All or Nothing
The whole thing had started from a purely corporate angle.
Even though the Ido Group always pursued the best, they couldn’t claim first place in every single field.
In white goods, they battled Shinseong for the top spot every year, and in distribution they were locked in a fierce war with Taeyang.
The same went for the Kirin Group.
“Roll it for three years and it becomes a cart. Roll it for seven and it becomes a bicycle. Only after ten years does it become a car. That is the way of Kirin’s cars.”
The car company founded by the late Chairman Kim Gil-ji, who created Korea’s first automobile, the ‘Levi’ series.
Later, Kirin Motors would hold the number-two spot in the business world and be called Ido’s only true rival. And the Levi was exactly that kind of car.
Among them, the Levi held the record for the best-selling vehicle in Korea, and even after more than fifty years it was still Kirin’s golden child—enough to spawn an entire subculture of Levi enthusiasts who lived by the slogan, “If you don’t know what to buy, just get a Levi!”
And now that very Levi was returning with a new face.
The problem was simple.
“What the hell is this? Why did the Levi suddenly pop up? Didn’t you know anything?”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“Everything except the design—the performance, interior dimensions, convenience features—is almost identical to our ‘Ribery.’ What do we do, Executive Director?”
“Don’t tell me someone leaked the release schedule?”
“We’ve been locked in the dorm for a whole month. Nobody knows about this.”
“This is insane.”
The new car Ido Motors had been developing in absolute secrecy, the ‘Ribery,’ overlapped with the Levi in almost every position.
Both sides were now on high alert.
“What kind of crazy bullshit is this? Why are the Ido bastards announcing a new car?!”
“You idiot! Didn’t you have moles planted inside Kirin? How the hell did you handle this? Ugh.”
Both sides instinctively understood.
This was a one-hundred-percent coincidence. It had happened because both companies had maintained ironclad security.
And the best way to solve the problem was also obvious.
“One side just has to back off and that’s it.”
“If we wait one quarter, there shouldn’t be any issues.”
One of them had to yield.
There was nothing to gain from a bloody price war. It would only result in losses on the corporate side. It would be far more beneficial for one side to step back, coordinate the timing, and announce their cars separately.
But Chairman Lee Sang-byuk’s thoughts were completely different.
“Hey, you car people. Are you messing with me? You’ve twisted the whole situation into this mess and now you’re talking about pride? You think this is something that ends with pride?”
If the situation hadn’t gotten this tangled, he might have taken a step back. But in Lee Sang-byuk’s eyes, they were already standing in the ring.
In this game, the one who stepped back out of pride would be labeled the ‘loser.’
“If you bend once, you’ll bend twice. Bend twice and you’ll be ignored. That’s how this world works. Fight like dogs. One of you is going to get smashed to pieces. Got it? If you got it, then get the hell out of my sight.”
The stone had been thrown.
Even though it started by accident, there was no turning back now.
“Let’s see… Cheol-ong. The 55th round is that competition conquest battle, right? The timing is perfect.”
“I’ll set it up immediately.”
“Hey, Cheol-ong. Before you go.”
“Yes, Chairman. Please speak.”
“That… you know, the thing that Kim guy likes… those Kim cookies. Go buy some.”
“Understood.”
“It’s been a while since I saw that Kim bastard’s face.”
It was the moment the two companies that split the Korean automobile market stepped into the ring.
Screeech! Screeech! Screeeeech—!
In front of Ido Group Headquarters.
More than ten vehicles came to a stop and poured out men in black suits.
“What is this?”
“Who are you?”
Despite the security guards’ attempts to stop them, the suited men didn’t say a single word. They simply held their positions. As if building a wall, they formed a human barrier all the way to the main entrance. Then the door of the vehicle in the center opened.
And the noisy surroundings fell silent as if by magic.
Automobiles, ships, railways—anything that could be made of steel, they made.
Korea’s Steel King.
Ido Group’s only true rival.
Second in the business hierarchy, Chairman of the Kirin Group.
Kim Jang-chun rose from his seat.
“I’m here to talk business, so don’t make a scene.”
At 185 centimeters tall with broad but lean shoulders, Kim Jang-chun was often described as gentle and refined because of his round jawline. But anyone who made that assessment would shut their mouth the moment they looked into his eyes.
Those sharp, predatory eyes that looked like they could devour everything they saw completely changed the impression of his entire face.
They turned gentle-looking eyes ‘sinister.’
They turned refined-looking lips ‘venomous.’
Yes. A wolf. Kim Jang-chun resembled a wolf.
The alpha wolf who led his pack in search of prey to protect his clan.
As Kim Jang-chun strode into the building surrounded by his suited men… the people who should have been there were nowhere to be seen.
There wasn’t a single soul at the information desk, in the first-floor café, or in the vast lobby.
Except for one person—Yu Cheol-ong.
“You’ve arrived.”
“It’s been a while, Cheol-ong. You haven’t changed at all.”
“You haven’t changed either, Chairman.”
“I knew something was up the moment I heard he was throwing a tantrum. So this was all planned by that Lee bastard.”
“The Chairman is waiting to speak with you.”
“Lead the way.”
The rest of you, wait here.
At Kim Jang-chun’s wave, the suited men formed another human wall and secured the perimeter.
Meanwhile, Kim Jang-chun followed Yu Cheol-ong toward the chairman’s office.
They took the elevator, passed through the spotlessly empty secretary’s office, and opened the door to the chairman’s room.
“Oh, you’re here, Kim guy. You could’ve come a bit later.”
“What are you doing?”
“Ah, just cleaning something. Look, I got those Kim cookies you like. Eat some and wait a minute. I’ll be done soon.”
Lee Sang-byuk stood by the wall holding a towel, carefully polishing something as if it were a priceless treasure. Rustle, rustle.
Kim Jang-chun, sitting in a chair and biting into a Kim cookie, wondered if the old man had gone senile while he wasn’t looking.
A short while later, when Yu Cheol-ong brought in the coffee, Lee Sang-byuk sat down across from him.
“Wow, Kim guy, your face looks a lot better. You must be taking Woongjindan religiously.”
“Looking at how clumsily you’re polishing that, I guess you haven’t gone senile after all…”
“Hehehe. What, are you disappointed? Were you hoping I’d lost my mind? Well, I suppose the only way for you to surpass me is if I really do go senile.”
“Bullshit.”
Lee Sang-byuk and Kim Jang-chun looked at each other and laughed.
They had clashed more fiercely than anyone during the turbulent years, but now that those days had become memories, the two smiled at each other like old comrades-in-arms.
Lee Sang-byuk spoke first.
“We’re both busy, so let’s get to the point. You’re not thinking of backing down on the car issue, are you?”
“You’re the one who started throwing a tantrum first. Why are you asking me?”
“Then this matter is settled.”
“War, then?”
“Don’t pretend otherwise. You were planning to fight from the beginning, weren’t you?”
The complicated process was wrapped up in an instant.
It was now clear. These two giants wanted war.
“Cheol-ong told me that this upcoming competition conquest battle is drawing attention not just in Korea but around the world. You, Kim guy, probably wanted to drop your new ‘Levi’ right at that timing. That’s why you leaked information about a product that isn’t even fully developed yet.”
“Isn’t that the same for both of us? From what I’ve learned, your ‘Ribery’ is also still an unfinished product, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. I was just annoyed by what you were doing, so I threw a tantrum.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“Pissed off? If you’re pissed, then come at me.”
“This bastard…”
“Hehehe.”
Lee Sang-byuk had finally crumpled Kim Jang-chun’s face.
He smiled in satisfaction and put a cigarette in his mouth.
“Well, does the reason even matter? What matters is that both of us thought this was the perfect time. Right?”
“Shut up and say what you want to say.”
“Let’s make the stage bigger.”
“……?”
“You adjusted the timing to draw attention, and I also want this match to receive the most attention possible.”
“The match? Not the cars?”
“Don’t interrupt me.”
As was obvious, both sides wanted war.
Ido versus Kirin.
Ribery versus Levi.
Since it had come to this anyway, wouldn’t it be better to enlarge the stage so the winner could take everything?
“All or nothing. The winner takes all the stakes on the table.”
“……And the loser gets nothing? Not even the car business?”
“Exactly.”
“……”
Kim Jang-chun silently pulled out a cigarette.
He lit it with a soft click, exhaled the smoke, and spoke quietly.
“So what you’re saying is, we enlarge the board for the upcoming competition conquest battle, and depending on who wins that match, we throw in the car business?”
“Correct.”
“In other words, you’re deciding the fate of an entire group with a mere league match.”
For a moment, Kim Jang-chun’s face twisted fiercely.
“Look at this guy. You’ve been pushing it, but this is too much. Don’t insult me.”
Kim Jang-chun knew Lee Sang-byuk well.
Many people saw Lee Sang-byuk’s outward appearance and called him temperamental or emotional, but that man never did anything that would cause him to lose.
In other words, when Lee Sang-byuk suggested enlarging the stage, it meant he was confident of winning this match.
And the basis for that confidence needed no explanation. It was that guy.
“You’re doing this ridiculous thing because you trust that talented delinquent grandson of yours?”
Lee Shin.
The former delinquent of the Ido family who was now called a genius representative.
“I admit your grandson has talent. But to bet the entire car business on a mere league match? What kind of insane bullshit is this? How much are you looking down on me—on the entire Kirin Group?!”
Kim Jang-chun roared in genuine fury.
But Lee Sang-byuk was still grinning from ear to ear.
“Why are you so scared?”
“This bastard—!”
“No, wait. Since we’re at it, should we bet even more? Got any items you’ve been hiding away?”
“Lee Sang-byuk, you—!”
Kim Jang-chun was misunderstanding a few things.
He had dismissed it as a mere league match and undervalued it, but these days Lee Sang-byuk found every single day exciting and new because of the league matches.
And there was one more crucial point.
— “Grandfather, you can look forward to this competition conquest battle. I promise you, everyone is going to be shocked.”
The information Lee Shin had given him a while ago in exchange for borrowing Yu Cheol-ong.
He had said that if there was anything to sell, he should sell it in advance.
‘Since the kid made such a big promise…’
He was definitely going to bring something huge.
Lee Shin was not the kind of person who made empty boasts when it came to the league. In that case, all Lee Sang-byuk had to do was ride the wave, watch the show, and enjoy the feast.
“Kim guy.”
Lee Sang-byuk’s eyes sharpened as he stared straight ahead.
Kim Jang-chun flinched for a moment.
In that instant, Lee Sang-byuk slowly picked up his glass and continued.
“Who cares about disrespect or whatever? I’ve been quiet lately, so maybe your senses have dulled. Do you still not understand what kind of board this is?”
“The winner takes all. That suits us perfectly, doesn’t it?”
And as always, the final victor would be me—Lee Sang-byuk.
“Hehehe. So, are you in or not?”
Ido versus Kirin.
A head-to-head battle with each side staking their new flagship car.
The very next day, advertisements exploded across the internet, television stations, NewTube, and the entire Korean peninsula.
Time passed, and the sun finally rose.
The day some people had been waiting for, some had held their breath for, and some had been excited about.
Some shopping malls had switched the entire week to work-from-home just for today, and certain conglomerates had placed astronomically expensive cars on the betting table.
Today was the day!
— “The day of the 4th Competition Conquest Battle of Round 55 has finally arrived!”
— “It’s here! Scream with me!!”
— “We greet you from the gate in Gangwon Province. Hello everyone, I am caster Baek Seong-je.”
— “And I am commentator Choi Moon-seong.”
The competition conquest battle began with the two energetic hosts’ greetings.
Behind the hosts, the chaotic scene before gate entry was being broadcast without any filter.
1st Group Lineup: Core Guild (17th), Royal Sword Guild (8th), Kirin Guild (2nd), Mir Guild (1st).
— “First, let’s introduce the lineup for Group 1. Core Guild, Royal Sword Guild, Kirin Guild, and Mir Guild. Their current rankings are 17th, 8th, 2nd, and 1st respectively.”
— “Wow~! Just hearing the names feels epic.”
— “Let’s quickly go over the key points of the match. Commentator?”
— “There’s already been a lot of talk. Can Mir Guild really hold out against the three guilds that make up the Kirin faction in a 1:3 matchup? Also, the end of an old era. But personally, I’d like to look at the objective standings.”
— “What do you mean?”
— “Right now, the victory points of Mir Guild and Kirin Guild are exactly tied at ‘3 points,’ which will be decided by the outcome of their direct confrontation. But if Mir Guild takes 1st place in this competition conquest battle and Kirin Guild takes 2nd…”
The gap in victory points would widen to 5.
If they won all the remaining matches after that…
The 1st place in the league would essentially be decided!
It was no exaggeration to call this a de facto title-deciding match.
That was why everyone’s attention was focused here.
And then…
— “As I speak, the guilds are taking their positions in front of the gate. Core Guild—15 members confirmed. Royal Sword—15 members confirmed. Kirin Guild—15 members confirmed. Mir Guild… Huh?”
— “Wait a second??”
— “??”
— “??!!”
The moment everyone’s eyes were glued to the screen.
It was time for Lee Shin to shock the world!
— “??!!”
— “Is he out of his mind?!”