Chapter 180: Drawing the Sword (1)

The night before, a short notice appeared at the Taeseong Electronics headquarters.

[Executive-level meeting. Tomorrow morning at 8:00 AM, headquarters conference room.]

Only one line.

But that one line shook the entire Taeseong Group.

No one knew who posted the notice or what the agenda was.

Nevertheless, everyone sensed it instinctively.

That this meeting was not ordinary.

The next morning.

The board of directors conference room at the Taeseong Electronics headquarters.

Even though it was an early hour, the seats were already packed.

Someone glanced at their watch and gulped down coffee repeatedly.

Another person fiddled with their cell phone for no reason, with tension clearly visible.

“To be summoned at this hour, what on earth is going on?”

“Is the Chairman coming out in person?”

“I did hear that his health improved, but they say he hasn't been appearing in official settings lately.”

They chattered away while hiding their anxiety from each other.

Everyone was hoping it would pass safely without any trouble.

The door opened and the sound of shoes echoed on the floor.

All gazes shifted that way at the same time.

A woman in a gray suit.

A refined expression and a stride without disarray.

It felt as if the air changed every time she took a step.

It was Lim Hye-seon.

She walked to the center seat without saying a word.

While she slowly organized the documents with her fingertips after sitting down, all the noise inside the conference room disappeared.

It was an atmosphere where one could almost hear the sound of someone swallowing their saliva.

A little while later, Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung also arrived and sat down.

Lim Hye-seon looked at the watch on her wrist and opened her mouth.

“Everyone, please sit.”

As the calm voice echoed, the atmosphere of the meeting room froze completely.

The secretary who came with Lim Hye-seon pressed the remote control.

The front screen turned on and text appeared on it.

[Dismissal of President Lim Do-hyun of Taeseong Construction and Taeseong Finance]

A silence as if breathing had stopped.

Someone’s fingertips twitched while trembling minutely.

“…Is what I’m seeing right?”

“A dismissal….”

The air sank coldly.

At that time, Hye-seon opened her mouth.

“Today’s agenda is only this one.”

Her solid voice spread widely through the microphone.

It was calm yet had the power to overwhelm people.

Each and every gaze overwhelmed the audience.

She caught her breath for a moment and then slowly looked around the conference room.

“I will hold the person who defiled the name of Taeseong accountable.”

With those words, the meeting that would determine the fate of Taeseong began.

Hye-seon looked at the text floating on the screen once.

[Dismissal of President Lim Do-hyun of Taeseong Construction and Taeseong Finance]

After checking the screen, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Everyone probably already knows roughly. The suspension of the Iraq refinery project and the resulting losses for Taeseong Construction.”

Her gaze slowly scanned the executives.

“There is probably no one who doesn't know what President Lim Do-hyun did during that process, right? Fortunately, thanks to HJ Partners stepping forward, we were able to escape the crisis.”

Someone in the back of the conference room let out a small gasp.

Hye-seon continued her words without minding it.

“This spot today is not about trying to drive someone out due to personal feelings. It is a spot to ask for responsibility while staking the name of Taeseong.”

It was then.

Someone raised their hand.

“Wait a moment, Acting Chairperson Lim Hye-seon.”

He was Managing Director Park Moo-jin of Taeseong Electronics.

He spoke with a stiff expression.

“Is this something to go this far for?”

In an instant, the air in the conference room stirred again.

“Discussing dismissal when President Lim Do-hyun is not even in this spot is a bit….”

Park Moo-jin looked around the surroundings once and then raised his voice.

“Making a decision unilaterally in a spot where the party concerned is not present is problematic procedurally and… morally as well. Was it even a crisis to the extent that Taeseong had to go this far?”

At his words, the eyes of several executives wavered little by little.

After checking each other's reactions, one or two people cautiously chimed in.

“Managing Director Park has a point too.”

“It is the dismissal of a president, so shouldn't there be at least a procedure to hear his opinion?”

“Hasn't he had many contributions all this time? I wonder if you decided too hastily.”

Not only the individuals who blatantly took Lim Do-hyun’s side but even those who vaguely maintained neutrality nodded their heads.

Confidence flashed across Park Moo-jin’s face as he confirmed that atmosphere.

“I think like this. The decision you just made only looks like an emotional counterattack. It is difficult to see it as a judgment based on clear evidence. There are things he contributed to the growth of Taeseong Construction all this time, so at the very least, you should give him an opportunity to explain. Isn't that fair?”

Tak!

A short but heavy sound echoed on the table.

It was the sound of Hye-seon putting down the pen she was holding.

She raised her head toward Park Moo-jin.

“Managing Director Park!”

The moment their eyes met, the murmuring inside the conference room cut off abruptly.

“Do you really think there is no clear evidence?”

Park Moo-jin’s lips hardened.

However, for some reason, he lifted his chin as if he would not back down.

“If you cut someone based only on rumors and speculation, who would trust Taeseong?”

The shape of Hye-seon's mouth distorted very slightly.

It was an expression that was hard to distinguish whether it was a smile or a sneer.

She slowly pushed a few documents forward.

“Rumors and speculation…. Ashford Holdings. And Chen Wei Holdings.”

The moment those names came out, the shoulders of several executives flinched noticeably.

“They are foreign investors holding Taeseong's shares. Normally, it is something that should not happen.”

Hye-seon’s voice lowered by one tone.

“Then, who was the person who tried to neutralize Taeseong's management rights by joining hands with that capital?”

It turned chilly inside the conference room.

No one could answer.

She did not even bother to mention the name.

No, there was no need to do so.

“The unofficial meeting was held with the Ashford side before the general meeting of shareholders. The discussion of a voting rights alliance with Chen Wei. Who was at that spot, and to what extent agreements were exchanged. Are you really going to say you don't know?”

Hye-seon looked straight at Park Moo-jin again.

Silence flowed for a moment, but she opened her mouth again.

“Managing Director Park probably didn't know either.”

A look of fluster flashed across Park Moo-jin’s face for the first time.

The executives who were sympathizing by his side stealthily avoided her eyes.

Hye-seon continued her words.

“Taeseong is not my father’s company, and it is not my brother’s company. It is also not a toy that any individual can pick up and put down as they please.”

She spoke while emphasizing each point.

“It is a company of tens of thousands of people who make a living under the name of Taeseong. Why should we show any more consideration to the person who tried to sell out that name?”

Someone put strength into the hand gripping the chair's armrest.

Thanks to that, a small creaking sound was heard.

Hye-seon retraced the words Park Moo-jin had said.

“You say we shouldn't discuss dismissal because the party concerned is not here. Even though that party tried to pull out Taeseong's roots?”

As she finished speaking, the air inside the conference room became one layer heavier.

Now, even the side that was defending Lim Do-hyun could not easily open their mouths.

“This is not emotion, but a line we must protect until the end.”

Hye-seon spoke as if driving in the final nail.

“The moment he attempted to hand over Taeseong's management rights to the outside, he is no longer on the same side as us. If President Lim Do-hyun had appeared in this spot, the first thing he should have done was not a justification, but an apology.”

It was a quiet voice, but every word was sharp as if stabbing a person’s heart.

It became quiet inside the conference room to the point where even the sound of breathing felt distant.

Someone realized only then.

When this meeting ends, the map of Taeseong will change.

And it was just then.

An unfamiliar sound began to echo from the side of the conference room door.

Tak. Tak. Tak.

The regular sound became increasingly clear.

A moment later, the conference room door opened.

The moment the figure of the old man standing at the doorway came into view, the air in the conference room fluctuated once more.

“…Chairman?”

It was Chairman Lim Man-seok.

He slowly walked inside while leaning on a cane, with Chief Secretary Kang Cheol-woo following behind him.

Upon seeing him, there were those who stood up from their seats in delight, and there were also those who froze with their faces turning white.

Lim Man-seok scanned them one by one and then snorted.

“Everyone's face looks like they've seen a ghost!”

The solid voice filled the conference room.

“Why is everyone falling over as if surprised? Did someone die? Good grief.”

The executives, who had been completely frozen and fumbling, bowed their heads one by one.

The murmuring subsided as if cut off.

Lim Hye-seon quickly stood up from her seat and walked forward.

“Father, please sit here.”

Before those words even finished, Lim Man-seok struck the floor with his cane with a thud.

“Who is the person presiding over this meeting now?”

He asked while looking at Hye-seon.

Then, Hye-seon hesitated for a moment.

“That is. It is the Chairman.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about!”

Lim Man-seok’s scolding flew in immediately.

“Isn't the Chairperson you now! You are the Chairperson. Who is the Chairperson? Is that seat a decoration? Why do you kick out the owner and seat me?”

Several people inside the conference room opened their eyes wide.

The word Chairperson was carved into their ears particularly clearly.

Lim Man-seok waved his hand.

“You sit in your seat. Do not tell me to come or go for no reason.”

“Yes, Father.”

Hye-seon bowed her head shortly and returned to her own seat again.

In the meantime, Kang Cheol-woo moved quickly.

“I will prepare a seat here, Chairman.”

He brought an auxiliary chair and placed it perfectly in a position where Lim Hye-seon was clearly visible, slightly to the side of the center.

Lim Man-seok slowly sat in that seat without saying a word.

At that moment, the gazes inside the conference room busily crossed paths.

‘Now President Lim Hye-seon has really solidified as the successor!’

No one spoke it out loud, but the same conclusion surfaced in most of their minds.

Lim Man-seok looked around.

With the corners of his mouth turned down, his gaze full of anger scanned the executives.

He slowly opened his mouth.

“Since I heard it from the outside, I mean. Discontent and complaints were pouring out.”

Someone’s shoulders flinched.

“It's been years since you've lived eating from Taeseong, so why can't you come to your senses like this!”

The voice was not loud, but every single word was carved into their ears like a wedge.

“If the company is in a crisis, you should think about putting your heads together to find a way to live. You are falling over while thinking first about whose side to take and which side’s line to grab!”

He frowned.

“Everyone, wake up. It seems you think that seat is yours for a lifetime.”

The cane struck the floor once more.

“That is a big miscalculation.”

The executive at the very end of the conference room cringed in spite of himself.

“While you are sitting as an executive at Taeseong, you should think of the name of Taeseong first. I cannot watch the sight of giving away the company as a whole just to save one person.”

Silence flowed for a moment.

Before long, Lim Man-seok turned his head slightly and said,“Cheol-woo!”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“What are you doing not proceeding? If you're going to do it, do it quickly. There's no need to make unnecessary talk long.”

“I understand.”

Chief Secretary Kang Cheol-woo immediately stood up from his seat.

After flipping the agenda document in his hand once, he grabbed the microphone.

“We will now proceed with the vote on the dismissal of President Lim Do-hyun of Taeseong Construction and Taeseong Finance.”

His gaze slowly scanned the conference room.

“The voting method will be by a show of hands. Those who are in favor of the dismissal agenda, please raise your hand.”

Silence flowed, but first, Chairman Lim Man-seok’s right hand slowly went up.

Seeing that, Lim Hye-seon immediately raised her hand.

Beside her, Vice Chairman Lim Do-kyung also raised his hand without hesitation.

The moment the three people’s hands went up.

It was the same for the others.

Hands went up here and there.

Even those who were checking the atmosphere raised their hands while bowing their heads.

In an instant, all the arms inside the conference room were floating in the air.

Kang Cheol-woo scanned the left and right as if to confirm once more.

“It is in favor unanimously.”

His voice echoed through the conference room via the microphone.

“I hereby declare that the dismissal of President Lim Do-hyun of Taeseong Construction and Taeseong Finance has been passed.”