Captain Kang's office.
After wrapping up the eting with the Vice Minister of Finance and the President of KDB at the Korean-style restaurant, I headed to the office with Captain Kang.
"Are you telling you sold an insurance certificate worth over 100 trillion won for just 25 trillion?"
"If the payout had been guaranteed, that policy could've been worth 200 trillion won, not just 100."
"That just doesn't make sense to . Did the governnt pressure you into this? Even under governnt pressure, giving away 75 trillion won just like that? I'm going to start a dia campaign—this can't stand."
Captain Kang was clearly agitated.
Well, from a surface-level standpoint, it did look like a loss of 75 trillion won.
But the insurance policy with Lehman Brothers was on the verge of becoming worthless anyway, so in truth, I'd essentially traded trash for 25 trillion won.
"Don't escalate this. I ca out ahead on this deal. Sure, if KDB actually acquires Lehman Brothers and stabilizes it, the value of that insurance certificate will skyrocket—but even then, it doesn't matter to ."
"Why doesn't it matter?"
"Because I didn't hand over all the certificates. If Lehman gets back on its feet, the ones I've kept will go up in value. So no matter what happens, I win."
"Is that so? Then I'm relieved. If it benefits you, that's all that matters."
Loyalty-wise, no one could match Captain Kang.
That's why I trusted him with my safety—and with so many of my business operations.
"Still, it feels a little empty. The office used to be buzzing, and now it's just you and here."
"Didn't you say Team Leader Han would be returning to Korea soon?"
"He still has a lot of work left in the States, so it won't be anyti soon. A few months, at least. Collecting money is never easy, you know?"
Team Leader Han was handling sothing very important.
Team Leader Han was in the middle of collecting payouts from companies that had signed insurance contracts with SAVE Investnt—at least from the ones that were still capable of paying.
Even just partial payouts ant astronomical sums of money.
That's why I had no choice but to entrust the task to Team Leader Han. Dimon was also assisting him.
"He's out collecting money with Dimon? Then there's nothing to worry about. The guy used to work in the Myeongdong private loan market, after all."
"And Team Leader Han's record is no joke either. He's even collected money from Japanese yakuza-run companies."
The number of companies we'd be able to acquire hinged on how much money Han could bring in.
One U.S. auto company acquisition was already set, but any further acquisitions depended on his ability to recover funds.
"And pretty soon, a major economic crisis is going to hit. You should prepare in advance. We'll have to endure at least two to three difficult years."
"If we need to start cutting staff, I'll make the tough calls right away."
"No need for that. Just maintain your current scale. If you start running at a loss, I'll support you from behind the scenes—so don't worry too much."
"Lately, I've been realizing how grateful I am to have soone to lean on."
The company that Captain Kang ran wasn't designed to make a profit.
Its main purpose was to gather massive amounts of data, so there was no intention of shutting it down just because it wasn't making money.
"It's gotten quite late. I should be heading ho now."
"Allow to drive you. I don't get to see you often, so it'd feel wrong to just send you off like this."
I rode in the car that Captain Kang drove and headed back to the mansion.
When I walked into the house, the chief secretary was waiting for in the living room.
"What brings you here this late, Chief?"
"I was having a conversation with the Chairman, and ti just got away from ."
"Is Grandfather in his room?"
"Yes, the Chairman turned in for the night. It's already late, so I suggest greeting him in the morning."
Was he feeling tired?
He often went to bed earlier than most, so I didn't think too much of it.
But the next morning, sothing felt… off.
"Driver, has Grandfather already left for work?"
"Yes, he left for the office two hours ago."
I had gone to my grandfather's room to greet him, but he was already gone.
He was the epito of a morning person, but this was unusually early—even for him.
Could sothing have happened?
Feeling a bit uneasy, I headed to the office earlier than usual.
I went straight to the chairman's office to see my grandfather, but the chief secretary stopped at the door.
"You can't go in right now. He's in the middle of an important discussion."
"Even I'm not allowed in?"
"I'm sorry."
The chief secretary, who usually spoke gently, now spoke with an unusually firm tone.
Just what on earth was going on?
Confused, I returned to the vice chairman's office, and not long after, the planning director rushed in, clearly in a hurry.
"Vice Chairman! The Chairman has called for an ergency executive eting. He said it'll take place in the main conference room in one hour."
"Is there such an urgent matter that it warrants an ergency executive eting?"
"Not that I know of. The AIG acquisition is a huge event, of course, but not sothing that normally requires this level of urgency."
I couldn't begin to guess what Grandfather was thinking.
If sothing had happened to the company, he definitely would've consulted .
Could the issue lie outside the company?
Pressure from the governnt? A major scandal?
The more I thought about it, the more tangled my thoughts beca.
To clear my head, I arrived early to the conference room and took my seat.
The planning director sat beside , just as perplexed.
anwhile, one by one, the CEOs of our subsidiaries began arriving.
[Vice Chairman! Congratulations! I never imagined you'd bring in a giant like AIG.]
[With you back in the company, Taewoo Group finally feels alive again.]
[You look tired. I know a great traditional dicine clinic—I'll have them prepare a tonic for you.]
The atmosphere was noticeably different than before.
Every subsidiary CEO greeted with a smile.
Of course, many of the people who had opposed in the past had already stepped down, so it wasn't surprising. Still, it felt good to be acknowledged by them.
Just as I finished exchanging greetings, the chief secretary entered with my grandfather.
Grandfather took his seat at the head of the table without hesitation, and the chief secretary officially began the eting.
"Thank you all for attending this sudden executive eting. The agenda for today concerns the retirent of Chairman Kim Tae-jung and the appointnt of a new chairman."
"What are you saying?! Grandfather is retiring?!"
In public settings, I never used the word "Grandfather."
I always addressed him as "Chairman," but without realizing it, the word Grandfather slipped from my lips.
That's how shocking the chief secretary's announcent was—completely unexpected.
"How long do I need to remain in this position? All my peers have already retired and are living comfortably. I'd like to get so rest too."
"Absolutely not. You're still the anchor of Taewoo Group. Especially now that AIG, a major new subsidiary, has been added, we need your leadership more than ever."
"Did I tell you to acquire AIG? Wasn't that a decision you made entirely on your own, without consulting ?"
Was he still upset?
In the Joseon Dynasty, kings often used retirent as a threat to pressure others.
If Grandfather was trying to use this as leverage, I was more than willing to shoulder that burden.
"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
"Tsk! A man who's about to beco chairman shouldn't bow his head so easily. Chief Secretary, continue the eting."
"Chairman Kim Tae-jung wishes for Vice Chairman Kim Min-jae to succeed him. If anyone objects, please speak now."
"I object! I'm not ready yet."
I stood up abruptly and raised my voice.
But neither Grandfather nor the chief secretary spared a glance.
No one else in the room spoke up either, and the conference room fell into silence.
"If there are no objections, the board will vote to promote Vice Chairman Kim Min-jae to Chairman."
"Vice Chairman Kim Min-jae, don't you dare try to play gas with your shareholding. If you do anything shady, I'll never see your face again."
Grandfather's sincerity ca through clearly.
He wasn't angry—he truly wanted to retire.
Had I pushed him too hard?
I had been away in the U.S. for too long…
The days of hiding behind him and reaping the rewards were now over.
"I'll leave it entirely in the hands of the board."
"Of course, I won't be stepping away from the company completely. I'll remain as honorary chairman and oversee our businesses in Vietnam and Southeast Asia."
"You're going to Vietnam again ? Please, consider your age."
"So now that I'm retired, you think I'm just an old man? I can still handle that much. Don't try to stop . I'll be heading to Vietnam as soon as this board eting is over. That's all for today's executive eting."
Grandfather rose from his seat and walked out.
His determined steps made it clear he wasn't accepting further argunts.
The mont he disappeared, the CEOs of the subsidiaries sward around .
[Congratulations, Chairman Kim Min-jae!]
[Congratulations on your appointnt as the new chairman of Taewoo Group!]
"The board vote hasn't concluded yet. It's too soon to be calling Chairman."
That's what I said, but…
There was no chance the board would reject it.
In fact, it was highly likely the decision would be unanimous. My rise to the position of
Chairman of Taewoo Group was only a matter of ti.
"I'll accept the congratulations once the board has officially voted. Director of Planning, may I speak with you privately?"
I left the executive eting with only the Planning Director in tow.
As soon as we reached the Vice Chairman's office, I let out a deep sigh.
"Phew… Did you know anything about this, Director?"
"Not at all. It seems like sothing the Chairman and the Chief Secretary arranged between themselves."
"When do you think the Chairman will convene the board?"
"It could be as soon as tomorrow. You should start preparing now."
Now I understood why Grandfather hadn't wanted to see since yesterday.
He was likely avoiding until the board vote was finalized.
Since my appointnt as Chairman was essentially a foregone conclusion, I had no choice but to start thinking about what ca after.
"Being appointed Chairman at such a young age… There'll be plenty of negative scrutiny."
"I'll work with dia outlets to minimize any critical coverage."
"And until the board eting, I think it's best I don't co to the office. Please process it as vacation leave."
Showing up would only make things more complicated.
But returning to the mansion would only make the awkward atmosphere worse, so I booked a nearby hotel and unpacked my things.
"Might as well get so work done."
When my mind was in turmoil, work was the best dicine.
There was a mountain of work to do to stabilize AIG.
Most importantly, I needed to review detailed information on all AIG employees to determine who would stay—and who would be let go.
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