Chapter 168
Chapter 168
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 168
Chapter Title: Insiders (3)
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“I never imagined you’d agree to meet me right away.”
Vice President Im Jae-ho’s face was hollowed out so deeply that “haggard” didn’t even begin to describe it.
Not anger or fear, but the look of someone who had resigned themselves in utter exhaustion, all strength drained away.
He appeared to have just finished the 49th memorial rite, dressed in black mourning clothes. He nodded slowly and replied to me.
“…Come up. I need to pay my respects.”
The gravesite was as desolate as Dol Mountain. Passing through sparse bushes and over a spot shielded by pine trees, a single round tomb lay there, lonely and still.
The late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon. The star of Korea’s business world rested here in eternal peace.
“…….”
I sprinkled the soju I had brought onto the grave, where not even the grass had fully sprouted yet.
An awkward silence flowed as I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and offered my silent tribute. When a chill winter breeze brushed my cheek, I lifted my head and ran my palm over the tombstone before speaking.
“He was a remarkable man. The late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon.”
“You seem to have shared a deep bond with my father. Even though… you probably didn’t meet him more than a few times.”
Vice President Im Jae-ho’s response carried a hint of sarcasm, or so it might seem on the surface. But for some reason today, there was no lingering thorn in his words.
Only a bitter regret lingered around his lips like an aftertaste.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. What counts isn’t how often you meet, but how deep that connection runs.”
“I regret that I was there at his deathbed instead of you, Vice President Im. Truly.”
“…That’s all in the past now. More importantly.”
Vice President Im Jae-ho closed his eyes and let out a sigh. After a moment of silence, he furrowed his brow in anguish and began to speak, as if forcing out the words he had to say.
“First J-Coco, and now SA Group too? You’re putting the noose around their necks, borrowing the blade of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce?”
“Did you enjoy the show I orchestrated?”
“I knew right away whose handiwork it was. Just like with that Seo Yun-ji woman, this is the second time you’ve cornered prey into a dead end.”
Yang Wenli, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, who had imprisoned J-Coco’s top executives to solidify his political position.
He had turned against the funding backer [Shanghai Capital] and the Chinese government, his eyes bloodshot in his bid to transcend the limits of his bloodline.
SA Group, implicated alongside them, was something he could choke out at any time.
“Normally… they would’ve hanged. SA Group might’ve even been carved up like Cheolhwa Group back in the day.”
“……!”
Was it the realization that the kingdom his father left him could crumble overnight?
Vice President Im Jae-ho’s eyes widened in genuine shock, his words failing him.
The limits born of his own incompetence, leading to catastrophe.
And I… had my finger on the trigger to unleash that catastrophe.
But.
“I won’t let that happen. That much, I promise you.”
“Why…? You… no, Chairman Han Seo-jun, you hold no goodwill toward me at all.”
He turned his head slightly to gaze at the grave.
The incense had already burned out, leaving only gray ash in the brass burner. I inserted a long green funeral incense stick and lit it.
As if urging someone above to witness this scene clearly.
“There are promises I’ve made, you see. Right here, to the one resting before us.”
“What do you…?”
“Well, the details from here on will be handled by this person.”
Crunch. The sound of shoes stepping on snow-covered fallen leaves. Confusion flooded Vice President Im Jae-ho’s face as he turned.
“Attorney Choi…?”
“Long time no see, Vice President Im. I know it’s bewildering, but please understand the situation for now.”
The middle-aged woman who had been the late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon’s personal attorney.
They seemed to know each other, exchanging greetings. Then, spotting my face, she immediately pulled something from her briefcase.
“Shall we… get started then? Executing the last will of the late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon.”
* * * *
That day. When the titan of the business world, the late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon, breathed his last.
The deal he threw at me.
‘I’m thinking of tainting this lump of meat called SA Group with a bit of a stink beforehand. So a predator like you won’t salivate over it.’
Lying on his deathbed, vomiting blood, Chairman Im Gye-hyeon had said this to me.
He would hand over all of SA Group’s cutting-edge IT divisions to Ammunition Group, in exchange for their white goods division going entirely to his worthless son.
A stratagem to ensure that even his unworthy son—a tiger’s father with a dog’s child—wouldn’t lose everything and plummet into ruin.
And now, hearing his final will, Vice President Im Jae-ho collapsed by the grave, sobbing.
“Father….”
A whirlwind of tormenting emotions.
Surely… he knew it too. And now, he had to accept it.
The limits of his own inability, unable even to hold onto everything his father had built.
“We’ll proceed with executing the deceased’s will. Is that alright?”
“…Please continue.”
His eyes bloodshot red, staring only at the grave, he answered the attorney weakly.
I nodded to signal her, and Attorney Choi silently continued reading the documents.
“In addition to swapping the respective divisions of Ammunition Group and SA Group, SA Group will sell off the following Ammunition Group affiliates.”
“One moment, Attorney. I’ll say this part myself.”
“Chairman Han?”
I took a step toward Attorney Choi. Following procedure was important, but… I wanted to deliver this myself at least.
Even if Vice President Im Jae-ho stood here like a defeated man, I wanted to show minimal respect to the remaining master of SA Group.
“I agonized over which affiliate to acquire. I only decided on the day Chairman Im passed.”
“…Whatever it is, I’m prepared to accept it. It’s what my father decided for his foolish son, so I have no choice.”
He seemed resolved. Unlike before, Vice President Im Jae-ho now looked me straight in the eye.
Then, I owed him a straight answer in return.
“SA Precision Instruments.”
“Precision Instruments? Why that choice…?”
SA Precision Instruments.
It was the last thing he expected. His brow furrowed deeply as he tilted his head.
And rightly so—among SA Group companies, the jewels were in batteries and chemicals.
SA Precision Instruments produced robotic arms but was rated middling at best, a lower-tier affiliate. Complex emotions began twisting across Vice President Im Jae-ho’s face.
“Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t cheap pity or post-victory deception—it’s a rational decision.”
“Hmm… I can’t quite grasp the reasoning.”
“If I must give a hint.”
It was 2011, with the second month just ending.
This tumultuous year would soon bring a massive disaster striking the entire world.
Not confined to one region of the accident, but a calamity that would torment everyone bordering the Pacific.
“Soon… the technology held by SA Precision Instruments will save the world. From the country across the eastern sea.”
* * * *
“Nice shot! Haha, Minister Yang, your ball is flying perfectly.”
“The President’s shots are the ones piercing straight ahead—you’ve got today’s course all figured out.”
Near Seoul, at an exclusive golf course for the elite.
Yang Wenli, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, visiting Korea after wrapping up everything.
Gripping the golf ball on the grass, he glanced at the President and delivered a pointed remark.
“Almost like what happened in Silicon Valley.”
“Hey now, I told you that’s not it.”
The President waved it off.
He had pitted the two companies against each other for his own gain, but the outcome left him in an awkward spot.
To top it off, the late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon’s sudden passing had cost him a valuable card.
“Selecting the leading IT firm is a national lifeline project, but what happened in the U.S. was between companies. The government had no part in it.”
Coughing awkwardly over the lame lie stuck in his throat, the President added softly as he stepped off the cart, barely audible.
“Of course, I figured Chairman Han Seo-jun would come out on top in the end.”
Crack! The crisp strike rang out again. The ball, hit dead center, soared across the fairway toward the distant flag.
“Good shot!”
This time, it wasn’t flattery—Yang Wenli’s ball was truly well struck.
Feeling a bit better from the childish praise? Or was this his plan all along?
Yang Wenli shrugged and replied to the President as if granting a favor.
“Well, when all’s said and done, it worked out for us too, so I won’t nitpick diplomatically.”
“Good things are good. By the way, I hear a bloodbath’s brewing in China over this.”
“Ah, [Shanghai Capital].”
The bloody wind that originated in Beijing’s political circles and swept south.
James Wang, director of [Shanghai Capital], who had racked up too many failures lately.
Pinned as the scapegoat for this incident, he had stepped down from all posts and was essentially under house arrest.
“You know, thinking about it… Chairman Han Seo-jun, that young guy is something else. Knocking out multiple birds with one stone.”
Yang Wenli chuckled.
He’d merely thrown the stone called J-Coco, yet the birds it hit were bringing massive gains to Ammunition Group.
Especially J-Coco, whose sale to SA Group was blocked. Having sorted internal developers and patent issues, J-Coco decided to sell a portion of those patent shares to Ammunition Group.
Not handing over the company or tech wholesale to foreigners, but enough for Ammunition Group to use the patents freely.
Enough to qualify them as the leading IT firm.
Remembering that, the President shook his head. He recalled another move by this uncontrollable young partner.
“He’s so sharp, after all. Yesterday, he even came to me with a strange request about what he’s plotting next.”
“A strange… request?”
Whoosh. The President swung hard and whiffed.
Embarrassed by his stumble, he cleared his throat and swiftly changed the subject.
With no inkling of the consequences it would bring.
“Ahem, suddenly he wants to join the special envoy to Japan? Says there’s something he absolutely must do in their nuclear industry.”