Chapter 207: You Should Experience It Too (1)

For a while, Kang Do-yun collapsed on the floor, unable to move. The bank president’s office was still wide and quiet. But it was no longer his space. With difficulty, he raised himself and sat in the chair.

He picked up the phone. After turning on the screen, he stared blankly at it for a long time before setting it down again. Now, there was no one left who would call him, and no one left who would take his calls.

A moment later, footsteps sounded outside the door.

It was an employee from the bank headquarters management office.

“Bank President—no, Mr. Kang Do-yun now! Please return your access card.”

That one sentence was the end of it. Without a word, Kang Do-yun took the access card from his wallet and placed it on the desk. The employee snatched it up as if seizing it, then left the bank president’s office.

Kang Do-yun said in a voice drained of all strength,

“It really is over now.”

At the same time, a notice arrived in the inboxes of all Woojin Bank employees.

[Internal Notice]

As of today, Bank President Kang Do-yun’s duties have been suspended, and Vice President Heo Sang-gyu has been appointed Acting Bank President and next Bank President.

About an hour later, a dais was set up in the executive conference room.

Heo Sang-gyu stood before the dais. He was a man who had cut his teeth over decades in banking, but today, he looked especially firm.

“As of today, I will be taking charge of Woojin Bank.”

He paused for a moment. There was no emotion in his gaze as it slowly swept over the conference room. When he opened his mouth again, his composed voice continued.

“Woojin Bank is now in crisis. We have no time for excuses, nor any room to postpone responsibility. The judgments of the past created today.”

He drew in a short breath, then continued.

“I, too, bear responsibility for those judgments.”

The air in the conference room grew heavy. Heo Sang-gyu’s resolute voice rang throughout the room.

“I will no longer delay. Woojin Bank must no longer be a bank that merely survives. It must become a bank that is trusted again.”

Applause broke out. It felt as though the anxiety that had been building until now had been swept away in an instant.

After the brief greeting in the conference room, the meeting continued. Time passed, and once the meeting ended, Heo Sang-gyu got into the elevator alone.

As the doors closed and the elevator began moving, one person’s face came to mind.

Lim Hyunjun.

He remembered what Hyunjun had said before leaving the bank after the meeting that morning. Before getting into the car, Hyunjun had told Heo Sang-gyu,

“I am entrusting you with the bank president position because you know the working-level operations better than anyone.”

Just as Heo Sang-gyu was about to feel relieved, he felt Hyunjun’s piercing gaze.

“But I do not think you are free of responsibility for the Woojin Bank situation either.”

At those words, Heo Sang-gyu could not say anything.

“Because you were also one of the people in charge until this bank reached this point.”

Silence passed between them. Hyunjun’s final words drove themselves into his chest.

“I will be watching from now on. This time, truly take responsibility until the end.”

He was a young boy, but at that moment, as the representative of a company, he looked larger than anyone. Heo Sang-gyu vowed inwardly.

‘This time, I won’t run away. I’ll stake everything I have on saving Woojin Bank.’

The elevator doors opened. His confident steps continued forward.

***

Late afternoon, HJ Partners.

Hyunjun sat in his office and turned on his tablet screen. An article appeared on the screen.

[New Woojin Bank President Heo Sang-gyu. “I will take responsibility for the judgments of the past and pour all capabilities into restoring trust.”]

Hyunjun watched the video expressionlessly, then slowly swiped the tablet screen with his finger. Woojin Bank’s normalization schedule, the financial market’s response, and Daehan Group.

A faint smile brushed Hyunjun’s lips.

‘Chairman Nam, how does it feel to be properly stabbed in the back?’

Woojin Bank had entered the recovery phase. Then the next turn was clear. Hyunjun leaned back in his chair and looked out the window.

Daehan Group.

His gaze sank coldly. He closed his eyes for a moment. A face naturally came to mind.

Nam Kun-ho.

A man who had lived under the name Daehan. A man who had been born with money by his side. A man whose pockets had probably never once been empty.

‘That man has probably never felt helpless because he had no money.’

A bitter look brushed Hyunjun’s lips. He turned his head toward the window and quietly sank into thought.

The moment ordinary people all experienced, when even checking their balance became frightening. The time when they had to give up today while calculating tomorrow.

There were things one only came to understand after going through such things.

That money was not simply a number.

It seized a person’s dignity and choices at the same time, then shook them.

Hyunjun suddenly recalled an old memory.

The days when he had no money. How miserable a person could become when cornered. And even what choices that misery could eventually lead to. He let out a sigh.

‘When people have no money… they fall far lower than they think.’

Bitterness briefly passed over him without his realizing it. But only for that moment.

Hyunjun checked the tablet screen again. There, Woojin Bank’s normalization roadmap appeared in order.

Capital expansion. Asset separation. Liquidity management. His finger stopped on one item among them.

[Full Review of Joint Guarantee Structure]

Hyunjun stared quietly at that phrase.

The countless affiliate guarantees tangled with Woojin Bank. A structure that had endured by propping each other up. And at the center of it was the name Daehan Group.

“Now, you will start running out of room.”

He turned the screen.

External accounting audit. Credit rating recalculation. Guarantee risk reassessment.

Everything was written as if it were a natural sequence. Under the justification of normalizing Woojin Bank, no one could look the other way anymore.

Hyunjun placed the tablet on the desk and quietly muttered,

“Shouldn’t you experience something like this at least once too?”

The fear when money was cut off.

The anxiety when options disappeared. And the weight of money that one only came to understand then. His gaze turned cold and precise.

Around the time Hyunjun was thinking that,

At Daehan Group headquarters as well, executives in charge of finance from the major affiliates had gathered and filled the grand conference room.

The air had sunk heavier than before. Some repeatedly drank water as if their throats were dry, while others simply looked down at their laptop screens and kept letting out deep sighs.

The door opened, and Chairman Nam Kun-ho entered. As soon as he sat down, he swept his eyes around the conference room.

“Did none of you eat?”

“No, Chairman!”

They answered in crisp, booming voices.

“Good. Enough greetings. Report the situation first.”

At those words, the atmosphere in the conference room stiffened further. The financial executive in charge at Daehan Finance opened his mouth first.

“As you know, Chairman Woojin Bank has begun managing the existing credit limits. All new disbursements are currently on hold.”

An executive from Daehan Construction continued.

“Project financing is also an issue. As the guarantee structure has been put up for review, financial institutions are conducting their screenings again.”

The executive in charge of Daehan Oil looked pale.

“The crude oil settlement line is also under pressure. Short-term working capital turnover is no longer running as smoothly as before.”

As the reports continued, the air in the conference room grew increasingly suffocating. The shared conclusion was one thing. Their funding was being blocked. And far faster than expected.

Nam Kun-ho sat in his seat and quietly listened before letting out a low laugh. The sound of that laugh was enough to make those who heard it shudder. He spoke in a low voice.

“You did not even expect that much?”

At those words, everyone’s gaze turned toward Nam Kun-ho.

“This is not the first time, is it? We have the joint guarantee structure!”

He lifted his arm and gestured in the air.

“Have the affiliates guarantee each other and work the funds around. You all know how to do that. How many times have we done this?”

“Yes, sir.”

It was a short answer, but its weight was not light at all.

It was the method Daehan Group had used every time its funding lines were blocked.

When one affiliate borrowed money from a bank, another affiliate guaranteed it. On the surface, it looked as though each company was borrowing separately, but the reality was different.

The entire group moved like one wallet.

When Daehan Construction needed project funding, Daehan Finance provided a guarantee, and when Daehan Oil was suffocating over crude oil settlement, Daehan Telecom added its credit.

The side with the funding room lent its credit, and the side in urgent need used it. From the bank’s position, this was not bad either.

The giant group tied together under one name, Daehan.

The calculation was that even if one part shook, another part would fill the gap. That was why it had worked until now.

When one affiliate staggered, another supported it, and like that, they had endured by holding one another up.

To Nam Kun-ho, this was not a particularly serious risk. He had already done it several times before.

Every time there had been a crisis, they had overcome it this way. That was why he acted as if it were only natural even now.

“This is hardly our first time doing this. Let’s make it easy!”

There was ease in his voice.

Several executives agreed with the opinion Chairman Nam Kun-ho had put forward.

“We will proceed immediately.”

“That’s right. Everyone, keep your wits about you!”

“Yes, sir!”

With a booming answer, the meeting ended faster than expected. On the surface, it was an extremely simple and calm conclusion. At least Nam Kun-ho’s expression did not look uneasy.

But the next day, the situation changed abruptly.

The person in charge at Daehan Finance rushed to the chairman’s office. Perhaps because he had run there in a hurry, he looked short of breath.

“Chairman, we have a problem.”

Nam Kun-ho frowned.

“What problem?”

“We received contact from the other banks. They say they cannot execute new loans under Daehan Group’s name.”

At those words, Nam Kun-ho’s expression stiffened at once.

“What kind of bullshit is that! I told you to put up joint guarantees too.”

The person in charge swallowed dryly and continued.

“As Woojin Bank has taken on the role of control tower for the lender group… they say they have begun reviewing the possibility of covenant violations.”

Nam Kun-ho’s expression hardened further.

“Then what about the existing loans?”

The person in charge could not continue and hesitated. Then he squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.

“They have demanded changes to the terms. Some are even requesting early repayment.”

The air in the chairman’s office froze in an instant. His face hardened further, as if he could not believe it.

“They dare say that to us! Damn useless idiots. That is why I said we would provide joint guarantees.”

“That… they say they are viewing the joint guarantee structure itself as a risk. The more guarantees there are, the more dangerous it is….”

“Get out. I said get out!”

The person in charge placed the documents on the desk and hurried away. When the door to the chairman’s office closed, Nam Kun-ho realized it at that moment.

This was not simply a problem with the banks.

Someone was arranging the board.

And on that board, Daehan Group was gradually losing its place to stand.

Nam Kun-ho’s hand slowly clenched into a fist on the table.

“…Lim Hyunjun! Lim Hyunjun, that bastard….”

He shouted, full of rage, but it only felt as though his chest were burning. No matter how much he shouted, his anger did not settle.

Nam Kun-ho rose from his seat just like that. The chair slid backward, and the sound of it scraping against the floor rang through the chairman’s office.

“…Damn it.”