Golden Spoon Investment Portfolio - Chapter 435

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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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435. This reckless fool Seok-won, I swear….

Ho-geun lay alone on a narrow bunk in the dimly lit cabin.
Sunlight streamed through the circular porthole, and he squinted against the glare, turning his head back and forth before finally forcing his heavy eyelids open.

“Ugh… my head.”

Ho-geun pressed one hand to his temple as a splitting headache—the kind that came from drinking all night—pounded through his skull, and he pushed himself up on his elbows.
His mouth felt like a desert, and his foggy mind, still not entirely free from the alcohol’s grip, was shrouded in the hazy mist of yesterday’s memories.

“Damn it. I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

Ho-geun cursed and fumbled around searching for water to drink when something felt wrong. He froze.
The low ceiling pressed down on him as if he were trapped inside some enormous coffin, and the wooden walls were fitted with folding tables and storage compartments.
The thin, rigid mattress beneath the sheets and the strong, fishy smell of the sea—everything about this place was unmistakable.
This was not the bedroom of the beachside residence where he had been staying.

“… Where am I?”

He squinted, forcing himself to piece together yesterday’s events.
All he could remember was calling Seoul and then drinking a canned beer that some girl who claimed to be a model had given him. After that, everything went blank.

“What the hell. What happened?”

Ho-geun staggered to his feet and made his way toward the circular porthole.
Looking outside, he saw a mooring field where yachts of various sizes were anchored in orderly rows beneath a cloudless blue sky.
He had assumed the swaying sensation beneath him was just the lingering effects of the alcohol, but that wasn’t it at all.
The boat was actually rocking gently with the shallow waves.

“What? Why am I on a boat?”

Woo Ho-geun’s face hardened as he instinctively realized something had gone terribly wrong.
In that very instant.
CRASH!
The cabin door burst inward with a deafening bang.
Simultaneously, burly agents clad in bulletproof vests emblazoned with “DEA” came pouring through in a torrent.
The men gripped pistols fitted with laser sights and MP5 submachine guns with iron certainty.

“Don’t move! DEA!”
“Move and we shoot!”

Harsh shouts filled the cabin.
Woo Ho-geun froze, his eyes wide as he stared down the cold barrel of a gun trained directly at him.

“What… what is this?”

Even as he watched the agents encircle him in a semicircle, he couldn’t tell if this nightmare was real or if he was still lost in a dream.
Amid the chaos flooding his mind, a masked DEA agent approached with weapon raised, gun steady in hand.
The agent pressed the barrel against his head, seized his shoulder with one hand, and hurled him violently to the cabin floor.
As his cheek scraped against the rough wooden surface, Woo Ho-geun finally grasped the terrible reality—and terror seized him, his body trembling uncontrollably.

“P-please… spare me.”
“Shut your mouth and stay still!”

The DEA agent dropped one knee onto his back, pinning him down.
The crushing weight made it nearly impossible for Woo Ho-geun to breathe.
While he gasped, the agent wrenched both his arms behind his back and bound his wrists with a thick cable tie pulled from his belt.
As the cable tie bit into his skin, Woo Ho-geun let out a piercing scream.

“Ahhh!”
“Quiet!”

The DEA agent glared menacingly and barked at him to silence.
Terrified he might be killed for any wrong move, Woo Ho-geun choked back his cries as the agent tightened the cable tie, grabbed his bound arms, and hauled him roughly to his feet.
While Woo Ho-geun stood bewildered, unable to comprehend what was happening, the agents tore through the cabin—ransacking shelves and searching beneath the bed.
Then one of the agents spotted something and shouted.

“Bingo! Found it.”

When I sliced open the small pouch with a jackknife, it was barely larger than a tightly sealed palm, and white powder spilled into view.
The DEA agent skillfully produced a quick-test reagent and applied it to the white powder, which immediately turned blue.

“Positive! It’s cocaine.”
“…!”

Woo Ho-geun’s eyes widened at the word cocaine, and he desperately denied it.

“No, no! That’s not mine! I don’t even know why I’m here in the first place!”

But the man who appeared to be the leader snorted dismissively.

“Drag him out!”

The DEA agent gripping his shoulder then shoved his back roughly.

“Move!”
“No. This can’t be!”

Woo Ho-geun was forcibly dragged out of the cabin, continuing to shout as he looked back desperately.

“I’m telling you it’s not true! Contact the embassy—the Korean embassy!”

But no one heeded his desperate pleas.
Once removed from the yacht and loaded into the black van, Woo Ho-geun was consumed by fear and despair, unable to think of anything at all.

***

Before the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the beautiful night cityscape.
Seok-won sat in a single-person reclining sofa, his legs propped on the footrest, sipping warm tea while reading a book.
Then, at the sound of a vibrating notification, he picked up his phone from where he’d set it down.
Upon seeing the number displayed on the screen, Seok-won immediately pressed the call button and asked in a slightly subdued voice.

“What’s the status?”
[He’s been arrested by the DEA in Miami and is currently under investigation for cocaine possession and distribution charges.]
“Make sure he can’t wriggle out like a loach.”
[They found 1 kilogram of cocaine as evidence at the scene, and both his urine and hair tests came back positive. Moreover, he’s not just facing simple possession charges—he’s being investigated for distribution as well. No matter how expensive a lawyer he hires, he won’t be able to avoid prison time.]
“You mentioned he was using drugs while staying in the Bahamas too?”
[Yes. He’s been living an extremely dissolute lifestyle, squandering money on women, alcohol, and drugs. That actually made our work much easier.]

After all, he was already steeped in drugs, so it wasn’t entirely a false accusation.
Seok-won adjusted his grip on the phone in his hand and asked.

“How much prison time do you think he’ll get?”
[At least ten years or more before he sees the outside world again.]

Hearing the answer, Seok-won nodded with a satisfied expression.

“What happened to the items Ho-geun had?”
[We collected everything without exception and sent it to Seoul.]

He gave a small nod of approval at the clean execution.

“Make sure the cleanup is thorough so no problems arise, and report the situation regularly.”
[Yes, understood.]

As Seok-won ended the call and set down his phone, a cold chill settled in his eyes.

“With this, I can completely eliminate Ho-geun.”

Initially, I had intended to forcibly bring Ho-geun back to Korea after he fled to the Bahamas.
But like most tycoons, he would drag out the trial, and by the time public interest faded, he would receive a light sentence—three years imprisonment with five years suspended—and walk free, as clear as day.

“Of course, because he’s still under probation from the stock manipulation case last time, he can’t avoid a prison sentence, but with money and connections, he’ll be released on parole before serving his full term.”

The saying “wealth brings acquittal, poverty brings conviction” didn’t come from nowhere.
Even if I brought him to Korea, he would receive a punishment far too light for his crimes and walk around with an unabashed face as if nothing had happened—I could see it clearly, so I changed my mind.
Instead of Korea, I decided to make him pay his debt in a foreign country.

“He’s just receiving the punishment he should have gotten anyway, so there’s no reason to feel wronged.”

Then, as if nothing had happened, I sipped warm tea and resumed reading my book.

***

Mapo Daeheung Group Headquarters.
A black Mercedes sedan glided to a stop before the headquarters entrance.
As Choo Se-young hurried forward to open the rear door, Chairman Park Tae-hong, dressed in a cashmere coat, stepped out.
While everyone tensed at his commanding presence, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho, who had come to greet him, approached and bowed respectfully.

“Welcome, Chairman.”
“Mm.”

As Chairman Park Tae-hong gave a slight nod and moved forward, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho and Manager Choo Se-young quickly followed in his wake.
Passing through the glass revolving doors while receiving a salute from a uniformed Security Guard, he entered the lobby with its gleaming marble floors, and the employees startled visibly—some hurriedly stepping aside while others bowed their heads in greeting.
Sweeping his gaze across the scene once, Chairman Park Tae-hong crossed the center of the lobby with an expressionless face, his footsteps striking a measured rhythm against the floor.
Soon, Chairman Park Tae-hong and his entourage boarded the Elevator that had been reserved in advance and ascended.
The employees who had kept their heads bowed with their eyes fixed on the floor unconsciously exhaled and straightened their posture.

“No matter how many times I see it, he really does exude charisma.”
“Right? The sheer pressure radiating from him… Wow, look at the sweat on my hands.”
“He truly is our Chairman.”

The employees murmured briefly before dispersing once more.
The lobby, which had been frozen as if time itself had stopped, regained its vitality.

Meanwhile, upon arriving at the Chairman’s Office, Chairman Park Tae-hong removed his coat and handed it to Jung Yun-kyung, who had recently been promoted to manager, then spoke to Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho.

“Have you seen today’s newspaper?”

Like a trusted aide who had served him for many years, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho immediately grasped his meaning and spoke.

“You’re referring to the matter involving Executive Director Woo Ho-geun of the Donghae Group, sir.”
“Yes.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong clicked his tongue and, unbuttoning his shirt, settled into the seat of honor on the sofa.

“Chairman Woo Yong-gap is already under Prosecution investigation because of the embezzlement of company funds right before bankruptcy, and now his son goes and causes this kind of scandal in America. It’s truly a national disgrace, wouldn’t you say?”
“Indeed, sir.”

Though he spoke thus, Chairman Park Tae-hong’s expression betrayed his satisfaction—the lingering resentment from when Chairman Woo Yong-gap had attempted to seize control of Midopa Department Store through a hostile M&A still remained.

“No matter how much money one has, if you fail at raising your children, it’s all for nothing.”

Chairman Park Tae-hong spoke with self-satisfaction.

“I’m not saying this just because he’s my son, but my younger boy aside, even my older boy has nothing to be criticized for, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Of course, sir.”
“Look at the presidential inauguration ceremony that took place a few days ago. You should have seen how enviously the other chairmen looked at me!”

Chairman Park Tae-hong received a formal invitation and attended the inauguration ceremony held in front of the Yeouido National Assembly Building with his two sons.
However, the assigned seats were not ordinary VIP seats but the row directly behind the platform where blue and red carpets were laid.
The limited platform seats could only be occupied by former presidents, foreign leaders who visited to celebrate the inauguration, diplomatic envoys to Korea, and specially selected distinguished guests.
In the business world, only the heads of the five major conglomerates like Seokwon and Hyunwoo could barely receive invitations.
Not only did Chairman Park Tae-hong confidently sit in such VVIP seats with his two sons, but President Kim Jae-chun, after completing his oath of office, warmly extended his hand first and exchanged a few words in such a friendly manner that his shoulders naturally rose with pride.
Whenever I recalled that moment, a smile would bloom across my face.
Seeing me sitting on the sofa with a silly grin, Chief Secretary Gil Seong-ho shook his head inwardly.
He was worried about what the staff would say seeing Chairman Park Tae-hong, who always displayed charisma with a stern expression, acting like this.

“By the way, what happened with transferring the Nasan Department Store Nonhyeon Branch that we acquired this time to my second son?”

Chairman Park Tae-hong asked as if it suddenly occurred to him.

“The contract was completely finalized yesterday when 200 billion won was deposited into the corporate account.”
“Well done. Thanks to that, we’ve greatly reduced the burden of acquiring Nasan Department Store.”
“And regarding what you mentioned last time about entrusting the Park Group’s surplus funds to Daeheung Investment.”
“What about it?”
“We’ve nearly completed the preliminary negotiations, but they’re requesting quite a high management fee.”

At that, Chairman Park Tae-hong paused and asked.

“How much are they asking for?”
“They’re demanding 30% of the profits.”
“What?!”

Chairman Park Tae-hong, who had been happily laughing about his son just moments before, suddenly frowned.

“Tsk. This Seok-won really…”

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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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