Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: How to Stop the Approaching Disaster (1)
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The tomb of the late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon stood in Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province. About an hour's drive down the highway from there brought you to a certain spot.
The holy land of sea fishing, the place where seafood-loving uncles lose their minds. Tongyeong.
"What's this about Tongyeong again? When are you planning to get any work done? The executives are screaming that there's a mountain of cleanup to handle."
Right in the middle of heading back to Seoul after wrapping up my showdown with Vice President Im Jae-ho, Mr. Kim Won-cheol suddenly swerved the car.
I should have known something was up when he insisted on taking the wheel himself while my personal driver was on vacation. No doubt the trunk was stuffed full of fishing gear.
"Heh heh heh... We've come all the way down south—gotta let that sea breeze blast right up our nostrils to really refresh, you know."
It sounded absurd at first, but the more I listened, the more his coaxing and persuasion started to make a weird kind of sense.
Mr. Kim Won-cheol was spinning his own unique brand of logic, fully immersed in the rugged soul of a sea man, flailing about in delight.
"And sea fishing's totally different from freshwater angling, you get me? It's got that... raw, wild thump to a man's chest or whatever."
"Don't go embarrassing yourself by heading out on a boat. Let's just stick to rock fishing and grab some sashimi on the way."
"Aw, man, what a shame. Oh, and those cleanup items you mentioned earlier? Pretty much all wrapped up."
Screech. Before I knew it, the deep blue South Sea scenery filled the window.
Brushing off the winter sea wind like it was nothing more than a tickle, Mr. Kim Won-cheol slung his fishing bag over his shoulder and launched into his report—not that it was really a report.
"Up you go. Park Cheol-su—that guy's been assigned to the Ammunition Group North America HQ."
"And?"
"The patents we needed from J-Coco? We've locked in the shares at the right price. The Commerce Ministry approval? Total free pass. Thanks to you, Chairman."
This guy could talk like a running stream. Somehow, he'd already plopped down in a folding chair, casting his line into the surf.
I let out a short sigh. No helping it. Truth be told, I'd been going non-stop until now, so a little breather on the schedule wouldn't hurt.
The soju snacks at the local sashimi joints around here were pretty damn good anyway.
I zipped my jacket all the way up to my chin and settled into the seat next to him before tossing out a question.
"Shanghai Capital took an unexpected hit, didn't they? Way harder than we thought."
"You said it. Looks like someone from the central government swung a big bat their way. Probably beat their asses till they were on fire. Won't kill 'em, though."
Shanghai Capital, the ones who'd played backer to the SA Group and pushed through those capital investments.
We hadn't directly clashed with them this time, and pulling them in had been part of the plan from the start... but I hadn't expected results this solid.
Shanghai Capital, having lost all trust from the Beijing central government, was basically half-dissolved. The image of James Wang from the New York office flickered in my mind. Didn't particularly want to see him again.
"Well, those bastards are cockroaches—they'll scrape by somehow. Who knows, they might pop up again like 'peekaboo!' one day."
"Peekaboo or not, they're not faces I wanna see. Anyway, everything's going smoothly so far, which is good. How'd the last one turn out?"
"Oh, SA Precision Instruments?"
Mr. Kim Won-cheol scratched the back of his head, looking like none of this made sense.
He seemed to swallow whatever he was about to say, then started letting his true thoughts trickle out.
"I mean... how do I put this? I still just don't get it. Sure, you've got your reasons, Chairman, but..."
"Go ahead, say what's on your mind."
"Tch. Can't hold back now, can I? That robot arm company. No matter how you slice it, it's way too early to apply anywhere. Military or civilian—neither one's ready."
Just as I'd expected, a grounded reaction from Mr. Kim Won-cheol.
Truth be told... his skepticism was totally reasonable. Ask any exec at Ammunition Group, and the consensus was that SA Group had plenty of other affiliates worth grabbing instead.
However.
"It's nowhere near commercialization, sure. But a prototype's all we need for now."
"That's exactly what I'm wondering. What's the rush all of a sudden for a robot arm prototype...?"
The massive disaster barreling toward us in the current situation—something I couldn't mention yet.
March 2011. Less than a month away... I remembered the global catastrophe that was about to unfold.
Even if I warned them now, no one over there would listen. That's why we needed special equipment to minimize the aftermath.
"Think of it like a belated case of boy's toys. You know how some kindergarten kids—especially the boys—go nuts for robots and stuff."
"Hmm, this feels fishy. As far as I know, Chairman, your hobbies are just work and workouts. Robot arms out of nowhere? Uh-oh...?"
The wary look from this Ammunition Group heavyweight vanished as his fishing rod jerked wildly.
He went into full frenzy, like he'd hooked a Guinness-record monster.
"It's coming, it's coming! A big one's on!"
"What big one? That's just some old net snagged on the hook."
"Aw, nuts. See, this is why we should've taken a boat out..."
Man... he could seem so innocently simple at times like this.
The seawater was receding now. Looked like low tide had hit. I kneaded the shoulders of this bald-headed uncle with the long face and suggested,
"We missed the kimchi, but how about we head to a sashimi joint? Quick drink, quick drive back."
Pop. I cracked open a hangover cure can I'd prepped and chugged it.
Gazing at the dazzling sunset, I opened up about recent events, reminiscing.
"Might have to meet the President again soon, too."
"Oh, like that thing at the Blue House last time? The Japanese envoy escort?"
"Something like that. From what I saw, the President back then..."
Mr. Kim Won-cheol tilted his head, a big question mark hovering over him.
I stifled a chuckle and slung his fishing bag over my shoulder, leaving my final words as I walked off.
Recalling that day at the Blue House.
"He looked like he was dying of curiosity. Just like our Chief of Staff here right now."
* * * *
Rewind the clock a bit, and there I was, strolling through the snowy front yard of the Blue House's Shangchunjae with the President.
This guy, well past sixty, had some insane stamina. Even in that biting cold, he powered through the snow at a brisk pace.
"A man with talent alone can never beat one with luck on his side. In that sense, Chairman Han, you've got some serious fortune."
The SA Group, whose position had crumbled after the late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon's death and the U.S. fiasco, had even swapped their high-tech division for traditional white goods per the will.
Naturally, the top IT industry pick fell to Ammunition Group.
'As promised, you'll get focused government support. In this situation, the country's basically hanging on Ammunition Group anyway.'
'No need for that kind of talk, sir. Not at all.'
The President always packed his words with bite.
His tone dripped with wariness about Ammunition Group getting too big, so I channeled my inner snake tongue, spitting out the sweetest response. No way was I buddying up with this raccoon-faced schemer.
'The late Chairman Im Gye-hyeon always preached "business to protect the nation." I'll carry on that spirit and give my all going forward.'
'Good to talk with someone reasonable. You've got sharp instincts and great timing, Chairman Han. That... Vice President Im Jae-ho, he's a bit slow on the uptake.'
Seemed my answer hit the spot. He jumped straight into comparing me to Vice President Im Jae-ho.
'Vision's narrow, and he's short on decisiveness.'
"Vice President Im will sharpen up with more field experience and maturity. He's fully in the owner's seat now, after all."
'Not a chance in my term. Can't even keep up with half his old man's pace—makes him impossible to trust. Anyway.'
Was the big pine tree rooted at the garden's edge his turnaround point? The President halted abruptly.
Palm flat against the ironbark trunk, he fixed me with a steady gaze and probed.
'This Japanese envoy delegation. You really insisting on tagging along?'
'Figured there'd be something crucial I have to handle there.'
'Chasing some golden opportunity? Half the trip's just posturing over Dokdo—tough to even bring up economic ties.'
The Dokdo dispute was just starting to heat up around then.
Truth was, both sides knew who controlled it and whose land it was.
Just that nothing boosts approval ratings like picking a fight with the neighbor.
'Not just economic cooperation. Something more complicated's bound to come up.'
'Complicated how? From whose side?'
'If I had to say, energy. Nuclear power plants, specifically.'
'Nuclear power plants...!'
The President's eyes went wide.
What was this...? Did he know something about the Fukushima nuclear accident?
As my mind spun wild theories, what reached my ears was the panting of Golden Retriever Bok-sil, excited as her owner.
-Huff! Huff huff!
Bok-sil slobbering on my pants again. And true to form, the President grabbed my shoulders, shaking me with a grin.
'Chairman Han! You're planning to export nuclear tech to Japan, aren't you?'
'No? Uh, not that. It's more like... a different situation.'
'I knew it! As expected, Chairman Han—you're the man for my approval rat—er, for nation and people!'
Talking to a brick wall of a President.
His eyes gleamed like a casino slot machine flashing triple sevens, seeing only the approval bump ahead.
'Sir, it's not—'
'You go and deliver results. I believe in you, Chairman Han. Chief Park! Tell Foreign Affairs to prep a diplomatic passport for Chairman Han!'
For now... let him keep the misunderstanding.
I'd never even considered exporting nuke tech, so pass on that.
But... his precious approval ratings just might climb after all.
Because Ammunition Group—the head of a Korean conglomerate—was about to resolve the massive Fukushima crisis.
'Get the ambassador to Japan on it too! No blocking whatever Chairman Han here commits to—cooperate fully!'