We first headed to K Company.
Recently, our newly moved office was in complete disarray. All documents were taken, and even the computers were confiscated. Dozens of employees sat blankly at empty desks.
It looked as if a gang of robbers had ransacked the place rather than a search and seizure operation. Without computers and documents, no work could be done.
Hyunjoo also expressed her disbelief, saying, “They’ve completely destroyed this place. We only sent a few cooperation letters to Golden Gate.”
This is the difference in how the current administration treats domestic and foreign companies.
While one can freely criticize their own, they must consider the owner when dealing with others.
Senior Gihong asked, “What should we do now?”
“We need to start working again.”
Since the important data is on the cloud, downloading it would suffice.
The issue is that K Company’s activities are directly reported to the Blue House. If they find out we’ve resumed operations, another search and seizure might occur.
I asked Hyunjoo, “Are there any rooms available at Golden Gate?”
She nodded, “Plenty of vacant rooms.”
The Korean branch is still not fully staffed, so many parts of the building are empty. Getting into the Golden Gate building might not be easy.
Clap! Clap!
I clapped my hands and said, “Alright, everyone, pull yourselves together.”
All the employees’ gaze turned towards me.
“Starting today, this office will be closed. We’ll temporarily move to the Golden Gate building, so pack up and move to the adjacent building.”
“…”
The expressions on everyone’s faces indicated their lack of understanding in English.
With the company being raided, and the CEO being taken to the prosecutor’s office, it must have been bizarre for a junior employee to appear with Director Golden Gate and start giving orders.
A man stood up and asked, “Who are you?”
I replied to him, “I am Kang Jinhoo. I will be in charge of K Company for a while. So, please follow my instructions from now on.”
Golden Gate Building, 17th floor. The Golden Gate employees who received instructions from Hyunjoo Nuna in the empty office organized the desks and set up computers, fax machines, printers, and other equipment.
Before being summoned to the prosecutor’s office, Senior Sangyeop had uploaded the data for the handover to the cloud. Thanks to that, I was able to quickly grasp the situation and give instructions to the employees.
Senior Gihong asked me, “What will happen to the CEO?”
Without Senior Sangyeop, K Company would not run properly. There might be concerns about whether the company would collapse like this.
I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “CEO Park Sangyeop will be back soon, and the company will be fine. So, everyone, just focus on your work.”
As the situation began to get under control, I went up to the director’s office with Hyunjoo Nuna.
She handed us cell phones, saying, “Golden Gate corporate phones. Use these from now on.”
We accepted the phones, feeling unsure of what was happening.
Upon checking with the telecommunication company, I found out all my call records had been accessed. They couldn’t disclose who accessed them or for what purpose.
I had read articles about illegal civilian surveillance a few years ago, but I never imagined I would become the target.
Hyunjoo Nuna called the head of the legal team.
“Find out about the relationship between PAS and President Park Si-hyeong. Investigate everything about President Park Si-hyeong, even the trivial details, and report back to me.”
“Understood.”
It is impossible for Golden Gate to illegally collect information or engage in surveillance like the National Intelligence Service. However, the financial sector, being where money moves, is quicker than anywhere else in obtaining information.
If you dig in and start gathering information, you will be able to find out a lot.
Hyunjoo smirked with a cold smile and said, “You have to repay what you owe.”
“······.”
If the president were to see this, wouldn’t he think that someone has messed with the wrong person?
***
I decided not to enter the house at all. With work keeping me busy and the fear that someone might be monitoring around my house, I felt uneasy. I found it more comforting to work here.
After Brexit, K Company became the most famous investment company in Korea. Despite a raid on such a company, surprisingly, not a single article was published in the press. The same was true for the arrest of OTK Company’s CEO.
Even if Taek-gyu was arrested, there should be no way that a raid on K Company went unnoticed. Yet, the absence of any news articles, is it that they know but choose not to report?
This is why media control is so frightening.
Thanks to Taek-gyu being apprehended, Senior Sang-yeop was quickly released. He wasn’t even arrested in the first place; he was just forcibly brought in for questioning.
He had lost weight due to all the mental stress he endured.
I patted Senior Sang-yeop on the shoulder.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Why was Taek-gyu taken in?”
“It seems to be a misunderstanding.”
After hearing my explanation, Senior Sang-yeop looked bewildered.
“They issued a warrant like that, and the court accepted it?”
“It seems like a collusion.”
“······.”
After a while, Senior Sang-yeop regained his composure and asked, “So is Taek-gyu okay?”
“I’m doing my best to exercise my right to remain silent.”
The prosecutor questioned meticulously, but Taekgyu listened with one ear and let it out from the other, as if asking which dog barks louder at the neighbor’s house. The lawyer did not argue much either.
They had two main allegations against the defendant. One was about how they established a corporation in a tax haven with what funds, and the other was about suspicions of insider trading during the L6 incident.
However, why would they have to find evidence, investigate it, and then push it in themselves? What’s the point of calling in a suspect and asking them to prove their innocence?
They probably have no intention of prosecuting. They probably just want to hold them until the US presidential election is over.
“Unknowingly holding the wrong person is like a nightmare.”
Taekgyu’s defense is handled by the Golden Gate legal team.
Perhaps one might think it is natural for his older noona to be the head of a Korean branch, but manipulating the company for family’s benefit is clearly embezzlement.
Therefore, Taekgyu is concluded to be an important client of Golden Gate, namely, an OTK Company executive.
Perhaps that’s why the prosecution did not suspect anything at all.
Senior Sangyeop let out a bitter smile.
“Thanks for buying us some time.”
…
Ellie and Henry worked with noona Hyunjoo on the 38th floor, while I and Senior Sangyeop worked with K Company employees on the 17th floor.
If there were any documents to be retrieved or any tasks to be done, we sent Senior Gihong up. Senior Sangyeop incited the employees to seek revenge for the company’s exposure, and the K Company employees worked passionately due to their anger.
Senior Gihong returned with a pile of documents in his hands.
“Where should I put these?”
“Just place them on the desk and leave.”
I could sense he had something to say. Just looking at the current situation, I could tell my position was not ordinary.
I might have time to explain later. I saw Senior Gihong off and connected Daryl for a video call.
The negotiations with the FCA Group ended successfully.
I approved the acquisition of all Chrysler’s US factories, employment succession for the workers, debts, and the merger with CarOS.
OTK Company is now leading a giant manufacturing company as its subsidiary.
Daryl said, “Currently, Chrysler is in a situation that cannot even be considered passable.”
Among the Big 3 in the United States, Chrysler had the lowest sales and operating profit margins, and quality issues were continuously raised. In addition, challenges such as distribution network reduction and friction with dealers added to the troubles.
Similarly, the FCA Group was also in a tight spot financially, with headquarters more focused on immediate sales rather than providing proper support. As a result, delays in new car developments led to a decline in quality.
He continued, “Even if sales drop, focus on improving quality and developing new models with full effort.”
“Understood.”
The automotive industry has high fixed costs. Even if sales are poor and the company is in the red, you cannot simply shut down factories or lay off workers.
Fortunately, we have strong financial resources.
I asked Daryl, “Are you confident?”
Originally a developer creating artificial intelligence, he eventually took over at CarOS, a joint venture, and after the company was acquired by OTK Company and merged with Chrysler, he became the CEO of a giant auto manufacturer.
Daryl exhibited strong confidence.
“When combined with CarOS technology, we will rise to the top among the Big 3.”
It is a plausible scenario. Introducing fully autonomous self-driving vehicles could completely change the paradigm for cars.
While regulations may pose issues, those should automatically resolve if Ronald becomes president.
Shouldn’t we also consider the possibility of a surge in sales?
Nicola, a pioneer in electric vehicles, received reservations for 500,000 units of a new model, but the annual production capacity is only 200,000 units. Expanding factories hastily, it will still take at least three years to significantly increase production.
After concluding the video call with Daryl, I pondered, “If we were thinking of postponing investments by tying our hands and feet, we might need to take a bold step.”
In response to my words, Senior Sangyeop chuckled, “What do you mean?”
“Anyway, when it comes to spending money, let’s spend it vigorously.”
Originally, the Rust Belt region was a stronghold of the Democratic Party. It was here that Ronald caused a sensation and marked a turning point.
However, there are still many states fiercely competing within the margin of error.
I looked at the map of the United States that was pinned to the wall. Even within the same state, the number of electoral votes varies according to population.
For example, California, the largest state in the U.S., has over 55 electoral votes, which is more than 10% of the total, while Alaska and Montana only have 3 each. The Rust Belt states also have varying numbers of electoral votes.
“Look at the Rust Belt, choose only two areas where Ronald is trailing within the margin of error, with higher electoral votes.”
Sangyeop, the senior, pointed at the map.
“Pennsylvania and Ohio.”
I nodded.
“Let’s invest an additional 5 billion dollars in these two places.”
***
For the President of South Korea to intervene in the U.S. presidential election is an unthinkable act. The arrest of the CEO of OTK Company is solely due to criminal allegations, and not because the President has deep connections with PAS and Eunsung Car.
Eunsung Car supported Diane, so it was not unusual for Chairman Han Mingoo, who leads the Eunsung Car Group, to have conversations with officials from that side.
Joel, a chief strategist in Diane’s campaign, urgently said, “[Ronald has chosen Pennsylvania as his final campaign location. He plans to announce an additional investment of 5 billion dollars there. Combined, it totals 25 billion dollars. You weren’t confident that OTK Company’s investment plan would be delayed, were you? What on earth has happened?]”
Han Mingoo also had doubts.
After the CEO’s arrest, the investments proceeded swiftly, and additional investments that were not initially planned were even decided.
Handling such a large-scale investment in the absence of the CEO? Is this possible?
“[Is it true that the CEO of OTK Company has been arrested?]”
“Yes. The South Korean prosecutors currently have him detained. It’s reported that even lawyer visits are being monitored, and he’s not handling any business matters.”
[“Then who is running the show?”]
“Probably Oh Hyun-joo…”
The noona of OTK Company’s CEO is the head of the Golden Gate Korea branch. She is well-known even abroad.
Joel remembered Oh Hyun-joo’s face from the young man and the article he had met. Somehow, he didn’t think the two looked alike at all.
“Do you have a picture by any chance?”
Han Mingoo sent a picture of Oh Taek-gyu via his phone.
After a moment, Joel exclaimed in shock.
“This is not the person!”
“What do you mean?”
“The person I met is someone else.”
Han Mingoo was bewildered.
“So, who did we pick up then?”
“You said it was a Korean man in his 20s, right?”
“He wasn’t wearing glasses and his hair wasn’t this short.”
“That can’t be… Just a moment.”
Han Mingoo, with a sense of doubt, sent another picture.
Upon seeing it, Joel shouted,
“That’s him! The person I met is this guy. Did we mistakenly pick up someone else?”
What on earth is happening?
“I… I will double-check.”
Han Mingoo ended the call and immediately contacted President Park Sihyeong.
Hearing what was said, Park Sihyeong was utterly surprised.
“This is unbelievable…”
OTK Company’s CEO is not Oh Taek-gyu but Kang Jinhoo?
Why is it OTK Company and not KJH Company?
“Then who is Oh Taek-gyu?”
Almost involuntarily, Han Mingoo’s voice rose.
“He seems to be the Vice President. His true identity is Kang Jinhoo!”
***
After finishing all the work, we gathered in the branch manager’s office.
The lawyer we met for negotiations came in and relayed Taek-gyu’s message.
“He says not to worry, as he is doing well.”
Indeed, wherever he goes, he will do well. It was us who were left behind and suffered. Still, we can’t leave Taek-gyu there forever.
Anyway, I don’t have anything else to do.
“Now let’s get Taek-gyu out,” senior Sangyeop asked.
“How?” I said to my noona Hyunjoo.
“Please gather the reporters,” Ellie asked with a worried expression.
“What are you planning to do?” Ellie asked.
I smiled.
“Let’s hold a press conference.”
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