For a while now, the Strategic Planning Office had been moving in a frenzy of activity.

Because the Daeguk Fertilizer bid had been transferred over to Strategic Planning from the secretariat.

“How’s it coming? Are the calculations done?”

“Yes. The price valuation based on the last three years of operating profit is—”

“Three years? Why three years? Did you not do five, or even ten?”

Gyeong-deuk Lee, deputy head of Strategic Planning, examined the documents in an exasperated voice and shouted,

“You’re telling me you calculated the bid price using a three-year operating-profit trend? Have you lost your mind?!”

Gyeong-deuk Lee shot up from his seat and left the deputy head’s office.

Then he shouted at the Strategic Planning staff bustling about,

“Everyone, attention.”

The Strategic Planning staff, who’d been moving busily, stopped all at once as if they’d become a single body, and looked at Director Gyeong-deuk Lee.

Director Gyeong-deuk Lee reminded the Strategic Planning staff once again just how important the Daeguk Fertilizer bid was.

“Daeguk Fertilizer is a company the founder, former Chairman Jung-seok Lee, established himself — a company he was so attached to that he left a will saying we must reclaim it no matter what, no matter when. Do you intend to let a company like that be snatched away by the Homyeong Group and the Dugyeong Group? We absolutely have to bring it home. Understand? Absolutely.”

Having stressed the word absolutely any number of times, Gyeong-deuk Lee looked at the tightly-tensed Strategic Planning staff and continued,

“If we fail this bid, every one of us will be packing our bags at the Ilhyeon Group. So for the company’s sake and for our own, this bid is something that absolutely must succeed. Understand?”

“Yes. Understood!”

At the Strategic Planning staff’s shout, Gyeong-deuk Lee nodded and went back into his office.

And he gave a fresh instruction to the staff member waiting there.

“Take every last piece of data and calculate. That’s the only way it’ll come out right. We have to find the cheapest price that still wins the bid. You understand what I’m saying?”

Winning the bid mattered, but at what price it was won mattered too.

At Gyeong-deuk Lee’s instruction, every member of Strategic Planning moved busily, checking all the data to estimate the lowest amount that would win the bid.

Watching Gyeong-deuk Lee vanish into the deputy head’s office after his outburst, Manager Byeong-ju Jeong said to Seong-ho Kim, seated beside him,

“The chairman’s pretty invested in this Daeguk Fertilizer bid too, isn’t he?”

At Manager Byeong-ju Jeong’s question, Seong-ho Kim smiled lightly and nodded.

“How could he not be? It’s a company the late chairman left his dying wish about. He’s dead serious about it. Which is why we absolutely have to acquire it.”

“Right. We should. But…”

Manager Byeong-ju Jeong glanced around for a moment and said in a low voice,

“Acquiring it matters, but so does the price. To put it bluntly, if we just slam in something over 500 billion won, the bid’s a non-issue.”

At Manager Byeong-ju Jeong’s words, Seong-ho Kim smiled wordlessly. Then he cast a sidelong glance at the diary spread open on his desk.

There was written the content about the Daeguk Fertilizer bid that Seong-ho Kim had recorded in his past life.

[19XX, month X. The Daeguk Fertilizer bid took place. The bid, led by the secretariat, proceeded on the premise that acquisition was mandatory. But the rivals were just as aggressive about acquiring Daeguk Fertilizer. In the case of the Homyeong Group, Homyeong Construction Director Byeong-mu Choi — named as the group’s next successor — and his uncle, Homyeong Construction President Cheol-jin Choi, led the bid, and in the case of the Dugyeong Group…]

Seong-ho Kim withdrew his gaze from the diary, propped his head on his interlaced fingers, and quietly let a smile touch his lips.

‘I know exactly how the bid will unfold and at what price it’ll settle, so there’s no problem.’

[Homyeong Group: 200 billion won, Dugyeong Group: 195 billion won, Ilhyeon Group: 300 billion won]

Back then, the Ilhyeon Group had written in a price a full 100 billion won higher than the second-place bidder, drawing people’s ridicule.

Having acquired a company worth a mere 130 billion won at then-current stock levels for more than double that, people said the Ilhyeon Group had gotten so buried in its predecessor’s dying wish that it had made an abnormal judgment.

And the responsibility for that mistaken judgment fell on Chief Secretary Do-beom Hwang, who ultimately had to step down from the chief secretary’s post and move to a subsidiary’s presidency.

‘It may have been a failure back then, but this time it can’t be.’

A situation where he knew all the competitors’ bid prices was, for Seong-ho Kim, a chance to take one more step forward.

‘For the sake of revenge, I can’t permit even a single setback.’

Just then, Team Leader Ki-seok Yun rose from his seat and said to the Team 2 members,

“We’re going to have a meeting about the Daeguk Fertilizer bid, so Team 2, everyone come into the conference room.”

Having finished speaking, Ki-seok Yun headed to the conference room first.

Manager Byeong-ju Jeong followed after him, gesturing to Seong-ho Kim.

Seated, Seong-ho Kim rose at Manager Byeong-ju Jeong’s gesture and thought,

‘Now all that’s left is to calculate the order in which to play cards that are already laid bare.’

Thinking about how to feast bigger on a game already won, Seong-ho Kim headed to the conference room.

In the car heading to the bidders’ pre-briefing session held at the Korea Development Bank, Manager Byeong-ju Jeong said in a worried voice,

“Will you be all right?”

“I’ll be fine, so just trust me.”

“Right. Well… the chairman’s son-in-law is telling me to trust him, so I do, for now, but…”

Gripping the wheel, Manager Byeong-ju Jeong kept stealing glances at the passenger seat where Seong-ho Kim sat.

Then he recalled what Seong-ho Kim had said at the meeting about the Daeguk Fertilizer acquisition.

“I’m acquainted with Director Byeong-mu Choi of the Homyeong Group. I’ll check the Homyeong side’s true intentions, so how about we set our bid price based on that?”

At Seong-ho Kim’s words, everyone present had gone wide-eyed.

At the words that he knew Homyeong Group’s Director Byeong-mu Choi — a bidding rival — they’d conceived hope for the bid’s success.

Toward them, Seong-ho Kim had brought up something to raise their expectations even higher.

“Director Byeong-mu Choi is a close friend of my wife’s, so he even attended my wedding. Last weekend I had a quick chat with Director Byeong-mu Choi at Bukseoul CC, which the Homyeong Group newly opened, and he showed the kind of clumsiness the rumors describe. If we coax him well, finding out the Homyeong Group’s bid price shouldn’t be difficult.”

That he’d risen to a director’s seat at a young age and showed clumsy moves was the industry’s assessment of Byeong-mu Choi.

Which was exactly why Seong-ho Kim’s words carried all the more trust and credibility.

And if they could learn the bid price in advance, as Seong-ho Kim said, they could seize a highly advantageous position in the competition, so the Strategic Planning staff were greatly encouraged.

“Certainly… if we can learn Homyeong Group’s strategy, it’ll be that much easier to devise our own.”

“There’s nothing better than knowing your opponent’s hand.”

“Right. In a situation where the highest bidder wins, the rival’s bid price matters more than the corporate-value calculation.”

The Strategic Planning staff placed great hope in Seong-ho Kim, who said he’d find out Homyeong Group’s bid price.

So Director Gyeong-deuk Lee of Strategic Planning sent Seong-ho Kim out as the Ilhyeon Group’s representative to the bidders’ pre-briefing session.

To meet Homyeong Group’s Director Byeong-mu Choi there, dig up intelligence, and if possible, find out Homyeong Group’s bid price.

“We’re here.”

Having parked the car in the Korea Development Bank parking lot, Byeong-ju Jeong tried to ease Seong-ho Kim’s burden.

“You don’t have to find out Homyeong Group’s bid price today, necessarily. There’s still plenty of time, so it’s fine not to push too hard.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Seong-ho Kim reassured the seemingly-tense Manager Byeong-ju Jeong and turned his head.

There, a luxury sedan was just now pulling in.

Seong-ho Kim looked at the car and said with a smile,

“Speak of the tiger and it appears, they say — and here he is.”

At his words, Manager Byeong-ju Jeong turned his head.

And, looking at the luxury sedan that was parking, he asked Seong-ho Kim in a low voice,

“Is it Homyeong Construction?”

“Yes. It’s Homyeong Construction Director Byeong-mu Choi’s car.”

Byeong-ju Jeong nodded wordlessly and looked at Byeong-mu Choi’s car as it finished parking.

Soon a familiar person got out of the driver’s seat.

And he, looking toward where Seong-ho Kim was, crumpled his face and said in an irritated tone,

“What’s this? Why are you here?”

“For the same reason as you, Director Choi, of course — isn’t that obvious?”

Bang!

As if displeased by Seong-ho Kim’s smiling face, Byeong-mu Choi slammed the car door hard enough to break it, and, his face still crumpled, said to the person getting out of the passenger seat,

“Uncle. Isn’t the Ilhyeon Group looking down on us too much with this? Sending out some low-level employee like that as company representative.”

Director Byeong-mu Choi spoke to his uncle, Homyeong Construction President Cheol-jin Choi, as if it were absurd.

Getting out of the passenger seat, President Cheol-jin Choi looked toward Seong-ho Kim at those words and said with a frown,

“Isn’t that the Ilhyeon Group Chairman Lee’s youngest son-in-law?”

“Yes. Gyeong-eun’s husband. I hear he’s still just an assistant manager… Sending out some assistant-manager nobody as company representative — they’re clearly looking down on us!”

“Their looking down on us suits us just fine.”

Snorting a laugh, President Cheol-jin Choi walked over to Seong-ho Kim and extended a hand in greeting.

“Good to meet you. I’m Cheol-jin Choi of Homyeong Construction.”

“This is the first time since the wedding, isn’t it? Have you been well, President Cheol-jin Choi?”

“I’ve been well enough… but are you really the Ilhyeon Group’s representative?”

“Yes. It turned out that way, one thing leading to another.”

Holding his hand, Cheol-jin Choi gazed quietly at Seong-ho Kim and said,

“The chairman’s overreaching, it seems.”

“It wasn’t the chairman’s decision — it was Strategic Planning’s.”

“Well, whatever the case, it seems a fine turn for us. Then, I’ll wish you luck.”

Cheol-jin Choi let out a light laugh at Seong-ho Kim being the representative and turned around.

Byeong-mu Choi glared at Seong-ho Kim, then followed after Cheol-jin Choi as he headed toward where the pre-briefing session would be held.

Manager Byeong-ju Jeong, who’d watched the whole thing without missing a beat from Seong-ho Kim’s side, hurriedly grabbed his shoulders once Cheol-jin Choi and Byeong-mu Choi had left.

“Hey. Assistant Manager Kim.”

His face gone white, Byeong-ju Jeong gripped both of Seong-ho Kim’s shoulders and asked in an urgent voice,

“You said you knew Director Choi well?”

“Yes. You saw it too, didn’t you, Manager Jeong? The way he acted like he knew me the moment he saw me.”

“No.”

At Seong-ho Kim’s words, Byeong-ju Jeong made a dumbfounded face and shook his head.

“That’s not what ‘close’ means, is it…? Huh? You said you were close enough to dig up information?”

“Isn’t this close enough? We know each other’s names and even ask after each other.”

At Seong-ho Kim’s composed words, Byeong-ju Jeong lowered the hands he’d put on his shoulders and said, exasperated,

“How is this close? Director Choi clearly can’t stand you.”

At his words, Seong-ho Kim slowly nodded.

“Hmm, it does seem certain he dislikes me, that’s true.”

“No — but you said you were close?”

“I said I was close, but I never said he likes me, did I?”

At his words, Byeong-ju Jeong stood there with his mouth agape, unable to say a thing.

He wanted to argue that surely the word “close” contained within it the sense that even if you weren’t liked, at least you weren’t disliked — but he just stood there blankly.

At the sight of Byeong-ju Jeong standing there unable to react at all, Seong-ho Kim snorted a laugh, took him by the arm, and said as they walked,

“Don’t worry. Whether you like or dislike your opponent has nothing at all to do with digging up information.”

Seong-ho Kim, corners of his mouth turned up, carried his steps toward the direction Byeong-mu Choi had gone.

To Seong-ho Kim, who already held the answer sheet in hand, the process meant nothing at all.

Only Byeong-ju Jeong, who didn’t know this, followed Seong-ho Kim toward the Korea Development Bank’s pre-briefing hall with an ashen face.

(End of Chapter 17)