Sending Brother to the Grave (3)
Strictly speaking, President Choi Sang-seok’s question only appeared to be an attack on me. In reality, it carried no damage whatsoever. The question would only become an obstacle if I tried to seize the fourteen group company CEO positions that Kwon Je-gyun had been occupying without doing any work. But I had already announced at the villa meeting that I would establish a rule prohibiting concurrent positions. Why would someone like me covet those CEO seats?
President Baek Seung-guk, who had been suspected of an assassination attempt despite contributing greatly to easing the tension in the meeting room, still failed to understand my joke. He kept swallowing dry saliva while staring at me, clearly wondering why everyone else was laughing.
“President Baek Seung-guk of QS Movies? I only have one body.”
“Ah, yes, of course. Of course you do.”
“Even just the Central Management Headquarters director position is already too much for one body. You want me to take on fourteen additional CEO roles? I’d die from overwork. I’m also planning to hand over my position as managing partner at Law Firm Seungbaek to someone else soon.”
“Ah…”
Only then did President Baek Seung-guk’s face flush red as he finally understood what I meant.
“Even running fourteen convenience stores would require either stretching a day to forty-eight hours or a week to fourteen days. How am I supposed to manage that many QS Group subsidiaries when I only have twenty-four hours in a day and seven days in a week? It doesn’t make sense.”
It wasn’t only President Baek Seung-guk whose face had turned red. Seong-gyun, sitting right in front of me, looked like his head might explode at any moment. No one in the room could have missed who my words were aimed at. Naturally, it was the other man who also only had one body yet held fourteen subsidiary CEO positions—Kwon Seong-gyun.
Seong-gyun’s head, which had barely been raised since the meeting began, sank even lower, as if his chin might pierce through his ribs. I stared at him, giving him a chance to respond, but his neck showed no sign of straightening. If he kept this up, he might develop more than just turtle neck syndrome—he might actually turn into a turtle. If he was going to stay silent like that, we might as well replace him with an actual turtle; there wouldn’t be much difference.
After President Choi Sang-seok’s question, the gazes that had been directed at me gradually shifted toward Seong-gyun, but he never opened his mouth. If he didn’t take this perfect opportunity to explain himself, he would only be hurting his own position. Once it became clear that Seong-gyun had no intention of actively participating in today’s meeting, President Choi Sang-seok moved on to the second question I had prepared in advance.
“If President Kwon Je-gyun resigns from all his positions and Director Kwon Ho-gyun also declines to take them, who will fill those vacancies?”
Even though this was a pre-arranged script, I shrugged my shoulders as if the answer were obvious, trying to maximize its impact.
“We should bring in capable people for each subsidiary that has a vacant CEO position. Not people who spread themselves thin across multiple companies, but those who can focus on growing a single company.”
That single statement completely reversed the atmosphere in the meeting room. The presidents, who had been glancing around nervously after Je-gyun stormed out, now had sparkling eyes. From their perspective, fourteen new CEO positions had suddenly appeared—positions that hadn’t existed before they entered this room. Among those fourteen were core mega-subsidiaries like QS Food and QS EnM.
Smacking sounds echoed throughout the room even though no food had been served. They were probably imagining that one of the fourteen CEO seats I had taken from Je-gyun might become theirs. Since I had just indirectly made it clear that concurrent positions would not be allowed, they were likely calculating whether to move to a larger subsidiary or plant their own people in the vacancies.
For example, President Baek Seung-guk of QS Movies—the number one bat—would probably be eyeing the CEO position at QS EnM, which could be considered its parent company.
After finishing his mental calculations, President Baek Seung-guk spoke decisively.
“We’ve spent far too much time on the first agenda item. We can’t keep allowing someone with criminal suspicions to attend our presidents’ meeting. As Director Kwon suggested earlier, let’s unanimously pass the motion to dismiss President Kwon Je-gyun from his QS FnB CEO position and request his resignation from all other roles. Surely no one here opposes this?”
The presidents nodded repeatedly to show they had no objections. Some faces showed disappointment—those who thought they wouldn’t get much of the scraps because they couldn’t play the role of the number one bat themselves.
With one final statement from me, the motion to oust Kwon Je-gyun from all his CEO positions would pass the presidents’ meeting. But then, defying President Baek Seung-guk’s expectations as he smiled obsequiously at me, someone raised their hand as if they had something to say.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
President Baek Seung-guk’s eyes snapped toward President Choi Sang-seok, who had his left hand raised beside his ear.
“Do you have an opposing opinion, President Choi Sang-seok?”
Having secured his chance to speak, President Choi Sang-seok delivered the final line from the script I had written for him.
“No, it’s not an objection to the motion. But if that happens, there will be too many vacant CEO positions. How will the future appointments be handled?”
“Appointments?”
“I’m asking how the new CEOs for the vacant positions will be selected.”
President Baek Seung-guk clicked his tongue as if the question were obvious, then answered.
“Personnel authority over subsidiary executives is exercised by the Central Management Headquarters director’s office after receiving advice from the presidents’ meeting, isn’t it? I’m sure Director Kwon Ho-gyun here will carefully select excellent candidates. Isn’t that right?”
After finishing his words, President Baek Seung-guk turned his gaze from President Choi Sang-seok to me and grinned as if expecting praise. It was helpful that he had stepped forward to say something I would have found awkward to say myself, but the way he seemed to be flapping bat wings behind his back was utterly repulsive.
With this, it was publicly confirmed that the authority to decide who would fill the vacancies left by Je-gyun now rested entirely with me. At this moment, with Chairman Kwon Byung-do in a coma, I was no longer merely the nominal head of the Central Management Headquarters—I had become the de facto power holder of the entire group.
It was time for me to wrap things up.
“Yes. Regarding this matter and any future vacancies in subsidiary CEO positions, as President Baek Seung-guk just stated, the Central Management Headquarters will select suitable candidates and present them as agenda items to this presidents’ meeting. I ask for your valuable opinions each time.”
Applause erupted from various parts of the meeting room, led by President Baek Seung-guk. However, one person could not join the atmosphere and was trembling with his shoulders. It was Kwon Seong-gyun. It was probably because of the additional remark I had deliberately added earlier.
“In the event that a subsidiary CEO position becomes vacant in any manner going forward…”
If one thought about it even once, it wasn’t difficult to understand what scenario I had in mind. It was the case where Seong-gyun, my next target after Je-gyun, would be forced to step down from the subsidiary CEO positions he was unreasonably holding.
Following my facilitation, the motion for Je-gyun’s dismissal and resignation passed smoothly. After discussing and voting on several other pending issues, the presidents’ meeting concluded.
That lunchtime, while Ho-gyun was dining with President Choi Sang-seok and praising him for his excellent performance of the script, his two older brothers—the losers of the day, Seong-gyun and Je-gyun—sat facing each other at the family dining table in a room with no lights on. On the table were fruits casually taken out of the refrigerator and a bottle of whiskey with over 40% alcohol content.
After hearing about Ho-gyun’s takeover of the presidents’ meeting that had unfolded after Je-gyun stormed out that morning, Je-gyun’s hands trembled.
“He made a complete fool out of me, then acted generous by dividing up my CEO positions?”
“You could say that.”
“It’s not ‘could.’ That’s exactly what happened. I’m the one who became a total idiot, and you became an idiot too.”
Glug. Thud.
Je-gyun downed the whiskey in one go, wiped his mouth, and set the glass down. Still not satisfied, he reached for the whiskey bottle again without even touching any snacks. Seeing this, Seong-gyun asked with a worried expression.
“It’s still broad daylight. Is it okay to drink like that already?”
“What else can I do? When they’re taking away all my positions, should I go to work and beg them to treat me well?”
“Right. Drink today. I understand.”
Glug again.
After setting down the empty glass once more, Je-gyun looked at Seong-gyun with an incredulous expression and complained.
“How long has it been since that bastard Ho-gyun passed the bar exam?”
“It’s his third year now, counting by calendar years.”
“What the hell happened at that exam hall? Not only did that good-for-nothing pass, but he became Central Management Headquarters director in just three years!”
Unlike the furious Je-gyun, Seong-gyun tried to remain calm as he continued.
“Nothing special probably happened at the exam hall. He might have always been smart. Our son says people like that are called ‘hidden try-hards’ these days.”
“Hidden try-hards? What’s that?”
“Hiding your abilities and pretending to be a loser. That’s what our son said.”
Seong-gyun let out a chuckle after finishing his words, but Je-gyun shouted at him.
“How can you laugh right now? After I left, you got completely screwed too. If you keep grinning like an idiot, you’ll hand over the entire QS Group to that bastard!”
“That can’t happen. But getting angry won’t untangle the mess either. If I think about it carefully, an answer will come.”
Je-gyun, looking like he was going crazy with frustration, poured whiskey into Seong-gyun’s glass as well.
“Let’s drink and talk together.”
“Alright. Just a little.”
“So, have you thought about it? Did an answer come out?”
After wetting his lips with whiskey, Seong-gyun shook his head.
“No. Just like before, and today too, he sets up a game where we can’t possibly win and forces us into it. I can’t see anything I can do in that situation.”
“Then fine. If your way doesn’t work, I’ll handle it. Just watch. Once I deal with Ho-gyun, the Central Management Headquarters director position will be mine. Don’t even think about coveting it.”
“How? Don’t tell me it’s that thing you mentioned last time?”
Je-gyun nodded with a crooked smile on his flushed face.
“Yeah. What choice do I have? If the tangled thread won’t come undone, you have to cut it. That’s my way.”
“Even so, that’s going too far, isn’t it?”
“If you’re not going to help, at least don’t interfere. I’m going to do it.”