Chương 522: CH523
Chương 522: CH523
[Bluehole Group Chairman Park Seok-won Acquires Three Daegwang Group Affiliates Following the Takeover of Minguk Life!]
[Daegwang Securities, Diners Club Korea, and Daegwang Precision Engineering Officially Sold to Bluehole Group]
[Bluehole Securities Purchases 7.71% of Daegwang Securities Shares Held by the UK's Hermes Fund via Block Deal — Stock Prices Surge on Merger Expectations]
[Chairman Park Seok-won's Rapid Expansion Draws the Attention of the Business World]
Chairman Park Tae-hong's face brightened with satisfaction as he read the morning papers, all splashed with headlines about his second son's acquisition of Daegwang Group affiliates.
"Hahaha. He only just took over Minguk Life, and now he's managed to grab three Daegwang subsidiaries at once. He's my son, but I have to admit—he's truly remarkable."
He recalled the meeting held by the Federation of Korean Industries a few days ago, convened to elect a new chairman to replace the recently arrested Chairman Yoo Chun-seok. During that meeting, not only Chairman Kwak Dong-hoon of Saseong Group, but also the heads of Korea's top ten conglomerates, had all subtly tried to link their daughters or granddaughters with Seok-won. The memory made Park Tae-hong chuckle.
"Heh, heh, heh. Thanks to my brilliant son, I can finally hold my head high too."
Of course, that didn't mean he had any intention of marrying his son off into another chaebol or a political family for convenience.
"Not that he'd listen even if I told him to. Why would he bother with a loveless arranged marriage when he lacks nothing?"
Just like with his eldest son, Park Tae-hong intended to let Seok-won marry whoever he truly wanted.
The only thing that disappointed him was that, while his eldest already had children, Seok-won hadn't even reached the stage of seeing someone seriously, let alone thinking about marriage.
"Tsk."
Chairman Park Tae-hong leaned back in his chair and clicked his tongue.
"That boy… Business is all well and good, but does he plan to avoid romance altogether?"
Even from his own father's perspective, Seok-won was strikingly handsome—almost unfairly so—but he didn't seem to care in the slightest.
Just then, a knock came at the door. Park Tae-hong quickly straightened his posture and put on a stern expression.
"Come in."
Section Chief Jung Yoon-kyung entered, walking up to his desk.
"Chairman, a painting sent by Seok-won has arrived. What would you like us to do with it?"
At that, Park recalled how Seok-won had mentioned recently that he'd found a painting he thought his father would like, and that he'd send it over to be hung in the office.
He casually pointed his chin toward an empty wall beside the bookshelf.
"Hang it there."
"Yes, sir."
Though Park Tae-hong preferred calligraphy to paintings, it was a gift from his son—so he decided to hang it in his office nonetheless.
Moments later, a woman in a neat suit entered, accompanied by workers carrying a large, securely sealed wooden crate. They followed Section Chief Jung's guidance into the chairman's office.
"It should go right over there," Jung said, pointing to the wall Chairman Park had indicated earlier.
The female curator nodded in acknowledgement and gave instructions to the workers.
"Please open the crate carefully."
"Yes, ma'am."
The workers carefully drilled deep holes into the wall to secure the nails in place, then cautiously pried open the lid of the long wooden crate.
"This is a valuable piece, so make sure it doesn't get even the slightest scratch," the curator warned, standing nearby and watching them closely. Her repeated reminders made the workers move with even greater care.
Soon, they lifted out a 20x30-sized framed artwork from the crate and leaned it gently against the wall. The curator, wearing white gloves, knelt on one knee and began unwrapping the multiple layers of protective bubble wrap that had been meticulously applied to keep the piece safe.
When the final layer came off, the painting inside the frame finally revealed itself.
Chairman Park Tae-hong, who had risen from his desk and was watching the process with his arms folded from a short distance away, spoke in surprise.
"This is a seonmyeon seohwa, isn't it?"
The curator smiled and replied, "As expected, you have an excellent eye, Chairman."
A seonmyeon seohwa referred to paintings or calligraphy done on a folding fan surface.
"During the Joseon period, scholars would exchange fans as gifts during the Dano Festival. Later, fans were often used as a form of correspondence, where calligraphy or poems were inscribed, or as a canvas for landscape paintings. Among such works, this particular piece—a monochrome orchid painting and inscription by Chusa Kim Jeong-hui, who was fond of ink orchid art—is considered a national treasure."
Hearing the name Chusa Kim Jeong-hui, Park Tae-hong's eyes widened.
"W–wait a moment. Are you saying this piece here was painted by Kim Jeong-hui himself?"
Pressed by his urgent tone, the curator nodded.
"Yes, sir. It's an exceptionally rare work, with only a few surviving in Korea."
"Ho… I see."
Park Tae-hong's mouth fell open in admiration.
"Would you like to take a closer look, sir?" the curator asked politely.
Clearing his throat, Park replied, trying to maintain his composure.
"Hmm. Yes, I suppose I should."
Chairman Park Tae-hong stepped closer to the framed artwork, his gaze intent and thoughtful as he examined it.
The fan was spread open on one side, revealing an orchid painted across its surface. Just as Kim Jeong-hui, known as Chusa, had often described, it exuded "the fragrance of letters and the spirit of books"—munjahyang seogwonki (文字香 書卷氣)—a sense of literary grace and scholarly refinement that seemed to emanate directly from the brushstrokes.
The calligraphy on one side displayed the firm and vigorous brush movements characteristic of Chusa's later years—strokes that were sharp yet fluid, with bold and delicate lines alternating in perfect harmony.
A lover of Kim Jeong-hui's calligraphic works, Chairman Park let out a small sigh of admiration.
"Truly magnificent."
"As you can see," the curator said, "there's no discoloration or damage whatsoever. The preservation is in excellent condition."
"I can see that," Park murmured, still unable to take his eyes off the piece. He nodded slowly, his expression filled with quiet appreciation.
"Since you've finished your inspection, shall we hang it on the wall now?" the curator asked.
"Yes, go ahead."
At her gesture, the workers carefully lifted the frame and began mounting it on the wall.
"Hold on," Park interjected. "It's a little crooked on the left side."
Unlike his earlier indifference, he was now personally directing every adjustment. The workers, sweating nervously under his watchful eye, tried their best to align it perfectly.
"There—just a bit more… yes, that's it."
After several fine adjustments, they finally achieved perfect alignment. Chairman Park's face lit up with a deep sense of satisfaction.
"Very good. I like it," Chairman Park Tae-hong said, smiling with deep satisfaction.
Seeing his pleased expression, the curator stepped forward and handed him a file folder along with a pen.
"Would you please sign the receipt of transfer?"
"Of course."
Park took the pen gladly and scrawled his signature across the document the curator presented.
"Then, we'll take our leave now," the curator said politely.
"Good work."
After Section Chief Jung Yoon-kyung escorted the curator and the workers out of the office, Park was left alone. He stood before the framed painting, gazing at Chusa Kim Jeong-hui's fan-shaped artwork with an entranced expression.
For a long moment, he remained there, lost in admiration—until something suddenly crossed his mind. He turned back to his desk, picked up his phone, searched for his second son's number, and pressed the call button.
After a few rings, Seok-won answered.
[Yes, Father.]
"You rascal, what on earth did you send me?"
[Judging by the way you said that, I'm guessing the piece has been delivered.]
Hearing his son's teasing tone, Park moved back toward the frame, phone still in hand.
"Yes. A seonmyeon seohwa by Chusa himself! If it's genuine, it must be worth a fortune—no, forget the price—it's practically a national treasure. How in the world did you manage to get something this rare?"
Seok-won's voice came back, calm and casual.
[Ever since the bubble burst, the antique market's been flooded with artworks that Japanese corporations and collectors had purchased back when the economy was strong.]
"So this one came from Japan too?"
[That's right. It was originally taken out of Korea during the Japanese occupation. A real estate magnate in Japan had owned it for years, but he recently put it up for sale. I thought of you, so I bought it.]
Even if his son's wealth far exceeded his own on a global scale, Park Tae-hong was still among the richest businessmen in Korea. Acquiring a national-treasure-level artifact wouldn't have been beyond his means.
Yet, the fact that his son had bought such a rare and precious piece simply because it reminded him of his father—that moved Park deeply.
That boy… raising him was worth every bit of effort.
He was overwhelmed with pride, though his words came out in his usual gruff tone.
"What a waste of money. You didn't have to spend it on something like that."
[Come on, Father. A painting like that on the wall brightens up the whole room. Looks great, doesn't it?]
Chairman Park Tae-hong struggled to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Well… since it's a gift, I'll keep it on the wall."
[If you don't like it, I can replace it with something else.]
"N–no, no need for that. Don't trouble yourself. Just leave it as it is."
[Alright then.]
Worried his son might actually take the offer seriously and reclaim the painting, Park quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Anyway, are you coming next Sunday?"
[Of course. It's Mother's birthday—how could I not?]
"Good, then I'll see you then."
[Yes, Father.]
After ending the call, Park gazed up at the Chusa Kim Jeong-hui painting on the wall, a broad smile spreading across his face.
"He's got my eye for things, that boy. No wonder he's such a sharp investor."
With that thought, Chairman Park found himself unable to tear his eyes away from the painting, setting aside his pending work to admire it for a long while.
***
Leaving the 63 Building bathed in golden light from the setting sun behind them, the large Mercedes sedan carrying Seok-won headed toward his home in Seocho-dong.
Leaning back into the soft seat as if sinking into it, Seok-won gazed quietly out the window until he felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone.
[Is this a good time to talk, boss?]
It was Landon's voice from New York. Straightening up, Seok-won replied,
"What's going on?"
[The SEC is expected to announce Modunet's NASDAQ listing later today.]
A deep smile spread across Seok-won's lips at the news.
The SEC—the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission—was the body responsible for reviewing and approving any company seeking to list on the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ.
"So that means the IR team will immediately start investor demand assessments."
[Given the current Internet craze—where any company with 'dot-com' or even 'net' in its name sees its stock price skyrocket—we can expect a great outcome.]
He agreed, nodding slightly as he held the phone to his ear.
"Right. Regardless of nationality or profitability, as long as it's an Internet-related stock, investors are buying without hesitation these days."
[Once Modunet is successfully listed, it'll become the first Korean company to achieve a direct NASDAQ listing.]
"That's right."
Seok-won responded calmly.
[If things go as expected and the stock price soars well above the offering price, it might not reach the levels of Yahoo or Netscape, but you'll still see a considerable profit.]
Bluehole Venture Capital, which had been steadily accumulating Modunet shares in the over-the-counter market in preparation for its direct NASDAQ listing, now held a 10% stake.
[If I recall correctly, you said you wouldn't sell your shares at the time of listing—unlike the other shareholders—because you expect it to be a major hit, right?]
Having worked together for a long time, Landon knew how to read between the lines. His perceptiveness made Seok-won smile.
"If there's any news related to Modunet's listing, let me know immediately."
[Understood.]
After receiving a brief report about the general atmosphere on Wall Street, Seok-won ended the call. He then turned his gaze toward the Han River bridge, where the sun was slowly sinking beneath the horizon.
"The bubble always burns the brightest—right before it bursts."