Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 159

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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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159. It seems you not only have the talent to make money, but also possess genuine character.

A few days later, in the Chairman’s Office at Mapo Daeheung Group Headquarters.
Park Tae-hong, seated before an elegant mahogany desk reviewing approval documents, straightened his posture at the sound of a knock.

“Chairman. Gil Seong-ho is here.”

Jung Yun-kyung stood at the door, impeccably dressed in a two-piece suit as always, her appearance flawless as she delivered the message.

“Tell him to come in.”
“Yes, understood.”

After Jung Yun-kyung stepped out, Park Tae-hong removed his reading glasses—which he used only when reviewing documents—and placed them atop the approval papers spread before him.
At that moment, Gil Seong-ho, the Chief Secretary dressed in a gray suit, entered through the door, gave a slight bow, and straightened up.

“I have something to report regarding the local elections.”

Park Tae-hong gave a subtle nod and gestured with his chin toward the sofa in front of the desk.

“Have a seat.”
“Yes.”

Gil Seong-ho replied tersely and settled onto the sofa on the right side.
Park Tae-hong then rose from behind his desk and took the center seat on the sofa, opening his mouth to speak.

“What will you have to drink?”
“I’ll have coffee.”

Park Tae-hong, still seated on the sofa, turned his upper body to the side and pressed the intercom button on the side table.

“Bring two cups of coffee.”
[Yes, understood, Chairman.]

Park Tae-hong leaned back against the plush sofa cushion and interlaced his fingers across his lap as he spoke.

“Tell me what you came to discuss.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho then placed a thin folder of documents before Chairman Park Tae-hong.

“These are the results of the confidential opinion poll we conducted.”
“Hmm.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong opened the folder with a notably serious expression.
The election scheduled for June 27th was Korea’s first nationwide simultaneous local election, but it also served as a mid-term evaluation of President Kim Sung-gyu, who was now entering his third year in office, drawing even greater attention from both political and business circles.
While conditions were less brutal than the savage military regime days of old, doing business in Korea still required careful attention to the political landscape.
That was why Chairman Park Tae-hong was closely monitoring the electoral situation with considerable interest.
As I meticulously reviewed the opinion poll results organized into numbers and graphs, Jung Yun-kyung knocked and entered.

“Excuse me.”

Jung Yun-kyung set down two steaming cups of coffee before us and quietly withdrew.
After reviewing the contents, Chairman Park Tae-hong closed the folder with a slightly troubled expression.

“From metropolitan governors down to city council members, the race is completely neck and neck.”
“Yes. While there are various factors at play, it appears that the succession of major disasters since last year has significantly impacted the ruling party’s approval ratings.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong nodded in agreement.

“Indeed, how else would the term ‘disaster republic’ have become so trendy? And with another major catastrophe striking Daegu recently, it would be strange if approval ratings were high.”
“Quite right. The opinion poll results show that even in Daegu, traditionally considered the ruling party’s stronghold, the party can no longer guarantee victory due to the recent disaster.”
“If the ruling party actually loses Daegu, it would be a tremendous shock.”
“The Blue House will suffer considerable damage as well.”
“They’ve been aggressively pushing through various policies under the banner of ending military rule and riding high approval ratings. That’s bound to catch up with them.”

Though half his term remained, depending on the election results, the worst-case scenario could see him entering a lame-duck period.
Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho leaned forward and spoke with gravity.

“If the election results come out as projected, the regional division structure where each party controls Yeongnam, Honam, and Chungcheong will only intensify.”
“We’re reverting to the configuration from before the three-party merger five years ago.”
“Precisely.”
“Politics need stability for business to thrive. Tsk.”

As with everything else, what I despised most as a manager was uncertainty.
Especially when politics was involved—one misstep in choosing sides could jeopardize the very existence of the corporation, so I had no choice but to proceed with extreme caution.
Park Tae-hong, his brow furrowed with concern, cupped his chin in one hand, lost in thought.
Watching him, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho sat quietly, waiting for the deliberation to end.
After prolonged consideration, Park Tae-hong finally lifted his head, having reached a decision.
He then turned to Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho and asked in a measured voice.

“You said we have 6 billion in reserve funds set aside, correct?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

The original plan was to contribute 4 billion to the ruling Democratic Justice Party as campaign funds, then distribute the remainder appropriately among two other ruling factions.
But as the election race tightened into a dead heat, that plan became impossible.

“Prepare an additional 2 billion.”
“Arranging that much cash on such short notice will be rather tight on time.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho expressed his reservations upon receiving the directive.
Though the Daeheung Group ranked in the top 30 of the business world, raising 2 billion in cash wasn’t particularly difficult.
The problem was that this money would be covertly delivered to politicians as campaign funds, so it needed to be meticulously laundered to avoid any complications.
That required a certain amount of time.

“I understand time is tight, but circumstances have changed unexpectedly, so we must adapt accordingly, wouldn’t you say?”

As I spoke and looked at him, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho had no choice but to comply.

“Understood. I’ll have the funds ready by the end of this week.”

Park Tae-hong nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Good. I trust you. Since we’re currently liquidating underperforming subsidiaries, we can use that to complete the task surprisingly smoothly.”
“Yes.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho carefully broached the most crucial question while looking at Park Tae-hong.

“How much should we deliver to each?”
“4 billion to the ruling party as originally planned, and 2 billion each to the other two.”

Then Park Tae-hong smacked his lips ruefully, as if pained by the expense.

“The ruling party’s incompetence forced me to spend money I hadn’t budgeted for.”

With the Group’s financial situation already precarious, the increased expenditure was enough to irritate me.

“It may be wasteful, but isn’t it better than constantly worrying about being blacklisted by either the ruling or opposition parties and suffering consequences? Simply think of it as insurance.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho attempted to soothe Chairman Park Tae-hong, but his sullen expression remained unchanged.

“Next year there’s the general election, and after that the presidential election follows—elections strung together one after another. Each time I’ll have to empty my pockets for them. This insurance is damnably expensive.”

Presidential and general elections were far more significant than local elections, so it went without saying that far larger sums would need to be handed over than what was given this time.
Yet since every other conglomerate contributed campaign funds, if I alone resisted, there was no telling what political retaliation might befall me, so whether I liked it or not, I had to reluctantly pay.

“I wonder when the day will come when I can focus solely on managing the company without worrying about such things.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong spoke with evident displeasure, his tone tinged with lament.
The frustration and irritation welling up inside me left me in a thoroughly foul mood.
Noticing the atmosphere, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho naturally shifted the subject.

“There is one more matter I need to report.”
“Go ahead.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong, worn from the strain, pressed his temples with one hand as he spoke.

“Before coming here, Director Park called me and asked me to handle a matter related to the Ubo Foundation.”
“What?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong looked at Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho with a puzzled expression.

“By Director Park, you mean my second son?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong straightened his posture, interest kindled.

“What favor did he ask?”
“We spoke briefly, but as you know, there was a gas explosion accident in Daegu last month that resulted in many casualties.”
“Right. Over 300 people died or were injured, didn’t they?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong frowned, recalling the news report.

“Has misfortune truly befallen us? I can’t fathom why such catastrophic disasters keep erupting last year and this year.”

The sentiment had grown so dire that some were suggesting the government itself ought to perform a ritual blessing.

“But why bring up the Daegu disaster all of a sudden?”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho answered immediately.

“It appears that upon learning of the victims’ hardships, Seok-won felt a personal desire to help them.”
“In a single day, they’ve lost breadwinners and beloved family members, or suffered grave injuries. The suffering the victims are enduring must be unimaginable—a pain one cannot truly comprehend without experiencing it firsthand.”
“Indeed, sir.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho nodded and continued.

“Rather than simply donating to the disaster response headquarters, he wished to provide direct assistance to the victims. However, he was told that due to privacy concerns, victim lists and contact information cannot be disclosed.”
“That makes sense—such information could potentially be misused if carelessly shared.”

Moreover, given that public sentiment in Daegu was already strained by the massive disaster, even with Seok-won’s credentials being beyond question, government officials would naturally have to exercise caution.

“So he asked me whether it would be possible to provide support through the Ubo Foundation.”

Since Chairman Park Tae-hong, as the foundation’s director, had entrusted all foundation-related matters to Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, he had been the first point of contact.

“There’s no reason we couldn’t help. We’re not doing anything wrong—we’re simply assisting people in need.”

At my casual response, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho’s expression became subtly enigmatic.

“However, the amount he wishes to donate is somewhat… well, quite substantial.”
“How much are we talking about?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong asked absently, reaching for his teacup.

“Thirty billion won.”
“…What?”

Stunned by the unexpected figure, Chairman Park Tae-hong’s eyes widened as he choked on his coffee, sputtering and coughing violently.

“Cough, cough!”
“Are you alright, sir!”

Park Tae-hong waved one arm and barely managed to set his teacup down on the table.

“The coffee just went down the wrong pipe, so there’s no need to be alarmed. Ahem, ahem.”

After clearing his throat several times, Park Tae-hong finally composed himself and let out a long sigh.

“Did you say 30 billion just now?”
“Yes, that’s correct. I was quite shocked when I first heard the amount myself.”
“Where on earth is that boy getting all this money from…”

Park Tae-hong recalled how Seok-won had made a killing through stock investments and extracted 28.6 billion won from him under the guise of a bonus.
He also remembered how Seok-won had won a massive lottery prize during his studies abroad in the United States and multiplied it significantly by investing in British pounds.

“Hmm. The boy certainly has money.”

More than enough, in fact.
Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, being his closest aide, also knew just how much wealth Seok-won possessed, so he nodded in agreement.

‘Taking 30 percent—he’s practically a loan shark.’

Recalling the money his second son had extracted from him, something bristled inside him.
What kind of son completely empties his own father’s pockets like that? It was unfilial.
Park Tae-hong grumbled inwardly and spoke in a listless tone.

“Since you know as well as I do that the boy has plenty of money, just do whatever he wants.”
“Understood.”

Then, suddenly, Park Tae-hong chuckled softly and murmured to himself.

“That boy… seeing how he knows how to give to those in need, it seems he doesn’t just have a talent for making money—his character is solid too.”

And with that, Park Tae-hong felt a quiet sense of satisfaction.

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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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