The new year of 2002 had arrived.
A year of unending celebrations.
With both the World Cup and the presidential election taking place in South Korea, it was set to be an exceptionally heated year.
Of course, not everyone would be celebrating.
But for Taewoo Group to come out smiling, we had to be on the winning side.
"Vice Chairman, here's the 2002 strategy report. It includes the business plans for all subsidiaries, as well as analyses of domestic and international political landscapes."
I glanced at the report and set it aside.
"I'll go over this later. Right now, there's something more important to discuss.
The Chief Secretary should be part of this conversation too."
"I'll bring him in right away."
The Chief Secretary was practically my grandfather's shadow.
Since I took over as Vice Chairman, he had remained quiet and discreet—just as he always had been.
But this time, I needed his help.
A moment later, he stepped in.
"You called for me, sir?"
I smirked.
"You look tanned. Been enjoying your trips to Vietnam? I hear you've been visiting my
grandfather quite often."
He chuckled with a sheepish smile.
"Traveling around with the Chairman tends to do that."
There was wisdom and calmness in his smile.
It was the kind of smile that said he was already preparing for retirement.
"With my grandfather gone, if you disappear too, won't that leave me to struggle all on my own?"
He bowed his head slightly.
"You're handling things exceptionally well, Vice Chairman. Besides, new wine should be poured into new wineskins. It's time for old men like me to step aside."
Oh, no, you don't.
You're not dumping everything on me and slipping away.
I couldn't do anything about my grandfather, but I sure as hell wasn't letting the Chief Secretary walk away so easily.
"At the very least, you should complete the transition before you leave."
He nodded knowingly.
"Of course. I've been thoroughly passing down my knowledge to the secretarial staff."
"Still, there's one task I'd like you to handle personally."
His posture straightened immediately.
For the first time, his mind seemed to return from Vietnam.
"You're aware of the two major events happening in 2002, right?"
"The World Cup and the presidential election?"
"The World Cup is being handled by the planning team, so you don't need to worry about that. But the election—well, that's a different story, isn't it?"
The Chief Secretary had always been in charge of Taewoo Group's 'dirty work.'
He had been involved in election affairs since before the military regime.
If anyone understood the political game, it was him.
He frowned slightly.
"Hmm… This election should be an easy win for the conservatives. All the polls show them
leading by at least 15%."
I leaned back in my chair.
"They say the presidency is decided by fate. You never really know the outcome until it happens."
Of course, I already knew.
An unexpected candidate would win—by less than 3%.
But this time, I couldn't be sure.
I had interfered in so many ways that the 3% margin could shift unpredictably.
The Chief Secretary crossed his arms.
"We should have a clearer picture after the June local elections. Usually, the party that dominates local elections produces the next president."
I smirked.
"That may be the trend, but nothing is guaranteed."
"Do you have a candidate in mind, Vice Chairman? Even the Chairman fully trusted your
judgment when it came to the presidential election. He used to say you were more accurate than a shaman."
Since I already knew the outcome, choosing which candidate to support financially should have been easy.
But this time, even I wasn't sure.
So instead of taking a side, I planned to carve out a new path.
"To be honest, if we fully backed a candidate, wouldn't we be able to make them president
regardless of their party?"
The Chief Secretary frowned.
"That sounds a bit arrogant. While our support might influence the outcome, we can't outright create a president."
I smirked.
"Ah, I'm only talking about this particular election. I predict the winner will be decided by an incredibly slim margin. That means whichever candidate we support will have a high chance of winning."
The Chief Secretary nodded thoughtfully.
"If your prediction is correct, that could be true. So, who do you plan to support?"
He was genuinely interested.
Even if he had one foot out the door, no Korean could ignore the question of who their next
president would be.
"I'm not supporting anyone."
His eyes widened.
"What do you mean? Are you saying you won't provide a single penny in campaign funds?"
I leaned forward.
"In the U.S., campaign funding is legal, but here? If we get caught, we go to jail. Why take that risk?"
"But businesses in Korea rely on government support. We need good relations with the ruling
party."
"That only matters when a company is still growing. Taewoo Group has already outgrown the government's influence. And personally, I have no desire to end up in prison."
Korea's political landscape was constantly shifting.
Which meant if you backed the wrong side, all your past dealings could come back to haunt you.
The Chief Secretary narrowed his eyes.
"So, you intend to cut ties with politics entirely?"
"Not exactly. I just refuse to engage in illegal campaign financing anymore."
He sighed, shaking his head.
"Elections require massive amounts of money. Without financial support, politicians won't budge."
Politics was all about winning.
And winning required money.
That's why corporations and politicians maintained such close ties.
But I was firm.
"Just this once, trust me. This year, we won't give campaign funds to either side."
The Chief Secretary hesitated.
"Other corporations will donate hundreds of billions to both parties. If we don't, Taewoo Group might face retaliation."
I chuckled.
"If it comes to that, we can always throw money around later."
"Campaign funds are most effective when given early. If you wait until after the election, you'll have to pay several times more to gain influence."
I knew that.
But I also knew what was coming.
The election's outcome was uncertain.
But one thing was guaranteed—a massive campaign fund scandal would break out.
Both parties would be exposed.
Every major conglomerate would be implicated.
Except for Taewoo Group.
Because I had already made my decision.
I leaned back with a smirk.
"At some point, someone has to break the cycle.
If we don't, you'll never be able to retire, Chief Secretary."
The Chief Secretary let out a long sigh.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"...So, what do you need me to do?"
"Chief Secretary, I need you to handle our relationships with the political world."
The Chief Secretary exhaled sharply.
"I'll do my best to hold out. I can manage until the election is over, but after that, I can't make any promises."
I smiled slightly.
"That's all I need from you."
With that, the election issue was settled.
Since I had decided not to provide a single cent in campaign funds, there was nothing left to
discuss.
So, I moved on to the next topic: the World Cup.
"Now that we've settled the election, let's talk about the World Cup. Since it's being held in
Korea, shouldn't we take advantage of this and launch major promotional events?"
The Chief Secretary nodded.
"Taewoo Motors has already started a car discount event. Taewoo Electronics and Taewoo
Telecom are also preparing various promotions."
2002 was a year of miracles.
Predicting those miracles and using them for marketing would certainly be lucrative.
But I had no intention of relying on luck.
Still, letting such a massive opportunity go to waste wasn't an option.
"What if we sign an advertising contract with the national team's head coach and the entire
squad?"
The Chief Secretary hesitated.
"Signing the players makes sense, but the head coach? That won't help our image at all. Didn't you see the last friendly match? A humiliating 0-5 defeat. The public is furious with him right now."
Right now, they were cursing him to the heavens.
But after the World Cup?
He'd be a national hero.
Not just in name—he'd even be granted honorary citizenship.
The head coach and the players were at their lowest point.
Which meant now was the perfect time to secure them at a bargain price.
"This is the World Cup in Korea. Their popularity is bound to skyrocket. Get the best possible deals and sign them all."
The Chief Secretary sighed.
"Which subsidiaries should handle the contracts?"
"Start with Taewoo Motors, Taewoo Electronics, Taewoo Telecom, and Taewoo Construction."
He raised an eyebrow.
"So, you want all the major subsidiaries to sign contracts?"
I grinned.
"It's the World Cup. We have to go big. Also, lock in long-term contracts with select players.
I'll send you the list separately."
After 2002, many Korean players would go international.
Especially those heading to the English Premier League.
For them, securing long-term contracts now would be a gold mine.
The Chief Secretary nodded.
"Understood. But if the team performs poorly, we might not be able to air the ads at all."
I leaned back.
"I'll take full responsibility. The planning team just needs to make sure the ads are top-notch."
"Oh, and one more thing—Taewoo Group isn't an official sponsor of the World Cup, right?"
"That's correct. Official sponsorship required over 50 billion KRW in funding, so we opted out. Among our competitors, Hyundai Motors and Korea Telecom have been selected as official sponsors."
Not being an official sponsor meant restrictions on World Cup-related advertising.
Still, ignoring the World Cup boom wasn't an option.
A workaround was necessary.
"Then sign a contract with the official World Cup cheerleading squad. Instead of making an ad about the World Cup, we'll make it about the cheer squad itself."
The Chief Secretary hesitated.
"That could lead to legal trouble. I'll consult with the legal team before proceeding."
With that, I had handled both major events.
Now, it was time to refocus on the Foreign Exchange Bank issue.
***
I headed to Captain Kang's office to meet Dimon.
Captain Kang's Fortress
His office had changed drastically.
What used to be a small building had now expanded into a fortress.
A five-story building for security personnel.
A seven-story building for Dimon's team.
Everything in the area had been acquired under SAVE Investment or security-related subsidiaries.
At this point, almost everyone in the vicinity was one of ours.
"How's the operation progressing?"
Dimon smirked.
"We've set up a few big bombs in strategic locations. And the Financial Supervisory Service just received BIS data from the Foreign Exchange Bank president."
"What ratio did they report?"
"6.16%. Not just a weak bank—this puts them in the 'absolute garbage' category."
Lone Star had finally made their move.
And they had no idea they were walking straight into our trap.