Chapter 201: Domestic Dispute (4)
After I declared that I would purchase the gold Daehwa Trading had acquired, the executives’ faces immediately brightened.
“Whew, you really startled us earlier. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen you that angry, young miss....”
“You’re known for being strict with subordinates, but also famous for treating them well, aren’t you? Hahaha.”
Of course, that was only natural. Some young miss who barely understood practical operations had barged in and scolded them in front of everyone. They must’ve been fuming inside, humiliated by the loss of face.
If I hadn’t already proven myself on Wall Street, people would’ve started whispering about me by now.
Like the vice president had hinted, I wasn’t even an employee of Daehwa Trading; I was just an outsider.
Considering Daehwa Trading was practically Yoo Jin-seok’s property, I might even be worse than an outsider in their eyes.
The only reason I had been able to throw my weight around in the first place was because I’d been riding the wave of public adoration as a “national hero.” Normally, they’d be grumbling behind my back, wondering what the hell I was even doing here.
“...Um, then... may I ask how you intend to proceed with the contract?”
But that was no longer the case.
The vice president, who had completely changed his attitude, bowed slightly and couldn’t hide the smile on his face. After all, which trading company would be upset if someone offered to buy their goods at a high price?
In fact, being an ‘outsider’ was even more advantageous in a situation like this.
“I’ll have my secretary explain the details later. Just coordinate with the working-level staff for now. I’m thinking of spending up to two billion dollars, so don’t worry about the supply.”
“Ah, I see. Two billion dollars....”
At those words, the vice president froze for a moment, his expression twisting into something odd.
“...T-Two billion dollars? I-I mean, what do you plan to do with that much...?”
To literally sweep up all the gold in Korea— even Heo Saeng from The Tale of Heo Saeng hadn’t attempted something this audacious. The vice president’s eyes darted around, completely stunned by my monopoly declaration.
“Young miss, I... I know it’s not my place to say this, but... shouldn’t you reconsider? No matter how much money you have, spending all of it...”
“It’s fine. I have plenty of money.”
The official money I’d earned during the East Asian financial crisis alone was at least four billion dollars. That was before the Russian moratorium—by now, of course, my wealth had grown even more.
Spending up to six billion wouldn’t even raise eyebrows.
Never mind that my actual assets were in the hundreds of billions; even from an outsider’s perspective, I was already considered a lunatic-level tycoon.
I’d invested a billion dollars into an IT project for the government and still had money left over. So dropping two billion into gold? Perfectly reasonable.
“...Even so... young miss, this is great for me, of course, but if the chairman finds out about this contract... you might be fine, but I’ll be in serious trouble.”
“Hah. What do you think I earned this money doing? I survived by going all-in every single time. My grandfather is well aware of that.”
The others finally understood.
My profits were absurd by any logical standard, so of course my methods had to be equally insane.
Especially among pre-IMF Korean businessmen—most ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) were hopelessly conservative and risk-averse. But I wasn’t.
Just look at Chairman Yoo Seong-pil: he’d succeeded multiple times with gambles that were so reckless they bordered on insanity.
“I-I understand. Two billion dollars in gold, then....”
The vice president’s lips parted slightly in a helpless laugh as he mentally calculated the amount.
An ordinary person couldn’t comprehend such a figure, but for a trading company vice president—someone used to handling deals worth billions of won—it wasn’t hard to estimate.
“You’d have to gather every ounce of gold in the entire country to reach that amount.”
I smiled brightly.
“Exactly. You catch on fast. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
Two billion dollars meant sucking up all the gold nationwide. And if I was willing to commit to that amount...
“You mean to cut out every other trading company, correct?”
Exactly as expected.
His greed might outweigh his ability, but at least he wasn’t stupid.
***
I want to become the chairman of Daehwa Group.
That’s been my unchanging goal since childhood. So this, too, was just another step toward that goal.
“...Um, but about this matter—”
“Mm-hm. It stays secret, alright?”
Only then did the others fully catch on and step back.
I wasn’t overthrowing the company or anything, but I was throwing around absurd amounts of money—no way they wouldn’t notice.
—Come under me.
That’s probably what they were all thinking. Half wrong, but since I intended for them to think that way, it wasn’t entirely incorrect either.
And the vice president...
“Here’s my card. I think I’ll be contacting you frequently from now on, so... please take care of me.”
He handed me his business card.
Considering Yoo Jin-seok was the president of Daehwa Trading, this was clearly... betrayal.
As if I wouldn’t already know his contact information. Of course, he knew mine too. This was his way of making a declaration—he was actively choosing to grab the line I was throwing him.
“It’s fine. I already know your number.”
“...Excuse me?”
I smiled gently.
Honestly, he wasn’t high-ranking enough yet. If I demanded oaths of loyalty from someone like him, I’d have to demand them from every low-level grunt too.
Was this how Emperor Chi-cheon felt during his war with Gui Riha’s vassals? I think I finally understand.
“Hwang Sun-wook, vice president of Daehwa Trading....”
Fifty-eight years old. Originally from Daehwa Construction, not Daehwa Trading. Talented, but once demoted for ruining a project due to excessive ambition. Later reinstated by Chairman Yoo Seong-pil during the group’s expansion phase.
I calmly recited his profile.
Everything—from trivial gossip to secrets he thought no one knew.
The key point? He wasn’t particularly close to Yoo Jin-seok.
Which meant he had nothing to offer me. I had no obligation to repay him. If anything, he was the one who needed to pay the price for stepping under me.
“Daehwa Trading doesn’t have many people left after the company split, right?”
“...That’s...”
“It’s an important company, of course. That’s why I came. But I hope you’re not under any illusions.”
—Tap.
Walking slowly through Daehwa Trading’s reception room, I glanced at the photo wall chronicling my grandfather, the founder of Daehwa Group.
“You wouldn’t bargain with our chairman, would you? Bargaining only happens between equals.”
.
.
.
Smile.
“Ahaha! Maybe I was too harsh. I’m sure you already knew. You’re all smart, even if not quite as much as me, right?”
“Ah, y-yes. That’s right.”
I grinned brightly, waving my hand in a playful gesture.
“Please understand. I’ve been under so much suspicion. Being a young woman, I’ve been treated unfairly so many times that I’ve picked up some bad habits.”
After saying that, I caught sight of the vice president sweating bullets and gave him a knowing smile before walking out of the room.
***
July 14th, 1997
Halfway through July now, and despite the sweltering heat, I was still running around in a full suit.
Not only Daehwa Trading—I had to regularly meet with Cha Ba-da to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind, and with the presidential election coming soon, things were hectic.
On top of that, I still had plenty of overseas business left unfinished, so of course I was busy.
Not that I’d ever had a time when I wasn’t busy.
—Thud.
Sitting on a sofa, I unbuttoned a few buttons on my shirt and fanned myself, sweat trickling down between my collarbones.
“Phew, it’s hot.”
Daehwa Trading required delicate handling, but thankfully, I didn’t need to be so careful with everyone else.
“...We’ve secured about four tons of gold so far.”
“Mm, good. We’ll just take Daehwa Trading’s share slowly, right? I’m debating whether I should move first before those bastards sell it off somewhere shady... but when’s the right time...”
Ugh, whatever. I should just take this off.
I slipped off my shirt and handed it to my secretary. I could practically hear her gulping from here.
“By the way, you were in the student council, weren’t you?”
“...Excuse me? Oh, yes. That’s correct.”
As the kids got older, some were graduating and going straight into field assignments. While some focused on college or civil service exams, the quick-witted ones realized it might be better to start working for the organization a few years early.
This secretary, for instance... she probably didn’t have stellar grades, but she was loyal and hardworking, which was why I hired her.
Plus, being an orphan meant she didn’t have to serve in the military and was naturally free of the organization’s biggest problem—security risks. Perfect for indebting her with favors.
I’d heard rumors that Seo Ji-yeon was being slandered as an “orphan hunter” lately, probably because of this.
Manpower was scarce, but we couldn’t just hire anyone recklessly because of security concerns, so we were recruiting orphans to cut resource risks.
A sad but inevitable reality.
“If you were in the student council, you must be good at English. I need to visit MS Korea because of the election, but you go instead. I’m going to rest.”
“...Me? Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Bill Gates won’t be there, so it’s fine. The documents are all prepared; just get the afternoon handler to give you the paperwork. Also, release a few articles about how interested MS is in Korea.”
Holding my throbbing head, I stripped off the rest of my clothes, dumped cold water into the bath, and stepped in.
Ah, refreshing.
“What are you waiting for? Go.”
“....”
Ah, she’s got her eyes closed.
I chuckled softly.
“You can open them, you know.”
“I-I’ll be going now!”
The secretary bolted.
Tsk, without professional discipline, how can she keep working? I’d decide whether to send her to Pigmalion or just dismiss her based on how she performed on this job.
Thinking that, I relaxed in the cold water, stretching out slowly.
As always, it was another delightful day.