Free Web NovelMy smile didn’t match the cold gleam in my eyes.
Seeing it, Park Dongsu looked at me with a slightly uneasy expression.
“I’ll make the call.”
“Just make sure he’s never harmed. When you intimidate him, create a situation where he feels like he could die at any moment. That kind of fear. You’re the expert here—you know how to do that better than I do. I’m counting on you.”
“My guys are good at that stuff. Don’t worry. Scaring someone to the point they can’t even sleep properly is more effective than a beating. It wears them down slow.”
I nodded slightly, then turned to Lee Sanggeun.
“How’s the company?”
“No ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ issues taking over the operations. The problem is... once the work in Cheongju wraps up, I don’t think we’ll get more contracts from there.”
“That’s unavoidable. Don’t worry about the contracts. I’ll talk to Daehyeon Construction and have them subcontract you some work. For now, pull back from any illegal dealings and focus solely on Geukseong Construction.” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
“Understood.”
As I discussed the company with Sanggeun, Park Dongsu glanced between the two of us, quietly listening.
I looked at him with a hint of amusement.
“You’ll start by securing Yeongdeungpo. As far as I know, there’s no major syndicate there, but it’s been a while—so the current situation is unclear. You think you can handle it?”
“I’ll do it.”
“Don’t worry about funding. Absorb what you can. You’ve taken in some of Jo Hyungu’s men, right?”
Dongsu nodded.
“I got rid of the big-headed punks, but took in the small fry. If it can be resolved through negotiation instead of war, I’ll try that first.”
“Good. If you need money, contact me. No matter how much you need, I’ll provide it—but under no circumstances are you to touch drugs or anything like that.”
“I won’t. Don’t worry.”
As I stood from my seat, Park Dongsu stopped me.
“You leaving already? Let’s have a drink today.”
“I’ll be busy for a while. Next time, we’ll have some makgeolli together.”
Dongsu smacked his lips and saw me off with a disappointed look.
“Next time, we’re definitely drinking, got it?”
“Yeah.”
The door closed, and Chief Ma slowly pulled the car away.
The Geukseong Construction building gradually faded behind us.
“He hasn’t changed a bit.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Just like the first time I met him. He gets serious when talking business, but he still genuinely likes people.”
Perhaps it was the smile on my face, but even Chief Ma showed a rare smirk.
To pull the mood back into focus, I asked,
“How are things progressing with Sooman?”
“Chief Ha is still preparing the next steps, as far as I know.”
“Chief Ha always handles things thoroughly. Let’s wait. Just keep monitoring him, just in case.”
“Yes.”
* * *
Cheon Sooman stared at Chief Ha in disbelief.
“What is this?”
“Divorce papers. Please sign them.”
“Hah... Have you lost your mind?!”
Sooman finally shouted and threw the papers.
But the pages simply fluttered to the ground with a soft rustle.
As always, Chief Ha didn’t flinch. He calmly picked up the papers and held them out again.
“Chairman’s orders. Please sign.”
“...Why?”
Sooman stared at the papers, dazed.
“Why is Father doing this to me? Is it because I had an eye on Ilseong Group?”
Chief Ha gave no reply.
He was only there to deliver the message.
“The Chairman will reclaim everything he gave you. Start preparing to leave the country.”
“What?”
Sooman looked more shocked now than when he first saw the divorce documents.
“What the hell is this? Is it because of that damn Muhyuk? He matters more than your own son? All you gave him was a few buildings, told him to fend for himself—and now you're kicking me out? Did he order this? Is Father losing his mind?!”
Chief Ha’s face hardened slightly.
But Sooman, too worked up, didn’t notice and continued shouting.
“This is ridiculous! You think I’ll quietly disappear like some idiot? I won’t go down without a fight!”
“If you’re relying on Cheongpunghoe, you should forget it. They’ve already been warned. This is the Chairman’s final mercy.”
Cheongpunghoe.
Sooman finally looked at Chief Ha’s face.
Seeing the grim expression, he realized something was wrong.
His voice trembled.
“Why are you bringing up Cheongpunghoe?”
“You know why.”
“Wh-What are you talking about?!”
“You really thought the Chairman would never find out?”
“What are you saying?!”
Chief Ha’s voice rose for the first time, his usually impassive face now visibly angry.
“Why did you do it?! What did Miss Misook ever do to you? She cut ties, left everything behind. So why did you have to track her down and kill her?”
Sooman’s face went pale as a sheet.
Chief Ha’s uncharacteristic outburst made his feelings for Cheon Misook clear.
And it explained why he supported Kim Muhyuk.
“Myeonghun... I need to see Father.”
“He said he doesn’t want to see you. If you come to the house, he’ll consider all familial ties severed. Sign the papers. I’ll take care of the asset division. Speak with your wife, Jiwon, and Jisoo. Once your affairs are in order, leave for Australia next week.”
Sooman stared at him in disbelief, then began shouting again.
“Father, you too! You’re the same! Always Misook, Misook! You think cutting ties meant he’d never want to see her again? No! The moment he found her son, I was thrown away. He said it himself—he’s giving everything to that bastard!”
His cries fell on deaf ears.
Chief Ha stared coldly at him, which only fueled Sooman’s fury.
“Don’t look at me like that! I’m Cheon Sooman, son of Cheon Taesan! You’re just a damn servant—how dare you look at me like that?!”
“Sign the divorce papers.”
“No... It wasn’t me. I didn’t kill her—it wasn’t me...”
In the end, Sooman was left muttering at the ceiling.
“I had no choice...”
A while later—
He finally stamped the papers and dismissed Chief Ha.
As soon as he left, Sooman began frantically dialing numbers.
“This is President Cheon from Myeongdong. I need to speak with the Elder—”
— Do not contact us again.
Click.
Sooman stared at the phone in disbelief, face twisting in despair.
“You think I’m going to die alone like this?”
He kept calling people like a madman, but the answers were all the same.
* * *
“Has Sooman left the country?”
“Yes, we confirmed it at the airport.”
Chairman Cheon looked calm again, back to his usual self, as he spoke with Chief Ha.
“He went quietly?”
“There was no major resistance.”
“He’s not the type to go down easy. Stay alert. What about Suhan?”
“He’s being transferred to Yeongdeungpo Prison this week.”
Chairman Cheon nodded lightly, then furrowed his brow.
“Still... make sure they can make a living somehow.”
“Understood.”
With a soft sigh, Chairman Cheon forced himself to let go of the lingering regrets.
“How are Jiwon and Jisoo?”
“They said little when we said goodbye at the airport. But... Miss Jisoo’s expression was concerning.”
“She went to her maternal side? That damn Seo Yonggeon, now that he’s grown some guts, he thinks he can stand on equal footing with me.”
“Miss Jisoo and Madam went to Chairman Seo’s estate. Master Jiwon is living separately in his own home.”
Hearing Jiwon’s name made Chairman Cheon’s frown deepen.
“That brat still hasn’t come to his senses. Leave him be. What about Jiyoung and her mother?”
“Miss Jiyoung’s maternal side is already in ruins, so we let her stay in her original home. Support continues as before.”
“Good. Keep supporting her. Once Suhan is released, send him abroad too—somewhere other than Australia.”
“Yes, sir.”
Chairman Cheon changed the topic.
“They’re settled. How’s Muhyuk doing?”
“He’s reviewing the loan documents. I’m not sure of his exact criteria, but he’s spending most of his time on that.”
“Hmm... How much have we handed over?”
“Everything outside the top 20 conglomerates. Even the loan bonds President Cheon used to manage.”
“It’ll take a while just to sort through them. Alright. Watch for now. If he asks for advice, teach him well.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
“President Cheon Sooman has left the country.”
As I reviewed the loan documents, I looked up at Chief Ma.
“He went to Australia. Seems like everything was arranged for him to settle comfortably.”
“Of course. Grandpa could never be cold to family. Just keep an eye on him. I’m sure Chief Ha is watching too, so don’t make any waves.”
“Understood.”
I looked back down at the documents piled in front of me. They covered the entire table and still weren’t enough.
“There’s more than I thought.”
Chief Ma said nothing, but I kept talking.
“There are more bonds that need recovering than I expected. A lot of these will eventually become problems.”
My eyes were sore from the constant reading, but I didn’t stop.
This was the entire blueprint of Korea’s loan shark market.
Flipping through these with my knowledge of the future was tedious for my eyes—but fascinating for my mind.
Time passed. A few weeks after Sooman left the country, I finally visited Grandpa’s study again.
“Grandpa, it’s me—Muhyuk.”
“Come in.”
He greeted me as if he’d been waiting.
“I finished categorizing the loans.”
His impassive face shifted. It was the face of the Chairman I’d known.
“You finished fast. Let’s hear it.”
“The majority are likely to become bad debts. I plan to recover most of them.”
The fact they had resorted to private loans meant their finances were already shaky.
Most of these would become worthless before the IMF stepped in.
Chairman Cheon gave a dry, surprised laugh.
“Most of them?”
“Yes.”
Though I didn’t know the total size of the loans given to the top 20 conglomerates, going through the bonds over the past few weeks gave me a good idea of Chairman Cheon’s wealth.
“I plan to recover everything I can.”
“Are you planning to shut down the loan business?”
“No. But you know how hard it is to recover debts once they become a problem. I want to clean things up in advance.”
The financial crisis wasn’t some sudden disaster.
It was the collapse of long-brewing problems.
This was an era of reckless corporate expansion through debt.
So my plan to pull most of the money now might have sounded ridiculous.
Chairman Cheon tapped his desk with his finger, deep in thought.
Then he turned to Chief Ha.
“What do you think?”
“There’s logic in the young master’s words. But our business isn’t run on paperwork alone. We should proceed gradually, with caution.”
Chairman Cheon closed his eyes briefly, thinking.
The pause didn’t last long.
“Do as you wish. If you need help, ask Chief Ha.”
“Thank you, Grandpa.”
“So, what do you plan to do with the recovered funds?”
A smile spread across my face.
“I’ll lend them to stable companies. Avoid the problem cases and issue clean, reputable bonds.”
After the IMF, the creditor syndicate would have the power to strangle companies at will.
And I planned to hold that leash.
< I Plan to Recover Most of It. > End.
