Chapter 46: Declaration of War

The place I arrived at in Han Yeri’s car was a colossal mansion.

It took a full five minutes by car just to go from the main gate to the house itself; I was genuinely surprised that a place like this existed in Korea.

“The house is huge.”

“My grandfather insisted it be built this way. So that anyone who steps inside feels overwhelmed the moment they do.”

“He wanted to secure the absolute home-ground advantage.”

A space that was more comfortable and cozy than anywhere else for him, yet made the other person facing him feel utterly small.

It was clear he had a nature that wanted to dominate everything.

“We’ve arrived.”

The moment I got out of the car and entered the house, I met Chairman Kang Ryuseong.

The old man sitting in the wheelchair looked even smaller than the last time I saw him at the party.

It meant that in the time we hadn’t met, he had moved one step closer to death; time was not on his side.

That was the most advantageous card I could bring to the negotiation table.

“Thank you for coming.”

“It wasn’t that hard when I came by car.”

“Heh heh, is that so? Well, the cars we use at home are all top-class, so you must have ridden in luxury.”

“Yes, I’m thinking I should buy one like that myself soon.”

While we exchanged these trivial pleasantries, Chairman Kang Ryuseong looked at Han Yeri, who was standing beside me.

“Yeri.”

“Yes, Grandfather.”

“Go say hello to your uncle. I have something to discuss privately with this young man.”

He wasn’t going to let Han Yeri be part of this conversation.

In nicer terms, he wanted to talk with just the two of us; in harsher terms, Han Yeri wasn’t high enough in rank to sit in on this.

It could be both.

“…Understood.”

When Han Yeri reluctantly left, Kang Ryuseong turned his wheelchair.

“Follow me.”

I followed behind him, carefully observing every corner of the mansion.

Paintings and jewels were placed throughout the vast house, raising its value even higher.

It was obvious what the intention behind building this house had been.

“Nice house.”

“A big house was my dream. Ever since the days when all five brothers were crammed into a tiny one-room…”

“I see.”

“But after I built it… the house felt empty.”

That emptiness couldn’t be filled with objects.

It could only be filled with the warmth of people.

So he had one more desire beyond merely protecting Kangseong Group.

“You were very greedy.”

“Klklkl, you seem the same, don’t you?”

“I won’t deny it.”

The greed that Chairman Kang Ryuseong possessed, I had it too.

It was merely suppressed a little by thoughts of revenge.

Chairman Kang Ryuseong passed through a long hallway and arrived at a room.

Books and document files were piled everywhere; this place felt like the true home ground of the man named Kang Ryuseong.

“Even my children rarely come in here.”

“I’m honored.”

“Do you really think so?”

“No. A room is just a room.”

I understood what kind of intimidation he gave to those who faced him.

But to me, a space was merely a space.

What mattered more was the person in front of me and what we would exchange.

At my words, he gave a satisfied smile and headed toward the sofa area.

“Sit. The tea is already prepared, so drink comfortably.”

“I will enjoy it, thank you.”

While I poured myself some green tea, I never took my eyes off Chairman Kang Ryuseong.

He did the same, watching my every move.

All of this was to gain the upper hand at the negotiation table that would soon begin.

When the tea had steeped just right, Chairman Kang Ryuseong opened his mouth.

“So, you’ve swallowed Kangseong Foods, I hear?”

“I’m only acting president for now. It’s hard to say I’ve completely taken control.”

“Heh heh, with someone like you, that shouldn’t be difficult, should it?”

“It’s not easy, but it’s not impossible either.”

I had already drawn up a reconstruction plan for Kangseong Foods.

Various measures to fix the deficient profit structure were currently being reviewed one by one by the employees.

“As soon as all reviews are finished, the plan will proceed. Then both the image and sales scale of Kangseong Foods will change.”

“You’re solidifying your position by properly performing the role of acting president.”

“Those above don’t speak with words. They show with actions.”

Just like I’m currently running Ribbon Corporation.

At my words, the corners of Chairman Kang Ryuseong’s mouth curled upward.

As though he had finally found the person he had been looking for.

“Everyone who has faced me until now was only trying to leech off me and take whatever they could. And that includes my own children.”

Kang Ryuseong’s children only thought about receiving what was given.

They never considered starting a new business and developing Kangseong Group through it.

A group with no growth.

Yet it still existed purely because of its existing size.

That was how I saw the current state of Kangseong Group.

“The world is a jungle. Without growth, you only wither away.”

“Just like Kangseong Foods.”

“Exactly.”

Kangseong Foods wasn’t like this in the past either.

When Kangseong Group first entered the food market and gradually expanded its share, healthy competition took place.

It was a win-win situation for Kangseong Group, consumers, and competitors alike.

But as the group grew larger, the situation changed.

“People are slowly turning away, but they’re holding on with what they’ve earned so far. And there are no brains capable of development or innovation. They’re just idiots who think they can enjoy everything anyway! Khoff, khak.”

Having spat out the anger he had been holding in, Chairman Kang Ryuseong kept coughing dryly.

Watching him silently, he wiped his mouth and spoke.

“I cannot bear to see that sight. Kangseong Group must remain a place everyone looks up to.”

“After you’re dead, won’t that be meaningless?”

“Ha, all that remains is name and fame. A great former king of a fallen kingdom—no one remembers him.”

“You want Kangseong Group to remain Korea’s undisputed number-one group. That’s what you wish for?”

“Yes.”

Chairman Kang Ryuseong admitted it readily.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected him to lay everything bare like this from the start.

Hiding one’s crisis and weaknesses is the basic of negotiation, after all.

For him to boldly open this up…

Either he is that desperate, or he is confident the negotiation won’t collapse even after revealing this level of weakness.

It has to be one or the other.

And for Kang Ryuseong, it’s probably… the latter.

“Now that you know what I want, make your offer.”

“Please speak.”

“I will sell you the remaining shares of Kangseong Foods. Take them.”

He was handing over Kangseong Foods without resistance.

This would serve as a clear warning to the rest of the Kangseong family.

A warning that if they continued managing like this, he would rather give it to someone else.

It was a move to rally the family for the eternal kingdom he desired.

But I can’t just accept this.

“That feels like something I should receive as compensation for the previous deal. Please make a different offer.”

“Huh, any other guy would be jumping for joy at this much. You’re greedy.”

“If my greed were only middling, I wouldn’t have dared say I’d devour the entire Kangseong Group.”

He laughed as though my displayed greed amused him.

“Yes, you need at least that level of greed to deal with me.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Then what do you want? And what can you give me?”

At his words, I gave the answer I had prepared.

“You’ve already told me what you want. You hope Kangseong Group remains forever the unrivaled giant of the business world under Chairman, that it stays a group everyone looks up to.”

“Yes.”

“That cannot be achieved. Because in the end, it will fall by my hands.”

Devouring Kangseong Group is also part of my future plan.

Yet make a deal to preserve Kangseong Group?

There’s no way it could be that easy.

The opponent is Kang Ryuseong.

A titan who single-handedly built Kangseong Group.

He would never enter something like this without insurance, without a contingency.

The moment I lie, I must assume he’s got a leash around my neck.

Of course, whether telling the truth right now is advantageous is a separate issue.

“A company that would vanish without a trace if we stepped on it seriously is going to bring down Kangseong Group? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

“Right now, yes. But will it stay that way?”

I know what greedy dream he harbors.

“Kangseong Group will gradually lose strength. A company without growth, only conservative, cannot keep up with the flow of time.”

That dream—he is struggling so it lasts as long as possible.

That is Chairman Kang Ryuseong’s current wish.

I just need to help that wish.

“What I put on the negotiation table is this. A declaration of war.”

The declarations of war I made before could be dismissed as nonsense.

The cries of the powerless are no different from the words of a loser.

But now it’s different.

The words I speak now, after having swallowed Kangseong Foods, will be hard for that family to ignore.

Moreover, if Kangseong Foods continues to stabilize and its profit structure becomes solid,

And if I take the shares of Kangseong Foods on top of that and the declaration of war rings out?

Only then will they realize.

That Kangseong Group might not fall into the hands of one of them, but into the hands of an outsider.

A common external enemy will unite the inside.

Exactly as Kang Ryuseong wants.

Chairman Kang Ryuseong closed his eyes after hearing me.

Watching him lost in deep thought, I leisurely sipped my tea.

The tea leaves served in such a fine house certainly tasted different.

I should stock some of these in the reception room later; the employees would like it.

“Does the tea go down well while giving an old man a headache?”

“It was made to be drunk, so of course I drink it. Isn’t that right?”

“Shameless bastard.”

I looked into Chairman Kang Ryuseong’s eyes.

The eyes of someone who has reached a conclusion.

The eyes of a gambler, a risk-taker, a businessman.

“I will give the shares of Kangseong Foods as compensation for the previous deal.”

“I will enjoy them.”

“And in return for accepting your declaration of war, I will amend my will.”

For him whose life is running out, a single line written in the will had far greater impact than any word spoken.

Knowing that, he must have chosen this.

“How will you amend it?”

“My eldest son has no interest in management. Even if I gave him the shares of Kangseong Group, they would all go to his daughter in the end. And that would be too much for my granddaughter. It’s unfair.”

I could feel a strong intention not to allow even the smallest internal chaos.

Then where do those shares go?

“The shares that would have gone to my second son—I will give them to you.”

I receive shares of Kangseong Group itself.

This is equivalent to naming me as one of the successors.

“You’re giving me something far bigger than I expected?”

“It has to be at least that big to give those brats a proper headache.”

“Then the board will be set exactly as you wish.”

“If you regret it, say so now. I’ll change it immediately.”

“No chance.”

There’s nothing to regret.

Kicking away a table where such huge prey is laid out is not the move of a gambler.

“Anyway, the will only becomes public after your death. I just need to prepare before then. Actually, the terms are far too favorable for me.”

“Kekeke, right. Let’s see you try.”

“Won’t you regret it, Chairman? If you leave me this much room, it will only make it easier for me to swallow Kangseong Group.”

“Do not underestimate me.”

Chairman Kang Ryuseong looked at me with the most intense gaze he had shown today.

“Kangseong Group will not be that easy.”

Of course.

Even with its momentum slightly weakened, it is still the undisputed number-one conglomerate in the country.

But I am confident.

[The 1st Apostle is seeking the Master of the Dimension.]

“Even if it’s not easy, in the end it will lie beneath my feet.”

That confidence that Kangseong Group will ultimately be mine.