Chapter 1571. Ardent (1)

Jeong Hong-Geun dazedly stared at the scenery outside his window.

“I pray that we’ll get to speak to each other again in the future, Chairman Jeong Hong-Geun.”

It felt like Goh Han-Bong’s parting words were still ringing in his ears.

“Are you...” Jeong Hong-Geun gripped the glass of expensive alcohol in his hand even tighter. “...Trying to say I’ll disappear or something?”

What a ridiculous notion that was.

How could such a thing happen in this day and age? Besides, they weren’t talking about some random nobody here. No, he was none other than Jeong Hong-Geun!

If something untoward happened to him, the entire media landscape would go into an unbridled frenzy. However...

The Prime Minister obviously knows this, too.

If only the Prime Minister had been a moron! Then Jeong Hong-Guen could have dismissed his words without a second thought.

However, a moron would never reach the position of South Korea’s Prime Minister. Politicians would sometimes behave foolishly, but that was only because the potential benefits easily outweighed the damage to their public reputation. In other words, it was all a calculated act, not some impulsive actions fueled by poor intelligence.

That meant Goh Han-Bong would obviously know what Jeong Hong-Geun knew. Even then, he still warned Taegwang’s chairman to behave himself.

How was Jeong Hong-Geun supposed to interpret this situation?

Not only that, but he even kept bringing up the President, too.

The Prime Minister—and by implication, the President—said Jeong Hong-Geun still had a job to do. If that was true, they genuinely wanted to warn him of the impending danger.

Doesn’t that mean even they are powerless to stop those bastards?

How was that even possible, though? Who in South Korea could be so powerful that even the country’s President and Prime Minister were helpless against them?

It simply made no sense. No goddamn sense at all!

However, if Jeong Hong-Geun viewed this nonsensical idea as the reason for everything that had happened so far, it became so much easier to explain his current situation away.

“Huh...”

Jeong Hong-Geun slowly shook his head. The lack of energy in his mind meant that comprehending this situation proved difficult for him.

But how could that little brat...?

It was obvious whom they were referring to.

After all, it could only be one man: Kang Jin-Ho, the chairman of this company named MK! And the man who was probably responsible for Jeong Myeong-Cheol’s state!

Did that mean that brat had such power in this country? So much so that even those who served as the country’s leaders were helpless against him?

No, wait. It’s not ‘helpless against him’, but something else.

Jeong Hong-Geun recalled the subtle hint of fear in Goh Han-Bong’s eyes.

Korea’s Prime Minister being scared of someone? Jeong Hong-Geun shuddered in dread at the mere thought of that possibility.

No, it can’t be true.

What an unbelievable story that would be, but Jeong Hong-Geun knew he had to believe it. Why? He already had the proof, after all!

One only had to look at Kim Myeong-Chan. He used to be the President’s closest confidante, only to get kicked out of his post in the blink of an eye. But that wasn’t all, as he had practically fallen through the floor and plunged into the unfathomable depths of the underworld.

Was it because he had committed a grave crime?

“Don’t make me laugh!”

A crime was only a crime if someone found out about it. What about murder? Even if Kim Myeong-Chan had committed a crime even worse than murder, no one would’ve learned about it if the administration was hell-bent on covering it up.

Yet, Kim Myeong-Chan lost everything. Could it be because the President stopped protecting him?

No, I don’t think so.

Once upon a time, Jeong Hong-Geun believed that was the case, but now? Everything seemed crystal clear now. The President and the government probably tried their best to shield Kim Myeong-Chan. Maybe he represented the administration itself.

But Kang Jin-Ho fought the administration off and achieved a complete and thorough victory before dumping Kim Myeong-Chan into that icy prison cell.

The outcome of all these analyses was clear: Kang Jin-Ho was the one holding the upper hand. So much so that not even Jeong Hong-Geun could imagine the true depths of his strength!

Everything that had happened so far supported this finding. Whether Jeong Hong-Geun could comprehend it or not didn’t even come into the equation.

More than a century ago, when Japan invaded Korea, how many Joseon citizens could have understood the power of the Japanese? Indeed, just how many people back then could understand the significance of the Japanese vessels firing naval artillery at them?

Of course, even back then, some people still pushed themselves to accept that incomprehensible strength as-was and did what they could to survive.

Jeong Hong-Geun’s glare gradually grew icier.

“Don’t try to comprehend it.”

That was not important to him right now.

***

Hwang Min-Su started his briefing. “The franchise’s sales have normalized, sir.”

“Hmm...?” Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes, his probing gaze locked on Hwang Min-Su’s face.

Naturally, Hwang Min-Su grew tense. “H-however, it’s slightly misleading to call it normalized. Allow me to explain. The sales have doubled compared to before the attempted sabotage. We’re not number one in terms of sales as we don’t have as many stores as our competitors, but in terms of per-store sales, we’re almost at the very top of the rankings, sir.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes narrowed even more.

Hwang Min-Su nervously swallowed his saliva. Did I do something wrong?

Maybe he should finish his report first, and then...

“However, we predict that this phenomenon is only temporary. If we’re brutally honest, our stores lack unique selling points to differentiate them from our competitors. We can thank our ad campaign and the series of events going viral for our improved sales, but we foresee a noticeable decline in our sales figures in the next three to four months, sir. Our goal is to keep the revenues higher than our original sales projection by around thirty percent.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho’s grimace deepened even more. And at this point, Hwang Min-Su was about to lose his cool from anxiety.

Why are you doing this? Can’t you, like, bite my head off openly or something?!

Hwang Min-Su somehow managed to stay cool and resumed the briefing.

“T-that’s why we’re proceeding with various measures to ensure that outcome. Firstly, we’re planning to establish an R&D center to develop new menu items consistently. And we also want to set up a dedicated marketing department that will handle all of our long-term marketing strategies.”

Kang Jin-Ho finally let out a loud groan.

Hwang Min-Su cautiously asked, “Chairman...? Are you dissatisfied with something I’ve done?”

“Even though you’re so competent...”

“I’m sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned again. Yeah, he’s so competent, so why can’t he be the next chairman?

He just couldn’t understand Hwang Jeong-Hu. Without a shred of doubt, Hwang Min-Su was one hell of a competent businessman. So why?! Why couldn’t he become Jaegyeong’s next chairman instead?

Was it because of the mistake he made? His guilt?

Sure, you could say that’s as good a reason as any. But!

But who among the living had never made a mistake in their entire life? Who wasn’t guilty of a crime of some sort?

The current Kang Jin-Ho could only exist because of all the mistakes he had made in the past. Because he regretted all the things he had done and experienced the heartache caused by those decisions, he tried his best not to become that person again.

The story should be the same for Hwang Min-Su, too.

A person who experienced a painful failure and fell to the depths of hell would finally understand what taking responsibility meant. They would come to learn the bitterness of regret.

Hwang Min-Su had managed to crawl out of that hell. In that case, wouldn’t that make him a splendid candidate to take over the company as its new chairman?

Kang Jin-Ho stared at Hwang Min-Su before finally breaking his silence. “Mister Hwang. Do you wish to become Jaegyeong’s next chairman?”

“I’m... sorry? What?” Hwang Min-Su’s eyes opened wide. “What do you mean by that, sir?”

“You heard me. Any lingering regrets?”

Hwang Min-Su sheepishly grinned. “That’s not something I can have just because I want it, you know?”

“Because of Chairman Hwang?”

“No, not at all.” Hwang Min-Su scratched the back of his head. “It feels a bit weird talking about this, but... It’s not like I’m working hard to suppress my lingering attachments to Jaegyeong. No, I’m simply not interested in the position of Jaegyeong’s chairman.”

“Why not?” Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “Weren’t you actively involved in the growth of Jaegyeong? In that case, you should have some attachment left in that company, no?”

That was the case for Kang Jin-Ho, after all. He didn’t particularly have a strong feeling toward being the Demon Cult’s leader. The position naturally became his after he fought off those who dared to pick quarrels with him, tried to stand up for himself and protect his pride, and beat up those who pissed him off. That was all!

However, not being interested didn’t mean he was okay with some random person off the street becoming the next cult leader. Wouldn’t it be the same with Hwang Min-Su, too?

Even if he had no lingering attachment to Jaegyeong, he might not be pleased by the idea of some fool claiming the position he used to fight for in the past. That was how the human heart operated, after all.

“Lingering attachments, you say...?” Hwang Min-Su chuckled awkwardly. “It’d be a lie if I said I don’t have any, sir. But this feeling isn’t strong enough to influence my decision. In all honesty, I simply had no idea what it meant to be the chairman of Jaegyeong.”

“Mm?”

“It’s difficult to explain. In the past, I viewed the position of chairman as the most powerful figure in the corporation. I figured that if I became the chairman, I’d be able to look after my people a little better than before and enjoy even greater authority within the organization. That was why I wanted to become the chairman.”

“Huh. But that sounds like the right mindset to me?”

“Yes, it is. But it’s missing something. And that’s the readiness to shoulder the responsibility that comes with the role of the chairman.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow.

“But now I know it, more or less,” said Hwang Min-Su. “Now I know what kind of resolve one must have if one wants to become the chairman. And I also know I’m neither good nor fit enough for the role.”

There it was again. As if to prove the old mantra of “Like father, like son”, Hwang Min-Su was saying something similar to his father about him not being good enough.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “You can always become good enough, though?”

“Sir, I already know my limitations. And I’m becoming a better man right now. Now I know that I must take responsibility for every decision I make.”

Hwang Min-Su scratched his cheek.

“How should I describe this... Yes, it’s a matter of work-life balance, sir. I’m satisfied with where I am in my life. It feels like I’ve finally gotten the balance right. However, this balance will go out of whack if I become Jaegyeong’s chairman. More importantly, though...

“My talent lies in rolling my sleeves up and jumping into the thick of things to get the minute details right rather than overseeing the project from somewhere high up. The position I’m in right now is as far as I can go up while still doing what I’m good at.”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned deeply again. “That’s strange. Can’t you also do that after becoming the chairman?”

That was when Hwang Min-Su’s expression became unreadable. Why was Kang Jin-Ho trying to convince him to become Jaegyeong’s chairman? Even though he had expressed his disinterest in the...

“...? Huh?” Hwang Min-Su’s head cocked to the side a little. “Hang on a minute. Could it be that my father... Oops, I meant Chairman Hwang. Did he ask you to take over Jaegyeong?”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho clamped his mouth shut and sneakily looked away. He was deeply uncomfortable right now. If only he was talking to some other person, he wouldn’t have had trouble talking about it! But when it was Hwang Min-Su? Discussing this matter didn’t feel right at all.

“Ah-hah. So you were planning to dump the responsibility on me, sir?”

“...”

“You can forget about it, chairman. I’m not interested.”

“B-but, Jaegyeong is your company, isn’t it?”

“Nope. My company is MK now. Please don’t get confused about this, sir.”

Hwang Min-Su shuddered grandly.

“I’m not going back there. Even if you fire me! I didn’t know in the past. I had no freaking clue that if I became the chairman, I’d be taking over Chairman Hwang’s role! Think about it, sir. Just how many people in this country do you think are qualified to handle that role? You don’t have to be a genius to know that people will say that a tiger of a father somehow produced a dog-like son! Imagine how bad all the insults will be, sir!”

“...I thought people were already insulting you that way?”

“Chairman, let’s not cross the line here, please.”

“Oh. My bad.”

Hwang Min-Su scoffed loudly. “As I was saying... I’m not going there. Never in my life. Actually, why don’t you look for my older brother? He’s probably still blinded by the idea of power and wealth, so he might take you up on your offer right away. However...”

That was when Hwang Min-Su began cackling away.

“Do you think my father will be okay with that idea, sir?”

“...”

“You should give up, chairman. I’ve never seen my father change his mind once he has set his sights on something. I’m guessing he’s already finished preparing all the necessary steps to hand the company over to you. Since it’s unavoidable, you should just accept it and enjoy the process.”

Hwang Min-Su grinned as if a load had been taken off his shoulders.

“This is actually wonderful news, isn’t it? I might not be interested in Jaegyeong’s chairman position, but I wanted to work as the president of one of Jaegyeong’s divisions again, you see? I hope you won’t forget about me when the time comes, sir.”

“...Out.”

“Sorry?”

“Get out.”

“...”

Whether it was this guy or Lee Hyeon-Su, they were all the same!

Blooming hell!