Grandfather chuckled as he let out a sigh of relief and picked up the phone.
"Hakjae, come home right now with Jo Dae-ho."
Grandfather, who put down the phone, looked at me with a very satisfied expression and spoke.
"I'm the most finger-pointed person in Korea. I've been to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office in a wheelchair four times, and I've been convicted twice. Only eight subsidiary CEOs have gone to prison in my place."
Both of those convictions ended with suspended sentences, and why didn't he mention that the imprisoned subsidiary CEOs were all on the presidential pardon list?
"That finger-pointing began to dissipate as my children grew up. Now, even Yeong-jun gets a share."
Grandfather raised his hand and pointed outside.
Does it mean they fight by finger-pointing each other with the people?
On one side with jealousy and anger, on the other side with disdain and disregard.
"You, too... No, maybe you've already received it. When you got that amazing score on the college entrance exam and did interviews, people must have whispered. They said you got private tutoring worth millions. They said you got into Seoul National University because of money. And some people would have cursed you like this. Why does the third-generation chaebol go to law school? They would say that someone else had to drop out because of you."
He may not care about public opinion, but he seemed to be keeping an eye on trends since he received reports without fail.
"Like it or not, you were born into a villain's family, and no matter what you do, you'll be labeled as a silver-spoon kid. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes. I won't waver."
There are many villains behind masks. And there are even more people who fall for those masks.
The world will change from now on. One's image, personal identity management, will become a significant variable. I have to prepare many masks.
"Now, you should go. Director Yi and President Jo will arrive soon. Oh, and the merger announcement press conference should be centered around Sunyang. President Jo will take the lead."
I need to keep the fact that I am taking over A-jin hidden. Grandfather knows it well. If they know that I am the key player in the merger of the two companies, the scheming relatives won't stay quiet.
"Of course. I'll prepare right away."
I bowed to Grandfather, and he patted my back, showing a satisfied smile.
How much weight will he put on Sunyang Motors? Or is he planning to swallow A-jin Group whole through me?
"I plan to absorb A-jin Group."
"What?"
The two men who rushed here in the middle of the night couldn't hide their confusion at Chairman Jin's first words instead of a greeting.
The phrase "red-handed" suited this night perfectly.
"Chairman, they've already leaned toward Daehyun. There's no time to prepare now, and... more importantly, we don't have the funds."
"That's right. Jumping into a game that's already over is a bit..."
Chairman Jin raised a hand to silence the two men.
"We're just dipping our toes in. And that toe is none other than you, Jo Dae-ho."
"Me?"
President Jo tried his best to understand Chairman Jin's intentions, but he couldn't grasp it at all.
"If Miracles Investment acquires A-jin Group, Sunyang Motors will merge with A-jin Motors. This is what you have to do."
"A merger...?"
"We'll remove only Sunyang Motors from our group and merge it with A-jin Motors. Both automotive companies will start anew, and the first CEO of that automotive company will be you, Jo Dae-ho."
President Jo was speechless, and Director Lee Hak-jae was relentless in trying to understand Chairman Jin's plan.
"Chairman, no matter how we adjust the merger ratio between the two companies, Miracles Investment will become the majority shareholder. The controlling shareholder of Miracles will then control the merged company."
When Director Lee Hak-jae cautiously spoke, Chairman Jin's lips curled up, and he smiled brightly.
"Miracles' Oh Se-hyun has extended his hand. He knows he'll become a mere chicken chaser if he continues like this. He plans to create a new automotive specialty company and hand it over to our Sunyang, beautifully packaged. Haha."
"What about Miracles?"
"Well, they're just money players, aren't they? We'll give them a hefty profit for the packaging. Naturally, they'll pay later, say for five or even ten years."
Director Lee Hak-jae, who was most sensitive to the group's financial situation, confirmed quickly.
"Is there any way to avoid this greedy bird? We promised to do it our way. Don't worry about it."
Unlike the relieved Director Lee Hak-jae, President Jo Dae-ho still couldn't muster a cheerful expression.
"Um, Chairman. What about A-jin's Chairman Song Hyun-chang...?"
"We can't just kick him out right away, canwe? Besides, he needs to be there to keep the A-jin Group union in check. Didn't he speak directly to the press during the last press conference? No disputes, wage freezes, he said. How great is that? They'll just focus on working, right?"
"Have you considered an appropriate position for him?"
"We should leave A-jin Group Chairman's business card as it is. You need to secure the automotive sector firmly first. Within six months, clean up Song Hyun-chang's mess, and within three years, fill the executive positions of the remaining subsidiaries with our people."
Three years to pacify the land as an occupying force.
If any noise is heard or the pace slows down during pacification, it's clear that his expulsion will come even faster.
President Jo Dae-ho took a deep breath, feeling determined.
The position of CEO of Sunyang Motors, which he thought was out of reach from the perennial last place, is now within his grasp again.
"Let's schedule the merger announcement one day before the review. Tell Daehyun to sit back and watch our press conference with his hands tied. Haha."
Chairman Jin felt like his mood was about to sour again.
Thinking about A-jin, which looked much more appetizing than Hando Steel, being devoured by Daehyun's main chairman, left a bitter taste in his mouth. But when he thought of Chairman Ju's reaction when his well-prepared meal was suddenly snatched away, it amused and exhilarated him.
"Let's call it a day for now, and since we're all here, how about a drink? Shall we raise our glasses as a toast?"
No matter how old they get, men are still men.
Lee Hak-jae had already taken out his cell phone.
"I'll arrange it."
"All right. I'll change clothes and come down. Haha."