Park Jin-hyuk looked around the factory from a distance and spoke.
“So this is it?”
“Yes. That’s right. This is the factory President Hyun Yi-soo mentioned.”
Park Jin-hyuk took another look at the factory.
Above the factory, the staggering value of 5 trillion still floated.
Of course, judging by the values he’d seen so far, the factory in front of him was not worth 5 trillion to him as it stood.
That factory’s potential value might be 5 trillion, but to actually make that potential his own, there were mountains of problems he’d have to solve.
‘Still, 700 billion…’
Ignoring the eye-catching number 5 trillion, the 700 billion won construction cost for the factory in front of him was incomprehensible.
“If I think of the factories we saw before this, it just doesn’t make sense that it cost 700 billion. What could they possibly have spent all that money on?”
It was true that, as a newly completed factory, it looked clean and well-organized, but even so, that alone wasn’t enough to justify the 700 billion won construction cost.
The land wasn’t particularly expensive compared to other factory sites, either.
Nothing about it seemed worth that much money, and he couldn’t understand where the 700 billion went.
“From what I’ve learned, it seems the construction cost was set far higher than the original budget, and that’s the main reason.”
“Far higher? Don’t tell me DS Construction handled this project, too?”
“Yes. In order to support DS Construction, the construction costs for projects within the group were inflated and approved without question.”
“So that’s how it ended up like this. It’s not like you only do internal projects, right? How could you compete outside doing things that way? Are they thinking at all?”
Park Jin-hyuk realized that the factory in front of him had played its part in the downfall of DS Construction.
Just as a child, when coddled too much, loses all competitiveness the moment they step outside, DS Construction nearly got pushed out of the competition and became obsolete.
“Still, it worked out for me, since I got my spot thanks to it… So, what else is there?”
“When it comes to pharmaceuticals, there’s something called GMP, a manufacturing quality control standard required by the country. It’s very strict. Especially for CMO, you have to meet the customer pharmaceutical company’s standards, so you have to set everything to the highest possible level.”
“Since you never know where or from whom you’ll get orders, you set the standard as high as possible?”
“Yes, that’s right. Because of that, they said they even had to buy imported mops costing 700,000 won each.”
“A 700,000 won mop? That’s insane.”
Park Jin-hyuk let out a hollow laugh, glanced at Kim Jun-woo, then turned his head back to the factory.
“It’d be nice if things worked out, but… isn’t it not even running properly?”
“Yes. It’s already been three months since completion, but the operation rate is under 20%. The monthly revenue isn’t even enough to cover the factory’s operating costs, so some are saying it’d be better to just shut it down.”
“Normally, don’t you predict order volume before building a factory? And as the completion date approaches, you line up the orders, right? Why did it turn out like this?”
“They failed to predict the order volume, as you mentioned, but the real problem was that the major products they signed contracts for kept failing clinical trials, which derailed production plans.”
“I see.”
Park Jin-hyuk nodded at Kim Jun-woo’s words.
The factory had been built to meet all the demanding conditions required by overseas bio companies.
But most of the provisional orders were either delayed or canceled.
The DS Pharma executives, who believed the factory would be running nonstop once completed, were now racking their brains trying to cope with losses just from keeping the doors open.
‘So this is the place that’ll make my wallet fat? But isn’t it a bit much? Can I handle it?’
Though seeing the number 5 trillion from afar made him feel proud, the sheer scale made him uneasy.
Still, seeing the solution Hyun Yi-soo had found, he convinced himself this was the best path, and addressed Kim Jun-woo.
“Is the asset liquidation going well?”
“We’ve been working on it since DS Construction’s capital increase. Most assets that could be turned into cash are ready for use at any time. The rest will be finalized soon.”
“Good work. Still, be careful not to let any strange rumors start circulating. If people see me carrying cash, I’ll attract all sorts of attention. Those kinds of rumors can be troublesome and exhausting.”
“Yes. President Hyun already warned me to be extra cautious, so I’ve spread things out among several places to avoid anyone noticing.”
“When it’s finished, what’s the approximate amount?”
“The target is 50 billion, as President Hyun requested.”
“50 billion, huh…”
Park Jin-hyuk looked at Kim Jun-woo as he spoke.
Kim Jun-woo interpreted Park Jin-hyuk’s gaze as a sign to keep talking, and continued.
“Getting the funds together shouldn’t be an issue. If time is a problem, we could liquidate properties quickly even if it risks rumors. If we do that, we can reach President Hyun’s desired amount right away. But since we have some leeway, the larger assets haven’t been dealt with yet.”
“All right. Since there’s time, let’s take it slow. It’s not like I need the money this instant.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Kim Jun-woo nodded.
Ring ring.
As their conversation was winding down, Kim Jun-woo’s phone rang.
Since Park Jin-hyuk had finished speaking, he gestured for Kim Jun-woo to answer comfortably, then folded his hands behind his back and looked around the factory.
Kim Jun-woo bowed slightly to Park Jin-hyuk before moving aside to answer the call.
After a short call, Kim Jun-woo returned to Park Jin-hyuk and spoke cautiously.
“Executive Director.”
“Hmm?”
“You’ll need to leave right away.”
“Why? Where do I have to go? Is something wrong?”
Touring this place had been their final schedule for the day.
So when Kim Jun-woo, after an unexpected call, spoke as if they urgently needed to go somewhere, Park Jin-hyuk looked at him in puzzlement and asked.
Kim Jun-woo gave Park Jin-hyuk a troubled look.
“Secretary Hwang contacted me. She said there’s someone you must urgently meet at the Korea Hotel at eight.”
“Me? And Secretary Hwang told you? Isn’t the Chairman and Secretary Hwang out of the country? Why would they call from abroad just to set up a meeting?”
Park Jin-hyuk eyed Kim Jun-woo, feeling something was off.
But from Kim Jun-woo’s expression, he seemed just as clueless.
Chairman Park Jun-man of DS had left for Vietnam and other Southeast Asian regions, officially for New Year’s greetings and factory inspections.
The fact that Secretary Hwang, who had accompanied Park Jun-man, contacted him made Park Jin-hyuk suspicious.
“Yes. She contacted us from Vietnam. She said you must attend a dinner at Korea Hotel on the Chairman’s behalf. She emphasized it’s an important business meeting and you must not be late.”
“Important business? Why would I go instead of the Chairman? If it were company business, there’s no reason to send me.”
“It seems more like a family matter than a company issue. You need to go now. It’ll be tight on time.”
Park Jin-hyuk was curious about the reason, but for Kim Jun-woo, the pressing issue was time rather than an explanation.
He looked like someone worried about being scolded if they arrived late.
Seeing Kim Jun-woo’s expression, as if to ask if they could finish talking in the car, Park Jin-hyuk started moving.
“All right, let’s get going.”
Park Jin-hyuk shrugged it off and headed for the car.
He’d seen the factory he wanted, so as long as he planned well from here on out, things should go smoothly. The thought made him smile in satisfaction.
As they headed back, just as Kim Jun-woo feared, they got stuck in rush-hour traffic.
“Don’t go that way—take a right and use the side road. I’ll direct you.”
Having worked in sales, Park Jin-hyuk knew every side road around Seoul.
From the back seat, seeing Kim Jun-woo fidget nervously about making the appointment, he took over and gave directions.
Kim Jun-woo drove where Park Jin-hyuk pointed, and they just barely made it in time.
“I’ll be heading in, then.”
“What? You’re leaving before me?”
Kim Jun-woo, who always waited until Park Jin-hyuk’s business was done, suddenly saying he’d go first made Park Jin-hyuk pause at the hotel entrance and look back.
“Secretary Hwang said to escort you into the hotel and then leave right away.”
“Wait, they told you to send me in alone, even though we don’t know what this is about? And… those people are leaving, too?”
The staff who had been shadowing Park Jin-hyuk all day were also preparing to depart.
As he watched them all leave upon arrival, Park Jin-hyuk nodded.
“If they’re telling Secretary Kim and my security to leave, it must be an uncomfortable meeting. All right, head in.”
Thinking this had nothing to do with company business, Park Jin-hyuk waved a hand at Secretary Kim and entered the hotel.
Park Jin-hyuk arrived at the reserved private room in the Italian restaurant on the lower floor of the hotel lobby.
Left alone in a room that could seat up to eight people, he glanced through the documents he’d brought as he waited for his guest.
About thirty minutes after the scheduled time had passed,
The door opened, and a young woman entered.
Park Jin-hyuk looked up from his documents and watched as she came in.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties, her hair cut just above the shoulders. She spoke as she looked at Park Jin-hyuk.
“So, it’s you.”
Speaking as if she already knew him, she sat down naturally in the seat opposite.
“I’ll bring out the food now,” the staff said and left.
Park Jin-hyuk closed the documents and studied the woman carefully.
Her graceful demeanor and confident expression told him plenty about the kind of person she was.
Taking off her coat, she turned her gaze to Park Jin-hyuk and met his eyes.
“This is unexpected. I didn’t think you’d be here…”
Park Jin-hyuk didn’t reply.
He could sense from her tone that her words weren’t from happiness at seeing him.
Her remark about being surprised to see “you” carried a note of resignation.
She took a sip of the water in front of her and addressed Park Jin-hyuk.
“You look as if you’re sitting here not knowing what this meeting is about.”
“I haven’t really been told the purpose of this meeting. Would you care to explain? All I heard was that it was for business.”
He had some guesses about the situation, but since he wasn’t certain, he decided to see what he could learn from her.
She smiled faintly at his response.
“When the elders sit a young man and woman down together and call it ‘business’… isn’t it obvious?”
“I see. An obvious arrangement, then.”
Park Jin-hyuk nodded in understanding.
Just then, the door opened and food began to arrive.
He smiled silently to himself and picked up his salad.
The woman watched him and spoke quietly.
“There’s a saying that you should welcome a son-in-law with honor but bring a daughter-in-law in humbly. Yet my parents are willing to hand me over to DS, and I can’t help resenting them.”
Park Jin-hyuk chewed his lettuce and looked at her.
He wondered who she was, to refer to DS—ranked tenth in the business world—as “just DS.”
But almost as if she knew what he was thinking, she spoke first.
“Don’t you recognize who I am?”
“The coat you’re wearing is 1.2 million. Your shoes are 400,000. The bag you brought is 3 million. The jewelry on your wrist, neck, and ears together totals about 200 million. I don’t know who you are, but I do know what you’re wearing is worth more than a house.”
‘And the number floating above your head. If it weren’t for that number, I would’ve stood up and left already.’
He kept that last thought to himself.
He’d felt uncomfortable ever since the young woman entered.
What kept him glued to his chair wasn’t her refined impression or her self-assured elegance.
[100 billion]
Above her head, a number higher than Hyun Yi-soo’s floated.
Park Jin-hyuk wondered who she was, seeing the figure in his vision.
“It’s amazing you noticed what I’m wearing at a glance. Your reputation with women must not be exaggerated.”
“Unless it’s nonsense, most rumors going around have some basis in fact. I suppose my reputation is not entirely off, either.”
He had no desire to discuss himself with this woman.
Whether people saw him as a playboy or a saint, it didn’t matter to Park Jin-hyuk.
He was just curious about who the woman in front of him was.
The woman smiled, lowered her head slightly, then shook it.
Park Jin-hyuk simply stared at her.
She lifted her head and finally spoke.
“I suppose you really don’t remember meeting me. Fine, whether this is an act or not, I’ll accept your claim for now. You said you were curious about who I am? I guess you’re more curious about my family than me, so I’ll tell you. Cheongwoo is my family.”
Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t help but laugh at her words.
Isn’t secretary hwang a dude? Why it’s a she here?