Chapter 1577. Comprehending (2)

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho stepped out of his family home early in the morning, only to be rendered speechless by a certain car parked out in front.

One might say his issue was with this unknown vehicle parked so inconsiderately in front of his family home, but... Nope, that wasn’t his problem at all. In fact, the car wasn’t even the issue here, but...

Besides, what kind of car looks like this, anyway?

It was obviously a two-door sports car, one that left a very strong impression with an unbroken circular-ish line running along its sides. At least on its appearance alone, one could say its lines perfectly blended sports cars and passenger sedans pretty well. But...

“It’s the Bugatti Chiron.”

When Kang Jin-Ho heard that, he slowly turned his head to look. The old man with a face that he had seen... only once, actually, but far too memorable to be forgettable, was standing there.

“It’s my gift to you. I’ve heard that you like sports cars.”

Kang Jin-Ho could barely hide his flabbergast while staring at Jeong Hong-Geun. “A gift, you say?”

“Yes, a gift, Chairman Kang.”

“But, why?”

“I’ve mentioned this before. I’d like to apologize to you. And when apologizing, bringing gifts along should be a given. It was just that the size of the gift was a bit too big to deliver to your company.”

“...” Kang Jin-Ho alternated his gaze between the car and Jeong Hong-Geun before groaning deeply. “Please take it back with you. I can’t accept this.”

“You don’t have to worry. This isn’t an expensive bribe. Not at all. I merely brought along a gift you’d like, that’s all. I’m not stupid enough to bribe you with a car costing a few million dollars.”

“F-few million dollars?”

How much was it, again? How could a car cost millions of dollars?!

Kang Jin-Ho might be driving around in an Italian sports car that cost a few hundred thousand dollars, but even then, he couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea of a mere car commanding that kind of price tag.

Jeong Hong-Geun chuckled. “Please accept this small token of my apology, Chairman. As I’ve said before, it’s not all that expensive either. It doesn’t even qualify as a bribe.”

Kang Jin-Ho nearly blurted out, But it is expensive, though? Incredibly so? Mister, I know you’ve been the chairman of a company for a long time. Maybe that has warped your financial sense?

“I, I definitely cannot accept this. Please take it back,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Chairman...” Jeong Hong-Geun politely bowed toward Kang Jin-Ho. “I’ve merely prepared a small gift since I heard about how you enjoy driving sports cars. Without offering you a small gesture like this, how can I dare to claim that my apologies have been sincere?”

Kang Jin-Ho reflexively scanned his surroundings. The quirk of Korean culture meant that if passersby saw the sight of a wrinkly grandfather politely apologizing to a youngster, they would start biting the head of said youngster without caring for the context whatsoever.

“P-please, don’t be like this, and...”

“I won’t return until you graciously accept this small gift, Chairman.”

Kang Jin-Ho urgently looked around half in panic. Sure enough, the passersby began craning their necks in this direction, wondering what was going on.

He should thank the heavens that this was a residential area, which meant there wasn’t a lot of foot traffic at this time of the day. However, if it had been a busy area? Kang Jin-Ho wouldn’t even have been able to raise his head out of shame!

“Jin-Ho? Is someone outside?”

Kang Jin-Ho freaked out when that voice came from somewhere behind him. Such was the intensity of his panic that a cultivator of his level had not realized someone had emerged from his home.

“I-it’s nothing, mother! Don’t worry about it!”

“Oh? Okay. Have a good day, son.”

Only after the sound of the front door closing registered in his hearing did Kang Jin-Ho sigh deeply in relief.

What on Earth was going on here? How could anyone be so bulldozer-like in their approach?

Maybe all successful entrepreneurs are like this?

Although his methodology was different, even Hwang Jeong-Hu did not back down once he had set his heart on something. But here was Jeong Hong-Geun, displaying a level of stubbornness that even put Hwang Jeong-Hu’s to shame!

Did he become a successful man because of this trait? Or did others with the same trait all fail, and he simply got lucky? Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t tell.

“Chairman Jeong, you’re putting me on the spot by insisting on doing this here.”

Jeong Hong-Geun bowed again. “I’ll leave immediately once you accept this small gift.”

Kang Jin-Ho scanned his surroundings again. Even now, some people were still staring curiously.

The fact that he couldn’t just kick Jeong Hong-Geun and his assistant away tormented Kang Jin-Ho by a surprising amount.

“So you’ll leave if I accept this gift?”

Jeong Hong-Geun nodded. “Yes, Chairman.”

“Fine, fine! I accept, so please leave.”

Jeong Hong-Geun raised his head and grinned brightly. “Director Bak!”

“Yes, Chairman!”

Bak Sang-Wu, who had been observing this exchange from the back, urgently rushed forward and presented Kang Jin-Ho with the expensive-looking car keys.

“Sir! Here are the keys for this vehicle. It’s called the Bugatti Chiron, imported directly from France. We initially wanted to get a Divo instead, but they didn’t have any left... However, once we locate a Divo for sale, we’ll get it right away and replace the Chiron with it.”[1]

What’s a Divo? And what’s a Chiron?

Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply while accepting the keys.

“Look, I don’t need whatever that is. However, do not ever come to my house again.”

Jeong Hong-Geun nodded. “Yes, of course. Today was...”

“I’m not joking with you.” Kang Jin-Ho coldly cut Jeong Hong-Geun off. “Do not take my warning lightly. Never come to my house.”

Jeong Hong-Geun noticed the icy glare in Kang Jin-Ho’s eyes and urgently bowed again. “My apologies. I promise you this will be the last time. We will never show up at your private residence again.”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned again at how polite Jeong Hong-Geun’s bow was. To him, breaking the back of an opponent who stood tall and proud like some kind of reinforced steel was rather easy. However, an opponent like Jeong Hong-Geun, who avoided Kang Jin-Ho’s pressure like the river water flowing around an obstacle, would always prove cumbersome to him.

That doesn’t mean I can ask Lee Hyeon-Su to deal with this man 24/7 either.

Kang Jin-Ho groaned one more time, then tossed the keys back to Bak Sang-Wu, prompting the latter to inadvertently catch them. Kang Jin-Ho stiffly addressed him.

“Take the car and park it where it can’t be seen.”

“A-ah? O-of course!”

Bak Sang-Wu urgently climbed into the luxurious cabin of the Chiron and turned its ignition on. After parking the hypercar around the corner and out of the way, he rushed back and politely offered the keys back to Kang Jin-Ho.

However, Kang Jin-Ho’s expression while accepting the keys could only be described as displeased. He glanced at Jeong Hong-Geun next.

“Do not forget your promise.”

“Of course, Chairman Kang. Businessmen like myself must be disciplined about keeping promises and making deals, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho nearly blurted out, Sure. If you say so.

He simply shook his head and headed toward the garage entrance.

Jeong Hong-Geun tilted his head. “Mm? Aren’t you going to take the Bugatti?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced back. “No. I’m not familiar with that vehicle, so I’ll stick to what I know for now.”

“Ah, I see. Then the car will...”

When Kang Jin-Ho opened the garage door and wheeled out his Golden Elephant Mk. 2, Jeong Hong-Geun’s jaw fell slightly in stupefaction.

“Chairman Kang, you... Do you commute on your bicycle?”

“Yes. The company isn’t too far from here, after all.”

“I, I see! Goodness me, I didn’t know that you enjoyed riding bicycles. It seems we’ve missed an important detail here. But I now know.”

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced a little. “I hope you’re not thinking of doing something unnecessary again.”

“Don’t worry. Avoiding doing something the other party won’t appreciate is common sense for a businessman, after all.”

Really now? Kang Jin-Ho groaned. You sure have me fooled there.

He climbed aboard the Golden Elephant and placed his feet on the pedals. He wanted to escape from this deeply uncomfortable encounter as soon as possible.

“Then, please excuse me.”

When Kang Jin-Ho rapidly pedaled away into the distance, Jeong Hong-Geun quietly called out to his companion.

“Director Bak.”

“Yes, sir!”

“It seems he prefers bicycles to cars. How did you miss that during your investigation?”

“M-my apologies! Very little is known about him, and that was why...”

“Very little? When he’s always on TV? Are you trying to imply that other people are hiding in crypts or something? Is that it?”

“I... My apologies, sir.”

Bak Sang-Wu had so many things he’d like to say, but he also knew making excuses in this situation wasn’t the wisest thing to do.

“Fuu-woo...” Jeong Hong-Geun let out a short dissatisfied grunt. “Tsk! To think you’d fail to analyze someone’s hobbies like this! It seems you’ve gotten old, Director Bak.”

“My apologies, sir.”

“If you don’t want to hear that from me again, manage your people better. You and I are too old now to do everything on our own, right? Indeed, our role is to use the youngsters filled with too much energy to handle these things.”

“I’ll engrave that knowledge on my soul, sir!”

“Investigate thoroughly again!”

“Yes, sir!”

While watching Bak Sang-Wu bow deeply, Jeong Hong-Geun subtly furrowed his brow.

***

Some time later, in the chairman’s office in Taegwang HQ...

Jeong Hong-Geun drummed on his desk with his fingers while receiving Bak Sang-Wu’s report.

“Sir. According to our investigation, it seems Chairman Kang doesn’t often ride his bicycle to work. Perhaps he only occasionally takes it out.”

“Is that right? Even I could tell that the bicycle back then was not something ordinary.”

“You’re correct, sir. Apparently, it was a specially commissioned item. I’ve shown the images of the bicycle to a few specialists, but they’ve all said it’s their first time seeing a model like that. They think its frame is made of carbon, and if it really is one-of-a-kind, it should cost more than most high-end foreign cars.”

“A bicycle that costs more than a car?”

Jeong Hong-Geun frowned deeply. Despite being a rich man himself, some people’s spending habits even made him question reality sometimes.

“Huh. Huhuhu... Well, I’ll be.”

After shaking his head, Jeong Hong-Geun smirked and glanced at Bak Sang-Wu.

“Commission another one.”

“Sir?”

“Commission another bicycle. One that’s even better than that.”

“But, sir?” Bak Sang-Wu tilted his head. “We don’t even know what kind of bicycle it is. So, to commission something even better than it is...”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! Director Bak, you’ve gotten more dim-witted than before. And you weren’t like this, too.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Think about it. How many places do you think can manufacture a bicycle like that? Isn’t it obvious that they must’ve commissioned the best manufacturer in the world?”

“Ah...! Yes, you’re right, sir. It must be a company in Italy, then.”

“So, dig around. I’m guessing they had received only a few commissions for high-end bicycles from South Korea. Find the one that cost the most among those commissions, and ask them to manufacture another bicycle that’s even better than that one.”

“Understood, Chairman! My apologies, I was being idiotic.”

Bak Sang-Wu saw Jeong Hong-Geun in a new light just then.

Most entrepreneurs lost their sharpness as they got older, but Jeong Hong-Geun wasn’t like that. His senses were still sharp enough for him to compete on the front lines. He might lament getting duller with age, but as far as Bak Sang-Wu could see, Jeong Hong-Geun still retained his deadly sharpness.

“Chairman, I’ll do as you say, but... Will this be enough to change that man’s mind?”

“Nobody dislikes gifts,” said Jeong Hong-Geun curtly. “Why do you think it’s called the oldest tactic in the book? A cliché? Because it works. Almost every single time. People stupidly think clichés are no good, but there’s a reason why they have endured to this day.”

A subtle smirk floated up on Jeong Hong-Geun’s lips.

“Besides, gifts themselves are secondary. What really matters is creating excuses to meet that man as often as possible. Yes, nobody dislikes gifts. And if you meet someone often enough... You’ll grow fond of that person eventually. That’s how it’s always been.”

“Indeed, Chairman. It’s just that... Chairman Kang didn’t feel like an ordinary person, you see?”

“Right, right. But I shall overcome the wall with sheer effort alone.” Jeong Hong-Geun reclined against his comfy chair, then stared at the ceiling. “And... What’s going on with my grandson, Myeong-Cheol?”

“He’s been largely stabilized, sir. According to the reports, the frequency of his psychotic episodes has decreased almost to zero.”

“Mm...”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s gaze became somewhat withdrawn, distant.

Bak Sang-Wu tried to read his boss’s mood as carefully as possible.

Other people might not know it, but Bak Sang-Wu knew how much Jeong Hong-Geun cared about that idiotic grandson of his. Jeong Myeong-Cheol was as precious to him as any other offspring.

To someone like that, the idea of showering gifts on a man who turned his grandson into a nutcase in order to foster a close relationship couldn’t have felt nice. At least, if one still had the beating heart of a human being, that was.

“Get rid of him. Take him as far away from here as possible.”

“I... I beg your pardon?”

“Kick him outside the... yes, outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area. Do not create a situation where he might accidentally run into Chairman Kang. I don’t want my carefully prepared banquet to get ruined by some wet blanket.”

“C-Chairman...?”

Jeong Hong-Geun cocked an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Bak Sang-Wu hurriedly lowered his head. “It’s nothing, sir.”

The corners of Jeong Hong-Geun’s lips twisted weirdly.

Who cares about a useless grandson like that?

Compared to all the massive benefits Taegwang stood to gain in the future, the likes of Jeong Myeong-Cheol meant nothing to Jeong Hong-Geun.

I will build this bridge, no matter what!

These sundry tricks wouldn’t be enough to do that, and Jeong Hong-Geun knew that. That was precisely why he had prepared so much more. And he’d do whatever necessary to satisfy Kang Jin-Ho.

“Kekekeke...! I’m getting excited for the first time in a long while.”

The expression he hadn’t made in a while formed on Jeong Hong-Geun’s face as he lit up a cigarette dangling between his lips with a lighter. And that expression was one of pure satisfaction.

1. Cars! A regular petrol/gear-head here. The Divo was a limited-run special edition version of the Chiron, with only 40 (supposedly) of them ever built for the entire world. The 8-liter, W16, quad-turbocharged 1500PS Chiron (pronounced shee-ron) itself is rather exclusive as well, with only five hundred ever made in its entire production cycle. A face-lifted version of the Chiron, called the Chiron SS 300+, holds the current top speed record for production vehicles after achieving 304.773 mph (490.484 kph). A “regular” Chiron, when new, cost between $3 million and $3.3 million depending on the spec. The Chiron is no longer manufactured, and its replacement, the Tourbillon, has already been unveiled, slated for a global launch in 2026. ☜