Chapter 30
Chapter 30
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: The Clan Assembly (1)
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The cranky old man swinging his cane. His name was Han Yul-san, the former secretary of the clan assembly.
Now deceased, the late chairman had cherished him deeply, and he had supported the chairman in every way possible from the shadows.
Like disciplining a foolish child, he pointed accusingly at Han Hyung-min, the clan assembly president, and raised his voice.
“I’ll be watching with my own two eyes to see what nonsense you plan to pull at the next shareholders’ meeting!”
“Oh, come on, Uncle. Why get so worked up? Everyone can hear you—it’s embarrassing….”
Han Yul-san, the former secretary, spat out his fury in a raspy, metallic voice.
Unable to bear the sight any longer, Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul stepped forward, unfolding his hands from behind his back.
“Oh dear, Brother Yul-san. What brings a man as rare to see as you all the way here?”
“Hah! Are you truly asking because you don’t know? Do you have any idea what you’ve done!”
With the hem of his black durumagi robe fluttering, former Secretary Han Yul-san took a step closer.
His thunderous, angry voice had quieted a bit, but the low, menacing tone was intimidating enough.
“You, Deok-sul. I hear you’ve been filling the clan assembly members’ heads with foolish ideas? Talking about teaming up with those Shanghai money games to pump up the share values.”
“Ahem….”
Not long ago, Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul had installed his own son, Han Hyung-min, as clan assembly president.
The carrot he’d dangled to the Han clan assembly was strengthening their control over the group.
A proposal to boost the value of the undervalued controlling shares through a Shanghai private equity fund.
In a situation where the group’s controlling shares could slip into foreign private equity hands, former Secretary Han Yul-san couldn’t hide his boiling rage.
“Teaming up with those mangy mutts will rot the group’s roots from the inside. Do you not know? Are you blind to it!”
“Heh heh… Brother, you’re too stuck in the old ways of thinking.”
With a friendly—no, a seemingly friendly—smile, Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul grabbed the arm holding the cane with both hands.
He absolutely had to calm this furious cousin down.
Even though former Secretary Han Yul-san was a tiger with no teeth left, his influence within the clan assembly was still considerable.
“We’re just borrowing their strength for a bit. So the entire Han clan assembly can enjoy greater prosperity.”
“You’ve got a silver tongue. But that blade you’ve got hidden behind your teeth is dripping red with poison. Forty years ago or now, you haven’t changed one bit.”
Was it because he was well over eighty?
He looked a little weary as he leaned on his cane.
As if he’d poured every last ounce of strength from his body and was on the verge of collapse. With bulging eyes and his remaining vigor spent, he spoke.
“I’m warning you. I know all about you trying to build your power with the clan assembly’s voting rights and pull your petty stunts.”
“Oh, Brother. It’s a misunderstanding. How could you say something so rash….”
Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul tried to defuse the crisis with some measured soothing.
To him, former Secretary Han Yul-san delivered a dagger-like remark in a lowered voice.
“YSS Precision, Yeongil Metals, BT Chemicals.”
“……!”
A list of mid-sized primary subcontractors supplying parts and raw materials to the Ammunition Group.
Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul’s face turned as white as a sheet of paper at the named companies.
A thin bead of sweat crossed from his forehead to his chin over the mask he’d hastily donned, cracking his awkward smile.
“All three had changes in their major shareholder stakes. Right after that fraud Hyung-min became clan assembly president.”
“…….”
“Did you think I wouldn’t find out if you worked it anonymously through the private equity fund?”
Caught off guard, Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul took a long, deep breath before pulling himself together, as if mending his cracked mask.
“Heh heh heh… This is unfair, Brother. I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
“Nonsense! Let me make it clear—I’m watching you. Don’t you ever forget it.”
The bloodless clash ended on an uneasy note. The glares in the two old men’s eyes clashed somewhere in the air.
A parting wrapped in the thin shell of decorum, amid a chill in the atmosphere.
“Ahem, well then, I’ll be off. You two talk it over.”
Honorary Advisor Han Deok-sul excused himself, saying he had to attend the event, and left with his son.
In the silent corridor.
Former Secretary Han Yul-san gave a light nod to Director Seo Myung-hee, who had watched the conflict from the start.
* * * *
“Forgive the late greeting, Director. It’s been a while. I’ve heard you’ve been through a lot.”
“I’m just holding the seat temporarily. It won’t be long until the successor is chosen, so it’s fine.”
Seo Taehu frowned at the clan assembly’s internal power struggles.
Even though the group and the clan assembly were supposed to stay out of each other’s affairs, she couldn’t help but worry.
“But… if I may be so bold, isn’t it a bit early to get a firm answer on the successor?”
“…….”
Her mind was already a tangled mess over the succession lineup.
At former Secretary Han Yul-san’s pointed words ringing in her ears, Seo Taehu seemed to lose even the space to sort out her thoughts.
Finally, after much deliberation, she gave a noncommittal response laced with reservation.
“…One side does have a slight edge, but it’s hard to say for certain. Please watch a bit longer until the promised day.”
“Your insight as Director is unmatched, so I’ll follow whatever you decide. But I do have some concerns.”
Former Secretary Han Yul-san added a caveat at the end.
Clearly, he prioritized the survival of the entire group over the clan assembly’s interests.
However, being out of touch with the group’s recent internal affairs, his concerns seemed aimed in a slightly off direction.
“In these times when the group is like a candle flickering in the wind, this old man wonders if unnecessary risks… are really needed.”
“…….”
“Ahem, I’ve said too much. Please take it as idle chatter and think nothing of it.”
Did he feel he’d overstepped into Director Seo Myung-hee’s authority?
Former Secretary Han Yul-san bowed his head lightly and headed to the reception room, saying he had business there.
Left alone, Seo Taehu stood in front of the elevator and pulled out her phone to call her secretary.
“Prepare the car. I’m leaving now.”
Seo Taehu settled into the back seat of the car.
As it crossed the Han River bridge toward the Ammunition Group headquarters, the car was filled only with an air painted in anguish.
Her heart clearly leaned toward her grandson, but the circumstances made the choice far too unfavorable.
Director Seo Myung-hee rested her chin on her hand, staring out at the scenery. Unconsciously, a sigh-like murmur escaped her lips.
“Whew… My grandson’s path ahead is nothing but a bed of thorns.”
* * * *
Seong Won-sik, the president, was certainly sharp.
After surrendering to me, the first thing he produced was a full set of ledgers from Ammunition Shipbuilding & Marine.
Materials he’d prepared in advance before coming to the officetel.
‘In a rush, I’ve gathered just what I knew about so far. I never imagined they’d be used like this….’
Traces of the slush funds his father had created flowing overseas, passing through their final checkpoint.
If these had leaked out, it would have been a massive blow to me too. I had to check them immediately.
‘We’ll handle it on our end and get back to you. Don’t touch the ledgers—leave them as is until I give instructions.’
With that, Kim Won-cheol and I sent President Seong Won-sik off right away and dove into an unscheduled all-nighter.
We didn’t wrap up our assessments and reach a rough conclusion until dawn, when dew formed on the window.
“So, we just route this to the 8888 account. A couple of explosions later, and the records will be laundered clean.”
“Perfect. Instruct Yoo Se-na to proceed through her channel as soon as you head into the office.”
“Man, I barely close my eyes and it’s go-time again. If we go by hourly wage, I’m probably working below minimum.”
A day vanished in the blink of an eye with this exploitative boss.
Fatigue was crashing over me like a tide.
I set the ledger I’d been reviewing down on the table and sank into the sofa.
“I can’t believe the hassle for slush funds that haven’t even hit my hands yet.”
“Hey? Who came up with the plan to use the internal audit to slip the noose around Han Hwa-gi’s ankle?”
“…Yeah, no comeback to that. Self-inflicted suffering.”
The extra-large jokbal had already vanished into Kim Won-cheol’s stomach.
I grabbed the last soju bottle from the fridge, cracked it open, and soothed my burning gut with booze.
“Whew, anyway, shouldn’t we start cracking the password soon? With your uncle targeting the slush funds, better to move fast.”
“I was just about to bring that up… There’s a bit of a snag. It’s a headache for me too.”
The password to the other half of the slush funds left by my father.
Kim Won-cheol filled his glass to the brim with soju, his face troubled.
“You know the clan assembly? Your Han family folks.”
“Tiring bunch in every way. Busy buzzing around inside the clan assembly with their construction projects.”
Before my regression, when I’d been propped up as the puppet chairman. The clan assembly had reacted fiercely.
Even as a disposable meat shield rookie, they said I wasn’t cut out to bear the weight of the chairman’s crown.
And of course, their judgment back then had been spot on.
“They’re probably obsessed right now with who’ll take the next chairman spot. They’ll pretend otherwise on the surface.”
“Whew, they’re already slurping down their kimchi soup among themselves. Anyway, the problem is…”
Kim Won-cheol downed the full glass of soju in one go.
He wiped his wet mouth with his sleeve and continued, looking troubled.
“Of all people, one of those kimchi soup clan assembly geezers has the password.”
“Sounds like a tough one to recruit.”
“My influence has limits in the clan assembly. Anyway, I’ve checked through various channels, but he’s a real stickler. Like, what’s the word… a royal geezer? Cranky old schoolmaster type?”
I racked my brain for the clan assembly elders with influence.
If he’d been entrusted with the slush fund password, he must’ve been close to my father.
“Hmm….”
No matter how hard I thought, no one specific came to mind. I had zero clues.
“That’s why a twenty-five-year-old like you rubs him the wrong way. Hell, he might even prefer Han Hwa-gi.”
“Got it, I understand. So, who the hell is this geezer?”
“That guy’s name is, well…”