Hold my hand
As the night deepened, the number of people looking for the party venue where the inauguration party was being held continued to increase.
Bosilai was greeting each and every person who came to visit him to expand his network and having short conversations with them.
In Korea, several CEOs of large corporations also attended the inauguration party in person.
"Mr. Kim."
"Oh, Chairman Kim Byung-woo. Are you here?"
Chairman Kim Byung-woo also visited Shanghai.
"It's been a while. I'm a little late."
"You're late. You're right on time."
I also looked in the direction where Boshirai was, greeting him.
I was thinking of introducing him to Chairman Kim Byeong-woo.
But there were still crowds of people around him.
"I will introduce you to Boshilai later."
Kim Byung-woo also nodded his head at the sight of the crowd and said.
"All right."
"Who are the heads of major corporations?"
"The presidents came to three places in person. Us, Daehyun Motors, and······."
"Haha. Hello."
Before Kim Byeong-woo could finish his explanation, Seo Jae-sang came toward us and greeted us.
"Chairman Seo Jae-sang came in person."
"Yes."
Seo Jae-sang, who took over the leadership of JC Group from Seo Maeng-geon, was quite polite, unlike before.
"I didn't know the politician named Bosira at all. Did you know, President Kim Moo-hyuk?"
There was no need to answer. Seo Jae-sang simply shrugged his shoulders in response to the question.
"I don't know everything."
"Is that so? Hmm······."
Even after finishing the greetings, Seo Jae-sang did not leave his seat.
He was licking his lips and looking around, as if he had something to say.
"Chairman Kim Byeong-woo."
I only called his name, but Kim Byeong-woo quickly figured out what I meant.
"I'm going to talk to some other people. I'll see you later."
Kim Byeong-woo took the staff member he brought in as an interpreter and moved to another place.
When the two of them were left alone, he asked Seo Jae-sang directly without changing the subject.
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"What do you have to say?"
Seo Jae-sang took a deep breath and spoke in a firm voice.
"I want to enter China."
"Then go ahead. Why are you telling me that?"
"Don't you know? It's hard to get into China without connections. We want to export the films we produce and distribute to China."
"Are you asking me to do that?"
"No. Just introduce yourself and I'll take care of the rest."
I stared intently at Seo Jae-sang, who was waving his hand and speaking.
'He's definitely a different person.'
The look in his eyes was different. Although he was the eldest grandson of the Seo family, Seo Jae-sang, who had a sense of entitlement and lived in denial of reality, was no longer around.
But that didn't mean I had to help him blindly.
"Is there any reason why I should do that?"
"If you just introduce me, I will participate in whatever Mr. Kim does next."
"Hmm······."
I was drooling and thinking. I was busy thinking, constantly moving the weights in my head.
Should I help him or not? After thinking about it for a while, he opened his mouth.
"Okay, I'll introduce you to the person in charge of the Photoelectricity Bureau. However, it will be difficult for the JC Group to enter the Chinese market on its own."
"I know. First, I'm building a network with the General Administration of Photonics and then looking for a partner to do business with in China."
"Do you need to look far?"
"yes?"
Since you have a good partner, there's no need to waste your energy.
He pointed to a man approaching us, leaving the puzzled Seo Jae-sang behind.
"There you go."
"President Kim Mu-hyeok."
Seo Hyeong-jun greeted me warmly, but then his face hardened when he saw Seo Jae-sang facing me.
"Seo Jae-sang······."
Seo Hyung-jun repeated Seo Jae-sang's name, and Seo Jae-sang's face also hardened as he confirmed Seo Hyung-jun's name.
"What are you doing here?"
Although they were collateral, Seo Hyeong-jun was Seo Jae-sang's older brother.
"What about that brother?"
"Why do you ask when you already know? I was kicked out by you and I'm struggling to get back on my feet in China."
"······."
"Oh, I wasn't kicked out. I came out on my own feet."
"I had no intention of kicking you out."
Seo Hyung-jun shrugged his shoulders, nodded, and smiled.
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"Yeah, maybe you are. But other people weren't. You know how much I was being treated like that."
There was sharp criticism in his calm tone.
Seo Jae-sang, who noticed this, said nothing and just looked at Seo Hyeong-jun.
"Don't say you didn't know. Those bastards can't talk back to me without your consent."
Even though he was a collateral branch, Seo Hyung-jun was a member of the royal family.
To speak up to him like that meant that you had the approval of another royal family member.
"······I couldn't help it."
"Well, I understand your situation. Your position was also precarious. If it weren't for President Kim Moo-hyuk's help, would you still be in that position?"
Seo Jae-sang bit his lips tightly.
As Seo Hyeong-jun said, if I hadn't supported him, there would have been problems with the management succession.
I intervened before their emotional fight got any worse.
"You two, let's talk later, Vice President Seo Hyeong-jun. Did you hear the news?"
Seo Hyeong-jun nodded to my question.
"Thank you. Thanks to President Kim······."
"There is no reason for me to thank you. You worked for me, so it is only right for me to step forward."
I already knew that saying this would increase the loyalty of those who work with me.
I lightly joked to lighten the mood and then got straight to the point.
"Chairman Seo Jae-sang said he wants to enter the Chinese market. He said he is looking for a Chinese partner, and I hope JK Media will take charge."
Seo Jae-sang and Seo Hyeong-jun were surprised and called me at the same time.
"Mr. Kim."
"president."
I thought I knew what they were trying to say.
I raised my hand to calm them both down and spoke coldly.
"Don't bring your personal feelings into business. It's obvious to anyone that joining hands is beneficial to both parties. Or am I misreading Vice President Seo Hyung-jun?"
"······No. I will look into it."
"Don't just end it with a review, but join hands. In order to show more Korean films in China, we have to join hands with JC. If you know that, why are you doing this?"
When I looked at him with disappointment, he coughed and answered.
"No. I will do as you instruct."
"You know that I try not to interfere with what the Vice President does, right?"
"Yes, I know. Thank you for always believing in me. For a moment, I almost turned away from something that was beneficial to the company because of my personal feelings."
Seo Hyung-jun bowed his head and apologized. As expected, this is what people who are good at their jobs and quick-witted like.
This time I asked Seo Jae-sang.
"What about you, Chairman? Are you thinking of not advancing into China due to personal reasons?"
"······No. Anyone should hold hands."
"great."
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Now that the negotiations were over, there seemed to be no need to delay and they could just get on with it.
I looked around the party venue and said to Seo Hyeong-jun.
"Vice President Seo Hyeong-jun, please go around to the parties with Chairman Seo Jae-sang and expand your network. Since we are of the same blood, it will be easy to introduce each other."
"All right."
Seo Hyung-jun turned around and spoke to Seo Jae-sang. Unlike the sad smile he had given me in front of him, his voice was quite cold.
"Follow me. Don't hold your head up stiffly like you do in Korea. This is China."
"I know that much."
"If you make a mistake, it could cause trouble for me. No, it could even cause trouble for President Kim."
"Oh, I know. Stop nagging me."
Seo Hyeong-jun disappeared with Seo Jae-sang.
After confirming that there were fewer people on the Boshirai side, I looked for Kim Byeong-woo.
I noticed someone talking to me not too far away and started walking towards them.
"Chairman Kim."
"Boss. Have you finished your work?"
He nodded and smiled as he reached out his hand to the person who was talking to Kim Byung-woo.
"Chairman Song is here too. It's been a while."
"Yes, Mr. Kim. It's been a while."
"Daehyun Motors' growth is amazing."
"Haha. I'm finally starting to recover."
"The reason you visited the factory in China today is because of that?"
Chairman Song Chan-seong nodded and lowered his voice.
"I see. We are planning to build more factories in China."
I nodded along with him and lowered my voice.
"Do you plan to wind down the joint venture with Beijing Automotive?"
"······How did you know?"
Although the company had already established a joint venture with Beijing Automobile and was building a factory, business was slow.
There was also a high risk of technology theft.
"Because it's a state-owned enterprise. The Chinese government has no reason to be concerned."
"Yes. We need to expand our Chinese factories, but it's difficult to set up the factories. I also heard a rumor that they are negotiating with Benz without our knowledge."
There is always truth hidden in rumors. Song Chan-seong may not be sure, but he must have guessed.
"It's not a rumor. We will soon establish a joint venture and officially start business in China."
"······Then there is no reason for us to do business with Beijing Automobile."
"So you came today to join hands with Shanghai Automotive."
"Yes. But······. It was harder than I thought to meet Party Secretary Bo Xilai."
Song Chan-seong looked at Boshirai with an embarrassed smile.
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I also turned around after checking Boshirai's direction again.
"Then let's go. I'll introduce you."
I took the two people and approached Boshirai.
As I approached, Boshirai smiled brightly and waved.
"Mr. Kim."
"Secretary Bo Shirai. I have someone to introduce to you. I know you are busy, but I hope you don't mind."
"Haha. That's impossible."
As Boshirai looked at the people around him, the people gathered around him started to move one by one.
"This is Kim Byeong-woo, Chairman of the Jungwoo Group."
I introduced Kim Byeong-woo first.
"Jungwoo Group!"
Bo Xilai also knew that the owner of the Zhongwu Group was me.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Kim Byeong-woo."
"Haha. Nice to meet you. Let me see."
Bosailai shook hands with Kim Byung-woo.
There was an exchange of light words and congratulations, and this time he pointed to Song Chan-seong and spoke.
"And this is Song Chan-seong, the chairman of Daehyun Motors."
"Daehyun Motors! I know. I know."
At the mention of Daehyun Motors, a look of delight appeared on Boshirai's face.
"I'm Song Chan-seong. Nice to meet you."
"I heard that Daehyun is one of the most fundamental companies among the major corporations in Korea."
"Thank you for the compliment."
After a brief introduction, I got straight to the point.
"Daehyun Motors wants to build a factory in China."
"I know. But aren't you already looking for a site for a factory by establishing a joint venture with Beijing Automobile?"
As expected, the ambitious Boshirai would not miss this part.
I quickly glanced at Song Chan-seong, and he carefully opened his mouth.
"Yes, but the business is too slow. The factory site should have been selected already."
"Hmm. I have no authority over Beijing Automobile."
"I know. That's why I want to cancel the joint venture with BAIC and join hands with SAIC to enter China."
"······You said Shanghai Automobile?"
When Boshirai asked again, Song Chanseong nodded and spoke firmly.
"Yes, that's right. We want to set up a joint venture, build a factory in China, and produce Daehyun cars."
"Why would Shanghai Automotive establish a joint venture with Daewoo? It already has joint ventures with Volkswagen and GM to produce vehicles."
"I know."
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"If you know, do you have more to say?"
I laughed inwardly at Boshirai's words. I drooled, but acted dismissive on the outside.
"Daehyun Motors is not only price competitive in the Chinese market, but its technological prowess is no different from that of the two companies."
"What good does that do for us?"
"All parts will be manufactured and assembled in China."
Neither Volkswagen nor GM localized all their parts.
But in contrast, Daewoo Motors promised to localize all its parts.
"Hmm. It's a tempting offer, but······. Can you liquidate the joint venture with Beijing Automotive?"
"that······."
In fact, that was the problem. Even if Bo Xilai readily accepted and wanted to join hands with Shanghai Automotive, Beijing Automotive would never back down.
Perhaps Song Chan-seong came to see Boshirai, hoping that he would act as a shield.
Boshirai, who could not have been unaware of that, said.
"If I step forward and apply pressure, my relationship with the central government will inevitably deteriorate."
Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation, a state-owned enterprise, and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation, a private enterprise.
Even a three-year-old would know what was more important.
"If you part ways amicably with Beijing Automotive, I will step forward and try to help you form a partnership with Shanghai Automotive. What do you think?"
Song Chan-seong said he would do it if he cut ties with Beijing Automobile.
"······Would you mind telling us what we say?"
"Then why don't we do business with Beijing Automobile? If you haven't decided where to build the factory, how about building it near Shanghai? I can recommend a good place for you."
Song Chan-seong looked at me with an embarrassed face.
I thought I should help Song Chan-seong, since his arms were bent inward.
"Secretary General, please don't push us so hard. The Prime Minister is coming soon, so how about we all talk about it then?"
"If Mr. Kim says so, I will understand."
Unlike when Song Chan-seong spoke, Boshirai nodded coolly to what I said.