1979, Manager Kim is Inheriting Dictatorship! - Chapter 116



Only Krnovel

Episode 116

FIFA headquarters conference room.

With Argentina’s decision to withdraw from hosting the World Cup, President Blatter and officials from each country’s football association urgently meet to devise countermeasures.

“How come there is no country that wants to host the World Cup?”

The North American official sighs and answers.

“Ha, Mr. Chairman. There are only three years left. It is too short a time for another country to suddenly prepare. How about just skipping the 2002 World Cup?”

President Blatter shakes his head.

“That is absolutely not possible. Even if it is held in a shabby manner, it must be held at all costs.”

FIFA President Blatter.

Originally, he was the president of FIFA for 17 years.

But if the unprecedented situation of the 2002 World Cup not being held really happens, then as FIFA president, he will definitely have to step down and take full responsibility.

He had only been in office as president for a year.

I still didn’t want to even say the word resignation.

‘We have to find a way somehow. How did we get here… … .’

The chairman looks at the European officials and asks urgently.

“How come the Netherlands and the UK don’t say they will do it?”

Dutch and British officials wave their hands in dismissal.

“No matter how crazy we are about soccer, it is impossible to prepare for the World Cup in just three years.”

“We are the same. Three years is too soon.”

The FIFA president closes his eyes.

If things continue like this, he will truly become the FIFA president with the shortest term of office.

‘Is there really no way… … .’

At that time, an Asian official quietly steps forward.

“By any chance, what about Korea? With Korea’s economic power, wouldn’t it be worth a try if you have the will?”

President Blatter’s pupils dilate.

In fact, President Blatter did not like Eastern countries.

He has sometimes been called a racist by some people.

But now was not the time to be picky about whether something was cold or hot.

“Are you talking about the World Cup in Korea?”

“We have experience hosting the Olympics in 1992, and with Korea’s current economic power, wouldn’t it be more than enough to host the World Cup?”

“That makes sense. But would you want to host the World Cup in Korea? I know that soccer isn’t that popular in Korea… … .”

That wasn’t a wrong statement.

It is true that Korea clearly has enough economic power to host the World Cup, but most of the countries that have hosted the World Cup have advanced to the round of 16 or higher.

However, Korea was still the only country that had reached its maximum level in the group league.

Hosting the World Cup not only requires money, but also the soccer skills of the national team and the popularity of soccer in that country.

However, the most popular professional sport in Korea was baseball.

It’s not that soccer wasn’t popular, but in the professional sports world, soccer was always in second place behind baseball.

“However, how about checking the intention at least once? I heard that soccer has been gaining popularity in Korea recently. The Korean national soccer team is definitely one of the best among Asian countries.”

“Of course, it would be great if Korea would just accept it… … .”

Since Korea is a country with a lot of money in the government itself, even if it is held in a hurry, it will definitely do more than the basics.

‘Because it’s Korea… … .’

President Blatter, who thought it was a foolish act after thinking about it further, said to the Asian official.

“Who among Korean soccer officials do you think would communicate best with the Korean government?”

“There is a member of the Korea Football Association named Oh Hyeon-tae, and he might have some connections with the government.”

“Then please contact me quickly. I have to hurry. No. Give me your phone number. I will contact you directly.”

Even if it doesn’t work out, there’s no harm in it.

President Blatter was now on fire.

Now was not the time to be saving face.

‘Please, please… … .’

* * *

“Oh, Chairman, how are you feeling?”

When the Chairman of the Five Kingdoms sees me, he tries to get up.

“Oh my, Mr. President. How did you get here?”

“You should come see me. The person who led the economy of the Republic of Korea to this point is lying in a hospital bed. How can you say that you have become president and have not shown your face even once?”

“This is really embarrassing. The President and I are not that much older than each other, and while the President is so healthy, I am now lying in the hospital bed as if I don’t have much time left to live.”

I shook my head and comforted him.

“Don’t say that. Shouldn’t you live a little longer and make Hyunjoong a more world-class group?”

Chairman Oh shakes his head and answers.

“No. I have already inherited the property and have not participated in management for a long time. I was born with nothing and have achieved this much, so isn’t it time for me to leave?”

His eyes looked as if he was already prepared for death.

“Chairman… … .”

Like the Prime Minister, Chairman Oh also seemed to be aware that he did not have much time left to live.

“Still, thanks to the President, I was happy to be able to set foot on my hometown before I die.”

“Isn’t that what you promised? Of course you should do it.”

“Of course. In the decades of my business career, the only politician I have ever seen who keeps his promises is President Kim.”

“Haha. Is that so? Well, that’s fortunate. The president is someone who keeps his promises.”

“That’s right. Hahaha.”

As we were laughing and talking like that, quite a bit of time had passed.

As the people I worked with, including the former Prime Minister, leave one by one, I have mixed feelings.

But that doesn’t mean I can sit there forever.

The position of President was one where there were several schedules every day.

‘Now, slowly… … .’

The time has come, and just as I’m about to get up for the next schedule, someone comes into the room.

He didn’t look like a doctor because he wasn’t wearing a gown, but his facial features looked a lot like Chairman Oh’s.

‘I’ve seen this somewhere. Is it Chairman Oh’s family?’

I looked at Chairman Oh and asked.

“Are you a family member?”

“Oh, Mr. President. This is my sixth son, Hyun-tae.”

Chairman Oh looks at his son and yells at him.

“Hey, you punk, what are you doing! Can’t you see the president is here? Hurry up and say hello!”

Chairman Oh’s son, who was under fire from the president, came up to me and greeted me with a very excited look on his face.

“Hello, Mr. President. Nice to meet you. I am Oh Hyun-tae.”

Appearance: Appears to be in mid-40s.

And familiar names and faces.

Now I remember who it was.

‘ah…….’

Oh Hyun-tae.

Now that I’ve heard your name directly, I know who you are.

He was a second-generation chaebol who was popular nationwide for his contributions to successfully hosting the 2002 World Cup.

At the time, he was quite popular with the people, so he dabbled in politics for a while, but eventually, either because he grew tired of politics or because he had no talent for it, he retired from politics and lived his life as a businessman, operating some of the Hyundai affiliates.

I greeted him with a quick handshake.

“Ah, Chairman Oh. It’s your son. Nice to meet you. Mr. Oh Hyun-tae? This is Kim Jeong-guk.”

“Yes! It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President!”

Chairman Oh begins to talk about his son.

“He doesn’t care about work, he just watches soccer all day long, he’s dying. But he’s smart, so even if I tell him to help his older brother with work, he’s always like this. He’s a smart kid, so if I help his older brother, he’ll do well. Hahaha.”

It may seem like gossip, but it was actually bragging about his son.

But Oh Hyun-tae blushes in embarrassment at the word child.

“Father, I am almost fifty years old. And the President is here too. How ironic.”

Chairman Oh responds to his words with a smile.

“Hahaha. Is that so? Seeing as you’re already almost 50, I guess it’s really time for me to go.”

“Oh my, you keep saying that. You should live longer.”

If it had been like this, Hyunjoong would have been torn apart by the issue of inheritance after Chairman Oh passed away. However, thanks to Chairman Oh’s advance notice, he passed all the inheritance to his second son two years ago, and in reality, the other children only inherited cash, real estate assets, and stocks unrelated to management rights. And all management rights of the Hyunjoong Group went to Chairman Oh’s second son.

Originally, in history, this man named Oh Hyeon-tae also inherited one of the Hyundai Group affiliates.

‘But why aren’t you involved in politics?’

He inherited plenty of money and was said to be the smartest among Chairman Oh’s sons.

If he had any political aspirations, he would have already entered politics, but at least as far as I can remember, Oh Hyun-tae has never set foot in politics.

I looked at him and took a quick look.

“Mr. Hyun-tae, Mr. Hyun-tae, don’t you have any interest in politics? If you don’t work at Hyun-joong, then politics would be a good option for you.”

Chairman Oh answers on his behalf.

“Actually, I thought Hyun-tae was interested in politics, but I told him not to. I told him not to even dream of politics unless he could do as well as President Kim.”

In contrast to the original history, Chairman Oh himself also entered politics.

“Haha. No, why do you insist on preventing capable politicians from emerging?”

“Oh, he’s smart, but he’s not a kid who’s suited for politics. And he’s not even talented enough to be the president, so why waste time getting cursed at? Actually, it would be best if he helped his brother’s company, but what the hell is soccer?”

I looked at Chairman Oh and asked.

“But Mr. Chairman, do you hate soccer?”

“Oh, I don’t like it. I like it. Do you only like soccer? I like all sports. It’s just that I’m worried that you’re too obsessed with soccer.”

“Haha. I see.”

“Isn’t it the luck of our time to have seen the games of people like Pele and Maradona in person? Hahaha.”

As we were laughing and talking like that, it was soon time for us to go.

I stood up from my seat and greeted Chairman Oh.

“Chairman, I will take my leave now. I will come back again when I have time.”

“Oh my, President Kim. There are more than a few national affairs piling up, so why do you keep wasting your time on this old man’s sickbed? I am more than grateful that you came today.”

“Haha, you’re saying the same thing as Prime Minister Lee Hwa-seong.”

“I’m saying this because I want Prime Minister Lee and President Kim to focus on state affairs. If people like us take away President Kim’s work time, how much will the people curse us?”

“Haha. But if I come again, please don’t treat me coldly. I’ll go in.”

When I opened the door to the hospital room and went outside, bodyguards and secretaries were waiting.

“Okay, let’s go now.”

“yes.”

At that moment, the hospital room door suddenly opened and Oh Hyun-tae, the son of Chairman Oh, who was in the room, came out.

“Mr. Hyun-tae? Are you leaving already? I’ll be leaving a little later.”

“Ah, that’s… … .”

Oh Hyun-tae seemed to hesitate for a moment, then began to talk to me.

“Mr. President, I have something to say.”

“Yes, go ahead. What’s the matter?”

“Is it okay if I move away for a moment so I can speak?”

“Is this a long story? There’s not much time left until our next schedule, so if it’s not important, why don’t we talk about it another time?”

But his expression seemed urgent.

“I’m sorry, but could you spare just a moment? This is a matter of national interest, Mr. President.”

His eyes looked sincere.

It didn’t seem like a personal complaint.

“Um, okay. Is there a quiet place in the hospital where we can talk?”

“Oh, yes. You can come this way. There is an unused conference room on the first floor.”

I spoke while looking at the executive secretary.

“Please postpone the next schedule for a little while. It seems like it’s a really important conversation.”

“all right.”

I asked my executive secretary to postpone the schedule and followed Oh Hyeon-tae to a small conference room inside the hospital.

Perhaps because this hospital itself was founded by Hyunjoong, it seemed that they could freely use the conference room.

“I’m sorry to have to bring you to such a shabby place.”

“No. Okay, now tell me. What’s going on?”