Solve Their Troubles and Draw the Future
Kim Seong-ho took a moment to sip his coffee and catch his breath.
Yet the sight of him like this only seemed to leave Lee Chang-jong more breathless than before.
In the end, unable to wait any longer, Lee Chang-jong shouted.
"Just spit it out already! Why the hell can't I go talk to them right now?!"
Even under Lee Chang-jong's prodding, Kim Seong-ho did not stop drinking his coffee. Only when the cup was roughly half empty did he set it down and finally open his mouth.
"Hyung-nim. Think about it carefully. Going to see Big Brother and Second Brother right now would look strange to anyone, wouldn't it? You made your greed plain for all to see, and now you show up claiming it wasn't what you really meant? Anyone would grow suspicious in a situation like that."
"Made my greed plain? Who the hell made their greed plain? I have no interest in the Ilhyeon Group!"
"Do you really think everyone else sees it the same way you do?"
Feeling choked by Kim Seong-ho's words, Lee Chang-jong pounded his chest with his fist and shot back.
"That's why I said I'd go to them and prove it myself!"
"It's too late for that."
Kim Seong-ho shook his head with a look of regret.
"If you had gone to Big Brother before coming here… or at the very least if you had stopped by Pyeongchang-dong, they might not have misunderstood. Or if even that was too much, if you had at least not met your sister-in-law before coming here, we could have quietly gotten our stories straight among ourselves and cleared up the misunderstanding."
Lee Chang-jong started at Kim Seong-ho's words.
"How… how did you know I met Noonim before coming here? Don't tell me you've put someone on my tail?"
"Hyung-nim."
Kim Seong-ho spoke in a voice thick with pity toward the man who was now suspecting surveillance.
"If you had truly been angry about the loss of face I caused you, you would have come looking for me right away. Not several days later. So what reason would there be for you to come this late?"
"That is…"
"Therefore you clearly consulted with someone, and excluding your brothers, it is easy enough to deduce that someone was your sister-in-law."
Just as Kim Seong-ho said, it was all far too simple and far too clear.
Faced with such an obvious truth, Lee Chang-jong's previously pale face flushed red. Kim Seong-ho continued in a low voice.
"Hyung-nim. Now that things have come to this, I think it would be better for you to choose one of the two brothers and give him something solid enough to earn real trust."
"So how exactly am I supposed to do that?!"
Talking with Kim Seong-ho had stripped Lee Chang-jong of every last opinion of his own. The conviction that Kim Seong-ho was always right, that his judgment was correct, and that his decisions must be followed had been driven deep into his skull.
"Everyone runs into difficult situations sooner or later. Just like you right now, Hyung-nim. If someone steps forward at a moment like that and solves the trouble for them, wouldn't that earn not only their trust but also the chance to draw a future together?"
"A future?"
Lee Chang-jong looked at Kim Seong-ho with a meaningful gaze.
Kim Seong-ho smiled faintly under that stare and replied.
"You may have no interest in the Group, but you do have an interest in the future, don't you?"
"So what kind of future are we talking about?"
"You ought to have a business of your own, Hyung-nim."
"I already have a busin—"
Lee Chang-jong had been about to say he was already running a perfectly good business when a single word from Kim Seong-ho's earlier remarks rose in his mind.
"A spin-off?"
The instant he realized that the "future" Kim Seong-ho spoke of meant a corporate spin-off, joy and expectation flashed across Lee Chang-jong's face.
Kim Seong-ho did not miss that flicker of feeling.
"Don't you think it's about time you started considering leaving the Ilhyeon Group, Hyung-nim?"
"You…"
Hearing Kim Seong-ho speak so openly of a corporate separation, Lee Chang-jong leapt up from his seat in shock.
Kim Seong-ho only chuckled lightly at the sight.
"Hyung-nim. There's no one here but you and the two of us."
"Even so."
Lee Chang-jong lowered his voice and spoke carefully.
"Even so, watch your mouth. If that kind of talk reaches Father's ears, both you and I will be finished for good."
"Even if it means we're finished, preparations still have to be made."
"Preparations?"
"If you simply sit on your hands and do nothing, you might end up driven out empty-handed."
At the words "empty-handed," Lee Chang-jong's face turned ashen. He, too, had imagined that very scenario more than once.
Kim Seong-ho lifted his half-empty coffee cup again.
"So preparations are necessary. The Chairman isn't going to live for a thousand years, is he?"
Having said that, Kim Seong-ho quietly drank his coffee.
Lee Chang-jong's face was a tangle of complicated thoughts as he turned the matter over and over. Then he looked at Kim Seong-ho and asked in a cautious voice.
"So what you're saying is… help whichever brother falls into difficulty later, and in return get assistance when the time comes for a spin-off?"
Kim Seong-ho set down the empty cup and nodded.
"Exactly. There's nothing you can do about it right now, so just let it pass. Then, when a difficult situation arrives, you help him, and you take the future into your own hands. How does that sound? Doesn't it seem like the best possible method?"
At Kim Seong-ho's words, Lee Chang-jong's head slowly began to nod.
"You're right. If it goes that way, he'll definitely throw me at least one more company. But… which brother am I supposed to dig out of trouble?"
Lee Chang-jong asked with a bewildered look.
"You'll have to decide that when the time comes."
Kim Seong-ho idly ran a finger along the rim of the empty coffee cup.
"The greater the difficulty, the greater the gratitude that will follow. More importantly…"
He told Lee Chang-jong there was nothing worth worrying about for the moment, then suddenly tossed out a question that seemed completely unrelated to their conversation.
"Is your wife living well with the children in America? I haven't seen her once since the wedding…"
The abrupt question made Lee Chang-jong's expression twist.
Yet, recalling the various pieces of advice Kim Seong-ho had given him so far, he answered as sincerely as he could.
"How the hell would I know whether the woman who dragged four- and five-year-olds off to America for schooling is doing well or not? I saw her face at your wedding and never once since. You and I are even on that score."
"Is that so? Still, she's putting in the effort for the children, isn't she?"
"The children?"
Lee Chang-jong snorted.
"What does it matter whether I raise them well or poorly when I don't even know if they're mine?"
At those words Lee Gyeong-eun started in shock.
"Oppa. How can you say something like that?"
"You'll see if you look at them. There's not a single feature that resembles me."
"They even did a genetic test and confirmed they're your kids. Stop being so contrary."
"Contrary? I held back from saying it outright in front of Kim Seobang, but you know what kind of woman she is, don't you?"
Lee Chang-jong's voice, which had briefly calmed, rose again. This time the boiling anger was directed not at Kim Seong-ho but at his own wife.
"A genetic test? Father told me not to dig any further so I let it go, but the result was inconclusive. Inconclusive!"
Lee Chang-jong shuddered as he recalled the letters written on the report.
"The samples were damaged so they couldn't even run the test! How is that a result saying they're my kids? Huh? When the test couldn't even be properly completed, how do they become my kids?"
Lee Gyeong-eun glanced at Kim Seong-ho's face, mortified. She felt as though the family's dirty laundry had been hung out for him to see.
But there was no surprise on Kim Seong-ho's expression. He already knew all of it.
Lee Chang-jong shook his head and went on.
"She and I both married looking only at each other's families. There's no feeling between us. None toward the kids either. Living like this without seeing each other is better for both of us. So why the sudden question?"
"I just suddenly wondered how my sister-in-law was doing. Opportunities to sit face-to-face with you and talk about such things are rare, so I asked while the curiosity was there."
"Your curiosity's been satisfied, so don't ask again."
As if he wanted neither to hear nor speak any more on the subject, Lee Chang-jong finished speaking and turned his head away.
Watching him, Kim Seong-ho realized his own judgment had not been wrong.
That's right. In the end, you were the one who should have taken it on your shoulders back then.
From the experience of his previous life and from the man before him now, Kim Seong-ho understood: Lee Chang-jong was the one who ought to have embraced the storm that would soon strike the Ilhyeon Group.
Kim Seong-ho turned his head and looked at the calendar. Silently, he began calculating the date when that storm would arrive.
Standing beside Kim Seong-ho, who was gazing up at a building, Jo Chung-sep began explaining it.
"It's a building less than two years old, and not all the tenants have moved in yet. But given the location, filling every office shouldn't be a problem."
Kim Seong-ho nodded, still looking up at the structure, and asked Jo Chung-sep,
"You said this came on the market at half the going rate?"
"Yes. It came out at a mere twenty billion won. Considering the distance to the subway station, it should easily fetch over forty billion, yet it's being sold in a hurry for twenty."
"Did the owner go bankrupt or something?"
"How did you know?"
Jo Chung-sep looked startled by Kim Seong-ho's words, then leaned close and spoke in a low voice.
"The building's owner is the president of Juma Construction."
"The same Juma Construction that went bankrupt yesterday?"
"Yes, that's the one."
Hearing Jo Chung-sep's answer, Kim Seong-ho wore a puzzled expression.
"If Juma Construction is the owner, then this should be an asset frozen by the creditors, shouldn't it?"
"No."
Jo Chung-sep quickly waved a hand, checked that the people walking past paid them no attention, and continued in a whisper.
"Apparently it came out of the Juma Construction president's other pocket."
At that, Kim Seong-ho's face lit with understanding.
"…So the real owner is the president of Juma Construction, but the title was put under a different name. That's why the creditors couldn't seize it."
"Exactly."
Still pressed close to Kim Seong-ho's side, Jo Chung-sep explained in detail what kind of building they were looking at.
"They say the Juma Construction president built it with his own private funds. He used only the best materials, and the construction period was twice as long as for other buildings, so it's extremely solid. He built it hoping it would be passed down from his children to his grandchildren."
Jo Chung-sep glanced up at the building again and continued.
"If Juma Construction hadn't gone bankrupt this time, he never would have put it on the market. Whatever else he might sell, this was the one thing he absolutely wanted to leave to his children."
"Fifteen billion."
"Pardon?"
Jo Chung-sep stopped looking at the building and turned to Kim Seong-ho.
Still gazing upward, Kim Seong-ho said,
"Tell them I'll buy it if they sell for fifteen billion."
"Fifteen billion? Isn't fifteen billion… far too low?"
Jo Chung-sep looked embarrassed.
"I wasn't going to mention it, but even getting them down to twenty billion was difficult. The Juma Construction president came out saying he needed at least thirty billion. We got it down to twenty on the condition of full payment with no installment—immediate settlement. If we try to cut it any further…"
"If they refuse, we simply don't buy it."
Kim Seong-ho spoke as if it were nothing of consequence and started walking.
"How much is this building next door?"
"Pardon?"
Jo Chung-sep hurried after him, looked at the building Kim Seong-ho pointed to, and answered.
"This one isn't even on the market."
"Find out anyway. Look into everything from here all the way to the end of that row. If they have no intention of selling, so be it, but if there's even the slightest willingness, set the price based on the Juma Construction building and try negotiating."
"Negotiate using Juma Construction—which we just lowered from twenty to fifteen billion—as the benchmark? If we set that as the standard, there might not be a single person willing to sell a building around here."
"That's something we won't know until we try."
A faint smile touched Kim Seong-ho's lips as he added one more condition.
"Tell them we'll pay the entire amount in cash and settle in full on the day the contract is signed."
"Full payment on the same day with no remaining balance?"
"That's right."
Smiling at the startled Jo Chung-sep, Kim Seong-ho continued.
"Even Juma Construction will accept those terms without much difficulty. Their president needs to dispose of the property quickly and disappear, after all."
"Disappear?"
"The creditors have already filed charges against the Juma Construction president for breach of trust and embezzlement. So he doesn't have much time left."
Recalling Juma Construction from his previous life, Kim Seong-ho smiled lightly once more and said to Jo Chung-sep,
"Go to the Juma Construction president and tell him this: if fifteen billion is acceptable, we can close the deal as early as tomorrow. If not, the offer disappears. That should get you an answer."
After instructing Jo Chung-sep on exactly how to negotiate with Juma Construction, Kim Seong-ho strolled slowly down the street. Looking over the rows of buildings standing in the heart of Gangnam, he said,
"Quite a few of the buildings around here will be in the same situation as Juma Construction's. I want to acquire all of them, so check carefully. Full cash payment, settled on the day of contract—plenty of people will like that."
Kim Seong-ho finished speaking to Jo Chung-sep and walked on ahead.
While Kim Seong-ho was out shopping for buildings, word arrived that the IMF Managing Director and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea had signed the official bailout agreement. The Korean economy began its full-scale entry into the IMF system.