Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Royal Family 6-3
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Park Seon-woong's worries ran deep.
And Ji-hyeok refrained from interrupting his thoughts for a long while.
It was only after nearly ten minutes had passed that Park Seon-woong's lips finally parted cautiously.
"To be honest... I lack confidence. I entered Taesung in a research role. After twenty years developing advanced materials in the lab, I rose to department head, then managing director. From there, through executive director to vice president and finally CEO, I spent eight years without setting foot anywhere near a lab."
As if his throat was parched just from the recollection, Park Seon-woong lifted his glass of water and took a sip.
"Looking back now, I have no idea how I survived. Once I had that executive title, I never slept more than four hours a day. The real problem wasn't the lack of sleep, though—it was that those hours weren't enjoyable. The only thing that kept me going was probably my ambition for advancement. Of course, that ambition led to a three-day miracle that lasted only three months... But now, to walk that path again? No. I prefer the lab."
"Understood. Thank you for your honest answer. In that case, let's proceed not with absorption and merger, but as a primary vendor."
"A primary vendor?"
"Yes."
"Everything you're saying to me is hard to grasp. Let me ask about the most confusing part first. Why are you doing this for me?"
Ji-hyeok met Park Seon-woong's slightly sharpened expression with a firm look of his own.
It was a way of showing there was no mischief or ulterior motive involved.
"We received five billion from Ilshin Chemical for the land price."
"Five billion? That's impossible."
"That's what we got. The reason I'm proposing this to you, President, is because your sacrifice lay behind my ability to achieve that result. That's where the first offer came from: seven hundred million. Up to that point, it was consideration."
"So from now on, it isn't."
"Exactly. From here, it's business. I plan to earn at least five billion—no, over ten billion—with this technology. The total cost for acquiring Jinsung Tech shares was seven hundred million. In the first scenario, I would've covered three hundred million from my own pocket and expensed four hundred million through the department budget. But I've changed my mind. I want to cover the full seven hundred million with company funds."
Park Seon-woong seemed to catch something in Ji-hyeok's response.
His eyes sparkled.
And rightly so—the moment "personal funds" came up, it signaled this was no ordinary business deal.
Yet he didn't voice his thoughts easily.
That restraint was probably the mark of someone who had climbed to the presidency at Taesung.
"I see. In that case, I'll prepare the documents for you."
"Thank you."
"My options are limited anyway. Even in the worst case, if I can secure seven hundred million, there's no reason not to hand them over."
"I promise you that much."
"I'll trust you."
By the time Ji-hyeok gathered the documents, bid farewell to Park Seon-woong, and stepped outside, dusk was settling in.
He pulled out his phone the moment he got in the car.
His call was to Section Chief Oh.
"Section Chief, it's Seo Ji-hyeok. Yes. Have you arrived in Seoul by any chance?"
"No, not yet. Ilshin Chemical's chairman prepared an elaborate lunch, delaying our departure. Of course, there were plenty of questions about you during the meal, but the clear takeaway is their strong intent to improve relations with existing Taesung."
"Good to hear. Where are you now?"
"We'll hit the Sangju IC soon."
"I'd like to meet briefly at a nearby rest area. Should be there in about an hour twenty."
"Sure, let's do that."
Section Chief Oh was probably driving.
Given his personality, it was natural he wouldn't let Assistant Manager Han take the wheel...
After hanging up, Ji-hyeok pictured the lunch the two had shared with Ilshin Chemical's chairman.
Imagining their conversation brought a faint smile to his lips.
Ji-hyeok rendezvoused with Section Chief Oh and Assistant Manager Han at the Sangju rest area just past seven.
The two were waiting in the coffee shop, with Assistant Manager Han hunched over a laptop on the table, typing away at some document.
"Sorry I'm late."
"Ah, Ji-hyeok! You've had a tough day. Eaten yet?"
"Yes, grabbed some bread in the car on the way."
"Oh dear, is that enough?"
"I'm fine."
Section Chief Oh and Assistant Manager Han's eyes gleamed as they looked at Ji-hyeok.
Now, their relationship was something special.
That was why Ji-hyeok's gaze toward them brimmed with affection—and equal respect.
Once seated, Ji-hyeok pulled samples and test documents from his bag and began reporting on the day's accomplishments.
As his report continued, the two men's mouths gradually fell open.
The scale of what Ji-hyeok had pulled off was anything but ordinary.
"Hmm..."
But once the report ended, while Assistant Manager Han brimmed with joy at yet another success, a soft sigh escaped Section Chief Oh.
"Seo Ji-hyeok, you knew all this from the start, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Assistant Manager Han spoke up cautiously at their exchange.
"Is there something I don't know?"
"I'm from electronics, so I know this area well. There are four companies in Korea handling ultra-thin tempered glass right now. But one dominates: Engisys."
"Ah, I've heard of them. But why is that a problem? It's a chance for Taesung to secure leading technology."
Ji-hyeok answered Han Ji-young's question.
"Engisys does business with both Taesung Electronics and Mirae Display. Their tech edge over the other three is a factor, but the real reason is their CEO, Park Dae-hwi. His brother, Park Chang-hwi, is the current Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance—and husband to Taesung Hotel's CEO, Kang Mi-young. Park Dae-hwi himself is married to Joo Da-rim, fourth daughter of Mirae Group's Chairman Joo Young-nam."
"Ah..."
Han Ji-young, ever the strategic planning veteran, grasped it immediately.
"So, Engisys is playing neutral between Taesung and Mirae."
"Yes. In truth, Engisys was strategically nurtured by both Taesung and Mirae."
"Then..."
Han Ji-young trailed off.
Her bright expression darkened.
She knew this issue all too well from her strategic planning days.
Projects entangled in non-business considerations.
Those always ended politically, far from pure business.
When strategic planning hit such walls, all they could do was produce impeccably business-focused documents.
Of course, they knew those all-nighters yielded reports that sat unread on decision-makers' conference tables.
In those rooms, purely personal, emotional words flew, and deals closed for incomprehensible reasons.
Knowing that, crafting the numbers was grueling.
But then—
"Section Chief, can we meet with the Electronics CEO tomorrow?"
"Hmm. I'll try. And the reason it has to be tomorrow matches what I'm thinking?"
"Yes. Too many tails on our trail."
"Hahaha, spot on. Personally, I find it a bit thrilling. Being tailed doesn't feel half bad."
Section Chief Oh's hearty laugh was refreshing.
Han Ji-young looked mildly surprised.
It was a side different from his usual calm, serious demeanor.
Watching him, she thought even Section Chief Oh had changed a little, just like her.
Tailed?
"Tailed?"
"Oh, Assistant Manager Han didn't know? It started when Section Chief Bang and I drove down from Seoul. It's been with us the whole way here. Maybe you didn't notice since you weren't driving."
Han Ji-young seemed genuinely shocked.
Her mouth hung open without a sound.
But Section Chief Oh turned to Ji-hyeok.
"The Electronics CEO always keeps twenty minutes free after lunch. I'll request that slot."
"Yes."
"But there's a condition."
"Please, go ahead."
"Regardless of whether this deal goes through, I won't accept you covering three hundred million from your personal funds. We'll expense the full seven hundred million through the department."
His words carried weight.
A declaration he wouldn't budge.
So Ji-hyeok bowed his head.
"Yes. I'll follow your lead, Section Chief. Thank you."
"Good. Then let's hurry a bit. Even leaving now, we'll arrive around midnight."
"Yes. I'll have one more coffee and head out. You go first."
"Alright. If you're sleepy, take a quick nap before driving."
"Yes. I'll keep that in mind."
The three parted ways at the rest area.
Ji-hyeok arrived home at one in the morning.
But sleep would have to wait.
After washing off the day's fatigue in the bathroom, Ji-hyeok flipped the white board standing in the living room corner.
There, Taesung's affiliates and shareholding structure sprawled like a spiderweb.
Of course, Taesung was now fully a holding company system.
But it hadn't always been that way.
Like most Korean chaebols, Taesung had once relied on circular investment to control its vast empire.
Ten years ago, however, the Changseon Group hedge fund attack shook management control and exposed the flaws. In a panic, chaebols rushed to restructure into holding companies.
Vice Chairman An Chi-hyeon, Chairman Kang Wook's right-hand man, had successfully led Taesung through that massive overhaul.
'Looks solid, doesn't it? They'll think it's an impregnable fortress. But guess what. I can see the cracks.'
With a smirk, Ji-hyeok flipped the board back to its blank side.
He toweled off his still-damp hair and settled on the sofa, firing up his laptop again.
His day wasn't over yet.
Taesung Electronics was the core affiliate of Taesung Group.
Annual revenue: 170 trillion won.
The undisputed leader of Korea's electronics industry, it firmly held the number one spot, leaving Mirae Electronics' 90 trillion far behind.
Thus, its CEO was selected purely on merit.
Chairman Kang Wook had helmed Electronics twenty years ago; since then, no Kang family member had set foot there.
Even the three sisters—Jin-young, Seon-young, and Mi-young—showed respect to the Electronics CEO.
Due to this unique position, the CEO was as famous for neutrality in the sisters' management dispute as Vice Chairman An Chi-hyeon.
"Section Chief Oh, it's refreshing to see you like this."
"Thank you for making time, President."
CEO Lee Seo-hoon, who greeted Section Chief Oh, Assistant Manager Han, and Ji-hyeok, embodied sharpness itself.
He shook Section Chief Oh's hand at length, then moved to Han before extending it to Ji-hyeok.
"Finally meeting the group's celebrity."
"Pleased to meet you, President. Special Sales Department, Kang Ji-hyeok."
Gasp!
Screech!
No sounds escaped, but Section Chief Oh and Assistant Manager Han might as well have screamed.
For a moment, they wondered if they'd misheard—but exchanging glances confirmed it wasn't just them.
'He definitely said Kang Ji-hyeok, not Seo Ji-hyeok, right?'
Yet CEO Lee Seo-hoon merely flashed a bright smile.