"What do you think was discussed?"
"I don't know for sure yet."
"It's pretty obvious, though. Do we really need to call and ask each person individually? Stirring up unnecessary suspicion will make the vice chairman more cautious and secretive, making it harder for us to observe."
"Alright, let's hear your guess."
"They probably demanded support through the group's holdings of that subsidiary. In return, they might promise to treat him as their top ally when he becomes the chairman. That's what I think."
Chairman Jin furrowed his brow, seemingly annoyed by his eldest son's scheming.
"Again? Is that all they're up to?"
"I had Manager Jin Yeong-jun arrange a meeting with Do-jun. Chairman Jin Dong-gi met him in person."
"Meet with him in person?"
"Yes. They went to Yoon-gi's house and had a drink."
Even the second son, who usually maintains peace like a calm lake, is getting involved now! The ripples are getting quite significant.
"They're all going crazy trying to pull Do-jun onto their side."
"They probably sensed the impending danger that Do-jun might have a say in the casting vote."
"They're acting foolishly. If they did their jobs well, there wouldn't be any issues, but they don't seem to realize that..."
Looking at Chairman Jin, who was biting his tongue, Haek-jae cautiously asked, "What do you think, sir? Do you think Do-jun really has as much influence as it takes to hold the casting vote?"
"What are your thoughts?"
"Don't we need to avoid the risk of the group splitting apart?"
"Are you suggesting we give it all to one person... and that Do-jun isn't included?"
"We can't ignore physical age."
Chairman Jin nodded in agreement.
The war isn't just happening within the household; there are enemies lurking outside as well.
"Hak-jae, if the person holding the casting vote starts to shake it, won't the other two start being cautious?"
"That's true."
"So who's the strongest among them? The one shaking it or the ones being cautious?"
Hak-jae couldn't believe that Chairman Jin was joking about such a serious matter. If the power to shake the ownership is significant, how much wealth are they willing to leave behind?
"Are you serious?"
"About what?"
"Do you intend to have Do-jun sit in the middle of the seesaw to balance the power?"
Chairman Jin evaded a direct response to Haek-jae's question. His heart and mind were still not in sync. The decision had to be postponed, but the starting point had to be rushed.
Isn't it an age when he doesn't know how many days he has left to live?
"First, let's come up with a plan to inflate the controlling shares. And also, find a way for me to transfer my shares."
Haek-jae was surprised and had much to say, but he simply nodded.
"Yes, I will prepare for that."
It's only finding the method; the execution will be decided when the chairman gives the order again, he thought to himself.
"And are we continuing with the accident investigation?"
"Yes. We've assigned someone to monitor the truck driver. With 24-hour surveillance, if there's a mastermind behind it, they will be exposed."
Thinking about the unpleasant matter made Chairman Jin's expression sour.
Seeing Chairman Jin's firm demeanor, Haek-jae refrained from bringing up one more thing to report.
It was about the chairman's driver.
According to Chairman Jin, the driver was the only one who knew the schedule for the Gunsan trip in advance. He resides in a separate building on the spacious estate of the chairman's residence, so tailing him isn't necessary; they are already tracking his movements.
The prosecutor from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, already a naval officer, has already investigated his bank accounts.
There was nothing unusual so far, but they are expanding their investigation to the driver's family and relatives. They have even installed listening devices in the separate building.
It seemed better to report anything that came up. After all, the chairman might not be a patient.
"Did you find out anything?"
"Yes. There aren't many privately-owned plots of land suitable for trading in Mapo, Sangam-dong."
"Not many? What do you mean? I specifically told you to find out accurately!"
Before the furious outburst of Jin Yeong-jun, the two managers lowered their heads in unison.
"We apologize. There are none at all."
"None at all? Are you saying nobody lives in Sangam-dong?"
"Someone has already swept them all up. We've confirmed it through the land registry records. The transactions took place around April or May."
Jin Yeong-jun could guess who that someone might be.
It's obvious those like Oh Se-hyun, his aunt, and those involved in politics.
Seeing Jin Yeong-jun's deeply furrowed brows, one of the managers who had been reporting hurriedly opened his mouth.
"They say they've swept it up, but it's not much."
"Then what about Suseok-dong? Did they sweep that up too?"
"No, there were hardly any transactions over there. Sir, you can secure as much as you want." Jin Yeong-jun received a thick stack of documents handed to him by one of the managers. "Here's the status for Suseok-dong. If you give the order, we can start the acquisition process right away."
"Alright. Go ahead."
Alone now, Jin Yeong-jun made calls and gathered people from various places. Since becoming a senior manager at Sunyang Construction, he hadn't been this busy before.
A while later, when his secretary informed him that everyone had gathered in the meeting room, he rushed there.
"Did you check with the bank?"
"Yes. Sir, your unsecured credit line can go up to 2 billion."
"Only 2 billion?" Jin Yeong-jun wrinkled his nose in disappointment at the amount, which was lower than expected.
"That's because there's a limit per branch."
The head of finance handed over several prepared documents.
"Sir, two of your material supply companies can each get 20 billion and 16 billion, respectively. But there are conditions..."
"What are they?"