Chapter 1568 Scolding (3)

Kang Jin-Ho incredulously asked, “Do what, Chairman?”

“I’m talking about the company, man! Jaegyeong!”

“You want me... to take over?”

“Why the sudden idiot act, Jin-Ho?” Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted before pointing at Lee Hyeon-Su. “You think I was talking about handing the company over to this idiot?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smiled radiantly just then. “I wasn’t hoping for such an opportunity, but I would gratefully accept, sir.”

“Can it, you petty thief-like bastard.”

“Your... insults are also on a chairman-worthy level, sir.”

Lee Hyeon-Su would’ve much preferred if the insults were more straightforward in nature. How could Hwang Jeong-Hu be so good at finding the most hurtful things to say to a person?

While looking dismayed, Kang Jin-Ho replied, “Why would I do that?”

“Huh? Huhuhuh... What a weird man you are. The first thing you say to the offer of acquiring Jaegyeong is ‘why’? What’s the matter with you?”

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Hwang Jeong-Hu, his expression conveying how confused he was.

In the modern era, a chairperson wasn’t necessarily the true “owner” of a corporation. They weren’t always the holders of the most shares of their corporation, after all, and it also depended on the governance structure.

“Chairman, your estate will be passed down to your children, so how would I even take over Jaegyeong?”

“And why would my kids receive my estate?”

“...I’m sorry?”

Hwang Jeong-Hu loudly tutted. “Would I have kicked them out if that was my plan all along? I don’t do things in half measures, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned and tilted his head. “I don’t think you’ve measured anything in the first place, though...?”

“What was that?!” Hwang Jeong-Hu yelled unhappily. “Besides! Your kids automatically inheriting your estate is an antiquated idea, anyway! It’s not as if they’ll starve to death without my money, okay? Why would I give them everything to my name?! When I earned it with my two hands!”

“I... Yes, you’re right. You do what you want, chairman.”

Kang Jin-Ho had oh-so many things he’d love to get off his chest, but his instincts told him that no amount of persuasion would work on Hwang Jeong-Hu.

In matters like this, Hwang Jeong-Hu was basically like an impregnable fortress constructed out of mythical metal. Such was its toughness that not even the one and only Kang Jin-Ho would dare try his luck with it.

“That’s why! You should take over, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed. “...You still haven’t told me why I should, though?”

“Because there’s no one else!”

“But what about your children?!”

“I’m telling you, I ain’t gonna give it to them! That’s why you must take over!”

“Just how did your thinking process jump from here to there?!”

Kang Jin-Ho simply couldn’t comprehend it and stared at Hwang Jeong-Hu in sheer flabbergast. However, he soon realized that this approach would get them nowhere and searched for a new direction to tackle this matter.

“Chairman, let’s be honest here. Do you think I’ll be able to run Jaegyeong?”

“Of course. Why? You think I’d dump my baby on an idiot who’d ruin it in no time at all?”

“I simply don’t have the abilities to do this.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu cackled, then glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su next. “Hey, what do you think? Do you think your boss isn’t good enough to manage Jaegyeong?”

Lee Hyeon-Su gently smiled. “In my earnest opinion, I believe the Assembly Master doesn’t have what it takes to effectively run Jaegyeong.”

“Say what?”

“However, if you entrust us with your company, I give you my word that I’ll do my utmost best to oversee Jaegyeong’s operations. With the Assembly Master’s blessing, of course. I’m sure you’ll agree that me taking over isn’t much different from the Assembly Master doing it personally.”

“Huh...? What a shameless bastard,” Hwang Jeong-Hu muttered while helplessly shaking his head.

Without a doubt, every single person in Kang Jin-Ho’s life was some sort of nutjob!

Hwang Jeong-Hu mouthed a fresh cigarette, then addressed Kang Jin-Ho in a more contemplative tone. “Look, I’m not being supercilious here, okay? I’ve given this matter a lot of consideration already. But giving the company to my kids just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply. “But your sons are...”

“Listen till the end, will you!” Hwang Jeong-Hu yelled unhappily and cut Kang Jin-Ho off. “It’s not like I’m doing this out of unresolved anger toward my kids, okay? I’ve evaluated them as a businessman, and the way I see it, those idiots can only shine properly when they are working for someone. You only need to look at all the mess they created when I wasn’t in the picture for a while. Or look at Min-Su. See how great he’s been doing in your company?”

“...”

This was something Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t easily refute. He could see the truth with his own eyes, after all.

Hwang Jeong-Hu groaned deeply. “It’s my fault, alright. My shadow cast over them has been too big. Those who grew up believing that someone would always be there to cover for their mistakes would become indecisive fools when it matters the most.”

“If that’s your take... I honestly believe it’d be better to find someone else, chairman. I’m simply ill-suited for running a business.”

“Oh, really? What about your company, then?”

“...”

“A man who is allegedly ill-suited is cosplaying as a chairman now?!”

When the red-faced Hwang Jeong-Hu yelled unhappily, Kang Jin-Ho expertly replied with a ready-made excuse.

“This and that are not the same. I’m not involved in MK’s operations or its decision-making processes.”

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su blurted out, “You decide all the important things by yourself, though?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly turned his head and stared at Lee Hyeon-Su, but the latter resolutely avoided meeting his boss’s sharp glare. However, he still didn’t forget to finish making his point, albeit in a more hushed voice than before.

“For instance, establishing MK. And then, including the entertainment division in the company. Or setting the cafe franchise as our primary focus. You always decide on such things without consulting us, then turn around and innocently say you’re not interested in the operations of the company. All the while dumping the day-to-day management stuff on everybody else. Sir.”

“...”

Was this what they called fact-based violence? Kang Jin-Ho suddenly felt punch-drunk just then.

Hwang Jeong-Hu chortled while listening to Lee Hyeon-Su’s testimony.

“Yup, that’s what being a chairman is all about, Jin-Ho. Honestly? I’m so ancient that I still don’t know how to use Excel. Nowadays, I’ll only get in the way if I show up at worksites. And if I try to do something unnecessary, everyone around me starts worrying about the mess I’d make, instead.”

Hwang Jeong-Hu’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Even then, I’m holding the fort down as Jaegyeong’s chairman because...! It’s to make decisions, okay? And to shoulder the responsibilities of those decisions. And that’s enough to become the chairman. That’s what I want from you, too.”

Kang Jin-Ho was at a loss for words, but Hwang Jeong-Hu smiled in satisfaction, instead.

“I didn’t make this decision lightly, Jin-Ho. In fact, I’ve been thinking a lot about it for a long, long time. That’s why I did what I thought was for the best to mold you into a successor material, but damn! You always dumped whatever I tasked you with on somebody else and went off on your merry way to do what you wanted. So I figured you were a lost cause. But then...”

The smile on Hwang Jeong-Hu’s face deepened as he stared at Kang Jin-Ho.

“But then! You went and started your own company!”

“...”

How did that become the deciding factor, though? Seriously!

“Chairman... I thought we had put that discussion to bed back then?”

“Back then? I was being short-sighted. I figured that a potential successor to Jaegyeong’s chairman position should be someone who matured in Jaegyeong.”

“Yes. On that basis alone, I...”

“But I don’t have to remind you about what my sons did, now do I?”

“...”

Why did this discussion keep circling back like this?

“As it turned out, someone who knows the company isn’t always the best candidate to manage it. As a matter of fact, those who grew up in their company’s corporate culture could get dyed in its color and become unable to change. I don’t want the company I’d be joining to be the same as the company I had left behind. Nope. It should be different. Changed. Reformed. Revolutionized. That’s the only way to adapt to the changing times and survive, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho firmly put his foot down. “Yes, I hear you. But I’m still not interested.”

“Why not?”

“Sorry?”

“Why are you still not interested?”

Kang Jin-Ho dazedly stared back at Hwang Jeong-Hu. Why would he need a reason for not being interested in something?

“Listen, Jin-Ho. If you can’t think of a sound reason to refuse this offer, be a good kid and obediently prepare yourself for the inevitable merger, okay? I’ll hand over my shares to you. I used to worry about how to deal with the stupid gift tax, but now, you’re richer than me, right?”

“But that’s the company’s money...”

“Can it. I know you own 100% of this company’s shares! Where’s your shame, man! You think you can pull the wool over my eyes?”

Lee Hyeon-Su quickly chimed in again. “Yes, sir. You’re totally right.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s head snapped in Lee Hyeon-Su’s direction, but the latter smartly lowered his head and avoided meeting that burning glare.

Hwang Jeong-Hu tutted. “You keep saying I should leave the company in my sons’ hands.”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yes, that’s right.”

“If I listen to your advice and do exactly that, will you take responsibility if they destroy the company in the end?”

“...”

Hwang Jeong-Hu slowly shook his head.

“The idea of leaving your company to your kids just because they share your blood is utter nonsense. Yes, I’m still their father. Of course I feel bad about what happened to them. But I can still take care of them through my personal assets, not my company shares. That should be more than enough, no? I ain’t gonna hand over a company for such a dumb reason when so many livelihoods are at stake.”

“...”

“If you’re so dead-set on getting my sons involved, hire them as presidents of various divisions after you become the chairman. The way I see it, that arrangement will be better for them in the long run.”

“Chairman...” Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply. “I’m already having trouble dealing with what’s on my plate right now.”

“Is that right? You think others aren’t in the same shoes as you?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Seriously? Do you honestly think someone good enough to manage Jaegyeong is a free agent right now and will gladly take the job of overseeing the company?”

...That sounds rather unlikely.

Indeed, where would they find someone like that?

Hwang Jeong-Hu took out a cigarette and offered it to Kang Jin-Ho. The latter wordlessly accepted it and mouthed it, prompting Lee Hyeon-Su to light it using his lighter.

“Look, I’m not telling you to decide now.”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “Yes, I know.”

“Take your time and think it over. Then, tell me when you’re ready to do it.”

“...Eh?”

Shouldn’t that be more like, Take your time and think it over, then let me know what your decision is?

How could someone’s attitude be so my-way-or-no-way like this?!

“It’s not an offer, but more like a favor from me, Jin-Ho. Yes, I’m also worried about what will happen to Jaegyeong when I’m gone. And, as far as I can tell, you’re the best option I have. You want me to choose someone else when the best option is staring at my face? That’s not how I’ve lived my life, okay?”

“Why am I the best option, though? When I’m genuinely bad at...”

“Yeah, you totally are hopeless at running a business.”

“...”

Yes, you’re right. That’s the crux of my argument, but... This kinda feels... Mm...?

Hwang Jeong-Hu cackled loudly. “Come on. Do you honestly think I chose you as my successor because of your management abilities?”

“Then, what?”

“What I saw in you was your humanity and your ability to manage people.”

“My humanity?” Kang Jin-Ho asked back in shock, his eyes powerfully quaking.

“Well, your humanity is a subjective opinion of mine, so let’s skip that for now. But what’s important is your ability to use the people around you. In short, you know how to delegate. So what if you suck at running a business? You can just get someone else to do that for you, no?”

Lee Hyeon-Su energetically cried out while bowing deeply. “I’ll do my absolute best, Chairman!”

Hwang Jeong-Hu’s expression crumpled. “What the... Will you listen to this opportunistic hyena...?”

Unfortunately, Kang Jin-Ho didn’t have the mental leeway at the moment to keep up with this conversation.

“W-wait! In that case, your sons can do the same, no?”

“Nah.” Hwang Jeong-Hu shook his head. “Those idiot sons of mine? They can’t trust other people.”

“...?”

“They’ll try to micromanage every facet of the business before taking over the job completely. I should know. They are my kids, after all.” Hwang Jeong-Hu reached out and tightly clenched Kang Jin-Ho’s hand. “And that is why I’m asking you this favor, Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s face stiffened. It was easy enough to tell that Hwang Jeong-Hu meant every word he said from the look in his eyes.

“But, I...”

“Yes, I get it. You don’t want to shoulder the extra burden. And yeah, I know that the increase in the number of people you must care for is nothing to laugh about, either. And finally, I also know you’re not the most ambitious type, either.”

“...Yes, you could say that.”

“Even so! At least try to take responsibility for your actions!”

“I’m sorry?”

What responsibility was Hwang Jeong-Hu even talking about?

Hwang Jeong-Hu cackled again. “If you were not interested in stuff like this, you shouldn’t have saved my life back then. Everything would’ve unfolded the way the heavens had originally intended if you had chosen not to get involved. But you have, and now it’s time to take responsibility for your actions.”

“Wha?! There’s a limit to how unreasonable your arguments can get, chairman!”

“Can it. I’ll get things ready on my end, so you prepare yourself, too.”

“No! I refuse.”

“I’ll alter my will to reflect the new arrangement. If you still don’t want Jaegyeong even after I’m dead, I don’t care, do what you want with it. I guess you’ll have fun watching Jaegyeong crumble to bits, then? Yeah, it’d be so much fun, now wouldn’t it!”

Kang Jin-Ho grew more and more flabbergasted. What kind of development was this? How could it be possible to hand an entire company over to someone who didn’t want it? It wasn’t as if Jaegyeong was some mom-and-pop corner store, so how?!

“I’m telling you, I’m not interested.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll take that as a yes and get things moving on my end, okay?”

“No, listen, chairman! I’m not interested.”

“Hahaha. Sure, sure.”

“What the?!” Kang Jin-Ho finally lost his cool and yelled like a wrongly accused man. “I really don’t want this! Stop!”

On one side of the table, Kang Jin-Ho was shouting desperately away. On the other side was Hwang Jeong-Hu, genially chuckling away. And Lee Hyeon-Su was watching this scene in silent contentment.

The dissonance created by this trio continued to fill the chairman’s office in Jaegyeong’s head office for a while.