Chapter 161
Chapter 161
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: A Dog That Wants to Become a Tiger (2)
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America, Silicon Valley.
J-Coco's CEO Dick Johnson wore a grave expression, maintaining an unusually calm demeanor all day.
He wasn't tormenting his Korean subordinate as he usually did to relieve stress, nor did he hurl his juice at the elderly janitor who shared the elevator with him.
"Boss. Coming in."
A black man entered the room with a knock.
Serving as both a finance executive and Dick Johnson's advisor, he began his report while swiping through the screen on the tablet PC in his hand.
"It looks like that Saudi Arabia connection is tied to the Ammunition Group."
"I figured as much. Probably the work of that bald guy. Name was Won-cheol Kim, right?"
A moment where half-truths mixed with facts led to a bizarre misunderstanding.
The note scrawled with "FUCK YOU." The intense first impression it left.
And the current situation unfolding so convincingly was more than enough to fan the flames of their misconception.
"That puny young heir causes trouble here, and the bald guy cleans it up like this. The Saudi in front is just a front."
"They must also judge the Bermuda secret accounts as too risky. Not that I expected them to go that far."
"Can't tap into the other pockets, then. So, what's the total amount?"
Tap, tap.
The black man tapped various spots on the screen to pull up the data. Soon, a neatly organized Excel file loaded up, filled with the massive figures Dick Johnson loved so much.
"70 billion dollars for now. Their bid through the Saudis is 20 billion higher than SA Group's."
"70 billion, 70 billion dollars... Not bad, but still not enough to fill my belly."
Was it a bit less than he'd hoped?
Dick Johnson stroked his chin with a slightly disappointed look. In a tentative voice, he asked the black man.
"No word from the SA Group side? They won't give up that easily."
"Injecting more funds will be an issue. That fake VP you met might charge ahead recklessly, but the old man above him is said to be pretty sharp."
"Ah, the old guy in the wheelchair."
Im Gye-hyeon, the chairman perched at the pinnacle of the SA Group pyramid.
Even across the Pacific in Silicon Valley, his name was well-known among executives. Especially his razor-sharp decision-making.
"As long as that old man doesn't suddenly go to the Lord, the max will be 70 billion dollars. From the Ammunition Group with the Saudi shell, that is."
"The number's so huge, our cut will still be substantial. Shame about the Bermuda accounts."
"Hmm..."
Dick Johnson's mind grew complicated.
Habitually, he picked up the remote and turned on the TV mounted on one wall of the office.
The screen was fixed on the F1 Grand Prix channel for car racing. Right on cue, a race was in full swing, the track vividly marked with harsh tire tracks.
"I wanted a fiercer competition. Even if the flames from the tires spread to the body, they never stop at the finish line."
Race cars roaring with explosive engine sounds that drowned out the crowd's cheers.
As the race hurtled toward the end, the pack of cars gradually fell behind one by one, drifting out of frame.
"It's ambiguous. If they all drop out midway, the race loses its heat."
"You want to... reignite the competition."
The leader in first, a blue car.
And chasing close behind in second, a red car.
They'd been locked in a fierce battle, jockeying to overtake each other, when suddenly the red car surged ahead.
Like a fireball on wheels, it swiftly swallowed the blue wave and charged toward the finish line.
Pulling away with a superhuman gap that cooled the crowd's excitement.
"If only the lagging blue one would floor it more. Enough to burn its own life away with the engine."
* * * *
Shanghai, Pudong District's skyscraper.
James Wang, the director, gazed down at the night view below the window, his shoulders looking heavier than usual today.
As if he might leap from the edge at any moment, plummeting to the brightly lit ground.
Seeing his dark mood, his subordinate Yan Long spoke up immediately.
"Are you really going to... accept it? What that Lee Taek-gyu said is way too suspicious."
"And if I don't? Sometimes you have to drink the poison knowing what it is."
"But, my lord...!"
Lee Taek-gyu. Former president of Ammunition Electronics and key figure in SA-Tiehua Techwin's semiconductor equipment operations in Guangzhou.
A traitor with a gambling addiction, he'd play middleman like this for a fat payout.
Everything fit their situation too perfectly to ignore the doubts.
"It could be... a trap they set. That J-Coco American IT firm is served up on a silver platter. Like they're begging us to devour it."
"Didn't I tell you? That's the reason."
After Director Jang's downfall, Beijing's political scene felt like walking a knife's edge.
James Wang, director of Shanghai Capital, barely surviving on that thin ice. The invisible pressure advanced toward him relentlessly.
The demand to prove his loyalty through swift action, matching their will.
"Yan Long, Beijing's will is firm. The spark of hegemony war will ignite with or without me. It's just..."
James Wang shook his head.
Perhaps he knew. This tempting bait of devouring an American IT giant would pierce his upper lip and fling him to the dirt.
Yet.
"Right now, with even kindling value offered, it's the least painful time to be their discard."
"My lord... Failure this time means total ruin."
"Doing nothing leads to ruin anyway. They already know the conversation you and Lee Taek-gyu had in Guangzhou."
After the political shift, China's public security tightened like a noose.
Forced into a choice with no exit, James Wang opened a desk drawer and pulled out a revolver.
A pistol kept as mere decoration, tossed about carelessly.
"Russian roulette... That gambler Lee Taek-gyu brought a nasty game. Or perhaps."
Click. A dull metallic sound echoed in the room. With one bullet chambered, James Wang placed his finger on the trigger, spinning the gun before stopping abruptly.
He stared down the black muzzle and muttered.
"The one shoving a loaded gun at me like this... might be that Han Seo-jun bastard."
"My lord..."
"Proceed. Contact SA—no, Yan Long, you go to Korea yourself and wrap it up."
* * * *
"Comin' along, Chairman."
Kim Won-cheol waved both hands vigorously, like a kindergartener on a field trip.
As if he'd forgotten this was a hospital entrance. Though a guy who ignored big shots wouldn't care about nurses.
"Would be great if you came too. For the visit."
"That old man's no fun. Mountains of work to do here anyway."
"Suit yourself. See you later."
Im Gye-hyeon woke earlier than I'd expected.
Wondering what was up, I recalled that even before regression, he'd had a final settling of affairs once before death.
Though I remembered he never opened his eyes a second time after that.
"...I was a bit surprised. Hearing you called for me right after waking, not your son?"
This was SA Medical Center, top-floor VIP room.
The old man before me was none other than... Im Gye-hyeon, looking like his life's flame might flicker out any second, yet his eyes still sharp as ever.
He beckoned the medical staff, removed the equipment from his mouth, and slowly spoke to me.
"Seeing Chairman Han first is the only way for my son."
His eyes, deep and inscrutable, seemed especially sorrowful today.
His gaunt arm trembled uncontrollably, as if even lifting a few sheets of paper was impossible.
"That Jae-ho boy... seems set on a reckless move. Taking investment from the Chinese side?"
Breathing shallowly with the oxygen tube over his nose.
Impossible as it seemed mere hours after waking... he'd grasped the entire situation.
"......"
I chose silence to observe first.
But Im Gye-hyeon, as if anticipating that, met my gaze steadily and continued.
"Backing them into a corner with no escape, slowly tightening the noose. Chairman Han, that's your classic style."
"......!"
From the summit, looking down—Im Gye-hyeon judged the board perfectly.
Flawless. J-Coco execs' intentions. The fake investment veiled as Saudi. Ammunition Group's capital limits.
And... the desperate moves of Im Jae-ho, the VP who wanted to be a tiger.
So, I nodded, acknowledging it all.
"You know it's a battlefield hard to retreat from."
"As long as I draw breath, you know I can shatter that neat setup, don't you?"
A threat.
Through the humidifier's mist, the old lion growled without a flicker in his expression.
A final ultimatum: if he reined in his son blinded by short-term gains, I'd be in trouble too.
"......"
"......"
His eyes vowed to overturn the whole game of selecting the top IT firm.
A profoundly... disorienting card. Might force redoing ties with the president ahead, reallocating national project profits entirely.
"But I won't, necessarily."
"Chairman Im?"
The air shifted suddenly.
Gazing at the swaying branches outside, Im Gye-hyeon smiled sadly.
His SA Group kingdom might shrink or tarnish... but he'd protect his precious blood kin above all.
"One thing. If you promise me just one thing... there won't be any detours."