Chapter 1585. Face to Face (5)

The Taegwang Group’s head office, the lobby...

The front doors opened wide, and the security guard manning the doorway shouted, “The Chairman has arrived!”

The employees froze on the spot, their attention now glued to the entrance.

He’s arrived earlier than usual?

Damn. I should’ve come to work sooner!

Taegwang was a rather old-fashioned corporation.

Even as the “modern” corporate culture ran rampant in this day and age, Taegwang still stubbornly stuck to the old school of doing things. More specifically, the higher-ups in this place still enjoyed far more robust authority than in most other companies.

With the situation like that, what was the point of even mentioning the level of authority the chairman possessed?

It didn’t matter what these employees thought—they must display the utmost respect to their boss regardless of what. That was the absolute minimum requirement if one wanted to keep one’s job at Taegwang, one of Korea’s top-ten companies.

Trot, trot, trot, trot!

The stiffly standing employees could now see Jeong Hong-Geun’s figure urgently closing in on the entrance.

He’s walking faster than usual?

What’s gotten into him? An urgent business, maybe?

The employees watched on in confusion. Usually, Jeong Hong-Geun did his absolute best to walk leisurely when surrounded by his subordinates. Why? One of his bad habits was at fault here, one where he derived much satisfaction at all these busy-as-bees employees dropping everything to bow before him as an acknowledgment of his authority.

However, he seemed genuinely not interested in such a thing today, judging from how quickly he walked past the entrance.

“Good morning, Chairman!”

“Good day to you, sir!”

“Good morning!”

Jeong Hong-Geun continued his brisk walk while waving back. “Yes, good morning. Now get back to work!”

The employees hurriedly looked up from their bowing position. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets while they stared agog at Jeong Hong-Geun.

The “usual” Jeong Hong-Geun wouldn’t even have bothered to reply after receiving all these greetings. In fact, he would take his time strolling by while enjoying the discomfort of all the bowing employees. This custom had not changed once since these employees had joined Taegwang, so this sudden change genuinely stunned them all. It was as if the sun had risen from the west.

Seriously! What’s gotten into him?

Hang on? Doesn’t the Chairman look a little different today?

It wasn’t only his attitude that had changed. Indeed, even his outer appearance felt different.

His slightly bent back was now as straight as ever, while his cane, which had been a constant companion, was nowhere to be found. Most importantly, though, each of his steps contained a certain purpose. Strength.

All these little factors combined together to form a certain impression, and that was... It was as if Jeong Hong-Geun had gotten at least ten years younger.

“Greeting’s over, so get back to work,” said Jeong Hong-Geun.

“Understood, sir!”

“Have a good day, sir!”

The employees started moving again, albeit cautiously, after Jeong Hong-Geun gave them a firm wave. They remained weary, however, and kept glancing back, only to realize that Jeong Hong-Geun had already left by then. That only made their jaws fall even lower.

Something definitely had changed with him!

It could be nothing more than a brief change of heart. However, even something done on a whim like that still qualified as a sea change if the person experiencing it was none other than Jeong Hong-Geun. After all, he was a man who had always been an unchanging guardian of all things despicable!

Wait, did something monumental happen?

I’m getting anxious here...

A corporation was like a large ship. For a ship to sail smoothly, countless people must perform their assigned roles. However, at the end of the day, it was still the captain’s job to decide on the ship’s course. A corporation’s captain was, of course, the chairman.

The fear of something strange happening to the chairman set a cat among the pigeons within Taegwang.

***

“Executive Director Bak Sang-Wu!”

“Yes, Chairman?”

“I want you to get me all the information on Japan’s distribution network.”

“Understood!” Bak Sang-Wu replied energetically. “What kind of information are you looking for specifically, sir?”

Jeong Hong-Geun shouted back. “Are you deaf! I told you, all the information!”

Bak Sang-Wu’s eyes opened wider. “B-But... There will be a lot of information to process, sir.”

“Doesn’t matter. Get every bit of info you can find. Set up a dedicated team to handle this matter. If you need... No, wait. After creating the team, dispatch them to Japan to do on-site research.”

“Understood!”

Bak Sang-Wu replied even before his head had the time to process this order. With a stiffened face, he cautiously studied Jeong Hong-Geun. That was when he noticed how clear and focused Jeong Hong-Geun’s eyes were. It was as if he was looking at his boss in his prime around two decades ago.

“Pick the sharpest, smartest kids from each department to create this team,” said Jeong Hong-Geun. “And get ready to launch a new subsidiary in the meantime.”

“Sir? You mean, the aces from each department? That will impact the performance of those departments.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“But, sir...”

“Did you not hear me say that it doesn’t matter?”

Jeong Hong-Geun didn’t get angry. No, he simply reminded his subordinate who his boss was with calm but clearly enunciated words. That was why Bak Sang-Wu shuddered just then.

This was what Jeong Hong-Geun was like in the past.

Most people had heard about Jeong Hong-Geun’s notoriety by now; labels such as a pro-Japanese traitor, a dog of the military dictatorship, and a merchant who sold his soul for profit, were often bandied about.

Despite all these unkind labels, however, Taegwang still seized its current position in the world of commerce precisely because Jeong Hong-Geun’s charisma was, at the very least, enough to control his company as he saw fit.

Getting older meant he lost his passion and morphed into a loud, obnoxious old man with a short fuse and a horrendous stubborn streak.

But now! Here he was. Here was the man Bak Sang-Wu used to work for.

“This is an all-out war, Sang-Wu,” Jeong Hong-Geun growled. “We need to bet everything to win, even if we must risk the future of this company!”

“Chairman... Are you thinking of entering Japan’s distribution sector?”

“That’s right.”

“...! Sir, it is presumptuous of me to question your decision, but it’d also be remiss of me not to remind you of how dangerous this gamble is. We might be called a large corporation, but that’s only in South Korea. We might not even make it into the top 100 in Japan. Please remember that a snake can’t swallow an elephant whole.”

Bak Sang-Wu bowed deeply.

“I beg you to reconsider. Sir.”

While bowing and looking at his shoes, sweat began trickling down Bak Sang-Wu’s forehead. He was experimenting... No, taking a wild gamble here.

What he did just now was offer sage advice, the correct advice, in a situation like this. But the “Jeong Hong-Geun” of recent times would’ve flown into rage simply because his subordinate dared to question his orders, regardless of how right or wrong he was.

However, if Jeong Hong-Geun had really changed, then...!

Click!

That was when Bak Sang-Wu heard the sound of a lighter.

“Hmmmm...!”

A lengthy sigh registered in his hearing next, followed shortly by the smell of burning tobacco stabbing his nose.

“Stand up, Sang-Wu. No, Director Bak.”

“Yes, sir.”

“You did well, telling me all that.”

“...!” Delight quickly filled Bak Sang-Wu’s expression. He’s... back!

Something must’ve happened during the night before. He wasn’t sure what that could be, but whatever it was, it helped Jeong Hong-Geun regain his previous self quite literally overnight!

“Look, Director Bak.”

“Yes, chairman!”

“You did good just now. From now on, if I’m trying to do something, point out the dangers to me. That’s why you’re still getting paid a lot of money, after all. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes, sir! You’re right!”

“However, at least on this matter, I’m not jumping into it blind, okay? This is not something we should carefully weigh our options and decide. No, it’s a matter of life or death that we must tackle, no matter what! And we won’t be tackling it by ourselves, so stop looking at me like I’ve gone senile, okay?”

“Ah! I see. Then, will we have a partner in this venture, sir?”

“That’s right.”

Bak Sang-Wu nodded animatedly. Having a partner obviously changed the story greatly.

Taegwang alone wouldn’t have had enough strength to do this, but having two, maybe three other participants from Korea’s top-ten list of companies should be enough to secure some shares in the Japanese market.

Of course, keeping that share was a separate issue, but still.

“Forgive me, but may I ask which other companies we are in talks with, sir?”

Jeong Hong-Geun replied flatly. “It’s MK.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“MK’s Chairman Kang will join us. He’ll be the head, while our side will handle the grunt work.”

“I... think I’ve misheard you, sir. Did you say MK?”

“Looks like you won’t need a hearing aid anytime soon. Because your ears are working well.”

“C-Chairman, but...!”

Bak Sang-Wu couldn’t finish his sentence, despite having so many things he wanted to get off his chest. He wasn’t sure where to even start.

MK? Not other large corporations, but MK, of all places?

Obviously, Bak Sang-Wu was not a moron. He might not know how powerful MK was in his head, but his heart still gave him a rough estimate. And that was why he agreed with Jeong Hong-Geun’s full-on effort to appease Kang Jin-Ho, even if doing so had affected his duties as the chairman of Taegwang.

However, this was a separate matter altogether.

One’s power needed to have a foundation. MK exercised power in Korea because it was in cahoots with the Korean government. But such an arrangement held no sway in other countries.

Which meant MK would be powerless in Japan. So, for Jeong Hong-Geun to say he’d join MK’s hand and start a business venture in Japan!

Wasn’t this the same as jumping into the fire after strapping some straw all over you?

Jeong Hong-Geun noticed the look on Bak Sang-Wu’s face and smirked. “Executive Director Bak.”

“Yes, Chairman?”

“Do I look insane to you?”

“...!” Bak Sang-Wu carefully stared at Jeong Hong-Geun, then shook his head after spotting the clear light burning in the latter’s eyes and his obstinately closed lips. “No, Chairman.”

“That’s right. I’m sane. In fact, I’ve never been more clear-headed than today in the last ten years.”

The smirk on Jeong Hong-Geun’s lips deepened.

“Sometimes, you need to jump in blind when running a business. Especially when you’re going through a massive change. That’s when people will say you’ve lost your damn mind. Am I wrong?”

“...No, sir. You’re not wrong.”

What Jeong Hong-Geun said had happened several times already. Every time other people said he had lost his mind, Taegwang grew in scale and prosperity. If he had walked on the same safe-but-well-beaten path as everybody else, Taegwang would have never become the corporation boasting its current scale.

However, Bak Sang-Wu also knew that this was a delicate balancing act. One slip-up, and Taegwang would have been obliterated in no time at all.

Things were no different this time.

“Stand tall and straight, Director Bak.”

Bak Sang-Wu tilted his head. “Sir?”

“I’m telling you to stop shivering like a coward, okay? You used to advise me to stand tall and smile like a victor in front of my employees even if I got scared to death. Where did that man go, Sang-Wu!”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s chiding hit Bak Sang-Wu like a bolt of lightning, sobering him up in an instant.

Jeong Hong-Geun grunted. “It’s time we challenged ourselves once more. If you think I’m being reckless, it’s your job to cast a safety net. Isn’t that how we’ve been doing things until now?”

Bak Sang-Wu weightily nodded.

“Good. Now, get started,” said Jeong Hong-Geun. “Let’s start this thing first and then see what’s what. It’s not our style to calculate and set everything up before starting, anyway. If things don’t look good, we can just walk away later, no?”

“Understood, sir.”

Despite replying in the affirmative, Bak Sang-Wu knew. He knew that Chairman Jeong was not the type to cleanly walk away from a business venture he had started.

Maybe this venture... could determine the future of Taegwang.

“Sir, I’ll start by forming a task team first.”

“Do that.”

“Then, please excuse me!”

Bak Sang-Wu turned around to leave, only to stop when Jeong Hong-Geun quietly muttered something else.

“Oh, and by the way?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“It’s about Myeong-Cheol, my grandson.”

“...President Jeong, sir?”

“Yeah, him. Fire him. I don’t want him in the group. And make sure he’s not involved in the group’s affairs from moving on.”

“C-Chairman?!”

Bak Sang-Wu’s jaw fell to the floor.

Whenever the topic of getting rid of Jeong Myeong-Cheol was brought up, Jeong Hong-Geun would vehemently refuse while talking about the Jeong bloodline and whatnot. So, for him to change his opinion overnight like this!

“No need to get shocked like that. After all, I should’ve done this a long time ago. It was just that I was being a fool and kept dragging the whole thing out. Being a family means nothing, anyway.”

“I... Understood. It will be done.”

“Good. Now, leave me.”

“Yes, sir. Then, please excuse me.”

When Bak Sang-Wu bowed deeply and left the chairman’s office, Jeong Hong-Geun smirked and mouthed a fresh cigarette.

Click!

After lighting it up, Jeong Hong Geun turned the chair around to stare outside his office, his eyes growing more withdrawn. The cityscape of Seoul could be seen beyond the wall of glass.

“A brand new beginning, is it...?”

The smirk deepened on Jeong Hong-Geun’s lips.