novelraw Chapter 121 : I Thought This Crisis Was Rather an Opportunity
Chapter 121 : I Thought This Crisis Was Rather an Opportunity
Chapter 121: I Thought This Crisis Was Rather an Opportunity
When my greeting ended, President Jung Joo-hyuk of Daedong Construction brought his massive palm down on the table with a loud smack and burst into hearty laughter.
The cramped conference room filled with his boisterous laughter.
“Ha-ha! So you’re that young fellow. I’ve been hearing rumors that you swallowed up a dying company for a mere two million won. That kind of nerve is no joke. So then, after acquiring such a big company, what are you planning to do now? Did you come here to sell us cement or something?”
His words sounded like praise on the surface, but in truth, they were little more than mockery.
Every gaze in the conference room converged on my mouth. Everyone looked curious to see how I would counter his sneer.
Instead of being shaken by his words, I smiled leisurely.
“If that’s what President Jung wants, then of course I should supply you with as much as you need, whenever you need it.”
I paused briefly, then added while looking him straight in the eye,
“However, the government must have issued a directive not to use Daejin Cement’s products. Would that be all right with you?”
At my counter-question, the laughter vanished from Jung Joo-hyuk’s face in an instant.
“If you have the nerve to ignore government directives, then isn’t it only natural that Korea’s top construction company should be supplied with the best cement? I will always consider Daedong Construction my top priority, above all others.”
At my bold yet courteous reply, interest sparkled in Jung Joo-hyuk’s eyes.
He stared at me intently for a moment, then burst out laughing heartily once again.
“This is quite something! Your way with words is extraordinary. I like it!”
As Jung Joo-hyuk reacted favorably, the looks from the others subtly shifted as well. But not everyone felt the same.
“Hmph, just a smooth-talking upstart.”
A cold voice sliced through the air of the conference room. The owner of that voice was President Lee Jang-ho of Dongbang Cement.
“You can’t even handle the government directive, yet you’re handing out empty promises to President Jung. It looks like all you can do is play word games.”
President Kim Seong-jin of Taesan Cement, who was seated beside him, also let out a sneer.
“Listen here, young man. This isn’t a place for an upstart like you to butt in. The days when we couldn’t sell cement because there wasn’t enough are over. There’s nowhere left that would buy cement coming out of your rotten factory.”
The two power brokers of the same industry clearly set their sights on tearing me apart.
I spoke calmly toward them.
“Since Liberation, Daejin Cement has been the top name in Korea’s cement industry. It merely stumbled for a while after being singled out by the government and having its sales channels blocked. Once it’s normalized, there will be no problem with it standing back up.”
“Everyone here knows that Daejin Cement is buried under a mountain of debt. Shouldn’t you at least pay off that debt first before you even think about going around selling cement?”
Kim Seong-jin’s words were laced with sharp barbs. As someone who had always remained second-best, pushed aside by Lee Jin-seong, the revival of Daejin Cement clearly did not sit well with him.
“President Kim is right. These days, any dog or cow jumps into the cement business, and it feels like the industry’s getting muddied. It’s worrying.”
Lee Jang-ho picked up on his words and attacked me again. I nodded lightly, as if it were nothing.
“President Lee Jang-ho, you’re absolutely right. Dogs and cows jumping into the cement business is exactly why things have turned out this way.”
At my words, Lee Jang-ho, who had instantly been turned into one of those dogs or cows, glared at me with bulging eyes.
“What did you say?”
“Daejin Cement will change. The debt is something I’ll take care of myself, so you don’t need to worry about it. But isn’t it time you worried about yourselves instead? President Lee Jang-ho and President Kim Seong-jin, I hear that things aren’t going too well for either of you either. Your cash flow’s been cut off, and you’re on the brink of bankruptcy.”
“What? You insolent little bastard!”
Lee Jang-ho sprang up from his seat and pointed at me. Kim Seong-jin merely glared at me, saying nothing.
That was when Lee Gyeong-cheol, who had been sitting in the seat of honor, quietly opened his mouth.
“Both of you, let’s not be too harsh. Isn’t this the spirit of a young man trying to revive a collapsing company in difficult times? We seniors may not be able to help much, but should we really be blocking his path?”
“Chairman Lee—”
“It’s unfortunate that Chairman Lee Jin-seong left Korea, but at the very least, those of us who remain should join forces. What good does throwing our weight around do?”
He was mediating gently, but if one looked closely, it was clear that he was cleverly taking my side. Kim Seong-jin’s brow furrowed even deeper.
“President Baek, that’s enough as well. They are still your seniors, after all.”
Since I hadn’t come to fight, I obediently nodded.
“That should be enough for introductions. If there’s more to discuss, do so individually after the general meeting. Let’s begin the meeting now. Close the doors.”
As I took my seat, the heavy doors of the small conference room closed.
Inside the sealed chamber, completely cut off from the outside world, there now lingered only the heavy sighs and suppressed rage of the tycoons who carried the Korean economy on their shoulders.
The standing vice chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries cleared his throat and flipped through the meeting materials as he spoke.
“Then, we will now begin this emergency general meeting. As you all know, today’s agenda is to discuss our business community’s joint response to the severe liquidity crunch caused by the currency reform measures.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Lee Gyeong-cheol looked around the room and followed up in a low but weighty voice.
“As you all know, the nation’s lifeblood has been cut off. All government-funded construction projects have been halted, and as money dries up in the market due to the aftershocks of the currency reform, even private construction has come to a standstill. If this continues, we may all go down together with the fate of the companies we’ve built with our entire lives.”
At his words, the air in the conference room sank even further. President Lee Jang-ho of Dongbang Cement jumped in as if he had been waiting.
“That’s exactly why I’m saying this, Chairman. We should at least join forces among ourselves and persuade the government. We can’t let ourselves be tied to a sinking ship! Let’s submit a joint proposal among the sound companies.”
He emphasized the words “sound companies” and shot me a sideways glance.
It was unspoken pressure to exclude Daejin Cement, a troubled company, from this discussion. President Kim Seong-jin immediately backed him up.
“President Lee is right. Now is the time to separate the wheat from the chaff. We don’t have the luxury of carrying around time bombs that could collapse at any moment.”
At their blatant attack, Jung Joo-hyuk’s eyebrows twitched. He glanced at me, then curled his lips upward as if he found the whole situation amusing.
“Honestly now, is this really the time for us to be fighting among ourselves? We’re all in the same industry. Stop tearing at each other and focus on the meeting.”
President Jang Tae-san of Geonguk Steel barked at them, but the complaints that had already burst forth were like a flood.
“There’s a knife at our throats right now, and you’re talking about countermeasures? The banks have completely shut off the flow of money, and the market is frozen solid.”
“We’re no different. Our bill maturities are right around the corner, and if we can’t stop that, it’s bankruptcy on the spot! The company we built with our lives could be blown apart overnight!”
“It’s the same for us. We don’t even have the money to pay next month’s salaries!”
The presidents of Pungnyeon Sugar and Seonjin Textiles poured out their resentment one after another. Their usual dignity was nowhere to be seen. All that remained was the desperation of men who felt their companies might collapse at any moment.
“They were pointing fingers at us, calling us corrupt profiteers not long ago, and now they’re telling us to deal with it ourselves. Does that make any sense?”
“This is outright plunder! How is this any different from holding our money hostage and threatening us to participate in national infrastructure projects at dirt-cheap prices!”
The meeting hall instantly turned into a forum of denunciation. I merely watched the entire spectacle in silence, as if observing a fire on the other side of a river.
To them, the current situation must have felt like an enormous crisis. But to my eyes, I saw an old era collapsing and new opportunities emerging atop its ruins.
At the center of that chaos, only two people remained silent. Lee Gyeong-cheol and Jung Joo-hyuk.
Jung Joo-hyuk sat with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, while Lee Gyeong-cheol simply toyed with his teacup, observing all the commotion.
‘As expected, are those two the only ones who see this as an opportunity?’
Just then, President Kim Seong-jin sprang to his feet and shouted toward Lee Gyeong-cheol.
“Chairman! Are you really just going to sit there like this? If things continue, we’ll all be wiped out together! As the head of the Federation of Korean Industries, shouldn’t you be making our voices heard by the government?”
At his shout, all eyes turned to Lee Gyeong-cheol. At last, he slowly opened his mouth.
His voice was low, but it carried enough weight to silence all the noise in the room.
“Our voices, you say……. President Kim. Do you really think the government would listen to our voices right now?”
He swept his gaze past Kim Seong-jin and across everyone seated at the table.
“They won’t listen. No, they don’t need to. Listening to our cries would mean admitting the failure of the currency reform. All they can hear are the sounds of gunfire and marching boots.”
At his ruthless assessment of reality, a despairing silence once again settled over the conference room.
“Then…… then are we supposed to just die like this!”
Instead of answering, Lee Gyeong-cheol looked at me.
“What do you think, President Baek? You must have had a reason for acquiring Daejin Cement in such difficult times.”
Following Lee Gyeong-cheol’s gaze, everyone’s eyes turned toward my mouth.
“Do you think I have some grand solution?”
At my shameless counter-question, the air in the conference room turned icy.
Kim Seong-jin pounced on me as if he had been waiting.
“Chairman Lee, this is no time to listen to the nonsense of an upstart like that. Even if we put our heads together, it wouldn’t be enough right now!”
You’re quite impatient. I lightly ignored his words and continued.
“But……. I thought this crisis was rather an opportunity.”
“An opportunity?”
“Yes, Chairman Lee. Solid companies will collapse. The people here may somehow manage to hold on, but small and medium-sized enterprises won’t last even a month. I believe some of you are already looking around to acquire companies…….”
At my words, a few presidents flinched, as if I had hit the mark. I had accurately pierced their hidden intentions.
Enjoying their reactions, I continued.
“Everyone here knows President Dan Tae-geon of Myeong-dong well. He hasn’t missed this opportunity and is raking in absurd profits.”
“That bastard……. He couldn’t even look me in the eye before, yet the way he stiffened his neck in front of me. I felt like punching him.”
President Jang Tae-san said, trembling with anger, as if the humiliation he had suffered was still fresh.
“There are probably some of you who had no choice but to borrow money from him. You had to put out the immediate fire, after all.”
There were others who reacted to my words as well. Among them were Lee Jang-ho and Kim Seong-jin, who had been fiercely criticizing me earlier.
I looked around at them, then dropped a bombshell.
“The account freeze will be lifted soon.”
“What did you say?”
Everyone in the conference room stared at me in shock. I met their gazes calmly and opened my mouth once more.
“At the latest, within two weeks.”
“Is, is that true? President Baek.”
President Choi Jong-hyeok of Seonjin Textiles asked urgently. Desperation was etched into his eyes.
“Yes. I’m certain. It’s probably already under discussion. However, they won’t lift the freeze all at once. For now, companies that receive approval from the authorities will be allowed to make withdrawals.”
Only Lee Gyeong-cheol and Jung Joo-hyuk showed no particular reaction, as if they already knew. Everyone else hurried to bombard me with questions.
“Is that really true, President Baek? You’re not just spouting nonsense you heard somewhere, are you?”
“Don’t lie so recklessly! Even a top council member I know says he hasn’t heard anything like that, so how could—”
Ignoring their outcries, I fixed my gaze on Lee Gyeong-cheol, who was observing the entire situation.
“Chairman Lee. You already knew, didn’t you?”