The Unexpected Ability of a Fool (3)
"Ah, Major Shareholder!" Kitamura’s reflexive jump from his seat and deep bow were the very picture of a groveling, wealthy man. It was a posture of submission that spilled out from his voice alone, even though he couldn't see the person on the other end. Among the truly wealthy, there were many who carried themselves this way. It was because they were the type of people who knew exactly what kind of harm someone stronger than them could inflict.
For a split second, Kitamura almost unleashed a string of curses, but he forced himself to swallow them, keeping his voice bright and smiling. "Hahaha... well, what can you do? I understood that your financial situation was difficult at the time."
In that instant, Kitamura felt like he could jump through the roof and shout "Yippee!" if he were allowed to. The funds were ready! Didn't that mean he was going to buy them at a 100 percent premium?
"Th-then, the premium is, perhaps...?"
Kitamura actually jumped. He didn't break through the roof, of course, but he leaped so high that he tripped and lost his balance, causing the phone to slip from its cradle and momentarily cutting the connection. "Argh!!!"
Letting out a scream of pure agony, Kitamura frantically hung up the receiver and tried to call back, but the tragic problem was that while he knew Seo Jong-hoon’s number, he didn't know Yoon-gi’s. 'No...! No...!' Kitamura’s hands trembled as he hovered them over the phone, tears welling in his eyes. It was a sight too pathetic for anyone to witness alone, but fortunately, the phone rang again a few minutes later.
"I-I’m sorry!" Kitamura apologized in a panic. But the person on the other end wasn't Yoon-gi; it was his wife. [Honey, why are you suddenly apologizing...] "Are you out of your mind! I’m expecting an urgent call, so don't use the phone!"
After slamming the receiver down, Kitamura continued to receive calls from subordinates and friends, his nerves frayed to the breaking point. Then, the phone rang again. "Hello!"
As he spoke with undisguised irritation, the voice of the major shareholder came through the line. [...It seems my proposal wasn't to your liking. You hung up on me, and now you’re even angry.]
"N-no! No! Not at all! That is absolutely not the case!" Kitamura shouted, tears streaming down his face. He felt his heart drop at the sound of the sigh coming from the other end, but he managed to compose himself only after hearing what Yoon-gi said next.
"Yes! Of course!"
"What is it? I will verify anything for you." It was a truly vigorous response. But what came through the receiver was not what Kitamura had expected.
"Excuse me?" For a moment, Kitamura doubted his ears, thinking he had misheard.
Kitamura began to slowly recall his past actions. Even the ones Yoon-gi didn't mention—who he had bribed and when.
"H-how on earth did you...?" It was a sentence he shouldn't have uttered. Kitamura quickly covered his mouth, but it was already too late.
The photos Kitamura had hired people to take were his insurance policy, in case those politicians ever decided to discard him. But the fact that his hidden insurance had fallen into someone else’s hands could lead to catastrophic results.
"When, where did you get your hands on those!"
Because the tone of the voice coming through the receiver was so indifferent, Kitamura felt like he was going insane. Even he didn't know where they were hidden without checking the documents recorded on his computer. How could he remember all those old, numerous incidents one by one? Especially since he had offered those bribes to cover up his own corruption or that of his relatives, he would be utterly ruined the moment those photos were revealed.
"Wh-what do you want?"
The sound of him grinding his teeth must have been audible through the receiver, but Kitamura found it impossible to hide his emotions. "Where... where do I need to go?"
The conversation continued, detailing countless traces of bribery. Kitamura called all the associated directors and headed to the promised time and place.
"Where is the major shareholder?" At Kitamura’s murderous attitude, Seo Jong-hoon shrugged his shoulders and replied as if it were nothing. "I don’t know either. I just came here under instructions. They told me I just needed to get the signatures on the contract here?"
"Don't lie! You must be watching from somewhere around here!"
"Well, I really don't know anything about that."
The place where Seo Jong-hoon and the directors met was a traditional Japanese restaurant. In the end, Kitamura searched the area around the room like a bloodhound, but there was nothing suspicious. 'Damn it, should I just finish him off?' Kitamura thought of the sashimi knife he had hidden in his clothes, but seeing Seo Jong-hoon’s massive frame, he realized that wouldn't be easy. Furthermore, even if he took out Seo Jong-hoon here, the real enemy wasn't Seo, but the major shareholder. And even if a chance to take out the major shareholder arose, it was obviously a highly dangerous choice. Because a major shareholder with such deep schemes wouldn't have failed to consider that possibility.
"Come to think of it, he said this. Once the stock transaction is over, he won't have any reason to contact you or the others, Mr. Kitamura. Unless you react to something on your end. I don't really know what that means, but well, I had to deliver the message, right?"
It meant he wouldn't touch them at all after the stock transaction. 'Certainly, from the major shareholder’s perspective, if he takes our shares, there’s no reason to harass us, but...'
In the end, Kitamura let out a deep sigh and held out a hand toward Seo Jong-hoon. "Here it is."
Seo Jong-hoon, understanding the gesture, handed over the contract, and Kitamura’s eyes widened to the size of saucers as he checked the contents. "Wh-what? 80 percent?"
Some of the oblivious directors, thinking the premium was 80 percent, had their faces light up, but unfortunately, it wasn't a premium.
"A reverse premium of 20 percent... no, isn't this too much?! How can you make us sell at a loss?"
The contract stated that they should sell their Sega shares at 80 percent of the market price. To those who had dreamed of a 100 percent premium until just a while ago, this was a cruel trial, but even this was a concession Yoon-gi had begrudgingly made. Because if he bought the shares too cheaply, there was a high possibility of falling under the surveillance of Japanese government agencies.
"Well, wouldn't it have been better if you had sold them for a 20 percent premium back then? You could have signed the contract immediately back then, too. Mr. Kitamura, you told me to trust only you, saying you’d take responsibility and get the others to sign for under 18 percent while you got 25 percent, so what is this result? I did my best."
At the facts Seo Jong-hoon recited, the directors behind him looked puzzled. "Wait, 25 percent? We got 18 percent? What is this, so you tried to cut our share and increase yours?"
Triggered by the words of a director with a sharp mind, the directors surrounded Kitamura and began to shout like quacking ducks. "N-no, that’s..." Kitamura tried to make an excuse, but it was a situation where no excuse could be made. In particular, they were cornered not just by the stock sale issue, but by the fact that the major shareholder knew about the corruption they had committed. And with the added fact that Kitamura had been plotting behind their backs, rumors were already circulating that this whole situation might be a scheme orchestrated by Kitamura himself.
"I don't mind you fighting, but I’d like you to finish the contract before you do. Just sign it first, and you can hold the person who caused the problem accountable later. Well... if you don't care about the aftermath, I’ll just leave."
At Seo Jong-hoon’s words, delivered at the perfect timing, the directors stopped shouting for a moment and signed the contract, biting the bullet. Including Kitamura, of course.
"Then, I’ll be going. As long as the transaction goes through, neither I nor the major shareholder will have any reason to contact you, so rest assured and do your work."
At Seo Jong-hoon’s attitude, even winking at them, the directors’ blood pressure soared, and that pressure was transferred directly to Kitamura.
[[[[[Baka-yaro!!]]]]]
A loud Japanese insult directed at Kitamura. Seo Jong-hoon left the restaurant feeling a sensation similar to what Im Si-chan had felt.
"The transaction is complete." At Seo Jong-hoon’s words after returning from the bank, Yoon-gi nodded. "You’ve worked hard. It’s completely over now."
Yoon-gi had managed to get his hands on most of the shares belonging to the anti-Nakayama faction, led by Kitamura. Of course, he had to use more of YK Department Store’s spare cash for this, but it was well worth it. Because the moment the Genesis Project succeeded, it would return dozens of times the profit.
"Weren't you scared back then?"
"Ah, you mean when I went to the restaurant for the transaction?"
"Yes. Honestly, I was a little worried. I judged that it wouldn't happen, but you never know, right?"
"Actually, it did look like that Kitamura guy brought a knife in his clothes."
"Hmm..."
"But I wasn't worried. His eyes were openly looking down at his own chest, and his hands were moving toward his chest to grab something, so it was too obvious that he might pull out a knife. How many years of experience do I have as a bodyguard? Do you think I’d get caught in something like that?"
"I’m grateful you say that, and I also think it’s a relief."
"I was actually surprised that there wasn't a bloodbath when I came out of there that day. The other directors were looking at Kitamura as if they were going to kill him."
Watching Seo Jong-hoon, who wore a strangely regretful expression, Yoon-gi thought for a moment before opening his mouth. "Well... isn't it because they have a lot to lose, just as I judged at the beginning? People who have something to lose find it hard to make extreme choices. If I had just stolen the shares for free and taken their other assets, it would be one thing, but I only suggested a 20 percent reverse premium."
"I suppose that’s true. It’s hard to make extreme choices if you have even a little to lose. But it would have been better if we had taken everything; that’s a bit of a shame."
"Taking everything is impossible. If I had done that, I would have had to deal with their entire network of connections along with them. This level is just right to digest."
"Anyway, Sega has effectively become the Chairman’s."
With a stake of several dozen percent. Thanks to this, Nakayama’s "pushing through" was no longer a push. Because almost all the opposing directors had disappeared.
"It’ll be a bit more relaxed for a while."
Indeed, the Genesis Project was now cruising smoothly. Most of the opposing directors, including Kitamura, had vanished. Kitamura, in particular, had collapsed quite thoroughly, even though Yoon-gi didn't pay any attention to him afterward. The sloppiness of his data storage, which became known to politicians through his fellow directors, led to him spending time behind bars and losing most of his wealth, but Yoon-gi, having no interest in Kitamura, naturally didn't know this fact. Instead, an incident broke out that required attention in an entirely different place. And a very dirty one at that.