Chapter 136: Considering a New Party

“It’s been a while, Prosecutor General.”

“Come in, Boss Kim.”

It had been some time since I’d met with Yoon Chang-ho, the former chief prosecutor, who had recently stepped down from his position.

He looked far more relaxed now compared to his time in the Prosecutors’ Office.

After finishing a simple meal, we got into the real discussion.

“Are you getting a lot of calls from the political circle?”

“Ha, I was actually planning to talk to you about that. Both sides are asking me to run in next year’s general election. They’re offering me a sure-win district.”

During his time as Prosecutor General, Yoon Chang-ho had handled numerous high-profile corruption cases. He had acted as the administration’s attack dog, yet earned the people’s approval by exposing the truth.

Currently, his popularity with the public was unparalleled by any former Prosecutor General.

It was no surprise that both of the country’s major political parties were vying for his support.

“So, does any party interest you?”

“The opposition seems like a better place to grow my influence, don’t you think?”

It appeared Yoon Chang-ho was leaning toward the Conservative Party.

“It’ll be hard for you to rise to presidential candidacy in the Conservative Party.”

If he was content being a member of the National Assembly, it really wouldn’t matter which party he joined.

Honestly, even if he ran as an independent, he would still win.

“There’s still plenty of time before the next presidential election. Who’s to say what will happen?”

Though Yoon’s words carried a hint of regret, I shook my head.

“They won’t give up their spot. No matter how much damage the party leader took from the Cheongpung Group scandal, he’s still managed to regain firm control. Do you think he’ll just hand over his place to you?”

The current leader of the Conservative Party, Seong Dae-kyu, was notorious for his hunger for power.

After his strategic alliance with Cheongpung Group secured him a key position, Seong had quietly retreated following his loss to Kim Hak-gwon in the presidential race.

His successor, Choi Chang-geun, had been ensnared in Kim Hak-gwon’s drive to dismantle Cheongpung, leading to his arrest, despite being the leader of the main opposition party.

Seong Dae-kyu wasted no time stepping in.

He quickly took control of the conservative faction amidst the chaos and was reinstated as party leader, solidifying his hold on power.

And now, Seong Dae-kyu handing the presidency to Yoon Chang-ho? That would never happen.

It was simply out of the question.

“Hmm…”

As I laid things out plainly, Yoon fell deep into thought.

“There’s still a year left until the general election. You can raise your value even more. There’s no need to rush into a decision.”

After a long pause, Yoon finally spoke.

“Are you suggesting I align with the Progressive Party? Kim Hak-gwon’s shadow looms too large over that faction. Not to mention, with so many people being purged recently, his influence has only grown.”

Cheongpung’s influence extended across both the conservative and progressive parties alike.

Given that Kim Hak-gwon had wielded the blade, those still standing were left tiptoeing around him.

The current President’s grip on his party was far stronger than what history had recorded.

“Wouldn’t it be worth considering the option of forming a new party?”

“What? Starting a new party isn’t something you can just decide to do, especially for a political novice like me. That’s a ridiculous idea.”

“Politics is a living thing. You never know what might happen next. I can cover the financial side, but the issue is securing a base… That’s where you come in. You’ll have to spearhead that effort.”

Historically, attempts to create new political parties have often failed. Even major figures like the so-called ‘Lord of the Chungcheong region’ faded into obscurity.

In the future, several new parties would attempt to emerge, but they would all ultimately fall into the role of being mere voting tools for the main two.

This is the harsh reality of Korean politics.

“Even so, forming a new party…”

I urged Yoon on as he shook his head.

“The best way to position yourself as a viable presidential candidate is to form a new party and win a significant number of seats in the upcoming election.”

Despite my advantage of foreknowledge, crafting a path to the presidency was no small task.

In the original timeline, Yoon Chang-ho had been a non-entity. Elevating him to the status of party leader for a new faction seemed like the best option.

It didn’t matter how much money it took; getting a person I trusted into the Blue House was the priority.

“You don’t need to make any decisions right now. Let’s watch the upcoming by-election and see what happens.”

Thanks to my actions, the future had already changed.

Next month, there would be a by-election to fill 48 seats in the National Assembly.

The Cheongpung Group scandal had taken down an unprecedented number of lawmakers, turning the by-election into a kind of ‘mini general election.’ All eyes were on it.

All political parties, especially the ruling and opposition ones, were pulling out all the stops to secure as many seats as possible, especially in the capital region and strategically significant areas.

If the ruling party won, Kim Hak-gwon’s power would solidify further, but if the opposition took the day, Seong Dae-kyu would be emboldened.

“You can’t just sit still until then.”

“Of course not. If I fade into the background, I’ll lose my relevance. Maybe I should start giving lectures at universities.”

“Hahaha…”

“Or perhaps making appearances on TV wouldn’t be such a bad idea. You need to stay visible. Even if we run favorable articles about you in the newspapers, nothing beats staying in the public eye.”

“Alright. I’ll give it some thought.”

We paused the conversation as we both took a sip of tea.

“Speaking of, what’s going on with Hyunhwa Group these days? There’s been a lot of noise. I heard your name’s been dragged into it, too. I thought you didn’t like getting involved directly.”

Naturally, our conversation shifted to my current battle with Hyunhwa Group.

“Hahaha, it just ended up that way.”

“You’re not the kind of person to get involved without a reason. What’s really going on?”

“Let’s just call it a personal vendetta.”

“Hah…”

Yoon, fully aware of how I dealt with my enemies, shook his head with a mix of fascination and wariness.

“Is that why Chairman Kim has been calling around so much? I heard he’s been reaching out to the Prosecutors’ Office and even the National Tax Service. Are you sure you’re handling this?”

Despite his words, Yoon’s face didn’t look concerned. In fact, he seemed more entertained.

There was a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

“I doubt he’ll find anything worthwhile. I’ve paid all the taxes on what I inherited from my grandfather; there’s nothing for them to dig up.”

“The prosecutors probably won’t mess with you. After all, they remember what happened to the Central District Chief last time. Plus, you still have friends in the office, and so do I.”

The new Prosecutor General, appointed after Yoon’s resignation, was essentially just a puppet of Kim Hak-gwon.

But even someone like Kim Hak-gwon couldn’t touch me so easily.

“This time, they’ll try another tactic. When a major shareholder starts opposing you, things quickly get complicated.”

I had already secured more than 5% stakes in both Dream High and Future, which I openly declared. Hyunhwa Group’s stocks were becoming increasingly volatile.

This was no mere investment; it was an official move toward gaining influence over the company’s management.

Han Gyeong-yeong, who had full power of attorney, filed a court injunction to review the company’s shareholder registry and called for an extraordinary general meeting along with access to their financial statements. All related legal battles had been entrusted to the experts at Yun & Jang.

“Whatever happened, it looks like you’ve got him riled up. Chairman Kim’s a cocky guy, especially for someone who’s been in his position since such a young age. Probably thinks he’s untouchable.”

“Is that so?”

“He took the helm in his twenties, so it’s no wonder. Now he’s pushing fifty, yet that brash attitude hasn’t changed. I have to admit, this is going to be quite entertaining. I’ve been bored since retirement.”

“Brace yourself; it’ll be interesting, indeed.”

Yoon and I exchanged amused smiles.

* * *

Bang!

The phone crashed to the ground with a thud, its cord yanked out of the wall.

“Damn it! Everyone’s losing their minds over baseless rumors!”

“Chairman.”

It was none other than Kim Seong-hak who had hurled the phone. His secretary, standing cautiously in the corner, didn’t dare to intervene.

He shrank back, knowing that if he tried to step in, he might get hit himself.

Panting heavily, Kim Seong-hak turned to his secretary.

“How much are we holding with our friendly shares?”

“In total, we control about 38% of Hyunhwa Corp. And…”

Before the secretary could finish, Kim raised his hand to cut him off.

“No major issues, right?”

“There’s no immediate concern over control, but if they keep making a fuss, it’ll definitely be hard to pursue any new projects. Worse, other forces might jump in if this drags out.”

“What a headache. Do we have any idea about their next move?”

“We’ll stall as best we can, but the courts will likely approve all of their requests eventually.”

“Make sure everything’s clean. No loose ends. If anything comes up, heads will roll.”

“Understood, sir.”

“And start rounding up small shareholders for proxies. We need to secure at least 50.1%.”

Sensing the storm brewing, the secretary hurried out of the room, eager to avoid catching any further heat.

Kim Seong-hak pulled out his mobile phone and dialed a number.

“Ilseong Group Secretary Office sppeaking.”

“It’s Kim Seong-hak from Hyunhwa Group. I need to speak with the chairman.”

“Chairman Kim Seong-hak of Hyunhwa Group is calling, you said?”

“That’s right. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“Please hold on for a moment, I’ll inform the chairman.”

Kim Seong-hak was notoriously hot-blooded, but now, under pressure, his temper flared even quicker than usual.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Chairman Kim.”

Moments later, Chairman Seo Yong-geon answered, his tone warm and welcoming.

“It’s been a while, Chairman Seo.”

“Didn’t we see each other at the last Federation of Korean Industries meeting? So, what brings you to me now?”

“It’s… about Kim Mu-hyeok.”

“Kim Mu-hyeok? Oh, I heard rumorshe’s making moves on Hyunhwa’s management. But is that something you should be worried about?”

“Ha… It’s not that simple.”

Seo’s dismissive attitude gnawed at him, but Kim Seong-hak tightly reined in his anger. He knew he was the one in need right now.

“Is it that bad?”

“It’s not a threat to management yet, but he’s certainly going to be a nuisance. I was hoping you could assist me.”

“Help you? How exactly?”

“I would like it if you could purchase some of our shares.”

“What? Shares?”

Seo sounded surprised, as though the request had come out of the blue.

“Business isn’t something you do out of friendship, my friend. Even though I was close to your father, that doesn’t mean we do each other favors for free. Business is business, isn’t it?”

“We would also become your white knight. How about we exchange shares instead?”

“We have no issues on our side. But I don’t think making a deal like that is going to cut it.”

“Then what do you want?”

“My dear chairman, you’re the one in need. It wouldn’t be right for me to tell you what I want. You should think about it.”

Seo’s patronizing tone grated on Kim, who silently cursed the sly old fox.

“Please, just help me this once, and I won’t forget the favor. Your relationship with Chairman Cheon in Myeong-dong isn’t exactly perfect, is it?”

“Hahaha, I don’t know where you heard that, but there’s nothing good or bad between me and Chairman Cheon. Can’t you tell by how I’m still working with the Cheon family?”

Kim Seong-hak’s expression twisted into a grimace.

But the words that left his mouth were far more diplomatic.

“I’ll grant you one favor, anything you ask. Just help me this time.”

“Anything?”

“Yes, Chairman Seo. You know me. I keep my promises.”

“Are you sure? I won’t ask for something trivial.”

“If I don’t crush him during the upcoming extraordinary general meeting, some of the votes may shift. I really need your help, just this once.”

“Fine. What do you need me to do?”

“For now, if you could take over some of our affiliate-owned Hyunhwa shares and assign the voting rights to me, that would help. Could you also use your connections with the National Tax Service and Prosecutors’ Office? All my contacts are lying low.”

“Won’t messing with it too much cause trouble with your cross-shareholding?”

“I won’t go that far. But I need more capital to acquire more shares on the market.”

Kim’s plan was to offload some of the Hyunhwa shares held by his affiliates to Ilseong and use the funds to buy additional shares on the open market, locking down greater control.

He was sacrificing the company’s assets for his personal benefit, a classic move by many a chaebol.

“Fine. But don’t expect too much from the Prosecutors’ Office. Not right now. Kim Mu-hyeok already stirred thepot a bit.”

“So the rumors are true?”

“Exaggerated, for sure. But I believe about half of what I’ve heard. Still, I’ll see what I can do.”

“Thank you, Chairman Seo. I won’t forget this.”

Kim Seong-hak hung up, a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Damn it… Having to beg that old man Seo… Just who the hell is this Kim Mu-hyeok? Why is everyone soscared to get involved?”

An unsettling sense of dread began to coil around Kim Seong-hak’s neck.

* * *

“We’re heading to Hyunhwa Group’s headquarters tomorrow.”

At Han Gyeong-yeong’s words, I nodded.

“Take the experts with you and dig through everything. If anything’s off in the finances, I want to know. And comb through the shareholder registry to see who holds the biggest stakes.”

It was critical to secure as many friendly shares as we could.

“We’ve got 23%, and Chairman Kim has 38%, right?”

“Yeah, but none of the shares are moving. Everything’s locked down tight. People know this won’t be over in a day or two, so nobody’s selling.”

Hyunhwa Group’s shares were practically drying up.

Later that evening, an announcement came out: Ilseong Electronics had acquired a 5.3% stake in Hyunhwa Corp. from Hyunhwa Chemical via an over-the-counter transaction.

Although Ilseong claimed the move was purely for synergy between the two companies, no one bought their explanation.

“Things are getting messy.”