Free Web NovelChoi Woosik’s violent outburst spread across South Korea through the media.
Whenever more than two people gathered, they were busy tearing into his behavior.
That was how far outside common sense his actions had been. freeweɓnøvel.com
After finishing my long vacation, I returned to Seoul.
After clearing up the backlog of work at the Myeongdong office, I received Yoon Hyunju and Eva.
“Did you have a good holiday, President Kim? I hope this year brings only good things for everyone.”
“Thank you, Director.”
We exchanged brief New Year’s greetings and sat down.
Before any other topic could come up, I immediately got to the point.
“Eva. Are the preparations for convening the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting complete?”
“Yes, boss. Tomorrow, we’ll submit the request to convene the meeting to the board. And right after that, I’ll personally hold a press conference.”
As expected—sharp and efficient. Satisfied, I added what needed to be done.
“The media will keep pushing out negative coverage about Chairman Choi Woosik. Once you step forward, public opinion will ignite even more. Good call. Keep doing it that way.”
Eva smiled brightly.
“I’m good with reporters, boss. I just hope we don’t get any weird questions this time.”
Perhaps recalling the reporter who once questioned the source of Future Investment’s funds, Eva’s expression hardened slightly.
“That reporter had China behind him. No—more precisely, it was their little trick. This time, there won’t be anyone asking those kinds of questions.”
After identifying who was behind that troublesome question back then, I had ordered appropriate retaliation.
A proper example had been made. No one would try anything funny this time. Just in case, I also planned to keep the press tightly under control.
I turned to Yoon Hyunju, who had been listening.
“Director Yoon Hyunju. How’s the atmosphere inside the group? Things must be chaotic after Chairman Choi’s detention.”
“Of course. No one expected him to be arrested. But... how did you even find that slush fund? Even I didn’t know about it.”
The evidence regarding the slush fund that Yoon Hyunju had submitted to the prosecution—had come from me.
All she did was take it and deliver it.
“We’re not called experts for nothing. They probably thought they were being careful, but from our perspective, it looked sloppy. Right, Eva?”
“Of course, boss. What Korean chaebols do looks like child’s play to us. If money had been siphoned off like that in the U.S., he’d never leave prison.”
Even I had created hundreds of paper companies, laundering money through layers of transfers.
Then, like cutting strands in a spiderweb, I would shut down key companies to sever the traceable links.
Even for me—and for Han Kyungyoung, who had directly overseen the process—without the full map of those entities, the structure would be impossible to decipher.
In contrast, Choi Woosik’s method had been extremely simple.
He set up a single company in a tax haven and fabricated revenue.
For anyone in finance, that was the lowest-tier method—something you could spot with just a bit of attention.
Thanks to that, we were able to trace the flow of funds and identify his slush fund accounts.
I gathered all the evidence and handed it to Yoon Hyunju, who then took it to the prosecution and reported him.
“That level might work against Korean prosecutors, but it won’t get past CEO Eva.”
Yoon Hyunju nodded, looking at Eva with newfound appreciation.
“That’s also why the fee for laundering your nominee assets is so high, Director Yoon. The system is complex, and it requires significant manpower and capital.”
“Yes. I’ll trust you, President Kim.”
“If you want everything to run smoothly, you’ll need to wait at least six months to a year.”
“That’s fine. I’m not in a hurry /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ for the money. I can wait.”
I handed her the documents brought by Manager Ma.
“You prefer certainty, right? This is the contract. Once you secure management control, as promised, all production facilities will be transferred to us—”
Before I could even finish, Yoon Hyunju took out a fountain pen.
She immediately signed her name. The smooth, elegant signature almost caught me off guard.
“...You’re not even going to read it?”
“I trust you, President Kim. If you were the type to scam me, you would’ve done it from the beginning. I’ve heard a lot about you—but I didn’t expect it to be to this extent.”
After signing, she put the pen back in her bag with a smile.
I placed the documents back into the envelope and handed them to Manager Ma.
“I appreciate that, but don’t trust people too much.”
“I don’t anymore. I only signed because it’s you.”
I gave a small nod.
She had just recently been betrayed by someone she had trusted for a long time. It would be stranger if she didn’t have trust issues.
And even if she trusted me now, there was no telling how long that would last.
“You’re managing the board members and executives well, right?”
“Yes. I’ve called a board meeting this afternoon. After that, I plan to meet each of them individually.”
“Once the shareholders’ meeting is held, you can replace the directors. For now, manage them carefully. Decide clearly who you’ll keep and who you’ll discard—and treat them accordingly.”
At my words, Yoon Hyunju smiled coldly. Her warm demeanor vanished in an instant.
“Yes. That’s something I learned from my father. Don’t worry.”
Well, she had learned politics from a man who had stood at the top of a cutthroat political world for decades. Worrying about her was almost laughable.
“And...”
I continued explaining what she needed to do starting today, and she nodded along attentively.
* * *
Eva arrived at the main gate of KS Group headquarters.
Reporters who had been tipped off in advance were already waiting.
“CEO Eva! What is the reason for convening an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting?”
As Eva stepped out of the car, reporters rushed toward her.
With a bright smile, she spoke.
“I’ll submit the request first, then I’ll take some time for you. Could you step aside?”
“Ah, yes.”
Most of the reporters gathered there had received generous “allowances” from Eva one way or another.
Instead of charging at her blindly, they readily stepped aside.
Eva entered the building.
About thirty minutes later, she came back out. fгeewebnovёl.com
The reporters who had been sitting on the ground waiting jumped up, cameras and microphones in hand.
Her bodyguards formed a barrier, keeping them from getting too close.
“Please calm down. Don’t rush like that. Could you gather the microphones together?”
With an elegant posture, Eva stood right in front of the main gate and addressed them.
A senior reporter collected microphones from each outlet and handed them to her.
“Thank you. You’re Reporter Jung from Korea Daily, right?”
“Ah, yes. That’s right. You remembered.”
“Of course.”
At Eva’s charming smile, the reporter couldn’t help but smile back.
“We don’t have time to answer everyone’s questions. Could you compile about ten questions and ask them on behalf of everyone?”
“Ah, understood. Please give us a moment.”
The situation resembled a master feeding animals—but no one questioned it.
The reporter returned to the group and began organizing.
“Eva will answer about ten questions. Let’s decide what we’re going to ask...”
With multiple media outlets present, even compiling the questions took time.
Eva didn’t rush them. She simply waited with a composed smile.
When the reporter returned, he spoke with a grin.
“Thank you for waiting. Shall we begin?”
“Of course.”
He opened his notes.
“First, why did you request an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting?”
“To remove Chairman Choi Woosik from power.”
The answer came immediately.
Eva didn’t bother with indirect wording.
At the blunt response, not only the reporter but everyone present froze.
“Th-that is... remove him...?”
“Is that even a question?”
“Ah—no.”
“Just kidding. You all looked so shocked. I mean exactly what I said—we’re replacing the head.”
“...Is that even possible?”
This time, Eva folded her arms and spoke coolly.
“The largest shareholder of KS Corp. is not Choi Woosik—it’s our Future Investment. It should have been disclosed today. We acquired all shares held by Sovereign. As the major shareholder, we’re simply exercising our rightful authority.”
“....”
In Korea’s history, an investment firm had never taken over the management of a conglomerate.
“Should we interpret this as Future Investment taking over management?”
“No. We will own, but not manage. If a suitable candidate appears, we will hand over management rights. Some people view us negatively and say we might sell a major Korean company to foreign capital.”
Eva paused and looked directly into the camera.
“But I promise you this: the person we entrust with management will be a citizen of the Republic of Korea, and KS Group will remain a Korean company. There is not a single lie in that statement.”
The prepared questions became meaningless.
Reporters began raising their hands, shouting questions all at once.
* * *
Watching Eva’s face dominate the portal’s main page, I let out a dry laugh.
“She’s basically a celebrity.”
“It seems she spoke even more aggressively than you predicted, boss.”
“Eva must have her reasons. She’s the expert in this, not me. That’s why I entrusted it to her.”
When I assign someone a task, I don’t care about the process.
Only the result matters.
And Eva had never once failed to deliver.
I closed my laptop and asked,
“How much longer?”
“We’ll be there shortly.”
“The head of the legal team is meeting us at the front, right?”
“Yes, boss.”
“What could he possibly want to say that he asked for a meeting?”
I briefly recalled last night.
After sending Yoon Hyunju and Eva off, I had been wrapping up the remaining work.
Then, without an appointment, the head of KS Group’s legal team showed up at the Myeongdong office.
Despite the lack of notice, I agreed to meet him.
After staring at me in silence for a while, he delivered a message—Choi Woosik wanted to see me.
I accepted.
Now, I was on my way to the detention center to meet him.
“Welcome, President Kim Muhyuk.”
I met the legal team head in the detention center parking lot.
“You filed the visitation request in advance, right?”
“Yes. You can go in right away.”
I nodded and entered.
Inside the attorney visitation room, Choi Woosik was waiting—noticeably more haggard after just a few days.
The moment I entered, he sprang to his feet.
“President Kim!”
Unlike before, he greeted me eagerly.
“Chairman. You look quite worn out after just a few days. Does prison food not suit your taste? You’ll be eating it for quite a long time. Even if it doesn’t suit you, you’d better get used to it.”
At my mocking remark, the smile vanished from Choi Woosik’s face.
