12 Hours After Chapter 112

Translator: Khan

Editor: Aelryinth

Director Lee Won-jae said to me with a big smile . “Are you here to buy a car, CEO Han?”

I nodded slightly, “Yes . ”

The woman standing behind him stole my attention . She had white skin, round eyes, and long eyelashes . Even if I didn't want to look, her own color was so intense that I couldn't take my eyes away from her . I would rather ask openly than pretend not to know . “Who's this behind you?”

“Ah… this is my secretary . Secretary Kim . ” He looked back and gestured, “Say hello . This is CEO Han Sang-hoon of Invictus Investment . ”

At his words, the woman, Kim, approached and greeted me and extended her hand . “Hello, CEO Han . This is Kim Soo-ah, who is serving CEO Lee Won-jae . ”

I shook hands with her . I didn't think this beauty was chosen solely for her job as a secretary . She was wearing a suit now, but the skirt was very short . I felt like she'd been chosen for something more . I introduced my secretary as a courtesy, “Have you seen Secretary Seo before?”

“Ah… Yes . ”

Lee Won-jae nodded at Secretary Seo, but he seemed not to remember him . Secretary Seo approached him and greeted him first, “I have seen you for the second time . I'm Secretary Seo Ji-hoon . ”

“Yes, Secretary Seo . ”

As I was looking at the two of them greeting one another, I felt a strange sense of change . 'What is this?' After a moment's reflection, I soon realized what it was: Lee Won-jae's title had been changed to CEO!

I turned my head and asked him, “Did you become a CEO?”

“Oh, yes . I just became the CEO of Daily Sports, where my older brother used to be . My older brother went into the headquarters of the Daewon Daily News . ”

I nodded, “Oh, I see . Congratulations!”

“Thank you, CEO Han . ” He smiled at my congratulations . The person that came to mind at this time was his other brother, Director Lee Won-jun . He must be suffering from this scorching heat inside the prison now .

'The second one's lost and the first and third one have moved on . ' Something seemed to be changing in the Daewon Daily News after Lee Won-jun was put in jail for the Bisang Construction stock manipulation scandal . Maybe he was thinking, 'if only my older brother were gone as well…'

I asked him, “CEO Lee Won-jae… are you here to see the cars?”

“Yes . Because I'm the head of a company now, I'm here to buy one that matches my position . ” He looked quite happy . He kept on laughing and telling me, “Ah, if you have time, would you like to have a word with me?”

This guy was unreliable, but sometimes he was useful .

“Yes, I will . ”

As I nodded, he gestured to the beautiful secretary, “Secretary Kim . ” It meant, 'don't follow me' .

I thought he was trying to have a secret conversation . I also winked at Secretary Seo .

The secretaries were left behind, looking at each other furtively .

I also spoke to the dealer in the distance, “I'll finish the contract in a little bit . ”

He bowed his head without a word . He seemed to be well aware of how powerful his clients were .

The two of us settled in chairs outside the Lamborghini store .

“By the way, you've been doing really well lately . Hyun Young Pharmaceutical, I never imagined it . ”

“We were only right to ask each other . ”

“Yes, but now the assets of Invictus Investment are… a billion dollars, right?”

I turned my eyes to the cars on display without affirmation or denial . I just thought, 'What's he trying to say?'

“That's great, CEO Han . How did you make such a sudden growth in assets…”

I answered without much thought, “Well, I was lucky . ”

However, he spoke with a strong denial, “No . I don't think so . I think CEO Han Sang-hoon is the most talented person of our age . ”

Someone might be flattered by these compliments, but I was not . To be honest with myself, I'd been proud a little bit at first, but after the time I'd had with Vice President Jang and with some presidents under me, such praise was familiar enough to me . I replied with a smile, “Am I?”

“Yes . Since I was a kid, I've met a lot of business people… I've met a lot of successors from big companies like Susung, Mirae, GL, and Suyeon Group . When I was young, I was brought to meet them by my father, and later, I met them because of business . ”

“… I see . ” I looked at him . I thought his words were true .

'Well, Daewon Daily News is one of the top four media outlets in Korea . The collusive ties between the media and chaebols are painful to talk about . His father must have been close to the chairmen of the conglomerates, and he seems to have made his son familiar to them, just like Lee Won-jun and Tak Joon-gi… It may be one of the examples where the friendship between chaebol heirs ended badly . '

He went on, “But… in my opinion, they were not capable… but they seemed to take advantage of their parents . I think they don't bet . They all know only how to maintain what they inherited . ”

I listened carefully to what he was saying .

“Their families are in their third and fourth generations now . Even if the founders are giants who accumulated wealth themselves in the Sixties and Eighties, their grandchildren are not . Well, frankly, they're the lucky ones . ”

He was making quite a dangerous remark .

'Why is he saying that? If I think about it, he is the same…'

I was thinking about it, he said as if he were reading my thoughts, “I know that I might be seen as a person like that, but… I actually think I have only one ability . ”

“What ability… do you mean?”

“The ability to see people . ”

I laughed a little bit inwardly, 'Hmm… really?' Still, I didn't express it .

He went on and on, “In my eyes, CEO Han Sang-hoon is very special . You are betting on success, and you're betting again . All the other chaebol's sons and daughters are busy taking care of themselves… but CEO Han Sang-hoon is different . I don't know if it's because you were born in a poor family . ” As he said that, he looked into my eyes and waved his hand hastily, “Oh, that is a compliment . To be honest, I'm also from a rich family, so I don't understand everything . I think that mindset is really different from the third or fourth generations of chaebols . CEO Han Sang Hoon is different . You are brave and the results… continue to come out . ”

I didn't know if he was good at discerning people, but I thought he was right about me . I was brave because I knew the future . He had known me before I had set up Invictus Investment . So even if he didn't know the existence of 12 Hours After, he would have known that I was doing things like miracles .

'There's nothing I can do about it . Even if I hide 12 Hours After perfectly, I can't hide the results that come out, especially to people who have been watching me since the beginning . '

“That's too much . ”

He continued speaking, “So, my conclusion is that CEO Han Sang-hoon… is more competent than the children of other conglomerates . And… I think his future is brighter . ”

“Thank you for your kind words . ” I continued to be modest .

Kaiji kept on, his long, thin eyes even thinner . “I've been sure recently . CEO Han Sang-hoon will probably become a bigger person than the chaebols now . So… . ”

It was a familiar pattern . Too familiar, bringing up the main idea after cheering the other up with compliments . I looked at him and thought, 'What do you want?'

However, there was an unexpected answer .

“From now on, I'll be under CEO Han Sang-hoon . ”

“Yes?” I spoke to him with my eyes wide . “What does that mean?”

“It is as I said . As you know, our media company should always have connections with big companies . That's what I've learned from my father since I was a kid . ”

“… so?”

“I told you last time, I want to be more friendly, and beyond that, I think that the Daewon Daily News will be my company, and I should go under CEO Han Sang-hoon in the long term . ”

I studied him . Certainly, from a long time ago, I had been eager for his ability, and moreover, his background: the name of Daewon, one of the four major domestic media companies . I recently acquired Oracle News, but it was just a small company working Internet news . No matter how much I grew Oracle News, it was just a commercial success .

I would not be able to surpass the Daewon Daily News, which had dominated the four major media positions for more than fifty years . If it were listed in the market, I would buy it . However, all four major Korean media companies were unlisted . It was justified on the basis of keeping the neutrality of the press, though that was a lie . I looked him up and down .

'This guy's got a good sense . No… Should I say he is lucky? He met me at Garden Envy, which I attended for just one day…'

It was not a bad deal . If the Daewon Daily News came under me, I could be more powerful than I had . There was one more thing that needed to be decided before that .

“I'm sorry, but I don't think you've been chosen as the successor to the Daewon Daily News . ”

“… that's true . ” He looked around for a moment . There was no one around . But he lowered his voice anyway . “So, I have something to say . Recently, my second brother went to prison, and the power structure has been reorganized inside the Daewon Daily News: the people on my brother's side, and the people on my side . Of course, there are more people on my brother's side . But if CEO Han Sang-hoon helps me a little, it will not be so difficult for me to take over the company . ”

'In the end, that's the story . ' I didn't think he would have sat down with me to praise me, either .

He kept talking . “I was born in a rich family, but I was born as the third son . Because of a wall that couldn't be overcome no matter what I did, I was desperate, until recently, my second brother was defeated . Then I saw hope . I want to step aboard the ship with CEO Han Sang-hoon . Please help me, and I'll help you . ”

His motivation was understandable, and the outcome of the deal was not bad… if I could trust him .

“I understand what you are talking about . If there's anything we can help each other with in the future… we'll help each other and talk more . ” I spoke to him like that, but it meant 'I'll act according to your wishes' .

But he brought up something right away, “Yes! . For that reason, I'm going to help you first . ”

“What kind of-”

He said, “Director Tak Joon-gi is moving . ”

Chapter end