Episode 37. Don’t I Have the Right, Too? 7.
Noh Hyeoncheol was in a foul mood.
It was because things had progressed this far in such an untidy state.
Moreover, the other party was Black Eagle.
Watching that bastard’s face, slick with a vile smile, made his insides boil until he thought he would go mad.
There wasn’t a single businessman in South Korea who didn’t shudder at the mention of Black Eagle—no, at the mention of hedge funds.
They had come in during the national foreign exchange crisis, and the atrocities they committed had been far too brutal.
And now, twenty years later, for Mancheon—Mancheon Mulsan, of all companies—and moreover he himself, to become prey for this bastard······.
The bastard clearly had some scheme behind the scenes.
He was probably connected to the politician who had put Donghae Ilbo up to it.
He just didn’t know what that scheme was.
And all he knew was that there was no other way but to sell Mancheon Passenger Transport.
But if he stirred things up any further, it would be like drawing a sword to swat a mosquito.
This unavoidable situation, this situation where he had to swallow his pride and do it anyway, was so humiliating and infuriating.
Martin Choi’s voice reached Noh Hyeoncheol’s ears, laced with a languid composure that made it all the more irritating.
“Please sign already. What good will it do to sit here brooding over it? It would be better to simply shake it off and devote yourself to running the company.”
“······.”
Noh Hyeoncheol’s fountain pen, which had been stopped just above the contract, finally began to draw out his signature.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Grind.
It was the sound of Noh Hyeoncheol grinding his molars after signing.
The bastard’s face, one corner of his mouth raised to reveal a canine as he smiled.
He was sneering.
Just then, he turned his head at the sound of the door opening.
Some man had entered without even knocking, and in an instant, security personnel rushed over and surrounded him.
“We’re sorry, sir.”
As the security guards grabbed both of the man’s arms to drag him out, the man spoke sharply.
“I’m Kim Byeongjun.”
The moment the man opened the door and showed his face, Noh Hyeoncheol had immediately realized he was Kim Byeongjun.
Because he looked exactly like Chairman Min Yanghong in his youth, as if cast from the same mold.
“Let him go.”
“Pardon?”
“I said let him go.”
“Ah, yes.”
They let Kim Byeongjun go, but Noh Hyeoncheol spoke again to the security guards, who were still not lowering their guard.
“That’s enough. You can leave.”
The security guards bowed and withdrew.
Noh Hyeoncheol was unbearably irritated.
A contract forced through in a messy, cornered state, and a bastard from Black Eagle whose face he wanted to smash was jeering at him.
On top of that, the chairman’s illegitimate son had dared to barge in······.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
The man straightened his clothes and bowed.
“It is my first time greeting you. I’m Kim Byeongjun.”
“I asked what you came here for.”
The man did not answer and instead shifted his gaze.
Then, looking at Martin Choi, he asked in return.
“By any chance, is this the person from Black Eagle?”
Irritation upon irritation. In that instant, Noh Hyeoncheol exploded.
“What the hell are you doing right now!”
At Noh Hyeoncheol’s shout, the man’s gaze returned to him.
But there was not the slightest sign that he was cowed.
“Please forgive me if I was rude, sir. I was in a bit of a hurry, worried that you might have signed a bad contract.”
“A bad contract? What is that supposed to mean?”
“This man is a fraud.”
Martin Choi gave a faint laugh and shrugged.
“Ha, well, this is quite embarrassing. Showing up out of nowhere and······ I had no idea Mancheon Mulsan was this kind of company. Before I have to witness anything worse, I should take my leave.”
The bastard rustled as if to get up.
A truly absurd situation.
A situation where nothing was going as planned.
A situation where his anger had risen to the top of his head.
But the flow of Noh Hyeoncheol’s reason remained calm.
And he thought.
Chairman Min Yanghong’s illegitimate son, Kim Byeongjun.
Why on earth is this bastard acting like this?
He didn’t know, but surely he wasn’t doing something foolish for no reason.
No matter how lacking he might be, no one would pull a stunt like this.
Though one thing bothered him: once in a while, very rarely, there were lunatics like that.
Still, surely that couldn’t be the case.
But Kim Byeongjun had called Martin Choi a fraud.
Could this bastard somehow know something and be acting on it?
“Do you have any basis for calling him a fraud?”
In that instant, he realized his mistake.
He had let his emotions explode and misspoken before he even knew the full story.
The bastard gave a faint laugh, shook his head, and began gathering up the contract.
“I misspoke······.”
Noh Hyeoncheol’s brow furrowed.
Because the bastard’s hands were trembling as he put the contract into his bag.
A man who should have been angry instead was trying to run away with trembling hands.
“Take your hands off that.”
The smile that had been on the bastard’s face the entire time vanished completely.
“No, what did you just say······.”
“I said take your hands off it. You’re not leaving until I hear what this man has to say.”
“Well, now, what is this······.”
Ignoring Martin Choi as he took out his cell phone, apparently to call a lawyer, Noh Hyeoncheol turned his head toward Kim Byeongjun.
“I asked if you had evidence.”
“Of course. But it would take too long to explain that, and first, I think I need to know whether you signed the contract.”
“And if I did?”
“Then I’m going to tear that contract up.”
Martin Choi gave a faint laugh as he looked at his phone screen.
Then he sneered.
“What even is this, honestly? Heh.”
That too was a forced laugh.
Kim Byeongjun looked at the sneering Martin Choi, then opened his mouth in a dry, cold voice.
“Your office is being searched and seized right now. And two prosecutors are on their way here with an emergency arrest warrant.”
As Martin Choi stared at him with a bewildered expression, as if asking what he meant, Kim Byeongjun continued.
“You’ve been found out. Colluding with Assemblyman Ma Gyeongtaek to pocket government subsidies for the electric bus conversion.”
The sneering smile vanished from the bastard’s face, and his eyes went wide.
Just then, the phone rang.
A ringtone that somehow felt ominous.
After all, it was a call coming in under these circumstances.
Noh Hyeoncheol was about to answer the phone when Martin Choi shoved the contract into his bag and tried to hurry out.
“Security!”
At Noh Hyeoncheol’s single word, the door opened immediately and security personnel entered.
It seemed they had been waiting outside the door.
“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t let this man leave.”
When four security guards planted themselves firmly in front of the door, Martin Choi flew into a rage.
“What is this? This is unlawful confinement. Do you know that? Unlawful confinement. I’m calling my lawyer right now, so move. Move, I said!”
Ignoring Martin Choi, Noh Hyeoncheol picked up the receiver.
“What is it?”
Perhaps because of the uninvited guest’s intrusion and now this situation, the secretary’s voice was trembling badly.
[I’m sorry, sir. Assemblyman Lee Haeseong called, and he said it was extremely urgent.]
Noh Hyeoncheol’s gaze turned toward Kim Byeongjun.
His eyes looked as if he knew that the call was from Assemblyman Lee Haeseong.
‘This bastard······.’
“Put him through.”
[Yes, I’ll connect you now.]
The mechanical sound indicating the call was being transferred flowed out.
“Good day, Assemblyman. To what do I owe your call?”
[It’s been a while, President Noh. I’m calling because there’s something urgent I need to tell you. The Black Eagle representative, a man named Martin Choi, is there right now, isn’t he?]
With that single sentence, the whole situation unfolded clearly before his eyes.
In truth, he had been getting the feeling since earlier.
The name Ma Gyeongtaek, government subsidies, and the Southern District Prosecutors’ Office moving······.
“······Yes.”
[The Southern District Prosecutors’ Office just left for Black Eagle’s office with a search and seizure warrant. They’ve probably arrived by now. And at the same time, one team headed there.]
“I know.”
[Has the prosecutor arrived already?]
“Not yet······.”
[Ah, you must have heard from Assistant Manager Kim Byeongjun. He designed this whole thing, after all. He really is something, isn’t he? He came to me without a trace of fear and spoke so clearly—I’d never seen anyone like him before.]
“······.”
[You must be pleased, President······ to have a man like that as your employee. I almost want to bring him to my office and raise him as a politician. A man with that much nerve and insight can succeed at anything.]
“······.”
[In any case, I’m rather busy right now, so I’ll hang up. Let me say it one last time. That contract······ you must absolutely not sign it. Goodbye.]
The call ended.
Noh Hyeoncheol looked at Kim Byeongjun with cold eyes.
The man’s gaze did not waver.
It was astonishing that he had designed all this, and at the same time, it made him angry.
What have I been doing all this time?
Just then, Martin Choi’s voice rang out.
“Damn it, why does this lawyer bastard keep not picking up? Hey, move. I said move! You’re all going to prison······.”
Slap!
It was the sound of a cheek being struck.
Noh Hyeoncheol had slapped him across the face.
Martin Choi clutched his cheek and stared at Noh Hyeoncheol with startled eyes.
“Y-you, d-did you just······.”
Slap!
“No······.”
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
Martin Choi fell flat on his backside.
Noh Hyeoncheol looked down at him with a chilling gaze and quietly opened his mouth.
“Take the contract out of this bastard’s bag.”
“Yes, President.”
A security guard took out the contract and held it out to Noh Hyeoncheol.
“Here it is.”
Noh Hyeoncheol took it and tore it to shreds over Martin Choi’s head.
The torn scraps of paper fell onto the man’s head.
“What the hell are you doing? I-I’m going to s-sue you.”
When Noh Hyeoncheol raised his hand again, the man flinched and threw up a cross guard.
Noh Hyeoncheol looked down at him with contempt for a moment, then lowered his hand and spoke to the security guards.
“Take him out. The prosecutor will be here soon, so hand him over when he arrives.”
“Yes, understood.”
Martin Choi was dragged out by the security guards.
Even as he left, he shouted that he would sue.
It did not matter.
No matter how much he was hit, it would not become a problem.
There would be legal issues, and with Assemblyman Lee Haeseong’s involvement, political attacks would follow as well. From this point on, Ma Gyeongtaek and this bastard would be branded national villains and hacked apart without mercy.
They would even receive, as a bonus, the punishment they had escaped during the IMF crisis.
Noh Hyeoncheol walked past Kim Byeongjun to the sofa and sat down.
“Sit. I have a few things to ask you.”
Kim Byeongjun sat down.
Noh Hyeoncheol’s anger had not yet subsided.
He had never been a particularly mild-tempered man.
He had been told countless times that once he was angry, he gave off killing intent.
He was not the sort to lose his reason simply because he was angry, but he had needed to hide that side of himself.
That was why he practiced calligraphy.
To discipline his mind, and to appear a little more benevolent to others.
Because the higher one climbed, the more important the character one showed to the outside world became than one’s true nature.
“Did you design this alone?”
“Whether I did it alone or with someone else, what does that matter? The result is what matters. But it is true that I have a partner.”
A partner with the talent to take even the same task and scale it up so that it produced the greatest possible result—that was Hyeonu.
“Who is that?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
He could never say.
He did not want to reveal Hyeonu to anyone.
Because if anyone learned what Hyeonu was capable of, they would covet him.
If there was one thing Kim Byeongjun had resolved through this incident, it was this.
He would make Hyeonu his person no matter what.
And he would keep him with him for the rest of his life.
Even if his father offered him one major affiliate and hundreds of billions of won in slush funds for the succession battle, and asked him to send Hyeonu to another sibling instead, he was prepared to refuse.
Even now Hyeonu was like this. The mere thought of Hyeonu ten years from now becoming his enemy was horrifying.
Noh Hyeoncheol was curious about what kind of man was hiding behind Kim Byeongjun, but he did not ask any further.
Because what mattered to him now was something else.
“Then why did you go to Assemblyman Lee Haeseong first instead of informing me?”
“To look after my own rice bowl.”
Noh Hyeoncheol frowned.
“What?”
“This is a matter of giving Assemblyman Lee Haeseong an enormous gift he will never forget for the rest of his life. What meaning would there be in giving it to you, President? You aren’t the owner of Mancheon, and with time, you’ll have to step down eventually. For Mancheon’s sake as well, wouldn’t it be better for me to handle something like this myself? It means building a connection with a heavyweight politician.”
At those words from Kim Byeongjun, Noh Hyeoncheol felt his heart drop for some reason.
His expression and tone were calm, but right now, this man was trying to devour him.
With that one sentence, he realized that he had been wrong to think of him as just a kid, an illegitimate son with nothing to his name.
And the man had even cast aside rank as he spoke.
There was only one reason he could do that.
The only person who could speak freely regardless of position was the child of the king.
The man was speaking from precisely that position now.
“It seems you’ve shown me just how vast your ambition is with a single sentence. And you showed me your ability all at once as well. Not with pointless talk, but with action······.”
“······.”
“So you want me to back you from now on?”
“Yes. Please back me.”
“You may not know this yet, but I don’t become anyone’s running mate. That’s why I’m sitting here as president of Mancheon Trading.”
“I never asked you to become my running mate, President.”
“What?”
“Right now, I am nothing more than a salaryman working at Mancheon Trading. I took the open recruitment exam, joined as a new employee, and climbed up to assistant manager. You may not know this, President, but I am recognized as a fairly capable employee.”
Noh Hyeoncheol’s brow furrowed.
He could not grasp what Kim Byeongjun meant by saying this.
Until just a moment ago, he had stripped away all rank and spoken from the position of the chairman’s son. Now he had switched into commoner mode.
As Noh Hyeoncheol was thinking this, Kim Byeongjun opened his mouth again.
“But my other siblings were parachuted in from the beginning and started from the highest positions simply because they were my father’s blood.”
“······.”
“As an illegitimate son, young, and even late to the starting line, I believe the only way for me to defeat my siblings is to become you, President Noh Hyeoncheol.”
Noh Hyeoncheol did not show it, but inwardly he was extremely shocked.
Because he truly had not expected such words to come from Kim Byeongjun’s mouth.
Who could have imagined that the chairman’s own child would say he intended to become a CEO who rose from being a salaried employee?
“Just give me the opportunity. All I need is the chance to prove my ability and fight my way upward. And······.”
For some reason, he grew tense, wondering what would come next.
And he was expectant as well.
Kim Byeongjun did not betray that small expectation of Noh Hyeoncheol’s.
“If my ability is proven, I would like you to quietly hand your position over to me.”
Thwack!
It was a space so silent there was not even the faintest rustle, but Noh Hyeoncheol clearly heard that sound.
It was a sound that came from somewhere between the rim of his ear and the back of his head.
He had never dreamed the boy was harboring such a terrifying thought.
What this young illegitimate son was aiming for was to receive the evaluation reserved only for the most capable of all—a CEO who rose from being a company employee—and in one stroke devour Mancheon Trading, the core of the circular shareholding structure.
If it truly happened that way, then the management succession that had seemed absolutely impossible for this man would not be impossible after all.
The anger that had burned in Noh Hyeoncheol until just moments ago had vanished before he knew it.
Seeing this young man slip in and strike at him so cleanly as he himself was slowly growing old left him reflective, and for some reason, it put him in a good mood.
‘That’s right. I had a different job to do, didn’t I?’
To help the chairman carry out the business that had been his lifelong desire, and to properly seat the next chairman.
For Mancheon’s thirty-year grand plan······.
But the newly appeared candidate for the next chairman was rather to his liking.
Even so, he absolutely could not let that show, nor could he simply hand out favors.
After all, not just anyone became a CEO after starting out as an office worker.
After much deliberation, what No Hyeoncheol said was this.
“Did you discuss this plan with that partner of yours, too?”
“······Yes.”
He had tried not to smile, but the corners of his mouth rose despite himself.
“Looks like you’ve found yourself quite a decent running mate.”