Ch 54

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The Beginning of a New Time (15)

 

With the Yuseong Venture Capital general shareholders’ meeting approaching, and more than three times the usual number of shareholders expressing their intention to attend, the venue was changed from the existing conference room to a seminar room within the building. The finance team staff were busy checking the list of attending shareholders. Even the small shareholder alliance, which usually never moved, came to the forefront, making the direction in which the small shareholders would cast their votes a major concern. Contrary to the initial estimate that it would be difficult to gather even 3%, they showed a cohesion of 8%, leading to rumors that they might be on Choi Seryeong’s side.

 

When Choi Seryeong and Choi Youngjae appeared at the general meeting after a long absence, the shareholders’ attention immediately focused on them. Despite the prevailing cold view in the market that the Yuseong Group, like a shipwreck that had run aground after Chairman Choi’s death and was unable to find a breakthrough, was coming to Yuseong Venture Capital to interfere, they did not back down. Choi Seryeong attended not so much to win, but to accurately identify who was on her side and plan for the future.

 

When CEO Han entered the room, the seminar room buzzed once again. Unlike what was expected, that he would sit close to Choi Seryeong, shareholders began to murmur, wondering what had happened when they saw him sitting far away.

 

The seminar room was frantically searching for the CEO of A Second, who had emerged as a major shareholder. With the seat marked with the A Second nameplate vacant just ten minutes before the general shareholders’ meeting, there was an uproar as people speculated whether they would be absent. Choi Seryeong’s expression subtly twisted. It was uncertain whether they would share her intentions, but she had thought of them as allies as Choi Yoonjae was not so favorable during their meeting back then. With the seat empty, she bit her lip, feeling displeased.

 

The door opened, and Choi Yoonjae entered. Some shareholders applauded and rose from their seats. Appearing in a dark gray suit, he exuded a strong aura as he took his seat. The sharp line of his nose beneath his cool eyes, and his serious-looking mouth, were so perfect that anyone could immediately recognize him as the head of an organization. Each time his broad shoulders and the full arm muscles beneath his suit moved, exclamations burst from the mouths of the shareholders nearby. He was, without a doubt, the owner of this company.

 

As the Audit Committee chairpersons took their seats on the podium to begin the general shareholders’ meeting, someone who appeared to be related to A Second entered through the door.

 

After confirming the list of shareholders, the man who sat in the A Second seat briefly introduced himself as the agent appointed by CEO Isabella Brown. Seryeong continued to give him glances to emphasize that they had met last time, but there was no response.

 

“We will now begin the 42nd Yuseong Venture Capital General Shareholders’ Meeting.”

 

Chief Yoon, who was standing on the podium, gestured to the guard near the door, who quietly led the two reporters whose identities had been confirmed out of the room, and then closed the door.

 

As Choi Seryeong strained her neck and stared intently at the podium, her Secretary hurriedly approached and whispered something in her ear. Her face turned pale, and she took out her cell phone from her handbag. As her face changed from red to pale in seconds while checking the news articles, murmurs were heard from all directions.

 

“Yuseong Group’s corruption?”

 

The headline of an article about the Yuseong Group’s tax evasion was prominently displayed at the top of the portal news screen in bold letters. Even CEO Han, who had been stiff, was shaken by the surrounding commotion and checked his cell phone, his mouth turning down.

 

“As you were informed, the agenda items for this general shareholders’ meeting are…”

 

When Chief Yoon, who was on the podium, focused the scattered attention, the shareholders’ eyes immediately turned to the podium. The main issues on the agenda were the dismissal of CEO Han and Executive Director Choi, the appointment of a new CEO, and the change of the company name. Voting began for shareholders who had passed authentication through online electronic voting. There were minor confusions in the process of accessing the address and voting, but the results of the vote, which had previously taken nearly two hours in the form of paper ballots, appeared on the screen in front of the podium in just 15 minutes, and the shareholders’ applause and cheers swept through the seminar room like a wave.

 

Shareholder Participation (including proxy): 91.7% of all shareholders

 

Dismissal of CEO Han Youngcheol: 71.8% in favor, 28.1% against

 

Dismissal of Executive Director Choi Yoonjae: 11.3% in favor, 88.7% against

 

Appointment of CEO Choi Yoonjae: 87.2% in favor, 12.8% against

 

Amendment to the articles of incorporation to change the company name (Yuseong Venture Capital => SH Investment): 74.3% in favor, 25.7% against

 

“Dismissal of CEO Han Youngcheol approved, dismissal of Executive Director Choi Yoonjae rejected, appointment of CEO Choi Yoonjae approved, change of company name approved.”

 

As the chairman announced the results of the agenda items from the podium, shouts erupted from all directions. CEO Han, Choi Seryeong, and Choi Youngjae, their faces stiff at the flash of the reporters’ cameras, quickly rose from their seats and left the seminar room. Yoonjae himself had not expected the vote difference to be so overwhelming, although he had anticipated winning.

 

The decisive factor in the overwhelming vote difference was the overwhelming number of votes cast for Choi Yoonjae by the small shareholder alliance and institutional investors. In particular, in the case of Choi Yoonjae’s dismissal and appointment as CEO, even Kim Seongho of Jane Pharmaceutical, whom Choi Seryeong believed to be a friendly shareholder, betrayed her.

 

The change of company name was also an unexpected reaction. It was anticipated that there would be considerable negative public opinion about SH Investment, which was created by breaking away from the Yuseong Group’s brand image and taking the name of the late Choi Seonghoon, Choi Yoonjae’s father. However, the shareholders, who had watched the Yuseong Group’s accounting fraud case, which broke out before the start of the general shareholders’ meeting, hit the lower limit, felt that the atmosphere was unusual and changed their minds.

 

Yoonjae stared blankly at the screen with a blank expression, even in the face of the flashing cameras. He was confident that he would exceed the majority, but he was anxious that he would not exceed 2/3 and that the vote would be rejected. He did not want a half-baked victory. Yoonjae, whose purpose was to trample down the sprouts before they could even grow, let out a long breath at the blue letters of “Approved” that were largely written on the podium screen.

 

The shareholders were busy talking about the Yuseong Group’s corruption case, which was being reported as breaking news, at the same time as they were satisfied with the results of the general shareholders’ meeting.

 

As Yoonjae listened silently to the shareholders’ conversations, he rose from his seat, and Chief Yoon, who was standing nearby, stood behind him like a shadow. Reporters followed Yoonjae, who bowed and greeted the shareholders amidst their applause. Although interview requests poured in, he politely declined and stood in front of the elevator, followed by the directors who had come out after him. The directors, who had been unable to show their true feelings and had been holding their breath during CEO Han’s tenure, straightened their shoulders and smiled contentedly, and Chief Yoon, who was next to them, also smiled and relieved his fatigue.

 

As the security door opened, the staff of the secretary’s office greeted Yoonjae with excited expressions. Because CEO Han’s office was on the opposite side of the same floor, they could not cheer and liven up the atmosphere, but their joy could be fully read in their raised cheekbones and crescent-shaped eyes.

 

As he opened the door to his office and took off his jacket to hang it on the chair, he felt a thick vibration in his waist.

 

-I heard you won.

 

“Yes. I won thanks to you.”

 

-I heard you received enough votes to win even without us.

 

“That’s not true. It was possible because you helped me.”

 

The sound of wind mixed in from the speaker. Chief Yoon, who was standing next to him, clicked his tongue at Yoonjae’s calm tone, which lacked any excited energy.

 

-You’ve worked hard. I’m at the Central District Prosecutor’s Office right now. I filed a complaint a little while ago, and I spread it to the media in advance, but I don’t know if the news reached the general shareholders’ meeting.

 

“It reached them well enough.”

 

Seryeong’s back, as she left the seminar room in a daze, was filled with urgency. Taeoh had even identified the opposition politicians who had been backing the Yuseong Group in the meantime. It was likely that the Yuseong Group’s recovery would be even more difficult due to this complaint.

 

Kang Taeoh was more persistent and vicious than Yoonjae had expected. He had a series of things prepared behind the scenes, enough to make the complaint prepared by Yoonjae seem like just a taste.

 

The National Tax Service will conduct an investigation soon, and the company will be turned upside down by the prosecutor’s search and seizure warrant. Taeoh has resigned from all positions at his father’s company, Seoin Construction. This was an additional measure to separate himself from Seoin Construction when the lawsuit began.

 

-Finish up well and take a vacation, including the weekend. My flight is tonight.

 

“Managing Director Kang.”

 

-……Yes.

 

“Thank you.”

 

The conversation was cut off by Yoonjae’s last words. The sound of the wind hitting the cell phone as he walked stopped at the same time. A shallow breath flowed from the speaker, and then the sound of lips parting was heard.

 

-Then, I’ll see you at the airport tonight.

 

Although the conversation ended in a simple manner, the lingering feeling was long. Yoonjae could feel Kang Taeoh’s last words trembling slightly.

 

Looking back from Taeoh’s perspective, he felt that this situation was regrettable enough to be frustrating. He was someone who had prevented the unfortunate accident by going back in time. The eight months he had gone back. If it had been eight years instead of eight months, wouldn’t he have been able to save Junseo as well?

 

Yoonjae rubbed his sore eyes with his palms and belatedly realized that Chief Yoon was still standing behind him, so he turned around and gave an awkward smile. Even though his workload had more than doubled due to Eunho being sent to the United States and Yoonjae’s car accident, he had come this far without expressing a single complaint.

 

“You’ve worked hard.”

 

“Yes, I think I’ll be able to stretch my legs and sleep well today.”

 

Chief Yoon, who was usually as stingy with expressions as Yoonjae, joked in response to Yoonjae’s words. Yoonjae rubbed his face and raised his eyebrows.

 

“When is the due date?”

 

“There’s still a month left.”

 

“You’ve worked hard during that time, so let’s take a break together during my vacation.”

 

He had announced a few days ago that he would be taking a week off, regardless of the results of the general shareholders’ meeting. In fact, he was quite embarrassed about what to say to Eunho if he didn’t get the desired results, but fortunately, that unfortunate event ended in the scenario. Chief Yoon drew his eyes into a straight line and sighed deeply as if he was frustrated.

 

“You know that things get busier after the general shareholders’ meeting, so it’s difficult for you to do this.”

 

“I’ll check in from time to time after I arrive in the United States, so take a break.”

 

“I’ll take a long maternity leave, so please take care of me then, and I’ll prepare for the aftermath of the general shareholders’ meeting now.”

 

It’s true that it’s not ideal to leave right after the general shareholders’ meeting, but he knows that Yoonjae won’t just be resting, so he smiled and told him to have a good trip. After returning, Yoonjae openly announced that he was dating Eunho. A few days ago, he appeared with a ring on his left ring finger, and the secretary’s office was turned upside down.

 

As speculation about who the other person was ran rampant, Chief Yoon, unable to stand it, calmed the atmosphere with a single word. The secretary’s office was shocked by the story that the other person was Yoo Eunho, but over time, the atmosphere gradually changed to one of acceptance. Perhaps it was because of the work processing ability and the sense of being a management secretary that he had shown during the past six months or so.

 

“Ah, …and.”

 

Yoonjae opened a drawer and took out a business card, handing it to Chief Yoon. It was the dealer’s business card he had received after scrapping his recently wrecked car and buying a new one. Chief Yoon looked at him with puzzled eyes, wondering why he was giving this to him.

 

“Go with your wife on the weekend and sign a contract for a car you like.”

 

“……Yes?”

 

“Now that you have to ride with the baby, an SUV would be good too.”

 

“Executive Director. This is……”

 

“Please accept it. You know, I’m sensitive about cars.”

 

He knew that he was driving an old car, but he didn’t interfere on purpose because it was the first car that Chief Yoon had bought himself, but now the situation was different. At the words to buy a car with enough space to put in a car seat, the fingertips holding the business card trembled. Yoonjae told Chief Yoon to report the results of the general shareholders’ meeting to Eunho and kicked him out of the office. It was clear that he would refuse if he didn’t.

 

He checked the time in the United States and made a video call to Eunho. As the ringtone rang, Yoonjae loosened his tie, unbuttoning the tightly buttoned shirt. He had even put on a vest to show a neat appearance, but it was not comfortable. The noisy call signal stopped quickly, and Eunho appeared like magic on the bright screen.

 

“You’ve been waiting.”

 

He hesitated for a moment whether to play a prank, but when he saw the face that desperately wanted the answer he wanted, swallowing hard, his thoughts disappeared.

 

-How did it go?

 

“As you can see.”

 

Yoonjae raised one corner of his mouth and gave his unique languid smile. Still not relieved, Eunho tried to get a definite answer.

 

-It went well, right?

 

When Yoonjae nodded and smiled, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yoonjae pulled the screen a little closer to see Eunho’s face in detail as he closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath.

 

“I’ll be there soon.”

 

Many thoughts came to mind during the month they were apart. From the first interview to the Singapore business trip, the visit to Eunho’s house, and even the imprinting. There were often situations where he intentionally acted rudely to prevent the same situation from happening again after going back in time, but each time, Eunho pouted but followed him well.

 

While the feelings that started with regret went through the stages of liking and then love, Eunho always revolved around him and smiled brightly. He was so used to him that he felt like he would go crazy with longing if he couldn’t see Eunho in front of him now. When Eunho filled his vision, his heart fluttered and the area around his chest felt sore.

 

“Thank you for waiting.”

 

He wanted to promise the future for the first time.

 

He was also the only person he wanted to receive a passionate and desperate call from. He wanted him to always be in the seat next to him when he opened his eyes, he wanted to eat with him, and he wanted to wrap his small body that curled up when he fell asleep.

 

Eunho smiled.

 

As he looked at the smiling face that responded, joy flowed out endlessly.

 

***

 

He thought he had dozed off on the sofa for a while, but when he opened his eyes to the murmuring sound, the attending physician removing the IV line connected to his wrist and Isabella came into view, shaking in two or three layers. Judging from the fact that the illuminance in the room was gradually brightening, it was early in the morning.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“……Yes, why is this?”

 

“Don’t you remember collapsing?”

 

“…Me, me?”

 

When he frowned to focus, his vision became clear. Isabella was clearly asking in a slow tempo, but perhaps because he was not fully awake, the reaction was delayed.

 

Last night, when the helper opened the door to bring in the meal, he saw Eunho slumped on the sofa and felt something was wrong, so he approached and shook him. He would have been taken to the hospital as it was if he had continued to be unconscious, but he regained consciousness in the middle and called the medical staff. Eunho had no memory of last night, as if his memory had been completely cut off.

 

“The baby is fine. They’ll both be here in the afternoon, so lie down a little longer and eat when you feel less dizzy.”

 

Nutritional deficiency due to morning sickness and gestational hypotension. It’s not severe, but she looked at him pitifully, saying that he needed to be managed. Eunho’s face turned red at her pitiful gaze. It was embarrassing that he hadn’t taken care of himself. As the attending physician and Isabella, who had removed the shrunken IV pack, left, the room was once again filled with desolation.

 

“Ah…….”

 

The sound of the wind was rustling outside the window, as if the wind was blowing strongly. The speed of the fast-moving cumulus clouds leaving a shadow of light on the ceiling was enough to estimate the speed. Suddenly, he was worried that the plane might be delayed due to the stronger wind than usual.

 

Eunho got up from his seat, checking his lighter body, and sat on the windowsill. Finally, today, he will meet him after a month. The accumulated longing slowly flows down and subsides. Eunho patted his stuffy chest and stared blankly at the distant sky. He hoped that the weather would be sunny with no wind in the afternoon.