CH80 | MCT

Geumsan Hotel Banquet Hall (1)

Cheongil Group Headquarters –
Chairman’s Office

Han Cheong-ho yelled into the phone.

"What do you mean the loan is suddenly blocked? You gave me a firm answer back then! Why are you changing your stance now?"

— I'm sorry, but our bank has suffered severe losses from the oil shock…

"So, after taking all the money you could, you're just going to wipe your mouth clean and walk away?"

— We'll return the money. Honestly, taking that money has put us in serious trouble as well.

"Hey! Listen—! Choi Sang-soo!"

The call was abruptly cut off.

Furious, Han Cheong-ho slammed the receiver down with enough force to break it.

"What the hell is going on? All the banks are blocking loans and aggressively demanding repayment!"

Right now, Cheongil’s oil supply had been cut off.

They were pouring funds from other subsidiaries to keep Cheongil Refinery and Cheongil Petrochemicals afloat.

Without it, they would have already gone bankrupt.

Just then, Secretary Park entered the chairman’s office.

"Sir, Jangsu Bank is also bombarding us with collection calls."

"I know! You don’t need to tell me!"

"Word is that someone from the top gave a directive."

"Shut up! I can see that for myself!"

Han Cheong-ho grabbed the phone in frustration.

He dialed multiple times to reach Chief Secretary Kim Jeong-rim, but there was no answer.

"Busy, huh? Convenient excuse."

"I need to meet Choi Moo-ryong."

With no other choice, Han Cheong-ho hurriedly prepared to leave.

***

Tae-soo walked home with a light heart.

His hands were full of gifts once again.

"I'm home."

"Well, look who it is! Tae-soo, you’re here!"

"Tae-soo!"

His parents rushed out to greet him warmly.

Tae-soo lifted his mother up in a playful hug.

"Have you been well?"

"Of course! We’re doing great. But Tae-soo, you’ve lost weight again."

"No, I haven’t. I’m the same as always."

"No way. We need to eat. I have to fatten you up before you leave again!"

His mother was back to fussing over food.

For parents, feeding their children well was always their greatest joy.

And Tae-soo understood that love better than anyone.

"Here, I brought some gifts."

"You really don’t need to keep bringing things. Just come empty-handed. That way, your steps home will feel even lighter."

"But having my hands full makes my heart feel lighter."

Just then, Han-soo stepped out from inside.

"Hyung, you're back?"

"Yeah."

"It's freezing outside. Come in and talk. The ondol floor is nice and warm."

"Good idea."

December in Gangwon Province was bitterly cold.

Tae-soo stepped inside the house.

Han-soo gave up the warmest spot by the floor heating for Tae-soo.

"So, the construction is finished, and you've settled the payments. You said you'd make a fortune from oil—how much did you earn?"

"One hundred million barrels."

"Pfft!"

Han-soo spat out the honey water he was drinking.

His eyes trembled violently as he looked at Tae-soo.

"W-what does that add up to in total?"

"Do the math yourself. You're good at that."

"Damn… No matter how well I've managed my money, compared to you, I'm not even an ant."

Han-soo's face twisted in frustration.

Tae-soo grinned.

"I heard your investment company is doing pretty well. How much have you made?"

"Tch, forget it. Just enough."

"A 15% increase in assets over six months without taking any losses? That’s impressive."

Han-soo hadn’t suffered losses because he knew oil company stocks were sinking due to the oil shock.

He had pulled out all investments before the Middle East war broke out in October.

"Money makes more money. It wasn’t my skill."

"Sure, money grows money, but not everyone can make it grow. Do you think making money off other people is easy? You did well."

Jang Mal-dong's weapon sales profits had already been flowing into Han-soo’s investment firm.

Now, Tae-soo’s oil profits would soon follow.

"With the oil sales, your investment firm's funds will grow quite a bit."

"Man… at a time like this, one hundred million barrels of oil is no joke."

"Just think of Jang Mal-dong’s money as properly laundered and returned. Run the company with the funds I give you. Even if you fail, don’t feel too pressured."

"How much are you giving me?"

"Whatever’s left after I buy Cheongil Refinery."

"Cheongil Refinery?"

Han-soo’s jaw dropped.

"You're buying Cheongil Refinery? You?"

"Yeah."

"And you'll still have money left over to invest in me?"

"Probably?"

Because I’ll buy it dirt cheap after Cheongil Refinery completely collapses.

Once Han Cheong-ho goes bankrupt and sheds blood, I'll pick up the real assets.

Seeing the admiration in his younger brother’s eyes, Tae-soo couldn’t help but straighten his shoulders.

"Hyung, this oil crisis is seriously shaking up the stock market. Not just in the U.S., but in Europe, Japan, and Korea too."

The oil shock that started in the Middle East had the entire world reeling.

Naturally, Han-soo’s U.S. investment company was also caught up in the storm.

"Most companies rely on oil to generate revenue. But now that oil prices are skyrocketing, their operations are struggling. Stock prices have plummeted. There’s hardly anywhere safe to invest."

Han-soo’s concern was understandable.

But oil-related businesses weren’t the only places to invest.

"Han-soo, broaden your perspective. Look for industries that aren’t impacted by this crisis. Find new investment opportunities. That’s something you always need to keep in mind when running an investment firm."

"I’ve been considering alternatives like agriculture instead of manufacturing, but nothing seems promising."

At least he’s been thinking hard about it.

"I’ve also looked into venture companies, but…."

Venture companies? He’s already thinking that far ahead?

"They don’t have a strong enough foundation to invest in yet. It’ll take years before they’re stable. Waiting that long doesn’t sit right with me."

That was Han-soo’s dilemma.

‘Should I give him a hint?’

There was another field where Han-soo’s keen eye could shine, and the potential for high returns was significant.

"How about investing in movies?"

"Movies?"

Han-soo’s eyes widened in surprise, as if the thought had never crossed his mind.

"Now that I think about it, the oil crisis wouldn’t affect the movie industry much."

"Exactly. Plus, as incomes rise and the economy grows, people are spending more on cultural entertainment."

"That’s actually a great idea. I should seriously look into it."

Investors don’t make movies.

Directors and production teams make them.

Investment and distribution companies finance and release them.

Investors recover their money from the film’s profits.

As Han-soo said, money makes more money in the right place.

"If you find the right movie, you can make a huge profit at once. But it’s also easy to fail, so be careful."

The film industry is all about vision.

A well-made movie can become a global hit, while a bad one won’t even recover its budget.

Plenty of investors have lost everything, and just as many have struck gold.

‘Steven Max’s story is famous, too.’

He founded a computer company and sold a machine called Peach 1.

It was a success.

But the major shareholders of Peach Corp. forced him out.

Dreaming of a comeback, Max acquired a film company called Pix and used computer technology to create an animated film called Toy Store.

It became a massive hit.

With that money, he bought back Peach Corp. and reclaimed his position as chairman.

"Hyung, should I invest in Korean films or Hollywood?"

"That’s up to you. Take your time researching before making a decision."

One of the best things about reincarnation is moments like this.

‘I already know which movies will succeed and which will flop. If he tries to invest in a disaster, I can just stop him.’

He probably wouldn’t lose too much money.

Probably.

As long as Han-soo didn’t act recklessly.

Just to be safe, Tae-soo casually added a suggestion.

"If you find a good movie script, let me know. Let’s review it together. Two pairs of eyes are better than one."

"Alright, sounds good."

***

Chomyung Bank – President’s Office.

Han Cheong-ho had come to meet Choi Moo-ryong.

"What brings you here? I haven’t heard that our guys have been released yet."

"I’m pulling strings in every direction right now. So, let’s save Cheongil Refinery first."

Choi Moo-ryong scoffed.

"The ones you’re pulling strings with are the bank presidents, right? Do you take me for a blind and deaf fool?"

"Then I suppose you already know why I came."

"I told you, I don’t have any money."

"Moo-ryong, are you really going to act like this between us? Are you seriously willing to ruin our relationship over something so trivial?"

Choi Moo-ryong smirked slyly.

"Fine. If you’re that desperate for money, I’ll lend it to you. But…"

"But?"

"Thanks to you, I lost Samwon Construction. So, how about you compensate me with a construction company?"

Han Cheong-ho’s eyes narrowed sharply.

"Are you saying you want Cheongil Construction?"

"You need money to save Cheongil Refinery, right? Hand over Cheongil Construction."

"Are you really going to do this?"

"Cheongil Refinery or Cheongil Construction— that is the question."

Choi Moo-ryong chuckled maliciously.

"I’ll give you plenty of time to think it over. I’m a busy man, so I’ll be going now."

Han Cheong-ho clenched his jaw.

This time, it was Choi Moo-ryong who brushed past Han Cheong-ho and left the office.

"Oh, and try closing the door gently, will you? It’s not like you’ll be paying for the door if it breaks."

He left behind a mocking smirk.

***

December 1973.

The shipbuilding division of Geumsan officially rebranded itself as Geumsan Heavy Industries.

The Geumsan Shipyard in Ulsan was finally completed.

It was part of Jang Jun-yong’s ambitious plan to reshape the landscape of South Korea’s heavy industry.

<Geumsan Heavy Industries Inauguration Ceremony>

The event was held at the banquet hall of Geumsan Hotel.

Numerous high-profile figures from all sectors attended, wishing Geumsan endless prosperity in the future.

To attend the ceremony, Tae-soo also arrived at Geumsan Hotel.

"I’m late."

Even though he had rushed from Gangwon-do, the accumulated snow had been a problem.

In December, Gangwon-do was often hit by constant snowfall or turned into a treacherous sheet of ice.

Because of that, he missed the main ceremony.

By the time he arrived, the event had already ended, and the celebratory banquet was in full swing, set to continue until late at night.

Tae-soo adjusted his attire and quickened his pace.

"Thank you for attending the Geumsan Heavy Industries celebration banquet. Do you have an invitation?"

At the banquet entrance, a waiter was stationed to manage guest entry.

It was to prevent uninvited guests from sneaking in and causing a disturbance.

"Here."

Tae-soo handed over his invitation.

The waiter cross-checked the name inside the invitation:

<Kang Tae-soo, Taeyang Construction>

Satisfied, he nodded.

"You may enter."

Tae-soo entered the banquet hall.

There should have been reporters from various newspapers and broadcast stations, but he couldn’t spot any.

It seemed they had all left after covering the Geumsan Heavy Industries inauguration ceremony.

‘But I don’t see any of the key business figures here either.’

The people remaining in the hall were those who weren’t invited upstairs.

Most of them were celebrities, cultural artists, and social figures, present to add glamour to the event.

There were a few politicians, but none of them were particularly well-known.

The important figures were most likely gathered upstairs, strengthening their connections among themselves.

Tae-soo approached a waiter carrying drinks.

"I’d like to personally congratulate the chairman of Geumsan. Has he gone upstairs?"

If Tae-soo wanted to meet Jang Jun-yong, the chairman of Geumsan, it would be much faster to ask a staff member than to search each floor himself.

"Ah, yes, sir. After the ceremony ended and the banquet began, he went upstairs with the others."

Just as he thought.

"However, you'll need an invitation to go upstairs."

"I’m Kang Tae-soo from Taeyang Construction."

Tae-soo showed his invitation.

"I’ll guide you. Please follow me."

"Thank you."

Tae-soo followed the waiter out of the main hall and headed to the third floor.

But something felt off.

‘The people on the third floor are too young. Most of them seem to be around my age.’

The waiter bowed politely.

"Please enjoy your time here."

It seemed the waiter had misunderstood something.

Tae-soo had clearly stated that he wanted to personally congratulate the chairman of Geumsan, but he had been brought to a gathering of the chairman’s children and young heirs.

‘I suppose my age made him assume I came here to mingle with the other heirs.’

From a logical standpoint, it made sense.

Who would expect a mere 25-year-old to be meeting with the heads of major business groups?

It was far more reasonable to assume he was friends with their children and had attended the banquet for social networking.

‘Some of them might even be trying to leave an impression by personally congratulating their fathers. Maybe the staff were told to just guide us here to avoid unnecessary hassle.’

But there was no reason for Tae-soo to befriend these young heirs.

Without hesitation, he turned to leave.

At that moment, a voice called out to him.

"I don’t recognize you. Where are you from?"

Tae-soo instantly recognized that voice.