Bab 241: Chapter 241: No Matter What It Takes
The Il-seong Group's headquarters in Myeong-dong was bustling from dawn, preparing for the shareholders' meeting.
With many shareholders expected due to the struggle over management control, the staff worked diligently to ensure everything was ready.
Yet, the faces of Il-seong's employees showed no signs of worry.
They all knew that Seo Yong-geon, the chairman, wouldn't easily lose his management rights.
"How many days do we have to work overtime because of this shareholders' meeting? Ugh, it's so frustrating!"
One staff member, setting up water and snacks for the major shareholders, snapped sharply.
"Just hold on; once today's over, it'll all be behind us."
Even though a colleague tried to soothe him, the frustrated employee continued to rant.
"What does it matter who takes over the management? Why does the manager keep taking it out on us?"
"That's enough. Who's coming?"
Looking anxious, his colleague glanced around as he tried to calm him down.
"Who's coming? There's still an hour left!"
At that moment, a large door at the back swung open, and a man entered with a woman.
The startled staff turned their heads towards the entrance. The newcomers were Eva and Manager Ma.
"Looks like no one else has arrived yet," Eva noted.
Manager Ma nodded, scanning the meeting room as Eva spoke.
"Today, Manager Ma will assist you."
Watching Manager Ma quietly survey the surroundings, Eva recalled Kim Mu-hyeok's words.
He had sent Manager Ma to assist her, signaling his seriousness about today's event. Eva was determined once again.
She vowed to ensure things went exactly as he wanted.
"Let's head to our seats, Representative," Eva suggested.
"Manager Ma, please sit with us too."
As the staff caught glimpses of Eva, who they had only seen in the news, they watched her with curiosity.
Approaching the area where the staff was setting up, Eva asked, "Where's our seat?"
"Ah, it's over here," came the reply.
"Thank you!"
Responding with a light smile to the staff member guiding her, Eva settled next to Manager Ma.
The employees busy preparing for the shareholders' meeting quickly finished their tasks and left the meeting room.
Once the meeting room fell silent, Eva spoke first.
"Do you think Chairman Seo Yong-geon will show up today?"
"I believe he will. Nobody understands how complex today's situation is for Il-seong better than him," Manager Ma replied.
While they conversed, the meeting room began to fill with attendees.
The presence of reporters with cameras indicated the level of public interest.
"It's almost time for the meeting to start, yet no one from the Il-seong Group is here," Eva remarked.
Muttering to herself, she glanced between her watch and the entryway.
Seo Yong-geon seemed to have no decorum; as soon as Eva raised the point, he appeared.
As the door to the meeting room opened, Seo Yong-geon led a group of key figures from Il-seong.
Behind him, Seo Jae-hoon had just returned from Japan.
"Eva, is it? It's our first time meeting face to face, isn't it?"
"Yes, Chairman, it's a pleasure to meet you," she replied, offering a smile and extending her hand.
However, upon seeing her outstretched hand, Seo Yong-geon furrowed his brow and spoke with obvious irritation.
"Looks like neither you nor your boss have any manners."
Eva retracted her hand, feeling insulted but maintaining a composed expression.
"Did you just call me rude? Well, this is Korea. Here, respect is shown to adults who deserve it. But if it means that much to you, I can easily refrain from such gestures."
"Huh…"
Seo Yong-geon clicked his tongue at Eva's sarcastic reply.
"I heard you encountered trouble in Japan. Sounds like you still haven't recovered your wits, though."
At the mention of the incident in Japan, Eva's expression turned stiff.
The harder Eva's expression became, the broader Seo Yong-geon's smile grew.
"Don't misunderstand me. I was merely concerned upon hearing about the incident. More importantly, I hope today's shareholders' meeting goes smoothly. Though, of course, that's unlikely."
Eva sensed something odd from Seo Yong-geon's confident demeanor.
Instead of showing it, she focused on softening her tense expression.
"By the way, isn't Kim Mu-hyeok coming? Is he assumng today's an already won battle?"
"It's not like there's reason for him to show up excessively for a matter that's not so significant for Il-seong," she responded curtly.
"Hah… you really don't hold back, do you? I'll see if you can keep smiling after the meeting. Let's see if today's shareholders' meeting even concludes smoothly."
After his words, Seo Yong-geon turned, making his way to his seat.
While Seo Yong-geon had left, Seo Jae-hoon remained, staring at Eva with a blank expression.
Catching his cold gaze, Eva stared back at Seo Jae-hoon. He glared at her for a while before silently turning away.
Feeling a chill from that stare, Eva shook her head and spoke softly.
"Something feels off. What if things don't go well?"
But Manager Ma, his face rigid, was still fixated on Seo Yong-geon and said nothing.
Seeing the animosity in his gaze, Eva called out to Manager Ma once more.
"Manager Ma?"
At last, he opened his mouth to respond in a low voice.
"Just focus on the shareholders' meeting, Representative. The Boss will handle everything else."
Manager Ma's response was brief, yet Eva felt a strange sense of reassurance from his confident words.
When Eva sat down, the shareholders' meeting commenced promptly.
* * *
One day before the shareholders' meeting.
"You called for me, Boss?"
"Yes, have a seat."
The newly appointed Yoo Sung-jin was summoned to the Myeong-dong office.
Carrying a folder full of documents, he moved to the couch and sat down opposite Yoo Sung-jin, handing him the folder.
"You've completely taken control of the organization, right?"
"Yes, I've sorted everything out this time."
"I believe you'll handle it well. Go ahead and take a look inside the folder."
Opening the folder at my prompt, Yoo Sung-jin found it filled with photos and identification details.
Glancing up after checking the contents, Yoo Sung-jin's face was filled with confusion, prompting me to offer more explanation.
"These are the shareholders slated to attend the Il-seong Group's meeting tomorrow. Make sure they don't get into the meeting room."
Shareholders are a peculiar breed, existing only in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.
They are essentially like thugs, who disrupt or assist meetings, extorting money in the process.
Initially looking to line their own pockets while passing their positions down to their offspring. I clicked my tongue at the thought.
"We just need to prevent them from attending, right?"
Seeing my expression, Yoo Sung-jin nodded slightly.
"No matter what it takes, just make sure they can't come."
"Understood."
By conventional means, we couldn't safeguard Il-seong Group anymore. Thus, mobilizing all the shareholders we managed was Seo Yong-geon's cunning plan to disrupt tomorrow's assembly.
In Japan, there were incidents of bank presidents committing suicide due to the harassment from these shareholders. In Korea, they'd often be former police officers or retired lawyers, engaging in nefarious activities to hinder meetings.
Given that, if they set their mind to it, a smooth shareholders' assembly would likely become impossible.
Moreover, in Korea, loud voices often win the day.
"Especially watch out for a person named Kim Seok-hee; he must not be allowed to attend under any circumstances. He's a real headache."
The name Kim Seok-hee, listed on the first page, previously served as a police chief. He was a prominent figure among shareholders, someone uncommonly managed by Il-seong.
Yoo Sung-jin focused on the paper with Kim Seok-hee's details printed on it and examined it closely.
"Tomorrow marks the beginning of Il-seong's downfall. It will also be the day the world learns of it."
Even though we could still proceed with the meeting despite the shareholders' disruptions, I still desired to finish the shareholders' meeting without interruptions.
Yoo Sung-jin's eyes glinted coldly, sensing the meaning behind my words.
* * *
The presiding officer appointed by the court banged the gavel, signaling the commencement of the shareholders' meeting.
The less significant items were swiftly glossed over.
As time passed, Seo Yong-geon's expression grew stony, and his surrounding executives fidgeted nervously.
Wondering about their unusual behavior, Eva whispered just above the level of hearing to Manager Ma.
"Looks like things aren't going as planned, huh?"
"It seems they were anticipating the shareholders you mentioned. You managed that part, Boss," he replied.
Eva's face showed surprise at the mention of shareholders.
"Shareholders… they still exist?"
"Hyenas exist everywhere, after all."
Growing up in Hong Kong, Eva couldn't fathom it. Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, Manager Ma gestured discreetly.
"Now, the real game is about to begin."
The presiding officer tapped the gavel, introducing the motion regarding the dismissal of the current board.
"This motion proposes the removal of the existing board of directors."
Suddenly, the quiet shareholders' meeting erupted into chaos. What had previously been trivial discussions transformed into an intensely competitive power struggle.
After the presentations from Eva's side concluded, Il-seong Group began dragging out rebuttals to stall.
But the presiding officer had no intention of entertaining the boring counterarguments. Having already coordinated with Future Investment, he was not going to be swayed.
"That's enough of the opposing statements," he declared.
"Chairman!" shouted a voice from the assembly.
"Now, I'll allow statements from other shareholders and proceed to a voting session for approval and opposition."
The presiding officer granted permission to several raised hands, permitting them to voice their opinions. However, the views of minor shareholders did not hold much weight.
Due to the principle of one vote per share, if there were no comments from the shareholders or active shareholders, the assembly would conclude early.
As the time to announce the results approached, Seo Yong-geon's face remained rigid without any sign of softening. It seemed he had already sensed the defeat.
After the voting concluded, the presiding officer banged his gavel once more.
"I hereby inform you that the motion for the dismissal of the current board has been passed. Following this, I'll introduce the proposal for the new board of directors."
Despite extensive preparations, the shareholders' meeting for Il-seong Group came to a disappointing end.
The shareholders who had come to observe began exiting, expressing their boredom.
With most attendees gone, Seo Yong-geon remained seated, his expression frozen.
"Chairman Seo Yong-geon," Eva said, as she approached him.
Turning his head to meet her gaze, Seo Yong-geon replied scornfully,
"So, it's us who'll be smiling now?"
Eva beamed brightly as she spoke. But Seo Yong-geon could only glare silently at her.
"This is just the beginning. Those who disturbed my boss will surely pay the price."
Seo Yong-geon continued to silently glare at her. The executives from Il-seong Group around him displayed their shock as they glanced between Seo Yong-geon and Eva.
"I think it's time for you to leave. We need to decide how to move forward with Il-seong Group now, along with the new directors."
Behind Eva stood the newly appointed directors of Il-seong.
Among them were former executives pushed aside during power struggles, as well as Seo Yong-geon's trusted aides.
Now that the invading forces had triumphed, it was time for the defeated to pack their bags.
Seo Yong-geon glared at the new directors behind Eva, his eyes narrowing as if vowing to remember each face.
"I'll be leaving now."
Seo Yong-geon stood up, visibly agitated.
"Representative Eva, don't become too complacent. This time it may be Il-seong's loss, but I'll soon reclaim what's mine. As you so aptly put it, this is the Republic of Korea."
"I'll be looking forward to it. I'll see you at the shareholders' meeting for Il-seong Electronics next week."
Starting with Il-seong Group, the interim shareholders' meetings for all the subgroup companies will follow suit.
Recalling that, Seo Yong-geon's scowl deepened as he turned away. The executives who had previously been cautious began to move in tandem behind him.
"It was a pleasure, Representative Eva," Seo Jae-hoon said, not following after Seo Yong-geon but smiling at her.
"It was nice that you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind words."
"Chairman Kim Mu-hyeok was quite an intereting person, but Representative Eva, you're quite fascinating yourself."
Though Seo Jae-hoon's mouth smiled, his eyes did not carry the same warmth. This left Eva with an unsettling feeling.
Unbeknownst to her, her body was trembling slightly. Noticing her unease, Manager Ma pressed down on her shoulder, addressing Seo Jae-hoon.
"I suggest you leave now too, Vice Chairman."
"Ah, you! You're the one always sticking close to Chairman Kim Mu-hyeok. I'm looking forwar to the next shareholders' meeting. Farewell for now."
Seo Jae-hoon turned away after dropping the last remark. Only then could Eva finally calm down.
"Representative Eva, please don't show any weakness in front of others."
Nodding in response to Manager Ma's admonition, Eva took in a small breath to steady herself. Just as she exhaled, the door to the meeting room slammed shut as Seo Jae-hoon exited.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone