Chapter 195: Now Only We Are Left

The booming voice of Chairman Seo Yong-geon erupted from the Il-seong Group’s conference room..

“So, the mighty Il-sung Security Team coulddn’t do anything and just watched as Cheon Su-man was dragged away?”

“I have nothing to say.”

The team leader who had gone out to support Cheon Su-man bowed his head before him.

“You claimed to be an elite from the special forces!”

The team leader lowered his head even further in response to the furious rebuke from Chairman Seo.

“Get out now!”

Unable to hold his temper any longer, Seo Yong-geon threw the ashtray sitting in front of him.

“I’m sorry.”

Apologizing in a barely audible voice, the departing team leader caught a glance from Seo Jae-hoon, who stood like a statue as the door to the study closed behind him.

“Contact a foreign mercenary company immediately. No matter the cost, bring everyone to Korea. Those who went out for support today should all be fired.”

“Understood.”

“We cannot lose in a power struggle against Kim Mu-hyeok.”

As Seo Yong-geon muttered this, he pressed his head, feeling dizzy from rising blood pressure.

“Track Cheon Su-man’s location. If Ha Myung-hoon took him, he likely won’t kill him. He wouldn’t be the kind of guy who could kill someone from the Cheon bloodline with his own hands.”

“What should we do after confirming?”

“What do you mean, what should we do? We have to find him again! Don’t you know the significance of Cheon Su-man in our plans? Is that even a question?”

“I’m sorry.”

Again being reproached, Seo Yong-geon clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Tsk, you’ve been acting up more often lately.”

“I’m sorry, Chairman.”

Lee Seok-min bowed his head again and spoke.

Looking at Lee Seok-min, who looked dissatisfied, Seo Yong-geon told him to raise his head and continued,

“Under no circumstances should we stop searching for Cheon Su-man. Use any means necessary to find him.”

Stopping mid-sentence, he began tapping his fingers on the table, lost in thought.

The words left by the team leader before he left gnawed at him.

“Ha Myung-hoon warned us… I don’t feel good about this.”

After that, Seo Yong-geon continued tapping on the table, lost in his brooding thoughts.

“Don’t interfere with Chairman Cheon’s funeral any further. If Ha Myung-hoon truly takes action, he’ll come at me without any hesitation.”

For Seo Yong-geon, who was the chairman of Il-sung, Ha Myung-hoon was not someone to be feared. However, there was no need to escalate matters unnecessarily.

“If it’s related to Chairman Cheon, he’s the kind of madman who would storm the Blue House with a bomb.”

Just thinking of Ha Myung-hoon, blindly devoted to Chairman Cheon, made him feel envious all of a sudden.

Such people were hard to come by, even for money. Seo Yong-geon, casting a sidelong glance at Lee Seok-min, who was keeping his eyes downcast, opened his mouth again.

“I told you not to cause a scene at the funeral. Not knowing your place and causing a ruckus, this is what you get, honestly.”

Because of his stubbornness, he was left with no choice but to send support for the security team.

It was pointless to regret the past, but the lingering feeling of discomfort remained.

“That drug isn’t a problem, right?”

“Yes, it’s a drug that will never be detected.”

“Just to be safe, cut off all ties related to us.”

“Understood.”

“Jae-hoon has arrived home, right? Tell him to come in. You should go out now.”

As Lee Seok-min bowed and left, Seo Jae-hoon entered the conference room.

“You’re here.”

“Yes, Father.”

“As instructed, did you talk to Kim Mu-hyeok in Pyongyang?”

“Yes, we even had a drink together.”

The thought of sharing a drink with Kim Mu-hyeok piqued Seo Yong-geo’s interest.

“So, how was it?”

“Well, he still seems like a kid. He’s so blinded by useless revenge that conversation is impossible.”

“…”

Seo Yong-geon sighed internally at Seo Jae-hoon, who shrugged nonchalantly about the situation.

Both he and Seo Jae-hoon were essentially of the same kind. However, being older, Seo Yong-geon knew better than to openly express how his feelings had not aligned with social and humanitarian issues.

If only my son weren’t that guy…”

“Tell me in detail what you discussed.”

“So, the thing is…”

Noticing Seo Yong-geon’s unusual reaction, Seo Jae-hoon straightened his posture and began recounting what had transpired in Pyongyang in detail.

* * *

Luckily, the rain that had fallen all night finally stopped at dawn.

Upon entering the funeral home, he saw Chief Ha kneeling in front of the portrait.

“You’re up early.”

Hearing my voice, Chief Ha rose from his spot.

“Are you awake now?”

“You can sit down.”

“No, I’ve offered my respects sufficiently.”

Chief Ha’s eyes were bloodshot, as if he hadn’t slept properly. I decided to ignore this and continued,

“I’ll be accepting guests for condolences after breakfast, so please prepare.”

“Yes, Boss.”

After Chief Ha left the funeral home, I offered incense to my grandfather while bowing my head.

“Grandfather.”

Sitting before the stern portrait of my grandfather, I softly called his name.

My mind was tangled with the conversation I had with Chief Ha yesterday.

I closed my eyes and sat silently to sort my thoughts.

“Oppa.”

Ji-young, who had woken up early, came to pay her respects to grandfather.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, I’m okay. Grandfather is probably resting well too.”

Unlike yesterday, I didn’t cry just from seeing my grandfather’s portrait. I felt like I had somewhat managed my emotions.

“Right. Now that he’s not in pain, he must be resting peacefully. Please offer your respects. I’ll be outside.”

Ji-young stepped outside, allowing me to offer my respects comfortably.

Once outside, I found Chief Ha and Manager Ma in conversation.

The moment they noticed me, both paused their discussion and approached.

“Please have a meal with the staff. Manager Ma is checking people outside to let them in, and Chief Ha will guide the guests inside the funeral home.”

After Chief Ha and Manager Ma bowed, they began to move.

At that moment, Cheon Ji-won, who seemed to be just waking up, slowly emerged.

“You’re awake now? Wash up and pay your respects to grandfather. We need to get ready for the guests.”

Cheon Ji-won appeared dazed from just waking up, but I didn’t want to talk any more, so I turned away.

A refreshing breeze swept outside, thanks to the rain during the night.

“Aren’t you cold?”

Manager Ma brought over a suit jacket, his expression tinged with concern.

I had meant to hide it, but I must have looked strained.

“I was hot, but the cool air is quite nice. Aren’t you going to eat?”

“Not really feeling it.”

“Why not?”

Manager Ma glanced awkwardly at the staff heading to eat before answering,

“…I just recalled what the chairman said yesterday and it left me a bit unsettled.”

A smile crept onto my face at Manager Ma’s rare display of sentimentality.

“Did you harbor resentment towards grandfather?”

“It’d be a lie to say I didn’t. That’s why I took off to a foreign land. The chairman didn’t try to stop me either.”

Knowing that Manager Ma’s departure had something to do with the death of his younger sister, I nodded slightly.

“But to us, he was a gracious figure. If it weren’t for the chairman, I might have ended up like Park Dong-su or Chairman Lee, a thug.”

“To grandfather, people like Chief Ha or Manager Ma were also valuable. So, please take good care of him on his final journey.”

“Yes, Boss.”

I patted Manager Ma on the shoulder and entered the funeral home.

By now, Cheon Ji-su had also washed up and was fully made up.

“Everyone’s awake. Let’s all grab a meal together.”

Soon, the staff had prepared breakfast for us. I addressed everyone seated around the table.

“Do well today and tomorrow. We’re the only ones left for grandfather now. Until the funeral is over, let’s forget any bad feelings we have towards each other. I’m asking you all.”

I didn’t want to show any fighting in front of grandfather’s portrait anymore.

“Okay.”

“Got it.”

After Ji-young, Cheon Ji-su also responded in aagreement,

“Alright.”

Finally, Cheon Ji-won reluctantly replied.

Although my appetite dropped due to Cheon Ji-won and Cheon Ji-su, I forced myself too swallow down breakfast.

Seeing that the Cheon siblings had all settled into their seats in the funeral home, I spoke to Chief Ha and Manager Ma.

“We’ll start receiving guests for condolences now. Please make the necessary calls again. I’ve contacted Chairman Song, so he should arrive soon. The other guests need to be connected with Chief Ha and Manager Ma to contact them.”

Chief Ha and Manager Ma made calls here and there, while other staff members prepared to receive guests.

Finally, I let out a sigh of relief, now feeling like it resembled a proper funeral home.

Shortly after making the calls, Chairman Song arrived.

Noticing me from outside the funeral home, Chairman Song nodded his head and stepped inside.

After paying his respects, Chairman Song came out after a brief exchange with Cheon Ji-won.

“I’ll take you to the reception room.”

I led Chairman Song into one of the reception rooms. Facing him, I began with a word of thanks.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Are you okay? It must be quite shocking for you.”

“I’m fine. Luckily, I was able to watch over his last moments.”

Chairman Song nodded slightly. His face carried the sorrow of losing a close friend.

“That’s a relief. If your call had been just a day later, you wouldn’t have been able to see him off. President Kim Hak-gwon and Chairman Kim Jong-il made a significant decision to be here.”

“I’ll thank them properly later.”

Even amid his busy schedule, President Kim Hak-gwon sent a wreath and a flag of condolence. He even sent the chief of staff in Pyongyang instead of a secretary to express condolences.

Although I found it distasteful that he partnered with Il-sung, I was determined tto express my gratitude after all the funeral matters were settled.

I planned to express my thanks to Chairman Kim Jong-il through the hotline he had provided and promised to do my best to fulfill the tasks he had entrusted to me.

“…Except for me, most have passed away.”

“…”

Chairman Song’s face grew more solemn as he spoke mournfully.

“Chairman Seo and Chairman Cheon are both individuals who walked through chaotic times alongside me. First, Chairman Seo left, and now Chairman Cheon leaves me behind.”

I couldn’t console him for the pain of losing a friend who had walked alongside him in life.

I quietly held his hand tightly as he spoke.

“Time is cruel indeed. It seems my turn to join them is approaching.”

“Chairman, you need to live longer.”

“Yes, I need to. I should die only after putting our North Korean business back on track. I still have a lot to do. I can’t just die easily. You will help me a lot.”

“Yes, I will.”

“That should be enough.”

Through this summits, my negative thoughts toward North Korea had begun to lighten.

Not just because of Chairman Song, but I also thought of investing in North Korea.

“Chairman, please visit the hospital regularly for check-ups. Don’t stubbornly insist that you’re healthy.”

“You’re better than my own children. They’re all red-eyed, wanting just a bit more from me.”

Although Chairman Song spoke jokingly, knowing the future, I couldn’t treat it as just a joke.

As long as Chairman Song was alive, it wouldn’t surface, but Daehyeon wouldn’t be free from this dirty fight either.

I felt bitter, solely wishing he could rest peacefully, unaware of these happenings.

“That’s impossible. You’ve already plotted out all the successors and divided everything as well. Everyone will be satisfied with that.”

“Perhaps. Seeing Chairman Cheon’s final days brings a lot of thoughts. Both Chairman Cheon and I have merely lived for our families.”

As if reflecting on the past, Chairman Song closed his eyes gently.

“I’ve worked hard just to warm my children’s meals. And I’ve ended up here, like this. We all did.”

They say old age leads one to reminisce. Chairman Song was no different.

“People might criticize me and Chairman Cheon, but that was simply the times we lived in. If one didn’t step on others, they would be worrying about feeding one’s family.”

“…”

His voice carried a bitterness laced with regret.

“I lived desperately. Both Chairman Cheon and I did, you know.”

“Yes, Chairman. I understand. Whatever the previous generation did, we are living thanks to their efforts.”

“Chairman Cheon could have closed his eyes peacefully because you were here. I will follow soon to speak good words about you. I must be off now.”

Following the effortful rise of Chairman Song, I stood up as well.

“Are you leaving already?”

“What use is lingering? There’s no one left with whom I can converse while reminiscing about Chairman Cheon. After the funeral is over, find me. Then, you can share stories about Chairman Cheon.”

“I’ll be sure to visit you soon.”

“That’s right; there’s no need for a long journey.”

Gently patting my shoulder, Chairman Song departed the reception room. His secretary outside assisted him.

Just as he was about to leave the funeral home, Il-sung’s Seo Yong-geon arrrived.

“Chairman Song, are you leaving already?”

“Ah, Seo Yong-geon, you’ve come too?”

“Yes, Chairman. He was my father’s close friend.”

“Close friend, huh…”

A bittersweet smile crossed Chairman Song’s face. However, he bid farewell to Seo Yong-geon without saying more.

“Well then, I must be off now.”

“Yes, Chairman. See you next time.”

Chairman Song and Seo Yong-geon brushed past each other.

Watching Seo Yong-geon’s gaze, it seemed their relationship was not very good.

“Boss Kim, it’s been a while.”

I wanted to say a few harsh words to that shameless face, but I couldn’t do it.

I preferred to avoid any further disturbances at the funeral home.

“Yes, Chairman. Thank you for coming.”

I simply watched the back of Seo Yong-geon as he entered the funeral home.