Free Web Novel“Oppa, um...... you know my dad is getting out next month, right? I was hoping we could have him stay at home.......”
It was something Cheon Jiyoung had struggled to bring up after watching me for a long while.
“Do what you want. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Still.......”
I playfully ruffled her hair.
“Ah!”
“Enough. Do what you want. Just understand this—I don’t want to get involved with your father, Jiyoung.”
“I know. Thank you, oppa.”
She looked visibly relieved, as if a heavy weight had been lifted off her shoulders after talking to me.
So Cheon Suhan would be left at that.
“Do you meet with the other cousins often?”
Jiyoung shook her head while sipping her drink.
“No, we cut off contact. Honestly, our family...... we’re like a kite with its string cut. My mom’s side too....... But Jiwon oppa and Jisoo unnie aren’t like that.”
Grandfather had been so furious at Cheon Suhan’s involvement in the slot machine scandal that he used all his power to completely destroy Jiyoung’s maternal family.
It was a clear example of how far a politician could fall once his political life ended.
“I can understand if it’s me, but they shouldn’t treat you like that.”
My mouth felt bitter.
I had thought my help meant nothing, but hearing that Cheon Jiwon and Cheon Jisoo had cut off contact with Jiyoung didn’t sit well with me.
“Well, we weren’t close anyway. It’s fine. As long as I have you, oppa.”
What could I do with this girl, smiling so brightly?
“Is there anything you want to do?”
“Hmm........ I want to be a singer.”
“Are you good at singing? Being a singer isn’t something just anyone can do. Or is it just something you want to try?”
“I’ve never been told I’m bad at singing, but Mom doesn’t approve.”
“If you ever need help, just tell me. I’ll help you.”
“Okay, thank you.”
After finishing my talk with Jiyoung, I returned to my room and spoke casually to Ma Seokdae.
“Chief Ma. There’s no need to pressure Cheon Suhan anymore. Contact them and stop.”
“Yes, boss.”
“When is Black Bear coming in?”
“They said they’re sending staff next month. The company has already been established.”
“We’ll need to hire staff in Korea too.”
“Eric said he’d take care of it. Korean special forces have a pretty strong reputation among mercenaries.”
“Alright.”
Eva had gone through quite a bit of trouble, but she successfully reached an acquisition deal with Peregrine under good terms.
— Boss, what should I do about the bonds tied up here?
“Do you have someone to manage Hong Kong?”
— Hmm........ I do, but.
“Just maintain the status quo. There’s no need to negotiate with countries holding bonds, including Indonesia. We can recover them in a few years. The name Peregrine was what we needed.”
— Okay, boss.
Eva’s cheerful voice carried over the phone.
Then I’ll recruit someone who used to be head of risk management at HSBC. Not aggressive in investment, but excellent at risk control.
“When are you coming to Korea?”
— Next week.
“What about the real estate acquisitions?”
— We’ve formed a dedicated team. We’re focusing on buildings that have dropped more than 50% compared to 1996 prices.
“Buy up every unit of Eunmi Apartments the moment they hit the market. Don’t worry about the price.”
— Got it. I’ve already given that order. There’s also been a surprising amount of large buildings going up for sale, so we’re waiting on those too.
I reminded Eva, who spoke in a humming tone.
“When you get to Korea, there’ll be something we need to pour all our efforts into. We’ll need to use the key officials we’ve recruited from the MOFIA. We’ll talk details when you arrive.”
I hung up the phone with Eva.
For now, foreign ownership of real estate was restricted, so we couldn’t buy properly yet. That’s why we had established a real estate corporation as a workaround to make purchases indirectly.
But once Kim Hakgwon’s government took office, the real estate market would open fully, so we just had to hold on for now.
Time passed, and the day of the presidential inauguration arrived.
I sat in my room, watching the inauguration and thinking.
Preparations to take over Joongwoo Group entirely were already in their final stage.
— “At a time when Korea’s economy faces an unprecedented crisis, I, Kim Hakgwon, am inaugurated as President.......” frёewebnoѵēl.com
Behind President Kim Hakgwon, giving his inaugural address in front of the National Assembly, I spotted Han Kyungyeong.
‘That hyung really looks good on camera.’
To the right were the former presidents.
Last year, in the name of national unity, Kim Hakgwon had agreed to pardon the imprisoned former presidents.
I turned off the TV when the car parade began after the inauguration ceremony.
I picked up the phone and called Prosecutor General Yoon.
“Prosecutor General, I’d like you to move in tomorrow. Are you all ready?”
— Everything’s ready. The Central Investigation Bureau will strike immediately. The issue is the president’s reaction, but we plan to arrest Park Daeho right away. We have to grab him while he’s still in Korea for the inauguration.
Park Daeho, who spent most of the year abroad, had returned to Korea for Kim Hakgwon’s inauguration.
“Yes, that’s why we set D-Day for the day after the inauguration. Today, all newspapers will be focused on the inauguration. Starting tomorrow’s morning papers, suspicions will be raised. Go straight into Joongwoo’s headquarters in the morning. The warrant will be issued immediately. We’ve already coordinated with the courts.”
— If the warrant comes out on time, we can hit before rumors spread.
“We have to finish before the president properly exercises his appointment powers. Public opinion will force him to hold back for now.”
— Foreign support will be coming too, right?
“There will be foreign capital announcing hostile takeovers of Joongwoo Group’s key affiliates.”
— Alright. Let’s talk again tomorrow.
“Understood. If this wraps up properly, I’ll send you seasonal fruit baskets. Give them to your wife.”
— Hahaha, she’ll love that. Hanging up now.
Right after finishing the call with Prosecutor General Yoon, I dialed another number.
“Chief Justice, it’s been a while. How’s your health?”
— Yes, it’s been a while.
It was Chief Justice Oh Jungseok.
“That matter we discussed before will begin tomorrow. Please contact the court.”
— You mean Joongwoo Group?
“Yes.”
— Understood. I’ll see that it’s handled.
“Thank you. Once this is wrapped up, I’ll visit you personally. Your role is crucial here, Chief Justice. We can’t let Korea’s wealth fall into foreign hands. A few years from now, you’ll be remembered as the man who protected Korea’s assets.”
— Hahaha.
I couldn’t move Chief Justice Oh directly, but the judges connected to him—both current and former—would occupy positions in every company we planned to acquire, including Joongwoo Group.
After ending that call, I finally called Yoon & Jang’s CEO, Yoon Hyungmin.
“Father, it’s been a while.”
— Muhyuk, so it starts tomorrow?
“Yes. You’ve discussed this with Future Investment, right?”
— The legal fees are going to be massive. Foreign capital really does spend big.
Yoon Hyungmin laughed over the line.
“This is just the beginning. We’ll be filing all sorts of lawsuits. You just need to fully support Future Investment.”
— Understood. I’ve put together a dedicated team. Only our best lawyers. People who can drag out even losing cases as long as possible.
“Thank you, Father.”
— Joongwoo Group, huh...... I’m looking forward to it.
With that, the call with Yoon Hyungmin ended.
The all-out war, using every connection I had, had begun.
Having money alone wasn’t enough to take over a Korean conglomerate.
Even in my previous life, all those massive hedge funds had been satisfied with acquiring only a handful of companies.
But Korea was a country where expediency worked better than proper legal methods. Foreigners couldn’t understand that.
Lone Star, which acquired Korea Exchange Bank, learned quickly—hiring Koreans to spread lobbying and bribes everywhere.
But other hedge funds and investment banks attacked Korea only through legal channels.
They didn’t understand Korea—that was their mistake.
* * *
The morning after President Kim Hakgwon’s inauguration, a search-and-seizure warrant and an emergency arrest warrant for Chairman Park Daeho were issued simultaneously.
Joongwoo Group’s headquarters near Seoul Station fell into chaos as prosecutors and National Tax Service agents stormed in.
Park Daeho was dragged to the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office from his home without any chance to react.
Inside the interrogation room.
Park Daeho sat with his arms crossed and legs elegantly crossed, looking like a man unconcerned.
‘What the hell is going on?’
A simultaneous tax investigation and search-and-seizure against Joongwoo Group could not have happened without presidential approval.
Korea’s three major investigative bodies.
The prosecution, the National Tax Service, and the Board of Audit and Inspection.
‘Kim Hakgwon has no reason to do this to me. Then who is it?’
As Park Daeho pondered, the interrogation room door opened.
He turned his head to look.
“What is this? Sending in some young punk? You want a power struggle with me? Forget it. Call the head of the Central Investigation Bureau.”
A young prosecutor he had never seen before entered.
Park Daeho frowned, raising his voice, but the young prosecutor sat calmly in front of him without reacting.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
“The chief is busy. I’m assigned to you. Nice to meet you, I’m Oh Hyunwoo.”
Oh Hyunwoo smiled politely.
“How long have you even been a prosecutor? You look like a rookie.”
Despite Park Daeho’s continued condescension, Oh Hyunwoo spoke without losing his smile.
“Chairman Park Daeho, you are under investigation for accounting fraud, embezzlement, fraudulent loans through manipulated accounts, slush fund creation, and violations of the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act.”
“What? What nonsense are you spouting?”
“Whew, compared to him, Chairman Jang of Hyunbo Group was a gentleman. We didn’t realize how rotten Joongwoo Group was until this investigation.”
Even as Oh Hyunwoo joked, Park Daeho’s mind was racing.
‘They’re going all out on me. Is Kim Hakgwon trying to ruin me?’
Oh Hyunwoo opened his Ilsung Electronics laptop, preparing for the interrogation.
“Your name is Park Daeho, correct?”
Snapped out of thought, Park Daeho glared at him.
“Enough. Call my lawyer. I need to make a phone call.”
“Joongwoo’s legal team is too busy right now. It’s not just you—every affiliate of Joongwoo is under ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) tax investigation, and prosecutors are everywhere.”
“......Call Yoon & Jang.”
“Just a moment.”
Oh Hyunwoo casually called Yoon Hyungmin.
“Yes, this is Oh Hyunwoo. Father, Chairman Park Daeho wants me to contact Yoon & Jang. I’ll hand him the phone.”
Calmly, Oh Hyunwoo handed the phone to Park Daeho.
“This is Attorney Yoon Hyungmin, Yoon & Jang’s CEO. Please speak.”
Park Daeho snatched the phone.
“Attorney Yoon, this is Park Daeho of Joongwoo. How have you been?”
— Oh, Chairman Park, long time no see. What’s going on? Prosecutors?
“Yes. It’s urgent. I need your help. The fees will be generous.”
— Hmm.......
“Attorney Yoon, this country will collapse if this keeps up. Everyone’s lost their minds.”
— I’m sorry, Chairman. We have a major case right now that conflicts with representing you. We can’t help.
Park Daeho went silent, stunned by Yoon Hyungmin’s response.
— I’m sorry, Chairman. I’ll contact you another time.
“Attorney Yoon, wait.......”
The line went dead.
Park Daeho looked utterly defeated.
“Finished your call?”
Oh Hyunwoo grinned, taking the phone back. Park Daeho glared at him furiously.
“You...... you know what’s going on, don’t you? Who’s behind this?”
“How would a rookie prosecutor like me know? Do you want to wait for your legal team, Chairman?”
Seeing Oh Hyunwoo act as if he didn’t care, Park Daeho slowly began to realize he wouldn’t get out of this easily.
* * *
— Hey, Muhyuk. Joongwoo’s legal team just rushed in.
“Hyunwoo, you’re taking the case, right?”
— It’s not the kind of case I usually get, but when the order came down from above, I didn’t expect you to be behind it. frёewebηovel.cѳm
“Handle it thoroughly. This will be a huge boost for your career. Make sure he can’t escape.”
— Got it. I’ll keep you updated.
“Good. Once this is wrapped up, let’s gather everyone for drinks.”
After hanging up with Oh Hyunwoo, I looked at Eva.
“Start now.”
“Okay, boss.”
Eva got up and started making calls.
That evening.
Future Investment’s hostile takeover announcement of Joongwoo Group’s key affiliates dominated evening newspapers and prime-time news.
It was the first time since the IMF crisis that such a move targeted one of Korea’s top conglomerates.
The entire nation shook.
< Are You All Ready? > End
