Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 278

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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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278. Let’s meet right now. Where would work for you?

The Hangang Riverside Outdoor Parking Lot lay shrouded in deep darkness, with only a single silver Sonata sitting forlorn in the vast emptiness.
Lee Chul-gyun sat alone in the driver’s seat with the engine off and the window cracked open, smoking a cigarette, when he noticed a car entering the parking lot with its bright headlights illuminated—his eyes narrowed with interest.
As the vehicle emerged into the moonlight, I recognized it immediately: Seok-won’s prized BMW 540i.
Once the BMW pulled up beside me at a slight distance and stopped, I opened my door and stepped out.
My sharp eyes scanned the surroundings carefully before I flicked my half-smoked cigarette onto the concrete and crushed it beneath my shoe.
Then I walked over, opened the BMW’s passenger door, and climbed into the front seat.
Seok-won, who had been sitting in the darkness of the driver’s seat, turned his head to look at me and spoke.

“You’ve reached out a day earlier than you said you would.”
“You seemed urgent, so I moved my feelers a bit faster.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’m glad the results came quickly, but the content isn’t lacking, is it?”
“I can’t speak for everything else, but I always deliver quality work, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

With that, I unzipped my jacket and pulled out a folded document envelope, handing it over.
When Seok-won extracted the contents, several sheets of paper and photographs emerged.
The first thing that caught my eye was a photograph of Woo Ho-geun with someone in front of a high-end Japanese restaurant.

“Who is this?”

Seok-won looked at me with a puzzled expression, and I explained in a calm voice.

“That’s Kwon Seung-seop, the president of Donghae Mutual Credit Union. About a week ago, the man I had tailing Woo Ho-geun took this photograph. When I heard what you were looking for, it jogged my memory, so I dug a little deeper—and found something quite interesting.”
“What is it?”

Seok-won asked with evident interest.

“As you’ll see in the attached documents, Donghae Mutual Credit Union extended a loan of 32 billion won to a company called Iljin Trading Company.”
“How does that relate to what I asked you to look into?”
“On the surface, it appears to be a normal loan, but when you look a little deeper, there are more than a few suspicious elements.”
“What specifically are you referring to?”

Lee Chul-gyun answered in a somewhat subdued voice.

“First of all, Iljin Trading Company has never conducted any business with Donghae Mutual Credit Union until now. For them to suddenly extend a loan of 32 billion won—not 100 to 200 million, but 32 billion—there’s something fishy about it from the start, wouldn’t you say? And it’s not even a secured loan; it’s purely on credit.”

It was certainly an extraordinarily irregular case—one that would never have been approved under normal circumstances.

‘Behind every abnormal action, there’s always something rotten hidden beneath.’

Feeling that Lee Chul-gyun had truly grasped the thread, I focused even more intently on his account.

“So I dug a little deeper and found it’s a trading company registered in Hong Kong. It’s been established for over a decade, but in recent years it’s had virtually no sales—it exists only on paper.”

My eyes sharpened with keen interest.

“A shell company, then.”

Lee Chul-gyun gave a small nod, confirming my assessment.

“Precisely. And the day after the 32 billion won loan was executed from Donghae Mutual Credit Union and transferred to Hong Kong, Donghae Group began massive purchases of Midopa Department Store stock again.”
“…!”
“It’s far too perfectly timed to be mere coincidence.”

I lowered my gaze and carefully examined the documents alongside the photographs.
According to his account, it was a company with no sales, yet the loan documents portrayed it as a solid enterprise with annual revenues exceeding 60 million dollars and operating profits in the millions.
If Lee Chul-gyun was right, someone had fabricated false documents to secure an enormous illegal loan.
As I reviewed the paperwork, Lee Chul-gyun added further information.

“What’s even more suspicious is that the entire process—from application through review to approval—took only four days.”

At that, I furrowed my brow and looked up.

“Are you certain about that?”
“I confirmed it through a loan department employee, so it’s definitely accurate.”

Lee Chul-gyun answered with confidence.
I had wondered how he’d obtained these confidential loan documents—even if they were copies—but his explanation cleared up that mystery.
I stroked my cleanly shaven chin thoughtfully with one hand as I spoke.

“A loan of this magnitude being processed so carelessly and hastily suggests it was a premeditated illegal loan from the very beginning.”
“Exactly. It’s quite likely the order came down from the highest levels.”

I gazed down at the photograph of Woo Ho-geun and President Kwon Seung-seop, nodding slowly.
The mystery of where the money had suddenly come from dissolved cleanly away.

“There’s one more thing we discovered—yesterday, Woo Ho-geun met with Yu Jung-il, a loan shark operating in Myeongdong.”

I registered a flicker of surprise at the familiar name.

“You mean President Yu from Daegu?”

Lee Chul-gyun raised an eyebrow with an expression of intrigue, studying me.

“Yes, sir. It seems you know President Yu quite well.”

Though not quite at the level of Chairman Cheon Seong-deuk, he was a figure who circulated hundreds of billions and had earned a reputation in Myeongdong’s underworld.
Particularly after the KOSDAQ launch scheduled for July this year, he’d become famous in Yeouido’s securities district for his role as a financier providing capital to stock manipulation syndicates—a position that had earned him considerable wealth, so I couldn’t possibly be unaware of him.

‘Come to think of it, Yu Jung-il’s son was friends with Woo Ho-geun.’

As the puzzle pieces clicked into place in my mind, I let out a faint, contemptuous chuckle.

“While defending against the attack on Donghae Oil and gathering as many shares as possible before the emergency shareholder meeting, they’d need additional capital, so they borrowed funds.”

If they’d sought out another external investor besides Peregrine in Hong Kong, it might have become slightly troublesome, but since they’d literally scraped together money using illegal loans and loan sharks, there was no real need for concern.

‘Actually, this might make the endgame even easier to manage.’

Lee Chul-gyun watched me lost in thought before speaking.

“I’m not sure if this is satisfactory for you.”
“You’ve done an excellent job.”

I smiled with satisfaction, my lips curving upward.

“I’m convinced we made the right decision bringing you on board.”

Lee Chul-gyun’s lips curved upward as well.

“I suspect there’s quite a bit more we could uncover if we keep digging. Should we continue?”

Seok-won pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“We don’t have much time left before the emergency shareholders’ meeting, so let’s hand off the rest to someone more reliable and efficient, and wash our hands of this.”
“Understood.”

Lee Chul-gyun accepted the instruction without hesitation.
Seok-won set the photographs and documents on his lap, then pulled a thick envelope of cash from his jacket.

“A bonus.”
“Thank you.”

Lee Chul-gyun, without declining, answered readily and quickly pocketed the envelope.

“If there’s nothing else you need, I’ll be on my way.”
“Go ahead.”

Lee Chul-gyun gave a slight bow from his seat, opened the car door, and stepped out.
Left alone in the car, Seok-won wore a cold smile and murmured to himself.

“Resorting to illegal loans through shell companies—he must have been desperate. But he’ll soon realize that he’s only hastened his own demise.”

Seok-won took out his phone and dialed a saved number.
After the dial tone, Woo Chun-il, the Secretary-General of the New Era National Conference, answered the call.

[Hello?]
“Secretary-General, this is Park Seok-won.”
[Oh. What brings you to call at this hour?]

Hearing the warm tone in his voice, Seok-won picked up the photograph from his lap.

“I apologize for calling so late.”
[Haha. Your calls are always welcome, so feel free to reach out anytime.]

Secretary-General Woo Chun-il laughed heartily and continued.

[But I suspect this isn’t just a courtesy call. What’s the matter?]

He gazed at the photograph of Woo Ho-geun and allowed a faint smile to cross his lips.

“Secretary-General, I’ve contacted you because there’s something that might interest you.”
[What is it?]
“Apparently, the owner’s family of a major conglomerate group obtained hundreds of billions of won in illegal loans through a subsidiary credit union.”

A moment of silence hung over the phone line.
Secretary-General Woo Chun-il’s voice turned serious as he wiped away any trace of amusement.

[Are you talking about Donghae Group?]
“Yes. As it happens, I understand there’s a parliamentary interpellation scheduled for tomorrow at the National Assembly directed at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. If we bring this into public discourse there, wouldn’t it draw considerable attention?”

Secretary-General Woo Chun-il took the bait exactly as expected.

[If we carelessly bring this up at the National Assembly with only suspicions, we might end up embarrassing ourselves instead.]
“Surely I wouldn’t have contacted you without any evidence whatsoever.”
[You have evidence?]
“Of course. Even if they’re copies, internal loan documents from Donghae Mutual Credit Union would constitute irrefutable evidence, wouldn’t they?”
[Let’s meet right now. Where would be good?]

Seok-won answered with the composure of someone who had anticipated this exact response.

“I’ll contact Ojin-am and have the Separate Building cleared.”
[Understood. I’ll see you in an hour then.]
“Very well.”

After ending the call, Seok-won stared at the photograph of Woo Ho-geun in his hand and spoke coldly to himself.

“Even with the most expensive lawyer money can buy, he won’t easily escape a suspended sentence. It looks like he’s actually going to end up behind bars. Well, he brought it all upon himself.”

* * *

The following afternoon.
Chairman Woo Yong-gap, having returned from a lunch appointment, was fighting off drowsiness as he leaned back against the sofa, his eyes growing heavy.
Just then, the Female Secretary knocked and entered, gently rousing him from his daze.

“Chairman.”
“Hmm… What is it?”

Chairman Woo Yong-gap squinted, his voice still thick with sleep as he mumbled.

“Chief Secretary Jeon says he has something to discuss with you.”

Having just woken from a deep sleep, Chairman Woo Yong-gap’s expression carried a hint of irritation. He straightened his disheveled posture with a grunt.

“Tell him to come in. And bring me a cup of coffee—something strong to wake me up.”
“Yes, sir.”

The Female Secretary left, and shortly after, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol entered and bowed respectfully.

“Have a seat.”

Chairman Woo Yong-gap gestured toward the sofa on his right with a nod of his chin.
Once Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol settled into his seat, Chairman Woo Yong-gap, still groggy from sleep, asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

“What is it you wanted to discuss?”

Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol straightened his posture and opened his mouth with a decidedly serious demeanor.

“It concerns the Hong Kong investor that Executive Director Woo recently found. I have something to report.”
“Not this again.”

Chairman Woo Yong-gap furrowed his brow as if fed up with the topic.
Undeterred by his reaction, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol leaned forward and spoke.

“I conducted a separate investigation, and the identity of this so-called new investor is highly suspicious. I made inquiries in Hong Kong, but no one knows of a company called Cubic Capital, and the fact that the company’s address is registered in the Bahamas raises numerous red flags.”
“Didn’t Executive Director Woo say he made the connection while he was in Hong Kong?”

Chairman Woo Yong-gap replied with an indifferent expression.

“And since it’s a private fund created by a small group of wealthy individuals pooling their money, it’s natural that few people would know about it.”

His tone suggested he found such trivial concerns beneath his notice.

“Even so, for an entity moving this much capital, there should be at least a few people who know of it. The fact that no one has even heard the name is far too strange. Moreover, no one else has ever met them face-to-face—only Executive Director Woo communicates with them. That troubles me as well.”

Listening to this account, Chairman Woo Yong-gap regarded Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol with a lukewarm gaze.

“Are you telling me that Woo Ho-geun is deceiving me by claiming an investor exists when he doesn’t?”

Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol kept his mouth shut, offering silent affirmation.
At that response, Chairman Woo Yong-gap’s eyes narrowed and he erupted in anger.

“We’re not the ones investing—we’re receiving money! Why would we fabricate such a lie? And even if it were a lie, how in the world could that bastard Woo Ho-geun possibly procure hundreds of billions of won and bring it here?”

Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol had no rebuttal on that point, as he harbored the same doubts.
After his outburst, Chairman Woo Yong-gap fixed him with a cold, penetrating stare.

“I trust you, but there are still lines you mustn’t cross.”

He had suspected as much, and his suspicions proved correct.
Watching the chairman shield his son once again instead of truly accepting the warning, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol felt a deep disappointment well up inside him, and he reluctantly bowed his head.

“…Yes, sir.”
“If you have nothing more to say, then leave.”

Chairman Woo Yong-gap jerked his chin toward the door with a frigid expression.

“…Forgive my intrusion.”

Just as Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol was about to rise.
The door burst open and a secretary from the secretarial office rushed in without even knocking.
Already in a foul mood, Chairman Woo Yong-gap’s eyebrows shot up and he raised his voice sharply.

“Don’t you know how to knock!”
“I’m. I’m terribly sorry.”

The employee’s face drained of color at the rebuke, his shoulders shrinking before he remembered his urgent business and lifted his head.

“This is a disaster! During a parliamentary question session at the National Assembly just now, it was revealed that the Donghae Mutual Credit Union illegally loaned over 30 billion won to shell companies for the acquisition of Midopa Department Store shares.”
“What!”

Chairman Woo Yong-gap shot to his feet immediately.
At that same moment, Chief Secretary Jeon Hae-cheol’s eyes squeezed shut as he realized his ominous premonition had been correct all along.

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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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