Free Web NovelIt was a conversation running in parallel lines—each side only pushing their own stance.
“Well said. So, Chairman Kim, when are you handing it over?”
“How can I, when you’re trying to undercut the price like this? I’d appreciate some understanding of our internal circumstances.”
“Your internal affairs aren’t my concern. Undercut? You say that, but assessing a company’s worth isn’t your job—it’s mine. A listed company’s value follows its market price, doesn’t it?”
“But still...”
“And I even agreed to exchange it for Hyunhwa’s shares. Why should I make further concessions?”
“It’s still too cheap. There’s a lot of discontent internally.”
“That’s your issue to handle. You need to finalize the sale as soon as possible. You’ve already taken control of the entire board—don’t give me this nonsense about internal noise. Are you incompetent?”
“Haa... Fine. Understood.”
Kim Seonghyuk finally gave in with a heavy sigh.
“Doesn’t matter to me. I prefer getting Ilseong shares from Mr. Kim anyway.”
“I thought Mr. Kim said he wasn’t involved.”
“That’s just what you think. I sided with you because of Mr. Kim’s promise.”
Their conversation came to a close as Wen Jiabao approached me.
“Oh, Chairman Seo Yonggeon of Ilseong Group and Chairman Kim Seonghyuk of Hyunhwa Group, yes?”
His secretary must’ve whispered the names to him.
“Hello, Vice Premier.”
Chairman Seo responded with a friendly smile.
“We hope you’ll invest greatly in China.”
“I’m actually considering setting up a factory there.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
“I’ll be sending a task team to China soon. I’d appreciate the government’s full support.”
“Of course. Ilseong is always welcome. Thank you, Chairman Seo.”
Wen Jiabao beamed at the news of Ilseong’s plan to build a plant.
Chairman Kim Seonghyuk of Hyunhwa just stood there smiling awkwardly, apparently without any similar plans.
Wen Jiabao turned to me with a smile.
“I’m borrowing Mr. Kim for a bit. There’s something I need to discuss. That okay?”
“Of course.”
I followed Wen Jiabao into a private room off to the side of the ballroom.
As soon as he sat down, he asked,
“We don’t have much time. This meeting wasn’t scheduled, after all.”
“I understand. I came to ask—if I do my best investing in China, will that make me your ‘brother’? That’s what I wanted to confirm.”
“Brother?”
“I don’t know Chinese culture well, but I’ve heard guanxi is considered very important.”
Wen Jiabao nodded.
“It’s a valuable part of Chinese tradition.”
“You probably already know, but someone on my team grew up in Hong Kong. She told me this is a great chance to build strong connections.”
“Hmm...”
Wen Jiabao paused for a moment.
“I’m not saying I trust the country of China—I’m saying I want to try trusting you, Vice Premier Wen Jiabao.”
China is vast, with many ethnic groups. With such diversity comes deep-rooted distrust.
Perhaps that’s why guanxi developed—to create trusted personal networks that matter more than laws or institutions.
“Can I trust you, Mr. Kim?”
“You already looked into me. I never betray those I’ve accepted into my circle. If that weren’t true, I wouldn’t have gone to such lengths in Hong Kong.”
“Brotherhood isn’t built overnight.”
“I know you can’t build the Great Wall in a day. But if I’m someone you need, then time doesn’t really matter, does it?”
Wen Jiabao eventually nodded.
“Can you help me save face?”
“Tell me what you need.”
“Send James Han to China.”
“What do you want Han Kyungyeong to do?”
“To publicly show our friendship, speak positively about China, and invest directly.”
“Understood. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. I’ll make sure I’m someone who can be of help to you in return.”
For now, that was enough.
If I help him with enough lead time, he’ll have no choice but to return the favor when I ask.
Helping Wen Jiabao will cost me a lot—but I was confident I could make even more in China.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. I’ll see you next time in China.”
“Indeed, Mr. Kim.”
We shook hands, smiling like it was nothing.
If he was trying to use me, I could just use him in return.
I headed straight to Han Kyungyeong’s office.
“Oh? Muhyuk. What brings you here without a call?”
“Didn’t clock out yet?”
“Hey, you're the one who gave me work—don’t start with that. ‘Didn’t clock out?’ Who are you trying to piss off?”
“...Ah.”
I had completely forgotten I asked him to check Wall Street’s investment status.
“What’s going on? I already passed the task down—I'll get a proper summary sent to your email once it’s done.”
“We’re going into China.”
“Huh? China?”
After I explained Wen Jiabao’s request, Han Kyungyeong let out a long sigh.
“Damn, I’m just a pretty face again.”
Same pattern as when we first entered Korea.
“What can you do.”
“Fine. When do we leave?”
“Let’s meet with Kim Byungwoo first. Joongwoo Group needs to enter China too. Coordinate a time and place this weekend.”
“Got it.”
“Chinese people aren’t like Americans or Koreans. Think of them as a different species entirely. Never trust anyone. The friendlier they seem, the more likely they’re conning you.”
“I know, I know.”
“Thanks, always. I know it’s not easy dealing with all this because of me.”
“Forget it. I’m living pretty damn well thanks to you.”
Thinking back to the days when Han Kyungyeong was running from loan sharks, I couldn’t help but laugh. No one would ever imagine that now.
Han Kyungyeong chuckled too.
“This is crazy.”
“No kidding.”
After laughing for a while, I said to him,
“Thanks for the work. Send me a summary once the email comes in, and you can head home. Just send it in the morning.”
“Should I? Want a drink tonight?”
“Nah, let’s drink when we meet Kim Byungwoo.”
“You promised, okay?”
This guy really loves his booze.
I shook my head and turned to leave.
* * *
Wen Jiabao received positive responses from Korea’s conglomerates and departed for Japan.
I arrived at the bar Han Kyungyeong had mentioned to meet Kim Byungwoo, the man who would take charge of Joongwoo Group.
“Good evening.”
As I entered and greeted them, both Han Kyungyeong and Kim Byungwoo turned to look.
“Oh, there you are.”
“Nice to meet you.”
I sat down at the head of the table naturally. Kim Byungwoo looked startled.
“This is Vice President Kim Byungwoo.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Introduce yourself properly.”
“Excuse me?”
Han Kyungyeong casually pointed toward me.
“This is President Kim Muhyuk. The real owner of Joongwoo. More precisely, the true owner of Dreamhigh Investment.”
It finally clicked for Kim Byungwoo. He turned to me with wide eyes.
“I’m terribly sorry. I’m Kim Byungwoo.”
He scrambled to his feet and bowed his head.
“Please sit.”
“Yes, of course.”
“This is our first meeting. CEO Han’s been praising you so much it’s ringing in my ears.”
“Oh, come on. It wasn’t that much.”
Han Kyungyeong grumbled but I ignored him.
“You must’ve been surprised. A guy who used to deal in loan shark money in Myeongdong suddenly shows up as Joongwoo’s owner.”
“Not at all.”
Kim Byungwoo wasn’t part of the founding family—he was a salaried man who rose to vice president. He probably didn’t know much about me.
“I looked into you quite a bit. Wanted to see if I could really trust you to take over Joongwoo Group.”
I quietly picked up a bottle and poured him a drink.
“To be honest, you’re not completely blameless in the Joongwoo crisis. But you were just an employee doing what you were told. That’s understandable. It’s the fate of a salaried man. And I know you did your best to salvage a collapsing Joongwoo. That’s why I’m willing to give you a chance. Can I trust you?”
Kim Byungwoo shot up and bowed again.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’ll give you the framework. How you drive the machine is up to you. Giving you that authority means you’ll also bear the responsibility. And that won’t just mean stepping down. Still willing?”
“...What do you mean?”
I added slowly, looking him in the eye.
“If something happens where you need to take responsibility, stepping down won’t be enough.”
“...”
“I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.”
Kim Byungwoo turned to Han Kyungyeong, stunned.
Han, ever relaxed, just shrugged while sipping his drink.
“Are you not confident?”
Kim Byungwoo looked back at me and answered firmly.
“No. I’m confident.”
“Then there’s no problem. As long as you don’t screw up, nothing will happen.”
“...”
“Vice President?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t worry. If you do well, you’ll be rewarded accordingly.”
He swallowed hard and nodded.
“Understood. I’ll do my best.”
“That’s good. Truthfully, just by showing up tonight, you had no other choice left.”
Kim Byungwoo nervously lifted his glass and drank. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Smiling, I said,
“Let’s work well together.”
Only then did I lift my own glass.
“Hyung, install him as chairman immediately. And from now on, step away from Joongwoo.”
“Best thing I’ve heard all day.”
“You say that, but I know you’re just going to end up working harder.”
“Ugh, did you have to say it?”
“Just shows how much I trust you.”
Leaving grumbling Han Kyungyeong behind, I turned back to Kim Byungwoo.
“Joongwoo Group always bragged about ‘global management,’ but it was never truly global. They poured money into Eastern Europe, but saw almost no real gains. Sure, you gained some infrastructure and manpower, but turning that into profit takes time.”
“If you give me some more time, I think there’s still a chance.”
“The car factories in Eastern Europe are already gone—transferred to Ilseong. The home appliances division pulled out too. Don’t cling to the past.”
“But...”
“I know how much you poured into Eastern Europe. But that ship has sailed. Let it go.”
Maybe something clicked—he gave a silent nod.
“Ilseong leads the world in semiconductors, right?”
“Yes, they do. Daehyeon and Geumseong handed over their semiconductor divisions, but we’re still far behind in terms of tech.”
“Assume we’ll catch up to Ilseong within three years. No exceptions.”
He looked at me in shock.
Like he couldn’t believe I meant it.
“It’s doable. Use as much money as needed. If you need funding, just tell CEO Han anytime.”
“Semiconductor tech isn’t something you catch up on that easily.”
“Then aggressively poach talent. From Ilseong, NEC, Hitachi, Micron—wherever you must.”
“But...”
“And Joongwoo Electronics focuses solely on DDR DRAM. Scrap the Rambus RAM from Geumseong.”
“What? Isn’t Rambus RAM better?”
The DRAM war between DDR and Rambus shocks everyone—but DDR wins.
Only Ilseong and Daehyeon went DDR. The rest of the semiconductor firms bet on Rambus.
The result? Ilseong dominates the DRAM market.
“No. Go with DDR. And within three years, catch up to Ilseong’s tech. No matter what.”
