Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 83
Chapter Title: Windfall and Betrayal
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The moment had finally come.
I tried to calm my racing heart, but Hassad’s next words shattered my efforts.
-Ten billion dollars. And depending on the operational performance over the next three years, we plan to confirm additional investment, which could expand to as much as twenty billion dollars.
“……”
Ten billion dollars. At the current exchange rate, that was over thirteen trillion won.
An amount virtually unprecedented for a single investment.
Of course, it didn't quite match the amount Saudi Arabia invested in SoftBank before my regression, but that was in a future where the cost of living was entirely different from this era.
[Is that true?]
Moreover, Hassad had left the door open for additional investment.
He called it an additional investment based on performance.
But considering Jaewoo's current growth rate and the potential of the fallen companies I would soon scoop up, it might as well have been a done deal.
-Oh, and you should be hearing from the UAE Investment Authority soon. They’re a bit more stringent with their conditions than we are, so it seems to have taken some time, but I heard they recently confirmed an investment of about five billion dollars.
Hassad delivered another piece of good news.
So good that if he were here, I might have even given him a kiss…
No, scratch that.
I'd have to be insane to kiss that hairy man.
[I don't know how to thank you.]
After thanking him several more times, I ended the call.
What would happen when this hit the news?
My hands trembled with an excitement that was already hard to control.
******
[Jaewoo Group has secured a total of fifteen billion dollars in investments from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Jaewoo plans to add five billion dollars of its own capital to create a fund totaling twenty billion dollars.]
A few days later, the news was in an uproar over the story.
And not just in Korea. The sheer, unprecedented scale of the investment made the joint fund between Jaewoo and the two Middle Eastern nations a hot topic in the foreign press for some time.
[Jaewoo has not yet designated the first target for the fund's investment.]
Just as the media reported, I wasn't in a hurry to designate an investment target.
The timing wasn't right, as the IT bubble hadn't fully burst yet, and I hadn't finalized a specific list of targets.
Because of this, all sorts of potential investments, completely unrelated to my intentions, were being rumored about, leading to the absurd situation where unrelated stocks would surge based on speculation.
[Recently, the stock prices of all Jaewoo Group affiliates have been skyrocketing.]
Funnily enough, any stock with 'Jaewoo' in its name jumped.
Since I had full authority over the fund's operations, people were betting on the possibility of investments in Jaewoo's own affiliates.
Thanks to this, our ranking in the business world shot up, and we were now sixth.
“You’re establishing a venture capital branch in the U.S.?”
Secretary Kim’s shoulders were squared with pride as she watched the news with me.
It was understandable.
She was now the chief of staff for a company ranked among the top ten conglomerates.
I heard the way her friends looked at her had changed recently, and perhaps because of that, I sometimes caught a glimpse of a haughtiness I hadn't seen before.
Tsk, what was with Secretary Kim?
“There are more opportunities for the taking in the U.S. than in Korea.”
She tilted her head at my brief reply.
I ignored it and stood up, and she suddenly checked her notebook and asked.
“The inspection of Daeyoo Shipbuilding is scheduled for tomorrow. Do you have somewhere else to go?”
“I need to visit the Daeyoo Truck factory.”
“Understood. I’ll have a car prepared immediately.”
The fact that she didn't ask for a reason suggested she already knew my intentions.
After all, she was aware that some of Daeyoo Truck's production lines were being converted for military vehicles.
I was smiling as I reached for my suit when she suddenly delivered some startling news.
“Oh, CEO Jin Hyun-cheol called this morning. He said you might be getting a sister-in-law soon, Chairman.”
“……”
I blinked in bewilderment.
As if understanding my expression, Secretary Kim let out a long sigh and flipped through her notebook, seemingly to provide more accurate details.
“Apparently, the meeting of the families is scheduled for about two months from now. He asked you to keep your schedule clear…”
“What kind of nonsense is that? He’s been single all this time, and now he’s suddenly getting married…?”
“I don’t think I can answer that for you.”
“……”
******
“Welcome, Chairman.”
A few hours later, I was at the Daeyoo Truck factory, where the production lines were in the middle of being changed.
The progress was about seventy percent complete.
Since it was being set up for mass production, the scale was larger than I'd anticipated, and the costs were considerable.
“What’s the development progress on the JLTV?”
“The blast test with ballistic materials applied to the underbody has already been successfully completed. The engine has also passed its performance tests. The problem is the transmission. It seems it will be difficult to finish development by the deadline you set, Chairman.”
The damn transmission problem was holding us back here, too.
If this were a commercial vehicle, I could probably solve it with what I have, but this thing needed to withstand the hellish conditions of a battlefield.
It looked like we would have to borrow Germany's power again for the time being.
“Continue with development for now. For the first production run at the end of this year, let’s import and install transmissions from a German company. It will take time to adapt them to the design, so you’ll need to place the order in advance.”
It was a decision made out of necessity; there seemed to be no other immediate solution.
It would be ideal to handle everything in-house, but what could you do when some things were just not possible?
At times like these, the weakness of our country's fundamental engineering sector was always a source of regret.
‘Well… it’s unreasonable to expect technology accumulated over just a few decades of industrialization to instantly catch up to those with over a hundred years of history. Still, how could we not even produce a proper transmission by 2025…?’
*Ring!*
Just as I was grumbling inwardly with a heavy heart, my phone rang.
The caller was Vice President Kim Young-gi.
Puzzled, I tilted my head and answered, only to be met with his urgent voice.
-Chairman, did you hear the news from Secretary Kim?
“What news?”
-It’s about Dasan Engineering, the company we’re negotiating to acquire. A few of their key personnel suddenly resigned.
“……”
-I met with their CEO this morning to sign the final contract, and that’s when he finally told me.
Dasan was a firearm components manufacturer we were in the process of acquiring.
One whose metal processing and heat treatment technologies surpassed even Germany's in some aspects.
Normally, a few researchers resigning wouldn't be a big deal, but in Dasan's case, those researchers were the core of the company, which made it a problem.
“Key personnel leaving right before a merger? Well, well, well.”
******
“What happened?”
I joined Vice President Kim in Wanju, North Jeolla Province, where Dasan Engineering's headquarters was located.
The CEO and other employees were waiting at the entrance, as if they had been expecting us.
After a brief greeting, we went straight into the conference room.
“It’s a bit awkward to say this, but it was my oversight.”
The gray-haired CEO was a veteran engineer, seasoned in this field.
Even though I was about to acquire his company, it was uncomfortable watching such an elderly man repeatedly bow his head to me.
I quickly waved my hands, gestured for him to sit, and asked for a detailed explanation.
“I had recently informed the employees about the company’s sale. Of course, I also made it clear that everyone’s employment would be guaranteed. But two researchers in charge of the heat treatment division asked for a long vacation before the merger.”
“And?”
“Thinking they probably felt it would be hard to take time off after merging with a large company, I agreed and granted them the vacation… but then their resignations suddenly arrived by mail.”
“They didn’t submit them in person, but sent them by mail?”
You couldn't really fault them for resigning.
This wasn't a communist country, after all.
But these were people who handled a company's core research.
The problem was the high probability of confidential information being leaked through a move to a competitor.
No, beyond that, how could they be so irresponsible?
Even when quitting a convenience store job, it's common courtesy to give notice in person.
“Yes, so I went to see them myself, but I couldn’t meet either of them.”
“You mean they refused to meet?”
“No, both of them have moved.”
The moment I heard that, my intuition kicked in.
This wasn't a simple resignation for health or personal reasons.
Vice President Kim's eyes narrowed, as if he were thinking the same thing. Before I could even say a word, he was already busy on the phone, calling someone.
“Senior Managing Director Im. It’s the Vice President. There are a few people who need an immediate background check. Can you do it?”
Vice President Kim was, as expected, quick to act.
Relieved that it saved me some trouble, I gave a faint smile and looked back at Dasan's CEO, who was hesitating and watching my expression.
“If you have something else to say, say it.”
“Well, actually… I also thought the situation was strange, so I hired someone to tail them. Apparently, their spending has become very lavish recently.”
“……”
“Their cars have changed, and they’ve been seen shopping frequently in the luxury sections of department stores…”
“How long have they been away from the company?”
“Including their vacation, it’s been nearly a month.”
In that instant, I knew they had already leaked the technology.
In short, that was it.
If they moved to a competitor, it would cause problems, so they figured it was better to just take a hefty sum of money, sell the technology, and live comfortably.
In that case, my first priority wasn't to find out who had contacted them.
“Let’s file a patent for the technology they were involved with immediately.”
“What? But that would be the same as making the technology public…”
“The technology has already been leaked anyway. So shouldn’t we at least get temporary protection through a patent?”
The CEO nodded at my words.
Was he still holding out hope? He subtly suggested bringing back the runaway rabbits.
“I’m sorry, but if you give me a few days, I’ll somehow persuade them to…”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“What?”
“If they’ve already leaked the technology, they’re no different from traitors. Why would we take them back? And even if they haven’t leaked it yet, I’m not generous enough to welcome back those who have stabbed me in the back once.”
The CEO lowered his head at my words.
Tsk, so indecisive…
It seemed retaining him as the head of the company would be difficult.
“First, to prevent this from happening again, all remaining research personnel will be transferred to Thales. From now on, this place will be nothing more than a production facility.”
“……”
“And unfortunately, the matter of keeping you on as CEO will have to be reconsidered.”
The CEO couldn't really object.
After all, he was the one who had created a flaw in the merger process.
He probably knew that his resignation was the key to resolving the issue.
‘Now, the only remaining problem is how to deal with the runaway rabbits…’
For that, a rather drastic measure seemed necessary.
******
“Fortunately, no one in Korea has filed a patent related to Dasan’s heat treatment technology. We’ve also searched all PCT member countries, and there are no patents filed for the related technology.”
A few days later, some welcome news finally arrived.
I had been worried that whoever stole the technology might file a patent first.
Then again, that wouldn't have been easy.
If they filed a patent, their backer would be exposed, and they would have to face our retaliation.
Besides, a patent is essentially a public disclosure of the technology. They likely gambled that we wouldn't go that far.
"Tsk."
To be honest, that part stung.
Most of the technologies and materials developed in my own labs were things that would soon be revealed to the world anyway, so they needed patents. But Dasan’s heat treatment technology was different.
It was so advanced that even by 2020, Germany still hadn't caught up and had to import Dasan's firearms.
To soothe my frustration, I was determined to find out who was behind this.
“If possible, tell them to proceed with an international patent application at the same time.”
“Yes, I’ve already taken care of that through a patent attorney.”
“Good work, Secretary Kim. Oh! I have one more favor to ask. On your way out, please call for CEO Jung of Jaewoo Security.”
Jaewoo Security was the name of a security firm I had recently established.
Its CEO was named Jung Hae-yong.
A former NIS agent who had worked under Deputy Chief Im—no, Senior Managing Director Im—handling foreign intelligence, he was also a well-known former commander in the Special Warfare Command.
“You called for me, Chairman.”
“CEO Jung, I have a favor to ask of you.”
I instructed him to meet with the two researchers who had just resigned from Dasan.
Not to persuade them, of course, but to make them face reality.
As he listened to my explanation, CEO Jung’s eyes widened, and he asked.
“Are you really telling me to relay that message?”
“Yes, deliver it exactly as I said. It looks like they’ve already received money from somewhere. Tell them not to even dream of using that money to start a business. I’ll make sure they fail, no matter how much it costs me."
“……”
"Ah! And tell them that they won’t even be able to get a job as a security guard. Also, let them know that even if they secretly emigrate, I will hunt them down to the ends of the earth.”
“……”