Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: A Dog That Wants to Become a Tiger (3)
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It was still a bit early for winter to give way to spring. Here in Yangpyeong, with the biting chill of the river wind cutting through, I fiddled with my fishing rod, staring blankly at the water's surface.
Not because Kim Won-cheol had dragged me along like usual, but purely of my own volition.
"You look like you've got a lot on your mind, Chairman."
"Oh, Aide Yoo Se-na."
The bald guy who makes ramen that's out of this world at the fishing spot wasn't here today. Yoo Se-na the aide came over and sat beside me, pulling her coat tighter around the slight gap in the front.
She handed me a thermos of coffee and spoke up.
"Honestly, I was a little surprised. You're not going with Chief Secretary Kim, and you suddenly said you were heading to Yangpyeong alone."
"I'm just clearing my head. No need to drag a busy guy along for that. He's got a mountain of work I dumped on him anyway."
"No matter how busy Chief Secretary Kim is, I bet he would've made time for the Yangpyeong fishing spot. Even if he had to squeeze it in..."
Of course, I'd deliberately left him behind. In the current situation, it wouldn't do for both of us to be away from headquarters at the same time.
And... there was something I needed to mull over quietly.
I took a sip of the bitter coffee and gazed at the lakeside, not even a ripple disturbing the surface, before opening my mouth.
Recalling what had happened a few days ago in the VIP room at SA Medical Center.
"Do all men who carry the title of 'father' end up like that?"
"Chairman...?"
"My father, Aide Yoo Se-na's father, and... that guy I met back then too."
That day, Im Gye-hyeon Chairman had gazed at the swaying branches outside the window, smiling sadly.
He reached out his gaunt, withered hand to me, mustering his last bit of strength to propose a deal.
Stripped of the overwhelming presence that had dominated others his whole life, his face held a touch of sorrow.
"In my eyes that day, Im Gye-hyeon Chairman didn't look like the head of a massive corporation... He just looked like a father."
"Just a father... you say?"
"Yeah. A father desperately trying to shield his one worthless son."
Today, the fishing rod sat utterly still, as if urging me to solve the homework Im Gye-hyeon Chairman had assigned.
The problem sheet, inked with his final breaths, flickered before my eyes.
* * * *
'Jae-ho, that boy... he's over fifty now, but to me, he's still just a child. Like leaving him by some dangerous waters.'
Eyes lost in melancholy, brimming with sadness.
The old man's deep sockets were fogged over like frost on a window.
As that fog threatened to condense into dewdrops, Im Gye-hyeon Chairman lifted his bowed head. He pointed at me with his chin and continued.
'You're quite different from me, Chairman Han. You know that, don't you?'
'I don't know what to say...'
'What can I say? People are born with... different capacities. It's too late to change that now. And.'
Im Jae-ho Vice Chairman, subject to his father's cold judgment, absent from this room.
Our relationship wasn't pure enmity, but it wasn't friendly either. I didn't harbor any particular grudge against the man.
His obvious limitations never posed a serious threat to me or Ammunition Group's survival.
Of course... to Im Gye-hyeon Chairman, that fact itself was the sadder truth.
'Please go on.'
'Hoo... Jae-ho's innate capacity is too small to expand SA Group's territory. Of course, you already know that much, Chairman Han.'
Im Jae-ho Vice Chairman, the man I'd dealt with during the Seo Yun-ji incident before.
Then or now, his vessel was still small and unimpressive. Utterly inadequate to lead tens of thousands of employees through the jungle of capitalism.
Offering false denials to Im Gye-hyeon Chairman, who stated those facts so plainly, would only hurt more.
'Are you alright? It seems like... these are hard words for you to even say out loud, Chairman.'
'And why not? Admitting your own son's shortcomings in front of others is heartbreaking. Especially in front of someone who might bare his fangs at my son after I'm gone.'
Calm words, laced with sharp bone. But no personal feelings could mix in.
Cheap pity had no place here—I knew that much. So... I swallowed my discomfort and replied.
'Wouldn't it be more cruel not to bare those fangs when the time comes?'
'......'
Im Gye-hyeon Chairman nodded silently. All I could do for him was continue saying what needed to be said.
'If the time comes to be cruel, I'll do what's necessary. I don't know what curse you'll saddle me with, Chairman Im.'
'Ha ha, Chairman Han. Treating me like I'm already dead? And a cold-blooded type like you wouldn't take on any curse anyway. Unless I force it on you.'
His eyes changed.
Im Gye-hyeon Chairman's slumped shoulders straightened, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Then, he uttered an unexpected remark.
'I was thinking of pre-tainting my SA Group this lump of meat beforehand. So a predator like you won't salivate over it. Cough! Cough!'
'Chairman Im...!'
-Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Blood sprayed from his mouth around the oxygen tube. Im Gye-hyeon Chairman shut off the blaring medical equipment and waved me off casually.
'Cough! Cough! Ah... I'm fine. Fine. First... take a look at what's on that table over there.'
A vase with nothing but a single dried chrysanthemum, and beneath it, a stack of documents.
The paper, white as petals... contained a proposal I hadn't even imagined, phrased in business terms.
'Chairman Im, this plan couldn't be...'
'What you're thinking. Exactly.'
Not just about business, but with a father's resolve toward the worthless son he was leaving behind.
'As long as it's white goods, even Jae-ho can hold onto it. No need to overreach, and no ability to either.'
High-tech IT spearheaded by smartphones versus the traditional cash cow of white goods.
Im Gye-hyeon Chairman... was telling me this: Hand over all high-value business divisions to Ammunition Group, and in exchange, take the entire white goods division for his worthless son.
And, ironically, the last line of the severed contract.
-In addition to exchanging business divisions between Ammunition Group and SA Group, SA Group will additionally sell the following affiliates of Ammunition Group...
'Curious about the next page, eh?'
The crisp texture of paper under my fingertips. Tension building as I turned to the next... just a blank page with a single underline, as if inviting handwritten terms.
'What does this clause mean?'
'Putting just the wireless division on the table wouldn't make you bite, Chairman Han. Cough! Cough!'
Leaving me an offer I couldn't refuse, Im Gye-hyeon Chairman immediately hacked up blood-laced coughs.
Unlike before... this looked serious.
'Chairman! Chairman, are you okay! Damn, the signals were off! Nurse Kim, reconnect the devices!'
With the medical equipment unresponsive, chaos erupted outside. Medical staff burst in through the door.
In the frenzy of the room, as Im Gye-hyeon Chairman was wheeled to the ICU, he gripped my hand and added one final word.
'Looks like I really don't have much time left... Hurry it up. Better to tie it off before I head off on my long journey.'
* * * *
Shanghai Pudong District, lobby of [Shanghai Capital] headquarters.
Had he come straight from the airport without even unpacking?
The suitcase wheel in Yan Long's hand, clasped behind his back, rattled nonstop.
James Wang the Director, welcoming his right-hand man who was always waiting in the same spot.
"You're here, Yan Long. Things worked out with Im Jae-ho Vice Chairman?"
"...We proceeded as instructed. Investment funds to be disbursed in three days."
Yan Long's face was stiff.
Forcing through a deal he didn't like, and handling the negotiations himself, his voice was subdued.
"We also agreed to handle the Bermuda secret account issue on our end. Of course, we pulled extra shares from SA Group in return."
"Good work."
"My lord?"
A perfunctory response clashing with his serious demeanor. Yan Long tilted his head in confusion, catching sight of his lord with a finger to his lips, beckoning to another room.
"The office is bugged. Look at this first."
-Thud
A few Polaroid photos pulled from an inner pocket.
Yan Long's back, snapped alongside familiar Public Security officers. His schedule in Korea had already been reported up the chain.
"This is...!"
"Just as expected. Beijing's already watching."
James Wang the Director, looking weary as he rubbed his temple.
He pulled the center bottle from the whiskey display in the glass cabinet and spoke.
"Care for a drink? It's been a while."
A modest celebration set up in one corner of the conference room.
Pouring golden whiskey generously into glasses, James Wang the Director began.
"J-Coco is one hell of a tempting prey. Put aside distractions and focus on that."
"But the risks remain. Ammunition Group and Saudi Arabia are pulling back... like they were waiting for it."
"Don't worry. I haven't been idle either."
"My lord?"
James Wang the Director's eyes reflected in the faceted glass.
Uncharacteristically tipsy early, perhaps, he smirked and took his lips from the glass.
"Lucky break. We do have some influence in the U.S. Commerce Department."
"You mean...?"
James Wang the Director, who had begun recruiting U.S. government sympathizers one by one.
His efforts had borne fruit sooner than expected. Immediately, Yan Long's eyes fixed on a photo of a man who looked just like someone.
"He's on the review committee. Turns out he's connected to J-Coco's Dick Johnson too. Same Johnson family, they say?"
"......!"
"Even if it's a trap, we might just reel in what we want. While looking down on Han Seo-jun from above."