Chapter 160
Chapter 160
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 160
Chapter Title: The Dog Who Wants to Become a Tiger (1)
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*Beep, beep, beep, beep.*
The medical equipment emitted its monotonous tone indifferently. Right beside it, a humidifier puffed out a misty vapor.
And beyond that fog-like steam, Vice President Im Jae-ho's hardened expression came into view.
“Father….”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon’s hand, withered like a bare tree branch.
Yet that hand was bent as if desperately clutching something, neatly placed atop the blanket.
With those pitiful eyes, always silently grasping his own hand—just like before.
“We’ve gotten past the worst for now, Vice President. I’m confident there won’t be any major issues while he’s hospitalized. However.”
The hospital director adjusted his silver-framed glasses and slowly opened his mouth. His face was even more somber than usual as he carefully parted his lips.
“His congenital poor health, combined with severe age-related ailments, means his internal organs aren’t functioning properly.”
“…Are you telling me to prepare myself?”
“It’s hard to say for certain right now, but if he ends up in the ICU, it might be best to brace for the worst…”
Vice President Im Jae-ho lightly waved one hand at the hospital director, who trailed off.
Looking fatigued, he pinched the bridge of his furrowed nose with his thumb and index finger before issuing a curt order.
“Understood. You there, hospital director. You and all the medical staff—get out.”
“Yes, Vice President.”
Then, he turned his head to look at the chief secretary. Despite their somewhat awkward relationship, he calmly posed the question he needed to ask.
“What were Father’s last words…?”
“…….”
“Forget all that succession nonsense. Just as it was.”
After a brief moment of hesitation, the chief secretary let out a short sigh and spoke.
“Whew, even in the moment he collapsed, the Chairman was worried about you, Vice President.”
“So I was an eternally unreliable son. Not even worthy of a single word of acknowledgment.”
“No, Vice President. That’s not what the Chairman meant…”
“Enough. I know what he meant.”
Father and son. The twisted relationship between them had led to this twisted implication.
Vice President Im Jae-ho took hold of his father’s bent hand and spoke to the chief secretary as if issuing a notice, without even glancing back.
“That’s enough. Forget it. You go out for a bit too. Don’t let anyone in here.”
“…Understood.”
The back of the old man’s hand, rough like tree bark, devoid of any vitality.
Vice President Im Jae-ho remained silent for a long while. As the mechanical beeps filled the room monotonously, he finally began his solitary murmur.
“Two failed marriages, a failed new business venture, a failed heir, and a failed son.”
No tears welled in his bloodshot eyes—not even a single drop.
Just a sigh. A dry sigh, exhaled as if spat out.
“I just wished that, before you go, you’d recognize me at least once. Tell me I was a tiger cub, not a dog.”
Chairman Im Gye-hyeon, the mountain lord of SA Group’s peak. And the final chance for his son to prove his worth: the selection of the leading IT business firm.
The sudden interference from the Saudi side—no, from Ammunition Group—had fallen short on acquisition funds.
A tremor began in Vice President Im Jae-ho’s hand.
Twenty billion USD—neither more nor less, just twenty billion more—and he could have shown his father the one and only glimpse of him as a true son.
“Just once…”
Vice President Im Jae-ho pressed his forehead against the hospital blanket covering Chairman Im Gye-hyeon and closed his eyes.
His shoulders trembled, emotions sinking. But… the pathetic son’s confession of sins didn’t last long. It was interrupted by the voice of a secretary who flung open the hospital room door in haste, searching for him.
“B-big trouble, Vice President…!”
“…I clearly said no one comes in.”
“I’m sorry! But it’s so urgent… It’s a call from—from China!”
Vice President Im Jae-ho jerked his chin toward the secretary.
Immediately, a shocking phrase poured from the tense secretary’s mouth. Perhaps… for Vice President Im Jae-ho, this could be the chance to fulfill his father’s dying wish.
“Shanghai Capital has proposed a joint investment for the IT business. Their person in charge has already come to Korea!”
“……!”
* * * *
“Damn it, that hook-nosed bastard always sniffs out the perfect timing when money’s running dry…”
Former President Lee Tae-gyu, eyes closed and gnawing on his thumb since boarding the plane.
The man who once lorded over Ammunition Electronics with his red name tag had long since become a worthless gambling bum. One who’d made plenty of enemies along the way.
“Why China of all places! And SA Group business at that!”
“Sir, could you please keep it down? The passenger in front is uncomfortable.”
He kicked his seat in frustration, only to be stopped by the flight attendant. Looking utterly disheveled, he muttered an apology and turned his head toward the window.
Then, he grumbled under his breath.
“No matter how I think about it, those Shanghai Capital folks give me the creeps…”
Gazing down at the blinking airport lights, former President Lee Tae-gyu recalled the man who had brought him here.
The one who handed him thick wads of cash—enough to pay off his gambling debts.
‘You’ll need to play middleman for a bit. More precisely, information broker too.’
‘Chairman Han Seo-jun… sir, what do you mean?’
Lee Tae-gyu, the former president who roamed Southeast Asia’s casinos like a ghost.
After losing everything at a Thai gambling den, his old boss—and living grudge—extended a hand with sweet words.
‘You were a big shot in Guangzhou over that Cheolhwa Semiconductor deal. You’ve got connections on both SA Group and Shanghai Capital sides.’
An inner voice screamed that this was rich coming from the guy who’d stabbed him in the back at his peak. But Lee Tae-gyu shelved it before the cash stacks and nodded.
To him, the now-towering former chairman issued instructions.
‘Don’t spout useless crap. Just leak the info. Tell them there’s good news to help SA Group screw over Ammunition Group. So give me a cut. Like that.’
Use the cut however, he’d said. After landing and clearing immigration, former President Lee Tae-gyu moved his feet, the voice still vividly echoing in his ears.
Toward Yan Long from Shanghai Capital, who was waiting ahead at Guangzhou Airport.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Tae-gyu.”
“No need for greetings between us? Let’s move—matter’s urgent.”
Yan Long half-shoved former President Lee Tae-gyu into the black car. His expression wasn’t even remotely welcoming.
Anxiety, urgency, and… unease emanated from the seat beside him.
‘What’s this? I thought the jjajang kids were just loosening the purse strings, but this might go smoother than expected.’
Former President Lee Tae-gyu, whose instincts were now razor-sharp. His mental calculator whirred to life like it’d been oiled after ages.
In a way that perfectly aligned with his young client’s request—opposite to his spoken words.
“I… came to sell a plan to bash Han Seo-jun’s head in. Wonder if you folks plan to team up with SA bastards.”
* * * *
*Slurp! Slurp!*
Near Ammunition Group headquarters, an officetel.
A spot he frequented whenever his head got too complicated.
Uncle Kim Won-cheol, who’d strongly recommended Chinese food for a late-night snack, was inhaling double-portion jjajangmyeon with loud slurps.
“Whew, this place nails jjajang. Anyway, think the other jjajang folks’ll fall for it like our Chairman planned?”
Not just flattery—it suited my taste too.
Picking up a piece of yellow pickled radish, I waggled my fingers holding the wooden chopsticks and answered his question.
“Because the board looks convincing. And they’ll get half-dragged into it. More by force than choice.”
The unstoppable behemoth called the US-China hegemony war.
To put it bluntly… Shanghai Capital—the entity that tormented me so—was now nothing.
Just a pawn on a massive chessboard. One replaceable at the whim of Beijing’s power brokers.
“An additional twenty billion USD in investment. Even if it runs a bit over, pocket change for Beijing’s big shots.”
“Heh heh heh, the Shanghai Capital grunts stuck executing it’ll be pissing their pants though.”
That’s why the scheme might’ve come a tad too easily.
I rose from the sofa and stood before the pocket billiards table in the living room. Chalk on the cue, white ball in position—I slowly drew back my right arm.
“Timing’s perfect all around. Plenty of balls to pocket in one shot with the IT lead firm selection.”
*Crack!*
The white ball struck the red one dead-on. The red ball shot forward, aggressively shoving the scattered balls on the table toward the holes—only the ones without stripes, just like itself.
“The President, Shanghai Capital, and… SA Group too. That’s already three balls down.”
“Man, did you coat that cue with honey today? Balls are dropping like magic.”
Uncannily perfect shots—real skill plus a dash of luck.
Gazing at the result, Uncle Kim Won-cheol tossed me a question.
About whether this bit of luck would hold in the world beyond the table.
“But… SA’s a wild card, right? No guarantee Im Jae-ho’ll bite?”
“He will. No doubt.”
The white ball struck the cue again, crossing the table. Bouncing off a corner, it nudged the blue ball, which teetered perilously toward the pocket.
Clad in the same blue as SA Group’s emblem.
“Call it weird, but… other timings are lining up favorably too.”
“Other timings?”
Other timings.
Probably… around this time in my past life too.
From industrialization to now, Chairman Im Gye-hyeon—Korea Inc.’s living legend.
The moment his turbulent life, spanning eras, would end just shy of eighty… was approaching.
“Having to factor in someone else’s family matters sits funny with me.”
“Sounds like you’re saying Chairman Im Gye-hyeon’s about to pass soon.”
“Well, not something to dwell on now… but once the old man wakes, I should visit SA Medical Center.”