The Vanished 100 Billion (3)
The four leaders currently spearheading the "Anti-YK Chaebol" alliance had gathered once again. "Chairman Jung, I heard you met with Choi Cheol-gyu, the third son of Samwoo. Is that true?" Han Ho-jun, chairman of the second-ranked Cheonma Group, stared at Jung Woo-ho with a suspicious gaze. Since Park Hae-chan of the third-ranked Haeseong and Yang Yi-yun of the fifth-ranked Kangshin had already been briefed by Han before arriving, they were also eyeing Jung with deep skepticism.
"Ah, yes. That is correct. Mr. Choi told me he wanted to wave the white flag regarding this matter."
"What?" Taken aback by an answer that exceeded his expectations, Han Ho-jun jumped up from his seat before quickly sitting back down.
"I was surprised as well. He called me, saying he had something urgent to discuss, and that was exactly what he told me."
"And what did you say in response?"
"I laid out our previously established conditions. One, that he withdraw the proposal for this amendment, and two, that the YK Group be split up and distributed among the family members."
"So, what did he say to that?"
As the three men leaned forward, hanging on his every word, Jung Woo-ho nodded and opened his mouth.
"He said he was in favor of it. He argued that no matter how excellent YK's connections might be, they couldn't possibly defeat the entire rest of the chaebol coalition."
"Well, at least the third son of Samwoo has his head on straight." As Han Ho-jun nodded in agreement, Jung Woo-ho added more fuel to the fire.
"He also mentioned that he personally hopes for it to happen. He said it was an incredibly unfair situation for only his older brother to inherit the entire group."
Jung Woo-ho began to beguile the men before him, fabricating words that Choi Cheol-gyu had never actually spoken.
"Exactly...! I knew the brothers must be harboring resentment. There’s no way the other siblings wouldn't be furious about the eldest son inheriting almost everything in the house!"
Park Hae-chan clapped his hands together, his face flushed with excitement. This was the reason they had demanded the split inheritance of the YK Group—because they had their own "logical" deductions. Even though, in reality, Jung Woo-ho had never made such a request to Choi Cheol-gyu.
"I heard there’s a son who is being mistreated by Chairman Choi. Should we try to win him over as well?" At Yang Yi-yun's suggestion, Han Ho-jun shook his head dismissively.
"I looked into that, but it would be meaningless. He has no ability, and I heard he’s working at a construction site cafeteria run by the YK Group. He’s not just excluded from the group; he’s practically been exiled, so there’s no point."
Even here, Choi Cheol-min was treated as a complete outcast. If he had been tucked away in some corner of the group, he might have had some utility, but it was confirmed that Choi Cheol-min and Park Gyeong-ja were worthless even to these men.
"Gentlemen, we have options." At Jung Woo-ho's words, everyone focused their attention on him again.
'Looking at the situation, it seems they didn't find out I met with Yoo-jeong. It appears they only put a tail on me on the day I met President Choi Cheol-gyu.'
Jung Woo-ho was conscious of Han Ho-jun, but Han was reacting only to the current conversation without a hint of suspicion.
"Options?"
"One is to trust President Choi Cheol-gyu as we are and save the 100 billion won."
At the mention of 100 billion won, everyone let out a collective "Hmm," sinking into the reality of the sum.
"The other is to offer the 100 billion won to His Excellency and pressure Chairman Choi."
"Should we really offer it?" At Yang Yi-yun's hesitant remark, Jung Woo-ho shrugged.
"If you trust President Choi Cheol-gyu completely, you save the money. If you don't think you can trust him, you provide the supporting fire. 100 billion won is a cheap price to pay for splitting up YK."
Everyone in the room nodded at Jung Woo-ho's plausible reasoning. However, Han Ho-jun asked back in a hesitant tone.
"What happens if His Excellency takes the money but then sides with YK?"
"We must obtain a written guarantee."
"A written guarantee?"
Jung Woo-ho sighed deliberately and nodded.
"I will receive the 100 billion won for His Excellency and secure a written pledge that he will not accept this amendment."
"Th-that... that is too much of a risk for you, Chairman Jung. His Excellency will surely fly into a rage..."
The three chairmen thought it was fine in their hearts, but outwardly, they pretended to dissuade Jung Woo-ho.
"I know the risk is high. That is why I have a favor to ask of you."
"A favor?"
Park Hae-chan asked, but Jung Woo-ho's request was not beyond what they could grant.
"Everything has a commission, doesn't it? Please pool your money together and give me 10 billion won."
At Jung Woo-ho's slightly greedy expression, everyone smiled, thinking, *'Well, of course.'*
"As expected, Chairman Jung is a merchant to the bone. 10 billion won... very well. We should pay at least that much in commission."
Led by Han Ho-jun, the other two nodded as well.
"Ah, and about the money. I should hand it over the moment His Excellency signs, but could I store it at my house for now? If he suddenly changes his mind after signing, it would be dangerous, so I think it's best to have the money ready to be delivered immediately."
"That is... hmm..." It was clearly a necessary step, but Han Ho-jun fell into deep thought.
"You can send your subordinates to manage the money; I don't mind. I’m just saying I will provide the storage. Your subordinates can handle the transport themselves."
At the reasonable proposal, everyone nodded this time.
"Understood. Then, we will move the money to your house by tomorrow afternoon. But, does your house have enough space for that much?"
To Han Ho-jun's question, Jung Woo-ho laughed and threw in a joke.
"Doesn't everyone have a giant underground vault in their house?"
* * *
Not even a day passed before a staggering 110 billion won in cash was transported to Jung Woo-ho's home. The number of vehicles that went in and out of his house during that process was in the dozens. Since it was an era before the 50,000-won bill existed, a truly massive amount of manpower had to be mobilized. However, it wasn't impossible. Because they were the chaebol coalition of South Korea.
Although the lowest-tier chaebols had backed out due to YK's strategy, as long as the majority of the chaebols were participating, manpower and financial power were effectively limitless. Furthermore, bodyguards dispatched by each chairman began to stand guard at Chairman Jung Woo-ho's house with ironclad vigilance. Of the 110 billion, 100 billion was money to be offered to JD, and they had planted spies among the guards in case Jung Woo-ho decided to defect.
However, Jung Woo-ho didn't use a method to embezzle the money; he used an entirely different approach.
* * *
The day after the 100 billion won was moved to his home, Jung Woo-ho was meeting the bodyguards of the other chaebols one by one.
"You must be tired from guarding the money all day." At Jung Woo-ho's words, one of the bodyguards guarding the 100 billion bowed his head.
"Not at all. It is a job I must do."
The bodyguards here were not personnel hired through agencies. They were all directly employed by the groups. That was why they were guarding the perimeter with such thoroughness. Of course, they didn't look at Jung Woo-ho with that same level of suspicion.
"I can certainly rest easy thanks to you all. Guarding seems like a very difficult job when I see it from the side. Yet, to see you endure it and hold your posts without a word is truly impressive."
The chairman of the 8th-ranked group in the country was acknowledging his profession. Since this was more rewarding than he could have imagined, a smile spread across the bodyguard's lips.
"Thank you."
"Do you get to rest during the day if you work the night shift?"
The conversation flowed naturally. The bodyguard, thinking the chairman in front of him seemed a bit bored, continued the conversation.
"We are basically on a shift system. As you said, Chairman, if we work the night shift, we rest during the day. Some personnel work 24 hours, but generally, you will see different people during the day and night."
"Ho-ho, so you even work 24-hour shifts?"
The bodyguard nodded.
"That is correct. The higher the rank, the more that tends to be the case. Because we have to oversee the overall command."
"Just hearing about it makes it sound incredibly tough."
"That is why quite a few people quit once they reach a certain age. Our physical strength just can't keep up."
"True, it's not easy to spend all day guarding someone even when you're in your 40s or 50s. Plus, your physical abilities would decline."
For the bodyguards, working at night was a chore. But since Chairman Jung Woo-ho had appeared to keep him company, the bodyguard's expression brightened. Moreover, this was a golden opportunity to build connections. So, the bodyguard opened his mouth with genuine excitement.
"That is correct. It's not common, but there are cases where people couldn't avoid a crisis even with bodyguards. We often hear stories of bodyguards being beaten to a pulp by gangsters."
"Hahaha, that would be quite the disgrace."
"We never neglect our training so that doesn't happen. Still, I hear it's better these days. Our seniors who were active in the 40s through the 60s had to be prepared to get shot."
"True, it's hard to see guns in Korea these days."
"It's not just hard; you get arrested if you carry a gun. Of course, there are occasional exceptions, but generally, all we can trust is our fists. You can't carry a baseball bat or an iron pipe while standing next to a chairman, can you?"
Jung Woo-ho burst into laughter at the bodyguard's slightly joking remark.
"Hahaha! That's true."
The conversation continued for a while longer. Finally, Jung Woo-ho brought up the main point.
"Do you plan on being a bodyguard for the rest of your life?"
"Yes, this is my calling."
Thinking this was a test, the bodyguard gave a textbook answer.
"You aren't my bodyguard, so you can answer honestly. I'm trying to take care of the bodyguards, and I wanted to know what the others are thinking."
Jung Woo-ho slipped a slightly thick envelope of money into the bodyguard's suit pocket. The bodyguard looked around for a moment, and upon feeling the thickness of the envelope against his chest, he bowed his head with a smile.
"Thank you."
"If you're thankful, I'd like you to be honest. You said earlier that bodyguards quit when they get older; is that a minority or a majority?"
Money was, after all, the best way to get close to someone. The bodyguard revealed his inner thoughts.
"You can consider it a minority. In fact, there are more people who think about quitting and starting a business once they've saved up enough money."
"Ho-ho, then you would want to start a business if you had the money right now, too?"
"Oh, no. I intend to do this for life."
Even as he said that, the feeling of 'I want to quit' was rising to the surface of his expression.
"I will make you honest."
Jung Woo-ho handed an apple box to the bodyguard.
"Wait, why are you giving me apples? Thank you."
Thinking it naturally contained apples, the bodyguard bowed his head, grateful for Jung Woo-ho's kindness.
"Open it."
"Right now?"
"Yes."
He looked a bit puzzled, but the bodyguard opened the apple box as instructed.
"Ugh!"
Upon confirming the contents, the bodyguard gasped, unable to stop the air from rushing into his lungs.