Chapter 433: So You Know How to Put on a Show

I watched Oh Jeong-seok as he sipped his tea and talked on the phone with Yoon Chang-ho.

“Haha, I never dreamed you’d become President. Yes, yes. Ah, I’m here with CEO Kim Mu-hyeok right now. Hmm? Mmm. Alright, I understand. See you then.”

Oh Jeong-seok ended the brief call and set down his phone. A smile played on his face.

“The man’s voice is brimming with confidence.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. His voice carries strength and ease. But why wouldn’t it? He’s been elected President. Who would dare disrespect Yoon Chang-ho now? They’ll all be falling over themselves to flatter him.”

Korea’s presidential system was an imperial presidency. The Prime Minister was merely a puppet of the President, who wielded immense power.

Though limited to a single term, for five years the President could do almost anything they set their mind to.

“Now let’s get to the point. You didn’t come just to see my face, I’m sure.”

“Someone might think I only visit when I need something. Don’t say that. I pay my respects every holiday without fail.”

As I joked, Oh Jeong-seok picked up the teapot and refilled my empty cup. The smile on his lips deepened.

“Is it about the Il-seong Group?”

As expected of Oh Jeong-seok. He had guessed my reason for visiting without me saying a word.

“Yes, that’s right. I plan to finish off the Seo family for good now. I’ll tear the Il-seong Group apart and hand it over to other chaebols.”

I couldn’t help but smile, the corner of my mouth lifting.

“Seo Yong-geon is already as good as dead… I’ll have Seo Jae-hoon socially buried.”

“Hmm…”

“The prosecutors will move soon. Please use your influence to ensure an arrest warrant is issued.”

“Don’t you have quite a few judges who listen to you now? If it’s assigned to them, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

I shrugged at Oh Jeong-seok’s question. Why was he asking something he already knew?

“You know how it is. Even a rotten fish is still a fish. Seo Yong-geon has been nurturing people in various sectors of society for decades. Of course, that includes the courts. If I step in, a bloodbath is inevitable. You don’t want that either, Chief Justice.”

Oh Jeong-seok filled his own cup with tea and raised it.

“I suppose if you get involved, everyone connected would either lose their positions or face investigation.”

“Yes. If that happens, it could develop into a major scandal. I want to bury Seo Jae-hoon, not cause chaos.”

Oh Jeong-seok pondered as he caressed his teacup. But his deliberation was brief. He soon spoke up.

“So I take it you have no intention of expanding this conflict?”

“That’s correct.”

When I answered firmly, Oh Jeong-seok nodded leisurely.

“Alright. I’ll make sure there are no problems. I’ll also speak with the judges who received support from Il-sung. If anyone tries to interfere, tell them to prepare to take off their robes.”

“Thank you.”

“No need for thanks. If you really set your mind to it, could those so-called Il-sung scholarship recipients even survive? They’re all my disciples too, one way or another.”

Oh Jeong-seok chuckled leisurely as he brought the teacup to his lips. After taking a sip, he spoke again.

“By the way, have you ever thought about getting married?”

“You ask me that every time we meet.”

“It’s because I’m concerned.”

“I have no plans at the moment. I heard Hyeon-woo has set a date.”

“Even the humblest shoes come in pairs, as they say. That’s exactly the case here.”

Though his words were gruff, the corners of his mouth twitched as soon as Oh Hyeon-woo was mentioned.

“Han Min-kyung is a good friend too. It’s a good match between two compatible people.”

“You’ve been supporting her since university, haven’t you?”

“How did you know?”

I asked with a slightly surprised expression.

“Min-kyung told me herself. Hyeon-woo doesn’t know about it, though.”

“Yes, I supported her. I made sure not to leave any traces so others wouldn’t know… I didn’t expect Min-kyung to tell you herself.”

Oh Jeong-seok seemed ready to welcome Han Min-kyung as his daughter-in-law.

His face softened considerably as he spoke Han Min-kyung’s name.

“So, what did you see in that girl that made you so generous?”

“I had the means, and Min-kyung had the ability. It seemed a shame for a capable friend to fall behind just because of financial constraints. I had no other motives. While our friends were all studying, Min-kyung had to work. It was a kind of investment. As you know, Chief Justice, I don’t make bad investments.”

To be honest, I didn’t attach much significance to it at the time.

I just wanted Han Min-kyung to study with her friends and pass the bar exam.

As I had hoped, she didn’t disappoint me and achieved excellent results.

Of course, I hadn’t predicted that Oh Hyeon-woo and Han Min-kyung would get married, but that was fine too.

“I see. After meeting and talking with her, I can tell she’s a good girl.”

“Yes, she’s a good friend. She’ll get along well with Hyeon-woo too. Whatever she does, she’ll excel at it.”

“She has a good reputation in the courts as well.”

I nodded slightly.

In my previous life, Han Min-kyung had started as a human rights lawyer due to family circumstances.

She entered politics in her thirties and rose to the position of floor leader by forty.

Perhaps this time she could make a name for herself in the courts?

The conversation about Han Min-kyung ended there. I chatted with Oh Jeong-seok for about an hour more before leaving his house.

A few days later.

Lee Myeong-su, not the spokesperson, entered the press conference room at the central party headquarters.

Many reporters from broadcasting stations and newspapers were waiting, as the media had been informed in advance that there would be an announcement about the transition committee appointments today.

After looking around, Lee Myeong-su lightened the mood with a simple joke.

Then he opened the folder he was carrying and pulled out a document.

“First, I’ll announce the chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee who will lead us forward. Former Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok has agreed to serve as the committee chairman. I believe everyone here knows Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok. As a great elder of the legal community, he’s the most suitable person for the position of transition committee chairman.”

As soon as Lee Myeong-su finished speaking, a reporter raised his hand and asked,

“Are you saying Chief Justice Oh Jeong-seok has accepted?”

“Yes, the President-elect persistently persuaded him and finally secured his acceptance.”

The reporters kept typing on their laptops, and after a brief pause, Lee Myeong-su spoke again.

“Former Conservative Party leader Han Ji-ho has agreed to serve as vice-chairman of the transition committee. As a multi-term congressman with rich political experience and good relations with the Progressive Party, we expect him to serve as an excellent bridge between the Blue House and the transition committee.”

Once again, the press room buzzed with chatter.

“Do you mean Congressman Han Ji-ho?”

Lee Myeong-su answered the reporter’s question with a smile.

“Yes. Chairman Han Ji-ho expressed his willingness to serve humbly, but the President-elect offered him the vice-chairmanship and after much persuasion, he accepted.”

“President-elect Yoon Chang-ho and Congressman Han Ji-ho have completely different political styles. The bills they’ve promoted are also entirely different.”

“Yes, that’s correct. But as you can tell from our party’s name, we’ve moved beyond outdated color debates like conservative and progressive, left and right. We’ve composed a lineup of just the right people in just the right places, solely for the benefit of the people. Please trust President-elect Yoon Chang-ho and our Moderate Party, and watch over us.”

Lee Myeong-su continued to announce the transition committee roster one by one.

Contrary to expectations that there would be many prosecutors in the transition committee given that Yoon Chang-ho was a former Prosecutor General, there were many external recruits.

“The first goal of our transition committee is the economy, and so is the second. We plan to reform the chaebols and restructure their abnormal governance structures. Right now, the President-elect is meeting with chaebol chairmen at an undisclosed location.”

Amidst the murmuring reporters, someone raised their hand and shouted,

“Director! Is this related to the statement recently released by the Federation of Korean Industries and business community elders?”

“We’ll hold a separate press conference about that later.”

Lee Myeong-su bowed to the reporters.

“The transition committee is just beginning. We will implement policies for the nation and the people, as much as the people have trusted us. We will fight against corruption. We will fight against vested interests. Thank you.”

With that, Lee Myeong-su left the conference room.

“Wow, not bad.”

I let out a small exclamation as I watched the TV.

“Myeong-su has become quite the politician. He even knows how to put on a show.”

A satisfied smile spread across my face.

As I turned off the TV, I picked up one of the documents in front of me.

The document was filled with the names of the transition committee members.

Less than half of the names on this list were Yoon Chang-ho’s people. Seeing the list mostly filled with my and Myeong-su’s people, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Did they say Yoon Chang-ho is meeting with the chaebol chairmen right now?”

“Yes. I heard that President-elect Yoon has gathered everyone at the Myeong-dong Hotel.”

“He’s doing his job properly. It’s good that there’s no testing the waters like Kim Hak-gwon did.”

Yoon Chang-ho was moving exactly as I wanted.

I put down the document and asked,

“What about Seo Jae-hoon’s movements?”

“He’s quiet.”

“Were there no other contacts?”

What I was asking about wasn’t Seo Jae-hoon, but the movements of other people.

The key figures of the Il-seong Group who had turned to our side.

“No. It seems they’re laying low for now. After all, only a limited number of people could have created the documents handed over to the Fair Trade Commission, so it would be easy to find out who it was.”

“Hmm… I think it’s about time to make a full declaration of allegiance. Let’s reveal our mole at this Il-sung Electronics shareholders’ meeting.”

“I’ll prepare accordingly.”

I stood up and walked to the window of my study. Outside, heavy snowflakes were falling.

Soon, a world of pure white unfolded before my eyes, and I became lost in thought as I watched the accumulating snow.

* * *

The top floor suite of the Myeong-dong Hotel.

In the attached conference room, the chairmen of the top ten groups, excluding the Il-seong Group, had all gathered.

A moment later, the door opened and Yoon Chang-ho entered. Everyone stood up.

“I apologize for being a bit late. Let’s do away with unnecessary formalities and speak frankly. First, please take your seats.”

As Yoon Chang-ho sat down first, the rest of the chaebol chairmen followed suit.

“The reason I’ve gathered all of you chairmen here today is to ask for your opinions on various matters. First of all, the Il-seong Group will be dismantled.”

The President’s mouth uttered words about dismantling a chaebol.

Those who remembered how the Gukje Group had been torn apart by the President’s hands during the Fifth Republic all furrowed their brows.

“I heard from CEO Kim Mu-hyeok that you’ll all receive one or two affiliates. So why are you all frowning?”

“…”

“Let’s not pretend here. What good will it do for us to put on airs in this place? If you’re going to wear masks and act, stand up now.”

At Yoon Chang-ho’s stern warning, everyone remained silent.

The atmosphere in the conference room had sunk, but Yoon Chang-ho calmly looked around at the chairmen once again.

“I don’t like chaebols.”

Yoon Chang-ho, having set the mood, spoke frankly. The faces of the chaebol chairmen hardened.

“But I can’t investigate all of you. So you’ll have to help me.”

Yeo Seung-jin, the chairman of the Geumsung Group and the oldest person present, responded.

“When you say help…”

“I mean don’t oppose the reforms I’m trying to implement. Just cooperate as you are now.”

“What kind of reforms are you talking about?”

“Restructuring the governance of chaebols. I’m going to do this within my term.”

“But… We already agreed to do this gradually with a grace period.”

Geumsung Group had already completed its transition to a holding company structure, but the others were different .

The Jungwoo Group and Hyunhwa Group, which Kim Mu-hyeok practically owned, had also already completed their transition to holding companies.

“Are you saying you won’t do it?”

“…”

When Yoon Chang-ho spoke coldly, Yeo Seung-jin closed his mouth.

“I’m saying this for your own good. Isn’t it true that your current structure is vulnerable, where your management rights could be shaken at any time by large capital?”

Yoon Chang-ho looked around at the chaebol chairmen as he spoke.

“I’m not the type to just take without giving. If you resolve this issue, I’ll pass the ‘Corporate City Act’ that you’ve all been wanting.”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Yeo Seung-jin, surprised, asked with big eyes,

“You’ll pass the ‘Corporate City Act’?”

“Yes. Isn’t that what the Federation of Korean Industries has been advocating for?”

The Corporate City Act.

While the law contained various provisions, the main point of contention was that it would give private companies the authority to expropriate land in certain areas when creating corporate cities.

“First, we’ll make an example of the Il-seong Group by dismantling it. If the chairmen present here show the will to reform, won’t the public understand?”

Yoon Chang-ho’s proposal was not only reasonable but also tempting.

As the chairmen in the conference room whispered among themselves, Yeo Seung-jin fell into thought.

‘This must all be Kim Mu-hyeok’s will, right?’

The conference room, which had briefly become noisy, fell silent once again.

Yoon Chang-ho, who had been waiting for the chairmen to organize their thoughts, smiled and said,

“Then I’ll take it that you all agree. Prepare a statement agreeing to all the economic policies announced by the transition committee.”

“Yes, understood.”

Though his tone was generous, the intent behind it was a strong order. The chaebol chairmen had no choice.