The Struggle for Control (3)
A brief silence settled between us.
Ju Cheol-jin looked at me and asked, “Do you happen to know how to play poker?”
“More or less.”
“In Korea, people think of poker as gambling, but in the United States, it’s treated more like chess. They even hold major tournaments every year in places like Las Vegas.”
“So?”
“Do you know what matters most in gambling?”
“No idea.”
“Knowing when to walk away, after you’ve won enough. If you keep going to the very end, you have no idea what might be waiting there.”
At that, I let out a faint snort.
Because I knew exactly what was waiting there.
“Excessive greed brings trouble.”
“Then let me ask you something. If you were dealt three aces in your hand, what would you do? Would you die because excessive greed brings trouble, or would you take the next card?”
Ju Cheol-jin’s eyes turned icy.
“So from the beginning, you never intended to deal with us.”
“Of course not. We’ll deal with anyone. As long as the numbers work.”
“……”
“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be going now. If you feel like digging into your own assets or your slush fund to buy our shares, give me a call.”
I could see the hand around his glass tremble slightly.
He had grown up as the heir to Hanjeong Group. Where in the world had he ever been treated like this?
He was getting this treatment only because it was me.
The only reason he wasn’t screaming or throwing the glass, like Ju Hyeon-jin probably would have, was that I was Continue Capital’s so-called representative.
That was the beauty of money.
Before I left, I added, “Oh, and please relay a message to Director Ju Hyeon-jin.”
Ju Cheol-jin’s brow twitched.
“You met Hyeon-jin?”
“Of course. If it weren’t for Director Ju Hyeon-jin, we never would have met like this.”
He frowned, looking genuinely puzzled.
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll understand if you ask your younger brother.”
Ju Cheol-jin stared at me.
“And what exactly should I tell him?”
I smiled.
“Tell him family is off-limits.”
* * *
After Han Miru left, Ju Cheol-jin slammed a fist down on the table.
Bang!
“That arrogant little bastard!”
He was the heir to Hanjeong Group.
No one had ever dared behave like that in front of him. And yet that upstart, who still looked like he hadn’t even finished shedding his college-kid aura, had stood there with his chin raised and said every damn thing he wanted.
“He’s just a representative, and he’s acting like the CEO?”
Judging by his attitude alone, it really did seem as though he meant to take on Hanjeong Group.
Was this simple bluster, or did he have another card to play?
First, I need to figure out what cards he’s holding.
On the way back to the company, Ju Cheol-jin issued an order.
“Find out everything there is to know about Han Miru. Even the trivial stuff.”
Once he got back to the office, he began going through the materials one by one.
Born into an ordinary family, graduated with a degree in economics from Korea University, and joined DA Securities. On the surface, there didn’t seem to be anything special about him.
What came next was what made him pause.
Less than half a year after joining the company, he exposed the rot inside the Primus Fund and walked out. That sent shockwaves through the financial world, and DA Financial Group’s heir apparent was replaced.
And now he had shown up as Continue Capital’s representative.
What happened in the few months after he left the company?
After resigning, Han Miru had gone to the United States.
Did he meet David Lockhart then? Or was he already connected to private equity from the beginning?
A bad feeling crept over him.
Everything about it was mysterious.
If Continue Capital were a Korean corporation, it would be easy enough to investigate. When it was founded, who held the shares, who the CEO was, and so on.
But because it was an American company, things weren’t so simple.
He was already digging through the US branch, but he doubted anything useful would come up.
There’s no way this bastard orchestrated everything himself.
It was clear Han Miru was deeply involved in this matter. The question was how deeply.
Then something else occurred to him.
Han Miru had brought up Ju Hyeon-jin with his own mouth. That meant something had happened between the two of them.
Could the chauffeur’s exposé be connected to this somehow? What about the bribery case involving the shell foundation?
As he mulled it over, Ju Cheol-jin called for Park Myeong-hun.
A moment later, Park Myeong-hun stepped inside.
“You called for me?”
Ju Cheol-jin asked him, “Did Hyeon-jin ever meet a guy named Han Miru?”
“Pardon?”
The instant he asked, Ju Cheol-jin noticed Park Myeong-hun’s expression change.
“Answer me properly. Did he or did he not?”
“They met once.”
Ju Cheol-jin glared at him.
“Tell me everything that happened. Don’t leave out a single detail.”
* * *
Ju Hyeon-jin had gone into seclusion after news broke about his abuse of a chauffeur and his forced resignation from the board.
There was no reason to make himself visible now and invite more trouble. Even going outside required permission from his bodyguards.
Probably every move he made was being reported back to his elder brother.
Fortunately, even if he couldn’t roam around in public, he could still bring someone home. Instead of leaving the shop, Se-ah had been staying with him at his house.
Lying beside him on the bed, Se-ah asked, “Can I watch TV for a bit?”
“Sure.”
She turned it on. By coincidence, a report about Continue Capital was on the screen.
Ju Hyeon-jin gave a dismissive laugh. “Who the hell are those bastards?”
Se-ah gauged his mood carefully before saying, “Want me to change it, oppa?”
“Forget it. Leave it on.”
He wasn’t going into the office, but through Park Myeong-hun he was still hearing all the relevant updates.
Ju Hyeon-jin wasn’t especially worried.
Hanjeong Group was a vast kingdom built over generations by his grandfather and father. It wasn’t the sort of thing a band of thieves could just snatch away.
The question is whether the problem is me.
Hanjeong Group was a conglomerate with dozens of affiliates under its roof.
It had long been decided that the group would pass to his elder brother, Ju Cheol-jin.
But the food division was supposed to be his. That was why he had spent all this time building his career at HJ Food.
Yet now that he had been removed from the board, he had no idea what would happen next.
No matter what, they’ll probably leave me my share, right?
HJ Food owned more than ten franchises, including cafés, bakeries, and chicken shops, and supplied ingredients to Hanjeong Group affiliates and outside vendors.
Its market cap was around one trillion won, small compared to Hanjeong Group as a whole. Even so, it was a solid little gem whose actual assets were roughly in line with its valuation.
If they sold the land alone for a fair price, it would be worth twice as much.
For someone born into a chaebol family, the difference between inheriting even a small affiliate and inheriting nothing at all was enormous.
If you only inherited money, you were just rich. But if you inherited a company, you could spend corporate money like it was your own, and lord over employees like a king.
Ju Hyeon-jin gritted his teeth.
All because of that chauffeur bastard, this is what I have to deal with? If it weren’t for that fucker, I wouldn’t be trapped in this house.
He never forgot even the smallest grudge, and he always paid people back.
He had no intention of letting this go. He remembered everything, and once this was all over, he planned to make that bastard pay.
Anyone who tries to climb over me gets crushed. Completely.
Thinking that way made him feel a little better.
He was just reaching for Se-ah when the bedroom door suddenly flew open.
“Eek!”
“Who the hell is it!?”
Ju Hyeon-jin shouted in irritation, only to freeze in shock.
“O-Older brother.”
The person who had walked in was none other than his older brother.
Ju Cheol-jin glanced at the woman lying in bed and waved his hand. “Get out.”
She quickly covered herself and hurried out of the room.
During that brief moment, Ju Hyeon-jin scrambled to put his clothes back on.
“W-What brings you here all of a sudden?”
Ju Cheol-jin cut straight to the point.
“You met someone named Han Miru, didn’t you?”
“Pardon?”
“Answer me.”
“Y-Yes, but……”
Why was he asking this all of a sudden?
The first thought that flashed through his mind was this.
D-Don’t tell me that Han Miru bastard went to the press about me too?
Ju Hyeon-jin scrambled to defend himself.
“I didn’t hit him. We just got into a fight, that’s all.”
Ju Cheol-jin grabbed his younger brother by the collar.
“Did you know that Han Miru was Continue Capital’s representative, or didn’t you?”
Ju Hyeon-jin went pale.
“W-What are you talking about?”
For a moment, he wondered if he had misheard.
That bastard was connected to the Continue Capital that had been all over the news? What the hell was going on?
Ju Cheol-jin’s fury boiled over. His eyes bulged as he shouted, “You fucking idiot! Do you even understand what you’ve done?”
At that moment, Ju Hyeon-jin remembered what Han Miru had said.
“You said your father runs one of the ten biggest groups in Korea, right? What do you think would happen if something came up with that?”
“Remember this clearly. If Hanjeong Group ever gets into trouble later on, it’ll be because of that one line you just said.”
It had sounded so absurd that he still remembered the exact tone of voice and expression.
N-No way……
Was this all because of what happened that day?
Because of me?
That’s impossible!
There was no way……
Ju Hyeon-jin protested, sounding wronged. “I really didn’t know.”
The next instant, his vision flashed white, and his body was knocked backward.
Ju Cheol-jin, looking like a madman, started punching and kicking his younger brother. He was already on the verge of exploding from everything that had happened lately.
Once the fire caught, it wouldn’t stop.
Ju Cheol-jin blamed everything on Ju Hyeon-jin.
“If it weren’t for you! Only you!”
No matter how much he hit him, the anger wouldn’t go away.
Ju Hyeon-jin didn’t even think to fight back. He could only curl up and take the beating.
“You stupid bastard! You son of a bitch! If you’re going to curse someone out or beat them, at least find out what kind of bastard they are before you start shit!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
He was used to doing the hitting, not taking it.
The injustice, the rage, the pain—tears just came out on their own. But Ju Cheol-jin didn’t stop until the fury had drained out of him.
Ju Hyeon-jin could only wait for the one-sided, merciless beating to end.
Much later, when he was finally exhausted, Ju Cheol-jin stopped his fists and feet.
He stood there, glaring down at his younger brother, who was curled on the floor and whimpering in pain, and said through clenched teeth, “If this goes wrong, you’d better pray you die by my hand first.”
* * *
When I got back to the office, Sara had already arrived.
Her main job was CFO of A-Oil.
She was only serving as the auditor for this investment at Rashid’s request.
It seemed like she could have just reviewed the report remotely, so why was she showing up to the office so faithfully?
“Aren’t you busy with work too?”
“It’s fine. I came in early and delegated everything that needed doing.”
She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept much.
Had she really come in at dawn?
Back in the office, I told them about my meeting with Vice Chairman Ju Cheol-jin.
Senior Dong-ho cautiously raised a hand.
“Go ahead and ask.”
“You’re not actually planning to sell to Hanjeong Group, are you?”
He looked genuinely worried that I might say yes. If I did, the stock would collapse immediately.
“Of course not.”
“Then why bother meeting him at all?”
I smiled.
“It was entertaining.”
If Ju Cheol-jin ran over and beat the living daylights out of Ju Hyeon-jin, that would be amusing in its own way.
This was the kind of thing people meant when they said someone had snatched victory without lifting a finger.
Of course, it wasn’t just about fun. I had my own reason for poking the hornet’s nest.
This time, Sara raised her hand.
“What are you going to do now?”
“I need to meet Kim Sung-gwun. I’ve already set up an appointment.”
She rested her chin on one hand and smiled.
“Just like you said before, the scale keeps getting bigger.”
We were talking about a hostile M&A attempt against the country’s tenth-largest conglomerate.
Politics, business, finance—everything was going to be thrown into chaos.