The Return of the Ruined Chaebol's Third-Generation Heir - Chapter 14

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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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The Regression of a Fallen Chaebol’s Third-Generation Heir – Episode 014
“A scholarship program?”
Kim Seok-jun set down his teacup with an air of surprise.
He’d just handed over twenty billion won—a massive sum—and the first thing I asked for wasn’t an investment but a donation. He must have found it slightly odd.
“Yes. It’s a necessary undertaking.”
“Would you explain your reasoning?”
“It’s simple. I need my own people. Right now, SJ Holdings only has administrative staff. I have no colleagues I can trust at my back in the battles ahead.”
I continued calmly.
“Seonjin Group once ran active scholarship programs through its foundation, but after establishing a school corporation, that focus faded. Yet other conglomerates are still poaching talent through generous scholarship benefits.”
“Hmm.”
“Until I secure management rights, I’ll nurture them within SJ Holdings as an incubator.”
Kim Seok-jun nodded.
“Not a bad approach. Cultivating talent takes time, after all. Planting seeds early is wise.”
“Thank you.”
“I don’t know what you plan to do next, but the principle that people are assets is an eternal truth.”
Kim Seok-jun leaned back in his chair, studying me.
“Then let’s hear how you’ll use the money. You wouldn’t have asked for twenty billion just for scholarships.”
“Of course. I’ll also run investment operations alongside the seed capital you’ve provided.”
“Investment operations. You mean stocks?”
“That too, but I’ll also nurture companies through direct investment. Venture capital, M&A, that sort of approach.”
“That’s difficult work. You need both the eye to spot good companies and the ability to grow them.”
“Isn’t that precisely why you’re here?”
At my brazen answer, Kim Seok-jun let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha ha, this is something. You plan to work me harder than the chairman himself.”
“To have the best advisor at my side and not use him would be dereliction of duty.”
I offered a slight smile, then hardened my expression and continued.
“First, let me address the stock market. A materials super cycle originating from China is coming soon.”
“A super cycle.”
“Yes. China is becoming the world’s factory—building mills and cities frantically. It’s absorbing iron ore, crude oil, and coal from across the globe like a black hole.”
I counted off on my fingers as I explained.
“Shipping to transport raw materials, shipbuilding to construct vessels, steel to erect buildings. And beyond that—automobiles, chemicals, petroleum refining. Korea’s entire heavy industrial sector will ride this super cycle.”
In my past life, the early-to-mid 2000s were the golden age of Korean economics—so much so that the president openly declared, “Buy stocks now.”
The prelude to what was called the Automobiles, Chemicals, and Petroleum era was opening.
It was crystal clear that if I accumulated leading stocks now, assets would snowball.
“I’ll construct a portfolio aligned with this trend to multiply the seed capital.”
I’d already purchased all the relevant stocks with my personal funds.
“There’s logic in that. I’ve sensed that current myself.”
“But direct corporate investment is a different direction.”
I met Kim Seok-jun’s gaze directly.
“Corporate investment should be in sectors unrelated to China, or more precisely—in areas China cannot catch up to.”
“Hmm?”
Kim Seok-jun’s expression turned puzzled.
“You say a materials super cycle is coming from China, yet you want to invest where it’s irrelevant? You should row when the tide rises.”
“The materials super cycle essentially means China gains hegemony over manufacturing. Eventually, companies in our nation—founded on manufacturing—will face China as a colossal competitor.”
“I see……”
“Take oil imports from the Middle East and refining operations, or generic petrochemical products. China will overtake us soon enough.”
“What? China doesn’t have that technology yet. The gap is enormous.”
“The technology may lag, but capital is ample. And money closes technological gaps in an instant. They have the state pouring in funds.”
At my words, Kim Seok-jun’s expression grew serious.
He straightened in his seat, concentrating on what I said.
“Businesses that can’t create high value-added products will soon be consumed by China’s massive capital and sheer volume. So we must preemptively invest in enterprises that can generate high value-added goods—companies with technologies China can’t easily replicate even with money.”
“High value-added goods… what specifically are we talking about?”
“Semiconductors. More precisely, Materials, Parts, and Equipment companies that produce core equipment and materials.”
I spoke with unwavering conviction.
“No matter how much capital China pours in, critical fine-process equipment and patent-protected material technologies can’t be replicated in the short term.”
“You think China can’t manufacture these? By your own logic, they’d poach engineers to build them.”
“They’ll manage. Eventually.”
I nodded.
“So we must widen the gap now. By ten, twenty years or more. We invest now and help them run—faster than they can chase.”
Since money couldn’t catch up, we had to escape with technology first.
If we did nothing, they’d catch us in twenty years. But if we injected capital and accelerated R&D now, in thirty years and beyond—with continued investment—we could keep them perpetually in second place.
“Especially in advanced industries like semiconductors, this will cease to be mere business and become a hegemonic struggle between nations. And since it could become China’s political weapon, technological independence is all the more critical.”line>
“Huh……”

Kim Seok-jun exhaled softly.
But his expression hadn’t fully cleared.
“The logic is sound. But there’s one thing nagging me.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Time. Materials, Parts, and Equipment companies don’t generate immediate returns. Meanwhile, won’t your relatives just sit idle?”
It was a sharp observation.
“If the Chinese super cycle you mentioned begins, your cousins with automobiles and heavy industry will only grow faster.”
“That’s why 150 billion goes into stocks. Short-term profits from super-cycle beneficiaries while we prepare our long-term weapon.”
This was why I continued working my personal accounts even after the 200 billion arrived.
Money was always a weapon when you had it. I had to multiply not just SJ Holdings’ assets, but my personal wealth as well.
“……”
Kim Seok-jun rubbed his chin.
“Then one more question. Will fifty billion be enough? Even for Materials, Parts, and Equipment, respectable companies run hundreds of billions.”
“As I mentioned, China’s super cycle is beginning.”
I answered calmly.
“Everyone’s attention has turned to raw materials, heavy industry, construction. Materials, Parts, and Equipment for semiconductors has been sidelined. Capital isn’t flowing that direction.”
Legacy semiconductors for automobiles might ride China’s ascent, but that wasn’t my target.
I was after the materials, parts, and equipment that enable advanced semiconductor production—and that sector was even more neglected now.
“……”
“At any other time, you couldn’t get this price.”
Kim Seok-jun’s eyes shifted.
“You’re becoming persuasive.”
Not vague idealism, but cold realism grounded in fact—my words were winning him over.
“It’s simply a factual account.”
“Good. If your approach ever seems wrong, I’ll apply the brakes. For now, proceed with that plan.”
Kim Seok-jun gave his assent readily.
“And that student, Han Jae-yi, you mentioned earlier—I’ll contact the school. We’ll select her as a special scholarship recipient through the foundation we’re establishing.”
“Thank you.”
“Approaching through the school looks better and relieves pressure on the student. You seem keen to secure her, so I won’t dawdle.”
I nodded.
A mere SJ Holdings business card would’ve made her skeptical, but if the school foundation’s board chairman or principal personally summoned her to present a scholarship certificate, things would be different.
Han Jae-yi would feel deeper gratitude toward me for acknowledging her.
“And the stock investments……”
I withdrew a prepared document from my pocket and handed it over.
“Here’s the acquisition list.”
Kim Seok-jun took the document and scanned it.
Steel leaders, shipbuilding equipment, shipping companies……
The beneficiary stocks of the super cycle I’d described were densely listed.
“Not bad. The timing is excellent too.”
“How much should we deploy?”
“We’ll invest 150 billion according to the ratios on that list. Keep the remaining 50 billion in cash. Once you identify the company for direct investment, we’ll use it then.”
“Understood. I’ll review the company list more carefully and report back.”
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Kim Seok-jun handed me a business card.
Jung Tae-sung
No title—just a name and phone number.
“He was my former secretary. Now he’ll be yours.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“So you don’t have to keep coming to see me for every task. I’ve prepared someone for you.”
As I continued studying the card, Kim Seok-jun continued.
“He’s trustworthy. He’s been my right and left hand for years, so he knows plenty. You can’t keep coming to me every time something’s urgent, and you need someone you can easily delegate to.”
It was necessary. I couldn’t keep approaching Kim Seok-jun with every little request.
“If you’re uneasy, you can just communicate by phone. I’ll let him know.”
“No, I should meet him. He’ll be doing my work.”
“Even better then. Again, he’s trustworthy. I’ll make sure he knows.”
I’d reserve judgment until we actually met.
I rose from my seat and bowed respectfully.
The 150 billion won investment was confirmed.
Now this money would ride the rough waves of the market and return to me, snowballing in size.

* * *
During break, the classroom was as loud as ever.
The boys’ conversations inevitably turned to gaming.
I rested my chin in my hand, gazing out the window, but my mind was churning restlessly.
‘150 billion deployed in stocks, 50 billion remaining.’
I needed to find a company for SJ Holdings to invest in directly. The problem wasn’t the lack of prospects—it was too many.
‘Knowing the future is almost a curse.’
2003 was an era when new technologies were sprouting after the IT bubble burst.
Turn your gaze and secondary battery material companies were crawling at rock bottom. Materials, Parts, and Equipment semiconductor firms were selling at fire-sale prices. Look further and you’d glimpse the seeds of artificial intelligence, platform companies.
‘All good options, but……’
Dabbling in everything would lead nowhere.
I needed focus and selectivity.
The goal wasn’t simply to make money. My objective was to reclaim the subsidiaries my relatives had seized and protect Seonjin Group—and ultimately build it into a world-leading conglomerate.
In my past life, even with that ambition, I’d been too busy defending Seonjin against my relatives’ attacks to grow it.
This time had to be different.
So what company would be the most efficient blade?
“Man, I lost to some guy from Class B at the PC bang yesterday.”
Just then, voices from the back seats pierced through my thoughts.
“Why? You’re good at Terran matchups.”
“This bastard sneaked an expansion right next to my main base. I was blind—didn’t see it coming.”
Laughter erupted.
“You got blindsided by a secret expansion? You got played.”
“Right? My resources were drying up, couldn’t build units. Then I realized the guy had mined out the resources next to my base too, and suddenly he was flooding the map with units. I was so frustrated.”
In that moment, one offhand remark from their chatter struck me like lightning.
I’d been approaching this entirely wrong—too businesslike, only from an investor’s perspective. Fixated on high-return companies and promising technologies.
But what I actually needed wasn’t a prudent investment.
‘The path itself is different.’
This life, my goal was to protect Seonjin at all costs and develop markets others couldn’t access—to grow it massively.
To do that, I had to cripple my cousins who were targeting me—especially Kang Tae-yong with automobiles and my uncle with heavy industry.
‘I need to tap a straw right next to their main base.’
The bigger they grew, the more their fruits I’d harvest. Even if they attacked, the moment I cut off supply, their factories would halt—I’d become an untouchable super-supplier they couldn’t touch.
I had to quietly plant my flag on their doorstep where they wouldn’t notice.
“……Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
The answer was closer than I’d thought.
‘That’s it.’
With clarity came focus.
Fifty billion. Enough to begin.
Technology undervalued now, but later—the monopoly holder becomes the victor.
“Found it. Essential to automobiles, heavy industry, and semiconductors alike.”
The most fitting weapon for our situation. The most lethal.
Ironically, what those dealing with bulk materials need most is the most precise chemicals.

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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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