Free Web NovelThe new year of 1999 had dawned. After a long period of treatment, Eva had been discharged from the hospital and returned to the front lines.
Originally, the plan was to send her abroad for concentrated psychiatric care, but Eva insisted on staying in Korea.
The hospital advised that, for emotional stability, the patient’s wishes should take priority.
And so, Eva continued her treatment in Korea as she wished.
Her physical wounds had all healed, but she still needed much more time for her mental recovery.
“Happy New Year, Chairman.”
Meanwhile, I made a rare visit to Chairman Song’s house to deliver New Year’s greetings.
“Muhyuk, it’s hard to get a glimpse of your face these days.”
Though he was over eighty, Chairman Song still appeared energetic. Seeing him reminded me of Grandfather and unsettled my heart.
Grandfather’s health had taken a sharp turn for the worse, and he was barely able to move. I didn’t know why, but it was happening far faster than in the previous life.
“I’ve been remiss. But you’ve been even busier than me, Chairman.”
After performing a traditional bow, Chairman Song jokingly handed me a 10,000-won bill. I accepted the New Year’s money with a smile, folded it in half, and tucked it into my hand.
“Is that old Cheon man still the same?”
“He’s barely moving at this point. Manager Ha is by his side constantly.”
“That Manager Ha guy is really going through it.”
It wasn’t his children who stayed at Grandfather’s side—it was Manager Ha.
I was genuinely grateful to him.
“So, how’s your work going? I heard you’re close to Han Kyungyeong, the one who just took over Joongwoo Group?”
“We became friendly by chance in Korea, and we kept in touch often after he went to the U.S. Even I didn’t expect he’d succeed like this.”
Han Kyungyeong had been appearing on the front pages of newspapers frequently these days.
By following government policy even more closely than the Korean conglomerates, he had shed much of his early image as a “black-haired foreigner.”
Though there had been union suppression during the company acquisition, not a single article mentioned it in any major newspaper.
“Do you have shares in Dreamhigh?”
“A little. I invested in President Han, and before I knew it, it turned into a sizable sum.”
“Being able to spot people like that ahead of time is called insight. My kids don’t have that. All they have is greed. Tsk.”
“Maybe that’s just how they look to you, Chairman. Outsiders don’t see it that way. You should lower your expectations.”
“It’s not because of you. Eh~ this is the first time I’ve been envious of that Cheon man.”
Chairman Song didn’t look too pleased, but the truth was, his sons weren’t lacking in management ability.
They simply didn’t meet Chairman Song’s exacting standards.
“Anyway, Taesan Finance? That’s your doing too, right?” frёewebnoѵēl.com
“Yes. Using Grandfather’s slush fund, I partnered with Future Investment to acquire the bank. It would’ve been too risky to put my face forward.”
“Haha. That old Cheon man really hit the jackpot in his twilight years. Hit the jackpot.”
Despite his words, Chairman Song wore a satisfied smile.
With the Kim Hakgwon administration in power, he had returned to the public stage and recently made headlines for pulling a cow cart across the border in a performance.
I broached the subject gently.
“Will you continue with your inter-Korean business ventures?”
“Of course. I must.”
The amount of money going into the North Korea project was staggering—enough to shake even Daehyeon Group.
“Does it really have to be you doing it, Chairman?”
From a business standpoint, North Korea-related ventures didn’t generate huge profits.
Their investment stability was the worst, their policy the worst. They were not an ally but an enemy.
Investing in North Korea while still technically at war—only under an armistice—would only be understood with the passage of time.
Right now, President Kim Hakgwon’s strong political will had created a thaw in inter-Korean relations, so it wasn’t an issue yet, but...
At this rate, once Chairman Song passed away, the buried side effects of his past ventures would resurface in Korean society once again.
“If Song Youngjoo doesn’t do it, who will? If I pave the way, other companies will follow. That’s how it’s always been.”
Chairman Song spoke with pride, but knowing the future, I could only shake my head inwardly.
Any money invested in North Korea could vanish into thin air without help from China or Russia.
It was a promising market—if stability was guaranteed.
North Korea had rich underground resources, including rare earth elements. China had already been looting those resources at bargain prices.
But not now. It wasn’t time.
“What? You don’t like the North Korea project?”
“Personally, I find the business prospects too uncertain. It’s North Korea—we can’t completely trust them.”
“How much longer are we supposed to isolate them? I hate communists too. But they’re still our people, aren’t they? I’ve come this far—I should at least help them survive.”
Chairman Song, too, loathed communists.
He’d lived through the Korean War, and Daehyeon was a classic example of a company that rose under military dictatorship. Anti-communism was ingrained in him.
Still, the reason he pursued North Korea-related business was because he was originally from the North.
“I agree with that sentiment. But I don’t think the time is right. At the very least, there needs to be a safety net. Just throwing money at them—do you really think they’ll appreciate it?”
“With this administration’s firm stance, I think it’s trustworthy enough. Let’s drop the topic.”
I didn’t expect to change his mind, but I’d said it anyway, hoping he might reconsider. As expected, he wasn’t the type to listen to others.
“Seems I came here to say Happy New Year and just ended up upsetting you.”
“Not at all. I’m actually grateful. No one says these things to me. Not at home, not at work. But this is my final business venture. I want to finish it properly.”
I didn’t bring up North Korea again.
“Have you been in touch with Hyeonji?”
“Yes. We exchange greetings occasionally.”
“Every guy she dates turns out to be trash. Tsk. She should’ve just clung to you.”
“She wasn’t the right person for me.”
After entering university, Song Hyeonji quickly found herself a boyfriend.
She was too free-spirited to keep anything going with me. She remained just a cute younger sister in my mind.
I had no regrets.
If we had ended up together, would Hyeonji have been happy?
I couldn’t be certain about the future, but I could confidently say no. I had too many enemies, too much to do, and too much to protect.
“And Hyunsoo?”
“We get drinks now and then. I heard he got promoted recently.”
Chairman Song never handed high positions to his grandsons just because they were family. He believed they needed to learn from the bottom, so he even hid their family ties and made them start at the very bottom.
That tradition would probably die with him... but it was something I respected.
“Twenty years... no, even just ten years from now, your generation will be leading the Korean economy. Keep your relationships broad. Things are still rocky with Ilseong, right?”
After Grandfather’s health deteriorated, I had reached out to Cheon Jiwon and Cheon Jisoo.
It was awkward, but they were still Grandfather’s family.
Yet they never visited him—not even once.
When I smiled without responding, Chairman Song only shook his head and said no more.
“I’ll be going now. I’ll visit again soon. Work’s important, but so is your health. Please stay well for a long time.”
“Haha, I’ll do my best. Thank you.”
It was a busy holiday, going around delivering New Year’s greetings to all those who had been with me over the past year.
* * *
After being discharged, Eva summoned all executives to the conference room.
Most of them were connected through Baek Seongjin’s personal network, and in reality, the actual power lay entirely in Baek’s hands.
As the executives entered the conference room, they sensed something off in the air. Eva, whom they hadn’t seen in a long time, had a rigid expression unlike her usual self.
Baek Seongjin stepped forward as the representative, breaking the silence with a careful tone.
“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you back in good health.”
“Director Baek.”
“Yes, CEO.”
“You certainly had your share of fun while I was away. I told you clearly that the Taesan Finance deal was non-negotiable.”
The atmosphere grew even colder.
“Let me just ask you one thing.”
Eva gave a slight nod, as if to say, ‘Go ahead.’
“What’s the reason behind naming it ‘Taesan Finance’? Is it true, as the rumors say, that it’s named after Chairman Cheon Taesan?”
“What does that have to do with you? Just do your job. No need to be curious.”
“Haa...”
Baek Seongjin opened his mouth again, but his words stalled midair.
Eva, staring at him with an expressionless face, spoke again, her voice now even lower.
“Director Baek, I brought you in because I didn’t yet understand Korea well. But if you’re going to start acting like you control the company, that’s a different story.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“I turned a blind eye to your overreach out of consideration for your reputation, but with Taesan Finance, you crossed the line.”
While Eva was gone, Baek Seongjin had heard the name Kim Muhyuk mentioned by certain MOFIA figures in the Ministry of Finance and Economy.
There were rumors leaking from the Blue House that Kim Muhyuk was quite close with Eva.
He hadn’t heard of Kim Muhyuk before, but Chairman Cheon Taesan was widely known.
It wasn’t hard to guess how the name “Taesan Finance” had come about.
But even so, he hadn’t managed to piece together that Kim Muhyuk was the actual owner of Future Investment.
“I can’t support the name ‘Taesan Finance.’ Didn’t we agree we were going to build Korea’s top bank? And now you want to name it after a loan shark?”
Eva let out a short, incredulous laugh.
“Do I look like I’m asking for your approval right now?”
For the first time—even in front of low-level staff—Eva had dropped all formality and used informal speech.
Baek Seongjin stiffened in shock.
“Who do you think you are, saying you won’t support it? Just because I smile and stay quiet, did you think I was a puppet you could pull the strings of?”
“...”
Baek Seongjin’s face turned red—he was nearing sixty.
Eva glanced around at the executives seated at the table, her expression dripping with disdain.
“Your job is to execute what I want to do here in Korea smoothly. That’s why I paid so much to recruit you. I didn’t put you in those seats to hear your opinions.”
“Isn’t that going a bit too far?” Baek Seongjin snapped, raising his voice in anger.
For the first time since the meeting began, Eva cracked a smile.
“Too far? Want me to show you what ‘too far’ really looks like?”
Eva’s secretary, standing beside her, stepped forward and handed a file folder to Director Baek.
“‘Dynamic Korea’! You sure had plenty of creative ways to help yourselves, didn’t you?”
She ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) spread her hands playfully as if she were genuinely entertained.
Baek Seongjin, flustered, opened the envelope and began to scan its contents.
His pupils started to shake.
“You didn’t seriously think I wouldn’t find out, did you? It’s a shame—you looked so harmless.”
“...CEO.”
He called her, but Eva ignored him, turning instead to the rest of the executives.
“You’re all the same. Not a single one of you didn’t take a bite.”
As the executives squirmed under her gaze, she scoffed.
“Yes, I was going to let it go. It wasn’t that much money. These things happen in a functioning organization. Sometimes you lose a little grease to keep the wheels moving. But in return, you should’ve done your job. Why should I keep working with people who only interfere with what I’m doing while pocketing money on the side?”
Her smile was bright, but her words were razor-sharp.
“Director Baek, what should I do? Return everything you’ve taken and submit to a prosecutor’s investigation?”
“You think you can operate without MOFIA’s help?”
He tried to threaten her with his MOFIA connections, but it was a useless bluff.
“Well, do you think the MOFIA will still treat you the same now that you’re just a washed-up has-been? Why don’t we find out? See what holds more sway—my money, or your words?”
During her absence, Baek Seongjin had tried to dig into the identities of the investors backing Eva.
But it was as if someone had wiped the slate clean—there was no information to be found anywhere.
In the end, he had to accept that he couldn’t overpower Eva, not politically nor financially.
“...”
And that the force behind Eva’s capital was far stronger than any influence he could muster.
“So, will you do your job and earn your paycheck? Or would you prefer to stand before the prosecution’s press line? That’s up to you, Director Baek.”
Eva crossed her arms, pressing them into a decision.
Faced with this completely transformed version of Eva, Baek Seongjin had no choice but to back down.
“I apologize. I overstepped.”
“I’ll give you one last chance. Right now, Taesan Finance is the priority—but this is only the beginning. The government is pushing forward with the sale, merger, and consolidation of banks. I want you to find out everything—every single move being made.”
Eva had no intention of stopping at just two banks.
“Everyone else may leave. Director Baek, stay.”
The executives hesitated, then filed out one by one, their footsteps heavy.
“Director Baek. I want to trust you. But my investors—they don’t trust you.”
“...Just who are those investors?”
Baek Seongjin asked, but Eva acted as though she hadn’t even heard the question.
“I’m letting it go this time. But if it happens again... there’s nothing I can do. It’d be better for you to face judgment under the law. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
A cold sweat formed down Baek Seongjin’s back.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“You may go.”
Baek Seongjin bowed his head and exited the meeting room.
The heavy wooden door shut behind him with a dull thud.
The blinds were drawn. The fluorescent lights were bright, but Eva’s hand began to tremble now that she was alone.
Her trauma hadn’t fully disappeared.
“...I’ll do anything for the boss.”
Her quiet whisper echoed through the empty room.
