Chapter 1: If I Can't Have It, No One Can

[Illegitimate Son Quells Sibling Rivalry, Set to Become New Master of Songwoo Group]

[From Hidden Illegitimate Son to Seizing Songwoo Group, Who Is Eom Min-woo?]

[The Spark of Sibling Rivalry Still Alive. What Will Become of Songwoo Group?]

In the vice president's office of Songwoo Electronics.

Eom Min-woo, the third son and illegitimate child of Songwoo Group's Chairman Eom Sang-hyun, was reading a news article on his tablet PC. All the media in South Korea had reported as a fait accompli that he would become the new master of Songwoo Group, except for one—Dae Han Ilbo.

‘This must be Park Kyung-guk’s doing.’

Park Kyung-guk was the butler who had worked in Chairman Eom Sang-hyun’s house for a long time and had even interfered in the succession battle, a figure with considerable influence within the group. Now, having lost the succession battle, he had lost all his influence and been expelled. It seemed he was struggling to accept the outcome.

‘You should have chosen your side wisely.’

Min-woo checked the time.

8:20 AM.

‘40 minutes left.’

The board meeting was set to start at 9:00 AM. Today’s agenda was the dismissal of Songwoo Electronics Chairman Eom Sang-hyun and the appointment of a new chairman. Changing the chairman of Songwoo Electronics, the holding company of Songwoo Group, meant officially changing the master of Songwoo Group.

It had been a long journey. His father, who had always seen his illegitimate son as a blemish and a disgrace, and his brothers, who had treated him like a thorn in their side when he suddenly appeared in the family. Fortunately, his grandfather had recognized his existence, allowing Min-woo to endure the indifference and humiliation and rise to this position.

And finally, he was about to be recognized as the master of Songwoo Group.

Bang!

The door suddenly opened, and Park Kyung-guk, with his white hair, entered.

“What are you doing?”

“Get out of the way, you bastard!”

The secretary general, who had hurriedly followed, tried to pull Park Kyung-guk out by his arm, but Park resisted, shouting.

“It’s okay, Secretary Choi.”

With Min-woo’s permission, the secretary general let go of him.

“Go and take care of things outside.”

“But, Vice President…”

“I need to let him leave on his own so he can’t do this again.”

Understanding Min-woo’s meaning, the secretary general gave Park Kyung-guk a stern look and left. Min-woo then spoke first.

“Why did you come here…?”

“Did you order the audit of Songwoo Securities?”

Park Kyung-guk asked, his eyes filled with anger. There was a reason for his reaction; the president of Songwoo Securities was his son.

Min-woo calmly met his angry gaze and replied.

“Father is ill, so I need to take care of the group.”

“You’re trying to get rid of my son.”

“The audit results will tell you whether he should be kept or removed.”

“You dare to…?”

He trembled with rising anger.

“If you act like this, I won’t sit idly by.”

“Threats won’t work on me.”

Park Kyung-guk pulled out a folded piece of paper from his coat pocket and threw it on Min-woo’s desk. When Min-woo unfolded it, he saw a list of secret accounts related to Songwoo Group that he had never seen before. It was clear that his father, the group chairman, had set them up long ago.

Even if the list of secret accounts were to be made public, Min-woo would not face legal punishment. However, Songwoo Group would suffer a significant blow. If the prosecution and the tax office investigated Songwoo Group, more corruption could be exposed, leading to a sharp drop in stock prices and potential instability for the entire group.

“Do you think I only have this?”

It was a threat, implying that he had more evidence and should not act rashly. Min-woo picked up his phone and made a call, speaking loudly enough for Park Kyung-guk to hear.

“Secretary Choi, hand over the evidence of the slush fund and tax evasion at Songwoo Securities to the prosecution. It seems the group’s internal audit can’t resolve this. There’s no need to stop Father from sending his son to prison.”

“Y-You…!”

Park Kyung-guk’s eyes burned with hatred, but he couldn’t form coherent words. After hanging up, Min-woo looked at him directly and said,

“Do you think the corruption at Songwoo Securities is the only thing I know about?”

Park Kyung-guk was speechless for a long time, understanding the implications of Min-woo’s words. After staring at Min-woo for a while, he spoke again.

“There was a stray dog.”

Min-woo was puzzled by the sudden mention of a stray dog.

“I once brought it home because it was shivering in the rain. I fed it and gave it a warm place to sleep, and it started to act affectionate towards my family. It wanted to be part of the family.”

“…!”

Min-woo understood his meaning. The stray dog was a metaphor for his own situation as an illegitimate child of Chairman Eom Sang-hyun.

“I treated it like family because it was pitiful. But then it started barking fiercely at anyone who passed by the door, as if it was trying to protect its home.”

“….”

“It knew that even though it was treated like family, it could never truly be part of the family. It knew that it could be abandoned again at any moment. It barked out of fear, trying to prevent anyone from entering the house and to avoid being taken away.”

“….”

“You are in the same position. People know that you are in a situation like a stray dog. You can never be a true part of the chairman’s family. You are an illegitimate child who can be cast out at any time.”

“….”

“You are afraid. That’s why you are trying to remove the chairman’s close associates. You are trying to avoid being taken away. But no matter how much you struggle, it won’t go your way.”

Min-woo, who had been listening silently, finally spoke.

“You’ve lived longer than I have, yet you still don’t understand the world. The world is decided by the victor.”

“….”

“If you say one more word, your happy home will be destroyed. Why? Because I will decide it. Now, choose. Speak or leave.”

Park Kyung-guk, trembling so much that his eyes were watering, couldn’t bring himself to speak. He glared at Min-woo and stormed out of the room in anger.

After he left, Min-woo checked the time.

8:40 AM.

Min-woo stood up to attend the board meeting.

Just then,

“Vice President!”

The secretary general rushed in with a worried expression, clearly not just to inform him of the meeting time.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look at this.”

He turned on the TV. On the screen, his father was visible, and the caption read:

[Chairman Eom Sang-hyun of Songwoo Group Announces Retirement]

Min-woo was unaware of this situation. If he became the chairman of Songwoo Electronics at today’s board meeting, his father would naturally step down from management. There was no need to call a press conference to announce his retirement.

His father, who was in poor health, got out of his wheelchair and walked to the podium, despite his difficulty in walking. This reminded Min-woo of what Park Kyung-guk had said.

-You are in the same position. People know that you are in a situation like a stray dog. You can never be a true part of the chairman’s family. You are an illegitimate child who can be cast out at any time.

His father began reading the prepared statement.

“From today, I will step down from the front lines of management. I will transfer all my shares in Songwoo Group to my eldest son.”

“Vice President!”

The shocked secretary general looked at Min-woo.

At that moment, his phone rang. It was his eldest brother, Eom Hyun-sik.

[Did you see the TV?]

“I didn’t know Father would use his dementia like this.”

His father had dementia. Min-woo had never been loved by him, but as a son, he didn’t want to reveal his father’s condition to the world. Even during the succession battle, he had not used his father’s illness to his advantage.

[The board members are waiting here. You need to come quickly.]

“I’ll be there soon. Wait for me.”

“Vice President.”

After hanging up, the secretary general approached with a worried look. Min-woo knew what he was concerned about.

“Even if we combine the chairman’s shares and my brother’s shares, they are still fewer than yours….”

“I know. If all the board members support my brother, I will lose.”

That was true. If the board members chose his eldest brother, Eom Hyun-sik, as the new chairman, Min-woo would have no chance. Unfortunately, the board members who would decide the new chairman were all people with close ties to his father. His father had announced his retirement and named his eldest son as the successor. The board members would not oppose him.

“Vice President, what will you do?”

“Let’s go to the meeting room. Secretary Choi, wait outside for my instructions.”

* * *

When Min-woo entered the meeting room, he first observed the board members’ expressions. As expected, they avoided his gaze.

He knew what would happen next.

Once his eldest brother, Eom Hyun-sik, became chairman, he would call an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting to remove Min-woo from the board and send him to prison with fabricated corruption charges.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy, but Eom Hyun-sik was the only one who looked triumphant.

“Chairman, everyone is here. Let’s start the board meeting. Starting 10 minutes early won’t change the outcome.”

When Eom Hyun-sik spoke to the chairman, Min-woo immediately responded.

“I appoint Eom Hyun-sik as the head of Songwoo Creative Center.”

“What?”

Eom Hyun-sik was shocked and glared at Min-woo.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“I’m making a personnel change 10 minutes early. It won’t change the outcome.”

Feeling humiliated, Eom Hyun-sik mocked Min-woo.

“Do you not understand the rules? The board members here follow Father’s rules. You will never become the CEO.”

“That’s your opinion. When the leader changes, the rules change.”

Before Eom Hyun-sik could say more, Min-woo spoke first.

“Chairman, let’s start.”

The chairman, who had been watching the situation, looked at Eom Hyun-sik. When Eom Hyun-sik nodded, the meeting began. The discussion on the agenda was brief, and the first item was the dismissal of Eom Sang-hyun as CEO. The chairman then spoke.

“Next, we will appoint Eom Hyun-sik as the new CEO….”

“Wait.”

Just as the vote was about to begin, Min-woo interrupted, causing the chairman to look confused.

“What is it?”

Min-woo didn’t respond but made a phone call. Despite the chairman’s confusion, Min-woo switched to speakerphone.

“Secretary Choi, it’s 5 minutes before the market opens. As soon as it opens, sell all the shares I own in Songwoo Group, its subsidiaries, and affiliates. Then inform the secretaries of the top 10 group CEOs.”

[Yes, Vice President.]

“Hey, what are you doing!”

Eom Hyun-sik shouted in shock, but Min-woo’s expression remained unchanged.

“If I can’t have it, no one can.”

The board members were also shocked. If Min-woo’s shares went to a competitor, Songwoo Group would face serious management issues. It was clear that a competitor who became the largest shareholder would not leave Songwoo Group alone.

Eom Hyun-sik, with a menacing look, asked,

“What’s your game?”

Min-woo ignored his question and spoke to the board members.

“Honorable board members, think carefully. Will you support me and secure this position, or support Eom Hyun-sik and risk losing it? Chairman, let’s proceed with the agenda.”

* * *

Clap, clap, clap, clap.

Applause filled the meeting room.

Min-woo, appointed as the new CEO, shook hands with the board members one by one.

“Thank you. I will inform Father of this good news and arrange a celebration for tomorrow.”

With a brief speech, Min-woo left the room. Eom Hyun-sik, his face red with rage, called someone.

“It’s me. We should have used this method earlier. Take care of it.”

Min-woo, leaving the meeting room with Secretary Choi, headed straight for the parking lot. As Secretary Choi got into the driver’s seat and Min-woo into the back, their car was about to leave the parking lot when—

Bang!

A black van suddenly sped towards them and crashed into their car.

As the van passed, Min-woo saw the driver—Park Kyung-guk, who had threatened him before the meeting.

Screech!

The van, still in collision, pushed Min-woo’s car against the parking lot wall.

Bang!

The impact hit Min-woo’s entire body, and he briefly lost consciousness before regaining it.

Secretary Choi, who had been driving, was bleeding from the head and didn’t move.

“Choi… Secretary.”

Struggling to move his heavy body, Min-woo reached out to Secretary Choi when a loud noise echoed through the parking lot again.

Bang!

The van was charging at the back seat where Min-woo was sitting.

“Aaah!”

Bang!

The strong collision knocked him unconscious.

After an unknown amount of time, he saw a faint light and heard someone’s voice.

“250 volts.”

“No change.”

“300 volts.”

“No change….”

He didn’t hear the last words and slipped into the darkness, where there was no light or sound.

“Honey! Hyun-ho is awake.”

He thought he had died.

He thought he had woken up in heaven or hell.

But he heard an excited voice and saw the vague shape of a middle-aged woman.