Chapter 267: Can We Buy the Villa?

Click.

The moment I ended the call, Vice President Cho Myeongsu immediately addressed me.

"Director Cha, will our company be investing in oil futures as well?"

"I'm completely in favor of Korea Investment investing in them. But as for KBH Investment, I'm against it."

"May I ask why?" Cho Myeongsu asked, obvious disappointment in his voice.

Still, I had no doubt that I could convince him.

"KBH Investment has only just been established. Its internal processes and organizational structure haven't even been fully formed yet."

Vice President Cho Myeongsu immediately caught my meaning. The information about the coup being prepared under Vice Chairman Tang Guochang's leadership was top secret. And our new company hadn't even had time to properly vet its own personnel yet. There was always a risk that one of the more ambitious employees might leak the information. It was precisely because I was concerned about protecting a state secret that I opposed KBH Investment making such an investment.

It only took Cho Myeongsu a couple of cautious questions to confirm his suspicions, and I replied,

"You're absolutely right, Vice President Cho."

"Well, then there's nothing we can do about it," he said with an understanding nod. "Hypothetically speaking, what target return should we aim for when investing in oil futures?"

"Over a one-year horizon, thirty to forty percent would be an optimal target."

"That's a very respectable return. And how much should be invested in those futures?"

By asking that question, Cho Myeongsu once again displayed remarkable initiative—even though I had just explicitly forbidden KBH Investment from getting involved in the deal. To clear things up, I bluntly asked why he was continuing to question me about it.

"Ah, I simply want to pass these parameters along to the management of Korea Investment."

"My apologies. I misunderstood you," I said with a smile.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"Good. Chairman Bongard is a bold investor, so he'll probably invest an enormous amount. Taking that into account, around twenty to thirty billion dollars would be an optimal amount for Korea Investment."

"I'll pass that along to my colleagues at Korea Investment."

"All right. Now let's get back to KBH Investment."

"Ask me anything," Cho Myeongsu said, ready to answer.

"How is the Westinghouse acquisition progressing?"

"Director Jeong Sunho and the mergers and acquisitions team have already flown to the United States."

Just last week, Chairman Yoon Jongu had put Jeong Sunho in charge of acquiring Westinghouse. He had planned to recruit specialists from within Hangang Group. Only seven days had passed since then, yet the team had already been assembled and sent overseas.

"They left on a business trip that quickly?"

"Chairman Yoon gave Director Jeong an absolutely brutal dressing-down and pushed him as hard as he could."

"Ah, that explains it..."

"Director Cha, exactly what responsibilities will Jeong Sunho have at our company?"

"Our goal in acquiring Westinghouse is to establish a dominant position in the nuclear power plant construction market. However, we don't have enough capacity to build nuclear power plants entirely on our own, so we'll have to form a consortium. Director Jeong will be in charge of that consortium."

"I understand. That makes sense."

"Considering the importance of his responsibilities, I suggest appointing him as a Vice President."

"I'll take care of it, Director Cha."

"You must be very busy, so you can get back to your work."

Taking the polite hint, Vice President Cho Myeongsu gave a slight bow and left the office.

After watching him leave, I turned to Chief Secretary Kang Inhan.

"Now, let's hear it. What brings you here?"

"You realized I came here on business?"

"I do have at least some experience and intuition."

"Haha, that's true!" Kang Inhan chuckled. "I just spoke with Director Jean-Philippe. The Swiss government has decided to confiscate Gabriel's villa in Interlaken."

Gabriel had surely purchased the property through legitimate channels. Under ordinary circumstances, the Swiss authorities wouldn't have had any legal grounds to confiscate it. I voiced my doubts to Kang Inhan, and he explained,

"It's been proven that the villa was purchased with proceeds from drug trafficking."

"Then that's different. Will they put it up for public auction?"

"Normally, yes, but I asked Director Jean-Philippe to sell it to you."

"To me? Why?"

"You liked Commander Kwak Taesu's hunting lodge in Interlaken so much."

I immediately remembered our trip into the mountains to see Kwak Taesu. At the time, I had jokingly asked Kang Inhan how much a house like that might cost. Taking my joke completely seriously, he had decided to arrange for me to purchase Gabriel's villa once the Swiss government confiscated it.

"Well, all right. What did Jean-Philippe say?"

"He said that if you're interested, they'd be happy to arrange the sale."

"Hmm, really? What do you think? Should we actually buy Gabriel's villa?"

"Haha, it's a deal! I'll take care of all the paperwork myself."

"Go ahead, but don't push the price down too much."

Brrr-brrr—

At that moment, the phone on my desk vibrated. Glancing at the screen, I saw Vice Chairman Wei Chen's name. Perfect timing—I had something to discuss with him as well.

"I'm listening, Vice Chairman Wei."

"[Director Cha, I heard rumors that Antonio, the boss of the world's largest drug cartel, was captured in Switzerland. I wanted to ask if you knew anything about it.]"

"How do you know Antonio, Vice Chairman?"

"[I can't go into the details. I'll only say that he and I have a long-standing score to settle.]"

I became curious about what kind of grudge existed between Wei Chen and Antonio, but I didn't pry. If someone didn't want to talk about something, it would be tactless to dig into it.

"I understand. Yes, Antonio really was captured."

"[So the rumors are true. Who caught him?]"

"At my request, the CIA and the FIS carried out the operation."

"[I knew you had something to do with it! Where is he now?]"

"He was extradited to the United States. The FBI is currently handling the investigation."

"[Can we consider him finished?]"

Antonio had been the main supplier of narcotics to the American market. With his arrest, the flow of drugs was guaranteed to collapse. Obviously, Wei Chen was testing the waters, hoping to occupy the newly vacant position. It was in my interest to steer him in the right direction.

"I believe so. Incidentally, the street gangs that distributed his product in the United States are also hanging by a thread."

"[Do you have specific information?]"

"His laptop contained a complete database of the gangs that bought from him. The FBI is preparing a massive crackdown based on those records right now."

"[I see!]"

"Why don't you establish an unofficial line of communication with Director Nevers?"

The Triad could potentially establish a "legitimate" distribution route under FBI supervision. That was exactly what I was hinting at to Wei Chen.

"[That's exactly what I was thinking!]"

"Excellent. Now, there's another matter."

"[I'm listening.]"

"Regarding the transfer of funds to Commander Kwak Taesu's and Deputy Director Cho's men in North Korea—a liaison will be coming to see you soon."

"[Do you know who it is?]"

"Not yet, but Director Lee Menghong will bring him to you."

"[Then there won't be any problems. I'm sorry, but I have business to attend to, so I'll have to say goodbye.]"

Click.

The moment the call ended, Kang Inhan spoke with an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression.

"So we did all the dirty work, and now the Triad gets to skim off the cream?"

"Haha! That's a great metaphor, Chief Secretary Kang!"

"All right, I'll head back to my office."

"Wait a minute."

Kang Inhan, who had already started rising from the sofa, sat back down.

"Is there something else, Director Cha?"

"I want the employees who flew to Switzerland with me to receive substantial bonuses."

"Oh, right! I completely forgot about our people."

"Give them generous bonuses so no one feels shortchanged."

"Speaking of the employees... am I included on that list?" Kang Inhan asked with a mixture of hope and caution.

Seeing his genuine interest, I decided to tease him a little.

"If you were on the list, I'd be paying your bonus personally."

"...I see."

"Don't be disappointed. I won't forget about you separately."

"Ha! I knew from the start that you were joking!"

"Really? Then why did your voice deflate like a punctured balloon?"

"Whew, it's suddenly gotten awfully hot in here!" Kang Inhan said, fanning himself with one hand as he hurried toward the door.

"Hahaha!"

After seeing him off with a laugh, I called analyst Woo Changhun.

And immediately noticed something strange. Woo Changhun was usually laid-back and only answered after the third or fourth ring. This time, however, he picked up instantly.

"[Yes, Director Cha.]"

"What's with the formality, Woo Changhun?"

"[Rules are rules. You have to address your superior formally and by title, even if he's younger than you.]"

"But you haven't transferred to KBH Investment yet, have you?"

"[I've been working at KBH Investment since Monday.]"

Woo Changhun had only submitted his resignation from Hangang Group last week. Logically, the process shouldn't even have been completed yet, but he was already working at his new company? I cautiously asked why things had been rushed so much.

"[Chairman Yoon personally ordered me to start working here this week.]"

"I see. Glad to hear it. Would you like to have lunch together today? Can you make time?"

"[If you're inviting me, I'll make time even if I don't have any!]"

"Haha! We still have some time before lunch. Why don't you come up to my office for now?"

"[I'm with Director Heo Yeongjin right now.]"

"Bring Director Heo with you."

"[Understood! We'll be there like a shot!]"

About three minutes later, there was a knock on the door. The secretary reported,

"Director Cha, Director Heo Yeongjin and Team Leader Woo Changhun are here."

"Show them in and bring us some cold drinks."

A moment later, the guests entered. I rose from the sofa to greet them warmly while the secretary set out the glasses. After taking a sip, I addressed the visibly nervous Heo Yeongjin.

"Director Heo, did you start working here on Monday as well?"

"I had to start early. The workload is unbelievable."

"The workload? What do you mean?"

"We have to build the organization and recruit employees."

"Ah, of course. What's our recruitment schedule?"

"We'll post the job openings next week, and we need to complete recruitment by the middle of next month."

"That's a tight schedule. By the way, my younger sister is also planning to apply through the regular recruitment process."

Heo Yeongjin froze in surprise.

As CEO of KBH Investment, I possessed virtually unlimited authority within the company. It would have been effortless for me to hire my own sister without putting her through any recruitment process at all. Yet I intended to make her go through the general selection process? Naturally, he couldn't help asking why.

"My sister wants to join us fairly, relying entirely on her own abilities."

"But then there's a chance she might not pass."

"If she doesn't meet the company's requirements, then she'll fail. That's only fair."

"You really mean we can reject her if she doesn't make the cut?"

"Of course. In fact, to eliminate any possibility of preferential treatment, how about making the recruitment process completely 'blind'? Don't list universities, personal connections, or family backgrounds—we'll evaluate applicants solely on their actual abilities."

"We were already planning to use a blind recruitment process."

At that moment, Woo Changhun raised his hand, asking to speak.

"Director Cha, Chairman Bongard's granddaughter and Chairman Gomez's granddaughter have already joined our company."

"Really? Which departments are they working in?"

"They haven't been assigned to any departments yet."

"What's causing the delay?"

"Well... both of them are adamantly insisting on being assigned to your personal secretariat."

"Oh, dear God..."

I let out a groan and squeezed my eyes shut.