"Oppa, that... our dad is getting out next month, you know? I want to invite him home..."
After watching me for a long time, she finally spoke with great effort.
"I know. Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Still..."
I playfully ruffled Chaeunji-young's hesitating head.
"Ah!"
"Alright. Do what you want. But I don't want to get involved with Jiyoung's dad. Understand?"
"I know. Thanks, Oppa."
Seeing how much mental distress Chaeunji-young had gone through to tell me, she visibly relaxed.
In the end, Chaeosuhan decided to end it here.
"Do you often meet the other cousins?"
Jiyoung, who was drinking a beverage in front of her, shook her head at my question.
"No, we lost contact. Honestly, our family... is like a kite with its string cut. The maternal side... but not with Jiwon Oppa and Jisu Unni."
Grandfather, apparently angry that Chaeosuhan was involved in the slot machine incident, used all his power to bring down Chaeunji-young's maternal family.
It was a clear example of how far a politician could fall once their political career was over.
"I'm not close to them, so that's fine, but shouldn't it be different for you?"
My mouth felt dry.
I thought it wouldn't help much, but when I heard that Chaejihwan and Chaejisoo had cut off contact with Chaeunji-young, I didn't feel good.
"Well, we weren't really close anyway. It's fine. I just need Oppa."
What could I do with this child who smiled so brightly?
"Do you have anything you want to do?"
"Hmm... I want to be a singer."
"Can you sing well? Being a singer isn't something just anyone can do. Do you just want to try it out?"
"I haven't heard anyone say I can't sing, but Mom is against it."
"If you need help, just let me know. I'll help you."
"Okay, thanks."
After ending the conversation with Chaeunji-young and going back to my room, I casually said to Masukdae.
"Director. I think the pressure on Chaeosuhan can be stopped now. Please contact them."
"Yes, Boss."
"When is Black Bear coming in?"
"Next month, they said they will send staff. They've already set up the company."
"We need to hire staff in Korea too."
"Eric said he'll take care of it. Korean special forces are quite well-known among mercenaries."
"I see."
Eva, despite going through quite a bit of trouble, successfully reached an acquisition agreement with Peregrine on good terms.
β Boss, what about the bonds tied up here?
"Do you have someone to manage Hong Kong?"
β Well... there is someone.
"Just maintain the status quo. You don't need to negotiate with the countries that have the bonds, including Indonesia. You'll be able to collect them in a few years. You just needed the name Peregrine."
β Okay, Boss.
Eva said cheerfully.
Then I'll hire the person who was the head of the risk management team at HSBC. He may not know aggressive investment, but he's excellent at risk management.
"When are you coming to Korea?"
β Next week.
"Real estate acquisition?"
β We've set up a dedicated team and are focusing on buildings that have dropped by more than 50% compared to 1996.
"Buy all the units of Eunmi Apartments without haggling over the price."
β Got it. I've already given the instructions. There's a trend of many large buildings being listed for sale, so we're waiting.
I instructed Eva, who was humming.
"When you come to Korea, you'll need to go all out. You'll have to use the influential figures from the mafia you've recruited. We'll talk more when you get here."
Eva and I ended the call.
Due to the restrictions on foreigners owning real estate, we couldn't make proper purchases yet. So, we had set up a real estate company as a workaround to buy indirectly.
But once the Kim Hak-gwon administration takes over, the real estate market will be fully open, so we just need to hold on a bit longer.
Time passed, and it was the day of the presidential inauguration.
I sat in my room, watching the inauguration ceremony, lost in thought.
The preliminary work to take over the Jungwoo Group was already in the final stages.
β As the Korean economy falls into an unprecedented crisis, Kim Hak-gwon is inaugurated as president...
Behind President Kim Hak-gwon, who was giving his inaugural address in front of the National Assembly, I saw the figure of Han Kyungyeong.
'Sure enough, that guy looks good on camera.'
On the right side, I saw the former presidents.
Kim Hak-gwon, who had reached an agreement on the pardon of the presidents who were detained last year for national unity.
I turned off the TV as the motorcade began after the inauguration ceremony.
I picked up the phone and called Prosecutor General Yun.
"Director, I want you to move immediately tomorrow. Are you all set?"
β Yes, everything is ready. The Central Investigation Division will move in right away. The problem is the president's reaction, but we plan to arrest him immediately. We need to catch Chairman Park Daeho while he's in the country for the inauguration.
Park Daeho, who spends most of the year abroad, had returned for Kim Hak-gwon's inauguration.
"Yes, that's why we set the D-day for the day after the inauguration. Today, all the newspapers will focus on the inauguration. We'll start raising doubts in the morning papers tomorrow. Move into the Jungwoo headquarters in the morning. The warrant will be issued immediately. We've already talked to the court."
β If the warrant comes out on time, we can move in before the rumors spread.
"We need to finish this before the president can properly exercise his authority. He'll probably watch the public reaction for a while."
β Are you getting support from abroad?
"There will be foreign capital talking about hostile takeovers of key Jungwoo Group subsidiaries."
β Got it. I'll call you again tomorrow.
"Understood. Once this is properly wrapped up, I'll send you a gift of seasonal fruits. Give them to your wife."
β Hahaha, she'll love that. I'll hang up now.
As soon as the call with Prosecutor General Yun ended, I dialed another number.
"Chief Justice. It's been a while. How are you?"
β Yes, it's been a while.
It was Chief Justice Oh Jeongseok.
"About what I mentioned last time, it will start tomorrow. Could you please contact the court?"
β Jungwoo Group?
"Yes."
β Got it. I'll give the instructions.
"Thank you. I'll visit you once this is wrapped up. Your role is crucial. We can't hand over Korea's wealth to foreigners, can we? In a few years, you'll be remembered as the one who protected Korea's assets."
β Hahaha.
I couldn't directly move Chief Justice Oh Jeongseok, but the former and current judges under his influence would each secure a position in the various companies to be acquired, including the Jungwoo Group.
After ending the call with Chief Justice Oh Jeongseok, I called Yoon Hyungmin, the CEO of Yoon & Jang.
"Father, it's been a while."
β Muhyuk, is it? It's finally starting tomorrow?
"Yes. Have you talked to Future Investment?"
β The fee will be substantial. Foreign capital is generous.
Yoon Hyungmin laughed on the other end of the line.
"It's just the beginning. We need to handle various lawsuits. Please support Future Investment with all your might."
β Understood. I've set up a dedicated team. They're all our top lawyers. They can drag out even losing cases to buy time.
"Yes, Father. Thank you."
β Jungwoo Group... I'm looking forward to it.
The call with Yoon Hyungmin also ended.
I had mobilized all the connections I could to start a full-scale operation.
It wasn't easy to take over a major Korean company just because you had a lot of money.
Even in my previous life, those speculative funds ultimately had to settle for acquiring a few companies.
But Korea was a country where backdoor methods worked better than straightforward ones. Foreigners wouldn't understand.
Lone Star, which acquired the Foreign Exchange Bank, quickly learned this and hired Koreans to lobby and bribe on all fronts.
However, other hedge funds and investment banks attacked Korea only through legitimate means.
They didn't know Korea, and that was their mistake.
* * *
The next morning after the inauguration, President Kim Hak-gwon issued a search warrant and an emergency arrest warrant for Chairman Park Daeho simultaneously.
The headquarters of the Jungwoo Group, located in front of Seoul Station, fell into chaos due to the people from the prosecution and the National Tax Service.
Chairman Park Daeho, unable to take any action, was taken to the Supreme Prosecutors' Office from his home.
In the interrogation room at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
Chairman Park Daeho, who was brought in without resistance, sat alone with his arms crossed and his legs neatly crossed.
'What's going on all of a sudden?'
The simultaneous search and tax investigation of the Jungwoo Group couldn't have happened without the president's approval.
The three major investigative agencies of the Republic of Korea.
Prosecution, National Tax Service, Board of Audit and Inspection.
'There's no reason for Kim Hak-gwon to do this to me. Who could it be?'
While Park Daeho was pondering, the door to the interrogation room opened.
Park turned his head to look at the door.
"What? Some young punk is coming in? Trying to intimidate me? Forget it, get the head of the Central Investigation Division in here."
A young prosecutor he had never seen before entered.
Park Daeho frowned and shouted, but the young prosecutor sat down in front of him without changing his expression.
"What? Can't you hear me?"
"Sir, the head of the Central Investigation Division is busy. I'm in charge of you. Nice to meet you, I'm Oh Hyunwoo."
Oh Hyunwoo smiled and greeted Park Daeho.
"How long have you been a prosecutor? You look like a rookie."
Despite Park Daeho's continued disrespect and ignoring, Oh Hyunwoo continued to smile.
"Chairman Park Daeho, you are currently under suspicion for fraudulent accounting, embezzlement, fraudulent loans through fraudulent accounting, slush fund creation, and violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act."
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Oh, the Yangbo Group's Chairman Jang is a gentleman. We only found out how corrupt the Jungwoo Group was during the investigation."
While Oh Hyunwoo was joking, Park Daeho's mind was racing.
'It seems they're determined to take me down. Is Kim Hak-gwon trying to kill me?'
Oh Hyunwoo turned on the laptop of Il Sung Electronics in front of him and prepared for the investigation.
"Your name is Park Daeho, right?"
Oh Hyunwoo's question snapped Park Daeho out of his thoughts, and he glared at him as if to kill him.
"Cut it out. Get me a lawyer first. Can I use the phone?"
"The legal team of the Jungwoo Group is in chaos. It's not just you; the entire group, including Jungwoo Corporation, is under tax investigation, and investigators have been dispatched from the prosecution."
"Call Yoon & Jang then."
"Just a moment."
Oh Hyunwoo took out his phone and called Yoon Hyungmin.
"Yes, this is Oh Hyunwoo. Father, Chairman Park Daeho wants to contact Yoon & Jang. I'll put him through."
Oh Hyunwoo calmly handed the phone to Park Daeho.
"This is Yoon Hyungmin, the representative lawyer of Yoon & Jang. Talk to him."
Oh Hyunwoo's words prompted Park Daeho to snatch the phone and speak into it.
"Hey, Yoon. It's Park Daeho from Jungwoo. How are you?"
β Oh, Chairman Park. It's been a while. What's going on? Is it the prosecution?
"Yes, it's urgent. I need your help. I'll pay a hefty fee."
β Hmm...
"Hey, Yoon. If this continues, the country will fall apart. Everyone is losing their minds."
β I'm sorry, Chairman. We have a dedicated case we're handling, and there's a conflict of interest with your case. I don't think we can help you.
Yoon Hyungmin's words seemed to shock Park Daeho, who was silent for a long time.
β I'm sorry, Chairman. I'll contact you later.
"Hey, Yoon..."
The call was cut off.
Park Daeho's face showed a sense of despair.
"Are you done with the call?"
Oh Hyunwoo took back the phone with a smile. Park Daeho glared at him as if to kill him.
"You... Do you know what's going on? Who are you? Who's targeting me?"
"What would a rookie prosecutor like me know? Are you going to wait for the group's legal team, Chairman?"
Seeing Oh Hyunwoo's indifference, Park Daeho gradually realized he couldn't easily get out of this situation.
* * *
β Hey, Muhyuk. The legal team of the Jungwoo Group just rushed over.
"Hyunwoo, you're in charge, right?"
β I wasn't supposed to handle this case, but when the order came from above, I thought something was up. I didn't expect you to be behind it.
"Do it properly. It will be a significant addition to your career. Make sure to catch him firmly so he can't escape."
β Got it. I'll keep you updated.
"Hey, let's get together with the friends and have a drink once this is over."
After ending the call with Oh Hyunwoo, I looked at Eva in front of me and said,
"Start now."
"Okay, Boss."
Eva got up and started making calls.
That evening.
Future Investment's hostile takeover of key Jungwoo Group subsidiaries dominated not only the evening papers but also the first segment of the news broadcasts.
It was the first time after the IMF crisis, and it was happening to one of the top companies in Korea.