Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 31

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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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31. A big shot? Surely not….

Starved as she was, the mother cat devoured two bowls of feed as quickly as a crab hides its eyes.
Once her belly was full, her wariness seemed to ease, and watching her cease her hissing, I murmured contentedly.

“There now. That’s right—if you want to keep getting fed, you’ll need to soften that gaze of yours.”

Crouching before the deck and looking up at the sky, I noticed clouds had gathered overhead.

“They said it would snow heavily tonight and get colder. I wonder if she’ll be alright.”

I was concerned, but if I handled this clumsily, the mother cat might flee on her own or move her kittens elsewhere, so I decided to leave her be for now.

“Thirsty?”

I filled the empty feed bowl with water, and as if she’d been waiting, the mother cat lapped it up eagerly.
Smiling at the sight, I rose to my feet and headed back inside.
As I opened the front door with a bag of feed in one hand, the Gunsan Housekeeper approached in quick steps, wearing her apron.

“I was just about to call for you, and here you are.”
“Is something the matter?”
“The chairman is looking for you.”
“Father?”

I looked at her with confusion, and the Gunsan Housekeeper urged me on.

“He’s in the Study Room, so go see him right away.”
….

I tilted my head in puzzlement—he should be discussing company matters with my brother and Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, so why would he suddenly summon me?

‘I’ll find out once I go in.’

“Understood.”

I handed the feed bag to the Gunsan Housekeeper and made my way toward the Study Room.

Knock, knock.

At the gentle rap on the door, Park Tae-hong’s deep voice resonated from within.

“Come in.”

I opened the door and stepped into the Study Room to find Park Tae-hong seated in the center of the sofa, with my older brother Park Jin-hyung and Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho positioned on either side facing each other.

“You called for me?”
“Yes. Take a seat.”

I obediently settled into the empty chair beside my brother without a word, following Park Tae-hong’s instruction.

“Since you’ll be joining the group after graduation, I called you here so you’re aware of what’s coming.”

At those words, the gazes of Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho and my brother converged on me.
I inwardly savored the moment—by publicly nailing down my return to the group after graduation, there would be no room for excuses later.
Park Tae-hong lifted the teacup before him and took a sip of the richly aromatic coffee, then gestured toward Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho.

“Continue where you left off.”
“Understood, sir.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho straightened his gaze and adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses with one hand.

“As you’re aware, Kim Jae-chun, the chairman of the Democratic Peace Party who announced his retirement from politics after losing the presidential election that concluded a few days ago, is reportedly planning to pursue further studies in Britain next month.”
“It’s not just a brief trip abroad?”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho answered Park Tae-hong’s question immediately.

“That’s correct. If he completes all the courses he’s applied for at Cambridge University, it appears he’ll be staying in Britain for at least six months.”
“Hmm. That’s quite a substantial period.”

Park Tae-hong nodded slightly and continued.

“To have challenged for the presidency three times only to fall short each time—his heart must be truly bitter.”
“This was the election to choose the first civilian president following the end of military rule, so the shock will be all the greater.”
“Indeed.”

Especially since he had maintained a razor-thin margin throughout the campaign, only to see the momentum shift against him at the final moment, the shock and sense of futility were profound.

“The Democratic Peace Party will soon elect a new chairman and appears to be moving to stabilize the turbulent atmosphere within the party.”

Park Jin-hyung, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth and interjected.

“In that case, wouldn’t it be fair to say that Chairman Kim Jae-chun has now completely retired from politics?”
“I wonder if that’s truly the case.”

Park Tae-hong, buried deep in the sofa, showed a skeptical reaction.

“Among all the desires humans pursue, the lust for power is what they cling to most fiercely. Do you really think he would relinquish it so easily?”
“But he publicly declared he would never engage in politics again, and isn’t he supposed to be staying abroad for an extended period?”

Park Tae-hong gazed at his eldest son, who was rebutting him with sunken eyes, and spoke.

“A politician’s words can flip like the palm of a hand. And while he may be going to Britain, he can return whenever circumstances demand it.”
“….”
“More importantly, even if he’s abroad and a new chairman is elected, as long as the Donggyo-dong Faction maintains control of the party, the Democratic Peace Party will still remain under Chairman Kim Jae-chun’s influence.”

Since Chairman Kim Jae-chun resided in Donggyo-dong, Mapo-gu, the factional politicians who followed him were called the Donggyo-dong Faction.
Conversely, the faction of Kim Sung-gyu, the president-elect who won this time, was called the Sangdo-dong Faction.

“Then you believe Chairman Kim Jae-chun will make a comeback to politics?”

Park Tae-hong nodded at his eldest son’s question.

“He’ll maintain some distance for a while because of what he’s already said, but he’ll definitely return before the next presidential election.”

In fact, former Chairman Kim Jae-chun returned from Britain and made his political comeback within less than a year, accepting the repeated pleas of senior Democratic Peace Party figures.
He then ran in the 15th presidential election and finally seized the presidency after his fourth attempt.
Knowing this future, I—unlike someone who had merely regressed—inwardly marveled at Park Tae-hong’s insight in seeing through the future so accurately.

‘Indeed, the vision of someone leading such a massive enterprise is on a different level.’

If he had been incompetent, he could never have grown the inherited company into a major conglomerate ranked 30th in the business world.

“Regardless, that’s a matter for later. What we need to focus on right now is the new president.”

Park Tae-hong turned his gaze toward Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho and spoke.

“I heard that a transition committee is going to be established in Yeouido.”
“That’s correct. Former Minister Han Jae-jun has been appointed as the chairman of the transition committee, and it appears they will launch it before Christmas.”

Park Jin-hyung added his thoughts in a measured tone.

“Unlike the current president who merely receives simple briefings on administrative matters, this transition committee plans to examine government operations and budget execution in meticulous detail.”

Upon hearing this, Chairman Park Tae-hong’s brow furrowed slightly.

“I expected something like this, but they’re coming in quite aggressively from the start.”
“Even though we’re from the same ruling party, it’s been thirty-two years since military rule ended and we’ve transitioned to a civilian president who isn’t from a military background. They’re probably trying to establish discipline among government bureaucrats.”

As Park Jin-hyung said, it was customary for any new leader to first establish order whenever leadership changed.

“True. Though he won the presidency through the three-party merger, he’s in a precarious position. He’ll need to suppress those who already hold vested interests.”

The three-party merger was an event where the ruling party, having failed to secure a majority in the National Assembly elections, merged with the Democratic Korea Party and the Republic Party—the second and third opposition parties at the time—to establish the new Democratic Justice Party.
This gave birth to a massive ruling party with bases in Chungcheong, TK, and PK regions.
Kim Sung-gyu, the candidate elected in this presidential election, had been the chairman of the Democratic Korea Party, which was the second opposition party at the time.

‘He went from shouting for the overthrow of dictatorship to suddenly joining forces with the opposite side, which is why President-elect Kim Sung-gyu faced enormous criticism.’

In any case, having been a lifelong rival to Democratic Peace Party Chairman Kim Jae-chun, a leading opposition presidential candidate, Kim Sung-gyu managed to push him aside and become president first—a decisive stroke of fortune for the president-elect.
Chairman Park Tae-hong, who had been inclined to dismiss the transition committee matter as merely establishing discipline, noticed that Seok-won, sitting beside his eldest son, had a hardened expression, and casually posed a question.

“What do you think about this, Seok-won?”

Seok-won, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, responded with slight surprise at the sudden question.

“Me?”
“Yes. Your expression suggests something is bothering you. Speak freely.”

At that, Park Jin-hyung and Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho also turned to look at Seok-won.
Though the attention of three people felt burdensome, Seok-won soon regained his composure and took a moment to gather his thoughts.

“It’s just a humble opinion, but I think the situation is being viewed too lightly.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong, who had asked without great expectations, found his face lighting up with interest at this unexpected response.

“What do you mean by that?”
“Kim Sung-gyu, the president-elect who’s known as a ‘political master’ and has survived the treacherous political arena for so long, wouldn’t do this just to tighten discipline, would he?”
“So you’re saying there’s some hidden agenda behind all this?”
“Yes. There definitely is.”

Seok-won nodded with conviction.
Then Park Jin-hyung, sitting beside him, furrowed his brow slightly and applied the brakes to his brother’s reasoning.

“Isn’t that reading too much into it? The transition committee is just larger than last time, and there’s more reporting content.”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho didn’t speak either, but his eyes conveyed agreement with Park Jin-hyung’s words.

“If it were merely about receiving a handover of duties and preparing for the inauguration ceremony next year, then yes, that would be all.”

Seok-won continued, looking at the three men seated around the sofa.

“The real purpose of this transition committee is clearly to conduct preliminary groundwork to swiftly seize control of each government ministry the moment the new administration launches.”
“Well, that’s obvious.”

Park Jin-hyung answered dismissively, and Chairman Park Tae-hong also seemed disappointed, having expected something more significant.
But Seok-won, undeterred by their reactions, continued with a grave expression.

“What if it’s about removing obstacles before launching something major?”

At the meaningful tone, Chairman Park Tae-hong’s brows drew together.

“Something major? What is the president-elect trying to do?”
“As you mentioned earlier, while he did merge with the party, Kim Sung-gyu wouldn’t be a rolling stone in the eyes of the Blue House and the existing power structure, would he?”

Seok-won met Chairman Park Tae-hong’s gaze, who was watching intently as if urging him to continue.

“In this situation, to avoid becoming a puppet president, the president-elect will want to cleanly remove the obstructive stones in his way first.”
“Hmm.”

At the logical explanation, Park Jin-hyung and Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho’s expressions grew serious.
Chairman Park Tae-hong also stroked his chin with one hand, listening with a tense face.

“And having been called a traitor by comrades he fought alongside for democratization for so long, now that he’s become president, he’ll want to demonstrate something right from his inauguration.”
“Do you have any sense of what specifically he intends to do?”
“If it’s something the people want most while also having significant ripple effects, it would be military purification and the eradication of corruption.”
“!”

Park Tae-hong’s expression hardened instantly as he pressed further.

“Military purification? You’re saying he’ll dismantle the Hanahoe?”
“Yes.”

At my unhesitating answer, Park Tae-hong’s face turned rigid as stone.
The other two men swallowed hard, unable to hide their shock.
It was inevitable—the Hanahoe, the military clique that orchestrated the 12.12 incident and perpetuated military rule ever since, was no trivial matter.
While the others remained stunned, I spoke with composure.

“For the president-elect to properly exercise his authority as president, he’ll need to settle accounts with the Hanahoe first—they control the military.”

Park Tae-hong pondered my words for a moment, then exhaled heavily, his expression grave.

“Hmm. If left unchecked, he’d have to live with the anxiety of never knowing when another coup might occur. It’s certainly plausible.”
“But will the Hanahoe submit quietly to purification?”

The magnitude of the discussion made Park Jin-hyung’s voice tense.

“Then he’ll move to dismantle them swiftly and decisively at the beginning of his administration when presidential power is strongest.”

As I answered, Park Tae-hong nodded slightly.

“You’re right. If he’s going to act, that would be the optimal moment.”

What appeared to be merely establishing discipline was actually laying groundwork for something far greater.
Without my sharp observation, they would have overlooked it entirely.

“So the transition committee’s real purpose is dealing with the Hanahoe, is that it?”
“Yes. There will be other matters, but that’s certainly one of the largest pieces.”
“The Hanahoe alone would turn the entire nation upside down—what else could there possibly be?”

Park Tae-hong furrowed his brow.

“That’s right. Perhaps….”

I was about to answer without thinking when a sudden thought made me hesitate.
I grew anxious, wondering if this conversation might somehow alter the future.
When I abruptly fell silent, Park Tae-hong pressed me impatiently.

“Why did you start to speak and then stop?”
“Well….”

I deliberated briefly, but since I’d already begun and couldn’t take it back, I decided to simply tell him everything.

‘Father must have stocks and slush funds under false names just like the other conglomerates.’

It was standard practice for conglomerates to register a substantial portion of their assets under false names to maintain management control and reduce inheritance taxes.

‘If I can avoid losses from today’s situation and legitimize all of Father’s hidden assets in advance, it will be far easier to prepare for the crisis that will come later.’

Having made my decision, I spoke to Park Tae-hong, who was waiting for my answer.

“As part of efforts to eliminate corruption, there’s a high probability they’ll implement the Real-Name Financial Transaction System.”
“…!”

Though Park Tae-hong thought he’d already been shocked enough, his eyes widened once more in astonishment.
Park Jin-hyung and Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho also stared at me with their mouths agape.

“D-did you just say the Real-Name Financial Transaction System?”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho stammered as he asked, clearly flustered.

“Yes.”

Until now, conducting financial transactions under false names or borrowed identities was not illegal.
It had been permitted to boost national savings rates, but it created numerous problems including tax evasion.

“The Real-Name Financial Transaction System law did pass long ago, but due to its severe side effects, it’s effectively been abandoned, hasn’t it?”

The law had been enacted a full decade ago, yet it remained in limbo, gathering dust inside the government’s cabinet—a fair assessment.

‘If the Real-Name Financial Transaction System is implemented, not only the conglomerates but the politicians themselves would face difficulties, so naturally they keep postponing it.’

In fact, the Real Name Financial Transaction Act was enacted in the first place only because public sentiment was severely shaken by a promissory note fraud case involving Jang Young-ja and Lee Chul-hee, relatives of the president, and it was forced through under pressure.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not abolition but rather a state where implementation has been suspended by presidential authority.”
“….”
“So conversely, if the president-elect so chooses, couldn’t he unilaterally and abruptly enforce the law at any time?”

Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, shocked into silence, soon shook his head as if trying to deny the implication.

“If the Real Name Financial Transaction Act were implemented, it wouldn’t benefit the president-elect himself either. Surely he wouldn’t commit such an act of self-sabotage.”

Having engaged in politics for so long, president-elect Kim Sung-gyu was hardly free from the issue of political funds.

‘After all, there’s no one who doesn’t have dust when you shake them out.’

Moreover, with the enormous sums of presidential campaign funds entangled in the matter, it would be all the more uncomfortable.

“Chief Gil is right.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong spoke in a grave, subdued voice.

“I can’t disclose the details, but our group also handed over a considerable sum in slush funds to the president-elect in this election. I suspect other conglomerates are in similar situations, though the amounts differ. But if all these matters were to be exposed, this new administration would be severely destabilized from the very start.”
“Yes, I agree with that assessment.”

Park Jin-hyung nodded in agreement.
He admired his younger brother’s keen insight, but still couldn’t imagine the president actually committing such an act.

“There’s a saying about giving flesh to gain bone. Even if it damages his moral standing, if the president-elect can seize something far greater, he would actually consider it a gain.”
“Something greater… Surely not….”

Chairman Park Tae-hong’s eyebrows twitched as an ominous premonition washed over him.

“Wouldn’t two former presidents be substantial enough to warrant such a description?”

While Seok-won spoke with composure, the faces of the other three men drained of all color, filled with shock and horror.

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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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