The Price of Friendship
“Thank you... thank you so much!”
Kim Seong-pil, burying his face in Kang Jang-hwan’s trousers while sobbing with tears and mucus, was a scene straight out of a melodrama. And Kang Jang-hwan, not to be outdone, joined the performance. “Don’t cry like that. Just as you saved my life in the past, I am prepared to throw my life away for you at any moment.”
“Jang-hwan!”
“Seong-pil!”
Two middle-aged men in their fifties, locked in a tearful embrace. Only after they had calmed down somewhat did they light cigarettes and begin to talk.
“Now, tell me again, slowly. What on earth happened?”
“That brat Choi Yoon-gi absolutely pulverized Jong-su. He’s got an eight-week injury—eight weeks! He can’t even dream of going to school, and he’s in a situation where he has to be fed through a tube in his throat for a while!”
“No, how on earth do you beat someone up so badly that they get an eight-week diagnosis? At that rate, he’ll practically have to take a two-year leave of absence.”
An eight-week diagnosis. That was merely the doctors’ assessment; the actual recovery time would inevitably be much longer.
“That’s why my heart is tearing apart. Why did our kind Jong-su have to suffer like that?”
Kim Jong-su, who was absolutely not kind. In fact, Kim Jong-su had a frequent history of pushing kids more popular than himself down stairs, or having lackeys like Park Dae-chan inflict injuries—perhaps not eight weeks, but four weeks at a time. However, to these men, their son Kim Jong-su’s behavior was always perceived as “just kids playing around,” so he was evaluated as a “kind child.”
“Right, Jong-su is your son, but he’s like a son to me, too. How dare they touch Jong-su?”
At the sight of Kang Jang-hwan grinding his teeth, Kim Seong-pil began to grind his as well. Kang Jang-hwan, having regained his composure first, asked Kim Seong-pil, “But what specific warning did the JSD Chief of Security give you? We need to know that to come up with a plan.”
“Don’t even ask. I didn’t even get to see JSD’s face.”
“What?”
“No, I didn’t even pay attention to JSD at first. I was going to report it to the police and make them eat prison food. But JSD’s aide came first and beat me to the punch.”
“YK is connected to the core of power, but was it to that extent? Enough to get involved in a kids’ fight?”
Watching Kang Jang-hwan furrow his brow, Kim Seong-pil crushed his cigarette and lit a new one before replying. “Look at the Daehan Group incident. The eldest grandson there was practically turned into a half-cripple.”
“Hey, that guy, that Jung Taeryong fellow, crossed the line. He attempted murder, practically. On top of that, he was a guy whose business ranking wasn’t even that high, and he dared to pressure JSD. Of course, he had a pretext, but he dug his own grave.”
“Even so, it’s already clear that JSD is giving preferential treatment to YK. I felt that for sure this time. The aide warned me that if I touched them for no reason, I’d be sent to Namyeong-dong.”
“He said that openly?”
Kim Seong-pil shook his head. “No, he said the next person to visit wouldn’t be him. So, what does that mean? It’s obvious.”
“Tsk...”
Watching Kang Jang-hwan, who was now furrowing not just his brow but his entire face, Kim Seong-pil felt a sense of reassurance. “I’m so glad I have you by my side. If it weren’t for you, I think I would have died of frustration by now...”
“Don’t say things like that. I have a debt of gratitude to you that I have to repay for the rest of my life, and I can pay it back with this opportunity.”
“You’ve helped me a lot all this time... Thanks to you, even after losing three elections, I was able to at least become a proportional representative...”
“Still, that’s not worth more than a life. And you’ve helped our Shinsang Group a lot while serving as a National Assembly member, haven’t you? So, don’t be too grateful. Friends don’t do that.”
They were truly a perfect match. The conversation began to drift back to “how can we deal a blow to YK?”
“First of all, you must never inflict direct harm. Whether it’s murder or violence, if you incite it, you, me, and even our families will all be dragged off to Namyeong-dong.”
Kim Seong-pil nodded at Kang Jang-hwan’s words. “I suppose so. I think the biggest reason is that Choi Yoon-gi brat being JSD’s exclusive tutor. They say those two brothers, who were terrible at studying, are now ranked 1st and 2nd in the whole school thanks to him?”
“They say he even changed JSD’s personality to some extent. From a tiger-like patriarch to just a patriarch.”
“Right. It’s certain that Choi Yoon-gi brat has ability. If you think about the future, wouldn’t it be good to crush YK moderately right now?”
At Kim Seong-pil’s words, Kang Jang-hwan also nodded. “Honestly, if they only did the department store business, it wouldn’t be an eyesore from Shinsang Group’s perspective, but since they’re expanding their business lately... I can tolerate the hotel, but the YK Samgang, and the investment in technology abroad—I think it’s a bit dangerous from this side, too.”
“Then, talk to the other heads. Let’s crush YK while we have the chance.”
It was a subtle urging, but Kang Jang-hwan shook his head as if it were difficult. “Honestly, I want to, but it’s hard. Everyone saw clearly what happened to Daehan Group, so how could they dare to step forward? And since YK doesn’t seem to have much interest in heavy industry yet, everyone doesn’t pay much attention to them either. In fact, if I weren’t helping you, I wouldn’t have bothered to pay attention either.”
“That’s why I’m even more grateful. But, isn’t there a way? If we can’t touch them directly, I want to at least touch YK...”
Kang Jang-hwan nodded. “I think so too. There’s no way other than touching YK. But YK itself is a department store, and the goods in the department store are all foreign-made. In this situation, it’s really hard for a domestic company to exert influence.”
“Sigh... Is the US military’s backing really that great?”
“It’s not just backing; he’s a former US military four-star general. Moreover, he’s not someone who went into defense, but someone who went all-in on influence, so that influence is truly immense. Honestly, I think it’s a miracle that Jung Taeryong guy wasn’t executed. Well, instead, most of Daehan Electronics’ technology was snatched by Samwoo Group.”
No matter how much they tried to hush it up, rumors were bound to circulate in the industry, and Kang Jang-hwan had received reports on those rumors and knew most of the facts well. That was why attacking YK was even more difficult. Finally, by the time the four cigarettes they were smoking were finished, Kang Jang-hwan snapped his fingers.
“That’s it! If we use that method, it might just work!”
“What is it?!” Kim Seong-pil also leaned toward Kang Jang-hwan, his face brightening.
“It’s practically impossible to put pressure on YK Department Store’s supply sources. I told you that earlier, right?”
“That’s true.”
“But what if we disrupt YK Department Store’s logistics and transportation itself?”
“Oh! What a great method!”
Currently, trucks were going back and forth between ports and warehouses, warehouses and department stores, and warehouses and mini-department stores countless times a day for YK Department Store. But what if these trucks stopped running? It was clear that YK Department Store would suffer a fatal blow.
“Let’s start the attack on YK with this. I’ll bet everything I have to avenge you.”
“Thank you... thank you so much!”
A tearful friendship. However, because of that tearful friendship, a tearful child could also be born.
***
Kang Seok-ho, the president of Shinsang Trading and Kang Jang-hwan’s son. Although he was in his late thirties, Kang Seok-ho, who had a decent appearance except for a slightly long face, showed a “horse-face” expression for the first time in a while in front of his father.
“Father, have you lost your mind?”
A horse-face expression that only appeared when he was dumbfounded. Seeing this expression, Kang Jang-hwan’s eyes widened.
“Where did this brat get the nerve to show me his horse head?”
But Kang Seok-ho did not back down. “No, think about it realistically. What kind of place is YK? Touching them means touching up to JD. Have you already forgotten what happened to Daehan Group’s eldest grandson?”
“You brat! Did I order you to commit murder to kill that Choi Yoon-gi brat, or did I order you to cause a traffic accident? Isn’t it about competing fairly with YK!”
Kang Jang-hwan, who was so excited that he stood up from his chair in the chairman’s office and gripped the office desk with both hands, had the emotion of “I must help my friend” overflowing on his face.
“It’s a problem even if we compete fairly. Who will be uncomfortable the moment YK Department Store takes a hit? A decrease in sales means their money source also shrinks, so you want to touch that place? Are you in your right mind?”
It was a very rational deduction, but Kang Jang-hwan suddenly let out a snicker.
“What, are you doing this because of such a small matter?”
At the overly confident smile, Kang Seok-ho waited quietly, thinking, ‘Does Father have some secret plan?’
“Don’t worry. We just need to promise the important higher-ups that we will cover the losses. From their perspective, there’s no problem since they won’t lose anything.”
A part that seemed rational at first glance. However, from Kang Seok-ho’s perspective, it looked like nothing but madness.
“Father! Do you not know how much YK Department Store’s daily sales are? You’re going to cover those losses? That’s impossible with our slush funds, and it’s effectively a gift. It’s nonsense!”
“You brat! Why would we cover the entire sales? We’re only going to fill in the sales of some branches of the mini-department stores. And even then, since it’s just covering the losses, the scale won’t be as big as you think. No, I could even say it’s small, right?”
“I’m telling you that even that itself is large in scale! And if we create such a precedent, later on, everyone will try to rip off our Shinsang Group, and there’s no way we can handle that!”
“You brat! If I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it, so why are you talking so much!”
Watching Kang Jang-hwan continue to be stubborn, Kang Seok-ho wanted to speak his true heart.
[Father, you didn’t become chairman because you had the ability!!]
Like Kang Seok-ho’s true heart, Kang Jang-hwan became chairman by luck. The only son of the former Shinsang Group chairman. Of course, if you only hear this far, there don’t seem to be any flaws. Because primogeniture was a matter of course in Korea at this time. However, Kang Jang-hwan had shown quite clouded judgment since he was young. If a friend was involved, he would even commit reckless acts, giving the chairman a headache, and because he had a hot-tempered side, he would even escalate things that would have been fine if left alone into matters that the chairman had to step in and handle personally. Even so, Kang Jang-hwan became chairman. Because the former chairman had no son other than Kang Jang-hwan.
Since it was impossible for a woman to become chairman in this era, the former chairman passed away after creating a path where Shinsang Group could develop very slowly, abandoning the path of taking risks and developing rapidly. Since then, Kang Jang-hwan had been playing the role of a chaebol head smoothly on the surface through the safe path his father had created, his capable son, and his close aides. However, Kang Seok-ho could not bring himself to tell this backstory in front of his father. This was also Kang Jang-hwan’s biggest complex.
Instead, Kang Seok-ho touched upon a part that was judged to be “at least” and “relatively” safe. Of course, this was also a ticking time bomb.
“Is it because of that mere proportional representative National Assembly member again!”
What flew toward Kang Seok-ho, who was raising his voice, was his father’s slap.
“How dare you utter such nonsense!”
But Kang Seok-ho did not back down either.
“What on earth is that National Assembly member doing to help us? Not content with using our money to get a guy who lost three times elected as a proportional representative, are you now even betting the group’s fate?”
“You brat! If it weren’t for that guy, you wouldn’t be in this world!”
“Ha! That story from his childhood. I think we’ve repaid that grace enough by now. Father is buried in grace and isn’t trying to listen to the family’s thoughts at all!”
“You brat, even so!”
Another slap was delivered. Eventually, Kang Seok-ho’s eyes widened.
“Even if Father tries to help that National Assembly member, I will interfere with it. I have no intention of letting Shinsang Group follow in Daehan Group’s footsteps!”
“You brat, to the end! Is there no one outside!”
When the security guards entered after hearing the shout, Kang Jang-hwan shouted again.
“Lock this brat up and keep an eye on him for a while! Never let him out!”
“Father! You can’t! If you do that, our group will be ruined!”
Kang Seok-ho shouted as if screaming until the end, but those words did not reach Kang Jang-hwan, who had already turned blind with friendship.
‘That brat should know the grace too. Tsk tsk tsk!’
With the sound of clicking his tongue, Shinsang Group’s plot began, and ten days later, it would appear as a concrete situation at YK Department Store.