Chapter 3
Chapter 3
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The First Move
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“While I was waiting, I read the report from Thales. Coincidentally, I happen to have a solution, so I drafted a proposal.”
Chairman Jin’s gaze immediately shot to his desk.
Had he already reviewed the document?
His attention returned to the proposal I had handed him.
“Is this true? Twenty percent more penetration power than the US military's depleted uranium rounds?”
“That’s correct.”
“Do you even know what this means? A twenty percent increase in penetration would turn every existing tank into a heap of scrap metal.”
“You think I wouldn't know that? Another point you should consider is that the production cost is also cheaper than the existing tungsten penetrators.”
“Damn it! You're telling me that's possible just by changing the material?”
“Well, it’s not as simple as you say. When the material changes, the multiple sintering method must also be improved. That’s the key.”
“…”
Chairman Jin wore a stunned expression.
Just as I thought this was the expected reaction, he suddenly glared at me.
“Are you resorting to stealing technology now?”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Don’t play dumb! You think I don’t know you’ve been gallivanting overseas under the pretext of business trips? If you suddenly present an alloy technology that no one outside of Germany has even dared to attempt, the conclusion is obvious, isn’t it?”
I had no memory of Hyun-seung traveling abroad.
Then again, things were so jumbled up, maybe it was a memory I hadn’t pieced together yet.
Even so, I had to hand it to Chairman Jin for thinking of his son as little more than an industrial spy.
“You seem to be mistaken. I don’t have the ability to do something like that. Besides, this approach is fundamentally different from the German method.”
“…”
His eyes were still full of disbelief.
There was only one way to prove it.
Just then, I noticed the fax machine next to Chairman Jin’s desk.
“Fine, then let’s send this to the Thales Research Institute. Their senior researchers should be able to tell whether this is the German method or not.”
Chairman Jin simply watched my actions in silence.
After confirming that the fax had been sent successfully, he used the intercom to call his secretary.
“Tell Director Myung Seung-eun at the Thales Research Institute to check the fax I just sent. Have him review it as quickly as possible and call me back…”
“Who was that?”
The name sounded strangely familiar, and my voice rose unintentionally.
Tilting his head, Chairman Jin waved his hand at the secretary, urging her to hurry, before looking back at me.
“What are you so surprised about? Are you getting nervous now that your own mentor is going to verify it?”
It seemed I hadn’t misheard.
But why?
If history had run its course, my mentor—no, Hyun-seung’s and my mentor—who had dedicated his entire life to research at KAIST, should not be at Thales. It was baffling.
“When did Professor Myung move to Thales?”
“What kind of nonsense is this? You're the one who practically forced him to come here three years ago.”
In that instant, one of the tangled knots of memory unraveled, and a few scenes flashed through my mind.
Three years ago.
The image of a man on his knees, desperate to recruit Professor Myung.
It seemed he had wanted to bolster his own shaky foundation, but all I could feel was pity for his pathetic struggle.
“But why is history…”
I glanced at Chairman Jin.
He was staring at me with a sharp gaze, as if questioning my solitary muttering.
“Are you on drugs these days?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why can’t you remember what you’ve done… Never mind. In any case, Director Myung Seung-eun will determine the truth of your words.”
After that, a silence fell between Chairman Jin and me.
The awkwardness of a broken father-son relationship.
About forty minutes later, a staff member from the secretary's office finally opened the door and entered.
“Chairman! Director Myung Seung-eun is requesting to speak with you.”
At the secretary's words, Chairman Jin immediately went to his desk.
Though his words had been harsh, his expression betrayed a sense of anticipation.
In that respect, it seemed he hadn’t completely pushed Hyun-seung out of his heart just yet.
“…Is that so. I understand. Yes. Don’t ask about that. In your opinion, Director Myung… No, what’s the conclusion?”
Throughout the call, Chairman Jin kept glancing at me.
As he hung up and approached, his expression confirmed that my name had been cleared.
“I have no idea what’s going on. Where on earth did you get this?”
“It was one of the research projects I worked on with my peers, using the university’s research lab.”
“You developed this?”
His disbelief was slow to fade.
Even though he, as an engineer himself, must have known Hyun-seung’s capabilities.
This is why trust, once broken, is so hard to restore.
“Have you forgotten, Father, that I completed my doctorate in metallurgical engineering?”
“Who doesn’t know that? But he said it’s a method even your mentor had never thought of.”
“Just because Professor Myung couldn’t think of it doesn’t mean I couldn’t. With all due respect, in an age of leveled knowledge, new technologies are mostly born from creativity.”
“…”
“You don’t believe me? Then how do you explain the nano-chrome compound I developed before Professor Myung when I was at the Thales Research Institute?”
Hyun-seung had indeed surpassed Professor Myung on a few research projects.
I had stumbled upon it while sifting through his memories, and it seemed like a fitting rebuttal for the current situation.
“Well, I’ll be…”
Chairman Jin repeatedly tapped his fingers on the armrest.
After some time had passed, his lips, which seemed as if they would never open, slowly parted.
“So, what is it you want?”
“What do you mean?”
“You wouldn’t have played such a big card for nothing. There must be something else you want.”
That was a given.
But in this situation, I had no idea what the acceptable range of demands even was.
“If your goal is to return to Thales, I’ll allow it. But I can’t give you a position higher than Head of the Purchasing Team.”
Fortunately, he presented a clear upper limit first.
The problem was that the Head of the Purchasing Team was a position with no influence over the company’s policy direction.
I felt like we were missing the point.
“Give me the position of Head of the Development Team.”
“You want what?”
Chairman Jin scoffed as if it were out of the question.
Damn it. If I had my way, I’d rather start my own company, but building the infrastructure for a defense business isn’t something you can do in a day or two.
Manpower, facilities, and capital.
An even bigger issue was that the primary customer was the military. It was virtually impossible for a newly established defense contractor to gain the military's trust.
In other words, getting my hands on Thales, by any means necessary, was the shortcut to achieving my plan.
“Let me ask you why you want to be the development team head of all things. Honestly, wouldn’t the purchasing team head be more tempting for you? More opportunities to skim something off the top.”
“You’re mistaken. If money was my goal, I would have sold this technology elsewhere. I’m sure a company like LIC Nexwin would have paid a handsome price for it.”
“…”
A sharp gaze flew my way.
When I didn’t look away, the deep furrow in his brow slowly relaxed.
“What did you eat this morning?”
“What do you mean?”
“This isn’t like you. Staring your old man right in the eye and talking back when you’ve spent your whole life avoiding my gaze. Have you ever stated your convictions so clearly before?”
“Perhaps a near-death experience knocked some sense into me. I did happen to look in the mirror and think it would suck to die away from home like this.”
Chairman Jin let out a dry laugh.
Perhaps he felt my flippant answer wasn’t just a joke. His expression seemed a bit more relaxed than before.
“Your insistence on Thales… can I take that to mean you no longer care about your brother?”
Hearing that, another link in my memory clicked into place.
Jin Hyun-cheol, Hyun-seung’s half-brother and the Senior Managing Director of Thales.
And a constant thorn in Hyun-seung’s side.
Right, he was at Thales.
“I don’t care.”
I replied nonchalantly and took a sip of my tea.
Hyun-seung might have, but I had no reason to fear him.
My unexpected answer made Chairman Jin’s eyes sparkle.
“Alright. With that kind of determination, I’ll take a chance and trust you one more time.”
Speaking as if he’d made up his mind, he glanced at his watch.
The deal was done, and it was time for me to leave.
I had achieved my goal anyway, so I had no intention of lingering in this uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Then I’ll go get my affairs in order.”
Knock, knock!
Just as I was about to stand, a knock came at the door.
“I’m here, Father.”
The person who opened the door and entered was none other than Jin Hyun-cheol.
Though the face wasn’t very familiar to me, I recognized him in an instant.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yes, it has. So, you’re coming back?”
“…”
“I overheard while waiting outside. You know how the soundproofing in Father’s office is terrible, right?”
“I don’t know. In my experience, you can’t hear anything unless your ear is pressed right against the door.”
“You punk, still so argumentative. Anyway, congratulations. We’ve been struggling with a lack of talent at Thales lately, so this is great news.”
Contrary to his benevolent smile, the wrinkles under his eyes were taut with anger.
No matter how you try to dress it up, you can’t hide your true feelings.
When was the last time I had to deal with someone like him?
Somehow, I had a feeling things were about to get very interesting.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way…”
***
“This is the last of the documents, Managing Director.”
The week spent waiting for the personnel appointment was like hell.
It’s no simple task to review the business status and financial statements of an entire conglomerate, not just some local supermarket.
Fortunately, I had the know-how accumulated from my experience at the ADD. If I had known nothing about management, my head would have spun several times over.
“Good work, Secretary Kim. You can head home for the day.”
“I can’t do that while you’re still working, sir. Oh, I just checked. Jaewoo Group’s conglomerate ranking jumped to 27th in the first quarter of this year.”
“That’s not because Jaewoo Group grew, but because other companies, unable to withstand this unprecedented economic crisis, have downsized.”
“Ah…”
“Sorry, but if you’re not leaving, could you hand me those documents over there?”
Her eyes sparkling, she handed me a stack of papers.
A compendium of the affiliates.
I’d probably have to dig into this for a while to find any answers.
“Hmm…”
In this era, Jaewoo Group had only seven affiliates.
It was a clear departure from other conglomerates that would jump on anything that made money.
Moreover, seeing that most of them were operating in the black even in these difficult times, Chairman Jin’s business acumen seemed to be exceptional.
“Excluding construction and the medical foundation, the distribution and security-related companies returned to profitability in the first quarter. Well, that’s that. Please sort out only the documents related to Jaewoo Group’s defense affiliates.”
Frankly, the trends in construction, distribution, and the medical foundation weren’t that important to me.
Why bother with such things when the defense and materials sectors could generate enormous added value with the development of just a single proper item?
Especially construction, a potential hotbed of corruption, and distribution, which is sensitive to economic changes—if I were to become chairman, they would be the first on my list to be reorganized.
“Here you are.”
The first documents Secretary Kim handed me were related to ‘Jaewoo Defense.’
It was one of the three major defense affiliates of Jaewoo Group, and the place where Chairman Jin Hyun-pil served as the effective control tower.
I was already well aware that Defense's main focus was on armored vehicles like tanks and self-propelled artillery.
My main interest was in how a company that used to make things like agricultural machinery could grow into a major heavy industries company in just ten years.
“Just how many mergers did they go through?”
The result was surprising.
Five M&As.
Moreover, it showed that each time, they had absorbed a company larger than themselves, which didn't seem normal.
‘Chairman Jin's lobbying skills must have been extraordinary.’
No matter how I looked at it, I could only conclude that the power of influence had overridden the laws of the capital market.
It would have been different if the acquired companies were insolvent firms riddled with debt, but most of them had been solid businesses.
Not that it mattered in the current situation, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bitter.
“The next documents are related to Aerospace.”
“Thank you.”
Aerospace was an aviation-related company.
It was originally established for the depot maintenance of fighter jets, but it had now grown into a company that license-produced various aircraft engines.
Barring any unforeseen events, it was also destined to become one of the key partners for the 4.5th generation fighter jet that South Korea would develop on its own in the future.
“Phew, is Thales the only one left now?”
Thales was the company I was about to join and the one I had to get my hands on first and foremost.
The biggest reason was that Jaewoo Thales was the core of Jaewoo Group and its holding company.
Ultimately, controlling Thales meant that Defense and Aerospace would naturally fall into my hands, which was why I had targeted it from the beginning.
“Where is the report on items currently under development?”
The second reason Thales was important was because of its enormous pipeline.
Some might say that producing materials for artillery shells, gunpowder, or other weapons isn't a big deal, but in truth, that foundation is an indispensable pillar of the weapons market and a huge engine for growth.
“Wow! Have you seen this, sir? Thales’s sales are significantly higher than the others.”
“That’s to be expected. You can’t make weapons without materials. Besides, the added value of weapon materials is immense.”
“So that’s why you were so insistent on Thales.”
Her tone was one of genuine admiration.
I was about to brush it off and turn the page when something peculiar in Thales’s financial statements caught my eye.
“Why is the amount Thales has allocated for R&D like this?”
“I found that strange too, so I checked. It’s because most of the recent projects are government-led long-term projects.”
In short, they hadn't been paid yet because the goods hadn't been delivered.
Since they hadn't been paid, they obviously had no money to invest in R&D.
Even so, trying to develop new weapons with an R&D investment of a mere 40 billion won had its limits.
‘No matter how I look at it, there doesn’t seem to be any large sum of money coming in for at least the next six months. Tsk, if this is the situation, then the success of the new armor-piercing round currently in development has become all the more critical, hasn’t it?’
At least tank shells were items that could be mass-produced as soon as they were developed, so the capital turnover was fast.
That meant it was more likely to become development funding in the end.
It seemed I had one more reason to make this project a success, no matter what.
“Oh!”
Just then, Secretary Kim’s phone vibrated.
As she pressed the call button, a bright smile formed on her face as she looked at me.
I knew what it was about without even having to listen.
“Sir! Starting tomorrow, you’ll be…”
“I can tell just by your expression. Secretary Kim, you should brace yourself. Because the real hard work is just beginning.”
“…”