Chapter 93: You Know What "The More, the Better" Means, Don’t You?

After listening to Cha Jiham's plan for dealing with Today News, Chairman Bongard finally let out a sigh of relief.

If everything went according to plan, his granddaughter would be spared a public scandal.

Even so, a trace of worry still lingered.

"Chief of Staff Cha, what if Today News publishes the article today instead of tomorrow?"

"That's certainly possible. That's why I intend to meet Kim Mansu personally."

"I see. And what exactly do you plan to discuss with him?"

"There are very few people in this world who don't love money."

"Are you saying that if he gets paid, he won't publish the story?"

I shook my head.

"Director Kim will use this incident as an excuse to bleed us dry until there's nothing left."

"Then what are you planning to do?"

"I'm going to cut off Kim Mansu's air supply so that he'll be physically incapable of publishing anything."

"But couldn't other reporters still blow the story up?"

"To prevent that, we'll completely eliminate Today News and shut the company down."

"What a decisive and uncompromising solution."

"And Chief Secretary Kang will be the one carrying out the operation to suffocate Kim Mansu."

I handed the discussion over to Kang Inhan.

The stern Chief Secretary carefully explained the plan to eliminate Kim Mansu to Chairman Bongard and the others.

"...No later than tomorrow morning, this matter will be completely resolved."

"Please see it through and make sure everything is flawless, even if it requires extra effort."

"We'll take care of everything, so you have nothing to worry about."

Leaving Kang Inhan's confident assurance behind, Chairman Bongard turned back to me.

"Now let's discuss something else. Chairman Hudson and I sold every share we purchased yesterday before dawn today."

It should be noted that Chairman Bongard had poured an astonishing 200 billion dollars into purchasing Bongard Group shares.

That represented roughly 12.5% of the group's entire market capitalization.

Yet they had somehow managed to dispose of that enormous volume of shares in only a few hours.

Curious, I carefully asked how that had been possible.

"I called in a few old acquaintances and had them purchase the shares. That's why we were able to sell everything so easily."

"Ah, now I understand."

"Chairman Hudson earned a return of 65%, while I only managed 60% because my position was simply too large."

Chairman Bongard's voice was filled with unmistakable regret.

On Monday evening alone, he had invested 200 billion dollars.

Although he had earned an unbelievable 120 billion dollars in profit in just four days, the old man still wasn't satisfied.

"Chairman, there's an old saying in my country: 'It's better for one giant pumpkin to roll over once than for a tiny acorn to roll ten times.'"

"Ha-ha-ha! What an incredibly accurate saying!"

Chairman Bongard burst into hearty laughter.

After his laughter subsided, I continued.

"Investing in stocks is only the beginning."

"The beginning? What do you mean?"

"You intend to establish a joint investment company together with Korea Investment and Hangang Group."

"Ha-ha, now that I think about it, that's true."

"Then isn't it time for us to discuss creating that investment company?"

"Just a moment. There's still one unfinished matter regarding the profits from the stock investments."

It was as though Chief Secretary Louis Williams had been waiting for exactly that moment.

He immediately opened his briefcase, took out two thick envelopes, and respectfully handed them to Chairman Bongard.

After opening both envelopes and carefully reading their contents, Chairman Bongard handed them to me.

"Chairman, what are these?"

"Chairman Hudson and I promised to give you thirty percent of our investment profits, Chief of Staff Cha."

"I remember. But doesn't it normally take some time before the proceeds from selling shares are actually transferred into a bank account?"

"Chairman Hudson and I are returning to the United States tomorrow. So we decided to hand you your share immediately."

"But you could have simply wired the money to my bank account."

"In our country, private individuals are allowed to issue personal checks. Those envelopes contain checks personally written by Chairman Hudson and me, along with all the documentation the bank requires to cash them."

I nodded in understanding.

Opening the envelope, I took out the checks to verify the amounts.

Chairman Hudson's check was for 6.9 billion dollars.

Chairman Bongard's check, however, was for an astonishing 36 billion dollars.

Faced with that, I couldn't simply remain seated.

I stood up decisively and gave both Chairman Bongard and Chairman Hudson a deep, respectful bow.

"I sincerely thank both of you for your extraordinary generosity."

"Ha-ha-ha!"

Chairman Bongard and Chairman Hudson responded only with cheerful, booming laughter.

***

At that very moment, Kim Mansu, CEO of the trash outlet Today News, was receiving reporter Hong Yeonggi, who had been investigating the incident involving Kim Mansu's nephew, Kim Hyeonwu, at the bar the previous night.

"Hyeonwu, tell me everything again from the beginning. What exactly happened last night?"

"Well... my friends and I were drinking at a bar near Hongdae. We were having a great time when we noticed two guys sitting with this girl wearing an incredibly revealing outfit. Damn, she was unbelievably gorgeous!"

Kim Hyeonwu licked his lips in anticipation before continuing.

"About twenty minutes later, three more foreign girls joined them. You should've seen them—their faces looked like top models, and they were dressed even more provocatively than Korean girls."

"And why was that any of your business?"

"They were obviously dressed like that just to pick up men!"

"...I see. Then what happened?"

"We kept watching them, and one of my buddies suggested we go over and make our move."

"But weren't they already sitting with two men?"

"Come on. How could two weaklings possibly handle four beauties like that?"

"...Go on."

"So we figured we'd make a good impression and sent an expensive imported bottle of liquor to their table. But they shot us down immediately. It was a complete blow to our pride! We kept trying to get their attention afterward, but they totally ignored us."

"And?"

"So we finally lost our patience. We went over to their table, started throwing our weight around, and deliberately picked a fight. Right when our whole group was about to teach them a lesson, these athletic-looking guys suddenly appeared out of nowhere and took us down."

"Who were they? The women's bodyguards?"

Kim Hyeonwu shook his head.

"No. Those guys had already been inside the bar before the foreign women even arrived."

"Fine. What happened after that?"

"They dragged us outside and handed us over to the police. We got taken to the station, questioned for a bit, then released. But..."

Realizing he had reached the most important part, Kim Hyeonwu deliberately paused before continuing dramatically.

"As we were opening the door to leave the station, I overheard some of the cops talking."

"What were they saying?"

"It turns out those foreign women we were hitting on were the daughters of some unbelievably powerful people!"

"Did you hear which family they belonged to?"

Kim Mansu's eyes lit up like a lion spotting fat prey.

"No. We were already walking outside, so I couldn't catch the details."

"Damn it. What a waste."

At that moment, reporter Hong Yeonggi interrupted, clearly eager to show off his own accomplishments.

"Director, there's no need to be disappointed."

"From the way you're talking, it sounds like you've figured out who those women are."

"Heh-heh-heh."

Hong Yeonggi smiled mysteriously before opening a plastic folder and pulling out two glossy photographs.

Handing them to Kim Mansu, he explained.

"The first one was taken by Hyeonwu inside the bar while they were hanging out together. The second was taken when Chairman Bongard and Chairman Hudson arrived at Incheon International Airport..."

"Wait."

Kim Mansu rudely interrupted him.

He stared at both photographs for quite some time before tilting his head.

"Reporter Hong... don't those girls just look like Chairman Bongard's and Chairman Hudson's assistants? Maybe even escorts?"

"I understand why you'd think that, Director. But look more carefully at the handbags those women are carrying."

"What's special about them?"

"They're limited-edition luxury handbags designed by Celine Elina. Each one costs over one hundred million won. Do you really think ordinary assistants or servants could afford bags like that?"

"Hmm... when you put it that way... you're right. Then who are they?"

"I can't say for certain, but there's a very high probability they're Chairman Bongard's direct relatives or granddaughters."

"Oh... I hope that's true!"

Bzzz!

Reporter Hong Yeonggi's phone suddenly began vibrating on the table.

The number was unfamiliar, but his instincts told him it might be a major scoop, so he answered immediately.

"This is reporter Hong Yeonggi from Today News."

"Greetings, Reporter Hong. This is Cha Jiham, Director of the Future Strategy Promotion Department at Korea Investment."

"I'm sorry, but this is actually the first time I've ever heard of a company called Korea Investment."

"Our company is a major venture investment firm located in Euljiro. We work closely with Hangang Electronics, Endivia, Bongard Group..."

"That's right! That company!"

Reporter Hong abruptly interrupted Cha Jiham before springing to his feet.

Completely bewildered, Kim Mansu and Kim Hyeonwu stared at him.

Hong quickly realized his mistake, sat back down, and continued in an exceptionally polite tone.

"Director Cha, please forgive me. I made a terrible mistake. I sincerely apologize for my ignorance."

"It's perfectly fine. If you don't cover business news, there's no reason you should know the details of our investment firm. Don't worry about it."

"Thank you for your understanding. May I ask why you're calling?"

"I've learned that you're currently investigating last night's incident at the nightclub."

"...Could it be..."

The realization struck Hong Yeonggi like lightning, causing him to trail off.

"Exactly. You're thinking in the right direction."

"I knew it... so that's what this is."

"I have a confidential and very profitable proposal regarding this matter. Would you be willing to come to our office so we can discuss it in person?"

"May I bring my company's Director with me?"

"Please tell Director Kim we'd be delighted to receive him as well."

"Excellent. We'll leave immediately."

"When you're close, give me a call. I'll send someone down to the lobby to meet you."

"Understood. We'll be there shortly."

Click.

The moment Hong Yeonggi ended the call, Kim Mansu immediately bombarded him with questions.

"Hong! Well? What happened?"

"Director, those girls Hyeonwu was bothering are almost certainly Chairman Bongard's granddaughters!"

"No way! Are you serious?!"

Kim Mansu's face twisted with wild excitement.

"Think about it. If they were merely assistants, Cha Jiham—the Director at Korea Investment who's overseeing the creation of their joint venture—would never personally step in and deal with the press."

"Wait... did you say Korea Investment?"

"Yes..."

Kim Mansu understood perfectly why Reporter Hong had hesitated.

"Chairman Park Yeongil of Korea Investment is someone so influential that even President Cho Seokchin speaks to him with extreme caution."

"Oh... I see."

"And if Korea Investment is trying to cover up last night's incident at the bar..."

"I came to exactly the same conclusion, Director."

"Heh-heh-heh."

Reporter Hong instantly recognized the greedy smile spreading across his boss's face.

Kim Mansu's plan was incredibly simple.

He intended to demand an astronomical payoff from Korea Investment in exchange for permanently burying the article.

And if Kim Mansu managed to extort such an enormous sum, Hong himself would naturally receive a generous share.

"Director, how much are you planning to demand in exchange for your silence?"

"Hong... you know what the old saying 'the more, the better' means, don't you?"

"Ha-ha! Of course I do, Director."

"We shouldn't keep Director Cha waiting. Let's move!"

***

While Kim Mansu and his lackey hurried toward the meeting, I calmly remained in my office discussing the details with Chief Secretary Kang Inhan and Cho Myeongjeong.

"The police insist that we deal with Kim Mansu and Today News entirely through legal means," Kang Inhan said. "We'd like that ourselves, but pulling it off cleanly won't be easy."

I saw the situation quite differently.

"If we simply change our perspective and reverse our way of thinking, it'll become entirely possible."

"What do you mean?"

"Kim Mansu is the sole owner of Today News. He owns one hundred percent of the company's shares. If we make proper use of that fact, we can legally shut the company down and dissolve it."

"Ah... I think I understand what you mean now, Director Cha."

Buzz. Buzz.

As Chief Secretary Kang nodded in understanding, the phone in my hand vibrated once again.

After glancing at the caller ID, I spoke in a calm, icy voice.

"That's it. Those rats have crawled straight into the tiger's den."

"Ha-ha-ha!"

Kang Inhan and Cho Myeongjeong burst into triumphant laughter before rising from their seats together to welcome the judgment that awaited.