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Chapter 15
LeeDo Chairman’s Office
“Hahaha, so Cheol-ong was famous in Busan, huh?”
“Famous doesn’t even cover it. He was flying around.”
“Don’t exaggerate, Kim Jong-pil. Flying around? What flying?”
“Ay~ Hyung-nim, don’t you remember? When the kids from our neighborhood got beaten up by Namil Middle School kids. You and I, right in front of Namil Middle, swinging wooden sticks at their heads!”
“Uh-oh! Kim Jong-pil, this is in front of the chairman.”
“Oh, at their heads!”
“Ah, no, Chairman!”
The atmosphere was warm and friendly.
Even Kim Jong-pil, famous for his crankiness, Yu Cheol-ong, called LeeDo’s Grim Reaper, and LeeDo’s emperor, Lee Sang-byeok.
Memories led them all back to those days.
“It’s delightful. Who would have thought I’d see you in my office at this hour?”
“Indeed. I felt hesitant to come, but this place has its own charm.”
“Of course! I’m far better than that tacky old man, Chairman Kim.”
“Hahaha.”
Laughing heartily, Lee Sang-byeok reached out and firmly grasped Kim Jong-pil’s hand.
“Anyway, glad you came. Just seeing you makes me feel like crying.”
“The Chairman liked you immensely. He always looked forward to meeting you here.”
“I know. I know how much Hyung-nim and you wanted me.”
When large corporations were allowed to enter guilds, LeeDo’s first recruitment priority was Sanwang, Kim Jong-pil.
Through Yu Cheol-ong, even a verbal contract had been made, but in the end, everything fell through at the last moment.
“Even now, thinking back makes me sigh. Whether it was the golden badge that slowed me down or handling things like a third-rate thug… Sorry, you had a lot of trouble because of me, didn’t you?”
“It’s fine. It’s all in the past, isn’t it?”
“Right. But now, we’re finally under the same roof, aren’t we?”
“Thank you, thank you.”
Lee Sang-byeok patted Sanwang’s hand for a long while, then turned his gaze to his grandson, who had admirably created this moment.
“Mm-mm, this snack is delicious.”
Lee Shin, stacking and eating snacks in the corner.
Seeing the eldest grandson of the country’s top chaebol family showing zero manners, Lee Sang-byeok couldn’t help but sigh.
“Who would’ve thought I’d be grateful to that hooligan. The world is truly unpredictable. Right, Cheol-ong?”
“…Well. Hahaha.”
Although he had been impressively bold, the opportunity given wasn’t a complete one. Honestly, he thought of him as a complete cast-off.
Considering everything that had been wasted over time, entrusting Lee Sang-byeok’s grand plan and the future of LeeDo to him…
He thought he’d just act like a hooligan if handed a tiny rural shop as before… Yet, that same boy ended up fulfilling one of the visions he had dreamed of all his life.
“Hmph, still far from enough, though.”
Lee Sang-byeok refused to admit that he felt even slightly relieved.
At that moment, Kim Jong-pil chuckled.
“But Hyung-nim, it seems rumors in this field aren’t to be trusted.”
“What?”
“That guy.”
“‘That guy’? You mean Shin?”
“Yes, Lee Shin. He’s your grandson, but… the rumors were that he was nothing but trash. But…”
“Why? Does he seem different in person?”
“Different…? No.”
Shaking his head, Kim Jong-pil stated firmly.
“He’s excellent. Honestly, I was impressed.”
“Oh? That much?”
If even Sanwang was impressed… slyly, those words sparked curiosity in Lee Sang-byeok’s eyes toward Lee Shin.
“First, he has guts. It’s not easy to speak freely in front of me, yet he does. His drive to push things forward despite his age, and though he seems light, he has depth of thought… Not like today’s youth. The more you see him, the more appealing he becomes.”
Awkward to say, but…
“Hyung-nim, it feels like seeing you in your younger days.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Hyung-nim.”
“Haha, if you want to insult me, just say it.”
“Really.”
Lee Sang-byeok just laughed.
Lee Sang-byeok—the legendary figure who raised LeeDo, which once sold only flour, to the top of the business world.
However…
“Is that hooligan like me?”
Yet Kim Jong-pil sincerely believed it.
“You can take it as a joke, but I saw you when you were young. If you’d only been handsome, you’d be exactly like him.”
“Hah, that’s teasing, suddenly talking about looks.”
“Anyway, watch him. It’ll be very interesting.”
That’s why I chose him.
Seeing Kim Jong-pil’s confident attitude left Lee Sang-byeok thinking: could it be… that hooligan is like me?
After that long conversation ended, Yu Cheol-ong took Kim Jong-pil to a meal, leaving the grandparent and grandson alone.
“Oh dear~ that was long. Finished your trip down memory lane?”
“Hmm…”
“Well, then I should slowly tell you what I want to say.”
Breaking his long silence, Lee Shin finally revealed his intention.
“How much will you give me?”
Extending his hand as if collecting something entrusted to him.
‘Is this me when I was young…?’
No. Absolutely not.
Lee Sang-byeok felt disgusted at the greed in Lee Shin’s eyes.
________________________________________
Finally, the real business began.
The once warm and cheerful chairman’s office had grown terrifyingly quiet. Like any greedy grandchild, neither of them gave an inch.
“What do you want?”
“First offer.”
“You should make the offer.”
“Ah, I don’t know. First offer.”
Korea’s top money fiend VS SSS-class fire-element hooligan.
A showdown of strength and cunning!
“What a ridiculous guy. You’re the CEO! Everything’s for your own benefit, so what do you mean by ‘first offer’?”
“Pff. Grandpa, you’re almost like a robber without a knife. Sanwang. Korea’s legend, Legend of Legends! Don’t you understand?”
“I’ll specially support the contract fee since it’s Jong-pil.”
“Eh, why are you acting amateurish? The contract fee is obvious, and now we should talk more productively.”
“Look at this guy.”
“Go on, show me more.”
Making a vulgar circle gesture with thumb and forefinger, Lee Shin prompted Lee Sang-byeok to frown and draw a line.
“I’m satisfied with the contract fee! I’ll take care of the rest later.”
In that decisive gesture was the aura of a corporate head—untouchable by anyone.
But he chose the wrong opponent. Already pumped to extract everything, Lee Shin saw nothing in his way.
“Too bad. I’ve developed distrust in people because of others. ‘Verbal contracts’ are no longer an option.”
“…”
Lee Shin had guessed he was a discarded piece the moment he heard the name Mir.
“Speaking of which, that was a bit petty. You said you’d give a chance, yet you discriminate like that.”
“P-petty?!”
“But I can’t call grandpa petty, can I?”
“You… you brat!”
“Well, I’ll tolerate it this time. Let’s get back to business.”
“Huh…”
The petty nature of a small-minded person, releasing it when they can. Yet Lee Shin wasn’t worried.
Because he would get everything—the contract fee, the salary he wanted.
“Contract fee and salary? You know Jong-pil’s salary?”
“What does it matter? You’re going to give the highest in Korea anyway.”
“Hah, are you Jong-pil’s agent? You’re the CEO! Mir Guild CEO! You’re the one who should cut even a single won! And you talk about ‘the highest in Korea’ to me? What proof do you have?”
“Eh~ yes, I knew you’d say that. Grandpa, you’re pretending not to know! I’m testing you.”
“Just answer.”
“Okay, okay.”
Why must the value of the Mountain King Kim Jong-pil be the highest in Korea?
Isn’t it obvious?
Because this is us, LeeDo.
“Korea’s top company. The ultimate symbol. The wealthiest conglomerate. In Korea, our LeeDo has always been the best. There are brands that are hard to build even if you pour in billions.”
But would we throw away a brand that’s already the best?
Realistically, in the guild business, LeeDo is a latecomer. No, “latecomer” doesn’t even cover it—we’re practically a startup.
But that’s fine. As I said, we’re LeeDo.
“Don’t you know marketing? People already have it engraved in their heads that LeeDo is always the best. We don’t need to break that. New, yet not acting like a newbie, a success that’s basically guaranteed, a lottery that is destined to win.”
That’s the mindset we want people to have.
“Underdog stories where a dragon rises from a stream are fun, but nowadays, the trend is topdog stories—advancing with massive support and smashing obstacles along the way.”
In that sense, recruiting Mountain King Kim Jong-pil is a recruitment worth billions.
Why? Because there’s a story.
“LeeDo embraced Mountain King Kim Jong-pil, who was the pinnacle of Korea. Offering the ‘highest’ signing bonus, the ‘highest’ salary, the ‘best’ treatment in Korea! How do you think people will perceive this?”
Ah~ as expected of LeeDo! Amazing! The class is different!
The Mountain King promised the best becomes an object of envy, and LeeDo, able to promise the best, will shine like the El Dorado that every hunter dreams of.
“Some might call it throwing money around, though.”
And? So what?
“On the contrary, this works in our favor.”
You need to have money to throw it around. And LeeDo has the most money in Korea.
“If throwing money around makes you Korea’s best? People will secretly envy you. ‘I want to be part of that money madness too.’ All of this is marketing. Brand marketing of ‘the best’ that only the LeeDo can do in Korea.”
What do you think? Enough, right?
Lee Shin shrugged casually, but Lee Sang-byeok’s gaze was sharp.
As Lee Shin expected, this was a test—a test to see what kind of person Lee Shin was.
And Lee Shin’s answer just now?
“Beyond expectations.”
Honestly, Lee Sang-byeok thought Lee Shin would bring up Kirin.
There’s no doubt: at the moment, Kirin is Korea’s top guild. Naturally, their hunters and their value are the best.
Kirin, ranked second in the business world, invests heavily in the guild business. And LeeDo has never once yielded to them—so wouldn’t it sting their pride to spend less than Kirin?
For someone like Lee Sang-byeok, obsessed with being the best, it was a provocation he couldn’t resist.
Naturally, he expected Lee Shin to mention Kirin…
Yet, surprisingly, the word Kirin never came out of Lee Shin’s mouth.
Why choose the harder path when the easy one is there?
Lee Sang-byeok couldn’t help but ask.
And Lee Shin’s reply was a masterpiece:
“Ah~ What, you were worried about Kirin, Grandpa? Hah, how upsetting. Since when did you become so petty? Did you start overproducing estrogen because you got older…?”
Kirin? Why worry about them? Just because they’re Korea’s best?
Lee Shin asked instead:
“Do you really intend to be satisfied with just Korea? Are you truly content with being number one in this tiny little market?”
To the fossil Lee Shin, Korea is merely a pit stop.
Frankly, if he only wanted to be Korea’s best, why would he bother climbing all the way to Geumgangsan to recruit the Mountain King? He has the connections. Just gather promising juniors and work a few years—they’d naturally succeed.
“I thought Grandpa’s ambition was world-class, but if it’s just Korea’s best, that’s a problem. Then there’s no need for me to work with you.”
Unexpectedly provocative, Lee Sang-byeok’s brows furrowed mercilessly.
“Look at you, so cheeky. The position you’re sitting in, I created that for you. Do you think you could manage without my help?”
A strong, threatening statement flowed out but Lee Shin answered as if it were nothing:
“Yes.”
At such a naturally delivered answer Lee Sang-byeok’s face froze in shock.
In a way, it was an answer that denied him. He had helped Lee Shin climb up, and now… Lee Shin stared back with calm, unwavering confidence.
Meeting his gaze, Lee Sang-byeok lost his words.
“……!!”
The emotion in those piercingly clear eyes: absolute certainty.
For a moment, the Mountain King’s words flashed through his mind:
―“ … these kids nowadays are unlike any I’ve seen.”
“Grandpa’s help only saved me time, that’s all. Even without your arrangements, I would have entered this industry and succeeded, without a doubt.”
Why? At least in the guild field.
“Because I am the best in the world.”
The best in the world. A truly arrogant answer.
Yet Lee Sang-byeok couldn’t say a word—not because of arrogance, but because of those eyes: eyes of unwavering certainty, bordering on madness.
“Are you satisfied with the answer?”
“……Good. I expect you to take responsibility for your words.”
Mission accomplished. Vision presented. And finally, he showed his ambition.
Thus:
“I’ll give you the signing bonus, salary, and support, all as you wish.”
Lee Sang-byeok, pleased beyond expectations with Lee Shin, even smiled faintly—a rare gesture—and patted his shoulder before standing up.
Then:
“Ah, wait a moment.”
“What? What now?”
“That’s my line. Why act like an amateur?”
“What?”
With the Mountain King matter settled, now it’s Lee Shin’s turn.
He pulled documents from his bag:
“Now it’s time to talk about what I am supposed to receive.”
