Chapter 156: It’s Time (2)
# It’s Time (2)
I had no desire to discuss the shares of Energy One.
Chairman Jung Man Yong seemed to understand my intentions. He started to smile.
“Looks like we’ll have to end our conversation for today.”
Talking with Jung Man Yong anymore would be a waste of time. It would just increase our dislike for each other.
“I will be heading out now. I am currently extremely busy preparing for the Masters Tournament in a week.”
Chairman Jung Man Yong did not say anything. He just quietly looked at me. It was as if he was trying to pressure me or something.
Whatever, it didn’t matter to me.
I lightly bowed my head and left the office.
Driver Han was waiting for me in the parking lot. He peeked toward me when I got into the car.
“Shall I take you to your house, sir?”
It was not time to rest at home right now.
Chairman Jung Man Yong’s power was still greater than mine. Much greater than mine.
I needed to move at least one step ahead of him in order to be capable of taking him on.
The most important thing was Energy One.
I could not talk about secretive information on the phone. I’m sure that Chairman Jung Man Yong has not reached everywhere yet, however, it doesn’t hurt to be careful until I am certain about the secrecy of the situation.
“Please take me to Eumseong.”
“Yes sir.”
Driver Han started the car.
I called President Kim In Hwan in order to ask him where he was right now. It was possible that he was not at the Eumseong Factory.
– Me? I’m at the Eumseong factory research lab. Why?
Thankfully, he was at the factory.
But what does he mean, ‘why?’
The only explanation for Chairman Jung Man Yong having so much information about Energy One was his having talked to Kim In Hwan.
Then isn’t it normal to think about Chairman Jung Man Yong as soon as he got my call?
I felt as if things were going in an extremely weird direction.
“I had some time so I wanted to have dinner with you hyung-nim. I will head to Eumseong right now.”
– Dinner? Hoho, how does someone who will be playing in a major competition in the US next week have time to come here? Well, alright. I don’t know what is going on, but we will chat once you get here.
He didn’t seem to be hiding anything regarding Chairman Jung Man Yong. It was as if he didn’t know anything about that at all.
Did that mean it was not Kim In Hwan?
I guess I’ll find out once I meet with him.
I ended that call and called someone else.
“Department head Yim. We need to increase our security team. Please make it quick.”
I’ve actually been preparing for that for a while. I have a lot of things to protect now.
I was just increasing the speed of it.
– When you say increase, how much are you thinking......?
“Enough to easily protect everything, even if the Golden Dragon Group comes at us with everything that they have.”
– Haaaaa, something at that level will take a lot of money, sir.
“Please don’t worry about the cost and instead just prepare a plan and send it to me. We might as well not be cheap and go for the best if we’re going to do it.”
– I understand sir.
Next up was to call the Stepping Stones Co. financial team leader.
My Stepping Stones Co. mainly focuses on financial support for startups. However, it was just as important in maintaining my wealth.
The financial team is responsible for that.
– Yes, representative-nim.
“I may need to withdraw a large sum soon. Please prepare for it in advance.”
– Approximately how much should we prepare for......?
To be honest, there would be a lot of things that I will need to spend money on in the future. I’ll need to buy an auto company, a cell phone battery company, as well as build artificial meat factories around the world.
The security team issue would be like buying a pack of gum in comparison.
“I’m thinking approximately 4 trillion won.”
– I understand.
I also called the Stepping Stones Co.’s venture capital team leader as well.
“You said that there were a lot of applications from obesity management and diet-related startups?”
– Yes, sir. There were 11 startups in Seoul alone and over 100 startups if you include the international ones. We plan on choosing two to support as a test.
“Please increase it to 10 companies. However, focus on the companies that will target the affluent community. Please look into the international ones focused in the United States and Europe as well.”
– I will do so.
I also called MBS station’s Director Han Sung Taek and Director Ji Sung Joon one by one.
“Hyung-nim. You have a lot of reporters you are close to in the press, right?”
– Of course. Why? Do you have a good story?
“I have something I wish to quietly spread to the press. I don’t know the origin and it hasn’t been verified yet, but it is 100% the truth.”
– How interesting. What is it about?
“I want to slip the name of the Dandelion School’s founder to them.”
– Oh! That is big news. But why are you suddenly willing to reveal it when you have been hiding it for all this time? Did you have a fight with the founder?
Both Han Sung Taek and Ji Sung Joon knew that I had strong ties to the Dandelion School. It was because I donated to the Dandelion School so much.
However, they did not know that I was the founder. As Han Sung Taek just mentioned, I have been keeping my lips shut on that one.
I wanted to pop the champagne at the best moment. Preferably when I had the world’s attention gathered on me.
Only then would the thrill be higher and allow me to draw in others with similar goals to join my team.
But now that I thought about it, it was about time.
The Masters Tournament, one of the PGA’s four major competitions, starts in a week.
This was the reason I have been golfing nonstop ever since I won the Golden Dragon Cup in October. You need to be ranked within the top 50 of the world rankings to be invited to the Masters’ Tournament.
Thanks to that, the world’s golf fans were all focused on me right now. I entered 11 PGA competitions in 5 months and won all 11 times.
And that wasn’t all. I also had fabulous records each round.
My scores were always unreachable by the others.
And finally, I managed to get invited to the Masters Tournament. If I win there as well, even people who do not follow golf actively will know my name.
I’ll be like Michael Jordan, the king of basketball, or Tiger Woods, the king of golf.
Announcing this news on that day would be the best scenario.
The reason that I was asking Han Sung Taek and Ji Sung Joon for help was to set the mood prior to that moment. In other words, it is like actors doing things to promote their shows before it starts.
“Can you give me some time tomorrow?”
– I’d need to make time even if I don’t have any for my little bro. Then see you tomorrow.
I also called multiple other places.
Before I realized it, I was at the Energy One factory. I never knew that Seoul and Eumseong were so close.
I could not trust Kim In Hwan’s office. Chairman Jung Man Yong probably hasn’t reached there yet, but there’s no harm in being cautious.
We went to a restaurant quite far away from the factory. Kim In Hwan’s expression became worse the farther we went.
“Just what is going on?”
I kept my mouth shut. I finally got down to business once we were in a private room in a restaurant.
“Chairman Jung Man Yong......”
Kim In Hwan’s expression instantly stiffened up. He calmly listened to my story from start to finish before he shook his head.
“No, I’ve never shared any of that information. Forget meeting Chairman Jung, I’ve never even talked to him on the phone.”
I knew this might be the case.
Then what was going on? Who sold that information to Chairman Jung Man Yong?
“Chairman Jung knew very specific information. Unfortunately, it sounds like someone around you has been playing the part of a mole, hyung-nim. Is there anybody that comes to mind?”
“In that case, there are some people that I suspect. Oh! I’m certain that it’s that bastard.”
Kim In Hwan seemed to think of someone. He was huffing and clenching his fists, making it seem as if he had been suspecting it for a while.
“So, what are the results? Do we have to give a portion over to the Golden Dragon Group?”
“Of course, I rejected him.”
“Then the Golden Dragon Group will soon start to pressure us.”
I don’t think it is at that level just yet. Chairman Jung Man Yong sounded confident. He is probably thinking that there is no way that Kim In Hwan nor I will not fold if he pressures us.
Thanks to that, we should have some time before he starts to actively attack us.
“I might be overthinking it, but which businessman wouldn’t be greedy for something like the Sodium-Ion battery? Even I would have nagged in order to get some shares.”
“Then can we relax?”
“I’m just saying that we shouldn’t give an opening. We can’t give them the opportunity to rob us. Any thief will aim for the moment when we don’t lock our door properly. We need to let them think that it won’t be easy to touch us so that they question even trying to rob us.”
Kim In Hwan’s expression was still stiff. It was because he was thinking that Chairman Jung Man Yong would not just let it go now that he knew about the Sodium-Ion battery.
And it will end up being like that. However, it was just a matter of when Jung Man Yong would actually actively start messing with us.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ve thought of a way to buy us some time for the just-in-case situation.”
“What is it?”
Honestly speaking, this was a bit overboard as well. I’m already thinking about how to stab him in the back before he’s even made a move.
But there was a need to prepare in advance. That way, we can react right away if Jung Man Yong starts to move.
“Have you read about the Three Kingdoms? Sun Quan put forth his trusted Huang Gai and used a desperate countermeasure.”
“I can’t think straight right now. Just get to the point.”
“We are going to create a fake developer that will be enough to trick the Golden Dragon Group. Then they will not do anything until it is found out that the person they have is a fake.”
“But then that person will be in danger.”
I’m sure that will be the case. That is why we need to do a good job when picking this fake developer.
“The person who gave the information to Chairman Jung. If it is that person, we don’t need to worry about that, right?”
“But will that bastard move as we want?”
“We just need to slip the fake stuff to him. Things will go as planned if we give him a chance to steal a glance at our fake blueprints. The problem is whether there is such a fake blueprint for us to use......”
I trailed off and looked toward Kim In Hwan.
His expression had become much brighter.
That made me relieved.
The core of this plan depended on whether we could trick the Golden Dragon Group with a fake. It wouldn’t work if the Golden Dragon Group took a look and realized right away that it was a fake.
But it seemed like Kim In Hwan will take care of that.
“But how is the electric car company acquisition going? Is that not possible now? Well, there aren’t many issues with just making batteries either.”
“I have a plan for that as well.”
There are many paths in the world. You never know which the safest and quickest path is without walking down them yourself.
This may actually end up being a much safer and quicker path.
‘Now it is time to properly get things started.’
* * *
Four days later.
Some articles with odd titles started to appear on different internet portal websites.
[Dandelion School’s founder is pro golfer Kang Hwi Ram?]
[Dandelion School’s administration. Silent regarding the identity of founder.]
[Why is player Kang Hwi Ram silent about the question regarding the Dandelion School’s founder?]
People didn’t care much about it at first.
However, the information became more detailed day by day with interviews with people related to the Dandelion School popping up as evidence as well.
People could not help but change their reactions as well. With nobody flat out saying, ‘no,’ the atmosphere started to lean toward one direction.
“Is player Kang Hwi Ram really the founder?”
“No way, how could a person who just became a pro golfer create such a large school?”
“It was small at first. It’s also weird how he always donates everything to the Dandelion School. I think it might be right.”
“Then why would he hide it? It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”
“I find that weird as well. Why doesn’t he just say yes or no? It would be so much better if he just gave a direct answer.”
As with any rumor, this rumor regarding me and the Dandelion school got wilder by the day. There was even a rumor about how I dated a wealthy man’s daughter and used his wealth in order to create the school.
It was only natural for the reporters to come to me in order to ask for interviews as well.
“Player Kang Hwi Ram, are you the founder for the Dandelion School?”
“If you are the founder, why are you hiding that fact?”
“Please say something.”
I was nice, smooth, and detailed with all of the interviews. However, I was mum on anything related to the Dandelion School.
All I told them was this.
“I will reveal everything if I am able to wear the green jacket of the Masters’ Tournament.”
Translator: Miraclerifle
Proofreader: Borderline Masochist
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