The Genius Grandson of the Loan King - Chapter 37 (37/840)
< Servants Overturning the Master's Table >
#37
Servants Overturning the Master's Table?
Song Hyunsu, unable to discern anything from my expression, soon sighed deeply and said,
"Grandfather hasn't been meeting many people lately. But since he meets you often, I was curious about what you talk about. He doesn't give much time to his grandchildren... "
"Is that so?"
He nodded, furrowing his brows slightly as if feeling a bit sorry.
"It seems he was deeply hurt after losing the recent presidential election and has been staying in his study alone unless it's something really important. He only shows his face during meals."
It made sense.
Not knowing what else to say, I put on a similarly regretful expression.
"There wasn't anything special."
Song Hyunsu, not having expected much in the first place, easily accepted it and nodded.
"Is that so? Then it's fine. When are you free? Let's have a drink."
"I'll try to make time as soon as possible."
"Let's meet before I go abroad."
"Sure, then I'll be on my way."
"Alright, you have an appointment, don't you? Go in."
"See you, Hyung."
I left the Song family's mansion and headed to the meeting place.
The meeting place was Yoido again.
More people than usual were out in front of the securities companies in Yoido, and the roads were so congested it was hard to tell if it was a parking lot or a road.
"Phew... It's like a battlefield."
I finally found an empty spot and parked the car, taking a deep breath. I waited for Han Kyungyeol and organized my thoughts.
'How many stocks does Grandfather have?'
Recalling my memories from before the regression, I shook my head.
'If I inherit all of this, I can properly intervene in the Il Sung successor battle.'
At that moment, the passenger door opened with a bang.
"What are you doing?"
Han Kyungyeol climbed in and asked.
"Oh, you're here? It was hectic today, right?"
"Yeah, I thought I was going to die from the crowd before the market opened. A few people even got hurt. It was like a war."
"Hahaha, that's to be expected. How anxious must you be?"
Han Kyungyeol leaned back in his seat, looking exhausted.
"Of course, I would have been holding stocks if you hadn't told me. I would have been in that crowd, trying to sell like everyone else."
"So, what about Il Sung stocks?"
"Wow! Don't even mention it. Starting with Il Sung, Daehyun, Woosung, and Seven, they all plummeted. It didn't matter if they were large companies or not."
"Really? So you bought a lot?"
"Yeah, I used all the money I had. I tried to diversify, but it wasn't as much as I thought."
"Good. I'll give you another 100 billion, so buy more."
Han Kyungyeol's face showed a mix of awe and fatigue as he stuck out his tongue.
"Phew... When I talk to you, 1 billion doesn't even seem like money. You just throw out 100 billion here, 400 billion there?"
I chuckled.
"So, do you dislike it?"
"......When everyone was selling in the afternoon, I was the only one buying. Everyone was wondering what was going on and started to circle around me. But no matter how much I bought, the price didn't budge. 100 billion didn't even make a dent in this market."
I nodded.
At this point, even if we both were selling, throwing in 100 billion wouldn't stop the market from falling.
I had no intention of stopping it anyway.
"Take a few days off after this. Go on a trip or something."
"Ah, what trip? I'm just having fun."
After waiting for the traffic to ease, I slowly drove to Han Kyungyeol's house.
I casually said to him as he was loosening his tie,
"Hyung, start preparing to go to the U.S. as soon as this is over."
"Really? That soon?"
"Yeah. Let's do it quickly. Since I can't go to the U.S. often, I'm really counting on you. Do a good job. Don't let me down. Please."
Seeing my expression, Han Kyungyeol sighed deeply.
It was a sigh of responsibility rather than fatigue or frustration.
"Alright. It seems that if I just follow your instructions, I can at least break even. What do I need to do?"
"Set up the company we talked about last time. It will be an investment company, but we won't accept investments. It will all be my money."
"Okay."
"And... there's a guy named James Han, a Korean-American who's well-known on Wall Street. Start with him..."
I gave him the names of the people to recruit.
I planned to move to the U.S. as soon as the company was set up.
"Once that's done, just wait for me. I'll transfer 400 billion to the company and assign tasks. I'll handle the important investments, but you need to be the core."
"Don't worry."
I patted Han Kyungyeol's shoulder.
"I'll make you ride in a private jet later, so bear with it for a bit."
Han Kyungyeol grinned, imagining the private jet.
"Great! Let's take over the world!"
I smiled at his words.
* * *
The chaos in South Korea subsided faster than expected. The stock market, which had been plummeting, started to rise again, reducing people's anxiety.
However, the Myeongdong loan market was frozen solid.
Grandfather had already settled most of his anonymous accounts, so he didn't suffer significant losses. Unlike before.
On the other hand, other Myeongdong loan sharks were in a panic.
'The Myeongdong bosses are in the same situation.'
The four, or rather, now three, Myeongdong bosses under Grandfather were probably at a loss.
"It's been a while."
I entered the former Hammer's office, where the three bosses were already waiting and stood up to greet me.
"Welcome, young master."
I smiled slightly at their different reaction from before and took the seat of honor.
The bosses remained standing, fidgeting.
"Sit down. My neck hurts."
"Sure."
After confirming they were all seated, I looked at each of their faces for a few seconds.
Kim Hosik, who avoided my gaze, was like a double-edged sword.
Shin Sungil, who bowed his head, was like a bandit.
Noh Eiksun, who didn't avert his eyes, seemed to be trying to maintain his dignity.
Their personalities were evident just from this.
"I wanted to meet with you because, as you know, it's due to the financial real-name system. The Myeongdong loan market is frozen, isn't it?"
As I started, they all looked at me with tense faces.
I smiled calmly.
"Isn't it tough for you, too?"
"No, thanks to Chairman Song, we didn't suffer major losses."
Right, the loans made with Grandfather's money weren't a problem.
But the money they had stashed away would be lost, which must be very painful.
Their efforts to pretend otherwise were both pitiful and amusing.
"Come on, why are you all acting like this? I know you all had a few side businesses behind Chairman Song's back."
My direct words left them speechless.
"I came here alone without Mr. Ha to have an open conversation with you. I understand you. It's natural to get a little dirty when handling money. But now that you're about to lose all the money you worked hard for, you must be upset, right?"
The two bosses, excluding Shin, looked uncomfortable.
From their expressions, I realized Shin Sungil didn't have any side businesses.
The oldest, Noh Eiksun, took the lead and spoke.
"Do we really need to talk about this now, when we're already stressed about the financial real-name system?"
Kim Hosik nodded slightly in agreement.
I smiled inwardly.
"Noh, I'm not here to blame you. If I wanted to, I wouldn't have come alone. You all know what happened to Hammer, right?"
At the mention of Hammer, their eyes trembled with clear fear.
"......Are you threatening us?"
"Threatening? If I wanted to threaten, it would be easier to go after each of you individually."
Noh Eiksun, who had been sharp, backed down at my counter-question.
"I don't understand why the atmosphere keeps getting strange. I'm here to give you a choice."
"A choice?"
"Yes, a choice. Whether to follow my uncle or me."
As I brought up the succession issue, their expressions changed.
Shin, however, showed no interest.
"What do we gain by choosing you?"
Noh Eiksun continued to lead the conversation.
I decided to cut it off here.
"Noh, if you think I can't succeed Grandfather and that I'm not here to give you a choice, then leave now. I'm here to give you an opportunity, not to force a choice. Do you understand?"
They looked at each other.
Shin Sungil was the first to speak.
"Then I'll leave. If I follow the person Chairman Song designates as his successor, it's less stressful. Can I go, young master?"
I nodded.
"Sure. You won't face any disadvantages. Go ahead."
Shin bowed and left, and Noh Eiksun and Kim Hosik looked at him in surprise.
He bowed to me and left the office.
'This loyal person to Grandfather, why did he betray me? I can't figure out the reason, even though I was designated as the successor.'
I couldn't understand, but I decided to meet with Shin Sungil separately later.
For now, I focused on the other two.
"What about the two of you?"
They didn't answer immediately and thought for a long time.
I crossed my arms and leaned back on the sofa, waiting.
"......Even though we work under Chairman Song, we've been through the Myeongdong market. Without our support, it won't be easy, right?"
After a long deliberation, they made a bad move.
These guys didn't understand what I was saying.
"Kim, do you think the same?"
"Yes."
Oh, you two are planning to team up?
I removed the smile that had been on my face out of habit.
As the atmosphere grew tense, they froze like frogs in front of a snake.
"......Why do you always try to climb when I speak nicely? Kim, Noh. What do you think you can do to influence who Chairman Song chooses? Why do you keep trying to overturn the master's table?"
Their faces turned pale.
"I told you before. Act like a servant if you're a servant. I can overlook you making a little extra money, but sitting at the same table as the master is not acceptable."
"Isn't that a bit harsh?"
Noh Eiksun, whose face was turning red, spat out.
But that was the end of it.
"Noh, do you need to taste it to know if it's shit or soy sauce? What did your uncle offer you? Did he promise to make you independent?"
Noh Eiksun flinched at the word "independence."
"Is independence given by someone else really independence? If you don't stand on your own, you'll end up the same."
I continued, not hiding my sneer.
"Let's say you support Mr. Cheon and push me out, and Mr. Cheon succeeds Grandfather. Even if it's a one in ten thousand chance, let's say it happens. Do you think Mr. Cheon will let you live independently and prosper? Do you think he'll let the people who overturned the master's table go unpunished?"
Noh Eiksun's face was red, but he couldn't answer. I turned to Kim Hosik.
"Double-edged sword, do you think the same? Didn't I explain it clearly before?"
"......"
"Just take what I offer. At least I won't treat you like my uncle did. No, I'll bring you out into the light and make your children proud."
Kim Hosik reacted to my words.
"Into the light?"
"How long do you plan to live off usury? You need to come out into the light and run a legitimate business. I plan to make that happen. As a proper loan company, charging the legal interest rate."
"Then it won't be usury anymore."
I looked at the hesitant Kim with disdain.
"That's something only neighborhood kids do. You need to be proper business owners. Don't you agree?"
"......Is there a way?"
I smiled crookedly and held up my fingers.
"Exactly five years. Just endure for five years. Then you can come out into the light. That's what I can promise. You don't believe in promises of independence, do you?"
Seeing their silence, I stood up.
"Think about it and get back to me. You can also tell Mr. Cheon. We won't be meeting like this again."
As I was about to leave the office, Noh Eiksun called out to me.
"Young master, can you really bring us into the light?"