Chapter 1564 Challenged (4)

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Jeong Myeong-Cheol?”

Lee Hyeon-Su nodded. “Yes, sir. Him.”

Why was that name being brought up again? Kang Jin-Ho’s head tilting intensified. “Did he do something dumb again?”

Anyone with a functioning brain wouldn’t do that, though?

Besides, even if Jeong Myeong-Cheol did try something, Kang Jin-Ho wouldn’t have gotten angry. Rather, he’d applaud Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s extraordinary willpower instead!

“No, sir. He’s keeping his head down. He’s human, after all. After receiving the lesson of a lifetime, there’s no way he’d be the same man as before. From what I heard, his trauma is so bad that he’s been having trouble living a normal life.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. “I told you to do it in moderation, didn’t I?”

“We were being moderate, sir. We were. The problem is that different people interpret the meaning of doing it in moderation differently.”

“...”

“Besides...” Lee Hyeon-Su casually shrugged. “He’s not the problem this time, sir. No, it’s Chairman Jeong Hong-Geun. He seems quite angry with us.”

“Really? Didn’t you say his family basically has disowned him as their son?”

“...That doesn’t seem to be the case, sir. Well, to be more precise, he was treated like a disowned grandchild. But it seems a disowned grandchild is still a grandchild to Jeong Hong-Geun. He’s throwing an almighty tantrum in Taegwang, according to the reports.”

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head again. “I need details.”

“He’s ordering his people to find the culprits, sir. And they are going around everywhere and asking questions.”

“Mm...”

“Not only are they demanding answers from the law enforcement, but even the politicians, too. They seem to be doing whatever they can to find out about us, sir.”

“I see. So?”

“They must have come across MK’s name by now.”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply. Although the situation wasn’t alarming enough yet, things were still undoubtedly getting slightly annoying, too. “What will they do about it, then?”

“Nothing, sir.” Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled. “We don’t have any relationship with Taegwang, you see? Simply put, our businesses aren’t even remotely connected to each other.”

“That sounds obvious, though?”

“Yes, we might find that Taegwang has been supplying us with some ingredients to our cafe franchise if we dig deeper into our operations. But those can be substituted pretty easily, so they can’t hurt us there.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Good. Which means we’re isolated from them.”

“Sir, it’s because we simply don’t do much despite our company’s size.”

“...”

That assessment kind of stung, didn’t it?

When Kang Jin-Ho made a somewhat unhappy face, Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled again.

“Sir, if Taegwang is serious about hurting us, they should be looking for ways to pressure us from all angles. And then, they will start panicking.”

“Because they can’t find a way?”

“No, sir. Because we don’t have anything.”

“...”

A vein subtly bulged on Kang Jin-Ho’s forehead.

“Aren’t you being unnecessarily critical of your own company?”

“It’s reality, sir. We should acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged.”

Lee Hyeon-Su was technically correct, but... Was Kang Jin-Ho being overly suspicious when he thought he could sense a hint of malice just then?

“Pressure only works on those who wish to achieve something, sir. But we’re not doing anything notable.”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced. “...When you put it that way, we sound like unemployed bums lounging at home.”

“That’s not entirely inaccurate, is it, sir? We’re wasting that pool of talented individuals on something minor, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho almost blurted out, But you called that pool of talented individuals useless and hopeless, didn’t you? Gee whiz. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t get involved in MK’s affairs? Why are you changing your tune now?

“But this is better for us, sir.”

“Mm?”

“Because there’s not a thing they can do, you see? The more they dig, the more flabbergasted they will get.”

“Huh? Will that be okay?”

“Of course,” said Lee Hyeon-Su with a bright grin. “I can’t stop smiling whenever I think about what they are doing and what they will do, sir.”

***

“Say what? There’s nothing we can do?!”

Bak Sang-Wu bowed his head. “Unfortunately, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s complexion grew flushed instantly. “What kind of nonsense is this?! How can there be no way to pressure them?!”

“T-that’s because...”

“Didn’t you say they run a cafe franchise?! What about that?”

“T-they are doing very well. On sales alone, they might reach the number one spot in the cafe sector soon.”

“Don’t we supply something to their franchise, then?”

“Yes, but they amount to nothing more than sundry ingredients. Even if we cut off the supply, they can find other suppliers right away. That will only hurt our own revenue.”

“You said they have a real estate business! And with a cafe franchise like that, they must’ve borrowed heavily from the banks, no!? Summon the bank bosses now! Pressure them to recover their loans from MK! Do I have to tell you something this obvious, too?!”

Bak Sang-Wu cautiously said, “Chairman...”

“What now?!”

“I’ve... personally confirmed it, but...”

Jeong Hong-Geun reflexively clamped his mouth shut after noticing how weirded-out Bak Sang-Wu sounded just then.

“MK... T-they don’t have any liabilities.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“It is as you suspect, sir. They simply don’t have any liabilities. They don’t owe the banks a dime. The entire company... has no debts to service.”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s brows shot up high in shock. “No debts?!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Meaning, they have not borrowed anything from the banks?!”

“That is so.”

“But that makes no sense, so how...”

Jeong Hong-Geun couldn’t finish his sentence from how stunned silly he was.

A corporation that didn’t have any debts to service? That might sound like an indicator of how outstandingly well a company was being managed, at least on the surface. However, when the layers were peeled back, one would realize that thoughtless morons had been in charge, instead!

Anyone with some experience in running a business should know that taking out a loan wasn’t as simple as racking up a debt. For instance, a company could ask for a reduction in taxes by claiming that it needed to repay the loans. And by taking out a loan, a company could pounce on a sure-fire investment opportunity to make even more money.

In other words, reducing one’s debt wasn’t always the smartest move in business. Indeed, it was better to have some liabilities on the books to ensure a smoother overall operation.

So, to hear that MK didn’t have any debt whatsoever?

“Didn’t you say they run a real estate business?”

Bak Sang-Wu grimly nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“T-then, how can they have zero debts? Where did they get all the capital to buy those properties?!”

“Sir. They haven’t purchased any property recently. Their head office was newly constructed, yes, but apparently, they had paid for the construction with cash.”

“What...? They spent their own funds to build their head office in the middle of Gangnam?”

“That is so, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun was rendered speechless for a few seconds from the sheer absurdity of what he heard. After sobering up, he hurriedly asked another question.

“T-then, what about taxes? Have you spoken to the Commissioner of the National Tax Service yet?!”

“I have, sir. And apparently, MK finished paying all the relevant taxes a long time ago. In fact, the national tax service even has a dedicated department for them. He told me that MK is as clean as a whistle, so we shouldn’t even waste our time and energy.”

Bak Sang-Wu was about to explain further, only to stop himself.

“If you unwisely try to dig into that company, something even more troublesome could happen to your company instead, Mister Bak. Things are a bit... sensitive with that company, you see? You should stop before it gets worse.”

What the Commissioner implied was that any attempt to dig into MK’s finances would only lead to Taegwang getting audited instead. Relaying that message to Jeong Hong-Geun would only enrage him even further, however.

“What are you saying, Sang-Wu? That we can’t hurt MK?”

“There’s... a limit to what we can do to a company that’s not doing anything, sir. Honestly, it’s impossible for a company doing business in South Korea to have nearly zero involvement with Taegwang, but they have done the impossible, so...”

Bak Sang-Wu also had not anticipated this turn of events. His original plan was to assemble a deck, then pick the least risky hand to deal with MK. However, as if to mock all his hard work, he couldn’t even secure a single card, to begin with!

He had never encountered a company like this before in his entire life.

Jeong Hong-Geun shouted again. “In that case, find out all the illegal stuff they must be involved in! Shady stuff must be happening on their properties! Like shoddy construction and unacceptable building materials! Or they might be involved in the nighttime entertainment industry! Uncover them all!”

“There are none, sir.”

“W-what was that?”

“None, sir. Their buildings all passed inspection with flying colors. None of it was constructed shoddily. And earlier this year, they either demolished or rebuilt all the buildings suspected of below-standard construction. Worse still, every single business operating in those buildings is clean, sir. It’s as if they were paying close attention to who’s renting space in their properties.”

“...!” Jeong Hong-Geun dazedly stared at Bak Sang-Wu before breaking his silence. “So, what you’re saying is...”

“Yes, sir.”

“Those bastards have not broken a single law, didn’t take shortcuts, paid all their taxes on time, and have no debts to worry about, but still managed to crawl from the bottom to become a mid-sized corporation? Is that it?”

“In summary, yes, sir.”

“Do you honestly expect me to believe that?!”

Bak Sang-Wu 100% agreed with Jeong Hong-Geun’s sentiments, at least on this occasion.

South Korea was a country where a company couldn’t survive unless it took shortcuts somewhere. But a mid-sized corporation somehow didn’t do that? Until it had become powerful enough to threaten a large corporation like Taegwang?

“Okay, so...”

“...”

“O-okay... Mm...”

Jeong Hong-Geun uncharacteristically stammered as if he couldn’t process this unexpected development.

“Are you seriously saying there’s nothing we can do against them?”

“Yes, sir.”

“T-then... How about opening our own franchise near their cafes?”

“It’s not feasible,” said Bak Sang-Wu with a headshake. “Their cafe franchise is doing exceptionally well, sir. If we try to compete haphazardly, our side will be the one paying the cost.”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s complexion grew beet-red in anger as he mouthed a cigarette.

“Damn it... Just how the hell did this happen?!”

“Chairman, this...”

“That’s enough. I already know what you’re going to say, so stop right there.”

“...”

Bak Sang-Wu cautiously clamped his mouth shut. Meanwhile, Jeong Hong-Geun lit up the cigarette and took a deep puff while weighing his options.

So, that’s how you want to play?

Jeong Hong-Geun furrowed his brow. According to Bak Sang-Wu’s report, there was no opening they could exploit. At the very least, there wasn’t much Taegwang could do on its own to pressure MK.

“Sang-Wu, there’s also no opening with their real estate business?”

“We could’ve done something had they owned a substandard building. Or if they had been playing tricks with their taxes, but no, sir. As things stand, our hands are tied.”

“I see. So, we only have the cafe franchise left, then...” Jeong Hong-Geun grunted, then began flipping through the documents detailing MK. “How about their chairman? This Kang Jin-Ho bastard? Can’t we go after him?”

Bak Sang-Wu shook his head again. “His public image is too good, sir.”

“What? Why would his image be good?”

“He was... the individual who got falsely arrested during the prime minister incident.”

“...What did you say?”

“In the scandal involving Prime Minister Kim Myeong-Chan, Kang Jin-Ho was the one who almost got assassinated in China.”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s eyes narrowed as he realized something. “I see now... So, this punk has the administration by the balls.”

“I don’t know that for sure, but regardless of what, his public image is too good, sir. Apparently, the cafe franchise’s revenues shot up when he stepped up as the model during their advertising campaign.”

“Yeah... He sure looks like a gigolo.” Jeong Hong-Geun slowly nodded. “Fine. His image is good. The public likes him, is that it?”

“...? Chairman?”

“His image will be in the pits if the cafe franchise goes under. Yes... Something popularized through public image will quickly turn to nothing if that image gets shattered.”

Bak Sang-Wu tilted his head slightly. “But, sir? That’s not something we can change.”

“Right. But it doesn’t have to be only us.”

“...I beg your pardon?”

Jeong Hong-Geun pushed himself up to his feet. “Call the other members, tell them I want to talk to them.”

“Others? Y-you mean, everyone?”

“No, no. Not everyone. No point in doing that. Just call those who have the voting rights. Tell them there’s something we must do, and that’s why I called for a meeting.”

“...! Could it be?”

Jeong Hong-Geun tutted. “Why the shocked face, Sang-Wu? Crushing an up-and-coming company happens pretty regularly, after all. We are simply adding a new name to the list, that’s all.”

Bak Sang-Wu nodded in silence as cold sweat began caking his forehead.

This method seemed viable. Taegwang alone couldn’t destroy MK’s cafe franchise, but the members... More specifically, the representatives of South Korea’s top ten corporations working together should be more than enough to destroy MK in its entirety.

After all, the combined pressure would be intense enough to sink Taegwang, too.

“Yes... This is how you use your power. No need to fret, Sang-Wu. One week. Just one! And then, that Kang Jin-Ho bastard will be groveling in front of me, sobbing his eyes out!”

“...”

Jeong Hong-Geun shot a sharp glare. “What are you doing, Sang-Wu?!”

“...! Sir! I’ll get on it right away!”

Bak Sang-Wu rushed outside the chairman’s office just as a twisted smirk spread on Jeong Hong-Geun’s face.

“You think you can mess with me in South Korea and get away with it?”

That fool was about to get a lesson in how terrifying wealth and power could be.

Very soon!