The Strategist's Retreat
"Excuse me? A spokesperson for the people?"
Park Hae-chan, the third-ranked chairman, was so startled that he jumped to his feet. The spiritual pillar of this group was none other than the first-ranked Kim Nam-ik. For him to suddenly announce his departure was a blow that would undoubtedly shatter the morale of every other chairman present.
"Chairman, you just said 'I.' So, may I take that to mean that Daeyoung will be participating?"
Han Ho-jun, the second-ranked chairman, let out a sigh of relief as he spoke. The other chairmen looked at Kim Nam-ik with expressions of relief as well. However, Kim Nam-ik shook his head.
"No, let me clarify. I, Daeyoung, and my family will not participate in this matter at all. Furthermore, we will not be siding with Samwoo or YK. Our Daeyoung declares complete neutrality."
As Kim Nam-ik finished with a blank expression, Han Ho-jun stared at him, looking utterly bewildered, and pressed him.
"Chairman, have you lost your mind? The chairmen of the top ten domestic conglomerates are all gathered here. And you intend to leave alone? Do you even know what kind of consequences that will bring?"
"Whatever the consequences, I am prepared to accept them."
At Kim Nam-ik’s calm response, Park Hae-chan spoke up again.
"Chairman, neutrality isn't some fantastic choice. Do you think the term 'bat'—someone who switches sides to survive—was coined for no reason?"
"I just told you I wouldn't side with Samwoo or YK. I will not side with anyone related to them, either."
When the persuasion and threats from the second and third-ranked chairmen failed, the fifth-ranked Chairman Yang Yi-yoon stepped forward.
"Chairman, if you declare neutrality and we end up winning, what do you expect to happen to you?"
"I told you, I will accept the consequences."
"Are you really that confident? I am not creating the outcome alone. Everyone here is working together to ensure the result."
Chairman Yang Yi-yoon, who had been looking at Chairman Kim Nam-ik with submissive eyes just that morning, was now staring at him with a highly challenging gaze. But Kim Nam-ik’s stance did not waver.
"It seems we are repeating the same things, so I will take my leave."
"Chairman!"
Jeong Woo-ho, the eighth-ranked chairman of Haeshin, managed to stop Kim Nam-ik.
"What is it?"
"Do you really think that if you stay neutral and YK wins, they won't hold a grudge against Daeyoung? Have you already decided that we are going to lose?"
It was a polite but sharp point. However, Chairman Kim Nam-ik did not answer and walked out.
"Damn it! What are we supposed to do when the person who should be at the center acts like that!"
Han Ho-jun, the second-ranked chairman of Cheonma, sat down and slammed his palm onto the table. The high-end restaurant table rang with a clear, resonant sound, but none of them had the luxury to enjoy it.
"Since it has come to this, we must join forces among ourselves. Does it really matter if Daeyoung drops out? The chaebols aren't just the nine of us here. We must gather everyone from the 11th rank and below to stand against Chairman Choi."
At Chairman Park's words, everyone at the table nodded and roared in agreement.
"That's right! We must do that!!"
While everyone was in agreement, Jeong Woo-ho, the eighth-ranked chairman, spoke quietly with the expression of a tactician.
"We couldn't persuade Chairman Kim Nam-ik."
At his quiet but powerful voice, everyone stopped shouting and focused their attention on him.
"Chairman Jeong, do you have some kind of clever plan?"
At Chairman Yang Yi-yoon's question, Jeong Woo-ho nodded.
"There must be many chairmen here who have blood ties to Daeyoung. Isn't that right?"
"Ho-ho..."
Han Ho-jun nodded, looking as if he found the idea plausible.
"Let's all use our blood ties to persuade Chairman Kim Nam-ik somehow. Surely he wouldn't refuse the words of his own kin? And if that fails..."
"If that fails?"
Jeong Woo-ho gave a sinister smile toward Han Ho-jun, who was not hiding his intense interest.
"We'll just have to cut off the blood ties connected to us..."
The blood-soaked corporate war had begun.
"Father, is that really true?"
At his father Kim Nam-ik's words, his son, Kim Jeong-tae, asked back with a look of extreme bewilderment.
"Yes, Daeyoung will not participate in this chaebol alliance."
Kim Nam-ik spoke calmly, his face devoid of any expression. He had explained everything that happened before returning from the luncheon. Yet, even after hearing his father's explanation, Kim Jeong-tae could not help but be deeply unsettled.
"But if that happens, many of the companies we trade with will cut ties."
Kim Jeong-tae mentioned the blood ties connected to other chaebol families and the affiliates currently trading through those connections. Then, 'finally,' an expression appeared on Kim Nam-ik's face. It was a faint, mocking sneer.
"Hmm, do you think a contract is just for show?"
No matter how much the other party wants to cut ties, as long as a contract exists, it is difficult to take immediate action. Kim Nam-ik judged that while they could threaten to 'terminate the contract the moment the term expires,' they could do little more than that.
"But the other party might ignore the contract and stop trading or break the agreement regardless."
Kim Jeong-tae's analysis was realistic. However, Kim Nam-ik sneered again and opened his mouth.
"Jeong-tae, who do you think will win this confrontation?"
"I think it will be YK."
Kim Jeong-tae answered without hesitation.
"Yes, that's right. I think so too."
"Is that so..."
At his son's bitter response, Kim Nam-ik's sneer deepened.
"For YK, there is no reason to touch us while we remain neutral. No, rather, the very fact that we are staying neutral is harmful to the other chaebol families, so it's highly likely they will secretly favor us."
"Yes? Then...?"
"If the other side breaks the contract or fails to uphold it, we will immediately file a lawsuit."
"Ah!"
Kim Jeong-tae exclaimed, admiring his father's sharp analysis.
"We don't know yet whose side the President will take. But you and I both predict YK's victory. What does that mean?"
"It means that in the end, the President will side with YK."
"Exactly. Then, when we file a lawsuit, whose side will the President take—ours or the other chaebol families?"
"Ours, naturally."
"Correct. We aren't just filing a lawsuit. We have to calculate the damages to be significantly higher than usual and sue. We are staying neutral in this war, but we will make up for the losses with that."
"But in the end, the affiliates will take a hit. Even if we squeeze out alimony, the trading partners will disappear."
"Of course. Furthermore, the moment YK wins, we will be pushed out of the number one spot in the domestic business world."
"Ugh..."
He had already known it, but hearing the reality from his father's mouth filled Kim Jeong-tae with humiliation and despair. "Is there no other way?"
At his son's words, Kim Nam-ik shook his head.
"No. Right now, YK has the strongest connections in the history of chaebols. After this corporate war, the word 'chaebol' might disappear from Korea. Or rather, the meaning will change. It will just be another expression for 'rich person'."
"Haaa... the number one title we built up with so much effort..."
"I thought we had a chance until the oil field was discovered. But there is no way to deal with YK, which discovered the oil field."
Even as he said this, Kim Nam-ik's expression remained incredibly stable. It was truly a blank, emotionless face.
"By any chance, do you have a future plan?"
Kim Nam-ik nodded.
"Yes, we are moving our main base."
"Yes?"
To his startled son, Kim Nam-ik sneered again.
"If we lose the number one spot domestically, we can just be number one somewhere else. We are moving our main base to Vietnam."
"Ah!"
Kim Jeong-tae realized that his father's aggressive investment in Vietnam, which had started a few years ago, was finally bearing fruit. It was a project his father had pushed forward despite the opposition of board members who argued that the perception of Vietnam would be poor due to the Vietnam War. Now, it was yielding incredibly positive results.
"We move our base to Vietnam and invest all the money earned from the lawsuits into Vietnam. And after we build up our strength in Vietnam as much as possible..."
Suddenly, Kim Nam-ik's expression began to distort severely. The wrinkles covering his entire face bunched together, transforming him into something resembling an 'evil spirit.'
"We strike YK. I don't know when that will be. It might be possible in my generation, or it might have to be done in yours. For now, we retreat. But even if we have to unite with foreign companies, we will definitely bring YK down. Although we are moving to Vietnam, we are moving our stage to the world; we are by no means retreating to a minor nation."
Kim Nam-ik, who had been trembling, returned to his usual blank expression, and the shaking of his body gradually subsided.
"I will definitely follow your words, Father."
At his son's resolute answer, Kim Nam-ik nodded toward him with a smile, a rare occurrence, as if satisfied. And then, the blank expression returned.
"But, Father. There is one thing I am worried about. It's not about the move to Vietnam."
"What is it?"
"If this matter escalates into a 'corporate war,' the chaebols who have lost their minds might do anything. To force us to participate, they might use our kin who are in their clutches..."
Though he cut his words short, Kim Nam-ik knew exactly what his son was trying to say.
"It is an unavoidable matter."
"Yes?"
As his son looked slightly flustered, Kim Nam-ik raised his right hand to show him.
"Ah... I understand."
Kim Nam-ik's right hand had only a thumb and an index finger.
"Being ahead of others means you have to bear that much risk. Those who are born as children of chaebol families and want to reap the benefits without taking risks are useless to me."
"I will think that way as well."
"Yes, you must think that way. Those who want to reap benefits without risk are not 'people,' but 'vermin.'"
The beginning of Daeyoung Group. It was Kim Nam-ik's business, but there was a secret hidden before that. It was Kim Nam-ik's fingers.
Before the Korean War broke out, Kim Nam-ik had once smuggled himself into Japan to make money. And there, he played a poker game against the Japanese. Naturally, Kim Nam-ik lost all the money he had brought and became the laughingstock of everyone. However, Kim Nam-ik put his own fingers on the line and set up a new game. And he lost three fingers. However, a Yakuza, impressed by Kim Nam-ik's dignified appearance at the time, guaranteed his safety, and thanks to that, when Kim Nam-ik stood up, he had obtained business capital that put him far ahead of others.
When the value of Korean currency plummeted due to the Korean War, Kim Nam-ik had possessed an enormous amount of Japanese currency. The result of that was the current Daeyoung Group. People thought he had lost his fingers in an unfortunate accident, but Kim Nam-ik was a strange man who knew how to take risks for profit—or rather, he always took them.
'Run wild as you please for now. I, and our Daeyoung, will quietly build up our strength.'
Kim Nam-ik of Daeyoung was grinding his teeth behind his blank expression. In contrast, the chaebols who were openly gnashing their teeth were also slowly beginning to make their moves.