Mobile games were a goldmine.
With the advantages of easy monetization and no restrictions on location, they could secure a far larger user base than PC games.
Still, the game company representatives hesitated.
I had no choice but to shake the carrot.
"Taewoo Electronics will cover all costs for developing mobile games. In return, we will take 50% ownership of the mobile games."
"The condition of covering all development costs is appealing, but isn't taking 50% ownership a bit too much?"
The game company leaders had already tasted money.
In the past, they would have accepted such conditions without question, but now, with their coffers full, such terms didn't work as easily.
"We will also mobilize personnel from Taewoo Electronics' IT department to assist in mobile game development."
"Hm, wouldn't making phone games for Chinese expansion be pushing it?"
"If you're really short on staff, outsourcing is fine. Taewoo Group will also cover outsourcing costs."
"With those conditions, there's no reason to refuse. We will sign the contract."
The game executives smiled satisfactorily as they signed the contracts.
I might look like a pushover.
Covering all development costs and mobilizing personnel but only taking 50% ownership.
But am I really a pushover?
The moment the profits from mobile games start hitting the bank accounts, they will realize the pushover isn't me but themselves.
And beyond just game revenues,
I had multiple revenue streams set up—
commissions from distribution, fees from in-app payments, and more.
With several straws already stuck in, the contract was unquestionably favorable to me.
***
Time passed, and it was now March.
During this period, I had devoted my attention to Taewoo Semiconductor and miraculously raised the yield rate to 66%.
With fewer defective products, the losses naturally decreased, but turning a profit still felt far away.
How could I further increase Taewoo Semiconductor's yield?
Should I bring in more talent?
Or should I introduce new equipment?
While I was deeply absorbed in these thoughts, the planning director rushed in urgently.
"Vice Chairman! There's a serious problem. Someone has started targeting the chairman in Yeouido."
"What on earth do you mean? Who would target the chairman? Surely no crazy lawmaker held a press conference or anything?"
"Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil is accusing the chairman of accounting fraud."
I quickly turned on the TV.
A news channel was broadcasting Assemblyman Yoon's live press conference.
[Here is evidence obtained through a founding member of Taewoo Group. These are documents showing Chairman Kim Tae-jung has been involved in accounting fraud for the past ten years, and we will submit these to the prosecution!]
The press conference was nearly over.
I missed the earlier portion but could guess the contents.
"Why is Assemblyman Yoon doing this? Is his party attacking Taewoo Group as a whole?"
"It seems like an attack aimed at the government. It is known that this government has close ties with Taewoo Group. By exposing Taewoo's corruption, they are trying to erode the government's approval ratings, hence this action."
Listening to the planning director, I checked detailed information about Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil.
I also found out which founding member of Taewoo Group leaked the information to him.
It was Jang Soo-young, former president of Taewoo Construction.
He must be harboring a grudge against me for driving him out.
But to think he would carry out such a self-destructive attack.
For Jang Soo-young to accuse my grandfather of accounting fraud, he himself had to get stained with dirt.
"Let's go to the chairman first."
"The legal team is already upstairs in the chairman's office."
I went up to the chairman's office with the planning director.
The legal team and lawyers from a major law firm were busily moving about.
"Chairman, are you alright?"
"Hm, Assemblyman Yoon seems to be aiming for the next presidential election. He must be trying to cause a lame-duck situation for this government and turn the issue to his side."
"Is there a problem?"
"If that's what you want to know, ask the chief secretary. He's directing the legal team and law firm."
Grandfather pointed to the chief secretary.
Before I could ask, the chief secretary began explaining the situation.
"We can't deny the accounting fraud accusations. But there's no actual benefit gained from the fraud. Usually, accounting fraud is used to increase a company's value to secure more loans, but our Taewoo Group has zero debt, so the risk is low."
"How do you defend against allegations that accounting fraud was used to manipulate the stock price?"
"For that to be a problem, there would need to be large stock transactions, but other than recent inheritance procedures, there has been almost no change in share ownership."
The accounting fraud charges weren't nonexistent.
But since I had adjusted the books when I was in the audit team, and had already paid off all debts, there was little room for problems.
"So it can be neatly cleared as no charges?"
"It depends on the evidence Yoon Hyun-gil holds, but there is a high possibility of a prosecution investigation. A fine may also be imposed."
"We can pay any fine. Just make sure there's definitely no prison sentence."
"We have hired many lawyers who enjoy special treatment. We will absolutely ensure the chairman never goes to jail."
I didn't want to see my grandfather go to jail again.
Why did I endure all that hardship, even going through time regression?
It was to protect Taewoo Group and my grandfather.
If my elderly grandfather ended up in prison again, I didn't know how I myself might change.
"First, we need to try contacting Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil. Arrange a meeting."
"Approaching carelessly could lead to charges of concealing a crime. It's better not to make contact until they reach out first."
Of course, meeting him blindly wouldn't solve anything.
We needed to secure a weapon sharp enough to pierce Yoon Hyun-gil's defenses to negotiate on equal footing.
"Release as many rebuttal articles as possible. We need to make it clear that there was no actual gain from the accounting fraud to create favorable public opinion for us."
"Starting today, I will ensure all media outlets publish rebuttal articles."
After finishing the conversation with the chief secretary, I approached my grandfather.
He seemed tired, eyes closed, massaging his head.
I gently pressed his shoulder and then left the chairman's office.
I had expected something like this to happen someday.
That was also why I brought Captain Kang on board—to defend against or counter such incidents.
"You saw the press conference, right? Assemblyman Yoon is attacking the chairman to boost his own approval ratings."
"We've started investigating Yoon Hyun-gil, but it's not easy to get close. Having been a five-term lawmaker, he hides his weaknesses thoroughly."
Captain Kang began working before I even gave instructions.
That was why I kept him by my side.
He had secretly handled many matters and achieved good results.
But even Captain Kang found Assemblyman Yoon thoroughly difficult.
"First, we need to prevent public opinion from turning against the chairman."
"Should we create incidents that the media will like?"
"This kind of work is usually Taewoo Group's planning office's specialty, but if they move now, they might be counterattacked, so Captain Kang will need to handle it."
"I have a few good sources. They're related to the entertainment industry and seem sufficient to sway public opinion."
We were not in a position to choose between cold rice and hot rice.
First, we had to divert the attention focused on my grandfather.
"Proceed as planned. Use whatever budget is necessary."
"There's hardly any budget needed. Just distribute the materials to the media, and those will become front-page news by tomorrow."
Captain Kang's intelligence capabilities had improved even more than before.
This was thanks to the information gathered not only through military networks but also from Myeongdong.
Myeongdong was the fastest place for rumors to spread in South Korea, especially for illegal affairs.
And the owner of Myeongdong was Lee Young-han.
Lee Young-han voluntarily provided information to Captain Kang.
"And you said it was difficult to find any weaknesses in Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil?"
"Right. Except for public events, he only goes between his home and office."
"People in power can't be completely clean. Start by investigating the aides who worked with him."
I had already checked detailed information about Assemblyman Yoon.
I had confirmed some unusual items that could serve as weaknesses.
[Note: Concealed a drunk driving accident, his aide took the punishment.]
"Since he's a five-term lawmaker, he has had many aides working with him."
"First check if any of them have a criminal record. Especially if any gained one while serving as Yoon Hyun-gil's aide, dig deeper."
"Starting the investigation immediately."
With Captain Kang's skills, he would quickly find a weakness.
But to wield that weakness effectively, I needed a skilled player who could use it.
Although many prosecutors, police officers, and politicians had joined the fund, unfortunately, no one had enough public recognition to fight Assemblyman Yoon on equal terms.
While I was still pondering this,
Dimon quietly approached me and spoke.
"Sir, I don't understand. Taewoo Group manages much of Korea's economy. Is it really likely that attacking Taewoo Group to raise your profile will get you elected president?"
"They're attacking because the stock price is plummeting. News lately has focused on the falling Taewoo Group stock price, so they hope to ride that issue to increase their profile."
"Raising profile doesn't guarantee election, right? If they really want to win the presidency, wouldn't it be better to ally with Taewoo Group, the number one conglomerate?"
"That means they want to ally with companies other than us."
Assemblyman Yoon Hyun-gil was nearing retirement.
Having served five terms in the National Assembly, the only position left for him was the presidency.
However, his relatively low recognition despite five terms was a problem, and it seemed he intended to raise his profile with this opportunity.
"So should we assume he's already aligned with other companies?"
"Probably not. He likely believes that by attacking Taewoo Group, other companies will naturally show interest."
"That's a shallow tactic. If good news breaks for Taewoo Group and the stock price rebounds, it's only a matter of time before public opinion flips."
"It seems this was planned assuming Taewoo Group would struggle for a while due to Taewoo Semiconductor's issues."
This was why predators must never show weakness.
The moment you show weakness, hidden competitors baring their teeth come out.
"We also need to create rivals to bite Assemblyman Yoon."
"Other presidential candidates from his party would be suitable. They wouldn't want Yoon to surge ahead."
"That's true, but the problem is time. We have to stall somehow until we find a weakness in Assemblyman Yoon. I'm not sure if that's possible."
Captain Kang had started working on turning public opinion.
But how effective that would be was uncertain.
If Assemblyman Yoon escalated matters backed by his party, the fire could grow too big to easily control.
With those thoughts, the next day arrived.
And the front pages of newspapers were filled with news that was about to turn South Korea upside down.