Chapter 36: Don’t I Have the Right, Too? 6
Given the situation, No Hyeoncheol had set out for work early and was riding in his car.
At the sound of his cell phone ringing, he looked at the screen.
It was Chairman Min Yanghong.
Wondering why he was calling at such an early hour, he tilted his head slightly and answered.
“Yes, Chairman.”
[Are you at the office?]
“I’m on my way. What’s the matter? Calling this early.”
[Hmm... I think something’s come up.]
“Mancheon Passenger Transport? I’ll take care of that...”
Min Yanghong cut him off.
[Not that small stuff.]
“It’s not as easy as you might think...”
Min Yanghong cut him off again.
[One of my sons will be coming to see you today.]
“Your son? Which one?”
[One you don’t know.]
No Hyeoncheol’s brow furrowed.
Except for the eldest son, Min Byeonggi, they were boys he had carried on his shoulders and played with since they were young, so the words “one you don’t know” struck him strangely.
Feeling an inexplicable chill, he smiled tensely.
“There isn’t a son of yours I don’t know... Heh, don’t tell me you have a hidden child somewhere?”
[I do. One.]
No Hyeoncheol’s eyes widened, then slowly returned to normal.
“Are you serious?”
[I am.]
No Hyeoncheol squeezed his eyes shut.
Damn it, he’s serious...
“Good grief, Chairman. What do you expect me to do, telling me this now? The succession structure is already like walking on thin ice, and now you’re throwing a rock onto it?”
[I’m sorry, President No. That’s just how it turned out. He said he’d live with no connection to the company, so I didn’t tell you. But...]
“I suppose he suddenly got ambitious?”
[Yes... What can I do? He’s my child too. I should at least give him a chance.]
The hidden son existed.
At this point, arguing whether this was acceptable or not no longer had any meaning.
If he said any more here, he might end up crossing the line.
“You really do have impressive stamina. When did you make him? You worked the rest of us to death so we couldn’t even see our own kids’ faces.”
[Kekeke, enough of that, you brat. I’m already dying of embarrassment as it is.]
“Heh heh, but why is he coming to see me?”
[He works at Mancheon Corporation. His name is Kim Byeongjun.]
Mancheon Corporation? What was this now...
“All right, so why is he coming to see me?”
[I don’t know either... He asked me to arrange a meeting with you.]
“...”
[For now, meet him once and talk. And set a date to have a meal with me. We need to talk about this matter.]
“...Understood. I’ll come see you after I resolve the Mancheon Passenger Transport issue.”
No Hyeoncheol had not the slightest expectation for Kim Byeongjun.
With his siblings already firmly settled in their positions, what could an illegitimate son do by barging in now?
He would probably take one or two affiliates that could feed him for life and fall away...
No Hyeoncheol did not particularly want to deal with him either.
It was already overwhelming enough to deal with the other three sons and one daughter, not to mention their uncle.
* * *
When No Hyeoncheol arrived at his office, the first thing he took out was his calligraphy set.
Originally, whenever his mind was complicated, he would do calligraphy like this to organize his thoughts.
Before long, the subtle fragrance of chrysanthemum tea filled the office, and No Hyeoncheol picked up his brush.
Where the brush in his hand passed, powerful-looking cursive characters were inscribed.
‘假弄成眞’
Garongseongjin—making what is false appear to be true.
He looked at the phrase for a moment, moistened his throat with a sip of chrysanthemum tea, and was about to pick up the brush again when the phone rang.
“Yes.”
[The vice president is here.]
A small laugh escaped him.
It was a bitter laugh.
He was doing calligraphy to clear his head, only for the person most unlike calligraphy to appear.
“Tell him to come in.”
[Yes, sir.]
As if the man had walked very quickly, a knock sounded almost immediately.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Vice President Ha Taeseong entered.
No Hyeoncheol had expected him to come in huffing and puffing again, but contrary to his expectations, his expression was not all that bad.
“What’s this? You were doing calligraphy first thing in the morning?”
No Hyeoncheol asked while writing with the brush.
“What is it?”
“About yesterday. I met someone who says he wants to buy Mancheon Passenger Transport.”
“...”
After finishing the character he had been writing, No Hyeoncheol asked,
“What does he do?”
“Black Eagle Investment.”
No Hyeoncheol frowned.
He was well aware of Black Eagle Investment’s notorious reputation.
“Black Eagle? Why would they buy a transportation company like Mancheon Passenger Transport?”
“It seems they have their eye on the real estate Mancheon Passenger Transport owns and its main routes.”
As far as a passenger transportation company’s assets went, there was the real estate for its depots, the rights to its bus routes, and then the buses and other inventory assets.
Mancheon Passenger Transport had quite a number of depots across Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, and it owned many lucrative routes as well, so its asset value was considerable.
“They’ll sell off the real estate, sell off the routes, sell the buses separately, and tear it completely to pieces.”
“That’s their business. For us, it’s enough to pull out an aching tooth and collect the money while we’re at it.”
“Mancheon Passenger Transport is part of our Mancheon history. Even when the Chairman founded Mancheon Passenger Transport, he didn’t think only in terms of money.”
“Do you think I’m doing this only for the money? I’m doing this because a problem has arisen.”
Ha Taeseong’s words were not wrong.
From his standpoint, this was the normal thing to do.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘Is the reason Mancheon can’t break into the top three in the business world because people like me are still holding on? Have I created our limits by being unable to abandon old memories and the values of those days?’
Lately, such thoughts had often come to him.
A strangely troubled feeling rose in him when Ha Taeseong’s voice reached his ears.
“Let’s just sell it off this time. They’re offering a good price...”
No Hyeoncheol quietly wrote with his brush without answering, then opened his mouth.
“...Tell them to come in. As soon as possible.”
Ha Taeseong’s face brightened.
“Understood, sir. I’ll call them and let you know. Then.”
As Ha Taeseong rose from his seat, his eyes suddenly caught sight of the brushwork No Hyeoncheol had just written.
‘見蚊拔劍’
“Gyeon... what, balgeom. What character is that after gyeon?”
“It’s the character for mosquito. Gyeonmunbalgeom. It means drawing a sword at the sight of a mosquito.”
Ha Taeseong gave a faint laugh, bowed his head, then turned and left.
Gyeonmunbalgeom.
Drawing a sword at the sight of a mosquito...
It meant thinking of and handling a small matter as though it were large.
Behind the noisy public opinion right now, there was some unknown politician.
Finding him would take time, and resolving the matter could require paying a great price.
During that time, the company’s image would continue to deteriorate.
It truly might become an act of drawing a sword to catch a mosquito.
Just sell Mancheon Passenger Transport and be done with it...
That was what No Hyeoncheol found himself thinking.
All while carrying an extremely unpleasant feeling in one corner of his mind.
* * *
Because they did not know at what point, or in what order, Assemblyman Lee Haeseong would proceed with this matter, Kim Byeongjun and Hyeonu were keeping a close eye on the news.
As yet, there was no movement at all.
Then again, they had only informed him yesterday evening, so it would be unreasonable to expect him to move already.
At the present moment, the more important issue than Lee Haeseong’s movements lay inside the company.
That Mancheon Passenger Transport might suddenly be sold off before Lee Haeseong made his move.
Even amid such a tense situation, Kim Byeongjun was handling his usual work with remarkable skill.
As Assistant Manager Kim, Kim Byeongjun was truly the best.
No matter what happened, he never got stuck, and it was impossible to imagine him looking as nervous as he had yesterday.
But that was the ordinary Assistant Manager Kim. From now on, he had to gradually change into Min Byeongjun, son of Min Yanghong.
He would have to meet someone once and bring in hundreds of billions of won, set an organization’s discipline straight with a few words so that tens of thousands of people moved in an orderly fashion all at once, and at times, become the face of a company.
Whether that work was good or bad······.
On the other hand, he would also have to deal with powerful figures from around the world and stain his hands with black blood, and sometimes make secret deals that could bring about an enormous backlash if exposed.
Things like raising slush funds and offering bribes were routine, organized tasks.
This was what a chaebol had to do—no, what chaebol were already doing as a matter of course.
To go from Kim Byeongjun to Min Byeongjun, and to become the prince who emerged victorious in the succession structure, he had to become more skilled at these things than anyone else.
Whether he actually used such dirty methods or not was up to him.
In other words, what mattered most was gaining the judgment to use these dirty methods appropriately at the right time.
Having apparently finished all his daily work, Kim Byeongjun struck the keyboard with a tak and rose from his seat.
He rolled his neck once with a crack, then quietly left the office.
As if he were going out for a cup of coffee and a cigarette.
After Kim Byeongjun left, Hyeonu rose from his seat.
When he went to the elevator, he saw Kim Byeongjun just pressing the button.
“Assistant Manager Kim.”
Kim Byeongjun turned his head.
“Hm?”
Unlike yesterday, his face looked quite steady.
“Do well and come back. I’ll be rooting for you.”
A gentle smile appeared on Kim Byeongjun’s face.
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Just then, the elevator arrived with a ding.
The doors opened, and as Kim Byeongjun was about to step inside, Hyeonu grabbed his arm.
Kim Byeongjun turned his head and looked at him as if asking what was wrong.
Unlike usual, Hyeonu’s face seemed slightly stiff.
“Wait a moment.”
“What, do you have something to say?”
“I’m telling you not to go now.”
The man inside the elevator asked,
“Are you not getting on?”
“No, go ahead.”
The doors closed, and the elevator went up.
“What’s gotten into you?”
Without answering, Hyeonu looked at something.
Kim Byeongjun naturally followed Hyeonu’s gaze as well.
Their gazes were directed at the elevator floor indicator.
After confirming that it had stopped on the 24th floor, Hyeonu finally answered.
“The person we saw back then was on board. The one from Black Eagle. And he got off on the 24th floor.”
Kim Byeongjun’s face hardened in an instant.
Because the president’s office was on the 24th floor.
“That’s faster than I expected.”
“Yes, they’re moving swiftly and decisively. Maybe because they exposed Black Eagle, their main body, they want to wrap this up quickly. There’s nothing good about dragging it out.”
“Then I’ll have to hurry over and stop them. They might be here to stamp the contract right now.”
Hyeonu’s eyes deepened.
“Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Hm?”
“There’s no need to rush. Not when we’ve obtained such good information.”
Hyeonu took out his phone and pressed a button, and the words “Assemblyman Lee Haeseong” appeared.
“We met this man in order to use him, didn’t we? If something comes up where we can use him, then we absolutely should.”
* * *
Martin Choi held out his business card.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Martin Choi, head of Black Eagle’s Korean branch.”
“Good to meet you. I’m No Hyeoncheol. Please, have a seat.”
The senior manager who had come with Martin Choi also handed over his business card, and the two sat down side by side.
The broad negotiations for the purchase and sale had already been completed down to the practical details under the vice president’s direction.
Only the final decision remained.
Martin Choi opened his mouth.
“Public opinion is very bad right now, so if you intend to sell, I think it would be best to hurry.”
“······.”
“Please don’t misunderstand. I’m saying this regardless of our position. Even if it ends up being somewhere other than us, in the current situation, I don’t think there’s any wiser decision than selling. And as quickly as possible, at that. Only then will you be able to calm public opinion.”
“······If you were to acquire Mancheon Passenger Transport, what would you intend to do?”
“Well, what else would there be? We’d raise its value as much as possible and sell it. That’s what we do.”
It was a natural answer for a hedge fund, but coming from Black Eagle, it somehow sounded even more negative.
Because of the evil deeds they had committed in the past.
That was why he truly did not want to sell to Black Eagle, of all companies.
“Have you perhaps met with any other prospective buyers?”
He had not. No, he could not.
Who would buy a dinosaur-like passenger transport company that did not even generate much profit?
Places with money to invest would not even look at it because of the frame of large-corporation tyranny.
If Mancheon Passenger Transport had to be sold, that meant the only counterparty was Black Eagle.
Right. There was no need to drag this out for no reason. It couldn’t be helped······.
He should just sell it off and be done with it. Something like this······.
“Understood. Let’s sign the contract.”
Martin Choi smiled broadly, showing his front teeth.
“You’ve made the right decision, Mr. President. It’s best to pull out an aching tooth.”
* * *
Kim Byeongjun took the elevator, got off on the 24th floor, and strode down the corridor.
When he turned the corner, the private lobby for the president’s office came into view.
There was a desk on one side, and a secretary was seated there.
“Good to see you. Where are you from?”
“I’m Assistant Manager Kim Byeongjun from Sales Team Nine. I urgently need to see the president.”
“Assistant Manager Kim Byeongjun?”
Seeing her tilt her head, it seemed she had not heard anything.
“The president called me here.”
“He is currently in a meeting with important guests, so please wait a moment.”
It was a situation where he would normally have no choice but to wait.
They were holding an important consultation involving the sale of an affiliate, so he did not expect they would do anything just because a mere assistant manager from a sales team had shown up.
Ordinarily, he would simply have to shut up and wait.
But Kim Byeongjun was keenly aware that he had not come here as Assistant Manager Kim.
The concepts, procedures, and etiquette that others observed no longer had anything to do with him.
At least not in this place, not at this moment.
Just as Hyeonu had dealt with Assemblyman Lee Haeseong yesterday.
Kim Byeongjun turned without a word, his eyes cold and icy, and strode toward the president’s office.
The secretary called out in panic.
“Excuse me! You can’t go that way. Excuse me!”
When Kim Byeongjun continued walking without a response, the secretary pressed the emergency button.
[Yes, this is the security office.]
“Please come quickly. Someone is trying to enter the president’s office without authorization.”
When he stood before the president’s office, he saw security guards running around the corridor.
There were as many as four of them.
“What are you doing there? Stop right there.”
Kim Byeongjun glanced at the security guards and, paying them no heed, opened the door.
“Stop right there! I said stop! Hey, damn it, get out of there!”
The security guard’s desperate shout echoed in his ears as No Hyeoncheol and Martin Choi, seated on the sofa, came into view.