Chapter 57
Translator: Dreamscribe
“No, seriously. Why are there so many people here?”
Today is a meaningful day.
It is the day when the founding Chairman of Kwangwoon Group is officially announced to the world.
Perhaps because of that, an enormous number of people attended the inauguration ceremony.
“Of course many people came. Today’s the day hyung becomes Chairman, after all.”
Normally, at a Group Chairman’s inauguration, executives from affiliated companies and partner firms would attend to some extent.
But the number of attendees today far exceeded expectations.
Moreover, even some unexpected figures had shown up for the occasion.
“Congratulations. You’re officially the Chairman now. Haha.”
“Chairman Kang. You’re such a busy man, how did you manage to come all the way here…?”
“Of course I had to come. Didn’t we build a bond as comrades while fighting together in Japan? And besides, I feel like we’ll have a lot of opportunities to collaborate going forward.”
As he spoke, Chairman Kang Sung-ho subtly glanced at Jung Jin-ho, who was standing next to Hwang Dae-woon.
“I heard a rumor though. Apparently, Kwangwoon Securities designed an oil-based plan and ended up securing the entire maritime business. Could this be another one of our Department Head Jung’s works?”
“Aigoo, don’t even get me started. I was about to retire from the securities firm, when this punk suddenly pulled something off and just dropped me into the Chairman’s seat out of nowhere.”
“Retirement? What retirement for someone still in their prime? You should keep earning while you still can. But I must say, it’s a bit of a shame. If it weren’t for the Chairman, I would’ve snatched our Department Head Jung away myself.”
The sharp glint in his eyes didn’t feel like a joke.
And the way he kept calling him ‘our Department Head Jung’ didn’t sit well either.
“Seems like you’re really fond of our Jin-ho. I’ll have to make sure to look after him carefully. Ah, and by the way, he’s not Department Head Jung anymore.”
“Huh? Then…”
“Now that I’ve moved up to Chairman, someone has to take on the role of CEO of the securities firm, right? It hasn’t been officially announced yet, but after the inauguration ends and things settle down, we plan to hold a board meeting. It may take a bit of time, though.”
Since Jin-ho had placed Hwang Dae-woon as Chairman, someone had to take over the CEO position.
There was a vice president in place, but even he fully supported Jung Jin-ho’s appointment as CEO.
Because no one but Jung Jin-ho was deemed fit for the role.
“Department Head Jung… no, our CEO Jung has tied the Chairman down so he can’t escape, and now the Chairman’s making sure CEO Jung can’t go anywhere either.”
“As if I could tie him down. Honestly, if he wanted to leave, he could do so at any time.”
“You say that, but it seems like you’ve got quite a strong grip on him, don’t you?”
“Haha. No way.”
The handshake between Chairman Kang Sung-ho and Hwang Dae-woon tightened with force.
It was as if sparks were flying between their gazes.
“Anyway, I sincerely wish for the infinite growth of Kwangwoon Group. Honestly, I’m curious to see just how far Kwangwoon will rise.”
“Yes. I hope we can continue this friendly relationship with Kangseong going forward.”
After that tension-filled greeting ended.
Hwang Dae-woon walked up to the stage.
‘There’s really no turning back now.’
A massive crowd was looking up at him from below.
Among them, the one who stood out the most was Jung Jin-ho.
His sparkling eyes looked as if he was genuinely happy about Hwang Dae-woon’s inauguration.
‘Thanks to that punk Jin-ho, I’m getting to be Chairman too.’
He had met many people over the years, but none earned his trust the way Jin-ho did.
A person he could entrust with his future.
Someone he could give his life to without a single doubt.
If life had taught him one thing, it was that true blessings weren’t money or fame.
It was having someone beside you whom you could trust even more than yourself.
That was the greatest blessing in life.
And so, I, Hwang Dae-woon, am truly a blessed man.
“I promise you all here today that Kwangwoon Group will never be a company centered on its owner, but one centered on its shareholders. Furthermore, I will strive endlessly to spread this influence across the world and raise us to become a top-tier global group.”
These were not just empty words.
Hwang Dae-woon himself wasn’t confident he could make it happen, but Jung Jin-ho, who was clapping enthusiastically and cheering from over there.
If it were that guy, he could do it.
If it were Jin-ho, he would surely turn this company into the world’s greatest group, not just Korea’s.
“Chairman. You were incredible today. Chairman of Kwangwoon Group. Just the title alone exudes such presence.”
“Why does it feel so cringy when you call me Chairman? Just call me hyung like you always do.”
“Just for today, I’m going to call you Chairman. When you went up to the stage and gave your speech earlier, it was truly awe-inspiring.”
“Thanks to that, I can’t even dream of retiring anytime soon.”
“Of course not. You need to stick around for at least another ten years.”
“Ugh. And here I thought I’d hand over the CEO position to you and go rest, but you couldn’t bear to see me retire so you went and built a whole group?”
“Yes. Until I quit, Chairman, you’re not going anywhere.”
To be honest, things like creating a group, or having a grand blueprint.
None of that was part of my original plan.
But whatever the case.
Hyung had become Chairman and decided to stay with the company, so it was all for the best.
“Aigoo. I’m exhausted from spending the whole day just shaking hands and receiving congratulations.”
“Then let’s get you some rest.”
“No can do. I still have someone to meet. I’m taking you and CEO Kim Doo-young with me.”
“Who are we meeting?”
“Someone from the government.”
Now that hyung was no longer just the CEO of Kwangwoon Securities but had suddenly become the Chairman of a large group.
His growing influence naturally led to interactions with government officials.
Even just today, there were government representatives who came to offer congratulations.
Even a letter from the Blue House had arrived.
“But the person we’re going to meet now isn’t from the Korean side. He’s from China.”
“What? They sent someone from there?”
“Yeah. I don’t know why, either. I was going to go alone, but I had a weird feeling, so I decided to bring you and Kim Doo-young along.”
The Chinese official the three of us were going to meet was a Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Commerce, a man named Lin Weiming.
From what I heard, he wasn’t a minister-level official, but still far above a regular bureaucrat, more of a senior mid-level administrator.
“Thank you for waiting, Deputy Director-General.”
The initial impression of the deputy director-general, who had been waiting in a hotel room provided by the venue, was.
A bit hostile, somehow.
“Congratulations on your appointment.”
Next to him was an interpreter.
“I didn’t expect someone from China to come all this way just for my inauguration.”
“Well, weren’t there quite a few other Chinese people there, too? While we were looking the other way, you completely swept up our country’s companies, didn’t you?”
There was a sharp edge to his words.
“The timing was rather perfect. You acquired companies before our government enforced the Korean Wave Ban, and then took in all the business that came afterward. Don’t tell me you’ve planted people on our side?”
“It was just good luck. While expanding our infrastructure to handle surplus volume, the Korean Wave Ban happened to be enacted. Thanks to that, Kwangwoon has indeed earned a lot of money. But I still hope the ban will be lifted, for the sake of national interest.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. As the Chinese government is a great power, we’re showing leniency for now. But don’t think we’ll sit back and watch as foreign capital exploits our people and drains them dry.”
“Now that’s a harsh statement. How can paying fair wages for work be considered exploitation?”
As if the conversation was over, Lin Weiming rose from his seat.
“The reason I came here today was to deliver a warning personally. Once things settle down, withdraw your operations from China. We do not want Korean capital, of all things, to seize control of our enterprises. If you don’t comply, be prepared. We’ll force you out if we must.”
With those parting words, Lin Weiming left the room.
“…Huh. That’s ridiculous.”
“Seriously. He didn’t come to offer congratulations, he came to issue a threat.”
“No matter how it’s China, can they really threaten us like this? If it weren’t for us, they wouldn’t even be able to handle the cargo piling up at their ports right now.”
“For now, the Chinese government won’t be able to make a move either. If we pull out, they won’t be able to handle this volume at these prices. But just like that bastard Weiming said at the end, once they get things under control, the situation will change.”
“Tsk. This is exactly why China’s such a risky place. Huge population, vast land, great for making money, but the government is always the problem.”
We may have the upper hand now, but the Chinese government is well aware of that too.
Once this volume crisis is resolved, the Chinese government would once again be able to wield the blade.
“Jin-ho. What do you think?”
“…….”
“Jin-ho. Jung Jin-ho?”
“Ah, yes.”
“What- were you spacing out?”
“Sorry. I was just so taken aback.”
Truthfully, it was for a different reason.
‘That person… why was his body shimmering like that?’
When I first met Lin Weiming, there were no signs of anything unusual.
But the more he spoke, the more his sharp face began to glow with golden light, gradually spreading across his entire body, I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
The man who just threatened us so heavily, radiating with golden light…
In my eyes, the golden aura that enveloped Lin Weiming still lingered vividly.
***
“Right now, the U.S. is apparently punishing companies one by one over the 2008 Lehman Brothers crisis.”
“So the results are finally coming out now.”
“Yes. They’ve been proceeding in stages, but now it seems like they’re striking in earnest.”
“Even American securities firms got slapped with massive fines. Just Gold Reagan alone had to pay $13 billion, and JP Mason got hit with $10 billion. Sounds like they’re going to collect from the rest of the banks and companies as well. Those two are so huge that it probably won’t even leave a scratch, but the others? They’re in trouble.”
I couldn’t hear a word of what the team members were talking about.
Lin Weiming, whom we met yesterday.
Why had he appeared golden to me? That question still haunted me.
“Department Head. Have you finished going over the report? I saw you took the China-related file…”
“Ah, yes. But there’s nothing special in it. Other than the Korean Wave Ban.”
That was the problem.
If it had something to do with Lin Weiming, there should have been some issue on the Chinese side.
But I couldn’t find anything.
“They’ll probably try to take some kind of action to stop sending us business. But right now, only Kwangwoon Shipping is seeing any upside, most of the marine industry is operating at a loss. Apparently, the industry’s never been this bad before.”
“Right. It’s gotten so bad that in many countries, even after privatizing port operations, they can’t manage, so they’re dumping their shares.”
It was at that moment.
Something sparked inside me at what Hye-rin just said.
“Deputy Manager. Did you just say port operations?”
“Yes. Port operations used to be a stable source of revenue, but now it’s just bleeding losses. Trading ships aren’t moving actively anymore.”
And then, a stronger jolt surged through my whole body.
“Could you bring me data on which ports are currently putting their operating rights up for sale?”
“Yes! I’ll bring it right away!”
Soon after, the Research Team brought the data.
As Hye-rin had mentioned, port operations had traditionally been a source of stable income.
Especially the Strait of Malacca, known as the gateway to Asia.
Port Klang North Port and Tanjung Pelepas Port.
In the Indian Ocean, Colombo South Port and Chattogram Port, which cover South Asia.
In the Red Sea region, Doraleh Container Terminal and Red Sea Gate Terminal.
And the Suez Canal, etc.
Right now, ports all over the world were putting up their operation rights for sale.
Typically, the land and infrastructure of a port are owned by the state for security reasons, but the operating rights are entrusted to private companies.
However, if operations don’t go well, companies either transfer some of their stake or pull out entirely and sell off everything.
“Port operation rights used to be extremely difficult to obtain, but now everyone’s desperate to sell. Those once-expensive shares are now dropping like rocks.”
I opened up a related map and examined the regions.
And then, golden streams began to flow through my hands.
Those streams drew beautiful lines, connecting each point one by one.
It was as if a specific route had been drawn.
In awe of the miraculous sight I had never seen before, I momentarily lost myself.
“Department Head…?”
Had Hye-rin not called out to me, I would’ve stood there, dazed, staring at the map for a long time.
“For the ports I’ve just marked, can you check how much the operation rights are currently being offered for?”
“Ah, yes!”
“And once you get the pricing, send the data to Kwangwoon Shipping as well.”
“Yes!”
Port rights.
And this map.
I don’t know why such a pattern is emerging from this.
But one thing is certain, this golden streams flowing through me right now feels exactly the same as the golden light I saw around Lin Weiming.
And so, a strange thought crossed my mind.
Could that harsh gentleman have actually been a swallow bearing a gourd seed?
***
Three years ago.
The Chinese government announced a massive project.
The Belt and Road Initiative.
It was an ambitious plan to create a Silk Road on land and sea, building the largest geopolitical infrastructure network in history.
Upon declaring the project, they began cooperating with about 150 countries, but progress had been slow over the past three years. The problem was the cost, it was too expensive to produce any significant results.
And the biggest issue was the ports.
To open the Maritime Silk Road, they needed to secure strategic chokepoints.
Not just one or two, but multiple points located along the optimal route planned by the Chinese government.
However, acquiring those port locations was costly, and more importantly, the companies holding the operating rights had no intention of selling.
Why would they sell something that produces golden eggs even if left untouched, especially to the Chinese?
So they waited.
And finally, the opportunity came.
As maritime trade became increasingly difficult, companies holding port operation rights began withdrawing one after another, and the prices of the shares they put up for sale began to plummet.
“Right now is the perfect time to move in.”
The Belt and Road Initiative, which had remained quiet for three years.
The Chinese government now planned to reintroduce it to the world once again.
They would seize the opportunity during this global trade downturn to establish an optimal route by land and sea, purchasing the scattered operating rights one by one.
And the Ministry of Commerce was assigned this critical role.
If they could sweep up all the operation rights that had fallen to rock-bottom prices, they could form the optimal route and create the Silk Road the government envisioned.
It was a crucial project that could only be realized now.
That’s why it had to succeed, no matter what.
But in fact, it shouldn’t have been difficult.
Hadn’t they waited patiently for the port-operating companies to dry up?
Even when those companies came begging to sell their rights directly, they were rejected.
Because eventually, the prices would drop further on their own!
“What? Rejected?!”
“Yes. The key ports that were supposed to be the core of our acquisitions, every single one rejected us.”
Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Commerce, Lin Weiming, couldn’t understand.
Weren’t these the same people who had been pleading for someone to buy their operation rights?
And now they’re saying no?
“What the hell? They were practically begging last time!”
“Yes. But… a buyer appeared and purchased all the shares.”
“What? Who the hell would buy up a dying port business?”
“They said it’s Kwangwoon.”
“……!”
Kwangwoon.
Those guys again?
“The problem is, every port that rejected our acquisition proposals had their shares transferred to Kwangwoon.”
“What… what the hell!?”
How was this even possible?
Not just one or two, but only the most critical locations on the Maritime Silk Road, targeted and acquired before rejecting China’s offer?
“Wait. Are you saying Kwangwoon somehow knew our route in advance and acquired those locations first? How? I myself only learned about the final route recently!”
“I’m not sure about that… but according to reports, Kwangwoon has been actively purchasing port operation rights for the past few weeks.”
Just like with the Korean Wave Ban before…
Do these guys have some kind of insider in the authorities?
“Then why not just change the route?”
“Yes, but this current route was finalized after extensive deliberation. If even one link is broken, the entire plan is affected. That’s why the Director ordered us to retrieve the shares by any means necessary. Since the route has already been announced officially, if the plan falls through, there will be consequences…”
Lin Weiming swallowed dryly.
This was a mega project that the Chinese government had staked its pride on.
And now, before it even began, things were falling apart?
And from the Ministry of Commerce, which was supposed to oversee the Maritime Silk Road?
The outcome was as clear as day.
“So you’re telling me I have to go crawling to those Kwangwoon bastards and bow my head?”
“We already sent people to negotiate… but they were all rejected.”
His vision swam before his eyes.
That didn’t mean he could send the Director either.
“I’m not going. You expect me to bow my head to those bastards?!”
It definitely seemed like these guys were retaliating over what happened last time.
Arrogant bastards.
He was furious to his core.
“How the hell did they even get that kind of information…”
Then suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
‘Wait a minute. But seriously, how did they know?’
Even within the Chinese government, only a handful likely knew the final route.
The Ministry of Commerce itself only received the directive to secure the final route two days ago.
But Kwangwoon knew in advance.
And not just a day or two, weeks in advance!
‘Which means…’
That meant someone extremely high up, someone Lin Weiming couldn’t even dare to imagine, was backing Kwangwoon.
In other words, someone among the core members of the Communist Party was supporting Kwangwoon from behind the scenes.
“!?”
As soon as that thought hit him, he shot up from his seat.
“Book me a ticket to Korea. Right now.”
“Pardon? B-but just now you said you wouldn’t go-”
“If I don’t go, I’ll lose my head. You think now’s the time to argue? Hurry!!”