Chapter 114
Chapter 114
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: The Fall of a Titan
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"We've arrived, Chairman."
Late that afternoon, I headed straight for the Samjung Medical Center in Irwon-dong.
The hospital entrance was already a sea of people, reporters who had caught the scent of a story.
No matter how much the company tried to block the media, it seemed there were limits when it came to a matter of this magnitude.
"Hey! Isn't that Chairman Jin Hyun-seung of Jaewoo Group?"
Even though I'd gotten out of the car a good distance away, someone recognized me and shouted.
A swarm of reporters immediately rushed toward me.
The questions that followed were mostly about Chairman Lee Yong-moon's condition, but asking me was just as pointless.
"Please make way."
I said sharply, my expression grave.
Perhaps my voice was too loud, because the reporters fell silent for a moment, and a path opened before me.
"I understand that Samjung will be making a separate announcement regarding Chairman Lee's condition. So, instead of crowding here, I suggest you head to the press conference Samjung is preparing."
After that brief statement, I immediately entered the hospital.
"This way, please."
Some of Samjung's security guards, who had been busy holding back the reporters, spotted me and rushed over, guiding me to the ward where Chairman Lee Yong-moon was staying.
*A heart attack...*
That was, in fact, the cause of Chairman Lee's death before my regression.
The problem was that it had happened more than ten years ahead of schedule.
Was this, too, a result of the butterfly effect?
Even so, I had never expected the butterfly effect to manifest in this way, which only amplified my bewilderment.
"Welcome, Chairman Jin."
In the VIP lobby was Chairman Lee Young-hoon. No, he was currently the Managing Director of Samjung Electronics. He brightened upon seeing me and extended his hand.
Technically, we had only met a few times.
But because my relationship with Chairman Lee had been so strong, it was true that neither of us felt like strangers to the other.
"How is his condition?"
At my subtle question, Lee Young-hoon slowly shook his head.
*So it's a difficult situation, as expected.*
If so, this would be a devastating blow for Lee Young-hoon.
Before my regression, Lee Young-hoon had already secured a fair amount of control over the company, but that wasn't the case now.
*Good grief... I can't even begin to guess what Samjung's future holds.*
I let out a short sigh and looked at Chairman Lee Yong-moon, who was lying on the other side of a glass door.
He was lying there weakly, hooked up to all sorts of life-support machines.
It was hard to believe this was the titan who had dominated an era.
"He went out for a walk and some exercise yesterday morning and suddenly collapsed."
Lee Young-hoon took a step toward me and continued with a more detailed explanation.
I kept my eyes fixed on Chairman Lee Yong-moon and simply nodded. He, too, turned his gaze toward the window and spoke.
"His surprised bodyguards administered first aid, but they said the delay in the ambulance's arrival was a major blow."
If he was out hiking, that would have been unavoidable.
The emergency services aren't Superman, after all.
The problem was, if he was in cardiac arrest for a long time, the chances of recovery were practically nil.
I found myself once again worrying about Samjung's future.
"What do the doctors say?"
"They say he's effectively in a coma, so there's nothing more they can do. Still, we have to hope for even a glimmer of light."
I had nothing else to say, so I just nodded.
It wasn't the time to suddenly bring up inheritance issues, nor was it the right moment to tell him that massive waves would soon be crashing through the business world, with Samjung at the epicenter.
In any case, from the enormous inheritance tax problem to the establishment of a succession plan...
I was already curious as to how he would handle it all.
"By the way, I heard Jaewoo's semiconductor research institute recently succeeded in developing the 45-nanometer process?"
I was barely managing to suppress saying anything inappropriate for the situation, but he suddenly broke the unspoken rule himself.
One could call it cold, but in a way, his attitude must have stemmed from desperation.
I glanced around discreetly before giving a nod.
"Then, as planned, we will be the first priority..."
"That's the plan. A promise is a promise. We did agree that I would renegotiate the terms with the Chairman, but let's discuss that matter later, once things have settled down a bit."
Perhaps because of the situation, he didn't press the issue.
A long silence followed.
I gazed at the unconscious Chairman Lee Yong-moon for a long time and let out a sigh of regret.
*It's just unbelievable. That the fate of such a titan would end like this.*
******
[It has been reported that Chairman Lee Yong-moon of Samjung Group has collapsed from a heart attack and has not regained consciousness. Samjung Group plans to monitor his recovery for the time being...]
The news about Chairman Lee Yong-moon kept the entire nation abuzz for a while.
At first, the shock of a giant of the business world collapsing sent the country into a panic. Then, as people began to stoically accept reality, the focus of public interest gradually shifted to the matter of determining his successor.
And after about a month, the tax issues that would arise during the inheritance process became a topic of national concern.
[Samjung Group announced today the merger of Jehan Industries and Samjung C&T.]
Shortly after, Samjung's corporate governance restructuring began to follow the original history.
And not in a good way.
In short, it was a case of a frog trying to swallow a dinosaur, something anyone with a bit of common sense would find questionable.
[Minority shareholders of Samjung C&T raised objections today regarding the unfair merger ratio.]
As expected, the stock market began to stir.
Afterward, public attention turned to what choice the National Pension Service, which held a massive stake, would make.
But that, too, followed the original history, causing a major uproar in the political world.
[This morning, the Daehan Ilbo raised rumors of Chairman Lee Yong-moon's death.]
Because they were being so tight-lipped about Chairman Lee's condition, a bizarre incident occurred where rumors of his death made headlines, even as he lingered between life and death.
This, too, was a situation following history to the letter.
If things continued to unfold this way, the outcome might also follow the original history.
Lee Young-hoon's takeover of Samjung Electronics.
Then, the prolonged debate over the illegal succession process.
And... a tedious legal battle.
But if Lee Young-hoon really faced legal sanctions, what would happen to Samjung?
"We've arrived."
I had been so focused on the radio news that I hadn't even realized the car had entered the missile development center.
Perhaps because it was raining, the view outside felt particularly dreary today.
"Aigoo! You're here, Chairman."
"You scared me."
The moment I got out of the car, I heard Seong-ho's voice from behind.
It was so unexpected that I flinched. I soon spotted him, waving at me with a can of coffee in his hand.
"What are you doing here?"
"What do you think I'm doing? Enjoying a post-lunch break."
I chuckled at his words and walked ahead.
Perhaps annoyed that his break was interrupted, he followed me with a deep frown.
"Anyway, what brings you all the way down here today?"
"I have some important data to give you."
I answered his question casually as I opened the conference room door.
Contrary to what I expected, the place was impeccably clean.
Then again, it would have been stranger if a place that handled all sorts of chemicals was messy.
*Shhk.*
I glanced around for a moment before handing him a memory stick.
The quick-witted guy seemed to understand the meaning behind my action, swiftly pocketing it before asking.
"What's this now?"
"The core technology for a boost-phase interceptor propulsion system. You need it to reach the true realm of hypersonic speeds."
"..."
"And for the record, you can never open this in a public setting. During development, it's essential to compartmentalize the work so that the researchers themselves don't know the full picture."
He gulped and nodded.
"One more thing. For security, upload the contents of this memory stick to the main server as soon as you get to the lab. It's protected by quantum encryption, so no one will be able to access it."
"Then what about this memory stick?"
"Are you an idiot? Destroy it, of course. Throw it in the incinerator in the lab."
My expression was so serious that he nodded frantically.
Still, I didn't quite trust him.
In the end, I dragged him to the server room myself and only breathed a sigh of relief after personally confirming both the data upload and the destruction of the memory stick.
"So, if this is true hypersonic technology, what kind of speed are we talking about?"
"Theoretically, around Mach 13."
I replied, watching the memory stick slowly melt in the incinerator.
I thought I heard a hiccup, and then he tugged at my sleeve with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"How is that possible? You said the hypersonic propulsion system we're jointly developing with Russia is limited to Mach 6."
"That's right, but that's for a single propulsion system. If another propulsion system can push it past Mach 6, inertia can boost it up to Mach 12 or even higher. That's the characteristic of a dual-combustion system."
"So you're saying we're adding another propulsion stage in the middle?"
Seong-ho's ability to grasp the situation was truly exceptional.
He had accurately deduced my intentions from just those few words.
To explain in more detail, I grabbed a nearby piece of paper and a pen and drew a basic diagram of the rocket.
"The missile we're developing will be a three-stage propulsion system."
"...Three stages?"
"Yes. The first stage will use a pulse detonation engine for extreme acceleration before detaching. Then, a multi-pulse rocket filled with a propellant of immense explosive power will boost the speed to Mach 8."
"Whoa..."
"That will create sufficient air compression for the final stage, the dual-combustion propulsion system, which is when it achieves speeds of over Mach 12."
"So this third stage will be the final impactor?"
"Exactly. This final third stage is both the interceptor and another propulsion system."
I nodded with a faint smile.
After staring blankly for a while, Seong-ho shook his head as if to clear it.
"Are you insane?"
"..."
******
"Well, get to it."
After leaving the center, we headed back to the parking lot.
The sky was still thick with clouds.
It looked like it could start pouring again at any moment, so I was about to quickly get in the car when Seong-ho blurted out something completely random.
"Heh, a perfect day to die."
I stopped in my tracks.
I turned to look at him, and he blinked back at me.
"Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Why would you suddenly say something like that?"
"Just saying, the weather's that gloomy."
I shook my head at his words and got back in the car.
*Ring!*
My phone rang at that moment.
The caller ID showed Lee Young-hoon's name.
-My father just passed away.
"..."
I headed straight to the Samjung Medical Center.
Wreaths already lined the hospital entrance, as if the news had spread.
Among them, there seemed to be over a dozen sent in Jaewoo's name.
"You've arrived."
The group's executives, who had arrived earlier, were assisting Chairman Jin.
Perhaps because of the death of such an influential figure in both politics and business, the funeral hall was so crowded it looked like you could form a small nation with the attendees.
A wave of regret washed over me, wondering if I had come too early.
"Tsk, they say death knows no order..."
Chairman Jin looked particularly downcast.
Then again, at his age, he must have his own thoughts about mortality.
In a clumsy attempt to console him, I did something I rarely do and patted his back. He responded with a gentle smile I had never seen before.
"Death knows no order..."
"Yes, it seems so."
"So, doesn't that make you feel anything?"
"..."
"I'm asking when on earth you plan to get married."
"..."