Chapter 67: Unexpected News

"You're going back to Seoul after only half a day? What a shame," Grandfather sighed.

In truth, Cha Hyeonji and I could have stayed at our family home for the night and returned to Seoul the next morning. But I had decided to head back early because I was worried about the security personnel waiting for us in the county town. I didn't want to inconvenience them by making them wait any longer.

"Grandfather, from now on I'll come visit you and Grandma much more often," I promised.

"Those words alone make me happy. All right, off you go before it gets completely dark."

"Yes, Grandfather. Oh, and... please take this."

I reached into the inside pocket of my jacket, pulled out two thick envelopes, and handed them to him.

"What's this?"

"Pocket money for you and Grandma. I meant to give it to you earlier, but it completely slipped my mind."

"You little rascal! Where did you get enough money to be handing cash to your grandparents?"

"Oh, come on, Grandfather. I'm rich now. I won the lottery jackpot, remember?"

"Ah, that's right. My memory really is going. To think my grandson has grown enough to be giving his grandfather money. Thank you, my boy. I'll gladly accept it."

There was genuine warmth in Grandfather's voice.

"Well then, we're heading back to Seoul. Grandfather, Grandma, please stay healthy until we see each other again!"

Cha Hyeonji and I bowed respectfully before getting into the car. Under the affectionate gaze of my grandparents, the vehicle slowly pulled away toward the rendezvous point where our main security team was waiting.

The moment we drove off, my sister turned to me with curious eyes.

"Big Brother, how much did you give Grandpa and Grandma?"

"Five million won."

"What?! That much?"

"I hit the jackpot in the lottery. How could I possibly give them any less?"

"I guess that makes sense... But can you imagine the shock they're in after opening those envelopes?"

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

As if on cue, Hyeonji's phone began vibrating wildly.

Looking at the screen, she murmured in surprise,

"Mom's calling?"

But after answering, she realized she'd been mistaken.

Grandfather's booming voice erupted from the speaker. Apparently, after checking the contents of the envelopes, he'd been so shocked that he'd dialed the first number he found.

After awkwardly apologizing to him for some reason, Hyeonji finally hung up and immediately turned her complaints toward me.

"I told you! You should've given them a reasonable amount! You scared Grandpa half to death!"

"...I honestly didn't think of that. By the way, why did Grandpa call you instead of me?"

"Because you're driving, dummy."

"Wow... He's really thoughtful."

"Anyway, Grandpa asked me to tell you thank you."

"Good."

"Big Brother, when are we moving into our new mansion?"

The renovation and interior work were supposed to finish today, meaning the house would officially be ready starting tomorrow.

Still, moving was a major undertaking that required preparation.

"We need to put our current place up for sale through a real estate agency and pack everything. How about moving next week?"

"Sounds good. I'll let Mom know."

While we were talking, we entered Taebaek.

At the agreed meeting point, we met up with our security team.

I moved to the back seat, handing the keys to Security Team Leader Jeong Gwangseok.

As soon as the vehicle started moving, Jeong Gwangseok spoke.

"Director, Chief Secretary Kang Inhan asked that you call him as soon as possible."

"Is it something urgent?"

"He didn't say, Director."

"I understand."

I immediately dialed Kang Inhan.

As always, he answered before the first ring had even finished.

"[Director Cha, have you already left for Seoul?]"

His stern voice came through the phone.

"Yes, we're on our way. I was told you needed to speak with me."

"[When you arrive in Seoul, don't go back to your old apartment. Go directly to your new mansion.]"

"...I'm sorry? What do you mean?"

"[We've already moved all of your and Cha Hyeonji's belongings into the mansion.]"

"...What?!"

The words almost exploded out of my mouth.

"[We were simply carrying out Chairman Park's direct orders.]"

"But why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

"[Chairman Park reasoned that you would absolutely refuse, so he instructed us to do everything without informing you.]"

"Fine, but... how did you even get inside? How did you unlock the electronic lock?"

"[The wild cat Saho opened the door for us from inside.]"

"You little furry traitor... I'm going to deal with that cat!"

"[Saho was only faithfully carrying out Chairman Park's wishes, so please don't scold him too harshly. One more thing. Our company has decided to purchase the apartment you were renting and use it as employee housing for the remainder of the lease. The security deposit has already been transferred to your bank account.]"

"You people really think of absolutely everything... Fine. I'll see you in Seoul."

Click.

The moment I ended the call, Hyeonji, who had been listening with her ears practically standing up, immediately bombarded me with questions.

"Big Brother, what happened? Why were you shouting?"

"So... Secretary Kang said they've already moved all our belongings into the new mansion."

"W-What?! How?!"

She was so stunned that she started stammering.

"I'm just as shocked."

"Let me guess... It was Meowy, wasn't it? That fluffy traitor opened the door for them?"

"Exactly. I really need to start disciplining that feline special forces unit. Anyway, call Mom and tell her to come to Seoul sometime next week, whenever it's convenient."

After finishing with my sister, I leaned forward toward Jeong Gwangseok.

"Team Leader Jeong, you know where we're going, right?"

"Of course, Director Cha."

"Good. Now, onto something else. Do you remember the noodle restaurant where we ate lunch today?"

"Yes, of course."

"It's a very popular place that's always packed with customers. But at the beginning of the year, the owner supposedly left on a trip to Macau..."

I paused before briefly explaining the real situation.

"In reality, he fell into the trap of scammers running an underground casino. Unable to withstand their threats and blackmail, he was forced to disappear."

"I see... That's a terrible story."

Jeong Gwangseok frowned.

"Find out exactly how they lured him into the trap. More importantly, determine whether he's still alive. I want a full report."

"Understood, Director."

"And one more thing. How did a gang from Macau manage to send thugs to vandalize a restaurant here in Korea?"

"They most likely didn't act alone. It's unlikely the perpetrators flew in from overseas just to start a fight."

"So you're saying that syndicate has either a local branch or an allied organization operating here?"

"I'm almost certain of it, Director Cha."

"If that's the case, it'd be ideal if we could wipe them all out in one operation, along with their Korean accomplices. Can we do that?"

"I'll report everything to Secretary Kang. Once we've coordinated our response, I'll inform you of the results."

At that moment, Hyeonji, who had been listening attentively, looked at me in confusion.

"Big Brother, shouldn't the police be the ones dealing with international scammers and gangsters? Why are you getting involved?"

I remained silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully so I wouldn't frighten her with too many details about the criminal underworld.

"You see, some of the companies that receive investments from Korea Investment aren't exactly honest. That's why we have a specialized department that handles debt recovery and distressed assets. Their intelligence network and ability to track down fugitives are sometimes even more effective than those of the authorities. Of course, they hand over everything they find to the police."

"They really just give it to the police?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

I needed to erase her doubts completely.

"Do you remember all the news reports about the police wiping out the Korean branch of the Chinese Triad?"

"Yeah..."

She suddenly stopped, as if pieces of a puzzle were beginning to fit together in her mind.

"Exactly as you're thinking. The head of that Triad branch was the same driver who hit you and fled the scene. Our security department tracked him down while searching for the culprit. We passed the exact location to the police, and thanks to that information, they carried out a massive operation and eliminated the entire organization."

In reality, Li Jiahan's Korean Triad branch had been destroyed by Korea Investment's own combat units.

But for the sake of our official cover story—and for Hyeonji's peace of mind—I had to stick with this version.

"As a token of gratitude for our invaluable assistance, the police helped recover two million dollars in compensation for you from that criminal. Our company also received a substantial government reward for assisting in the capture of dangerous criminals."

"So that's what was really behind all of that!"

"That's right. And by the way, the people who played the biggest roles in tracking those gangsters were Team Leader Jeong Gwangseok and Saho. That's why we were discussing special bonuses for them this morning."

"Director Cha is absolutely correct. That's exactly what happened."

Jeong Gwangseok backed me up from the driver's seat.

Still, it was better to be cautious.

"But remember, Hyeonji. Our close cooperation with the police is a strict business secret."

"My lips are sealed! I'll take it to the grave."

She made a funny gesture of locking her mouth shut.

"Good girl. Oh, by the way, some very important guests from the United States are arriving in Korea next week. I'll be accompanying them and handling receptions almost nonstop, so I probably won't be home for several days. Just letting you know in advance."

I mentioned it mainly because of Tracy Bongard and her cousin Isabella.

Those two foreign women definitely wouldn't miss the chance to drag me to evening banquets and private dinners.

"What kind of important guests?"

"The chairman of the powerful Bongard Group—Chairman Clark Bongard himself..."

"What?! Seriously?!"

Hyeonji nearly jumped out of her seat, interrupting me.

"Yes. The official news will appear in all the financial papers on Tuesday."

"Unbelievable... Big Brother, you're actually shaking hands with people like that now! You've really made it!"

"How do you even know about Bongard Group?"

"Are you kidding? Who doesn't know the biggest investment company in the world? Even people who don't follow finance have heard of it!"

"...Looks like I was the only one living under a rock until recently."

I chuckled.

"Ahem."

"Wait... You're really personally acquainted with Chairman Bongard?"

"Of course. We met during my business trip to San Francisco. We talked and even exchanged our personal phone numbers."

Bzzzt! Bzzzt!

As if to prove my words, my phone vibrated again.

I glanced at the display.

Clark Bongard.

Strange.

By American time, I'd spoken with Tracy yesterday at around eight-thirty in the evening.

She should have immediately passed along both our conversation and my investment tip to her grandfather.

If Chairman Bongard had been interested, he should have called me right away.

Instead, the call came eleven hours later.

Curious, I answered.

"Chairman Bongard, it's good to hear from you."

"[Cha Jiham, is this a good time to talk?]"

The deep, commanding voice of the elderly billionaire came through the speaker.

"Yes, of course. I'm listening."

"[Tracy told me everything. I'm calling because I'd like to understand your true intentions. Why did you reveal such valuable insider market information to me?]"

I decided not to beat around the bush.

With Bongard's influence and connections, it wouldn't have taken him more than a few hours to discover that Korea Investment had already begun aggressively purchasing his company's shares.

"It's simple, Chairman. We calculated that once the joint venture between Hangang Electronics and Endivia is officially announced, the stock prices of both companies will soar. We accumulated substantial capital and invested heavily in both. However, while analyzing the market, I noticed that Bongard Group's shares—which are set to receive a thirty percent stake in the future joint venture—were significantly undervalued."

I paused briefly before continuing.

"Korea Investment scraped together every available reserve and poured everything into buying your shares. But Bongard Group's market capitalization is simply too enormous. Our purchasing volume wasn't enough to move the price upward. So I decided to make use of your own financial strength. Through Tracy, I hinted that you should initiate a stock buyback. In other words, I wanted to use your own capital to push the market."

"[Ha ha, I see.]"

The old man chuckled approvingly.

"[A very rational calculation. An elegant move. But I still have one more question. Will you answer it?]"

I couldn't afford to let my guard down with one of the greatest investors in the world.

"I'd prefer to hear the question first, Chairman. Then I'll decide whether answering it is in my best interest."

"[Fair enough. If my group launches a massive stock buyback program, what kind of net return do you believe we can ultimately expect?]"

Bongard Group stood at the pinnacle of the global investment world.

They employed hundreds of brilliant analysts worth millions.

The old man had undoubtedly already received every possible forecast from them.

This question wasn't really about information.

It was a test.

A test of my judgment and composure.

After thinking for a couple of seconds, I answered directly.

"Originally, since your stock had fallen nearly thirty percent since the beginning of the year, we expected roughly a thirty percent return. However, now that you've personally decided to support your share price, I'm officially revising our projection upward."

"[And where do you believe we'll end up?]"

"That depends entirely on how many billions you're prepared to spend on the buyback. Without knowing that figure, I can't give you an accurate estimate."

"[I'm planning to allocate approximately two hundred billion dollars.]"

For a moment, I thought I'd misheard him.

Two hundred billion dollars.

At the current exchange rate, that was an astronomical two hundred seventy trillion won.

Yet Chairman Bongard spoke the figure as casually as if he were buying a pack of chewing gum.

Just how vast is this man's personal fortune?

I couldn't help being impressed.

"Two hundred billion dollars is roughly twelve and a half percent of your group's current market capitalization. If you inject that much liquidity into a buyback, your stock price is virtually guaranteed to rise by at least fifty percent."

"[Very well, Cha Jiham. If your bold prediction proves correct, dinner is on me—and you'll receive a very generous commission.]"

The old man laughed heartily.

We exchanged a few more pleasantries and discussed the details of his upcoming visit to Seoul before ending the call.

Hyeonji, who had been holding her breath the entire time with her ear practically pressed against my phone, immediately blurted out,

"Big Brother! Stop keeping me in suspense! How much is that crazy billionaire planning to spend buying back his own shares?"

"Two hundred billion dollars."

"...Unbelievable."

Hyeonji was completely speechless, staring at me with wide, astonished eyes.