CH89 | MCT

The Victor of Negotiation (5)

In Han Cheong-ho’s mind, the three things that could lead to a fallout with Park Jeong-hwan were all significant.

First, matters involving Japan.

That was Park Jeong-hwan's weakness, but it was something Han Cheong-ho could manage with just a little effort, so it was fine.

Second, matters involving Park Jeong-hwan’s wife.

This touched on Park Jeong-hwan’s pride as a man.

It could end with his wife, who had disgraced herself, being punished, which might just resolve the issue.

‘He might not even bring Cheongil Group into this.’

Moreover, knowing Park Jeong-hwan’s temperament, he could always replace his wife if it came to that.

But the last one was different.

‘This, he won’t be able to avoid Cheongil Group’s destruction.’

Park Jeong-hwan could never find out about this.

Han Cheong-ho relaxed his fist that he had been holding tightly.

“Why are you doing this to me?”

“You tried to kill me, didn’t you? What was your reason?”

It was a trivial reason.

It annoyed him.

It made him angry.

It made him uncomfortable.

“So, is that an answer?”

“No, you and I are in different situations.”

Han Cheong-ho was smiling.

He was armed with venom, throwing aside all of his previous complacency.

“Back then, I was the strong one, and you were the weak one. The strong don’t need a reason to kill the weak, but when the weak rises against the strong, there must be a significant reason for it.”

It was almost a reckless, foolhardy act.

There were many ways to compromise.

‘You’ve been like that since the days when you only had a molybdenum mine.’

Even back then, Tae-soo had stood against Han Cheong-ho.

He didn't have to, but he deliberately chose the difficult path.

From start to finish, Tae-soo had remained consistent.

‘I admit it. You’re my greatest rival in life.’

Han Cheong-ho had underestimated Tae-soo all along.

He had treated him as just a kid, a rookie.

He had viewed him as weak because he had nothing.

He had ignored him, thinking that no matter how capable Tae-soo was, he was insignificant.

‘Thanks to you, I’m now painfully reflecting on it.’

Finally, Han Cheong-ho looked at Tae-soo directly.

Tae-soo was the real deal.

“Answer me. What’s the reason you oppose me? No matter how much I think about it, I can’t figure it out. I can’t pinpoint anything.”

“Then I’ll have to make up my mind as well.”

Tae-soo briefly looked down at Han Cheong-ho.

Then, without hesitation, he turned his back.

“Kang Tae-soo, speak!”

But Tae-soo didn’t respond.

The sound of the conference room door closing echoed.

Han Cheong-ho looked at the closed door and laughed.

“Even after all this, you still keep your mouth shut. You really are a stubborn one.”

It had all been an act to understand Tae-soo’s true feelings, to learn his weaknesses.

Han Cheong-ho stood up, as though nothing had happened, shaking off any signs of defeat.

Secretary Park Bi-seo, who had been leaning against the wall, looked on in shock.

“C-Chairman?”

“What a useless fool. With a weak backup like this, no wonder.”

Just moments ago, he had been jumping up in anger, collapsing in frustration on the floor, gnashing his teeth, and vowing revenge—he had been the very definition of madness.

But now, he was composed, as though nothing had ever happened.

Han Cheong-ho casually brushed off the dust from his suit.

“What a waste of effort. My act shouldn’t have failed. I didn’t gain much.”

But no.

“I’ve gathered some good information. Now I know that even after shaking him this much, he still doesn’t budge. He looks like a gigolo on the surface, but underneath, he’s completely different.”

Han Cheong-ho laughed leisurely.

“His pupils didn’t waver even once.”

That means it wasn’t just about money or greed.

It meant that this wasn’t enough to shake him, and that his resolve was firm, his determination unwavering.

“He’s no pushover. I thought he was a rookie, but he’s not so easy to deal with.”

Han Cheong-ho’s eyes darkened.

Click.

The conference room door opened.

It was none other than Jang Jun-yong and Kim, whose curiosity had reached its peak since the door briefly opened earlier.

They had been standing by the door, observing the situation, and now they quickly stepped back in surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

“Ah, nothing at all. It’s just a bit noisy inside. Did the contract go smoothly?”

Tae-soo pulled a single contract from his jacket and waved it.

It was just a single page of the contract.

“As you can see, it went smoothly.”

“Good to hear. I was worried about whether Han Cheong-ho from Cheongil would sign the contract so easily…”

Something was off.

As he looked closely, it was very strange.

“The contract seems too thin. Did you only bring the cover?”

“No. What does it matter if the contract is thick or not? As long as it contains the necessary points clearly, that’s enough.”

“Still, it seems too thin. And the title…”

Jang Jun-yong’s eyes shook violently.

It was an unbelievable title.

“The contract for the merger and acquisition of Cheongil Refinery and Cheongil Heavy Machinery?”

Wait, why is Cheongil Heavy Machinery listed alongside Cheongil Petroleum?

As Jang Jun-yong rubbed his eyes and looked again, Tae-soo handed the contract directly to him.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

“I’ll be giving this to President Park. Please pass it on to him on my behalf.”

“So, why me…”

“If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I thought you might be curious about what happened inside, so I’m giving it to you specially.”

Jang Jun-yong quickly took the contract from Tae-soo.

“I’ll take responsibility and deliver it to the president. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you.”

It was probably easier for Jang Jun-yong from Geumsan to go in and out of the Blue House than it was for Tae-soo.

And there was another reason Tae-soo was reluctant to go to Park Jeong-hwan himself.

“But how did you manage to get Cheongil Heavy Machinery as well?”

This was exactly the question he didn’t want to answer.

“It’s written in the contract, isn’t it? It’s just a few lines.”

Tae-soo pointed to a line.

“Huh...”

There really was something.

The reason was even more ridiculous than expected.

“You want me to believe that Han Cheong-ho gave up Cheongil Heavy Machinery for this absurd reason? Are you serious?”

“What can you do? You’ll have to believe it.”

“Do you think President Park will believe it?”

“What can you do? He’ll have no choice but to believe it.”

Tae-soo smiled.

“If you’re curious, the president can always call Han Cheong-ho and ask him directly.”

How would Han Cheong-ho explain this in front of Park Jeong-hwan? He could never truly give a reason, no matter how hard he tried.

“If you’re giving this to me, what about your contract?”

“I anticipated that. I printed three copies.”

Tae-soo pulled another contract from his jacket and waved it.

That one quickly disappeared into his jacket.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. I’ve had enough of arguing with such a tiresome person.”

“Hahaha, Han Cheong-ho is indeed a tiring person. But now that the contract is successfully concluded, let me buy you a celebratory drink…”

“Goodbye.”

Tae-soo bowed politely at a 90-degree angle and quickly left.

“Hey, wait!”

“See you next time!”

Han-soo also disappeared without a trace.

Jang Jun-yong looked at Secretary Kim with a dumbfounded expression.

“That guy really just ran off, right?”

“Can’t you tell?”

“Why? I was going to personally buy him a celebratory drink.”

“I think I know why.”

Secretary Kim glanced at the contract Jang Jun-yong was holding.

Then, he widened his eyes and instinctively gasped.

“P-President!”

“What?”

“Th-th-this!”

“What?”

With a bored expression, Jang Jun-yong looked back at the contract.

He rubbed his eyes again.

“Am I getting old? The amount looks really strange.”

“President, am I sure I’m looking at the right contract here?”

“Yeah, why? What’s wrong? It’s just ten won?”

He was speechless.

“And, they’re saying Cheongil Group is taking on all of the debt?”

“Isn’t that crazy?”

But at the very bottom of the contract, in the signature area, Han Cheong-ho had indeed signed his name.

“He signed this? The great Han Cheong-ho? What? Why? How?”

Even as he looked, Jang Jun-yong couldn’t believe it.

He and Secretary Kim blamed their poor eyesight, looking at it up close, then far away, then again, but nothing changed.

Finally, Secretary Kim let out a groan.

“President, I don’t know much, but I do know one thing.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“I understand now why Han Cheong-ho was going crazy and destroying everything inside. The mystery is solved.”

That was something Jang Jun-yong had figured out too.

Then, another question began to gnaw at him.

“So, what did he do? How did this conclusion come about?”

Should he go find Kang Tae-soo, who had already disappeared, and ask him?

The car smoothly sped out of the Geumsan Hotel and onto the road.

As they drove, Han-soo, who had been sitting in the passenger seat, couldn’t hold back and finally spoke up.

“Hyung, what’s the real reason you’re opposed to Cheongil?”

Tae-soo refused to share the reason.

So, Han-soo still didn’t know.

“Don’t ask. You’ll get hurt if you know.”

“But what the chairman said is true, right? Strong people don’t need a reason to bully the weak, but the weak always have a reason to challenge the strong.”

“Don’t be swayed by such nonsense.”

Tae-soo scoffed.

“That’s all just Han Cheong-ho acting. He was testing me.”

Han-soo was taken aback.

“Acting? What we saw was all acting?”

“Didn’t you feel the oddness? You didn’t pick up on the vibe?”

“There were some strange things, sure, but with the situation being what it was...”

“Exactly. You have a sharp intuition. You’re quick to react, you’ve got potential.”

Tae-soo praised Han-soo’s talent.

Honestly, Tae-soo hadn’t noticed the little inconsistencies when facing Han Cheong-ho. The man was so skilled that there wasn’t any discomfort or oddness in his actions.

That was what made Han Cheong-ho dangerous.

“How can you be so sure it was all acting?”

“You can tell by looking at his eyes.”

Tae-soo said, his tone serious.

“The voice, the tone, the expressions, the atmosphere, the gestures—those can all be faked.”

“But why the eyes?”

“The eyes never lie.”

Han Cheong-ho’s eyes were deep. Whether he was angry, mocking, or resigned, his eyes always sank deeply.

In the midst of it all, his eyes were logical, actively calculating.

“If you want to deceive someone, don’t look them in the eyes. Better to close your eyes entirely.”

Tae-soo smiled as he looked at Han-soo.

“You’ll understand soon enough. Once you’ve met enough seasoned people.”

Tae-soo had spent years dealing with people like that. Most weren’t as good at acting as Han Cheong-ho, and there were more than a few who were better at scheming. He could count them all if he wanted to.

Tae-soo had learned a valuable lesson from Han Il-gwon, in the VIP room of Cheongil’s hospital ward—a lesson that had burned itself into his memory.

“The eyes are the windows to the soul. It’s not just some saying.”

Han Il-gwon, who had been acting for 45 years, had taught him this lesson. Tae-soo had seen the eyes of a killer, and realized that they were the same eyes he had come to know so well.

‘It’s a lesson I learned through death. The most expensive lesson, the final one.’

In that sense, Han Il-gwon was a far superior actor than Han Cheong-ho. When it came to being evil, Han Il-gwon was unmatched.

“Han-soo, thanks to Han Cheong-ho’s cheap trick, we’ve gained a huge advantage.”

“That’s true. We got Cheongil Refinery and Cheongil Heavy Equipment for just 20 won. And on top of that, they’re taking on all the debts of Cheongil Group.”

“Originally, I was planning to pay the fair price and acquire them.”

That was why he had left money for Han-soo to secure the acquisition of Cheongil Refinery. But the situation had changed.

“If Han Cheong-ho hadn’t made that low move first, President Park Jeong-hwan wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to my own tricks.”

Han Cheong-ho had broken the rules of fair play first. Park Jeong-hwan, who despised his manipulation, would likely overlook Tae-soo’s own underhanded tactics.

“But hyung, where are we headed now?”

“Cheongil Heavy Equipment’s president’s office.”

“Why to the president’s office of Cheongil Heavy Equipment?”

Tae-soo grinned.

“Why? Because there’s something I need to get my hands on before Han Cheong-ho does.”

Cheongil Refinery would likely be left to gather dust now, but Cheongil Heavy Equipment was a different story.

“By now, Han Cheong-ho probably thinks he’s laughing at us, thinking we’ve been thoroughly outplayed. But when I walk in with the merger contract, everyone will be in shock.”

It would be like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.

The car’s engine roared as Tae-soo accelerated.