Free Web NovelThe forced smile that had been lingering on Choi Woosik’s face vanished completely.
“It won’t be easy for you to get out. The moment that ‘chairman’ badge falls off your shoulder, you’ll be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill financial criminal.”
I turned my head toward the legal team head, who was standing blankly near the entrance.
“Isn’t that right, Head of Legal? Once he loses his position at the extraordinary shareholders’ meeting, it would be illegal for the group’s legal team to act on his behalf. Are you planning to throw away your title and return to being a private citizen?”
“......”
He was someone who had taken off his prosecutor’s robe and chosen to become a chaebol’s dog.
In other words, someone who had decided to follow money above all else.
Would a man like that really abandon everything and defend Choi Woosik?
I was certain—absolutely not.
The fact that he couldn’t say a single word proved it.
I let out a faint chuckle and turned back to Choi Woosik.
“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“......”
I walked over and sat across from him.
We were far past the point of exchanging handshakes or pleasantries.
The only reason I had come was simple—I was curious what he thought he could possibly say in this situation.
“Go ahead and sit, Choi Woosik.”
I deliberately dropped the title “chairman.”
He stopped glaring at the legal team head and looked back at me.
“I told you to sit. Or should I stand instead? You’re the one who wanted this meeting, not me. I came here by making time out of my schedule. If you have nothing to say, I’ll leave.”
“...No.”
Biting his lip, Choi Woosik sat down, though his face remained stiff.
“Have I wronged you in some way, President Kim Muhyuk? Why would you conspire with Yoon Hyunju—”
I raised a hand and cut him off before he could ramble endlessly.
“I know what you’re trying to say. But there’s no reason for me to explain it to you.”
“...I cooperated fully with your North Korea projects—and everything else. So why are you doing this to me?”
“Cooperated fully? You only complied because I forced your hand. Let’s be accurate.”
I smirked slightly.
He had always been the one to interfere with my business.
Whether it was his nature or just personal dislike, I didn’t care—but that had always been the case.
The only reason I had left him alone was because, in the end, he still fell in line.
If Yoon Hyunju hadn’t offered me something more profitable, I wouldn’t have bothered removing him.
If I had wanted to, I could’ve joined hands with Sovereign and ousted him from the beginning.
“And I always paid a fair price. I negotiated with Sovereign to protect your control over KS Group, didn’t I? And what did I get in return? When I asked you to sell me a smartphone production plant, you quoted a ridiculous price. Is that how you treat someone who protected your management rights?”
Choi Woosik couldn’t respond—he just kept biting his lip.
I interlaced my fingers, resting my elbows on the table, and leaned forward.
“I gave you more than enough chances. Yes, Yoon Hyunju offered me greater benefits—that’s true. But if you had handled things properly, I wouldn’t have taken your management rights.”
His brow furrowed.
“And for such a petty reason, you’re trying to destroy KS Group? I didn’t kill your family like Ilseong Group did—”
“Watch your mouth. Unless you want to go to a grave instead of prison. How dare you bring up my family in front of me... Do you have a death wish? You think I can’t do it? You should know better by now. You really have no capacity to learn.”
The moment I dropped formal speech, his eyes widened.
Respect is for people.
There are other ways to deal with vermin.
“The flimsy system protecting you doesn’t exist here. I could kill you right now and have it written off as despair. You’re nothing—hardly worth testing my patience. So consider this your final warning: no matter what happens, don’t ever bring up my family again. Keep your head down and stay quiet.”
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Even the legal team head at the entrance—and the prison guard—swallowed hard.
I leaned back again, speaking without emotion.
“Choi Woosik. Let’s not cross the line. If I had wanted to, you wouldn’t be sitting in a detention center—you’d be lying behind a folding screen with incense burning.”
He opened his mouth but couldn’t say anything.
Probably the first time in his life anyone had spoken to him like this.
Maybe he even doubted his own ears.
But bringing up my family?
That was crossing a line that could never be forgiven.
“Today, I came to tell you to give up hope. What would I gain by abandoning Yoon Hyunju and siding with you now? What can you offer me? If your proposal is good enough, I might consider it.”
His stiff expression loosened slightly.
“I’ll give you everything that woman promised. Once I get out of here—”
“You mean the real estate in Gangnam? Or do you have land across the entire country? Everything she offered me—I already bought, properly and legally. Don’t claim you can give what you don’t have.”
“Then... the group’s smartphone factories—I’ll transfer them to you for free—”
I cut him off.
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. The moment you hand those over for free, it becomes breach of fiduciary duty—you’ll be investigated again. I’m not a beggar. I’m a businessman. I deal in fair exchanges. Do you have anything actually worth considering?”
He kept listing things, one after another.
I rejected every single one.
With each refusal, his face grew darker.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“Negotiate.”
“KS Group is mine. How can you negotiate using what belongs to me like this?”
Still clueless.
How had Yoon Hyunju even lived with someone like this?
“...Do you even know what percentage of KS Group shares you own? And you call yourself the owner?”
“I had no choice. It was necessary for growth.”
“What kind of innovative company is KS Group, exactly? If you had followed my advice and converted fully into a holding company instead of using circular shareholding, maybe you wouldn’t be in this situation. Think of this as the price of ignoring me.”
I checked my watch.
“If you have nothing more to offer, I’ll take my leave. I have dinner plans with Director Yoon.”
As I stood, Choi Woosik jumped up.
“You bastard! You never intended to talk in the first place! Who the hell are you to try and take away a company my family built with blood and sweat?!”
He lunged at me like a madman.
I didn’t flinch.
Manager Ma stepped in immediately.
With minimal effort, he redirected Choi Woosik’s momentum and slammed him to the ground.
“You should control your temper. Do you know how badly judges view that kind of behavior? Once you lose your position, none of the top ten law firms will represent you. So grit your teeth and endure.”
I spoke coldly, then turned away.
“Guards. The meeting is over. Take him.”
At that, he scrambled up again and charged.
“Aaaagh! You bastard! Who do you think you are?!”
A losing dog barks the loudest.
Manager Ma flipped him again.
With a heavy thud, Choi Woosik hit the concrete floor and gasped.
The guards grabbed his arms and dragged him out.
I turned to leave, then paused and addressed the frozen legal team head.
“You don’t understand, do you? Seeing a chaebol treated like this.”
“......”
“What’s there to say? It’s all about money. In today’s world, money has the highest value. But it’s not everything. Having money without power is nothing. In that sense, you made the wrong choice. You should’ve joined a major law firm instead. You’d have earned more—and gained real power.”
I added one last remark.
“Are you going to keep holding onto a broken rope? It might be wise to switch sides. Consider this advice from a fellow Korea University alumnus.”
Leaving him speechless, I walked out.
As I got into the car, the legal team head came running toward us.
Blocked by bodyguards, he suddenly dropped to his knees.
“Please! Please save me! I can’t end like this—please!”
The guards surrounded him.
Manager Ma glanced ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) at me. I shook my head and stepped out.
“Everyone, step back.”
They moved aside.
“Get up. People are watching.”
As expected, all eyes in the parking lot were on us. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Manager Ma forcibly pulled him to his feet.
“The one you should be begging is not me—it’s Director Yoon Hyunju. She’s the owner of the group now. We may still hold shares, but they’re already contracted to be transferred to her.”
“......”
“I’ll bring it up casually over dinner. So stop making a scene here and follow us. Wait in the parking lot until you’re called.”
“Thank you. I’ll never forget this.”
He bowed repeatedly.
“Manager. Give him the restaurant address. Let’s go.”
Moments later, our car left the detention center.
* * *
When I told Yoon Hyunju what had happened, she burst into laughter.
Tears formed in her eyes.
“Ah, I wish I had seen that myself. What a shame.”
“You already saw him once at the prosecution office.”
She nodded, still smiling.
“Once isn’t enough. I intend to ruin him completely. I won’t stop here. I’ll take everything he has—every last penny. I want to see if that woman will still love him when he has nothing left.”
They say when a woman harbors resentment, even summer frost can fall.
The Yoon Hyunju sitting here now was nothing like the one who first came to me.
I let out a quiet laugh and turned to the man beside her.
“Oh, this is the group’s chief secretary.”
So this was her eyes and ears.
“Are you alright betraying your friend?”
He said nothing.
“President Kim, honestly. He’s already my man—don’t be so harsh.”
“If you say so. More importantly, the legal team head is waiting outside. Would you like to see him?”
“Our legal team head?”
I briefly explained what had happened.
After thinking for a moment, she nodded.
Soon, the door opened, and the legal team head entered with his head bowed.
“Raise your head. We should speak face to face.”
At her words, he lifted his head.
Then his mouth slowly fell open.
The moment he made eye contact with the chief secretary beside her—
Shock overtook his face.
“H-how are you...?”
