Chapter 322

Start (3)

“My name is Park. Whoever, wherever, if anyone messes with our headquarters or research institute, just say I decided it. Don’t bother fighting back or making a fuss. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“The boss is there for a reason. If there’s a fight, I’ll handle it.”

The habit of being a team leader still lingered.

Well, it’s not a bad habit, so the chairman will probably understand.

“I’ll send out a company-wide email. The boss is the shield. If you’re cornered, sell out the department head.”

“Nice.”

Seeing Min Yong-rak chuckle, the reunion felt real.

*

After the meeting, I headed to the Strategic Planning Department with Min Yong-rak.

As the department overseeing headquarters operations and assisting the department head, it was located closest to the department head’s office.

I approached Kim Yi-do, the department head sitting at the head seat, and said,

“Today, go ahead with the company dinner and send the expenses to me. Please pass it on to other departments as well.”

Kim Yi-do grabbed the armrest of his chair and awkwardly stood up, asking,

“Aren’t you joining us, Steve? I was just about to ask about the menu.”

“I’d just make things awkward. I won’t be attending company dinners for a while.”

Go ahead, enjoy yourselves. Complain about the boss over drinks and all that.

Huh? As I turned away, Jin Hyuk paused, then turned back to look at Kim Yi-do.

“Department heads should dine together. Don’t join the regular employees’ dinners. I’ll make sure of it.”

Seeing the youngest employee at the end of the partition smile like a crescent moon, it seemed like a good directive.

*

“Don’t hold the elevator when you leave work. And don’t bother seeing me off.”

It seemed like there were a lot of instructions since it was the first day.

But I decided to take it step by step.

Changing too much at once could lead to trouble.

Generally, SSS employees working in corporations were trained to provide security services. However, elite agents stayed in high-security places like research institutes. And they were the ones who had memorized the VIP list even before Jin Hyuk joined.

As the elevator opened and Jin Hyuk appeared in the first-floor lobby, a senior agent quickly approached.

“I need to check the accommodation.”

“Yes. This way…”

The agent turned from heading toward the main entrance and guided him to the emergency exit in the corner of the lobby.

Opening the emergency exit revealed a staircase.

Following the agent, after walking about 20 meters through the basement corridor, another elevator appeared.

「P, B1, B2, B3」

There were only four buttons.

‘Penthouse?’

It wasn’t hard to guess what P stood for.

Whoosh—

As the elevator started moving, the agent explained,

“If you go to the third basement level, there’s a parking lot passage connected to the training ground. Athlete Jin Seon-kyu also parks there and moves to the training ground. I’ll guide you there separately.”

“Thank you.”

A little over a minute later, we arrived at the top of the 27-story building.

The first thing that caught my eye was a building in the distance, its ivory exterior walls gleaming with polished marble texture.

“This is a place prepared by the chairman.”

“Pretty big for a rooftop room…”

That’s just a house, isn’t it?

“That building is the pilot lounge. Your place is over here.”

Following the agent’s hand, Jin Hyuk turned his gaze to the left, and his jaw dropped.

‘What kind of rooftop room is this…’

A two-story mansion that couldn’t be taken in at a glance sat on the building’s rooftop.

Given the building’s footprint, the rooftop was vast, and in the center was a helipad with a drone quietly sitting.

Surrounding it were lawns and a small pond where koi fish leisurely swam.

‘Why put fish you can’t even eat in there?’

Still, Jang Gun-i would probably like it.

The water was clean, and with no current, even the short-legged Jang Gun-i could hunt easily.

But the interior of the house was even more impressive.

“How many square meters is this? Do you know?”

“I’m no expert, but I believe it’s around 150 square meters.”

“Is there a reason for it to be this big?”

Jin Hyuk closed his eyes and scratched his eyebrow.

The unexpected shock had brought fatigue.

“It’s equipped with sports facilities, a theater, and entertainment facilities. I heard it’s meant for inviting family and friends.”

“You could’ve told me earlier…”

“We agents know it’s the chairman’s only hobby.”

Probably talking about surprise shows.

Nodding naturally at the agent’s words, Jin Hyuk thought about how Hong Ki-jun, who took special care of SSS and nurtured the agents, would understand. Given the nature of SSS, it was basic to keep tabs on key figures.

“Seriously, I don’t even cook at home. What’s all this for?”

Looking around the house, he clicked his tongue.

The in-house cafeteria was well-equipped, so breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night meals, and snacks were all taken care of. Positively, it was the best welfare, but from a cynical view, it could seem like a message to work until you drop.

Anyway.

“It’s bigger than my house.”

They’re not going to charge me rent, are they?

Will they deduct it from my salary?

***

The chairman’s office was usually attended by older executives.

“There’s a growing sentiment among employees that someone so young and inexperienced has been placed in such a position.”

“Our executives probably feel the same. Having someone nearly twenty years younger sitting in the chairman’s seat must be quite irritating.”

“Sir, that’s not what I meant.”

Hong Ki-jun cut off the employees’ complaints at the root.

Occasionally, there were executives who brought up the deprivation felt by other young employees, but age-related attacks were considered attacks on Hong Ki-jun himself and were swiftly countered.

“Appointing him as the ethics committee chairman…”

“The idea is that someone young and untainted by society would be more neutral in value judgments. Being young, we can expect a fair amount of empathy. After all, the ethics committee chairman is a position everyone avoids, isn’t it?”

A position where you have to say unpleasant things, so no one wants it, but they don’t want to see someone else take it either.

Even after clearing out many, there were still executives who hadn’t shaken off their old habits.

“I’ll divide the positions the same way for my daughter and son. Any problems?”

“But the head of the U.S. headquarters isn’t your blood relative…”

“Try saying that in front of the honorary chairman. Ask why he handed the chairman’s seat to a son-in-law who isn’t even blood-related.”

“Ah, I misspoke.”

“Everyone.”

Hong Ki-jun, who had been responding calmly, lowered his voice further.

“I’m still young. I don’t know if I’ll hold this position for another twenty or thirty years. But seeing how you all act, it seems like I’ll have to hold this seat until I die.”

Just forty-four years old.

In his past life, Hong Ki-jun remained vigorous past seventy and held the chairman’s seat until the end.

The executives, who had tightly closed their mouths, let out silent sighs through their noses.

If they couldn’t understand that he was saying he’d be a lifelong dictator and not to argue, it would be better to quit now than be fired later. But the unmatched salary and benefits made it hard to let go.

“There’s something I find regrettable about you seniors.”

The executives’ attention turned, wondering what he meant.

“Whenever a new face comes, you try to control, coax, and pick fights. Wouldn’t it be better to plan collaborations that create synergy? Some of you here even tried to suppress me when I first joined.”

With a smirk, Yoo Jun-sik, the CEO of the electronics division, shrunk his neck.

But Hong Ki-jun, as if not pointing at him, smiled and shook his head.

“Why try to control a new president who’s like a grandchild to you? Do you know what he’ll do in the future? If I were you, I’d ride on that young person’s back. Don’t get upset that someone much younger is standing shoulder to shoulder with you. Channel that energy into something productive and constructive. And I’ll instruct to further activate the ethics reporting channels, so keep your internal affairs in order. The older you get, the more likely you are to make unintended mistakes, right?”

With Son Jin-hyeok as the ethics committee chairman, it was a warning to watch their steps. Sexual harassment, embezzlement, verbal abuse, profanity—there were plenty of cases where heads could roll in an instant.

*

After everyone left, only Hong Ki-jun and Yoo Jun-sik remained.

“Brother-in-law. Can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Hong Ki-jun’s right-hand man, the CEO of the group’s main business.

If it weren’t for Yoo Myung-sun’s system and the engineers Hong Ki-jun brought in, Yoo Jun-sik wouldn’t have dreamed of running on such a successful path.

He had no intention of opposing Hong Ki-jun’s policies.

“That guy’s skills will show over time, so I have no complaints. It’s an investment in the future, and it’s like giving him a hands-on management lesson.”

“But why give him such a high position?”

“Exactly. Even owners of much smaller groups start as employees, don’t they? At least with a bachelor’s or master’s degree.”

“Those guys have shortcomings, so they need to go to college or grad school to learn more, right? Or maybe they need a resume to avoid public criticism.”

“Ah, if you put it that way, it makes sense. But I don’t think we should argue like this among ourselves.”

Their conversation was calm and smooth.

But Yoo Jun-sik still seemed to have doubts.

“That guy’s skills are already well-known. You must know that too.”

“Right. He’s famous… But corporate management is a different matter, isn’t it? It’s a position where you have to push through sales, meetings, and entertaining. I’m worried about that stiff guy.”

His tone was genuinely concerned.

“Culture changes. As times change, salesmen and managers must change too. Didn’t my father entrust me with the helm to prevent the group from sinking in a rapidly changing era?”

“Well… If you say so… I’ll try to change too. But I feel like you’re not telling me something, brother-in-law. Haha.”

Yoo Jun-sik pouted with a disappointed expression.

Seeing that, Hong Ki-jun’s eyes lit up.

“I couldn’t let him be underestimated. I didn’t want him taken away.”

Yoo Jun-sik raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant.

“How many powerful and wealthy people would make advances if he were weak? A soft, fresh-out-of-college guy with money and good looks—how many would try to approach him?”

“He didn’t seem that naive when I met him.”

“Right. He’s solid. But others don’t know that. They only remember him being shy in front of cameras. They’ll bother him.”

“Ah. That makes sense. As a CEO, I wouldn’t have thought of that…”

Finally understanding, Yoo Jun-sik let out a relieved sigh.

“Let’s get up. A fat guy is flying in from New York, and you need to meet him.”

Ah, Richard Hammond. Yoo Jun-sik shook his head and laughed.

“I thought I’d seen it all, but that guy still baffles me. Haha.”

“Haha. He’s just hard to understand with normal thinking. Relax. He’ll give you his liver and gallbladder for some Korean beef.”

“Alright. Let’s go.”

After entrusting the fate of Daejeong Group and Park Woo-jung’s disposition to Jin Hyuk’s will, many things happened.

If recorded, it would fill a book, but to summarize, it was the erosion of Daejeong by foreign capital. Starting with New York’s RB, investment firms that anyone following economic news would recognize acquired large stakes in Daejeong affiliates. Thanks to Hammond’s behind-the-scenes work, small and medium-sized investment firms that trusted Hammond’s skills also followed the trend.

Watching Hammond’s moves, Hong Ki-jun guessed Jin Hyuk’s plan.

A good way to bring down a group. Securing a majority stake in key companies and affiliates at the core of the governance structure, then cashing out and fleeing. Pressuring financial institutions with debt. When big foreign capital pulls out, other big players follow, and eventually, it collapses. A kindergarten-level attack.

But the visible fist is the scariest, and the bigger and heavier the fist, the greater the fear.

The picture of a group desperately defending its stake and winning board trust, only to go bankrupt from over-leveraging, was clear. The fate of a company without government protection in a nation’s collective was that obvious.

Even without Hong Ki-jun’s lecture, anyone who understood the psychology of money and its flow, with that level of ability, could have designed it.

But surprisingly, Jin Hyuk didn’t want to shake the company. It wasn’t because Hammond’s maneuvers were just for show.

– “The employees are innocent.”

Don’t bring down the company.

Hong Ki-jun avoided recalling how much scheming and brain battles happened outside. It wasn’t a heroic tale, nor a pleasant memory. It felt like aging ten times faster.

Shaking his head lightly, the chairman opened the door.

Yoo Jun-sik smiled contentedly at his brother-in-law.

“That American friend, today’s just a simple greeting, right?”

“Yes. It’s not yet time for a board meeting.”

“But, brother-in-law. Can I really become Daejeong’s chairman?”

“You’ll be the chairman.”

With Hong Ki-jun’s reassuring smile, Yoo Jun-sik playfully tilted his head.

Sigh—

“Going from CEO of Sein Electronics to CEO of Daejeong Electronics isn’t exactly a promotion, is it?”

“Hahaha. That’s why you’ll also be the group chairman.”

Make Daejeong a foundation for Hong Soo-hyuk, Hong Ki-jun’s ally.

That was Jin Hyuk’s plan.