» The Youngest Son of Sunyang
The Youngest Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 238
[238]Before Winter's End 4
"Chair, Chairman. Please don't get agitated. It might have just been a groundless rumor... and it ended as nothing more than a rumor. The group didn't show any actual movement, after all."
At the unexpected reaction, Son Hunjae broke out in a cold sweat, rattling off excuses, even though it wasn't something he had done.
Chairman Jin calmed his agitated state and spoke in an even tone.
"That's enough. You can go now too. I'll handle it myself. Oh, and when you leave the company, come visit me sometimes and keep me company."
"How could there be any question, Chairman? I'll come to see you again."
As President Son Hunjae withdrew, Chairman Jin shouted at the waiting secretary.
"Tell Lee Hakjae to come in quickly!"
When the chairman, who supposedly had but a short time left to live, erupted in a fiery rage, the hospital was thrown into utter chaos.
Doctors, drawn by the loud noise, rushed in, laying Chairman Jin on the bed, taking his blood pressure, inserting an IV, and making a great fuss.
Chairman Jin, who had been lying in bed trying to suppress his anger, shouted again as soon as he saw Lee Hakjae, who had rushed in.
"You knew?"
"Chairman. Please compose yourself..."
"Did you know? That those two scoundrels were trying to play games with shares!"
"Ah, that..."
When Chief Lee Hakjae showed an unconcerned reaction, Chairman Jin's eyes narrowed.
"Ah, that...? Is this fellow even in his right mind right now?"
"Chairman. Sunyang's governance structure isn't so fragile as to be shaken by a mere trick from the two Vice Chairmen. Please don't be so upset... I will explain."
Chief Lee Hakjae spoke calmly, but Chairman Jin's anger did not easily subside.
"What? Are you saying you already knew?"
"The two of them confided their plan to me and even asked for my help."
"Then why? Why didn't you say a single word to me!"
"It was an impossible, meaningless plan. I had no intention of helping them in the slightest. Therefore, I didn't feel any need to report it."
Chief Lee Hakjae calmed Chairman Jin, who was fuming.
"Considering your already poor heart, I refrained from telling you, concerned that hearing such uncomfortable news would only worsen your condition."
Only then did Chairman Jin slump onto the sofa, gasping for breath.
Due to the loud noises emanating from the hospital room, the medical staff rushed over once again, but they quietly retreated under Chairman Jin's sharp glare.
After catching his breath for a while, Chairman Jin took a sip of water that Chief Lee Hakjae had brought him and asked.
"Alright, what kind of scheme were those scoundrels cooking up?"
"They said they wanted to transition to a robust holding company structure, believing that the current complex structure was a vulnerability."
"Their real intention must be something else, right?"
"Their idea was to neutralize Miracle and Dojun's shares."
"So, those two would hold about 55% of the holding company's shares?"
"Yes. You are precisely correct."
"Those insane fools. If it were as easy as they say, I would have abandoned this complex structure and created a holding company long ago. And what else?"
"They also expressed their intention to involve Director Jin Sanggi."
"Sanggi?"
"Yes."
Suddenly, Chairman Jin gritted his teeth.
"These damn brats. I told Sanggi I'd leave him property, and now they're coveting that too."
The reason for involving the third son was money? This was something Chief Lee Hakjae hadn't expected. It might be an overly harsh speculation, but Chairman Jin knew his two sons' greed better than anyone.
He even wondered if the eldest son, who coveted all of Sunyang, was behind the idea of swallowing up the foundation using shares as bait.
"So? What did you say?"
"I told them I'd think about it and then left. I didn't feel any particular need to tell them this or that."
"You did well."
After these words, the two did not speak for a while.
It was Chairman Jin who broke the silence.
"But what is your true intention?"
"Pardon?"
"Once I'm gone, do you truly intend to retire? You, who are still in your prime?"
"Then Chairman, you take responsibility. Haha."
Chairman Jin glared at Lee Hakjae, who laughed unconcernedly.
"This fellow...! Didn't I tell you to take charge of a few affiliates, tying them together? I even said I'd separate them if necessary and make them entirely yours, but it was you who flatly refused. How much more responsibility can I take?"
"Ah, then what can I do? Under your command, Chairman, I've only done things ordinary people couldn't imagine, and everyone bowed their heads before me, watching my every move. It's difficult to transform into an ordinary executive after doing only such work. It's a unique position in the world, but if you're not here, that position also disappears. So, it's right for me to step down too."
"So, you can't be a minister after being a prime minister?"
"Something like that. Haha."
In front of Chairman Jin, who wore a regretful expression, Lee Hakjae let out a hearty laugh.
"Chairman. Don't worry. How could I not know what you wish for? I will continue to watch over Dojun so that no harm comes to him."
"Once I'm gone, their ill-treatment will be severe, won't it?"
"While they might keep me in check, they won't be able to openly mistreat me."
Chairman Jin knew very well what these words meant.
It was Lee Hakjae who had ordered and executed all sorts of miscellaneous illegal activities. However, even these matters were but a drop in the bucket compared to the group's succession process. Lee Hakjae was the one who most accurately knew all the intricacies of the irregular and illegal methods used to evade the enormous inheritance tax.
Since he was the one who executed these tasks, he would have to bear legal responsibility if issues arose. However, his words could also be a switch that would lead them all to self-destruction.
Because of this, Lee Hakjae firmly believed that the two Vice Chairmen wouldn't be able to do anything to him, but Chairman Jin still wore an uncomfortable expression.
The conversation between the two could not continue any longer.
Because Jin Sanggi suddenly opened the door and burst in.
"Ah, Chief Lee is here too."
As soon as Chief Lee saw his expression, he knew it wasn't a simple courtesy visit. It was a face imbued with tension, excitement, and even a sense of emptiness.
The quick-witted Chairman Jin had already adopted a displeased expression.
"Chief. Could you please give us some space? I have something I'd like to discuss privately with my father."
"Ah, of course. I was just about to leave myself."
As Chief Lee Hakjae was about to turn, Chairman Jin stopped him.
"You stay. Looking at this fellow's face, it's clear he didn't come to check on my condition anyway. If it's not a private father-son moment, then it's official business. Chief Lee, you are someone who can hear official matters."
"Father. What are you talking about right now?"
"Am I wrong? Didn't you come because of the inheritance issue?"
Jin Sanggi, whose true intentions had been exposed, couldn't respond.
"Alright, tell me. What else is bothering you that you rushed here like this?"
Sons who were old enough to know better, erupting in complaints and acting like demanding children — it was a sight Chief Lee Hakjae had witnessed countless times.
However, seeing a child who hadn't changed even a bit in front of an old man whose flame of life could extinguish at any moment, was truly astonishing.
Even more surprising was Chairman Jin's attitude.
He referred to even the inheritance issue as official business, like company matters. What, indeed, could be considered personal to this man?
"Ah, Father. I'm truly sorry, but it's not that I have complaints about the inheritance. I just have something I wanted to confirm."
"So, tell me."
Jin Sanggi glanced subtly at Lee Hakjae, then spoke.
"The lawyers visited today... and they said it was all just buildings, land, and a little cash. How many personal lawyers do you have, by any chance?"
"Did they visit today?"
"Yes."
"Weren't there three?"
"Yes, that's right."
As soon as he heard "three," Jin Sanggi's expression began to contort. He had doubted it, but for that to be everything...
"Those are all of them. Why are you acting like it's less than you expected?"
It was words pouring oil on a burning fire, but Jin Sanggi gritted his teeth and endured.
He believed it absolutely couldn't be. There was definitely more. He believed that now was not the time to burst into indignation, but to strive to get more.
"Ah, no, it's not. How could that be? It's just that for Father's personal assets, it seemed too meager, so I merely wanted to confirm."
"What? Meager? You insolent brat! Buildings, land, thirty billion in cash—you call that meager? I made it so you'd receive money as rent that others couldn't earn in a lifetime... With that much, you'd be called a rich man anywhere. Add the foundation to that, and you'd even be called a chaebol. Do you think you can just say whatever you want?!"
At Chairman Jin's loud outburst, Jin Sanggi frantically waved both hands.
"Oh dear, Father. That's not what I meant. I just wanted to confirm..."
"Be quiet. It's written all over your face, so what...!"
Lee Hakjae's mind drifted from the two men's conversation.
Thirty billion? If he only gave thirty billion, where's the rest of the money?
Lee Hakjae was the one who managed the overseas accounts in tax havens and the domestic nominee accounts. He had handed all those records over to Chairman Jin, but their whereabouts were now unknown.
Surely he couldn't still be holding onto it... Could it be Jin Dojun, after all?
If Jin Dojun had gotten his hands on that enormous sum, it would be like giving him another pair of wings. ra_N0bEs
How much was the Sunyang Scholarship, which was distributed to political and business circles every year?
That money had to be untraceable, yet the two Vice Chairmen hadn't secured enough slush funds yet.
If Jin Dojun were to distribute the scholarships first, it would be a declaration that he was the de facto successor.
Lee Hakjae became exceedingly curious as to how Jin Dojun would use that money.
* * *
"Why is this brat completely out of touch?"
"It seems he refused, didn't he? Do our terms not suit him?"
Jin Younggi and Jin Donggi, the two brothers, were fuming as they thought of Lee Hakjae, who gave no clear answer.
"What's better than the position of President of Electronics? Should we just give him the Chairman of Sunyang Group position?"
Jin Younggi's words weren't wrong.
They had made the best offer they could think of, and Lee Hakjae had simply refused.
"Even if it takes time, let's do it ourselves. Didn't Lee Hakjae say that the guys under him were talented individuals and asked us to take them in? Let's bring those guys in, then sweep up all the exceptional talents from law firms specialized in tax and stocks, and start. We could even just leave it all to them."
"Wouldn't it be a bit risky? What if the guys Lee Hakjae had with him acted as spies? Lee Hakjae would know immediately, wouldn't he?"
Jin Donggi spoke with an uneasy tone, but Jin Younggi shook his head.
"What if he knows? When Father passes away, that guy will be jobless. No one will pledge loyalty to someone who's lost their power."
"What if the old man gets upset? He knows all our group's secrets inside and out. Lee Hakjae is someone who could easily throw a wrench in our plans if he wanted to."
He still couldn't shake off his uneasy feeling, it seemed. But Jin Younggi merely scoffed.
"That's why you won't make it. How can your guts be as small as a flea's?"
"Don't just brush it off. If that guy gets offended and decides to come after us, we'll get badly hurt too."
"What in the world did you learn from Father?"
"What are you talking about?"
"To crush someone so they can never rise again, to completely break them, and then, when they've given up all hope, to subtly extend a hand... Don't you know that?"
"Crush Lee Hakjae?"
"Yes. Even if it weren't for this matter, if we leave him alone, he'll be a source of trouble for a long time. We need to get rid of those loyal to Father. Other old timers would be grateful for a generous retirement package, but Lee Hakjae isn't like that. We have to crush him."
"How?"
"The dirt on his hands is a mountain. We just need to shake it all off."
Jin Donggi cried out in surprise.
"What are you talking about? We'll get hurt too!"
But Jin Younggi remained completely unconcerned.
"Do you want to bet? If Father isn't here, I am Sunyang. I'm the eldest son, after all. The knife will only go as far as Lee Hakjae. The flashing blade will stop before us."
Jin Younggi firmly believed that Lee Hakjae, without the backing of Chairman Jin and Sunyang Group, was nothing more than a mere civilian.