novelraw Chapter 77
Chapter 77
The place Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil and his wife rented was a suite room.
The two scattered into their respective spaces.
His wife disappeared into the bedroom, and Ju Yeong-gil moved his steps to the living room.
This place, which was as luxurious as its price, was filled with high-end furniture.
In the middle, a soft-looking sofa was placed, and someone sitting there welcomed Ju Yeong-gil.
A man with his tie loosened was sitting in a somewhat comfortable-looking manner and wearing a smile.
He was President Lim Do-hyun, the president of Taeseong Construction and the second son of Chairman Lim Man-seok.
“You are later than I thought. It seems the conversation became quite long.”
The words spat out in a calm voice were very cynical.
Ju Yeong-gil bowed his head briefly and answered with an expressionless face.“Since the Chairman is such a prudent person, is he not. That is why it took a long time.”
Lim Do-hyun leaned his back against the chair and crossed his legs.
His finger tapped the sofa armrest at regular intervals.
That rhythm strangely gave the other person a sense of tension.
Lawyer Ju Yeong-gil opened his mouth without minding it, as if he were familiar with such a sight.
“As you expected, President Lim, the Chairman, changed his mind.”
President Lim Do-hyun’s gaze flashed sharply.
“Did he say he would give it to Hyunjun?”
“Yes, he said so.”
Lim Do-hyun spat out a curse word at once.
After a bit of time passed and he found his stability, he swept up his disheveled hair with both hands.
“So, how specifically did he say he would do it?”
Ju Yeong-gil adjusted his glasses with his finger and stared intently at President Lim Do-hyun, who was full of excitement.
“I will tell you slowly about what happened today.”
***
The black sedan that President Nam Jae-heon of Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering was riding in came to a stop.
As he got out of the car, the camera flashes of the waiting reporters went off all at once.
Nam Jae-heon’s expression was much stiffer than usual.
In his appearance as he walked with large strides while fastening his suit jacket, a sense of tension was revealed intact.
“President Nam. What are you going to say at the Special Prosecutor’s office?”
“How do you think it will affect the company’s management!”
He ignored the pouring questions and disappeared into the District Prosecutors' Office building.
The expressions of the lawyers following behind him were also very dark.
The afternoon of President Nam Jae-heon’s special prosecutor investigation took place.
Nam Jae-heon, who returned to the Daehan Group headquarters, let out a deep sigh after hearing the content reported by the secretary.
“The general meeting of shareholders for convening the board of directors has been confirmed for next Friday.”
Nam Jae-heon, who was heavily harassed by Special Prosecutor Ryu Seong-jin in the morning, rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and asked.
“What did the National Pension Service say? Nothing is wrong, right?”
“There has been no official announcement yet, but according to internal sources, they seem to be maintaining neutrality.”
Nam Jae-heon narrowed his brows and clenched his fist.
Although he had been succeeding in reappointment without much trouble until now, everything was uneasy this time.
With the special prosecutor investigation along with the controversy over ESG management violations overlapping, it was a situation where he was pushed completely into a corner.
In addition, he was very concerned about his father’s attitude toward him these days.
It was a custom for the family to gather and eat once a week, but for some reason, there had been no news for several weeks.
That was not all.
He received news that his father was meeting Nam Jae-min, whom he had neglected all this time.
Currently, Nam Jae-min was serving as the representative of Daehan Culture & Media.
In reality, it was a company he took charge of after falling out of Nam Kun-ho’s favor while marrying the actress Go Hye-rim.
Thanks to that, Nam Jae-heon and Nam Yoon-kyung inherited important businesses within Daehan Group.
However, it was unknown how long this would remain valid.
The person who knew Nam Kun-ho best was Nam Jae-heon.
Chairman Nam Kun-ho was the very person who could cast off even his own children.
He ascended to the chairman’s position in that way, so how could he not know.
If Chairman Nam Kun-ho were to abandon Nam Jae-heon, he would lose everything to Nam Yoon-kyung or Nam Jae-min.
This alone was something he had to protect even at the risk of his life.
Nam Jae-heon looked out the window and clenched his fist even tighter.
In a situation where the blade of the special prosecutor was touching his neck, even a power struggle within the family was starting.
‘This might be the last chance….’
His eyes were cast with fear along with desperation.
The day of the general meeting of shareholders one week later.
The grand conference room of the Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering headquarters was swept up in a more tense atmosphere than ever.
Institutional investors, who looked as if they were wearing matching custom-made clothes, and individual shareholders, who appeared with materials in their hands, came inside one after another.
There were also many journalists gathered to capture the historic moment determining President Nam Jae-heon’s reappointment.
Nam Jae-heon, sitting in the president's seat, tried to maintain a calm expression looking at the shareholders who were more crowded than usual, but the cold sweat flowing down his palms was telling the truth.
The first one to take the microphone was an official from the National Pension Service.
The grand conference room became as quiet as a dead mouse.
“I will state the official position of the National Pension Service. We, the National Pension Service, have decided to exercise an opposing opinion regarding the reappointment agenda of President Nam Jae-heon.”
In an instant, the grand conference room stirred.
The National Pension Service, which had maintained neutrality until now, had clearly expressed its opposition.
What that meant indicated that the result had tilted toward one side.
Soon after, major domestic and foreign shareholders, including HJ Partners, cast opposing votes one after another.
“I will exercise an opposing vote on the grounds of ESG management violations and lack of transparency.”
“Responsibility must be sought for the damage to shareholder value.”
“I exercise an opposing vote due to issues of accounting transparency and management responsibility.”
As those words continued, Nam Jae-heon’s face gradually turned pale.
The result was obvious without looking.
Nam Jae-heon turned his gaze toward the VIP seats.
I, Lim Hyunjun, was there.
Wearing a dark gray long coat over my school uniform, I had a youthful face, but my calm gaze alone exuded a weight that was not intimidating even among adults.
I saw Choi Seo-jun leaning his body toward me and whispering.
Then, my gaze turned toward Nam Jae-heon.
Nam Jae-heon’s eyes met mine.
The boy was looking at him without changing a single expression.
It was a gaze as if saying this.
‘I shall judge you.’
The corners of my mouth rose slightly.
As that happened, anger welled up in Nam Jae-heon.
Discomfort wrapped around his whole body, making it hard to control his anger.
‘Everything is because of that bastard.’
If not for HJ Partners.
If not for the guy named Lim Hyunjun.
There would have been no need to suffer such humiliation at this general meeting.
“I will announce the voting results.”
The moderator’s voice echoed through the microphone.
The entire grand conference room fell into silence again.
“Pros 35.2%, Cons 64.8%… the reappointment agenda of President Nam Jae-heon has been rejected.”
At that moment, Nam Jae-heon’s mind went white and stopped.
It was a historic moment where the reappointment of the owner family was thwarted for the first time since the founding of Daehan Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering.
The camera flashes bursting out from all over the conference room mercilessly captured Nam Jae-heon’s stiff face.
His hand was trembling minutely on the desk.
I was still watching all these sights from the same spot.
It was not a smile of victory, nor an appearance of satisfaction.
I merely confirmed the expected result calmly.
‘It is starting now.’
A faint smile brushed the boy’s mouth.
That night, Nam Jae-heon was called to Chairman Nam Kun-ho’s residence.
“What kind of state is this!”
A scolding voice that shook the living room.
Chairman Nam Kun-ho, the head of Daehan Group, shouted roughly and struck the table.
“You ruined the company that has been led for decades to this extent because of you, you punk!”
Nam Jae-heon was kneeling before his father with his head lowered, silently enduring the scolding while becoming a target of verbal abuse.
“Do you know what they are blathering about in the media? They blather that it is a victory for shareholder democracy! The downfall of owner management? What kind of company are we! These bastards.”
Chairman Nam could not hide his excitement and continued to pour it out.
“Why do I have to suffer such disgrace because I have a bastard child like you!”
In an instant, Nam Jae-heon flared up.
“Father, I also did my best. But the situation….”
That became a fuse and touched Nam Kun-ho’s feelings.
“Situation? You say situation?! Now you are talking back to me! What did you do so well that you are blathering! How on earth did you manage the company normally for this to happen!”
Nam Kun-ho threw the glass cup placed on the table.
The glass cup flew past Nam Jae-heon’s forehead and shattered into pieces with a bursting sound.
The blood flowing down from his forehead entered his eye to the point it looked as if he were crying tears of blood.
Nam Jae-heon clenched his fist tight.
Although he had led the company under his father’s shadow all this time, he resented the reality of having to take all the responsibility like this when a crisis actually struck.
Only after Chairman Nam had vented his anger to his heart's content did he leave the spot.
At that time, the secretary came in and wrapped Nam Jae-heon’s forehead with a handkerchief with a pale face.
A voice looking for medical staff saying emergency treatment must be done was heard, but Nam Jae-heon brushed off the secretary’s hand and headed outside just like that.
He got into the car without caring about the flowing blood.
The secretary quickly followed and took the steering wheel.
When he hesitated while watching his mood, Nam Jae-heon spoke in a frost-like voice.
“Where is that bastard Choi Dong-ryeol right now!”
The fire arrow shot by Chairman Nam Kun-ho passed through Nam Jae-heon and a spark jumped to Choi Dong-ryeol.
The secretary drove the car sensibly toward somewhere.
The house where Choi Dong-ryeol lived.
He was living in a luxurious villa.
When Nam Jae-heon got out of the car, the handkerchief he held to his head was soaked and drenched with blood.
As if he could not even feel the pain, he merely walked toward the entrance quickly.
“President, wait a moment. You must not do this!”
The secretary followed urgently, but Nam Jae-heon ignored him.
Arriving in front of the entrance, he ignored things like the intercom and pounded on the entrance door with his fist.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
A sound as if the door might break at any moment.
Before long, a sign of presence was heard from inside and the entrance door opened.
The man who came out in a hurry dressed in pajamas widened his eyes instantly.
“Pre, President.”
The owner of the voice was not Choi Dong-ryeol but his wife.
The woman, who was startled, took a step back and fell as she saw the crazy person who barged in covered in blood.
Nam Jae-heon grabbed the collar of Choi Dong-ryeol, who was trembling in fear, and dragged him inside.
“It is all because of you! If you had not ruined the work. I would not have suffered like this!”
Choi Dong-ryeol, who was in a defenseless state, lost his balance and fell onto the living room sofa while his collar was grabbed.
Loud voices were exchanged.
The dog Choi Dong-ryeol raised barked fiercely.
To the point where the barking of the small animal was put to shame, Nam Jae-heon lost his reason and threw punches at Choi Dong-ryeol.
The wife, who was trembling while terrified, fainted as she watched the sight.
Perhaps someone made a report, as the siren of a police car was loud.
The secretary also realized the seriousness of the situation and tried to catch him to stop Nam Jae-heon.
However, it was not enough to stop a person who had already lost his reason.
Even as Choi Dong-ryeol begged while rubbing his palms in fear, the relentless punching did not subside.
A small dog rushed in fiercely to protect its owner and bit Nam Jae-heon’s wrist.
“Aaaack!”
Only then did the punching stop, and Nam Jae-heon stopped his anger toward Choi Dong-ryeol while writhing in pain.
At that time, the police barged into the house.
Choi Dong-ryeol was in a battered state, with various parts burst and bruised after being beaten thoroughly.