I Am the Third-Generation Heir of a Conglomerate - Chapter 501



Only Noblemtl

501. Fierce Battle (1)

The place I headed to with my tired body was Captain Kang’s office.

Vice Chairman Han was staying up all night at the financial tower, and Captain Kang was guarding the office alone.

“It’s been a while since you’ve been here! Would you like a bowl of ramen?”

“I’m full today. Let’s talk about business first. How’s your business going these days?”

“Everything is going smoothly, from taxis to PC cafes. Although it is not increasing by a large amount, sales are increasing little by little.”

Captain Kang’s business acumen was pretty good.

It was Captain Kang who brought in many good people not because of his outstanding management skills, but because of his outstanding leadership.

“Don’t you think it’s time to move on to a new business? The existing business is quite stagnant.”

“I am ready to do any business as long as it is under the chairman’s direction.”

“Then why don’t you try starting a mask business?”

“When you say mask, do you mean the kind of mask used in hospitals?”

Let’s think back to the Corona era.

The first thing that happened was the mask crisis.

A spectacle of people lining up at pharmacies and post offices to buy a single mask unfolded, and this situation continued for quite some time.

“There is something called a droplet blocking mask. It is a surgical or health mask used by medical personnel in hospitals.”

“Is there any reason why you should start a mask business?”

“The yellow dust is getting worse. The number of patients with lung disease will continue to increase. So if you jump into the mask business now, you can make a decent profit.”

The yellow dust was just an excuse.

It was to prepare for the Corona era, but I couldn’t tell Captain Kang that, so I made up a plausible excuse.

“I have no idea where or how to start the mask business.”

“The simplest way to start is to acquire a few small mask companies. There are a few small companies that are developing masks that can filter out more than 94% of particles.

“Should I do the takeover the ignorant way, or should I do it the polite way?”

Captain Kang still had the characteristics of a soldier.

I tried to unconditionally carry out any orders that came down from above.

They also had the ability to forcibly acquire small and medium-sized businesses through the power of information.

“The method will vary depending on the company. Companies with a lot of shady behind-the-scenes methods will use unsophisticated methods, while companies that don’t will use polite methods. Here is a list of small and medium-sized companies. Check it out for yourself.”

“I’ll get rid of all the information within this week, but if I do it the polite way, it’ll cost me a lot of money to take over.”

“Don’t worry about the cost. Myeongdong will help you with any remaining expenses.”

The plan was to also increase the fortune of the owner of Myeongdong through the mask business.

This kind of gift could be given to Lee Young-han, who worked hard to secure a site for the semiconductor city.

“We need to share the stake with Myeongdong.”

“If we have 7 and Myeongdong has 3, that should be enough. And if we have to resort to stupid methods, wouldn’t it be better to move Myeongdong?”

The information that Captain Kang possessed was like the ocean.

From SNS and video platforms to portal sites.

Captain Kang was able to obtain vast amounts of information in a variety of ways.

But Myeongdong had information like a reservoir.

The moment I did something dirty, I had to dip my feet in the reservoir in Myeongdong.

Lee Young-han was able to easily and conveniently acquire a company through threats or coercion.

“If I could just get some help from Myeongdong, it would definitely make things easier.”

“But there are probably only a few companies that have a dirty back. So, instead of needlessly harassing good companies, take them over through normal means.”

“They say that even a dog in a private school can learn to recite poetry after three years. I have learned a lot from working with Daimon and Vice Chairman Han. I will handle things well.”

Dimon, the head of America’s largest financial institution.

Vice Chairman Han, the vice chairman of Korea’s largest company.

Since Captain Kang worked with these types of people, he also gained a lot of experience.

And considering the excellent work performance of the staff under him, I had full confidence that he would handle this matter well.

“And I would like you to do one more business.”

“What kind of business is it?”

“Do you remember the MERS outbreak?”

“I remember that Taewoo Hospital received all the MERS patients.”

“At that time, Taewoo Hospital used a prefabricated negative pressure ward. Please take over that company and expand its scale.”

Prefabricated negative pressure ward.

If COVID-19 spreads, there will be a huge number of patients.

A lack of negative pressure wards results in patients not receiving proper treatment.

So, we need to start mass producing prefabricated negative pressure wards now to prepare for what might happen a year from now.

“I’m not really sure what a prefabricated negative pressure ward does, but I’ll give it a try!”

“Run the factory 24 hours a day immediately after the acquisition and produce prefabricated negative pressure wards. I will take responsibility for all costs.”

There was no way money could come out of Taewoo Group.

If we prepare a negative pressure ward for no reason, a false rumor may spread that the Taewoo Group intentionally spread the COVID-19 virus.

So we had to get funding through other channels.

I’ve set up several paper companies for a day like today.

Even if we just used a portion of the funds accumulated there, we could easily support a negative pressure ward factory.

“I will deploy my subordinates to the factory to maximize production!”

“Please proceed as quickly as possible. In particular, I would like to complete the acquisition of the mask company within this month.”

“If we have information and money, it is possible. And since Myeongdong has joined in, I think we will be able to bring you good news within this month.”

Captain Kang’s confidence was sky-high.

It seems that the company is on track to succeed not only in acquiring small and medium-sized businesses but also in acquiring large corporations.

Actually, there’s nothing you can’t do. If you have enough money, what can’t you do?

***

Early morning.

As soon as I arrived at work, a vice president came to see me.

“China has pulled out a new card!”

“As expected, China is China. They blocked bonds and rare earth resources, but they found a new card.”

“They say they are completely stopping imports of American crude oil. We have also received information that they have already reduced imports of American crude oil since last month.”

It was a vice president who had a subtle expression on his face while reporting.

That would be the case, as Taewoo Group owned a considerable amount of shares in American oil companies.

In the United States, Taewoo Group was conducting oil-related business on such a large scale that it was recognized as one of the oil companies.

“Oil prices will fall significantly soon.”

“I have already taken a lot of short positions. In the case of Brent crude, which has risen to $86, I expect it to fall significantly due to China’s response.”

The oil industry was enjoying a boom for the first time in a long time.

The price, which was barely $60 in January of this year, has already surpassed $86, a whopping 43% increase.

“American oil companies are going to be in big trouble, too. Have you secured enough short positions?”

“We have secured a very generous amount. The entire quantity released to the market has been secured by the financial tower. So much so that there are even rumors that we have secured too much.”

The decline in crude oil prices naturally affects the stock prices of oil companies.

However, the amount prepared by the Financial Tower is so large that the US-China trade dispute alone is not enough to generate large profits.

“Get more volume than you have now. And plan to keep shorting for two years or more.”

“Will the US-China trade war continue for another two years? President Trump’s term will end in two years. If the administration changes, won’t the nature of the trade war change?”

“The moment a war starts, even if the commander changes, it won’t make a difference. A train that has already started running can’t be stopped by one person.”

Relations between the United States and China have already crossed the line.

Nothing would change if someone other than Trump took the presidency.

And there was one more important point.

Even if the US-China trade dispute ends within two years, oil prices were bound to fall due to the emergence of a new variable called the COVID-19 era.

And by a very large margin.

“For everything else, proceed as Vice Chairman Han wishes. However, regarding the price of oil, you must unconditionally follow my opinion.”

“Are you saying we should bet on oil companies falling for the next two years?”

“Oil prices will continue to fall. So keep increasing your exposure to crude oil futures and shorting oil companies.”

Oil prices were bound to fall due to the US-China trade dispute.

The 40% increase that has been accumulating throughout the year is likely to return to its starting point within a few months.

But this directive was never given just to eat 40%.

The moment the Corona era comes.

Oil prices will fall to $10.

An unprecedented event called negative oil prices has even occurred.

Negative oil prices.

It literally meant a situation where crude oil producers paid money to sell crude oil.

This was something no one had expected, as there had never been a negative oil price since the oil industry began.

“To be honest, I agree with the chairman’s opinion. It is natural for crude oil prices to fall and oil company stock prices to fall. However, the oil companies owned by Taewoo Group will also suffer great losses.”

“That’s why they organized the shares in advance. That’s why they sold off not only the oil field shares but also more than half of the oil company shares. Considering the profits from the share sales, it’s definitely not a losing business.”

He liquidated his oil holdings before the trade war began.

This was the reason why he sold his shares in advance even though he knew that oil prices would rise significantly throughout 2018.

It is only when oil prices are expected to rise that shares can be sold at high prices.

“It’s certainly lighter than other oil companies.”

“And if we attack harder, wouldn’t we be able to get the shares back at a cheaper price later?”

“Do you plan to reacquire shares in oil companies?”

“The more deeply we are immersed in the oil industry, the more influential Taewoo Group becomes.”

For the survival of the Taewoo Group, various types of weapons were needed.

Semiconductors, rare resources, oil, and future industries.

As the number of weapons increases, the possibility of Taewoo Group’s survival increases, and when I say survival, I mean not just surviving, but also taking the initiative.

“Let’s continue the attack tenaciously.”

“The U.S. government will not impose sanctions for the time being. They will just watch for the time being, thanks to the resolution of the bond issue.”

“I will be a bit conscious of it, but I will pretend not to notice and just let it go.”

No country was more sensitive to oil than the United States.

The financial towers will not be happy to attack oil and oil companies.

But we could get relatively less attention because China would continue to attack by selling off US Treasury bonds.

A war between two huge countries: the United States and China.

They were now doing everything in their power to kill each other.

The United States and China could not take their eyes off Taewoo Group and Financial Tower no matter how they made profits.