novelraw Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Anger brushed past Kim Byeong-kwon’s face, but his shoulders fell heavily before the reality that followed.
Han Ji-beom’s words were not necessarily wrong.
With cash flow blocked now, there were not many ways for the company to survive.
“We came this far with technical power alone. It is the result that employees create by repeating thousands of times with their hands and eyes.”
Kim Byeong-kwon’s voice trembled.
Numerous memories rushed in like waves and crashed deep into his heart.
The images of employees who stayed late at the factory holding welding rods came to mind.
The technology that came from their fingertips was now in danger of being absorbed by massive capital.
Han Ji-beom nodded briefly.
He pretended to be sincere, but his head was only full of thoughts about finishing quickly.“That is why I am not saying to get rid of that technology. I am saying I want to utilize it on a larger scale.”
He stopped speaking for a moment and examined Kim Byeong-kwon’s expression.
“Just hand over the management rights to us.”
Kim Byeong-kwon quietly lowered his head and swallowed a sigh.
They said they would guarantee employment succession with words, but he could not believe them.
It was because they had always carried out restructuring under plausible pretexts.
It was obvious how that end would turn out.
“Please give me a few days.”
Han Ji-beom spoke as he rose from his seat.
“Of course. However, I hope you understand that the later the decision is, the more the opportunities will decrease accordingly.”
He took out a business card, handed it to CEO Kim, and left the spot while wearing a confident smile.
The sound of the office door closing was heard exceptionally loud.
After Han Ji-beom left, CEO Kim Byeong-kwon quietly examined the proposal Daehan left behind.
The more he looked at the details written down, the more he was appalled.
The proposed amount was also at a fairly realistic level.
It was to the extent that a thought occurred to him that they might have made the contract exclusive from the very beginning just to do this.
To think he had to hand over the company he protected through generations like this.
Even in death, he had no face to see his father.
Kim Byeong-kwon put down the proposal, rose from his seat, and walked to the window.
He let out a deep sigh while looking out the window.
Rough waves rose in the sea visible beyond the factory.
It was as if it revealed the inside of his heart exactly as it was.
He closed his eyes.
The images of employees working busily in work clothes came to mind.
The image of himself in his youth and the image of his father also brushed past together.
‘How do I explain this to Manager Han.’
The thought of how he should tell this situation to the employees, including Manager Han who had worked at this company for 20 years, did not occur to him at all.
In fact, the employees did not know the company’s circumstances accurately.
No matter how difficult the company was, he was giving them their wages even by using his own money.
That was because of the words his late father had requested.
CEO Kim Byeong-kwon knew the real value hidden behind the name of Sammyeong Heavy Industries better than anyone.
Technology alone was not everything to this company.
The sweat and passion of the people who created that technology were the real value.
Kim Byeong-kwon looked down at the proposal again.
Han Ji-beom’s business card was placed on top of the proposal.
The meaning contained in the business card with a sophisticated design was heavy.
Because a giant shadow called Daehan Group was looming behind it.
A giant wave surged and rose high.
Like a wave trying to swallow a small boat, Sammyeong Heavy Industries was now standing at a crossroads of choice.
Will it sink while fighting against the waves?
Or will it surrender itself to the waves and survive.
Kim Byeong-kwon took an old photo out from the desk drawer.
It was a photo from the time the company was founded.
The young Kim Byeong-kwon in the photo taken with his father was also inside it.
At that time, he was full of hope and everything was just good.
‘What choice would Father have made?’
The night was growing deep.
And Kim Byeong-kwon’s worries also deepened.
***
A few days passed.
Kim Byeong-kwon’s expression grew stiffer day by day.
The areas under his eyes grew dark and his lips were parched.
It was because he could not even sleep properly.
He had no appetite, so he often just made do with his meals.
The only thing he did all day was figure out how he could avoid handing over the company to Daehan.
The loan application he was leaning on as a last option was also rejected.
The bank only repeated principled answers.
“We also wanted to help as much as possible, but you have taken out too many loans.”
The evening of the day he heard those words.
Kim Byeong-kwon stood alone on the rooftop of the shipyard at the back of the company.
As the cold wind blowing from the sea brushed his face, it stung.
Looking down, he could see the images of employees still working until late.
They were making efforts day and night for technological development.
He could not tell where on earth things had gone wrong.
In fact, this was not something to blame anyone for.
The economy sank, orders stopped, and everything crumbled down too quickly.
Now he had reached the conclusion that there was only one option left.
The next morning.
Kim Byeong-kwon, dressed in a suit, entered the office.
In his hand was the business card left behind by General Director Han Ji-beom of Daehan Group.
He pressed the number without hesitation.
The ringtone was heard and an ivory voice flowed from the cell phone immediately.
-CEO Kim, I was waiting for you. Have you made a decision?
“Yes, could you spare some time? If possible, I would like to meet you today.”
-Of course.
Kim Byeong-kwon put down the cell phone.
His fingertips were trembling slightly.
He left the office door while holding the proposal.
Several employees passed by and greeted him.
“CEO, your complexion is not good today either. Do you have any worries these days?”
At those words, Kim Byeong-kwon shook his head while forcing a smile.
No one knew.
Whom he was going to meet right now.
To him, whose last remaining hope had even been extinguished, the things he had to protect were the people who endured for this company.
He was about to hand over the name he had protected for 30 years.
In front of the company’s main gate, a vehicle was waiting for him.
“CEO, get in quickly.”
The one sitting in the driver’s seat was Manager Han Dae-gyu.
To him, who had worked together since his father’s generation, he was almost like a friend beyond a colleague.
The car they rode in left the company and headed toward the highway.
For a while, a long silence hovered inside the car.
The one who opened his mouth first was Kim Byeong-kwon.
“The final rejection notice came from the bank.”
“I see, as I thought.”
Han Dae-gyu did not ask any further.
He also knew that during that time Kim Byeong-kwon was giving the employees their wages even by taking out personal debt.
Kim Byeong-kwon’s inside was burning up, but he looked out the window while pulling his heart together with effort.
“If we wait for government support, we will collapse first before that. In the end, there was only this way.”
Since it was a weekday morning, the highway was deserted.
The car ran on the road as if it was sliding smoothly.
A moment later, Kim Byeong-kwon quietly continued his words.
“Manager Han, the kids in the technology team don’t know yet, right?”
“I didn’t tell them on purpose.”
“You did well. Finding out the company is struggling would only increase their worries.”
Han Dae-gyu turned the steering wheel slightly and changed lanes.
And he asked cautiously.
“But wasn't this thing something Daehan aimed for?”
Kim Byeong-kwon let out a sigh instead of an answer.
“Probably….”
Silence flowed for a moment.
“In the end, we fell for those bastards' tricks. Those sons of bitches.”
At Han Dae-gyu’s sharp voice, Kim Byeong-kwon did not say any words.
“It is my mistake. I shouldn't have made the contract that way in the first place.”
“What do you mean by that? Those bastards made things reach this state on purpose.”
Han Dae-gyu’s voice trailed off.
Complacent thoughts such as 'surely such a thing wouldn't happen' ruined the work.
It was not something to blame anyone for.
If being naively fooled was a fault, then it was a fault.
After driving for a few hours and resting for a moment at a rest area, this time Kim Byeong-kwon took the wheel.
“Dae-gyu, you know. I tried to give the employees their wages no matter what happened. Even if I couldn't properly give my children's tuition or my mother's hospital bills, I have managed somehow. But now, I can't handle it either.”
At those words, Han Dae-gyu quietly lowered his head.
“I know. No one knows that. You have truly suffered much.”
Kim Byeong-kwon could not continue speaking for a moment.
It was because the emotions he had held back during that time made his eyes grow red at Manager Han’s words.
Han Dae-gyu noticed and added.
“The employees also know your heart. We are going to Seoul to protect them, aren't we.”
Kim Byeong-kwon put strength into the hands gripping the steering wheel without any words.
If they end up contracting with Daehan in Seoul today, Sammyeong Heavy Industries will now disappear into history.
They were on the way to lay down that name themselves.
The meeting room of Daehan Group headquarters in downtown Seoul.
The city landscape spread out beyond the wide glass windows was unfolding grandly.
CEO Kim Byeong-kwon and Manager Han Dae-gyu were sitting in their seats while nervous.
General Director Han Ji-beom of the Financial Strategy Headquarters of Daehan Group came inside.
“CEO Kim Byeong-kwon, Manager Han Dae-gyu. I am sorry for making you wait so long.”
Kim Byeong-kwon rose from his seat and shook hands with Han Ji-beom.
However, their eyes were full of a strange wariness.
It was a place to discuss the merger and acquisition based on the conditions Daehan proposed a few days ago.
In fact, if they even finished the contract today, it meant only practical work remained.
However, somehow he had a bad feeling.
As soon as Han Ji-beom sat on the chair, he checked something by opening a tablet and did not say any words.
Soon, someone came inside holding a file.
It was Seong Min-ho.
Han Ji-beom received the file Seong Min-ho handed over.
General Director Han checked the file one by one and then spoke nonchalantly as he held it out to CEO Kim Byeong-kwon.
“It seems some adjustments are needed in the existing conditions. This is the condition including the parts we changed. Please check it.”
Kim Byeong-kwon’s eyebrows moved minutely.
Manager Han Dae-gyu, who sat next to him, also asked if he sensed something.
“Adjustments? What do you mean by that?”
Han Ji-beom turned the tablet he brought and explained as if it were nothing.
“As you can see, we adjusted the acquisition amount by about 30%. And it would be better for employment succession to be for strategic departments only. We will review the rest in the future. It seems the part about existing debt succession also needs renegotiation.”
As Kim Byeong-kwon checked the documents he was holding, anger surged up.
“Is this not different from the content we first agreed upon? Where is the rule for doing this!”
Han Ji-beom shrugged his shoulders and let out a mean laugh.
“CEO, have not the situations changed a lot between then and now. The market is not easy these days. A judgment was made internally from Daehan Group’s side to move toward reducing risks. You should understand our position as well.”
“Then did you say all the things you presented to us until now from the beginning without even discussing them?”
Han Ji-beom laughed lowly and spoke.
“No way. Did I not say. That the situation has changed since then. As you know, CEO, an acquisition is originally like that. It is a normal procedure to weigh each other's gains and losses again until just before the conclusion. Can things not change anytime until a stamp is pressed on the contract?”
At those words, Manager Han Dae-gyu’s complexion turned red.
Unable to hold back, he opened his mouth.
“Your side asked to meet first, and now it is enough just to change your words! What kind of negotiation is this? It is a notification.”
Han Ji-beom was not shaken at all.
Rather, he was relaxed while leaning his body comfortably against the backrest.
“I will speak honestly. If you do not like this condition, you do not have to do it. There are many companies with similar technology these days if we try to find them. However, since there is trust built up during that time, we proposed to you first.”
Anger erupted in Kim Byeong-kwon, but the faces of the employees came to his mind.
Having barely managed his emotions, he clenched his teeth.
At that time, CEO Kim Byeong-kwon’s cell phone rang noisily while making a sound.