The Prince of Arabia and the Corporate Giant
Cheon Yooshin and the Prince of Arabia, Sultan, lived in different worlds, but both were absolute rulers in their own domains. Because of this, they spent the entire lunch hour deep in conversation, with Laila, the interpreter, caught in the middle. They talked so long that they finished their meal and continued for another two hours.
Sultan left the table with a smile, earnestly requesting that Yooshin contact him if he ever planned to visit his country. As soon as they left, Park Haesu entered.
"How was it? What did he say?"
"He seemed like a genuinely good man. I guess that's why they call him a prince. The aura radiating from him was just..."
Sultan had gifted him two trillion won and promised him unlimited, lifetime access to his hotels and restaurants. If Yooshin hadn't been over 400 years old, he might have even called Sultan "big brother." Park Haesu’s face stiffened at this uncharacteristic praise from Yooshin.
"You aren't talking about naturalization, are you?"
Through the National Intelligence Service, they had learned the true reason the heads of state were visiting. While obtaining Apocalyptor's corpse was part of it, their real goal was to naturalize the man in front of them, Cheon Yooshin, into their own countries.
"Ah, we talked about that too, but..."
"Absolutely not! Do you have any idea how hard I worked to raise you?"
"Raise who?"
"Ah, no, that was a slip of the tongue. You aren't really going to naturalize, are you?"
"Nah, I'm not going. A Korean should live in Korea. Where else would I go?"
Park Haesu let out a sigh of relief at Yooshin’s words. He slumped into the chair Sultan had just vacated and asked, "Then what was the real agenda?"
"A request to clear an A-class monster."
"...Excuse me? A-class?"
"Yeah. A-class."
"Wait, didn't you mishear? There isn't even a B-class monster in Saudi Arabia, let alone an A-class."
Saudi Arabia was, after all, one of the hunter powerhouses.
"It's a reservation. They asked me to help them if an A-class monster appears later."
"Ah..."
Park Haesu hoped that promise would never need to be kept. Even with the B-class Apocalyptor, they hadn't been able to clear it and had to just watch until Cheon Yooshin appeared. But an A-class monster, which was even stronger than that... He felt that even if the entire Earth teamed up, they wouldn't be able to win.
"So, did you accept?"
"Of course I have to go."
"No, why on earth..."
"The success fee is 30 trillion won. Of course I have to go."
No matter how much money you have, it always feels like you need more. So, you have to grab it when you can.
Even after becoming a two-trillion-won asset holder, his routine remained the same. If he was bored, he’d clear a C-class gate. Otherwise, he’d lounge on the office sofa and play mobile games. Today, while he was busy gaming as usual, someone visited the office. It was a man wearing a black suit that looked as if it had been pressed with a ruler.
"Oh?! The team leader is out on a business trip, you know?"
He revealed the whereabouts of the office owner while remaining sprawled on the sofa. However, the man’s business was with Cheon Yooshin, not the office owner.
"Greetings. It is an honor to meet you. I am Son Juseong from the law firm Haean."
Only then did Cheon Yooshin rise from the sofa and gesture for him to sit.
"Ah! You’re from there. Have a seat."
Son Juseong sat down, pulled out a stack of documents he had brought, and began to speak. "I have reviewed the situation regarding you, Yooshin-nim. There are several legal measures we can take."
Yooshin nodded.
"First, the fact that the power of attorney was forged has already been revealed through the Hunter Management Department's investigation. Therefore, we will file a lawsuit to invalidate the power of attorney. Officially nullifying that forged document is the first step."
"Oh-ho, then getting the company back shouldn't be a problem?"
Lawyer Son smiled. "No problem at all."
Normally, Son Juseong wouldn't give a client such a definitive answer. A trial is decided through strict legal deliberation, but ultimately, it is people who conduct those deliberations. Therefore, the outcome of a lawsuit can change depending on the judges' perspectives. However, this case was a sure thing. Everyone was moving with one heart and one mind.
"And regarding the matter you mentioned over the phone last time, we will also proceed with a claim for the return of unjust enrichment. We will take measures to ensure that all profits earned while they were operating the company are returned to you, Yooshin-nim."
"I'd be grateful if you could do that."
To a man with two trillion won, that pocket change didn't matter much, but when he thought about how they had forged the power of attorney to steal his father's property and made his family suffer in poverty, he had to take back even that pocket change. That was Yooshin’s revenge.
A while later.
Retrieving his father's company through the lawsuit to invalidate the forged power of attorney was instantaneous. Among the people whose lives, families, and property had been saved by the gates Cheon Yooshin cleared were judges in the judiciary. Once they confirmed that the applicant for this lawsuit was Cheon Yooshin, they issued a ruling with unprecedented speed. Thanks to this, ownership of the company passed to Cheon Yooshin.
Yooshin visited the company with his mother. He stepped into the chairman's office, which had once been his father's office. Yoo Insook wandered around the room quietly, examining every corner, perhaps reminiscing about the past. Yooshin watched his mother with a calm gaze, uncharacteristic of him.
"It's changed a lot."
Perhaps they had intentionally tried to clear away the traces of her husband's touch; everything she remembered had been altered. The wallpaper, the desk, the lights, even the floor. It felt as uncomfortable as being in a stranger's house. Then, Yooshin spoke up.
"Mom."
"Yes? Did you call me?"
"Yeah. By any chance, do you want to take over this company?"
Yooshin knew what he was good at. Fighting. Other than that, he was hopeless. He admitted it. If he were to take over this company, it would go out of business in a few days. Well, of course, he had no interest in running a company either.
"You want me to take over the company?"
Yooshin nodded. A smile played on Yoo Insook's lips.
"Oh, you. This isn't some corner store; how could I take over a company? People would talk. Really."
Yoo Insook, who had regained her complexion, sat on the sofa and gestured for Yooshin to sit as well. Looking at Yooshin sitting across from her, she said in a soft voice.
"Mom has no more regrets now. My proud..."
Her words paused for a moment. A slight tremor touched her voice. Yooshin waited quietly for his mother to continue.
"My proud son, I am truly happy that you have grown up so much, Yooshin."
The corners of Yoo Insook's eyes curved like faint crescent moons. "But Yooshin. I can't take over the company. So, I'll pretend I didn't hear what you just said."
Yooshin tried to persuade his mother, but she hurriedly stood up, saying she had work to do. Left alone in the office, Yooshin rested his chin in his hand.
Hmm... 'I can't sell the company, either. And I can't leave it to my sister, who has the college entrance exam coming up...' Then what to do... 'Was it Kim Jeonghyeon?' A person popped into his mind as he pondered.
Kim Jeonghyeon, the Financial Planning Team Leader of Cheomdan Happy Industry, stared at the building towering before him with a tense expression. The exterior, covered in glass and concrete, featured the "Ohsung" logo shining brilliantly. Ohsung Motors. The name symbolized a giant that dominated the domestic automotive market. At the same time, it was a "super-superior" that held the fate of Cheomdan Happy Industry, where Kim Jeonghyeon worked and his father served as president. The weight of the term "prime contractor" pressed down on his shoulders.
A phone call had come out of the blue this morning. "There are matters to discuss regarding the supply price adjustment, so please come to the head office's small conference room by 14:00." It was just a single line of text, but the meaning behind it was heavy indeed. Kim Jeonghyeon took a deep breath, straightened his tie, and entered the building.
Across the table in the room labeled "Small Conference Room" sat executives wearing company uniforms embroidered with the words "Ohsung Motors."
"Greetings! I am Kim Jeonghyeon, Financial Planning Team Leader of Cheomdan Happy Industry!"
He raised his voice and bowed his waist like a new recruit, but the executives' gazes were cold.
"Sit over there."
"Y-yes, yes..."
As soon as Kim Jeonghyeon sat down, Executive Director Oh, one of the executives, opened the conversation. "Well, let's begin. Starting this quarter, we will proceed with a 20% reduction in the supply price compared to the previous quarter."
Kim Jeonghyeon gasped at the attack that came out of nowhere. "O-Oh, Executive Director. That is a very difficult request. It already dropped by 10% in the first quarter. And with the price of raw materials, labor costs, and everything else rising, you want to lower the supply price? If we do that, our company will go bankrupt."
If he accepted this request, it would result in a 30% reduction for the year. That meant a deficit. If this were a one-time thing, he wouldn't mind taking the loss. The problem was that it wasn't a one-time thing. Usually, it's easy to lower supply prices but incredibly difficult to raise them. If so, the deficit would continue, and eventually, closing the doors wouldn't be an exaggeration at all.
But the prime contractor doesn't listen to the subcontractor's situation. Executive Director Oh lit a cigarette and gave a fishy smile.
"Look here, Team Leader Kim. Do you have any idea how many parts manufacturers we trade with? You seem to have forgotten that we can switch to another company whenever we want."
Kim Jeonghyeon bit his lip. If they lost a client like Ohsung Motors, they would have to shrink the size they had expanded to so far. They would have to reduce the facilities they had installed by taking out excessive loans and lay off employees. In the end, a shrunken size weakens competitiveness. And a company with weakened competitiveness? There is no answer other than closing the doors.
However, if he accepted the opponent's request, he might survive for now, but he would eventually have to close the doors anyway due to the accumulated deficit.
"P-please give us some time. We need to discuss it internally..."
"Discuss? Subcontractors should just follow what the prime contractor wants; what is there to discuss? This isn't a marketplace. Huh?"
At that moment, laughter erupted in the conference room. One of the executives sitting next to Executive Director Oh said mockingly, "Look here, Team Leader Kim. You don't seem to have grasped the situation properly yet, but there is no choice here. If you want to keep going with us, you have to meet our requirements. Don't you agree?"
Kim Jeonghyeon's face flushed red with anger and humiliation. But he couldn't say anything. He just bowed his head and clenched his fists until they felt like they would crumble.
Executive Director Oh stood up and stood behind Kim Jeonghyeon. He placed a hand on Kim Jeonghyeon's shoulder and said, "Give me a reply by 2:00 PM tomorrow. I can expect a positive answer, right?"
"..."
"Answer me, Team Leader Kim."
A coercive tone. Smiles spread across the lips of the executives sitting across from Kim Jeonghyeon. The only person not laughing in the conference room was Kim Jeonghyeon.
Humiliation, anger, and frustration. These were the emotions Kim Jeonghyeon was feeling right now.
"Y-yes, I understand. I will give you an answer by tomorrow."
"Hehehe. Good. Good. We should help each other live. Aren't subcontractors and prime contractors eating from the same pot?"
Kim Jeonghyeon stood up. His legs were trembling. He didn't remember how he had said goodbye, opened the door, and walked out of the company.
"Damn it, the sky is so clear."
The sky was clear. Unlike his heart, it was incredibly blue and clear. Kim Jeonghyeon, who had been staring blankly at the sky for a moment, was trudging along when—
Beep-beep-beep!
His phone rang. He checked the screen without thinking. The name "Cheon Yooshin" was clearly displayed.