Chapter 53
Chapter 53
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: An Unexpected Call
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“……”
Late at night, or rather, in the early hours of the morning, the look on Chairman Jin’s face as he stared at Jin Hyun-cheol and me, who had shown up so suddenly, was one of utter bewilderment.
After all, two people who had actively tried to avoid even eating at the same table had just appeared together out of the blue.
What’s more, our insistence that he go to the hospital immediately must have only added to his confusion.
“I’m not going.”
“Why are you being so stubborn again, Father?”
Jin Hyun-cheol began to persuade the firmly refusing Chairman.
It was a rare sight, seeing Jin Hyun-cheol so earnest.
Despite this, Chairman Jin refused to budge.
“It's not that urgent yet, so there's no need to worry. You don't think a donor will appear before I die, do you?”
“Didn't you hear what the Director said? He said the second transplant needs to be as low-risk as possible.”
“Even if that's true, what's not right is not right. What will people say if they find out? You think they won't say things like, 'Is this why he raised his sons?'”
“Why do you care about things like that? What matters is that you live, Father.”
The argument between Chairman Jin and Jin Hyun-cheol grew more intense.
While Chairman Jin was adamant in his refusal, watching Jin Hyun-cheol’s persistent efforts to persuade him made me let go of the prejudice I’d held against him.
*Right, anyone can be greedy.*
What truly matters is whether one can set that greed aside in the face of absolute values.
“If you’re just going to spout nonsense, go to bed. What are you all doing, swarming in here at this hour?”
“Father!”
Jin Hyun-cheol cried out in frustration at the Chairman’s final refusal.
Just as the Chairman was about to turn away again, I casually threw out a comment.
“On the way here, I spoke with the Director. He said the waiting list is enormous.”
“……”
The room fell silent at my words.
Chairman Jin, his brow furrowed, turned back around. At that moment, I continued.
“In other words, there’s no way for you to survive through normal means. And since you’re not the type to resort to illegal methods, that’s a given.”
“Do you hear yourself…?”
“In the end, a family transplant is the only way. Why are you so insistent? If you don't want to receive one from my brother, then take mine.”
“……”
Chairman Jin stared at me, dumbfounded.
To drive the point home, I added one more thing.
“And have you thought about Mother? If you pass away now, she'll be left completely stranded.”
“……What?”
“You think that’s not true? Since we’re both illegitimate children, which of us do you think will properly care for her?”
At those words, Chairman Jin’s eyes wavered violently.
I caught a fleeting glimpse of a smile on Mrs. Kim’s face.
“You know as well as I do how naive Mother is about the ways of the world. Can you really pass on with a clear conscience? And if you're going to break her heart twice, you should at least make it up to her before you go.”
Chairman Jin’s expression changed in an instant.
More than anything else, my last words seemed to have struck a chord.
As he glanced at Mrs. Kim, a strong sense of agitation was visible in his eyes.
“Do you mean it?”
“Mean what?”
“That you won’t look after your mother if I die.”
“I’ll look after her, of course. But would I be as affectionate as a biological son? I imagine it would be the same for my brother.”
*Swish.*
Chairman Jin’s gaze immediately shifted to Jin Hyun-cheol.
Seemingly unskilled in this area, he just kept staring into space.
“Damn it, they say raising children is all for nothing…”
He turned away, biting his lip.
Just as I thought he was going to remain stubborn, he spoke.
“So, which of you is going to be the donor?”
*Heh.*
******
“Just think of it as getting a good night's sleep, both of you.”
A few days later, Chairman Jin and Jin Hyun-cheol lay side by side in their hospital beds, receiving instructions for the surgery.
When the Chairman had asked who would donate, Jin Hyun-cheol had been the first to step forward.
I had also offered, not wanting to be left out, but I couldn’t overcome his insistence.
“After the surgery, Chairman, you will be on immunosuppressants for a while. Because of that, you’ll need to minimize contact with the outside world, so please keep that in mind.”
As soon as the Director finished speaking, Chairman Jin’s gaze turned to me.
I had a good idea of what he wanted to say.
When I reassured him not to worry about the company for a while, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
“Are you really going to be okay?”
I asked Jin Hyun-cheol, who was lying in the adjacent bed.
He answered with a faint smile, then gestured for me to come closer and whispered.
“It's unlikely, but if I don't wake up, could you clean up my computer for me?”
“……”
“Especially the folder with the weird English name. I'd appreciate it if you made sure that one was deleted.”
*Heh.*
“Alright! We will now take you to the operating room.”
Leaving me with his silly joke, he was wheeled into the operating room.
And after some time had passed…
The doors to the operating room, which had been closed the entire time, opened, and the surgeon in charge of the procedure emerged.
******
[Good evening, everyone. Today, amidst the ongoing economic difficulties that have been weighing down our nation, we have some welcome news to share with you.]
[This morning, the government announced a major revision to the missile range guidelines established with the United States.]
The news of the revised guidelines was announced a few days later.
It was entirely due to a request from the United States. The Director of the NIS speculated that there might have been some confusion in the interim caused by lobbying from the Japanese government.
[According to experts, this easing of the guidelines effectively means the abolishment of all restrictions.]
But in the end, the outcome didn’t change.
In that respect, the United States is quite remarkable.
This was a clear demonstration that no matter how rampant lobbying might be, the American political establishment will not back down when it comes to the nation’s absolute interests.
“Japan announced that they will significantly increase the number of their Aegis destroyers, using North Korea, not us, as an excuse, didn’t they?”
Secretary Kim, who had been watching the news, nonchalantly placed the newspaper she was holding in front of me.
The front page was filled with articles predicting changes in international relations due to our revised missile range guidelines.
For a while, the backlash from neighboring countries, including China, would likely be significant.
“The American defense contractors must be throwing a party.”
“Why is that?”
“Because all the control radars installed on those ships will have to be imported from the U.S. For America, it’s like killing two birds with one stone, isn't it?”
After my brief reply, I scanned the newspaper.
What was peculiar was Russia’s reaction.
Other than a statement expressing serious concern, they had shown little response.
*What on earth are they thinking?*
“By the way, have you heard anything from the hospital?”
Contrary to our worries, Chairman Jin was showing a rapid recovery.
Even so, it would be impossible for him to return to managing the company for some time.
Ultimately, the board of directors decided to continue with the ongoing succession process to prevent a management vacuum and notified me to prepare for the upcoming chairmanship succession.
“The Chairman was moved out of the ICU this morning.”
“And my brother?”
“CEO Jin Hyun-cheol is also recovering quickly at home. We received a message that he will be able to return to Jaewoo E&C starting Monday.”
Jin Hyun-cheol had turned down my suggestion to return to Aerospace and decided to remain as the CEO of the construction company for the time being.
It was a sign of his intention to keep his promise.
It was also likely his way of completely eliminating any potential external noise.
“Um, but… CEO Jin Hyun-cheol asked me to pass on a strange message.”
“What did he say?”
“To relay it exactly as he said it… ‘Did you really delete it just because I told you to?’”
“Tsk, tell him to stop wasting his energy on useless things and get married already.”
“……”
******
“Good morning.”
The season had already turned to early winter.
It had been a month since I started commuting to the group’s headquarters.
As I felt every time, the traffic in Gangnam was absolute hell.
“Welcome, Chairman.”
My title had changed to Chairman.
The succession was finalized two weeks ago.
Securing a 59 percent stake and becoming the largest shareholder was great, but the gift tax was a problem.
In the end, we had to use the installment payment system, and even then, the tax burden was so massive that both Chairman Jin and I were left nearly broke.
“Good morning, Chairman.”
Secretary Kim, who had moved to the group headquarters with me, was now titled Chief of Staff.
The funny thing was that the very first thing she did after getting the title was to enforce discipline in the secretarial office.
Although she herself had often relied on the Chairman’s secretarial office for help, it seemed she was well aware that it wasn’t a normal state of affairs.
“Have there been any calls from the research institute?”
The research institute, responsible for developing parts for the attack helicopter, had been showing remarkable progress recently.
Especially with the rotor blades.
Based on the initial designs provided by Russia, they had attempted to replace the carbon fiber with our own developed material. The results indicated that it would be possible to increase durability by at least 15 percent.
“Actually, the institute said they would be attempting their proprietary carbon fiber deposition and heat treatment process today.”
“Tell them to contact me as soon as they have the results.”
“Yes, Chairman.”
“That title. It still feels a bit awkward.”
Secretary Kim always made a point of emphasizing the title “Chairman” at the end of her replies.
A title I was still not used to.
It was clearly her intention to help me adapt quickly.
*Anyway, the material improvement work on the core engine parts should be finished by the end of the year. The most important thing right now is the anti-tank missile…*
My initial plan was to equip our attack helicopter with the Cheongum missile we had developed around 2020.
However, with the installation of the AESA radar, the detection range had increased, making it possible to significantly extend the missile's range as well.
Besides, since we had already developed composite guidance technologies, I felt there was no reason to stick with a laser guidance system.
*If the price points are similar, equipping it with a more cost-effective weapon would be more beneficial in terms of operational strength.*
*Ring!*
As I was deep in thought, the office phone rang loudly.
Surprised that a call had come through without passing through her first, Secretary Kim immediately rushed towards the secretarial office.
“Jin Hyun-seung speaking.”
Even though Secretary Kim was away from her desk, the secretarial office wouldn’t have connected just any call.
Sure enough, when I picked up the receiver, I heard the urgent voice of a female secretary announcing an international call, and after a short tone, Ryan’s voice came through.
—Been a while, Hyun-seung. Ah, I should congratulate you on becoming Chairman first.
[Thanks. But why did you call the office? You could have just called my cell.]
—You think I wanted to go through this whole cumbersome process? Your cell phone wasn’t connecting, so I had no choice but to call the office.
[It’s not connecting?]
At his words, I glanced at the cell phone on my desk.
The battery was fully charged.
The signal bars, indicating a strong connection, were at maximum.
Yet, this had been happening occasionally for the past two days. It seemed something was wrong with it.
[Looks like my phone is starting to die on me. Anyway, what’s up? I doubt you called just to congratulate me on my promotion.]
—You’ve always been quick on the uptake. You’re right, I called to share some good news. Michael, the Republican senator we contacted before, has finally found a breakthrough. Are you listening?
[I’m listening, go on.]
I replied while continuing to inspect my phone.
—The Democratic senator connected to the Sasaki Foundation is a guy named Donan Jason. It seems he’s been working through Richard, the NSC Advisor, to steer the Motor Sich deal in Japan’s favor.
[So, what's the plan?]
—Fortunately, Senator Michael managed to find some dirt on NSC Advisor Richard.
[What kind of dirt?]
—He found a computer that Richard had sent for repairs and then forgot about after moving. Turns out, it contained a large amount of child pornography. There’s also a video of him engaged in lewd acts while under the influence of drugs. So, he’s about to file a request for an FBI investigation, and it looks like the other side is trying to make a deal.
That was pretty much an open-and-shut case.
What was amazing was Senator Michael’s ability to find a computer that Richard himself had forgotten about.
It was enough to make me feel a shiver of fear.
—Anyway, you should be hearing some good news soon. The matter is so serious that if they don’t agree to a deal immediately, the entire administration will take a massive hit. On a side note, it seems the Republican party feels like they’ve struck gold by accident, and they plan to milk this not just for this one issue, but for a long time to come.
With those words, Ryan hung up.
I suddenly found myself anticipating Mitsubishi’s reaction when they heard the news.
A smile crept onto my face.
*Ring, ring!*
Just then, the cell phone in my hand let out a loud ring.
So it was just a temporary glitch.
Relieved, I pressed the call button, and through heavy static, I heard the voice of the NIS Director.
[Hello, Director.]
—The call quality is poor. I’ll call your office line.
Frustrated, the NIS Director decided to call the office instead.
*His voice definitely sounded quite urgent.*
It seemed something else had come up.
—The sound is much clearer now. To get straight to the point, would it be possible to meet now? The location is the Ritz Hotel in Gangnam.
“Why there…?”
“A guest has come from far away and is very keen to meet you, Chairman. I would appreciate it if you could come as soon as possible.”
Once again, the NIS Director hung up without giving any specific details.
I needed to leave right away, but…
Something felt off, and my eyes kept being drawn to my cell phone.
*Click!*
On a hunch, I removed the battery cover.
The battery that was revealed was completely different from the one I knew.
Moreover, the phone’s body itself was different from before. A single wire jutted out, piercing the plastic separator and connecting to the main circuit board.
“Well, look at this.”