Episode 75: Debt Collection
Jin Seon-ah, who was carefully examining the documents, showed interest.
“Unpaid construction receivables, huh? Oh, it’s Taeyang Development. This is quite tempting. Let’s see.”
Jin Seon-ah’s eyes sparkled like a cat that had found its prey.
“If it were a small business, it would be hard to collect the money, but since it’s a subsidiary of Taeyang Group, there’s some meat to be had. What range of recovery amount are you thinking?”
“Getting 100% would be a bit much, so 80% of the unpaid amount would be sufficient. I won’t interfere with whatever else you receive. Consider the rest as your service fee.”
Jin Seon-ah’s eyes widened at Lee Chang-jin’s proposal, and she showed a subtly amused expression.
“Hmm, so you want me to collect at my discretion? Is that it?”
“If you’re not confident, you don’t have to do it. I can entrust it elsewhere.”
Jin Seon-ah gave a slight smile at Lee Chang-jin’s provocation, revealing her neatly aligned white teeth and pink gums. She scoffed as if it were ridiculous.
“Hmph, I never said I was not confident. Just leave it to me.”
“How much time will you need? A month?”
“That should be enough.”
Jin Seon-ah treated Taeyang Group’s affiliates as if they were just local businesses. Lee Chang-jin felt a sense of reassurance in her calm tone.
“If Seon-ah collects the unpaid amount, I’ll treat you to a big meal.”
“Will once be enough? You should treat multiple times.”
“Haha, got it. I’ll trust you and wait.”
After a while, Lee Chang-jin noticed the surroundings had quieted down.
Perhaps because their voices were too loud, the people eating were all paying attention. Jin Seon-ah’s face turned as red as a tomato, seeming embarrassed. She covered her face with her bag and poked his side.
“Oh no… It seems everyone heard. Let’s leave quickly!”
Lee Chang-jin took out his wallet and headed to the cash register.
The owner at the counter asked with a smiling face.
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
“Yes, it was delicious.”
“Haha, glad to hear you were satisfied.”
Jin Seon-ah’s face turned red again at the owner’s wink. She apologized in a voice as small as a mosquito’s.
“I’m really sorry. The atmosphere suddenly turned like this.”
“No problem. I also have some unpaid debts, so it doesn’t feel like someone else’s business. Could I get a business card?”
“Oh, then you’re welcome. Here it is.”
The restaurant owner carefully put the business card in his pocket.
“Yes, I’ll contact you soon.”
“You’re welcome. Please visit our company anytime, dear customer.”
Outside, Jin Seon-ah lightly hit Lee Chang-jin and scolded him.
“Oh no… What should we do? Talking about such things there.”
“Haha. Let’s not do it again next time. But the owner is good at business. We should come here again.”
By the time they came out, it was almost curfew time. People were busy hailing taxis here and there. Before getting into the car, Lee Chang-jin looked back at Jin Seon-ah with regret.
“It’s already time to go. Did you enjoy the date course today?”
“Yes, it was fun. Oh, but you have something around your mouth.”
“Where?”
“I can’t see well in the dark. Lower your head a bit.”
When Lee Chang-jin lowered his head, Jin Seon-ah stood on tiptoe and suddenly kissed him.
Smooch!
Lee Chang-jin’s eyes widened from the surprise. Jin Seon-ah, who had slightly parted her lips, whispered softly in his ear.
“Thank you very much for the gift today. And the dinner too.”
She turned and walked away briskly with her hands behind her back, looking very shy. Lee Chang-jin touched the lipstick stain on his cheek, feeling the lingering warmth, and stood there in a daze for a while.
The next day at Daehung Company’s office, Jin Seon-ah, who was in charge, held a strategy meeting.
“This week’s targets are Taeyang Development and Taeyang Construction. Considering the opponent, be fully prepared.”
“Taeyang Group’s affiliates? They’re not easy to handle.”
Jin Seon-ah gave a meaningful smile at the slightly uneasy reactions of the employees.
“Yes. When have we ever chosen our debtors? Taeyang Development isn’t the only debtor tangled with unpaid receivables. First, contact other creditors.”
“What do you mean?”
“To catch a big fish like Taeyang, the methods used for minnows or small fry won’t work. If we’re going to do it, we should expand the scale properly. Find out if there are other creditors besides Seongjin Construction. There might be companies that have already received court rulings for unpaid receivables. Ask them to hand over their power of attorney to us.”
“Yes, understood.”
“We need to act quickly before Taeyang notices. If they get wind of it, it will be troublesome. We need to strike fast and hard before they come up with countermeasures.”
Following Jin Seon-ah’s order, the employees of Daehung Company immediately began their investigation. As expected, there were numerous creditors with unpaid receivables from Taeyang affiliates. Some companies had already received first-instance court rulings against Taeyang Group affiliates.
When Jin Seon-ah visited and persuaded them to hand over their power of attorney, the creditors were initially hesitant.
“Unpaid receivables, huh. Do you really think we can recover them? They’re the type to blatantly ignore even court rulings… Won’t this just provoke them unnecessarily?”
“Just trust us and leave it to us. You’ve heard of our company, right? We pride ourselves on being the best in the country at recovering unpaid debts.”
“Alright, we’ll trust you, Ms. Jin.”
After about ten days, Jin Seon-ah successfully formed a group of creditors and headed to Taeyang Development as soon as the preparations were complete.
At Taeyang Development’s office,
Nam Tae-man, who was leisurely practicing his putting in the president’s office, received a report from his secretary.
“What? A group of creditors?”
“Yes, they came regarding unpaid receivables. What should we do?”
“What do you think? Tell them to get lost immediately. How dare they come here?”
Nam Tae-man nonchalantly focused on his golf ball again.
While he was setting up his putting posture, a loud commotion erupted outside.
“You can’t go in there.”
“Can’t I? The president is in there, right?”
Jin Seon-ah, wearing a black suit and flanked by burly men, barged into the president’s office.
“There you are. They said you weren’t here, but here you are, playing leisurely.”
“Is this girl crazy? Do you know where you are? Do you know who I am?”
Jin Seon-ah responded in a businesslike tone, presenting the unpaid receivables statement.
“I am Jin Seon-ah, the representative of the creditors. You must be President Nam Tae-man. It seems we need to have a conversation. How about we sit on that sofa and talk?”
Seeing the situation unfolding, it was clear that this couldn’t be resolved with mere words.
Reluctantly, Nam Tae-man sat down and glanced through the documents.
After a brief look, Nam Tae-man’s expression turned incredulous.
“The total unpaid amount is 900 million won, and with interest, it comes to 1.5 billion won? Are you out of your mind?”
“With the unpaid construction costs, material costs, and delayed interest from Taeyang Development, this amount is justified. Including the damages for delay, of course.”
“Is this girl insane? How dare you present such a ridiculous bill…”
Nam Tae-man’s foul language caused the bodyguards next to him to tremble.
“What’s going on with this guy? How dare you speak like that?”
One of the bodyguards, with a scowl on his face, stepped forward, but Jin Seon-ah stopped him.
“What a foul mouth. Are you really saying you can’t repay?”
“What if I say I can’t? What will you do then?”
“Then we have no choice but to take action. But know that whatever happens next will be your responsibility, President.”
Jin Seon-ah immediately gave instructions through her walkie-talkie.
“Attorney Kim, proceed right away. I’ll take responsibility for what follows.”
“What, what are you talking about?”
Moments later, court bailiffs accompanied by police officers swarmed in.
“Hey! Who are you people?”
“We are here with a court order. Please cooperate with the execution of our duties. Obstructing this will result in criminal charges for interference with government duties.”
Employees of Taeyang Development tried to physically block them from entering.
“Where do you think you’re going? You can’t go any further.”
“Hey, are you disregarding the authority of the court? Do you want to end up in jail?”
Realizing the situation wasn’t in their favor, Taeyang Development’s employees resorted to physical defense.
But they were outnumbered. Daehung had mobilized over a hundred personnel.
The court bailiffs, pressing forward with force, began attaching seizure stickers to visible office equipment.
They targeted electronic devices, sofas, and anything that could be easily liquidated into cash.
Jin Seon-ah, folding her arms, informed them as if doing them a favor.
“You can continue using the items as usual. Just don’t damage the stickers. Removing them would be a crime under the Penal Code for invalidating official markings. And don’t think about relocating the items without permission. Doing so would be a crime under Article 142 of the Penal Code for invalidating official custodial property.”
Meanwhile, Nam Tae-man, whose hands were restrained by the burly bodyguards, lost his temper.
“Who the heck are you? Do you think you’ll get away with this?”
“Why so shameless when you’re the debtor? And who gave you the right to talk down to me? Didn’t you learn manners in elementary school?”
“What? This girl is really…”
“Don’t call me names. Sir, I’m a respectable person too. Do you think I’ll get scared if you glare at me like that? Not a chance.”
“Really now?”
“Don’t make me lose my temper. If you push me, I might just sell you off to a deep-sea fishing boat. So behave.”
Seeing Jin Seon-ah’s cold eyes, Nam Tae-man gulped. For a man who had lived fearlessly as a scion of a conglomerate, this was the first time hearing such threats. Jin Seon-ah, looking down at him with disdain, addressed the court bailiffs.
“Alright, let’s go. We’re done here.”
The court bailiffs, having turned the office upside down, left behind a notice listing the seized items.
After finishing their work, the court bailiffs retreated en masse, leaving Nam Tae-man alone and humiliated.
“What the heck was that?”
Adjusting his tie and catching his breath, Nam Tae-man was interrupted by his pale-faced secretary who came running.
“You! Where were you hiding?”
“Sir, this is a big problem! Now’s not the time for that.”
“What is it?”
“Along with Taeyang Development, a group of creditors has stormed into the parent company, Taeyang Construction. It’s total chaos there too.”
“What? What did you say!”
Nam Tae-man was so shocked he almost fainted.
Meanwhile, Nam Tae-kyung, Executive Director of Taeyang Construction, who arrived at work later, was equally dumbfounded by the red stickers on his car.
“What on earth is going on?”
“It’s a court order for debt collection.”
“What?”
The next morning, news of the court bailiffs entering Taeyang Group’s offices made the headlines.
“Taeyang Group Facing Financial Crisis? On the Brink of Bankruptcy”
“Around 1 PM today, an unprecedented commotion occurred at Taeyang Construction, one of the country’s leading construction companies. Hundreds of office equipment were seized and marked with red stickers. The chaos extended to the president’s office and executive rooms, where hundreds of red stickers were also affixed. According to construction company employees, about 15 court bailiffs divided into three groups stormed the main office, the headquarters, and two nearby offices to enforce the court order.
“This incident stemmed from a civil lawsuit over unpaid construction costs and material payments for a dormitory completed by Taeyang Development. On the 21st of last month, a first-instance judgment partially ruled against Taeyang Construction, requiring them to pay about 500 million won to contractor S Company. Despite the court ruling, Taeyang Development, a real estate development subsidiary of Taeyang Construction, refused to pay the construction costs, leading to this drastic measure.
“Regarding this incident, Taeyang Construction claimed that the creditor’s attorney was attempting to secure a victory bonus by pressuring them to transfer the construction costs to a specific account, which they found unreasonable.”
The article even mentioned Taeyang Group’s company name without any filter.
Led by Gyungwoon Ilbo, the media, seizing a good opportunity, simultaneously attacked Taeyang Group.
“Down with the evil corporation Taeyang! Down with Taeyang Construction!”
To add insult to injury, creditors with picket signs set up tents in front of the construction company and staged daily protests.
- To be continued in Episode 76 -
