The Financial Pawnshop of the Business World
It had been three days since Kim Seong-ho and Jo Chung-sep had gone to look at the Gangnam building when another call came in from Jo Chung-sep.
"Director, there are several people who want to sell their buildings. Would you care to take a look?"
"That works out well. When would be a good time?"
"They say they're free to meet whenever you are—right away, if possible."
"Understood. Let me just finish what I'm reviewing…"
Still holding the receiver, Kim Seong-ho checked his wristwatch.
"I'll head over to Future Asset in about two hours."
"Understood. I'll have the building owners come here as well."
Kim Seong-ho hung up, tidied the documents he had been reviewing, and rose from his seat at once.
Just then, Jo Byeong-jin walked into the office. He watched Seong-ho stand and gather his things with a puzzled look and asked,
"Where are you headed? Don't tell me you're already calling it a day?"
Seong-ho, midway through pulling on his coat, turned to see Byeong-jin standing there with a stack of approval documents.
"If it's not urgent, let's do it tomorrow."
"It's not urgent, but you still need to sign these so we can move ahead with the inauguration ceremony…"
"Inauguration ceremony?"
Seong-ho frowned as he finished settling his coat over his shoulders. Byeong-jin, still looking down at the papers and missing the expression, went on,
"Yeah. You're becoming a president in name, after all. You've got to hold an inauguration."
Seong-ho paused, then shrugged into the coat fully and waved a hand at Byeong-jin.
"Come on, drop it. Drop it. What inauguration?"
"Maybe it's nothing to you, but we still need one for the rest of the staff. This is tied straight to the headquarters' morale."
At the mention of staff morale, Seong-ho let out a long sigh and held out his hand.
"Give it here."
Standing, he took the approval documents and scanned what was written inside. Then he reached for a pen from Byeong-jin and drew lines through several items.
"Cut this, and cut this. Why do we need a banquet? Skip the bouquet presentation ceremony too. Holding something is fine, but don't make a big production of it. The whole country's in an uproar right now—if we throw a lavish inauguration, people will tear us apart. Better to…"
Seong-ho scribbled something on the papers with the pen, then handed the documents back.
"The gold-collection drive is in full swing these days. Have the promotees, myself included, donate gold, and let any staff who want to join in. We collect it under the Restructuring Headquarters' name and donate that instead of holding a ceremony. That would work well."
"Donate gold for the gold drive?"
Byeong-jin thought it over for a moment, then clapped his hands.
"That could be perfect. Snap some photos and use them for PR, and the headquarters' image only gets better. 'We stand with the nation in hard times'—how's that for a slogan? Man, that head of yours never stops spinning. Looks like Dae-su isn't the only one who should've been watching you."
"How's Dae-su doing these days?"
With the matter seeming settled, Seong-ho asked after their old friend for the first time in a while. Byeong-jin reached over to smooth Seong-ho's collar as he wound a scarf around his neck and answered,
"How do you think? Says he's buried under work."
"That busy?"
"Yeah. Complaints pouring in. Breach of trust and embezzlement cases outnumbering theft, even."
"Given the times, I suppose it would be that bad."
Seong-ho nodded and said,
"Still, we ought to meet up sometime. You set a date that works and let me know once it's fixed."
"Got it. But where are you going, anyway?"
"Ah. Off to buy a building."
Seong-ho said it as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world and waved a hand.
"That's the last of the approvals for today, so if you've got more, bring them tomorrow. I'm heading out."
He waved again and left the office. Lee Gyeong-deuk, who had been on his way in, paused to watch Seong-ho exchange greetings and depart, then approached Byeong-jin.
"Director, is he clocking out?"
"Yes. He said that wraps it up for today."
"Really? Why so early? He usually leaves later than anyone."
"Said he was heading out early to buy a building."
"To buy what?"
Deputy Head Lee Gyeong-deuk stared after the direction Seong-ho had gone, then turned a look of pure disbelief on Byeong-jin.
"A building?"
"Yes."
"You're talking about buying a building the way you'd talk about ducking into a corner store for gum?"
"Well… Director Kim put it that way himself."
Byeong-jin wore much the same look of mild absurdity. Lee Gyeong-deuk studied him for a moment, then nodded.
"True enough—he's operating on a completely different scale from us. We'd be shaking just buying wallpaper for the house, but for the Director, buying a building might be as easy as us buying gum."
The more he spoke, the more it made sense to him. He looked again toward the way Seong-ho had gone and said,
"The fact that we can live this peacefully in times like these is entirely thanks to the Director. Right. For someone like him, a building is nothing. Yes. That has to be it."
Talking to himself and answering himself, Lee Gyeong-deuk found himself even more impressed by the image of Seong-ho heading out to buy a building as casually as if buying gum. He moved on to where the headquarters staff were gathered, called them together, and began loudly recounting what had just happened.
"Our Director is on another level. The way we'd go to a corner store for snacks, the Director goes out to buy buildings. That's the size of the vessel that leads the Ilhyeon Group Restructuring Headquarters. You understand?"
Lee Gyeong-deuk, describing a scene no one else would ever witness, and the staff listening to him—all of them wore the same pleased expressions, as if they themselves were Kim Seong-ho. And each of them felt a swell of pride at being part of the Ilhyeon Group Restructuring Headquarters.
When Seong-ho arrived at Future Asset, Jo Chung-sep's secretary greeted him warmly.
"Director, you've arrived?"
"Is Representative Jo inside?"
"Yes. He's waiting for you with the guests. Please come in."
The employee guided him deeper into the office. The moment Seong-ho stepped inside, staff who had been hard at work spotted him and hurried over with greetings.
"Director, you've come!"
"Director, why don't you visit more often? We're going to forget your face."
"Director, since you're here, could you look at this for a moment? What do you think of this company?"
Some greeted him gladly, some pouted about how rarely he came, and some thrust investment lists at him without preamble. Quite a few people were speaking to him at once.
"That's enough, all of you. The Director didn't come here to play."
At the guiding secretary's scolding, the gathered staff flushed with embarrassment. Seong-ho, who had been quietly watching the scene, raised a hand toward the Future Asset employees and said with a light smile,
"I'm sorry. I have an appointment today. I'll make time to come back another day, and we can talk then. Please understand. Well then."
Once he asked for their understanding, the staff could no longer press him. They cleared a path; Seong-ho walked through it into the inner rooms, offering a word of thanks as he went.
The building owners who had been watching this from inside turned to Jo Chung-sep with startled expressions.
"Representative Jo, why are the employees asking him questions like that? He's not even a Future Asset staff member, is he?"
"He's not staff—he's the largest investor. So they all think of him as family."
"The largest investor?"
"Family?"
The owners who had come to sell their buildings to Seong-ho stared at him and Jo Chung-sep in astonishment.
"Then is he the real owner of Future Asset?"
"Not exactly. But he is one of the major shareholders, yes."
Jo Chung-sep gave a brief introduction and stepped forward to greet Seong-ho.
"Director, you've arrived?"
"Am I late?"
"Not at all. You're right on time."
Jo Chung-sep assured him he was not late and introduced the building owners.
"Director, these are the gentlemen who wish to sell their buildings to you. This is Kim Seong-ho, Head of the Restructuring Headquarters of the Ilhyeon Group."
"A pleasure. I'm Kim Seong-ho."
The owners could not hide their surprise at the introduction. They had never dreamed that the man who wanted to buy their buildings would be someone from the Ilhyeon Group.
"Shall we step inside? We can't very well stand here talking."
At Seong-ho's suggestion they collected themselves, exchanged glances of continued astonishment, and filed together into the conference room.
As they took their seats, the owners each offered a remark toward Seong-ho.
"I never imagined the person buying our building would be the son-in-law of the Ilhyeon Group."
"I was fretting all the way here, but every last worry just vanished."
"I've made up my mind to sell, no matter what."
Seong-ho looked over the owners who had decided the moment they learned his identity and asked with a smile,
"You've decided to sell simply because I'm the buyer?"
The owner seated directly across answered first.
"When we heard the full cash payment would be completed on the day of the contract, we thought some strange person must be playing a joke. Raising hundreds of billions in cash overnight—especially in times like these—is no easy feat."
The owner beside him chimed in.
"Easy doesn't begin to cover it. Who else in the entire country besides the Ilhyeon Group could do such a thing? If anyone else could…"
"…it would only be Mr. Dan Il-gyeong."
Jo Chung-sep turned a blank look toward the owner seated farthest to the right.
"Dan Il-gyeong? Who is that, that you say he could do what our Director Kim can?"
"That man is…"
Just as the questioned owner began to explain who Dan Il-gyeong was, a voice spoke first from the doorway.
"I'll answer that myself."
An old man stood in the doorway, leaning on a cane, long white eyebrows hanging low, and glared at everyone seated in the room.
Jo Chung-sep shot to his feet in shock at the sudden appearance.
"Who are you to walk in here? Is there no one outside? How could you let an outsider get this far?"
Mortified that an outsider had appeared while guests were present, Jo Chung-sep called for the staff outside—but not one of them so much as showed his face. Flustered, he started to go out himself.
Then the old man by the door stepped slightly aside, and a powerfully built man entered and blocked Jo Chung-sep's path. The man raised a hand toward Jo Chung-sep, pointed at the chair Jo Chung-sep had just vacated, and said,
"Sit down."
With first the old man and now this burly stranger entering the conference room, Jo Chung-sep's expression grew even more pained.
"And who are you to order people to sit in someone else's company?"
"The elder wishes you to sit. So sit."
"The elder? If you mean the elder…"
Realizing that the "elder" the man referred to was the old man still leaning on his cane behind him, Jo Chung-sep looked toward the newcomer. The old man raised a hand toward Jo Chung-sep and said,
"I'll apologize first. I'm sorry. But I simply had to see the face of whoever was trying to snatch my buildings first."
Still leaning on the cane, the old man came fully inside. He cast a glance over the building owners, then walked straight up to Kim Seong-ho.
"Is it you? The bastard trying to buy up my buildings?"
"Buildings… what do you…"
As Jo Chung-sep stared at the old man in bewilderment, one of the owners seated across the table suddenly shot to his feet with a face full of shock.
"Dan Il-gyeong?"
The old man turned to the owner who had spoken his name and scowled.
"Dan Il-gyeong? Am I your friend?"
At the sharp rebuke, the owner hurriedly bowed his head.
"Chairman, I apologize. I was rude to speak your name so casually. Please forgive me."
The old man regarded the bowing owner for a moment and said,
"You're the owner of Iljae Building, aren't you?"
"Huk!"
The owner of Iljae Building looked stunned that the old man already knew who he was.
"Your son ruined his business this time, so now you're trying to sell Iljae Building."
"How did you…"
"How would I know? You think Dan Il-gyeong wouldn't know even that?"
Dan Il-gyeong snorted and turned toward Jo Chung-sep.
"My men took your staff outside for a bit. I told them to bring everyone back in once we're finished talking, so don't worry."
"How…"
Jo Chung-sep started to ask how every employee could simply be led away, then stopped when he saw the burly men standing behind the old man. The method was obvious the moment he looked at them.
Dan Il-gyeong turned from the speechless Jo Chung-sep and headed for an empty seat. One of the large men pulled the chair out so the old man could sit more easily. Dan Il-gyeong leaned on his cane, lowered himself slowly into the seat, and the instant he was settled he fixed his gaze on Kim Seong-ho and said,
"So you're the bastard who's Lee Tak-hyeon's son-in-law?"
A man who called the absolute Chairman of the Ilhyeon Group by his given name. The one known as the Financial Pawnshop of the Business World, Dan Il-gyeong, now sat across from Kim Seong-ho and stared him down.