangular merger?

Grow a subsidiary, acquire the parent company's shares, and absorb the target. There was no better method for her. She could develop her son's management skills in the natural course of things while also reducing the tax burden of inheritance. To get there, though, she needed time — a great deal of it.

If I could go in as CEO of the new company, that would actually be an excellent situation.

For that, there had to be trust between us. This was only our first meeting. Rather than show my hand now, I needed to prove myself.

It would be nice if we could cooperate naturally. Working to stay in her good graces, though, sounds exhausting.

The businesses I already had in mind were piled up like a mountain. Running a company alone would keep me stretched thin. If I also had to worry about securing management control, I ought to refuse no matter how many advantages came with the offer. For now, I would just leave the door open. Of all the ways to extract the team intact from Iljin Group, this was still the easiest.

"That's not a decision I can make on my own. If I reach the point where I feel I can't hold on any longer, I'll discuss it with the team. Before that, though, may I ask one favor?"

"Go ahead."

"Our team is currently pushing a project in secret, behind Manager Han Se-ah's back. I'd like you to help us get it through."

"To what end?"

"I want to send Manager Han Se-ah a warning. I want to show her that no matter how hard she tries to crush me, she can't stop our team's success."

Director Heo seemed pleased that my objective didn't stray far from her own. A look of satisfaction crossed her face.

"You seem quite confident about this project of yours."

"Of course."

She smiled, soft and composed.

"Very well. I'll mention it to Vice President Oh Sang-do."

"Thank you, Director. And this—"

I picked up the credit card lying in front of me.

"I'll accept it with gratitude, as a token of our agreement."

I bowed politely at the waist and left the director's office.

I had gained a formidable ally. Now I intended to dance with the blade as freely as I liked. First, though, a proper insurance policy.

I took the deluxe taxi I'd kept waiting and headed straight for the airport.

"What's your read, Secretary Im?"

"He seems reasonably sharp. Quick to judge a situation, too."

"I see…"

After a moment of thought, Heo Ji-hye gave her instructions.

"Check everything you can on Kang Minhyuk — his hiring documents, internal evaluations, family relations. Review the projects New Business Development Team 1 has run as well. We need a proper assessment of whether he's worth bringing over."

"Yes, ma'am."

The secretary left, and Heo Ji-hye sank into thought.

Until she had met Kang Minhyuk in person, her assessment of him had been extremely harsh. A man toyed with by a lavish, dissolute actress. There couldn't be a more foolish human being on earth.

But meeting him had been nothing like she'd expected. Cautious. Deeply reasonable. Decisive, besides.

"They say suffering matures a person. Is he that sort of case?"

In any event, it felt like a waste to use him once and throw him away. So she decided to polish him — to see how brightly he could shine.

The more talented people around Ha-jin, the better.

The following afternoon, at five o'clock, Heo Ji-hye began casually reading the documents her secretary had brought. Before long she was absorbed in the recent reports published by New Business Development Team 1, and she spent more than an hour reading them through.

She addressed the secretary standing at attention beside her.

"Have a position opened on New Business Development Team 1."

"What sort of position should we arrange?"

"Staff level, for now. Contact Ha-jin and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠tell him to be home in time for dinner."

The secretary's eyes widened.

"Surely you don't mean to send Young Master Ha-jin to the new business development team as a Staff member?"

Heo Ji-hye handed him the documents and took off her glasses.

"Every project that recently fell through is a business I was planning to pursue once I started the new company. Under a team leader with this kind of eye, a few months of learning wouldn't be a bad thing."

There was one thing Heo Ji-hye didn't know.

Every project she had examined with such interest had been proposed by Kang Minhyuk specifically in anticipation of Han Se-ah shooting them down.

My second visit to New York in this lifetime. Clear, sunny weather still greeted me — perfect weather for dreaming the American Dream.

The moment I arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport, I called my sister, who had gotten there first.

"It's me. Where are you?"

"Someone super famous? Who?"

"Oh, really? I heard a lot of celebrities live around there. Guess it was true."

She traveled abroad once or twice a week without fail, and somehow still found things to be amazed by. Maybe because this was her first flight to America?

"How's the place? Is it okay?"

"Good."

Once I bought the building, I'd be coming here often, so I had asked Alex to find a suitable property. The plan was to live on a one-year lease first, then move if we found a place we liked. I had wanted to buy a unit in Central Park Tower, famous as New York's tallest mixed-use residential tower — but it was more expensive than I'd expected. Once the business started, there would be plenty of expenses. I should make more money first, then buy.

"I just arrived. I'll stop by the law office, so I'll be a bit late. Go ahead and eat."

The moment I hung up, Alex contacted me. He had a company car waiting at the airport. Expensive law firms really did offer a different caliber of service.

Riding in the chauffeur car, I reviewed the real estate report Alex had sent me before.

I planned to spend eight hundred thousand dollars more than the estimated winning bid, so I could treat eleven million as the overall budget. Once leasing was complete, the projected return was ten percent a month. Even taking a conservative seven percent, I could fully recoup the principal in 10.35 years.

Not bad.

If the property value rose later, even better. But more than making money off real estate, if the business thrived enough that I could use the entire sixty-story building as our headquarters, nothing could be better.

Within ten years, surely?

Since I had set my mind to it, I fixed a target number.

Fill one floor a month and that's sixty months. Five years to fill the whole thing.

A goal had to be clear. That was half the fun of hitting it.

When I arrived at the Empire State Building, Alex was waiting in the parking garage.

"It's been a while."

"Oh! My, I almost didn't recognize you."

Alex looked startled, and I realized why — this would be the first time he had seen me after I'd lost the weight. I gave an awkward smile and shook his hand.

"I've changed quite a bit, haven't I? Once I came into money, I found myself taking care of my health first."

"That was the right call. You ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠look excellent."

We exchanged bits of small talk as I followed him to the conference room. When the door opened, two people were waiting for me. Alex made the introductions.

"This is Ethan Trump, a real estate specialist, and that's Logan Davis, an architect. He's the one who originally designed the Douglas Building."

"A pleasure. Kang Minhyuk of Xeros Group. Please feel free to call me Mr. Xeros."

I had summoned the two of them the moment I landed in New York to run a final status check before the building went to auction. After brief greetings we sat down, and Ethan Trump muttered bluntly.

"I came because I was called. But I don't see the point. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Honestly, you haven't even won the building yet. Aren't we just wasting time?"

Shooting us down before the meeting even started. Yeah — you weren't going to work out.