Chairman Jin had one more thing to add, as if administering medicine. "Oh! And make sure to take care of the professional sports team as well."
"Ah, Father."
"Why?"
Seeing Chairman Jin's fierce gaze, Jin Sang-gi became as quiet as a mouse.
"Do you have a problem with that? Taking care of those miscellaneous foundations?"
"No, not at all."
Jin Sang-gi kept his mouth shut at his older brother's gesture. After all, hadn't he already decided to work alongside Jin Yeong-gi, the Vice Chairman? He believed that his older brother wouldn't leave him out when it came to the foundation work.
"Father, so who will take care of the financial sector...?" His older brother cautiously brought up a question on behalf of everyone.
"For now, I'll continue to oversee it. Why? Do you want to chase me out of the rear room as the old man one day?"
"Please don't say that. No, not at all." Jin Yeong-gi hastily raised his hand.
"Well... I wanted to divide that as well, but it's incredibly complicated to sort out the ownership structure, so it will take some time." Chairman Jin provided a reasonable excuse as a form of explanation, but no one in the room believed him.
The owner of the group's financial division was not in this room. They believed without a doubt that it was the cunning youngest grandson who was playing pranks outside, rather than one of the adults.
"Starting this year, I will begin dividing the ownership as I've mentioned. Once that's all settled, I'll also split the financial sector. Don't be impatient; just wait."
Is that statement really true? The children couldn't let go of their hope.
It's okay to give the Sunyang Asset Management to the youngest grandson of the family. But nothing else is acceptable.
There's still time. Within that time, they must prevent the group's funds from falling into the wrong hands.
This was a common thought among the three sons.
"For today, let's call it a day. I've kept the executives and department heads from the New Year's greetings. By now, they're probably waiting in front of your houses, gasping for breath. Go and give them some allowance."
The five children lined up and left the study, leaving only Chairman Jin and Lee Hak-jae behind. Chairman Jin let out a long sigh. "These kids are still unhappy even when they're given something."
"They're not completely satisfied, that's why."
"We can't just sit around waiting for things to fall into place. Now that we've clearly marked the territories, if they get too greedy, we'll have to take it away."
Lee Hak-jae smiled gently. "As expected, you don't want to split the group."
"In our country, companies need to stick together just to survive."
"What?"
Suddenly, Chairman Jin made a strange remark. "When you break it down, it's not that big of a deal. Just look at Sunyang Electronics, for example. Semiconductors, white goods, mobile phones. They support each other, pushing and pulling, which is how they manage to stay afloat. Without semiconductors, the home appliance division would have closed its doors."
"Is it like how Sunyang Shipbuilding improved Sunyang Ship's competitiveness?"
"That's right. Don't you see? Companies that would have gone bankrupt due to financial troubles are now thriving."
Then why not just pick one and give it all away? Why play this game?
Lee Hak-jae had asked this question countless times, though he never voiced it.
If Jin Yang-cheol had been the chairman, he might have already assigned someone, but now, in his old age, he was pondering over it.
He probably wanted to give Sunyang Group to all of his children, but he needed to choose between dividing it or giving it all to someone. The more he thought about it, the more he delayed the decision.
And today, a new variable emerged.
It was the silently supportive elders who had been nurturing and protecting Sunyang. If they couldn't win their support, they might lose what they already had.
Everyone in the family hurriedly left Chairman Jin's mansion in Busan. Daughters-in-law and grandchildren rushed outside as if being chased.
When they got into their respective cars waiting in front of the main building, Jin Yeong-gi called his younger brother.
"Yoon-gi, can I talk to you for a moment?"
After moving to a quieter place, Jin Yeong-gi took out a cigarette and asked, "Have you talked to Father about something in advance?"
"What do you mean?"
"About the financial affiliates."
"No. Today was the first time I heard about the separation of affiliates. Well... it's not that special, though. Oh, but my wife's reaction was a bit unexpected."
"Is that so?"
"In fact, yes."
"What?"
"Brother, don't beat around the bush. What are you trying to say?"
"Is it possible that Do-jun got a share of it?"
When Jin Yeong-gi sharply scrutinized his younger brother's expression, Jin Yoon-gi nodded. "I think so too."
"What?"
"Do-jun may be young, but hasn't he already shown an outstanding investment sense? It would be hard to find someone more suitable to take over Sunyang's finances, wouldn't it?"
"Hey!" Jin Yeong-gi snapped at his younger brother's calm demeanor.
"Are you saying that this is about handing over a bank account?"
"Whether it's a bank account or a financial institution, it's all money. The difference in size doesn't affect suitability."
"This isn't about suitability or not. Do you even know how many shares Sunyang Life is holding? They have a significant stake in the group, and what you're saying doesn't sound like dividing shares based on that. Isn't it all consolidated under the conglomerate?"
Vice Chairman Jin Yeong-gi started to scrutinize Jin Yoon-gi, who was calmly responding.
"So what? Are you saying that you'll also take a seat in Sunyang Group now that there are financial companies with a substantial stake? Are you showing your claws after all these years of pretending to be dead, just because you have a son?"
Jin Yoon-gi sighed deeply and bit his lip. "It's not mine. It's all for the hospital and the training center. You heard Father's words..."
"Hey! Why are you saying this now? Are you asking me to have a separate conversation with a child who just turned twenty?"
"I never asked for a separate conversation." Another sigh escaped. "Brother, Father said he would give me the financial sector. Honestly, I have no interest in it. But if he wants to pass it on to my son, I can't ask him to give it up. Our parents have never given us an extra piece of bread. But now that they've given us this bread, we can't reject it, can we?"