The Return of the Ruined Chaebol's Third-Generation Heir - 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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The Regression of a Fallen Chaebol Heir — Episode 31
“It’s been a long time.”
As I bowed in greeting, Kim Jong-su, the Buchon Ant King, nodded slowly. Behind his magnifying glasses, his gaze fixed upon me, then he gestured toward the chair in front with his chin.
“Sit.”
“Thank you.”
The moment I settled into the chair, Kim Jong-su asked bluntly.
“Did you come to repay the money?”
“Hardly. I came to borrow more.”
At my shameless reply, Kim Jong-su let out a dry laugh as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Well, you’ve got nerve, I’ll give you that. Not even coming to retrieve your deposited funds, yet so confident.”
His tone suggested annoyance, but his expression didn’t seem genuinely offended.
There was something curious in his gaze—a light that suggested he found my boldness amusing.
Kim Jong-su lifted his teacup and spoke casually.
“I hear you’ve taken in Manager Choi.”
Of course he knew.
I affected surprise, shrugging my shoulders.
“As expected, your intelligence network is sharp, Chairman. I brought my right hand with me, yet you’ve already caught wind of it.”
“Manager Choi is a capable man. Use him well.”
“Then why didn’t you keep him in your employ?”
My pointed remark made Kim Jong-su’s eyes sharpen for a moment.
“Mistakes must be cut out from the root. Give someone a second chance, and they’ll keep making mistakes. That’s my principle.”
‘Well, I don’t see it that way.’
There’s a saying that people aren’t things to be repaired, yet those who have touched rock bottom are different.
Someone who’s hit the bottom runs harder than anyone else, determined never to return to that place.
But there was no point in debating this aloud.
Kim Jong-su set down his cup and got to the main topic.
“So, you’ve come to borrow money? It’s about Seonjin Trading Company, isn’t it?”
Kim Jong-su had already seen through the reason for my visit.
Good. No need for lengthy explanations.
“Yes, sir.”
“How much are you looking to take?”
“The same amount I already owe you—another ten billion won.”
“One hundred billion?”
“Yes.”
Kim Jong-su reclined against the backrest and crossed his arms.
“The amount isn’t a problem, but what’s my cut this time?”
Without a word, I pulled a folded memo note from my inner pocket and slid it across the table.
“What is this?”
“Stock picks that will rise soon in the market.”
Kim Jong-su scoffed.
“Ha ha ha! Do you know why they call me the Buchon Ant King? When it comes to stocks, I—”
“As I mentioned before, there will soon be great upheaval in this nation.”
At my low voice, Kim Jong-su’s laughter died instantly.
“But that upheaval will remain just that—upheaval.”
“…I’ve been wanting to ask since last time. What exactly is this upheaval you speak of?”
“An impeachment crisis will begin.”
In that instant, Kim Jong-su’s expression hardened.
The impeachment of a sitting president.
An unprecedented crisis in Korean constitutional history was approaching.
“As I provided you with information before, your sources planted in Yeouido must have caught wind of it—the political climate has been unusually tense lately.”
“……”
Kim Jong-su said nothing.
His silence was affirmation.
The word “impeachment” was already circulating cautiously among the gossips of Yeouido.
“These are the stocks that will rise in that upheaval. If you bury your money there, the interest on what I borrowed will be trivial to recoup.”
Kim Jong-su stared at the memo note briefly, then waved his hand dismissively.
“I have plenty of money. I don’t need more. I already have more capital flowing than I can manage.”
“Are you certain of that?”
I met Kim Jong-su’s eyes directly.
“I don’t know how much cash you’re holding, but acquiring even a single savings bank—isn’t your liquidity falling a bit short?”
“What did you just say?”
Kim Jong-su’s pupils dilated sharply.
I’d struck a nerve.
“You don’t intend to remain a loan shark forever, do you? Now it’s time to step into the light and enter the legitimate system.”
“……”
“Soon, a mutual savings bank will be put on the market.”
Kim Jong-su fell silent like a man with his mouth full of honey.
My prediction had been correct.
In the coming days, massive underground funds that had lingered in the loan shark market would rebrand themselves as savings banks and flood into the legitimate financial sector.
‘The reason is clear enough.’
For a loan shark, a savings bank was little short of a dream stage.
A window for laundering dirty money into legitimate financial capital, and a tool for legally pooling customer deposits backed by the fifty-million-won depositor protection law.
Control the real estate collateral loan market on top of that, and legitimate high-interest lending becomes possible.
The added bonus: wielding political influence while being called a local dignitary.
“You…”
Kim Jong-su’s voice wavered faintly.
“I hear several savings banks in the provinces are already on the market, but a man of your standing wouldn’t be playing games in the regional areas, would you?”
At my words, Kim Jong-su was speechless, caught in his hidden desires.
For a loan shark lord, acquiring a savings bank wasn’t mere investment—it was social elevation and the perfect mitigation of risk.
Kim Jong-su, too, must have been harboring this dream and quietly seeking prospects.
In my previous life, he’d attempted to acquire a savings bank, but a stock manipulation scandal erupted and he was imprisoned. By now, he would surely be formulating concrete plans in his mind.
“You’ll need to meet with them before it’s officially listed. Once it hits the market, the conglomerates will be drooling over it too.”
“…Are you saying you already know the name of the mutual savings bank that’s about to go on sale?”
“Of course.”
Kim Jong-su’s eyes changed. Not the gaze he’d had for an impertinent kid moments before.
“Regional savings banks and Seoul savings banks are in entirely different leagues. Seoul doesn’t issue new licenses. It’s a seller’s market.”
The major cities, particularly Seoul and the Capital region, did not grant new establishment licenses for savings banks.
The deposit base was larger than in the provinces, and they wanted to prevent private finance capital from concentrating in Seoul.
The authorities considered the sector already saturated.
If a savings bank operating in Seoul were to be put on the market under such circumstances? Not only loan sharks but also conglomerates would come running, since savings banks weren’t subject to the banking-insurance separation rule.
In my previous life, conglomerates had actually acquired such institutions.
“I know. That’s why it’s harder to obtain.”
“The information I’m offering is Seoul-based, prime real estate. If you make contact before the official listing, your chances of acquisition will be considerably higher.”
I smiled at ease and drove home the final point.
“How long can you wait?”
At my question, Kim Jong-su pondered briefly before seeming to reach a decision.
“I’ll have the one hundred billion ready by tomorrow.”
“Chairman.”
I waved my index finger, cutting him off.
“The negotiating table has acquired one more condition. A mere one hundred billion is merely the price of those stock picks I gave you.”
“Hmph.”
“Two hundred billion. That’s the sum I need.”
Kim Jong-su’s jaw dropped.
“Not that I’m asking you to give it away—it’s a loan, after all. For the value of obtaining information about a bank acquisition, it’s not a bad deal, is it?”
Two hundred billion won.
Even for someone with deep pockets, arranging that much in ready cash on the spot was daunting.
But the savings bank information was worth far more than that.
Kim Jong-su burst out laughing at me, a sound tinged with helplessness.
“You’re something else…”
He shook his head side to side.
Yet there was a strange pleasure in his face—as if he’d never met a young man who could manipulate him to this degree.
“Fine. I’ll deposit it into the paper company account you gave me before, within three days.”
The deal was struck.
I rose from my seat with a subtle smile.
“I’ll put it to good use and return it. And keep your radar turned toward Jinseong Mutual Savings Bank. I’ll be in touch later.”
I turned and left the room without waiting for Kim Jong-su’s reply. Behind me, I heard him quickly picking up the telephone receiver.

* * *
As I stepped out of the building, a familiar black sedan glided smoothly in front of me.
Once I settled into the back seat, Jung Tae-sung at the steering wheel glanced at me in the rearview mirror and asked.
“How did your meeting go, sir?”
“I borrowed two hundred billion won.”
“Pardon?”
Jung Tae-sung seemed startled by my answer. I could see his grip on the steering wheel tighten.
“As far as I know, borrowing from the Buchon Ant King is difficult even for members of a chaebol family. He’s a difficult man even with solid collateral, so how is it that you simply walk in and walk out with—”
“Apparently he likes me. Let’s head home.”
I gazed out the window as if it were nothing remarkable.
Jung Tae-sung still looked unconvinced, but asked no further questions and started the car.
“The money should arrive within three days into the Ribbon Capital account. Prepare to hand over 4.5% of Seonjin Trading Company shares to Park Nam-gyu.”
“Understood, sir.”
False bait to be funneled to Kang Byeong-chul through Park Nam-gyu.
The funds for that bait had been secured.
“And use the remaining capital to acquire the companies I mentioned before.”
“You mean the impeachment-related stocks, sir.”
“Yes. I’ll match my portfolio to SJ Holdings’ exactly. Sweep them both up simultaneously from both accounts.”
“Understood, sir. I’ll do that.”
As I listened to Jung Tae-sung’s confirmation, I closed my eyes.
The bait to deceive my enemy, the investment to exploit the situation—all prepared.
Now all that remained was to sit still and wait for the other side to bite the bait I’d cast.

* * *
Kang Byeong-chul, reviewing the documents that Park Nam-gyu had handed over, slammed the table and laughed loudly.
The documents clearly stated ownership of 4.5% of Seonjin Trading Company shares.
“Ha ha ha! How did you manage all this in just two weeks?”
“You seemed to be in a hurry, so I worked day and night to prepare it.”
At Park Nam-gyu’s flattery, Kang Byeong-chul nodded with satisfaction.
Then his hand, as he was passing over the documents, stopped. A strange corporate name appeared in the shareholder registry, not Park Nam-gyu’s.
“What is this Ribbon Capital?”
“Ah, it’s a paper company I created.”
Park Nam-gyu answered with utter nonchalance.
“I thought it would be far more discreet than using my personal name or domestic proxies, and much better for evading traceability.”
“This fellow’s quite thorough with his preparations, eh? Ha ha ha!”
“Whenever you wish, Chairman, I’ll have the voting proxies drawn up immediately.”
Kang Byeong-chul, with a pleased smile, called to Jung Manager, who was seated beside him.
“Yes, Jung Manager.”
Jung Manager produced a small paper envelope he’d prepared in advance and handed it to Park Nam-gyu.
As Park Nam-gyu took the envelope with a bewildered expression, Kang Byeong-chul gestured.
“Open it.”
Park Nam-gyu carefully opened the envelope and withdrew the box inside.
When he opened the elegant velvet case, a luxury watch gleamed in gold.
A top-tier model from a brand anyone would recognize—an item easily worth tens of millions of won.
“I thought it would suit you, so I had one made.”
“Chairman!”
Park Nam-gyu stood abruptly, visibly moved, and threw himself into a full prostration on the ground.
“Ha ha ha, or your knees will have nothing left. Come, sit back down.”
“I pledge my loyalty! I will repay this debt through labor until my bones break!”
“The fact that you’ve gathered 4.5% in equity stakes with no compensation is already proof that I trust you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Kang Byeong-chul watched Park Nam-gyu fastening the watch, his lips quirking with satisfaction.
He’d gotten equity stakes without spending a single won—what was one watch to him?
“In any case, we’ll need the proxies soon. I’ll have our legal team head contact your office shortly.”
“Yes, understood. I’ll be waiting.”
“So things will get busy from here on. Let’s keep it light tonight and call it a day.”
The three men raised their glasses.
Kang Byeong-chul, in high spirits, kept pressing drinks on Park Nam-gyu, who accepted and drank whatever was offered, currying favor.
A short while later.
“Chairman… hic. I’m going… loyalty!”
Park Nam-gyu, thoroughly drunk and unable to steady himself, was escorted from the room by a secretary.
Once the door closed and Park Nam-gyu’s footsteps faded, Kang Byeong-chul’s smile vanished in an instant.
He set down the empty glass with a cold gaze.
“That fellow’s quite useful, it seems.”
“It appears to be because you’re skilled at handling people, Chairman.”
At Jung Manager’s flattery, Kang Byeong-chul chuckled and looked at him.
“Good. Are the preparations complete?”
“Yes. Combined with the 4.5% equity that Park Nam-gyu procured, we’ve easily surpassed 30% in friendly shareholding. I believe we can proceed with the plan.”
Kang Byeong-chul refilled his glass and hardened his expression.
“Excellent. Release a press statement first thing tomorrow morning.”
“……”
“Say that as a founding contributor to Seonjin Group, we’re stepping in as a white knight to save the company in its time of crisis.”

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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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