Kapitel 71: Chapter 71: The Unfolding Power Struggle
From now on, Mu-hyeok is my successor.
In my previous life, I was only named successor after graduating from university and struggling for a long time.
"From now on, Mu-hyeok is my successor," I declared.
Though it wasn't officially recognized, most people connected to my grandfather already viewed me as the heir.
However, making the announcement in a family gathering carried a different weight.
It meant passing everything down to my grandson, and not just any grandson, but a Kim, not a Cheon.
"I'll share some responsibilities with the others, but don't get greedy. If you do, I might take back what I've given you."
The reactions from the three were all different.
Cheon Ji-won, who had been looking dejected, wore a slightly twisted expression. Cheon Ji-soo remained completely stoic, while Cheon Ji-young seemed genuinely happy for me.
"Congratulations, Mu-hyeok oppa!"
Cheon Ji-young's heartfelt congratulations contrasted sharply with Ji-won's formal acknowledgment due to the grandfather's watchful eye.
With that, our family gathering for grandfather's birthday came to a close.
Grandfather left first with Chief Ha, and Ji-young followed. Ji-won left the hotel, her expression still twisted.
But Cheon Ji-soo stopped me, wanting to take a moment.
"So, this is how it ended up?"
I didn't respond, just looked at Ji-soo's face.
"You'll keep your promise, right? You haven't forgotten you promised to help me take Il-sung?""
Her reaction was entirely different from Ji-young's.
But there was no way Ji-soo was unaware of Cheon Su-man's actions.
"My father's actions aren't my responsibility. I just hope our contract remains unaffected because of that."
I couldn't believe the audacity on Ji-soo's face.
"At the very least, you should say something like, 'I'm sorry for what my father did to my aunt.'"
"I had no knowledge of that. Why should I apologize? I'm not my father, and he's already facing enough punishment. Isn't it enough that he can never return to Korea while grandfather is alive?"
I had thought Ji-soo was cunning, but she was far from it.
If she were, she would have at least pretended to apologize to appease me and gain something in return.
"Is that not enough?"
"A promise is a promise. I'll believe you'll keep it."
Regardless of my scoffing, Ji-soo stood up as if she had nothing more to say.
What did she think would change by acting so shamelessly?
I watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.
'She was planning to stab me in the back while pretending to help… but I won't let her get anything at all.'
I gathered my thoughts and stood up.
Just then, my phone rang.
"This is Kim Mu-hyeok."
― Hey, let's grab a drink. I'm at the hotel nightclub.
It was Ji-won, who had left earlier.
'These siblings are really something.'
A sigh escaped me as I considered ignoring her, but I was curious about what she had to say.
I headed down to the nightclub and told the waiter Ji-won's name; he instantly recognized it and led me inside.
Once inside, I found Ji-won drinking alone.
"Why did you call? We're not that close to drink together."
"Just sit down; don't make me stand alone."
Without a word, Ji-won poured me a drink and continued drinking silently.
She seemed on the verge of saying something but kept downing her drink instead.
This wasn't the Ji-won I knew—so arrogant and dismissive.
"I truly didn't know about the incident with my aunt. I'm really sorry."
After a long pause, those words finally came out.
"What?"
"I'm sorry. Damn it, even if I'm a piece of trash, that's not right."
I never expected Ji-won to apologize.
What was her real intention?
"I'm not asking for forgiveness. I just wanted to say it to your face."
Ji-won didn't say another word.
Seeing that she had finished her piece, I quietly got up to leave.
'Cheon Ji-won and Cheon Ji-soo…'
I couldn't sort out my thoughts until I arrived home in Pyeongchang-dong.
"Ji-won and Ji-soo won't be my competitors anymore. Don't let your desire for revenge consume you against them."
Grandfather seemed to think that after his death, I might seek vengeance against them.
In a situation where I was already practically the heir, bringing the family together to announce it was a message directed at me, not them. It meant to leave them be, as I wouldn't be able to do anything anyway.
"Understood."
"Good, I'm counting on you."
Grandfather took a sip from his cup and changed the subject.
"Are you still seeing Chairman Song's granddaughter?"
He smiled as he put down his cup.
"Not quite yet?"
"No, we've met a few times."
"Bring her by next time."
"We're not at that stage yet."
"I need to see her at least once. Her name is Song Hyun-ji, right?"
"Yes."
"Since you say 'not yet,' it seems you do have feelings for her."
After first meeting at Chairman Song's house, I had seen her a few more times.
The more I met her, the more I liked her.
"The next time I feel ready to introduce her, I will."
"I don't know when my time will come… I'd like to see you married before that."
"Grandfather…"
He seemed to enjoy my flustered reaction, chuckling heartily.
"Just because I told the family I'd hand everything over doesn't mean I'm giving it all away."
That was what I wanted.
During the IMF crisis, there were things I needed to do while hiding behind my grandfather.
"Don't abandon the private loan market. There must be both light and shadow. No matter how times change, that rule never alters. Everyone must do their part for the country to function."
"Yes, Grandfather."
* * *
On the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, in a spacious old house,
an old man's voice could be faintly heard.
It seemed he was speaking to someone of significant status, responding repeatedly with 'Yes' in Japanese.
After hanging up, the old man's face flushed red.
He stepped out of the room, and in the large hall, people were kneeling on either side.
The old man walked through them and took his seat in the main position.
"What on earth is everyone doing?"
His voice was surprisingly loud for his age.
No one answered.
Everyone kept their heads down and remained still.
"Is the Prime Minister truly unwilling to change his mind?"
The man referred to as the Prime Minister raised his head.
"Chairman, no matter how much we try to persuade him, he refuses to listen."
The old man was none other than the chairman of the Cheongpung Group.
"By refusing Japan's proposal, what does he think he gains by being so stubborn?"
"I'm sorry."
"Tch… To think the person we supported to become president would stab us in the back like this…"
"It was an unavoidable choice. If we hadn't chosen him, the opposition would have taken over."
The chairman pinched the bridge of his nose, looking troubled.
"Sigh… So they plan to demolish the Korean Governor-General's building, a relic of the Japanese Empire, on the anniversary of the armistice?"
Though he used the term 'anniversary of the armistice' instead of 'Liberation Day,' no one raised an objection.
"Stop him by any means necessary!"
"There's no way. Anyone who opposes has been either sidelined or resigned. They are enduring only through public support."
"Finding a solution is your responsibility."
No one could respond, only cold sweat forming on their brows.
Who could stop a president enjoying over 80% public support?
The old man clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.
"We should have acted when we had the chance to eliminate our rivals. That was a mistake."
Hanahoe was one of the factions within the Cheongpung Group.
They had the perfect card to pressure the President by using the military, but before they could respond, a massive military overhaul left them with no opportunity to act.
That was when the President began to move according to his own will.
The wrinkles in the old man's forehead deepened, and the atmosphere grew heavier.
At that moment, a man on the opposite side of the Prime Minister spoke up.
"Um… Chairman," he said.
The Chairman regarded him with a disinterested gaze.
"Well, Kim Do-seong, don't you have anything to say? Get the Prosecutors to expose any corruption around the President."
"The Prosecutor General is loyal to the President, and as a mere deputy prosecutor without real power, there's nothing I can do unless the General resigns."
"It's been two years since the demolition was discussed, and in that time, no one has managed to sway the President's will. What are you all doing? They say Japan will cover all the costs, but you can't even manage that?"
Everyone lowered their heads, unable to respond.
"What are we going to do about this?"
The sound of a tongue clicking echoed in the room.
Chairman Lee Yong-hyun of the Cheongpung Group was, as Kim Mu-hyeok expected, too preocupied with the issue of the Governor-General's office demolition to pay attention to Kim Mu-hyeok.
* * *
August had arrived.
I traveled to the U.S. to align with Netscape's IPO schedule.
The face of Han Gyeong-yeong, who came to greet me at the airport, had changed beyond recognition.
"Hey~ Mu-hyeok!"
He rushed over to me and embraced me tightly.
"It's been ages!"
"You've changed a lot too!"
"Let's go for now."
I got into the limousine that Han Gyeong-yeong had prepared.
"How's it going? I got everything ready for your arrival!"
The spacious interior allowed us to relax and chat comfortably.
"How's the IPO prep?"
"No issues at all. The initial offering price was set at $14, but it got so hot that we raised it to $28."
It was no different from the Won's history.
"What's our expected profit if we cash out at $40?"
"Roughly around $1 billion. Are you planning to cash out?"
Though it would eventually rise to a peak of $80, there was no reason to hold on.
After all, it was destined to be overshadowed by MS.
"Forget it. Tell Anderson to negotiate for us to sell our shares at $40 right after the listing. If he refuses, let him handle it himself."
"Got it."
Due to the driver, we couldn't discuss anything crucial.
It wasn't until we arrived at Han Gyeong-yeong's house that we could seriously discuss setting up the shell company.
"How far along are we?"
"About 30%? I think we need to wrap it up by next year."
It was taking longer than I had anticipated.
"Have we settled the Yen?"
"Yeah, we liquidated it a few days ago. The yield exceeded 300%."
With the amount increased, it was hard to make returns like before.
"Well done. What's the total asset value?"
"Don't be shocked; it's $82 billion. Ha ha, you're the richest person in the world now."
"I hope this hasn't leaked? When it came to the Peso, I had no choice but to go public, but the Yen was invested in existing products."
"Maybe? But I think the U.S. government is aware of it."
$82 billion was a lot of money; even at an exchange rate of 800 Won, it was close to 70 trillion.
But to claim the title of the richest was questionable; there were too many hidden wealthy individuals in the world.
"Disperse everything except for $20 billion. How many divisions will you make before consolidating?"
"The task will be managed by my team, but I plan to split it into about 500 units and then consolidate them into twelve companies at $5 billion each."
"That's too small; increase it. Split it into thousands, then consolidate into thirteen companies. One of those is my slush fund."
"Wow, the fees would be enormous!"
"It's better to save on fees than to have you rot in prison for life."
Han Gyeong-yeong waved his hands in horror.
"Don't scare me like that. Just don't complain later if the fees turn out to be exorbitant; I'll be using a significant amount."
"Ha ha ha."
After our conversation, Han Gyeong-yeong went out, telling me to rest well.
In the room left with Manager Ma, my face turned cold as if I hadn't smiled in ages.
"Do you know anyone trustworthy? I need someone with a mercenary background who can serve as both a bodyguard and a watcher, preferably not Korean but American."
"I'll look into it."
"Don't worry about the money; find someone you can trust who wouldn't spill the beans to Han Gyeong-yeong."
I wanted to trust Han Gyeong-yeong; no, I wanted to believe in him.
But I understood better than anyone how terrifying money could be.
There was no need to look far. In South America or Southeast Asia, you could pay $1,000 to have someone killed. A human life could be traded for a mere million Won.
If Han Gyeong-yeong fell prey to the monster called money and betrayed my trust… I would discard him.
* * *
Finally, Netscape went public on NASDAQ. Starting at $28, it peaked at $78 but closed at $57.
While Anderson raised a toast with the company staff, Han Gyeong-yeong poured cold water on the celebration.
"Anderson, we're planning to liquidate all the stocks we hold. Are you interested in acquiring them at $60 per share?"
Though I had suggested selling at $40, Han Gyeong-yeong was even more ruthless when it came to money.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein