"That kid sailed through life without any difficulties. She might manage decently when things are easy, but if the company is in crisis, all she can do is waver and nitpick at the subordinates."
Why so negative then?
Lee Hakjae guessed Chairman Jin's intention.
"Did you intend to make her step back from the frontlines of management?"
"That's right. If she stumbles, someone else will snatch it away. I was thinking of finding a decent guy from within the company at that time and turning her into an ordinary housewife. If she doesn't want to remarry, I could give her a scholarship foundation and let her continue with external affairs."
"If that someone is Oh Sehyun, it's somewhat fortunate." Lee Hakjae carefully observed Chairman Jin's expression.
A tiny smile appeared and disappeared on his face. Lee Hakjae was confident that Chairman Jin was pleased with his dominance.
"If it's Oh Sehyun, it's a relief. I can buy it back with money. Where is it that I haven't passed over to the Myeongdong usurers' market?"
When Chairman Jin concealed a contented smile, the two vice-chairmen reacted as if they had been struck by lightning.
"Welcome. Let's have a cup of tea."
"Forget the tea. Is it because of Seoyoon?"
"That's right. You heard too."
The 27th floor of the Sunyang Group headquarters is occupied by Vice Chairmen Jin Yeong-gi and Jin Dong-gi, as well as the Group Strategy Headquarters, which can be considered the brains of the group.
When Jin Dong-gi was promoted to vice chairman, he completely renovated a floor. There's also a chairman's office in the center, but since Chairman Jin almost never comes to work, it can be seen as a place for the two of them.
Jin Dong-gi visited Vice Chairman Jin Yeong-gi's office due to that very matter.
"Haven't you planted people over there, Hyung? I also have someone who can provide that level of information."
"Then you must know about Oh Sehyun too."
"Of course."
"That foolish girl finally caused an accident. Did the money come in?"
"It's almost the same as with Hyung. Most of it has been paid back."
"She wanted to cancel the contract for the large mart construction project, right?"
"It hasn't been formalized yet. We only had a phone call."
Having assessed the situation, both of them instinctively reached for their cigarettes.
She hadn't sold any stocks yet because she hadn't even entered the market. But entrusting controlling shares as collateral would be a foolish move. Of course, she must have had faith in their special relationship with Oh Sehyun. He was their younger brother Jin Yun-ki's close friend. As long as he paid off the debt and interest, she wouldn't lose control of the company.
Their silence, with only the smoke from their cigarettes filling the air, was due to the fact that they were completely out of their control.
Even if their father had given it to them as part of the inheritance, there was no way they would consider splitting up the conglomerate. They intended to restore it to its original state as soon as the opportunity arose.
But the opportunity and the right time had disappeared like migrating birds.
"Hey, Dong-gi. I've thought about this carefully... Oh Sehyun."
"I'm listening. Go on."
"I think that guy might not be moving according to Father's orders."
"Oh Sehyun, with Father?"
"Yeah. Look at what he did with Miracle. Even though the dollar was in a hurry because of the IMF, he gave away too much. Cars and a 17% stake in the group. This is a bit excessive."
"What do you think Father's orders are?"
"I'm thinking he might be passing it over to Do-Jun one by one. This department store, too. If Oh Sehyun is in his right mind, would he take on non-existent stocks as collateral? What if Father doesn't give them? He just threw away 40 billion without any guarantee or anything."
"What are you talking about, our brilliant little brother?"
"Have you ever thought that Oh Sehyun might be acting as Do-Jun's proxy?"
"What?"
Jin Yeong-gi thought he might have misheard. It was such an unbelievable idea...
"Maybe Miracle is actually Do-Jun's company. Oh Sehyun is a professional manager."
"Why are you saying this now...!"
"I don't want to believe it either, but I've been thinking about it lately. Hyung, think about it carefully too. If Do-Jun is the real owner of Miracle, then everything makes sense. The reason Father couldn't leave Sunyang to us in peace."
"Could it be... nonsense? It's too much."
"I don't want to believe it either, but it fits. If he gave 10 billion dollars as an infusion and just handed over the cars, isn't that all he needed to do? Why would he give away the stocks, too? Especially when it was all about foreign exchange."
That part puzzled Jin Yeong-gi the most. No matter how urgent things were, giving away stocks...
"Handing over the financial affiliates to Do-Jun also makes sense. Now there are just the two of them. What on earth did Do-Jun show him?"
It sounded absurd, but it was becoming strangely plausible.
"Let's leave the possibility open. First, let's get back the department store."
When a common enemy appears, even sworn enemies join forces.
Perhaps because of their young nephew, the feuding brothers might join hands.
In March, heralding spring, when Hanaro Telecom launched South Korea's first commercial ADSL-based internet service, the world began to change.
PC bangs (internet cafes) exploded in popularity, almost replacing neighborhood arcades. Instead of inserting coins and pressing buttons, people used mice and keyboards to immerse themselves in online worlds like StarCraft and MMORPGs.
Finally, one of the small-scale offline competitions, the "Korea Pro Game League," began, and the world's first game broadcasts streamed through cables from DCN Studio, provided by Father.
Father shook his head in disbelief at this sight, but he thought he must be crazy when he saw the ratings.
The ratings were even higher than those for movies.
Many people paid close attention to these ratings. They knew that playing games could also be a form of entertainment.
And high ratings meant money.