The Magician’s Memorial - Chapter 371



Only Krnovel

371. Caprice (1)

Charlotte Group CEOs meeting.

It was a CEO meeting convened once a month.

This also meant that the situation of the Charlotte Group was not good.

And today, Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu, who manages Japan’s Charlotte Group, attended the meeting.

“Charlotte Mart and department store sales in China have begun to rise, albeit slowly.”

“Tsk, tsk, when will I be able to recoup my investment after rising so sharply? It will take another 50 years.”

“Charlotte Group took a hit due to the aftermath of the Japanese boycott, but the situation is improving.”

“Sales in the Chinese market have already reached their lowest point, so it is best to take advantage of the U.S. market until the situation in the Chinese market improves.”

Chairman Jin Ho-kyun brought up the American market.

Since Chairman Jin Ho-kyun had been talking about the American market every day since the Federation of Korean Industries meeting, the presidents were on the verge of getting scabs on their ears.

US market and new headquarters site.

It was Chairman Jin Ho-gyun’s biggest concern, and it was also the reason why the presidents’ meeting was held.

But since there was no other way, the meeting attendees just kept their heads down and wanted time to pass quickly.

Of course, not everyone was like that.

Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh, who was responsible for the company’s failure to advance into China, risked his life to try to enter the U.S. market.

In order to do so, the Charlotte Group had to be selected as the target for the THAAD site exchange.

“If the Charlotte Group can provide just the THAAD site, we will be able to receive support from the White House. So, we must unconditionally beat out the Hyundai Motor Group and become the target.”

“Who doesn’t know that? Instead of saying the obvious, tell me how.”

“Site selection is ultimately decided by the political world. In particular, the United States is taking the lead. Although Hyundai Motor Group is said to be familiar with Korean politics, it has no influence on American politics.”

In the end, the idea was to lobby.

The Charlotte Group has maintained a good relationship with Korean politicians for decades.

It could not be compared to the current automobile group.

Therefore, we had to target the United States, not Korea, to gain an advantage.

“How are you going to move the American political world? Even if you are lucky and reach the right line, won’t you have to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in lobbying funds? If our belly button becomes bigger than our stomachs, even if we are selected, it will be meaningless.”

“There is a way to move American politics without spending money.”

“Where is that method? Please tell me.”

Chairman Jin Ho-gyun looked at Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh with distrustful eyes.

Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh slowly opened his mouth with a smile of conversion.

“It is entirely possible with the help of Taewoo Group Chairman Kim Min-jae. From what I found out, the White House had Taewoo Group in mind from the beginning, and the Federation of Korean Industries meeting was just a formality.”

“But why did Chairman Kim suddenly give up at the Federation of Korean Industries meeting?”

“They probably made that decision because they were concerned about the Chinese market. Unlike us, Taewo Group is generating high sales in China.”

Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh raises his voice with confidence.

However, the expressions on the faces of the presidents who listened became distorted at the same time.

This was because it sounded like he was bragging about his failure to enter China.

“Let’s say so. Then, is there any way to get Chairman Kim to help us?”

“If you have a conscience, wouldn’t you help us? If it weren’t for the Charlotte Group, how would the Taewo Group have been able to build a new headquarters? And if it weren’t for the Taewo Group, we wouldn’t have suffered huge losses in China!”

Everyone blushed.

At Vice Chairman Jin Jin-oh’s remarks, all attendees at the presidents’ meeting bowed their heads in shame.

They thought that it was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh, not Chairman Kim Min-jae, who had no conscience, but no one could express that.

Because it was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh, who was favored by the chairman.

“I will meet in person and persuade Chairman Kim Min-jae. If that doesn’t work, wouldn’t it be resolved if the Chairman steps forward?”

“In the end, it means I have to figure it out on my own.”

“Absolutely not. I will try to resolve it as best as I can.”

“Chairman Kim owes us a debt of gratitude. It’s not an improbable method.”

Today’s presidents’ meeting finally provided an answer.

Even Chairman Jin Ho-gyun agreed to the answer, so all that was left to do was move on.

The faces of the presidents were brightening with the hope that today’s meeting would end sooner than expected.

But then.

Someone came out to stop Chairman Jin Ho-kyun and Vice Chairman Jin Jin-oh from speaking.

There was no one among the presidents with such courage, so of course the person who stepped forward was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu.

“I am against it.”

“Are you saying you are against getting help from Chairman Kim? If there is a better way, I will do it, so just tell me.”

“That’s not what I mean. What I mean is that I am opposed to the provision of the THAAD site itself.”

“What does that mean now?”

Chairman Jin Ho-gyun’s voice grew louder.

Chairman Jin Ho-gyun was still the absolute leader of the Charlotte Group.

Even though he is getting older and his body has become weaker, the majesty of the Absolute never weakens.

The moment he raised his voice, the presidents looked as anxious as rabbits in front of a tiger.

However, Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu instead raised his voice and rebelled.

“What benefit do we gain by providing the THAAD site?”

“Are you saying this because you really don’t know what benefit you will gain? You will be able to build a new headquarters on the land of Geumssaragi in Seoul and receive support from the United States. Is there anything more important than this in the current situation?”

“Chairman, Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu has been in Japan for a long time, so he doesn’t seem to know much about the situation in Korea.”

Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh quickly speaks up.

Although he was the eldest son, it was not strange for him to be pushed out by the second son due to his failure to advance into China.

So, because he needed to scratch his second son’s image even a little, he attacked Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu fiercely.

“Are you planning to completely give up on the Chinese market? Our Chinese business division is barely holding on despite the Japanese boycott. The moment the THAAD site is provided by the Charlotte Group, we will have crossed an irreversible river.”

“Our Chinese business is already going through the worst. How much worse will it get if we provide the THAAD site? And if we get help from the U.S., won’t our Chinese business be better than it is now?”

It was a very hopeful statement.

It was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh, who was pinning his hopes on a possibility that was lower than the probability of winning the lottery.

Since even Chairman Jin Ho-gyun had the same thought, the presidents could not bear to oppose.

Therefore, it was a group of presidents who supported Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu, even if only in their hearts.

“The probability of that is approaching 0. I don’t know why they think now is the worst time. The moment they provide the THAAD site, you will know that there is hell underneath the basement. This means that all business units operating in China must be withdrawn!”

“You’re making very harsh remarks. So you’re saying we should give up on providing the THAAD site? We must do it for the sake of Charlotte Group’s new headquarters.”

The Jin brothers’ voices are getting louder.

The only person who could control them was Chairman Jin Ho-gyun.

He came out in support of his eldest son, Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh.

“Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu, get out of this matter. Just continue to work hard at Japan’s Charlotte Group as usual.”

“Chairman! No matter how important the new building is, this is not it. Please reconsider for the future of Charlotte Group.”

“Uh huh! Why do you stop at a situation where even if all the employees of Charlotte Group move forward with one mind and one intention, it is not enough? Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh has decided to take care of this matter, so I will trust you and leave it to you, so you should know that.”

Chairman Jin Ho-gyun got up from his seat.

It was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-oh who quickly stood next to him and supported him.

Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu and the presidents had no choice but to watch them disappear out of the conference room.

When Mr. Jin and his wife disappeared out of the conference room.

Voices of encouragement poured in toward Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu, who had his head down.

[Vice Chairman, I am also opposed to the provision of the THAAD site. The Chairman’s intentions were so strong that I couldn’t say anything.]

[So do i. This incident will cause much more harm than good. I don’t know why the chairman can’t see the gains and losses that even new employees can calculate.]

One of the presidents mustered up courage and took Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu’s side.

Then, the other CEO, who was only cheering internally, gathered the courage to speak out.

Of course, it was a courage that was only possible because Chairman Jin Ho-kyun was not around, and it was also a voice that could never be made public as long as Chairman Jin Ho-kyun was around.

“I will try my best to stop it. But it doesn’t seem easy to stop it. So, we need to come up with a way to minimize the damage.”

[We will gather the opinions of all employees of our affiliates.]

[I will personally go to China and observe the situation.]

[We will explore new markets in preparation for a complete withdrawal from the Chinese market.]

A group of presidents who only speak out when Chairman Jin Ho-kyun is away.

There might be no need for this voice now.

However, Chairman Jin Ho-gyun could not protect Charlotte Group for 100,000 years.

What if an inevitable situation arises where Chairman Jin Ho-kyun has to step down from his position?

Through today’s events, all of the presidents would support Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu.

Support from the president’s team.

It was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu’s aim.

In the succession structure, support from the presidents was more important than expected.

Of course, he couldn’t move the presidents of Vice Chairman Jin Jin-oh’s faction, but just being able to bring the neutral faction to his side was a big help.

‘First of all, things are going as Chairman Kim Min-jae said.’

Just by doing this, I can become president, right?

It was Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu, who covered his mouth and smiled at the encouragement of the presidents.

This operation did not come from Vice Chairman Jin Dong-gu’s head.

It was a strategy developed with the help of Chairman Kim Min-jae, and according to him, it was.

He said it was a strategy that could make him president.

* * *

The financial hub tower was really busy.

Needless to say, there were groups carrying out quantitative easing reduction operations, including Quantum Fund and Taewoo Securities.

They were busy saving money.

However, it was the other financial companies that were busier than them.

I ran around constantly trying to get some more information, and I also kept snooping around to see if I could possibly participate in the operation.

“I’m going out of my mind to death. More than 30 people come to me every day asking for coffee. If this continues, I’m scared that I’ll be on the news because I was taken to the emergency room due to caffeine poisoning.”

“Then let’s open the quantitative easing operation to everyone.”

“Wouldn’t there be opposition from the financial companies that were already participating?”

“Even if we participate now, we will only see less than half the profits compared to the financial companies that previously participated. So, there will not be much opposition.”

The quantitative easing operation was only in its first stage.

The US Federal Reserve announced the possibility of reducing quantitative easing.

Now there is not much time left to overturn that statement.

When everyone knows that quantitative easing is being tapered, what would happen if the Federal Reserve suddenly cancels the quantitative easing reduction?

Of course, the stock market was about to turn upside down once again.

We had already made all the preparations.

Even if the information was shared with other financial companies now, they would not be able to prepare properly.