The Youngest Son of Sunyang

"Weak? Does it not matter if you didn't acquire A-jin?"

My grandfather's expression showed considerable tension.

He wasn't surprised or flustered. Instead, he appeared somewhat angry.

Is this the expression he has when threats don't work?

"Did you seriously think that you could take A-jin Group's acquisition lightly? Were you thinking about giving up if things didn't go well?"

Ah, so he perceived it as me giving up easily.

Our grandfather hated the word "give up" more than anything.

"Of course not. If the merger falls through, do you think I wouldn't be able to acquire A-jin Group?"

"It's the first condition for the acquisition."

"The situation has changed. Right now, it's a real 'emergency situation.'"

"Some things don't change."

"Really?"

"My influence is exactly that. If I break the merger and make calls to the bondholders, banks, the Blue House, and the National Assembly, the acquisition decision will become a thing of the past. And then, we'll bid again. Then, Chairman Daehyun Group will contact me and offer to treat me to a drink."

The Deputy Prime Minister has yet to officially announce the government's request for an IMF bailout. It's clearly a few days away. You'd think Chairman Daehyun Group's influence would be completely ineffectual once he sees that announcement.

"Grandfather."

"Why? Are you starting to get nervous now?"

"The government has injected $11 billion into the foreign exchange market, but the exchange rate is still soaring. Have you seen the Bloomberg article? Our country's usable foreign reserves are barely $2 billion. Deputy Prime Minister Kang Gyeong-sik openly asked friendly nations for a loan on TV."

"Are you implying that my influence has diminished because of the foreign exchange crisis?"

"No, it's not diminished. It's gone."

"What?"

Today, I saw my grandfather's most surprised expression yet.

"The difficult times to find a path will continue. But will Grandfather's call go through? I think Grandfather should take the current emergency situation more seriously."

I couldn't say anything.

The threat is now my turn.

"Well, if Grandfather's influence can help with the re-bidding, I would truly appreciate it. Since no one else will bid and it will be a Miracle exclusive bid. Even if I use 12 billion of the acquisition funds for 80 billion, the creditors probably won't object, right?"

Grandfather still keeps his mouth tightly shut, not saying a word.

"Chairman Dae-hyun, by now, must be sweating profusely. Pouring 1.2 trillion into A-jin and if he doesn't have cash, he must be in quite a predicament."

"Do-Jun."

"Grandfather, just a moment. Let me say one last thing."

Grandfather nodded his head.

"Surely, in one corner of Grandfather's heart, there is hope that the current emergency situation will improve soon. No, it could be a wish. But... there is no such thing. If you just look at the facts, you will know that our country cannot escape this crisis."

It's unsettling when what needs to crumble doesn't crumble.

It was not only Chairman Jin's sentiment but everyone's. However, there was a vague belief that the size of South Korea's economy wouldn't easily collapse. This belief was what was holding back the anxiety.

But now, Grandfather's expression changed.

He had abandoned that belief.

"Your conviction isn't wavering?"

"No, it's not. A tremendous event is about to happen. And it's only a few days away."

"That means our Sunyang Group really needs the 1 billion dollars you have?"

"Our foreign exchange reserves are only about 2 billion dollars. I hold half of that, which is 1 billion dollars. The moment that dollar enters Korea, all banks and companies will rush to Miracle's office."

"Then I better have a ticket to meet you at that time."

"Grandfather is number 0. Right now, aren't you meeting with me?"

Grandfather, who took a moment to collect his thoughts, said very slowly.

"I should call Hwakjae Lee first, make a big fuss, and have a talk with our grandson again."

It was the first time I had seen him take a step back.

At times like this, you can't help but feel how remarkable it is. A conglomerate chairman who knows how to listen even to his young grandson's words, it's not something you see every day.

However, it's something I can't gracefully back away from.

"Grandfather. I'm not having fun anymore."

"What? Is this brat teasing his old man because he has some dollars?"

"I'm being honest. I need to quickly take over A-jin Group. There's a lot to do in the future. I need to find companies to put in my shopping cart while shaking the dollars in my hand and negotiate prices."

A second bewildered expression appeared.

Somehow, a sense of satisfaction welled up. He was the founder of Sunyang Group, a legendary figure to me. It was a small thrill to have momentarily outsmarted such a person.

"You... how much dollars do you actually have in your possession?"

"I can't show you my entire wallet, but I should have enough to put Wooseong Motors in my pocket."

"Oh, did you say Wooseong? Are you serious?"

"Yes. I plan to merge A-jin and Wooseong, and if we add Sunyang Motors to the mix, it should be on a similar level to Daehyun Motors, don't you think?" I pushed my chair back and stood up. "I'll tie it all together and put a Sunyang Motors sign on it. This is another gift from your dutiful grandson."

Grandfather began to look at me with eyes that seemed to be catching fire.

"I'll await the second proposal. Please find out how much time we have left in your meeting... and come to a quick conclusion. Before the waiting list gets longer."

"That's a bit mild for a threat."

As I was leaving the study, he grabbed my foot with his words.

"It's not over until it's over, isn't that something you said? It's not complete nonsense."

"There's also the saying that you need to know when to back down. That's something you've said yourself."

"That's complete nonsense. Haha."