Chapter 280
Seeing Choi Yeonseung’s distorted expression, the secretary hurriedly said, “Of course, he didn’t just play around.”
Choi Yeonseung wondered, “Was he watching these dramas and variety shows as a way to study Korean entertainment business?”
“N-No. That’s not it... This is just something that Dragon Hwang normally does, so it can’t be helped.”
Hwang Gyeongryong was well aware of his abilities. He was an excellent hunter and had a knack for killing monsters, but he couldn’t develop his own products and understand the market trends. Therefore, Hwang Gyeongryong bought any company he could find, sought out useful and talented people, and appointed them as CEOs. Those people could take care of the practical work without Hwang Gyeongryong ever needing to get involved.
Hearing this, Choi Yeonseung tilted his head and asked, “So he doesn’t have anything to do after all, right?”
“N-No, it’s not like that. The work Dragon Hwang does might not stand out that much, but it is nevertheless of great importance.”
“...”
‘Is he saying this just because he has a high salary?’
Choi Yeonseung was slightly worried because it seemed like Hwang Gyeongryong had been intimidating this secretary. Even if this secretary swore in front of him, Choi Yeonseung wouldn’t tell Hwang Gyeongryong, so wasn’t it better to just tell the secretary to speak comfortably?
...However, the secretary was telling the truth.
“Setting the general flow of the group, dealing with major problems, and mediating conflicts or disagreements between CEOs are things that only Dragon Hwang can do.”
At the secretary’s words, Choi Yeonseung seemed more at ease. It was certainly plausible.
Choi Yeonseung didn’t know what the CEOs he had met last time were capable of, but in terms of personality, they were definitely terrible.
“Those assholes are worse than dogs.”
“I...I didn’t mean it like that”
“I read between the lines.”
From going to the sauna with the president to keep other clans or companies in check to going to the lawmakers and intimidating them in order to have them on their side, CEOs did all kinds of sketchy things.
“...The more I listen to it, the less confident I become…”
Choi Yeonseung looked at Aine with an embarrassed expression. If he had to go to a politician because of the trickery of other clans...
-Indeed. There is something like that. This time, they’re going to enact a special law to divide the rights to the artifacts obtained from overseas raids! What a bunch of shameless people!
-You’re right.
-By the way, how much do you plan to donate?
-...Isn’t sparing their lives a more than generous donation?
-Guards! Guards!
“...I think it’s going to end up like that.”
Aine wasn’t very surprised by Choi Yeonseung’s comment. After all, he wasn’t the only person who resorted to fists before words. Of course, there were very few hunters who were fearless enough to punch a senator, but...
“The chairman wasn’t much different. Don’t worry. Any incident can be taken care of as long as you have your reputation and the financial power of your company. Evidently, they also like money, so...”
“So I can really do anything?”
“...Just in case, you can consult with me before you do anything, okay?” added Aine after suddenly becoming anxious.
***
Monali Gupta, the CEO of Dragon Solutions, which developed cutting-edge materials in the raid era from monster materials to Abyss ores, spoke with a determined expression as soon as he arrived, “I’m sorry to hear the news about the chairman, but truth to be told, I find it difficult to completely trust Hunter Choi Yeonseung.”
“I figured.”
Choi Yeonseung wasn’t surprised. At the end of the day, a hunter close to Hwang Gyeongryong had suddenly taken over his position. He would have questioned the intelligence of the CEOs if they had merely said, ‘Oh! Welcome!’
“No, that’s disrespectful... Are you disregarding the decision of the chairman who isn’t here right now? Monali Gupta, do you even have a conscience? Have you forgotten who saved you from being buried in the industry after you blew the whistle on your previous company?!”
“!?”
Monali Gupta frowned when Ducoms, the CEO of Dragon Battery, which intensively developed ultra-high capacity mana batteries, stepped in. They had never gotten along, but Monali Gupta hadn’t expected Ducoms to involve himself in this.
‘This son of a bitch...?’
Monali Gupta was dumbfounded. Now that Hwang Gyeongryong was gone, it was a serious situation where they needed to worry about the group’s future. Meanwhile, this guy was solving a personal grudge.
“I’m not talking about that now. I’m just worried about the future of this company...”
“Hunter Choi Yeonseung has already proven his abilities by successfully taking over Dragon Artifact! Didn’t you see the income statement this time?’ I didn’t think you’d be so narrow-minded!”
After saying that, Ducoms winked at Choi Yeonseung.
-We’re on the same side!
…At least it looked like he was saying that, but of course, Choi Yeonseung merely thought to himself, ‘What is he doing?’
Monali Gupta was caught off guard and was speechless. Certainly, Dragon Artifact’s latest success was impressive. No matter how great of a hunter Choi Yeonseung was, no one had expected him to manufacture such an artifact and release it. Given how many prominent companies were competing against each other, nobody would’ve thought that Choi Yeonseung’s artifact would become a hit on the artifact market.
Following that jackpot, the CEOs who had regarded Hwang Gyeongryong as an eccentric were forced to change their opinions about him.
“Indeed, that is true. Above all, the chairman has made a decision, which I will respect and trust,” declared Goldblum, the oldest person in the room.
Goldblum was the CEO of Dragon Motors, and he usually played the role of a mediator at such gatherings with bad-tempered individuals.
“If Mr. Goldblum says so...”
“In fact, it doesn’t seem like Hunter Choi Yeonseung is lacking in ability. He might not have enough experience, but his talent is undeniable. I trust there will be no problems.”
“I’m more worried about the chairman’s health. When will he recover?”
The responses from the CEOs were more favorable than expected.
Choi Yeonseung had proved his competence with Dragon Artifact, so it wasn’t like he was sitting here with nothing to back him. Besides, as of recently, he had become the most famous hunter.
The Rutherford raid had certainly played a big part in his stellar reputation. Several prominent A-grade hunters had participated in the raid, but in the end, it had been Choi Yeonseung who stole the show.
Ultimately, it was only Monali Gupta, the one who spoke first, who was cornered. Choi Yeonseung stepped in in order to assuage his concerns.
“Well, given that I showed up out of nowhere and just took this position, I was prepared for people not to believe in me. It’s completely understandable.”
“Indeed... But Hunter Choi Yeonseung, if you maintain the humble attitude you have now, you will quickly gain the trust of others,” Goldblum said with a benevolent face.
Puzzled by Goldblum’s words, Choi Yeonseung replied, “That’s not what I meant.”
“Huh?’
“You’re free not to trust me. Just know that those who disobey my orders without a good reason will see hell.”
“...”
“...”
The atmosphere suddenly turned grim. The CEOs had seen Choi Yeonseung as a righteous hunter, but now that he revealed his true colors, everybody looked at him with a sense of unease.
They hadn’t noticed this side of Choi Yeonseung before because he had always maintained a good image, but he was still an A-grade hunter at the end of the day. He was the sort of man who could kill everybody here with just a snap of his fingers.
“Are you threatening...”
One of the CEOs tried to protest, but Choi Yeonseung didn’t even give him time to finish his sentence as he crushed him with pressure.
“Now, it seems like everyone has no complaints. I’m glad to see that you’re all satisfied. Now feel free to leave!”
The CEOs were forced to admit that Hwang Gyeongryong’s replacement was crazier than they had thought.
***
Following the end of the general meeting, there was still some time left for a private one.
With a slightly flattering expression, Ducoms said, “Ever since I tasted your food, I knew you were going to be great.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung was so embarrassed that he couldn’t even speak.
‘Isn’t he crazy?’
Ducoms was judging his character solely based on a dish he had cooked. He had to be either a megalomaniac, or simply a lunatic.
-No, your cooking might actually have that much power...
-What kind of nonsense is that?
He scolded the goddess of sloth for just speaking.
Choi Yeonseung opened his mouth, “So, is there anything else you want to say?”
“Of course!”
“...?”
“Increase the budget! If you increase the budget of Dragon Battery now, we can develop next-generation batteries and flatten the noses of other people. Imagine smashing the Chinese, European, Indian, and Korean bastards who are dominating the market right now.”
“...Korean bastards?”
“...”
Ducoms realized that he had made a mistake. Come to think of it, he had actually forgotten that Choi Yeonseung was Korean.”
Ducom continued cautiously, “I-I didn’t mean it like that… It’s just that… Uh, they’re still competitors…”
“...”
“...I understand. We just need to cooperate with South Korea.”
“...”
“Say something!”
“How can I increase the budget when it has never been increased before?”
Dragon Industry was basically a country in itself. It was a powerful company that could be supported by Hwang Gyeongryong’s enormous assets without any external investment. However, this didn’t mean that they could make anything out of nothing.
“Allocate the budget of that annoying Monali Gupta to me...”
“No, this can’t be. Next.”
“What… No! You’re being unreasonable!”
Ducoms kept complaining, but Choi Yeonseung didn’t yield.
After that, the CEOs came in one after another and discussed various matters with Choi Yeonseung. Surprisingly, there were no major problems.
“Chairman Choi Yeonseung. In fact, there is this big project that I am planning on.”
“Oh. What is it?”
Zhang Xiaobo, the head of the pharmaceutical company Dragon Biopharm, spoke determinedly, “It’s a state-of-the-art artificial farm project. The project is about growing herbs on Earth that normally only grow in the Abyss. If successful, it has the potential to completely revolutionize the pharmaceutical market.”
“Ohh... Wait. Why didn’t you talk about such a project when Chairman Hwang Gyeongryong was here?”
“Um. That… It has very mild side effects...”
“Like what?”
“It’s just that… Uhm, the ground will get severely contaminated.”
“...”
Choi Yeonseung had a stern look on his face. Was this guy out of his mind?
As if realizing what Choi Yeonseung was thinking, Zhang Xiaobo hurriedly said, “Of course, I have prepared countermeasures.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Rent land from the Chinese government and grow it there.”
“...”
“Even if they find out about it, we can easily take care of it. We can just bribe some civil servants and party officials, and move to a different location right away...”
Aine whispered to Choi Yeonseung.
-He’s the kind of guy who always comes up with insane ideas, so be careful.
-...Why is a bastard like him CEO?
-His abilities are undeniable. He’s from Taiwan, so he has a harsh attitude toward China. Please understand.
“Um... Let me think about it.”
“Thank you! You won’t regret it.”
At this time, the CEOs took out projects that had been rejected or came up with new projects. Some of them seemed decent to Choi Yeonseung, while others were weird and bizarre.
-I’m not sure when looking at it.
-That’s what business is like.
Choi Yeonseung thought of the past. Hunters ranked C-grade or lower would always think about how to spend the money they earned from raids.
-We need money to run the clan and support the clan members. Yeonseung, do you have any good investment items?
-Speaking of which, I saw Bitcoin on the message boards...
-Hey. Who would pay for a toy like that?
-Someone said you could buy pizza with 10,000 Bitcoin.
-Sigh. What lunatic would pay that much? The world is so... Anyway, it’s good to have investment items that we can use.
Of course, Hwang Gyeongryong had failed with all of it. That was how hard business was.
-Why don’t you ask the goddess of balance?
-...The goddess?!
-Successor, are you disregarding the goddess’ intelligence right now? It definitely seems like that, doesn’t it?
-N-No.
Choi Yeonseung stuttered for the first time in a long time.
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