Chapter 150 ·Come here

Come here

Former chairman of Taeshin Group Tae Gun-seung sat across from Taeshin Trading's executive director Jung Min-seop, who had visited him unexpectedly.

"You look completely dead since I last saw you."

It was Tae Gun-seung who spoke first. To this, Jung Min-seop replied with a bitter expression as he looked at him.

"I could say the same for you, chairman."

"Don't call me chairman. I've been kicked out of that position now, so you shouldn't call me that anymore."

"Then how should I address you?"

"How about 'uncle,' like in the old days?"

Jung Min-seop was the son of Jung Soon-cheol, the youngest among Taeshin Group's founding members.

d Jung Soon-cheol had been a sworn brother, with a significant age difference, to Tae Jeong-beom, Tae Gun-seung's father and the group's first chairman.

Because of this relationship, Tae Gun-seung and Jung Min-seop had once interacted like uncle and nephew.

"I'm almost seventy now—how could I call you 'uncle'? Isn't that a bit much?"

"What's so strange about that?"

At his half-joking reply, Jung Min-seop's expression grew more bitter.

After a moment of silence, Jung Min-seop slowly opened his mouth.

"...... Have you really washed your hands of it all?"

"It's not about whether I let go or not. As you know, I was kicked out. Besides, I have to consider my age too. I already missed the time when I should've rested."

Jung Min-seop let out a sigh.

"But still, Seok-ho is not the right person, is he? If things stay like this, Taeshin will be ruined."

"That's why I did what I could in my own way."

"Are you really thinking of handing Taeshin over to AMK Partners?"

The relationship between Chairman Tae Gun-seung and AMK Partners had basically become a known fact since the last shareholders' meeting.

But Jung Min-seop found it hard to truly believe, which was why he had come to meet him in person like this.

"At the very least, they won't let the company go under."

"But public opinion won't be in favor. You know how things are going right now, don't you, chairman?"

Rumors had already been circulating that Tae Gun-seung was selling Taeshin Group to a foreign entity.

Because of this, both the board and shareholders were increasingly supporting Tae Seok-ho.

"Whatever's happening inside the company, it's a fight over shares in the end, isn't it?"

Since that wasn't wrong, Jung Min-seop let out an even deeper sigh than before.

"So you're convinced AMK Partners will take control of Taeshin Group."

Tae Gun-seung shrugged his shoulders.

"Even I don't know for sure."

"Then why did you delegate your shares? And why did you sell them as company-held shares?"

The shares he held totaled about 13.5 million. The selling price came to about 1.6 trillion won.

Of course, there was no way Taeshin Trading had that much cash on hand right away. But it was also uncomfortable for Chairman Tae Gun-seung to keep holding those shares.

So, shares that had lost efficiency within the group—stocks, bonds, real estate—were bought instead.

"Me holding onto them would only add confusion. Besides, AMK Partners said I can dispose of them as I like after the first shareholders' meeting."

"What on earth are they thinking?"

"I don't know either."

AMK Partners' movements attracted a lot of attention.

But with the next extraordinary shareholders' meeting just around the corner and no visible activity, it only caused more frustration.

"Is your health really all right?"

"They say my body was just shocked by the big events. But now, at least, I can move around."

"I really hope you'll be careful."

Tae Gun-seung smiled at his repeated plea.

"At my age, does being careful make any difference? You just go when it's your time. But I'll probably get scolded a lot if I meet your father on the other side."

"Is my father scarier than the first chairman?"

"To be honest, I learned more about business from your father than from mine, so yes."

The two had a refreshing conversation amid the drastically changed atmosphere.

But it couldn't last long, given Tae Gun-seung's health.

"I'll be going now. I'll come visit again soon."

"If a busy man like you comes, it's a favor to me."

After exchanging farewells, Jung Min-seop went outside and got into the back seat of his car. After pulling out his phone and hesitating for a moment, he spoke to the chauffeur.

"Not home. Take me to Myeong-dong instead."

"Where in Myeong-dong should I drop you?"

"Just let me out in front of the station. You can head straight home from there."

With that, the driver started the car.

Thanks to weekend traffic, it took about thirty minutes to reach Myeong-dong Station.

Bzzz—Bzzz—

After getting out, Jung Min-seop checked the message on his phone.

【2nd floor, 16 Myeongdong 4-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, CAFE OUN】

The sender was restricted; only the address was written.

Exhaling with suspicion, Jung Min-seop headed out. It was about a ten-minute walk.

"...... Is this place out of business?"

Low buildings lined both sides of the narrow alley.

And when he arrived at the place named in the message, there was a banner on the wall by the stairs to the cafe with "For Lease/Sale" written on it.

After hesitating, Jung Min-seop looked around, then went up.

Inside, there were only dusty tables and chairs. But then, the clicking of shoes came from within and a foreign man in a suit appeared.

Startled, Jung Min-seop stepped back and asked cautiously,

"...... Who are you?"

"Nice to meet you. My name is Gordon Grimes."

At that name, Jung Min-seop's eyes widened in surprise.

And when the man spoke flawless Korean instead of English, he was astonished again.

"If you're Gordon Grimes......"

The CEO of AMK Partners—a name, at least, everyone knew.

Jung Min-seop could hardly not know.

Eyeing him warily, he held out his phone.

"Were you the one who sent this message to me?"

He'd received a message from "number withheld" not long ago.

That message was still up on the phone.

【I'd like to discuss Taeshin Group's future. Please reply if you're interested.】

Gordon Grimes checked the message and answered,

"That's right."

Of course, the one standing there was actually In-hyuk. He had left Noah Vantrail to watch the office while he came out to meet Jung Min-seop.

Meanwhile, Jung Min-seop's expression was openly uneasy.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think there's anything to discuss with you."

With that, he turned to leave the way he came.

But he couldn't help stopping at In-hyuk's next words, spoken with Gordon Grimes' face.

"Even if I said our goal isn't to take over Taeshin Group, but only to replace the management?"

Jung Min-seop slowly turned his head.

"...... What do you mean?"

"We have no intention of dismantling and selling off Taeshin Group. Nor do we mean to change its parent company."

"So, you just intend to swap out the executives for AMK Partners people?"

In-hyuk shook his head.

"We plan to fill the management with capable people from within Taeshin Group itself."

Apparently surprised by this unexpected answer, Jung Min-seop's eyes grew even wider.

"...... Are you telling me to believe that?"

"If you can't, there's nothing I can do—but it's the truth."

"Can you explain why?"

"In the end, it's about image. We do business within Korea as well, so it's an issue we can't ignore."

After some thought, Jung Min-seop fired back with a sigh.

"Are you certain your side can block this shareholders' meeting?"

Recently, the shares turned into company-held shares by Chairman Tae Gun-seung accounted for 8.32% of the total. That much had been taken out from AMK Partners' delegated shares, putting them at a disadvantage.

"We never move without certainty."

"So you're saying you've already secured all the required shares?"

There was a little more than a week left until the next extraordinary shareholders' meeting.

During that time, the shareholder register would be closed and no shares could be transferred.

Executive Vice President Tae Seok-ho had also sent out notice of the meeting as quickly as possible to guard against any possible surprises.

But if Gordon Grimes' words were true, it meant there was some factor Tae Seok-ho was unaware of.

"That's right. Also, AMK Partners plans to appoint you, Executive Director Jung Min-seop, as the next CEO."

Jung Min-seop's face twisted even further.

"Are you telling me to become AMK Partners' lapdog, like Kang In-hyuk?"

Among many executives, Kang In-hyuk had been branded like that.

Naturally, In-hyuk knew this all too well. So he showed a slight smile.

"Would you become anyone's lapdog, Director Jung?"

It meant they had gauged him pretty well.

Jung Min-seop found this even less understandable.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means you would be Taeshin Group's shield. As CEO, you could rebuild the board with trustworthy people and lead the group forward."

"Then why choose me?"

In-hyuk had fully expected this question.

"Because you're the only one not swayed by Executive Vice President Tae Seok-ho's influence."

There was more, but In-hyuk didn't need to investigate further.

In his previous life, when Chairman Tae Gun-seung died and Tae Seok-ho took over as chairman, Jung Min-seop left Taeshin Group right away.

Of course, his abilities were so outstanding that Tae Seok-ho had tried to keep him.

But at that time, Jung Min-seop gave not a single opportunity.

"What if I refuse?"

"You're our only candidate. If you refuse, Taeshin Group's hope will disappear with it."

In other words, after the acquisition, they would break up and sell off the company.

Jung Min-seop's face grew even more twisted.

"So you're threatening me?"

"Rather than a threat, I'm just explaining the consequences of your options. To us, you are an essential element for Taeshin Group's peace."

With Gordon Grimes' face, In-hyuk radiated gravity.

Sensing this, Jung Min-seop could tell it wasn't a lie.

Then, In-hyuk checked his wristwatch and went on.

"I'll give you some time to think. Until the extraordinary shareholders' meeting ends. Of course, you can decide after you see the results."

"...... Is that really all right?"

"I'd like to press more, but we seem to be under surveillance. On your way down, my men will escort you home safely."

"Under surveillance?"

"It just means a lot of people are interested in the recent moves of the executives. Please get home safely."

With that, In-hyuk himself walked over and opened the door for him.

Jung Min-seop, still dazed, went down the stairs. And when he reached the first-floor alley, three intimidating foreign men with sharp eyes and solid builds were waiting—just as Gordon Grimes had said.

"Mr. Jung?"

A black man among them asked.

"...... Yes."

"Come here."

The men escorted Jung Min-seop out to the main street, placed him in a waiting car, and drove off.

Even then, Jung Min-seop found it hard to make sense of the situation.

But it was no dream—he had met Gordon Grimes in person and been asked to become Taeshin Group's next CEO.

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of the café building, In-hyuk stood in the guise of Gordon Grimes, watching until Jung Min-seop safely made it out.

Then, a man with brown slicked-back hair, a beard, and blue eyes approached and said in French,

"Les gars qui les suivaient s'évanouissaient et les enfonçaient. (The guys who were following them have been knocked out and taken care of.)"

He was Marc Laurent, the leader of Sandrix, a mercenary unit recruited in cooperation with the security company BlueForce.

"Vous avez fait du bon travail. Nous y allons aussi. (Great work. Let's move as well.)"

With that, In-hyuk moved off the rooftop and left for another location.