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CH13 | Heir
🕑 Added 2025-03-13 03:30:02 +0000 UTCThe Taewoo Group Scholarship Foundation worked swiftly.
In less than a month, it had selected 100 students and distributed scholarships, nearly ₩300 million flowing out of the foundation.
With a ₩20 billion capital fund, ₩300 million wasn’t a significant amount.
However, this was just the first round of scholarships. I had already selected recipients for the third round, and today, I reported this to my grandfather.
"Hoho, so you're saying you'll spend a total of ₩1 billion by the next quarter? That means roughly ₩2 billion per year. At that rate, the foundation's funds will dry up in ten years."
"There's a mistake in your calculation. I’m not planning to use ₩2 billion a year—I'm planning to go up to ₩4 billion."
"Hohoho, I never knew my grandson cared so much about others. As your grandfather, I should praise you. But before I am your grandfather, I am the chairman of Taewoo Group."
His expression hardened.
My grandfather had always shown me a gentle smile, so I could tell right away how upset he was.
Of course, I had anticipated his reaction to this report.
And I had also come prepared with a way to instantly dispel his anger.
"There's one more matter I need to report. Some individuals and organizations have expressed interest in donating to the Taewoo Scholarship Foundation."
"Have you been meeting with our subcontractors? No matter how much they profit from our contracts, I won’t tolerate squeezing them for donations."
"Why would I meet with subcontractors? Just take a look at the donor list—you’ll see they have nothing to do with our business partners."
Only then did my grandfather check the list.
Not a single Korean name was on it.
"The CEO of Quantum Fund? Why would these people want to donate to the Taewoo Scholarship Foundation?"
"I met them while studying in the U.S. Apparently, they thought highly of me and generously decided to contribute."
"Even if they were impressed by you, donating ₩10 billion is absurd."
His voice was thick with suspicion.
Truthfully, Quantum Fund had no reason to donate ₩10 billion to me.
That money was actually coming from SAVE Investment Company—Quantum Fund was merely lending its name.
"I’ve agreed to intern at Quantum Fund during my school breaks."
"And how does an internship connect to a ₩10 billion donation?"
"It means they see me as an asset worth investing in."
"I can’t begin to understand what they see in you to make that judgment."
"Grandfather, you still see me as just a child. But I know my worth—I believe I'm more than qualified to secure a ₩10 billion investment from Quantum Fund."
Of course, I knew this explanation was completely implausible.
My grandfather would definitely investigate, instructing his secretary to dig into the details.
And that was exactly what I wanted.
"So you handed out scholarships thinking you’d secure a ₩10 billion donation in return. Fine, I understand. Go rest in your room."
"You may see me as a child who doesn’t understand the value of money, but I assure you—I know its worth very well. Please remember that."
With those words, I left his study.
Sitting in the living room, sipping a cup of coffee, I observed the situation unfold.
As expected, I soon saw my grandfather’s chief secretary rushing into his study.
Chairman Kim Tae-jung handed the donation list to his chief secretary, Kim Taek-hoon.
"The CEO of Quantum Fund is offering to donate ₩10 billion to the scholarship foundation. More precisely, it’s not really to the foundation—it’s an investment in Min-jae. What do you think about this?"
"I have received reports that the young master frequently met with Wall Street figures while studying in the U.S. However, I find it hard to believe that the CEO of Quantum Fund would invest such a large sum."
"How long will it take to verify the details?"
"Since it concerns Wall Street, it may take some time, but I will do my best to uncover the facts within two weeks and report back."
A look of concern clouded Chairman Kim Tae-jung’s face.
He knew better than anyone how exceptional his grandson was, and he trusted him.
But the world was not so generous.
"Could it be that someone from Wall Street is approaching Min-jae to manipulate Taewoo Group?"
"That possibility is quite low. According to the Taewoo Economic Research Institute, Wall Street is currently in a financial battle with the UK."
"Sigh… Maybe sending him to the U.S. just filled his head with empty dreams."
"The young master is not someone with such a small vision. At times, he seems less like a teenager and more like a seasoned executive in his fifties who has been through everything."
Chairman Kim knew that Chief Secretary Kim was not one to speak carelessly.
But ₩10 billion was a significant sum, and Quantum Fund was a big name. His worries wouldn’t subside so easily.
"I appreciate your confidence in Min-jae, but he is still a minor. Please conduct a thorough investigation."
"I will personally travel to the U.S."
The very next day, Chief Secretary Kim boarded a flight to America.
Upon arrival, he immediately sought out former Taewoo Securities employees to gather insights.
He didn’t stop there—he also met with Quantum Fund representatives to hear their thoughts on Kim Min-jae.
His network was extensive.
Perhaps not as powerful as in Korea, but to support Taewoo Group’s global ambitions, he had cultivated connections worldwide, including on Wall Street.
After two weeks of intensive research, he returned to Korea without delay.
Without taking a moment’s rest, he went straight to Chairman Kim Tae-jung to present his findings.
"Quantum Fund did not approach the young master with any hidden agenda regarding Taewoo Group. In fact, it was the other way around—Min-jae approached Quantum Fund first and even provided them with assistance."
"That kid helped a giant hedge fund like Quantum Fund? Explain in detail."
Chief Secretary Kim revealed everything he had learned in America.
He especially highlighted Kim Min-jae’s Harvard admission essay, which he had obtained from a former Taewoo Securities employee.
"The young master wrote his Harvard application essay on the Gulf War. He predicted that once the U.S. entered the war, it would end swiftly. In an effort to verify and refine his insights, he reached out to Quantum Fund for discussions. During this process, Quantum Fund’s executives recognized his exceptional analytical skills."
"Min-jae predicted the outcome of the Gulf War?"
"He specifically predicted that oil prices would fluctuate drastically."
"Ha… I don’t know whether to believe this or not."
"Quantum Fund seems to have determined that taking the young master as an intern during school breaks is worth more than ₩10 billion."
Chairman Kim burst into laughter.
He had always known his grandson was exceptional, but he had never expected him to prove it in such a way.
"I only assigned a few securities firm employees to help him develop financial instincts, and now he's caught Wall Street’s attention? Does that even sound reasonable?"
"To obtain more precise information, we would need additional time. I can send a team of experts to the U.S. to conduct a thorough investigation."
"No need for that. Min-jae hasn't done anything wrong, and excessive monitoring could create unnecessary misunderstandings."
"To be honest, I was thinking the same thing. From what I’ve seen so far, the young master is different from other second- and third-generation chaebols. Rather than watching him too closely, I believe it’s best to observe from a distance."
In most corporate owner families, it was the chief secretary who handled family matters.
Kim Taek-hoon had witnessed countless corporate secretaries scrambling to cover up scandals caused by chaebol heirs.
That’s precisely why he favored Kim Min-jae—he had never caused any trouble.
And after securing admission to Harvard with outstanding grades, the comparisons with other third-generation heirs only became more striking.
"We won’t monitor him too closely, but just in case, increase the security detail around him."
"I will recruit several highly skilled professionals from a U.S. security firm to prevent any unexpected incidents."
₩10 billion in donations.
It still didn’t make complete sense.
But Chairman Kim Tae-jung chose to trust his grandson, Kim Min-jae.
And while ₩10 billion was certainly a large sum, for the man leading Taewoo Group, it was far from an unmanageable expense.
***
At a small eatery near the foundation, I was dipping gimbap into ramen broth, savoring every bite.
Across from me, Manager Han was merely poking at his bowl of ramen.
"Why aren’t you eating? You don’t have an appetite?"
"Young master, you eat ramen far too often. Even in the U.S., you had it at least four times a week."
"It’s a precious dish, so I have to enjoy it frequently."
"Ramen is… a precious dish?"
I learned how precious ramen is through my past life.
As a third-generation chaebol, I had no reason to eat ramen.
But when my grandfather was imprisoned, the National Tax Service confiscated all our assets.
After he passed away, the people I once trusted stabbed me in the back, squandering the little wealth I had left.
At that point, I couldn’t even afford a bowl of ramen.
Sure, if I swallowed my pride and begged, I could’ve gotten some money.
But as a former chaebol heir, I had my dignity, so I refused to stoop to that level.
Whenever I managed to get my hands on some cash, the first thing I bought was ramen.
If I had anything left, I’d buy a single roll of gimbap to eat with it.
To me, the best meal in my entire life was ramen and gimbap.
"More importantly, everything went smoothly in the U.S., right?"
"As expected, Chief Secretary Kim flew there personally. The situation played out exactly as we had scripted it."
"Of course it did. Do you know how much effort it took to set that up?"
₩10 billion in donations.
This wasn’t just about securing funding for the foundation.
I had crafted this entire scenario to show my grandfather that I was no longer just a child.
It was necessary—so that things would be easier for me later on.
If I wanted to join Taewoo Group and reshape the company according to my vision, I needed my grandfather to see me as more than just his grandson.
He needed to recognize me as an exceptional individual.
Of course, this wouldn’t happen overnight.
That’s why I had several more scenarios lined up, planned to unfold gradually before I graduated from university.
"And how’s the fund business going?"
"David really has a talent for winning people over. Even with the language barrier, things always seem to work out when he steps in."
"There’s a reason we pay him a high salary."
"So far, we’ve recruited around 30 people into the fund. Since we’re not taking under-the-table money and just having them sign up, it hasn’t been too difficult."
A fund membership is definitely more comfortable than slush funds.
They probably joined without much thought, assuming it was just an easy investment.
But what will happen a few years down the line when their investment grows by hundreds—maybe even thousands—of times?
"They’ll soon realize that joining this fund is actually their lifeline."
"By then, we won’t have to ask people to join—they’ll be fighting for a spot. And once they find out who the fund’s real owner is, they’ll see that this ‘lifeline’ is actually a golden one."
"No need to reveal that just yet. But we should quietly support our fund members. If they get pushed out of their organizations due to internal power struggles, that would be problematic."
"I’ll report any issues immediately."
The foundation of my own network was steadily being built.
And here I was, working tirelessly to save Taewoo Group.
