Chapter 78

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Differential voting rights.

There are stocks called super voting rights.

Class A shares have 1 voting right per share.

But Class B shares have 10 voting rights per share, controlling the company with a small stake through many voting rights.

A crazy system unimaginable in Korea.

If this were possible, Korea would’ve long escaped the complex circular ownership structure.

Plus even if it changes now, reorganizing the already tangled control structures of large corporate groups wouldn’t be easy.

That’s why both companies and the government just left their hands off.

But America widely uses differential voting rights.

All giant companies we’d recognize just by name use differential voting rights, and they could freely start new businesses with money exchanged from all remaining stocks as investment funds.

“Lupang is exactly that case. The founder was clever. He placed headquarters in America instead of our country while taking all voting rights. And he continuously gathered investment funds through paid-in capital increases. President, here’s additional materials!”

“Ah. Thank you.”

I examined the materials Hye-rin gave me.

The e-commerce chicken game is in full swing.

Most e-commerce companies that rose like boiling water disappeared, leaving the Big 3.

Lupang, Twomon, Kingmepeu.

Though other traditional internet market apps also remain.

It’s narrowed to these three so far.

The problem is just looking at indicators shows who’s overwhelmingly ahead.

Lupang sold all equity and even conducted paid-in capital increases to gather funds.

Capital invested in Lupang so far amounts to 2 trillion won.

Overwhelming investment funds those two companies can’t even dream of comparing.

With that, Lupang made logistics centers and created an independent delivery system not dependent on external delivery companies.

“They say they’re now expanding bullet delivery, originally only in Seoul, nationwide. Are they really doing this? They already started building logistics centers everywhere.”

In Seoul, Lupang was gradually encroaching on the market.

The problem is they’re trying to recklessly expand trusting the incoming investment funds.

Precisely because of this, Lupang currently suffers losses exceeding hundreds of billions, and as they expand the market, that amount will increase in thousands of billions.

“But Hard Bank still pushes Lupang to the end because ultimately winning the chicken game means monopolizing the market.”

Indeed capital is scary.

Isn’t it a world where victory is decided by who invests more capital?

“Lupang’s growth is scary, but is Kangsung Mart doing nothing?”

“Actually Kangsung Mart still has the advantage. Kangsung Mart has far more logistics warehouses. Above all, Kangsung Marts are spread nationwide, right?”

Once Korean marts also had a chicken game.

And what survived was Kangsung Mart.

Though Lupang is currently pouring money like this, Kangsung Mart still holds far more logistics centers.

Plus since they have marts everywhere nationwide, they preempted advantageous positions regardless of online or offline.

“So they don’t seem to take Lupang’s growth seriously. Since they won the chicken game before, they seem to believe they’ll do so again this time.”

The world is changing.

And centered on smartphones at that.

The offline era ended and the online era came.

It’s a change of times I also feel, but Kangsung Mart people don’t seem to think so.

“…”

The reason we were suddenly looking at Lupang and Kangsung Mart was because Kangsung Mart first requested collaboration with Gwangwoon.

“Honestly it’s unexpected. There’s absolutely no reason for Kangsung Mart to be involved with us.”

Kangsung Group, Baekje Hotel, Kangsung Mart.

These three are now separate groups.

Currently Kangsung Group is electronics-centered.

Baekje Hotel is duty-free shops and department stores.

Kangsung Mart is distribution and marts.

Before the late chairman closed his eyes, he divided the group in advance and distributed it to these three siblings.

So they wouldn’t fight to take each other’s territory or problems wouldn’t occur.

From what I hear, each group seems to get along well centered on eldest son Kang Seong-ho.

“From circumstances, they seem to think we’re expanding into distribution after acquiring Yashik’s Nation.. But honestly isn’t that distant?”

Yashik’s Nation is literally just a mediation app.

It has no connection to distribution.

But does Kangsung think we’re really entering distribution?

“President, did you hear anything?”

“Chairman Kang Seong-ho begged me that we don’t really need to collaborate, but even just once would be good, just briefly meet and hear out G-Mart people.”

“The Chairman personally?”

He pleaded so much it seemed I should hear them out once.

Isn’t Kangsung a necessary presence for AMC’s growth and other businesses?

‘Well, if I hear them out and it’s not good, I don’t have to do it.’

Still just in case, I first tried holding a pen to Lupang.

Because I gathered enough data through employees, I thought my intuition would surely spark.

“..!”

As expected.

The moment I brought the pen, the feeling came like a ghost.

Electric current flowing through the pen tip struck my entire body once.

Up to here was intuition no different from usual.

But this intense current didn’t stop there, stimulated my crown, and an unprecedented phenomenon unfolded.

‘Wh-what.’

Images were appearing clearly before my eyes.

Not just one but multiple passed swiftly.

“President?”

“…”

“Presi…”

“Shh. He’s thinking now.”

“Ah.”

How to say it.

Wouldn’t it feel exactly like this if a small seizure occurs?

Until the images disappeared from before my eyes, I couldn’t move from my seat.

Though flustered experiencing this phenomenon for the first time, the message these images gave me was clear.

Lupang logistics centers spreading throughout Korea.

Lupang delivery vehicles filling all roads.

Not stopping there, entering various fields and finally foreign capital conquering the Korean market through Lupang.

Lupang ultimately became the chicken game winner.

Not ending there, but expanding by entering not just logistics but various fields.

“…”

Awakening from the non-seizure seizure, I exhaled briefly.

If Lupang’s market grows to this extent, does it mean I should put investment funds in now?

But Lupang’s letters had already turned completely black.

I startled and quickly removed the pen I was holding there.

Though the images clearly showed Lupang would conquer the Korean market, the actual color was like this..

In contrast, G-Mart next to it was shining.

Like it was purifying the black stems extending from Lupang and making them its own.

Just now that experience was certainly mysterious yet somewhat unpleasant.

Because the experience of images forcibly embedding in the brain while causing a seizure wasn’t very pleasant.

But I have to do what needs to be done.

After finishing mental preparation with deep breaths.

I moved the pen toward G-Mart Group.

Since it’s a place radiating golden light, I expected the images shown would be the same.

“!?”

But the images unfolding before my eyes were completely different.

It wasn’t Kangsung Mart’s brilliant success.

They were completely ruined marts.

***

“So you want to connect our youngest with that man named Jeong Jin-ho?”

“Yes, Uncle.”

“Sung-ho, since when did you do matchmaking too?”

“I know. I didn’t expect this either.”

“That means this person Jeong Jin-ho is quite decent?”

“If he were just quite decent, I wouldn’t dare ask Uncle.”

Kang Jong-hyung laughed hollowly at his nephew’s serious eyes.

Though they’re uncle and nephew, honestly they didn’t interact much.

Still, maybe feeling concerned after his brother passed, he occasionally comes to give greetings.

But matchmaking out of the blue.

“I’m not saying meet right away and get married. Though all our family people met on day one and set wedding dates.”

Among major company families, almost no one freely dated women and got married.

Most met people connected by family and married.

If they refuse that, they must give up thoughts of inheriting assets or participating in company operations.

“This needs the other party to have feelings too..”

“Huhu. Obviously I know. I’ve never seen a man who didn’t fall for our Ji-su.”

She’s a daughter raised with great care.

A child who wouldn’t hurt even put in the eye.

Plus being a child born at an old age, he couldn’t help but worry more.

“But already sending away a child who’s only mid-twenties?”

“They can gradually get to know each other and choose timing later.”

“Goodness. Do you want to catch this person Jeong Jin-ho that much?”

“Yes. He’s someone I hope will be Kangsung’s eternal ally if possible. Nothing’s more certain than becoming legal family.”

It was the first time seeing Kang Seong-ho do this, not just anyone.

I thought he focused on management strategy rather than people like my late brother.

He seems to have gained some great realization.

“Alright. Since when did our family let people naturally meet and marry? If you want to live as you please, you can’t remain at Kangsung. Plus if Sung-ho says that much, he seems certain.”

“Yes. Probably soon he’ll become famous not just in Korea but worldwide. Didn’t my late father say that? Business sense is like a beast’s instinct. Now finding a predator of that caliber in the world would be difficult.”

“Huh. To that extent? I’m curious now.”

I thought finding such predators in Korea would be difficult after my brother.

Indeed the world is wide and talented people are many.

Kang Jong-hyung also became curious about the man named Jeong Jin-ho.

***

“I’m G-Mart Group Director Kang Ji-su.”

I naturally expected G-Mart Group Chairman Kang Su-ho to come out personally.

But the chairman wasn’t visible, and someone else came out.

“Director Kang Ji-su, then..”

“Ah. Right. Chairman Kang Seong-ho is my cousin. I’m young because I’m a late-born child.”

Are they definitely teaching business studies from childhood?

Well, if they’ll inherit business even a little, learning while even slightly younger would be better.

“President, here’s the proposal G-Mart gave.”

I examined the file Hye-rin handed me.

“…”

After skimming through, the proposal started turning completely black.

In other words, all useless ideas.

I asked Manager Hye-rin who was assisting beside me.

“What do you think, Manager?”

“It seems like they put in a lot of various content. But how to say.. Feeling of hastily stuffing ideas in? Exactly like what gets written during brainstorming.”

What that meant was one thing.

G-Mart Group wasn’t seriously considering collaboration with us.

Why did they try this collaboration project without properly doing anything?

“…”

I briefly made eye contact with Director Kang Ji-su who’d been staring at me uncomfortably.

Right then it was.

Black ink covered all the faces of Director Kang Ji-su and people who came to today’s meeting.

Momentarily surprised, I unconsciously frowned.

How to say it.

It felt like my intuition was getting angry looking at them, expressing that it was upset.

Moreover, some employee’s presentation plan being spouted in front became painful noise to the eardrums, tormenting me.

“Let’s stop here.”

Eventually I couldn’t endure and closed the proposal.

“What?”

G-Mart Group people were flustered seeing me stand up.

Though I know it’s rude behavior, even staying here was difficult.

Because first vision, then hearing, then even smell were tormenting me.

“It seems like a proposal unsuited to us.”

But there was exactly one thing worth salvaging from this proposal.

But as Hye-rin said, like they just smashed in whatever came to mind, there was only a list and actually no content.

“Please tell Chairman Kang Su-ho. That the only thing our Gwangwoon would be interested in is this idea.”

***

Jeong Jin-ho.

As heard from Kang Seong-ho, he was indeed a person with an indiscernible aura.

Something stimulating with mysterious something difficult to approach.

But only up to there.

“No. He seemed to have absolutely no interest in me. Ugh. My pride is hurt.”

[Really?]

Kang Ji-su tried using her secret weapon several times, but Jeong Jin-ho didn’t bat an eye. Usually men would faint and make a fuss with just one friendly gaze sent.

Rather Jeong Jin-ho even frowned.

“But I immediately knew why.”

[Why was that?]

“There’s a person called Manager Lee Hye-rin? Next to President Jeong Jin-ho. No. She looks like a celebrity so I thought she wasn’t company staff. Anyway, just looking at the two I could tell. Honey dripping from both their eyes.. Phew. There seemed no room to enter at all.”

Kang Seong-ho listening to his younger cousin’s complaints also thought ‘oh no’ there.

That was the reason Jeong Jin-ho refused meetings until now.

He already had someone in his heart.

“And maybe he found today’s meeting unpleasant, he left right away without finishing the meeting.”

He thought ‘oh no’ once more there.

He tried to connect them naturally, but indeed Jeong Jin-ho’s sense can’t be fooled.

Jeong Jin-ho noticed this meeting wasn’t business-related but a bridge to connect two people and immediately broke the meeting.

[Hmm. That’s a bit troublesome.]

Did he get angry?

If I’d known this, should I have used a more refined method?

Momentarily he worried whether the relationship built until now might go wrong from this.

All sorts of thoughts flashed through Chairman Kang Seong-ho’s mind.

“But he seemed to have more interest in this business than expected?”

[What do you mean?]

“Before leaving the meeting room, he returned the proposal to me, and there was exactly one thing checked there.”

[What was it?]

“Complete business reorganization. Not simple collaboration, but joint founding to establish a new company altogether.”

[What?]

Jeong Jin-ho knows today’s meeting wasn’t for serious business but closer to matchmaking. That’s why he broke up the meeting like that.

But still he left behind a business idea.

That means he came out really seriously considering today’s meeting, but Kang Seong-ho only tried to forcibly connect two people.

‘Without even knowing that..’

Suddenly apologetic feelings were welling up.

How should he express this apology?

But he also felt relieved.

[Hang up first.]

Because an excuse to call Jeong Jin-ho right now arose.