novelraw Chapter 123 : You’ll Have to Be Prepared to Give Up One Arm
Chapter 123 : You’ll Have to Be Prepared to Give Up One Arm
Chapter 123: You’ll Have to Be Prepared to Give Up One Arm
All eyes turned toward Lee Jang-ho and Kim Seong-jin.
Their faces were stiff, hardened with rage and humiliation.
They were the very two who had been fiercely criticizing me as a mere greenhorn just moments ago. And now, trying to flip their stance and cling to me as if turning over the palm of their hand—there was no way their worn-out pride would allow that easily.
Time passed. No one spoke first. But I didn’t rush their answer in the slightest.
I simply wore a relaxed smile and waited for the moment their pride would collapse under the weight of reality.
‘Those two are in the worst situation.’
With government-funded construction halted and construction companies shutting off their cash flow, there was naturally nowhere for them to sell cement right now.
When Daejin Cement had fallen out of favor with the government and begun to falter, those two companies had aggressively expanded their businesses. As a result, when this currency reform cut off the flow of money, the ones hit hardest were also those two.
That was when Lee Gyeong-cheol, who had been silently observing the situation until now, gave a low, quiet cough.
“Keum.”
At that single small sound, all the noise and tension pressing down on the conference room vanished as if it had been a lie.
Instead of scolding them, he began to speak in a tone that sounded almost like gentle admonishment.
“President Kim, President Lee. Isn’t that enough now? A young president reached out first—how long are you planning to cling to nothing but your pride?”
However, his gaze remained fixed on me the entire time. What flickered in his eyes was not simple goodwill.
It was a signal that he had no intention of surrendering the initiative.
“Daegyeong Federation exists so that we can help one another. Right now is a time when we need President Baek’s help, and someday there will come a time when we must help President Baek in return. Isn’t that how business works?”
His words were skillful. While opening a retreat for the two of them, he was also making it clear that my introduction wasn’t a simple favor—it was a transaction.
‘There’s a reason he’s called Korea’s greatest businessman.’
Once Lee Gyeong-cheol personally laid the groundwork, the two men opened their mouths one after the other, as if they had been waiting.
“Our Taesan Cement as well…… will be in your care.”
As Kim Seong-jin spoke first in a voice as small as a mosquito, Lee Jang-ho followed reluctantly.
“We’d appreciate it as well.”
“Yes. Of course. We all have to help each other survive in difficult times.”
This was the power of money—forcing those who had been putting on airs to come to me with requests they regretted needing.
I dipped my head slightly toward Lee Gyeong-cheol and spoke.
“I’m deeply moved by your broad-minded generosity, Chairman. I look forward to working with you.”
“Haha, think nothing of it. If anything, I learned a thing or two from the young president’s bold spirit.”
Lee Gyeong-cheol responded with a smile. On the surface, it looked nothing but warm and friendly.
After that, several other agenda items were raised, but everything was buried beneath the topic I had thrown out.
When the Daegyeong Federation general meeting adjourned and people began leaving the conference room one by one, a shadow approached me.
It was the secretary of President Lee Gyeong-cheol and the secretary of President Jeong Ju-hyeok. The one who spoke first was Lee Gyeong-cheol’s secretary.
“The chairman has asked that you be brought quietly.”
“President Baek. The president is asking if you could spare some time.”
Jeong Ju-hyeok’s secretary hurriedly added his words afterward, but I asked for his understanding instead.
“They spoke first on that side. Please tell him I’ll visit after meeting President Lee Gyeong-cheol first.”
When he made a troubled expression, I smiled and added,
“Please also tell him we should have a drink together tonight. As for the place…… I’ll decide and contact you.”
After he left, I followed Lee Gyeong-cheol’s secretary out.
The car, driven by the secretary, headed toward the Jeil Trading headquarters in Hoehyeon-dong.
I was guided to the highest floor, into the president’s office, where Lee Gyeong-cheol was waiting for me with a relaxed demeanor.
“Have a seat.”
I quietly sat across from him. Lee Gyeong-cheol wore the smile of a kindly man, but as a giant of the business world, the subtle pressure he gave off was no small thing.
Once I sat down, he personally pushed a teacup toward me and asked,
“Do you like tea?”
“I don’t dislike it.”
“President Baek. Your performance at the general meeting left a very deep impression.”
“You flatter me. They provoked me, and I simply struggled because I didn’t want to be ignored.”
“A struggle, huh…….”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Lee Gyeong-cheol’s mouth.
“Those two aren’t easy opponents. Having their pride shattered in front of you, they won’t just let it go.”
“My life has always been a series of challenges. I’m the type who doesn’t avoid fights that come my way.”
When I answered calmly, his smile deepened.
“Youth really is a good thing. But the wager you threw out was extremely dangerous. If your prediction had been wrong, Daejin Cement would’ve disintegrated into thin air. And yet, you didn’t hesitate. Where does that confidence come from?”
“I simply read the flow. Money doesn’t lie.”
“You read the flow. Is that possible with nothing but inference and no information at all?”
“Inference itself isn’t difficult. The question is whether you can be certain or not. I was certain, and based on that, I proposed the wager. And…….”
I paused briefly and pulled the corner of my mouth upward. Without avoiding his eyes, now tinged with faint suspicion, I met his gaze.
“I also knew they wouldn’t accept the wager.”
In the end, Lee Gyeong-cheol let out a small laugh. As if he had never been smiling at all, he wiped the expression from his face and got to the point.
“As you said, the currency reform failed. But the Military Government will never acknowledge that failure. They’ll want a success to cover it up, and that will come to people like us businessmen as a massive opportunity.”
“Are you referring to the Five-Year Economic Development Plan?”
“That’s right. This current crisis is nothing more than the final labor pains before that massive flow begins.”
I let out a small, silent note of admiration inside.
He wasn’t living a second life like me, yet he seemed to know what was going to happen purely by instinct.
“Yes. That’s why I took over Daejin Cement, even though it had become a pariah after being marked by the government, accepting both the debt and the criticism.”
“A good decision. If not now, you wouldn’t have been able to acquire it.”
“That’s right. There are plenty of people eyeing Daejin Cement. Didn’t you have your eye on it as well, Chairman?”
Lee Gyeong-cheol twitched one eyebrow.
“You’re not the kind of person who would let an opportunity like this slip by, are you?”
“It seems you know me well.”
“I thought that someone who built the greatest corporation in the Republic of Korea wouldn’t think very differently from me.”
At my bold reply, a deep smile formed at the corner of Lee Gyeong-cheol’s mouth.
“Yes. You’re right. I was also aiming for Daejin Cement. I simply lacked the guts to jump in as decisively as you did. Even now, that feeling hasn’t changed.”
His voice was calm, but within it lingered the aura of a ferocious beast, ready to go hunting at any moment.
“If I set my mind to it, do you really think I couldn’t take it from your hands?”
“It’s already mine.”
I didn’t retreat in the slightest.
“I have no intention of ever having what’s mine taken away again. If you try to forcibly take what belongs to me, then at that point, Chairman, you’ll have to be prepared to give up one arm.”
In an instant, the air in the room froze.
Faced with that chilling warning, filled with killing intent—hard to believe it came from the mouth of a mere greenhorn barely past twenty—Lee Gyeong-cheol said nothing for a moment.
He simply stared at me as if trying to see straight through me. After a short while, a low murmur slipped from his lips.
“So you’d take one of my arms…….”
After pondering something in silence, his shoulders soon began to shake slightly.
What started as a faint chuckle quickly turned into an uncontrollable, hearty laugh that echoed throughout the office.
“Hahaha! It’s been a long time. Since someone dared to say something like that to me. Don’t worry. I have no intention of blocking a young man’s path forward.”
Then, as if speaking to an old friend, he offered some advice.
“However, President Baek, don’t forget this. What you’re holding in your hands is both a goose that lays golden eggs and a time bomb that could explode at any moment. To revive a company that’s fallen out of favor with the government, you’ll have to fight countless hyenas and spill quite a bit of blood.”
“I’m prepared for that.”
“Seeing you reminds me of my younger days. When I was your age, there was nothing I feared. It felt like the whole world was under my feet, and I believed there was nothing I couldn’t do.”
For a moment, he gazed into the distance with wistful eyes, as if reminiscing about the past. Soon, when he turned his gaze back to me, his eyes had returned to those of a giant of Korea’s business world.
“Good. I’ll be watching to see how you grow. Welcome to Daegyeong Federation.”
With those words of goodwill, my first private meeting with Lee Gyeong-cheol came to an end.
When I exited the Jeil Trading headquarters, a rugged black jeep was parked in front of the building.
Jeong Ju-hyeok’s secretary, who looked like he’d been waiting for quite a while, spotted me and hurried over, bowing at a full ninety degrees.
“President Baek, we’ve been waiting for you. The president is waiting at his regular place near the company.”
I’d said I would choose the location myself and get in touch, but it seemed he couldn’t wait and had sent his secretary anyway.
Impatient by nature? Or was he just desperate?
“Have you been waiting the whole time?”
“Haha…….”
Instead of denying it, he gave an awkward smile and led me to a shabby tavern. Under the old signboard, cloudy steam and the savory smell of boiled pig’s head meat seeped out.
When I opened the door, loud noises and the rough laughter of laborers greeted me.
“Hey! President Baek! Over here!”
From the innermost seat, Jeong Ju-hyeok shouted heartily while holding a bowl of makgeolli. In front of him were a generously piled plate of pig’s head meat and mung bean pancakes.
I naturally sat down across from him.
“Sorry I’m late, President.”
“What president? Just call me President Jeong.”
Without any formality, he gave my shoulder a light tap and poured soju to the brim into the makgeolli bowl, handing it to me.
“Come on, take a drink first! People like us start talking after clinking glasses.”
Pouring such strong soju like that was probably a form of testing the waters. Without a word of complaint, I took the brimming bowl and downed it in one go.
At the sight, Jeong Ju-hyeok nodded in satisfaction.
“That’s it! If you’re going to do business, you need to drink well. The guys gathered today were all putting on airs.”
He emptied his own soju in one gulp as well and asked,
“So, did things go well with President Lee?”
“He gave me some words of encouragement. Said he’d be watching.”
“Tsk. That man’s impossible to read. Whatever. Enough with boring talk.”
He filled the bowl with soju again and laughed heartily.
“President Baek, I really like you! Watching you at today’s general meeting was refreshing! Seeing you say everything you wanted right in front of those stiff old men—you’ve got some serious guts.”
“That was only possible because you backed me up, President.”
“Haha, of course! Men help each other out! By the way…….”
Trailing off, he leaned forward and spoke in a voice meant only for me, cutting through the surrounding noise.
“The reason I wanted to see you today is because of that fellow—what was it, water supply or sewage or something.”
Seeing him fail to even properly remember Cheon Sang-do’s name made me chuckle. After all, he was the one who needed help.
“Are you referring to Cheon Sang-do?”
“Yes, that guy. Does he have enough capital to lend?”
“Yes. From what I know, he’s backed by a major investor.”
“If that’s the case…… as you know, I’m the top construction man in this country. The government entrusted Daedong Construction with two projects—the Second Hangang Bridge and the Yeongwol Second Thermal Power Plant.”
His voice carried pride, but also a dark shadow.
“But…… there’s no money. With the currency reform, all company funds are completely frozen, and the banks have shut off their cash flow tight. If this keeps up, I’ll end up missing the opportunity of a lifetime right in front of my eyes.”
Speaking heavily, he downed the soju in his bowl again.
“So, what I’m saying is, could you ask him for me—ask him to provide some funding first?”
“Yes. I’ll ask President Cheon to prioritize opening a deal with you. Your credit is well known even in the business world, isn’t it?”
“Oh? Is that how I’m known?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that even if you take a loss, you always complete the projects you take on as promised, and you never delay payments to partner companies.”
What I said was true. And whether he took it as high praise or not, he once again let out a hearty laugh and emptied his glass.
“We all have to make a living. Especially in times like this. Then I’ll be counting on you! Now, enough with this boring talk. Tell me about the Daejin Cement acquisition. How did you settle things with Chairman Lee?”
We drank and talked about this and that until quite late into the night.
One week after the Daegyeong Federation general meeting, just as I had predicted, the government promulgated a special measures act concerning frozen deposits under the Emergency Financial Measures Act.
When that news spread, the business world once again began to take notice of my name—
Baek Min-woo.