Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 127

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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127. As long as it doesn’t get discovered, it doesn’t matter.

The Donghae Group Chairman’s Office, with its expansive windows overlooking towering buildings below, hung heavy with a somber atmosphere.
Woo Yong-gap sat rigidly on a leather sofa crafted from dark-toned solid wood, flanked on either side by Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol and his eldest son Woo Ho-geun, alongside other group executives gathered in tense assembly.
Everyone held their breath, their anxious faces turned toward Woo Yong-gap, waiting for his reaction.
Even Woo Ho-geun, who typically carried himself with arrogance, remained grimly composed, stealing sidelong glances at the gravely hardened expression of Woo Yong-gap while prudently keeping his mouth shut.
Breaking through the suffocating silence, Woo Yong-gap finally spoke, his voice heavy with displeasure.

“So the opposition party held a press conference and officially raised allegations about slush funds belonging to two former presidents. Is that it?”

Though not loud, his tone dripped with anger, causing everyone to flinch and shrink back.
Among them, Jung Yun-sik, a lean executive director with gold-rimmed glasses and a trusted aide to the chairman, carefully offered his response.

“Yes. One of the two former presidents reportedly made discreet inquiries through an intermediary, asking the government whether it could arrange for approximately 400 billion won in borrowed-name and proxy accounts frozen under the real-name financial system to be converted to registered accounts.”

Woo Yong-gap wrinkled the bridge of his nose and pressed sharply.

“Wasn’t this just thrown out to seize the initiative in politics ahead of the June local elections?”
“Given that they mentioned a specific condition—offering to surrender half of it, 200 billion won, to the government if the source of funds isn’t investigated and overlooked—it doesn’t appear to be a baseless claim.”
“Damn it. If they’d just stayed quiet, they could’ve at least made it halfway through. But they couldn’t resist and crawled out, creating this whole mess.”

Watching Woo Yong-gap’s irritation, Jung Yun-sik continued.

“400 billion won isn’t an amount one can easily abandon, after all.”
“Then why did they have to poke the hornet’s nest!”
“….”

When Woo Yong-gap suddenly bellowed, the executives seated nearby quickly bowed their heads and averted their eyes, fearing the backlash might reach them.

“Which one of the two committed such a foolish act?”
“We haven’t been able to determine that yet.”
“Tsk.”

With a disapproving expression, he clicked his tongue briefly, prompting Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol, another trusted aide, to interject.

“Regardless of which one it is, if the issue of former presidential slush funds becomes a political topic, it won’t bode well for our group.”
“That’s right. Already, there are media articles mentioning our group’s name alongside ST.”

At Jung Yun-sik’s addition, Woo Yong-gap’s face contorted.

“My sister divorced him, so we have no connection whatsoever to the former President No anymore. Why are you dragging us into this mess?”

Woo Ho-geun spoke with a disgruntled expression.
Internally, he wondered if the man truly didn’t understand, but Jung Yun-sik answered quickly without letting it show on his face.

“Of course, but the fact remains that we were in-laws until then, so many people suspect that the former President’s slush funds flowed into ST and our group.”
“This is absurd. They’re spouting such nonsense without even directly witnessing any money transfer. What is the Chief Secretary’s office doing that it can’t even monitor such things?”

Jeon Hae-cheol, suddenly criticized, momentarily flustered and opened his mouth without words.
But since his counterpart was Woo Yong-gap’s eldest son and the sole heir to inherit the group, he merely flushed and offered no rebuttal.
Watching this, Jung Yun-sik and the other executives internally frowned at Woo Ho-geun’s behavior.
No matter that he was the chairman’s son, he was considerably younger and held the lowest position among those gathered today, yet he conducted himself arrogantly like a superior—a line that should not have been crossed.
And setting aside the slush funds, it was undeniable that the group had grown substantially by receiving numerous privileges during the former president’s tenure precisely because it was a brother-in-law’s company.
If they could stand confidently before others, there would have been no need to gather so urgently for this crisis meeting in the first place.
Though Woo Yong-gap sensed everyone’s discomfort, he thought there was no need to deflate his son’s spirits in front of the assembled executives, so he let it pass.

“As Manager Woo said, we should have taken precautions beforehand to prevent this difficult situation from arising.”

Once the chairman backed his son, Jeon Hae-cheol could not counter and lowered his head.

“…My apologies.”
“That’s enough.”

Woo Yong-gap responded dismissively, crossed his arms with a displeased expression, and steered the conversation back to its original course.

“What do you think will happen next?”

Jung Yun-sik, now receiving attention, answered.

“Though the government denied it immediately, with local elections approaching, there is a high likelihood the opposition will continue pressing this issue and amplifying it to steer sentiment in their favor.”
“The more commotion there is, the more it benefits the opposition, so naturally they will.”

Jung Yun-sik spoke carefully, observing Woo Yong-gap’s furrowed expression.

“Though still limited, there are already voices calling for a hearing on the former president’s slush funds, similar to the Fifth Republic hearings.”
“A hearing, you say!”

As Woo Yong-gap glared with fierce eyes and raised his voice, Jung Yun-sik’s face twisted with distress as he answered.

“Yes, sir.”
“This is absolutely maddening.”

Woo Yong-gap’s face flushed crimson as he drained the green tea before him in one gulp, as if to cool the fire burning within.
His heightened sensitivity stemmed from the Fifth Republic hearings that had occurred years earlier.
During nearly a year of proceedings, the hidden transgressions of politicians and high-ranking officials who wielded power under the military regime were laid bare for all to witness.
In that process, the group chairmen themselves became entangled and suffered tremendous humiliation.
Renowned conglomerate leaders—Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo, and others whose names alone commanded recognition—were summoned one after another to the hearings, where they endured public condemnation and reproach from National Assembly members before the entire nation.
The experience had been so mortifying that even now, the mere mention of hearings caused group chairmen to recoil in disgust.
Thus, when word came that hearings might be convened with Donghae Group and himself as potential targets, Woo Yong-gap’s stern reaction was entirely justified.

“What if we funnel political funds to opposition party members and suppress the matter before it escalates?”

When Woo Ho-geun offered his opinion, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol immediately objected.

“With elections looming, tensions are already running high. One misstep could backfire—we might hand them ammunition and create problems where none existed.”
“I share that view. Rather than rashly stepping forward and becoming a target, I believe we should observe how the situation unfolds first.”

When Jung Yun-sik added his support to Chief Secretary Jeon’s position, Woo Ho-geun frowned and turned back.

“So you’re suggesting we simply stand idle and watch as crisis approaches?”
“This isn’t a problem we can resolve easily, so we should respond with caution.”
“Caution be damned. If the Chairman ends up at those hearings, will you take responsibility then?”

At Woo Ho-geun’s sarcastic remark, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol replied, barely concealing his frustration.

“That’s precisely why we must be careful—to ensure such a thing never happens.”
“Hmph. So you’re admitting you have no real plan.”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all!”

As voices grew louder, Woo Yong-gap, who had been listening from the sofa, brought his palm down hard against the armrest.

“Enough!”

Then, his face twisted with fury, Woo Yong-gap bellowed.

“I asked you to find a solution! What are you doing right now!”

Intimidated by the atmosphere, Jeon Hae-cheol and Woo Ho-geun flinched and quickly ceased their argument.

“Tsk!”

Woo Yong-gap, his eyes wide with displeasure, glared at the two men before leaning back against the sofa and speaking.

“As Secretary Jeon said, one careless move could mean thrusting our heads into a lion’s mouth. Hold off on making contact with opposition lawmakers.”

At this, Woo Ho-geun lowered his head, his expression hardening.
The realization that his father, Woo Yong-gap, seemed to trust Jeon Hae-cheol more than his own son ignited a deep displeasure in his chest.
Meanwhile, Woo Yong-gap surveyed the executives gathered around him and continued speaking.

“Ideally, this will make some noise and then die down, but since we can’t predict where this situation might go, we need to prepare for contingencies. Look into whether there are any potential problems, and if there are, clean them up quietly beforehand. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Understood, Chairman.”

Woo Yong-gap casually waved one arm and issued his dismissal.

“All of you, leave now.”

At this, Jeon Hae-cheol and the other executives rose from their seats one by one, bowed respectfully, and filed out of the Chairman’s Office.
Woo Ho-geun was also rising to leave when Woo Yong-gap, pressing his hand to his forehead as if his head ached, stopped him.

“I have something to discuss with you, so stay for a moment.”
“Yes? What… understood.”

Woo Ho-geun sat back down with a puzzled expression.
After a brief moment, when all the executives had left and only the two remained in the room, Woo Yong-gap let out a long sigh and finally spoke.

“I had Sung-mi divorced precisely to prevent something like this from happening, but the world truly doesn’t bend to one’s will.”

Woo Sung-mi was Woo Yong-gap’s daughter, whom he had married off in a strategic union to the son of former President Noh Ki-hoon.
Woo Yong-gap, pressing his fingers against the wrinkles between his brows to smooth them, gazed at his son sitting motionless before him and spoke with a stern expression.

“As you just heard, the atmosphere right now is not favorable. Even falling leaves must be handled with care in times like these.”
“I understand.”

Yet Woo Yong-gap’s eyes still bore a look of distrust.

“Don’t give me half-hearted answers! Stop wasting my time with your foolish antics. Just keep your head down and stay quiet for now!”
“What did I even do….”
“You brat!”

Woo Ho-geun, who had bristled at the rebuke, caught sight of Woo Yong-gap’s raised eyebrows and realized that any further backtalk would bring down a thunderbolt of fury. He reluctantly acquiesced.

“…Understood, sir.”
“Phew. Good. If you had any sense at all, you wouldn’t cause trouble at a time like this.”

The blatantly dismissive tone wounded Woo Ho-geun’s pride.
It felt like such utter contempt that humiliation began to seep into his bones.

“I need some rest now. Get out.”
“Yes, sir.”

Woo Ho-geun left the Chairman’s Office, leaving Woo Yong-gap buried in the plush sofa behind him.
In the corridor, Oh Sang-hyun, who had been waiting, quickly approached his side.
Seeing Woo Ho-geun’s tightly clenched expression, Oh Sang-hyun instinctively sensed that something unpleasant had transpired inside. He simply held his tongue and observed carefully.

“How far along did you say the Boseong Communications matter has progressed?”

Woo Ho-geun stepped briskly into the Elevator, his voice clipped and rigid as he posed the question.

“They say the share acquisition will be completed in just a few more days.”
“Then it’s time for the cleanup operation.”
“That’s correct.”

Woo Ho-geun gazed at his reflection in the Elevator doors, recalling the warning his father, Woo Yong-gap, had just issued.

“Old fossil.”

Woo Ho-geun’s eyes flashed with fierce intensity as he gnawed at his lower lip, muttering under his breath.

“Tell Manager Son to proceed with the plan as scheduled.”
“Yes, sir.”

Following Woo Yong-gap’s instructions would have required halting or suspending the stock manipulation.
But with substantial capital already invested—not just his own, but his friends’ money as well—he couldn’t simply abandon the venture now.
Compounded by his resentment toward his father, Woo Ho-geun resolved instead to press the accelerator harder.

“As long as it doesn’t get discovered, that’s all that matters.”
“Pardon? What did you say?”
“It’s nothing.”

At my irritated response, Oh Sang-hyun ceased his questioning and fell silent.
Just as the Elevator arrived at the floor I’d selected, Woo Ho-geun stepped out, his face radiating an icy chill.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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