novelraw Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The next day evening.
A private room in a hotel near Gwanghwamun, Seoul.
In the space where the curtains were drawn, only calm music was flowing.
Park Se-dong, the president of Daehan Construction and Chairman Nam Kun-ho'
s closest aide. He had already arrived an hour ago.
When it became exactly 7 o'
clock, the door opened and Min Ki-tae, the 1st Vice Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, quietly entered.
“It has been a long time, Vice Minister.”
“President Park. You said to meet in a quiet place, but this seems to be quite top secret.”
Park Se-dong gave a short smile and sat down, bringing up the main point first.
“As you know, Vice Minister, the whole country is in turmoil due to Taeseong Construction. The government must also be under a lot of pressure because of this incident.”
Min Ki-tae lifted the pre-prepared wine glass and took a sip. After that, he spoke calmly.“I cannot say that it is not.”
“I heard the VIP warned him directly. Of course, it was not something said officially.”
Min Ki-tae'
s eyes wavered slightly.
“Ahem. Your information is indeed very fast.”
“A person doing business should not be slow. That is why I am saying this.”
Park Se-dong placed the documents he had prepared on the table.
[Iraq Karbala Refinery Facility Proposal]
“Taeseong has already lost trust locally. The government will no longer want to work with them either.”
Min Ki-tae said while quietly turning the pages of the document.
“So, are you saying Daehan will step in?”
“We have finished our preparations. Technology, manpower, funds, and even diplomatic aspects.”
The contents in the document were also concise and clear.
It included actionable details, a completed schedule, and a plan that even considered political burdens.
Min Ki-tae quietly closed the document and lifted the wine glass again. Swirling the glass once, he raised his head and looked at Park Se-dong.
“What is it that Daehan wants?”
Park Se-dong smiled without a word for a moment. Then he spoke in a calm tone.
“It is not anything complicated. Please connect us with the Iraqi government unofficially. I want to build trust before the official bidding process.”
Min Ki-tae did not answer right away. He put down the glass and fell into thought while tapping the table with his fingers. After finishing various calculations, he opened his mouth.
“From the government'
s perspective, we have not yet reached an official decision regarding Taeseong.”
“I am well aware of that.”
Park Se-dong nodded and continued.
“That is why I am asking for a connection only, not an official procedure.”
One of Min Ki-tae'
s eyebrows rose slightly.
“How far are you prepared on your side? In terms of diplomatic aspects, I mean.”
“We have some connection with the line of the 2nd Vice Minister of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, since contact is currently completely forbidden.... If you only connect the channel, we will move quietly after that.”
After a moment of silence passed, Min Ki-tae spoke.
“...I felt it before too, but you are thorough.”
“Haha. That is our style.”
After saying that, Park Se-dong lifted the glass and took a sip. After that, he made eye contact with Min Ki-tae and said calmly.
“Ah, Vice Minister, a painting will have arrived when you go to your home this evening. It is nothing much, so you do not have to feel pressured. It is a work by an artist I have been keeping an eye on lately, and it was quite good.”
Min Ki-tae momentarily faltered, then snorted lightly.
“I cannot win against President Park.”
“It is just a small token of sincerity. If it suits your taste, hang it in the living room, or if not, you can leave it in a corner.”
Min Ki-tae wore a troubled expression and spoke.
“This is true....”
“Please do not misunderstand by any chance. It is purely art sponsorship. Haha.”
Park Se-dong laughed leisurely.
Min Ki-tae felt like his heart would burst with joy inside after seeing a text message from his wife.
Since he liked paintings very much, he liked the gift sent by Daehan very much.
Min Ki-tae lifted his glass and held it out toward Park Se-dong.
The glass cups bumped against each other and made a frictional sound.
***
In front of a small apartment complex near an industrial complex in southern Gyeonggi Province.
Several reporters and nearby residents were already gathered there.
While the camera flashes flickered, a black sedan quietly came to a stop.
As the car door opened, an elderly man with gray hair quietly revealed himself.
Chairman Lim Man-seok.
The scene was stirred by the single fact that he had appeared.
He was with Chief Secretary Kang Cheol-woo, without even being accompanied by bodyguards.
Of course, Lim Do-hyun, the President of Taeseong Construction, and the eldest son, Lim Do-kyung, the Vice Chairman of Taeseong Electronics, were also with him.
And Lim Hye-seon, the President of Taeseong Department Store, was also together with them.
The fact that the Taeseong Group family appeared together was news in itself.
The reporters'
flashes flickered even more, and some approached them closely while holding microphones.
“Chairman Lim, what is the meaning of your coming here today?”
“Is there a reason you visited the bereaved family directly?”
“What is the reason the Taeseong Group family came out together?”
But no one answered those questions.
Chairman Lim Man-seok tidied his clothes once with his wrinkled hands, and then walked slowly toward the unit on the first floor where the bereaved family lived.
The moment he stood in front of the door, the entire apartment complex became quiet as if it were holding its breath.
The sound of a doorbell was heard, and the door opened cautiously.
Representative Lee Chang-ho'
s wife and children were standing in front of the door.
Her face was clearly stiff at the sight before her eyes.
“I am Lim Man-seok. I have come to visit you personally and ask for forgiveness.”
Chairman Lim Man-seok said that and bowed his waist deeply.
The sound of camera shutters went off continuously.
The children standing beside Chairman Lim Man-seok also bowed their waists in the same way.
Lim Man-seok straightened his waist again and opened his mouth while holding his hands together.
“I heard that your husband tried to take responsibility until the end. I heard he tried to take care of the employees'
wages until the last moment.”
He moistened his dry lips once and continued.
“Taeseong was unable to do anything for such a person. All that responsibility lies with me, Lim Man-seok, the representative of Taeseong. Please give me an opportunity to seek forgiveness.”
Once again, Lim Man-seok bowed his waist deeply.
Lim Do-hyun, the President of Taeseong Construction, as well as Lim Do-kyung and Lim Hye-seon, bowed their heads in turn.
That appearance felt more sincere than grand words.
Representative Lee Chang-ho'
s wife looked at them with a stiff face.
Her eyes soon became moist.
“My husband believed in Taeseong until the end. Even if he were to cast away his own life, he tried to take care of the employees'
wages until the end.”
Representative Lee Chang-ho'
s wife bit her lip and continued speaking with difficulty.
“It is late, but thank you for coming even now.”
She added in a trembling voice.
“Please make sure that a person like my husband does not appear anymore. That is what I wish for.”
Lim Man-seok closed his eyes and bowed his head deeply.
“I will surely keep that promise.”
It was the first sincere step for Taeseong to regain the trust of the people again.
Someone might spit out curses at the scene of a conglomerate head'
s sincere apology.
Nevertheless, Chairman Lim Man-seok thought it was his duty to apologize first.
News channels and media outlets broadcasted the same scene all at once.
[Taeseong family visits bereaved family and offers sincere apology]
[Chairman Lim Man-seok kneels. Deeply feels responsibility, will surely keep promise]
[Sincerity worked! Taeseong bows its head before the people]
The media vied with each other to report the scene of Chairman Lim Man-seok visiting the bereaved family personally and bowing his head.
The fact that, unusually, the family of a group apologized together caught people'
s eyes.
The scene of Chairman Lim Man-seok bowing his waist with a heavy expression.
The scene of Representative Lee Chang-ho'
s wife speaking with a tearful voice spread in real-time.
The public'
s reaction, which had been cold, was more positive than expected.
The public opinion, which had been full of blame, also changed.
Of course, critical gazes still existed, but Taeseong, which had been regarded as a symbol of irresponsibility until just the day before, changed in just one day.
It was transformed into an image of a company that carries responsibility.
The stock price also stopped its downward trend and gradually attempted a rebound. Investors also gradually returned to Taeseong.
For Taeseong, it was as if they had extinguished an urgent fire.
However, the bleeding suffered internally was not small at all.
Deeply feeling the responsibility for this situation, Taeseong decided on unprecedentedly fast and bold compensation for the subcontractors who had been under contract with Taeseong Construction.
Focusing on the companies that had stopped work at the sites and suffered losses, they not only compensated for actual expenses for labor costs and equipment losses but also did not collect back some down payments.
Thanks to that, the gazes of the media and the public turned favorable, but the loss as a company was large enough to be painful.
As compensation was paid out in large amounts at once, liquidity pressure was added.
Above all, as the Iraq Karbala refinery facility project was completely canceled, the overseas expansion business they had worked on for a long time became a bubble, leaving only losses without profit.
It was fortunate that they obtained the result of restoring trust, but voices that someone must still take responsibility for this situation did not subside internally.
Taeseong Construction immediately held an emergency strategy meeting.
In the conference room, Chairman Lim Man-seok, President Lim Do-hyun, and other major executives and working-level staff all gathered.
After various discussions, a solution that could recover was needed rather than holding someone accountable.
Manager Jeong Seong-pil of the International Business Department cautiously expressed his opinion.
Since he was a person who knew the reality of the field better than anyone else, he came up with a realistic answer.
“The Iraq refinery facility construction must be resumed. This is no longer just a problem for Taeseong Construction.”
Chairman Lim Man-seok, who was quietly watching the meeting, finally opened his mouth.
“I agree with your words. Resuming rather than suspending is the best choice for now.”
This was not a simple management judgment, but in a way, a choice upon which the fate of Taeseong Construction depended.
Immediately, the departure of the working-level staff was decided.
A schedule was promoted to grasp the atmosphere of the local Iraq area and resume contact with officials of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil through official routes.
A few days later, in a hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, the working-level staff including Manager Jeong Seong-pil entered the scheduled location. But the person who met them was an unexpected figure.
The person who approached first with a polite greeting was someone familiar.
It was Nam Jae-heon, the Vice Chairman of Daehan Construction and the President of Daehan Shipbuilding &
Marine Engineering.
“So, you have come from Taeseong as well. It is nice to meet you. I am Nam Jae-heon.”
He was a man who stood out with his neat suit, neatly combed hair, and firm eyes.
He smiled brightly toward Manager Jeong Seong-pil and reached out his hand.
Jeong Seong-pil did not take his eyes off him while shaking hands.
“I did not know that the Vice Chairman would also be here.”
Nam Jae-heon answered with an unexpectedly comfortable laugh.
“It is not unreasonable for you to be surprised. I understand.”
Vice Chairman Nam Jae-heon slightly turned his gaze and confirmed that Iraqi Ministry of Oil officials were entering.
They greeted him warmly, as if they already had a previous acquaintance with Nam Jae-heon.
At that moment, Manager Jeong Seong-pil had an intuition.
The fact that Daehan Construction had already been moving meticulously behind the scenes.
A strange situation unfolded where Iraqi officials, Taeseong, and Daehan faced each other at one table.
For Iraq, there was nothing bad about it since it was a situation where they just had to make a decision between Taeseong and Daehan, which already had global reputations.
However, the fact that Vice Chairman Nam Jae-heon of Daehan Group came to such a place personally meant that Daehan should be seen as already holding the initiative.
At the very least, President Lim Do-hyun should have come from Taeseong.
Jeong Seong-pil was feeling a poignant sense of futility. It felt as if the efforts he had made so far had turned into a bubble.
While Manager Jeong Seong-pil was thinking this way inside, Vice Chairman Nam Jae-heon was leading the conversation.
In the midst of the harmonious talk, Faisal al-Hamidi, an Iraqi official, whispered something to Samira Naji, who was translating.
Samira Naji'
s expression changed slightly.
She nodded as if hesitating for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“The person who is to come to this place has just arrived.”
Jeong Seong-pil noticed at once that Vice Chairman Nam Jae-heon'
s expression changed, as if the fact was unknown to Daehan as well.
The door opened and someone revealed themselves.