Chapter 155
Chapter 155
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: Declaration of Neutrality (2)
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Pyeongchang-dong. The mansion of SA Group Chairman Im Gye-hyeon.
The massive stone wall piled high seemed pointless, as the loud commotion from inside leaked out, shattering the quiet dawn alleyway.
“Father! The business plan I submitted this time… why did you reject it!”
SA Group Vice President Im Jae-ho pounded his chest with his own fist in frustration.
Tears welled up in his bloodshot eyes, born from a deep sigh.
“I know you were the one who shot it down in the final review. Do you have any idea… how much blood, sweat, and tears I poured into planning it…!”
His son pleaded through a throat choked with phlegm. And his elderly father, seated in a wheelchair, gazed at his only son with pitying eyes.
It took several clearing coughs before Chairman Im Gye-hyeon finally spoke, facing his child who vented his injustice like a toddler.
“Cough, cough. Jae-ho, the plan you proposed is impossible to realize. You wanted to develop a mobile OS for smartphones independently, right?”
“It’s something we absolutely must do! No matter what the cost to the entire group!”
A successor too lacking to bear the full weight of the crown. No, beyond that—his only bloodline.
That was why Chairman Im Gye-hyeon’s words, sighed out, held no anger or reproach.
Just pity. Nothing but pity for his deficient son.
“How?”
“Well…”
“I pored over that business plan dozens of times with my weary eyes. How to draw in people not just from Korea, but from around the world.”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon extended his hand toward the fireplace. Warmth began to seep into his frail arm, withered by time.
No, perhaps warmth had to return. At least for this dim-witted son, he needed to place SA Group on solid ground before departing.
“That’s why I cut it myself. Not because I underestimate you, or hate you. I just… cough! Cough!”
“Father…? Father!”
Harsh coughs erupted again, mingled with flecks of blood.
Was it because the flickering embers of his fading life danced before his eyes?
Vice President Im Jae-ho’s gaze lost focus, trembling.
In the end, the commotion settled only after hastily summoning the personal physician.
“Chairman, are you alright? You should be admitted to the hospital immediately…”
“Hoo… I’m fine. I still have things left to do; I can’t leave just yet. Hey, Im-ja.”
Breaths barely steadied.
In that moment, as if struck by a thought, Chairman Im Gye-hyeon beckoned his secretary.
“Bring that here.”
“You mean the Blue House matter…?”
“Yes. Time is short, so we need to hurry even by a day.”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon closed his eyes and nodded weakly.
He received a paper envelope stamped with the Blue House seal from the secretary, then slowly opened his mouth while gazing at his struggling son.
“Perhaps… this will be the last thing your father can do for you.”
“Father, this is…?”
Vice President Im Jae-ho’s eyes sparkled as he flipped through the documents, page by page, with his fingertips.
Seeing life return to his son’s eyes, scarred by failures, the father summoned his remaining strength to grasp that hand.
“If you defeat Han Seo-jun of Ammunition Group, the SA Group you’ll seize… will surely leap toward the entire world. Without fail.”
* * * *
“Let’s go. Straight to headquarters.”
“Yes, Vice President.”
Vice President Im Jae-ho rested his chin on his right hand against the car window, watching the Pyeongchang-dong mansion fade into the distance.
Today, more than ever, the shadow of that fortress-like estate felt like it would swallow him whole.
“A tiger father begets a dog son. That saying… it’s such an inescapable yoke.”
Compared to Im Gye-hyeon, the myth of Korean business, Vice President Im Jae-ho drew much criticism for his lacking managerial skills.
The document contained the president’s proposal to designate a leader for the IT industry. He stared at the crisp white paper and muttered.
“Perhaps this is my last chance to prove my worth while Father is still alive. And…”
His gaze pierced like an arrowhead on a single word: Ammunition Group.
And the man named Han Seo-jun, who had driven him to the edge over the Defense Ministry’s new weapons project.
Though he had lived half his life labeled a “dog son,” that Defense Ministry project stabbed like a dagger in his heart.
It proved not just in business, but in family too, that he was a failure.
“Han Seo-jun… I absolutely cannot lose to that bastard. Never!”
The white paper crumpled in his grip.
At the same time, the light reflecting in his glasses, adjusted on the bridge of his nose, shone with resolve—as firm as his clenched fists.
And in that moment, a phone call came in.
-Daddy? Is it okay to talk now?
A youthful voice blending English and Korean naturally, half and half.
The son from his previous marriage, divorced before Seo Yun-ji. He was a boy who had just entered high school at a boarding school in America.
And at that unlined voice, Vice President Im Jae-ho’s face broke into a smile.
“Of course. It’s my one and only Seong-bin calling, so naturally it’s fine. How’s school?”
-Always the same. Same old. But… the school’s having a parents’ event, and you’re not coming this year either?
“Hmm, well, I’ll have to check my company schedule first…”
His trailing words carried apology and responsibility. No matter how cherished his only son’s request, the walls of reality loomed higher, so he couldn’t promise easily.
“…Hold on.”
However.
A flash of insight struck Vice President Im Jae-ho’s mind.
A way to solve the puzzle of selecting the leading IT company. This one call from his son was unexpectedly opening a path.
A path to acquire a startup with tech prowess in America, that land of opportunity.
-Daddy?
“I think I can make it. Looks like I’ll have a business trip to the States soon.”
-Really? For real?
“Yeah, your dad… has something he absolutely must do there. For Grandpa, and for our Seong-bin.”
* * * *
-Vreeeeeng!
A small factory in the Incheon industrial zone, where cooling fans whirred noisily. This odd place had no machine tools—just electronic devices blasting hot air like mad.
“Hey! You’re here? Come on in, quick.”
Seo-hee noona waved from the factory entrance, dressed in casual work clothes.
She was the daughter of my uncle, ousted from the group amid the succession strife, but no one dared reproach her.
Her unparalleled financial acumen and business sense. Plus, with me as chairman lending my support, it was inevitable.
“Noona, handling Cocoa Bank on top of a Bitcoin mining company—aren’t you stretched thin?”
“What nonsense. Everyone in the Han family is a workaholic by blood. Come inside first and take a look at this.”
Stepping through the door revealed a dazzling blaze of bright lights that hurt the eyes.
Inside, invisible pickaxes mined virtual gold in the digital world.
“As per your orders, we’re mining just 10,000 coins a day. We’re trickling some out to the market to test the waters.”
The total Bitcoin mined so far: 500,000 coins.
At past peaks nearing 80 million won each, that’s close to 40 trillion won. Of course, actual sales wouldn’t fetch that price.
“You’re doing great. Like I said before, what’s more important than the sheer number?”
I’d drilled it in so often that Seo-hee noona wore an expression like her ears were callused.
Wearing a smile just like mine, she answered with the thrill of a hunter savoring the chase.
“Dominating the market itself. That’s why you’re pushing for an exchange too, right, Seo-jun?”
“As expected, only you get me, noona.”
“Lip service doesn’t suit you. Oh, and that thing you mentioned last time.”
She pulled a small USB from the pocket on her chest.
“I pulled the list as instructed. No clue what you’re planning, though.”
The list on that USB was practically her entire network from her U.S. days.
Not just finance folks, but decision-makers in IT—tech companies, mainly.
“Thanks. Things are about to get busy. Seems the Blue House bigwig has some peculiar tastes.”
* * * *
Rewind a bit to this morning.
Before heading to Incheon to see Seo-hee noona, in the chairman’s office at Ammunition Group HQ, a shiny bald head reflected the light like a lamp.
The light bouncing off Uncle Kim Won-cheol’s bare scalp.
‘So, the president wants to watch a horse race with humans, huh.’
A human horse race with the prize of selecting the top IT company.
The president’s intent was obvious. Whichever between Ammunition or SA Group won, he’d just reap political gains in between.
‘Well, it’s got some real value to play for. Timing’s perfect, too.’
‘We do have to compete with SA Group in smartphones. Didn’t expect it like this, though.’
The smartphone market ballooning like an inflating bubble.
Thanks to the Defense Ministry new weapons project, Ammunition Electronics had nearly finished prepping to enter smartphones.
Perfect timing to expand into IT.
The issue was… how to expand.
‘First, we head to the States.’
‘The States? To hunt companies? Well, group funds are flush, and we’ve got that solid moneybags Bin Salman, so cash isn’t a worry.’
Before regression, America was the cradle of booming IT tech in the 2010s.
Right now, their value unproven. This was the last chance to scoop up essential core tech there.
And with very careful moves.
‘I’ll leverage Seo-hee noona’s U.S. network first. Decisions after seeing with my own eyes. Whether full acquisitions or just patents.’
No other reason for the careful play.
The hegemony war looming in the future. The U.S. government wouldn’t stand idle watching IT roots slip to foreign soil.
Decisions had to be made without ruffling feathers, on amicable terms.
Rising from my seat, I slipped on my suit jacket and added,
‘Gotta dodge the blows from the Land of the Free first, after all.’