Chapter 1595. Rocking (5)

“What took you so long?! It’s just a report, isn’t it?!”

Jeong Hong-Geun angrily slammed his palm down on the desk.

Executive Director Bak Sang-Wu reflexively shrank back from his chairman’s fierce aura. “M-my apologies, sir.”

“You aren’t the type to take your sweet time like this, so what caused the delay?!”

“N-no, sir. It was due to my incompetence that...”

“Director Bak!”

“...! Yes, Chairman!”

“Being humble and all that is nice, but there is a time and place for that! Do you expect me to humor you on this? When you’re obviously lying?!”

Bak Sang-Wu nervously swallowed his saliva and apologized. “My apologies, sir. My intention was never to lie or mislead you, sir.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk!” Jeong Hong-Geun tutted, his sharp glare still locked onto Bak Sang-Wu. “What happened?! Tell me!”

Bak Sang-Wu sighed deeply. “Sir... The opposition from the board of presidents is worse than we feared.”

“Say what?”

Bak Sang-Wu hesitated, his lips parting and closing repeatedly, as if revealing the truth was not easy for him.

“The presidents are fiercely opposing this venture, sir. The general mood indicates that they don’t understand why we’re entering a joint venture and investing an enormous amount of funds into it during the current economic climate.”

“Huh.” Jeong Hong-Geun grunted in dismay. “Really now? Anyone saying I’ve gone senile, too?”

“...” Bak Sang-Wu didn’t reply and fidgeted visibly just then.

Jeong Hong-Geun was merely cracking a joke just now, but Bak Sang-Wu’s attitude implied that someone among the presidents must’ve really said that.

“Well, I’ll be...!”

Blood began rushing up to Jeong Hong-Geun’s head, and he tightly gripped his pen.

Those bastards!

Now that his mind had become so much clearer, it was far easier to see how the situation was unfolding. He had a hunch that the situation had been like this for a long time.

“Do they see me as some kind of scarecrow? A useless figurehead? Is that it?”

Jeong Hong-Geun hadn’t attended executive-level meetings in quite a while, but to think they were treating him like this! He had no idea until today.

“So... They are already doing a pretty good job, so why is a useless old chairman butting in now to ruin everything? Is that what they are saying?”

“Sir...”

“Huh. Huhuhuh... Damn.” Jeong Hong-Geun chuckled in dismay. He couldn’t even get angry anymore. “A pack of mutts I’ve released in my yard to keep thieves at bay now thinks they have morphed into hounds or something? Just because they can find dog food in the storage, do they think they are now accomplished hunters?”

Jeong Hong-Geun’s voice grew icier and icier as he spoke.

Bak Sang-Wu remained silent, unable to say anything. Although Jeong Hong-Geun sounded calm, the rage contained in his voice was still unmistakable.

“Tsk, tsk... I shouldn’t have been scolding my dumb grandson. After all, I was acting like an idiot, too...”

Jeong Hong-Geun slowly shook his head.

It wasn’t as if he couldn’t understand why the presidents would act this way.

Jeong Hong-Geun’s judgment had gotten a lot more clouded as he got older. Which meant he must’ve insisted on absurd or stupid things from the presidents multiple times, too.

The presidents probably decided it’d be better to pacify Jeong Hong-Geun somehow whenever such things happened, then find actual solutions on their own later. And that must’ve become a routine for them in recent years.

An owner who stopped feeding his dogs had no one to blame but himself if his dogs didn’t listen to him anymore.

“Fine. Go and explain to them again,” said Jeong Hong-Geun. “Let them know that this joint venture isn’t a whim of a senile old fool, but a proper business opportunity that can alter the fortunes of this company.”

“Understood. However, such a verbal reminder won’t change their minds.”

“Yes, I know. It doesn’t matter.”

“...? I’m sorry?”

“The smart ones will realize something is off from the fact that I’m kindly explaining again instead of losing my cool. As for the others who can’t figure that out on their own? Do I have to drag around idiots like that, too?”

“Sir? Then... What will you do with the ones who can’t figure it out?”

Jeong Hong-Geun smirked, then mouthed a cigarette. After lighting it up, he muttered quietly. “Get rid of them, obviously.”

“I see. Of cour... I’m sorry?!”

“I’m going to fire them.” Jeong Hong-Geun replied flatly.

“C-Chairman?”

“What’s with the shocked face? Isn’t this great news for them, too? They probably didn’t want to work for a senile old man, anyway. They can now start their own businesses or work for some other nicer chairmen.”

“...! But, sir? Are you really going to fire the presidents?”

“That’s right. And there won’t be any problems, either,” Jeong Hong-Geun replied, his tone cynical. “It’s not like those bastards are protected by labor laws, anyway. So... Yes, this is for the best, don’t you think? The company needed a bit of sprucing up, after all. I’ll just use this opportunity to do some spring cleaning.”

“S-sir, the presidents handle quite a lot of work.”

“So what? You think my company will go under if they are gone?”

“...Sir?”

“I’m asking you. You think the company will go under if those presidents are gone?”

Bak Sang-Wu couldn’t reply right away.

Of course the presidents’ role in the company was crucial. However, if he said yes to that question, wouldn’t Bak Sang-Wu be minimizing all the hard work of the countless employees in each division?

“N-no, sir. That’s not it, but...”

“People aren’t born presidents, okay? All these bastards busy boasting about being presidents of companies and whatnot, they all had to crawl up from the bottom, too.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“If they can do it, others under them can, too. That’s what positions are like. You might be scared of something you’ve never done before, but once you don’t have a choice but to do it? You’ll somehow pull through in the end. That’s how humans have been operating all these years.”

Jeong Hong-Geun smirked deeply.

“This is good. I’ve been thinking about getting rid of some trash recently, you see?”

Bak Sang-Wu sighed softly. “If I may, Chairman...”

“What now?”

“Sir, I’m not disagreeing with you. Taegwang continued to survive and thrive by getting rid of its executives now and then, after all.”

“Indeed. Then, what’s the problem?”

Bak Sang-Wu cautiously swallowed his saliva again. “We had justifications back then, sir. But this time, the justification isn’t good enough at all.”

Jeong Hong-Geun smirked deeply again. “Justifications?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I don’t need that.”

“...I beg your pardon?”

Jeong Hong-Geun sat back in his chair, his expression one of mild disapproval. “Why do you think I’d need a justification?”

“Sir? Isn’t it because we want legitimacy in our actions?”

“And why is legitimacy important to us?”

“That’s because...” Bak Sang-Wu briefly stopped talking to organize his thoughts first. “Wouldn’t the subordinates work even harder if they knew their work would benefit them?”

“Does that mean they won’t even try if they think their work won’t benefit them?”

“N-no, that’s not it, but...”

Bak Sang-Wu clamped his mouth shut. He finally realized where Jeong Hong-Geun was going with this line of questioning.

“It’s all excuses in the end, okay?”

“Sir?”

Jeong Hong-Geun tutted loudly. “It wasn’t like that in the past. Justifications all had their uses back then. But not these days. Justifications are excuses we now use if something goes wrong, so that we can avoid the responsibility and say it’s not our fault.”

“...”

What an extreme way of looking at things that was. Even so, Bak Sang-Wu didn’t think his boss was wrong. Various entrepreneurs and leaders of corporations had been using justifications that way for a long time, after all.

“That’s not how you run a business,” said Jeong Hong-Geun. “If you start something, you better be ready to face the consequences, too. I’ll shoulder all the responsibility for this venture. So, anyone who doesn’t want to tag along, they can sod off! Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“Good. Deliver my message to the presidents. And get their resignation letters afterward.”

“I’ll do as you say, sir.”

Jeong Hong-Geun watched Bak Sang-Wu bowing deeply while silently puffing away at his cigarette.

What a bunch of fools they were.

A man should never be satisfied with what he had. Diligently performing his role in his position? Such a mindset only applied to the people who were destined to live out their lives as cogs in the machine.

Those destined to lead must never cling to such ideals. If there were ways to get more and achieve more, they must stop at nothing to snatch those ways away from their competition.

“Noisy little bastards...”

Jeong Hong-Geun muttered once Bak Sang-Wu exited from his office, then closed his eyes. That was when he recalled Kang Jin-Ho’s figure.

Opportunities, glory...!

Some people might think Jeong Hong-Geun had gone crazy if they heard about his situation. They would ask why someone like him would submit to Kang Jin-Ho when he lacked nothing in life.

But they are morons for asking that.

After all, the reality was the other way around.

It was precisely because of who Jeong Hong-Geun was that he even got this opportunity to serve Kang Jin-Ho in the first place. All those idiots who lived with not a single valuable thought in their heads would never enter that noble being’s circle of acquaintances.

Simply receiving the opportunity to serve was already a massive honor.

Yes, none of you are good enough to understand it.

Jeong Hong-Geun turned his head to look outside the window.

Over ten million souls lived in the city below his office. However, just how many of them would think of this as a heaven-sent opportunity?

And that’s exactly why you will all stay down there in the gutter.

On the other hand, Jeong Hong-Geun knew. He knew he’d soar even higher. Higher than ever before. Higher than where he was right now!

***

Ratatatatatata...!

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced while looking out the helicopter’s window.

“Aren’t we flying too high?”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled. “But this is how helicopters fly, sir. This isn’t your first helicopter ride, though. Why are you so nervous?”

“Well, back then, I was going to war.”

“You won’t die even if you fall from this height, though.”

“True, I won’t. But what about you?”

Lee Hyeon-Su replied confidently. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be clinging to you like a leech, after all.”

“...Hah.” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled, then resumed staring at the moving scenery below. He could see tall mountains and cars as small as ants.

Was he scared of flying? Of course not. What Kang Jin-Ho was worried about was something else. He wasn’t sure if he could save everyone on board in case the helicopter went down.

Although, I’m the weird one for thinking of the helicopter going down as a certainty.

It seemed certain products of modern science still failed to assuage Kang Jin-Ho’s fears. At least in an airplane, which had small windows and prevented him from seeing much, he could stop paying attention to the scenery outside. But in a helicopter where he could pretty much see everything below his feet?

He couldn’t help but be under this vague anxiety. After all, this hunk of metal would drop out of the sky if the rotors above suddenly stopped working. How did people nonchalantly ride in these things despite that possibility?

Was it because he still had some ways to go before fully acclimatizing to the modern era’s conveniences? Or was it more like he simply had no affinity toward mechanical devices? Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t tell.

“Sir, we’ll be arriving at our destination soon,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

“Mm...”

“Please don’t make that face, sir. I mean, we’ll be coming here often, you know? But traveling in a car will waste too much time, and that’s why we’ve bought this expensive helicopter.”

“...? Wait, what? We bought this?”

“Oopsie, sorry about that. A slip of my tongue, sir. It’s called, uh, a long-term lease.”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow. What the... This bastard, he did buy this thing, didn’t he?

The Martial Assembly was flush with cash, so buying one helicopter wouldn’t place a financial burden on the organization’s shoulders, but... Money should be spent on where it was needed. Chucking money around willy-nilly just because you were wealthy was the fastest way to bankrupt yourself.

“Even if that’s true, how could you buy this thing?”

“Oh! There it is! We’ve arrived, sir!”

Damn it, man! Listen to what I’m saying!

Kang Jin-Ho was trying to say something important, but Lee Hyeon-Su cleanly ignored his boss and pointed at a distance instead. A wide, flat piece of land, created by cutting into the hillside, could be seen.

Construction work was still unfolding on this land, and large outdoor camping tents could be seen arranged in neat rows in front of the construction.

So, that’s where the American military is? And we’re currently approaching a military base in a helicopter?

It was at this time that Kang Jin-Ho’s vague anxiety morphed into a more specific one.

“Wait a minute? Won’t they shoot us down for violating their airspace?”

Lee Hyeon-Su casually replied, “That joke isn’t funny, sir. Of course we’ve already gotten their permission to land. Besides, they won’t do something that crazy. I mean, they obviously don’t want to die today, no?”

“...And who would be doing the killing?”

“You, of course.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s groan got drowned out by the rotor noise as the helicopter continued to fly toward the base. It soon descended onto the center of the training field, causing powerful gusts of wind that blew blinding dust in every direction.

Ra-tatatatatata!

Once the rotor noise grew less raucous, Lee Hyeon-Su stepped outside the helicopter first. “Sir, we’ve arrived.”

“Yeah, I can tell.”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned again, then climbed out of the helicopter. He could see familiar faces waiting for him.