Chapter 1562 Challenged (2)

“I want you to utilize every resource at our disposal to find out who did this, Bak Sang-Wu!”

Executive Director Bak Sang-Wu cautiously looked up to study Jeong Hong-Geun’s expression. When he saw how Jeong Hong-Geun’s lips were tightly shut in sheer obstinacy, he knew it’d be pointless to offer his opinion on this matter.

As befitting a man who had been serving the chairman of the Taegwang Group for a very long time, one glance at Jeong Hong-Geun’s expression was enough for Bak Sang-Wu to figure out his boss’s mood.

Despite knowing that, however...

“Chairman, sir.”

As a salaryman, there were times when one must question his boss even if that was not the smartest idea in the world.

“How about letting it go, just this once?”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s expression crumpled even more. “Sang-Wu...”

“Yes, sir.”

“Did you forget what I’m like? Is that why you said that to me?”

“No, sir. Definitely not. I’m fully aware of how concerned you are about this matter.”

“You do? Then how dare you say that to me!”

“There’s something off about this matter, sir. I can feel it.”

“Feel it?! Feel what! My foot?!” Jeong Hong roared angrily. “When was the last time you felt good about something we were about to do? Because I don’t remember you ever saying that!”

“Chairman...” Bak Sang-Wu sighed deeply. “Sir, you’ve still kept me around all these years because you believed I offered you sound counsel.”

“Tsk...”

Jeong Hong-Geun stopped complaining as a sign of his acknowledgment. But he still didn’t forget to tut audibly.

“Sir, since the Prosecutor General went to such great lengths to dissuade you, this matter must be incredibly dangerous. If our enemy this time was someone only moderately powerful, the Prosecutor General could have told us who it was and recommended us to work out a deal.”

“How the hell does that even make sense?!” Jeong Hong-Geun growled, his expression getting obstinate again. “Just who am I?! And about you?!”

“...Sir, you’re the Taegwang Group’s chairman.”

“You think I don’t have a plan here? Of course I know what I’m doing, okay?! But who in this country has the power to destroy Taegwang one-sidedly? Who!”

Bak Sang-Wu sighed deeply again.

It wasn’t as if Jeong Hong-Geun’s reasoning was faulty. In the current era, it was practically impossible to utterly destroy a large corporation.

With how fast information traveled in this day and age, the public wouldn’t accept a powerful figure destroying a private company and then offering some kind of excuse after the fact. Such a thing only worked during the military dictatorship in the past, but not anymore.

That was because information on the company’s finances or even its business operations was easily accessible by the public as long as they knew where to look.

Even a small company would be difficult to destroy these days without drawing too much attention, so could anyone realistically sink a corporation as huge as Taegwang?

No, that’s utterly impossible!

Even if the President of the country himself had stepped in personally, he’d have to bear the immense political burden. As a matter of fact, he’d even risk impeachment unless he provided an adequate justification.

With such risks to bear, who would dare target Taegwang in this day and age? That was realistically impossible. Jeong Hong-Geun knew this, and that was why he could behave this forthrightly.

Bak Sang-Wu cautiously spoke, “Even so, sir. There must be a reason why the Prosecutor General has said all those things to you.”

“What, him?! What would a measly little prosecutor know, anyway?”

“Sir...”

Jeong Hong-Geun scoffed derisively.

“Do you know what kind of bastards these prosecutors are? Morons who think having power means everything in this world, okay! Makes sense, because their heads will roll with a single finger flick of their higher-ups, after all. Also, all the famous chairmen have been wheeling themselves into the national prosecutor’s office in wheelchairs just to kiss their asses, so they probably take us chaebols for granted, too!”

“...”

“What do they know, anyway?! Those morons think their little world is all that matters, after all! And that’s why they can run their mouths off like that. Don’t waste your breath worrying about them, Sang-Wu.”

“But, sir...”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s expression distorted, his voice getting louder. “Executive Director Bak!”

“Yes, chairman!”

“Are you planning to anger me? Is that it?”

Bak Sang-Wu clamped his mouth shut. He could spy vivid hints of rage in Jeong Hong-Geun’s eyes. Pushing his luck any further than this could get dangerous for him.

The Taegwang Group chairman surely wouldn’t cast him aside forever, but he might get demoted and transferred out of the HQ for a while.

“Look, Sang-Wu. I wouldn’t be like this if this incident had been something ordinary. However, don’t you still get it?”

“Sir? I don’t follow...?”

“Those bastards knew! They knew they would be messing with our Jeong family! And they have already bribed all the relevant parties ahead of time!”

Bak Sang-Wu frowned slightly. “Yes, that is true. But why would that be an issue...?”

“You still don’t get it? They attacked us fully knowing who we are!”

Bak Sang-Wu’s eyes quaked just then.

“Those bastards still harmed Myeong-Cheol, knowing he’s my grandson! And they also knew I’d get pissed off and come after them, so they paid the prosecutors off ahead of time, too! What else could this be other than to mess with me?! Me!”

Jeong Hong-Geun finally erupted in volcanic rage while slapping the table.

“This wouldn’t have happened unless they saw me as a goddamn pushover! I’m Jeong Hong-Geun, goddamn it! Do you really think this matter only concerned Myeong-Cheol and nobody else?!”

Bak Sang-Wu squeezed his eyes shut. Now that Jeong Hong-Geun had said it out loud, this matter could no longer be defined as Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s private matter. No, this was a provocation. A challenge to Taegwang and Jeong Hong-Geun!

“That’s why! I need to see the smug faces of those bastards! How dare they spit on our honor and do this to us?!”

“Chairman, sir... This event might balloon into something we might not be able to handle.”

“You think there’s something in this country that I can’t handle?!”

“...”

Jeong Hong-Geun roared even louder than before. “Don’t make me laugh! Just who do you think I am?! Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody! Nobody can belittle me in this country and get away with it! Not even the goddamn President can do that! Find them! Use everything this company has and find those bastards! Do you hear me?!”

In the end, Bak Sang-Wu had no choice but to nod. “Understood, sir. I shall follow your orders and find out who dared to harm President Jeong Myeong-Cheol.”

Jeong Hong-Geun coldly said, “Sang-Wu... Executive Director Bak.”

“Yes, chairman.”

“When humans get older, we naturally become worrywarts and more cowardly. You and I? We’re both getting on in years. Don’t forget that.”

“Of course, sir.”

“If old farts like us want to act like youngsters again, there can be only one way. Even if things get scary, you gather your strength in your gut and stand tall. That’s it. As if you’re not scared anymore. However, if you can’t even do that? You should buzz off, then!”

“...Indeed, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun glared coldly at Bak Sang-Wu in silence for a while before resuming his lecture.

“Listen. My intention isn’t to chastise you.”

“Yes, I’m aware, sir.”

“All I’m saying is that you and I are the same. Whether it’s you or me, we will be forced to step back once we let fear get the better of us.

“What do we have left to show for at our age, Sang-Wu? It’s not like our brains are as sharp as a youngster’s, anyway. And we can’t even respond quickly and smartly, either. All we have now are our life experiences and guts, okay? That’s all!”

“Chairman, sir. You’re correct.”

Bak Sang-Wu wasn’t paying lip service here. He genuinely believed Jeong Hong-Geun was right.

Whether it was him or Jeong Hong-Geun, they simply could not hope to match the youngsters. Even then, they had to do the impossible in order to keep their heads held high as the chairman and executive director of this company.

“Back off once, even by one step, and we’ll be finished. It’ll be over for us! Because that will set a precedent, and us backing off will become the norm instead! Do you really think we’re dealing with something minor here?!”

“No, sir.”

“This is a direct challenge to Taegwang. They are challenging me. Me! Imagine what people will say if the rumors of me letting this one go spread around. The entire business world will think I’ve lost my touch and bare their fangs at me! Don’t you get that?!”

“I... understand, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun glared at Bak Sang-Wu in obvious dissatisfaction before groaning softly. “Look, I get that a man must know when to back off and when to stand his ground. If this matter really was something I should concede, I would have. Hell, I would have kowtowed on the ground, too. What I’m trying to say is that this isn’t as simple as an old fart trying to cling to his pride.”

“I know that, sir.”

“Good. Now go. Find out who it was.”

“Yes, sir. Please excuse me.”

Bak Sang-Wu got up, then bowed deeply toward Jeong Hong-Geun before exiting the chairman’s office.

He closed the door behind him, then leaned against it, his eyes squeezed shut. A lengthy groan escaped his lips.

This still feels off.

What Jeong Hong-Geun said wasn’t wrong. No, logically speaking, his opinion was the correct one. Despite knowing this, Bak Sang-Wu still couldn’t get rid of this sickly sticky feeling clinging obstinately to his ankles.

Damn it. No matter how much I think about it, I still feel uneasy about this.

If someone asked him why he was so anxious about this matter, he wouldn’t know what to say. But the way things were unfolding felt abnormal to him.

Chairman Jeong Hong-Geun called the Prosecutor General a moron and whatnot, but the truth was...

How can a naïve fool who doesn’t understand the way of the world climb to the position of our country’s Prosecutor General, sir?

Prosecutors feared the political sphere far more than the business sector. That much was true. But it was also true that they didn’t hesitate to join forces with the merchants to attack politicians if the situation called for it.

The more Bak Sang-Wu thought about it, the worse this matter seemed to him.

The directors, who had been on standby in front of the chairman’s office after receiving the news of Bak Sang-Wu being summoned here, began urging him to spill the beans.

“What happened in there, sir?”

Bak Sang-Wu glanced at the directors. “The chairman wishes for us to investigate and find the culprits.”

“Culprits... As in, those involved in President Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s matter?”

“That’s right.”

“But the entire company getting involved in such a matter is a bit...”

Bak Sang-Wu furrowed his brow. “Such a matter?! How dare you diminish the severity of this incident that way? When you know the chairman’s grandson is the victim?!”

“M-my apologies, sir!”

“Watch your mouth. Do not forget where you are!”

The directors all shrank back when Bak Sang-Wu growled at them in a hushed voice.

“Don’t argue and do as you’re told.”

“Understood. Should we get in touch with our contacts?”

“Yeah. For now, call in all the favors we have. Someone in the police and the prosecutors must be involved, so make them talk.”

“As for the operational funds...?”

“Let me know who and what the contacts are. You’ll get all the support you need. So don’t hold back and disturb every bush you know. And also... This matter seems connected to the political sphere, too. Speak to the politicians you are in contact with.”

“Understood. But the ruling party might play hard to get.”

“Nothing in life is easy, gentlemen.” Bak Sang-Wu shot an icy glare at the directors, prompting them to lower their heads. “You’re all salarymen, so it’s time to earn your keep. You should be ashamed of receiving so much money every month if you can’t even handle something like this!”

“...That’s true, sir.”

“Now, get a move on!”

“Yes, sir!”

The directors hurriedly scattered. Bak Sang-Wu groaned at this sight.

The only place he could question Chairman Jeong Hong-Geun’s decision was inside the chairman’s office. Once that decision left the office, it’d become the law of this company.

That was the ironclad rule of Taegwang and the reason why a company with so many employees could move as one living entity. Even if the decision was wrong, it was still better for the entire company to act as one rather than breaking apart into pieces.

At least, that has been the case until now. Until now...

However, Bak Sang-Wu couldn’t get rid of this doubt mushrooming in his heart.

Is this really the right way, I wonder?

What if this “entire company as one” philosophy was applied to the worst-case scenario? Wouldn’t that produce the outcome of the company falling into the pits of hell, instead?

“...No, that won’t happen.”

Bak Sang-Wu shook his head. Maybe one day, his imagination might come true, but not today. It must not be today.

Taegwang won’t crumble that easily.

This company had survived countless crises to get this far. And Bak Sang-Wu devoted his entire life to bringing prosperity to this place. Such a massive company surely couldn’t fall because of an incident like this.

It didn’t matter who the culprit was as they would also experience great difficulty fighting against Taegwang.

Besides, even if another crisis unfolded because of this incident...

Bak Sang-Wu glanced at the firmly shut doorway to the chairman’s office.

It might become the catalyst that finally encourages the chairman to take a step back.

They were already riding the proverbial tiger, weren’t they? Bak Sang-Wu massaged his temples while heading toward the elevator.

...While praying that everything would work out favorably for them.