Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Offer
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The shockwave Chairman Lee Yong-moon's death sent through the Korean business world didn't last as long as expected.
A result of Samjung Group's painstaking efforts to suppress media attention as much as possible.
After all, for Samjung, which had yet to resolve its inheritance issues, it would do no good for the chairman's death to remain the talk of the town.
January 2004.
In contrast to the turmoil at Samjung, Jaewoo Group conducted a personnel reshuffle across its twenty-plus affiliates.
Today, all the executives had gathered in the auditorium for the main figures of this event.
Unlike usual, he had decided to present the appointment certificates personally, a decision that strongly reflected Chairman Jin's desire to commemorate the largest personnel shift in the group's history.
“Certificate of Appointment, Yoon Sang-min.”
As planned, CEO Yoon and Hyun-cheol were promoted to the position of vice chairman.
“Certificate of Appointment, Kim Young-gi.”
Vice President Kim Young-gi had now become the respectable CEO of Jaewoo Thales.
“I will do my best.”
As if overcome with emotion, CEO Kim Young-gi's hands trembled more than others' as he accepted the certificate.
“Congratulations, Director of the NIS. No, I should call you CEO now, shouldn't I?”
Ahn Si-hyun, the former NIS Director who had once been offered the CEO position at Incheon International Airport by the government, ultimately accepted the CEO position at KAI.
The reason, he claimed, was purely a reluctance to reignite his passion for work... but according to CEO Kim Young-gi, a man of his temperament probably wouldn't have been satisfied with a desk job anyway.
“You're the one who deserves congratulations, Chairman. You've now officially joined the ranks of the nation's top three conglomerates.”
After the ceremony ended, a simple reception with refreshments followed.
CEO Ahn Si-hyun spoke in his characteristically hearty tone, then glanced around self-consciously.
He must have realized his own voice had been a bit too loud.
But how could a long-standing habit be easily broken?
It was a relief that he was at least starting to be mindful of his surroundings.
“By the way, a rather unexpected person was appointed as the new Director of the NIS.”
That point had been quite surprising, so I asked casually.
Not only was he a figure completely unrelated to my past life's history, but the fact that a former academic had taken the Director's seat was also unexpected.
What was surprising was that his first action after taking office was to significantly expand the foreign intelligence division. Thanks to that, we might see the NIS's intelligence capabilities become much more robust than before.
“Professor Yang Tae-yong isn't exactly an unexpected choice. Before becoming a professor, he was a colonel who retired from the military.”
That was another surprising piece of news that piqued my interest.
It's not common for someone who served long enough in the military to reach the rank of colonel to become a professor in a regular academic department, rather than at a military academy or the National Defense University.
When I gave him a look urging him to explain, CEO Ahn continued.
“I heard he studied with grueling effort after retiring. He went through graduate school, earned his doctorate, and eventually landed a professorship.”
“At that point, isn't he beyond impressive and practically one of a kind?”
“Considering the reality of this country, he accomplished something that was virtually impossible.”
The more I heard, the more curious I became about him.
Well, I'm sure I'll have a chance to meet him soon enough.
After all, I'm also a member of the government's advisory council on North Korea. For some reason, I'm looking forward to that day.
“Oh, I heard you got a new car.”
CEO Ahn showed a keen interest in my new vehicle.
It made sense, since aside from the President, I was the only one who owned one.
Contrary to my worries, its performance was quite good. Despite weighing over six tons, its driving capability wasn't at all inferior compared to conventional vehicles.
“It's not just the car. Take a look at this vest.”
I said, slightly lifting my suit jacket to show him.
CEO Ahn, who had been staring at it blankly without understanding, finally burst out laughing when I told him it was a bulletproof vest.
“I don't even have to ask whose work this is. Come to think of it, Minister Kim... no, CEO Kim is one truly stubborn man.”
“What can you do? He's just a cautious person in all matters. I have no complaints, though. Thanks to him, I get to wear a comfortable, high-performance bulletproof vest like this.”
Indeed, the performance of the bulletproof vest provided to me was quite good.
Because the volume of the metallic foam was reduced compared to the original, it lost its protection against armor-piercing rounds, but it was still capable of stopping most rifle rounds.
Considering that the chances of a civilian being shot with an armor-piercing round are almost nil, it was a wise decision to sacrifice that feature for better comfort.
“If it's that good, you might want to consider mass production. It might not sell here, but it could be quite popular in a country like the United States, where getting shot is more common.”
CEO Ahn said with a laugh after hearing the explanation.
Then he tilted his head, as if realizing that while he'd said it as a joke, it wasn't an entirely impossible idea.
“Chairman.”
While I was deep in conversation with CEO Ahn, CEO Kim Young-gi hurried over.
Judging by the phone in his hand, it seemed he had just been on a call.
Sure enough, he came right up to me and abruptly held out his phone.
“A call just came in from the CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).”
“...What did he say?”
“He said he wants to visit Korea in two days and asked about your schedule, Chairman.”
In that moment, my mind cleared.
His willingness to come all this way must mean he was interested in doing business.
I had thought the deal was off since I hadn't heard from them in so long, but thankfully, that didn't seem to be the case.
*'So he's flying all the way to Korea himself...'*
******
Two days later, the former NIS Director—no, CEO Ahn Si-hyun—and I were waiting at the arrivals gate of Incheon International Airport.
Our purpose was to greet Adam Marcus, the CEO of IAI.
CEO Ahn had insisted that I didn't need to come to the airport, but that's not how these things work.
This was a meeting with the CEO of a company that could become an important partner in the future, so I insisted on being there.
“It seems immigration is taking a while.”
It had already been thirty minutes since we confirmed the flight's arrival.
For him to still not have appeared, there must have been some kind of problem.
Finally, tired of waiting, CEO Ahn was about to go and find out what was happening.
“Just a moment.”
Just then, the gates opened, and a crowd of people poured out.
As if worried they might miss him, CEO Ahn Si-hyun immediately gestured to his secretary, who promptly raised the placard she was holding.
“I think that's him.”
A moment later, CEO Ahn said, waving at someone.
A middle-aged man was calmly approaching, his gaze fixed solely on the placard.
His face, which had been scrunched up as if he had poor eyesight, finally brightened after he confirmed his name on the sign.
[A pleasure to meet you. I'm Adam Marcus.]
[Welcome. I am Jin Hyun-seung, CEO of Jaewoo Group.]
As we shook hands, I carefully observed the man.
He didn't look like a native-born Israeli; if anything, his face was closer to that of an American.
Judging by his near-native English pronunciation, he seemed to be a descendant of a generation that had immigrated to Israel after its founding.
[You must have had a rather tedious journey.]
We broke the ice with small talk as we headed to where the car was waiting.
Not that it was much; the conversation mostly revolved around the current situation in Iraq.
Just as we were about to discuss Hussein's whereabouts, my car approached and its door swung open. Startled by the automatic door, Adam stared blankly, looking back and forth between me and the car.
[Did you install an automatic door on a passenger car?]
[Yes, it just sort of happened... Please, get in.]
I replied nonchalantly and got into the car.
Was his curiosity piqued? As soon as he got in, he began to constantly inspect the interior.
[Is this by any chance an armored vehicle?]
I gave a silent affirmation with a smile.
Adam's eyes widened, as if surprised that a mere businessman would use an armored car, while CEO Ahn, sitting in the front, spoke with a hint of pride.
[This vehicle is equipped with the Polar Bear protection system. I'm quite confident its armor is on par with that of the U.S. President's vehicle.]
At those words, Adam looked at me again.
What could he be thinking? He remained silent for a long time afterward, only speaking up casually as we were about to arrive at our destination, the main headquarters.
[To think a civilian needs an armored car... It seems Israel isn't the only one living in constant tension.]
Huh?
[Well, Korea is also a nation in a state of armistice... In that respect, I feel a sense of kinship.]
*...What is this guy talking about?*
******
[We are still assessing the disposition of the new Iraqi government.]
Before the meeting, we talked for a while about the situation in the Middle East.
What was surprising was his accurate prediction of the future turmoil in Iraq.
It was through him that I learned the recent reorganization of the Israeli military was for that very reason.
[Before we begin the main meeting, there is one thing you should know.]
About thirty minutes into our conversation, Adam suddenly showed a troubled expression and hesitated.
As if he had something difficult to say.
When I tilted my head in confusion, he continued.
[As you know, we are a state-owned enterprise.]
[I'm aware of that.]
[The problem is, in the case of a state-owned enterprise, a project that has been abandoned is almost never revived. Simply put, joint development is impossible.]
[...]
My eyes shot open in disbelief.
But what was this now?
He suddenly began to spout self-praise that was completely unrelated to our topic of conversation.
[To be honest, Israel's drone technology surpasses that of the United States. We've not only completely solved the icing problem at high altitudes, but the quality of our various detection sensors is at a level the U.S. can't even dream of matching.]
[...]
[And is that all? Our ability to operate weaponry in the harsh environment of high altitudes—not medium, but high—is truly second to none.]
The more I listened, the more I couldn't understand his intentions.
But I couldn't just say, 'If the project is impossible anyway, why did you come all this way just to spout nonsense?'
I had to take deep breaths, forcing myself to listen to him until the end.
[In any case, it's impossible for us to jump back into the development of a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft. Leaving everything else aside, there is zero chance our parliament would approve it.]
He maintained a negative stance to the very end, as if driving the final nail in the coffin.
At those words, my last shred of patience snapped. CEO Ahn, whose patience had also run out, raised his voice in a burst of anger.
[Then why on earth did you come all this way?]
Just then, Adam gave a meaningful smile.
In that instant, something flashed through my mind.
As I watched him with narrowed eyes, he spoke words that confirmed my suspicion.
[I said joint development would be difficult. I never said we couldn't cooperate.]
[...]
[What I mean is, if you wish, I am willing to sell the technologies I've mentioned to Jaewoo.]
[...What?]
CEO Ahn shuddered for a moment.
This was a development I hadn't anticipated at all.
Swallowing the groan that almost escaped my lips, I asked him cautiously.
[Is that... possible?]
[Perfectly possible. Of all the technologies I listed, not a single one is under an export restriction by our government. Of course, some sensors do require approval, but if the partner is the Republic of Korea, and specifically Jaewoo, it's definitely achievable.]
[...]
[If there were to be an issue, it would be the radar, but since Jaewoo is ahead of us in that area, there's no reason for you to import that technology, is there? So, in effect, there are no obstacles at all.]
Of course, there was no reason to import radar technology.
Our current system was already ahead of that of the United States, which boasted the world's best.
In any case, the situation had taken such an unexpected turn that it was difficult to make a judgment.
[Let me ask just one thing. What was the fundamental reason you abandoned the IBIS project?]
Adam's expression hardened, as if he understood the intent behind my question.
It might be a rude question, but in this situation, didn't I need to get to the bottom of things?
No matter how I thought about it, his eagerness to sell the technology seemed suspicious.
I was sure there was a fundamental reason why they were refusing joint development and pushing to sell their technology instead, and now was the time to uncover it.
[Well now... Very well. I will be frank with you.]
[...]