The Youngest Son of Sunyang

"Who?"

"His name is Oh Se-hyun, the representative of Power Shares in Korea."

"Aren't those the guys that play with money?"

"Something like that."

Chairman Jin Yang-chul frowned as he scanned several sheets of reports spread on his desk.

"Is he Yoongi's friend?”

"Yes, they studied together in Cambridge, England."

Oh Se-hyun's personal details were held in Chairman Jin's hands.

"Do you think there's some other reason?"

"No. Do-jun is just like Yoongi, he is not greedy for money."

"Do you weigh your mind in front of money? What's wrong with you? No matter how good you think of Yoongi, it's too soft."

There was no way he didn't know that his son had no greed for money, but he was a type who never gave up his doubts.

'It's ridiculous.'

Lee Hak-jae smiled and scratched his head.

"But isn't it amazing? I thought he'd just leave it in the bank and earn interest, but the kid thought of leaving it to an investment company…”

"That's what I'm saying because it's suspicious. Why Yoongi's friend?”

Chairman Jin couldn't help but suspect that Oh Se-hyun was a man who approached his innocent son and was a constructionist.

"Hakjae."

"Yes."

"Meet this guy.”

Lee Hak-jae collected a photo of Oh Se-hyun presented by Chairman Jin.

"Okay, I'll take measures to prevent any problems from occurring."

When Lee Hak-jae bowed his head and left the study, Chairman Jin leaned against the back of the chair.

"Look at this guy...”

Chairman Jin couldn't help but laugh.

'It's not because I don't trust my son, Jin Yoon-ki. But just a thorough vigilance doesn't hurt.

'Also, if it was my young grandson who came up with the investment idea, I would die of admiration.

'That greed that isn't happy with simple bank interest is exactly like me!'

Read only on

* * *

"I'm Lee Hakjae."

"I'm familiar with your name. I am Oh Se-hyun."

The two men exchanged business cards and sat in a spacious chair in the hotel lounge.

Oh Se-hyun's tone was polite, but his attitude was confident.

Who was Lee Hakjae?

Wasn't he the second-in-command of Sunyang Group? It was even rumored that Jin Young-ki, the eldest son of Vice Chairman Jin, was respectful to Lee Hak-jae.

It was rare to see a person who was not at all intimidated by him.

In Oh Se-hyun's eyes, Lee Hak-jae was just a snake's head. No matter how great he was in Korea, he was just a periphery in the world. Wasn't the Power Shares a global empire? At least he, Oh Se-hyun, was the dragon's tail.

There was no reason for the dragon's tail to bow before the snake's head.

"You're a busy person, so I'll keep it short."

"Is it related to Dojun? If so, I think you'd better see this first."

Oh Se-hyun presented two documents.

One was a guardian agreement and the other was a confidentiality clause.

"I'll tell you in advance, to avoid misunderstanding. Jin Yoongi came to me first, and Dojun asked me to keep the secret first. So even if you ask me where Dojun invested the funds, I can't answer that."

Lee Hak-jae was helpless due to Oh Se-hyun's first attack.

There were a lot of things to check, but you couldn't ask questions to those who already declared that they wouldn't answer.

Even still, he couldn't just stand up and leave. It was a matter of self-esteem.

"Just keep one thing in mind. Don't think otherwise. If you do, I'll blow it up."

Oh Se-hyun's eyebrows wriggled for a while, but his sales-oriented mind did not wander at all. A smile soon arose on his face.

"It's a bit harsh for a favor."

"What?"

"Don't push me too hard. We're not the Community Credit Cooperative. I'm not intimidated by Sunyang's name."

Lee Hak-jae parted his lips, glaring at Oh Se-hyun, whose smile had disappeared, and said,

"Sunyang may be a small local store in the world, but it is different in this country. I can send all the special departments of the IRS, the Board of Audit and Inspection, and the Supreme Prosecutors' Office to your company on a bus. Keep that in mind."

"You mean that even a mutt eats half of it in the front yard of his house. I'll keep that in mind, sir."

Lee Hak-jae's lips twitched when he called Sunyang Group a mutt.

"Shall we get up now?"

When Oh Se-hyun got up from the sofa and reached out his hand, Lee Hak-jae lightly grabbed it.

It seemed that Oh Se-hyun, who was younger, withdrew a little. When he lowered his head lightly, Lee Hak-jae smiled and left the hotel first.

"Hoo, that was no joke. So frustrating…"

Oh Se-hyun breathed out a long breath when his back disappeared.

As soon as Lee Hak-jae got into a car waiting at the entrance of the hotel, he picked up the receiver of his car phone.

"Chairman, it's me."

- So, have you met him?

"We just separated now. You don't have to worry."

- Really?

Chairman Jin's voice, which was heard through the phone, turned bright.

"Yes, he had a strong determination and a lot of pride. I'm sure Do-jun is not so young that he would drool over money."

- That's great. Let's meet sometime and share soju glasses.

"I was going to do that. If it's Power Shares, you won't lose it because you know it."

Lee Hak-jae, who finished the call, leaned on a comfortable seat.

'Once again, I feel that there are as many great talents in the world as grains of sand.'

Read only on

* * *

In August 1989, as many as 2 million protesters in the Soviet Union's Lithuania, Latvia, and the Estonian Republic created a 600-kilometer human chain, or "the Baltic Way," that connected the capitals of each country, demanding democratization and independence.

In the fall of the same year, while enjoying the abundance of Hangawi¹ in Korea, a large-scale escape of East German residents began when the Hungarian government opened the western border.

It was a sign of the fall of the Eastern Bloc.

When the eyes of the whole world were focused on the rapidly changing Eastern Europe, I was busy planning to go to the United States.

There was nothing wrong with skipping school. Since it was a school attended by children with powerful and rich parents in Korea, it was not an issue to skip classes and go abroad after the liberalization of overseas travel.

What was important was the establishment of an investment company based in New York, the United States.

An investment company where I'm a major shareholder. A corporation with a 98% stake.

It was a company that Oh Se-hyun and his colleagues invested 2% in anticipation of being able to obtain Chairman Jin's information first.

Oh Se-hyun had confirmed that he would finish it perfectly by the end of October, so we couldn't delay it any longer. There were people I had to meet before the end of '89.

When I told my parents about my trip to America, my mother was happy, but my father showed reluctance. This was because most of his days were hectic due to the establishment of a movie company.

He was the first person over forty to start work. The father, who was no different from a social rookie, was a young man who possessed great excitement and passion.

Sang-jun, an adolescent rebel, suddenly turned into a good and childish son when I told him I was in the U.S.

On November 3, 1989, when the so-called "industrial Wooji²" incident, the biggest incident in the Korean ramen market, which began when an anonymous letter saying that Samyang Food—the epitome of ramen—fried noodles with industrial cow oil, flew to the prosecution, Oh Se-hyun and my family boarded first class on a flight to New York.

Read only on

* * *

"Mrs. Je-su, after a break, you can go sightseeing and shopping with Sang-jun. I have a place to go with Dojun."

"What's the matter?"

"It's no big deal. Dojun invested some money in the U.S., so I'm going to stop by for a while. Do-jun is interested in this aspect, so I'll take him to watch."

Oh Se-hyun hurried as soon as he unpacked his luggage in the special room of the New York Plaza Hotel, which overlooked the Statue of Liberty.

Unlike his mother, who looked a little worried, Sang-jun showed no interest at all.

He resembled his father. He showed no interest in money at all. When I found out that I had more than 10 billion won, I didn't envy it, but rather looked at it anxiously.

Because I was worried that I would get involved in the ugly money struggles in the family.

"By the way, I have prepared a guide. He's got a car ready, so he'll take you without any inconvenience during your stay."

Leaving two people behind, we left the hotel.

As I rode to Wall Street in Manhattan in a taxi, I saw the scenery of New York through the window. I will vividly capture the changing and developing image of New York in the future.

"Isn't the building a little shabby? I got it at a low price so that I wouldn't waste money on useless places."

Contrary to his words, it was a splendid building in my eyes.

Well, if it was Manhattan, which controlled global financial capital, the building would be on the cheap side.

There was a small signboard hanging at the door where Oh Se-hyun stopped after going up to the sixth floor.

'Miracle Investment Inc.'

Oh Se-hyun waved his hand saying it was a childish name, but that did not break my stubbornness. Because it will show a real miracle.

The moment I looked at the office, my whole body was thrilled.

It's my first company.

Here, we will raise a giant monster that will swallow the whole cruiser group — Sunyang.

When I opened the door and entered, three men in their 30s and a woman welcomed Oh Se-hyun.

“James! Wow! Long time no see!"

They expressed their welcome by calling Oh Se-hyun's English name.

They were fund managers working in Power Shares, New York, but Oh Se-hyun scouted them.

The fact that they left the best company in name and reality and chose a humble beginning meant that they were not in the top class. Second-rate, maybe third-rate.

Of course, being in Power Shares meant being quite outstanding, but no denying that they were a bit behind the times.

They already know that I am the grandson of the chairman of Korea's largest company, and the amount of 10 billion won and 15 million dollars deposited into this company is about the amount of slush funds of Sunyang Group.

Like a start-up company, as soon as they met, they began a heated discussion about how to roll the $15 million and where to invest it.

In their conversation, the names of global companies such as IBM, Intel, Levi's, Nike, and 3M were mentioned, and the only female fund manager strongly recommended Microsoft.

Apple's name was not mentioned.

Well, it was only natural that Apple shares didn't show any sign of rising from the dollar level now.

Oh Se-hyun, who was just listening to their stories, calmed down their enthusiasm and calmly explained that my money was to invest back into Korea with the information given by Chairman Jin of Sunyang rather than investing in American companies.

When Oh Se-hyun finished speaking, the faces of the four managers were clearly disappointed. They probably didn't quit Power Shares just to do that much work.

I pretended I didn't understand their conversation and tried to gauge their capabilities.

I got one thing for sure. Men made stable investments, and women did not shy away from adventures. Maybe a woman is the best talent.

At the end of the hour-long discussion, I called Oh Se-hyun.

"Uncle, wait a minute."

"Oh my gosh, our Dojun must have been bored. Sorry, I forgot to talk about work.”

"It's all right, but can you take a look at this?”

I took a note from my pocket and handed it to Oh Se-hyun.

"What's this?"

"This is where our company will invest first."

"What?"

Surprised, Oh Se-hyun snatched the memo and hurriedly unfolded it.

The four managers also gathered on the memo paper, looking at Oh Se-hyun's unusual expression.

When they checked the memo paper, they shouted in unison.

"Michael Dell?"

"Dell? Dell Computer?!"

T/N:

[1] Hangawi - literally autumnevening, is also known as Chuseok, which means the 15th day of August, according to the lunar calendar. Although it occurred in September this year, Chuseok is the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving that spans over 3 days and is a major holiday in Korea. Chuseok consists of making platefuls of food and coming together with family members to spend time together; remembering ancestors to show gratitude for the past, future, and plentiful harvest.

[2] Wooji - can also be called uji or beef tallow.

We hope you enjoyed this chapter! You can vote this novel translation and drop a review on Novel Updates!❤️

Rate this translation!