Chapter 201
The exposé of Haixin Group was a bombshell.
Not just the energy development scandal I had orchestrated, but also the personal scandals of the Wang family, meticulously unearthed by Wang Jin-mi using Wang Jin-hee as a pawn.
Once Wang Jin-mi and I started rolling the snowball, it quickly became an avalanche.
Had Haixin Group, a company that resorted to industrial espionage to steal technology from Saseong and MG, been conducting its business ethically?
As they reeled from the double blow of the energy development scandal and the personal scandals, more and more irregularities emerged, some uncovered by Wang Jin-mi, others revealed by whistleblowers within the company. And then came the raid.
Haixin Group was surrounded.
“Son-in-law, I need your help,” Chairman Wang said with a grim expression. “I need money.”
He was asking me, the very person Wang Jin-mi had warned him about, for help.
I said with a troubled expression, “How much do you need…?”
“At least $1 billion.”
Haixin Group had spent all its reserves on the oil field acquisitions and had nothing left to deal with the fallout. “$1 billion…?” I pretended to consider it. “I’m afraid that’s impossible. My financial situation isn’t very good right now.”
“How much can you provide?”
“…I don’t have much left…”
Seeing my hesitation, he said with a hardened expression, “Are you serious? Chunha Group, known for its vast cash reserves, is out of money?”
I said with a regretful expression, “I’m sorry, Chairman.”
He stared at me, unconvinced. He probably thought I was abandoning him because I didn’t think Haixin Group could survive this crisis.
“Fine,” he finally said. “If you provide all the necessary funds, I’ll hand over the company to Jin-hee.”
“Father!” Wang Hao exclaimed, but before he could say anything else, his father slapped him across the face. “Ouch!” He fell to the floor, staring at his father in disbelief. It was the first time he had been physically punished. “F-father…”
“If you weren’t my son, you would be dead.” He looked at me. “I’ll remove both of them from the company. And I’ll promote Jin-hee to vice chairman.”
Wang Chen, the second son, who had been watching silently, jumped up. “Father! What about me?!”
“Or you can find the money! You’re just like him! A scoundrel!” Wang Chen’s scandals, recently exposed by the media, were beyond imagination: drug parties, sexual assault, affairs with actresses… “Don’t you understand the situation?! No media outlet is willing to defend us! Do you know what that means?!”
It meant the Chinese government had turned against them. Even with its embrace of free market capitalism, China was still a communist country. The media wouldn’t dare to publish negative news about Haixin Group without the government’s approval. But he didn’t mention it explicitly, perhaps because I was there. He looked at me expectantly. “So, what do you say? Do you accept my offer?”
The only way for a company targeted by the government to survive was to eliminate all potential liabilities.
I glanced at Wang Jin-hee, who was staring blankly at the floor, despite the mention of her becoming the successor. Her secret company had made a $1 billion profit from the oil field scam, but it was all gone now.
The key to a successful secret company was to maintain a complete separation from its owner. So the shares were held by her most trusted confidants, who had now disappeared with the money. Betrayed by Baek In-hwi and her own people… and with Haixin Group on the verge of collapse, she was understandably distraught.
“Chairman, do you have any other funds available?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
That was a lie. He wouldn’t be a chaebol chairman if he didn’t have hidden assets. He must have a vast fortune stashed away in overseas real estate and accounts, but that was his last resort.
He had decided that Haixin Group was in serious trouble but that he had to at least attempt to defend it. But he didn’t want to use his own money, and he was running out of time, so he was hoping to use mine. If it worked, great. And if it failed, he would still have his secret stash.
‘As expected.’ I said, lowering my head, “I’m sorry, Chairman.”
He said in a cold, hard voice, “Are you serious?”
“I want to help you, but I can’t.”
He clenched his jaw and shouted, “Get out! All of you!”
Unable to secure my funding, he resorted to his own hidden assets, but it was too late.
The raid proceeded as planned, and the ensuing scandals, from affairs and drug use to corruption, dominated the news cycle, turning the Wang family into national pariahs.
Wang Jin-hee, who had been holed up in her room for days, refusing to eat or drink, suddenly emerged and said to me,
“Let’s get a divorce.”
“What?” I feigned surprise. “A divorce? Why?”
“Haixin Group is going to collapse.” She said with a hollow voice, “My father didn’t tell me everything, but the government and the politicians have turned against us.”
“Turned against you?”
“They’re going to dismantle and devour the company.” She chuckled mirthlessly. “Why did I even bother…?”
“Don’t be so pessimistic. Your father will find a way.”
She shook her head at my hollow words of comfort. “Haixin Group is finished. You wouldn’t understand, you’re not from here, but this has happened before.”
“What do you mean?”
“They’ll investigate the company, expose the corruption, and then carve it up among themselves. That’s why my father forced my sister into that marriage, to prevent this from happening.”
“Ask your sister for help-“
She scoffed, interrupting me. “She’s one of them. She’s at the forefront of the attack. Her father-in-law is the one leading the charge against Haixin Group.” The very marriage he had orchestrated to protect the company was now its downfall. His daughter’s in-laws were leading the attack. “And her father-in-law is gaining a reputation for his impartiality, even against his own in-laws. It’s a win-win situation for them.”
“Isn’t that an overinterpretation?”
“No, my father is trying to save the company, but it’s useless. There are too many holes, not enough fingers to plug them. And no allies.”
I said sympathetically, “I should have helped you…”
“It’s okay. It’s over.” She smiled. “So let’s get a divorce. I’ll let you go. I’m sorry about the $400 million. I can’t repay it, so just consider it alimony.”
“……”
“You’ve been nothing but trouble for me, and I have nothing to show for it… I’m sorry. Anyway, it’s best for you to distance yourself from us before Chunha Group is affected.”
Under normal circumstances, she would have clung to me, using our marriage to her advantage. But she had given up. Her lifelong dream had been shattered, her confidants had betrayed her.
“Thank you for everything. For letting me dream.” She stood up to leave.
I grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down. “Wait. I haven’t answered yet. Where are you going?”
“Do you need to answer?” She smiled. “We didn’t marry for love. Our marriage is meaningless without Haixin Group. I’m letting you go.”
“Wait.” I took out a bottle of soju from the refrigerator and placed it on the table. “Let’s have a drink and talk.”
“…I don’t like soju.”
I ignored her and poured us each a glass. “You’ll get used to it.” I smiled. “You’ll only drink soju when you drink with me from now on.”
“What do you mean?”
I raised my glass. “I’m not divorcing you.”
“What?! Didn’t you hear what I said? Haixin Group is finished! If you’re clinging to some false hope…”
“No, I understood you perfectly. Now, cheers! My hand is getting tired.”
She made a toast reluctantly, and I downed my drink in one gulp. “Ah, soju is the best. You’ll only drink soju with me from now on.”
“What are you doing? I’m letting you go, why are you making this so difficult?”
I opened a bag of snacks, ignoring her. “I’m Park Sol.”
“So?”
“I’m not a good person, I know that. But there’s one principle I always adhere to.” I refilled our glasses.
“I don’t abandon my people just because things get tough. I’ll avenge them tenfold if they’re wronged, I’ll help them if they’re in trouble, and if they make mistakes, I’m the only one who can judge them.” I took a sip of soju.
“They answer to me, and no one else.”
“…”
“They can be punished, but no one else can touch them. How dare they mess with my people?!” I said with a determined expression, “I’ll use all my resources, my lawyers, everything, to help you. I’ll shift the blame to your father and brothers and get you acquitted. Bribery, groveling, whatever it takes. I’ll save you, just wait.”
Her voice trembled. “I’m nothing now. Not a Haixin heiress, just an ordinary person, no, worse than an ordinary person, a criminal facing trial.”
“You’re not nothing. You’re a Harvard graduate, a capable businesswoman. And…” I smiled. “…you’re my wife.”
She forced a smile. “I get it. You don’t want to be seen as a heartless husband who abandoned his wife in her time of need. It’s okay. I’ll file for an uncontested divorce and…”
I interrupted her. “You can think whatever you want. The important thing is, I don’t abandon my people. I won’t give up on you as long as you’re loyal to me.”
“Why… why are you doing this? I was finally ready to let go…”
“We’re partners, united by a strategic marriage. You expect me to abandon my partner in her time of need? I have my pride too.”
I smiled gently. “Don’t worry. Even if the whole world turns against you, I’ll be on your side. But…” I held up the soju bottle. “…you have to promise me you’ll only drink soju with me from now on.” I smiled mischievously. “I don’t like wine or whiskey. I’ve been suffering in silence. How about it? It’s a good deal, isn’t it?”
She had lost everything: Baek In-hwi, her confidants, her father, even her siblings. And the only one left was me, her husband, whom she had initially seen as just a tool. She burst into tears. “Why… why are you doing this…?”
“Cry as much as you need. You’ll feel better afterward.” I said softly, “But once you’re done, you have to become Wang Jin-hee again. The fight isn’t over yet.”
I had won everything: people, money, power, reputation.
Without losing a thing.
Gaslighting pro move by the mc here