[Dreamhigh Korea Branch Manager Kim Muhyuk Announces Establishment of the ‘Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation’ with 500 Billion Won Donation.]
Kim Muhyuk, the newly appointed head of Dreamhigh Investment’s Korean branch, officially announced today the establishment of the “Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation,” dedicated to brightening the future of education through a personal donation of 500 billion won.
The Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation plans to focus on expanding educational opportunities and supporting academic achievement for Korea’s future generations.
The foundation’s funds will be created entirely through the 500 billion won personally donated by Branch Manager Kim Muhyuk, making it the largest privately established scholarship foundation in the country’s history.
“Education is the most important foundation for future generations to lead the world,” Branch Manager Kim Muhyuk stated, adding that “through the Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation, I hope to help more students achieve their dreams.”
The foundation’s goal is to provide scholarships to talented students who are unable to fully pursue educational opportunities due to financial hardship, thereby creating an environment where they can focus entirely on their studies.
The Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation plans to operate a variety of scholarship programs for elementary, middle, and high school students, while also strengthening support for students interested in STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
In addition, the foundation plans to offer various educational programs and mentoring services to help students grow into global leaders.
“The Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation will go beyond simply providing scholarships and will offer various programs to help students maximize their potential,” Branch Manager Kim added.
Kim Muhyuk and Dreamhigh expressed hope that the establishment of the foundation would bring positive change to the future of Korean education.
The interview article with Koryeo Daily had not been published yet.
However, the article regarding the scholarship foundation appeared first as a Koryeo Daily exclusive on page two.
“Five hundred billion...”
Bo Xilai’s eyes widened after seeing the amount.
“Is it really that shocking?”
“Of course it is. No matter how wealthy someone is, that’s not an amount people casually hand over.”
“That’s true, but my philosophy is that when money needs to be spent, you spend it. Let’s call it an investment in the future. Think about the people who will one day enter society after focusing entirely on their studies without worrying about money thanks to the Myeongdong Scholarship Foundation. No matter what position they end up in, they’ll definitely feel grateful toward me.”
Bo Xilai let out a sound of admiration.
It felt like dragging this topic out any longer would only leave me with a sore mouth, so I changed the subject.
“Which members of the Princeling faction have moved over to Xi Jinping’s side?”
“I think it’s passed around thirty percent.”
“That’s more than I expected. Did you figure out why?”
“I’m not entirely sure.”
I barely held back a sigh.
Bo Xilai was one of the people holding the largest faction within the Princelings.
And now that he had become Shanghai Party Secretary, he was one of the leading candidates.
Yet despite another candidate steadily chasing him from ten steps behind, he hadn’t even investigated why people were switching sides.
“How can the person involved not know?”
“......”
“Even if things appear quiet on the surface, politics is all about fiercely increasing your allies behind the scenes. Especially in China, where factional divisions are so extreme.”
“I was so focused on solving problems in Shanghai that I became somewhat negligent toward central politics. And while I looked away for just a moment, this happened...”
I cut Bo Xilai off sharply.
“No matter what, you should still have eyes and ears in Beijing, shouldn’t you? Xi Jinping isn’t even in Beijing either. He’s out in the provinces serving as a regional secretary just like you. Yet you’re saying you didn’t know? That simply means you’re incompetent, Bo Xilai.”
When I first heard about it at the inauguration party, I didn’t think much of it.
Bo Xilai had already been far ahead, and the Seventh Oil Block wasn’t something China would get involved in anyway.
But after taking a closer look, if I left things alone like this, he was going to get devoured.
“...Incompetent?”
“Yes. Incompetent.”
Bo Xilai’s expression stiffened.
But I continued regardless.
“Saying you didn’t know because you were focused on Shanghai is just an excuse. Don’t become complacent just because you’re ahead. You could be overtaken all at once.”
Bo Xilai kept his mouth tightly shut and simply listened.
“I’ll handle Xi Jinping myself for now. You just continue increasing your allies.”
Bo Xilai couldn’t show any sign that he was paying attention to Xi Jinping.
When first place starts beating down second place, it only benefits second place.
He needed to suffocate him by completely ignoring him.
“Until Xi Jinping attacks you first, focus entirely on strengthening your internal base. This happened because you were too distracted by other matters.”
“No, I’ve already heard about the hardships you went through in Mexico.”
Apparently, Bo Xilai had been keeping tabs on my situation as well.
He monitored external matters just fine, so why was his internal management such a disaster?
“Things over there are mostly settled now, so I’ll finally be able to pay more attention to China too. Besides, now that I have a respectable business card, moving around has become much easier.”
Now that I had revealed myself publicly, there was no longer any reason to meet people in secret.
“To be honest, I see you and Xi Jinping as the same kind of person. As long as you don’t interfere with what I’m trying to do, what difference does it make who it is?”
“What do you mean by—”
Bo Xilai trailed off as though asking what exactly I meant.
I shrugged and met his eyes.
“And yet the reason I chose you is very simple. You fear me. That’s why I trust you won’t entertain foolish thoughts.”
At my cold voice, Bo Xilai inhaled sharply.
He had already suffered badly at my hands once before.
Because of that, he already knew that if I truly made up my mind, there was nothing I wouldn’t do.
Of course, if he eventually rose to the position of Chairman, his thoughts might change.
But as long as some fear remained in the corner of his heart, he wouldn’t easily move against me.
That was the biggest reason I was backing Bo Xilai as the next Chairman.
‘And Xi Jinping’s lust for power is far too strong.’
People with ambition beyond their station were difficult to control.
Just thinking about the Xi Jinping from my previous life gave me the answer immediately.
He had purged everyone who helped him rise and clung to absolute power with one hand until the very end.
“If that trust is broken, then I’ll have no choice but to look for someone else. A huge part of the reason your name is even being discussed as a future Chairman candidate is because of me. Of course, it was easier thanks to your father and your background within the Princelings.”
“...I won’t disappoint you again.”
“You’d better not. The first time may be a mistake, but not the second.”
If I only used the whip, the horse would run away.
So I decided to place a sweet carrot in front of him.
“You’ve been following my advice not to take bribes, correct?”
“Yes. Honestly, there have been many times I wanted to shut my eyes and accept them... but I haven’t.”
Shanghai was the center of China’s economy.
Naturally, countless businessmen arrived carrying bags full of money, asking for favors.
“I know. But until you become Chairman, endure it no matter what. You can’t afford to get caught over petty money. What about the divorce proceedings?”
“They’ll probably be finalized soon.”
I nodded, then opened the drawer beside me and pulled out a small memo.
A Swiss bank account number and password were written on it.
I placed the paper down in front of Bo Xilai.
“Use this to keep people satisfied. There’s ten million dollars in the account. It’s perfectly cleaned money, so there won’t be any problems using it.”
Bo Xilai’s eyes widened as he accepted the memo.
He even repeated the amount back to me as though he couldn’t believe it.
“Ten million dollars?”
“Yes. Is that not enough?”
“N-No. It’s more than enough.”
“If you ever need money, contact me. Don’t accept money from other people. You already know that every bit of that eventually becomes a debt you’ll have to repay, so I won’t bother explaining further.”
“Thank you.”
A smile finally bloomed across Bo Xilai’s previously rigid face.
“Then shall we go get something to eat now? I found a malalongxia restaurant.”
“Oh? They have that in Korea too?”
“Of course. It’s the best malalongxia I’ve ever had, so you can look forward to it.”
Even while leaving Myeongdong Hotel and heading toward the restaurant, Bo Xilai and I continued chatting about various things.
* * *
Now that I had officially stepped onto the front lines, I could no longer keep using the Myeongdong office.
Dreamhigh Korea’s branch office was moved into a newly built building in Samseong-dong.
On my first day coming into work—
All the employees came out to greet me.
“Welcome, Branch Manager.”
“It’s good to see everyone.”
After finishing a brief welcoming gathering with refreshments, I entered my office.
The first person I called in was Hong Jinpyo.
Hong Jinpyo and I had once been far from being on good terms, but after dramatically reconciling with Lee Myungsoo, he had faithfully carried out every task I entrusted to him.
Thanks to Hong Jinpyo, redevelopment zones handled by Joongwoo Construction had significantly fewer conflicts than other construction companies.
“It’s been a while, Jinpyo.”
“Yeah, it has. Ah, congratulations, Muhyuk.”
Since reconnecting, Myungsoo, Hyunseong, Hong Jinpyo, and I had met many times and put all our past grievances behind us.
Perhaps because of that, Hong Jinpyo no longer feared me and spoke comfortably.
“Thanks. By the way, how’s work? Not too hard?”
“Nope. It’s perfect.”
Hong Jinpyo handled redevelopment negotiations as an executive within the Evictees’ Association.
He earned recognition for skillfully mediating between displaced residents, developers, and construction companies.
Now he had left the association and was pushing forward multiple redevelopment projects as the head of redevelopment unions.
That was when Hong Jinpyo started gaining the nickname “The God of Redevelopment and Reconstruction.”
Union leaders earned annual salaries worth hundreds of millions of won.
Perhaps because of that, unlike before, Hong Jinpyo now carried himself with visible ease.
“That’s good to hear. Anyway, I called you here because I want to discuss Guryong Village.”
“Guryong Village?”
“Yeah. What do you think about it? I did some basic research.”
“That place won’t be easy. Too many people are tangled up in it, so it’s hard to approach carelessly.”
The way he immediately estimated the situation the moment he heard the name practically screamed expert.
“Really? Even if you step in, it’ll be difficult?”
“That place is a district the National Coalition for Housing Rights is fighting for with everything they have. Even if I step in, it won’t be easy to swallow.”
“So what exactly is there to gain that makes them cling to it that hard?”
“What do you mean there’s nothing? The landowners are separate from the people actually living there in shacks built on top of the land. The ownership rights are a complete mess. To people like the coalition, that makes it the perfect prey.”
The reason I chose Guryong Village as my first investment was simple.
It could produce visible results quickly and was easy for the public to understand at a glance.
But if even Hong Jinpyo said it would be difficult...
After thinking briefly, I asked:
“Jinpyo. You still have connections with the coalition, right?”
“Of course. You can’t push redevelopment projects while ignoring those people. You’ve got to meet them regularly, grease some palms, throw them some money—that’s how things move.”
No wonder he’d put on some weight.
Chuckling quietly, I gestured him closer.
Hong Jinpyo leaned toward me.
“Let’s draw up a blueprint for Guryong Village together. We already own quite a bit of land there.”
“Hmm... if I remember correctly, was it Joongwon? I heard they already bought up a huge amount of land there. On top of that, they won over the villagers by promising apartment occupancy rights and hundreds of millions in profit margins.”
“I heard that too.”
At my response, Hong Jinpyo lowered his voice further.
“But there’s a rumor that a heavyweight politician is backing Joongwon’s CEO, Choi Hyuk.”
I raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue, and Hong Jinpyo smoothly went on.
“How could some tiny real estate development company handle a massive project like Guryong Village without powerful backing? I even heard they received around 60 or 65 billion won in investment from the Military Mutual Aid Association a few years ago.”
“I’ll look into that myself. For now, you meet with the coalition people and just draw up the rough blueprint.”
Hong Jinpyo grinned.
“For a project this size? I’m the one who should be grateful.”
“If this gets resolved properly, you’ll make quite a substantial profit too. Or you could just buy yourself a house in Guryong Village ahead of time.”
“Guess I should.”
“Then work hard. Let’s get together with the others for a meal sometime.”
The moment Hong Jinpyo left, I immediately called Chief Ma in.
“Look into the real estate development company Joongwon. Find out which politician is backing them, and bring me everything there is to know about their CEO, Choi Hyuk.”
“Yes, Boss.”
This would become the first achievement I presented to the world.
I couldn’t allow even the slightest noise to taint it.
