I slipped out of my seat during the afternoon class.
At least one good thing was that I no longer had to worry about Ha-neul being physically bullied if I arrived late.
The other classmates were starting to be afraid of her, and So-hee, who added fuel to the fire, was also there.
As I was about to leave the classroom, So-hee stood up from her seat, and I quickly placed my hand on her arm.
“I can skip as many classes as I want without it affecting my grades, but it will affect you.”
“I don’t really care even if it does.”
She seemed to mean it sincerely, so I let out a light sigh and said,
“No, it does matter. You might not be able to move on to the next grade, or you could even get disciplined by the school.”
Well, I wasn’t sure if that would actually happen easily because of bribes, but usually, people who value money also value their lives.
And generally, people who are obsessed with money are equally obsessed with their lives.
It means they have a strong attachment to life overall.
If she decided to side with the chairwoman, she might really take measures to separate So-hee and me.
If there’s a legitimate reason, whether we gave bribes or not, we’d have to take a hit.
And because of that “hit”, our class could split, or in the worst case, we could even be split into different grades.
It’s better to be careful for now.
Of course, I was also hoping the others wouldn’t follow, since it was a conversation I preferred to have in private.
“…”
When I spoke firmly while looking straight into So-hee’s eyes, she hesitated for a while, but eventually nodded.
As I turned towards the classroom door, I heard the sound of a chair dragging.
Thinking she might actually follow despite the risk, I turned around, only to see So-hee deeply bowing toward me.
“Have a safe trip, my lady.”
“…”
In case anyone was confused, I was about to leave the classroom during class.
Which meant, she had just stood up in the middle of class and was politely saying goodbye to me.
The students’ attention was drawn in this direction.
Even the teacher, who had been writing on the board, stopped and stared blankly at us.
Seeing So-hee’s sloppy smile as she lifted her head, I realized it was her way of joking.
…She better not get a kick out of doing this every time I leave the classroom.
*
“Oh, welcome, dear customer.”
Team Leader Han Garam, who was sitting on the bench as usual, greeted me cheerfully.
“…You’re really always here.”
“This may not look like much, but it’s the best spot. I never know when you’ll come out, so I wait here.”
The weather was starting to warm up.
Although, it was still a bit chilly.
“Ah, did you perhaps think I had a cushy job?”
“Well…”
To be honest, yes.
I mean, aren’t bankers supposed to be busy?
That would mean they have a lot of customers, right?
“No way. What bank would assign a banker to stay at a school like this? Besides, I graduated from Hwayoung High School. There’s always a reason when a person with connections isn’t stationed at the bank but here.”
“…Is that so?”
“Of course.”
Han Garam nodded happily.
“There are surprisingly many ways for students to leave class. Maybe a parent called with an urgent request, or you suddenly need to use the bathroom or feel unwell.”
Ah.
It’s true that it wasn’t ‘impossible’ to leave.
And the teachers here generally had an idea of which families the students came from.
It’s not like Eugene Group was the only one bribing them.
I nodded and approached the bench where Han Garam was sitting.
She shifted to the side, making room for me to sit.
I took a seat, maintaining a comfortable distance.
“So, what do you want to discuss this time?”
“…You seem to be in a good mood?”
“Of course, I’m happy. When I talk to you, numbers that I wouldn’t usually think of come up.”
She smiled, saying she really liked money, and I looked at her, puzzled.
Seeing my expression, Team Leader Han Garam added,
“I really do like money.”
…Is there anyone who doesn’t?
But still, it’s not her money, right?
“You know, it’s like how some people love cars and play racing games. They might not be able to buy all those supercars, or even one, but they find satisfaction in racing games. You can’t drive like that in real life anyway. I enjoy my job for the same reason.”
Is that how she feels?
Well, if you dismiss everything as not yours or fake, almost all games and movies would be useless.
“So, what can I help you with today?”
Suddenly switching to a banker-like tone, Han Garam prompted me to get to the point, and I didn’t bother with pleasantries.
“I’m here to discuss the extension of that 15 trillion-won matter I mentioned last time.”
“Yes.”
Han Garam pulled out a notepad and a luxury pen from her bag.
She didn’t seem to use them last time either, but being prepared isn’t a bad thing.
“If the current Eugene Group chairwoman attacks another group, what would be the best defense?”
“Since you mentioned it’s related to Article 15, I assume this also has to do with your friend?”
“Yes.”
When I nodded, Han Garam answered right away.
“The best defense would be to own a significant portion of the attacking company’s stock. If possible, you could also ally with someone who holds a lot of their shares.”
It was a very basic answer.
The problem was how to achieve that.
“But I wouldn’t recommend handing over your Eugene Electronics stock just like that. Those shares are your strongest weapon. Simply holding them is already an advantage. There’s no reason to weaken your position by sharing them with someone else. Besides, Eugene Electronics shares are incredibly valuable. To trade them for equivalent shares, the other company would need to give you an enormous amount.”
“Then what would be the best approach?”
“There are many ways to hold shares. Did you know that the National Pension Service is one of the major shareholders of Eugene Group?”
Han Garam smiled at me.
“And Eugene Life Insurance is the largest single holder of Eugene Electronics stock. It owns about 13 percent of the company. And as far as I know, you’re a major shareholder of Eugene Life Insurance.”
“…”
I had no idea.
Of course, I knew I owned shares in other Eugene Group companies.
But I wasn’t aware of the precise interconnections within the group.
“Of course, the current chairwoman also holds shares in Eugene Life Insurance. But compared to what you hold, it’s less than half. Your father really took care of you in the finer details. He divided the assets strictly by monetary value. He gave you more power than what’s visible at first glance.”
“…”
“And, the stock value of Eugene Life Insurance isn’t as high as you might think. It’s still relatively expensive in the domestic market. If you were to exchange it for shares of a company you have in mind, it might work out. But the person receiving the shares would need to be someone you absolutely trust.”
If not, that person could turn around and join hands with the chairwoman.
“Well, if you hold enough of their stock, they wouldn’t be able to ignore you so easily.”
So, the most important question is whether I can trust Soo-ah’s father.
…I guess I’ll need to meet him in person.
That was inevitable anyway.
If I were to send Soo-ah back home, there was no way around it.
“To be honest, I don’t think it’s the best idea. As the saying goes, you can understand ten fathoms of water, but not one fathom of a person’s heart.”
But despite saying that, Han Garam still looked as cheerful as ever.
She really must like money.
Not in the way someone simply enjoys collecting it.
She seemed to enjoy watching money move, how it drives people’s actions, and how it triggers events.
At least, that’s how it seemed to me.
This person would probably be thrilled even if they lost money in stocks.
…I mentally added Han Garam’s name to the “slightly dangerous people” list in my head.
For reference, Choi Na-kyung was in the “extremely dangerous person” category.
“The best course of action would be to continuously buy shares so that the chairwoman can’t easily attack you. Of course, Eugene Electronics is constantly buying back its own shares to maintain and increase its stock price, so it will cost a lot of money.”
That’s right.
The dividend of about 20 won per share was too stingy considering the company’s earnings and stock price.
Eugene Electronics gave out low dividends but kept buying back its own stock.
By doing this, they ensured that shareholders could always sell, and they kept the stock price steady.
Even if the dividend was small, investors were satisfied because their asset value kept increasing.
“…Can I ask you to handle it?”
Well, it’s good for me if the stock price goes up.
It’s not like I couldn’t afford to buy shares.
As long as it didn’t reduce my assets too much, I could purchase more.
Hearing my words, Han Garam’s eyes widened.
“Really? Are you asking me?”
“I’m not in a position to visit the bank myself. Please purchase Eugene Electronics shares for me, within the amount I can afford from my trust assets.”
“A wise decision! It’s also a great way to divert attention.”
…She seemed so happy about it that it was a bit scary.
The idea that she became a banker because she liked money must be true.