Episode 191
“…Hey.” Two months had passed since Haixin Group started working on the technology I had provided.
“Yes, hyung.”
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Have you been playing me?
Despite the massive investment, hundreds of billions of won, Haixin Group had yet to see any results. Wang Hao was growing anxious, and I had been appeasing him, but the charade was coming to an end. I smirked. “What are you talking about? The technology is just… complex. That’s why it’s taking so long.”
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Bullshit! he shouted. – Our researchers are the best in the world, even if our technology is inferior to Daehoo’s! And they’re all saying this is garbage!
“Hmm, is that so? That’s strange.” I had successfully driven a wedge between him and his brother and had wasted hundreds of billions of won of their research budget. I had achieved my goals. “Ehehehehe.”
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Are you laughing at me?!
“Hahahahahahaha!” I laughed heartily, wiping away tears from my eyes. “Took you long enough. You’re not as stupid as I thought.”
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Are you serious? You gave me useless technology?
“Yes, failed projects that were lying around the lab.” His efforts of the past two months had been in vain. He was silent for a moment, and then his voice rose in anger. – You son of a bitch…
I cut him off, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Why did you ask me for help in the first place? Did you really think I would just hand it over to you? If you’re not capable, don’t be so greedy. I’m your sister’s husband, not yours. Family? You keep using that word.”
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You… you bastard! You’re challenging me, aren’t you?!
I scoffed. “Are you even on my level?” There was no need for pretense now. We were about to become open enemies in the succession battle. “I’m the chairman of Chunha Group. You’re just a candidate for the successor position at Haixin Group. Understand? I’m the head, and you’re the tail!”
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You bastard! You deceived my family!
“I didn’t deceive your family, I deceived you. I’m still a good husband to my wife, and I’m still on good terms with your father. But that doesn’t mean I have to support a useless brat like you. You were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you should be grateful. Don’t let the flattery get to your head. You’re just a lucky sperm.”
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You… you… I’ll tell Father everything!
“Oh, look at you, running to Daddy again,” I sneered. “What are you going to tell him? That you couldn’t infiltrate Saseong, so you asked your brother-in-law to steal technology from Daehoo and pretended it was from Saseong? And that you were fooled by useless technology? He’ll be so proud.”
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…
He remained silent, at least having the sense not to say anything more incriminating. It was obvious which was more embarrassing: being tricked by his brother-in-law or being fooled by Saseong’s fake technology.
“Tell your father whatever you want. I don’t care. I wasn’t involved.”
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What? You weren’t involved?
“That’s right. And you even asked me to remove the Daehoo logos. Who would even know it came from Daehoo? And you said only a few of your associates know about this? What proof do you have? You have no evidence, just a few loyal followers who would do anything you ask. How are you going to prove it?” His attempt to maintain secrecy, disguising the technology’s origins, had backfired.
“I can just play innocent in front of your father. ‘What are you talking about? I would never give away our technology. Useless technology? Why would I risk my reputation to give my wife’s brother, a successor candidate, such a worthless gift?’”
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You… bastard… A sudden commotion erupted on the other end of the line.
“Are you looking for a recorder now?” I asked mockingly. He said in a panicked voice, – Do you… do you think I’m as despicable as you?
“Why is it so noisy? Don’t… don’t tell me…”
This was the limitation of a sheltered life. You had to be prepared for any situation, never underestimate your opponent.
I heard a rustling sound and then his awkward attempt to change the subject. – Wh-why did you do this? We’re family. Why did you give me that worthless technology?
So he had found a recorder. I chuckled at his clumsy attempt to record my confession.
“What are you talking about, Brother-in-law?”
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Why did you give me those useless technologies?!
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
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What are you playing at?! You were threatening me a moment ago!
I said in an aggrieved voice, “Me? I never said anything like that! And what useless technology? Was there something wrong with the technology you got from Saseong?”
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You… bastard…! Unable to get the confession he wanted, he exploded. – You gave it to me! You gave me Daehoo’s failed projects! You set me up! Why are you lying?!
“Brother-in-law, how could I possibly give you failed projects? I would never give away company secrets, even to family. What are you talking about? Are you feeling okay?”
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I-I… you…
“Are you having a bad dream? If there’s something wrong with the Saseong technology, I can take a look. I was hesitant to mention it before because it came from Haixin Group, but if you want, I can have our research lab examine it. We’re family, we should help each other.” I was playing the role of a caring brother-in-law, concerned about his well-being.
He fell silent, and I said, feigning concern, “Brother-in-law? Are you there? Are you feeling okay? Should I find you a good doctor?”
He shouted, enraged by my condescending tone, – Park Sol, you bastard! I’ll destroy you!
“No, Brother-in-law! What are……”
He hung up. And I said, still in character, “He’s so impatient.” I took something from behind my phone and pressed the play button. It was a recorder, which I had activated as soon as he called. It contained our entire conversation, from my initial insults to his final outburst. “I’ll delete the incriminating parts.” I edited the recording, deleting the parts that could be used against me, and the last thing I heard was his threat,
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I’ll destroy you!
I hummed. “He hates me because I’m Korean, and now he’s threatening me? I’m so scared. This is perfect.”
Recording every conversation was essential. It could be used as a shield to protect me and as a spear to attack my enemies. And if he had turned off his recorder to hear my “true” response, this last line would be the perfect weapon against him.
“Kikikiki, let the games begin.”
I had expected him to complain to his father, hoping to make him look like a fool for relying on his brother-in-law and being tricked. But surprisingly, he just told his father that he had been fooled by Saseong’s fake technology.
He had been reprimanded, of course, but such failures were common in business.
The incident seemed to have blown over.
But from that day on, he and his brother, having reconciled, became openly hostile towards me and Wang Jin-hee. They had been wary of us before, but now it was an all-out war.
They blocked all of Wang Jin-hee’s funding requests with ridiculous excuses, going far beyond their usual obstructionism. They were scrutinizing her every move, using all their influence to expose her weaknesses.
And Wang Jin-hee wasn’t backing down either. She needed her husband’s support now more than ever.
Under the guise of joint ventures and collaborations, Chunha Group provided her with a substantial amount of funding. It was a win-win situation for Haixin Group. They were using Chunha Group’s money while maintaining their own reputation. And even Wang Hao and Wang Chen couldn’t refuse such a generous offer, as it made Chunha Group look like a loyal and supportive partner, eager to please Haixin Group.
“Li Yang, buy all the land in this area.”
“Yes, sir. How much should we buy?”
I was targeting the area where Wang Jin-hee had recently invested, planning to drive up the price of her land. “Double the price. Triple it if necessary.” It wasn’t a complete loss for me.
Normally, a price surge was caused by positive news. But I was doing the opposite.
I would artificially inflate the price, and people, looking for a reason, would create their own rumors and justifications.
And those rumors, amplified by word of mouth, would become the “reason” for the price increase. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“What names should we use?”
“I have about 200 prepared.”
Creating fake identities and restoring heihaizi’s legal status had become routine for me. I could easily create thousands of fake identities if necessary, using the names of homeless people, fictitious identities, even the names of my heihaizi. It was all thanks to China’s outdated bureaucracy and lax record-keeping, a legacy of its pre-reform era.
“We won’t need that many… but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
Park Sol would invest in Wang Jin-hee’s projects through Chunha Group, and Baek In-hwi would ensure their success behind the scenes. It was the perfect combination.
“What’s next?”
“She’s planning to expand into Eastern Europe, establishing a foothold in the Czech Republic. Wang Hao and Wang Chen are opposing it, claiming it’s premature and that they should focus on the domestic market.”
I scoffed. “Those idiots. It won’t cost much since it’s just about establishing a presence. The Czech Republic seems like a good choice. It was a communist country like China until a decade ago, so there’s common ground. And it has a relatively stable economy among Eastern European countries. Tell her to start exporting Haixin products to the Czech Republic. We’ll buy them if they don’t sell.” We could either resell them locally at a lower price or re-import them to China. The key was to increase Haixin’s export volume to the Czech Republic.
“Wang Jin-hee is at a disadvantage. She can’t afford to fail. She has to succeed. Every single time.” An undefeated record. The Midas touch. She would create an image of herself as a brilliant and infallible businesswoman. And who was I? A master of manipulation and image-making. “Images are manufactured. And that image becomes the most important factor in how people perceive you. An undefeated businesswoman? Who wouldn’t want her as their CEO? Especially if she’s your daughter?”