Max-Level Son of a Chaebol Family - Chapter 84
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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84. What’s Going On Here?
I couldn’t take my eyes off the news screen.
【Chemical Factory Fire Accident, Current Death Toll: 52, Injured: 137】
Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, nothing changed.
That’s why I couldn’t believe it even more.
“What’s going on here?”
In my shock, I ended up muttering to myself like an idiot.
Except for the different number of deaths and injuries, the overall framework was so similar to the past Taeseong Chemical fire accident that chills ran down my spine.
‘Guardian Spirit, I’m asking what’s going on here.’
[….]
‘The Taeseong Chemical fire accident. Didn’t we prevent it?’
The Grim Reaper didn’t answer.
‘That’s right. The Path to Underworld Countdown and orange arrows that were blinking above people’s heads all disappeared.’
[….]
‘There was nothing wrong with the Taeseong Chemical Factory either. I repeatedly reminded President Sim not to neglect safety facility inspections while negotiating the Taeseong Chemical acquisition.’
The Taeseong Chemical fire accident with 23 deaths and 166 injuries had changed to a Wookwang Chemical fire accident with 52 deaths and 137 injuries.
‘Was it something I tried to prevent but ultimately couldn’t?’
[That’s not your responsibility.]
It felt a bit bitter that I couldn’t prevent an accident where so many people died and got hurt.
I really did my absolute best.
[Wasn’t your goal to save Taeseong’s family anyway?]
That’s true, but.
[Did the Taeseong family you were trying to save die? Or did you deliberately drive innocent people to their deaths?]
That wasn’t the case either, but.
[Think about why the Great King settled your merit in real-time.]
Suddenly, the words the Grim Reaper had conveyed came to mind.
-You decided to save lives even at the cost of losses to yourself. That too is merit.
-Through this incident, you saved 23 people from predetermined death and 166 people from predetermined suffering. The Great King is extremely pleased with this.
-I don’t know how it is in the Mortal World, but in the Underworld, the value of human life is held above all else. That’s why the Great King decided to implement real-time settlement of merit, which could be called special treatment.
That’s why I was puzzled.
‘So does that mean I was recognized for saving the lives of people who haven’t died yet and are still alive and well?’
[You saved ‘those whose death and suffering were predetermined.’ That also earns recognition for merit. You experienced it in the Underworld too, didn’t you.]
Ah, come to think of it, I had once been told that I would be pardoned for sins committed in my past life in recognition of saving fifteen young souls whose deaths were predetermined.
Of course, those ‘sins committed in past life’ turned out to be ridiculous false accusations.
[Their deaths have nothing to do with you. You know you did your best, I know it, Heaven knows it, and the Land knows it.]
The Grim Reaper wore a bitter smile.
It was an expression that flashed by so briefly that I wondered if I had seen it wrong for a moment.
[If there is merit accumulated through good intentions, there is also karma filled with deliberate malice. That too is each person’s share.]
It was a very quiet murmur, almost like talking to himself.
So quiet that I wondered if I had misheard.
‘What do you mean by that?’
[That would be Revealing Heavenly Secrets.]
Since he says it’s Revealing Heavenly Secrets, there’s no way to argue about it, is there?
He already said he’d grant my request and caused Spiritual Affliction… Ah!
‘About the Spiritual Affliction. You weren’t particularly reprimanded for it this time, right?’
[Why do you ask?]
And he’s not saying he’ll absolutely never cause Spiritual Affliction again.
Oh ho, I’m getting the picture!
‘It seems using Spiritual Affliction isn’t a problem?’
[…!]
‘Well, I suppose so. There was no mention of the Earth God or Ghost paying any price for causing Spiritual Affliction either.’
[…Oops!]
The Grim Reaper rolled his eyes around and started pretending not to know anything, playing dumb.
‘Hey, Guardian Spirit.’
[I know nothing about it. This Death Messenger doesn’t seem to remember how to inflict Spiritual Affliction.]
‘That’s not what I mean. It’s about the Taeseong Chemical, no, Wookwang Chemical fire accident. There’s somewhere you need to go.’
[Ahhhhh, ehhhhhhh. This Death Messenger didn’t hear anything. Ah! It’s time for the drama series!]
The Grim Reaper quickly turned around.
Before I knew it, the breaking news on the television screen had ended and commercials for the next daily drama series were playing.
[Shh! At this rate I’ll miss the drama series. Don’t disturb me. Past drama episodes never come back!]
Oh my?
Since he’s not particularly denying it this time either, it sounds like he means he’ll inflict Spiritual Affliction again next time if needed.
Am I mistaken?
Ring ring!
“Hello?”
-Jeong-hyeok? It’s Grandfather. If Seong-jun has come home from work, let me talk to him.
“Father? He hasn’t come home yet. They say Father has a lot of construction projects these days. He’s busy working late into the night every day.”
It’s already been over ten days since I’ve seen Father’s face.
He’s gotten seriously involved in the Subway Line 2 construction, and the Gangnam Seoul Express Bus Terminal road expansion construction is in full swing, so he’s incredibly busy.
If the last meal we had together was the rice cake soup we ate at Grandfather’s House on New Year’s Day, that says it all.
-I see? Alright. If your father happens to come home from work…
Just then the front door opened and Father came in.
Since he comes home late every night, this was the first time I’d seen his face in a whole ten days.
“Oh, Grandfather! Wait a moment, Father just came home!”
I smiled brightly with the telephone still pressed to my ear.
“Father, welcome home?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s Grandfather on the telephone. Please take it. He’s urgently looking for you.”
“Really?”
Father walked over with big strides and took the telephone from me.
I was about to step aside since it didn’t seem proper to intrude on the adults’ conversation, but Father scooped me up with one arm and smiled warmly.
“Whoa!”
I was suddenly lifted up and wrapped my arms tightly around Father’s neck to avoid falling.
Along with the heavy, luxurious perfume scent, Father’s body fragrance hit me sharply.
Father turned his head and lightly kissed my cheek.
As I stared with wide eyes in surprise, Father smiled brightly.
“Kiss.”
It was a greeting he gave by tapping his own cheek with his fingertips and just moving his lips.
While holding the telephone between his ear and jaw.
When I lightly pressed my lips to Father’s cheek, Father finally smiled brightly.
“Good boy.”
Grandfather’s voice flowed through the telephone.
-You heard about the chemical factory fire accident too, right?
This was the urgent matter Grandfather had been looking for Father about.
-Come to the Taeseong Group Headquarters Conference Room right now. I’ve called an emergency meeting summoning all subsidiary presidents.
“Yes, I understand.”
-I’m sorry to rush someone who just got off work, but this isn’t the time to be sitting around.
“I haven’t even had dinner yet.”
-Chairman Kim of Wookwang received a Blue House summons and rushed out. That’s how serious the current situation is.
“I’ll leave right away.”
Father put down the telephone.
He let out a small sigh.
His face was covered with layers of fatigue.
‘Father, you don’t need to worry so much. This probably won’t be bad news for Taeseong.’
Taeseong Chemical had already been handed over to Wookwang.
Father wouldn’t be held accountable or responsible for this fire accident.
‘Maybe things could become much easier? The Blue House summoned Chairman Kim of Wookwang.’
During the past Taeseong Chemical fire accident that killed 23 people and injured 166, the Blue House was extremely angry and summoned Grandfather, the head of Taeseong Group.
‘In the past, Grandfather had to make a public apology due to Blue House pressure, donate 3 billion won of his personal fortune to establish the Taeseong Foundation. He even had to step down from his position as chairman.’
Would Wookwang now experience exactly what Taeseong had suffered in the past?
‘What if Chairman Kim of Wookwang steps down from his chairman position temporarily as a gesture of self-reflection and contributes 3 billion won of his private assets to establish the Wookwang Foundation? What would happen to Taeseong Chemical then?’
In the past, Taeseong Construction took advantage of that gap to separate and become independent from the conglomerate, while Taeseong Chemical was absorbed by Wookwang.
They got their hands on Taeseong’s 50% equity shares for free, without spending a single penny.
The one who made that decision was Cha Yun-seong, who was the president of Taeseong Construction and the younger brother of the group’s chairman, and Grandfather, who had stepped down from the chairman position, had no choice but to helplessly lose everything.
What Wookwang did in the past – couldn’t Taeseong do the same?
‘Hmm, it does feel like I’m getting an opportunity by wishing for someone else’s misfortune though.’
I had been preparing for reacquisition negotiations while pondering how to get Taeseong Chemical back.
Instead of using thuggish tactics like those used in the Back Alleys, I was planning to utilize the era’s circumstances of the oil shock.
That’s why I deliberately set a trap by involving even Wookwang Securities. But what do you know?
Thanks to the Wookwang Chemical fire accident, that timeline was going to be drastically shortened.
‘This is a difficult opportunity to catch again. I haven’t really done anything wrong, so there’s no need to refuse this stroke of luck that’s rolled my way, is there?’
We even happen to have a contract regarding mergers and acquisitions.
‘If I handle this well, it seems like I could not only get Taeseong Chemical back, but also claim Wookwang Securities and even the 15 Billion Won Promissory Note?’
My mind started spinning rapidly.
‘To do that, I need to…’
The things I needed to do fit together like puzzle pieces in my head.
Just then, Father rubbed my cheek with his rough, stubbled cheek.
“I came early today to buy our Cha Jeong-hyeok something delicious, but what should we do about this?”
I know Father is having a hard time working so busily these days that he doesn’t even have enough time to sleep.
“I’ll have to buy you jajangmyeon next time.”
Jajangmyeon? Why is he suddenly talking about that… Ah!
‘When Uncle (Elder) was taking money out of his wallet and asked if I liked jajangmyeon, I carelessly answered yes.’
What’s the big deal about some jajangmyeon anyway.
‘We’re all doing this to make a living. Grandfather is really too much. You should at least feed people while making them work!’
And so Father went outside without even taking a single spoonful of rice.
‘Why did I have to clean anchovy guts!’
I was trying to make knife-cut noodle soup that Father likes.
‘Hey, Guardian Spirit. Follow him.’
I became curious about why Taeseong was suddenly making such a fuss.
[The drama isn’t over yet…!]
‘If we handle this well, it seems like we could easily acquire several major companies.’
[I’ll be right back.]
The Grim Reaper disappeared like smoke.
* * *
At the Taeseong Group Headquarters Conference Room, an emergency Presidents’ Group meeting was held with all the presidents of affiliated companies gathered.
Everyone had serious expressions.
Grandfather sat at the head of the conference room.
“You’ve all heard, right? Due to the fire accident at Taeseong Chemical, no, Wookwang Chemical Factory, Chairman Kim of Wookwang was summoned to the Blue House. That’s why I called you all here.”
Not only Uncle (Elder) and Second Uncle, but also our Father and Aunt were seated.
Uncle (Elder) asked.
“Why is Taeseong making a fuss when the accident happened at Wookwang?”
“Before asking that, read the news briefing about this Wookwang Chemical fire accident first.”
The presidents of affiliated companies were also busy reading the materials placed on the table.
Grandfather asked.
“Secretary Kim, how much damage was caused by the chemical factory fire?”
“So far, it’s been tallied as 56 deaths and 142 serious and minor injuries.”
The casualty count had increased from what was broadcast as breaking news.
“They say there are difficulties in identifying the factory workers who were victims of the Wookwang Chemical Factory accident?”
“The damage on Wookwang’s side hasn’t been accurately tallied yet, but the fire at Factory No. 6 was large, so it’s estimated that there will be considerable damage to both lives and property.”
“How much is the property damage?”
“At a conservative estimate, it’s over 1 billion won.”
Grandfather frowned.
“Why did the factory fire happen in the first place? What do they say was the cause of the fire?”
“Well. According to the Blue House announcement, it seems it was a safety accident.”
This was also similar to the past.
It was something that had been handled in just one line in the Taeseong Group Report without any special mention.
【The fire accident at Taeseong Chemical killed 23 people and sent 166 to the hospital.】
However, the Taeseong Chemical fire accident became a major turning point that marked a significant milestone in Taeseong’s history.
The Taeseong Group Report recorded it as follows.
【After the fire accident at Taeseong Chemical, Taeseong fell into an uncontrollable downward spiral like dominoes falling, without even a chance to intervene.】
【Except for Taeseong Chemical and Taeseong Construction, which separated and became independent, the remaining affiliated companies began to split between the Eldest Son and Second Son.】
【Thus, Taeseong plummeted from 5th place in business circles to 198th place in just 5 years.】
【It was Taeseong’s dark period when everyone worried it would completely disintegrate.】
Though it seems this time it will be different, with Wooguang walking that dark path instead of Taeseong.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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